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It could be more. Destiny looks beautiful, the planets and moons that you can travel to are amazing, the character that you get to customize and make your own is also truly stunning, the weapons, the ships, the land speeders, the look of the different aliens all shout epic.
The game certainly does look next gen but it falls apart after that, the story line is short, uninformative and very repetitive. You start at the same place on all locations and have to fight your way through the same enemy's as you get through the same map to arrive at a slightly different location. These main story lines also follow the same generic equation; Land on planet- kill enemy's on way to destination, at destination, let ghost look at some equipment-fight big guy-mission over, Its the same thing for ever mission.
The instances/raids that you get to do are indeed cool, but its the same equation as the regular missions, just longer and tougher; there are some cool enemy's you have to face like a spider tank but, it falls off when you get to the final boss expecting to find some cool super destructive enemy who can rip your face off, its just a larger version of all the guys you have been fighting on the way up to him, very generic.
The Aliens in the game do look cool but they face a lot of originality issues, the Vex who have lived for a millennium and all linked to one mind are on the rampage seeking out and killing everything; they do this for their dark god who they worship; after seeing them and listening to what story they had it reminded me of the Necrons from War hammer 40K. The Cabal are 800 pound guys who blow up planets and moons if they get in their way; that one sentence was all the back ground you got on them, and the fallen are just some army trying to kill you for some reason; again the story just isn't there, there really isn't one except your ghost found you, your alive again, the traveler needs light, go kill stuff.
Multiplayer in the game is cool, the way your ships group together before you land on a planet and the way the flag holder pops open to reveal your flag is very cool, but it seems broken and unbalanced, the Warlocks in the game seem to be the best at multiplayer and they do very well, multiplayer in destiny feels less like a FPS and more of WOW and LOL,your ability's get you more kills then your rifle does.
The game looks cool, feels great but lacks anything close to a story line and the multiplayer just feels broken, I'm upset about it because I was expecting great things from this company, I loved the halo series and thought it would be a great new chapter in their company, all I got for my $100, was a very poor narrated story that left me with more questions than answers, I wasn't captivates in any way, the multiplayer just inst fun and there is no real interaction with other players unless I do a raid with them. The maps feel very small, simple, beautiful but inhabited with the same dull aliens.
This game is a great foundation but it lacks real structure. (I know I pissed off some fan boys out there) | video-games_xbox |
patience. Just picked these up the other day. After opening the packaging and putting them on for the first time, the build quality is apparent. These things are meant to last, and definitely capable of being thrown lol. I wouldn't recommend that though. Sound quality is outstanding. Even though their stereo, they definitely do a great job simulating surround sound. Footsteps, gunshots, and even silencers are easily detected and exactly what direction they are coming from. Turning on someone is incredibly easy wearing these. And I'm sure the other guy is wondering how you knew he was coming in the first place. Bf4 and titanfall are amazing with these. Movies are incredible. Music impressive. Bass and trebles are perfectly equalized. The comfort level couldn't be any better. I have a large head and they fit me perfectly. The leather earcups are hardly noticeable. The noise cancellation is very impressive. I'm used to wearing headsets so it doesn't effect me. I've owned the tritton ax720s and astro A40s. These rank right up there with them. If they were digital I would say right on par if not better.
Now to the Mic. Previously I was using the Kinect with some turtle beaches and my friends said they could hear me better than before. They also mention my voice is a lot clearer but muffled somewhat. I can live with this because sound quality is a lot more important than voice for me. As long as they can hear me I'm happy. But it does need improvement. Thankfully Polk is working to resolve this issue. If you have the patience then I say go for it. These headsets are worth every penny. If your serious about gaming as I am, then these are a must try. I love them. Not to mention they just look badass and I can use them with every device. And did I mention no battery!? One cord to the controller and that's it. I've been using for several days and still haven't noticed any change in my battery life of my controller. Don't be afraid to try these because of other reviews. You won't be dissapointed. Polk 4 shots are the real deal, and I can't wait to see other headset they release in the future. | video-games_xbox |
Gettin back on track? Ehhh. Just got it, popped it in, and, ehhhh. Its Madden, not to much different than previous versions (the framerate has improved over the last 2 next gen versions, so it runs smoother) but they still got a long way to go. The icons are ok, there are different icons for different types of players, such as; cannon arm quaterback, precision qb, elusive rb, etc, etc, along with the number 0-100 ratings(which I prefer), I don't pay much attention to the icons, as a matter of fact I'm going to see if there is an option to have them not pop up at all.
The mini games to upgrade your players are enjoyable, although I have no idea what they were thinking with the reciever mini game. I can never track the ball, its like the screen jerks and throws me off, major improvement needed there, also playing the cornerback position is difficult. Now, this is just when you play as that specific player(legend mode). Its much easier to play the reciever/corner positions in regular game play mode by just switching to that player, and using them from that perspective, as the camera doesn't act all crazy on ya.
Game play runs pretty smooth, and the animations are pretty slick. Some clipping between players still occurs, but I've gotten so used to that it doesnt really bother me, and it doesnt effect the overall gameplay anyway, ( I'm not one of those folks who complain "WHAT, his big toe just went thru that dudes heel, this game is garbage!") Get over it already.
Presentation is what will take Madden over the top. For the life of me, I cant understand why they will not make any improvements to it. Whats the hold up on this? Sideline players still look retarded, I mean they have the coach over there walking around, and a bunch of generic sideline players all doing the same exact thing, and they have no detail about themselves either. Same thing with NCAA. Come on EA, step ya game up a little for once, please. Can we get real commentators, what the hell is this radio voice thing they have going on? NCAA 08s commetators are way better. 2ks commentary still trumps Maddens also. Crowd still needs major improvements also. These all seem like small improvements that're needed, I mean the gameplay is Madden, its pretty good. Just give us some action on the sidelines, crowd, ya know, the small details.
There's some kind of build your own super bowl ring that I'm not to interested in, so you can play around with that when you buy the game or read about it in another review or something.
Thats pretty much it, like I said, its Madden, not really downgraded, but could have been much better if they just crank the atmosphere/presentation up a little bit. You all have the ESPN liscense, now USE IT!
By the way, NCAA 08 is a much better game. Madden, better step your game up son, ya losin the race with ya little brother. | video-games_xbox |
RDR Pros and Cons. Having bought this game a while back, I have put many, many hours into it. It was kinda iffy at first whether I liked it or not but as I progressed it became more engrossing as I really tried to put myself in the main character's (John Marsten)boots. You can be an outlaw and kill and steal etc. but as in real life you become a wanted criminal and have to be prepared for the consequences. In this case, people shooting at you on site until you pay your bounty. The game had me frustrated at the beginning because I kept coming to bridges that weren't completed and kept trying to figure out how to get to the other places on the map. Then I realized that they will open up in due time and new adventures begin.
The things I liked about this game is first the acting, the voicing is excellent. Next is the graphics, very well done. Beautifully rendered and I did not have any glitches like walking halfway through a wall or door. The gameplay is very good. There is a good mix of required missions and side missions. These you can complete at your own pace so, for example,if you get bored looking for the required number of an item to collect, you can camp and save the game so if you die before the next time you save, you haven't lost your quest progress. You can then go on to do something else for a while and come back to it later. Also as you are traveling from point A to point B you will be involved in many other brief side quests. If you don't feel like traveling all the way across the territory on your horse, you can always ride the train or stagecoach and fast-travel but you will miss a lot of action. Interaction between other people and animals is good.
There were a few things I did not feel were necessary and added nothing to the game. Number one, the language. I don't mind a little here and there but it was just a barrage and there is no way to change the settings. Another were the random guys you would see next to a tree or rock taking a leak. There is a gay waiter in Mexico that is shown only briefly. Why? I have no idea. There is also a pretty graphic sex scene in Mexico that is a cut-scene. These things could have been left out and it would not have affected anything at all. I only mention these in case you are thinking about buying it for your kid.
Overall it is a very good game and if you are not trying to set some world speed record on finishing it and take the time to complete all of the missions and ride your horse instead of fast-traveling everywhere, it will provide hours and hours of gameplay. I highly recommend this game but not for kids. | video-games_xbox |
An interesting experience, and an absolute blast to play. First off let me just get this out of the way. I did not purchase this from Amazon, I purchased it from Gameshark.com and have had it for about 2 weeks now.
I was incredibly skeptical about this guitar when I first heard about it. "A plastic six string guitar? How's that supposed to work?" However, I heard nothing but good things about this guitar over at the Rock Band forums so I knew I had to actually try this for myself. So essentially this is a plastic guitar that has 102 buttons that is supposed to mimic a 6-stringed, 17 fretted guitar. The neck has numbers on each edge by the 3rd fret,the 5th fret, and so-on, similar to real guitar so you have a guide to where which numbered fret is where. As far as the rest of the buttons are concerned, you have the A, B, X, and Y buttons on the right side of the pick guard, and you have your start, back and guide buttons on the left side of the pick guard. If you are left handed like me, this layout is unfortunately terrible because instead of the buttons being located directly below the strings where they're easy to reach, they are instead located under your arm pit essentially. This isn't a big deal, but it's incredibly annoying if you're a south paw. One of my absolute favorite features of this guitar is how you can disassemble it into three pieces. You can easily pull the entire neck out of the body of the guitar, and you can also easily take the head stock off of the neck, unlike the RB3 Stratocaster where trying to remove the head stock is a chore.
Now down to playing the guitar. Like I said before it has six plastic strings that are all the same gauge or thickness, which is different from a real guitar of course, but I'm glad that they took this route so us leftys could try pro mode. This unfortunately is a bit of a problem, because on a real guitar you can tell what string you're playing by feeling how thick it is, but now since both the strings and the buttons are all the same gauge, it's harder to tell what you're playing without looking at the guitar. Another thing that's lost in translation with this guitar is the lack of vibration from the strings. Again, when playing a real guitar whenever you pluck a string it vibrates and you can tell if you're putting your finger on the right string on the fret board based on the vibration. Since this obviously can't happen with this plastic guitar, unavoidably there will be situations where you'll have your finger on the right button, but you'll be plucking the wrong string. This isn't a deal breaker, but it can cause some confusion. And now for my last little gripe about playing this guitar, the strumming. This may vary from person to person, but I find that trying to strum a string quickly can be quite difficult when done continuously. On a real guitar, yes I'm a broken record, when strumming a string quickly you usually only graze the string when you play it, but this technique won't work particularly well on the Mustang since it's won't pick up light strums most of the time.
At the end of the day, the Mustang is a really fun peripheral to use. It's awfully similar to a real guitar, and it's incredibly fun to use. I really wish this guitar wasn't so darn expensive though. $150 seems awfully steep for a plastic guitar, but it does have over 100 buttons so I suppose it's pretty expensive to make. If you have any desire to learn guitar or bass, then this is easily one of the most entertaining ways to do so. I know Madcatz has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to their products, but this guitar is a quality item. I will definitely update this review if anything goes wrong with it however. | video-games_xbox |
The evolution of a platform. The prime difference between what the folks at Harmonix and the people at Neversoft/RedOctane are doing with their perspective games comes down to very important semantics. Neversoft's Guitar Hero series is a franchise. Harmonix's Rock Band is a platform. It's a huge distinction and the truth is that Rock Band's method benefits the consumers a lot more.
So when you're purchasing Rock Band 2, you'll getting a lot more value than you can imagine. Sure there's the 84 song (all master cuts) list and the 20 additional free bonus songs coming really soon, but what's important to note is the promise that Harmonix is keeping with: Rock Band is a platform, meaning every song under the Rock Band umbrella (with a few unfortunate nixes) will work with their games. So not only do all the songs you've been downloading for a year work, but also all but three songs in Rock Band 1 can be ripped to your hard drive (for a nominal $5 for licensing fees). This is a phenomenal value that values the customer more than paying for individual "expansion" packs that have no connectivity to one another. Platform versus franchise.
Alright, so there's a huge value here. But once you dig into the actual game, there's some good and some blah. Harmonix revamped the touring mode so that, regardless of playing single or multi, you have one World Tour. Previously, songs unlocked in solo play would show up in the multiplayer; here, though, regardless of whether you're playing by yourself or with friends, you're unlocking songs as you travel throughout the world. It's a lot more fun and emphasizes group play.
One of the issues I've run into is that the people I play Rock Band with aren't the best of players. We do it for fun and we'd invariably run into a brick wall in the tour where they'd have to move up to the next difficulty and couldn't. So far, we haven't run into that situation and have gotten a lot more out of touring that we used to. I hope this continues as this is the most exciting and fun aspect of the game.
Other game types have been included, as well. Your band can do the "Tour Challenge," which basically throws various set lists at you to get through. These set lists can be songs from a specific band or songs difficult on a certain instrument or songs of a certain theme, etc. A second game type is "Battle of the Bands" and puts your band against another band virtually, with a leaderboard to track your progress.
If you're looking for more character customization options, you'll probably be disappointed. There's a few more new hair types and a couple more faces, but for the most part it feels like the first Rock Band. This is a common thread throughout Rock Band 2: it feels a lot like the first Rock Band. It's more of a slow evolution. By far the best changes are ones that should have been in place the first time around, namely the fact you don't need a band leader and that you can have one character play any of the instruments. This is probably my favorite part of the new game (minus the songs).
But the songs are the real showcase. There's a lot of diversity here with a lot of new bands, some oldies and everything in between. But most of the songs are a ton of fun to play, which is the most important part. If you have Rock Band, this is a no brainer as the gameplay modes are more fun and you're not losing songs. If you're new, this is a terrific place to start. Many many hours have been logged so far and I can't wait for more. | video-games_xbox |
A great, exciting racing game. Having played both Need For Speed Most Wanted and Forza Horizon I am inclined to say that Forza Horizon in my opinion is the better game.
The game takes the what you have came to know and love about all the Forza racing game series and sets you free in the open world of a beautiful Colorado. The game is centered on a music/car festival that celebrates the clash of the music and racing culture. Its a refreshing instalment to the more strictly track racing razer focus of all the previous Forza instalment. Depending on how you set up the difficulty, the game is not any more "arcade-y" then the orignal Forza series that I was made to believe from the trailers. The game borrows a lot of the car physics from Forza 4 and applies it to the open world of Colorado. The settings are beautifully rendered and the cars are just as brilliant as you expect them to be from a Forza game. Former Forza players will feel right at home with the photo mode, paint editors, and custom modification. Gone are the more advanced car tuning portions which allowed players to tweak every single aspect of their cars. This installment was definitely made to draw more people into the series and they did a great job of making easy to pick up and play without ditching the true hardcore Forza fans.
The game starts off with you racing for a spot in the Horizon tournament. There are some cut scenes in the beginning where you meet your driver/main character as well as characters that you will get to know along the game. However that is pretty much where all the cut scenes end, I do wish the added more to the game. And the rest is pretty much you working your way up from a nobody to a champion. You race in a variety of races including point to point race or races on laps on asphalt, dirt or a mix of both. There are also street races that do not include barriers and are raced on the streets with traffic. There are showcase events which pitches you in a car against variety of vehicles include planes and helicopters. There are events that requires to you take a picture of a certain car or hit a certain speed limits. Popularity points are given out depending on your driving skills. Doing certain things well will get you more points including drafting, passing, near-misses, drifting, etc. Also scattered on the roads are little signs that you can break to give you discounts on parts for your cars. All in all, there are a variety of things for you to do giving the game a lot of variety. The game however is much shorter than Forza 4 as you can easily pass this in around 6 hours or so.
The Horizon Rally Expansion is an amazing addition to the game. Since I am a huge Dirt fan, I automatically picked up this expansion pack when it was announced and have not regretted that decision. Not only does it have it's separate mode, it comes with features such as rally grade suspension, tires, transmission that can be bought and used on any car, essentially giving you the ability to turn a Nissan R35 GTR or Enzo Ferrari into rally cars. The pack comes with various rally stages taking place around Colorado to race in as well as five new cars, each with their own aero packages allowing you to turn those cars into rally cars equipped with mud guards, lights, etc. The Horizon Rally Expansion has added a whole different component to an already great game, if any of you are fans of rally racing, I would highly recommend picking up this expansion pack.
The only two things that I am disappointed at is the fact that Porsche is once again missing from this Forza title as it was from the last instalment (and the fact that it came later in a 20 dollar expansion, and not part of the season pass just made it a poor deal) and the fact that the good folks at Forza are charging the price of an extra game for the season pass and their extra cars. I understand the developers have to make money, however I feel like the content that is provided does not fully justify the price they are charging and I feel like those cars should have been included in the game in the first place. The extra cars do not add extra replayability to the game, yes some of the cars included are really cool and I really do want to check them out, but the packs are pricey, and unless you take forever to pass the game, the season pass is not worth the purchase as it was for Forza 4. The Horizon Rally Expansion however is worth it for those who like rally racing games such as Dirt. | video-games_xbox |
Online required console that pails in comparison to it's rival the "PS4. This game console has done something that no other major console has done before, require an online connection plus an account to start and use the console. The PS4 works offline. You don't need a connection if you don't want to. With the Xbox One, it's required plus a Microsoft account. There is no bypassing this. You have to do this step or else you can't use the console. That is one of the big reasons why I didn't like this console. Granted this console actually works. It works wonderfully after you get past the mandatory steps. Some games require an internet connection to receive an update in order to play the game like the "Forza" games for example and the downloads aren't necessarily small nor fast. There is no shutdown feature with this console. Even though you turn your console off, it's really isn't "off." In fact it's in sleep mode. The only way to physically turn it off is to unplug it which is a nuisance. The only high point about this console in my opinion is the controller. Not as solid as the Xbox 360 controller but solid enough. Some games don't play as well or have more issues than the PS4 equivalents like "Project Cars" for example that had framerate and button input issues where the PS4 version was much less problematic. Some Xbox 360 games have be made available to play on the Xbox One but not enough to make one want to part ways with their Xbox 360. In conclusion, I urge people to avoid this console. The PS4 is a better console that doesn't require an internet connection to use it or an account for that matter even though the PS4 doesn't have any backwards compatibility. Another matter to be concerned with in the future because of it's online nature is how long will this console last because if the online features will be shut down for this console in the future, one won't be able to factory reset this console because they would need the network to set up the console again which would then be gone. | video-games_xbox |
Another Good Dead Space game. (First of all I want to say that I'm sorry for my Grammar, It's one of my weak points.)
I started reading some reviews a few weeks ago about this game and some people we're saying that it didn't feel anything like a Dead Space game, well... I guess those people haven't played this game and are just judging by other peoples comments and or the demo. I too was falling for the bad reviews, after reading some I didn't feel like buying this game anymore, but since this is one of my favorite series of all time, I still bought it. I got the game and started playing the game expecting it to be totally different and boring (like the reviews and comments I have seen). Man, I was wrong, this game still feels very much like a Dead Space game, with Amazing atmosphere. great soundtrack, Necromorph dismemberment left and right!
If you are worried that this game will be all open area, then don't be, there is a lot of small hallways filled with blood, flickering lights and Necromorphs! Specially in the first 7 Chapters of the game (which you find yourself running around different space ships), after that, when you get to the planet, you will get mixed areas, some open areas and some small dark hallways, specially if you do the side missions (I recommend). The story wasn't great but still really good, it could of been better. The new crafting system is great! I love crafting new weapons to my likings, the thing I didn't like about the crafting was that you could craft some really powerful weapons, which could make the game easy to pass. The crouching system was kinda useless, you could hide behind stuff, but I never found my self in a situation where I needed to crouch. In this game you will also fight against humans, which I thought would ruin the game but it doesn't, you don't encounter them to much, it's still mostly Necromorphs that you are fighting. There is 19 chapters in this Installment, which makes the game longer than the previous DS games. While playing the game I encountered a few glitches like the elevator glitch, when I tried to lean against the wall of an elevator, it pushed me back to the middle, nothing that breaks the game. They don't have the online mode like in DS2, but they have CO-OP which is much better. If you play as Carver (the other character) you will see different things and you will play in a few different places, compared to just playing alone. Overall, Visceral Games did a really good job with this game. If you enjoyed the first two, then you will certainly enjoy this one. | video-games_xbox |
Some very good, some very bad parts. First off, probably the only RPG I've played where I didn't want to viciously murder at least one of my companions by the end of the game (I'm talking about you, Neeshka and Qara of Neverwinter Nights 2). Every character has a great personality, and your companions will engage one another in (often hilarious) dialogue. The graphics look great, and there is a good sense of the benefits and shortcomings of each weapon style and type. Item creation is much easier than in Neverwinter Nights 2, where you have to go all over the continent to search for the required materials. Sometimes you will have to make decisions on whose word to trust without knowing who is being honest with you (ie- Morrigan or her mother)
Now for the bad part. Visibility and targeting make absolutely no sense. Enemies would at time appear out of thin air. This could make sense if the enemies were being stealthy, but they're not. I once stood on a hilltop and could not even see the army of Undead that the villagers were fighting. Keep in mind that higher elevation should IMPROVE your visibility. At other times, I could clearly see an enemy but the game wouldn't let me target him until I moved the character slightly forward or to the side.
Additionally, I didn't feel like the mage class contributed enough to the game. All of the spells that end up doing damage to a large number of opponents end up screwing over your melee characters via friendly fire. Some spells such as mind blast and mass paralysis are useful, but you can stun multiple enemies simply by having an archer with scattershot or a bard use Song of Fascination.
Also, merchant stores were kind of limited in some areas, such as health potions. Although you can also get healing via spells, random health potions by looting carcasses, or making your own health potions, it was still rather irritating that I managed to buy out every health poultice on the continent.
I was kinda disappointed to find out that some of the battles prior to the final boss were tougher than the archdemon himself. | video-games_xbox |
LotR + Dynasty Warriors equals . While the game itself is nothing revolutionary, I defy anyone to say that it isn't some thrilling fun. A lot of people focus on negative comparisons to Dynasty Warriors, and it's true that there are easy comparisons to make. It's also easy to focus on the negative because most of the frustration I've gotten from this game has been the very large flaw of no midpoint-save. However, it's got an interesting story and a few unique points.
First of all, let's do the bad. The greatest millstone in this title has to be the lack of ability to save mid-stream, with a close runner-up the use of individual save-slots. It seems like there should have been mid-level save points, due to the quit screen text ("Are you sure you want to quit? All progress in this level will be lost"). However, there are not. Some levels feel like they're taking forever (in particular the Ice Gate levels and the Forest levels, IMO) because there's a lot of travel. Sometimes, you really don't want to have to do it over again because you took a bad spill trying to chain one of the game's amazingly visual combos. You will have to, though, if you die and you ever hope to (A) complete the games' storyline and (B) unlock all the characters.
The good is manifold. There's lots of different kinds of enemies to fight, and there's the added bonus of controlling two sets of troops. Interestingly enough, the survival of your troops doesn't seem to matter, but that's a sideline. The buffet is in the type of enemies. If you're tired of seeing generic asian soldiers 1-5 and generic asian lieutennant 1 and 2, this is a great treat. You have multiple classes of troops in the two most common enemies (orcs and goblins), and have lizard men, frogmen, dark elves, and dragons to boot! The vistas are similarly beautiful, and highly destructible (especially when you use your devestating Orb Spark powers). Over-the-top wild fantasy has your character fighting and defeating literal armies of troops, scoring combinations of 2000+ hits, and destroying the landscape. That is also to say nothing of the many and varied instant power-ups and equipment you get, all at much higher rates than any Dynasty Warriors or Samurai Warriors games I've played. You even get equipment that helps your troops.
Overall, this game is a real treat. The foibles keep it from getting a perfect score, but it's a more-than-decent first entry. If you liked Dynasty Warriors or Samurai Warriors, you'll like this game. It will likely never replace the complexity of those games for you, but it's a refreshing change of pace and definitely worth the purchase, in my opinion. | video-games_xbox |
Great launch game, judged on its own merits. After being introduced to Forza via last year's entertaining spin-off, <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Forza-Horizon-Xbox-360/dp/B0050SYDEQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Forza Horizon - Xbox 360</a>, Forza 5 became my launch game of choice for the Xbox One and it hasn't disappointed; the Limited Edition is definitely worth the additional cost. Featuring a diverse mix of cars and play modes that has kept me entertained for nearly 60 hours already, it's also been a great alternative to Halo for co-op play with my son. While I was fortunate enough not to experience some of the issues with the Limited Edition and VIP extras others have reported, I've appreciated Turn10's response to rectifying the situation and look forward to enjoying the game as it evolves.
Complaints about micro-transactions are overstated as you're able to access any car in the game by PLAYING THE GAME, and VIPs rack up in-game credits at a pretty good pace, too, making progress go even faster. The OPTION to purchase tokens with real money is there, but it's an OPTION for those who basically want to fast-forward through the game rather than play through and earn the top-tier cars. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY TOKENS TO ACCESS ANY CONTENT THAT COMES WITH THE GAME.
Slightly more valid are the complaints about there being much less content (cars and tracks) than in Forza 4, but that's neither a secret, nor should it be a surprise considering it's a launch game for a new platform that features a brand new architecture that enables new features that weren't in Forza 4. Car DLC isn't a new thing, either, and I'd assume track expansions will also be forthcoming (a la Horizon's great Rally Expansion), so while that will represent an additional investment, I'm okay with it as I forsee Forza 5 being a game I'll play regularly for at least the next year, even without any additional content. YMMV. | video-games_xbox |
Robotech: Invasion - the test of time (2012. Overall, this game is great. Good story (Which fans of the Robotech Series will instantly relate to), intuitive controls, and varied gameplay and missions (Sniping, Close Quarters, or just standard run and gun all work [and I've used them all]).
You have the ability to transform between a motorcycle mode (Very fast, great for covering long distances, or targeting enemies with missiles), and an Armored-Infantry mode (Which allows for either first-person or third-person [both perspectives work excellently]) in outdoor environments. Once indoors, however, the game locks you into Infantry Mode. However, these indoors sections are infrequent and short, allowing most of the game to be played in the freedom of outdoor-environments. I often find myself hot-swapping between the two modes in order to target an enemy with missiles before closing in rapidly to finish them off with a quick melee.
Believe it or not, there are actually multiple endings to this game. I won't say anything else about that, though, so as to avoid spoilers.
Unfortunately, Micro$oft did NOT release a patch for this game to be backwards compatible with the XBox 360, so you will have to play it on the original XBox. Again, this game WILL NOT WORK WITH THE XBOX 360. However, if you managed to hang on to a working original XBox, and you're a fan of Robotech, then this game is a must-have.
Unfortunately (again), Micro$oft has shut down XBox-Live Servers/Support for all Original XBox games (and raised the price for XBox LIVE. Go figure), so you can't play the multiplayer unless you and a bunch of buddies who also have the game and system-link (LAN) to play, seeing as how this game lacks a split-screen option.
Would I recommend this game to someone who has never heard of Robotech? Maybe. There are no other games on the market that offer this kind of gameplay, so if you're looking to broaden your horizons, or simply want a change of pace with the seemingly cookie-cutter games dominating the current market, then this game would fit your criteria. It's a wonderful stand-alone title, and any Robotech fans who haven't already bought this game by now, need to snatch up a copy before they all disappear. | video-games_xbox |
Could have been great, but failed. I purchased the Sennheiser X320 headphones out of a desire for improved audio quality over the normal selection of gaming headsets available. I have tried three different models of turtle beach, Tritton, Razer, and even Rocketfish. All have fell short of the audio quality I was looking for. I want to use the headsets not only for long gaming sessions, but also movie watching. I tested all of the headsets i purchased on several different games and movies to see if they could provide the level of audio quality I required of a headset. None delivered, but in defense of the Sennheiser's, they did come the closest.
The Sennheiser X320 headset had decent audio quality, not great, but better than I had heard from other companies headsets. There was just too many negatives, coupled with a defect in the set i got, to allow me to keep these.
The first issue was that the audio could not get loud enough on this headset. I always had the volume maxed, in games and movies, and always was wanting just a little more. The volume could be described as adequate, but I tend to like my audio a little on the loud side, and these just could not deliver. I had better luck in this area with other headsets, so I can only blame the product design. I could basically listen to my 2.1 setup (Logitech Z2300) at the same volume these maxed out on without disturbing anyone else in the house, nullifying a major reason for wearing headsets; gaming at the volume you want without disturbing others. Strike one.
The second issue was the comfort. These were at the bottom of the list when it comes to comfort. Just like every other aspect of deciding the overall quality of an item, this is subject to personal taste. These just do not have enough padding on the earcups, and not enough flexibility in the design of the headset. Rotating earcups might have helped a long way here as I had a hard time getting these to sit just right on my ears and head. Also, I know overly tight headsets might not be comfortable, but these always felt too loose and would move too easily, requiring constant adjustment. Strike two.
The third issue, and reason for me returning these, was an issue with the mic. The boom is not adjustable in and out, just up and down. I don't mind the design, but I wonder if it is at fault for the problems I had. While in chat with other players(in and out of game)I was often being told that it sounded like my mic was cutting out. I tried adjusting the mics location up and down, but no improvement could be made. I then put on my wireless xbox headset and the problems went away, pointing directly at either a faulty item or poor design. This was the big reason for return since one of the main reasons for wearing a gaming headset is to communicate with others. Strike three!
Again, to be fair, the audio quality of these was better than any other headset I have tried. Not good enough to warrant the crazy high retail price of these, but none the less better. Taking the volume concern out of the equation, the only issue I had with this items audio quality was the imaging. When you wear a good set of headphones they should project the sound in a way that it seems like the sound is coming from around you, or at least in front of you in regards to a stereo set like these. These did not provide that. Everything sounded like it was coming from inside my head thus making everything you see on the screen feel separate from the audio, ruining the immersion. I didn't knock off any points for this as most of the headsets i tried had the same exact problem, but I would expect a much more expensive set like these to be better in this area.
Overall, I just can't recommend these, and even had to give them a slightly negative review. Considering these cost around two and a half times as much as most wired stereo headsets these just prove to be a bad purchase. A cheap $60 set of turtle beaches provide 90% of the audio quality at a 250% lower price, even considering sale prices on both. So, in my opinion, save your money and go with a cheaper brand/model. | video-games_xbox |
Slightly deceived, but overall alright. NOTE: Before you take the time to read this, this review is strictly only covering the contents of the Collector's Edition, not the actual game. If you are thinking of getting the Collector's Edition of the game, you probably already know enough about the game on whether to get it or not.
Video games are my hobby. And as such, I tend to enjoy collecting video game related merchandise and get a fair amount of collector's edition games. When I saw the Dark Souls II Collector's Edition go up for pre-sale along with it's $120 pricetag, I was a bit dumbfounded and immediately jumped in on the preorder. Nowhere in my mind did it click that $120 was getting me a LOT more than what other collector's edition games sell for at similar prices. When the game came, the box it shipped in was huge. upon unboxing, the 1st opinion look at the box it came in and the packaging was that it was a good quality Collector's Edition. But then came the opening.
On top of the box is the packaged "Black Armor Edition" version of the game with the shrink-wrapped art book and packaged cloth map underneath. Now, at this point in the review I am just going to say that the artbook is probably the highest quality item present in this Collector's Edition. There are zero cons as far as I can see so far with the book. Printed on high quality paper, quality hardback and binding, high detail concept art and artwork, it's a model artbook to say the least.
Next, the map. If any of you have purchased Skyrim, remember the map that came with that? Well unlike that map, this map is actually printed on cloth. Not the highest quality cloth, but durable and with high quality printing done. The map itself is not anywhere as big as the Skyrim map either, being maybe 14" x 18" (This is just me eyeballing it, you can probably find actual dimensions elsewhere).
The "Black Armor Edition" of the game is also a slight disappointment, but only in physical appearance. The game come with the promised dlc and soundtrack (Which are both very good, points here Bandai Namco!), however, the metal game case is not made by Steelbook(tm) but instead by OffBeat Productions and it does not hold nearly as much professionalism as Steelbook tends to offer with their cases. The case itself has the 3D form of the Dark Souls knight protruding from the front of the case, and instead of the brushed aluminum finish many of you have come to enjoy from Steelbook cases, this case has a high gloss and nearly reflective finish. Also, on the cardstock sleeve that the game case comes in, Microsoft seemed to deem it necessary to place a nearly garbage sticker on the sleeve reading "XBOX Certificate of Authenticity". This sticker also added a small amount of skepticism to the overall production quality of this Collector's Edition, but I shall brush that aside and just say that it could just be Microsoft being Microsoft.
Now for the statue. At first glance, it's fairly marvelous to look at. The swords come separate (and by separate, I mean not already placed in the knight's hands) and at first look don't appear to be able to be placed in the knight's hands. However, the pommel on each sword upon closer look can be removed to allow the swords to be placed on the statue. Now, the statue itself looks rather splendid. Very nice paint job; my statue only seems to have one paint defect that is hard to notice (a black smear of paint on the statue's front-left side of the boot. The knight itself is rather heavy, and seems to be constructed of quality plastics. The base however, is cheap, rather ugly, and is virtually weightless. It has poor quality painting done, and honestly looks rather rushed. That was the biggest disappointment for me in terms of production quality. For the price of this Collector's edition though, I must say that is far beats the price of the Titanfall collector's edition which essentially comes with the same things as this collector's edition. However, with the $130 price difference, I would hope the production quality of the Titanfall CE is perfect.
All in all, if you have $120 and really love the Demon Souls/Dark Souls franchise, get this Collector's Edition. If you are a general gamer such as myself, this Collector's Edition is easily passable. If you are a hardcore gamer though and buy only the best collector's editions, pass on this one and save your money for another collector's edition. | video-games_xbox |
Strictly For The Hardcore. Let me first start off by saying that this game is, as mentioned in the title for my review, strictly for those of us who consider ourselves "hardcore" gamers. Capcom did a great job on their first game for the xbox360 and it's also one of the toughest games that you'll find on the system, much like Capcom's other great 360 game-Lost Planet.
Capcom, as a publuisher and developer, has always made games less geared toward the casual gaming market and Dead Rising is sure to be included among these ranks. Set inside a shopping mall in a 72-hour period (not real time-every minute equates to roughly 1 second), you play as photojournalist Frank West and are given the dual task of solving the mystery as to why this small town in Colorado is infected with zombies, and also finding as many survivors as you can and whisking them away to safety.
The fun in the game comes in that there are literally thousands of zombies infesting this mall, and also hundreds of implements of destruction to take them out with. Lawnmowers, chainsaws, battle axes, broadswords, a multitude of firearms, bats, skateboards, guitars, etc., etc. I could go on and on and list as many weapons I could think of that are at your disposal in Dead Rising but it would probably take up all the space I'd have for this review.
For all the fun this game offers however, it is not without its share of problems. First of all, the graphics are fantastic for one of the first of the second wave of xbox360 titles. With all this effort put into making the game look great, it is a complete mystery to me as to why the in-game text is so small. Unless you sit within 5 feet of the TV, I can guarantee that you'll have a hard time making out some of the text on screen. This stays constant whether you play in HD or normal TV modes.
Second, since you are tasked with rescuing as many survivors as possible, the game places a huge amount of importance on keeping them alive. This would be fine, except for the fact that the escorting mechanic is unbalanced and very problematic. For instance, many female survivors are only allowed to be escorted by hand, but this mechanic is very difficult and not nearly as easy as escorting the female survivors which you can carry, piggyback style. Also, the male survivors follow you on foot and can be given weapons (to be fair, both sexes of survivors can be given weapons but since you have the ability to escort females by hand or by piggyback, it makes no since to let them follow on foot since this is the worst of the escort methods) but their AI is terrible and they'll either swing at air, allow themselves to be swarmed with zombies, or simply run into walls and objects and slow you down.
Seeing as how the escorting of survivors is such a huge part of the game, it can be VERY frustrating to continue to deal with these limitations later on in the game as the difficulty ramps up.
The story for the game is your typical zombie fare-derived from george romero, despite the disclaimer on the box. Zombies are the aftereffect of a society gone wrong, blah, blah, blah. Biochemical weapons, overpowered military, blah, blah, blah. Nothing new here.
So, despite the games few faults, there is much fun to be had here, just understand that the game follows many of the old school hardcore video game tennants, such as super high difficulty and unforgiving gameplay. If you can stomach it, get your zombie on. | video-games_xbox |
Starts off Promising. "Fable 2" continues the traditions of Lionhead Studios (the game studio also behind the "Black and White" games) by creating a world where the character and the surrounding environments are affected by the player and his or her decisions. Fable 2 expands on the interactivity of Fable 1 in many key ways, but sacrifices some things from the original as well.
The game takes place a few hundred years after Fable 1 - long enough, essentially, for the world to have changed, but with some elements still remaining either as modified forms of their original selves (like towns) or as ancient myths and legends (such as the exploits of the the hero and the other characters in the original Fable). Your character is an oddity - a hero (male or female, as opposed to Fable 1's male hero) who has arisen after they were thought to have died out. While the world is still a dangerous place, there's a shift from the epic struggles of the world of Fable 1 - which quickly resurge as events unfold. The fashions and styles have changed as well; rather than a traditional medieval fantasy setting, the world of Fable 2 is more of a 17th or 18th century world. Armor is essentially non-existent, and bows have been replaced entire by crossbows and guns. Melee weapons are roughly the same, though their style has changed slightly.
As a whole, the game is a lot more content to let you explore the world. Fable 1 had a lot of interactivity, but there were always nagging demands from the omnipresent Heroes' Guild to do quests and so on. In Fable 2, after a relatively short introduction, you're free to do what you want, for the most part. Doing the main story unlocks new areas and towns, but essentially most of the game is available from the start. Certain changes have been made to emphasize the shift from a sponsored guild to a lone hero. For example, doing quests and killing monsters no longer gains you money; you either have to get a job (represented by a minigame or a short mission) or go digging for treasure. However, because of this, it's easier to accumulate money from the beginning of the game. Most of the items used for customization (haircuts, clothes, and dyes) are fairly inexpensive (in comparison to combat items like potions or weapons) so it's reasonably simple to find a look that suits you. The only downside of this is that there are remarkably few clothing items in the game; since they only serve a cosmetic purpose for the most part, you'd think it'd be easier to have more.
The other aspect of customization is your character's alignment; the concept of this has been drastically expanded from Fable 1. In addition to good and evil (which has essentially been changed to helping innocents or killing innocents, respectively) there's also "purity" and "corruption" which involve lesser sins like gluttony, sloth, and lust (consorting with prostitutes, specifically). Abstaining from such sins will make you more attractive, while partaking of them will reduce your attractiveness. People can also be afraid of you or think you're funny, depending on what emotions you use near them; growling or threatening them will make them afraid, while telling jokes will make them laugh and treat you less seriously. Each character has their own unique preferences for what actions will make them more friendly, as well. Your interactions with people aren't limited to mere interaction - shopkeepers who like you will offer discounts, and if a person really likes you (and their sexual preference allows for it) you can propose to them and make a family. Fathering/mothering children has been added to the game - though pregnancy is essentially instantaneous, presumably to prevent female adventurers from trying to wander around while heavy with child.
Combat in the game handles roughly the same as the previous game, though it handles slightly worse. Certain abilities (blocking, dodging, combo attacks) need to be unlocked by advancing in the "strength" or "skill" path. Magic handles the most differently from Fable 1: there's no more Will Points, but every spell needs to be charged up before it is fired off. Essentially, there's a line with a set of checkpoints lying along it; every checkpoint represents a spell level, and whatever spell (fireball, lightning bolt, etc) you have put in that spell level will be used if you release at that time. It's an overly complicated system that doesn't really help the game at all, and in a lot of cases it simply became easier not to use spells. Finally, due to the lack of armor and the reduced number of potions, you will take a lot more damage unless you've got a lot of skill. The game wants you to rely on food for health, so that you'll have to make the decision between your health and your waistline - a decision that doesn't make sense considering the fact that you are swinging a sword or axe around for most of the game, which should more than cover the amount of calories you're taking in.
As a whole the game is promising, but in truth - and in terms of content - the game is barely equal to Fable 1. The size of the world is about the same - if not smaller - and the few towns are nearly identical (whereas in Fable 1 each town had its own theme and population). For this reason, while the game starts off promising, once you've gotten into it everything seems the same, and you've run out of new things to discover - new clothes to wear, new vistas to explore, new haircuts to get, etcetera. Much of the content is based on unnecessary sidequests, and the main quest fizzles out too soon with an entirely anti-climactic finish. Fable 2 provides only about ten to fifteen hours of actual gameplay; the rest of it is essentially wandering around doing tasks for people, buying houses, or raising a family. These things are exciting, but they should be side tasks for the main adventure, not the primary focus of the game. As a whole, though, the game is reasonably fun for the time that it has.
6/10. | video-games_xbox |
This game is a joke. this game is a total time waster. This game started out fun and I would play it as much as I could. Then one day I completed about ten of these mini missions called bounties, which give you experience to upgrade your armor and your weapons. Then once I finished them I got a chance to complete a exotic bounty. Which is an extremely rare bounty that is very hard to get. I picked 1/3 exotic bounties that you could choose from and worked my butt off to complete it (this took all day) then I finally got the weapon that they bounty gives you once you complete it. I then took countless hours of my summer leveling that gun up. I then got it to the max level. Then just today bungie had a glitch and deleted the gun from my account. The reason I know it wasn't me was because there's a lock fetere where you can lock your weapons so you can't delete them. I locked the weapon and somehow it was deleted. I contacted bungie and they told me that there was nothing they can do. This game is broken, you will get all the stuff you want only to get it taken away from you or future updates will happen that will just ruin the weapon and make it terrible. I worked so hard for this gun and all they could tell me was that I need to try to get another one. You honestly think I am going to work that hard again to get that stupid gun again? I am now taking this game back to gamestop, if they don't give me a reasonable price and am going to throw it away or sell it online. I write this review because once you start playing this game it is almost impossible to stop playing. It's addicting. But I'm telling you right now this game will take away precious time out of your life and will also steal your money. To get anywhere in the game you have to buy expansion packs for $20 each. and now they are coming out with another expansion for $40. Don't be fooled by the price of this game because if you want to get good weapons and armor to get high levels and actaully have fun you are going to have to pay more money. | video-games_xbox |
Best. Racing. Game. Ever. There is something that has taken over my life and slowly but surely sucked all productivity and responsiveness out of my overwhelmed mind.
No, it's not the latest reality TV show.
It's this game.
"Forza Motorsport" is simply phenomenal in every way. I have eight other driving games for the Xbox, from arcade racers like "Burnout 3" to more realistic ones like "Sega GT". "Forza" kicks all their butts eight ways to Sunday. It's the Dodge Viper to everyone else's Geo Metro.
Okay, that's unfair to titles like "Project Gotham Racing 2", which are excellent in their own right.
But "Forza" takes the racing game formula, bolts on an intercooled turbocharger, limited slip differential, cat-back exhaust and racing slicks, and pumps up the gameplay to a whole 'nuther level.
The level of detail and realism in this game is stunning. The graphics are excellent, with the car models resembling those in "PGR2", and the environments better than anything out there.
But where "Forza" really shines is the gameplay. It simply grabs hold of your lapels and yanks you into the cockpit of your latest ride and leaves you panting for more at every turn.
An example: Most racing games revolve around unlockables, and "Forza" is no exception. There are hundreds of vehicles to unlock, and each one can be upgraded and modified in many ways. But whereas other games usually require you to place in the top three in a race or even win it outright to advance, "Forza" takes a different approach. Unless you come in dead last in a race, you will earn money for having completed it. You can then spend that money on upgrading your car. Repeat this process until you win. It's a much better system than the winner-takes-all formula, because it gives you a stake in completing your current race even if you aren't going to win.
"Forza" has incredible depth and breadth, as well. There are hundreds of cars and dozens of tracks. You start winning some pretty cool cars quite early in the game, too, unlike others where you start with sub-compacts, move on to compacts, and maybe 20 hours later you're driving a Ferrari.
There is a great variety of races, too. For instance, one may be open only to mid-engined cars, while another may be restricted to cars under 200 horsepower.
"Forza" has also packed enough techincal stuff under its hood to keep car geeks happy for a long time. Apart from upgrading the cars with high-performance parts, you can actually go in and tweak various settings of the suspension, tires, etc. You can then test drive the car to see if your adjustments translate into better performance on the track.
Another sweet feature is, when you replay a race, you can cycle through all kinds of telemetrics that continously show you things like g-forces, power generation, tire camber, and much more. I don't understand half of it, but it is impressive to watch and drives home how seriously the design team took the creation of this game.
I unequivocally recommend this game for anyone who loves cars and wants an unparalleled driving experience on the Xbox. | video-games_xbox |
This Game Is Painful Even for Die-Hard Fans. Its as if the people behind Adventure Time said, Well, we love variety, so because the television show is interesting, the game should in turn be boring. If you play this with four people cooperatively, the social aspect saves the fun factor a little bit, but I was starting to zone out during the single-player experience. The dungeons are dull, lacking in color, too similar to each other, are devoid of secrets, and are too easy. The main thing that I looked forward to was the loading screens because they had some semi-amusing fictional quotes. It wasn't that they were THAT interesting, but the gameplay set the entertainment bar so low. Unfortunately, the quotes are few, so not far into the game, I began reading the same text repeatedly.
The music is below average, I usually forget its there, and it doesnt set any kind of mood. There are treasures to collect, but they all look the same and don't really add much to the game, so I don't even bother with them. The enemies are from the show alright, but they are too bland, and instead of constantly using different ones from the show, a series containing an enormous roster of characters, I keep seeing the same foes like skeletons over and over and over again. And sadly, killing enemies just isn't rewarding enough to spend the time, so I quickly began just running past everything to hurry onto the next level. A game all about fighting things shouldnt make a player want to speed past it to get it over with.
As far as gameplay, the character roster shows eight, but four are unlocked later, and I heard that (a) DLC character(s) is coming. You start with Finn, Jake, Marceline, and Cinnamon Bun, but if you play the single player mode, Marceline is overpowered in terms of speeding through the game. She can float over holes, and there are a lot of them, so for spending the least amount of time in dungeons, shes the ideal choice. You get a basic attack which can be charged (and you can move while the attack is charged but more slowly) and you can hold one secondary weapon which may or may not have a limited use. For example, the kitten gun uses ammo, but the ice sword is limitless. And for a customizable character, you can equip two accessories at a time that you find in the dungeons, such as giving your character an extra heart or not being knocked back from blows.
The game has a very limited story told through somewhat amusing but rare cutscenes. Princess Bubblegum wants you to figure out whats happening in her secret dungeon after learning that the criminals are getting out, so its surprisingly, eh, normal, for a show known for such wacky setups. I mean, investigating a jail due to break outs is what Id expect from a Batman game or something. The voices are well done, though, so the actors did a superb job as always. As for the boss battles, they have variety, but they just aren't very exciting. And while dying doesnt happen too often, the fact that checkpoints only occur once every few levels is a pain because not only do you have to redo the levels you already did, but its no easier the second time because the random generator makes the layouts different.
I was very disappointed, not just because the game is so blas, but because the source material is so wonderful. Adventure Time was filled with fascinating and beautiful places with so many colorful and unique characters. The dungeon Finn took Flame Princess to was epic. Why couldn't the dungeons in the game be too? I always thought that being able to actually explore and fight in Adventure Time dungeons would be a blast, and then this game came out. If you want to enjoy a dungeon crawler, just watch the cartoon. It will bring more than 10 times the pleasure that actually exploring them yourself here will bring. The charm is watered down, the humor is lacking, and the fun is just not there. | video-games_xbox |
Not Worth It. No real big changes, so why go out and buy it EVERY year! I realized years ago that they are only interested in MONEY, which would be fine with me if they gave you something for your money! Now, it's about nickle and diming loyal customers to death instead of giving the customer their moneys worth!
Since the game engine is the same year after year after year.... just show a little self control and stay a year behind! In this way, you will only be paying $20 for updated rosters and minor presentation changes instead of $60! The game will still be new to you and you won't be rewarding EA for screwing you! In addition to basically selling you last years game for full price, they are now charging you extra for features that should be included in the first place! Why in the world would anyone even consider rewarding EA for their corrupt and greedy treatment of their loyal customer base and what makes anyone think that they won't continue to take advantage as long as we are willing victims?!
I have been playing video games since NES and had no problem shelling out $60 for games since the early 90's, but I will not reward EA or any company for laziness and greed. When they give me a sports game that's worth $60 I will gladly pay it like I always have. That means a truly new game with a new engine...not a 5 year old game with token changes and updated rosters. As long as they continue to do this, I will continue to buy 1 year behind as I do with ALL of their sports games! I just bought Madden 11 and for $17 brand new...I have no reason to complain no matter what I think! When they finally change the game engine and produce a truly new and better Madden or ANY GAME for that matter, I will be first in line with my $60 as I always have! If everyone did this, they would have no choice but to do what they should have been doing all along...giving their loyal customers their money's worth, instead of taking advantage of them! | video-games_xbox |
Wow. ...that's my reaction to the Van Helsing game. Many people have criticized it as having a bad camera, not enough acting out of the story (too many cutscenes and such), as well as being repetitive, but they're all nitpicking.
The first time I saw this game I was really looking forward to it. Well, I rented it and after a day or two, I hated it. I'd been playing games like Hitman, which require more strategy and "brain power", so I thought this was stupid, mindless game. However, I didn't realize one thing. This is NOT a "shooter", though most of the weapons are guns. This is an ACTION game, entailing tons of exciting movement, such as jumping and fighting while watching the really cool villains do likewise. In short, you have to be in the right mood to play this, or not expect too much. You may be dissapointed if you think this is another Red Dead Revolver or something. I bought it and had a blast because I knew what kind of game I was playing.
The gameplay has been called repetitive, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's really fun to just lay into your opponents', though some of the weapon' shooting (dual pistols) can become tiresome, despite its propensity for success. You basically have to use your tojos and/or twin scimitars to liven it up with some variety (I recommend tojos against most non-flying creatures and bosses, as it's really fun to tear through your adversaries). There are a fair amount of other weapons, such as the crossbow, shotgun, electric gun, and a few other great weapons I don't want to spoil for you, which all have strength and weaknesses of their own, making each of them a value and a hindrace (realism, folks) to getting through the game. The jumping/grappling onto things is a good bit of variety in the game, and when you have to use them, it adds a bit of reality (if you consider some of Van Helsing's jump "realistic") and makes sense with the mission. Last of all, there's a load of great monsters, such as possessed skeletons, giant owls, gargoyles, the main bosses you saw in the movie (including bonus fights with Frankenstein's Monster), and well, the list covers just about every major mythological/horror creature, way past the dinky litte list in the manual that comes with the game. It's great, trust me.
And now, some Game Tips:
Try beating the five challenges in "order" (that they presented in the game) and twice in order if need be (whatever works; I played the game 15 or so times through before I beat all the challenges so I'm not completely sure what unlocks the Rifle, though I suspect it's just order), starting with Challenge #4 (the maze is the easiest challenge and can be done the first time through the game), next Challenge #5 (time attack, should be attempted the second or third time through the game so that you have the gatling gun), then Challenge #1 (break the statues is easily the hardest, but can be done the first time through the game. You need to break the statues up high before breaking the ones on ground level; jump up and down to enrage the gargoyles, and if they don't come, immediately grapple the gargoyles and pull them into close quarters; you may want to try this when you have a lot of glyphs and the Armory Anytime cheat found in the second through the game so that you can keep buying Life Replenishers), then Challenge #2 (stay on the ring and don't let the owls knock you off; probably the second hardest and you probably want to wait till the third time through the game, having beaten the hard difficulty, so that you have the Unlimited Alternate Ammo cheat to use), and finally Challenge #3 (rising blood challenge; go to the right of the screen and jump onto the gargoyle head and follow the logical progression of heads until you get to about the six or seventh, where'll you be safe to grapple away and beat the challenge). If you need any other game tips, like where to find all the Life Increasers or whatever, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend buying Prima Games' Official Strategy Guide to Van Helsing. This is an AWESOME tip book and helped me get almost everything on the game (I'm still missing some Increasers, though). It comes cheap, and will become your best friend when playing Van Helsing.
Now onto the graphics. The graphics are superb, though many criticize them for being simple for a such a graphically capable system such as the X-Box. The backgrounds are very well-lit, and the environments you're in are very time appropiate and detailed, rivaling and maybe even surpassing the movie's scope. While Anna looks a little piggish with her slightly upturned nose, the bosses are impressive (I really like Mr. Hyde), and the more common creatures are uniquely good.
Some other things, such as the sound and voice-acting are worth going over. The music is good, though sometimes backgroundish, and not entirely noticeable unless you listen for it. Not to say its bad, but seems rather distant sometimes. The voice acting is well-done, at least for the time the actors had to do them (they were on a tight schedule). Some of the Transylvanian accents, such as Anna's (sorry, Mandy), sound a bit stilted at times, but at worst it provides a chuckle.
Sure, I've sung the game's praises, but here are some admonitions, primarily for parents. Other than a minimal amount of blood spilled (not much but the dwergi and vampire bats "spew" it sometimes), Dracula's brides appear in a cutscene where they aren't, well, entirely clothed. However, this cutscene can be skipped by pressing "Start", so it's probably not much of a problem. The same thing goes for the green banshee women who remind me of mermaids; they hold green pieces of cloth against their chests, concealing, well, MOST of their bosoms, but not all. Nothing detailed here, but not very appropriate.
As a warning for gamers, don't expect to be able to play as a werewolf at the end of the game (probably the biggest letdown of the century), which would have skyrocketed this game right past probably my favorite, Red Dead Revolver. In my opinion, the game's greatest downfall, which put in some good stuff not included in the movie (Frankenstein fights, the exclusive game creatures and more weapons) but left out one of the movie's strongest points (the Van Hesling werewolf) in gameplay, which would have been so much fun (just use the Wolf Man's moves or something). Van Helsing does change into a werewolf in the cutscene but it's not the same. A good idea, in my humble opinion, would have been to have Van Helsing in human form fight Dracula in human form with his weapons, then have a cutscene where Dracula basically says the kid gloves are off and they both transform, then the gamer could fight with the Van Helsing werewolf against the Demon Dracula (that way the gamers AND the producers could have what they want).
Overall, the game was quite enjoyable, and had the potential to be even better. I would recommend at least a rental of this game, because its one of kind (or maybe it's that just because I haven't played Devil May Cry). Remember, you most likely have to be in the right mood and like this genre before you can appreciate and have fun playing Van Helsing. That's my two cents. | video-games_xbox |
Very Disappointing. I remember when I first saw this game in stores. Being a huge sonic fan at the time, I wanted to get it really bad. Not until recent years I was finally able to play it. Expecting something great, it was sadly a huge disappointment.
The game is split into three parts: Sonic's Episode, Shadow's Episode, and Silver's Episode. Sonic focuses on speed and can use his homing attack too defeat enemies. Occasionaly, there will be a "speed stage", in which Sonic is locked in a fast moving gameplay where you move left and right. It's challenging and takes times to get used too. Shadow focuses more on combat and occasionaly uses vehicles where he can shoot projectiles. Silver is slow, but has telekineses powers, where he can pick up various objects and throw them at enemies and can also levitate to cross large gaps. Occasionaly, you can play other different characters during a specific stage, such as Tails, Blaze, Rouge, and more.
The plot is bizare and confusing. Depending on which episode your playing, the plot is different for each one, but they all connect too the main plot of the story. From a romantic relationship between a human and a blue hedgehog to traveling through time, it's nothing too special. The graphics are bright and colorful. Some stages look outstanding, while others lack tons of detail.
The Gameplay itself is bad. You walk around a bland, lifeless, dull, depressing looking town/city, where you can talk too people who can give you tasks. Some of these tasks help advance the story, while others are completly useless. Once you finish your tasks, you can advance too a stage. You will then find out how glitchy this game is. The glitches are out of control, as they seem to pop out of nowhere, as you get thrown into pits and die. The animation is fine, but there are several points where the frame rate drops. There is a big problem with the camera, as it can show an angle in which you can barely see what your doing. The game also suffers from poor level design during some stages, where you have no idea where you go. When other characters come to help you, you will find yourself in even more trouble. Most of their controls are stiff and unresponsible, making it difficult to advance in certain parts in the game. The #1 thing I NEVER forget in this game is the loading screens. They pop out constantly during stages and take ages too load. Sometimes your actually finding yourself waiting most of the time then actually PLAYING the game. If you fail the mission, you have to go through the loading screens again.
The music is very well composed, with tracks that will be memorable. The voice acting is horrible and done very poorly. Silver's voice is the worst of them all.
Pro's:
-Great Music
-Colorful and some stages that look very realistic
-Menu's work fine
-Wide variety of characters with different gameplay
-Good Animation
Con's:
-Bad Camera
-Stiff Controls
-Long loading screens
-Tons of glitches that makes the game unfairly difficult
-Poor level design
-Frame Drop
-Boring Hub World
-Huge Disappointment
Overall, Sonic The Hedgehog honestly tries to be a good game, but due too the glitches, poor controls, etc, it makes the game a total flop. It offers a few high points, but it dosn't make up for the con's listed above. The game just isn't very enjoyable or fun. Save your money, you might want to pass on this game. | video-games_xbox |
About Time. The first game that I got with my SEGA Genesis was Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and my love for the blue ball of speed began. This enjoyment of fast paced platforming lasted all the way through the ill-fated and fondly remembered Dreamcast (may it rest in peace). If you would have told me that Sonic wouldn't have a good game for years after the Sonic Adventure series I would have called you nuts - among many other colorful metaphors - and went back to playing. 3D Sonic has been a truly hit-or-miss affair at best, and 2D Sonic has not been his old self for quite some time. I'll confess I didn't want to buy this game at first. I just didn't know if I could handle disappointment again.
All of this has changed though. Is it perfect? No. But it is so close that it's a miracle! This is the most fun I've had with the blue hedgehog since Sonic Adventure. They've stripped Sonic of all (or at least most of) the stupid gimmicks and went back to what made it fun to begin with. Learning the levels and then blazing through them at the speed of sound. This is a truly awesome trip down memory lane.
They've went back through 20 years of Sonic titles, picked the best levels; revamped them a bit; and then let us play through them in 2D and 3D in beautiful high-definition. This game is fast and gorgeous, (so much so I would actually stop and just look at the beautiful artwork) it's something to behold.
If you liked any of the Genesis or Dreamcast Sonic titles you owe it to yourself to pick this up. It's totally renewed my faith in the franchise.
With that said; I noticed that sometimes there are some control issues. For instance: Sonic isn't always the most responsive. This of course is not an all the time event, but I've died several times while completing the game because my commands simply didn't reach him at all. Also of note is the fact that some of the challenges; and the last boss battle in particular; seems more like luck than player skill.
I'll give two quick examples. First: when playing a level you may go through it several times and be able to perform a sequence of actions to get - let's say - to a shortcut. Well the next time this may not work. Once you've got a level layout down to muscle memory and you find out that what you've been doing all of a sudden drops you to a stand still because of some random oddity it's a little frustrating.
Secondly: During the last boss battle going for the "Can't Touch This" achievement; which involves completing the boss battle without being hit; I must have played through it about two dozen times getting S ranks galore but something would always happen, or due to the autonomous nature of the fight Sonic wouldn't lock on and I'd be hit. Several times I felt cheated by seemingly random variations of the boss's actions. If you've played this boss you know that a lot of it is out of your hands as a player and so it was just aggravating.
At any rate the game is not too tough not too easy, if you have kids get this for them so they can see what a real Sonic game can be. Plus it includes the original SEGA Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog! That's right the FULL GAME. Too Cool!
P.S. There's a grammar mistake in one of the achievement descriptions for anyone who's looking for it. :) | video-games_xbox |
Works Instantly (On windows 7. I wanted to use my 360 controller to play Games on my Steam account on my Laptop. I have a 17 inch Asus G74 ROG. As soon as I got the product, I inserted the CD it came with to install all the software. You can find all the downloads you need without the CD online, but the CD makes it easy for complete noobs. Anyway, I easily installed everything with the CD and then plugged in the receiver to my laptop via USB connection. I then synced my 360 controller by clicking the button on the receiver and then clicking on the sync button on the controller (the sync button isn't the same as the big xbox button on the center of the controller). After that, assuming you are familiar with how 360 controllers work, you should be able to have everything working after that easily. If you happen to be "new" to doing things like this, it doesn't matter because the receiver comes with a mini instruction manual.
*note: you don't have to keep syncing the controller after the first time you do it. After the first time, you just have to press the big xbox button on the center of the controller to connect.
I've been using this receiver for a while now, and it still works like new. I have also connected multiple controllers in order to play co-op with friends, so that's great. You can connect up to 4 controllers, so just like on a normal xbox 360.
This product works, is easy to use, and durable. The only problems I assume people will encounter is maybe if you have a different Operating System (OS) besides windows 7. Apparently people had issues with the receiver on Vista and XP, but seriously, if you are still using Vista by now, just kill yourself, or catch up to the rest of mankind. There are ways to make the receiver work on Vista and such, but it takes longer. You can find instructions for that either somewhere among these reviews, or anywhere on Google.
I love this receiver. Now I can play steam games with a controller with no problem. | video-games_xbox |
Perspective of someone who loved the original. Dark Souls is my favorite game of all time. It displaced games that I have coveted since my childhood, such as Dino City and Super Mario World, and I have yet to encounter a game that gave me a similar sense of accomplishment and wonderment since. When I woke up one morning over a year ago, and found out the Dark Souls 2 would be coming out, I physically stood up and pumped my fist a few times, and Spring 2014 already couldn't come fast enough. I pre-ordered the Collector's edition as soon as it became available, but I will just be reviewing the game, not any of the CE contents (though IMO it was well worth it).
As it is in the original, the combat system is the shining star of this game. The combat is based on blocking and/or dodging enemy attacks, while you yourself try and inflict damage using a melee weapon, spells, miracles, or pyromancies. Rolling (the way you dodge, which gives you brief invincibility) is harder than blocking, but leaves you in a better position to counterattack. Each time you swing your weapon, or cast a spell, you are committing to an action that you can't cancel, and you are left open to an enemy counterattack that can be devastating. The combat has many elements of strategy, as you are trying to manipulate your enemies into 1 on 1 situations, in places that give you the highest chance of victory. The bosses are typically large, and have a considerable amount of health, while doing a lot of damage per hit. A lot of the aspects of this game's combat system are the same as those of Dark Souls, but there are some changes that have been made.
1) The enemies have better AI, so recognize when you are healing and act more aggressively
2) your attacks flow much more smoothly, and you can string together different moves more easily
3) Parrying (trying to block enemy attacks and leave them open for strong critical attacks) is harder to time, and leaves you vulnerable for longer (you can also now parry while two handing some weapons)
4) Shield bashing is more effective, and you can two hand a left handed weapon.
5) BIG ONE. Rolling gives much fewer i-frames if you have not leveled the ADP stat, and it is much harder to roll through attacks. As someone who went SL1 NG+7 in DS, this was pretty tough to get accustomed to.
6) enemies have a dynamic moveset, so they sometimes add attacks to the end of combos when you think you are safe (makes the combat much more intense and fun IMO)
Each of these changes is for the better IMO. From didn't just want people memorizing a few of the bosses attacks and destroying them with ease, or abusing too many invincibility frames and making the game easy mode.
Level Design:
The visuals in this game are absolutely stunning. I have never seen a more beautiful game in my life, and it's worth it every now and then to just stop and look around for a few seconds. Every time you leave a cave or dark place it's like you are entering a whole new world. The enemy placement makes it so that there are some places that you can't just run through once you know the layout, but in return, if you die 15 times in a stage, some of the enemies disappear to make your path to the boss a little easier, which helps you focus on the boss, rather than the enemies that you've proven you can kill 15 times already. This new dynamic goes along with a plethora of long hallways with a lot of enemies, usually guarding a boss door, that can take a while to clear. This is mildly annoying since usually when you die to a boss you don't want to wait 5 minutes to get another shot at them, but it forces you to get better and learn as you progress through the level, which is great for new players. Overall, I think there is an improvement in level design, though some areas can get a little tedious before the enemies cease to respawn.
Story:
Finally we come to the story, As you might be able to guess I loved the original story, and part of the reason I was so excited for this game was a continuation of the story. In short, it did not disappoint. As in Dark Souls and Demon Souls before it, the story is not told to you directly, but is instead inferred through item descriptions, locations, and conversations with the few and far between NPCs.
The game is set far in the future from the events of the first game, with several references to the old story, along with a lot of familiar items/weapons like SPOILER: (the BKH and Havel's set.) There is some debate as to whether Drangleic (the setting of DSII) is the same place as Lordran (the setting of DSI), but I think they are the same place, based on several descriptions, bosses, and layouts throughout the game. Every time I uncovered a big plot point, a reference to the first game, and old item, or in one specific case, a boss, I got super excited, and I think the fact that it is a sequel adds a lot to the story, and had I not played the first game, the plot would have been a lot less engaging.
All in all, I think given some time to get used to the new mechanics, anyone who enjoyed the first two games will absolutely love this one once they get over the fact that they no longer dominate the world as they did in the lategame of the others. I think that someone who is new to the series will absolutely love the game, but I would almost encourage them to play at least one of the others first to get the full experience of this one. | video-games_xbox |
Review on Oblivion, Include Pros and Cons. I'm 14 year's old and I've played only the latest Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, and one of Bethesda's other games, Fallout 3. In this review I will discuss the pros and cons of Oblivion. I hope you find it useful.
Oblivion: RPG, Open World, Leveling System, No Online features.
This review contains no spoilers.
Please note that I have not tried all available downloadable content (DLC).
Oblivion is a medieval fantasy world, including things such as swords and goblins.
Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has earned itself a Platinum Hit award, has received a perfect score of 10 in GameInformer (video game magazine) and I'm sure there are tons and tons of other reviews on this game talking about how pefect it is. All of that is true.
In the beginning of the game, you can, of course, customize your character. However, Oblivion has the most intricate character-customizing system I've yet to encounter. You can set the jaw bone, eye color, hair style and color, skin color, wrinkles, face width and many, many more options. You can practically make the character look like the real you in this game (with the exception of possible acne, possible facial hair and height, though the height varies between different races of characters).
Pros:
Open World - As described in some of my other reviews, many players prefer not to have an open world to explore and would rather just complete designated missions. There are always others, however, who prefer open world leveling up games to explore. So far out of all the open world games I've played, which are about 6 or so, Oblivion has the largest world I've yet seen, next to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption. I have a character of my own on Oblivion, and so far I've discovered somewhere between 100 and 300 areas, and still I haven't discovered them all. Even players who have several huge world games should not be disappointed in Oblivion's world.
Gorgeous Graphics - Close attention to details in buildings, rolling hills, lush forests, snowy mountains, and burning wastelands make Oblivion one of the best-looking games out there. As Bethesda does in many of its games, the facial expressions in the characters, such as smiles and grimaces, as well as facial structures and eye color, are very lucid.
Varying Missions - Don't worry about constantly having to participate in the main story, you can always, at any point, stop whatever mission you're currently playing and do whatever you want in Oblivion's massive world. Missions can vary from closing portals to demonic realms to cleaning a town of vampires. It's going to take you a long, long time to complete half the quests in the game.
Leveling system - For those who haven't played a game with a leveling system, it's where you kill a certain amount of enemies and complete several missions to increase your level, making you stronger and more durable. Oblivion's level system is fairly simple, but is always exciting when you do manage to level up. You automatically gain more health and deal more damage, and can choose to increase specific attributes to enhance your character, such as running faster or being more persuasive.
Several Fighting Styles - Oblivion has a fighting style to suit everyone's preferance (besides guns, Oblivion does not contain modern weaponry). You can be a swordsman, a stealthy assassin, or a (rather overpowered) wizard. You can toss lightning at enemies, shoot them with a bow and arrows, take them out quickly and silently from the shadows, even summon undead creatures and demons to help you fight.
Cons:
No Online Features or Multiplayer- You may not want to play online against or with other players, but it's always nice when a game offers it. Oblivion does not offer online play, nor does it offer multiplayer. It is solely a single-player game.
Maturity Rating - Oblivion has little to no gore, if anything it's some drops of blood coming out of your enemy when they die. Not much sexuality, but when you loot enemies you are allowed to take their armor, which can reduce them to their underwear. There's some alchohol in it, but it isn't monotonous. No smoking, and practically no swearing, besides maybe 3 or 4 occasions of someone saying "damn" (which, in a game this size, isn't very notable). I usually add the maturity rating as a con if a game has earned one.
Well that's pretty much all the cons I can think of off the top of my head. Numerous pros, surprisingly few glitches, considering how big the game is, tons of missions and ways to fight, leveling system, and very little maturity in the game make Oblivion an obvious choice if you're considering buying a role playing game.
I hope this review has been helpful to you. | video-games_xbox |
Comparison vs Dance Central (1) and Just Dance 3. I've been playing Dance Central 2, Dance Central (original), and Just Dance 3 pretty non-stop recently. How does Dance Central 2 stack up against its prequel and the Just Dance 3 game?
First, let's look at the enhancements over Dance Central. The graphics are naturally much better. The characters look better and move more smoothly. I love the new venues far more than the old ones. The beach is my favorite, although I wish they didn't cut to a basketball court half the time. The characters are good. Songs you bought for Dance Central are available here with the same moves.
The exercise mode is improved - you now get playlists of songs arranged by the intensity of the workout. So you can go through a 20 minute easy set to get going. You can also make your own playlists - awesome! It will give you alerts when you hit milestones, like 50 calories or 20 minutes - but you get no running tally as you go. So I do miss that.
They lost the sense of a level progress as you play. Instead, they added a challenge mode where you "take on" a given dance crew by playing their songs. I'm not keen on this since there are songs I just don't like in the set. I'd rather be able to play the songs I want to.
They now have a 'helper frame' to see where you are in the Kinect view square, which helps keep you in the camera frame. This is especially helpful if you're playing two player at a time.
You can use voice commands to control the songs, which is fun.
So definitely if you have the original Dance Central I'd look into upgrading. You can even import your old songs for a fee, so you'd get double the songs here.
Now to compare it with Just Dance 3. The characters here in Dance Central 2 are still fairly robotic, and the moves can feel forced. Transitions between moves aren't always smooth. There are only the few venues and characters. This definitely gets kudos for its playlist functionality; I wish Just Dance 3 offered that.
Just Dance 3 lets *four* people play at once in cool choreography that is smooth and gorgeous, and in general the dancing is much more fluid. Where this one has robotic move-leg-left and lift, with Just Dance 3 they are real people jumping and spinning and as I love jumping songs I miss that a lot here.
A key issue for me is song selection. As I say on all my dance reviews, we all have different tastes in music. That's fine and natural, so the games we gravitate towards will be guided by that. I love the song mix in Just Dance 3 and I'm just not that same level of fond of the songs here in Dance Central 2. So if I'm going towards the TV and looking to pop a game in, I'll reach for Just Dance 3 instead because of the song mix and the fluid moves.
Still, if you adore these songs, then you'll be drawn to this one for the same reason, and you won't mind the semi-robots you're following.
So well recommended for people who love this song mix. If you're 50-50 between the two song mixes, I might lean towards Just Dance 3 - or heck, get them both and have double the songs to play with.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions; I play these a lot.
I bought this game with my own funds for the purpose of doing this review. | video-games_xbox |
It's really mediocre. Plays very poorly on the system, though in general it isn't a very optimized game anyway (have it on pc, xbone, and rented on ps4) so it's safe to say it's probably not the hardware and instead is just shoddy design on the dev's side.
Otherwise: meh color pallet, too reminiscent of bloodborne and NOT a Souls game. Combat is quicker which is welcome, but puts a strain on the series combat style of slow and focused emphasizing reaction based actions and greatly encourages a meta of quick weapons, again; removal of poise with hyper armor in it's place gives me flashbacks of Demon's Souls pvp, not a fan, personally, though this could be greatly compensated for with an increase in push-back on weapons. OST is pretty good, as usualy, From does a good job and getting great tracks for bosses. Sound in general seems like a step up as I feel genuinely limited if I can't hear the game, making it a pro/con on it's own as it limits my ability to listen to my loud music while playing. Animations are much smoother, taking after BB and DKS2 making actions feel more fluid, however this is hard to appreciate with such higher enemy density and enemy speed forcing me to roll away more often than not and thus not utilize a lot of the, subjectively, "cooler" moves and move sets. Patches almost entirely useless on PC, personally, sometimes causing further loss in performance, something patches should not do.
tl;dr
pros:
-Good OST
-Good animation
cons:
-Quick enemies (reduces reason to use cool moves/weapons)
-terrible drop rate (though this has always been the case for me and these games: 72 hr Balder side sword farming)
-weak, weak, WEAK color pallet for the game, a huge step down from even the last Souls title.
Pro/con:
-art direction feels far too Bloodborne-y for a souls game with lanky enemies, weird beasts, and a odd use of fungus like growths on enemies
-upped game speed increase gives quick weapons a nice boost but once again hinders reasonable application of heavy weapons, though is fine if you tank (pack healing tho)
-frequent patches
cons (more personal)
-AWFUL optimization (framedrops across all systems seemingly regardless of hardware and updates)
-Anti cheat almost banned my acc for using windowed mode (pc version though)
-game style really emphasizes a quality build meta again, reducing build variety at a core level
-some patches seem pointless/caused performance drops
Buy or pass?
Wait till it's hella cheap, I got a giftcard which knocked the price down to about 9 dollars, feels almost worth it considering the poor optimization on the xbone. | video-games_xbox |
Recommended Use: Kill Time Until Halo 2. Microsoft needs a killer application to stave off the hungry Xbox fans waiting for Halo 2. So, they threw this game in the frothing mouths of gamers and from what has been see so far, has received some relative acclaim. Brute Force takes place in the future in which the Terran Confederation uses special operation groups to maintain order and 'take care of business' so to speak across the Galaxy. This group is comprised of four individuals dangerous on their own, but deadly as a team. Tex, who you start out with and generally most gamers will form an affinity with, is the squads heavy assault trooper designated to do one simple job, [destroy] everything. He has the best ability to soak up damage and dish it out as well, carrying only the heaviest weapons. Brutus, a Ferix, who is second added to your team is the all around trooper, capable of using his alien-borne gift to sense heat and [destroy]without the need of a weapon. Hawk is a covert specialist in recon, third added to your team. She is the lightest, fastest and takes damage easiest. Flint, being the last member added to your team, is the sniper who with steady hands and far-sight can take enemies out so fast it can make their heads spin, literally. Playability equals that of a third-person view Halo. If you have played Halo, the controls will come second nature and you can lose yourself easily in the game. Music is usually defeaned out by the heavy gun-fire and superb dialogue given throughout the game, with ambient sounds unique to each world making you wish for 5.1 Dolby. Replay value is relatively high with co-op for up to four players in a campaign able to jump in and out at any time as well as system link capabilities, this game is worth the...price tag. Also, and finally, to ease the fears of gamers, the AI is sufficient to where your squadmates can handle themselves in combat, just keep an eye on them in situations where stealth is more than a necessity. With an over-satisfactory gaming experience and a gore factor that had an M-rating impressed on it compared to other games I've seen, this is a must-buy game that'll keep any gaming from frothing at the mouth for Halo 2, at least for a little while. | video-games_xbox |
Look at this game as the "Empire Strikes Back" version of the trilogy. Basically thats how you have to look at it.
FFXIII makes it seem like you won the battle and all is well but you still know that its just not that simple and theres more trouble ahead.
FFXIII-2 expands on that forefront and refined its gameplay and added new elements. Most of which were met with great reception by the playerbase. Paradigm shifts were more seamless, movement more tighter and refined and adding a monster party to customize added more depth to the party and available paradigms. Storyline got a little bit messy but as you progress it starts to unfold and become clearer. And just when you think you've saved the day..... it pulls the rug out from under you. Gives you some DLC to appease the masses to generate even more "appetite" for story.
One thing I did miss was having a "summon" ability. Kind of a staple in all FF games. Need to bring that back in XIII-3. Having nailed every achievement on the 360 for FFXIII, most of us who farmed those big turtles for the gems that sell for tons of cash know the familiar "Lets Go.. Hecaton!" line. Love those original summons like Bahamut, Odin, Shiva, Ifrit. Even in FF7 the upgraded ones like Neo-Bahamut were exceptionally fun to watch. Althrough KOTR takes the cake for longest summon sequence ever lol.
I think they had intended the story to end with FFXIII-2 but it seemed when the game was over, there was still entirely too much left to tell and explain. Even the DLC just didn't win us over like they thought it would. It was almost inevitable that 1 more game would need to be made to finish out this epic trilogy and give it a final "Hooah!" off into the sunset.
For a character that has so much emotional complexity rivaling Cloud Strife from FF7, it seems only fitting that they finish the story the way it should be. Not through DLC, but a final, epic sendoff to close the book on a now iconic character in FF history.
I'll be picking up the new copy when it ships in 2013 and playing it all through to see where and how the story ends.
Again, treat this game like the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy. No clear winner, lots of things to be explained and storylines to be resolved. | video-games_xbox |
Just as fun. The original F.E.A.R was fantastic and F.E.A.R files is just as good with Extraction Point taking off where the original ended. However this time a hell of a lot scarier and the gore and action have been increased. The good news is that the gameplay is still as solid as ever. Bullet-time game mechanics are a dime a dozen these days, but the wonderful arsenal of weapons, great A.I. and moody atmosphere of the F.E.A.R. world keep this franchise at the head of the pack.
The visuals, though, do feel dated. Files on the console doesn't look as good as the F.E.A.R. expansions do on PC. The prime culprit is the texture work which looks low-res on an HD set.
Extraction Point picks up immediately after F.E.A.R. ends. The huge explosion that rocks the Origin Facility also causes the helicopter to go down. Your driving force throughout the brief 4-5 hour ordeal is to get to the top of a nearby hospital for extraction. Perseus Mandate, meanwhile, introduces a second F.E.A.R. team that is sent in mid-way through the plot of the first game. This new character also has slo-mo reflexes and...well he's pretty much the exact same character going through the exact same tribulations as the original star. This expansion is roughly the same length as Extraction Point. New weapons are introduced including a lighting arc gun, laser carbine, mini-gun, auto turret, and scope equipped advanced rifle. Though you're still butting heads with the Armacham soldiers and Paxton's Replicant army throughout the expansions, new enemies are dropped in to spice things up.
The best addition to the gameplay, however, is that larger scale battles occur more frequently. Enemies still prefer to travel in groups of three, but large scale ambushes are a common occurrence and a great change of pace from the standard corridor shooting.
At its heart, F.E.A.R. is still a good game. The combat is solid enough that you can still enjoy yourself while playing through F.E.A.R. Files, but the expansions do little to honor the torch they carry. Extraction Point is a decent, though brief, extension of the original title. Perseus Mandate, meanwhile, feels pointless -- a quick cash-in to remind us all that F.E.A.R. still exists before a full sequel. | video-games_xbox |
Only thing going for it is online play. In pretty much every other respect except graphics, Fuzion Frenzy 1 is the better game. This is still fun and playable, but offers nothing compelling in terms of gameplay or minigame variety. And FF1 is backward compatible on the 360, so unless you really dig the online action, I'd say go with it instead.
Where FF1 = FF2: The minigames have a good variety and are easy to pick up and play. Tournament mode gets you planning how to come out on top in the end, whereas Minigame Frenzy focuses on just winning individual minigames. In tournament mode, each zone has its own minigames and Final Battle. There's no "board game" mode like Mario Party has. The six characters play identically and have forgettable personalities. Every minigame is 4-player free-for-all, unlike Mario Party which also has 1-player, 1v1, 2v2, or 3v1 games.
Where FF2 > FF1: Custom matches give you more flexibility in configuring yor contest. Online play lets you get in a 4-player match of any brand anytime. The Rumble minigames are cool (but not as cool as the original's Fuzion Frenzy match). The Achievements are very easy to unlock.
Where FF1 > FF2: FF1's announcer wasn't much less cheezy than FF2's, but FF2's "DJ Varcanno" is ALWAYS yapping! You can mute and skip his time-consuming dialog in single-player mode but not online. Another lame FF2 feature is the cards, which seriously take away from actual minigame skill in deciding Tournament mode and add only a cheap comeback chance. Finally, the Fuzion Frenzy match that capped the Tournaments in FF1 are gone.
General: There is nothing outstanding about Fuzion Frenzy's brand of minigame action. When it cuts to the core, the gameplay itself, it is quickly satisfying... as long as you have other people to play with. If you like playing online, it's worth checking out. Otherwise, find FF1 for way less money or just avoid the series altogether. You're not missing out on anything special. | video-games_xbox |
BATTLEFAILED . This review contains facts stated within that CAN be confirmed through various searches on the internet and is based primarily on the multiplayer aspect of the game.
This games primary purpose is to take your money and offer as little in return as possible. Hence the title "BATTLEFAILED $".
To start Battlefield 4 is a huge step down in functionality to not only Battlefield 3, but also a step below Battlefield Bad Company 1 and 2 in its overall "Functionality". Originally servers were in high demand for 1 & 2 at launch which was rectified. Servers for Battlefield 3 were a problem also at launch, but again was rectified. Battlefield 4 appears to have all the servers you are looking for, but can't locate them because the browser is disfunctional. The game is plagued with glitches and disfunctionality from the server browser to progression to Unlockables.
SERVER BROWSER-
The Good- The Browser lets you set it to everything you are looking for. The map, game type, open slots for player availability is all available to you in the browser.
The Bad- The Browser Loads up the game type servers and map/s you select with nothing but "Commander Mode Slots" available. The selection of "open player slots" in the browser does NOT work. The browser loads up completely full servers with no player slots available no matter how many you search for, and when the list of servers is populated the only server with a slot available is taken by the time you scroll down the list. So the Browser absolutely does NOT function properly. The "Quick Match" function which allows you to join a server automatically throws you into any server in any region unfortunately with lag and latency issues. You can't even view the region of the server you end up in after using the feature because DICE has chosen to "hide" the regions of the quick match servers with the words "Region Unavailable". So good luck with that one. SMH
ULOCKABLES and PROGRESSION
The Good- The game has been given an extremely wide array of weapons for you to use in a properly adjusted Loadout. Your "Loadout" consists of a Primary weapon, secondary weapon (a pistol type), two gadgets (two things usually specific to your chosen class purpose), and a grenade type. Progression in each class and weapon unlocks attachments which modify a weapons functionality accordingly.
The Bad- I don't know WHY or HOW, but after you spend time unlocking attachments and gadgets through progression they then become LOCKED "after" you have achieved unlocking them. So now that you are passed the point of unlocking them and then they get RE-Locked and you can't use them or unlock them again so progression is pointless making obtainable in game items a waste of time to obtain. It's broken. Examples exist on YouTube and the web.
***So unlockables you can obtain on a large scale do not function properly.***
BATTLEPACKS
The Good- Battlepacks are obtained in the game with Experience progression, Weapon progression, and with "Slim Jim" promotional purchase items. Leveling up with general experience and with individual weapons entitles you to "Battlepacks" (they come in Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Weapon Specific). Opening these grants you in game attachments for weapons.
The Bad- Anything and/or everything you obtain from Battlepacks once they are earned can be RE-Locked after obtaining them by UNAVOIDABLE GLITCHES. So literally the time you spent leveling up your gun or progress is now stripped away and for nothing.
The Worse- the "Slim Jim" promotional codes from SlimJim products contain codes that you enter into SlimJim.com, after logging into your origin account associated with your Battlelog account you enter the codes to be given more codes that when completed can cause a game save file corruption upon completion rendering your game save file useless (only to then rely on any backup saves from the Developer). On top of that Battlepacks overall also contain digital items that LITERALLY have NOTHING to do with the game you are playing. These are "Soldier Pictures", "little emblems", and "DOGTAGS" (which granted can be worn in the game but have no functional purpose) which are for Battlelog.com the website. So not only are your rewards getting RE-Locked, you're being rewarded with things that have nothing to do with the game and serve no in-game functionality, you're being rewarded with things for a "web page".
***So battlepacks not only reward your efforts with NON-game functional gifts, whatever you get that is in-game functional it gets RE-locked and glitched.***
MULTIPLAYER
The Good- "If" you manage to get into a game with your friends it appears that the weapon and vehicle hit detection function, and functionality of "Levolution" are useable.
The Bad- I said "appears" to function. Currently Levolution only really changes the playability of THREE maps. On Hainan Resort 90% of the players or more get kicked or the game freezes when Levolution occurs. On Lancang Dam, the Dam collapsing has absolutely zero affect on the playability of the map (it collapses far to the side of any/all objectives affecting nothing of any importance). So overall destruction has been focused on 1 major event (initiated by the final action of an individual player), and overall destruction events have been toned down to the point where there's so little of it that it can go unnoticed. If the game doesn't freeze on you, delete your progress, or re-lock your unlocks.
GLITCHES (too many to list)
As of the Date of this review:
-Invisibility Glitch- Players in the game can intentionally and unintentionally be invisible temporarily or permanently by exiting vehicles, climbing ladders, climbing stairs, jumping off buildings.
-Battlepack Glitch- Items/attachments achieved via progress from Battlepacks RE-Lock making progression useless.
-Progression Glitch- Attachments unlocked become locked making progression useless.
-Save File Corruption- Both the single player game file (from random corruption) and multiplayer save file can be corrupted from gameplay.
-Game Freeze Glitch- Regularly the Game freezes during gameplay both in single player and more OFTEN in multiplayer on PC, PS3, Xbox360, and more recently the PS4.
-Stat Glitch- Stats from gameplay appear to NOT be factually recorded as during a match your stats will not be the same stats on the scoreboard. Not will they be properly filed on the battlelog website (actions in game don't always transfer properly to battlelog).
-Revive Glitch- Players revived with Defib Paddles become PERMANENTLY locked in place with no available action than to quit out of a game.
-Remote View Glitch- Players using any remote device requiring that devices point of view can become LOCKED in that point of view after that device is destroyed, leaving you with no option other than killing yourself to Respawn.
-End of a match glitch- Joining a server at the end of a match before you can spawn can cause the player to be given negative experience, literally removing progress for joining a game.
EXPLOITS- (more than I am aware of)
-LancangDam wall glitch- You can hide within the wall of the Dam, able to shoot and kill players but not be shot yourself.
-Unlimited Flares- a way for chopper pilots to unfairly continuously use flares to never be shot down.
-Double Genade Launchers- a glitch on battlelog to equip two grenade launchers in games.
-Invisibility- players aware of how to be invisible from glitches in maps use them.
-Battlepacks- an exploit whereas players are able to replicate awards without earning them granting themselves items you yourself have to earn (if they aren't removed via glitches).
-Tank Glitch- a way to unfairly reload rounds and destroy opponents who have to wait to reload.
-Instant Weapon reload- a way to instantly reload weapons on your character and take out opponents who need to reload.
I'm going to end this review here.
Bottom line is that this game is broken in mostly all modes of functionality. Browser, progression, unlocks, they don't work properly. These examples aforementioned can be found anywhere on the web using a simple search. All of these can be found for any platform you look on. So it's not the platforms. It's the game, the developer, and the publisher.
Patrick Bach of DICE stated in an interview with JACKFRAGS on YouTube that THIS is the highest/best quality game "We" have ever made.
No it isn't. And it says a lot he thinks so. This review is to not only warn consumers, but for the consumers to set standards for developers. A standard that they appear to neglect which is not to sell products that don't function and hope to fix them AFTER they already took our money. Honestly, there's a ton more functionality issues with this game, so if this isn't enough for you to heed the warning then I'm sorry. I didn't come here to do this review because I was bored. I came here and did this review because your money is going to get taken, and in return you'll be given everything above.
NOTE: I do not update reviews. And I do NOT recommend this game unless you are casual enough to forgo the flaws. | video-games_xbox |
NOT GTA IV. This is actually fun. If you were like me and got only buyers remorse from GTA IV, consider taking a leap of faith and get this game. Rockstar has completely redeemed themselves with Red Dead Redemption. For the single player mode, I have never played a game that transitions so well. The voice acting and story line is convincing and entertaining, you can chose whether you ride to your destination with the other characters and get a more in depth view of the story or just fast travel and be woken up when you arrive. No matter what you chose to do the game will flow like an Oscar winning movie. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a first person option, but the game play is top notch for a third person shooter/ adventure which I normally don't like, but this game does a pretty good job of not showing the outside of the building while you get shot at. Multiplayer mode is a very pleasant surprise, after you figured everything out. Open roam is basically a lobby to join games in. You get experience while in this lobby and it sometimes turns into a free-for-all death match. You can also earn experience points while in a private game, which I found out during the first few days of online connection problems, which are now fixed. When you actually get in the multiplayer games, it's a wonderful new experience, while you wait for the game to start you can have fist fights and at the beginning of some games there are team duels to see who gets the high ground and the best weapons. I'll leave the rest for you to discover but I give this game 5 stars in both single player and multiplayer. The single player competes with Fallout 3 and is better in most ways. The multiplayer may not be the newest CoD but it's just as fun and is a bonus on top of an outstanding single player game. The story line, game play, graphics, and sound are all unparalleled by any other game to date. Caution: Try to get your wife to play it too or she may hate you and this game. | video-games_xbox |
WW3 fought over oil. We live in a country where energy is almost as important to us as oxygen, and taken for granted just as much.
But, the big question is what if? What if our abundant energy resources suddenly became more and more scarce?
Would other countries start to eye us (here in Alberta) for our Oil reserves? Would wars be fought over the dwindling reserves?
Frontlines: Fuel of War is about that very topic. What if the reserves were all but gone? The major superpowers would end up going to war over the few resources that are left. Of course the game is set many years into the future, but with the way we're consuming our natural resources, it's a frightening glimpse into a very real possible future for mankind.
In the game you play a member of the Stray Dogs, a heavily armed and well trained squad whose job it is to secure strategic locations throughout the game in order to help the Western Collation defeat the Red Star.
Ok, let's get down to the meat of the review.
It's your typical Xbox 360 first person shooter game, with all the usual bells and whistles that you've come to expect from this type of game. Instead of the regular health meter, your screen turns red, your heartbeat speeds up and your breathing becomes laboured the closer you come to dying.
Unlike the other games I played, the controls were somewhat different from what I've grown used to. So, better check your game manual before you dive in or you might find yourself dying a few times before you get the hang of the controls.
Speaking of dying, don't let it happen too often. You only get a limited number of re-spawns per level. I never used them all, but I did come close a couple of times as I played. I don't know what would happen if I used them all, but I am making an educated guess here that you'd probably have to restart the entire level.
Now, with many of the first person shooters that I've played recently, you've typically been quite limited to the number of weapons you could carry and use at any one time.
Frontlines steer away from this trend. Instead of the usual two or three weapons, you could cycle through at least eight, if you had a chance to pick up various weapons that were left around on the battlefield.
The downside is that you couldn't pick up any of the weapons that the enemy dropped upon their untimely demise. That was one of the drawbacks of the game for me.
The second problem with weapons is, unlike many other games I've played, you couldn't pick up ammunition from fallen foes... instead you had to find ammunition caches that were infrequently scattered across the playing maps. Typically they were located in the various objectives that you had to secure.
You also had a fairly limited number of weapons of which to use. An assault rifle, the grenade launcher, an anti-tank weapon, sniper rifle, pistol, grenades and demolition charges.
However, the one thing that set it aside from the other games I've played over the past three months is the fact that you could get various types of remotely controlled drones to use.
These weapons typically came in two types: airborne and land based. Of course it broke down even further than that. Some of the airborne mini-helicopters could be used on strictly suicidal missions, where you flew them into place and detonated them with devastating results, while others were armed with missiles that you could use to soften up the enemy resistance.
Likewise with the ground based drones. One type was nothing more than a bomb on wheels which could be used with truly devastating results, while another was armed with a powerful machine gun.
Of course the enemy could fire at and destroy your weapons, and you have to keep an eye on signal strength... if you let the drone get too far from you, you'd lose control and the enemy would have some nice target practice.
Sorry, I totally forgot about the sentry guns that you could place and they'd work wonders on any hapless foe that happened to wander too close to them. But, once again, these weapons could be taken out by enemy fire, so choose where you place them wisely.
The other feature that was used in this game, but poorly handled in this reviewer's opinion, was vehicles. Many times throughout the game you have the opportunity to pilot APC's, Tanks and even a helicopter.
The problem I had was controlling the vehicles! The controls were poorly done in my opinion, and if you weren't careful to keep your vehicles main body (such as when you were driving the tanks) pointed in the direction you wanted to go, when you moved you could very well find yourself driving sideways, or even in the opposite direction you were planning on moving!
This was quite frustrating, and I found more often than not my vehicle was getting shot out from underneath me because of this.
By the way, the controls for the drone's works on this very same principal so you have been warned.
On a final note when it comes to combat... the old adage is true. A head shot will take out your enemy with a minimum expenditure of ammunition. And besides, when you see their helmet go flying through the air, it's a lot of fun!
The maps were large and varied, but mostly consisted of ruins. Very few times throughout the game you found yourself in an open area, and those times you were, typically you were at the controls of a tank, battling against Red Star tanks.
On the maps however, you had plenty of places to hide and use for cover, but this worked very well in the enemies favour as well.
Graphically, the game had some of the most beautifully rendered images that I've witnessed to date. Only Call of Duty 4 and Mass Effect were on par, if not superior in my view. Excellent use of not only shading, but colours and texture as well.
As I said, you typically always fought in ruins, be it refineries, small towns, or outposts. Some of the most visually impressive maps though were of the ruined launch facilities, the underground bunker labyrinth, and of course the city of Moscow itself.
Every single map had a bleak, hopeless feel to it, just as it should if you read the history or followed the cut scenes at the beginning of the game.
Speaking of cut scenes, they were incredible! The interaction between the characters, the events that took place, it was like watching a movie. I didn't find the movement of the characters to be clunky or un-natural at all, unlike say - Turning Point: the fall of liberty. Even the animated facial expressions conveyed the way the characters were feeling and reacting to what was happening around them.
Then there is the music. Heavy, industrial type rock, something that I really enjoy. Now only if I could find the soundtrack for the game... Of course if you're not into metal or rock, you won't enjoy it, but even the music composed for the game was a delight to listen to as you played.
As is the case, I didn't bother with the multiplayer mode. Although I guess you can play with up to thirty two other players in this mode, and you can choose from different types of classes. What you choose is the type of weapons load you get to play with.
Lastly, there are the achievements. I only managed to unlock 7 while I played the game, out of a possible thirty, for a score of 105 out of a possible 1000. Some of the achievements you could unlock involved beating each mission in a certain amount of time, of course multiplayer, and accuracy.
Pro's
- Excellent graphics and huge maps.
- The ability to carry more than two or three weapons at once.
- Drones!
- Cut scenes and music, top notch.
- Intense firefights.
Con's
- Say it with me... too damned short!
- Poor vehicle controls (including the drones, even though they were fun).
I eagerly await the sequel, as it was left wide open.
4 out of 5 | video-games_xbox |
Darksiders is 3rd-Person Action/Adventure Perfection. Thank you Vigil. Finally, a game developer who 'gets it.' It's obvious that Darksiders was a labor of love, created by gamers, for gamers. I've played a lot of games over the years, and Darksiders masterfully crafts together the best elements of the genre while stripping out the garbage we could all do without. Why is Darksiders possibly the best pick-up-&-play action/adventure game ever?
+ Easy-to-learn, forgiving controls.
+ Variety of gameplay elements (swordplay, throwing objects, climbing, swinging, swimming, shooting, riding, treasure hunting, weapon upgrades, puzzle solving, etc.).
+ Beautiful artistic style, animation, and environments - if you've enjoyed Joe Madureira's art in other mediums, playing Darksiders is an awesome interactive experience that brings his artistic vision to life in high definition.
+ Frequently saved checkpoints, plus save-anytime feature, and multiple save blocks that can be copied between memory cards and hard drives.
+ Epic fantasy storyline.
+ Effective defensive moves (block and dash/dodge).
+ Easily-controllable camera/perspective.
+ Engaging puzzles that don't take forever to figure out and complete.
+ Fast-travel network to quickly move between distant previously-visited areas.
+ No 'artificial challenge' that handicaps and punishes players.
+ No flow-breaking, action-obscuring quick-time events.
+ No unskippable cut-scenes.
+ Amazing audio that artfully conveys the epic scale of the characters and battles.
+ On-screen mini-map (and full map on the paused game's options screen) keeps you from getting lost and wondering where to go next.
+ Saved slots are indicated with the location and play-time you saved at, along with your difficulty level and health, making it easy to remember which file to load among multiple saves.
Whoever crafted the controls and usability/accessibility features of this game deserves the gaming industry's most prestigious award and recognition. For all the different gameplay elements, the controls always feel fluid and familiar. Most of us play a variety of games, so familiarizing ourselves with a new game's control scheme (or re-familiarizing ourselves with an old favorite later) can be rough. Darksiders takes this pain away by keeping the controls simple and always displaying the appropriate controller button on-screen next to each actionable icon. Many gamers buy or rent used games that don't come with instruction manuals, and thankfully Darksiders can be quickly and easily grasped without ever laying eyes on a manual. Awesome, powerful attack combos can be pulled off with merely a couple button-presses. The on-screen tips (which are saved in a log accessible via the paused game's options screen) walk you through every step of the way. Any action that consumes resources (like a magical attack that use up your wrath meter) requires two buttons to be pressed simultaneously, so you never accidentally slip and hit the wrong button and waste your resources.
If you've played other popular contemporary action/adventure games, you'll likely find familiar gameplay elements here. Darksiders pays homage to the most fun aspects in popular gaming while leaving OUT the frustrations that are too common in most other games. Most thankfully, Darksiders AVOIDS the maddening handicaps that too many other games rely on to inject what I call 'artificial challenge:'
- Few and far-between save points (sometimes real life happens - the phone rings, a visitor knocks at the door, dinner's ready, etc. - and you don't have an hour to play until the next save point).
- Only allowing one save file (preventing you from having multiple games in-progress, or reverting to an earlier save point).
- Pathetic defense (no ability to block incoming attacks, limited ability to dodge incoming attacks, limited opportunity to take cover, etc.).
- Leaving you helplessly stunned/paralyzed and vulnerable for a brief period after sustaining damage, allowing enemies to endlessly juggle you to death.
- Convoluted control schemes and complex combo moves that are too long or tricky to reliably execute in the heat of battle.
- Scarce resources (never any health or ammo around when you need it).
- Obstructive camera perspectives that obscure your view of the action.
- Requiring you to swim through areas while only giving you very limited breath.
- Defeated enemies release floating orbs for you to collect, but you must be in very close proximity to receive them (I'm here to kick butt, not chase butterflies).
- Performing an attack move (or being attacked) too close to a ledge causes you to fall off that ledge.
- Falling off a ledge is an instant game-over, restarting you at a prior point.
+++ Darksiders does NOT punish the player with ANY of these buzz-kills. If you ever felt like throwing your game controller through your television out of frustration from cheap shots like this that other games shamelessly and repeatedly hit you with, then Darksiders will soothe those old wounds and renew your joy of gaming. Darksiders is by no means lacking in challenge, but it lets you focus on battling bad guys WITHOUT battling short-sighted, penalizing game mechanics. Darksiders doesn't keep finding cheap ways to end the fun and hinder your progress like many other games do. EVERY game developer should take serious notes on how smoothly and accessibly Darksiders flows for the player.
I have a hard time coming up with even minor things I would change about Darksiders:
- I've become spoiled the last few years on the auto-regenerating health systems that many popular games have, so I wish Darksiders didn't require the player to find health-replenishing items (although it partially compensates for this by providing plenty of health pick-ups and a weapon modifier that gives you a little health boost every time you inflict damage on enemies).
- I wish the enemies and bosses displayed a health meter so I could see how much damage my attacks are inflicting (to find the most effective attacks) and know how close (or far) I am to defeating an enemy.
- The screen that lists your available attacks for each weapon does not indicate what level each attack has been upgraded to (the only way to know is to check what the next level available for purchase is at a shop).
- The shop/purchase screen does not give you a last-minute confirming ('Are you sure you wish to buy this item?') back-out option when you buy something, so don't hit that 'buy' button accidentally.
- The shop/purchase screen does not show you how many of a particular item you may already be carrying in your inventory.
- While the 360-degree moveable camera perspective is great, I wish the speed/sensitivity of the camera movement was adjustable (sometimes I want to whip the camera around faster to get a view of something, but again, Darksiders partially compensates for this with the 'lock-on/focus' trigger that instantly resets the camera to the direction you're character is facing).
- There's a combo meter that counts your consecutive hits during fights, but I haven't seen any reward system that ties to racking up long combos (so why count them?).
- The only technical glitch I've noticed so far is some graphical screen-tearing.
Do yourself a favor and play Darksiders, and wrap yourself in a cozy blanket of fun, frustration-free action/adventure gaming. Do the gaming world a favor and buy this game to promote this kind of development so that future games will follow the fine example Darksiders sets. Vigil, please make sequels (and/or other games) that keep the same gamer-friendly spirit of Darksiders. Darksiders is not just a game - it's a gift to gamers. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best bullet hell games ever. This is one of the best bullet hell games ever. The Xbox port works and looks great. Since there are plenty of reviews of the game itself which can be found online, I'll just focus specifically on the order, and the English translation.
First of all, I'm in the USA, and it took two weeks for my order to arrive from Japan. The shipping estimate had told me it would take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive, so my expectations were sufficiently low that I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The game and case were new and in perfect condition.
The game works fine on my US Xbox 360. Since I don't know any Japanese, my one concern was how well translated the game would be. The box only has Japanese on the cover other than the Xbox logo, so initially I was concerned I might have gotten the wrong version. It turns out all the main menu items required to be able to play the game have English translations. However there are occasional confirmation dialogs which appear, specifically after a game ends, which have only Japanese text, and show the A and B button icon. Through trial and error I figured out that some of them are asking me if I want to save a replay of my game, but I still don't know what all of them are telling me. It seems to be safe to just keep hitting B until you end up at the high scores screen.
Also, the menu structure is a bit confusing. Particularly, if like me you're not an expert at these kind of games and want to find the Novice mode, it's a bit unintuitively located. For some reason it's located under Arrange mode even though it has nothing to do with Arrange mode. From the top level, choose Arrange. Once in Arrange, a window appears which allows you to choose between Arrange or Novice mode by using the analog stick. Choose Novice, and you'll have the option of playing Original, Maniac or Ultra modes at a lower difficulty setting. These are basically the same game modes that are found under the "Version 1.5" menu, but with lower bullet density and speed, and an auto-bomb feature. | video-games_xbox |
From an offline standpoint. Unreal tournament III was of course designed for online multiplayer. I am the kind of gamer who prefers offline playing for several reasons, not the least of being all the annoying little kids online. I love a good campaign game, but sometimes I just want to sit down and play a little without having to think at all. That's where this game comes in.
First of all, let me say that this game is fantastic for offline gameplay. The split screen mode is polished, the different game modes are all fantastic, and the number of maps is a definite plus. On the subject of maps, each and every one is fantastically detailed and all are really fun while being very diverse at the same time. This keeps the game interesting even after hours and hours of play.
Now on to the bots. The bots in this game are really impressive. Most multiplayer bots in games are either so stupid that they just run around jumping, or so good that you can't beat them no matter what. The bots in UT3 are really polished. You can have as many as 15 bots on a map with you. There are eight different skill levels for bots. It goes Novice, Average, Experienced, Skilled, Adept, Masterful, Inhuman, Godlike. Right now I am playing at Skilled (I am relatively good at FPS games, but not as good as many people I know). The bots are smart, but not to smart. The only fault I have with the bots is that in large open maps, they are ridiculously good at very very long distance aiming. Other than that the bots are perfect.
The modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, CTF, Vehicle CTF, Warfare, and Duel. Warfare is pretty interesting, mixing in elements of games like Star Wars Battlefront or Battlefield 1942. You have to capture nodes by destroying and replacing them with your own and make a chain of these nodes to the other team's base. Once the chain is established, you have to go in and destroy the opponents Power Core. Once the power core is down, you win. It's much much harder than it sounds, and the more bots you have playing with you the harder it becomes.
The vehicles in the game are really impressive. Although they aren't in many of the deathmatch maps, they are really cool. My favorite is a glowing ball with tentacles that it can use to walk (the visuals are incredible) or attack people with. I find the programming and graphics coming together in this masterful piece of art beautifully. As you jump off of the ground in it, trying to land on a higher platform, it's tentacles will identify the surfaces you wish to grasp and catch them, allowing it to move over just about any terrain. Incredible graphics.
All in all, this game is fantastic even for the offline gamer like myself. This is by far the best deathmatch mode in any game I've ever played (Yes, I have played Halo 3, COD-MW2, etc) for offline play. If you're on the verge, definitely order it. Well worth my money. | video-games_xbox |
Modern Warfare 3 a 2 part review. Well I'm probably a average gamer. I play a little bit when I can, but good enough to not really be a noob (by the way I hate that word).
Single Player-
Not really impressed. In about 6 hours I was done on Veteran. Some great cinematic stuff going on with a pretty good story line. However, everything is very flawed at the end. Not going to give anything away, but it does leave you with a WTF was that ending. The game does take you from place to place like the old games with great modeling, texturing, and rendering.
I did feel a big part of why I did not complete the entire thing in 5 hours are the bots you play with. I do cover and clear like you would in a military scenario before going to plant explosives. However, more then once an enemy would come from nowhere, usually behind, and kill me. Bots wouldn't kill a thing. The best Fail I came accross is going up the escalator. Grenade gets thrown and the bot proceeds to push me into it killing me. I was ROFL on that one. Had to do that a couple times because I thought it was just hilarious.
Multi player-
This is fun. I do not care about loosing or kill death ratio, unless you get a 20-15 person on there saying how bad everyone was (well dude you were half their points). Hate the campers too. The big thing in this now, I geuss, is to be an akimbo idiot running around shooting everything that moves. Still have the jump and shooters too. For those people that do jump abd shoot I do hope the next COD has it that your aim goes all Fed Up when you do this. I don't know a person that can jump and shoot and hit something. About the only people doing that it should work for or those with shotguns.
The new stuff they added for player types is great. Allows me to work on learning the map and keeping a kill streak without getting pissed that my kill streak ended with some camper that is having fun sitting somewhere on the map picking people off with a barrett.
Love the Revenge death streak to. Sure does equalize the playing field to use.
Last note on the multi, please make people actually shoot someone to kill them. Hit detection on this game is still way off. Probably even further then previous games. Case in point, playing the morning and a guy knifes another guy. Well in the final kill scene it was obvious the other guy should have gotten the kill, heard the knife way before the other guy even started the action.
I don't think this game will stay on my list as a play everyday game. Still wating for the hackers to make me stop playing. Once it does happen I will be off to something else. | video-games_xbox |
Headset FREEEEEDOMMMM. I was sooooooo close to buying one of those very expensive Turtle Beach headsets designed specifically for Xbox One, but I decided to just get this headset adapter instead, and I'm very glad I did it.
I already have several very nice gaming headsets (Turtle Beach, SteelSeries, Razer, etc), but none of them natively work with my Xbox One. While they may not match with the Xbox theme as well as the ones designed specifically for the console, they are all some of the best in their class and it just seemed silly to buy a whole 'nother expensive headset that I would only use with my Xbox.
Setting this up is about as easy as can be. You just plug it into your controller like the normal included headset, then attach a 3.5mm headset into the bottom of it. This will allow you to control both game and chat volume separately, unlike the default headset. You can also of course mute people through it, which is so much better than the Xbox 360 days where you'd always hear that "pfft" sound whenever you mute/unmute. This is a button instead of a switch, and makes no sound when muting/unmuting.
The only thing I'm still disappointed about is that Microsoft still hasn't released a wireless headset like my old Xbox 360 one that I love. While sound quality isn't as good as most peoples' fancy headphones, sometimes it's still nicer to have the headset used for chat only, and use my normal speakers for game audio.
A couple things you should note with this though.
First, you should connect your controller to your Xbox One via a micro USB cable (one is included if you need), then find the controller update function in your system settings. This will make sure all features will be compatible with your controller. You may not need it, depending on how you use this, but there's really no reason not to. Plus, they have made other nice changes to controller firmware that you'll probably want anyway (like improved analog stick response).
Second, it's not official yet, but it appears Microsoft is releasing future Xbox One controllers with a 3.5mm jack built-in. So if you wait for one of those, you may not need this adapter. But I still like the adapter since it provides the extra volume/mute functions that you wouldn't have if you plugged directly into the controller. Many headsets already have in-line volume controls though so those features may be irrelevant to you. Worth noting just in case it matters for your situation.
Very glad I picked one of these up, because my piece of junk standard headset always had issues and finally bit the dust while playing Destiny recently. Now I can use one of my higher end headsets and have the game audio go to them as well. Love it. | video-games_xbox |
Decent System. I've written reviews to the PS3 and Wii, so I figured I'd finish reviewing the last-generation systems with the Xbox 360. My grandparents own one, and since we visit them quite often, I got the chance to completely experience the system and its features. As with my previous console reviews, I will break it down in the key components of what makes a good system a good system.
1. Hardware
The 360's hardware is very similar to that of the PS3's. It has most of the same capabilities in graphics and power (more on that later). There is one thing in particular I like, though: the Avatars. Similar to Nintendo's Miis, Avatars are virtual characters that you create to represent you. I particularly like the ability to download licensed costume pieces that you can have them put on.
However, when it comes to things that the 360 has better than the PS3, that's pretty much it. The system does have problems such as having to pay for online (as opposed to the PlayStation and Nintendo Network's free online) and the system doesn't come with a charger. In my review to the PS3, I complained about how the charger only works when the system is on. This however, is preferable to having to change the batteries every time it is about to die.
My grandparents got the Kinect bundle, so I've had time to try the Kinect. Unfortunately, the Kinect's unresponsive sensor creates some of the biggest frustrations I've had playing video games. This isn't helped by the fact that I've never played a single Kinect game I've found enjoyable.
2. Graphics
The Xbox 360 does have some pretty great graphics. Playing Halo Anniversary: Combat Evolved, I was impressed with the amount of detail and color of the worlds. However, like the PS3, the HD capabilities have been abused. As I just mentioned Halo, I think it's a good example of how character models will still look ugly, even in HD (though I hear Halo 4 does better).
3. Power
Once again, like the PS3, the 360's power is quite an improvement over it's predecessor. The ability to download content, create Avatars, and play online are many new functions that are now possible with the power of the 360. There's really not a lot to say about it, it's just got a lot of power.
4. Games
Perhaps my biggest problem with the 360 is its game selection. In terms of exclusives, all it has is pretty much Halo, Gears of War, and some lousy Kinect games. In comparison to the PS3's and Wii's exculsives, the 360 really doesn't have half as many. I know a lot of people love Halo enough to not care, but being as I'm not a Halo fan (I like it, I just don't love it), the game selection comes off to me as really poor.
The Verdict
Out of all the seventh-generational game systems, the Xbox 360 is my least favorite. Though I like the ability to create Avatars, the lack of exclusives that aren't M rated really takes away the enjoyment for me. That being said, I understand why people love this system. Halo's a really big series, and a lot of people love it. I don't think it's a bad system. In fact, it's a pretty good one. It's just that Halo isn't really for me, and that's pretty much the only reason I would own a 360.
On a final note, if you decide to buy an Xbox 360, be sure to get the one without the Kinect. It's cheaper, and you really won't be missing out on anything. | video-games_xbox |
So far, so good. After playing the demo, I was quite impressed by the overall ease of use of the various force powers, as well as the generally fun and fast paced gameplay. That is, as long as you let it be fast paced. Sure you could stand around chucking boxes and stormtroopers all day, because that was fairly amusing as well.
Now that I've gotten the full game, I'm equally impressed. Gameplay and graphics are practically flawless. So far I've only noticed one item where the auto-targeting feature to use the force powers was shifted a bit away from the item, and it seemed to be stuck or wedged under some unseen force (no pun intended). I went on my merry way, killing everything around, and came back to find said object was suddenly movable as it should have been. No biggie. I promptly hurled said object into a neat stack of other objects in my own game of force bowling, but later had to pick up my spare with another passing stormtrooper.
So far, the game is quite fun to play simply for the mechanics of it. It has a limited (read: not overly complex) RPG element, in the form of picking and choosing which force powers you want, and how high you want to level them. It also has the ability to customize the main character's outfit and color of the lightsaber, as well as being able to add various bonuses to increase the saber's power.
As for the story, well it's a little contrived and quite possibly non-canonical, but still a decent story nonetheless. Once you look beyond the various things the movies have taught you about Vader and the various things that 'should' be happening turning this game's time line, the story itself is rather well done and is a nice side-plot to add some entertainment to the franchise. Think of it as a really pretty fan-fic.
I would say it's a must-buy for any Star Wars fan, as well as anyone looking for a fun game with decent replay value. | video-games_xbox |
Good, but could be better in some obvious areas. I've been playing it for a little while now, and I have noticed that it is NOT surprising. Nothing will surprise you or WOW you in this game. It's good; it works; will definitely satisfy your desire to play a golf game on your PC, but...
I figured that they would spend a little more time and put some more effort into the stuff that matters instead of additional customizable details for your player's face and whatnot. Who cares? A scar? Whoop-de-do. 4,000 choices of clubs that all play about the same? Dozens of hats? Big deal.
1) We want the Course Architect! The skate board games have had that ability for years, and has become integral with the games. Why would you put it on SOME TW games and not this one?? Seems really cheap of them to leave it off. Are they going to ask us to buy it as an add-on? Good luck.
2) More natural ball movement and bouncing (i.e. when a real golf ball hits concrete it takes of like a rocket, but in the game it bounces and rolls like its in med rough.)
3) Hitting irons off of the carpet is no better than med rough? Since when?
4) The computer-driven golfer can often get stuck in parts of Central Park course. They choose to hit a ball in the rough with a 3W and it goes 3 feet only to have them turn 180 and hit it with a 3I and go 100 feet -- out of bounds. This repeats until the golfer concedes. The out of bounds on the 18th hole of Central Park green is inaccurate and absurd.
5) The mp3 for the creek/brook sounds like a skipping record.
6) When you play against a better golfer, but have them nerfed to 'novice', they will almost always hit the hole and roll over it if they are more than 10 feet away - you're pretty much guaranteed that. Gets annoying after awhile.
7) The people are obstacles, and seem to have some kind of sticky clothing?? Since when does a ball hit by a driver "land" on a guy's shirt? Or sort of stick to him and slide down? They people should have no surface and let the ball fly through them -- (most of the time) they would be moving out of the way during real golf.
8) How 'bout adding a golf cart racing secret code or something fun? I know you want it all serious and whatnot, but those that would like to pimp out a golf cart, jump one off a bunker or whatever could seek out the code. Those that are not into that could be none the wiser and still think it serious.
I'm guessing that the "PGA" in "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07" is what keeps it pretty boring. Oh well, I'll have to look elsewhere for the fun in golf. | video-games_xbox |
New Perspective on the Clone Wars. Star Wars Republic Commando picks up the ball KOTOR2 dropped. It's clear a great amount of production value was put into the game. As a Republic Commando you take lead of Delta squad, an elite ARC unit. With you are three fellow clones each with their own skills which you can employ to simplify objectives.
First of all the graphics are just amazing. RC presents the Star Wars universe through the eyes of a Jenga Fett commando tasked with tough missions that normal clones can't handle. The scale of ships, transporters, landscapes etc... are all believable. Team and enemy animations are very well done and always fluid regardless how many NPC's are on screen -the Obsidian team behind KOTOR2 should take notes. Visual effects are also interesting and keep you in the game whether its the blurring of being caught in the blast radius of a static grenade or water or oil being wipe off your visor by a laser.
The sound is amazing. The score could possible have been mastered by John Williams himself. Even music from the movies was used. Sound effects are also borrowed from the movies keeping the player in tune with the theatrical releases.
The gameplay is very fun. Although some people may complain squad commands were too simplified and dumbed down, its actually novel telling your squad where to go and not having to worry that they won't full obey the commands due to poor AI. Controls are intuitive and easy to learn.
At the end of the day, Republic Commando offers a new stunning and believable universe in the overcrowded FPS genre. The inclusion of an intuitive squad command system makes the game more enjoyable and always offers something new instead of run, gun, lather, rinse and repeat. The battlefields easily sell the idea of how large scale a Republic Capital ship is, how dense the forests of Kashyyk are and so on. Great replay value and a definite purchase worthy title. | video-games_xbox |
The reviews are correct. The online reviews for this game all stated that it was way too hard, especially the 6th level. However they also said it had great graphics and a story that followed the movie. I figured I was a decent gamer and could probably get us through whatever they put into a Disney game. I was thinking that maybe the parents reviewing the game were probably not experienced gamers and that's why they had trouble helping the kids out. My son loves Finding Nemo so we picked the game up.
Well the reviewers were right on all counts.
The graphics are great, it gives a nice underwater feel and the characters look just like they do in the movie. The voice acting sounds as if the entire cast of the movie did the voices for the game.
The gameplay is simple as you would expect for a kid's game. Most of the tasks are swimming around either following someone or picking up certain items. You can also bump certain things like special bubbles into enemies to stun them. The controls are a little sloppy but they're fine for this.
The fun all came to a halt when we hit level 6. It started out as a follow mission where you have to follow Bruce the shark through a minefield. If you fall behind too much you fail the mission. There are giant squids taking swipes at you plus an extreme current that throws you sideways. It took about 10 tries before I made it.
But, we had completed the impossible 6th level! Hadn't we? Nope, there was part 2...
Part 2 is a set of 72 mines laid out in a pattern. You have to bounce Dori on each of the 72 mines, without bouncing on one mine more than 3 times. Only about 4-6 rows are in your field of view so you can't plan a route. Dori doesn't stop bouncing so if you pause for a second, she's bounced 3 times on that mine and mission failed. It is impossible.
How did they think anyone, much less the game's target audience of kids could finish this level? Did anyone actually play test this level?
Without this level I would've rated the game at 4 stars. | video-games_xbox |
Intense Wakeup Call for Fanboys! Welcome to War. This is NOT a game for children or FPS players that love to go in guns-a-blazing like in Golden Eye or counter-strike. "BIA" is an intense World War Two FPS with squad tactics that take all games to a whole new level. While the D-Day level in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was a nice change from the typical John Wayne style FPS that involves almost no tactical thinking beyond cover and concealment, BIA slaps all players in the face with intense realism including realistic war violence, strong language and quick-thinking or you're dead levels.
However, unlike Unreal Tourny or Soldier of Fortune where the graphic violence is just for kicks, BIA shows you the true nature and violence of war from heads exploding to just about anything you've seen in Saving Private Ryan or We Were Soldiers. War is hell and Ubi Soft made a great effort to show just that as it was meant to be. The soldiers also talk like real soldiers; foul and vulgar... then again, when you're being shot at constantly, one tends to lose his verbal temper.
The gameplay is also quite impressive with easy to use command systems and a comprehensible overview map allowing the play to use real tactics in order to complete the objectives and the mission. The enemy AI is pretty impressive compared to other WWII and FPS games I've played so don't expect to easily outwit your enemies.
I also love how you actually have to use the ironsights to accurately shoot your weapon and it diverts your attention away from your surroundings. This is exactly what happens when you focus on shooting rather then minding your surroundings, which can lead you into an ambush if you're not careful.
The only real beef I have with BIA is the multiplayer; there's no co-op and co-op would've been incredibley fun and would've taught more teamwork then working with an AI squad. Other than that, this game was incredibly impressive and very challenging in authentic mode... if you don't get cheap shotted by a stray round... then again, this is war. | video-games_xbox |
Way better than the Elite. I owned the Microsoft Elite controller before I got my Wildcat, mainly because it was reviewed very well and still had the same headset jack as the other controllers. After I had it, there were some (admittedly minor) issues I had with the Elite controller. When trying to sprint, I would hit one of the paddles on the bottom so I removed it. When I put the controller down, I often depressed one or many of the paddles which made selections I did not wish to make. Also I thought it was quite heavy. All of this was fixed when I got the Wildcat. I should have gone with my gut and waited for this controller but here we are. I have also owned the other 2 controllers Razer made for Xbox 360 and loved those as well.
Anyway, the Wildcat fits great in my hands, all of the customizeable buttons are very easily accessible, and I absolutely LOVE the mechanical ABXY buttons. I have not tried the grips for the sticks or the body but so far I have not felt the need for those. The other buttons below the D-pad for re mapping and volume controls are very nice as well. With the elite controller you have to quit your game and go into settings to change your paddles around. Not so with the Wildcat. If you're playing and feel you need to swap the buttons around a bit, all you need to do is press the remap button, hold the button you want to re map and hit the one you want that remapped to and you're done! With a small rumble the controller tells you you have successfully remapped the button and you're ready to keep playing. If you are using a fancy surround headset, you can control the volume of not only the voices over chat but also the in-game volume as well.
All in all, Razer has done it again for me with this controller. It makes games like Call of Duty and Borderlands even more fun because I feel I have a slight advantage over some other people who have to move their thumbs off the sticks. | video-games_xbox |
The Coming of our age. It doesn't take a genuis to realize just how irrestiably pretty Tecmo makes their games, especially on Microsoft's ever dominate working horse: the Xbox. In case maybe you don't know, Ninja Gaiden was a classic arcade brawler that won over gamers with it's authentic ninja appeal. Fighting in bars, hanging on ceiling fans and launching stools at oppositions was certainly a recipe for a good time. Some sequals were spawned and the franchise made a name for itself. And Ryu Hayabusa earned a certified ass-kicking ninja title long before Shinobi ever showed his ugly mug.
It doesn't take a genuis to realize just how irrestiably pretty Tecmo makes their games, especially on Microsoft's ever dominate working horse: the Xbox. In case maybe you don't know, Ninja Gaiden was a classic arcade brawler that won over gamers with it's authentic ninja appeal. Fighting in bars, hanging on ceiling fans and launching stools at oppositions was certainly a recipe for a good time. Some sequals were spawned and the franchise made a name for itself. And Ryu Hayabusa earned a certified ass-kicking ninja title long before Shinobi ever showed his ugly mug.
Trust me if you can, and I honestly suggest you do when I say Ninja Gaiden is simply the best looking game out in the market period. The graphics are seamlessly done with high-water mark animation that's applied to Ryu's every inertia. The details are flamboyant suffice to say, and the extremely atmospheric levels help achieve a great sense of being there. But I am not going to go any further on how damn pretty this game looks, after all you've probably ran into ten or so other web sites and have read just how 'sick' or 'incredible' the visuals are. I commend more of a see-it-yourself approach. True beauty is found within the eye of the beholder; I think if we can agree on anything it is that Tecmo cares very dearly for us.
As flawless as the graphics are, there is actually one little dent in the armor I didn't mention earlier. The camera -- no, no this is all so very wrong, you know you got problems when attempting to reach a higher ledge and fall flat to your grave all not as a result of your own failure but because the camera was inexplainably horrid. See the way I look at it is Tecmo only had one single route to take. They knew that the game was going to be quick and centered around fast-paced combat. Sadly what they didn't recognize was that with many enemies invading at one time on the screen.....there was going to be some issues with the camera lacking the speed to zoom in on the action. But who can blame the game makers, they obviously knew this was a problem and decided that in order to avoid sacrificing the gameplay, they had to let the camera go nuts a bit. I know it's a doomful exchange but I am just trying to sort out what could've been the problem. Or who knows, maybe it's my own biased perspective at trying everything in my arsenal to defend this crowing achievement.
Ninja Gaiden suffers severly from it's challenge. Again trust me when I say that this is one of the hardest games ever made. Of course against bosses your best friend is blocking and evading, something that needs to be almost second nature. And you are given the choice of so many moves, Tecmo did this for a reason. To imply that hey, just maybe this is an action game where you'll be forced to use everything in any situation to have the greatest success. It's fine by me, because the stiff challenge rewards dearly since I felt like I truly accomplished something undergoing each level. And being given the option to boot up older Ninja Gaiden games when it's completed is in itself a blessing and a shout out to how truly great this game series is. My friends, by now you've heard the positive remarks and they should be seriously taken in. If you need a third reason to buy the Xbox here it is. I am going to assume you know what the other two are. Just between you and me...ahem, Halo and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. | video-games_xbox |
Just roll with it. With the release of Dark Souls Remastered I decided to do a play through of all three games and since I just finished DS2 I figured I'd drop my two cents here. Dark Souls 2 is kind of the black sheep of the trilogy. A few departures from series norms took a while to get used to, but the finished product, especially with the Scholar of the First Sin redesign, is a great game with thrilling combat and an enthralling story. The Scholar of the First Sin is a redesign of Dark Souls 2 with altered enemy placement, added DLC content, and the addition of a shortcut to skip one of the more grating areas of the original release. The added DLC is great and I highly recommend checking it out for anyone up to a challenge. The enemy placement changes are pretty balanced, some areas are easier and some are more difficult. The addition of the constantly invading forelorn spirits adds a serious layer of pressure as you never know when you will be invaded by a powerful enemy and have to either retreat through an area you assumed was safe or take them out head on and risk dragging an enemy mob into the fray. The Dragon Aerie skip is great. I never got to the Dragon Aerie playing the original, but I can tell you from this playthrough that the area has its share of frustrating mechanics that I think the game is better for making optional.
So what's the differences when compared to Dark Souls 1 you may be asking. Firstly, I found pyromancy (and magic in general) to be far less effective in this game. This is offset by the addition of hexes as their own class of spell. While on this playthrough I opted for a mage, I think the game would have been more exciting and risk/reward based going with a more traditional melee based build. Don't get me wrong, being a mage makes some areas easier, but its no longer the win button in PvE that it used to be. There are plenty of situations that you will find yourself wishing for a strong ultra great sword or halberd to help with crowd control. Speaking of crowd control, one of the new mechanics in DS 2 (that didn't make it into DS3 btw) is having a respawn cap on pretty much every enemy. After killing an enemy 12 times the enemy will cease to respawn unless you burn a bonfire aesthetic and raise the difficulty of the area (this also resets bosses for soul farming). At first I thought this mechanic would make the game too easy, but I found that there is a certain level of balance to this mechanic because Dark Souls 2 is not afraid to throw a ton of difficult enemies at you at once (Old Iron Keep Samurais... ughhh) and routing a room out 12 times kind of makes you feel like you've conquered an area. If you are good at Souls games though, you probably won't even notice this mechanic as you push through different areas. Another difference that I noticed is the prevalence of rolling over shields. The parry window in this game is much smaller than in DS1 and the riposte system is also completely different. I gave up on shields early on and rolled my way to victory (which may me feel like way more of a boss than simply block, parry, riposte *cough* Gwyn *cough*). It takes some getting used to as the roll to weight ratio system also works differently in this game, but I think it gives DS2 some character and sets it apart from the others. There are many other changes, such as a reworked Estus system and the lack of an Orange Soapstone for messaging, but in my opinion the changes to combat and enemy spawn rates are the most important ones. I will say the addition of endlessly purchasable life gems does make the game a little easier than it could be.
As far as graphics, Scholar looks great compared to the original non remastered version of DS1. They aren't the most amazing graphics in the world (especially from what I've seen of the Xbox 360 version of the game) but they are not bad either. The eerie, moody atmosphere of Drangleic presents some beautiful vistas and the series hall mark of rewarding the observant gamer is still present. Hidden treasure is everywhere, it's on you to find it. Thankfully the bloom effects in this game have been really dialed down from DS1 so yours eyes don't explode every time you see lava.
As for sound, DS2 has pretty much all of it's bases covered. Music is sparse and only used at key moments or in certain areas. Swords clang off shields, lighting explodes as you hurl a great lightning spear, and fire crackles loudly when you walk be a torch. Menu noises are all pretty standard for the series and the voice acting is solid if nothing special.
Dark Souls 2 in my opinion is under rated. Sure it compares less favorably with other entries in the series, but it shines on its own if given a chance. Where DS1 and 3 feel methodical and intentional DS2 can feel chaotic and more random. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it has its drawbacks at times. Also this game can kind of feel disconnected with the other two. It really seems like its own world, only connected to the other two in passing at times. That being said, the story ties it all together and a few of the recurring series enemies will bring some nostalgia trips. The biggest complaint I had with the game was lack of people playing PvP, but that's more of a symptom of me playing the game in 2018 as opposed to 2014. All in all I highly recommend this game and would give it a 9/10 if this was a 10 point scale. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy your trip through Drangleic as much as I did. | video-games_xbox |
A satisfying finale to the Modern Warfare trilogy. Many were left disappointed with MW2's cliffhanger ending. Although we all knew that there would be a third game, we were left craving for more. Well Modern Warfare 3 is here but does it live up to the hype?
Campaign: The Campaign has the same awesome quality that the COD series is known for. Although the main appeal is the multiplayer the campaign should not be overlooked. It provides a nice finale to the Modern Warfare series. I won't spoil it but its primarily about finding Makarov and WW3 which is an international conflict between Ultranationalist Russia and Europe and the United States. You start out fighting your way through a war torn NYC which concludes with a helicopter gunship battle over manhatten. Later you'll attempt to retake a hijacked airplane, chase down terrorists by train car in the London subway, provide cover fire for your team from an AC-130 gunship, and fight through the streets of Berlin. The campaign is intense, visceral, and satisfying.
Multiplayer: Sadly this is where the game suffers. The multiplayer seems like a step back from MW2. On the plus side its still the same fast paced action that you know from previous COD games. They also have a weapon level system which to me is the best way of unlocking the attatchments. They also got rid of some of the more overpowered perks such as stopping power and one man army and fixed others such as scavenger. Theres also a new game mode called Kill Confirmed which is pretty fun. The killstreaks have also been revamped into point streaks which are put into "Strike Packages". Some of the new killstreaks are pretty cool such as the Osprey Gunner and Reaper Drone. Also there is the new support package which continues stacking even after you die and then there is the specialist package which allows you to access more then three perks. Now on to the bad part. First the spawn system is horrible in this game. Sometimes you'll spawn only to get killed three seconds later and this might happen who knows how many times. Second many of the maps are just flat out poorly made. Some are too big which makes it impossible to find your enemy and turns a match into a game of chance, others are too small and are loaded with campers and many of them are loaded with debris, burnt out buidlings, junk, and destroyed vehicles which turn many matches into a total camp fest and makes manuvering through them very difficult. One map in particular "Resistance" is also loaded with parked cars on the street which if they explode can kill. Can't tell you how annoying it is to be killed by an exploding car because of someone's missed grenades. The M-16 which used to be a decent gun has now been nerfed to the point where its useless, sadly we can thank all the people who complained about this gun in previous games for that. We can also thank the complainers for the fact that explosives in this game are almost useless and Danger Close has been taken out completely, why they took it out idk because the problem perk was One Man Army and since Scavenger was nerfed I don't think there was any need to get rid of this perk. Finally some of the new killstreaks are just useless, great Examples are Strafe Run and Assault Drone, and they got rid of some of my favorites such as the Harriers and Chopper Gunner. Finally the Support Package is a bit overpowered I cant count how many times just recovered from an EMP only to have another one pulled on us by somebody in the other team. Despite all these flaws the multiplayer is still fun but they really need to fix the above for the next game.
Special Ops: This is what really saves the game. Special Ops are back and those who couldn't get enough of the earlier campaign will enjoy this. These are single player missions seperate from the campaign and when you complete them on higher difficulties. Also the new Survival mode is amazing, this is in a way like Firefight from Halo. You basically have to survive wave after wave of incoming enemies while purchasing and upgrading your equipment and as you complete more spec ops missions more equipment becomes available for use. Definitely one of the high points of game
Final Say: MW3 is a great game worth owning, the multiplayer is a step back but is still enjoyable but the real saving grace here is the Special Ops and Survival mode. | video-games_xbox |
Riddled with Bugs- Has Some Bright Spots - But Not Worth the Pre-Order. I should of known better than to pre-prder a Ubisoft game but I just couldn't wait for this (what seemed to be epic) addition to the AC franchise..Should of went with my gut...The story is epic and is honestly the only thing keeping me going..The pre-revoultionary era with colonial figurheads like Samuel Adams, Washington, Franklin, Daniel Boone and so on is just really awesome there is no doubt about it...and if Ubisoft just took a little more time to polish this game it would be worth it..but they did not.. There are bugs riddled all over it and is in desperate need of an update...or seven. You will have potential targets or citizens you have to interact with just keep walking in place against a wall (which is really annoying when you have to tail them to a destination...color breakup occurs frequently- your horse will get stuck in the middle of field for no reason- missions will just completely glitch out after speaking with the person thats giving it to you- an so on and so on.
The movement is also far from fluid. If anything they have taken a massive step back. It is clunky and cumbersome- everthing just seems to be slow or just off completely..the combos are also slow and clunky especially in large groups. When trying to lose your notoriety its not even worth trying to jump in a hay cart or something similar because you will just lose time trying to smoothley enter it..He will try to climb up a little rail on the side or just jump over it completely...just clunkiness. It is just more frustration than the game itself should warrant..This is just my experience and my own opinion (which I have a right to).
This is now update I guess you can say - I am at sequence nine and I am just ready to finish this as fast as I can so I can get as much trade-in credit as possible..By sequence 6 I would say the allure of the Pre-American Revoultion has worn off and now the game has been tattered to its ample glitches and numerous frustrations..I have picked locks in dozens of games but this lock-picking system is atrocious....glitched out side-missions are occuring even more frequently once I reached New York..The repetitveness is becoming torture..This could of been epic but such is the gaming industry these days..lets rush out a game that isn't even close to ready..spend millions in advertising..make millions in profit..and give the consumer a crappy product because they will buy it anyway so who cares...There are reviews on here that are 4 or 5 stars even though they complain about how buggy the game is...this is why games will only get worse..because people overlook the incompleteness and carelessness put into the product and give the game more credit than it is due..inturn the developers get a false sense of accomplishment and feel they can just repeat the process...
I will add some positives that I really liked at the end of this. They made a nice compliment to the game in bringing back an assassins guild again and also added some fun special abilities to them as well..like (marksman) for example where an assassin can take out a whole line of enemies at your command and my personal favorite (Body Guard) which is especially awesome when you have maxed-out your recruits and have them all available...They will all form around you and just start killing anything in your path and its cool to watch as you can use this ability and just dismantle an entire fortification; slicing and dicing anything in your path. The crafting system and trading system at your homestead I also found to be a nice touch as well. It is interesting being able to craft all sorts of items from scratch even though most of the items you make are only good for selling but you can still craft cool weapons when you find the recipes and pouch upgrades and things of that nature. The naval combat I also found entertaining and fresh as well...but the bugs and nasty glitches of an unpolished (seemingly rushed) product is something that unfortunately is a major highlight in this AC experience. | video-games_xbox |
Great game, but buggy. Even with the bugs, this is a great game. Both the story and presentation are spectacular. Voice acting gets a bit cheesy at times, but overall very engaging. Free running has improved and combat has been simplified. Normally the second point would bother me, but they pretty much adopted the Arkham combat system and that's just fine with me. The high point of the new things added to the game are the naval missions. The feel of your ship is amazing, especially in a storm. The controls are top notch for these sequences and battling other ships is incredibly fun and satisfying. I wish there were more sequences where you battle a fort. Those really put your sailing skills to the test.
Flaws:
This game reminds me of the Fallout series. Not because they have similar stories or game play, but because they both are great games that are riddled with bugs. I love this game, but why would you debut a new engine without fixing such obvious flaws. It's not like I did anything outlandish to cause my character to float 10,000 feet above the map (happened twice). Not to mention getting frozen after investigating a clue, forcing me to reload a save point (5 times). The most aggravating bug is the one where the red arrows don't appear in combat over your attackers. Even if you counter according to their movement, you still get hit if the arrow doesn't show up. So, until the arrows start showing up again, you're stuck holding parry until they start popping up again. Better hope they don't shoot when this is happening! Luckily, this didn't happen often enough to make me hate the fighting. Then there's the various graphic and AI glitches. So, how does this get missed? Do they game test anymore? You'd think when debuting a new engine on a flagship series, you'd care just a bit more about your presentation.
Don't let the flaws dissuade you. This is a must play for Assassin's Creed fans and a fun game for newcomers. | video-games_xbox |
Primal fun. Here is the deal. I want to play as a caveman or cavewoman respectively. I have probably wanted such a game for twenty years. Lets face it market diversity isn't something common among triple AAA games and so this is a treat. But I also don't want to play a pooping your pants simulator. Or a hydration, berry picking, and shelter simulator to stay alive.
Stuff like that is annoying as hell to me. I just want to play a game with some reasonable depth but I also don't want it to go overboard. Now some might insult me and claim that I am just stupid and simple minded. That a game with intense survival systems, such as cold, hunger, thrist and pooping your pants is for intelligent people.
Well I do that in real life and I guess that makes me a genius! Also most of those things aren't fun to do. I mean I think we all enjoy taking a poop while looking at a Kanye poster to help things move along but generally dropping our brown friends isn't fun.
For people who don't know? There is already a game with cavemen called Arc. A survival game with shelter building and pooping. It's a early access game a very well done but not for me. It has elements that I described.
This game is fantastic, it has just enough depth to be interesting and just enough things added to be fun as hell. Like training pets and even using them as mounts. That is insanely cool. You can also use an Owl as a spirit guide and check on enemies in the distance.
The open world makes it even better for sure. There are elements that hint at survival without going overboard as well. I also love the fact this feels like history in some ways, without having a PBS extreme feel. It's a caveman fantasy and by damned it's perfect for me.
There is a major problem with this game. And it's a problem the series always had. If you have played one Far Cry game, especially the recent ones. It can feel exhausting because they can get redundant - for a new game that is okay. But by game five it can feel more of the same despite the change of setting and fun combat in this one. This game is damn near perfect for me. But the reality is if it wasn't a primal setting? I would not like it as much because it would be just another Far Cry game to me.
So if you go into this game wanting to be a caveman - buy it now, hard to imagine most would be disappointed. But if you go into this game thinking of it as a Far Cry only game and don't care about the setting? You could be disappointed due to the reasons I like it - it's a far drifted theme of the series. But I personally love it.
Pros
-Animal companion training
- Animal Mounts
- Animal attacks
- Spirit owl who works as a scout and attacker
- Primal setting, think of Quest for Fire meets 10,000 BC (only the good stuff)
- Graphics
- Art direction
- Open World
- Music and sound
- Character design
- Combat
Cons
- repetitive game elements
- Lack of investment in a good story
- Weak characters and villians
- did not come with real life prehistoric pets! ; -)
Grade
A | video-games_xbox |
AMAZON NOT SELLING THE NEW VERSION. I purchased this Xbox from amazon, they shipped me a console with the old Falcon chipset and a manufacturer date of early 2008. BE WARNED THE "NEWEST VERSION" tag IS FALSE. I called amazon, and they shipped me a replacement which was also a old Falcon chipset still manufactured in early 2008. Just so it is clear, if you order this from Amazon you are NOT GETTING THE NEW VERSION despite how it is listed here. This version "The falcon chipset" is prone to the red ring of death error, and I would reccomend you stay away from it and go buy a console from a physical store. After talking with amazon, it was evident they did not understand the difference between the chipsets and didn't understand that what they were selling was not the newest version by any means. The customer service individual i spoke with assured me they would remove the "Newest Version" tag after I pointed out the error, but chances are that it will not be removed.
Here is how to identify which version you are getting:
The Box has a small rectangular cut out, where you can (with some slight manipulation) make out two peices of information. 1) manufacturing date and 2) voltage. While yes, you can estimate which version you got by the manufacturing date the voltage/amperage is the easiest. This number is found right above the "Made in china" found within the left portion that rectangular cut out. Xenon and Zephyr models have 12v and 16.5A. it looks like this on the box (12V...16.5A). The Falcon and Opus versions have 12v...14.2A. Keep in mind, from my experience and research all of these models are prone to RROD, and run harder and hotter than the "newest version". The newest version coined "jasper" can be recognized because while it too has 12v, it's amperage is at 12.1A.
In short:
12v...16.5A :not jasper
12v...14.2A :not jasper
12v...12.1A : JASPER, the newest version.
EDIT: this review is no longer relevant, I will leave it here for posterity. | video-games_xbox |
Wireless Xbox360 Controller Black is Really Good The Wireless Xbox360 Controller is really good because you . Wireless Xbox360 Controller Black is Really Good
The Wireless Xbox360 Controller is really good because you can go anywhere in your house and not have it pull out your xbox like the wire controller does and when that happen it is annoying because your xbox might break or get unplugged and you have to plug all the cords in, it is not fun is it? I have used the wireless controller for years and I love it, I have used the wired controllers before and almost pulled out my xbox. First the wireless controller lets you roam around and lets you take it to your friends house and play with your controller so you don't have to use their wired or ruined controller. Wired controller brake easily and will always keep you from roaming, getting your food or a drink, or even having your mom call you up. Even though it is good for traveling the controllers buttons are not noisy and really easy to push so you don't have to push down and hurt your finger when you lift it, you just have to lightly push it. When you are playing a game you want to be fast so that is why the buttons are good to be easy to push even though you could accidently push the wrong button they are really good for fast pushing when you are in trouble because there is an enemy ready to shoot you. They have a easy way of charging infact they have two ways of charging that I have seen. There is a cord that goes into your xbox that connects to your controller or you can buy one that that you can put your battery on the charger that connect to the wall and then play with a back up one which you will need. You can even get the battery packs that you can use double A batteries that you can just exchange them for new batteries or you can get the ones that the whole thing is a battery and you can charge with the chargers. Even though the xbox wireless controller is awesome if you use the buttons to much or hit them to hard too many times it will brake it and the controller will still work just the button will not and for some games you need that button to do some of the most important stuff but you can't. But the when that happens go buy a new one they are $20-35. The Wireless Xbox360 Controller is really good because you can go anywhere in your house and not have it pull out your xbox like the wire controller does and when that happen it is annoying because your xbox might break or get unplugged and you have to plug all the cords in, it is not fun is it? Also you can travel and the buttons are easy to push when you need it and it is really helpfull. | video-games_xbox |
Decent wheel, but way overpriced. The Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel for XBox 360 would be a decent wheel at a lower price point. At its MRRP of $250, I feel it's overpriced by $100. At a lower price point, I might have given it 4/5 stars. For $250, I just don't see the value or quality that I expect for that sort of money.
For starters, it's 95% made of plastic (and I feel that other 5% percentage is being very generous!). For this MRRP, I expected a lot more metal (ie: quality and durability) given the 'part metal construction' claim. The only visible metal is the center face plate (where the buttons are), the F1 paddles, and the cap on the shifter. To be fair, there may be more bits of metal lurking inside that I can't see; I sincerely hope there are! Even then, this 'metal' is die-cast, and I'm just not impressed. Sorry.
See my theme here? This wheel is way overpriced for what you get!
WHEEL: 3/5 stars
All told, the wheel does have a nice feel to its steering movement. The button placement is good so that you can reach them all with your thumbs, and the F1 paddles are within easy reach of my fingertips. The sides of the wheel have a grippier covering than the top and bottom, so you won't slip while cornering with sweaty palms in a close race. The shifter is within easy reach, and, in a nice touch, is mountable on either the left or right side of the wheel, depending on your personal preference. It is, however, just a plastic shifter within in a plastic mechanism, and a die-cast cap on the end.
I tested the Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel with "Forza 4" and "Dirt 3." The wheel has good force feedback and vibration (the strength of which can be set within the individual game), as well as a good road feel. I did, however, feel some vibration within the XBOX menus (ie: while not in a game) that was noticeable enough for me to mention it here. While not in a game, this wheel should be dead 'silent.'
It's nice to be wireless from your Xbox, however you're still tethered to the power brick (which is too short; you'll need a power extension cord if you intend to sit more than 4 feet away from your Xbox) and the wire coming up from the pedals. This wheel is power only; it does not have a battery mode like the cheaper wireless Mad Catz wheel.
PEDALS: 2/5 stars
The pedal design is great, featuring top-hinged accelerator and brake pads like a real car (no clutch). However, the construction of the pedals leaves a lot to be desired. They are constructed of 100% plastic, and not even heavyweight plastic at that. The whole pedal assembly feels lightweight and cheap. For this MRRP, there should be some metal here. After all, these are the parts that gamers will be stomping on! I predict the pedals will be the first things to break for many.
The pedal footrest folds slightly (about 90 degrees) for storage purposes, or detaches completely for mounting in a racing frame/seat.
MOUNTING: 3/5 stars
The Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel features two ways to mount--desk or lap. The lap attachments actually work better than I expected, keeping the wheel more sturdy that I would have thought. Lap mount has actually become my preferred mounting way, as well as making it easy to pack up and store it when I'm done playing. The two lap mounts screw into the bottom of the wheel, and have to be removed if you intend to use the desk mount, so really, you have to pick one way or the other, or risk stripping the plastic threads.
The desk mount attachment is (again) all plastic, with a plastic nut. It hooks into the bottom of the wheel's base and then clamps down on your desk/racing frame. It seems to me that it would be incredibly easy to over tighten this and strip the thread completely.
SETUP: 4/5 stars
The Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel easily connected with my Xbox 360 by pressing the sync buttons on the wheel and on my Xbox. The headphone jack on the back of the wheel is for the newer Xbox headsets with in-line mute. Old style Xbox headsets with the mute switch on the plug will not work.
It's nice to have a firmware upgrade option. In order to upgrade the firmware, the wheel must be connected to a PC via a USB cable (not included).
CONCLUSION:
Overall, the Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel is not a bad wheel for the Xbox 360, it's just way overpriced. Given the 'mostly plastic' construction and the other points I mentioned here, I feel there needs to be some serious adjustment in order for it to appeal to the average gamer.
On the other hand, serious racers will be expecting a lot more from the high MRRP, and the claims of 'part metal' construction, and thus (I feel) be very disappointed with what they get.
The Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel for XBox 360 gets 3/5 average stars from me. | video-games_xbox |
The perfect alternative to SSX. I love this game because it offers a great new take on the snowboarding video games. While SSX is a very fun game to play, it is very over the top and everything seem to revolve around doing the most ridiculous stunts you can pull off as often as possible no matter what you're doing. That and the levels can be very linear with bottomless pits scattered all over the place, it can get a little old after a while.
Stoked is a nice alternative, the physics feel very realistic, and everything about it is quite similar to the Skate series. Basically, there are various mountains, you select a mountain, select your drop point, and you are free to go wherever you want and do whatever you want. The game has a very laid back style to it, and the structure is very open world. This is one of the only snowboarding games that I have ever played that truly captures the feel of snowboarding in real life, where you are free to go wherever you want on a mountain and simply explore. The controls feel like a mix between Skate and 1080 snowboarding for the N64, where it can be a lot of fun to simply race around and tricks need to be performed off various objects and jumps throughout the mountain, no ollie back flips here! Much like skate, you can't perform ridiculous stunts all over the place, most of the time the best tricks you can perform will be double black flips and 900's, pulling a 1080 is quite the feat in this game, and most of the time you will be performing 360's, 540's, back flips and a mctwist, which keeps everything feeling quite realistic, especially for a snowboarding game. In fact I would say this is the most realistic snowboarding game I have played since ESPN showboarding on PS2, and this game is definitely better than that considering the fact that the level design as well as the controls are a lot better.
The graphics could have been better, but considering the fact that this was a relatively low budget video game they are good enough and get the job done. The level design is excellent and the open world aspect is easily the most appealing thing about it. The weather changes along with the time of day in the various mountains which is a pretty cool feature that keeps it feeling fresh, I especially liked the snowflake effects while you are snowboarding on a mountain while it is snowing. Overall I am very impressed with this game and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an open world snowboarding game. The menus are very well laid out, and once you load a mountain the loading between runs is very smooth and fast, so I am very impressed with the presentation. There is basically nothing else like this on the market, which is why I am giving it 5 stars, it is a great concept that is very well executed. If you enjoyed Skate and have been looking for a snowboarding game with that style of realistic open world gameplay, look no further. | video-games_xbox |
more like Tony Hawk's American Crappyland. By far the WORST Tony Hawk game ever. The emphasize of the game is not even on scating, but on destruction. The whole point of the game is to break something, usually a large absolute junk, and then use this junk to build a crappy skatepark.
Here are some MAJOR flaws:
-Way too easy: I beat the game on the hardest difficulty in one day.
-Glitchy: as I tried to actually explore the cities, my character would often be "sucked" onto and land on the vertical faces of buildings, after which I would promptly fall and lose any points I had accumulated in my combo.
-GTAish: this game has taken a severe turn towards a GTA style of gameplay, even with a crappy bike that is very hard to control. You now have to traverse entire levels to go to stores and shops to buy new clothes and hairstyles. There is also a new day and night cycle. While this style works beautifully in GTA, it is most definitely not suited for a Tony Hawk game.
-Classic Mode: In my opinion the levels chosen for classic mode were very poor. Not only were they too dark, but I felt that there were not enough skate-lines in them.
-Story Mode: The story mode now has a day and night cycle, with creates problems during the night because it becomes to dark. Also the large cities have some of the worste skate-lines in Tony Hawk history.
-Overall game feel: To me, this game feels rushed. It is filled with glitches, and lacks the general creativity that made the previous games such hits. The levels are very generic, and have very poor skate-lines, and unoriginal gaps, or nonexistant gaps were a gap would be perfect. It feels as though it wasn't properly playtested; any kind of exploring is pointless. There are few hidden secrets or little "pranks." The only thing I found was the "star wars kid" and his goat. This game doesn't even come close to the creative levels I have come to expect out of THPS games, it is missing that extra something that makes every game special, such as the "combo new jersey" or "jump the compter" in the most recent Tony Hawk games.
-Pointless Goals: In previous Tony Hawks there were many unlockables, which would be unlocked by delving into the game and comepleting every possible goal, but in this game there is a skatepark that you create through completing goals in story mode (the skatpark is not as good as it may sound, as the pieces are pre-placed and provide limited skate-line opportunities)There are also goals within the skatepark, but comepleting them is a hug waste of time, because they are neither fun, nor do you recieve anything special for completing them. There are also other goals that upon total completion, you get nothing.
While I have been harping on the cons, there are a few pros that I thought I should mention just to be fair.
-The create-a-trick option is much improved; you can now create a special manual (:
-There is online
-There is a co-op option when you play the Classic Mode, and I have always been a fan of anything Co-op, so I really got a kick out of this feature.
-Graphics are pretty good
Basically what I am trying to say is that do not buy this game. If you have the money, then at least rent it first. Even if your a huge THPS fan (like me) do not waste $50 dollars on this game. It may be OK for XBOX 360, but for XBOX it is a piece of crap. I will feel ashamed of myself if after reading this you still buy the game. Of all of the games I have ever bought, this one was the greatest disapointment. I waited so long for it to come out, and even contemplated buying a 360 at its inflated price of $399 just so that I could play American Wasteland with killer graphics. Boy am I gald I didn't, it would have been a waste of a lot of money. This game had so much potential, but thats the thing, it is just potential, and Tonhy Hawk's American Wasteland definitely did not even come CLOSE to its potential. | video-games_xbox |
Good Game, Terrible Purchase. Skyrim is by far the best game I have played in quite a long time. I am a very advent supporter of Bethesda Game Studios, and a great admirer of their work. Their collector's edition of this game, however, was one of the worst video game investments I have made to date.
To start with, compare the standard edition of the game to the collectors edition. With the standard edition, one gets the game with full content, priced at $60. The collector's edition comes with an extended content DVD (NOT extra game content), a map, a book of concept art, and a statue of Alduin, the primary antagonist, a bundle priced at $150. The collector's edition of the game should have an extra $90 worth of content not included inside of the standard game package. However, the total value of the extra content does not even approach this value. The statue is made of two separate pieces that don't fit together properly, and are made of dinky, cheap plastic. The map is made of plastic fiber, far from the cloth map I was told to expect by the person I pre-ordered the game from. I could care less about the DVD. The art-book is the most valuable piece of the whole, a work that I cannot discount the value of. These combined contents do not near approach the value that the game should have had. In sum, by spending $90, one gets a cheap statue that doesn't even bear $10 of value, a cheap map of only slightly higher quality than was found in the standard edition of Oblivion (the previous game in the series), a collector's edition DVD, and an art book.
Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed with how Bethesda serviced one of its most hardcore fans, and as such I will never again make such a purchase. On a personal level, I feel that Bethesda has taken advantage of my passion for their works, and instead of viewing me as a fan to be serviced, looked at me as a cow to be milked for all that I am worth. | video-games_xbox |
Burnout : Paradise vs Flatout : Ultimate Carnage. One of the best driving games in videogame history so far. Ok I've always loved the burnout series and I compare lots of driving games to burnout but I see where the game could be better. Ok, with EA having competion in all areas in the videogame industry I'd say Flatout is their biggest competion and probably one of the driving games that really doesn't get the credit it deserves. In Burnout I don't get the same competive feeling like when playing Flatout. For instance: the graphics on Burnout are a plus but in Flatout I think it has more detail. Dare to compare - In Flatout they have drivers in the car - Burnout doesn't. You get your doors knocked off and no one is in the drivers seat. In Flatout the drivers have names, attitude, can get thrown from the car on a major crash & rank each driver at the end of each race. Burnout doesn't do that. In Flatout if you're on a dirt road the other cars can stir up so much dirt you can't see the road up ahead. Burnout doesn't stir up any dust or road dirt. In Flatout almost everything is destructible. From taking bridges out to blowing up gas stations, car tires flying everywhere etc. Burnout has a few but not nearly as much as Flatout has to offer. Flatout is also about $20.00 dollars cheaper than Burnout with just as much to offer and then some. If EA would quit trying to make more money and focus more on gameplay they could do a lot better. Like the Need for Speed series that EA makes also. How come that game can't just be added into the world of Burnout Paradise or at least branch off from the Burnout series with the same gameplay options? Need for Speed series would rock if it had the same gameplay as Burnout. Or just eliminate the Need for Speed series and import it into the Burnout franchise? With the Burnout gameplay I bet avoiding the police and running them off the road or racing through the city would be a lot more enjoyable. Also A new madden should only come out when they have created new gameplay instead of one every year. Heck you should be able to just update your rosters with a download and keep enjoying the same game you've invested in. But I'm not going to badger EA for doing what they do but if it was all about making gamers happy instead of making more money then the videogame world would be a better place. I still love my Burnout Paradise and the road rage mode is still the best. I just think if the developers are running out of ideas then maybe it's time for them to listen or hire some fresh ideas. Great game but there are some other great driving games out there that deserve to be noticed just as much as Burnout Paradise. 4 stars for being at the top of my list in driving games but unless it gets better I can't say for how long. | video-games_xbox |
Here is my little ditty regarding Microsoft's "World Class Service. To whom it my concern:
My original console, serial number (004194371107), was sent for repair and was in flawless condition, other than the "Three Red Light" problem. The replacement console, serial number (010497771207), was sent to me in a condition that was not what I expected:
"Upon receiving the 360 after MS "repaired" the RRoD problem it wobbled front-to-back and left-to-right severely. In addition the power supply port was not aligned with the case opening. I contacted MS customer support and shipped the console back in order to correct those problems. The console was shipped back to me with the exact same problems. Contacted MS customer support and sent the console in a third time to correct the previously mentioned problems. Once again, the console was shipped to me with additional problems. This time it had a missing USB cover and a slight wobble; I was going to live with the wobble till I saw the missing USB cover. Sent the console in again to correct the missing USB cover problem and received it back, once again, with a missing USB cover".
I would respectfully like to ask for a replacement console, excluding serial number (010497771207), that is in the same condition that my original console was in, which was flawless.
Sincerely,
Wade
This has been an ongoing problem since December, over two months and counting. Microsoft's short sightedness will affect their bottom line in the future. I have three kids, all boys, and we currently have two Live accounts and planed on purchasing two additional accounts-my second oldest kid was promised a live account for his B-Day. My two oldest kids have Zune's and I was planning to purchase one in the near future. That's all changed since dealing with MS Xbox customer support...at this point I'm contemplating the closing of all Live accounts and not purchasing Xbox/Zune "anything" in the future. In addition, I might sell all of my "360" hardware and software and switch to Linux or nurse my XP OS as longs as I can. Again, the problems MS faces are with its future. My three boys' will grow up without any MS products in their home and will hear of the horror stories related in dealing with MS products and the related MS customer service. | video-games_xbox |
Terrific" Effort ... "Pretty Good" Result. I was first made aware of 'Force Unleashed' about two years ago at a trade show. Lucas Arts had sponsored a presentation where they chose to show off the Pixelux created "Digital Molecular Matter (DMM)" and naturalmotion's "Euphoria" engines that were under development. DMM meant that, in the game environment, wood would break like wood, glass would shatter, and metal would bend, and so on. The euphoria engine meant that, to a degree, enemy AI would all act independently. Trying to throw a storm trooper over a railing? He's going to try to grab anything in reach to prevent him from being thrown. It was all wildly impressive stuff, and when applied to a theme of "unleashing the force" everyone thought this was a game that had the potential to be a real mold-breaker.
So did Lucas Arts come through in reinventing the wheel? Well ... yes and no. Both the DMM and EE are every bit as impressive as we were lead to believe they would be. In the demo alone, I had a blast just running around breaking stuff. I can't even describe how giddy I was watching a storm trooper flail around wildly as i either flung him into another group of enemies or off of a bridge. Using force-blast to plow my way across a bridge or cat-walk will just give you a tremendous sense of satisfaction. 'Force Unleashed' is a terrific effort and there's certainly enough working here to absolutely make this worth checking out.
I don't want to do anything to spoil the story-line, but I thought it did a great job of bridging the gap between the prequel trilogy and the original films (episode III-IV). I'd have no hesitation saying that I'd take the story in 'Force Unleashed' over the animated theatrical 'Clone Wars' abomination that we were subjected to. Although I felt the in-game romance for the Apprentice is a bit shoe-horned, in my opinion, the plot is one of the game's highlights.
The look of the game is impressive. Levels are beautifully rendered, all the character's movements are all fluid, and the sound is vintage Star Wars. All of it looks and sounds like it belongs without a hair out of place.
I liked the way you could use the in-game point's system for 'Force Unleashed' to customize how you use the force. Do you want to max-out your health or lower the time it takes for your force power to recharge? Decisions like this will effect how you attack your foes and provide you with a more unique gaming experience.
As much as I wanted this to be a mold-breaking masterpiece however, it just isn't. 'Unleashed' made a few missteps that really cripple the game. Although your newfound force powers are immensely fun to control, the targeting system is terribly frustrating. The fact that the environment is so destructible and interactive is almost a blessing and a curse. While it's wildly fun to go into a room or a space and tear it apart, there'll be so much debris lying around it becomes difficult to target the right piece to force grip or the correct enemy to attack. The game will try and target the closest thing the CHARACTER is looking at instead of what the PLAYER is using the camera to look at. In my opinion, I felt this led me to having to adjust the camera way more then I felt I should have. In the middle of a battle, this is something that can become irritating rather quickly.
Although I thought that level design LOOKED beautiful, they travel awfully linear. Every level is strictly a journey from point A to point B. You're never really given the chance to find your own way around. I go back to just how awesome it would be to travel an open-world environment similar to Grand Theft Auto. This is a common gripe of mine, but I also hate back-tracking through an already explored world. I'd say about forty percent of the back-half of 'Force Unleashed' is going to be spent in places you already feel like you've been.
As cool as using the force is, the longer you play the game the more of a slashing light-saber game this turns into. It's as if Lucas Arts was never able to correctly figure out how to give you all these awesome powers to control without making the game too easy. In the final third of the game, I felt like you were running into too many enemies that were able to block all of my force powers. There's also a disproportion in the strength of the enemies you'll run into. The worst example is that I can take on waves of Tie-Fighters and rip a Star Destroyer out of orbit, and yet I'm running for my life from a few Dark Troopers? It just doesn't make a tremendous amount of sense. There should have been a much better balance here then there is.
Some of the boss fights can be extremely tedious, especially if you're playing on higher difficulties. One of the things that drove me the craziest is the amount of "cheap-shots" that are allowed to be taken at your expense. Whether it's allowing a boss to hit you while you're laying on the ground, defenseless; or the way you'll be fighting one-on-one with a rancor, only to be randomly blind-sided. There are a few moments that'll have you ready to throw your controller against a wall.
I know these issues I have sound like a lot and I really don't mean it to. 'Force Unleashed' is no worse then one of the top three Star Wars games available on a next-gen console. In my opinion, I have no regrets about having paid sixty-bucks for it. If the price goes down, it's absolutely worth a purchase. It's just a shame that the game's reach didn't seem to match the ambitions it appeared Lucas Arts had for it. As it stands now, the original 'Knights of the Old Republic' is still king of the hill. | video-games_xbox |
Works great using backwards compatibility on XBOX ONE as well. Works great on XBOX ONE's Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility feature. They just added the game about a week ago to the backwards compatible list. Although only the regular edition is labeled as backwards compatible, this ultimate edition works just fine too, core game & DLC included.
It's basically the reverse of the instructions for if you bought it for a 360 with a few extra steps. For the ONE, you install disc 1 which is the core game disc. It installs the entire disc (about 5.8GB). Then you put in disc 2, it'll add all the DLC (All six DLC's). This all takes some time, I never can tell if the Xbox One is just really slow to copy off a disc or if it is downloading rather than copying. This is due to the fact that Xbox One calls everything (downloads, actual installs, updates) "installing". So you never know EXACTLY what is going on. But either way, it all installs to the hard drive. The reversal I mentioned earlier is, on the 360, you install the DLC off disc 2 and then play off disc 1. On the Xbox One, you install the DLC and then you have to leave disc 2 in. Otherwise the game will not recognize the dlc. So disc 2 is the trigger disc that tells the system you own the game and the dlc. Since the entire game is actually installed on your hard drive for the XBOX ONE usage, disc 1 technically isn't needed anymore. You can also start the core game with disc 1 but the dlc won't appear. So it's a little confusing but trust me, it's easier to do than explain. Very easy. Just takes some time to set it all up.
Anyway, I love this game, had to have it. Fallout 3, New Vegas and Fallout 4 are some of my favorite games. Despite already having played this earlier, I had to get it again for Xbox One. I can't play these games enough anyway, it's a different experience every time. So if you are curious if the Xbox One supports this Ultimate Edition. Yes it does. | video-games_xbox |
Works, but cable is kind of awkward and drains controller batteries. I've got a very nice pair of Sennheiser headphones I use with my AV setup. They replaced a wired set I used to use, and then a wireless Logitech set I used for a few years. So when these came up in the Vine program, I was curious how they'd compare.
As others have said, they're well packaged. Easy to get everything out, and comes with pretty much everything you'd need. I like the design of the base that plugs into the Xbox One controller. It's unobtrusive, and very easy to use. I also like that the MUTE button lights up when it's on, so you have a good visual reminder that your voice is cut off.
I've got some friends who did some headphones, I don't know if they were these specifically or some other ones, and heard them complain about the update for the controller. I'm not sure why, it was about as painless as it could possibly be. When you plug the adapter into the controller, it pops up a message on screen that you need to update the controller. It tells you to plug it in with a USB cable to the Xbox One. Granted, in this day and age you'd think they'd be able to do it over the wireless, but maybe it's a time issue, and doing it that way would take too long compared to the bandwidth they can send over the USB. But regardless, it was simple. Plugged it in via USB, hit OK and it ran the update. Took a minute or so. It then asked if I wanted to do another. I got the second Xbox One controller, didn't know if it would need the module plugged in first or not, so tried it without the headset module, just the USB, and it updated fine. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy as my 10 year old loves to say.
The sounds are good. Not epic, you won't be seeing any audiophiles using this as their main headset, but for gaming and watching TV or movies, it's certainly more than adequate. Good volume, good balance between everything, but I wish it automatically stopped the main sound from going out through the amp. That way at night when I'm doing something, if I forget to power down the amp, this would prevent me from waking up my son with loud explosions in a game at midnight.
However, I found that the signal is easily blocked. So if someone is sitting closer to the TV between you and the console, sound is choppy and drops often. Even if I just sit with my legs crossed and my knee is in the way, sound drops constantly. So in my setup, my great room has a couch about 15 to 18 feet from the TV, and the Xbox is under the TV with a direct line of sight to where I sit, and I need that direct line of sight for the sound to work well. Anything between the controller and the console, and it's like listening to an old AM station as you're going under a bridge or something.
It's alright having these powered by the controller, since I can just swap controllers out if the battery empties out, and I prefer that to dealing with charging the headphones like I do my Senheisers. But ultimately I would've preferred a wireless solution since the cord is a bit awkward, especially since it comes out of the plug at the end at a right angle, so it' either exiting "down" where it can be annoying on your lap if you sit like I do in a recliner playing a game with the controller in your hands, resting on your lap, or it sticks up, where it then arches around and back down again anyway. No matter what, you notice it's there. The alternate cable for use with MP3 players and such is something that could be handy, but I really don't see this as a seriously used option, because between the weight of the headphones and the thickness / heft of the cable itself, these just don't seem like something I'd see a lot of people using for their phones / ipods / etc... And right by your shoulder is the large plastic quick disconnect where the different cables plug into this, making it even less of a "portable" option. But for just sitting around the house, they'd work well.
Side note about the battery life, it does seem significantly less when using these. I've been testing them at night while my 10 year old is sleeping, and the controllers die in a single (not long) session even when starting fully charged.
As I noted, the sound is good for games, movies, and TV. Despite the weight, they are comfortable for extended wear. When I was testing things out I played about 6 hours straight of Tomb Raider on the Xbox One, and I didn't have any pressure points or uncomfortable moments with it on for and extended gaming session. Nor did my ears or side of my head get sweaty as I usually find on this kind of material (since I shave my head, headphones are right on skin, so usually that creates moisture).
The controls work well, and I'm glad they have them on the adapter and not dangling somewhere on the cable like so many headsets have. Compared to my Sennheiser wireless headphones, these are noticeably heavier. But not uncomfortably so as I noted when doing some longer gaming sessions.
I only had a problem once with the mic, where I had to power everything off and back on to get it to work. They did a very good job with it, the boom is completely bendable in any position, so you can position it exactly how you want it to be. And the base of the plug is shaped, so it can only plug in one way, which means that it won't pivot and twist on you without you explicitly moving it because the plug can't turn in place.
All in all they do what they claim they will do, but for the price, unless they can do something to fix the "line of sight needed or the sound is horrible" problem, it's not worth it. | video-games_xbox |
REACH is the Best Halo Game of All Time. I never would have thought that a Halo game without the Master Chief would be great, but REACH is pretty amazing.
Story: 9/10
This is a prequel that takes place on the planet REACH, where a significant event happens in the Halo Universe. I'm not going to spoil it here, though. In the game, you play as a Spartan known as #6 and you join an elite special forces group of other Spartans to investigate a distress call. Each of the characters have their own specialty, Jun is a sniper, Kat is a tech expert, Jorge is a heavy gunner... What turns out to be a simple distress call ends up becoming a cataclysmic adventure. (Because you weren't going to buy a Halo game to shoot a few rebel farmers who didn't want to pay their space taxes.)
Graphics: 9/10
The Halo engine has been revamped and it looks great, considering the long draw distances in the massive levels. There are also some major events happening in the backgrounds as you play through the game. The visual effects are very well done, the characters animate well, the vehicles, and environments all look outstanding. If there was any room for improvement, I'd say the human faces could have used a bit more detail.
Gameplay: 9/10
Sure you can blow through the Campaign on Easy or Normal Mode, but this is like buying a swiss army knife and only using the toothpick. REACH has lots to offer.
The trademark of the Halo series has been its deep gameplay. On Easy Mode or Normal Mode, you can run through the Campaign jumping over vehicles and smashing enemies in the face with the butt of your pistol, and taking down groups of aliens with your Assault Rifle. You will definitely feel like a hero. But if you play on Heroic or Legendary, you see the depth of the game. There are two types of enemies that you face. Those with energy shields and those without. Coincidentally, there are two damage types in the game. Plasma Weapons (which do more damage to shields and less damage to bodies) and Ballistic Weapons (which do less damage to shields and more to bodies.) In the harder difficulties, you will have to use both types of weapons. And lucky for you, you can carry two weapons at a time. This makes the combat seem frantic as you make quick decisions about which enemies to shoot with what weapon. Outside of combat, you also need to figure out what weapons that you should carry. Shotguns are excellent at close range. The DMR is a good all purpose rifle good for fighting at a distance. The Assault Rifle is good against un-shielded enemies. The Plasma Pistol is great against shielded enemies. There are 20 different weapons in the game and all of them have their own advantages.
Halo also has vehicle combat as well. There are sci-fi versions of motorcycles, tanks, helicopters, anti-aircraft guns... You can fight enemy vehicles in a vehicle or if you are skilled, you can hijack the enemy's vehicle and use it against them or destroy it instantly by busting open a hatch and dropping a grenade inside.
In addition to the weapons and vehicles, the Spartans also have a "special ability" or an equipment item, that specializes their character. These items are found in levels and picked up. In Halo 3, you had Equipment, but they were single use and you were too afraid to use them because you never knew when you'd find another one. In REACH, once you pick them up, you can use them as much as you want, but there is a cooldown period between each use. Sprint, Drop Shield, Temporary Invincibility, Decoy, Active Camouflage, and Jet Pack are the abilities and they are pretty self explanatory.
On the harder difficulty levels, the Elite Enemy Troops become more powerful, aggressive, and dodge grenades, forcing you to use tactics and improve your aim.
The Combat of REACH is very dynamic. Their AI is sophisticated and it knows how to take cover, flank you, steal your vehicle, drive a vehicle, and navigate around a massive map. The combat areas are not tightly scripted linear levels, instead, the areas are open spaces with cover areas, high ground, flanking paths, etc... This allows the players to use tactics to defeat the encounters. Halo doesn't cheat with their AI, skills, and enemy abilities. Most other games have tightly scripted levels, with simple enemies that only do one or two things. This hinders replayability. In Halo, everything is treated like it is a multiplayer experience. Enemies can do everything.
The physics on the objects are also dynamic and many of the objects in the environment are destructible.
When you have open area encounters, with great AI, and deep tactics, players must use their problem solving skills to survive, instead of just relying on quick reflexes or temporary power ups. REACH also records all of your gameplay and allows you to edit it and post it online. Because everything is dynamic, AI, physics, complex combat system, there is a huge potential for Epic Victories and Epic Fails.
Missions: 9/10
The Mission Designs feature close quarter combat, open field combat, vehicle combat, air to air combat, space combat, low gravity combat, and air to ground combat.
The Missions drive the story and feel epic in their execution. (Don't just run though, stop and look around once in a while.) There are a few cinematic moments in the missions themselves that aren't in the cutscenes.
The level layouts are extremely tactical. There is high ground, open areas for vehicles, flanking corridors, etc... If you play on the harder difficulties and die a few times, you'll notice that there are always better ways to fight the enemies. Also, the weapons that you want are always in the spots where you need them. If you climb to the top of a tower... Hey look! A sniper rifle just happens to be here! If you are facing really tough enemies, the weaker enemies usually carry the best weapon to use against them. Kill a grunt, take his plasma pistol, and use it against an elite! Again, all of these subtle details are more apparent on the harder difficulties.
Multiplayer: 10+/10
You can play through the Campaign with 1-4 players, on 1-4 difficulties and Skulls. (A Skull is a difficulty modifier that makes the game harder.) You can turn on and off the skulls to customize the experience.
REACH also features a firefight mode where you survive against waves of enemies, similar to Gears of War. When you set up this game, there are tons of setting to make it extremely hard or extremely easy.
Then there are the Vs. Modes. They deal with killing enemies, or performing objectives on the map. There are also a ton of these as well.
And there is a FORGE, where players can edit their own multiplayer maps and play with their friends.
Sound: 9/10
The battles, weapons, vehicles, and effects all sound great. The soundtrack is well done, too. The only knock is that some of the in game combat dialogue is... err... not so great.
Replay Value: 10+/10
Halo Fans can play REACH for months. Different Difficulty Levels, fully customizable coop and vs modes...
Maturity: Teen
The box says M, but Halo is just Humans vs. Aliens. There is a bit of red blood from the humans and blue blood from the aliens. There is no nudity, no swearing (unless you are playing online and the other players are cursing up a storm), no gore... There is more violence in the Star Wars movies. Seriously, the Star Wars movies are more violent than Halo.
The reason Halo has always carried an M Rating is that when it was first created, the ESRB, pressured by congress, was overly concerned with "head shots" in games. If you could shoot an enemy in the head for more damage, they gave you an M Rating. The logic behind this was that games were teaching kids to shoot for the head because it does more damage, than shooting someone in the leg. Wow... thanks ESRB and Congress. Without video games, I never would have known that. Really? Head damage is worse than leg damage?!
Overall: 9.5/10
Halo REACH offers so much and it's only $40 now! If you are a Halo Fan or interested in becoming one, this is the game for you!
Buy it if you love Halo.
Buy it if you love Sci-fi.
Buy it if you love shooters.
Buy it if you have an Xbox Live Gold Membership and will take advantage of all of the online options.
Rent it if you just want to blow through the campaign on normal mode.
It should take you 6-8 hours, but you'll be renting a swiss army knife to use the tooth pick.
Avoid it if you have trouble aiming and don't want to practice.
Unlike Call of Duty, there is no target lock aiming.
This makes it a bit harder for casual gamers, but it also creates depth for the skilled players. | video-games_xbox |
Great Concept, Horrendous Quality. Let me start off positive by saying this is a very good controller for FPS games, and for avid first person shooter gamers who are looking for a controller beyond the standard one that they can customize to their style of play. It takes some getting used to be comfortable, but once you do it's very versatile and will provide movement/targeting advantages over the stock controller.
The problem is, this controller is not built to handle the use of the type of gamer that it is made for! If you are looking into buying this is probably means you are more then just a casual player, and are going to put in the time it takes to learn how to use the Onza, and a ton of more after that. The problem is, by the time you learn to use it, it will be broken. It's not a matter of IF it will break, it's WHEN, and that when usually not to long after you take it out of the box. (I'm talking 2 weeks of consistent use) Literally every button that you use regularly is prone to break.
I have owned 3 of these things and have had seen the springs on the trigger and bumper stop working, the x,y,b,a, button stop working or start to rattle and become loose, The "adjustable pads" start to loose their tension the first time you play with it and after time barely work at all. This can be especially annoying because adjusting them is supposed to be about "fine tuning" your gaming and making it more precise.. which is hard to do when the stick feels different every other day. And last but not least the rubber completely tore off the left stick of one of them.
The annoying part is, that once you get used to them, and know what they are like when fully functional normal controllers won't feel as adequate. This only puts you on the hamster wheel of wasting, time and money returning, and buying new Onzas over and over. My advice, skip it until someone makes a more durable version. | video-games_xbox |
The worst product quality,customer service. I bought the Z6as the end of Jan(28th) after hearing them in on line games with my friends,they sounded great. I asked my friends how they liked them they all said that they sounded great,but no 1 told me how cheaply made & fragile they r. So i bought them. By the 1st April the RT side was on the verge of breaking,in fact had broken part of the way thru. The next day i went 2 put them on the LFT side snapped off completely. The ear piece was left dangling by the wire.
Now the customer service part.#1 Turtle Beach does NOT post a customer service phone # on there web site,( that should have been my 1st clue) BTW here it is 4 those that r looking 4 it 914-345-2255. I called them & was greeted with a friendly voice that said ALL the things a customer wants 2 hear when your standing there with a broken product in your hand,asked if i could return 2 a local gaming store 4 replacement (they sell TBs) i was assured that i could, but had 2 fill out the the on line form.#2(well u cant return them 2 a store).I asked if i could send them COD since im on SS & my funds a very limited. i was assured i could,but again was told that in order 2 get a R.M.A (return merchandise authorization) i had 2 fill out the on line form. I asked if they (TB) had taken care of the design flaw.& again i was told that they had,however after reading all the posts here im beginning 2 think that nothing has been done 2 correct this LRG obvious flaw. So the next day i received an E-mail from a woman named Alicia stating that they were sorry but i would have send back @ my own expense. So i called TB again & asked 2 speak 2 Alicia. NO1 knew who Alicia was.they said was it customer service that u talked 2 ?i said yes ,they connected me 2 customer service,a female voice answered,i said: Alicia?she said in a very gruff & Kurt voice "No Alicia here,what do u need? ( r they using aliases in there e-mails?) I was then again told cant sent it COD,cant return 2 a store,& if i wanted i could just 4get about it all 2gether. I finally hung up on the woman. I will NEVER EVER buy another Turtle Beach product again,nor will i ever recommend there products 2 ANY1. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!
Glenn Hartson. | video-games_xbox |
Makes for a good backup power supply. While the stock Xbox One power brick gets the job done, having a backup is always nice just in case anything goes wrong with it. I haven't had any issues regarding my Xbox One power brick, but I did have some issues in the past with my Xbox 360 power brick and I needed to get it replaced. Getting that thing replaced actually required me to send it in and then I got another one shipped out to me which meant that I was unable to use my system until that point. Needless to say, I don't want to have something like that ever happen again. This particular power brick is not an official Microsoft product, but it a very nice alternative. It looks almost identical to the original power brick, but it does have a few differences.
It still plugs in the same exact way as the original one does, and design wise it is still very much the same as the previous one is. The first difference is that there does seem to be a fan inside of it. This is simply to help displace any heat and keep the device cool. The fan is not loud at all, and you honestly can't hear it unless you get up really close to it. Another difference is that it has an auto voltage feature which should in theory allow you to use your console worldwide as it can adapt to the different voltage standards. It's a little bit of a challenge to test that aspect of this, but if I ever do get the chance to test that out then I'll surely update this review to reflect how well that works. I've been trying out multiple games, and running some applications for a few hours at a time to really simulate all of the different use scenarios to see if the power brick overheats, or if it would randomly power down and neither of those two things ever ended up happening. The brick stays cool to the touch, and I've noticed no problems with it. You'll also notice that there is a light on it which will indicate if the Xbox is powered off, or on. The color will change to reflect that. If you're looking for a backup Xbox One power brick for a low price then this is worth a look at. I did receive this to test out and provide feedback on, but my review is honest. If you have any questions then I would be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities. To sum up what I liked and disliked about this product, I'll list off what I think are the pros and cons of this product.
Pro's:
- Looks identical to the stock power brick.
- Has an auto-voltage feature.
- Low price, cheaper then the original one.
- Has a fan to help displace heat.
Con's:
- The fan does make noise. It is very quiet and hard to actually notice it, but it is still worth a mention. | video-games_xbox |
A patch away from being a solid Battlefield installment. Does this game have launch issues, yes. Should these issues been addressed, and resolved during the beta testings, yes. Was the game designed to run on the old XBOX 360, probably not. For people not jumping on the XBOX One launch bandwagon, BF4 on the XBOX 360 is a patch or 2 away from being a solid, fun and enjoyable game.
That being said my review is solely based on the multiplayer portion of the game, as I have yet to play the single player. I've played every MP map at least 2 times, and what I've seen was impressive. The maps are beautiful to look at, fun to play, and explore with lots of cover areas, buildings, vehicles etc to manipulate. All of the maps radically change throughout the matches from player inflicted damage. High rise buildings toppling over, dams break flooding the entire map, storms blow in and out, even a huge battle ship crash lands into a beach head.
I haven't notice any issues with graphics as others have posted in their reviews, and feel that the BF4 graphics are on par or better than BF3. I'm running the newer XBOX 360 slim with 250 gig drive. I'm not sure if the older 360's are the ones people are having graphic issues with or not? I also have Verizon fiber optic broadband internet connection, which may or may not help.
The sound in Battlefield once again is absolutely mind blowing. You are doing yourself, and the game a huge disservice not enjoying this game thru a quality headset. I have a Triton AX Pro headset, and the sound in this game blows me away every time I play it. Being able to pin point sniper fire, and the enemy walking around in this game thru the direction of sound is completely enriching, and engulfs you into the game play.
I have experienced several 360 freezes during game play that required a 360 reboot. Other than that the game has been solid. I've heard other players in my party complain about rubberbanding, but I haven't experienced it. I think this is due to my 50meg fiber internet connection. I used to have AT&T DSL, and absolutely hated it, and had nothing but horrible MP experiences on it. I'm much happier with my Verizon broadband service.
Hopefully EA will patch, and resolve the technical issues along with much talked about, and hated lack of MP party menu. I've played most of the recent FPS's, and they all received patches, and I assume this will be the case for BF4. Outside of that I have enjoyed the game, and so have my other friends.
That's my 2 cents for what it's worth. | video-games_xbox |
Don't Fight the Addiction, It Only Makes it Stronger. Once I picked up this game, I couldn't put it down! The storyline is beautiful, with all of the central characters (the Voralberg family) initially shouded in mystery. By the end of the game, I almost felt as if I personally knew Hans Voralberg .
The puzzles, though simple, are seemlessly integrated and completely locigal within the context of the game's universe.
All of the characters are lovable. Even the people you know you shouldn't like, you do. Some of the dialogue gets repetative and can be a little bit out of character at times, but the storyline and the dialogue between the characters is fantasticly written, humorus at the appropriate places, and just plain fun. Towards the beginning, an elderly man says "sit down my dear, so that we may simply enjoy the air together." I found that to be poetic, which reflects the game in its entirety - poetic.
And the clockwork mechanisms, the focal point of the game, are ingeniously cool.
I savor every cutscene in this game. They're beautiful, with the almost requiem ambiance. That also applies to all of the locations in the game...all four of them.
That brings me to the bad news. If you're a pretty good problem solver, you'll breeze through the meager four levels easily (about eight hours). This goes hand-in-hand with the main problem I had with the game - the ending. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything, or at least I'll try not to. If you want you can stop reading now!
As you play the game, you are building up the character of the man you are trying to find (Hans) in your head. Where is he now? What is he doing? Has he accomplished his life's goals? Why is he the way he is? Because of this, you also build up this expectation of how the game will end, which would seem like the most logical conclusion. However, because the game is so short, so is your journey, and thus the game just sort of ends. Where it ends, I won't say, but its seems so out of place, so WRONG, that you'll positively swear that there's been some sort of mistake. You'll simply convince yourself that there's more gameplay after the credits. You'll have a lot of questions at the end, and there won't be any answers.
Please, please understand that the ending didn't lessen my enjoyment of the rest of the game. I do, in fact, plan to go back and play it again, and I still watch the cutscenes (which are saved on the main menu once you've seen them in game) when I need my Syberia fix.
There's alos a demo of the game available for PC, for those of you who don't believe me when I say how enjoyable this game is. I think it's at: [...] The only real differences between the PC version and the Xbox version are:
1. The PC version needs several patches in order to work properly, while the Xbox version is guarenteed to work.
2. The navagation on the Xbox version is slightly more troublesome. For example, rather than hover your mouse over something and select it, you have to physically walk up to it. It makes it a little more difficult, because you actually have to walk around the screen in order to find things instead of 'mouse scanning' the screen until the cursor changes into the action icon!
There you go. I hope that's all you need to know about Syberia to make you buy it...er, I mean, make a decision about buying it! | video-games_xbox |
Great headset, until a wireless option is available. This headset is definitely a step up from Microsoft's Xbox 360 headsets.
It looks a lot nicer, being primarily black instead of gray. The mute button is my favorite improvement, so even in the dark you can see if it's muted or not, since an orange diagonal slash will light up on the mute button when muted. The old way was to just use your thumb to feel if it was muted or not, which also required remembering which side of the sliding button was mute. This headset is much better with the toggle mute button instead of a slider.
I also like the volume up and down buttons rather than the wheel on the Xbox 360 headset. The only downside is you could adjust the volume instantly with the old wheel; it takes a few seconds longer to press the buttons until you have the desired volume.
The control panel (or whatever you want to call it) has a very good, solid connection to the Xbox One controller. Sometimes it even takes me a few seconds to get it connected properly since it has to be positioned just right to snap in.
The quality of the audio is not fantastic though. I can't say for sure if it's the headset itself or the audio codec being used currently on the Xbox One. But I remember hearing a little bit nicer quality audio on the old headset. I'm hoping they can clean it up like they did by updating the codec on the Xbox 360. It used to sound horrible, but peoples' voices are actually pretty clear now on most 360 games. This one is decent, but leaves some room for improvement.
One important thing to note, though. If your headset broke in some way, it's probably worth buying this as a replacement. But if you are buying an Xbox One console, you likely don't need to buy this with it as the console includes one of these.
Really, this is just a stop-gap device to tide me over until they release a wireless mic. I got one for the 360 and it is really hard to be tethered to my controller again. I always forget about that wire and end up tugging my head/controller all weird when I get up to get a drink or something, haha. But until they release a wireless mic, this one will do just fine. | video-games_xbox |
The Dark is Where Riddick Shines. I was a huge fan of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (EFBB) when it debuted on the original Xbox back in 2004. I was excited to hear that an updated version of EFBB was being included with Assault on Dark Athena (ADA), especially since EFBB was one of the Xbox treasures that was skipped over for backwards compatibility.
If you enjoyed the style in story telling in the The Chronicles of Riddick films you will like the plot in both games, which are very movie-like. The stories revolve around Riddick, played/voice acted by Vin Diesel, who is a major bad*** that has been captured by bounty hunters. Naturally, you spend the entire game trying to escape with loads of patrolling guards, and you will encounter a few twist and turns along the way. There are also several side quests you can do, but the game is still very linear.
The Riddick series is very distinguished from other first-person perspective games because of its focus on stealth and hand-to-hand combat, so if you are looking for a white-knuckle shooting frenzy like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare you may be slightly disappointed. In fact, you'll a significant portion of both games without a firearm. Though, you will be afforded the pleasure of sneaking up on enemies and performing gruesome stealth kills, and there are a few intense firefights in both EFBB and ADA.
Overall, the games are paced similar to the Splinter Cell series. The weapons in EFBB and ADA are rather uninspiring which include brass knuckles, shivs (makeshift knives), clubs, a pistol, an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a mini-gun. I hate to admit it, but both games feel a little old.
Furthermore, ADA, because of its close similarities to EFBB both in graphics, weaponry, and storyline, it comes off as more of an expansion pack than a "new adventure". However, I still like the game, but the developers could have done more. Regardless, if you missed EFBB when it originally came out, or you just like sneaking around in the dark, you cannot go wrong with picking up this game from Amazon at its current price. | video-games_xbox |
Still not impressed. Being a big time gamer I make sure I get all the new consoles along with most major games. However the xbox one really doesn't seem to be all that good for gaming. Now if you watch tv all the time and are either really lazy or just lose your remote all the time you can use the voice commands instead to control your tv using the one. The voice commands work quite well. However as I stated I am a gamer and I rarely watch tv and I also have no problem pressing a couple buttons to boot up a game so this major component which most likely increased the price of this system serves no purpose for me.
So on to the gaming part. So far the system has some decent games. Actually this new generation has a really good offering right off the bat compared to previous generations. Right now there is forza 4, Killer Instinct and dead rising 3 as probably the best exclusives at the moment. And then you have a good amount of 3rd party games such as BF4 and AC4. However Many of the xbox one games still output at a low resolution and honestly don't look all that great. It feels like just a slight step above what is offered by the PS3 and 360. Usually when I get into a new generation of consoles I have many "Now this is the next generation of gaming" moments but I never got that from the one. Hopefully over time they will at least be able to run games at the same resolution and quality as the PS4 and maybe if this cloud thing they've been promising ends up working then maybe they'll even be able to pass it but at the moment the PS4 runs games much better!
Lastly I'd like to point out a few problems I have with the system. For one thing the one is huge and you can't stand it up vertical which that actually causes problems for me as I have very limited room now. The new controller feels nice however I found it really hard to press the bumper buttons since you now have to press them from the side which I find odd. As of right now the social features are actually a step down from what is offered on the 360 and also it's rival the PS4. There is supposed to be a patch next month though that'll fix it. Now the biggest problem I have right now is the HDD. After just a couple games you'll already be down to about 300gb and there is no way to replace the drive with a larger one. (Unless you want to go through a complicated process and void your warranty.) They have said they will eventually allow you to use usb storage devices but I don't know when or how that'll happen and then that means you'll have to find room for the xbox one, the kinect, the power brick and now an external storage device.
So in all I've been very disappointed in the xbox one and really hope it quickly improves. | video-games_xbox |
Another could have been great if . This game was a great Star Wars experience with too many moments of excruciating game play frustration. If it wasn't for the story cliff hangers to keep me going, I would have walked away from this game several times. Too many times I wanted to throw my controller. I would only recommend this game to a Star Wars fan. Assassins Creed had the sword fighting mechanic down perfect for me.
The good: The art direction was great. The levels were dramatic and captured the Stars Wars atmosphere beautifully. The story was good and I enjoyed all the cut scenes. The QuickTime events were over-the-top once I could stop staring what button to press and actually watch it. Some the battles you get into are extremely fun when you can pull off some combos and use the light saber. The mini-boss fights were some of the favorite battles for me.
The bad: The game play was enjoyable only about 60% of the time. It seemed to me that the actual game play was an add-on to the story/movie portions. The 40% part was frequently a tedious exercise in frustration. Why?
1. Targeting, especially in a short range fight. It always picks some piece of junk instead of the enemy that your fighting or one that is about to attack you.
2. Most of the levels, while beautiful, are just boxes. When they have an unfair amount of enemies/snipers so you end up using "glitch" behavior to get through them. There is no strategy only your ability to quickly kill them off to build your health faster than they can wear it down. Too much luck involved for survival.
3. Once you get knocked down every enemy hits you just as you about to stand and you are soon dead. The sequence timing is terrible.
4. Many times you re-spawn in front of enemies without your light saber ready. They get a couple shots in at you before you can defend yourself.
5. The end-boss Jedi fights are in an exercise in tedium and frustration. I cruise along having a good time and then the end boss battle shows up and ruins everything. These should be the best and they are NOT. The fixed camera approach is terrible. The QuickTime events are the only good thing.
6. Too many combos to remember and there is a long learning curve for the appropriate situation for many of them because you just use the ones that work for you. Rinse repeat.
7. Looking for holicrons etc around the level is lame.
8. Not enough save points.
In summary this game is similar to Bioshock for me. Good story, beautiful design, and a variety of tools to fight with. It has many unique and enjoyable small events, but Jedi fails in the big picture - game play. I can't believe all these frustrations got by their game testers or they ignored them.
I did finish it and I am working on the second try at the highest difficulty to see how more effective I can be with my fighting style and to pick up things I missed first time through. The only reason I continue to play is that there are not any other game out that interest me. | video-games_xbox |
Engaging, but doesnt run perfectly on 360. I bought KOTOR being a fan of the star wars universe from reading some books, a few other games, and obviously the movies. This game is based in the old republic era, which is many years before the start of Episode 1. It deals with the events of a Sith war, which is after the Mandalorian war.
At first I was somewhat skeptical of this game, as I have never been very high on the slow, tactical, removed combat of RPGs, especially with time based turn systems. However, after devoting a few hours to the game (the intro is very good at teaching the combat system). I found the combat system quite functional, and often enjoyable.
One of the best aspects of the game must be the story, I would easily put it along side the great story in The Force Unleashed, and probably better than the story of many of the books. Unlike TFU though, KOTOR lets the player decide a lot more of the story. The concept promised in the game Fable of being able to make good and bad choices to affect the character and the world around them is done better in KOTOR, with the substitution of good and bad for light and the dark side. I chose to play my character as light sided as I could, but sometimes the dark side was so tempting, seemingly so right, that it was impossible to not consider both options. I've played through Fable, and thought that most of the "choices" were clearly black and white and often already decided for you if you're choosing good or bad. In KOTOR, the choices are much more vague sometimes, and more than not very deceiving.
The only real negative I've had with this game is that it doesnt function perfectly on the 360. Occasionally, and especially when battling multiple enemies, the refresh rate will slow down. This has only hindered the combat once or twice, but has broken the beautiful fight scene graphics up a fair amount. Also, I'm not sure if this is a negative, but the game is long. I've spent over 40 hours on it and not quite completed it, and I know of people who have devoted double that to finish the game. Its a great time killer, but if your looking for a game you can play for an hour every few weekends, look elsewhere.
Overall, this game is eccelent. If you enjoyed the story of TFU, or want the choices of Fable (but better), or are just a fan of a good video game I highly recommend this game. | video-games_xbox |
A Good But Flawed Tomb Raider Sequel. Fans of Tomb Raider should really enjoy this game and will be able to overlook the flaws. If you're new to the series, you may be in for a very frustrating time.
The Story
...is a direct continuation from Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Anniversary. If you haven't played these games, it's ok. They do give you a 'Previously on Tomb Raider...' video synopsis. It's very short, but gets you up to speed. But, you do miss out on some of the drama. The story of Tomb Raider Underworld is epic and if you've played the previous games you will really enjoy it. If you haven't, it's still pretty good.
The Graphics
... range from good to great. From the Jungles of Thailand to the Ancient Underworld Ruins, the graphics really make the environments come to life.
The Sound
... effects and music are also good and really compliment the environments and the overall feeling of exploring.
Exploration
... is typical for a Tomb Raider game and fans will know what they're getting into. If you haven't played a Tomb Raider game, you may get lost and frustrated at times. Other games like Mirror's Edge or Prince of Persia show you where you need to go. Tomb Raider doesn't do this. Instead, you enter a Help Menu Screen and get text hints. At that point, it kinda feels like you've gone to gamefaqs.com. The camera is authored, and tries to point you in the right direction, but if you stray from the path to look for treasure, you could end up getting really confused. You also get a grappling hook which is used to solve puzzles and explore. If you don't get lost, exploration feels quite rewarding.
Adrenaline Moments
... are in the game and used for environmental hazards. You may be exploring some ruins and the ground will fall away from you. The game slows down and you have a second to react and jump to safety or use your grappling hook. These are also used for Traps. They're pretty fun and add some excitement to the exploration.
Puzzles
... are pretty good overall. Fans of the series will appreciate this. If you're new, you may need more help with the puzzles. In Tomb Raider, when you hit a switch and nothing happens, a short cutscene plays and the camera shows you what door was supposed to open. In other games, they show you why the door didn't open and what you need to do to open it. Tomb Raider doesn't really help you out that much.
Combat
... in Tomb Raider has always been the weak point. You can basically jump around while firing your weapons and kill all of the enemies. Lara fights giant spiders, humans, nagas, tigers, and mythical creatures called Thralls. To kill most of the enemies, just jump around and fire. They can't catch you. The Thralls are undead and must be taken out with a melee stomp. Lara only has a kick for her melee attacks and it's mostly used to break vases and look for treasure. You do get sticky grenades and those are fun to use. You also get an ancient weapon late in the game and it's a blast, but overall the combat is lacking.
The Camera
... is bad. It will cause you to make blind jumps or slightly shift just before you jump, making you miss the ledge and die. If you don't know if you can make a jump, keep a close eye on Lara. If she looks in the direction of a ledge and leans, that's good! You will make it. If she shakes her head, 'no' you will die. But there are many times when you just want to look one more meter to the right or left and you just can't. This will be a deal breaker for some folks. Let's face it, in an exploration / puzzle game, looking around is pretty damn important.
Dying
... happens quite a bit. You will get insta-killed by missing jumps or traps fairly often. There's so much insta-death in the game, it's a wonder why they give you health packs. If you're injured in combat, the next time you fall off of a cliff, you'll come back with full health anyway. Although, you will die a lot in this game, the checkpoints are pretty generous.
The Box Art
... is terrible. I asked an Eidos employee what happened to the box. She said that they wanted to de-emphasize Lara and make the game more about TOMB RAIDER. So clearly, the best way to do this was to have Lara be the ONLY thing on the cover, and chop half of her head off. Fans like Lara, they like her environments, they like action. Why not put her in a great environment fighting a mythical undead Thrall with some treasure in the background?! Sigh... Anyway, if you're a fan, you know who's on the cover. But it's the kind of photo that your grandma takes at Christmas when her eggnog clashes with her medication.
Overall, the game is good for fans, but there might not be enough hand holding for people new to the series. An exploration game with a bad camera, weak combat, and bad box art is a tough sell. But fans who are already attached to the series can overlook the small stuff and still have some fun. The game is about 8 hours long and could vary 2-3 hours depending on how much you explore or get lost. There isn't really any replay value either.
Fans and collectors should buy it, while non-fans should rent it if they want an exploration game. | video-games_xbox |
Brute Force. i have played Brute Force and i still think it is the best game i got ... and i got Halo but i think Brute Force is Even Better but maybe Halo 2 is goin to be Better than Brute Force.
This Game is Awsome .. it is the best game i have ever Played you can play with four commandos with thier own special ability to maximize destructive powers.
and the four commandos are:
BRUTUS:
Special Ability: Spirit of Vengar: Brutus Can call upon the power of the feral deity Vengar. While infused with this supernatural Power, Brutus can Change his enemies, killing them instantly.
FLINT:
Special Abitlity: Advanced Targeting: Flint Raises her rifle, ready for any target to show itself. While in this mode, Flint will outomatically target any enemies that are within a wide area in front of her. Flint cannot reload while using this ability, and will drop out of advanced targeting if she runs out of ammo.
HAWK:
Special Abitlity: Stealth: Hawk can Move without making a sound-she is Virtually invisible. She is Difficult to Defeat, except when firing a weapon, excellent for sneaking behind enemy turrets and taking them down.
TEX:
Special Abitlity: Berserker: Tex fires both weapons at once. Tex Cannot Reload while using this ability.
Well there ya go the Four Commandos with thier own Powers and my best character is Tex he is a really Cool Commando and i like Brutus too.
*There are 18 missions and 6 Unigue Worlds.
*Download New Single-Player and Multiplayer Missions from Xbox Live.
in the Game you can
*instantly switch between 4 elite super-commandos, each with unique skills and special abilities.
*Play co-op with up to 4 players via split-screen or system link! or battle against up to 7 friends. THE ACTION NEVER STOPS!
*Arm your Team from a huge array of Human and alien weaponry and equipment.
*Take on an entire race of alien predators in the ultimate sci-fi combat experience.
Well if You Own an Xbox First You must Get Halo and Your Second Game Have To Be This Game "BRUTE FORCE" one of the best xbox games available and it is only Available on xbox SO GET IT NOW!!! | video-games_xbox |
I am now Smilebit's slave. I tried to like Jet Set Radio on Dreamcast. I loved the unique look, and the first few levels were tons o' fun. Then suddenly the challenge level (read: frustration level) spiked sharply and I got stuck in a certain place and gave up after trying to complete it 15 times or so. So, though I bought an Xbox several months ago, I had no intention of buying this, the sequel. If you read my other Xbox reviews, you'll see that the deciding factor that caused me to buy the console was a game called Panzer Dragoon Orta. At first I wasn't too hot on the idea, because the developer of the original Panzer Dragoon games, Team Andromeda, disbanded years ago. It was when I discovered that many former members of Team Andromeda work for the new developer, Smilebit, that I decided to get on board. Reading preview articles about PDO is how I found that Smilebit made some other games, including GunValkyrie, JSRF, and the original Jet Set Radio. The first thing I did was buy GunValkyrie. It was challenging as hell, but fun as hell to boot. I needed more Smilebit goodness, so I dug out my copy of Jet Set Radio and gave it another whirl. I started over from the beginning. I spent much more time in the tutorial than I did previously. Lo and behold, I made it through the entire game in a few nights. I loved it, and I had to have more. So I bought myself a copy of JSRF.
JSRF improves upon JSR in every conceivable way. Obviously, it's graphically superior, and JSR on the Dreamcast is still nothing to sneeze at even today. The levels are much bigger, teeming with activity and street life. They're much more insane in terms of seemingly out-of-reach areas which CAN be reached, if you can figure out how to trick your way there. The most important improvement is that the frustration factor has been drastically reduced. In JSR, every level had a time limit, and marauding packs of bloodthirsty, immortal, unstoppable cops and assassins that simply would NOT give up, they stayed on top of you the whole time. It was quite a common occurence for me to run out of time or have the life beaten out of me before I could complete the level and have to start over. In JSRF, these things have been eliminated. No time limit. No roving enemies. There are a few points in the game when you have to deal with enemies, but once you've dispatched them, they're gone. To make up for the drop in frustration-challenge, they beefed up the level of skill-challenge. There are tag points in JSRF that take MUCH more effort to reach than anything in JSR. But since you have nothing keeping you from trying over and over until you finally get it, it's simply a much more fun experience. This is the sort of game that's fun the first time you play it, then when you finish it you immediately start over from the beginning to see what can do with the finely honed skills of a seasoned veteran.
It's such a shame Smilebit's games are languishing down in "low sales" territory. They are true bastions of gameplay and challenge and they deserve attention. You don't play them for story or character development. You play them to PLAY them. My anticipation for Panzer Dragoon Orta is higher than ever. | video-games_xbox |
Not Spectacular, but Not All Bad Either. The first thing I would suggest to anyone who plays this game for the first time is forget about Madden and NCAA Football. Naturally, we have all been spoiled by the gameplay of EA Sports. If they are the measuring rod you will use to judge other games they did not develop, then just stick with the EA games. Otherwise, you will always be disappointed. More than likely, the developers of BCFX are a smaller company than EA, and probably don't have all the equipment that EA has acquired after years of being in the business, so they did what they could do with what they had. If they're still in business, I commend them for their effort. I will say however, that even with the resources they have, this game could have been better with a little more imagination. BCFX game play is a bit slower than what we are used to, and it doesn't have all the simulation details. However, if you really love the game of football, and are not concerned about extreme details, you will find this game tolerable. The gameplay is just enough where you can get into it once you get used to the control buttons and the layout. The battle of the bands takes practice if you choose to interact. Personally, I'd rather play football, and watch the bands play automatically.
Someone called this game racist, because it's dedicated to the black colleges. The last few games for NCAA Football no longer included HBCUs', and no one (including myself) thought that was a racist move. For those who won't settle for less than the EA Sports gameplay, there's EA Teambuilder if EA still has it up and running online. with Xbox Live, you can create and play with any HBCU team and play them through NCAA Football 14. On the other hand, if you're open-minded to all levels of football video games, you might just appreciate BCFX.
At least someone tried. Chances are no other developer would have or never will try their hand at making such a game. If you're still a big fan of Tecmo Bowl from back in the day, you should like BCFX almost as much if not the same. | video-games_xbox |
well worth the investment. I can't say enough positive things about this product. Someone said it best on here before me, but I will reiterate - if you want to pretend to be a rock star, play guitar hero, if you want to actually BE a rock star, play this game. In reality, I wouldn't even call this a game. I have taken several years of lessons, attended a couple different guitar classes, all in an effort to get better at guitar, but all with no vast improvement. My personal problem is that practicing can get boring - I know that you're supposed to go through scales and chords, go slowly through songs, blah blah, but I would stick to it for a few months and then lose interest. This is COMPLETELY different. This game challenges you to try different skills through missions, learning the shapes of minor and major pentatonic scales, chord progressions, and note by note song learning. It starts you off very simple, and builds upon your skills as you improve. It's constantly adjusting to help you figure out those tricky spots. I really like the "riff repeater", where you can choose a certain section of a song to play over and over again at slower speeds, until you get it right, then return right back into the song. It also has so many fun features, where you can add effects, jam with an AI band, and play little mini arcade games. The arcade games can be fun because they appear like games, but are really tricking you into working on valuable skills that otherwise might be boring. Last thing I need to mention is that you can play songs that you actually WANT to play. There's a wide variety and you can even download more to add to your collection. This was also a big problem for me in the past - I had teachers that wanted me to play classical pieces or 3 chord oldies songs, and I hated it, I just wanted to play songs by my favorite artists, even the hard ones. Overall, this game has something for everyone and compared to the cost of taking guitar lessons, is well worth the investment if you really want to learn guitar. Take the 60-day challenge and see yourself improve light years ahead of where you were when you began, I promise!! | video-games_xbox |
It's like taking a vacation to the Caribbean... only with guns. This game doesn't do a whole lot. It's mostly kill this and grab that. Most of the enemies are about as dangerous as a wet bag full of puppies. But what this game does do, it does VERY well!
The freedom in this game is phenomenal, allowing you to rampage like a little Godzilla from one end of a lush tropical paradise, to the other. Jumping from vehicle from vehicle, once mastered, will allow you to zip around at maddening speed. And overthrowing government controlled towns and drug-lord HQ's is a real blast!
The only downside to this game is that a vehicle stealing missions are painfully unbalanced. In these, you need to steal and bring back a speical vehicle in one piece. This is nearly impossible, as EVERYTHING damages your vehicle. This game is very much bent on allowing you to DESTROY everything, not keep anything in one piece. It's often easier to jump out of said vehicle, go back on foot, and take out the 20+ jeeps, helicopters, tanks, and generic soldiers with just a machine gun and some cheezy one-liners, then even bother trying to drive.
The game is also a bit low on the challege side of things. The only things in this game that will even remotely threaten you are the occasional heat-sinking missile and slow drivers. The missiles tend to sneak up quietly and without warning, blowing up you and your aircraft instantly, without warning. The slow drivers, on the other hand, are just a game glitch. When you get hit by a vehicle, the game not only takes in account the speed of the vehicle, but also the amount of time you touch it. So if somebody runs into you VERY slowly, like a peasant in a truck, they can grind you to death faster then taking 20 speeding jeeps to the face! This makes stealing vehicles a bit more hazardous then it really should be.
Other then these minor problems, the game is awash with amazing visuals and insane combat. It's like taking a vacation to the Caribbean, only with guns. If you like beautiful, free roaming, treasure hunting, and GTA-style F***ing with people type of games, you'll LOVE Just Cause! But if you like dirty, blood-soaked games that play on a rail, moving you from one game element to other, without the slightest bit of freedom or control, then go buy Gears of War instead. | video-games_xbox |
Not anywhere near as good as it should be. There are so many reasons to dislike this game it's hard to pick just one.
I have to say up front how disappointed I was in this game, given that I'm a Marvel fan. What you've read in the other reviews is basically correct.
If you are a power gamer and are used to having combo moves in your fighting games you will hate this game. If you don't like combos and like a more simple fighting game with amazing graphics, you will like this game.
The divide I think from the reviews comes fromt he different kind of gamers out we have out there.
The things that annoyed me most about this game:
1- When you use your super power attack it does virtually no damage to the opponent. For example, as Storm I hit the computer with 6 lightning bolts in a row and barely did any damage at all. Yet if I go and pick up a barrel and throw it, it does 1/4th bar in a damage. That's broken.
2- One of the maps was bugged. It was the Human Torch defeat 20 enemies in 3minutes 30 seconds map. I defeated 20 enemies with over a minute left in time. The count read 20/20. Yet it didn't give a Victory for the defeat. Luckily there's more than one path to the end of the game, so I closed the Human Torch storyline first chance I got.
3- The game wouldn't be so bad if there were stamina power ups. If you use your super powers 6 times in a row you've used up all your stamina. Stamina comes back extremely slowly. So if you use up your super powers at the start, that's it for the match. It's horribly annoying to have an amazingly powerful super hero like Iron Man or Magneto and be forced to run around punching and throwing like any other fighting game. It's lame and could easily have been fixed by putting Stamina Powerups in the game.
4- The Imperfects are way over powered compared to the Marvel superheroes. The game balance is way off. It's annoying. Take for example the fight between Iron Man and Brigade. Brigade can stand in the center of the map and power up in the energy chamber for as long as he wants and fire endlessly out at you and all you can do it run and hide, or take the beating. The Super Block power burns all your stamina in like 2 seconds, so that's not really an option.
It's surprising to me how EA could have allowed a game like this to be released. The graphics are off the hook but the game play is overwhelmingly flawed. | video-games_xbox |
The Only REAL Game of the Year Candidate. This is probably one of the greatest games I have played hands down.
To start off, the game has unparalleled visuals. The game looks better than Battlefield 4 placed on a high-end gaming PC with its sharp textures that NEVER pop in. The game almost hurts my eyes when I look at it sometimes just due to the sharpness of the game. Included with the sharpest visuals is some of the most immersive gameplay you will find from any video game on the market today. The combat is quick and intense, the action is never ending, and I almost feel myself getting shot or punched when I'm playing the game. It's THAT good. Now some of you may be questioning my review saying, "This game got terrible reviews how could you like such a game?" And to that person, I would say, "You're absolutely wrong." Anyone who gave this game bad reviews, didn't play until the end. The end is one of the most bonechilling, earth-shattering endings you will see in a game. My mind couldn't even wrap around it I had to process everything. After hours of deep contemplation, I truly understood the meaning of the end. To understand you must play for yourself. The story tops out at about 42 hours, providing deep story and plenty of side missions to keep you busy. After 168 hours of playing time, I have only completed 37% of what the game has to offer and I guarantee you it won't disappoint.
Next up is the soundtrack and audio of the game. The soundtrack plays some of my favorite music, ranging from the deep 80's rock classics to the best hits on the radio such as Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen and Umbrella by Rihanna. If these songs don't sound appealing to you, there is sure to be something for everyone. The game offers 132 songs from almost every genre you can think of. Some of my favorite remixes even were in the game such as the duet with Skrillex and Eric Church. I spent hours cruising down the open roads, enjoying my music. The audio is even better than the soundtrack. The audio sounds like a stadium just exploded with gunshots and explosions, exemplifying what audio should sound like in 2013. Gunshots are crisp and loud. Explosions sound powerful and meaty. You can feel the power in the punches as you smack a guy square in the jaw. This is the game by which audio standards are set.
Finally, I am going to finish up with the driving mechanics in this game. Same may say they aren't the greatest, but I believe that the mechanics are even greater than that of the Forza or Gran Turismo series. The turning is sharp and tight but gives you some slack to do rubber burning drifts that make you want to go ride a Harley for yourself. Do yourself a favor and buy this instead of Forza 5. This game is all you need to be satisfied for months on end for all your racing needs.
Pros:
Perfect Soundtracks
Flawless Audio makes me feel like I'm in the game
Sharp textures are almost too sharp for me
Combat is quick and bone crunching
Driving the motorcycle makes me want to relive my glory days in a biker gang
Do I need to continue?
Cons:
You are sitting here contemplating whether or not to buy the game and wasting precious time that you could be using playing the game!
Overall: 10/10. This game exemplifies what is means to be a game. I wouldn't doubt that this game would win the Game of the Year award and be awarded further for its incredible feats. Go do yourself a favor and BUY THIS GAME NOW!
~ShyguyReviews | video-games_xbox |
A very Good addition to a wonderful series. This is a very good DW game delivered by TK, it's not the best, but a solid entry all the same.
Graphics: The graphics to this game, pending on the moment range from being very good, to oh that is so last gen, overall they are not terrible, and the Warriors series has never been known for teh most awesome graphics. So I give it a 3/5. Good stuff, but there is already better looking games on your XONE.
Gameplay: The overall game play is a mixture of ROTK and DW, there is a strategy phase, in which you can do various options depending on your rank in a empire( For instance recruiting troops, building facilities, such as a Smithy, Mine, or Academy) selling supplies, making donations etc. etc., and if you earn the rank of or start out as a Marshal/Strategist/ or Ruler(That is right, with enough loyal service, someone may step down and make you a ruler) you can take over, or defend territories(cities) along the way, you will most likely also do quests(such as defending the traders, assassinating a official, robbing the stockades etc. etc.) in which you will earn some kind of title/reputation(Like desperado etc.) pending on what you do, also certain things you do may earn you titles as well(For instance if you in a lot of defending battles, you will earn a title, also stat boosts on occasions.) and put all that with the new stratagem system(which takes place of your officers having a special ability, and a lot of the special cards you used to have in the strategy part of the game, go back and play DW4E you'll find out what I am talking about, and you have a pretty solid addition to the series, like someone said, it is slow, but overall it is still fun and a very good game. 4/5 here. Really good, especially if you are a fan of both ROTK, and the DW series, but yeah a tad slow(pending on the role you play) for a DW game.
Controls: For the most part solid, fast and responsive, the only thing I do not care for is doing stratagems, but even that is not enough for me to truly knock it. Overall, not bad at all. 5/5
Problems/Bugs: I have encountered on occasions slow downs, mainly when trying to buy items from the shps, in addition, I have suffered a few crashes.
Overall Score: 3+4=7+5=12 when divided by 3 = 4 so a 4/5 game
0= Take it out and burn it
1= poor effort
2= Average
3= Good
4= Very Good
5= Classic | video-games_xbox |
If Half Life 2 was a car, it would be a high-end Mercedes. Remember when "Doom" first came out? (For younger folks, it may be the first time you saw "Halo") Those were games that changed the status quo, and set the bar high for every game that came afterwards. I have over 25 Xbox games, and even more for the PC. After playing this for a few days, I'm motivated to tell how impressed I am with Half Life 2.
This is a game that will stun you with it's attention to detail. The level design, textures, sounds, physics, and interaction are on a level of perfection that I've never experienced in any game on any platform. There are times when you will get yourself killed on purpose, just so you can play through a part of the game again... recruiting friends and family to watch in amazement. Here are just a few examples:
1. Playing catch using barrels with a giant robotic "Dog" and the gravity gun.
2. Ordering your killer spider/crabs (think of the bugs in "Starship Troopers") to attack the enemy... then watching while they shred the bad guys.
3. Firing rockets at the "War of the Worlds"-ish walking spider bots, then watching them sway from the concussion.
4. Moving crates and/or anything metal from a giant crane/lift... and dropping them on the heads of bad guys. Splat!
I could easily go on an on reminiscing about the realistic rag-doll physics of nearly everything in the game: human bodies, swings, signs, gates and doors, corpses of dead creatures, and more. Everything that moves has a very realistic feel to it. It's not really a big deal as gameplay goes, but the attention to detail and realism just makes this game all the more enjoyable.
Ever played a shooter where you could see the enemy, but couldn't shoot them because your bullet wouldn't pass through a glass window, floor grate, or other object that was in the way? Grrr! In Half Life 2, if you have a clear shot, and they would take damage in the real world... you can shoot them.
The game has so many different playability features, it is difficult to remember them all. You can walk and run, jump, drive vehicles and machinery (hovercraft-ish boat, dune-buggy, shipping container crane/lift). There are times when you work alone, times when you have a single companion, and times when you have a squad of admiring troops along to help. Best of them all is when you get to command the killer bugs (mentioned above). Another nice detail: when you climb a ladder, you push a button to mount, and push it again to dis-mount... which always places you firmly on the proper surface you were climbing to (unlike many games that require a perfectly timed dismount/jump/arrow combination in order to properly move from a ladder without falling to your death or serious injury).
This game is not just a standard mission based shooter. There are plenty of challenging situations where common sense is required. Sometimes you need to drive and jump over ramps. You'll find lots of goodies stashed in sheds, trash containers, buidlings, and crates. You might need to do some climbing, walking across narrow ledges, or even using the gravity gun to lift and/or stack items to reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. This doesn't mean hours of wandering all over the place looking for keys to unlock doors like many other games. In HL2, every challenge has a logical and realistic solution. For example, you frequently encounter doorways that are protected by a electrical field. In some cases, you have to find another way around. If you are paying attention, there are times when you can use the gravity gun to push/pull/throw things around on the other side of the forcefield that might push a button, kill the power, etc... Sometimes, lobbing or rolling a grenade near the power cable would cut the energy source and open the door. It's not always the same solution, and that's what makes it fun and challenging.
I'm not 100% done with the game yet, but so far here are the cool weapons and gadgets that I've acquired:
- standard pistol
- high-powered pistol (9mm or .45?)
- machine gun
- shotgun (handy indoors for disposing of the head-crabs, zombies and other bad guys)
- energy gun (shoots electrical bursts, kinda like in Halo)
- crossbow (with scope... an instant kill, even from a distance)
- grenades (can be thrown long distances or rolled nearby)
- rocket launcher
- killer bug controller (not sure what it's called, but you squeeze it to get their attention, and throw it to tell them where to attack)
- gravity gun (can pull items toward you and/or pick things up and throw or drop them wherever you wish)
- crowbar (good for smashing items, clobbering bad guys, splintering doorways blocked by wooden planks, etc...)
There's so much more I could say about the details, the freedom to roam and go pretty-much wherever you want, and the quality of the graphics and sound. If you are at all intrigued, then get a copy of this game or rent a copy for hours of engaging fun. Thanks for reading! | video-games_xbox |
Better than last year, but comes with new problems. I wish I could say that Smackdown vs RAW 2010 (SvR) is awesome and it fulfills all my desires as a fan of Create-A-Wrestlers (CAWs) and round-robin tournament season modes. Unfortunately, THQ and Yukes made lots of improvements and then purposely crippled the game in several ways to make those improvements much more useless than they would have been if they'd just treat fans of wrestling games like any other gamer.
First, let's talk about what they did right, though.
SvR has new wrestler models that look great. The pieces in the CAW/CAS mode are all rendered in 3D, and live on the character as a dimensional object rather than being "painted on" like previous years' versions. The end effect of this is that your CAWs look as good as the included WWE superstars when in the ring. Previously, it used to be obvious which was the "real" superstar and which was the CAW in this game. That has been fixed, finally, and it's about time!
The game itself has several modes, including all the expected ones like single match, Royal Rumble, etc. It has a career mode which can use a WWE Superstar or a CAW. It has a Road to Wrestlemania mode which requires one of a small selection of WWE Superstars as your character. It has training right at the main menu and several Create modes, as well.
The Create modes are all much improved. As stated, the CAW mode is a step up from previous years, but I'm also impressed with the Create-A-Finisher mode, in which you can string together moves to make a devastating finisher for your CAWs. It's quite versatile, and you can make some really crazy finishers with it.
The Create-An-Entrance mode is also very nice this year, allowing you to do a simple entrance (just pick one from a list) or an advanced, customized entrance that lets you pick different segments from lists, string them together, control fireworks, smoke, lighting and add entrance music from the included Superstar list, or from your own collection on your XBox 360 hard drive. (Although I'm perplexed as to why they require each song to be in its own playlist on your hard drive, instead of allowing us to make one playlist that has all the music in it.) It's quite satisfying to make a CAW and have him march down to the ring with all the flash and showmanship of a real WWE Superstar.
The actual wrestling is decent, if not as arcade-like as usual. The moves seem bigger and louder, and the impact more crushing than previous versions of the game. There's still a bit of clipping with the models, though, and the AI is abysmally stupid when on lower settings. Playing on the normal difficulty level makes for an easy game, as the computer opponents don't act like real Superstars. Mostly, they just let you pound on them and string moves, with the occasional attempt to break a hold or throw a punch.
The Create-A-Logo mode is pretty cool if you have the patience to work with the XBox controller and a semi-clunky design system. It's versatile, though, and you can pretty much draw anything you want to add to your wrestler.
The Story Design mode is pretty cool. It lets you work out just about any of the standard WWE-style storylines however you want, with whichever Superstars you want. You can type in text for the cutscenes and set up matches to either watch or play. All in all, a decent attempt at adding some dimension to the game.
The online mode is, as usual, only as good as the other people playing. I don't even bother because the cheap button-mashing kids tend to dominate the online realm, and I don't have the patience for them. They don't want to put on a show or watch entrances or play it as if it's a real wrestling match with any kind of pacing--- They just rush in and start punching like mad, and it quickly degrades to a messy waste of time. It might be good if you're a button-masher, though, and I give Yukes credit for making the game work well online (finally).
The ability to download other people's CAWs is a much-welcomed addition to the game. The range of CAWs out there is pretty vast, and you can usually find excellent versions of whichever wrestler you're looking for, as well as lots of originals.
Now, here's where I get into what's so very, very WRONG with this game:
The online CAW trading, which effective for swapping CAWs, is crippled severely. The major problem is that you cannot, under ANY circumstances, edit anything you download. That means that you get a lot of CAWs with no music or wrong music in their entrances (user music won't upload or download, so you're stuck with the built in music or nothing at all) and you can't fix this on your end. It's disappointing that we have this technological marvel of a gaming platform, and we're not *allowed* to use one of the best features it offers. I understand not being able to edit downloaded wrestlers (so people don't claim your work as their own), but why not their entrances? That just makes no sense. This one major flaw almost ruins the CAW swapping feature.
The CAW mode itself has a lot of major flaws, too. The biggest one is that there are tons of parts no longer present in the game. Want to make a wrestler who wears camouflage tights? Too bad. They're not here. You can't use the Create-A-Logo mode to make them, either, as THQ is *still* censoring the ability to put any pattern over a CAW's crotch area. Any pattern you make for tights will leave a big, blank gap in the crotch, which if you ask me, looks WORSE and MORE OBVIOUS than if THQ had just let you draw a pattern there! It's incredibly stupid design, and it's about time THQ grew the hell up and let us use the CAW mode as we see fit. If some kids want to doodle naughty bits and put them on tights, so what? The vast majority of us are going to use to to put legitimate logos on the pants or tights.
Of course, they also included the "feature" where you have to play through all the game modes and do specific things to unlock all the characters, parts, and modes. It's stupid, if you ask me, because so many of us don't care about the WWE Superstars, and just want a good wrestling game where we can use our CAWs. Unfortunately, SvR is always biased against CAWs, and this year's no different. Your CAW's skills are all set very low to start, and you have to build them up, sort of like in an RPG. I can't think of any other sports title that does this; Most of them let you train, or assign points as you see fit. In the Fire Pro series, you could make anyone you liked, and assign points however you wished. Unfortunately, the WWE license is what screws up Yukes' efforts for us CAW players.
Another problem is that the Story Design mode is crippled by the fact that you can only have a total of ten appearances by CAWs in it, throughout an entire story. That's not ten different CAWs, but ten *appearances* by CAWs, which basically means your CAWs are only showing up in cameo roles. Forget about making a wrestling event starring only CAWs, because you can't do it-- Halfway through the event you run out of slots and you can only choose from the built-in Superstars.
The Career Mode is fundamentally damaged, as well. There's no round-robin, ever-running tournament like in the excellent Fire Pro series. Instead, you're given a selection of three or four guys to fight, and you have to build up "points" by winning to be able to fight the top contender or champ. Your opponents don't seem to be selected from your CAWs, either, but from the built-in WWE Superstars, so if you play as a CAW, you'll be the only one in the entire career mode, most likely. There are no cutscenes in this mode, and it's pretty much just a shorter, cheaper version of Road to Wrestlemania without the voice-overs or focus on Wrestlemania.
The biggest, most unforgivable problem with the game, though, is the way it handles saved games, CAW files, and other data. Unlike *every other XBox 360 game made* you can't use the XBox dashboard to copy or move your WWE SvR 2010 files from one storage unit to another. This means that, unless you get the hard drive migration tool, you can't switch hard drives on your XBox 360 and expect to keep all your own CAWs and saved games. The game flat-out REFUSES to allow you to copy anything without deleting your CAWs. The best you can do, it seems, is to copy the base settings and saved game without any CAWs, which means, essentially, that THQ and Yukes expect you to throw away hours of work because they don't want you to have control over the game's files.
Attempts to copy or move CAWs from one storage device to another from within the game meet with similar problems. The game won't let you do it. CAWs, it seems, are only allowed to exist on the hard drive they were initially saved to.
It's pathetic that THQ crippled the game so much, and made it nearly impossible for someone to migrate to a bigger hard drive without loss of data. I had to purchase a separate drive migration tool in order to keep all my CAWs. If not for this one game, I could have used the XBox 360's built-in storage or an external device to migrate successfully. Every other game I owned, including all the downloaded titles from XBox Live Arcade, were allowed to be moved to a different storage device. It was ONLY SvR that refused to allow this feature to work.
Finally, there are some major glitches in the CAW save system. When you edit a CAW or make additional attires for him, all the data for your Created Entrance is erased and you'll have to do it all over again. I strongly suggest you don't bother making an entrance for any CAW until you're certain you're completely, totally finished editing or copying him, unless you want to go through Create-An-Entrance again.
Once again, THQ and Yukes deliver a game that is loaded with potential, and then spoil it by censoring, limiting, and restricting players. The Fire Pro series existed for years without any of these problems, and I fail to see why SvR can't duplicate that sort of CAW experience. Instead, they choose to treat their customers like we need a nanny to prevent us from doodling on crotches or letting our friends borrow and alter our CAWs. It's several levels of stupidity, and if it weren't for the decent core gameplay, it would be enough for me to give up on this series completely. I already quit once with SvR 2008, but I heard this one was better... And it is. Unfortunately, it's also still restricted and too controlled for a CAW fan.
My advice is to buy this, but don't expect miracles. If you like WWE Superstars, it's a good experience. If you don't care about WWE Superstars and want to focus on CAWs, you'll be a lot less impressed. The gameplay is good, but the personal freedom is almost non-existent once you hit all the unnecessary and artificial roadblocks and limitations they put on the Create modes. If the Fire Pro series ever really comes back and hits America with any decent force, the WWE SvR series is toast.
Three stars, mostly because it's still fun to play, even if you can't play it your way. | video-games_xbox |
What could've been ruined by what is. I've been a COD gamer since the beginning, and it's clear to me what Treyarch was attempting to do here. This could've easily been the best COD in the franchise. They designed the system to be an objective based game, hence why they call them score streaks, not kill streaks. The perks are weak, but if you find the right combo they work well together. The weapons are weak, but a couple preform as they should. The thing that breaks this game is the lag compensation, sniper/tac insert, crappy hit detection/wanted pro; The halo jumping, the imbalance of the score streaks, like a hunter killer will take you out with flak jacket on, but a loadstar will get flak hit markers; The overpowered sentry guns make emp grenades a necessity, emp is an abused tactical because you need a perk to counter, and they give 50 points per assist. The ability to have multiple tactical/lethal through scavenger. The imbalance of the weapons, a shotgun will kill in one shot, but so will a rifle in real life; So that argument is null and void, but in a game where the rifle takes 4-6 shots and a shotgun takes one it's unbalanced and overpowered. Because most of the maps are poorly designed, and small, the spawns are horrible. The matchmaking is worse than ever. If you have a 2+ k/d forget about it. Every match I get into is a 150-20 with a dozen score streaks in the air etc pub stomp. Which makes it impossible to play solo, hell even with a squad you get a 2 in there you get matched with a whole team of 2's. I said the only reason I prefer MW3 to this game is because I can dashboard all the crappy games I'm put into and not be punished. You'll never stop rage quitting so why punish people like me for their actions? Not to mention the camera angels are horrible because you'll corner check, see nothing, then as soon as you turn you're shot; Then the kill cam shows you looking right at an enemy then turning? I don't know if it's lag, or a combo of both. On the subject of angles, the head glitching is still in it. The snipers are the biggest problem because the hit box is so large they don't even need to hit you to kill you. The snipers have built in toughness = no flinching, and built in quick aim down sights. Combine that with a powerful aim assist it's almost effortless to kill with a sniper in this game. The campaign is short and unrealistic, the zombies mode is the same as the last one. Along with a bunch of annoying things that ruin the game play. The point is everything that is good about this game is drastically over taken by all the negatives. The simple fact is this game isn't fun, and that's the whole point is to have fun. I can go on, believe me, but why bother you get the point. If they had just kept the formula from black ops 1 with 60 frames per second and dedicated servers it'd be perfect. What frustrates me the most is you can tell that Treyarch gets it to a point, they have the formula they just continue to ruin it. While kill streaks are fun, and all the extra stuff. The thing that makes this game great is the battle amongst players. The most fun I have is being on the HQ and defending it against waves of enemies and trying to out play/think them to survive. Again you're not going to have fun on this game, not to mention the over complicated pick 10 system. If Activision ever decides to listen to the public we can make a great game. As for this one another squandered opportunity because of a rushed deadline, and incompetent leadership. Not to mention all the leaches in MLG/YouTube that influence the developers. Then at the reveals they are clapping seals never once raising any real questions/complaints. Bottom line don't buy this, if you want it that bad rent it for a week. Save yourself the money, not to mention the frustration. | video-games_xbox |
World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition: Combat Ready Starter Pack. World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition happens to be one of my favorite games, especially when you consider it's Free-to-play. Wait, but then why do you need this disc? Great question, you don't! You can download the full game for free on Xbox Live. In fact, I recommend trying it before you buy this. Even if you do not have Xbox Live Gold, the game will give you a free week trail to play while you are Silver status (but you can't play other multiplayer games) as long as you have Internet.
Also, search for "Starter Kit Fox Edition" on the Xbox Marketplace if you played less than 50 games, you can try a Premium Tank and 7 days of Premium Time for Free!
Quick note because of several one star reviews. This game Requires Xbox Live Gold.
The product description on Amazon is indeed a bit vague:
"Take command of the most powerful World War II-era tanks and engage in epic 15 vs. 15 battles with players from around the world in the fight for global online supremacy."
However, once you get the game you will notice three large white boxes on the front (you can even see them in the photo of the game cover).
They state; "Online Only", "Storage Required", "Xbox Live Gold Required".
There is only One mode you can play offline, which is called Proving Grounds, and it is basically an additional training mode.
Do Not open the game if you Do Not have internet, or plan to remain an Xbox Live Gold member.
You can Not easily return Any digital media, once opened, for a full refund almost anywhere.
Not DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, or CDs of any type. Please know what you are getting into. ;)
So then, what are you really getting in this Combat Ready Starter Pack? Premium Content!
Premium Panzer 38H Tier II light tank - Dominate with this heavily armored and quick firing dynamo
200,000 Silver & 1,500 Gold - Perfect for upgrading your tank and additional in-game content
30-Day Xbox Live Gold Membership
3 Days of Premium Account Access - Earn 50% more experience and Silver per battle
In my opinion the price is totally worth it. This is about $15 worth of in game Content, plus the month of Xbox live gold.
That means there is at least $20 just in digital codes in the box, so the DVD is not what you are paying for.
Please enjoy responsibly. Great job, Wargaming.net | video-games_xbox |
Can't compare to PC. Sims 3 is ridiculously addictive if you're the type of person with a God complex and/or if you loved playing with dolls as a kid.
There are some things to like about playing the Sims on console, namely that you get to play on a large TV screen (assuming you have a large TV), but the downsides of console vs. PC can't be ignored by anyone who truly loves this game.
The zoom function on console is atrocious. You simply can't get a good close look at any individual Sim or on any given item in gameplay, which I find very disappointing. The white halo surrounding the Sim you control is also really annoying.
You can't have more than six playable Sims at any given time while PC allows up to eight. Additionally, on PC, you can "kick out" any Sims you don't feel like playing anymore. It results in their just walking out of the house and not coming back, and they'll continue on as NPCs. On console, there are only two ways you can get rid of a Sim you don't want anymore. You can kill them by starving them to death or drowning them in the pool, or you can move the entire household to a new lot, leaving the unwanted Sim behind, at which point that Sim is deleted from the game entirely. I wish I had known that before I had my Sims start breeding like rabbits.
There are persistent glitches that EA unsurprisingly hasn't addressed. A major one is the family's inventory going poof several Sim weeks into gameplay. In just one game, I've lost my Sims' individual inventory and, later on, the entire contents of their refrigerator and bookcase. That's pretty frustrating when you've spent time accumulating hard-to-acquire items such as life fruit and death fish. Pro tip: Break up those items into every inventory you have at your disposal so you at least don't lose all of it at once.
The breaking point for me and why I'm planning on recreating my "heir" Sim on PC shortly is the lack of expansion packs. You can play regular Sims or Sims Pets, but you can't combine the two, and none of the other games (World Adventures, Ambitions, Generations, Nightlife, or Showtime) are available on console. It's pretty clear that this will never change. | video-games_xbox |
Decent headset, but it has its flaws. I purchased a pair of these after going through about 2 other previous headsets. The Turtle beach X41's, and the Astro A40's. The X41's had to be returned, because I was experiencing severe interference with the wireless, causing popping, loud hissing, etc. I then bought a wired pair of A40's, and loved them. However, I packed these without the case, stupid mistake, and they broke from being thrown around on the airplane. Don't get me wrong though, they are VERY durable. Now, compared to the Chimaera 5.1, the Chimaera lies right in between the two.
The wireless functionality on these work flawlessly. I have a house with a ton of wireless devices, so to hear very little white noise, or popping, was a pleasant surprise. The aesthetics are also great. They look really sleek, and seemed to have a great build quality. The sound quality through the mic was apparently very good, at least what friends via Xbox LIVE were telling me.
The cons of the headset, sadly, outweigh the pros in my opinion. I'll start the sound quality. I'm a bit of an audiophile, and since there aren't very many dedicated gaming headsets for the 360, I had to pick and choose carefully. At first, they sounded great, with decent highs, great mids, and pretty good lows/bass. However, I play a lot of Call of Duty and Battlefield, so if you play those games, you understand how many bass/low end sounds are happening in the game. For example, in Call of Duty, when holding your breath to snipe, the heartbeats make a distinct crackle in the headset. I also tried this with music, same thing. These low thumps in the bass would cause the headset to crackle when the bass got too low. This is a gaming headset, so I was disappointed to hear the crackling bass in most games I played. The earcups can also become VERY uncomfortable. The headband is also not very flexible, so people with a larger head may want to look elsewhere. The mic, at least in my own experience, wasn't sensitive enough. With the mic straight out, like in the picture, I was having to talk much louder than I wanted for my voice to be picked up. You can bend the mic, I just wasn't sure it was really meant to bend, since the material used on the mic itself is very tough to move.
Overall, I say look elsewhere for a good surround sound gaming headset. I ended up shelling out the money for another pair of Astro A40's, and I love them. They sound great, and extremely comfortable, and the mic is very flexible. They are pricy, so I'm sure there are more options out there. If you don't have your volume very loud, you may not notice some of the imperfections in the bass, but I would still recommend you try out the Astro's, or maybe purchase the Astro Mixamp, and use another quality headset of your choice.
Pros
Looks really nice
Holds a charge for quite a while
The base station looks amazing
Easily charges by placing headset on top of stand
Mic voice quality is great
Cons
Mic doesn't pick up voice well at all
VERY uncomfortable, especially during long playtimes
Bass crackles and distorts
Will not fit people who have a larger head | video-games_xbox |
Tactical + action makes the game shine. I've played just about every Star Trek game on the market (Bridge Commander, Starfleet Command series, Star Trek Armada series, Dominion Wars, Star Trek Encounters, Star Trek Tactical Assault, Klingon, DS9 the Fallen, Elite Force, etc....) and I haven't quite found one that gives me what've wanted until now. Bridge Commander + Starfleet Command were the closest. This game worked for me because it felt like I was replaying a fleet battle from the TV series- where I can enjoy the tactical elements and the spectacular 3D ship-to-ship battle graphics.
This game is at its best when it requires you to develop a strategy, such as splitting your fleet apart to tackle multiple things simultaneously, requiring you to use the tactical map and fleet controls.
E.g. I had to locate bases that were creating drones that were poisoning the sector. So I dispatch all ships to all planets to locate all the bases. Then I pair up the ships so that one pair (the battleships) goes to each station to destroy them, while the remaining pair (cruisers) seeks out and dispatches the drones. Then eventually on the final station I consolidate the entire fleet for the final assault. Keeping fleet sizes to a maximum of 4 gives the game a light-weight command and conquer flavor but yet still gives you needed control of the helm so you can execute the satisfying kills. I find myself using the tactical display alot to maintain awareness. Then i have to switch to ship view to make sure each ship is targeting the right enemy.
Here are the negatives I found:
The missions can last about 30 minutes and there are no save points in between. So if you die, you're screwed. That's not been too bad because the tactical elements let you try a different strategy the second time.
The controls appear difficult at first. It took me about an hour to get used to them. But once you've mastered the fleet controls the game takes on a far more interesting dimension than a mindless slug fest.
3-space control can get wacky, so your best bet is to target enemies and allow the computer to do most of the flying so you can just worry about firing the torpoedoes and phasers. | video-games_xbox |
A good game that definitely deserves a rental, but nothing more. Sadly, this game does not live up to its legendary name. Resident Evil 5 is definitely a fun experience, though it is nothing that hasn't been done before. Fans of the series surely have already purchased their copy by now, and won't be wasting time reading about what other people. For everyone else, here's my review.
It's not like RE5 is not a good game, because it certainly is. The combat can be satisfying, depending on which guns you have access to. The graphics are some of the best on any console. The sound is above average, and the story can be fun, even though it is very "over-the-top". The big addition to this game is a co-op partner, which either can be computer controlled or controlled by a friend (or stranger) via split-screen or over Xbox Live. Co-op play is definitely recommended, and can actually be a very fun time.
Why did the game only receive a 3 out of 5 rating? Everything I've said thus far has been positive, so what's not to like? Well, it's not technically the game, just the design choices and the history of the series, as it is a sequel (of a sequel, of a sequel...). What made the previous installments of the game so great was the horror aspect of the game. RE was the main contributor to the formation of the Survival Horror genre. The title of the genre really says it all; games about fighting to survive, while dealing with horrific and terrifying events and enemies. RE5 has kind of (maybe unintentionally) steered away from anything close to Survival Horror. While a main goal is survival, what games that involve guns don't involve survival? So that means that this game must be scary, right? Not at all. With the inclusion of a co-op partner, an African setting (mostly in broad daylight), this game is anything from scary. What the developers decided to do, to create some kind of intensity, was limit the player's movement while shooting. This was used in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4, four years ago. While it can create stressful situations in the game, it is all for the wrong reasons. It also creates other problems within the game. It would be understandable to use this form of control with a game that is scary, as seen in RE4, but this game has more creepy/weird going for it then scary. RE5 is definitely more of an action/shooter then anything, so limiting the controls just makes the game feel like an uneven mix of two genres. The game would have been much better if they stuck to one genre, but sadly they did not. Also, Capcom has "added" DLC which adds multiplayer to the game, but the game's controls make it seem awkward and essentially the 400 mp charge "$5" is for an unlock key for content that is already present on the disc.
3 out of 5 in my eyes definitely deserves a rental. The game can be fun (even more with a friend), as the game has it moments and some of the cutscenes are so outrageous they are fun to watch (although for the wrong reasons). Rent this game before you buy, it might save you $60 which you could use toward a game like Fallout 3 (hint hint). | video-games_xbox |
A great sequel. This package is a great upgrade from its previous version - lots of great warmups, games, targeted exercises, cardio, dancing, etc. You may consider some to be duds, but on the whole, it's a fun, motivating set of challenges. You *will* get a workout - I got a good indication how out of shape I've gotten, just from the warmups! The warmups include activities like jumping rope (follow the timing and feet), jogging in different cities (kind of), pumping huge balloons to pop, etc.
There is also a boot camp section, and workouts targeted to different body parts (arms, legs, abs, etc.).
The user interface is improved and easier to use, using a push button motif. Motion detection is generally good, with no deal breakers. Wish the transitions were faster, though.
Room for improvement? Some activities could be more compelling and gamey, less blocky. Who wants to punch and kick cubes? Why not something more fun, like muggers or training bots? Some other activities get repetitive as well, such as trying to keep a ball in the air, or learning new dance steps. But it's still a workout with at least some fun in it, so ... it's forgivable.
The art direction could have been more interesting. One activity has you rotating your arms to create twisters, but the direction indicators are on a blah needle gauge. Generally, the design is bright and clean, but almost sterile. Thankfully, the dance backgrounds are less bland.
I had a hard time following some of the dance moves, especially the Bollywood ones, what with arms curling and curving gracefully ... but then again I'm not well coordinated. The dance workouts can get repetitive, but then maybe it's just in the rehearsal mode.
But on the whole, still easy to recommend.
Good:
Bright, attractive colors and interface, with a push button scheme that works great.
Lots of variety. Unlock more variations of each workout or game as you go.
Definitely get a workout from these activities!
Motivational calorie counter at top right.
Meh:
Still takes a few seconds longer than I would like to transition between menus, etc.
Only one player at a time.
Some activities could have been more compelling, less repetitive.
Somewhat bland appearance in some spots. | video-games_xbox |
Good, bad, and occasionally graphic. For those who loved the GTA series, L.A. Noire has got to be a taste of something familiar. But that's not always a good thing. The characters and cars handle about as good as a drunk guy pushing an overloaded wheelbarrow over a grease covered hockey rink. Now that I've got the biggest negative out of the way, we can move onto more positive territory.
The story is pretty solid. You play Cole Phelps, a war "hero" who returns home to work his way through the ranks of the LAPD, and maybe find some absolution for things he took part in overseas. Phelps seems like a really decent human being, but as time progresses, you begin to realize he's as flawed as anyone. Actually, as I neared the end of the game I'd completely lost respect for him. His personal choices, the ones the player cannot control, are what upset me. I'd developed some level of affection for his straight-shooter type of character, but over time quickly realized that he's almost as pathetic as his crooked partner Roy.
Interrogation is a tricky aspect of this game, and I'm not sure I ever really understood how it was supposed to work. In my experience, people are either lying or telling the truth, the game adds the "doubt" option, which is really a curve ball that screws the whole thing up. Honest people will look you in the eye, and those lying or holding back won't. If you choose "Lie" instead of "Doubt" or vice versa (when they aren't looking you in the eye), you have a 50% chance of getting it right, but it's really frustrating when you choose wrong. Ideally you'd like to be able to save prior to an interrogation, so you can restart if the questioning goes wrong. Unfortunately L.A. Noire picks it's own save locations, and that never works in your favor.
The game rewards good choices with "intuition" points which can help you with interrogations or clue finding. But earning those points in sufficient quantity means engaging in side missions which you'll hear over the car radio (only when you're driving). I realize this was an attempt to make the game longer and more engaging, but it's more frustrating than anything. The side missions often entail driving or running, which as I previously mentioned, is very difficult to execute flawlessly. Moreover, the cover mechanic is dangerous. You might assume cover around a corner, and while trying to disengage cover and move to different cover, I often found my character confused about his direction. He'd often step out of cover, into fire, run in a circle and end up where he started, slightly more injured than when he started. I found that frustrating, but remotely tolerable because my desire to see the games conclusion encouraged me to press on.
For people like me who hate how the cars handle you can almost always avoid driving by making your partner drive for you. However if the mission involves a car chase, you will be forced to drive. Thankfully, if it seems like you don't have any idea what you're supposed to do in those chases, you're partner will almost certainly give you a clue by suggesting you run someone off the road, or get along side them so they can shoot out the tires.
As you scour crime scenes you will discover clues by walking around almost aimlessly. This becomes very discouraging for the player. The only way you know you've found a clue is that the controller will vibrate and you'll hear a piano key when you step over a clue. And as if it wasn't frustrating enough, the developers threw in items which will trigger the vibration which aren't clues at all. A classic example is beer bottles. I can't tell you how many random beer bottles I picked up which turned out to be nothing. I wish the developers would have just made clues obvious by having them glow like items in Bioshock, but I suppose doing so would have voided half the reason for collecting "intuition" points. The frustration aspect of this was ignorable until I got to Rancho Escondido. By that point in the game you're working in Arson, and someone torched an entire development called Rancho Escondido. I literally spent 20 minutes walking around this whole development and never found the clue I was looking for. As it turns out, there is only 1 clue in this whole place, which is almost a needle in a haystack unless you know what you're looking for. Hint, observing where your partner goes will help you find the only clue.
I'm not sure it's a flaw in the story, but it seems more often than not that people who are most likely innocent end up running from the police for almost no reason. It happens so often it's almost comical. It's like an average person engaging in a high speed pursuit because they had 1 unpaid parking ticket. Ultimately this causes you to suspect them of the greater crime, and that is not always a good thing. By the way, I love how my partner always tells me to go after them suspect, while doing nothing to aide me in the apprehension.
L.A. Noire is a great name for this game. As the name would imply, it's very dark, and doesn't hold any despicable aspect back. You will find several dead, totally naked, women in the pursuit of the Black Dalia, something which could very well be a first in mainstream gaming. You also encounter a couple seedy characters that are pedophiles and seem rather unashamed of that. I realize as a real life detective these things might seem common place, but as a civilian more or less thrown into this world, I found it unsettling, and sick. I'm somewhat torn about whether I approve of these real world issues because it's not a stretch from reality, or that I want to crawl back into my comfortable suburban life and not think about the sick underbelly of society. Because whether it's 1947 or 2011, these things do happen.
The character faces in L.A. Noire is where is where the game really shines. It's a technological achievement that should not go unnoticed. But by the same token, I feel moderately duped. Having seen how they scanned the faces, in a production trailer, I was a little disappointed at how degraded the end product looked compared to the performance. It's one of those subtle things that only those who have a keen eye will notice. But over time, it seemed as though the characters had this moving 2D image simply painted on a 3D face, maybe I just became too critical as the game progressed. And to be totally fair, they clearly didn't try to compress that data too much since the game takes up a whopping 3 DVD's (Xbox version).
By the time you reach the end of the game, you begin to realize that many of the crimes you've investigated may have resulted in you going after the wrong guy. Now whether or not the "wrong guy" was convicted is not always known, it still weighs on your conscious as if you'd personally sent an innocent man to prison. And as you come to the conclusion of each case and realize how many questions you asked incorrectly, you really begin to doubt the success of the outcome. So despite its flaws I will be revisiting L.A. Noire with a walkthrough so I can see how much I messed up when I was trusting my gut.
Is L.A. Noire a good game? Yes. Is it award worthy? Yes. Is it flawed? Yes. But all told, this has been an interesting and emotional experience. The story pulls you in, and you quickly develop feelings for certain characters, and as with real relationships, those feelings mutate over time as you get to know them better. Perhaps it's a testament to the story teller's craft that the characters are not cookie cutter. They are flawed, and despite their artificial nature, they are made human by those flaws.
Last words, buy it, but don't play it with your children. This one's not for the kiddies. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome headset. Fisrt of all this work for my ps3, my xbox 360 and my pc so this is the best deal out of here
The design of this headset is awesome, super comfortable, about the headphones is quite large and do not touch the ear to avoid any discomfort, it also isolates the outside noise and produces a more surround sound. They hold fast to the head while you stand, move, etc, but did not cause discomfort during long hours of play. Can''stretch''to adjust to size of your head. The volume control and the headphones, both have lights that make its look even better.
The sound, the best and most important: true 5.1 surround sound C, all in one headset. Unlike many market headset, the Tritton AX Pro produces a real surround sound from 5.1 C (although its not the only one) because each side of the headphones are 4 speakers making a total of 8 to reproduce the surround sound amazing quality and precision. Others in the market play emulated surround sound as each side of the headphones only have 1 speaker.
I've tried almost all my games and a good sound system enhances the gaming experience a lot, is more immersed, you can hear the smallest detail and indeed in some games (mw2 for example) there are sounds that with the speakers of my TV (Sony bravia) were invisible because they were as overshadowed by the sound of bullets, explosions, etc. The quality of the mic seems to be on par with the sound of the headphones reproduce because without me saying anything, many people have asked me if I had to change the headset because I hear more crisp. It is the first headset that I buy with these characteristics and will not be the last, back to the sound of my HDTV speakers is like playing back on my old TV. I made the comparison with several games yesterday and the difference is great, plus a very detailed Important: you have a 5.1 C surround sound systemn in one headset, with great mic quality and absolutely nobody is going to f*****g tell you that ''please turn down the volume'' not matter what time it is, which I think is an advantage over a home teather for a gamer.
As many like shooters (mw2 for example), I'll detail a little of my experience so far: is amazing how you can hear every detail in this game. Can tell where the shots are, the steps, if the person is above or below you, back or front, in the side, location of a harrier, chopper, whatever. The shoot, explosions, the quality difference is highly significant. last night playing S & D and suddenly heard a step behind me, when I turn around it was a guy settling into a corner and what surprised me most was the distance where he was and with the precision I could tell where they came from those steps.
Conclucion: highly recommend this headset(or any with similar characteristics) if you're a gamer, its not much expensive and worth every bucks, the gaming experience go up to another level. and as for shooters, the precision that gives this headset improves your game a lot, my K / D ratio on MW2 increased from 1.24 to 1.37 in about 2 weeks thanks to the precision that gives me this headset (i'm prestige 8).
Note: This is the 2010 model, unlike 2009 (or last), this brings a flexible MIC that you can move and adjust as you want, the old one was solid plastic. its just bring 1 power adapter that comes with 2 outputs, 1 for the audio controller (the box) and 1 for the volume control, The old one had 2 adapters to connect individually. | video-games_xbox |
Game kept crashing, but the problem was xbox, not game. I wrote a review giving this game two stars a while back since the game kept crashing on me and loaded very slowly. Otherwise I think this game would have won the prize for best RPG or one ot the best games period ever produced. Obviously I was upset. I had similar problems, but with only certain games, like ghost recon (bummer).
Someone recommended getting an xbox with a different kind of DVD drive (not a Thompson). The problem was solved. I have played all my games through from start to end without any problems. (Now I am a happy gamer).
Back to this game:
Pros: 1. If you like Marrowind, and it is hard not to, you will like this game more. A self contained game (you don't need the original Marrowind to play this game) where they take the game Marrowind and throw in two more great inter-related games (Bloodmoon and Tribunal), which basically makes your old Marrowind game that you may have come to love 3 times longer and much better.
2. Better sound effects: especially with the Hungers (they really growl now and add more special effects)
3. Whenever you want, you can switch between games, making the 3 games one great big game. Better to wait, starting with the original Marrowind game until you have a strong player with high stats and weapons.
4. You can keep your old Marrowind character saved on xbox and use it in the "game of the year edition". I really think though it is cleaner to start a new character using the new game.
5. For the price, this is the best new game, in my opinion, on the market today- period.
Cons:
1. No major cons, but it cracks me up when the writing of what people say is completely different from what is actually spoken. For example, you just saved the world, and someone's life, and the writing says something like, "Thanks for being a great hero and for everything we all owe you our lives...", but the voice says, "Annoying Outlander".
2. No other cons
Great game that needs a good xbox console to be appreciated. | video-games_xbox |
Best Argument Against Digital Copies of Games. This game is a perfect argument against buying games on-demand through X-Box Live. At least then I could have sold it.
Regardless, even on the easy setting this game is hard, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However when a game's difficulty comes, not from challenging puzzles, but by loose, janky, controls and a camera that decides to hide your scene behind a wall just in time to hear yourself die, it's a bit much.
And die you will. With save points being few and far between, your screen will turn red while you are looking at the side of a barn instead of seeing the horde of undead you are trying to evade. And just like that, you get to relive the last hour of your life all over again.
In addition to controller-smashing character control and counter-intuitive camera placement, the story feels like an afterthought. It's almost as if the backgrounds, settings, NPCs, enemies, lighting, etc, (all of which look amazing) were developed when someone said "hey, maybe we should make up some kind of story to go with it." What story there is, from collecting jars of green "power-up" goo to ghostly nurses in haunted hospitals, is a tired, mashup of survival horror genre cliche's. The sense of Silent Hill 2 Deja-vu isn't a good thing here, it just makes you want to stop playing The Evil Within and go play the original SH2 game on PS2.
Then there is the voice acting. The main character is just terrible. Line delivery is dead-pan and would almost be funny if it weren't such an unintentional, tragic caricature of itself. The surrounding NPCs aren't really worth mentioning except to say if they hired the janitorial staff to read the lines, well... for custodial engineers, they did a great job as voice actors.
The one bright spot is the visuals, they look great. Still, you would expect nice eye-candy if a game taking advantage of next-gen console horsepower. Nevertheless, what is there looks very good and does evoke a palpable sense of creepiness. But again without the gameplay and controls to keep the player immersed in what thin bit of story there is, it feels frustratingly wasted. But worth giving it two stars instead of one.
The bottom line is: if you are a die-hard survival-horror fan it is MAYBE worth a rental. If you must buy it, please, please do yourself a favor and purchase a physical copy so you can sell it should your experience fail to meet-or-exceed your expectations. | video-games_xbox |
Grand Theft Auto: WWII France. The French Resistance is one of those shadowy organizations that poked its head out for one impressive run during the darkest days of Nazi occupied france. And while the success rate of Sean, our intrepid hero, is probably 10000% above where his real life counterpart made it, the experience is still impressive. The Sabotuer follows Sean, an Irish race car driver trapped in Paris and is sburban enclaves just after the invasion, and reeling from the murder of his best friend at the hands of a Nazi "scientist."
Graphics are fairly standard, up to snuff without any glorious trailblazing. The "Noir" color scheme, soft muted grays against with only the blood red nazi banenrs and arm bands stand out, is a pretty rejoinder that serves to spice things up.
Audio is also spot on, and the accents are done well without being so thick you need a translation on the translation. I do wish there were more people to talk to, as even canned conversations are preferable to a personal army of mutes.
Gameplay is surpisingly hit and miss. The immediate reminder is rather like infamous, clambering over structures to reach targets of opportunity. A collection of weapons and vehicles, as well as abilities improvements based on in game actions round things out nicely, but feel rather slapdash. The exchange system is a bit haphazard as well, as theres little in the way of loot, and thoguh they try to include snippets on what you collect, you can't bring yourself to care much, since its easier to bomb things. And bomb things you do. You set charges, and explosives, and rig booby traps, and plant munitions, and a few other analogys for slap a block of dynamite and light it with your lighter. And while it manages to hold its charm for a whiel, its eventually as repetitive as the sun rising in the east. Combats a decent mix of shooter and hand to hand, which is actually effective enough to justify, rather than feeling vestigial after laying hands on some guns.
On the downside, there are bugs. Lots of bugs. Bugs on top of bugs. Clipping issues, teleporting enemies, total failures of sound, and spotting problems, and flying cars were all spotted in multiple numbers within the first two hours of play. And some of the characters are ludicrious to the point that you think they're "special" rather than evil. The kind of monologue where you seem to be mudering a baby with one hand while devouring a live puppy with the other are nice for Bond villians, but should've been toned down to reality like levels. And their DLC seems to be reaching for the bottom of the barrel, as its advertisement seemed apropo to some areas of Las Vegas, but not being 13 anymore, I didn't feel compelled to shell out extra dollars for a "nudity" option.
For a swan song, the Sabotuer is okay. Not great, but definitely not a failure. Too much repitition of the "free gameplay" is balanced by some entertaining missions and dialogue. While the bugs are frequent enough to garner some serious stink, this latest nazi shoot is still worth a look. | video-games_xbox |
almost a winner! good and bad points. I'm a big Karaoke Revolution, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero fan. Lips is a pretty good first try. The songs are pretty good but the selection could be a little bigger. Also, some of the songs are really nice to listen to, but they're hard to sing in that a lot of the songs have choppy, quick phrasing. Almost feels like you're rapping to some of the songs instead of doing melody.
I wish they copied the above games more in terms of singing. I'll use karaoke Revolution as an example. As you sing, it's very easy to see the words as well as what pitch you're singing at because they have an easy to see arrow and if you notice that you need to sing higher or lower you can adjust. This is all while still being easy to see the words to the songs.
But on Lips, the words are totally separate from the pitch bar. So if you follow the words, it's hard to see the pitch bar unless you have fabulous peripheral vision. And if you follow the pitch bar, you better know the words beforehand. Plus, you see the glowing light of what pitch you're at but it's not as easy to follow as the arrow you see in Karaoke Revolution or Rock Band or Guitar Hero.
They make up for this fault by taking away all of the game aspect. there's no chance to fail. There's no difficulty level to choose. There's no computer audience to boo. So it feels like a karaoke machine rather than a game. But you don't get that sense of accomplishment the other games give where you feel like you match that pitch bar and feel like a singer.
They should also give you options of how the text and pitch bar scroll like in the other games. The best scrolling is Karaoke Revolution and Rock Band. Pretty each to read the text and pitch bar.
Guitar Hero/Band Hero is bad at scrolling text. But it offers a static mode that is really good too. Lips is like a combination of the two but it's not as good as either mode individually.
I'll be honest, I bought it for the wireless mics, not the game. The mics are really cool. They have glowing lights that change color. And the colors sync up to the music. the setup for the mics is much harder than it should be. trust me, you won't get it the first time or rather, you won't be sure you got it or not until you start the game. there's very little visual indication that it's been properly set up. And it's hard to turn off the controllers too. Because the same action (hold down the button on the bottom of the mic) does 3 different things. You need to do it twice to setup the mic. but you also do it to turn off the mic. so sometimes, you want to turn it off and then you accidentally you put it in pairing mode. when I thought the mic was off, it was on.
in terms of the sound, I liked my mics for Karaoke Revolution more even though they were wired. the sound was just more natural. the sound coming out of these wireless mics seemed a little artificial. almost a tinny quality. and they were not as good at filtering noise.
also, you can use the mics as instruments by shaking them to simulate various instruments like tamborine, etc. but again, there was a lag to when you shook the mic to when it played the sound so if you shake according to the music, it'll sound really off sync with the music.
i love the feature of how you can join a song just by shaking the mic. and the tilt features of the mic are gimmicky but is hilarious in a group situation when both singers raise up the mic in tandem.
Also, there seemed to be a delay between when you sing into the mic and when it comes out the game. but after playing around with the game, I got a downloaded update to the game from MS and it included a cool sync tool. and it's by far the easy calibration tool I've ever used for a music game. You just put up the microphone to the TV speaker while it's running and after a few seconds, it calculates the delay. | video-games_xbox |
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