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A Work in Progress. I was hesitant to buy/invest in Lego Dimensions, because of the idea of it, but the Doctor Who level pack convinced me to buy the Xbox 360 starter pack, the Doctor Who packs, and couple of the fun and team packs. So, as the headline of my review says, "work in progress". Lego Dimensions is now and probably will be, for a long time anyway, a work in progress. That's actually kind of the whole concept of the product. So, part of why I say this, here's an example. The red bricks that get you extras. I only have 1 Level pack so far, and that's the Doctow Who. So, I have the default Story levels, the default Adventure Worlds (DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, and Lego the Movie), plus the Doctor Who, Jurassic Park, and Back to the Future (only the level w/ Doc brown so far). So, from that, I think there are maybe 4 or 5 red bricks available. So, for fans of other Lego video games who were looks to 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, 10x, AND Attract Studs, well of those, only 2x is available as a red brick extra so far. But the toy releases are only up through Wave 2 with waves 3 and 4 on their way, so work in progress. Also, doesn't seem like that many adventure worlds, but only 4 Level packs from Wave 1 and 2. More level packs are coming, as far as I know, with waves 3 and 4, so again, work in progress. I am not criticizing that fact, only sharing so others know what they're in for. Another thing to be aware of is that while you can hire some characters for 30 seconds as a time when you need them for a specific action, you cannot purchase any characters in game. Your purchase of characters is your purchase of the physical toy packs for Lego Dimensions. That said, the last thing I want to make many of is this: while you definitely will want to collect a lot of the packs if you want to get to 100% eventually, this is not necessarily a "gotta collect 'em all" scenario! For example, you need a character with lasers that melt gold objects. Well, your 1st thought might be to buy the Cyborg or Superman toy packs. Well, several of the vehicles can be upgraded for things like lasers, towing, flying, etc.... So, I encourage you to get the starter pack, buy a couple of the packs for fun, and just play and figure out what you can do with what you have! I know I definitely want more of the packs BUT like many, I am on a budget, and there's no way I'll buy all the packs (if you do, where the heck do you put them all?). Anyway, the game is in a work in progress! Most important about this is if you expect to buy the starter pack and be at 100% completion in a week or something, probably not possible, just not that type video game product. I think some of the toys needed aren't even shipping yet, like the Portal 2 girl! The 1 other comment I'd like to make is that unlike other lego video games, the guides available are just different this time around! With most other Lego games, Prima games has produced a guide with maps and such. The only "complete" guide book I've found so far is text only and doesn't have complete rundowns of the levels. For that, you'll likely need to find some "video game bloggers" on the internet to help you! The story is really fun, in this game, though on Xbox 360, I ran into some technical issues in the game (BTTF story level where Wyldstyle can't complete her jump, for example, to get the keystone), but due to the nature of this game, you can find workarounds like using the TARDIS or other flying vehicle to fly up to the keystone. If LEGO reads these reviews, I'd like to see Stargate as part of Lego dimensions, Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars. Maybe these aren't possible. Also, I'd like to see the ability for customer character creations like in other LEGO video games. I mean, how cool would it be if we could make our own 14th Doctor Who character, and, wow, if we could design our own TARDIS interior.... sorry, just geeking out a bit there, but that's what the game is all about! Geeking out on your favorite franchise! Oh, never happen I know, but Walking Dead and Bill & Ted adventure packs, just sayin'! Just imagine the Doctor riding in Bill & ted's phone booth or Bill & Ted in the TARDIS!!!! | video-games_xbox |
Worth Every Penny. 343 Studios have done a tremendous job with Halo 4: it is a sequel worthy of its predecessors and I've been enjoying it very much. Those of you who have followed the saga of The Master Chief will find a very interesting reveal of many of the things you'd been wondering: about Cortana, the Forerunners, and much more. I won't spoil the story for you, but as you can see in the commercials and trailers we also get a new race to battle, with some very clever twists designed to make a veteran player have to think on their feet once more. With a new race are a whole new class of weapons and with the Single Player Campaign I found myself reminded of some of the best feelings of my favorite FPS games, stretching all the way back to Doom, Quake, and Half-Life. One interesting note: the little 'Grunts' no longer speak English: like the other races of The Covenant they speak in their own dialect. Much as I enjoyed the cute quips of "More! Enemy!" and "Bad Cyborg!", this change does bring the story together a little more consistently to me.
If there's one drastic difference in Halo 4, it's that there are several interactive cutscenes. These aren't quick-time events: they're more like those moments in the Call of Duty games where something dramatic happens and you are just watching through The Master Chief's eyes. The only downside to this is you spend your time on the edge of your seat hoping you'll know when to grab the controls again. There are melee kills that pop the camera to an over-the-shoulder view and then there are a couple of moments where you interact with switches and the camera changes to a short cutscene of The Master Chief flipping the switch/opening the door/etc. There is also a sprint mechanic that takes a bit of getting used to: click down to sprint, but take your thumb off the stick and let it pop upright again to be able to re-shoulder your weapon.
The maps we are introduced to in the Single-Player Campaign look like they'd be fantastic in Multiplayer: I haven't dived into the Multiplayer yet but I will say that there are plenty of areas for hiding, taking the high ground, or mixing it up with a bit of both. We also have armor enhancements beyond the ones introduced in Halo: Reach. For example, The Master Chief can cloak. He can produce an energy shield, but it's not for having instant invulnerability: you'll find yourself using it most in times when you're pinned down and need to get to cover to recharge. The use of these armor-driven powers is on a cooldown timer that's more reasonable than the all-or-none method introduced in Halo 2: if you need to re-engage the power before it's fully charged, you get what charge is built up--like Crysis.
I bought the collector's edition. It comes with the three DLC add-ons, access to a streaming version of the Forward Unto Dawn video series (but only through Halo Waypoint), and "eyes-only" UNSC mission briefs. We have a blueprint (that I won't spoil for you), a notebook similar to the "Dr. Halsey's journal" that was included in the limited edition of Halo: Reach (only much smaller), and all of it packed in a foldover game case. I was really pleased that the DLC was more of a quick unlock than it was a long download--I know there's some controversy over on-disc DLC, but I guess in this case, not having to sit and wait (or re-download it if I have to replace my XBox 360) makes it a bit more convenient.
If you've enjoyed the rest of the Halo series, I hope you enjoy Halo 4 as much as I have. I'm sad to see Bungie step away, but I'm also impressed with 343's work on this worthy sequel. | video-games_xbox |
Too many restrictions. This game includes a feature called the "Online Pass". As far as I've been able to learn, this is a program to curb used game sales. One "Online Pass" is included in every game purchased new. For the player that buys the game used and wants to play online, they have to buy a $10 (approximate) "Online Pass" from EA.
I'm a mom that games. I have two teen boys that game. The "Online Pass" is not just a problem for those buying a game used. I purchased Need for Speed Hot Pursuit NEW! Yet only one out of the three gamers in my household can play this game online. I would have to pay an additional $20 (approximately) in order for all of us to play.
Not only are there restrictions with the "Online Pass". There are restrictions with the DLC. Normally DLC is tied to the gamertag and the console it's purchased on. Not so with NFS. DLC can only be played on the console it was purchased on. The gamertag the DLC was purchased through will not be able to access the DLC on any other console.
There is also the issue of "incompatible versions" during online play. Most other online players online will be using version 1.1. Apparently there is a restriction on version updates as well, as you can only update the console that you entered the code for the "Online Pass"??? What if a gamer wants to take the game to a friends house?
There is no local split screen "multiplayer".
There are no options for more than one saved game per gamertag/ID. So sharing a Gamertag/ID is not an option.
That being said, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit "is" a great game. However these restrictions make the game unplayable in some common situations and very well may be the games undoing.
The multi-gamer household is not uncommon. Along with multi-gamer households comes multi-console households. Publishers should take these issues into consideration. Then again..... Maybe they have. As most of these issues can be fixed by paying a fee/buying more DLC. | video-games_xbox |
Don't you love finding $20 games that can return so much FUN. I really enjoyed this game even though it has it's quirks and it's shorter than many. While it doesn't have the addictive nature of EDF 2017 which I played for over a year and finished at 100% (twice) and still enjoy going back to with it's cheesy graphics and Starship Troopers dialogue, this game has very inventive weapons IMO and in fact you may need to fart around spending time just getting used to all the Drone weapons which are quite cool once you get the hang of it.
It's never so hard that you want to give up and rarely do they leave you stuck in an area where you cannot replenish your ammo but you must keep your eyes out for where they leave advanced weapons as you don't want to suddenly be battling a Tank or a Sniper and no advanced weapons to use.
The more you make yourself prone the more accurate the hits on the enemy but beware many of them are wearing body armor including helmets with added protection and damn it can take a helluva lot of shots to take them down at times.
One quirk I noticed that's troubling is the dang Sniper Rifles and I was an expert marksman that went through Guerilla warfare training for Vietnam and in this game you give the enemy a head shot with a high powered Sniper Rifle and how the hell they survive doesn't make sense - Head Shots from an automatic at distance with armor protected helmet yes perhaps, but not a high powered sniper rifle. Don't expect the sniper rifles to work anything like those in Halo 3 where headshots are 100% kills.
There's one level where your dropped alone in the hills to use the sniper and damn if most will survive the headshots - always prep for the follow-up shot. Another quirk is the AI of your squads - sometimes your surrounded by them supposedly fighting with you and they are firing like hell at the enemy and it seems they aren't hitting anyone at times and your doing it all and it gets you cussing at squad because they seemingly cannot hit anyone thats directly in the line of fire of four of your soldiers and makes you think are you guys friggin BLIND!
The vehicles do not have the terrific fluidity of a Halo 3 so it can be frustrating at times with the Tanks and often I'll jump out of the tank and use the Rocket Launcher with auto aiming and it kicks butt as long as you don't expose yourself in the open for too long. That rocket launcher and mini helicopter missile firing drone are the MVP weapons as are some of the drones once you get used to them.
Despite the quirks I enjoyed it very much and it has good replay as you are in control of your battle plan tactics (though it won't let you leave a battle) you decide the tactics and no one else on each level.
Hell - great fun for $20 and the storyline is very appropriate for the times we're in today. Just like EDF 2017 many love it and others don't but for $20 no big loss as it still has resale value with next to nothing lost. Enjoy!
EDF EDF EDF!!!;) | video-games_xbox |
Solid, rare fighting game with few disappointments. Being a rare game, this one is sure to cost a bundle, but DO NOT SPEND MUCH MORE THAN $40.00 ON THIS GAME!!! I enjoy this game's 56 characters and it's challenging gameplay, but I can't see paying $60.00+ for a port of a dreamcast game, nno matter how rare it may be (I got it for $24.95 at my local used gaming vendor).
First off, if your'e a street fighter or marvel comics fan, this game should pretty much fulfill all your wildest marvel on capcom fantasies. I.E: Juggernaut, Zangief & The Incredible Hulk all on the same team!!! With over 56 such fighters, your character needs are sure to be quencehed.
Another plus: Nearly all of the characters(save for goofy characters like say, Amingo, a giant cactus-man)are pretty well-balanced, so you're covered in that area. Also, as I said before, the game is quite challenging, even on some of the lower difficulty settings (gamers new to the fighting genre need not apply!).
The replayability is excellent, as it can take months to unlock the missing characters, plus an alternate color and a gallery picture for each character.
My only regrets:
No one can hide the absolutely TERRIBLE soundtrack in this game. No matter what any other reviewer may say, I can guarantee that you will NOT enjoy the music of this game, with its repetitive jazz and boring vocals.
In fact, one of the reasons I bought this game was to hear all my favorite street fighter melodies, (such as Guile, Ryu, and M. Bison's themes) but I was extremely dissapointed to find none of them here. What were the creators thinking? This was one of the most immemorable soundtracks of any video game ever!!!
Now that that's past us, let's finally move on to the graphics.
You will probably hear that this game has crummy graphics, it's true, but it seems to fit the teme of this game; the marvel characters are sort of cell-shaded, (Windwaker and XIII have this look) creating a true comic-book feel for those characters, and I'm used to the street fighter characters not having the best graphics either, so I'm alright with that.
Aside from those, the backgrounds are well done, considering they were made in 2000.
Ultimately, it's up to you whether or not you want to make such an expensive commitment to this game. I would recommend this game to anyone who considers themself an intermediate fighting game player, or a hardcore street fighter & Marvel fan. | video-games_xbox |
A Serious Letdown (Let Me Explain. This was my most anticipated game for 2014 since it was announced back at E3 2013. I was excited seeing Bungie (The creators of Halo) develop a new game with such high standards; a 500 Million dollar budget, over 100 awards from E3 and wonderful gameplay footage showing snippets of the online cooperative play and the story. However, something obviously went very wrong with this game between E3 2013 and the day it was released. I wish to express my disappointment and explain why the game is such a let down. There are good things about this game and I will point them out, but I see more bad than good overall.
Where's The Story?
Looking back at those few Story snippets from the E3 Trailer back in 2013, those are completely ripped from the game. The clip that shows a Warlock Guardian speaking to the Awoken Hunter is no longer there. In fact, that Awoken character is not even in the game at all. Instead, what I ended up experience with the story missions was having my Ghost grab information from a computer while I defend him from hordes of enemies. If it wasn't that, I had to kill a lot of aliens from one of the three factions. To make it worse, there's little to no detail as to why you are on that mission in the first place. The only details you get is when you're in the loading screen, waiting for the mission to begin. I was not emotionally motivated or interested because the details were so vague, not to mention the missions were highly repetitive to begin with.
Who Are They?
There are other missions you do called Strikes are not much better. It is more fun to team up with other friends to take down a boss, but again, the details are vague here as well. When the missions loads, the person updating you on the mission talks about the boss you fight at the end of the Strike. All you are usually told is their name and why they should be killed. There's no character development around these bosses/villains whatsoever. They are not given any personality or backstory of any kind. This even applies to the three alien factions you fight in the game; The Hive, The Fallen and The Cabal. In fact, all of the details about the races and the characters are mostly found in the Grimoire on Bungie.net but those details are not in the game itself. This shows me that there was obviously a lot of detail created around every character and faction in this game, but for some reason, none of it is in the game. If you play Destiny and have a Bungie account, you can go look at the Grimoire if you'd like.
What Freedom?
The game is surprisingly restrictive when it comes to the open world, especially since the game had a $500 Million dollar budget. The open maps are beautiful with their skyboxes and graphics but the exploration is repetitive and disappointing. Why? Usually, with every planet you explore, there's only ONE place you can go to on that planet. Other places are sometimes locked with certain missions like The Black Garden on Mars. Also, you notice when you highlight a planet to travel to, the location on that planet is also shown. For example, when you highlight Earth, it says "Old Russia, Earth". That's because Old Russia is the ONLY PLACE you can go to on Earth. You can't go anywhere else on the entire planet. When you do explore Old Russia, you can't go to those mountains you see in the distance and you can't explore the map in any way you wish. If you wish to go to a different part of the map, you have to go down a predetermined road that the game allows you to travel. Either the buildings around you are too high or that hill is too steep or the game says, "Turn back!" when you try to go another way and gives you countdown to your death. This makes exploration repetitive, as you're seeing the same things all the time when you travel around the "open map". This also means you won't have anything new to explore. You won't have new areas to look at or new paths to choose. It quickly becomes boring.
The Loot Slot Machine
Getting loot in this game is nowhere as exciting as I imagined. When I got loot in any other game I played that had such a thing, it was from specific places or beating hard level, dungeons, bosses, etc. However, in Destiny, loot is completely random. There have been patches to improve this, especially with the Cryptarch which is much appreciated, but there's is NO PROMISE for loot, even when you defeat a boss in a strike or do the best on your team in The Crucible. There have been times when I am #1 on the team and EVERYONE ELSE gets a reward except me, even the people on the bottom of the team who performed the worst. The only strikes where you get loot more often are the Nightfall strikes and the Strike Playlist you unlock when you get close to 20 or when you reach 20. Even than, if you do the best out of everyone else, there is no promise you will get a reward or even get something better. This causes frustration and makes it a lot less exciting to play the missions to try and get better loot. It feels like you're betting on something more than working hard for a reward you know you'll be getting.
The Good Things
Now that I've talked about all the bad things about the game, I will finish this long wall-o-text review by talking about the good things. The Crucible (PvP) is fun to play, especially with friends. Earning marks and reputation for The Crucible is more fun than The Vanguard due to the competitiveness and how close the matches can be sometimes. It keeps you on your toes, gives you a good challenge and can be a lot of fun. Most of the time, the matches are rather close, by only 300 points sometimes which is only 3 kills. The loot in The Crucible is still as random as any other part of the game sadly. The voice acting is also great, especially with The Queen and The Speaker. Your Guardian doesn't speak much sadly and can be alright. You Ghost (Peter Dinklage, as I'm a Game of Thrones fan) can be pretty painful in his voice acting sometimes.
My Summary
The game is very underwhelming to me. There is so much more potential and I think everyone saw so much potential in this game, but for me, its delivery made it one of the most disappointing games I ever bought. Honestly, I might sell this game, but there are small things that make me come back to it like playing with friends, getting that set or armor I want from The Vanguard and competing in The Crucible. There are small things that make this game fun but it isn't enough to make me say the game is good. I don't give the game one or two stars, despite all the negative things I said, because those small good things are enough to say the game is average. I can say I like certain aspects of the game but not the game as a whole. Sadly, it's not one of those games to me. At the end of the day, I kindly give this game 3/5 stars, but I will remember this game by wondering what it could have been rather than what it already is. | video-games_xbox |
Good game, but too many problems with it. 1) Go EA for making a game that is not complete w/o purchasing add-ons. You can't even get all the achievemnts w/o purchasing add-ons. I personally don't know how MS allowed that, but. . .
2) Graphics are ok, but I am also a person that would rather have gameplay over graphics, so they didn't bother me. I still thought they were good.
3) Way, way, way too many audio glitches on my end.
4) Sure, dialog is great, but there needs to be a limit. As a preface, I am a neurotic completionist, hence my achievement complaint, so I am not your average lets just get this over with thumb twitcher looking for my next adrenaline fix as another reviewer wrote. Here is where I will pre-defend myself against the RPG freaks. It seems like too many "hardcore" RPG'rs get off on saying I spend X number of hours playing this game. Another is, sure it may not be great, but think about dollars per game time, and it is worth it. I do not count tons of 10 min conversations as game time. Also, I do love character delevolpment and background story, but this game takes it way too far. Also, when you push a button to get to the next sentence, sometimes it takes you to the next sentence, and sometimes the entire story ends. See point 8) for more on the dialog complaint.
5) Tactics. The tactics are fine for people that don't want to micro-manage and a good idea, BUT I all too often found the basic AI running the characters to be way too flawed. Too often, my guys would just run off the screen into big fights, so throttle them back right. Then they will just stand there and let people hit them. Seriously, no matter what the setting, if one guy comes in between your 3 non-active characters and starts hitting them, they should hit them back. They would also just watch their buddies get beat on while they are in melee range. I found ranged to be the best usually and default to be about worthless, as well as "agressive" I think it was.
5b) I did have this same complaint with mass effect about the AI being generally stupid. I enjoyed it much more though. Although the expansion was a total rip off.
6) Moving around. This was atrocious! On games like this, I should be able to "warp" or whatever to any place that I have been at anytime that I am not fighting. But no, there are many times that you have to walk and walk and walk, only to wait for a map load, so you can walk and walk and walk to the far end of the new map to the point where you can finally "fast move." Again, here is a great example where the diehards like it b/c "It took me X hours to beat." Keep in mind, once you get to a destination, it may take you another walking across a map, loading a new map and walking across another before you get where you want. I remember one time it took me about 15 minutes just to get to a place that I had already been to talk to a person that I had already talked to just to do a side quest.
7) Active quest. If I set a quest as active, it should always tell me where to go if my character knows the location. I may not remember where jonas was, but it will only tell me where he is if I am in the same "suburb" of a town that he is in. Again, if I (my character) knows that he is in place X, then give me an arrow leading me to place X. I don't actually want to memorize 20 hours of dialog just to complete a side quest.
8) Replayability. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. I already know the general storyline, so most of it I may not want to listen too, but it may still take me a minute just to skip through the story. It took me about 14 hours on the replay, and I bet at least 10 of that was story. I am serious about that too. | video-games_xbox |
A must-have for XBox 360 Gamers. If you've got an XBox 360, you really need to get your hand on one or two wireless controllers. These controllers are GREAT for keeping your gaming area free of clutter. To start with, the controller is much smaller than the standard XBox controller was.
For control items, you start with the standard blue X, yellow Y, red B and green A buttons. There are two thumbsticks, one on the upper left and one in the center right. There is also a directional (d-pad) in the lower left.
Next, you have a pair of shoulder buttons at the "top" of the unit, up above the other buttons. You also have a pair of triggers below those shoulder buttons.
Finally, you have a center X button that can be used to turn the console on and off, plus a "start" and "back" tiny white buttons on either side of it.
The unit has a rechargeable battery unit inside it, the size of two AA batteries. You have to buy a recharger set SEPARATELY that lets you charge up while you play. In essence you plug the charger into the back of the controller - and the other end into the USB port in the front of the XBox 360 unit. So you play with the controller "wired" as it charges up. When it's fully charged again, you just pop off the wire and keep playing.
The range of the wireless unit is 30', which is probably much further than anybody is really going to even try playing a game at. The wireless is much easier on your hand - no cable holding you down - plus it's a great help in keeping your gaming area organized. You can easily pass the controller from person to person, and visitors can come and go without tripping over wires.
The documentation says you can get 40 hours of gameplay between charges, but if you have features such as vibration on, that sucks the time down to maybe 8-10 hours. It's up to you of course - I personally like having vibration on because it is often important for gameplay to get those warning signals.
Still, even if I have to plug the cables in every 10 hours or so to give it a juice boost, I still love wireless!! Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Not good enough. This is supposed to be Xbox One's flagship game that was so hyped up with the release of the new system. What I have experienced over the last week and through the Beta is just not enough to carry that weight.
Let me highlight the good about this game as a purely PVP multiplayer. It is definitely entertaining. The controls are great, and the game is gorgeous. It is a lot of fun and easy in terms of match making. The weapons have great control, even though there are not that many to choose. The upgrades are interesting and somewhat easy to achieve.
Now let me discuss what I think is wrong with this game. The bots are a complete waste. At first I thought I was unstoppable, until I realized that for every 4 or 5 kills that I made, only 1 of those were an actual human player. I think the problem is that the boards are just too big, and without the bots, you cannot even find anything to shoot. Having said that, however, once the Titans start to drop in, the board gets a lot smaller. I understand the challenge that the developers have here, but I am not encouraged by their solution.
I could complain about the Titans themselves, but I knew what I was getting into when I bought the game. The multiplayer just gets so repetitive and tedious once the Titans drop in.
Here is the principal issue that I have with this game: Without a real campaign, I have no character to identify with. All of the quality FPS games that I have played in the past have had some campaign (good or bad) where there is a real character that we progress and develop through a story. Without that, I really have no connection to this universe at all. Take COD for example, all of the campaign modes were done with real story telling and had such a quality of production that added so much to the experience. Many of the voice actors were A-List movie stars. The same could be said about other games (Tom Clancy, Assasin's Creed, GTA). Without strong character development, what would those experiences have been like?
I knew that this game did not come with a real campaign, but I was still interested. Going forward, I will not even consider a game that does not have a compelling story.
Respawn are talented game makers, but I think they lack heavily in story telling. For those that are just interested in multiplayer and want to shoot things, then you might love this game. For those looking for more than just shooting a gun, I think you will be disappointed.
I really expect more out of a "flagship" game on a "next gen" console. | video-games_xbox |
Succeeds despite graphical/gameplay hiccups. I'm just gonna ask it: When the hell will Bioware make a stable next-gen game? They make some of the best stories and characters of most video games and are generally fun to play. I loved Star Wars:KOTOR and Jade Empire for the original XBOX. They played perfectly and (despite their age) never experienced the slightest technical fault. Then came the brilliant Mass Effect 1 and last years (best) RPG Dragon Age Origins but they're both littered with graphical glitches and bugs. Mass Effect 2 is no different. Characters disappear, graphics waver, you get caught in background environments and the game crashes (at least once a play-through for me).
The reason I'm so frustrated by the above problems is because Mass Effect 2 is by far Bioware's grandest achievement in both story-telling and gameplay. It strikes the perfect balance between 3rd person shooter and RPG without ever feeling like it's lacking in either department. This is something that I've felt has never been achieved before in any video game.
The Combat in Mass Effect 2 is hard and intense...even on casual mode. While I almost never died in ME1, I'm on my fifth play through with ME2 and I'm still dying at least once in every area. Your enemies try and outflank you, you have limited ammo and you have no heal button. That's right, you have to wait for your health to recharge which makes covering mandatory. If you liked Gears of War you'll feel right at home. One draw-back though is that your party members still have pretty stupid A.I. They're not as bad as ME1 and will actually try and kill opponents but you'll mostly be relying on your own skills to succeed in combat.
The customization and character classes have also taken a huge over-haul. Every character class controls slightly different adding to replayability. Also instead of buying different armour (light/medium/heavy) you get one armour (which you customize the colors) and you can equip add-ons to it to make it look and function to your liking. There's also three different love-interest stories for each gender you can pursue (thought the 'love' scenes you get are PG-rated..no skin, sorry). One thing I will say is that you'll probably stick to your carry-over character for Mass Effect 1. Not only is the character creater not as varied as it was in ME1, the decisions the game makes for you as regard to the story are not neccesarily what you want.
The one major drawback of this game is the story/plot accessibility. Mass Effect 2 is probably Bioware's most cinematically involved game to date and the characters and story are amazing......assuming you've played Mass Effect 1. I can't even imagine how underwhelmed (and confused) someone would be going into this game without experiencing the back-story of ME1. There's so much emotional build-up and plot hooks from the first game you might find yourself wondering 'why is this so important?'. This is VERY much a sequel and no matter how accessible Bioware wants you to think this game is you MIGHT want to play Mass Effect 1 before buying Mass Effect 2.
So despite it's draw-backs Mass Effect 2 is a terrific gaming experience. It's not perfect (and I hope there's more patches/updates) but if you're a Mass Effect/Bioware fan you absolutely must play this. | video-games_xbox |
Sexy Gore Filled Hilarious Naughty Fun. Games like Lollipop Chainsaw are pretty rare and you either love them or you don't. If you've ever wanted to cut 50 zombies in half while listening to "Oh, Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey" or run over 300 zombies with a wheat thresher while listening to "You spin me right round baby right round like a record baby..." Then you should enjoy it.
Concept: 10/10
Take the Bizarre and Crude Humor of Suda 51 (No More Heroes, Killer 7, and Shadows of the Damned) and make a hack and slash starring cosplay sensation, Juliet Starling, a very high spirited zombie slaying cheerleader and her boyfriend... Well, actually, he got bitten by a zombie and Juliet had to cut off his head with her chainsaw and resurrect it with black magic to prevent him from turning, so instead of her boyfriend, it's just his decapitated wise cracking head hanging from her belt. Anyway, the duo must team up and battle their way through an army of the undead, retro mini-games, and memorable boss battles. Of course, the game does not take itself seriously, but it's a really campy kind of fun.
Story: 9/10
The Zombie Apocalypse happened on High School Cheerleader Juliet Starling's 18th Birthday, and she just happens to be a zombie hunter armed with a very cute and very deadly chainsaw... and pom poms. Juliet and her boyfriend Nick's Head, must battle their way through hordes of the undead and deal with High School Drama as they defeat an army of zombies and their evil minions. The story is hilarious and manages to combine high school drama, the apocalypse, and loads of humor. It's well told through in game cinematics and really funny one-liners from all of the characters.
Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay involves Hack and Slash, Mini-Games, and Boss Battles. The meat of the game is definitely the combat. Juliet has a ton of unlockable (XXXXYY) combos. She basically uses her pom poms to weaken enemies and if she hits them enough times, they get stunned. That makes it easier to finish them off with high or low slashes from her chainsaw. The combat system works because it is very rewarding. By killing zombies, you collect 3 types of currencies: Stars, Coins, and Special Coins.
You get more stars by stunning enemies with your pom poms before slaying them. When you accumulate enough stars, you can unleash a short berserker rampage where all of Juliet's chainsaw attacks are 1 hit kills.
When you kill zombies or rescue fellow classmates, you get coins. These are used to buy power-ups, permanent upgrades, or new attack combos. The more style you use when killing zombies, the more coins you get.
If you manage to kill 3-7 zombies in a single swipe of your chainsaw, or take down a sub-boss, you get Platinum Coins, which allow you to unlock concept art, music tracks, or special sexy outfits for Juliet.
So even though, this is just a simple hack and slash, you're really rewarded for effective combat.
If you just hack down 7 zombies with your chainsaw, you get 7 coins. If you manage to stun them, and kill them all with one swipe of your mighty chainsaw, then you can get 49 coins and 7 platinum coins.
Each level grades you at the end based on your combos, kills, time it took to complete it, etc... The game does not downgrade you for damage that you took, so it really rewards aggression. Which is GREAT! You can also replay the levels as much as you want to farm more coins.
There are some Mini-Games that pay tribute to Pac Man, Elevator Action, Breakout, and Crazy Climber. Unfortunately, these really aren't that much fun.
The Boss Battles are pretty good and the one liners are really funny. Most of the fights involve defense, waiting for an opening and using your chainsaw.
Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are stylized like a graphic novel. This isn't the best looking game, but it works with the campy feeling of a High School overrun by zombies. The characters are all well designed and a lot of style went into the game.
Sound: 9/10
The music is great and the characters are all hilarious. The sound effects highlight the action and Juliet's one liners keep you going.
Replay Value: Hit or Miss
You can blow through this game in 7 hours and if you aren't into collectibles, then you can just finish it and be done with it. If you want to get high scores, unlock achievements, or buy things like Cosplay Outfits for Juliet, then you're going to want to play the levels over and over. The levels are easily selectable from the World Map. There are also two different endings to the game. If you saved all of your fellow High School Students from being eaten, you get the good ending.
Maturity: M
It's a fun, gore filled game, where you kill thousands of zombies with a chainsaw, while characters are swearing, and saying hilarious yet perverted things. If a little kid played this, he'd immediately go through puberty right there on the spot. This game is best enjoyed if you're in or just graduated from High School.
Overall: 9/10
This is a very fun and very entertaining game. If you just want to hack, slash, and laugh, then you'll have a great time playing it. You can blow right through it in 7 hours, but if you want to unlock everything, it could take you about a week.
Buy it if you like the bizarre humor of Suda 51.
Buy it if you like fun hack and slash games.
Buy it if you ever wanted Buffy the Vampire Slayer to be Rated R.
Rent it if you have 7 hours to blow through the game. This is GREAT Rental!
Avoid it if you don't like campy or crude humor.
Avoid it if you like long games with deep combat systems.
If you like the fun atmosphere of this game, you'll probably like Bayonetta. If you have a Wii and like the humor, definitely pick up No More Heroes. It's very similar. | video-games_xbox |
Waste of $200. I use it for PC, works great and the stick feels great. Buttons are good, not clicky at all.
Have to give it a 3/5 because it constantly enters config mode by itself and is unable to be exited unless I unplug it and plug it back in then restart the computer`.
Update: It's actually become a nightmare to use this, the config bug happens like every 20 minutes. I wish I went with a Maddcatz brand.
UPDATE 2:
As of 9/2/15 the LT and RT buttons both register as the same input on windows. The stick is finally unusable. I'll be buying from a different brand now. I tell all my friends to not touch this brand. Why even risk it?
Also, if my review was "unhelpful" please leave a comment stating why. This was my experience with this product and it was a negative one. I wanted to have the best fight stick but that didn't happen. I'll assume I wasn't being specific enough, so I'll try to explain what exactly would happen with this stick.
Here's a video I found of what my fightstick did:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUXL_w3DhYU
-Your palm somehow triggers "config mode" which disables all buttons
-it gets stuck in config mode
-you have to unplug-plug it back in
-the inputs themselves are scrambled (light punch might be heavy kick, for example). No, this isn't fixed by trying to rebind them in street fighter. A will register as Y, B might also register as Y.
-if you use a PC, you have to restart the PC to get the buttons to register properly again. No, this isn't fixed by trying to edit the controller setup in windows
-The same problem will reoccur within a few minutes unless you constantly have the fightstick locked from entering config mode
I outright unplugged the touchpad to prevent this from happening and it worked OK until the buttons themselves also broke. Yes, this is an amazing 5/5 fightstick with a sleek design & awesome feel, but not when its broken out of the box. | video-games_xbox |
Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity. Far Cry 3 is a first person shooter set in a vast open world on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Basically while on a vacation trip you (Jason Brody) and your friends decide to go sky diving. They land on the island whose inhabitants vary from normal villagers, wild animals, and a bunch of pirates led by Vaas (he's the guy on the game's cover) who take you captive and hold you for ransom. His plans are to get ransom money from your parents and then sell you to slavery. But you, with help from your brother, escape and now the real fun begins as you travel the island in search of your friends. Eventually you meet up with the group who opposes Vaas and the pirates they are known as the Rakyat's. Upon leveling up and completing missions you earn different tattoos which in turn give you different abilities which are focused around stealth takedowns, assault takedowns, and long range takedowns. An example would be say there's two enemies and you sneak up on the first and silently kill him with your knife then you throw the knife into the second enemy.
Along the way you will meet allies and many enemies. The story is pretty deep and each character is well developed in my opinion. It is very interesting to see Jason's transformation over the course of the game. There will be plenty of twists and turns in the story and it will probably take you around 20 hours to complete. I think the vast amount of wild life is really cool just to name a few there's alligators, leopards, wild boars and there's even sharks. Along with the wildlife there is a lot of different weapons to use one which will become a favorite is probably the bow and arrow. While playing the campaign there will be optional objectives to do such as finding collectables, killing certain members of the pirates, hunting specific animals and doing Rakyat Trials.
Additionally to the single player main campaign there is also a side campaign which can be done in co-op and it is much shorter missions focused around a different group of people. And there is also online multiplayer although it doesn't compare to any of the blockbuster games that come out now it is still enjoyable for a while.
I would highly recommend this game purely for the main campaign. Although I find little replay value in it, it is still a lot of fun. If you can rent it or grab it for less than $20 I don't think you'll regret it. My overall review would be 4.5/5 stars. | video-games_xbox |
elders scroll review from all aspects. Elders scroll may seem limit less but it isnt, although It is a massive map. Meaning It takes time to walk from one end to the other. The AI in the game are well done for a non online game but after a long while of playing it, they start to seem like AI. A good game will make its AI almost like a real person or living creature. Since this game has a very wide range of different AI and how each character will act and respond to you, it'll take time for you to notice the similarities. There are a lot of missions so it should keep you busy. It takes time to level up but choosing a race is almost usless in the long run. The reason is that you can control when you want the game to be difficult and when to be easy. This is one fault that the game has I think. As you level up, it doesn't get easier for you to kill the enemies, it becomes harder. If you want to feel like your actually leveling up then slightly decrease the difficulty manually anytime during the game as you level up. The good part to this game is that it doesn't get boring quickly. You would have to literally complete all the missions to become bored of the game. Also, everything you do affects how you level up. Like I said, in the long run it wouldnt matter because you would max everything. I had a light armor character thats only supposed to use light armor but if you use heavy armor and max out your ability to use it, then It is exactly like light armor but even better. And this goes along with all the abilities you use. A cool feature of the game is that you can make your character look almost like yourself if you took the time to play around with the facial options. You can pick a character already made or you can create your own and start molding its face around to look like you. If you want to go on a killing spree at the end of this game or when ever you think you can take out the gaurds, you will be dissappointed when the main character guards just magically come back to life over and over and over. So after figuring this out, the game was over with because there is nothing much you could do after the missions. Don't get me wrong, your going to spend over 100 hours in this game trying to max your character, explore the dongeons, the forest's, mountians, complete the missions, and basically truely "BEAT" the game. I give this game for the X BOX 360 a 10 out of 10 with out the online capabilities. For my personal gaming experience, I give this game a 8 out of 10 due to the completion of the missions, and how the AI start to look like AI. If they were almost true to life like characters, which is very hard to do so I'll give credit to the people that made this game but if you want to really impress a gamer, make me believe that the AI are real and they don't have a fixed agenda, which is close to impossible to do. If you don't have online capabilities, then this is truely a game you have to get. But once you join online gaming, you will not want to waste time playing anything else or go back to second hand best. You won't be dissappointed in this game if you buy it. It is truely a fun and interesting game. Oh yeah one more thing, the story line will make you feel like a hero in the game. | video-games_xbox |
What in the. Tecmo, the bastion of ludicrousness it all-too-often is, has struck an all-new low of gimmick-ridden awful gaming: Dead or Alive: X-Treme Beach Volleyball, the greasy nerd's wet dream, and one of the most fan-service intensive wastes of DVD space this generation has to offer.
Could there be a title more shallow than this? I spent a full half an hour of my life playing this game, and had already mastered the volleyball system to the point where I would win at least five out of six matches; the one out of six I lost were due to the AI suddenly going from retard to Gameshark in three seconds flat.
Now, let's be honest: the selling point of this game is a bunch of digitized babes running around in a digitized world showing off their digitized boobies, the quintessential greasy pre-pubescent teenager's fantasy world - as a result, this game is not designed to actually be a volleyball game so much as it is a dating sim with a volleyball mini-game. We all know that Tecmo is really Japanese for "disingenuous," so this isn't very surprising.
So what if I look at this as a dating sim? Well, there are about five quintillion different kinds of bikinis and gifts one can present to the high-polygon girls in an attempt to woo them into playing volleyball with you. More often than not I would spend all my time doing that stupid balancing game to earn money to own the blackjack game with, earning more money to thus buy more worthless trinkets for the girls, all in an attempt to play some volleyball. Maybe after a good fifteen hours of repetition and gift giving you can sway some polygonal sorority girl over to your side, only to get the unluck of the draw and be stuck with Super Computer 2000 who rapes you in five seconds and forces you to spend fifteen more hours playing worthless minigames to buy items to sway another polygonal sorority girl over to your side, ad infinitum.
Oh, wait - did I say I would look at this like a dating sim? Sorry.
People, I beseech you, for the love of god and all that is holy, AVOID THIS GAME. Thank you.
Rating: 1 out of 10 | video-games_xbox |
Last year was a double, this year they were caught stealing 3rd. I owned mlb 2k7, i played about 90 games of the franchise but I just couldn't play anymore. I was giving up, and hitting way too many homeruns. Pro was too easy, All-Star was too hard, and adjusting the sliders last year was just damn annoying. So needless to say I was expecting much from MLB 2k8.
Game play is basically the same, only difference is that it feels more realistic. I personally couldn't understand the new pitching feature so I set it back to the face buttons. I am about 20 games into the franchise and I am having a blast. My record is 14-6, I have won a few games in extra innings, even lost a few in extra innings. Loosing doesn't bother me at all this year because I don't feel cheated out of the game. I would loose a game last year 5-3 with a total of 6 home runs being hit. That isn't the case this year.
Home runs aren't hard to hit, its just a realistic stat now. Game play is very satisfying win, or lose. For an example, i played back to back games on the same difficulty. Game#1 i faced Josh Becket. I only had 11 hits in 11 innings and lost on a RBI single from crisp. I wasn't unhappy at all, I was satisfied with the realistic game play. Game #2 was against the Baltimore orioles. I don't remember the pitchers name, but he was a 71 overall. I destroyed him winning the game 13-3. It made me smile that i couldn't get a hit off of Becket, but I could kill a no name starter. REALISTIC.
A few hiccups: Infielders would run right past ground balls thinking its infected with the black plague(like last year). Umpires have a WIDE strike zone. Pitches that barely scratch the plate are called for strikes. Hopefully they fix that with a patch, they HAVE to. It seems checked swings are a little fubar. I have looked at replays where they said i didn't go around, but I obviously did. Frame rate does tend to slow down at times. I just turned off needless things like replays and the such off.
For some reasons collecting cards is ridiculously fun. I don't know why but every game i hope to get a wild card pack just to see who I get this time. All in all I am very very happy i purchased MLB 2k8. | video-games_xbox |
Kinect Sports is Back - Fun Games and a Few Improvements. The number one selling Kinect game is ready to make a second appearance and this time it is back with a vengeance. Kinect Sports made itself a crowd favorite among Kinect owners and now Kinect Sports: Season Two is ready to keep the party going.
NEW FEATURES
Kinect Sports: Season Two is everything you think and more. Several of the new features were outlined in our interview with Rare's Studio Manager, but now I've had a chance to experience them first hand. After watching a long loading screen of bouncing balls, you are taken to a cleaned up interface of Kinect Sports. Make no mistake, this game feels exactly like the original, but with an updated and fresh feel. Six new sports and a user-friendly interface make Kinect Sports: Season Two stand out among its peers.
By far, the most useful new feature of Kinect Sports: Season Two is the addition of voice commands. Thankfully, Rare has taken the time to add voice commands to almost every menu function and feature of the game. This is unlike the reboot of Kinectimals: Now with Bears!, where voice commands were added, but in only certain areas. To get around in Kinect Sports: Season Two, if you see it, you can probably say it.
There are two new ways to get right into the action: Last Played and Quick Play. Last Played is exactly as it sounds, you are taken to the last activity you played in your previous session. Quick Play is similar to the Calorie Challenge DLC of Kinect Sports, where you are randomly given a series of mini-games to play. This is also similar to the party mode of the previous game, but with the exception of allowing you to play solo this time around. Essentially a particular game pops and you can spin a wheel to change it or go and play. If you happen to select a regular event, it is shortened from its main variant.
Speaking of the previous game's Calorie Challenge, this time around, all the main events and mini games are tracked by how many calories you have burned, per session and for all time. This is awesome for those of us using the Kinect to get in shape. My only gripe here would be that I didn't get calories counted during the Quick Play events, where using Kinect Sports: Season Two to work out makes the most sense.
Online multiplayer has been made to flow better over Xbox LIVE. Finding other players online is similar to Kinect Sports. They have also added an interesting feature called, Challenge Play, to Kinect Sports: Season Two. Instead of having a leaderboard with one all-time high score, you can create a challenge, send it to a friend, and have them attempt to beat it. They can then send it back and see how well you can stack up against them. It makes online play even more entertaining because you don't have to coordinate times to play. I am sure this will encourage more play and interaction among friends.
Two other nice touches to Kinect Sports: Season Two include the licensed music and tutorial videos. There seems to be a lot more music this time around with a wider variety of songs. Now you don't have to listen to the same six songs every time you accomplish something great. The tutorial videos really helped me out as well. Sure, they are a bit corny, but that seems totally intentional. The main problem I had with the original Kinect Sports was not knowing if I was throwing the javelin correctly. What were they looking for? Now, in Kinect Sports: Season Two, the guessing work is removed thanks to these videos.
My only real gripe about Kinect Sports: Season Two is the lack of mini-games. There are only five mini-games that ship with the disk. There is one mini-game per sport, minus football, which has no mini-game attached to it. I am sure there will be downloadable content to fill in the gaps, both free and paid, but it would be nice to have some extra little games to play and practice my skills with out of the box.
SIX NEW SPORTS
One of the more interesting sports included is American Football. The inclusion of football in this game gives me big hopes for an independent football games, such as the Madden franchise or otherwise. Rare does a great job of explaining the rules for those not familiar with the American version of football. However, and to my surprise, there are no defense opportunities here. Additionally, there are no running plays. There are only offensive plays with the options to pass or shoot a field goal, once close enough. Furthermore, you are given four downs to transverse the entire field. These small quirks take a little bit of the edge out of the game, but I still had fun nonetheless.
Playing football is enjoyable. Call the shot or let the coach suggest a play. Crouch and yell `Hike" or stand up. Find the open receiver and toss them the ball. Once caught, start running. Rinse and repeat. When you turn the ball over, either by ending the fourth down or a touchdown, the opposing team's drive is automatically taken care of. For those, like myself, who are a bit obsessive over scores, having no control over defense seems maddening.
Baseball is the other new sport that will take a little explaining. I'm having a tough time trying to decide which baseball game I'm liking better. Kinect's first baseball game, Nicktoons MLB, certainly has a lot going for it. However, Kinect Sports: Season Two is the only current version with online competitive play and active base running. The basic moves in Baseball are pitching, catching certain fly balls, sometimes running to first base, and hitting. Besides stepping into the ball and aiming, there isn't too much more that can add to the variety of pitch types or hits.
The other four sports are exactly as they seem and play like their other video game counterparts. Golfing will have you picking the right club, aiming appropriately, and swinging with the necessary gusto. Throwing darts requires a steady hand and a bit of luck sprinkled with math. Throwing the darts feels pretty accurate, but playing against the pro computer can become a little frustrating. Playing tennis requires good timing and positioning. And skiing requires leaning and jumping, similar to Reflex Ridge in Kinect Adventures. Overall, every sport is extremely easy to jump into and enjoy. Each of them also support some kind of voice control, which can be anything from objecting a call to changing a club.
THE FIVE F'S
When reviewing games, I like to look for the five f's: fitness, fun, family, functionality, and firsts. The nature of Kinect Sports: Season Two certainly lends itself to a high level of activity. While I enjoy the addition of the counting calories, it is a slight discouragement not having them counted during Quick Play sessions. This game is clearly a crowd favorite and has loads of fun packed into it. With the addition of future downloadable content, there is really no reason to ever be bored. What makes this game even more endearing is how open it is to the whole family. Anyone can feel comfortable playing, from little niece to grandma. In other words, forget watching football after Thanksgiving meal, you can play football with your whole family. As for the functionality of Kinect Sports: Season Two, the controls all feel natural and easy to pull off, especially when you take the time to watch and learn from the tutorial videos. Voice commands are everywhere and make navigating the menus quick and easy. While some of the sports might be a first to the Kinect, it is pretty obvious they didn't push the envelope too far with this game. Of course, if it isn't broke, then why try to fix it? What you got in the first is what you'll get in the second, but even better.
PROS
- Solid game with a proven track record
- New features like voice controls and calorie tracking are welcomed features
- All the sports are fun and addictive to play
- New music, tutorial videos, and challenge modes are also appreciated
CONS
- Mini-game selection is lacking with only five mini-games
- The rules of football are a bit wonky, especially without the ability to defend
- Calories aren't counted during Quick Play events
FINAL THOUGHTS
Kinect Sports: Season Two is a worthy successor of the original title. There are some great sports to be found in both games. The second game comes to us with updated features, calorie tracking, and voice navigation. I would have liked more mini-games and some defense options on Football, but for what you are getting, there isn't much better value than the Kinect Sports franchise. When you are out looking for something to bring new life to your Kinect, you'll be hard pressed to find a much better choice than Kinect Sports: Season Two. | video-games_xbox |
Good but could have been better. I'm a huge fan of racing games. So when I heard that a new xbox live racing game was coming out I had to get it. I've never played the previous midtown games so I really didn't know what to expect. The first thing I did when I started the game was to go immediately to multiplayer and see what I could do. For the first couple of hours I was over joyed. The game played great. There was a good collection of vehicles and game modes. The graphics are pretty good. Pretty much what I've come to expect out of the xbox. Then while playing a game of "hunter" I noticed a major problem. For some reason occasionally one of the people that you are playing against doesn't move. At first I just thought that they were probably taking a break and just not playing at the moment but later I found out that they were playing, its just that on my screen it didn't appear that they were moving. So I moved my cop car up and crashed into their car turning them into a hunter also. Well on their screen there was no cops nearby. They were hiding in a good spot. The more I played the more this happened. I would be driving around avoiding the cops and then wholla I'm a cop. I cannot express in words how aggrivating it is to be avoiding 5 cops and having fun and then all of a sudden get "tagged" and its not because they actually caught you. Its because the game screwed up and you're not moving on one person's screen. There are other issues also. For some reason your car has the ability to drive through about 99% of all trees. Which is unrealistic but thats not what bothers me. Its the 1% that you can't drive through. You'll be driving along and try to take a short cut. You'll make it through 6 trees and then BAM!! You're stuck on a tree. Occasionally the tree will get stuck in the middle of your car and you have to reset your car in order to keep driving. There are lots of other issues too. Such as spots where you can drive out of the map and then no one can get you. its really pretty cheap. Over all you'll have a decent time playing online but it can be pretty frustrating. As far as single player goes its a mix of good and bad. The blitz and checkpoint modes are entertaining for your average arcade racer but the undercover missions are repetitive and boring. They involve a lot of crazy taxi missions and horrible, EAR PIERCING voice overs. I have never told my xbox to shut up more in my life. Plus there are two secret cars that are only available if you beat the entire game. So to use these beauties online you have to put up with all of the missions. It felt more like work and less like fun as I work my way through mission after mission. I'm still only like 65% done with all of the missions but so far every one has been a irritation. If you like arcade racing and you can handle all the bugs then get this game. But I would really recommend renting it first before you throw down the cash. | video-games_xbox |
A great concept in home entertainment, but the software is still in beta. I picked up a new XBOX One from a brick & mortar store right after Christmas. I chose the XBOX over the PS4 for two reasons. First was the better (IMHO) support for multimedia, and the second was for a complete lack of faith in Sony after the PSN data breach.
What's Good:
1. I love the TV integration with the HDMI-In from my cable box. It makes the XBOX the true media hub in my family room. And the ability to do something akin to picture-in-picture with the usual media apps (Netflix, ESPN, etc.) and Snap is awesome!
2. The user interface is improved over the XBOX360, and if you have a Windows 8 PC or tablet, you will feel right at home.
3. The Snap feature is an excellent concept, but needs to be better developed. Some apps (like ESPN) offer one set of functionality when the primary app, and a more limited set as the secondary (Snapped) app. It would be nice if all functionality were available regardless of where the app were running.
4. The included Kinect sensor is very interesting. It detects infra-red in addition to visible spectrum, and it becomes an interesting tool when paired with the XBOX Fitness app. Not only does it detect your range of motion (and provide feedback on how well you're keeping up with the on-screen training program), but it also detects blood flow and provides feedback on how well you are working muscle groups (brighter white = more work) and checks your heart rate. It's nice feedback to have, because sometimes when you're trying to imitate the steps you see on-screen, you forget to keep certain muscle groups tight, and the visual feedback from the Kinect is a good reminder.
5. The graphics are definitely a step up from the previous generation of consoles. The PS4 is definitely a bit better here, but I'll take the better home media integration over the PS4 graphics at this point.
6. Absolutely make use of the XBOX Fitness app! There are a number of workout routines included with an XBOX Live Gold account, at least for all of 2014, and the Kinect does provide some good feedback. And really, if you're going to play a couple of hours of Madden to earn coins and stamps and compete against the XBOX community, why not do the same with exercise?
What Could Use Some Improvement:
1. The software is definitely still in beta phase. I downloaded the most recent update when I set up the console on 12/26, but it's still a far cry from rock-solid. I have some BluRay discs that consistently hang on load -- Despicable Me 2 for example -- and the TV integration, though nice, is still glitchy. Sometimes the TV input will go blank for 30 seconds or so if I change channels or skip on the DVR. Passthrough of the Dolby digital audio signal from the cable box/DVR is still a true beta feature, meaning that Microsoft admits that it's a beta feature and requires you to check a box to activate it, but it is still much better than letting the console reprocess the audio signal into it's own interpretation of Dolby 5/7.1 or DTS. When left to the console to decode and re-encode the audio signal, I basically lose my center channel. And yes, I've had to reboot my XBOX on a couple of occasions to recover an app that simply stopped working.
2. Actually creating an XBOX Live account is a royal pain if you don't have a Windows platform handy. I tried following the email link from MS on my iPad and Mac without success, and I tried Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on my Mac. I finally had to fire up an old Windows laptop with IE just to get all the active scripting stuff to work properly so that I could verify my email and confirm my XBOX Live account. This could really be much better cross-platform; MS shouldn't be souring potential users with this sort of poor user experience.
3. Parental controls are just as bad. Not so much because of cross-platform issues, but because MS requires that I prove I'm an adult each time I created an account for my children. And by "prove I'm an adult", I mean make a $0.50 charge to my credit card for each child account I want to link to my account. I mean really, I understand one time, but if I have a password-protected account and a credit card on-file, can't we all agree I am who I say I am after the first charge?
Overall, I'm very happy with the platform so far. I'm looking forward to MS cleaning up the software issues in the coming months and maybe some more good media apps (NBC Sports, please?) in the near future. | video-games_xbox |
Win10 streaming review. This is one of those products that Amazon should really start a new page for, but for some reason hasn't. There is an Xbox/PC controller that came out for Win8 that is not the same as the new Xbox One/Win10 controller now being sold. So watch the dates, because most reviews prior to November 2015 are from previous versions of this item.
The current item, which I'm reviewing, is the Xbox One controller + wireless adapter made specifically for Windows 10 and the Nov 12, 2015, Xbox One update (aka "the new Xbox One experience"). While it works similarly to the previous Xbox 360/Win7 and Xbox One/Win8 versions, it would be impossible to review the hardware without also reviewing the integration experience, so that's where there's some significant difference. I am primarily a console guy (yeah, yeah, I know) so most of this review is for the Xbox One -> PC streaming, and I'll hit the direct-control option at the end. If you're using this solely as a PC controller (non-streaming), the short version is that you'll like it, go ahead and buy it. If you're an Xbox user considering streaming, read on (yes, that's my 38k Gamerscore in the pic; I'm not new at this).
The controller itself is the same controller that comes with the current generation of <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-One/dp/B015TL6PGM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox One</a>'s. That means that it *does* have a 3.5mm headphone jack (previous versions of this did not). I was able to pair and use my other base controller (came with the Xbox), my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Elite-controller/dp/B00ZDNNRB8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Elite controller</a>, and my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Guardians-controller/dp/B0136JP9MA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Guardians controller</a>, meaning that the wireless adapter will allow you to pair any Xbox One controller, not just the base one it comes with. Before that gets my Elite brethren too exciting, I will say that I noticed significant lag streaming my Xbox to my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Alienware/dp/B00IMUAYRY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Alienware</a>. If you're casual gaming, it's not the sort to bother you, but on games like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Forza/dp/B00SVVUOGU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Forza</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Fallout/dp/B00YQ1NOPM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Fallout</a> where split-second timing matters it's definitely pronounced. I also found that lag did not improve if I connected the PC and Xbox directly to the router, or by swapping routers, meaning that it's not a wireless lag, it's an interface lag (that's actually good news, because that means MS should be able to improve it).
The out-of-box experience was simple enough. The wireless adapter is surprisingly large, but plugs into the USB easily. Give it a few seconds for Windows to recognize it and power it up while you pop the included AA batteries into the controller. Then power on the controller, press the sync button on the adapter and controller, when they stop flashing and are solid, you're paired. In the Windows 10 store, search "Xbox Accessories" and download that app. When you launch the app with your controller connected, it will prompt you for a firmware update, do that, and close when done. You're ready to go. Launch the Xbox app on Windows 10 and click the "Stream" option. Now you're doing exactly that, streaming your Xbox One.
The description of this controller doesn't (currently, hopefully Ammy updates it) include the hardware specs necessary to stream. You'll need at least a 1.5GHz multi-core processor, 4BG RAM, and an 802.11N wireless connection (if you're not hardlining your Xbox and PC into your router). While almost any Win10 PC will pass those rec's with flying colors, some Win7 and Win8 PCs that upgraded to Win10 may need to be checked. Personally I think that those rec's sound a little low, but that's what MS swears will work sooo... ;-)
If you're not streaming from your Xbox One, but are using this as a direct-controller for your PC games (and there are a few out there optimized for it), this is a great option. Without the streaming lag, the precision of the Xbox One controller really comes through - especially if you have the aforementioned Elite. I tried wireless and tethered and found that for direct-control there was no noticeable difference. While I usually prefer a <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/gaming-keyboard/dp/B00IG3GPTS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">gaming keyboard</a> for PC games, the Xbox controller works fine and is a little less fatiguing for less-than-real-time arcade games like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dragon-Age/dp/B00JUHZBRG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dragon Age</a>. That's just personal preference, though. Enjoy!
=== Edit 11/24/2015 ===
Microsoft just released the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/wireless-adapter/dp/B00ZB7W4QU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">wireless adapter</a> as a stand-alone purchase, the listing of which agrees that any Xbox One controller can be used with Win10. Hopefully they work on that lag next. | video-games_xbox |
An absolute "Classic" game. About 12 years ago, I bought an XBOX 360 Arcade, set it up in the spare bedroom for my grandkids to play with when they came to visit. I bought a number of games at the time, and added to them over the years. Among those was "Bioshock". The kids wouldn't play it though because it was a "single player" only; no multi-player. So it sat there un-played, still new. The "Arcade" eventually suffered the "Red Rings of death" and passed away, so I replaced it with the newer (at the time) Xbox 360 S with 4GB. As the years went by, the grandkids got older, and didn't come by as often,
so I moved it into the great room and set it up with surround sound, and a 55" hd tv. By now most of the grandkids were grown, off to college, married, or into other interests as well they should. I, however; having never played any games, decided to try it out and see why they liked playing this thing so much. I found I had accumulated over 40 games, mostly new; and tried my luck with "Red Dead Redemption". Wow!! what a rush! I had no idea what I had been missing. Eventually I played through all 40 games, and came to the conclusion that among my favorites was "Bioshock".
At first I kind of stumbled through it because I had to keep the volume turned down so as not to disturb my wife. I started over , this time with a good set of headphones and a notebook and pencil. This game had me hooked! The reason for the notebook was to jot down certain clues or codes to open doors that can't be hacked. Now I'm nearly 70 years old, so give me a break kids! I have played though it several times, and the outcome depends on whether you "harvest" or "rescue" the little sisters that are protected by Big Daddy or as she calls him "Mr. Bubbles". Make no mistake about it, you cannot progress through the game without defeating a number of Big Daddys. As the game progresses, you will accumulate a variety of different weapons, and "plasmids" that give you extraordinary powers; but they both need to be upgraded because the enemies get stronger as the game goes along. It is not a pure RPG or FPS, nor was it designed to be; but that's what makes it so challenging and fun.
It is however, in my opinion; a true "Classic" game as is it's follow-up "Bioshock 2". Bioshock Infinate was fun, but does not measure up to it's predecessors.
Now that I'm a "gamer" (ha ha) Bioshock ranks right up there with my other favorites: Red Dead Redemption, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, Gears of War, 2 and 3, Portal, Portal 2, Half Life/2 , Condemned criminal origins, and both Left for Dead/2.
Fro those that have never owned an xbox 360 or ps3, but started your gaming on the xbox one or ps4, take heart in knowing that as of this writing, the "Bioshock Collection" will be available for both those consoles in September 2016. BUY IT!! and enjoy. | video-games_xbox |
Running, running. This is actually a two and a half star review.
Pros:
*The game is beautiful.
*The bow is awesome.
Cons:
*The game is short. Very short. Not worth sixty bucks. Rent it.
*You spend A LOT of time just running from place to place, with nary a bad guy in sight. I "complete" a silly little side quest, e.g., where I save a couple soldiers from a small field of land mines. They offer me a ride on their tank. I accept, and manfully man the big gun. We drive and drive and I swing the gun from place to place, eager to blow some s*** up. But no--nothing. Not a bad guy, not a turret, not a red barrel -- there's literally nothing to shoot. They drop me off at my destination. Finis. WHY IN THE HELL SITUATE ME ON TOP OF A TANK, MANFULLY MANNING A BIG GUN, IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO PLACE AN ENEMY OR TWO IN MY WAY?! Shockingly stupid. I found myself growing irritated, even angry, time and time again, as I crossed these gorgeous landscapes, toting a gleaming weapon, with no one around but me.
*Boss fights. They don't exist.
*Difficulty. The game isn't challenging. Doesn't matter the difficulty level, you can almost beat it with your eyes shut.
I loved Crysis 2. The story was a little silly, but the visuals were gorgeous, the weapons satisfying, the world wonderfully realized, and the foes not a walk in the park. It's hard to comprehend why, in the third installment, they'd break their backs to give you lifelike grass, ponds, and bullfrogs, and leave combat virtually lifeless. It seems, frankly, lazy and uninspired. Why arm me with explosive and anti-personnel arrows when I rarely meet an adversary not basically man-sized and easy to kill? Why, when I finally confront a helicopter capable of doing real damage, does it merely hover in one place, a fat plump stupid target, allowing me to hide behind a convenient, solitary lump of cover until my energy recharges and I come out fully shielded? Again, rent--at least don't pay full price.
Addendum: Really surprised by all the five star reviews of this game, especially the ones that compare Crysis 2 negatively to 3. The only improvements in the latter are the graphics and the bow (and, arguably, the story, which won't exactly knock your socks off no matter how charitable your view). The bow, ironically, weakens the game, because there is no commensurate upgrade in enemies to counterbalance it. The graphics--well, I could have lived with less light dappling the leaves and more fiends at which to aim my righteous, righteous bow. | video-games_xbox |
Steven Seagal movies have thicker plots. seriously the one thing that i loved about the first game they go and destroy in the second game. and not just a little. in the first game once you had finally gotten your gun to the point where it was exactly what you wanted you could "pimp" it. i'm sure all fans of the first AOT remember, the detail the engavings, the variationis from weapon to weapon. now here in the second, the one that i pre-ordered because of how much i loved the first. stupid, zebra stripes and bubbles and stars have taken up the space needed on the disk to actually pay that much attention to detail. just flat gold and silver. no real pimping going on here, just a little gold plating.
and i'll suppose the 32 differnt types of camo you could put on your guns took up the needed space on the disk for some kind of a story. instead, its here they are, now they're on a mission, and now the city's attacked, no back story, no reason, just goons with guns and armor shoot'em in the head move up repeat. it didn't even explain anything about the "terrorists" after you beat the game, nothing about who the hell they are or what their agenda is. i think i've seen steven segal movies with thicker plots.
one of the worst parts about this craptastic game is that if you're home from sugery laid up on the couch and theres no one else there to play theres not even any real co-op moments, i think two back to back and random step jumps. not even co-op sniper is available on single player. it just kind of happens sometimes randomly when you pull out your sniper rifle rios/salem might happen to have theirs out. and to top it off what EA did was take simple fun mechanics of it and try to make it all advanced. but all they did was kill the fun of gameplay.
lastly theres the moral crap. whatever, just lob grenades at civilians and kill everyone, it makes no differnce in the story all they show you is some stupid little comic book slide show of someone being a douche.
in conclusion theres a reason i played assassins creed two almost the whole time i was laid up. this game sucks
pros: ummmm....
they kept the same names from the first one.
cons: see above
i'd rather play my little pony adventure than this crap. at least theres a story. | video-games_xbox |
An awesome start to a great series. I got this game about a year ago, and I still play it from time to time today. The campaign just never gets old, and the multiplayer provides some good fun as well. I'll discuss the different parts of this game in their respective sections below:
CAMPAIGN:
The campaign is amazing in COD4, and is one of the best in the series, in my opinion. It's a good length, has a good story, cool characters, and fun gameplay. You play as either Soap, a soldier in the British SAS, or Jackson, a soldier in the USMC. It's set in modern times (as the title clearly says), and you're dealing with either a war in the Middle East or a revolution in Russia (Jackson and Soap, respectively). The campaign is probably the longest of the series, but it never feels like it's dragged on. Even though the graphics are somewhat outdated byy today's standards, the game still looks good and plays great. There's also Arcade Mode, where you play through specific missions (or the entire campaign!) as fast as you can, racking up points for each kill, headshot, etc. Your scores are then put onto the leaderboards, so you can have some competition with your friends. Sadly, there's no split screen co-op campaign, which would've been a great addition to the game. However, this doesn't really detract from the overall experience, and you're still left with a great Campaign. There are four difficulties (and achievements tied to completing each one of them), and Veteran, the highest one, is extremely hard in some parts. Multiple difficulties, in addition to Intel scattered throughout the campaign, makes this a 2-playthrough game at the very least.
MULTIPLAYER:
Although I have not extensively played Multiplayer, it's still a very fun thing to be had in this game. It feels much more balanced than future CoDs, so it's not so much about getting the most overpowered gun in the game and dominating everyone with it. The killstreaks, although simpler, work very well and make sure that your team isn't getting absolutely destroyed because some guy got lucky. Even though not many people play Multiplayer here anymore (right around 1,000), it's still a fun thing to do now and then. However, the Campaign is the primary attraction now.
OVERVIEW:
COD4 is a spectacular game, having an epic campaign and entertaining multiplayer. Even though it's much older and simpler than many of the CODs that are out now, it's still a classic, fun game to play. It's an absolute bargain for $20 (as of June 2013), and I highly recommend that you get it if you're a fan of FPS games. | video-games_xbox |
Great foundation, great setup, great molding, weak endurance. This is truly the best western game I have ever played.
Great graphics, great characters w/ great backgrounds, great
controls, great engine, good story!!
This game will grab you from the get-go. Right off the bat, this game will amaze you with it's cinematic presence, great
voice acting, great character depth, and catchy story. And
the Gameplay is perfect! Flawlessly setup for pure entertainment. Bust out your rifle and take head shots from
long range. Come across a group of enemies and light em all up
using "Quick draw mode". One of the most ingenius modes ever induced into a western video game
that captivates true quick draw ranger action. With this mode,
time slows down to a slow heart-beat tempo where you optimally plug enemies
with your pistol simply by aiming in slow time or using the right thumb-stick to target lock on an enemy and then
light em up with your iron. Keep
tapping the thumb-stick left of right until you plugged all enemies in sight before they can get their weapon out of their holster. It's a lot of fun. Use the Rifle or Snipe for long range. Throw some cock-tails or sticks of dynamite to clear out an area. Come in with "quick draw" or use your hatchet to slice them open at close range. Finish them off with a scalping, Native American style. It's all here and it's very well-balanced action. The formula and engine are a lot fun. Sneak around a corner, plug an enemy or two creeping behind crates or on top of a roof or behing the bar or on his horse and you have
yourself a bon a fied western.
Graphics: 4 out of 5. The characters are very well done as well as their clothing. Giving the game real western cinematic depth. The horses are the best animation has to offer. As well as the other animals in the game. From wolves to elk to bears to foxes to birds. Well drawn, well animated. The weapons and accessories are superb. My only gripe, some of the scenery is 2nd rate. PS2-eque. Box like buildings with no authentic surface textures. However the landscapes are rather vivid, spacious, and beautiful.
Sound: 5 out of 5. The sounds in this game are flawless from
the voice acting to the gun shots. Very well done, very authentic.
Gameplay: 4 ouf 5. Great platform, great engine. Good dynamics, well-balanced gameplay. Fun! Addictive! Well rounded action from close range to far. Weaknesses: tiresome and easy side missions. Some levels are cut outself the "mold" and are annoying and frustrating. SHORT! SHORT!! Can be beaten within one or two days. Damn shame for a game this good. Replaying the same missons gets old.
Weapons: 4 out of 5. Rifles, Pistols, Shotguns, Bows, hatchets, cocktails, and dynamite! Everything a rebel ranger could want. Plus scenarios that let you use cannons, gatling guns and more!!
Final Synopsis: A rental! I hope they make a sequel or similiar
title using the same engine. The sequel should be ten times longer with more story. MORE RPG elements, more side quests that
are actually challenging. | video-games_xbox |
The King is Dead. Acclaim's "All Star Baseball" is now a once-proud franchise instead of the king to which all other baseball sims aspire to. What has happened? "All Star 2000" for the N64 was an incredible game with very high replay value. This is just good and it could be so much better. Although I gave it a 3 star rating, I actually would give it a 3.5 if I could. It is better than a 3 but it is definitely not a 4. Here are the reasons why...
Gameplay:
Where to begin? As others who have reviewed it before me, I have already become exasperated with trying to hit. Then there is the difficulty in baserunning and fielding. A fly ball was hit over my outfielder's head and so I mashed the right trigger to dive for it... one thing, it takes as long between hitting the button and the fielder executing the move as it does for me to travel to the next state. That is what hurts this game the most: the loss of fluidity in motion that was so evident in the N64 versions.
Graphics:
I will admit that the graphics are awesome overall, but there are some spots that are truly bad. Take batting practice at PNC Park and you will see the cheesiest downtown backdrop ever made for a system with this kind of power. It looks as if the buildings were actually drawn and colored by hand. There are some minor glitches in player movement as well, such as when two players intersect. Yet overall, this is a strong area for the game.
Extras:
This is truly the strongest point of the game. It is loaded! I agree with an earlier review that the efforts of the programmers should have been focused on gameplay and not on bells and whistles.
Replay:
I will keep trying, but at this point I would only give this a 6 out of 10.
As a die-hard "All Star" fan from the N64, I bought this without a second thought toward renting it first. Big mistake. I am very disappointed and I have learned that I must rent first no matter how trusted a franchise the game represents. | video-games_xbox |
Spidermeh. Another holiday season upon us, and another Spider-Man game to swing in and grab our wallets. This is not always a bad thing, I appreciate that there is enough confidence in the Spider-Man name to carry a game without a movie tie-in. Is it a great Spider-Man game? No, but it has enough going for it to qualify as a solid title.
Visuals
One of the coolest things about SD is its use of 4 different art styles to depict different Spider-Man universes (comic timelines). The Spider-Man 2099 levels are colorful and have a neon quality to them. The Amazing and Ultimate Spider-Man levels are the only somewhat similar styles. The Amazing levels are cell shaded, brightly colored, and appear as I always thought a Spider-Man game should look. The Ultimate levels on the other hand have a more "realistic" palette, with a black suited Spidey to control. The Spider-Man Noir levels are dark with an emphasis on browns and greys. These levels make use of really nice lighting and shadow techniques. Good thing to since Noir Spider-Man spends large amounts of time lurking in the shadows.
Sound
Good effects but nothing to write home about. The voice work on the other hand is excellent. The banter between Spider-Man and his foes is fun and witty, just as it should be. Spider-Man is very talkative all through the game, especially in combat. Luckily the writing compliments the high class work of the actors, and it never gets old.
Gameplay
Along with the art style, the gameplay of the levels varies depending on the universe you are in. The Ultimate and the 2099 levels are the most similar, straight beat 'em up with subtle combo differences. Speaking of combos, you collect spider emblems and complete challenges in the game that give use points used to upgrade your moves in all of the universes. A cool feature that could use a more intuitive and less cumbersome menu. The Amazing levels are all about combat as well, yet with a higher emphasis on web-swinging. The swinging is not as fun or open as it was in previous Spider-Man titles, but it gets the job done. The Noir levels on the other hand basically turn Spider-Man into Batman. He now lurks in the shadows trying to avoid a fight, instead Spider-Man likes to stay hidden and take enemies out quietly. These levels are the closest we will get to a Spider-Man Splintet Cell crossover. The one really nagging problem with SD is the way the levels progress. In every level a boss character is introduced, then you chase him and fight lesser foes. You are then presented with a boss fight. Just when you think you've made progress by beating a boss, he gets up and runs away. You then chase again and fight stronger foes until...the same boss is fought again. In some levels this pattern repeats multiple times. This is the one design choice that really brings down an otherwise great game.
Is It For The Kids?
If you have a young one who is a superhero fan, a teen with a room full of comics, or (in my case) a daughter who LOVES superheroes, especially Superman & Spider-Man, then yep they will want this one. The game has a T rating, for mild language and suggestive themes, and violence. T is a title harsh for SD, the language is no worse than a hell or damn here or there, and the violence is in a comic book fashion. Spider-Man is not a killer, but one early level has you running from a sniper's scope. I let my kids watch me play this one, as the controls are a little complex for the little ones. Any 9 or 10 year old should have no problem though. This game is another example of the need for a rating between T and E10. Violence is an E rating killer, but in SD the context is that of obstacles to be overcome and not people to be taken out.
Overall
Spider-Man SD is a fun and relatively short game, yet I was not wanting for more at the end of my 7-8 hr trip. To some that may seem negative and short, it's not. I like when a game leaves me satisfied at the end. I feel the game conveyed an experience and I enjoyed the ride. So give it a try, and if you or your kids are fans of Spider-Man, then pick it up. Just be prepared to do most of the playing if you have little ones. | video-games_xbox |
Incredible, definitely worth it. I purchased the X4 and the AX 720. I ended up returning the AX 720 and kept the X4. I didn't test out the X41 since it uses a wireless RF signal that can be deteriorated by a WiFi router signal, causing cracks and pops in the audio. My 360 sits right next to the WiFi router and I can't put it anywhere else, I read that you'd be OK with the X41 if the RF unit was >8 ft from the router, but mine would be 2 ft at most.
Pros of the X4:
-Wireless (much nicer than I thought it would be, so relieving to be free of wires everywhere that I would constantly snag things on).
-Excellent audio quality (no cracks or pops unless you are 30 ft away from the signal or the IR unit is completely blocked from the headphones).
-Very comfortable to wear.
-Easy to access volume/power/bass boost on the headset without having to look or pause the game.
-Bass boost feature sounds incredible, really adds a lot to the experience.
-Headphones auto shut off after 2 min if there is no sound going to them, to save battery.
Cons of the X4:
-Takes batteries (having wireless is definitely worth the trouble of batteries though, I use rechargeable).
-Some very faint white noise comes through the headphones when on (only noticeable if there is dead silence in a game).
-When the headphones are on, there is a red light on the left ear cup that flashes. This is to indicate the unit is on, when the batt. is near dead the light goes solid red. Kind of annoying when it flashes, but not a big deal.
When I read about the white noise coming through the X4 in reviews, this is why I wanted to test out the AX 720. However, it was a mistake picking up the AX 720; the white noise in the X4 is not audible when any sounds (game or music) come through the headphones. Really, the only time I hear this faint white noise is when I put the headphones on before I turn the 360 on.
A really great feature of the X4 is that its IR unit has an optical input and output on it. This way I can plug my 360 into it and have an output go to my surround sound receiver, so if I want to use my surround sound speakers for a change, I don't have to unplug anything. Also, there is a normal stereo input, I have my PC plugged in this way and use the X4 for my PC too, without having to unplug or redo any wiring. When I turn my 360 on, then the headphones default to it, that's really awesome. This was not the case with the AX 720, there is only one optical input, that's it. When I wanted to use my surround sound receiver, I'd have to redo the wiring. In addition, if I wanted to use these with the PC, I could, the AX 720 comes with a normal headphone jack adapter, but it was just much more work to get things plugged in right and set up.
I completely recommend the X4 over the AX 720. The AX 720 was bulky and heavy, the X4 is more comfortable to wear and it doesn't have wires to snag on things. Also, the X4 has an easier to access volume control. On the AX 720, I would always have to pause the game to find the little plastic piece on the wire to change the volume, and then try and read which control was for the volume; since there are quite a few different buttons/dials on it the same little plastic piece. The audio quality of the X4 was also much richer and deeper; it also had much more bass (if you hit the bass boost switch). The AX 720 really, really lacked bass.
I am really impressed with the X4, I will always buy Turtle Beach for my gaming headphones from now on. I was blown away by the difference these headphones made vs regular stereo headphones while playing my 360. Just want to add, I didn't consider the AX Pro unit because I heard the four speakers they have in each ear cup does not sound better than the large 50 mm speakers in the X4 or X41.
Furthermore, for those considering the X41 with 7.1 surround sound vs the X4 with 5.1 surround sound. Please correct this information if it is wrong (with sited sources), but the Xbox website claims the 360 can only output 5.1 from its optical ([...]). I don't see how the 7.1 in the X41 would benefit anyone with a 360, maybe if you plug the optical cord into a blueray player with a movie that does 7.1, but that's it.
Thanks for reading, I tried to answer all the questions I had when I researched these, hope this helps! | video-games_xbox |
Finally a GREAT Batman game and a great comic game. My first impressions (5 hrs in) **WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS!!**
Batman: Arkham Asylum has a deja vu feel to it. A creepy, yet happy feel to it. That "I played this game not too long ago" kind of feel. The last time I played a game about someone creeping thru a madhouse where death lurked at every corner, where the ambient sound made your spine tingle, where ads and voices made everything seem alright although quite clearly it was not...was Bioshock.
Before you all get yourselves into a furor, Batman is NOT a Bioshock ripoff or should there ever be an apples to apples comparison but this game has so much depth and weight to it, this is the only other game that I can conjure up in my mind of the feel.
For what it's worth, all the hype and delays of this game so far have been well worth the extra wait and it shows. The game's opening sets the mood for the story that we all know about as far as the Joker luring Batman into Arkham Asylum to spring a trap and we later find out the Bane is the part of the key to this trap. The fact that so far having Paul Dini writing this macabre story really reflects on how polished this game plays. The mystery is set up, cops have betrayed each other in order to further the Joker's goals and a warden with political aspirations are all integral part of the Dark Knight's quest to find out what is going on inside Arkham and teh Joker's twisted brain.
So how well does it play? So far it's pretty smooth in terms of playability and as you progress you can power up Batman's abilities and this is one place where it doesn't play like Bioshock....hehehe...In Bioshock where you had an elaborate setup to have to 'buy' certain abilities from vending machines, Batman's power up system is a straightforward system where you earn points through fighting. The fighting mechanics takes a little bit of getting used to as for rooms where you have to clear out thugs and hechies, you have to strategize your attacks and trust me, Rambo-ing thru a room is the quickest way to your death. This game makes a simplistic use of stealth abilities and it's to a point where instead of making it an overly complicated mmechanic as seen in some recent stealth wanna-be's released ** COFF COFF Velvet Assassin** , it organically fits right into the game. As you play you learn how to glide, glide kick and hang to pick off enemies. The grapple gun is pretty easy to use and is a good way to get out of a sticky situation when you are surrounded and as an added stratagey I recommend that when surrounded and going to high ground keep moving because sometimes they can lose sight of you. I digress however...the fighting system helps you earn XP which in turn unlocks those abilities that I have discussed some of which gives you extra batarangs, more combo moves and better armor. As far as the fighting, this is oemthing else that is not bogged down in a complex system of button pushes altho it is wise to learn some good mechanics that helps you unlock better gear a lot quicker as you play.
And of course you get a nice range of abilities that are persistent from the outset of the game which is needed to help you solve certain puzzles. The detective mode is your best friend in finding out where the bad guys are, their condition as well as to helping you follow clues to progress through the game. Vocal cues from the voice actors will also let you know if you are going in the right direction.
I really thank the fact that Eidos and the rest of the creators of this game really took the time out to make sure they got the voice actors from the cartoon to set this game up because it is indeed superb and this is definently a very mature version of the animated series. There are dead bodies that litter the hall in some places, there is gore, storng suggestive language and a very creepy hallucination scene in which Batman sees his dead parents in a morgue who talk to him. Arkham has a very oppesive feel to it much like Rapture did in Bioshock.
They very easily could have taken the route of creating a Dark Knight Movie adaptation and put out a crappy game. but they didn't thankfully!
Graphically, the game looks gorgeous and one thing I do applaud the creators for is that they didn't clutter up the game with needless HUD info so you get to enjoy the game and the HUDs that do pop up only pop up when needed. Anything that you can find out you can get when you push a button to see another screen. You do spend a lot of time exploring also because the Riddler has st up riddles for you to solve in many locations and they can distract you from your main quest to solve them. Also, there are many other unlockables and challenges that you will run across as you play as well as recordings of the Arkham patients as well as Dr. Arkham himself. Speaking of, as you explore, note the places that you could not initially could not get to because as you get better gear you can always go back and access earlier levels and collect what you couldn't get.
As far as villains and bosses...well I like to take my time and enjoy agame and not run thru them so if my 4 to 5 hours may seem slow to some to reach this point, so be it...but so far I have run across the Scarecrow and had to escape a hallucination to defeat him (altho I think this was not the 'final' fight that I will have) then I fought Bane which reminded me of the countless boss fights in Wolverine, but done a little better. At present, I have found the Batcave and trying to track down Dr. Penny Young. Surprisingly when I saved and shut down for the night, my stats told me that I had only progressed thru 17% of the game, HA! This doens't feel like a 'longish' game but at the same time I would be a bit pissed if I ran right thru it and have a 'this was it?' kind of feeling. A slow burning game like this is what I need right now.
Do I have any gripes on this game? Not many. The henchies are a bit repetitive but they are of course your source of XP. I kind of wish the terrorized you similar to the denizens of Rapture, BUT this isn't that game now is it? LOL. I also wish there were more things to grapple onto and swing on but then that is part of the puzzle in some places which is finding the right thing to swing to, pushing the right buttons and finding the right things to break and disarm.
This is by far the best Batman game at present and hopefully this will set a bar to how superhero games should be made. I do think it will overshadow MUA II, altho I know I will be picking that one up as well, in terms of quality and story telling and draw. When I read the initial reviews I just knew some palms were greased for the reviews it has gotten. I was wrong...it earned those reviews and as Batman the Drak Knight set the bar for how to make a good superhero / crime movie, this will set a bar on how to make a good superhero/ survival horror/ action game.
Make sure you do not miss this first entry into fall gaming as it starts off with a BANG!
4.5 out of 5 stars | video-games_xbox |
Works on a North American console. DoDonPachi Resurrection is a port of the Japanese shmup arcade game DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu, by developer CAVE. Note that this release works on North American and PAL consoles. It will not work on a Japanese console however (maybe trying to stop reverse importing? no idea).
Resurrection is the most colorful CAVE shmup to date, full of bright eye-popping visuals and over the top bullet patterns. It also has some really cool enemy designs, such as boss fights that transform from space ships into robots in smooth transitions. It's absolutely gorgeous in motion.
This is also the most forgiving game in the DonPachi series. Players who were frustrated with the difficulty of previous DonPachi games will find this one more palatable. But don't worry, scoring is as hardcore as ever, and even the best players will be hard pressed to maximize their scoring potential. Sure, I got the one-credit clear, but I'm not going to pretend my score isn't rubbish.
Several game modes are included. You get the original arcade version and two arrange modes. The arrange modes drastically change up the game and scoring mechanics; at times they barely seem like the same game. Definitely give them all a try at least once.
Even more arrange modes are available via DLC, including the Black Label version which has a lot of cool new features. For example, playing "strong mode" in the arcade version enhances your firepower, while in Black Label it gives you the second-loop enemies. While it would be nice if they were included on the disc, I do appreciate making them available instead of just dropping them entirely.
The only arrange not available on this release is the second Black Label Arrange, or "Ketsupatchi" as it's commonly known, as it uses Ketsui cubes for scoring. If you really want that one game mode you'll have to buy the Black Label disc from Japan (which is region locked, Japan only). I like Ketsupatchi, but I don't consider its absence a deal-breaker.
In conclusion, this is a great game for both shmup newbies and veterans alike. If you're at all interested in shmups, this is an excellent package. | video-games_xbox |
I Will Never Purchase Another Guitar Hero Game Thanks To This Installment. I wish I could give this item a lower than 1 star review. This game is an unbelievable overstep of 'micro-transactions'. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME! You have to pay REAL MONEY each and every single time you want to play a specific song. If you wanted to play whatever songs you wanted each day, it would cost you $2190.00 *PER YEAR*. That is not a typo, or a miscalculation or exaggeration. They do not make this clear or state that in order to play a song you want, you have to purchase credits with real money, anywhere. Your only choice is to play up to 18 random songs (which get extremely repetitive and annoying) to earn enough credits for 3 ATTEMPTS at playing a song you want - a multi-hour investment just to get a few attempts, or to buy credits. They removed practice mode completely from the game, in order to funnel you into purchasing credits - meaning if you want to learn, for example, a difficult solo, your only option is to pay to play through the entire song just to attempt the solo, and if you fail, you get to insert another quarter to try again. This is absolutely ridiculous, and I refuse to support such an abusively greedy game - Activision has been known to be lowlife scumbags with their greed, but this takes things to an all time low. To top it all off, they made the guitar so cheaply that nearly every single detailed review mentions issues with it - from connectivity issues, to frets sticking, fret presses not registering, double-strums from faulty strum bars, and unresponsive 'hero power' activation. I don't mind the relentless DLC releases, and don't even mind picking up some extra songs if something I like is added, but now the micro-transactions are required to even play the base game you already paid for. As someone who loved a number of previous Guitar Hero installments, I could not be more disappointed and angry - I will never purchase another Guitar Hero game for as long as I live. | video-games_xbox |
Pirate-themed version of the ever-popular series. After so many years of milking the Assassins Creed II franchise it was rather surprising that Assassins Creed III didn't inspire further sequels and instead Ubisoft directed their development team to produce Assassins Creed IV Black Flag, the quintessential pirate-themed version of the ever-popular series. Theoretically this was probably to try to keep the IP feeling fresh instead of stagnating. The result though is that the finished game feels so damn similar to every other Assassins Creed before it.
The game opens up in a feisty nautical battle (naval combat so lauded over since the Assassins brief homage is paid him) ends up on an island for your Assassins Creed climbing and clambering fueled tutorial level. One thing leads to the next and your buccaneer flavored tryst winds up sailing to a famous South Seas city which should be exciting and exotic but unfortunately feels and plays like so many other cities you have visited before it. This is where things get stuck fast.
Instead of pushing your character into new directions you wind up playing a re-skinned playground that is a hallmark of Assassins Creed. My advice is to ignore the city as much as you can and to get the hell of Dodge (or in this case, Havana) as soon as possible. The story, interesting as it is, hampered me from actually getting to play pirate, which is supposed to be the whole point of the game. I cant wench and drink and plunder and keelhaul when Im mired in the very wide and grown-to-be-awfully-tiresome Great Big Assassins-Templars Story Arc.
And speaking of story arcs, the whole Animus/Present day plotline is back to a fault, though I would hail it as being unobtrusive overall. Theoretically one can skip nearly all of it should they choose to, which isn't a bad idea in my opinion. I always found the animus sequences tedious and elect to ignore it as much as the game will let me. I honestly feel like the developers should have abandoned the modern day conspiracies and focused solely on the Assassinating and open-world hijinks that are the successful formula that command the attention of players. | video-games_xbox |
Bold and Dynamic. "Bold" and "Dynamic" are often buzzwords thrown around by marketing people in order to hype up a game or movie. In the case of Darksiders II by THQ those two adjectives are grossly inadequate to describe the epic nature of the game. For those who are unfamiliar with the title, players take on the role of Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as you try to redeem your brother War who was framed for the apocalypsenthat was chronicled in Darksiders.
At first glance, the game plays as a hack-and-slash game where players must control Death through various landscapes as he wages battle on all manner of enemies. This includes some surprisingly crafty and vicious individuals who take many hits to bring down, including some combo moves which are an absolute joy to deploy. Early on, I became fond of calling up my large (and I do mean large) hammer to lay out the bad guys before moving to my two bladed weapons to finish the job quickly.
Of course, there are also the bosses to contend with, and it is a very good thing that Death is as nimble as he is, as Death dying is a rather ironic occurrence. Combat is free-flowing and lively as players can select different weapons from their inventory such as scythes, giant hammers, and so on, and use them to smash, chop, and pulverize enemies into oblivion, with elements that reminded me of a RPG. I was able to gain loot and use this to customize
and upgrade my weapons.
Navigation was easy as not only did I have a map, but I also had an avian companion who would help with the pathfinding. Death is a very agile individual, allowing me to climb vast walls, leap across gaps using the side walls for momentum, and cling to and leap from all manner of objects. I did like the ability to do a strategic roll and then unleash into a full-out assault on anything that stood in my way and being able to hang from the ceiling in certain areas was a real plus for me. I also found the control system to be very good as far too often games of this type turn into a button mashing marathon. Darksiders II requires players to use tact, stealth, and strategy as well as a fair bit of patience.
I am not one who is big on games with timed or precision jumps. As such, early in the game I was a bit frustrated as I learned the camera angles and movements needed to move about the very large and impressive open-world environments of the game. With a bit of practice, I was able to have it down in no time, and much like combat, it soon became second nature to me as I was able to react without having to think too much about which combinations of controls to hit. A simple move of a control stick, and a press of a button or trigger was often all that was required of me.
The environments were very impressive and I especially liked fighting in the ice and snow as it was a refreshing change from the stale dungeon environments that have become all to commonplace in the genre. Death also has a mount which allows him to cover vast distances astride his supernatural horse. I really enjoyed the graphical splendor and art of the game as we rode along the landscape, and would briefly lament the moments when I dismounted to explore a locale, but made sure to make any that I encountered pay for disturbing my ride.
All of this would be plenty to justify the purchase of the game, but there is also some great online content such as The Crucible where players will enter a mystical arena to allow players to test their skills against progressively harder enemies. There is some great loot that can be obtained for those who prove worthy. There are 100 levels to the mode and each one is more challenging than the last. Should a player die before reaching an award level, then they lose all of their progress and must start over.
Darksiders II also features an in-game e-mail system known as "The Tomes" where players can easily message and trade items with one another. There is also a leader board where players can track their progress in several statistical categories against players the world over. Darksiders II is a visually sharp action game that is amazing fun to play. From the ground up, it is a top-notch gaming experience that grabs you and pulls you in. | video-games_xbox |
One of the reasons why I bought an XBOX. I played the first Shenmue over 2 years ago on the now dead Sega Dreamcast. I am convinced that Shenmue was the ONLY reason to own a Dreamcast and I anxiously awaited Shenmue II. But then Sega announced it would discontinue the DC and that eventually even Shenmue II was cancelled for US release (though Europe and Japan did get it). Luckily for us, Microsoft kindly picked this title up for it's XBOX and gave us US gamers hope that the series would continue on!
It was a long wait, but finally the definitive version of Shenmue II has arrived! XBOX owners truly benefit and to reward us for our wait and loyalty, Microsoft included a full length DVD movie of the first Shenmue game (awesome!!) and they went back and improved the game by improving the textures, adding voice dubbing (I hate subtitles) featuring the same voice actor who did Ryo's voice in Shenmue 1, and added hard drive support, faster load times, a rock-solid frame rate, and so much more! And it's all on ONE DVD disc! No need to swap discs during play like we were used to on the Dreamcast versions (the DC version of Shenmue consisted of FOUR discs!). Needless to say, Microsoft and Sega did a fantastic job making this the definitive version for the true Shenmue fan! They could have done a quick and dirty port and just called it a game, but they wisely chose to improve it!
The game is great...a strangely addictive mixture of Virtua Fighter-style fighting, 3D exploration/detective work, and some QTE events. The world you interact with is a true living/breathing world complete with clock and common people who follow schedules and daily patterns! It's so much fun just to walk around interacting with everyone and seeing how people react. This is as close to a virtual world as you'll find! The fight scenes are great and there are also full versions of classic Sega games like Hang on/AfterburnerII/Space Harrier!!
Whether you're a true fan or just looking for a great adventure with plenty to do, buy Shenmue II today. You will not regret your purchase! | video-games_xbox |
Game Night Just Got Better. I love to play games. I am a PC gamer, but sometimes it's nice to just sit back and relax on the couch while playing on the big screen.
Coming from an Xbox 360, and still having controllers sitting around, the Zettaguard Wireless Receiver is a great choice. Microsoft used to make these receivers, but has stopped and left it up to third parties. Even though it isn't official, it works pretty well and am happy with my purchase.
Pros:
- Like others have mentioned, this device isn't plug and play. You have to install some drivers, but even if you don't use the included CD or don't have a CD drive on your computer (like me!), it's extremely simple to get it up and running.
- Connecting multiple controllers and playing with friends works great on every game I tested, including popular ones like BattleBlock Theater, Gang Beasts, Rocket League, and Ultimate Chicken Horse.
- This device is far cheaper than buying controllers to plug into the computer, and it's wireless!
- It's a small and simple design, making it easy to place out of sight.
Cons:
- The device started to freak out a little bit when trying to connect all of the controllers at once, especially once we got to the fourth one. The first controller disconnected but eventually it sorted everything out.
- If you unplug the receiver or turn your computer off, the controllers will not turn off like they would if they were connected to an actual Xbox.
- Hopefully this isn't the case for everyone, but mine came in a weird design. I had a grey cable with a black USB plug?? Thankfully it was easy to hide.
Overall, if you're a casual gamer, don't like playing with a keyboard and mouse, want to upgrade from a console but still play on a TV, or just play some party games with friends, this item is a must have. Be sure to check that games you own are compatible with a controller before purchasing this though, and keep a keyboard and mouse handy in case a game crashes. A controller won't help you much there. | video-games_xbox |
Freaking Awesome Game. This is the best Dead Space game yet! It's just as scary as the previous two games, if not more. The Necromorphs you face are more deadly the previously. I love the new weapons crafting! Vastly superior to the previous system of pick a gun from the safe routine. You can customize your weapons to your liking rather than some cookie cutter gun. I haven't completed the game yet. But, I have about 5 hrs in so far. Currently I have only 2 main weapons that I crafted. Right hand weapon is an assault rifle (semi-auto) on top and my favorite, the Line gun tesla core on bottom. My left hand weapon is just the opposite, Line Gun on top and semi auto rifle on bottom. I use my scavenger bots to find all my resources I need to craft upgrades and new weapons. While I just concentrate on killing necros! The new suits are even better with a lot more storage space to carry plenty of health, ammo and stasis modules. I'm using the marauder suit and it's awesome. It has plenty of armor so I can't be killed so quickly. I can take a lot of damage and dish it out! This game has so much action, it's ridiculous. You're hardly ever alone as there is always several necros around the corner that need dismembering! If you're familiar with Mass Effect 3 online, you'll recognize the ability to buy survival packs from the online store while playing the campaign! You'll also get Commander Shepard's N7 suit from ME3 too! This game is well worth the $65 it charges! I bought the dlc content online, so that was an additional $15.00. Again well worth it! So at the end of the day, if you're looking for an awesome sci-fi horror game mixed with Hollywood summer blockbuster movie appeal, this game is for you!
Update on 02/07/2013
Yesterday I tried the coop mode with my brother, another Dead Space ahololic like myself, and it's just awesome! I sent him an invite and suddenly there he was right there. I didn't have to start a new game either. He and I picked up right where I left off the night before. During our fight for survival with countless hordes of necros we are running around slicing, blasting, shooting, freezing, detonating, and stomping on every necro that came our way! Once we had a brief moment of peace we decided to loot the dead for their contributions to our cause. So, we start to divided the loot, not realizing that we didn't have to do that. We both get it all. You can even exchange loot items with you coop mate! Now how awesome is that? We spent a good amount of time at the crafts bench trying out new weapons combos and there seems to be an infinite amount of combos you can create! I now have a gatlin spike gun with an electrified bolo launcher on the left hand and a 3 barrelled marauder pulse rifle and a rocket launcher on the right. Yes, I typed "rocket launcher"!!!!!!!! We are having a blasting good time with this game! This is probably one of my favorite EA games right there with Mass Effect 2 & 3!!!!
Update on 05/28/2013
Now, I have over 109 hrs into this game and I'm still loving every minute of it. After beating the game twice on normal, I moved up to impossible mode (beaten this lvl 3 times now) and let me say, you better bring your "A" game for this level. It's full of blood thirty necros wanting to disembowel you. So make sure your suit, stasis, kinesis are maxed out and your weapons will need +3 chip modules. If you have all this, you should be in good shape to handle the impossible mode and continue to hunt down those damn necros! Kill'em all! | video-games_xbox |
A great stick and spectacular value. An excellent stick that gives you a very close approximation of the arcade experience at a reasonable price. I'm updating this review after 2 years to give a long-term viewpoint. I own two of these. I've given them a beating. I've used them stock. I've modded them heavily. They have NEVER disappointed me. This is a five star product and then some.
Out of the box, the stick is weighty, comfortable, and surprisingly responsive for containing gray market parts. If you've never used an arcade stick before, this one checks all the boxes. Solid, comfy lever; satisfying buttons, and compatibility with PC/PS4/PS3/XB1/360/Switch. If you're an arcade stick pro, the stock stick and buttons feel similar to Hori's Hayabusa but with more tension.
If you don't want to connect a PS4 or XB1 controller to the stick to make it work with those systems, you can buy Magicboots adapters that fit in the slot on the front. I've even used a Brook PS4 to PS2 adapter to use it with the PS2! The versatility for the price is unbeatable.
I have used the stick with various iterations of Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Street Fighter 3, Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Marvel Vs Capcom 3. I don't notice any issues with lag or dropped inputs.
If you want to mod these sticks, they're very open to that. For the two I have, I put a Sanwa Silent JLF in one and a Seimitsu LS-40 in the other (the LS-40 is what the Neo Geo used and is super for shoot-em-up games). Both have Sanwa silent buttons. Except for giant Happ style sticks, there's plenty of room inside to fit just about everything. The glass panel is easily removed and there are various web stores that will print replacement artwork.
While I prefer genuine arcade parts, I must reiterate that the that the copycats built into the stick are quite good. They're much better than what came with Mayflash's earlier sticks. If I didn't have my own preferences locked in, I'd be happy with the original parts. The box even includes an extra octagonal restrictor gate, which is great for us Street Fighter freaks.
In terms of durability, after 2 years the circuit boards work perfectly and all of the original features (rubber feet, cable compartment door, USB cable) are in excellent shape. I can even attest that the original joystick levers are still working, because when I swapped them out I put them into a Pandora Box console and they've been putting in work there ever since.
The company also continues to update the firmware. When I bought these, the Nintendo Switch was barely a rumor. I updated mine to the latest firmware from the Mayflash website (super easy) and now they work with Street Fighter 30th Anniversary, Hyper SF2, Garou, Aero Fighters, and others without a hitch.
Personally, I think Mayflash products are great for what they are -- high quality copies of more expensive items. You can pay $200 for a stick with Sanwa or Hori parts that works with one system and gives you the 100% experience, or you can pay whatever sub-$100 price the Mayflash sells for and use it with multiple systems to get the 99% experience. Even if you spend another $20-$30 on extra parts, you still come out way ahead. I don't know about you, but I'm OK being one of the 99% in that scenario. | video-games_xbox |
Fun and glitchy. I knew what I was getting into with all the characters and it's fun getting to play games like this with my son(7yo). It's also fun going to the stores and looking for new charcters for our collection. Though be warned, characters are linked to accounts. While they can be leveled in other accounts they only hae access to stuff earned on the primary profile. Oh, and the extra levels; Pirate Ship & Crypts can be bought once and opened for all accounts. Just put on the portal while you have your profile active. Also, the enchanted items can e used accross profiles.
That being said, the multi player aspect provides for some glitches. After a multi player battle(on his profile) my son couldn't level up his character he used against me so he's stuck at level 5 and cannot buy power-ups. When I went into my game my character was missing hats(collectables) my son used when we battled. Replayed levels and hats are missing. It's nice I can use my own character and Co-op if my son is stuck but I expect to get corrupted Skylander.
While the main gameplay is good and several puzzles some of the boards are glitchy you can get stuck in spots. So behind doors that won't open you have to exit out of. Some things kids won't think of is water Skylanders are the only ones that can go in water. Later boards when you're not reminded you won't think of. And it was an accident I found out fire Skylanders can walk in lava. I get it now but if you saw the board you wouldn't think to even try.
The main game is not that long, kinda funny and good voice actors; Patrick "Putty" Warburton, Voice of Zim or Dagget Angery Beavers, Everybody Loves Raymonds older brother to name a few. Not that many boss battles and you have as many lives per level as you have Skylanders. Usually no more than 3 are needed.
While you can play this game through with the $70 I suggest you get the two added levels and 5 additional Skylanders so you can have one of each element. Otherwise, there are areas you cannot open and play. | video-games_xbox |
Very good headset with some opportunities for improvement. 4 stars may be a tad bit generous but the 420X is a solid headset in most ways. Good sound, good control of voice and input sound mix with a few sound profiles if you wanted to get more bass/treble/vocal mix. Truly wireless. Just plug in the USB dongle to the Xbox One's USB port (whatever is available) and it should assign itself. Good battery life from what I can tell. I'll recharge it every couple days just to be safe but the 15 hour battery seems to be at least mostly accurate. Good volume levels and solid stereo panning. You won't hate what you get here, but I have a few critiques. The microphone seems to be plenty sensitive but not OVER sensitive, so not everything happening in your home will be broadcast (though I think the noise cancellation of the mic still needs work).
The ear cups are fairly comfortable but felt a little cheaper than I thought they'd be. They're not uncomfortable, just not SUPER comfortable like my HyperX II headset from Kingston. The cups can run warm if your room is warm, so you may be sweating at the ears if you don't have a reasonable temp room to game in. The wireless channel can sometimes get a little pop sound pushed into your ears. This isn't loud or obnoxious, just occasionally irritating at-best. I also don't like that my headset is a little noisy when moving my head around. The parts aren't all that high quality. They're durable enough but there are creaks in the build and you hear them unless there's a lot of sound being piped into your ears.
There is a surround sound variant called the Stealth 600 or something that replaced the 420X. I kind of wished I had tried to get that as a refurb or something, but I don't regret this purchase. This will be a great headset for the time being. I'll probably replace it with a higher quality headset when I have the money to burn. It just proves that it's tough to get quality unless you're going to spend $150+ on your headset. Bottom line from me: the Stealth 420X headset is pretty good but it feels like Turtle Beach almost cut a corner or two in its construction. Had the construction been better and the ear cups a little more squishy and ventilated, this would be a 5-star headset. | video-games_xbox |
Laggy and boring. Lag lag lag. Over a dozen "freeplay" games so far and every time there was so much lag it made the game unplayable. I could set my controller down and my character would be glitching all over the map. Nice one. Even if they patch the lag, the game isn't any fun. This is the only game in existence where firing from the hip is a thousand times more effective/accurate than firing from your iron sights. Say what? It's true folks.
The parkour. What parkour? Sure, it's a little easier to navigate the environment but in no way would I consider any of it to be parkour. The way in which the game was hyped led me to believe the parkour elements would be more integral to the gameplay. Maybe I could do some cool wall runs while firing my gun then back flip over here. Nope. Odd considering the ads for this game show guys doing all sorts of cool aerial maneuvers whilst firing and holding a 'tov. But nope. If you thought the parkour would be even 10% of what Mirror's Edge or WET had to offer you are wrong. Go play Mirror's Edge or WET. They are great and probably ten dollars brand new.
The graphics are cartoonish and fugly. Enough said.
Storyline. Stupid, boring, who cares. Next.
Gameplay. Laggy and repetitive.
Customization. Ah, the high point. This is totally where Brink shines. Wrong. The character customization options are not as vast as the hype would have led you to believe. Okay but then at least I can customize my weapons til the end of time? Nope. For one, I hope you like SMG's because that's pretty much what this game has to offer. Sure, you can unlock the Heavy class and get a mini gun but then you are so darn slow it will make you hate your life. Okay so what if I absolutely cannot ever get enough of SMG's? Well, this game gives them stupid names (I doubt it was intentional, they probably were not allowed to use the real names) and they are so similar it doesn't really matter which one you pick. If you stick with the game long enough (you won't) you can unlock attachments like silencers, optics, and magazine upgrades. Unfortunately, even the weapon upgrades are boring and uninspired. Yay, let me equip a silencer that does little for me but lower the damage of my already sub-par weapon that I have to fire from the hip and hope I can somehow hit a lagging enemy.
I thought Homefront was a big fat disappointment but Brink takes the cake. If I would have just Gamefly'd Brink I would have sent it back within five minutes of playing it, it's that bad. | video-games_xbox |
Much different than the first Way of the Samurai. I've seen many people compare Way of the Samurai 3 to the first Way of the Samurai. They are similar in many ways, but also quite different. Here's what you can expect in WotS3:
Graphics, Sound, Menus, etc
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Everything is okay. Nothing is great. It feels like you're playing a late PS2 or Xbox game more than an XBox 360 game. All of the WotS games have been a little light on graphics and so forth, so it's to be expected. However, two things annoy me:
1 The time it takes to get to a menu and back (especially for your map) is far too long.
2 An annoyingly loud THWACK blasts from your speakers every time you bump into a bird. Sometimes the birds get stuck between you and something on the ground and your house will tremble with the THWACKTHWACKTHWACKTHWACKTHWACK... and on and on until it unjams.
Overall, nothing too horrible.
Locations
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WotS3 has more locations to visit than the previous games. However, there doesn't seem to be much worthwhile to do in the locations. Events don't generally just happen in front of you and you get a chance to respond. You tend to initiate every little thing going on. Because of this, the world feels less alive and more of a chore to get to anything fun.
Quests
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I kid you not, the first quest I got was to find a grandmother's lost underpants that she lost somewhere in a battlefield. I never did find them, but spent 2 hours searching the dead and looking in every nook and corner I could think of.
Some of the quests are fun, but most don't give you any variety in completing them. For instance, for one quest somebody has dishonored a guild. You are instructed to intimidate him until he leaves the guild alone. However, there's no way to intimidate him except to beat the tar out of him with the flat end of your sword. You couldn't scare him with unsheathing a blade, sneaking up behind him and pushing him, figuring out where is family lived and teaching them a lesson or any other option. You just had to beat him up.
Also, it takes so long to find a quest worth doing that when you finally get one that feels like it might be fun and turns out to be a dud, you get a little annoyed.
Difficulty Variance
-------------------
All open world games have some trouble figuring out how difficult different enemies should be. However, WotS3 is way too far off. You may be working on a story arc and then you'll either need to win an impossible battle that is critical to the plot or you'll be waylaid by a bandit that is impossible to beat.
Now, eventually you'll beat them. You'll gain in power and you'll get better weapons, etc. But even after several play-throughs, I've still not gotten to any end of a story arc.
Save System
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You talk to bards and they'll save your game. I like this system better than WotS 1's system of "no save until you win or die." Also, WotS 3 likely takes several hours to beat (I've put in 9 hours over 3 consecutive games so far without getting close to beating it).
Combat
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When you're fighting a fair battle, combat is fun. You block and attack while also moving your weight around to get them off-balance. In an impossible battle like I mentioned above, it's frustrating -- especially when there's no good way out of it. The enemy will hit you so much harder than you can hit that you'll just drop quickly.
What is there to like?
----------------------
There's still tons to do, and that's what this game is all about. It's about discovering characters and experimenting with cause and effect. I know that with enough time, I'll learn all of the characters and I'll build the best weapons. There's still lots of story to uncover and combat styles to learn.
Conclusions
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This is a niche game for sure. But I thought I'd fit into the niche better than I did b/c WotS 1 is one of my all-time favorite games. I would strongly recommend trying this one for a few hours before buying. | video-games_xbox |
An overdue and worthy addition to the series. When I was 14 years old I would take a trip down to the local service station everyday with a pocket of quarters to play this new arcade game, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior... I spent so much time with that arcade that my parents were more than happy to help me snag a copy of the Japanese import for Super Nintendo the week it became available in Japan (many months before its US release). I was a die hard fan of the franchise and have been eager looking forward to this release for the past nine months.
In 4th quarter of 2008, Capcom treated XBox 360 owners to HD Remix of the original, which is a great bargain downloadable title featuring a High Definition remake of the original paying close respect to the original artist, many who have purchased this may wonder if Street Fighter IV is worth their time at all. I was one of these folks. Then the reviews for SF IV started pouring in and they were all very positive... So I took a risk on this one and after about 3 hours of play my verdict you can see now in my star rating, this is a fantastic game. It doesn't feel like a new beginning, it feels like a natural extenshion to where the series left off with part III and while part III disappointed, part IV manages to feel fresh and yet preserve the absolute best qualities of Street Fighter. On top of a few new characters and a slightly revised ladder system, here we get Ultra Combos and Focus Attacks. These are two simple additions Capcom has added that don't take a lot of work to figure out and yet add more depth to game play on simple terms. The sound is fantastic, control is tight and as with the best of its predecessors more often than not the player (and everyone in the room) find themselves going ouuu and ahhh as the final blow is delt and both life meters are wobbling near 0...
On a ten scale
Story: 8
Tried-and-true topic, we pick up where we left off- this time with the help of reasonably well done Anime cut scenes. Truth is the story isn't much of the focus of this game, but in general all a/v media, Street Fighter has a very rich story that many players will come in to the game with.
Graphics: 9
The graphics are excellent. Yeah, you may think one Characters legs are two big, etc... the point is it's a new art direction for the game and it works. On PS3 and 360 we get 480p,720p and 1080p display options. Graphic presentation is stunning.
Sound: 7
New music remixes of some of the previous games in this series are done with great care and respect to originals. I do wish there was an option to enable the Japanese voice actors and Japanese title music.
Control: 9
Control can not be separated for overall game play experience. This is really the make-break category and if this number were much lower than 8 this game would have to passed off as a way for Capcom to cash in, I'm glad that is not the case. Once you have a handful of controls down, quickly the player finds it difficult to put the controller down.
[...]
I can sum all this up easy: If you're one of those fans waiting on Capcom to top the original Street Fighter II with one of its sequels, well your wish has finally come true, this one is a real successor and it's amazing. | video-games_xbox |
What is this CRAP. So I received this part today and decided Well let's go ahead and fix my son's Xbox One so I took it apart got it all done and ready to go and then I opened up the piece what a piece of junk. I could not believe they would send somebody something that looks like something you would buy off the black market. This is some Made In The Crack Village looking crap. The first piece I opened looked like somebody gave a one-year-old a knife and told them to do their best to carve it up into pieces the wire with the actual connector had parts and pieces of debris from a prior motherboard inside the clip. I am an American man who works hard for his money and does the best he can for his family so when I spend my money I expect to get in A1 product in return what happened to the good old days where a man would bring in his hard-earned money and there was honesty integrity and pride and what they sold us and they would not settle for anything less than perfect when it came to selling somebody their products to now when they sell stuff like this. It makes me sick to know that I live in the greatest country in the world and work as hard as I do and this is the crap I get sent it's bad when you have to go to eBay to buy a part because Amazons affiliates have such crappy products. Do me a favor before you buy this product go to eBay go to the web go anywhere you can before you buy this because this is seriously the biggest piece of crap I have ever laid my eyes on it is literally busted up it can't be used they it looks like they tried to put it on to something else broke it and then decided to sell it to someone else it's ridiculous I love Amazon shop by anything else you want on Amazon but please think about it before you buy this because this is some doo doo. I hope you all make a right decision I got pictures for you to see this this is exactly what it look like when I pulled it out of the package it's even got prongs on the inside of the white connector that's missing it's ripped it's Torn to Pieces. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. | video-games_xbox |
unique and fun. This game is a third-person sword-and-sorcery adventure with a central story line and many side quests. Your character is a castaway on a mysterious island, which he gets to explore in detail, interact with the local inhabitants, choose sides in their conflicts, and eventually resolve the major issue on the island.
The combat system is based on specialization in melee and ranged weapons, and in mastering certain special moves. The magic side of combat is based on fire, ice, and magic bullet crystals, whose skill of use can be improved just like any of the weapons. A major drawback for me was that you cannot improve any skills unless you are trained, which requires finding sufficiently good trainers and having loads and loads of gold. Needless to say that leaves you broke most of the time. It is annoying to be several levels ahead of what you can afford to purchase in terms of training. I think in view of the more modern developments in the genre, e.g. Oblivion, the creators chose the advancement system poorly in this case. The problem is compounded by the fact that you get only 20% of the value of items when you sell them and that there is no good mechanism to make enough money. Even with all the hunting, mining, alchemical, and skinning skills taken, the gold is tight, especially in the beginning.
Once you get over the dated graphics, the game is quite fun. It is only distracting initially. Also, it may be annoying to see the same faces on many different characters. It is not clear why the creators did not spend more time on improving this simple point.
The adventuring part is fun as there are many ruins to explore and there are also some puzzles that can only be solved with a bit of creative thinking.
I did not see any major bugs. A couple of times I could see from outside the "skins", but that was very rare and did not produce problems.
Overall the game is refreshing in stepping back to a previous reincarnation of the genre with lots of humor, tongue-in-cheek, and just old-fashioned fun. Thus I would give it 5 star. However, there are issues with the game mechanics and the graphics, which brings the score down to 3/5 in that department. So, overall 4/5 is reasonable. | video-games_xbox |
Chapter 4=Awesome. I only played the demo of the original and loved it but never got to play the entire game unfortunately so when this one came around I had to get my hands on it. I had forgotten that I hated platform games but this one seemed easier than others I've played (Super Mario, Tomb Raider series, etc.) or maybe I've just improved at playing platformers with age. There were times I wished I'd had the caterpillar dress that comes with the Weapons of Madness and Dresses DLC to see the invisible platforms but with patience I pulled through. If you love twisted Alice in Wonderland stories but hate or are an amateur at playing platforming games and end up buying this game, you must have a lot of patience and take breaks as you will get frustrated. I recommend spending a couple bucks on the DLC if the invisible platforms become too frustrating for you.
One of the downfalls in this game is it became a chore to play with doing the same thing over and over and fighting most of the same enemies (the black oily things with doll faces, Insidious and Menacing Ruin seemed to be in every level). I did like the addition of some mini games, like the one where you had to "kill or be killed", as well as the puzzles and answering Cheshire Cat's riddles. I absolutely hated the mini game in Chapter 3 due to not being able to see what was directly in front of me and to have to play it two more times was frustrating for me. I liked the mini game similar to the previous one mentioned in chapter 5(I'll call it the doll head mini game) a little better once I could see directly what was in front of me but I also hated having to play it again. I loved the beginning of Chapter 5 and the creepiness of the level reminded me of the first game (from what I saw in AMA's walkthroughs). It also would've been nice to have more bosses to fight as the lack of bosses helped simplify the game and even the boss you did face was too easy.
I did enjoy slaying enemies immensely. The ability to acquire a few more weapons would've been nice too as it makes one feel cheated to have so little variety of weapons in this game as opposed to the first game. Chapter 4 where you're being chased by a giant monster and where you became giant Alice were the most fun parts of this game and the main reason I bought it. I felt the environments in Chapters 2 and 3 had nothing to do with the story (other than the psychiatrist or whoever had an affinity for all things Asian) and they were also the least fun to play. I definitely think the developers could have replaced them with a burning house level or asylum like environment or an environment similar to the Radula rooms in the game.
The graphics may look dated but I LOVED how Alice's hair flowed freely in the wind and how scary people in London looked. If we compare this game with the first the graphics are obviously better and I was satisfied with them. The voice acting was very well done particularly the Red Queen's and the Cheshire Cat's (though his vocal range seemed to lower throughout this game) as well as the Mad Hatter's. I liked Alice's voice actress Susie Brann better in this game as Alice did not cry (I feel Alice's cries in the first game were over-exaggerated) but her voice acting still felt flat to me at times. I also wish Chris Vrenna, who composed the soundtrack for the original had composed most or all of the soundtrack for this game. His compositions really added to the environments for the first game. Only about two or so compositions impressed me in this game.
The story was decent as I did want to find out who started the fire but after awhile it became predictable once you started to find out who was involved but in the last chapters once you begin to learn the specifics of what happened the story really begins to affect you in an emotional way though the last chapter leaves you feeling a bit unfulfilled.
Overall I liked this game but It could've been better. I think this game would've done better as an adventure/action/platforming game. You should've been able to explore some areas such as the London areas and beautifully rendered locales as well. Chapter 4 and 5 (the beginning and 'cuz I like creepy doll stuff) really made me happy I bought this game.
I have to get my hands on the original! | video-games_xbox |
It's not worth playing. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII looks like fun, but in reality it isn't. It's just a little "blah" and seems like its missing something to give it that extra something. The graphics, at times are very good. Being an Xbox 360 game, it should look good, but some things in the game look pretty bad. Major monuments usually look stunning, which is a good idea because they are going to stand out. Other things, however, like random buildings, tanks, and such look like crap. Let's just say they would even look bad as an original Xbox game. They just lack detail and design to give them realism. You could be flying around and be like, "Hey, look there, it's a cardboard box...wait, that's a tank." Now, overall, the good graphics outweigh the bad. At times, it seems like by not much, but overall, the graphics are good. Water usually looks good and so does smoke. Again, however, when things explode, etc. there isn't much detail involved. When a plane goes down, for example, it like catches on fire and makes its way to the ground. These types of things could have been amazing and detailed and would have really added something to the game.
Another thing that seemed pretty unrealistic about the game was the ability to call the mechanic Joe for advice when your plane was on fire or damaged in any way. Now, once or twice would be fine, but you can pretty much use this option whenever you want to. You just have to wait for this little meter to fill up after every time you call on him. He'll look in his owner's manual and tell you what the problem is, and then 4 buttons will be prompted on screen for you to push. Once completed, you're magically healed. I don't know, but this just seemed a bit out there and very unrealistic. I in no way feel this function is useless, because you will find yourself in need of repair at times. But the fact that you can pretty much use this ability anytime you want is a bit dumb.
Overall, this game was just ok. It's not my type of game and is definitely a rent for someone who just wants to try it out and see how it is. Now, there will be those people that think the game is awesome and love it to death. I for one am not one of these people. | video-games_xbox |
Multiplayer Review. So I am one of those oldfag FPS players. Top ranked gamebattles team and the whole works. Started playing Medal of Honor on original Xbox and have played competitively on almost every FPS game online. That being said I have had a lot of past experiences to help me form my opinion. First. I am reviewing strictly the multiplayer side of the game. I am sure a lot of reviews are based on campaign mode and that is fine, but i wanted to give a multiplayer only review because a lot of us out there go thru the campaign maybe once or twice and that's it.
The Low Down.
FIRST.
This is NOT C.O.D. period. Yes you can run and gun and beast mode but I have to admit having played so much C.O.D. that this game has a very very refreshing change. It still plays very similar to Call of Duty but the fireteam concept is on a whole nother level. Its a tag team beast mode. With the buddy spawn and the ability to heal and resupply ammo you are a virtual 2 man wrecking crew. All I can say is find a friend and play as a team because it is so much more superior to the lone wolf C.O.D. experience. And a whole lot funner.
SECOND.
DEDICATED SERVERS!!!!! I realize the battlefield brothers out there know what I am talking about, and the C.O.D. boys really dont, but in layman's terms. The player hosted, Lag Compensating, He shot me around a corner crap almost doesn't exists.
AND LAST.
Its not a perfect game but it is has managed in a very nice way to take elements of the Battlefield experience and combined it with the Call of Duty experience. They even managed to throw a little Rainbow Six and Ghost recon style of play. The leaning around corners is a nice touch of that, and it actually is effective. The player movements are very similar to Battlefield 3 but it seems to be a lot less clunky. Now its not the halo jump 360 head shot shenanigans of Call of Duty either, which to me is the best part of the players movement. Its hard for most of us to compete with a 13 year old on mountain dew and with ADHD running with extreme conditioning and lightweight pro, with his sensitivity set to 12+.
My only real complaints at this time are that even in hard core mode it takes half a mag to kill someone, but that is compensated by having fireteam support. The other complaint is the lack of maps, but that's even not too bad with the release of Zero Dark Thirty coming up soon and the maps are constantly being used in different ways with different game modes.
I didn't even cover the insane amount of totally sick customizations that can be done to your different classes and GUNS GUNS GUNS!!! combined with the battlelog system online for tracking players stats and the works there is a whole nother level of review right there just to cover all the other details. Little things like joining a friend in progress automatically puts you in his party, instead of the team having to back out to pick you up.
All that being said I say give this game a serious go. I personally have already decided to not even buy the new
Blacks Op's 2/Same Ol Shit and dedicate my time to pursuing this game | video-games_xbox |
Awesome game. I'm not too big of a Star Wars fan. I have seen the movies and that is the extent of my knowledge. I'm not too big of an RPG fan either. I have played Morrowind and liked it, but stopped because of the constant long walking and bugs.
This game is for anyone. I loved it. I'll just list pro's and con's for you, since I'm not much of a reviewer.
PROS:
Good graphics, nothing spectacular but good nonetheless.
Awesome in game cinematics that look almost like the movies!
Good controls, easy to learn and easy to use.
Long amount of play-time, with 60+ hours.
Over 4 different endings.
The ability to become a sith or a jedi, depending on your actions throughout the game.
When talking to people you have nearly 4 different answers for everything, from "I don't like your face, I think I'll remove it" to "Ok, I'll help you out". The former takes you to the dark side, while the latter takes you to the light.
Controling up to 3 characters at once, and being able to choose the 2(besides you, yourself) that come with you(out of 9 characters)
Talking to characters is just awesome. The lip-synching of EVERY character is just amazing.
Battle system is wierd, but works really good when controlling 3 people.
No shortage of lightsabers. And the reason behind their color! Plus you can add different crystals to the blade to custamize!
Over 40 force powers, including some favorites like "choke", and "lightning".
Side missions galore. Which probably takes the game to 100+ hours.
Swoop racing and gun turrets are always fun too!
CONS:
Out of 30+ hours of gameplay, I have gotten 2 glitches in the game. Nothing bad though, just paused for about 15 seconds.
Your other characters are constantly talking to you, it can get annoying, but it isn't too bad.
Not being able to do side-missions after you have completed the game...
Thats it.
Things that could be improved in a new game:
A little more open ended, not totally like Morrowind, but a little more.
A little less story line, and a little more side-missions.
A multi-player online edition(basically StarWars Galaxies for XBOX)
And thats really it, the game is, dare I say it? Perfect? Not quite, but they have done a good job of getting to a point that makes you think it could be. There is talk of a sequel, which (if they don't mess up the storyline) could be bigger and better with the new technologies. Go rent the game if your still sceptacule, thats what I did. But my rental ran out and now I need to buy it. | video-games_xbox |
One MASSIVE let down. I'm a GH nerd, I've enjoyed the series since it hit the 360 but always wanted a little more. I wanted to see some artists in previous editions showcased such as 311, Tool, and Ted Nugent. I tracked the game's development and when I saw those three artist listed I was quite amped for the release. I decided to rent before buying this one; had a gut feeling that this would be the one to kill the series for me.
I was right.
I took the day off from work and threw the disc in. Typical cartoony style menus meaning it looked like hot topic had their hands on it and engineered it for the local 14 yr old "emo" girl. Gag me. But I can overlook that, it's a game after all. After I was done ridiculing the style to my fiance's delight I started playing.
First track I really sunk my teeth into - so to speak - was Beautiful Disaster by 311. One of my favorite bands and songs, I had wanted this to be on a GH game for a while. On expert it was an absolute blast to play! Note placement, timing, tempo - it all felt sooooo right. I was thinking I should just go buy the game at that moment.
The next few tracks were lack luster and uninteresting to my, all were given a fair shake but were not actually fun to play. They were pre-cursors to Stanglehold by Ted Nugent.
Stranglehold is a guitar classic. Say what you will about Ted Nugent but that song is rock and roll gold. It's just a bass heavy guitar opus in my opinion. A constant car shaker for me, love the tune. You can imagine how psyched I was. So the song starts off and I notice the guitar doesn't sound right and the note placement doesn't feel natural - whatever, it's plastic guitar and it won't be perfect, on to the next part of the song; the massive solo. That is where the game drops a fat turd on your expectations. It's a cover tune. It's not Ted shredding, it's someone else. He's not improvising, he's missing notes all over the place. It sounds AWFUL. A gigantic dissapointment to me.
Now the game has paid out a highly expected track and destroyed another. It's on even ground with me.
The Tool setlist came soon after. I've been a Tool fan for a while, I dig their work and was looking forward. ALL of the tracks felt akward and off in their notation ruining the setlist. The only saving grace was the backgrounds. They were inspired by Tool's album art and videos. Those were absolutely gorgeous; well rendered, changed with the music. Fantastic right? Except for the execution of their tracks which is the core reason to consider a purchase.
I beat the game, the reamining tracks were mediocre. Rise Against had a good track on there and actually turned me on to the band with the song Re-Education through labor. Good stuff.
So I moved onto the music creator, another aspect I was psyched for. It sucks - plain and simple. I spent the next day on this music studio. The guitar tracks do not really sound like guitars for the most part. The interface itself is difficult to navigate through. The time/note limits to created tracks are another dissapointment. You are NOT permitted to covered any copyrighted tracks. Why? The RIAA are restricting your fun once again. A rant for another day :)
In general I cannot recomend this to anyone and I own all of the previous Guitar Hero releases. Why the three stars for the fun factor you might ask; I'm a 311 fan and playing Beautiful Disaster was a lot of fun. This one is not worthy of the GH franchise, but it would make for a fierce beer coaster. Pass on this game.
Buy Rock Band 2 instead, check my review for that one. | video-games_xbox |
Normally you get what you pay for, but this isn't the case. Like the title says normally if you drop near $200 on something in the electronic/gaming section you get what your paying for, but this one doesn't follow the rules. I bought this for my xbox before my unit was heading out to Iraq, I thought, "Hey what the heck, it gets real boring out there why not have a screen for my Xbox and bring it out." man was I wrong. I originally bought the screen for the PS2 when it came out and I was on deployment in Asia and it was great, and I thought this one would hold up the same, maybe even better, but I couldn't be any more wrong if I tried. I opened up the box after I got home from Fry's and noticed right away that this huge chunk plastic was cracked in the front, (odd considering that its wrapped in Styrofoam) so I thought either it was tossed around a lot and dropped or it was a piece of crap or both. Then I tried to place it on the Xbox where it fit securely and the fasteners fit right into place (there are two in the back). The only bad part is that it's just a little difficult (trying to be delicate without braking it even more, considering that mine already was), so don't plan on taking it on and off a lot or it will definitely break. Now you will need another power outlet, and it comes with even more cords, this I did like. You have a special cord (looks just like the part that goes into your Xbox for audio/visual on both ends) that once the it's placed on you just plug in the short, roughly 6 inch cord into both the Xbox and the screen, nice way to lessen the hassles of multiple wires. Then I flipped up the screen and turned it (which has three settings; on, audio only, and audio & visual) and my Xbox on, I was slowly started to begin missing my $200.
If you "walk away" from this review with only one thing, let it be this; that picture on the front of the box is a total lie!!! The resolution is mostly green, I thought it was just the start up and the main menu of my Xbox but then I plugged in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and saw that it was, indeed, a crappy monitor. I then plugged in several other games to see, using games known for dark colors and others known for bright colors, and I proceeded to get the same result each time, everything has a green tint to it. The <cough "fragile"> speakers are alight as long as you don't turn them up too much and blow them out real quick.
Now the screen offers a few controls such as; `On'/'audio only'/and `audio & visual' (as mentioned above), `volume control', `contrast control' you can turn it from a green tint to black and white (ooh what options), `bass' for those of you who are ready to blow those crappy speakers out, and `treble,' this thing also includes two headphone jacks, which is actually laughably ironic considering if you are actually using them for headphones either you and your buddy can't see your screens due to it being cut in half and/or fighting at who's head is blocking the screen because you'll have to squint to read things, good luck with those long range snipings on your FPS (first person shooter) games.
All in all I really can't, in good mind, recommend this thing but if you really need a portable screen for your Xbox, but if you need a portable screen go for it. Don't forget that the other systems have portable screens as well, all you really need is one with an audio left & right and video [red, white and yellow end cords] to hook up something. | video-games_xbox |
Overall a solid racing title. Well to start if this isn't your first forza game you'll know what to expect, its very similar and there really aren't many new tracks, but if you managed to complete forza 3 without growing tired you'll be fine with this.
The cars are up to date and acruate and stunning to look at, no complaints there except there aren't exactly many new ones, the few years between forza games makes it so you don't have companies making a large number of newer cars, but the good ones are still there and there are a few classics in there aswell and there will be several DLCs coming out over the coming months.
The addition of Top Gear gives the game a nice twist, i personally am a massive fan of the show so it was kind of fun to hear Jeremy Clarkson talk to me about the Enzo, but because he was only there for a while it felt odd, it felt weird having two narrators, the classic and rarely Jeremy. The Top Gear Bowling is fun for a while and its kind of nice to do something other than racing.
The online is great fun and mine came with football (soccer) in with the game, which i thought was great, the community is very helpfull and is good all around, if you can find enough people to play with, not often a problem for now but will probably wear thin quickly with all these other new games such as MW3 GOW3 and BF3 things like this.
My main complaint is the campaign, the whole moving up through worse cars to slightly less worse to slightly less worse to almost mediocre to mediocre to slightly above mediocre to above average to good to really good to hyper cars... grows tiresome quickly and i felt as if i was doing the same thing over and over again, on the long races i couldn't help but hire a driver. You quell this boredom with the aquisition of newer cars, i kept myself interested by keeping my own personal collection of my fantasy cars. But thats just me. I think i missed a stage of car... probably below below worse.
Overall there is so much to do in this game, i even forgot to mention the autovista mode, also interesting and great for car fans. I've probably forgotten a lot more but still, you'll find something to do on this game, Its just a fun racing games and even if your a first time player I would recommend this to a more avid car fan, that element of realism is what makes forza forza. If you want to see stuff just blow up and drive unrealisticly (which i admit i want to do sometimes too) go buy Need For Speed The Run or something a long those lines. But there is just so much entertainment that you get out of Forza... I realize i'm ranting at this point. I think i made my point at least. | video-games_xbox |
Good equipment, games suck. I bought an XBOX after having played the cube for a couple of years and here is my opinion of the XBOX:
CONS
1. Controllers suck, the A,B,X,Y buttons are all the same size and have no raised identifiers on them, so I'm always hitting the wrong button. The controller itself seems large and cumbersome, kind-of "clunky".
2. The machine itself is HUGE, with modern technology as it is why do we need such a large box cluttering up the joint?
3. Front loading CD/DVD tray: This might be a good idea on a computer system that sits in a cabinet or on your desk, but not for a game machine you take with you to your friends house. I have seen people get a disk jammed in there doing just that.
4. Cheesy DVD player: Yes you can play DVD's with this system, great, but will it play DTS encoding? no, DTS sounds much better than dolby digital, couldn't they have included this decoding in such a large system?
5. Wires, wires, wires: well Microsoft feels they have done you a favor by making the wires longer, why not get rid of them altogether? With such sucessful products like the Wavebird wireless, why hasn't MS made such an item? I know there are after market ones, but lets face it, the after market controllers are no where near as good as the ones made by the manufacturer.
6. Games: you knew I was getting to this right? Most of the good games for XBOX are available for all platforms. The one game <halo> that most XBOX'ers feel is the best game for this console is mediocre to not very good. Most people that rate halo as being very good are only playing it in death-match, they aren't playing the actual game, which would be great if you've got alot of friends with XBOX's and LAN connections.
When I bought my XBOX I had high hopes of really great games based upon the hype in the media and other forums, but as you can see there are not very many good games for the machine.
7. The top of the XBOX is rounded slightly, making impossible to put another component on top of it, this is a little bit perplexing to me, MS put the front loading disk tray in so that you can put the XBOX in your entertainment center, but why make the top rounded? this defeats the purpose.
PROS
1. You can take it back to the store if you keep the box and packing materials in good shape. | video-games_xbox |
Fun shooter with some nice twists but visually repetetive. Darkwatch for Xbox is an above average first person shooter (FPS) with a few cool features to seperate it from the pack. I'm sure anyone reading this knows what to expect from a FPS game and there are some good descriptions here, so I'll just add a few comments. My main complaint is that it's visually repetitive (both the characters and worlds). There are probably 12 or so character models in the entire game. I would have rather done without the cheesy cut scenes and spent more budget on varied enemy models.
+ It's fun to run around in the old west for a change, and the levels are nicely laid out to include close-up and long range fighting (I am one of those people who love sniping - carefully lining up a long-range shot and blowing off an enemies' head).
+ Throwing dynamite is always fun.
+ The weapons are fun to use and I like the fact that it matters where you hit an enemy (a head shot kills right away, while it may take several body shots).
+ The game moves along quickly and the difficulty increases at a good rate. Each new level is tougher, but not so much that you want to quit.
- There isn't much variation in character models.
- Most of the characters in the cut-scenes are annoying dorks. The voice acting is good, though. Having the 'ghost' Cassidy say stuff like 'Here they come, you'd better shoot them' can bug you real quick-like. I have yelled "No sh*t" or "Shut the H*ll up" at the TV quite a few times during this game.
- You see the same enemies over and over.
- There seems to be about 7 or 8 enemy types, and they get boring quickly. I would have appreciated if the developer just changed the color of clothing on enemies once in awhile. You'd think with all of the space on a DVD, you would not have to look at 20 of the exact same monster coming at you (over... and... over... and... over...). Come on guys - if there are 5 Banshees coming for you, how about a few different dress colors? It's like playing Robotron or Space Invaders. There's one character model for the guys that help you. It's like you are playing on clone planet.
- Did I mention that the enemies all look the same and keep repeating?
- Also, there are the same character models used again and again... | video-games_xbox |
Great start, but take it for what it is... a budget title. *UPDATED w/Spoiler at end of review. I was super excited for this game when I first saw the teasers last year, I think? I am not sure when it was first shown, but it looked like such a great idea. As time went on and we saw what was happening, I had my concerns. When the price got slashed multiple times (I mean, I got it NEW for $28 from Best Buy), I had my concerns. I heard the talk that it was being offered at a low price in order to find buyers and lure them into trying out a new title and hopefully build something out of it. That said, this is not the game I thought it was going to be, but is a solid entry and I would buy future editions.
Pros:
- Large world. Exploration promoted and encouraged. Map displays items, dungeons, and other useful info.
- The controls are pretty solid (once you learn how to use the tug-of-war system to pull cores... it's frustrating, but you WILL figure it out)
- Many hours of gaming. I would imagine that the campaign itself is short if you just went through the story missions. Most open world games are short if you just follow the main missions. This game is centered around exploration and side content. I have been playing for a few hours now and I don't feel like I've done much at all. I'm guessing this is probably a 30-hour title based on all activities. More if you want everything.
- Story seems interesting so far. It's been a long time since I've played a story driven platformer, so it's refreshing.
Cons:
- Graphics aren't spectacular. They are good, not quite Xbox 360 as people have mentioned, but early Xbox One quality.
- Load times are HORENDOUS. This is especially frustrating when you die and wait 2-3 minutes to reload, and die quickly again.
- The action can be a bit repetitive. I wish there were more monster varieties and an evade/dodge option to get away from certain attacks.
Overall, for a budget title, it is perfect. If this was a full $60 release, I'd be a bit bummed that it wasn't as polished as it should be. I can handle most everything they throw at you that's negative. I think it's a solid start and I hope there's more front the franchise. I would say look for it in the $25-30 range.
Update: I finished the game and it goes downhill quickly. I still leave the 4* review based on this being a budget title. Had they gone with full price release, this game would have been in the bargain bin sooner. It's only after you start looking around for more to do to get enough orbs to finish the game that you realize there's nothing to do. Once you take out the unique named creatures, there are only repetitive small fry fights. I actually would love if they could respawn. You wander around, look for orbs, and then when you exhaust your efforts, you look online for missing pieces. I found what I was looking for in the form of an incomplete dungeon. This was disappointing because it was just solid evidence that the game was never finished and rushed to the shelves. I was disappointed to find that there was no tank as the box shows. I'm assuming the unfinished dungeon (seriously, it's out of the way, and once you find it, you just have to keep dashing and dashing to the end. No challenge and no enemies), was meant for this tank. I was bummed because the story was interesting, but without spoilers, just turns to mush. Ever watch a show (anime is famous for this) where the budget is cut and you never get the real ending, but a cheapened ending which relied on repeat footage and flashbacks? This is how this felt.
*SPOILER ALERT*
The final level is just floor after floor of easy platforming. Each floor requires a certain number of orbs to get to the next floor. The top floor gets you to the eventual boss fight. The boss fight is a joke. The story is non-existent. It's the modern day equivalent to an NES game and a "You Win!" ending. | video-games_xbox |
No so good. Disneyland Adventure: Not very good. Tracking not very good. Nice graphics. You have to work through ten minutes of tedious interaction with Mickey and Goofy before you can play any games. My kids played it for an hour and have no interest in playing it again.
Below is my review of the Kinect experience since we bought Kinects in 2010:
---
Purchased Christmas 2010, when my children were 5 & 6. After being "wowed" by the technology and the graphics, but the games themselves aren't much fun. The fun part is saying "look what I can do". The tracking is poor and causes lots of frustration with children and adults. In 10 years when this technology is perfected it may be fun, but in 2012, my children prefer the free video games on Nick Jr and PBS. In perspective, Kinect should be free and Nick Jr and PBS should charge. We have tried several of the Kinect games, each which comes with glowing reviews to be disappointed. I wonder if the reviews are written by people in the first hour of playing or by the games companies themselves. We also bought Skylanders which has been a bigger hit with my kids than any of the Kinects games. These are the Kinect games we bought in order of best to worst:
Kinect Sports: The best Kinect game. Tracks the best, user interface is best, the only Kinect game my kids want to play (occasionally).
Kinectables: Frustrating tracking, cute and the second best game. Easy to get lost in store or house and not be able to find way back to map. My children might play this for an hour every couple of months. Was not able hold their interest after the first few days.
Carnival: One of the best. Tracking seems better on this game. Annoying barker.
Dance Central: Ok, but not really a kid game
Kinect Adventures: Ok, but my kids are not interested in paying it more than once every couple of months for a 1/2 an hour
Disneyland Adventure: Not very good. Tracking not very good. Nice graphics. You have to work through ten minutes of tedious interaction with Mickey and Goofy before you can play any games. My kids played it for an hour and have no interest in playing it again.
Joy Ride: Absolutely awful. Small kids would like to have the feeling of driving a car. This is just crap! Your not driving, you are not doing anything. Terrible controls, terrible tracking, my kids were done with this piece of crap in about one hour. I gave it to the thrift store. They should pay you to play this game. | video-games_xbox |
Sega Sports layed an egg with this one.....pheeeuw. Ok lets get real here. Before you read this please understand that I've spent an unbelievable amount of time on Sega basketball games in the past. That's why I know so much about it because I used to play it so much. With that said, it's obvious that sega sports (now espn) was just in a hurry to rush this game out. Your supposed to improve on games not make them worse. Sega's last title NBA 2K3 was way better than this garbage. They completely overhauled this game just to make it more arcadish. You used to be able to square up and strafe when playing defense by pressing the left trigger.....not anymore. Now it's impossible to keep anyone out of the paint. You can just run a pick and roll all day. This is why the computer will get 50 assists a game on you. And it can't be stopped.
Another reason it appears they rushed this game is because there aren't near as many camera angles as there used to be. Now your forced to go with what they have instead of customizing it yourself.
The graphics are starting to get cheasy now. The only time the players look good is during cut scenes.
The only reason they put the isomotion moves in this game is because they wanted to try to copy NBA Live 2004 which came out first. Your teammates don't help you rebound. The characters start dribbling between their legs for no reason and won't stop, then you turn the ball over. A lot of the NBA players & rookies are missing, and it only allows you to create about 10 players. The game sliders don't seem to have any affect on the game. I put the shooting sliders down all the way for the computer and they were still hitting shots from all over the place! When you pass the ball the receiver of the pass jumps up in the air for no reason messing up your offense. When there's a loose ball, your teammates don't rush to it, but the computer sure does.
Now then, I'm not here to promote any basketball video game. Personally, I've tried all the new basketball games, and they all stink! My advise, wait until next year and see if they improve, because they are not worth your $$. But if you must, then NBA 2K2 & 2K3 are still the best. (Even though there are a few problems with those too, I enjoyed those two a great deal. Peace...... | video-games_xbox |
Lost its roots from the rest of the series. I found RE5 to be a huge let down from the rest of the RE games in the series. Capcom really slipped on this latest version. This game had alot of potential to be a really great horror flick, but failed miserably at being scary. As alot of other RE fans have mentioned, RE5 is missing substance. The following reasons are why I gave RE5 a bad rating. There's more reasons why this game doesn't meet RE standards, but I listed my biggest concerns.
1. Camera angle - Unlike other RE's this game seems to borrow its camera views from games like gears of war. I don't believe the camera angle fully captures the action of the game. It misses out on the feeling of the other RE games. RE5 almost appears as another title separate from the rest of the RE series.
2. Button configuration - The combination of buttons the gamer has to press in order to execute a move is initially difficult to adapt to. RE5 has an unorthodox button layout which doesn't follow the pattern of the rest of the RE's.
3. Surprise/horror factor - If RE5 was someone's introduction to the RE series, they would most likely be deterred from enjoying the rest of the RE games. RE5 fails to build on tension that gives the gamer the sense of horror or the suspense of being frightened. The game takes place under daylight, and is mostly in areas out in the open so it is easy to fend yourself from enemies.
4. Game play - Once you play the game you'll know what alot of other fans are mentioning about. The AI in RE5 is just terrible, as the gamer has to protect the computer during the whole duration of the game and supply it with ammo/life only to have it wasted. Not to mention the real time menu option in addition to the loss of save rooms accompanied by the typewriter for saving. Capcom waited long to make this game and made it ridiculous. RE5 is not as (if not) replayable as its other counterparts.
5. Creativity - Bosses in RE5 just appear and have no attachment to the RE storyline. RE5 borrows 80% (if not more) of its material from RE4 its predecessor. Rather than building on RE4, RE5 replicates some of the same enemies/bosses. Overall, the were no bosses that made me think "who's nightmare did this guy come from." Put simply, when I play a RE game I expect to see creepy zombies eating on people like the very first zombie you see in RE1 and mutated creatures that follow you around like the mutant that had the one eye on his arm with the huge claw from RE2 or the phantom tyrant from RE3. Whatever happened to the strange mutations that the viruses caused, besides the parasites? Capcom should consider about remaking this game because it ruins the reputation of the whole RE line. | video-games_xbox |
This game is dangerousely hilarious and fun. When i say that this game is probobly the funniest game up to date, i am not joking at all. Just watching these characters imitating the british accent is hilarious, not to mention the cutscenes, where, for example, a character gets shoved up a rhinos a$$, because he is catching a cold and everyone thinks that he will "warm up" that way. That was probobly one of the funniest scenes in the entire game.
Now on to the actual review. As i always do, i will break my review down into sections of graphics, gameplay and audio.
Graphics- The graphics in Armed and Dangerous are probobly the only problem in this game all together. I think that they could have done a much better job with the graphics aspect of it. The character models aren't that in depth in terms of detail, and the cutscenes, all though extremely hilarious/funny, lack in detail and animation as most games on Xbox now a days do not. If this game was a PS2/Gamecube only game, i wouldn't complain so much considering that those systems graphics are much worse then those of the Xbox's. The background animation lacks in detail as well considering that the landscape and where the game takes place is extremely simplistic. The movements of the characters are also very choppy and should have been much more smoothed out for a more "comfortable" gaming experience. Sometimes, i thought that the game was going to freeze up on me because of the extremely slow speed/framerate which is just unexceptable when your talking about a high powered system like the Xbox.
Gameplay- Ahhhh, the best part of this entire game is the gameplay itself. When there are guns that you can use like the "Shark gun" which shoots out a shark that eats people, you cant help but laugh your head off.
No doubt that this game was making fun of real games/movies like Star Wars when theres a small intro on the back of the game reading..
"A smack-talking rag-tag bad of rebels
bound n an impossible quest. With an areseal
of outrageous weapons, they're destined for
victory in 12,000 bullets or less. If they can
make it through an army of psychotic robots and
wall-smashing Goliaths, they just might save the world...If they don't burn it down first..."
See what i mean?
The cutscenes are another aspect of this game which make it definetely worth buying. They are beyond hilarious way funnier then even some comedy movies that i've seen; now thats funny!
The controls in Armed and Dangerous are fairly easy to master and don't require much skill, neither does the game thank god. (I hate games now a days that require skill, they end up not even being fun.)
So all in all, the gameplay in Armed and Dangerous is amazing and cannot be forgotten!
Audio- The audio in Armed and Dangerous is another great thing about the game. The voice overs are apsolutely brilliant, the music is great and the sound effects are well done as well. When you listen to it without watching it, you can just tell that its a spoof on a actual battle game!
There is also a downloadable level that you can get off Xbox Live, but there isn't any online/offline multiplayer which is a really big bummer, because i think that they could have had the potential to do that, it would have certainly be possible!
So in conclusion, Armed and Dangerous is recommended for all gamers out there in the world. If you are a hardcore multiplayer fan, then this might not be the game for you, but for everyone else, this is worth your money! | video-games_xbox |
Internal mics are BAD. Stick with TB Stealth 500X headset if you plan to chat on XBL. When my TB Stealth 500X headset broke for the 2nd time (1st was plastic headset clamp, 2nd time transmitter went bad), I thought I'd upgrade to these. I bought all of them at Best Buy, and the replacement was covered under their service plan.
However, I ended up taking the 800X headset back in ONE day it sucked so bad. I'll give you a rundown of my review:
PROS:
- Sound is really awesome. Game sound is really, really good. Better than the 500X headset.
- Easy to hook up. I think they all are at this point, though.
- Great construction quality. Better than 500X.
CONS:
- Bad chat mic. The 800X has "internal" microphones, not the boom mic like the 500X (and pretty much every other headset). Everyone in chat said I sounded like I was talking through a paper tube OR that I sounded like I was inside an astronaut helmet. I tried the firmware upgrade, all different settings, everything. Same result. 500X sounds perfect.
- Audible 'hiss'. The 800X headset had an audible hiss that was very apparent when you turn them on (no game noise) or when there are quiet moments in a game. This reminded me of old wireless headsets I had back when they used RF transmitters. Again, no way to remove it. 500X does not have this issue.
- Very tight on my head. The 800X was VERY tight on my head and really hurt my right ear. I tried all adjustments; still hurt like hell. After 1 hour, it was annoying. After 2 hours, I had to get the damn things off and my ear hurt for 20 minutes after. Not cool. Again, 500X headset fits fine, not too tight.
SUMMARY:
This is a great headset provided you A) don't chat on XBL and B) have a small head. I really wanted to like the 800X headset, but in terms of being useful for gaming and comms, it was a failure for me.
Personally, I find the 500X headset to be much better and more functional. However, I have had some breakage issues with those as well, so if you buy them, invest in a replacement warranty. | video-games_xbox |
Hands down, one of the finest shmups ever. At first look, Ketsui looks similar to many other shmups out there. Helicopters firing a non-stop barrage of screen filling firepower? Check. Zillions of colorful bullets that need to be dodged? Check. Point items to collect and increase your score? Check. Huge bosses with enough guns to level a city? Check. But its real brilliance is in the game mechanics and level design.
Playing Ketsui is all about aggression. Destroying enemies up close awards higher point cubes, which are used to score. Shoot an enemy from afar for a "1" cube, or point-blank them for a "5" cube. Once you collect some cubes, you can switch to a lock-shot mode (hold down the fire button), which locks in that cube's value for a set amount of time. Thus, you can to bum rush a few enemies to generate high cube values, then use the lock-shot to maximize gains on everything else in sight. There are a few other variables to take into account, however that's the simplest way of explaining it.
The level design is very well thought out with this scoring system in mind. Often against a tougher opponent, a few tanks will work their way down the screen just before that enemy is defeated. You can either concentrate firepower to take out that threat quickly, or break your lock to point-blank those tanks, then return to the tough enemy, and be rewarded with a shower of 5 cubes. Careful planning is very rewarding, and the levels are perfectly balanced for those skillful enough to take advantage of them.
Enemy bullet patterns get vastly more interesting as you progress through the game. Late in the game they start to take a life of their own as they weave and track you in unusual ways.
In addition to the main game, an arrangement or "X-mode" is also included. This changes up the gameplay by adding bullet cancelling and suicide bullets when enemies are destroyed. It seems to be more about pushing your luck to fill the screen with bullets before cancelling them out, which leads to different strategies in how quickly you defeat certain enemies. It's a different take on the game, but it's still really great.
I can't say enough praise for how much fun Ketsui is to play. And at the end of the day, that's the only thing that really matters. | video-games_xbox |
One thing or another. It's been a long time since I wrote a review, but after 300 hours of gameplay, I thought I would make a few points. Star Ocean is a game that, with slightly better writing and development could have been one of the best games of the decade. But it consistenly falls short.
Let's take a bit of a look.
The game is graphically beautiful. Full appreciation is due to the artists and animators. Not just for wandering around the vast multiworld universe that is the setting for the game, but fight animation is also lovingly detailed. Everything is great except for facial expressions. The characters are usually deadpan, and Reimi has a distant stare that is positively chilling.
The story is intricate. Edge and Reimi start out on Earth's attempt to find a colonizable world in order to save the human race from the ruin of a war torn planet. They meet a number of different alien races enlist characters (you wind up playing 4 out of a set of eight characters). Eventually they meet more villanous aliens, uncover a plot to end the universe and have to defeat an evil mastermind. Initially the game is linear, but gradually non-linear elements (such as quests) are introduced and you will do a lot of planet hopping. To some degree there's too much story. The worst example is the infinitely long closing sequence, which is unavoidabe and unstoppable.
Interplayer relationships are interesting as the characters are all quite different. Acting, however, is spotty. The worst example here is the crisis Edge goes through when his actions result in the destruction of a planet. Not his fault, but he spends endless hours whining and beating on himself (massively overacted) before he gets back on track
Gameplay itself is the real problem. The characters are irritatingly difficult to steer, and the precise position needed to accomplish something can be quite elusive. This can get on your nerves. For all the complicated battle options most battles are repetitious and frankly, the bosses are too easy. Or so they are until suddenly they get way to0 hard.
Battle trophy hunting is an important part of character building since you need enough trophies to remove the experience cap and get more than a small handful of things to say while killing mushrooms. Some of these are a matter of pure luck(kill an opponent with exactly the right anount of damage)or really aren't much of a challenge (run away 20 times). None of the other collectables are that hard to get, but they are easy to miss if you don't know that some place is about to be destroyed forever. Which means you will have to play the game at least twice to get the accomplishments. And while I don't mind playing the hack and slash endgame for hours on end, the last thing I want to do is live through Edge's tantrums again.
I have a number of other grumbles, but no doubt you have already figured out that this is a very playable game that simply doesn't live up to its potential. It is a pleasant pass time though so I would recommend it anyway as a good value for the money. | video-games_xbox |
A Total Disconnect Between You and the World. Square tried to make FFXIII more accessible to players, but ended up alienating them.
Here's what went wrong:
When you make a video game franchise, you want to be sure that people can finish your game.
The logic behind this states that there are a lot of people who say, "Well, I didn't finish Dragon Squadron 1, so why should I buy Dragon Squadron 2?"
The three main reasons people quit playing games are:
1) I got lost and couldn't find out where to go.
2) The gameplay is too complicated.
3) I couldn't get past one particular area.
Final Fantasy XIII addressed these concerns the wrong way.
In FFXIII, you cannot get lost. The levels are basically glass tubes where you can see a beautifully rendered, fantastic, and creative world. But you can't interact with it. You just feel like you are being escorted down a hallway or you're on a ride like the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. You can look around, but you can't touch anything. The illusion that you are controlling characters in a fantasy world becomes diminished here.
Allowing the characters to run around and affect objects in the environment would have gone a long way.
In FFXIII, the game makes all of the meaningful choices for you (for the first 30 hours). This game has a menagerie of enemies and creatures and there are a ton of different attacks and damage types. It would be almost impossible to memorize which enemies are resistant or vulnerable to which attacks. By using the Libra Spell, the game gives you all of these statistics. When you are in battle, the characters' best attacks are Auto-Selected for you in the Auto-Battle feature. All you need to do is press the A Button when the gauge fills up. For the first 30 hours, you don't need to think about strategy and the game picks the best attacks for your characters. Again, the illusion that you are controlling characters becomes diminished here because the game makes the meaningful decisions for you.
Simplifying the damage types and resistances, and giving the player more control over the battles would have helped.
In FFXIII, the only trouble you might have is during the boss fights. If you die, you can restart right before the fight and you can always fight the same groups of enemies over and over again to grind up your levels to make the boss fight easier. But the rules of combat actually increase the player's chance of dying during the 20 minute boss battles. In combat, you only control the party leader, and the AI controls the other two characters. If the party leader dies, the game is over. They cannot be resurrected. This rule is completely artificial and breaks the game fiction. Any character that you are not controlling can easily be resurrected with the push of a button. To make matters worse, the Party Leader Changes throughout the game. So, if you are controlling Lightning, and she dies, you lose. If the AI is controlling Lightning, and she dies, it's no problem. This also diminishes the illusion that you are in a fantasy world because the rules don't make sense and you have little control over your own fate.
To make matters worse, during a 20 minute battle, if the AI makes one simple mistake, like healing an AI character instead of you, you die and the game is over. Now, you get to restart and fight the 20 minute battle over again, hoping the AI gets it right next time. So winning a battle feels like it is almost out of your control.
Speaking of controls, here's another issue. You just select spells from a menu. If you cast CURE, a list of characters appears like this:
Lightning
Vanille
Sahz
If you are in a hurry, it is very easy to double tap or triple tap when you didn't mean to and cure the wrong character. This is a very easy mistake to make and it often results in your death. The game would have been much better if you pushed, left, right, and up to select the characters. Down, cancels the spell.
During the battles, you have to focus 100% on the HUD. As a result, you don't even pay attention to the character animations and effects happening in the battle. The timing is all based on artificial gauges. And when an enemy takes damage, a bunch of numbers appear quickly and overlap each other, so you really can't read them. If you try one particular attack you might see: 38,45,27,44, all at once, and partially obstructing each other. 2 seconds later, another attack hits and you see, 49,52,61, which quickly fades. So, it becomes too difficult to do the math to see which attacks are doing the most damage. So, you are forced to ignore the monsters and your characters and just watch the gauges. To make things worse, when you select an attack, then the monster (OGRE B), the Ogre's health bar is not in the HUD. It is over the actual monster which is jumping around and hard to see. So, in an effort to make the game look more exciting, it actually hides the information that you need to make educated decisions. Sure, party members and monsters are jumping around and performing attack animations, but none of it matters. Again, this disconnects the player from the actual world.
Now, here are some more issues:
The Characters vs. The Story:
The game begins with a peaceful utopian city getting destroyed by an evil military organization. It's kind of like the holocaust + 9/11. Thousands die and a peaceful nation gets destroyed. This is a very dramatic opening.
However, the characters don't really seem to be affected by this as much as you would think. They seem wound up in their own personal issues. This breaks the illusion of the story. If the player watches something dramatic and feels emotion, you would think the characters in the world would share the same emotion to a higher degree. The biggest culprit is Vanille. She belongs in a Mario Cart Game because her dialogue consists of "Yaaay, Wheeeeee, Fuuuun!" Lightning is a stoic hero, but she is so closed off emotionally, you cannot relate to her. Snow's fiancee got turned into crystal, so he's got his own problems, but they don't relate much to environment around him. Hope is the young adventurer who lacks confidence. The best character is a black dude with a Chocobo Chick in is fro! Sahz is the only character that seems to have emotions that resemble that of a human being. But when your best character is a guy with a chocobo chick in his fro, you've got issues.
The story is told through cutscenes that are full of convoluted dialogue that deal with misplaced character drama, and not the events unfolding in the world. To make matters worse, the story skips around from past to present and changes the character point of view so you really don't feel a sense of attachment to any of them. You control Lightning for a while, then Snow in the past, then Sahz in the future, then Vanille... The game would have been better if you just played as Lightning and she was on a mission. Because the characters don't react to the world, and you can't interact with the world, and the meaningful decisions are made by the AI, you really don't feel like you are playing through an adventure. You just feel like you're along for a 60-100 hour ride.
If you make it past the 30 hour mark, you actually get to play.
The strategy involves leveling up your characters and assigning three of them roles in a Group or Paradigm.
Some examples would be:
Commando, Commando, Reaver
Healer, Saboteur, Reaver
So, you set up your character's functions in a group. (Max attack, debuff, buff, heal, magic...)
Then you swap groups in realtime. This is another disconnect because you feel more like a coach shouting "Formation 1!" OK "Now, Formation 2!!!" Instead of taking control of the characters and hurling fireballs at the enemies.
One final point... the music also doesn't match the events in the story. It's either too quiet or jazzy, which doesn't really match "holocaust." It's like watching "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" or "Schindler's List" while listening to "She's a Brick... House... do-do-do-do."
So, the art is fantastic, the world is fantastic, the art direction is fantastic... but with the gameplay, characters, dialogue, levels, and music preventing you from enjoying or experiencing the world, you're gonna have some serious issues.
If you're the type of player that needs to feel immersed in your RPG's, you won't enjoy this game at all.
If you love the art of Final Fantasy, and want to tough it out through the first 30 hours, and forgive some AI bugs, then you have a shot at liking this game. | video-games_xbox |
FIRST GAME TO EVER COME CLOSE TO RIVALING A MARIO. I have been a pro gamer since 1980.(4 years-old believe it or not.) I've even been featured in EGM magazine several times. I never in my wildest dreams thought that a platformer could come along that was as fun to play as a Mario game and I still might not be convinced that there ever could. (Just to clear up, I'm not including the New Super Mario Bros for Wii and Wii U. I can't stomach the Generic Toadstool crap!) However, if there ever was one, Rayman Origins has come closer to that goal than any other game I have ever played. The only thing that is lacking is somewhat more of a back story that would cause you to become more intimately attatched and invested in the various characters. Maybe I'll get that when my daughter and I beat it. (We're 1/3 of the way through.) 2-player simultaneous play! Fun, Fun, FUN!!!!!!!!!
***UPDATE 4-13-13***
THIS IS DEFINATELY THE BEST GAME/PLATFORMER TO COME ALONG SINCE SUPER MARIO 1,2,3, AND SUPER MARIO WORLD!!!!
Forget what I said about the back story. It's the personality of these characters that sucks you in and makes you love them more than life itself! I have not had this much fun playing, exploring, discovering, defeating, and then going back for more in a game since the first 4 games of the Super Mario series!!!! My 11 year-old daughter and I have been playing this one everyday for over a month now and are a little over 1/2 way through. It has soooo many worlds, levels, and challenges to unfold. It is fresh each time you play and there are always new things to uncover. Then, when you're finished, you get to go back and master your speed runs! Awesome game! Awesome time! I bought this new on Amazon for $9.99. With what I know now, I would have gladly dropped $100 for it. IT'S THAT GOOD!!!!! Look, ignore the price. No matter what you dish out for this one, it will be well worth it. GUARANTEED!!!!!!
***UPDATE 5-16-13***
It's been a few months since I purchased this game and it is still the only one my daughter and I play. I used to buy 3 games a month! The fact that I have found no need to buy or play any other games says more about Rayman Origins than I could ever write. Do yourself a favor, buy this game, and find out what all the rave has been about for the last couple of years. | video-games_xbox |
an incredibly sloppy and awful game from a usually great game developer. I never bothered trying this game out back when it originally released after hearing nothing but bad things about it from everyone and every review site. I probably never would have played it except I recently played Nier after someone informed me it was by the same people that made Drakengard. Nier was a lot of fun and it's insane that this actually got a higher score than it in most places, but that's a whole other story. the point being, I heard this was also by Cavia and thought hey maybe this one was just severely underrated too and it's only $8 used now...sure I'll try it. oh boy!
the graphics in this game are decent. that is the only nice thing there is to say about it. plenty of bad things to say though...a few of which would be forgivable, but believe me they stack up into a big mess really quickly.
combat is generic and repetitive. enemy AI is inexcusably bad. large enemies like bosses/minibosses in particular like to get stuck in walls, stand there motionlessly, or sometimes even walk around in a little circle over and over again as you slowly kill them.
controls are messy and unresponsive. pressing the movement stick in to duck is NOT good and will end up making you duck instead of move out of the way more than you would think. spell menu is poorly made and you'll often end up on the wrong part of the menu in the middle of a fight.
no run. no jump. there's a dodge, but it's worthless. the times you most need to dodge are the times you encounter things like snipers and huge debris/vehicles thrown at you that kill you instantly...but you CANNOT dodge them. I don't mean it's too hard to, I mean it literally even tells you flat out in a hint window you cannot dodge these things.
level design seems to stick to corridor type areas or huge semi-open city areas. problem with those open areas is there is no map or direction indicator and no real way to know where you're supposed to be going. some games can get away with this because they're actually fun and there's usually some kind of reward for your exploration, but here there are just a lot of pointless dead end areas. some of them are just completely empty. some of them have enemies in them, though you gain absolutely nothing for killing these extra enemies. some of them will even have checkpoints for some reason. why the hell would you need a checkpoint for a pointless dead end?? who knows...
and the dialogue is horrible. horrible like an old NES/SNES game. terrible translation, terrible delivery, terrible characters. the plot, what little of it there is, is equally weak.
I cannot believe that the same people that made Drakengard and Nier did this. this is the kind of unfinished garbage you usually see from some strange brand new independent European publisher as a budget title. I am not exaggerating at all when I say that even budget games like Deadly Premonition are designed better than this. that anyone would defend this as a "decent/underrated action game" is utterly baffling. it's not even worth the $8 I foolishly spent on it. | video-games_xbox |
Very small, great curved ergonomic shape. Feels like something Apple might have designed. Replaces my logitech harmony remote. *** Update ****
Not 3 days after purchasing the remote, I started experiencing a problem with the Volume buttons not working properly, which apparently may be a widespread problem and not just an isolated bug. The volume button does not always register when pressed. I have to repeatedly press the power button and it may be detected maybe only every other push. Also If I just hold down the volume button, It's only adjust the volume up or down a little, then a pause, then a little more, then a pause, then a little more. Very annoying little bug if your relying on this remote for volume control. I've dropped from 5 stars to 4 stars. I still really like the remote but I do expect the volume to work normally and will have to contact microsoft about this issue. Maybe a bigger drop in stars is incoming if I don't resolve this problem.
****// End Update ****
The remote is about half the height of the 360 media remote. Very straight forward and easy to use. Has a soft touch feel that feels really good. The downside of the soft touch material is that it is a bit of a lint magnet. Remote picked up lint just from the packaging it came in and I had to wipe it clean first thing.
I'm still quite happy with the soft touch and think it will be great in the long run. The remote also has a sensor that turns on the backlighting when you pick it up without you having to do anything. The back light then very gracefully fades after about 5-7 seconds when the remote is placed down again. Very slick and the design akin to something Apple might do. Very good on Microsoft here.
To turn on Xbox you long press the Xbox logo button on the remote.
This is so much better than using the Xbox One controller as your remote control. It's just less work. Easier to pickup and use one handed. Easier than talking to Kinect all the time...although I still enjoy talking for certain things like Pausing a video or opening an app. A great solution for the non-gaming family members to interact with the Xbox with easily and without clunkiness.
It seems like many don't know this, but the Xbox One has an IR blaster in the Kinect device. You can program your Xbox One to control your specific TV and Receiver / Amplifier, or your Cable TV, via the IR blaster. You don't have to run any special cables or anything, the Kinect just bounces high power IR signal around your room and it gets back to your TV, receiver, cable box...etc. You can even control your Amplifier / Receiver audio volume from the Xbox One Media Remote! It works unbelievably well. Go into your Xbox One settings > TV & One Guide > Devices.
If you want to change the increment of how much the Xbox One increases or decreases your volume (when controlling by voice), follow these instructions:
Go to the Xbox One settings app
Go to TV & OneGuide
"Troubleshooting"
"Audio"
"Volume Change"
Again the above instructions are only for voice control, "Xbox Volume Up". The media remote only does volume control by standard +/- 1 unit of audio and can NOT be adjusted by the above increment settings.
So for my fairly straight forward setup where I only use the Xbox One for games, Blu-Ray, and streaming media, I now don't need my Logitech Harmony Remote anymore, or any other remote. This media remote is my ONLY remote!
I have a love hate relationship with the Logitech Harmony. With the One remote, my setup no longer needs it!!! My wife will now be able to easily turn on the TV without issues, and unlike the Logitech harmony remote which you had to carefully keep pointing at the TV / Amp / Cable box till it finished all it's commands, lest it get out of sync and be a headache to fix...the Xbox One sends such a powerful blast of IR out to your other devices, that you don't have to think about how long you point the remote.
This is a huge feature that the Xbox One has that the PS4 does not. It's one of the features made possible by the Kinect device. | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing. Pros:
+ Fun character designs
+ Classic Borderlands humor (if you're into that)
+ Fun art style (if you're into that)
+ Co-op story missions with matchmaking
+ Lots of characters to play that each feel pretty unique
+ Interesting and easy to understand progression system (Helix System)
+ Semi-interesting loot chase (using game currency, not micro-transactions)
Cons:
- Very shallow story mode
- The requirements to unlock certain characters goes a little overboard (Ghalt, Deande)
- Particle blindness
- Confusing leveling system
- Unbalanced characters
- Annoying teammate collision
- Very few game modes
- Very few maps
- Questionable hit detection
- Terrible new player experience
- Classic Borderlands humor (if you aren't into that)
- Cartoony art style (if you aren't into that)
- Low population
I do feel bad the game is getting a bad rap for being very unfairly compared to Overwatch. I also feel disappointed that people disparage it for not being a sequel to Borderlands, which shouldn't be held against it. Above anything else, Battleborn is its own game. Now, the question is, is that game good? No, no it isn't.
For single player - There are only a handful of missions which become very, very repetitive. Many of the characters will come into your roster without much fanfare with only a couple actually having any tangible import to the story (Boldur and Caldarius are introduced through missions but everyone else is just kind of dropped in). Missions mainly devolve into guarding an objective while wave after wave of enemies is thrown at you which gets quite boring after a time. Also, with the voting system for missions players will often just drop games if the missions they want to play isn't chosen.
For multiplayer - I could go on and on so I'm going to list everything below so to try and stay organized:
1. Movement is a chore - your teammates collide with you which makes for some very tedious and frustrating moments of trying to move but you end up jostling with your teammates rather than go anywhere. Playing the three-story tall Montana will enrage you to no end as you run in place wondering what the hell is going on only to find one of your tiny teammates is stuck under your feet (and I'm sure they aren't having a great time either).
2. Along the same lines of the collision issues if you're a ranged character you'll be very annoyed that your teammates can block your shots. This becomes infuriating as you shoot at a low health adversary just to have them escape because your teammate absorbed most of the bullets you sent their way.
3. Class imbalance - Certain characters are really too powerful for how easy they are to play. Rath is incredibly frustrating as he has a very powerful melee attack combo that requires him to do nothing but hold down the attack button. The problem with this is that he doesn't need to even aim his attacks, he only needs to be in your general area to do damage. He also moves very quickly even while attacking making him incredibly tough to hit. To put the cherry on top of this sad sundae his ultimate attack is disgustingly powerful, allowing him to slough off your health while filling his own at the same time. This is just one character - Galilea is even worse at times with her own 360 attack combo, shield block, AoE damage and health steal. And watch as you get stun locked constantly by Shayne over and over and over.
4. Melee stuns. I hope you like not being able to play your character because between Attikus and Rath (Rath being one of the most popular characters) you'll be in the air so much you'll think you had wings (or at least wished you had them so you could fly out of the match and the very game itself). Shayne is also an annoying stun-lock type character that can be very frustrating to play against (although he doesn't knock you up in the air, so there's that).
5. Uneven leveling - I mainly played the capture game type which revolves around capturing and holding territories (the same game type in most FPS games). The more territories you have the more points you get each second. First team to 1,000 points wins. This game type doesn't have near enough things to do for experience and usually ended in a one-sided stomp fest (sometimes in my favor, most of the time against). There are shards and turrets but doing the "buildables" gives so little experience and aid in the form of damage or run speed that they were rarely ever worth it. Because of this players receive massive chunks of experience for kills, which leads to early snowballing. With things as they are its very hostile for new players as they run around struggling to find ways to make their character stronger only to end up getting crushed under the boot of an enemy who was the fortunate recipient of a few early games kills.
6. Terrible new player experience - The game doesn't make much of an effort to help the player understand the game mechanics. If you search online you'll find all kinds of people asking questions regarding how to level, which is a basic mechanic in the game. Unfortunately the most common answer to this question is "kill minions and build turrets" which is unfortunate as many people will take this advice and still be unable to get any meaningful levels in a match as too much experience is weighted on player kills.
7. Snowballing - Snowball is the term used when a team or character just gets better and better (usually from getting fed easy kills) to the point where it is very difficult (if not impossible) to stop them. Much like a snowball rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger. Snowballing is a massive problem, probably one of the biggest in this game. Due to the extremely large chunks of experience players get for kills, a few early game kills can send a player or team rolling down the hill extremely quickly. I would say roughly over half of the games I have played were decided in the first 2 minutes of the game due to how much weight is placed on those early kills. Once these kills are made, and players level up quickly from them, it becomes next to impossible to do anything to stop them and the game quickly becomes a 10 minute snooze-fest as you wait around for it to just end (if you have teammates that refuse to surrender to inevitable loss).
8. Long Wait Times - The game hasn't reached high popularity. Some of that is deserved (as it's not very good), some of it isn't (unfair comparisons to Overwatch isn't doing it any favors). This can lead to long wait times for matches and running into several people over and over again which isn't too big of an issue unless those players are toxic (which happens often enough - this is a MOBA after all). Its also worth noting there isn't any way to report people for bad behavior in-game (such as leaving early or AFKing or general harassment).
9. Poor Matchmaking - Do a quick search for "Battleborn Matchmaking" and you'll find no shortage of people upset over the horrendous matchmaking. Newer people to the game are being matched against far more experienced players. Almost worse is random pick-up groups are being matched against parties of people. This is breaking a basic tenant of matchmaking, which is random solo queue folks should be matched against other solo queue people and players in groups should be playing against other players in groups. This helps to keep everything even so the players who aren't in a practiced group won't get steamrolled by those players who are. Consequently the players in the practiced group will get much more of a challenge by playing other grouped teams.
10. Particle Blindness - The game looks pretty, there's no doubt about that however this comes at a price. They cranked up the particle effects on the game and it can get pretty ridiculous in fights as you lose sight of everyone and everything around you (not helped by the ridiculous 90 field of view). It's like every fight is the finale at the end of a fireworks show. The crazy effects definitely could have been toned down and the game would have been better off for it. Its worth mentioning again that the game also uses a 90 field of view (editable to 100 on PC, but locked on consoles). This means that your field of vision is narrowed down to less than what it would normally be. This makes it very frustrating to play melee characters that don't have 360 attacks as youll try to follow movements of quick moving characters who need only move a few inches to the side to be completely out of your field of vision.
Overall I was really excited for this game ever since I heard it was in the making and after finally playing it it's been nothing but a disappointment. As of the writing of this review the game is selling for ~$40 on Amazon. Even at that price I would not recommend spending your hard-earned dollars on it. For $29.99 I might suggest giving it a try however even at the $40 mark the game truly doesn't deserve your money (even less-so at full retail price). While I think the comparisons between Battleborn and Overwatch are unfair as they are two different styles of games, I played the Overwatch beta and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that while the games are different Overwatch is beyond anything Battleborn can touch. Overwatch has great animation and art, good class balance with a large cast of characters, a far better new player experience and multiplayer objectives that just plain make sense. Again, while the two games are different, Overwatch is without a doubt the better game and is far more deserving of your hard-earned cash (which is why I even bother to bring it up).
With some patches in the future Battleborn may find a way to improve its experience and hold on to some niche player base however with my experience thus far I doubt I'll return to it once other games come out, which is a shame because it had the potential to be something special. | video-games_xbox |
Enter the Phoenix. Anyone who's followed this game's development is probably of the opinion that it has absolutely no right to turn out to be any good.
In the making for several years, it was slated to be an Xbox launch title, playing on the cult sucess of the PC game, and from there it would take the console by storm. In theory.
In reality, the game was a mess. There were a thousand little problems that added up to one big one: The game was simply not fun to play. Typically, when this happens, the development team is well aware of it, but what are you supposed to do with a fundamentally flawed video game? Money has already been poured into it, probably a lot more than was intended, and it boils down to either canning the whole project and cutting your losses, or publishing a horrible game to little fanfare and hoping people buy it anyway. It's a lot like movies, actually, except with movies they never dispose of the bad ones.
Incredibly, neither route was taken with Crimson Skies. The game was scrapped, but it was then rebuilt, from the ground up, with a radically different premise. The entire project was overhauled, an extra couple of years were tacked onto the development time, and the game that should not have been came out anyway.
Thank God, because it's absolutely fantastic.
Right off the bat, the game just drips with quality. Plane controls are spot-on, the voicework is great, the story (a self-described "action movie plot") is lighthearted and campy in an "Army of Darkness" kind of way, and the whole thing is just a blast.
For a setting, the player is thrust into an alternate 1930's world, where the U.S. has become several different countries and roadways have been destroyed. The only way to get around the big land ocean is by air, and that's where we begin...
I won't ruin the actual occurences of the plot, but there's enough PG-13ish humor to keep adults entertained ("I hope you don't mind if I leave my socks on!") without killing the mood of the game.
When you get to the meat of the game, which is the flying, the new design standpoint comes across. Rather than approach a genuine flight model, the game goes in the opposite direction and completely ignores most basic laws of physics. While it's a little weird at first to be able to ignore gravity for the most part (you can't fly straight up for very long, but that's about it), it actually flavors the game with a familiar arcadey-space-sim feel. The dogfights will feel right at home to "Privateer" and "Freelancer" vets (sans the Newtonian drift physics) and "Wing Commander" fans will probably be howling with joy the moment they figure out how things are going to work in the game.
This inattention to reality is what frees the game up, and it's my personal guess that this is what the game was missing the first time around. A game like this could have gone wrong in all sorts of directons, and the fact that it feels as carefree as it does is a testement to the tenacity of the Fasa development team.
Finally, you have the single and the multiplayer; I recommend going through the single player mode on HARD to prepare for online combat. Not only is the single player a hoot, but it teaches a lot of the skills that will very quickly be put to the test in the online arena.
So, for everyone who's been looking for the "it" game for Xbox Live, this is it. For everyone who ever liked space flight games, this is it. For everyone who's a fan of well-done action games, this is it. In fact, got an Xbox?
This is it.
UPDATE 11/25/03: Alright, after having spent several weeks taking to the multiplayer skies, I figured I should re-visit this review with a much more prominent assertion that not only is the multiplayer fantastic, it's the lifeblood of the game. The single player, while great fun and an excellent game in it's own right, doesn't give you a whole lot of reason to return to it once you're finished.
The multiplayer, however, is a whole different ball of wax, and much like a PC game, it keeps the game fresh well beyond it's single-player lifespan.
As of this writing, there's only a handful of maps and the game is missing some of the better features found in other games (like keeping track of your total kills, deaths, time online, plane useage, etc.) But, it all becomes moot once you get out there and the bullets start flying. It's a rush, and because of the beautiful controls, it's a quick process to get accustomed to it. The planes are balanced very well (I recommend the Doppleganger if you're a good shot) and even when you're outmatched, you're having a blast because the game sticks you right back in the action.
If you were on the fence about this game, don't be. The scraps you'll get into are some of the most exciting and fun fights to ever go across a broadband connection, and the promise of downloads in the near future just sweetens the deal.
In short, it's the best thing out there right now.
My online tag is "DeusJester" and I'll see you over the skies of Chicago. | video-games_xbox |
New maps? Bring it on. I've been anticipating this for awhile. There's not a lot to it so I'll jump right into the juicy bits - first, it's nice they put the auto-update in the package for those who don't have Live, as the gameplay tweaks have a pretty noticable impact. But it's the maps we're really interested in, right?
CONTAINMENT - This map essentially plays like Coagulation; the big differences are the larger bases and the series of tunnels and ditches. The opening and closing base doors breed interesting strategies, and you've gotta love a map that has the Scorpion tank as a default vehicle. The explosives on this map only serve as a hazard for the vehicles, as they are too spread apart to be used as a defensive weapon against intruders on foot. The bright white snow makes active camo VERY effective on this map. It's a great 2 flag CTF map and will probably work just fine for other large team objective games.
WARLOCK - an INTENSE slayer map and average lifespans tend to be on the short side because of the small space and lack of things to hide behind. This sucks if you're a camper but I like maps and scenarios that force me to get comfortable with new strategies. There are no "power" weapons save for four shotguns, if they count, forcing you to use strategy to gun down your opponent on a level playing field as opposed to blowing them away with a bazooka from a distance. Visually superior to the sterile scenery of the original it was built from (Wizard in Halo 1.)
TURF - I've only played Turf in 1 flag CTF but it was pretty fun. The tight spaces are great for sneaking up on the opposition's base, and equally handy for staging ambushes. My only reservation about objective games on this map is that it is so small - with such short distances to run with the flag or bomb, a single slip up on the part of the defensive team will most likely cost them the round... games like this will probably be pretty short. However, that same small size will make it a fantastic slayer map. Sadly, there is no sword - perhaps Bungie knew I'd "pwn" this map into the ground if they included it [/joke].
SANCTUARY - A circular arena, and a fairly large one at that. This is probably best suited for 4 on 4 team objective or slayer games, leaning more towards assault variants. A visually and atmospherically pleasing map, especially on blue team's side where there is flowing water and a humongous tree. There is a sword but wide open spaces limit its usefulness. Again, a map more situated for medium sized objective or team slayer games, although I wouldn't recommend it for free-for-all slayer.
ELONGATION - A remake of Halo 1 map Longest. It is asthetically far superior to its predecessor, being based on the space station level of Halo 2's campaign with dials and knobs and lights and various things I will never, ever understand. Great lighting effects on the steel plated walls and a brilliant window view of the Earth and its moon. Removing the ladders was a smart move on Bungie's part - not only does it make climbing to the second level much less risky and awkward (and more realistic looking,) but it offers another tight space for close encounter skirmishes. The crates can be an asset as well as a liability as they offer cover and serve as stepping stones, but also make it more difficult to retreat. Great small team 2 flag CTF/assault and small or medium sized slayer map.
BACKWASH - Fantastic atmospheric effects on this one, which is based on the 343 Guilty Spark level of Halo 1. The fog is a tremendously significant element to this map as it hides the location of weapons and breaks up the outline of your opponents (which can also work to your advantage.) The soundtrack is very "lush" sounding, complimented by the amusing if also distracting hum of 2401 Penitent Tangent as it occasionally passes overhead. It's set up with two bases for objective games but lends itself the most to slayer varients, with the hunt-or-be-hunted vibe created by the vision obscurring fog and many trees.
GEMINI - Visually one of my favorite new maps, designed after the High Charity level on Halo 2's campaign mode. All the futuristic sliding doors and random noises are there, and the view of High Charity's core from the "back porch" area is some of the best scenery in all of Halo 2's multiplayer maps. Due to the small nature of the map, it probably won't make a great map for assault or CTF variants, but it's perfectly fine for slayer variants as well as oddball, juggernaut, et cetera.
RELIC - sort of a "storming the beach" style map designed for single flag CTF and assault. Unlike Zanzibar, the water is actually a hazard as you will 'fall to your death' if you swim out too far (something to think about when screeching around haphazardly in your warthog.) This is a very unique map with a very specific setup - the defensive structure is extremely difficult to gain access to as you must travel all the way to the back of it, on the opposite side of the island, to find a ramp, with lots of open space and few obstacles to hide behind inbetween. Also, there is a two way teleporter that can be activated from inside the base (a double-edged sword, as you can imagine.)
TERMINAL - Probably the busiest/most complicated map in the pack, it can be very disorienting before you learn where everything is. It is based on a train terminal somewhere in New Mombasa and the bullet train itself is a very important aspect of this map. No attack can be launched on the defensive base without taking the train into consideration, which deals out sudden death indescriminately. Your vehicle will not save you. After getting your bearings straight, this is a pretty fun map and a flexible one at that. It's complexity lends itself to large slayer games (at least 8 people because of its size) and the bases are designed in a lopsided fashion that encourages single flag CTF in specific.
And now the bonus content - I would not recommend buying this pack based purely on the bonus content. First, the cinematic is novel, and relatively well done, but ultimately isn't about anything. And it's only about 2 or 3 minutes long. The documentary is a lot better and covers each map individually, but in the end it is still too short for comfort - I'm sure there is a lot more to tell us and most of this information is available in the booklet as well, if you're patient enough to read it. Overall, the incentive to buy it comes down to permanence of ownership, since now that you have the disc in your hands, you can reload the maps onto your Xbox no matter how many Xboxes you go through or if your Live service goes kaput. A second, morally questionable, incentive is that I'm pretty sure you can use this to load the maps and game upgrades onto friends' Xboxes if you're having a LAN party and discover that one of the rotten b*stards doesn't have any of the new maps you want to play on (I'm pretty sure Microsoft installed a sort of failsafe involving registration similar to Windows XP, so said rotten b*stard probably would not be able to take those maps online.)
Overall, great purchase, great maps - Bungie did a fantastic job with these fun, unique maps and asthetically they have outdone the old maps by a LOT. One can only hope we will be blessed with another string of great map add-ons some day in the future, but with the immenant release of the Xbox 360, I'm not holding my breath. Soak 'em in. | video-games_xbox |
i have never been so pleasantly obliterated. I started playing WWII FPS's back in the original Medal Of Honor days on PS1. I swear i've played most every one since, and though the various titles aren't bad, they were basically just running & gunning with a historical theme that didn't matter much to the game itself. Now this game comes along and completely alters how WWII shooters are made. How?
1) It's no longer you plowing through the entire German army singlehandedly, with only the amount of bullets standing in your way between total annihilation or death. Your squad is with you, and they are VERY important
2) Forget shooting at everything that moves, now you have to use some proper (and minimal) tactics. Have your fire team commence shooting on a position so that the enemy target is suppressed. Then you sneak around the side to flank them while they're busy trying not to get shot by your fire team. Sound easy? Ha! Which leads me to my 3rd point:
3) Holy crap, this game is DIFFICULT! This isn't Medal Of Honor anymore, where the enemies might as well have been cardboard cutouts. These fascists have brains, and a sense of teamwork, and a ruthless ability to exploit any weakness your team tactics display. Seriously, i'm a vet at these games, and i get pummeled regularly. It will take you multiple times to beat any given chapter.
4) Really great story and realistic ambience. It's fascinating that the MoH series really set the bar for these sorts of games, but the series that have eclipsed it (Call Of Duty, Brothers In Arms) have actually improved on what was already a really lush graphical environment replete with orchestral music & deadly serious sound effects. But this game recreates every detail with loving care, and really immerses you in the world.
I was wary that this was going to be just another WWII FPS, but after spending time with it (a LOT of time) this is simply the finest, most challenging, and as a result most rewarding WWII shooter i've ever had the enjoyment to play. Very few games are worth their cover price these days, this is at the front of the list. Be prepared to surrender your life to this one, it is THAT good. | video-games_xbox |
Bug Heaven. I'm thrilled the ants are back! Since I haven't finished the game yet, I haven't made up my mind whether this is a better game than the first one, but I'm enjoying the heck out of it nonetheless. Haven't tried any multi-player, but for single player, you're given a couple of AI buddies to help out. Like in Left for Dead, you will be dependent upon them to heal you should you get a good ass whoopin' and are down for the count. Likewise, you may need to help them out when they are down for the count. This adds a new challenge to the game and forces a little teamwork with your AIs. I assume it works the same in multi-player. I am disappointed to learn this game has far fewer levels than the first game, and I hope that some additional chapters are coming as DLC. I'm enjoying trying out the different combat gear and special abilities that come with each fashionable outfit. It is a different game than the first but still enough like the first that it's like going home again. I am working on Chapter 2, the Cube, and so far I've only seen city. As I've learned from these reviews, the whole game will play out in the city. I do wish they had designed some chapters to play out on other maps like the first game did when they took you into underground caverns or countryside. Nonetheless, I am basking in the glorious cheesiness of this game (although not quite as much cheese as the first and I kind of miss that a little bit). No regrets. I must get back to work now. I am Lightning. I have a world to save.
Follow-up: I've completed both Normal and Hard and have the last two missions left of Chapter 3 on Inferno. Playing solo. I've had tremendous fun. I've leveled the Battle armor all the way up. There is a lot of replayability in this game for those of us who are achievement hounds. I plan on leveling up the jet armor to see what advantages/disadvantages that may give me. For those of you who are stumped by the ending after playing all the way through on normal, you will get more of the ending if you finish on hard, and I believe yet more when having finished inferno. The survival mode is also challenging (I'm playing solo, remember) and will beget you more achievements and add playability to the game. The Queen Ant mission is kicking my ass on inferno playing solo, even though I've killed her, only to be picked off at the end mopping up the area. Usually during this phase of the mission, I get separated from my bots and they go down in the process of trying to rescue my ass. You really do need to keep close to your bots when the action gets hot and heavy so that you can revive one another. I do have issues with the bots; however, I believe them to be more helpful than not at times, and consider some of the frustration of working with them part of the challenge. They will shoot you in the back and blow up the buildings you are using for cover. You can turn the bots off, and I plan on doing that to get even more playability out of the game. I likes a challenge. I can't imagine being able to survive on inferno on some of the missions without bots, but we'll see. I finished EDF 2017 all by my lonesome, so we shall see. I still hope there are a couple more chapters coming as DLC. Perhaps some action aboard the mother ship. That would be swell.
Well, keep shooting my friends. Watch those rocket launchers, please. I've taken a few too many in the back.
Followup#3/Nov 11: Just beat EDF on inferno, single player. Took a while to level up the jet armor which is quite handy on that last mission on inferno, along with the pesticide sniper rifle. The other armors are just too slow to put any distance between you and the hectors to get yourself out of the blast radius before firing off the pesticide weapon. Have a few achievements left, but not sure I want to keep playing the same missions over and over just to level up that last armor or to rack up enough moolah to purchase all available weapons. This is where I really, really would like a few more missions via some download content. I am an achievement hound, but it seems even I have limits. Survivor mode will give you some additional gameplay and is challenging, but I don't know if I'm up for 500 levels without a little more variety. Still, no regrets, got more than my money's worth out of the game. The extra ending after completing inferno was cute, but I think I would have preferred it if Sully and the crew had been sucked up into the mothership as a setup for some additional missions aboard the mothership. Any word on some DLC? | video-games_xbox |
Outstanding headset for the price and can be used with other systems (like the PS4) if you use it wired instead of wirelessly. Over the years I've had a lot of headsets, in several brands. In comparison to Turtle Beach headsets in this same price range, these are outstanding. You have to get around the $150 range with most TB headsets before they start to feel as comfortable on the head as these do, and have comparable sound. These also have nice noise isolation, especially when compared to most TB at this price. None of the ear cups on my other headsets around this price have a seal anywhere as good as these.
The sound from these surprised me with how good it is. For a 100 dollar set, I expected decent. But the sound is great.
There's a lot of cushioning in both the head band piece and also the ear cups, so you don't end up with head fatigue after a long gaming session. The mic is detachable, but there is also a mute button on the headset, along with the typical volume controls for both game sound and chat sounds. One thing I did note about the mic on this headset is that it's not really adjustable, like with most other headsets. Usually you can bend the mic around some, but not really with this one.
And of course what makes it a really cool set is the glowing green ear cups. They are every bit as cool as I'd hoped they would be. These work awesome with the xBox One. The headset and transmitter comes pre-paired, but should they not find one another when you first set them up, there is a tiny pairing button on the headset. You'll just need a pin or something to be able to press it.
I decided to also try try using this set wirelessly with my computer too (because it uses a USB Bluetooth transmitter) but could not get it to work. There's no driver for the PC in the transmitter. However you can use this headset wired with the PC and PS4.
This headset comes with a 3.5mm auxiliary cable for using it wired (as opposed to wirelessly with the transmitter), so you can use it like a regular set of headphones using this cable. I plugged the headset into both my PC and also the handset of my PS4 to check the sound and mic with them both. I was able to get sound from them on my PC, but didn't have much luck getting my PC to recognize the mic, at least with the Skype test call I did. Not saying it can't be done, just that as of yet I haven't been able to get my system to recognize the headset as having a mic, so I can't change the settings in the sound section of my control panel to pick up the sound from the mic.
However plugging the headset into handset of my PS4, the sound and the mic worked instantly. I played a few round of Black Ops 3 and everyone in the lobby could hear me fine, and the sounds on my end were awesome. It worked just as if it were any other wired PS4 headset.
So wirelessly this is a dedicated xBox One headset. If you choose to use it wired, you can use it with the PS4 and likely also the PC, if you can get your system settings adjusted properly. | video-games_xbox |
whish I could give it 2.5 stars. Man - this game is phenomanally erratic. On the plus side - its really cool to watch as you play - it feels very authentic - and you can do some really fun stuff with the Veretech (swooping in on enemys - firing a bunch of missiles - and then transforming to finish them off with your gun) - but some of the missions are just absloutly horrible. It is not so much that they are too hard (althought there are a few) - its that there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to how exactly to get through some other than kill everything in site by seeing how fast you can fire your gun and how well you can aim. There were honestly a few levels where when I beat them i could see no difference in how I played vs the times i lost - in fact i would switch difficulty and sometimes end up lasting longer on hard than on medium. On the flip side there are a few missions that are unbearably easy - OK - the one with Minmei is fun just because it gives them an excuse to put her in it and it is kind of like comic relief - but sometimes - its like whatever. Also there are way way to many missions involving protecting something - a few are good - but you spend so much time tethered to something you are protecting - you rarely have time to really use the veretech as it can be used. And finally - the mission spaces are way to containing - why you can not fly up above a city- circle around and swoop in is beyond me. I know the game would be different - but limiting how high you can go in a VT to a few stories up is very unauthentic - and not very Robotechy - If the designers really wanted to incorporate missions where you were forced to stay close to the ground - they should have changed the story a bit - and have you transfered to the SDF-1 after bursting point - and have to fly missions in the city onboard the sdf-1 - then you would actually have a reason for a flight cieling (the roof)
Second - if you are a big fan of Robotech - you will realise there is a serious flaw in the time frame of the game vs what happens on the missions. Most of this game is supposed to take place after the war but before Kyhron goes after the SDF-1. The problem is you end up going on missions where you end up fighting 100's of battle pods. While that makes sense early on - it certainly is not at all appropriate when you consider there are only a few thousand Zentradi malcontents at this point (pre Malcontent uprisings for all you seriously die hards)and they have a very limited supply of mecha (and not much protoculture to use it.) I know this sounds really picky - but to be honest after the way the Matrix incorporated the plot of the game with the plot of the movie - I think the bar has been raised substantially for film and TV tie ins.
BUT BUT BUT!- I will say this for the feel of the STORY -it is very authentic - it - like everything Robotech is tragic. It has a great commander that is very Lisa Hayes. The appearances by the originals are great - the way they incorporate Roy's death is great as well. The vs environment Rocks - actually it is the best thing about the game - and with the price now under 20 bucks i would reconmend the game just for that. If you don't like the story - then just use a cheat code to unlock all the environments you can play in. (The only thing I whish they would have added was a MAX vs Myria level set inside the SDF-1 - where you and a friend (girlfriend whoose into Robotech?) could re enact the great battle. | video-games_xbox |
AWESOME GAME, But there's One problem. I downloaded sonic genrations on the 5th of november I couldn't wait to get my hands on this game. I've been playing Sonic the hedgehog games since i was 8 years old and LOVED the idea of the 2D sonic I grew up on mixed with the awesomeness of the morden 3D Sonic. (The biggest Issue I found out was the use of Steam, When I downloaded it from amazon.com I was upset to relize I had to down-load something else. A little info about that on they're page would of ben apreshated) Yet minus that minor hip-cup on the part of amazon.com I loved the game. (Even with the lack of being able to play Shadow, Love that hedgehog)
The story is pretty simple an evil creature is eatting time making both classic sonic and morden sonic meet up in this white and colorless world where time doesnt exsist between the two of them speeding threw time they repair all the damanged this evil black monster has caused. After they complete the few but fun lvls (3 Rival fights (Metal Sonic, Shadow and Silver) and 3 main boss fights (Death Egg, Perfect Chaos and Egg Dragoon) before the end they find out who's behind it all and why. Defeat this evil and save time as we know it.
The game play is great! each lvl has 2 acts Act 1 you play as 2d Sonic which brought back alot of childhood memories for me. (Mostly playing Chemical Plan and Sky Sanctuary zone) Oddly my favorate for 2d sonic turned out to be Crisis City from Sonic The Hedgehog 2006!!! The whole game was amazing.
Act 2 you're morden 3d sonic which was also a blast! It took all the fun from Sonic Unleased without all the anyoying were-hog stuff (and the countless deaths his terr-a-bad camera angles caused) The lock on system was easy as pie and he was really easy to control. (From what I read sonic games have had bad camera angles before this, noteably sonic the hedgehog 2006, which i never played) It was a pleasure to play this game from both 2d and 3d. There is also tons of unlockables and challenges that are 90% optional (If you beat them all more of the world becomes colorized I myself and wondering what will happen) The newest feature is the skills where you can buy and set up your skills depending on your play style.
So, here comes the negative stuff, the PC verson kinda sucks. It's laggy as hell, half the time i miss a S rank because the game slows down or lags to my comands threw my x-box 360 controller. The game is great but if you have x-box 360 or a PS3 get the verson of the game for you consule. Sadly all i have is a PC so I'll deal with the terrable lag from Steam's servers (It's not my lap top, i own a gaming lap top from when i was a WOW addict.) I'd stay away from the pc verson if you can. Minus that great game Sega and tons of fun! I'd recomend this to ANY Sonic fan. (Yes yes, even you fans who think Shadow the Hedgehog was a bad game too ;) ) | video-games_xbox |
Played this game for 2 months now, and it's not that great. I've played many EA FIFA soccer games, starting with FIFA 95 (I think), and this got to be the worst of all. In general the game just doesn't feel like it was well-thought out.
1, the graphics aren't impressive. This being a XBox 360 game I think we all deserve nicer graphics.
2, the game menu is very time consuming to navigate. It seems that if you select any item on the menu, it will ask you again and again if you want to save the settings to the harddrive, when the harddrive is the only memory device attached to the XBox 360! After you finish a tournament game, you must go through 4 questions in the menu. "Do you want to save the tournament?" (Yes) "Please select which storage device" (The only storage device you're showing me, the harddrive, please) "Do you want to save your awards?" (Yes) "To which storage device?" (Again, the only storage device, please). And all this happens after the computer asks me which storage device I want to use when the game first loads.
3, speaking of time time consumption, the game force you to watch a lot of animation. Whenever you or the computer makes a sub, the game puts on this stadium scene for about 10 seconds, and you can't skip it. Admittedly, those are the only nice graphics contained in this game. Perhaps that's why the producers really wants you to appreciate it! If you play on Xbox Live, your human opponent can force you to watch a truckload of animation as well, such as 30 seconds of opening scene and 30 seconds of closing scene.
4, This bothers the most. The AI is so dumb that it made me smash my gamepad in anger more than once, and I'm not usually an angry type. When you try to pass the ball to a wide open player the AI decides to pass it to another player guarded by 3 opponents. Or when one of your players is the person closest to a free ball but he won't do anything other than just standing there and watching the opposing team to take it. Or when the ball lands in the vicinity of a player, you hit the "switch player" button, but control is switched to the player second or third closest to the ball. You keep hitting the button and it just won't switch to the player who is closest to the ball who, of course, is just staring at the ball. I also like how when you make an offside pass, the computer doesn't tell you it's offside until after you dashed for it for 5 seconds and touches the ball.
5. Oh, and more design flaws. Sometimes the goalie makes a save, but unfortunately, his whole body AND the ball are both in the net already. But the computer does not detect the score, and the game goes on. I've seen this happen more than once on Xbox Live. Also, when you are very near the end line and thus have a very small angle relative to the goal, it's pretty hard to score a goal, right? Not so. If you do a chip shot at a very small angle, the goalie gets very confused and will not catch the ball - never.
These are the annoying little things I can think of right now. I love the sport and used to love soccer video games, but unfortunately this game has turned me completely sour. With little things like when the England scores a goal against France, the stadium crowd goes jubilant and joyfully wave French flags, it just feels like EA didn't care at all. There are so many annoying little things that could have been easily fixed.
Bottom line: This is the only soccer game for the 360 thus far. Buy it if you must have a soccer game in your collection. Otherwise, I would wait until Winning Eleven comes out. I can't wait to abandon the EA line now! | video-games_xbox |
Good combination of fun & Silly. Can't even believe I'm doing this but I actually have no problem at all with this game. I am giving it all 5 stars because I'm enjoying the $hidt out of this game and I did not expect to. I had a feeling it would be fun, but also that I would get bored after an hour or 2...not the case at all.
You know an open world game is good when your gameplay is methodical and involves intense satisfaction through exploration. I had no clue that would be the case with this Dead Rising game. As much as I love mowing down zombies with crafted weapons or acquired (sometimes stolen) vehicles, I equally look forward to the opportunity to explore small shops, apartments, and other buildings throughout the game map. This game is also pretty massive, which I didn't expect. I thought it was just going to take place at the infamous 'Williamette Mall' complex again...and only there. Not true as this thing extends into the neighboring communities all a part of that town.
Even more impressive is the fact that your character can explore almost every nook and cranny on the streets and surrounding environment (even a Christmas tree lot lol wtf) and that you're able to pick up tons of loot while doing so. I can never say enough about an open world combat game where you know just around the corner, you could be scavenging some 'loot' that you haven't come across yet...Blueprints for weapons, melee weapons, firearms, chemicals, med kits, food, and everyone's favorite...Costumes. Every time Frank comes in contact with a mirror he has the opportunity to change outfits or even just individual features like a hat or mask...or Dino Feet. It's really great.
I love the engine this game runs on and the Framerates seem pretty fluid. the combat is tons of fun and there are so many options for crafting weapons and killing zombies through endless means of creativity.
I probably wouldn't have had any issue paying full price for this game but I didn't so that's even more of a bonus.
Would recommend this game to anybody who loves open world games with the element of looting, crafting, and fun combat. You also have to go into this game with an open mind and a smile on your face because there is really nothing serious about Dead Rising 4. It is absolutely hilarious and equally ridiculous at times, almost like your combining a zombie game with a Mel Brooks film.
I hope you enjoy this game as much as I do. | video-games_xbox |
Came to me Broken. This was the first time something like this has happened, but the product came to me broken. Not in the sense that it was shattered or anything but i wasn't receiving any sound through the right ear and the sound was sometimes coming through on the left. When it did it was distorted.
I had to call Plantronics and luckily they had a very good help desk who gave me all i needed to return the product and get a brand new one. I was a bit bummed out seeing as i payed extra for the 1 day shipping and i had to wait a week and a half for my product to come anyways since i had to return it, but all in all the headset was decent.
You aren't going to get pristine sound with it but it's a definite bang for you buck. The mixer is really awesome and the thing i love most about it, is that if you don't absolutely love the headset, you could always purchase a different one and continue using the mixer. My computer lately as been slow since it's coming of age and alt+tab to change my volume becomes a hassle, with the mixer it makes it so much easier and more convenient. Big upvote for that one.
Sound quality through the mic I hear is pretty basic. You can hear me quite well but its nothing spectacular. Chances are though you aren't going to care too much about how you sound seeing as you are more centered on the sound you're receiving. Which I thought did fine, as i said before not pristine but i also didn't pay for top of the line. This sounded a lot better than i thought it would, and it can get loud too which since im a metalhead does me well.
All things aside I do recommend the headset, it's very versatile and every function they advertise has worked perfectly for me, from the volume mixer to answering a phone call when in a game. (was fun to finally get the chance to try that one out.) I would give it a higher rating but the fact that i had to pay for 1 day shipping and receive it broken killed it for me. Other than that though I'm still using it and plantronics has done well for trying to make a better name for themselves.
GOOD JOB! :D | video-games_xbox |
Let's play Viking, knight and Samurai. I feel like For Honor is a fairly niche game. It is going to appeal to people who like the mix of character styles (fast/balanced/heavy) and one on one combat matching opponent's moves. The combat system seems simple on the surface, but it more involved and deep, mixing attacks, counters, breaks, and it most and won't work well with button mashing. Dynasty Warriors this is not. The campaign was not the most engaging for me. It was fairly similar missions and the story line just seemed made up to explain why Samurai, Viking and Knights would be fighting each other. The characters are neat and the campaign forces you to at least try them. Which is important because if will need to at least understand each one well enough to fight against them. The different faction characters aren't identical either. So if you didn't like the fast knight character it is worth trying the Viking and Samurai to see if they mesh for you.
I didn't like the customization options. Or rather I liked the options, but disliked how expensive everything was. You upgrade based on steel and a match doesn't give much, which to me is the game pushing you towards their store to exchange real money for in game steel to build your armored titan. You can become the armored prophet of death just by getting steel in game, but it requires a lot of grinding. Some folks won't mind this, I did, but it isn't a deal killer. The game reward consistent and constant play which isn't a bad thing.
I really wasn't great at the game, just okay and thus my online experience wasn't great, since I was just constantly getting slaughtered. This is nothing against the game, I was just no match for folks that put in the time and effort to become good. That said all the of the characters were fairly well balanced and there wasn't just one character class that people played, which is awesome.
My recommendation is to redbox the game and see if it something you are willing to invest the time and effort into before buying. Watching others play online wasn't the same as actually playing for me. | video-games_xbox |
Improves on the original in every way. I'll be the first to admit that the first Assassin's Creed had it's faults. However, I did enjoy it quite a bit. Although I was pretty sure I would enjoy Assassin's Creed II, I had no idea exactly how much I would love it. Read on for the full review, or skip to the BOTTOM LINE for the short and to the point recommendation.
GAMEPLAY
Admittedly, I haven't finished the game yet. However, I can tell you that the structure is greatly improved from the first one. Gone are the rigidly structured assassinations where you must complete a certain amount of the same sidequests. Now, you can see the sidequests on your map (including race, beat-up random guy, etc.) but they are completely optional. Another part of the first Assassin's Creed that I didn't like was the insane amount of collectibles placed in the various cities in the form of flags. These are gone as well. There are still things to collect (statues in the home city and codex pages), but they are a lot more fun to find and, in the case of the codex pages, are marked on your map. In addition, there are secret glyph puzzles and crypts to find and explore, but these are revealed to be near when you get close to the buildings that house them. The combat system has remained largely the same, but you get many of your abilities much faster. You can also customize Ezio with various types or armor and weapons. But by far the most fun is the hidden blade, which has been improved for the sequel. How, you ask? Well they just gave us another one to play with. This leads to some truly spectacular assassinations, as Ezio leaps from a roof to take down two guards at once. If you invest the time and effort to remain undetected, you feel truly powerful as you pick off guard after guard, then leap from the shadows to quickly eliminate your target. You truly feel like an assassin. And further into the game, I am told that you can acquire even more toys to kill your foes in even more inventive and, most importantly, fun ways.
STORY
This is another area that the first game fell short, in my opinion. Half way through I just got bored and had to take a few weeks off to play other things. This game has succeeded in completely drawing me in. You truly care about Ezio, and, without revealing any major events, his motivations make him a very realistic character. As he is ripped from his youthful shenanigans into a plot bigger than himself, he grows into that assassin's cloak in ways that Altair never did. Simple gestures like sometimes removing his hood when talking to friends and allies make him seem more real, like there's a real person under that getup that I'm actually interested in seeing through to the story's end. As I mentioned before, I haven't completed the game, but it looks as though Ubisoft has succeeded in making me feel emotionally invested in the story and the characters in a way that the first Assassin's Creed never came close to.
GRAPHICS
Some people have said that the game's graphic engine is beginning to show it's age. Maybe in some ways that's true, but in others ways this game is truly beautiful. The cities have a busy feel to them, much like the first game, and when perched high above the ground in one of the many viewpoints, the scenery can truly take your breath away. To be fair, there are some clipping issues with Ezio's clothes and weapons, but that's true of most any game. And the characters themselves could look a little better, but that would be nitpicking. Overall, this game has a beautiful environment that represents classic Italian cities very well.
SOUND
Sound is usually one element of games that I don't notice as much. But I found myself noticing subtle touches added in to enhance the experience that really work well. Like the best game music, it's unintrusive, but enhances what you're seeing if you pay attention to it. No complaints here.
BOTTOM LINE
This game is excellent. It takes elements of sandbox games, stealth games, action games, and even a few quicktime events (but undressing your lover is an acceptable use of this often overused mechanic) and turns them into a game that exceeded my admittedly high expectations. It's attention to detail is impressive, and it strives to be historically accurate where it can be. The voicework is good, and I like that they included some Italian to be true to their setting. The story is good, and does its job in making the characters interesting and three-dimensional. It's even quite funny at times. And if you're interested, there are a lot of very interesting lore-type bits of items to find and obsess over that really develop the already interesting Assassin's Creed world. So, if you liked the first game you should get this. If you found the first game too boring, you should get this. If you like Italy, you should get this. If you are even remotely interested in the premise, you should get this. In short, this game is excellent and should be on your list of must-haves for either console.
A note on the rating:
This game is rated M for a reason. While the aforementioned "undressing your lover" scene is quite tame compared to other love scenes in video games (or virtually every prime-time tv show) it could be a little much for the munchkins. Also, there is a lot of blood. You are an assassin, after all. Particularly brutal murders are shown, like stabbing people through the face. This is not overdone, and all you see is blood spray, but this is not a game for the kiddies. In addition, there are several cases of harsh language, including some uses of the f-word. You have been warned.
A note on religion:
The game opens with a screen explaining that it was developed by a multicultural team of various faiths. This is because, to put it simply, the story of this game may be offensive to those of religious faith. It is not truly hostile toward religion, and I would compare it to Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" in terms of offensiveness. I viewed it as entertainment, as a fictitious story, and I took no offense at the story. But once again, this game and its story are for intended for those who can appreciate it for what it is: a somewhat violent and (relatively) realistic take on Renaissance Italy society with mature sci-fi themes thrown in. Adjust your buying decisions accordingly.
Edit (11-22-09):
Finished the game. Wow. If, like me, you liked the sci-fi style near-future storyline of Desmond, then you'll love the ending. It literally blew my mind. The story is immensely satisfying and comes to a completely awesome conclusion that sets up for the next game. If you despise the collection elements of the game, you might be disappointed by some mandatory collection at the end. I was lucky enough to have collected 29 of 30 codex pieces and so only had to find one more, but it is kinda jarring to be made to stop right at the climax of the story to find a few things you may have forgotten. Thankfully, they mark every missing piece on your map, but it still breaks the flow of the game. While this was a little irritating, the next hour of gameplay more then made up for it.
The much-hyped flying machine sequence was (thankfully) a short one time thing that, honestly, seems like it was included only for the awesomeness factor and didn't, in my opinion, really seem to fit in with the rest of the game. Ezio's character really develops into a mature and intelligent protagonist, even going so far as to lament about the seemingly endless killing that doesn't bring him any closer to realizing his goals, exactly at the point when I was thinking the same thing. He is incredibly well written, and this makes him one of the more believable characters I've seen in a video game.
Since finishing the game, I can honestly say with certainty that this game is everything the original should have been. The story, while starting off slow, kept my attention the entire time, so much so that I finished the game in roughly four days. The length seems about right, and I finished in about 23 hours. If I go back and find all the collectable feathers I could probably get an additional five or so hours of playtime. The replay value isn't very high, as there is no other difficulty level or any other reason to play again, besides a desire to see the admittedly good story again. And I'll say it again: the story is very, very good. The difficulty is on the low side, and I don't think I ever died, other than from long falls resulting from bad jumps and trying to get the Flyswatter achievement during the flying segment (the only missable achievement, fellow achievement hunters). The graphics and sound grew on me even more as I played through the rest of the game and experienced the other cities and locales. The many weapons and skills made for even more fun and amusing ways to kill my targets. The story missions stayed varied and fun, and I never got bored with them. I tried out every type of optional side mission and while they were amusing once, I didn't feel the need to do any more of them, with the possible exception of the assassination missions.
In short, after finishing the game, my initial impressions remain accurate. This game is very good, and is well worth adding to your collection. | video-games_xbox |
A phenomenal fighting game for the Kinect where YOU are the star. A few months ago a game called Kung Fu Live quietly was introduced for the PS3. It was launched without a lot of fanfare, and yet it introduced a lot of technology and concepts which were groundbreaking at the time. But because of technological issues with the PS3's camera, it didn't get a lot of attention.
Kung Fu High Impact is the successor to Kung Fu Live, and this time it's available exclusively on the Xbox. And thanks to the Kinect, the game is living up to the potential it first showed on the PS3--in a big way.
The best way I can describe Kung Fu Live is that it's a fighting game like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Only instead of using a game controller, you use your body. That's right, just your body. You kick in any direction and your on-screen character kicks. You punch, and your on-screen character punches.
Of course, that describes a lot of Kinect games. But where Kung Fu Live really shines is the on-screen character it uses. It's YOU. That's right, not an avatar, not a cartoon version of you, but YOUR actual video image on the screen that you control with one-to-one precision. You can punch, kick, dodge, jump, do flips, and do other moves just by making perfectly natural motions. On-screen, you'll see yourself interacting with the virtual enemies and objects on the screen in real time. You can even kick boxes and objects that are lying on the ground and use them as projectile weapons.
The premise of the game is that you're a character in a comic book consisting of multiple chapters. In the first "Chapter" you're brought to a tutorial where you learn how to fight. The moves are very intuitive. To punch to the left or right, you punch. To kick to the left or right, you kick. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to punch and kick, you just do what feels natural and the game responds. For example, I found myself kicking and punching an enemy in front of me. When I saw one sneaking up behind me, I instinctively let go with what I believe is called a traditional back kick and knocked him out. The system is phenomenal in terms of determining whether your on-screen image "makes contact" with the enemy.
You can move your onscreen character left and right by either punching in or slightly moving your body in that direction. To jump, you jump. To dodge, you duck your body below or jump above the path of your enemy's attack (displayed in yellow). To block attacks, you protect your face with your arms or your lower body with your knees. To do a somersault, you jump, angling your body forward or backward while in the air. As you progress through the game, there are other more complex moves to unlock, all of which are still very intuitive. A "power punch" can be done by punching with both fists. A "ground shaker" can be done by jumping up and the pounding the ground with your fist. You can shoot lightning by raising one hand in the air and pointing the other to your opponent. You can slow down time by raising your hands in a "V" shape. There's a "magic bow" you can use by drawing an imaginary bow with your two hands. You can even fly by spreading your arms outward when you're standing above updrafts. Again, as you do it in real life, you see your ACTUAL image doing it in the game.
In Chapter 2 and onward, you proceed to defeat waves of attackers using all the moves you learned. As with traditional fighting games, a gauge will show you how much health you have versus your attackers. The game gets progressively harder as you move through it, but again, I always felt in control. As I got more confident, I'd unleash new attacks like combo moves and air attacks and punching and kicking high and low.
The story continues through more chapters. I didn't want to stop playing, the only thing that stopped me was that I was exhausted!
Kung Fu Live immediately introduces a lot of new improvements over the PS3 version. First, and foremost, the lighting issues that made your image on the PS3 blotchy and difficult to use is non-existent with the Kinect--the video image of your body is picked up perfectly by the Kinect camera, allowing you to truly star as the main character in the game. Second, if you don't want to play the story mode you can set up custom fights between family and friends (in a particularly hilarious move, they've made it so that up to four players can use Xbox controllers to control enemy characters fighting against one player using Kinect), or you can challenge yourself in survival trials of varying degrees of difficulty. Third, there's also a "my stats" option where you can view your achievements and personal statistics, including number of enemies defeated and total score.
Is the game a workout? I'll say it is! I was kicking and punching opponents left and right and having a grand old time. And the game was surprisingly competitive, but never once did I feel I wasn't in full control (I can't even say that all the time with "real" fighting games that use controllers). And when each round was finished, I was sweating and panting as if I'd just gotten out of a real street fight!
The game is incredibly creative and the developers clearly have a very, very good sense of humor. One of my favorite features came as a surprise to me. The game asks you to "pose" in various ways-an outline of a body would appear on the screen and you have to match it. For example, sometimes you need to pose with your arms stretched out, sometimes you need to get closer to the camera for a closeup, and so on. I realized later while watching the "comic book pages" that make up the cut-scenes between each chapter, they actually include your image WITHIN the comic book pages, so you are literally a part of the story. The clever ways that your images are used are genius-when I first saw them I couldn't stop laughing. Again, it's a use of innovative creativity that makes those "hey look at how funny you look" videos after Kinect games look almost passe.
If I had one slight gripe about the game, it's the same I have with a lot of Kinect games--you do need at least 7-9 feet of space to enjoy the game fully, a luxury many of us in small apartments don't have. Having said that, unlike other Kinect games with that same issue, this game still plays well with only 6 feet of space--your feet are cut off so you can't really do kicking motions, but you can have just as much fun with the hand motions.
If you've ever played a fighting game and wondered what it'd be like to actually be the character on the screen, you need wonder no more--this game lets you experience it. I suspect ten years from now people will look back at Kung Fu Live and point back to it as ushering a whole new way to think about video games. While other Kinect games producers are still spewing out sub-par games with sluggish controls and annoying avatars no different than the first generation of games last year, the developer of this game, Virtual Air Guitar, is truly pushing the platform forward with innovation and unbridled fun. I wholeheartedly give it five stars for quality and five stars for fun, and hope to see a lot more from them in the future. | video-games_xbox |
Baldur's Gate meets Gauntlet. If Baldur's Gate and Gauntlet had a baby, this game would be it. It inherits everything about those two games that made them popular. Unfortunately, it also inherits almost all of their flaws as well.
Heroes makes no attempt at being a serious action RPG. There's barely any story to speak of. There is a big bad guy who's gonna conquer the world and it's up to 1-4 player heroes to stop him through several fantastic realms. In this aspect it's just like Gauntlet.
Players of Baldur's Gate will recognize the interface and character abilities as much of it is ripped straight from that game. Some of the abilities are exactly the same. The inventory, the way items work/equip, abilities, and attributes are pretty much a carbon copy of Baldur's Gate. This isn't such a bad thing, and the developers have streamlined things to make them work in a more fast paced environment better without slowing the pace of the game and interfering with your three co-op buddies playing with you. In fact, I think Bioware could take some cues from D&D: Heroes in how it improved the play.
Make no mistake, the whole point of this game is to sit down with some friends and hack your way through various levels and improve your character with upgraded powers and abilities as well as new and more powerful items and equipment. Hardcore stories are meant for a single player experience. So the combining of two such games as Baldur's Gate and Gauntlet seems like a perfect combination for such a concept. However, it seems that developers keep ignoring the king of multiplayer action/RPGs, Diablo. More importantly, they ignore the facets that made that game such an immense success in it's genre.
Heroes is fun. It's even fun playing through by yourself (but you really want to get this to play multi). However, after you play through it, it doesn't hold a great deal of replay value. Diablo introduced things that kept that game replayable for literally years.
1. Randomized levels that are different everytime you play.
2. Seemingly endless variety of magical weapons with near infinate power combinations so there is always something better to find.
3. The ability to take your existing character through the game two more times in succeeding difficulties.
4. Extremely high level cap for your character so that you could play with him for a long time.
It's nearing almost a decade and still virtually no games of this type implement even one of these concepts. Had Heroes included them it could easily have been a five star game. As it is, it isn't a bad game by any means, but it does suffer from blandness. I could live with the fact that it doesn't really introduce anything new, but not capitalizing on winning concepts is a shame.
If you have three buddies who are into these types of games it's worth picking up. It's fun while it lasts. | video-games_xbox |
The third time is the charm. I have been able to play and beat each and every one of the Splinter Cell games. The original set such a high mark for the successors to meet with it's realistic graphics and tense storyline. The second came in with an unbelievable multiplayer experience that was unheard of at the time. Now, with Chaos Theory, all of those wonderful qualities are back and better than ever.
In this newest game to the series, you once again take on the role of Sam Fisher, a wisen and extremely efficient character the can't seem to enjoy the laxed lifestyle of retirement. This latest series of spy laden adventures has Sam traveling to more remote and exotic locales that look better than anything offered before. I must say that I have Chaos Theory for my Xbox and my laptop. I run a Alienware 5500 with a ATI 9700 video card, and the Xbox isn't lagging too far behind in quality to my laptop. That says a lot for what Ubisoft has been able to do with the Xbox. While the game still plays in a linear fashion, you now have multiple paths that you can take to accomplish your missions. You won't ever have to worry about getting lost in a level and not knowing where to head from your position.
Sam has a few new moves that are a joy to watch and execute. As nice as this is to be added to the game, you are restricted in where you can employ these new moves. A new weapon that Sam uses is his combat knife. This will aid in stealth kills and also allow you to cut fabric in certain locales within the levels. There are also new additions to the combat rifle that enables it to fit a shotgun and a sniper shot style to it, although during my first go around in the game I didn't use them, so I can't say how well they add to the game. The graphics are definitely polished and have niceties about them that add to the realism. One example will have you in the early part of the game walking thru a level that is exposed to adverse weather. Sam will change in appearance from "wet" when he is in the rain to "dry" when he seeks shelter. It is a nice touch to see the look of the characters reflect the environments like this.
Now, for the truly best part of this game, the COOP play. As of now, there are 4 levels in which you can play COOP. Hopefully, Ubisoft will add more for download thru Live in the near future. COOP will have you and a friend, either thru Live, Split screen or multiple Xbox's connected thru LAN, you can play levels that are stragically created to allow for the COOP in that you cannot move past certain points of the levels without a partner to help. You can stand on their shoulders to get an unobstructive view, you can also use each in a form of a human ladder to reach a upper landing. Clearly a wonderful addition to the series and a definite genre buster. The Versus mode is for the most part unchanged from Pandora Tomorrow. The mercs will have a few new moves to help counter against spies chokeholds that were abundant during Pandora Tomorrow gameplay.
One other little nicety and extra realism to the game with multiplayer allows for the NPC's (non playable characters) to hear you thru the Live communicator if you speak too loud and come investigate. If you were a fan of the first two, you will love this game without a doubt. If you are new to the series, 30 minutes and you will have the basics down with the controls of this game. Ultimately, this game offers great replay value thru the linear, yet multiple path single player campaign, and thru the return of the wonderful multiplayer and exciting COOP game play styles. Definitely worth the money to buy, and at the very least worth a rental to check it out. | video-games_xbox |
I'm a sloppy dancer - And I enjoyed this game a lot. <div id="video-block-R27W28JM1SNZMM" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1uqCHYo1NS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1ePZrJkTjS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> Just Dance 2017 is the 8th installment of the game in the Just dance series and having enjoyed Just Dance 2015 at a friends place, the latest release of the game stays true to its origins with over the top visuals and colors & a good choice of latest hit songs that makes playing the game tons of fun whether you are playing alone, with your partner or friends. Please note that the the experiences that I've shared in this review is using the game with the Xbox One Kinect Sensor.
Changes/ Improvements
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- If you've already played or owned any Just Dance game before then you already know 95% of what to expect. The core gameplay remains the same , a healthy collection of hit songs , over the top visuals and colors - All of which compel you to get off the couch and shake a leg - Something that I never thought I would enjoy given my Level 0 prowess in dancing
- Apart from the classic Just dance modes ( Single , Co-Op, Group , Workout ) there is a new game mode called Dance Machine where Aliens abduct a bunch of dancers from earth and make them dance to replenish their spaceship's batteries. This definitely puts a neat twist to the gameplay where there is not much flexibility and its fun.
- Just Dance unlimited , Ubisoft's subscription service which allows you to access all past and new songs into your game's song library for about $40/Year makes a return again . In my opinion this is just plain greed and price gouging (especially for accessing the songs on the previous games) . I hope not many people sign up for it
Using the Xbox One Kinect Sensor
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- This is one area there there are some improvements , the Kinect sensor is able to track your whole body movements better (upto 6 people) making gameplay more immersive and challenging
- The best part about using the Kinect sensor for someone like me was the slightly sped up recording clip of you dancing in-front of the TV at the end of a dance routine. It was easy for me to get lost in the moment with the music and colorful visuals - All of which make you think you're really in the zone shaking a leg. The video was an awesome reality check on how hilarious I looked. I enjoyed sharing that video with close family for a bit of self deprecating humor that we all loved. Note to Self : Need to work on my footwork !
- There is a companion iOS/Android app as well if you don't have the Kinect Sensor which increases the games appeal. It uses the phone's gyros to track the phone's position in your right hand in relation to the dance character on screen. Since I used the Kinect I didn't use the app.
Choice of Songs
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The choice of songs are better that what were included out of the box in the past . You have the latest pop hits like 'Cheap Thrills - Sia', 'Into You -Arianna Grande', 'Crazy Crazy-DNCE' etc but also a lot of other choices to suit different situations (slow, couple,funny, group or salsa songs)
Final Thoughts
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Just Dance 2017 is just as fun as its previous installments, with great choice of music, visuals, a scoring system that makes it competitive, social sharing and above all easy to follow dance moves that everyone in your home can enjoy. It also has minor gameplay and tracking improvements over its predecessors . I had a great time shedding some sweat along with my wife with plenty of laughs and goofy moments along the way. It makes a great introduction to the series but perhaps not a worthwhile upgrade from last years installment. | video-games_xbox |
Love this series, this game is trash though. The Assassin's Creed game series is my favorite, despite two incredibly horrid titles. The original game (this one) is HORRIBLE! Half the time you have no idea what to do, the eagle vision is useless 80% of the time, the gameplay itself is maddeningly slow and frustrating- u have to creep-walk with your head down a LOT. In later titles, you get fast travel and several other very nice gameplay elements (like skipping the ridiculous cinematic garbage). This is the ONLY title where you have to guess repeatedly to figure out what to do next. Really, this one and ACIII (the American Revolution one) are an utter waste of money- unbelievably frustrating, slow, and confusing gameplay. DO NOT RECOMMEND. One of the worst games I have ever played. Thank god the later titles are so amazing (except AC3 of course). This game is just excrement. The rave reviews defy understanding, IMO. I had to resort to googling how to progress on several points, and even in the cheat sites, the advice is just- start climbing stuff until you find an unmarked viewpoint, then it will tell you what to do next and open the map. Really? That is just ridiculous. I have never had to resort to google and YouTube to play a game on the basic difficulty setting. The ONLY satisfaction I got from this game was in utterly DESTROYING the game disc and then the case and all little booklets. Just throwing it in the trash would hardly have sufficed. This game pissed me off to the degree I would have lit it on actual fire if I had lighter fluid handy. Thank goodness this was not the first AC game I tried, or I would have missed out of some truly great games, because this one is so bad I would have never played another AC game ever. I'm annoyed I have to give it one star, as zero stars is not an option. It deserves NOTHING in the star category. Negative five stars. | video-games_xbox |
Not just another plastic controller. I will kinda cut the actual Rock Band 3 part of this thing out, because the focus here is on the instrument, the 360 version specifically. I'll just say that it does its job perfectly fine with the game and move along.
So, on to the actual keyboard. Anyone who's ever spent ten seconds messing around with one will either know or secretly understand there are usually two things about keyboards when it comes to their construction: the keys have a certain weight to them, and the instrument is usually solidly built (not plastic-y). The MadCatz keyboard fits both of those roles perfectly. It does NOT feel like the vast majority of the other Rock Band 3 instruments, namely the guitar: thin, hollow plastic things which feel like you could snap them over your knee. No, this cat is pretty solid and feels like it could take a battering if need be. The keys have a natural weighted feel and respond just as they should, but with a single addition of ridges over the left ends of some, likely to help newbies with the game align their fingers with the colored sections without having to look down...as much.
If I've given the impression that this thing has a built-in speaker, think otherwise. And Rock Band 3 doesn't, as far as I can remember, have a freestyle mode to let you play whatever on the keys. But, this does come with a 5-pin MIDI outlet, and all of its buttons and keys - and I'm pretty sure literally ALL of them, even the touch strip - are programmed for use with MIDI software. This puts it further into something more of an actual instrument than just a game controller.
It makes for a compact, fairly versatile item, albeit for the niche market of music gamers and creative keyboardists. As for its interplay with Rock Band 3, there's no real need to mention it here other than it works, because anything deeper is on the game side, which I'll save for a review of it rather than this peripheral. | video-games_xbox |
Very Nice. First of all, I don't mind the space already being taken by people who think the game will be good. There were demos of this released and plenty of preview to form an opinion on the game before its release...besides those who are always posting saying "This game isn't out yet so how can you review it?" What's gonna happen when the game IS out such as now and they're still there saying it isn't? Something to ponder no doubt.
Anyway, I don't play that many XBOX games (Halo didn't even please me) so surprisingly enough I found myself picking up the controller to this game and trying it out. I was intrigued by the fact that I couldn't put the controller down! It was actually an amazing game. What was even more surprising is that I don't tend to like Star Wars games.
Let's start off with the eye-candy, or "graphics" so to say. Not quite as good as some other XBOX games. In fact it looks like a rejected PS2 game. In other words there are a lot of blocky and tarnished images. The graphics aren't nearly as smooth as other games. BUT the enviroments are very nicely laid out and done and they are smooth. It's the character graphics that need the work.
The game is very wide and while the path is very linear there are plenty of side-quests along the way. Also, your actions depend on whether or not you'll be on the light side of the force (a good guy) or the dark side of the force (a bad guy). So it's a pretty free RPG but that also means you'll get asked A LOT of questions. Depending on what side of the force you're on and what decisions you make alter the games ending and dialogue. Also keep in mind that just because there is a decision that seems like the right thing to do, doesn't mean you'll go closer to the light side. You may actually go closer to the dark because of it. Not only that, but just because something is bad doesn't mean you can go closer to the light side of the force. For example I chose to take a bounty on someone near the beginning of the game only to end up saving that person and gaining light force points. Remember, when you make a decision you have to also think of the consequences. It's all cause and effect.
While I do not usually like RPGs that have a lot of voice overs and tend to be like movies, I made an exception for this one. This is because the voice acting is actually GOOD (unlike FFX) and I can actually SKIP the dialogue (unlike most of it in FFX).
Choosing a character is different to me. I'd been playing console RPG's my entire life and never once did I play any D&D games at all so the thrill of getting to choose my own character class and stats made the game much more engaging for me.
If there were any cons I'd have to say that its the battle engine. It feels a lot like playing Chrono Trigger in the aspect that when you run into enemies you don't see any special scene changes (such as the swirl that FF7 does or the zoom-in zoom-out thing that FF6 and FF4 do), instead you "engage" in a battle righ ton the spot. What makes this bad? When you are "engaged" in a battle the game tends to run a tad bit slower and when you select an attack it takes a long time before the attack is excecuted. Also, you need to choose attacks quickly because unless you were to pause the battle action to select an attack, your character may attack on his or her own free will without you giving them a command to do so.
The game has a nice learning curve of about a half an hour or so to master everything it has to offer. Also, depending on whether or not you chose a female character or a male character also makes a difference in a sort of "Romance" the game has. Thus, the game is different with each play through!
The game also has very nice sound quality that only the movies can best and that makes the game pretty damn thrilling if you ask me. So this is this game worth it? Well, I'd say so. I haven't quite beaten the game yet (it just came out today where I live) but when I do I'll tell you more about it's replay value. | video-games_xbox |
Great fun for your 360 especially if you have LIVE. Far Cry Instincts Predator is the XBox 360 update of two games - Far Cry Instincts and Far Cry Instincts Evolution. Neither of those XBox games will play on the 360, so it's well worth getting this new version!
You are Jack Carver, a marine who was a quiet boat captain, but ended up under attack on a remote tropical island. You're luckily very good with knives, guns and anything else you get your hands on. You're in this alone, so there's a lot of sneaking around, taking out enemies and lurking in the shadows.
On the Predator version you have to play through the first game (Far Cry Instincts) before you unlock the sequel (Far Cry Instincts Evolution) which makes sense to me, although it could prove frustrating for people who have already played Instincts and want to get right to Part 2.
The graphics are really nice on the 360 - they've definitely been updated from the original XBox version. Still, they aren't quite as stellar as some other XBox 360 releases. I suppose it's always hard porting a game up, to use the same code but make it look "nicer" without spending years doing it. Still, it looks more like XBox + instead of XBox 360. Still, it's nice to see the grasses swaying in the wind and the dappled shadows playing across the sand.
The sound is rather well done. You get the chirping of jungle birds, the hollow footsteps on planks, the crackle of radio transmission. There isn't a pounding rock soundtrack, which I really appreciate. If I'm a covert soldier creeping through vegetation, I want to be listening as hard as I can for odd noises - not having to screen out the fake music.
The game does give you objectives as you go along, but how you achieve those objectives is pretty much up to you. You can race in with guns blazing, sneak in quietly through the woods, march up the main path, or any other option you can think up. While the game is relatively short (a few days to finish) this also means that you can replay quite a bit, trying out other options and seeing what happens.
Of course, single player mode is just the beginning - it's only a training ground. Check out the incredible map editor, and go online to play your own custom maps LIVE against other skilled players 24 hours a day. It's this aspect that makes the game truly stellar, and one you could play for months without getting bored.
Highly recommended! | video-games_xbox |
Still one of the best console shooters ever made. The Good: Beautifully upgrade visuals, original game is still intact, perfectly paced and memorable campaign, added PC act is a nice touch, upgraded multiplayer is welcome
The Bad: Some age shows compared to newer games, not much new besides the extra act
Gears of War has always had a special place in my heart, especially the first game. It introduced me to the next-generation; a whole new fidelity of gaming. HD gaming was only a possibility on PC, but with Xbox 360 we could now play games in 1080p natively. Gears of War was the best looking game made at the time and it featured revolutionary combat, cover mechanics, multiplayer, a unique art style, well-designed enemies, and great characters. It featured traits that most shooters don't possess which threw it to the mainstream and became one of the best-selling games of all time. Gears of War single-handedly helped sell the Xbox 360 during the holidays of 2006.
The game still holds up perfectly fine 10 years later. While it feels a bit dated compared to newer games in the series, there's a simpler more personal touch in this game than say Gears of War 4. Each location is unique, the game is perfectly paced, and the story unfolds in a way to keep you interested all the way until the end. Thankfully the team kept the balancing and mechanics exactly the way they were in Gears 1 and didn't update them. All the weapons feel the same and the characters even move the same.
The only thing that has changed is the visual upgrade which uses Unreal Engine 4 and makes the game look absolutely amazing. Running at 60FPS in 1080p is nice, but being upscaled to 4K on the Xbox One S is just pure eye candy. Honestly, this is the fourth or fifth time I've played through this game and I never get sick of it. The original Gears campaign is just so well designed and wonderfully setup that you can't help but play through it once a year.
I'm not going to go into to much detail on how Gears of War is played because every Xbox fan has played at least one by now. Gears does take inspiration from other games like Resident Evil 4's over the shoulder camera and Kill Switch's cover system. Unreal Tournament's art style and heavy handedness on weapons, as well as the gore, was also taken. Playing as Marcus Fenix in Delta Squad you are tasked with deploying a light bomb resonator to help map the Locust's stronghold who are trying to kill all life on Sera. You personally feel like you are part of this war and the game really shows the devastation and sheer loneliness thanks to epic set pieces and small detailed cut scenes.
Gameplay consists of arena based shooting in which you go into a large open area with cover, kill everything, then move on. Enemies vary from the locust drones to giant Corpsers. Each enemy requires a special way to be taken down and your arsenal is some of the most unique in any shooter. The Lancer is now a gaming icon with the chainsaw bayonet that helped propel Gears into the mainstream. Cutting a locust in half is one of the most satisfying things to ever do in a game. The Gnasher shotgun, Snub, Boltok Pistol, Boomshot, and various other weapons are just perfectly made and designed for this type of game. You will use each weapon and change your loadout according to enemy type and the environment. This is hard to do in shooters and Gears does it best.
Without going into the game too much I have to say that co-op is well worth it and multiplayer takes a small upgrade. Added are game modes seen in sequels and all the maps have been updated. You can also play as characters from later games. If you loved Gears 1 multiplayer suite then this is for you. I personally find Gears of War a hard multiplayer shooter to get into because it's tough as nails and requires an extreme amount of skill. I also feel the mechanics aren't right for multiplayer, but it's still a lot of fun and plenty of invested time will yield great results.
With that said I still feel this is worth a purchase for long time fans and newcomers. Just the visual upgrade alone is well worth the cost and the added PC acts are a nice plus since that version is no longer available to purchase and not playable anymore. To briefly sum up this new act, Delta Squad must get to Timgad Station and turn on power to a bridge that leads to the train yard before the end of the game. During this act they are chased by a Brumak and the end of the act ensues a shootout with one. It's a great piece and was sadly cut from the 360 version due to time constraints.
Overall, the Ultimate Edition ups the visuals and preserves the game just how we remembered it. With the added act from the PC version, upgrade multiplayer and added content for it, there's no reason not to play the Xbox 360's best shooter. You will be playing a piece of gaming history. | video-games_xbox |
Decent headset. Excellent price/performance ratio. I bought this headset yesterday from Fry's electronics, and here is what I think of it so far:
Sound Quality: For the price you pay, this headset actually has pretty good sound quality. It takes a little while to get used to, but the sound quality is pretty nice. There is actually some bass on these headphones too. I could feel a slight thump when I listened to various electronic songs, to test the sound. However, chances are you are buying these for gaming, not listening to music, so lets not get into that too much. For gaming, these are pretty decent. I tested them with various types of games. For FPS games, I used MW2 and Black Ops. Playing multiplayer, I noticed that the headset has okay sound staging. Just okay... Sometimes, I found it hard to figure out if the noise was coming from behind me or below me. Same with in front of me. However, I will say that you can hear footsteps VERY clearly with this headset on. Sound staging might not be the best, but for the price, I doubt you would expect phenomenal sound staging. As for left/right, those sound pretty good. For RPG's, these actually sound pretty nice. I used this headset while playing Final Fantasy XIII, and the in game music sounds pretty good, and you can really hear the sound of the lightning striking your opponent or your blade thrusting into your enemy. The only games which really require amazing sound staging are FPS games. If you are really into Xbox 360 FPS gaming, I would highly suggest the Tritton AX720 over these. Sure, they are $129.99, but the sound staging is phenomenal. For anything else, these headphones are really nice. As for the Earforce X11, just stay away from it. Those have absolutely no sound staging.
Build Quality: For the most part, these feel pretty solid. I was shocked at how light weight they were too! The part that goes over your head is padded with a soft white padding and it feels excellent. I'm sure if you tried to snap it in half it wouldn't be too hard, but it will be fine for people who don't throw their headphones across the room into a wall or something like that. The cups are surrounded by grey padding that is nice and soft. The cups also twist inward so you can rest it on your chest when taking a break. The cups also fold inward to adjust to your head size. The control pad is pretty cool too. At the top, you have your mute switch for the microphone. To the left side you have your audio volume. To the right you haveyour microphone jack input and the voice volume. The cable is made of plastic and isn't too heavy. I don't think the cable will be snapping anytime soon. The design looks very interesting and professional. I already got some compliments by friends!
Microphone: The microphone is detachable, which is perfect for me since I really do not enjoy talking to most of the Xbox live community, and since I usually don't play too many FPS games or games where you need to talk. I talked to some friends via Xbox live party chat and they told me the sound quality was pretty good. Also, I recorded a message and listened to it and the sound quality was pretty nice. The sound quality of the microphone is a lot better than that of the X11. However, I noticed that I need to speak a little louder than usual when using this microphone from my Xbox 360 Wireless Headset (Halo Reach Edition). It's only slightly louder, so it isn't a big issue. You need to talk about as loud as you talk when using the standard Xbox 360 headset that comes with your Xbox 360.
Setup: Setting up these headphones is pretty easy, whether you are hooked up via HDMI or RCA cables. I have my Xbox 360 hooked up to my monitor via HDMI, and I can still use these. Setup should not take longer than 5 minutes if you have used a headset like this before, but maybe 10 minutes if you are a beginner. Don't get overwhelmed by the amount of cables in the box!
Overall, this headset is probably the best you are going to get under $80 for your Xbox 360. The price to performance ratio is pretty good! Again, the Tritton AX720 has much better sound staging and overall sound quality, and I would definately recommend those over these if you are a hardcore FPS gamer. For light FPS gaming and other types of games, these should be fine. Just stay away from the Ear Force X11!
I'll be keeping this headset for sure! | video-games_xbox |
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the people's memes. The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of MEME When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the memes of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Memes of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the memes of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created dank, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable memes, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Dankness.--That to secure these rights, Memes are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the memed, --That whenever any Form of Meme becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Memes, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its memes in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Dankness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Memes. The history of the present King of Meme is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object to the dankness of the land. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public consumption of memes. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to create new Memes for their composition by large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the memes of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of finding dankness withing themselves, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the dankness of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Memers; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing meme creating powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Memes alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Memes, and sent hither swarms of Hillary Clintons to harrass our people, and eat out their memes. He has kept among us, in times of dank, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures and hereby possessing not an ounce of dankness. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the people's memes. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our memes; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation. For Quartering large swathes of undank memes among us. For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any created Memes which turn out to be totally weak. For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world. For imposing Memes on us without our Consent. For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Meme. For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences against the Meme. For abolishing the free System of Memes in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary memeless government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same weak ass memes into these Colonies. For taking away our Bernies, abolishing our most dankest memes, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Memes. For suspending our own Meme creating powers, and declaring themselves invested with power to meme for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Dankness here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against dankness. He has plundered our memes, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the memes of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Memes to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy against our memes scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy to be the Head of a civilized nation of memelovers. He has constrained our Memes taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against our Memes, to become the executioners of their friends and Memes, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst our memes, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Undank Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of memes of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury to our memes. Weak sauce, bro. A Meme whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free nation of memes. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our meme brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over our memes. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt the connections and correspondence of our memes. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of memekind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of Meme in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Memes, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Memes are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent Memes; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the Undank Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Meme, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent Memes, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent Memes may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Memes, our Dank and our sacred Honor. | video-games_xbox |
This game is Online Only. Alright, first of all the servers were down right out of the gate. To Rare's credit, they hop on this and fix it. They did a lot better job than Capcom in this manner.
Hat's off to them for that.
Alright, so the game finally starts for me, and do you know the first.. THE FIRST THING that happens to me? I can't find my ship. I'm on a little island, wandering around. And I don't know what to do. WELL I eventually see this signal flare out in the water.. I swim to it, and its like "Do you want to spawn back at your ship?" Uh, yes please!
I also got attacked, on this island, right out of the gate. The same fools that attacked me had also sunk my ship. BEFORE I EVEN managed to figure out anything.
The next thing that happens, is well I got in my ship, FINALLY.. doing it solo.. and it takes me forever, but my first destination is "Booty Island" I figure, why not? sounds like a great name! I make it there, I wander around "Snake island" because that's what it really should have been called.. I then head over to "Thieves Haven" .. I grab a treasure chest, and I head up to.. "Plunders Outpost" basically an Island where you turn your stuff in.. A little hub area. I get killed, my loot stolen. And that's garbage. Complete and utter garbage.
Do I regret my purchase? as it stands, very much so. This reminds me of the days when I started playing multiplayer on console.. I think it was Halo2.. and I got spawn killed, over and over and over. This is like the same thing.. It's junk. Who enjoys this, except the person sitting there and just waiting on someone to spawn up in a ship or something?
So its not explicitly stated, I'm sure it was in the marketing material somewhere. But this game is online only.
Also the UI for quest is kind of confusing.
You have no mini map you can open up. As far as I can tell. But who knows?
The in game UI for your items, is clunky, its straight forward, but it doesn't work well..
The combat mechanics, kinda suck.
Buy at your own risk.
I haven't bought a game like this, where I've just straight up hated it, right from the get go, in about a decade and a half..
Take my review as an over all sample of the whole, this was just my experience right from the start. Maybe if you jump in to some multiplayer with other people..and all that jazz, maybe it will work out better? Good luck to all you wood be pirates, hopefully you make it a step further than I did. | video-games_xbox |
A complete steal at $10-$15, with some minor annoyances. I just finished this game last week, and I spent over 179 hours getting all of the achievements.
This is a huge open world game, and it is older, so there will be bugs, and graphical issues. One time I could not find a guy because it was inside of some stairs, eventually I found him because his hair was sticking out. Another quest for buying a house, the guy just feel from the sky and died, and I could no longer complete that quest.
I played skyrim first, then this game, and now I am on morrowind. These are all amazing games, and you should play them all.
I really enjoyed the fact that you can make potions on the go, and use repair hammers to repair your items on the go as well. Shivering Isles was a very fun DLC, and felt like it was a whole other game by itself because of how huge the world was.
One of the most annoying things, was scrolling through your inventory, the one that has keys. You would have to scroll down past 200 or more keys every time you wanted to use a soul gem, or repair hammer, which are very commonly used items. The PC version has a keyring mod, so it groups them all together.
This version (or any other console version) does not include all of the DLC however. I purchased a couple of very useful items off of xbox live, one being a house built for magic users. The other being spell tomes. I did also buy the razor something DLC quest which was nice, and seemed worth the $1.88. One DLC was $2.49 for horse armor? It sounded totally useless. I did not plan to buy the rest of the DLC because I plan to replay this on PC, and all of the smaller DLC is in the deluxe GOTY.
Here is the only bug that really really made me mad, and I dropped it a whole star. In the game there are gates you enter, called oblivion gates. You enter them, make your way to the end of it, and grab a stone. Grabbing the stone closes the gate and teleports you outside into the regular world. There are around 60 of them if I recall. For me, after 10, they stopped closing, grabbing the stone would not transport me out, even though it would do the animation as if it were going to transport me out. Sometimes the room would turn totally white, and I would have to find my way out, which could prove insanely difficult.
I really wanted to close every one of those gates, which probably would have added another 100 hours of gameplay at least. After grabbing 5 stones and having to find my way out each time, I gave up, and just closed the main gate, which closes all of the small ones. You miss out on a whole lot of loot, along with the stones, which are used to enchant items.
Other than that, this game is amazing, and a must have for any 360 owner. | video-games_xbox |
Casual Fighting Stick. Although I am by no means an expert on the intricacies of arcade controllers, I highly recommend the Hori Fighting Stick EX 2 to elevate the game-play experience of any shooting or fighting game of the Xbox 360. As a casual gamer, it sufficiently sates my thirst for an arcade-quality experience. For those willing to pay, it offers reasonably responsive controls and a decent controller size for storage and use.
From my casual standpoint, I enjoy the controller's longevity: the stick and buttons both withstand my daily few hours' usage of the controller. For someone not planning on constantly using or abusing the controller, it is a perfect buy. Another quality I enjoy is its resilience. Everyone will be prone to spouts of anger and frustration while playing. When the pivotal moment arrives that one throws his or her controller, the stick and buttons will survive the ordeal (provided it is not thrown with sufficient force to break it).
For those planning on buying this controller, I would additionally recommend you to be interested in playing fighting and shooting games, such as "Galaga" or "Dodonpachi." This is because it was designed for playing these genres. If you are instead planning to use this controller for first-person shooters, I would suggest staying with a normal controller, as the button layout and single joystick will not be able to accommodate such games. In addition, I would recommend this controller for games that require that sensitive button inputs and joystick use. However, I would note that there is an occasional delay in response as you move the stick or hit the buttons. Although this feature does not detract much from game-play, it may be a slight annoyance to those who are less patient.
Overall, I recommend the Hori Fighting Stick EX 2 for those interested in casually playing fighting and shooting games. In addition, its occasional delay in button response does not detract from game-play. Nevertheless, I would not recommend this stick for those looking for a new controller for competitive play or setting a world record high score. Those interested in doing so will not find the stick sufficiently sensitive. Moreover, frequent use will wear down the stick and buttons more rapidly than occasional use would. | video-games_xbox |
Amazon really makes this an amazing value. First off let me say that Halo ODST is a great game if your a Halo fan. If your not a Halo fan then you'll be hard pressed to enjoy ODST because It uses the same engine that Halo 3 used. It also pretty much plays the same outside of a slightly shorter jump then Master Chief, no more dual-wielding as a ODST, and the HUD.
The single player campaign took me about the same time It took me to finish Halo 3 which is an amazing feat for what was previewed as a 2-4 hour campaign not too long ago. I was impressed with that feat because I was expected to be disappointed with the campaign length but I wasn't. The campaign had some nice pacing outside of when you first start you seem pretty lost (but that's the whole idea) not knowing what to do. Working in the dark with the visor was a refreshing take on this series, and being in the city in the middle of hell was something people complained about before, IE why were all the Halo battles AWAY from life? ODST throws you right in the middle of the mess and addresses that complaint.
The one thing that people may not enjoy with the campaign is the pacing. Basically since your alone you have to unravel clues to find your ODST squad mates, and in turn it ends up being a dark adventure with a way point telling you where to go (eventually). Some people may detest this but it was a great feeling for me being able to scourge for clues alone (tho you can co-op for your liking, 2 players locally and up to 4 on Live or System Link).
Firefight as you have read is great experience similar to horde in Gears of War 2. Basically wave after wave of enemies are pitted against you and you get so many lives to see how long you can last. It's a refreshing take again on Halo for those that want something different outside of the usual versus mode. I for one welcomed Firefight with open arms and It is definitely the high light of this package. My only complaint is there is no matchmaking for Firefight, so basically you have to manually invite your friends to play or add random people to your friends list to enjoy the mode further.
But you know who the real highlight of this game is?
The ODST? Nope.
Amazon.
Amazon came through on my order big time.
First I had this as my goldbox pick not too long ago, so I got $3 off for pre-ordering.
Then Amazon was offering a $10 credit towards future gaming purchases so I scored another $10 off.
The game also dropped to $51 so I got another $9 off the pre-order price gurantee.
The game got damaged in transit so Amazon offered me a partial refund for the shipping mishap.
Paying only $30ish for Halo ODST was a great deal, and only Amazon was able to provide me that experience.
Thank you Bungie for a great single player campaign and awesome experience with Firefight, and thank you Amazon for providing one of the best deals in quite some time for a launch game. | video-games_xbox |
Sudeki, a little KOTOR, a little Dungeon Siege, A little FF. The game moves and plays well.
The graphics are superb but only if you have HDTV or a smaller TV. I have HDTV/32 inch analog with component/27 inch with VPORT. HDTV and VPORT look superb, the 32 inch with component looks OK but has a few jaggies. If you want to go "big" you will need the HDTV.
Gameplay:
Battles: Very smooth, decent AI for a console, easy to get into. It is very hard to work WITH your teamates. Unlike KOTOR where you could micromanage your battle like some IRS auditor, here you have to work WITH your team. The easy way is to take a tank position and set your other 3 to "defensive" this has them attack your targets. The Challenging and fun way is to let them do what they will and support them with the caster. This turns into a hectic battle fest that leaves you shaking with intensity.
Quests. So far so simple. However this is less of a KOTOR style "let me drag you through the inane aspects of my mind as a bored designer" questing system. More of a "this is what people might need in a war zone" questing system. It is a little on the light side but this is the first title by this group and a good first effort.
Travel: Overlooked by most reviews and reviewers. One often has to think if the person "reviewing" is playing a developer copy. Traveling is one battle after another but in segmented arenas. This can get tedious, but it fits well with the story line. It also make the quests more difficult because you will want to think things out before you simply do a step and run back.
Overall a great effort. I bought it and will keep it. to me replay value has nothing do with "reliving the story as a dark LUCAS DORK... err JEDI". It has everything to do with me thinking about the fond experience of the game a year from now and popping it back in to play it again from a different angle.
BTW, I have KOTOR. Liked it but found it to be more of the same from the biggest thief in Media. ?? | video-games_xbox |
More of the same, but that's good for FOTNS fans. If you played the first FOTNS mousou game, you're probably asking yourself - "should I buy this game?" The answer to that is a resounding YES!
But if you're new to the series - should you give this a try? As a fan of FOTNS I say - yes, but only because the Kenshiro universe is so compelling and this is a great way to really enjoy the complete story of Hokuto No Ken on a console (the last game only featured about half the manga's timeline).
Here's where the tricky part is - if this was simply another Dynasty Warriors game, I would have given the game a solid 3 stars. Honestly, it is the great storyline that propped up the ratings somewhat, so unless you plan on embracing the Kenshiro saga, or you are already a fan - you're probably not going to be particularly impressed with the gameplay dynamics.
Long story short - the plot follows the epic tale of the game's main protagonist Kenshiro. The world has been destroyed by a nuclear apocalypse. Now it is ruled by gangs and tyrants, many of them boasting powerful martial arts skills. Ken is the heir apparent to the long line of Hokuto Shinken masters, and the story follows the timeline from when he eventually encounters his adopted brother Raoh in an epic showdown. But the difference here is, whereas the last game ended at this confrontation, FOTNS 2 continues to saga into the second half when he fights in his homeland of Shura and encounters more twists and surprises in the form of his real brothers and eventually side stories of his (now grown-up) companions Bat and Rin. All in all the story is LOOOOONG and the legend mode (which is effectively the campaign mode of the game) can eat up a huge amount of your time.
In terms of gameplay you pretty much plow through tons of faceless minions and beat the crap out of them ala Dynasty Warriors-style. Compared to the last FOTNS game, there are some improvements to be said. The graphics and textures here are much improved, though the countless drab post-apocalypse environments do get tedious after awhile. At least the game doesn't make you run around the map and plow through as many enemies as before. Unlike the last game, the pacing of this game feels a bit better, with lots of cutscenes and comic-book storytelling elements interspersed between the action. That is good because while it's always fun to use Ken (or his playable allies') fists to beat the living hell out of punks who deserve a good bashing, after awhile it gets very monotonous. You get a nice selection of different combos/attacks, but after awhile this game will degenerate into mindless button-mashing because you come to realize that most of the time the simplest attack combos will do the trick. At least now there is more emphasis on speed and you are rewarded partially based on how fast you can dispatch your enemies.
Boss battles are pretty fun, but they are more epic if you are a fan or familiar with the storyline. Otherwise, it's all just figuring out patterns and exploiting them to your advantage. At least this time around there are more bosses to deal with and that definitely helps change things up. Again, I feel like this time around it seems like there was a real effort to change up the pacing and avoid the "run to point a, beat tons of people up, run to point B beat a captain + minions up, run to point C etc" feeling that we got in the last game. Like for instance the battle with Amiba was pretty much a chapter of its own without any real grinding leading up to it. Definitely a nice change of pace.
One change that I wasn't big on was the simplification of the battle system. In the past there skill tree was a lot more detailed. In this manifestation, it's a lot more simplified. You can adjust your stats based on scrolls that you accumulate and the type of combo that you string together (depending on the type of scrolls you find/grab). It's good in the sense that it really makes things simple for the casual gamer, but it also feels very generic and takes out some of the hardcore customization that made the previous game so fun. I guess in exchange for better graphics and slightly better controls, I will take this downgrade. Also note there is no localization in this game, so do not expect English language voices like you got the last time around. However, there are subtitles, so you will be able to understand the (excellent) storyline just fine.
The dream mode is also nice - and does a lot of service for fans. After all, if you were really a die-hard reader of this manga, there were plenty of imaginary scenarios in your head that played out and this version gives you the chance to experience it firsthand. I won't spoil the plot, but fans of the series will really appreciate this alternative version of gameplay that helps extend the already long shelf life of this game.
The music is okay, with lots of generic Dynasty Warriors-esque 80's rock/metal in the background. I wouldn't say I love it, but at least it fits the chaotic feel of the game. Just bear in mind, despite some of the improvements in pacing, there is still a lot of grinding involved in terms of plowing through waves of mindless enemies. The AI is just as mediocre as before. Tons of people just come out and swarm you with little or no strategy involved. But at least it is satisfying to see you take your fists and smash people into pieces. There's nothing as fun as watching yourself rack up a 700 combo in one fell swoop.
In the end - if you aren't a fan of FOTNS but want to see what the buzz is about, this is a great game to pick up. If you just don't like DW/Mousou type games at all, this game won't do anything to change your mind. However, if you're a fan, or want to get a real nice feel for the overall story of the manga, this is a definite must-own. To put this game into context, while I didn't have as much visceral fun playing this game as I did Farcry 3 or even COD Black Ops 2, I definitely had way more fun playing this game than Aliens: Colonial Marines, and feel there is WAY more replay value in this game than Aliens. I know I'm comparing different genres, but in terms of fun factor, there is a lot more to be said about FOTNS 2 than Aliens or many other games in the market right now. | video-games_xbox |
The only 100% wireless option out there right now --- and it's a VERY mixed, displeasing, confusing bag. I wanted to love this headset. I really did. I read some positive and some mixed reviews and attributed the negatives to people who were overly sensitive to high quality audio and would be unsatisfied with what I might consider just fine. I pulled it out of the box and got things setup rather quickly. Within the first week I had to do a factory reset, re-sync the headset with the transmitter, and then reset the Xbox and it's audio monitoring settings in order to get the device to work properly with Destiny. Once that got sorted, I started to love this headset. (Yes I synchronized with the TB audio hub on my computer first). And at this early point in its life, the battery lasted for hours and hours and hours and never caused a problem.
But why should I have to do all of that work to make an expensive piece of hardware do what I want out of the box? I shouldn't. That's the only acceptable answer. At this price point ($215 with taxes even though it was 199 at the time of purchase), the device just has to work and work well. That's partially why this review earns the 500X just 1 star. And I'd give it fewer if I could.
Let's be clear. This product has some high points, but that DOES NOT mean you should ignore the immense negatives. If you buy this item you are signing up for a hassle and at least one RMA in your future. You are signing up for audio issues, for syncing issues, for microphone static and general dysfunction. You are signing up for an unreliable battery and a headset that HAS TAKEN THE BAFFLING ENGINEERING CHOICE TO LEAVE ITSELF ON WHEN CHARGING, effectively draining the battery as it is supposed to be re-filling the battery. This also means you will get a double feed of Xbox audio unless you first silence the headset before charging and watching/playing with the Xbox.
General notes:
1. The quality of audio you receive in your ears is GREAT and definitely loud enough to be uncomfortable if you turn it all the way up. My team sounds loud and clear and their voices didn't conflict with the audio of my games. The games themselves sound rich and personal and the surround sound (or faux surround sound?) is amazing. It was immersing and beautiful. You can control the volume of chat and the game independently to achieve a really helpful mix depending on your situation. It's a great feature. The audio I received in my ears was one of the high points, truly.
2. The audio presets do virtually nothing and I cannot figure out why they are even included.
3. Your own voice will be soft/weak in others' ears. This is unfortunate and I have more notes about this below. Prepare to put the mic boom very close to your mouth.
*****
4. CHARGING. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: The headset remains on when charging. Who in the engineering department decided this was a good idea!? Yes somehow the headset knows to shut off when fully recharged, but if you leave your Xbox on it will manage to turn itself back on and drain its battery all the same! I have never gotten more than 5 hours of battery life out of EITHER OF THE TWO UNITS I got (the original and the RMA'ed one had this same issue). As of editing this review on 6-30-15 I am getting less than thirty minutes of reliable battery life! That's just insane when up to 15 hours is advertised!
*****
Now... let's get down to business...
Throughout the first harrowing week I went back and forth with a semi-helpful support representative from Turtle Beach who suggested a lot of fixes I had already seen online. The full factory reset and re-sync seemed to help a lot, but worsened the Destiny audio glitch (this is a known issue; google it) until I did the reset procedure yet again.
That representative also heard my complaint about my mic volume being very soft (that is, other people struggled to hear me and complained I was way too quiet even with the mic boom touching my lips)... and in response I was sent a new mic boom, which arrived completely non-functional. When I reported this, the rep suggested I send in the whole unit for an RMA. But WHY? Why should I lose my new expensive headset for weeks when the mic boom seems to be the only issue? The new one was dead and the old one was quiet. Doesn't that suggest the new one was a dud? Isn't that logical?
I'm no audio expert so perhaps not. But that's where I stand right now. I am debating even processing the RMA. I am debating whether I want to ship the unit back to Amazon for a full refund and use the old terrible mic that came with the Xbox One but had GREAT voice quality. Alas.
6-30-15 EDIT: [I did the RMA after all and received a unit with good audio capabilities. But the battery problems are exactly the same. Nothing changed. This is an engineering issue and is not related to the units I used/am currently using. YOU WILL GET A HEADSET WITH AN UNRELIABLE BATTERY. You will get a headset that does not keep a charge. You will get a headset that remains on when charging, forever.]
***Please note, below this line my review comes with what is going to sound like a weird and misguided praise of mic-monitoring. It's not. Mic-monitoring is supremely cool and should come standard on all headsets meant for interaction with other human beings. It's just an amazing feature. Period.
In truth, this device is 100% wireless. I LOVE THAT. I love not being tethered to the Xbox One and getting hamstrung by my cables. This headset makes me feel like the commander of a spaceship and the mic-monitoring is EXTREMELY COOL and useful. It seems to make me more empathetic when speaking into the headset. When you can hear your own voice it's like looking into a mirror - you want to like the person you hear/see. You want to treat them well, so in turn you act in a more refined manner and become something of a better person. I literally wish I was being sarcastic. Mic monitoring is like flipping an empathy/kindness switch in your own brain and it's freaky and awesome and everyone should try it at least once.
There you have it. It's an impressive piece of technology, but the setbacks and weirdly unhelpful support service and unnecessary features and poor mic quality and overall high cost make this a headset to avoid, not seek out... unless you don't mind the quietness of your projected voice and want to check out Mic Monitoring and feel like a spaceship pilot until your battery dies in 15 or 30 minutes. Good luck.
Don't waste your time. I've saved you the trouble! | video-games_xbox |
MW2 Bundle...Awesome. Pre-ordered this bundle back in September, was worried at first about the release date shipping. This is my first release date purchase through Amazon. Received it at 10 am on release date...awesome. Now that we have that out of the way. This bundle is a great deal for first time Xbox users/purchasers. Comes with 2 controllers, this is great for a family purchase....no more children fighting over taking turns until you get to the store to purchase another controller. The 250 GB harddrive is great. I currently own 2 other 360's(one is mine, the other purchased for my wife) both 20gb. With all of the music, movies, and DLC I have had to constantly delete stuff that I have paid for just to make room for new games. This led me to purchase the 250GB harddrive, after transferring everything over I still have TONS of room to install all of my most played games. (For those of you new to 360's...this helps the games run smoother with less load times and it keeps the noise level down on the system). If you are a fan of the COD franchise or even new this 360 is great! The black 360 with the custom MW2 theme looks great. I have always thought about painting my other 360 black to make it look better in my entertainment center...black 58" tv, black surround sound system, black cable box, black modem, and lastly a black PS3. A White xbox stands out quite a bit amongst all of this equipment. I would highly recommend this purchase to people just starting out with the new gaming system or even hardcore 360 players who are just looking to expand the experience. I know this review is getting extensive but im just trying to cover everything....now on to the MW2 game. SIMPLY AMAZING! Looks great, sounds great, plays great. I have been into the COD franchise for quite a while, have been religiously playing COD 4 MW for over 2 years now and can see myself playing this one for another 2 as well. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME! Thanks for reading the review and happy gaming! -J.Fox | video-games_xbox |
Good Potential but Issues. Birds of Steel is a plane flying game set in the Pacific arena of World War II. They have modeled a vast number of planes and offer a quite challenging realistic mode. We adore flight games and have played most that have come out. We were really looking forward to this one.
Those used to arcade style flight games where you can bounce along the runway might need some patience here. You do get a set of instructional missions. After that, the game expects you to learn how to fly a plane. Even the most easy mode still requires you to master a few basics. If you kick it up to the more realistic modes, expect to learn skills that real pilots have to know.
You get a range of missions set in realistic scenarios. You're at Pearl Harbor as well as a number of other locations. You're zipping through clouds, screaming across the treeline, and dodging to avoid a barrage of bullets. You can play both as the Japanese and American side.
You basically fly three or four planes through the missions. They do also offer head to head options where you could mix things up.
The graphics are pretty poor. It feels like a game from 3-4 years ago, not a recent release. The controls are a bit challenging as well. Your throttle is on the same stick as your turning - so turning without affecting your throttle can be rough.
A typical mission is to take off, fly to join your group of 3-4 friends, go to your destination, deal with the task, then return and land. You get points for each stage, so for example you get points for taking off. You also get load screens along the way. So you're in the sky, hitting Objective A, and then you have to wait through a long load screen before you "pop over" to somewhere else. It seems unnecessary in a modern world where you could just keep flying smoothly to keep you in the game atmosphere.
The differences between the various modes are *massive*. You can't easily ramp up through them.
So an OK game in terms of its scenarios, but the quite long loading screens, the controls, and the large jumps between difficulty levels prevent this from earning top marks.
Rating: 3/5
We purchased this game with our own funds in order to do this review. | video-games_xbox |
Campaign=GREAT Multiplayer=EPIC FAIL. I am a multiplayer guy and played Halo 1 for it's mp and sys link capabilites so that's where I'm coming from on this review. First let me say I was one of the few who bought Xbox the day it came out with Halo and Dead or Alive 3, and actually had the games a few days early cuz they released ahead of the system on Nov 15, 2001...I know what I'm talking about. The campaign in Halo 1 was great but honestly it was the multiplayer/system link that kept people playing it through the years. I used XBconnect to play Halo 1 online and it was awesome, but since Xbox live I have ALWAYS wished Halo 1 mp would rerelease with online play. I was THE biggest Halo fan and loved Halo 2, however, the series really started to go downhill with Halo 3, then ODST, then worst of all...Reach. The addition of equipment/classes/jetpacks/armor lock/reticle bloom/poor multiplayer map design killed Halo for me. So when I heard about Anniversary I immediately got excited for a return to good ol' original and had high hopes I would FINALLY get to experience the ORIGINAL epic mp from Halo 1 online. This is NOT the case. I rate this game a solid 1 star because the campaign is AWESOME, especially being able to swop btw new graphics and old and the ability to play co-op online, that part is great. But the whole concept of "Anniversary" and staying true to the original has been completely ignored with it's terrible multiplayer offerings and its really disappointing considering it was such a huge aspect of the original game. For starters, you don't make a freakin remake of a game and half@ss the biggest component of the game (for most of us) by only including 6 maps that span pc, halo 2 and halo 1. Not only that but it is REACH multipayer. You will use the Reach system lobby, play with Reach classes and all that jetpack junk, and while you are playing on remakes of a few Halo 1 classic maps you will NOT feel like you are playing classic Halo 1 mp like the days of old. Sure there is a "classic" game type that has no abilities but it feels nothing like the original did. You will not use the original assault rifle in mp. You will not use the same EXACT Halo 1 pistol in mp. Sure the classic playlist makes it kill in 3 shots but its the Reach pistol (looks similar but play campaign and you will see it's different and shoots different) with Halo 1 damage change. You will not play Bloodgulch, Boarding Action, Rat Race, Sidewinder, Chillout, Wizard, Derelict, Longest, Chiron TL 34 (shotties koth was awesome on that map), you will not be able to jump the same in mp like you do in campaign. I understand they didn't want to take away from the Reach community but honestly, that community is just about dead anyways with the release of COD and Battlefield games. All Microsoft had to do was rerelease Halo 1 with it's 10year old graphics and just make it Xbox live capatible and I would have paid hundreds of dollars than pay $40 for a mp component that is stupid Reach. Hear me out, you are paying $40 for the ability to play campaign online and in new graphics, that's it. If you are fine with that, this game is a blast. But for me and a WHOLE lot of others who want to relive that dorm sys link mp experience, you will be let down, and it will make you want to say bad things about 343 which they deserve.
It's like some stupid company comparable to 343 releasing Goldeneye 64 Anniversary with original campaign but only giving you the mp maps Facility, Bunker, Complex, and Temple then furthering it's attempt to ruin a classic by making the mp play like that of Goldeneye: Rogue Agent. Oh boy! | video-games_xbox |
Xbox360 Vs Playstation 3. I had been awaiting the arrival of the Sony PS3 and decided not to bother with the Xbox360 i had never been a keen Xbox lover anyway.
However i gave into temptation and purchased one and have not looked back and in some ways i am glad i made the dcision i did. There are a number of moans about the PS3, when it comes down to quality or screen quality there really is nothing in comparison to these consoles. I have seen the veiw of the PS3 and to be quite honest i have not found it to be better than the Xbox360 the two are very closely matched.
However Microsoft has given you a choice on having a DVD player with or without, I know at the time the Xbox release there was no DVD player for this system. Never the less the price of both consoles are changed dramatically.
PS3 you have the Blueray which has kept the price tag very high Now if you don't have a high definition TV Blue ray is a wasted expense as you are not going to benefit from this crisp quality picture playing your Blueray Movies. If you were the sort that enjoyed high quality definition in your movies at the time the PS3 console at the price tag it was on sale for was very cheap in comparison to a Blue Ray DVD player Standalone but you would lose out as a gamer as there were very little in the way of games to play on it. Xbox release their HD sepperate DVD player and this looks as though it has been a huge success story for Microsoft. I have read recently that Sony had admitted defeat in the fact that HD was winning the Format war so does this mean that eventually Blueray will disapear very much like the days of the VHS and Betamax cassette and Beta was a Sony idea which died a death and VHS succeeded as the chosen format by all. So if HD does win this war then Blueray will at somestage come to an end so this makes buying the PS3 not worth the money. What i did like about the PS3 is the sleek design to which the Xbox does not have not even the Elite in its black colour really does the rick but the 120Gb hard drive does. On line game playing is brilliant so i am told although i have never done this "I maybe missing out" I went into a shop only the other day the Xbox with all its games is placed at the very front of the shop however the PS3 section sits in a very confined area at the back of the shop and the games are very limited to about two shelves where as the Xbox covers approx 1 whole isle with about 4 lots of shelves up.
XBox comes out on top against the PS3 in my mind as Microsoft has left the choice to you rather than Sony basically flogging a dead horse which is far too overpriced the 40Gb is rubbish as you cannot play PS2 games on it so i am told, 60Gb is nice but that Blueray player is it really worth the money i don't think so Xbox is king of the consoles so far as i am concerned. PS2 console was the best console back in the early days but matters have moved on somewhat and the Xbox360 ranks as the champion and best contender so far. | video-games_xbox |
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