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Lot of Splosion for your buck. If you're like me, you might be one of the few people who don't use Xbox Live. Gasp! That's right, I'm a hardcore gamer, and I don't use Xbox Live. Not because I don't like it, it's just I've never much cared for online gaming, and prefer single player. So I wouldn't get much use out of the service. However, a bad side to this is I am missing out of some great downloadable games, but fortunately, Microsoft has thrown me and others like me a bone, and included three fantastic Live games on one disc at a great price. I just got this disc four days ago and have been having a blast with these games. I'll go over each one to give you an idea of how they play, and why this collection is worth the money.
Limbo: For me, the star of the show. Limbo is unlike anyhing else out there right now. This is a full blown sensory experience. From the graphics, to the sounds, and the gameplay, everything is top notch, extremely polished, totally absorbing, and an absolute joy to play. I can find nothing wrong with this game. So what is Limbo? Well, it's haters describe it as a simple 2-D style puzzle platformer with an interesting art style. And to tell you the truth, they're right. The platforming is great, but you won't need fast reflexes to get through it. The puzzles are challenging but never hair pulling hard. But the haters are missing the point. This game was never designed to test your gaming skills, it was created to absorb you in it's world. Everything was masterfully designed to keep you engaged. Sure the puzzles aren't too hard, but they are challenging enough to make you stop and think about what to do. Sure the platforming isn't hard, but you still have to be careful and time your jumps just right.
The graphics are simply spectacular. Everything is in black and white, no color anywhere. It's very striking, and creepy. Looking at screenshots is a good idea to see what the game looks like, but seeing it in motion is the way to go, trust me. There is a lot of animation, whether it is the boy you play as, other characters you run into, water, machinary, dirt and rocks crumbling down a hill, or the very big, very scary spider you encounter. The animations make this dead looking world come alive. The boy is a black silhouette, with bright white eyes. Sometimes you'll be in a completely dark area and only have his eyes to see where he is.
The sounds are just as good as the graphics. There isn't any actual music, just ambient music, most of the time you'll hear sounds in the environment. The sounds of flys buzzing around a dead animal carcass hanging from a tree, the loud crash of electrical sparks from a large hotel sign you have to cross,the sound of giant gears turning, everything sounds great, and dangerous.
As far as story goes, it is very minimal. It's one of those games, like Braid, where the interpretation is left up to the gamer. All you know is you are a boy who has awoke in a forest, and has to find his sister. After you beat the game, go on some forums and read people's theories on the story, there are some good ones.
The game is played 2-D style, and you run through the levels jumping, climbing, solving puzzles, and watching your little boy get demolished. Yes, the developers did not shy away from the violence in this game, even though you are playing as a young child. He will get beheaded, impaled, drowned, electrocuted, burned, crushed, amputated, and cut in half complete with intestines hanging out. The realistic physics of the game make the deaths even more gruesome. Seeing his head cut off, and roll down a hill while his lifless body collapses is disturbing, and that is one of the tamer deaths.
The game isn't very long, I beat it on my first playthrough in just under three hours. I think the length is perfect though, and the amazing thing is the puzzles never repeat throughout the game. Also, there is not loading in the game at all. From the very beginning, until the credits roll, you will not see a loading screen. The game is like one big level, with ever changing environments. You'll never know when you hit a checkpoint, except that when you die, you will not restart far. I can't recommend this game highly enough, it is an eerie, wonderful, disturbing, never frustrating, and an overall engaging experience.
Splosion Man: Splosion Man is a 2-D style platformer, with 3-D graphics. This game contains some masterful platforming throughout fifty levels, and if you are a fan of the genre, you will not be disappointed. The game can be tough, but it gives lots of checkpoints so when yo die, you will not have to start back far. Theres not too much to say about this game except it is aweseom, has some colorful cartoony graphics, and is very fun to play. Splosion Man himself is a humorous, and you can tell he is having a little too much fun. He's constantly making various sounds as he tries to escape the big science lab where he was created. His idle animatins are funny too. Instead of jumping, you splode. You can splode three times, and after that Splosion man will cool off and you have to reignite him by either staying on the floor for about a second, or sliding down a wall. You have to be careful when he is cooled down, because he can't jump, er I mean splode, and he can be killed in one hit. What's really funny is how he kills his enemies, who are mainly the scientist working at the lab. When you splode on them, they will explode into meat. I don't mean body parts, I'm talking about steaks, hams, and various other meats you find in the meat dept. at a grocery store. You can even blow off their heads, or arms, and they'll bleed meat. It is hilarious. As I said earlier, if you love 2-D style platformers, there is no reason you won't like this. It has some fantastic, challenging platforming that will leave you satisfied when you get through a tough section. Oh the boss fights are fun too, especially the last one. That one was just great.
Trials HD: The final game in this collection. Trials is a stunt, racing, platforming game where you use a dirt bike to get through the levels. You don't race other riders, but against the clock to get the best time you can get. You can take as long as you want in a level though, so don't worry about a time limit. The game is heavy on physics, and can be very hard for newcomers because if you don't hit a landing just right, or if your back tire catches the wrong part of the ground, or other object, and your front tire hasn't touched the ground yet, you will wreck. It starts off easy enough, but will eventually ramp up in difficulty. You have four difficulty categories. Easy, Medium, Hard, and Extreme. Each one has their own set of levels. And believe me, the hard and extreme sections are not lying. Where as I could get mostly gold, and some silver in Easy and Medium, in hard I mostly got bronze, and I could only pass the first level in Extreme. However, don't let my talk of difficulty scare you away. This game is great and very addicting. When you get a bronze in a tough level, then you do it again and get a silver, than do it again and get the gold, it is very satisfying. In fact, the game is actually very fair. It doesn't throw tons of crap at you to knock you down, it just presents you with the level and leave it up to you as to how you get through it. It is tempting to try to speed through the obstacles, but I have found slow and steady wins the day. In addition to the main levels, there is also a collection of fun mini games called skill games. These vary from one where you have to break as many bones in your body as you can, staying on top of a rolling metal bar, and launching yourself off of your bike and see how far you can go, among others.
The graphics are well done with some great lighting effects, and the sound is good too. The game plays music, but it's more in the background, most of the time you'll just hear the sound of your dirtbike, and your character who will make various sounds as he flies through the levels, and gets slammed around a lot.
Well there you have it folks. Hopefully I was able to give you enough descriptions of the three games to give you an idea of how they play. If you're looking for something a little different to play, pick this collection up. I feel I've gotten more than my money's worth, and have been having a lot of fun with them. I hope you do too, and thanks for reading my review. | video-games_xbox |
Great Ending to a great Trilogy. I have truly enjoyed the 'Ezio Auditore' Trilogy (ACII, ACBrotherhood, ACRevelations).
This game has alot of mixed reviews and since I believe gamers opinions are subjective, how you like this game will all depend on your personal preferences.
DETAILS:
ACR has 9 Sequences and there aren't as many dedicated side missions this time. There are no glyph puzzles either, but I found so much to do that I played for days and still didn't do some separate missions.
The new additions are a hookblade for better/faster climbing (which I appreciated) & zooming down ziplines, an intricate bomb system that you craft yourself with ingredients you loot off dead enemies or find thruout the City in chests (and by the way - that's about all you find in those chests... it does get redundant only getting some sulfur for a bomb that you're already stocked with), new and harder "Janissary" guards & Riflemen in booths, revamped Assassin Recruiting and "den defense".
I believe these are positive additions but I do think the bombs & den defense need tweaking if they're going to implement them in AC3.
If you're like others and dislike the Den Defense feature, the good news is that you can avoid most of it by keeping your "templar awareness" low and/or work to Level Up [to 15] your "master assassin" that you've assigned to one of your 5 dens to then "Lock" it. Once a den is locked, the Templars can no longer try to take it back.
Recruiting is one of my favorite aspects of AC. You're able to assign one MA per den you take and you do 2 missions with each (part 1 then part 2 later on).
Great Missions!
Plus, the missions you send your Recruits on to Level UP, have some purpose this time - not just randomness for the sake of leveling up.
Graphics are phenomenal, but if you loved ACB's vivid colors, you may like this less - these colors are more washed out & muddy. I loved the vivid colors in ACB, so I always chose Dye colors that gave Ezio a vivid belt/sash. (a minor issue).
Soundtrack is really good and grows on you.
The game starts out a little ...slow (as you learn new features & button commands) but it really picks up the pace by Sequence 4/5.
As far as missions, I enjoyed most all of them - esp. those Master Assassin missions w/ my recruits.
I found the Missions were generally shorter (sometimes split into 2 parts) and less . . tedious/monotonous. That's either good or bad depending on what you like. I loved it. These missions were a Pleasure to do.
100% synching is still there (which I do like for a challenge), but I found it to be less restrictive and less difficult than ACB's synchs.
Several synch's still allowed you to plot your own way to carry out a mission and the bomb system helps promote more strategy on your part as well. I found myself having to think about which types of bombs to use where and on whom... (depending on what you have crafted in your arsenal).
Luckily, some missions have bomb crafting tables in them so you can switch bomb types as you go along.
I enjoyed these synchs more (being the average gamer that I am), however, there were complaints that ACR wasn't hard enough (even with the addition of harder Janissaries & booth riflemen). . while a few others complained that is was too hard .. it just depends on your skill level.
(I'm hoping that developers add a choice of skill levels in AC3: easy, normal or hard/mission impossible & solve that issue for AC fans).
Trying to get the 5 Altair Key's I found to be a complete Joy (ACR's equivalent to ACB's Romulus Lairs - and they are all linked with Ezio's love interest, Sofia through Secondary Missions with Sofia as you get the information to locate books and therefore the Key locations)
The Key missions were all shorter, but a few of them had an Indiana Jones feel to them - high action.
The few that had anything timed, were more reasonable. ACB had an 8 minute clock on one Romulus Lair that I thought was ridiculous and impossible lol.
Once you get the Key and head back to the Assassin HQ, it takes you into your next Altair 'mission' (memory w/ Altair).
They did remove the random thieves that would rob you at any time but added a "Stalker" that unexpectedly comes from behind & tries to kill you - Loved that! (then loot him for some good $$).
They also added a Tax Collector who rarely shows up and he's good to grab & loot if you see him.
To lower your Templar Awareness when it gets high, they have an Official followed by 2 guards that you can take out.
That never got old to me.
Factions are still here, but you have only one mission with each one instead of many. But there are still Skill requirements to carry out (on the chalkboard), so those can keep you busy trying to achieve them all.
Courtisans were replaced w/ a sort of Gypsy, the Romanies. Entertainers basically, and they do the same thing the Courtisans did to distract/lure guards or blend with them.
There's some great humor scattered through the game that I got alot of laughs from - esp. a Minstrel mission Ezio does.
I didn't think I'd enjoy a mature, older Ezio, but this more mature [feeling] game really grew on me and makes it stand out to me as a very solid game. In some ways, I actually like it more than ACB.
One thing that should be mentioned is that there's some noticeable glitches and some people did have some bug issues, I had no bugs or problems on the X360.
There's so much more that could be elaborated on, but these are some of the highlights and stand-out's that I found worth the mention.
This is a fantastic game with high replay value and to me, it's a definite buy! | video-games_xbox |
A Cross Between: Gears Of War, Bulletstorm And Fracture. Overview:
More then what I expected even as a budget game, which shows in some of the level design. Some places seemed a bit streamlined and unpolished as well as the characters lacking high detail. However don't let that discourage you from purchasing this game because for a budget game they nailed it! Some of the environment backgrounds are truly breath taking. This game is first and foremost about fun and you will have plenty of it by manipulating gravity. I would recommend this to any FPS fan looking for a change of pace from your typical shooters that are currently out there.
Single Player:
Use grav-link to expose enemies hiding behind cover which is quite amusing as they slowly raise up into the air from their position, allowing you to make short work out of them. As you progress through the game your gravity abilities become even more powerful, allowing you to use reverse gravity which will weigh down your enemies stopping them in their tracks into a slow crawl. This ability can also pull down objects in your environment on top of enemies or provide much needed cover. There are also some destructible environments and exploding objects which can be grabbed and thrown. The weapons are very well done and feel great and the gore is fantastic - can you say: "J-U-I-C-Y" lol For a linear game they did a terrific job with lots of areas to explore and discover and because of the gravity features altering your perspective changes the way the game plays. You'll be fighting on walls horizontally, vertically and upside down as well as some great zero G floating areas. It's not all fun and games though, some of the boss sequence will definitely challenge you and there is adjustable difficulty as well. The story at times can get a little cheesy but they did a great job convincing you that your in a believable place and there is a nice mysterious twist to the plot that you will discover.
Multiplayer / Co-op:
unfortunately I couldn't actually check out multiplayer, that ship had sailed off some time ago. Perhaps when this game was released there may have been a buzz. Now it's just a ghost town, nothing but crickets even they are packing up and moving on. However if you know a buddy who has it as well, you can always do co-op.
3DK's True Stat Score Guide:
I personally don't think a game can truly be rated fairly by simply giving it a "5 out 5" or "10 out of 10". So I have created my own grading system to provide a better balanced and accurate overall rating. 50 being the best score possible with each category on a scale of 1 to 5.
Fun-Factor ( 4 )
Story ( 3 )
Graphics ( 3 )
Sound ( 3 )
Controls ( 4 )
Difficulty ( 3 )
Multiplayer ( 3 )
Originality ( 3 )
Re-Playability ( 3 )
Value ( 3 )
TOTAL SCORE: 32 out of 50 | video-games_xbox |
Good if you like to use your Brain, rather than a trigger. POW is a different kind of game! This is not fast paced, there is no killing, and the point is to be stealth, fast, efficient, and to escape. Now I did just straight up buy this game, most of the time I rent games first, but I had read so much about this game and downloaded as many clips as I could find, and I had a $25 gift certificate to blow. I knew what this game was all about before it came out, (all the above reviews bashing this game must not have done the research they should have), The X-Box Magazine spelled this game out for any one that can read. POW is a slower paced, STRATAGY game, this is not Halo, it is not Metal Gear, and it is not for most gamers. I spent 30+ days in the first camp according to the game clock, I did get frustrated, and (annoyed) off at times, but once I got my plan straight, and executed it efficiently it was great. I broke out just as I was missing morning roll call and the alarms were going off, I was thrilled! Then the story got me busted again, and I was in another camp.
The controls are the worst part thought, it is not like Halo, or Max Payne, more like GunValkery, not my favorite set up, but you learn the controls after a while, (just like any other game with odd controls). The sound is really cool, there are a lot of little environment sounds, and back ground stuff that sounds great on Dolby. The graphics are not the best, but certainly better then anything on the PS, PS2. Remember when the PS1 came out, those games (weren't good) too, then look a newer game for the PS1, it is much better, the graphics on the X-Box games right now are not tapping the total capabilities of the system, but give the game makers some time, they will learn to tap the X-Boxes power.
In Closing POW is a good game for the right gamer, if you like nothing but nonstop action, killing, and, gun play don't buy this game you will be board and disappointed. But if you like strategy, and using your brains rather than a trigger, and don't mind taking some time to find the best strategy you will love this game.
It is a different kind of game. Do your research before you buy! | video-games_xbox |
Best in the series, and on the other systems. Honestly, when the game first came out I had to get it for my wii. I hated it. It wasn't anything like I had heard it was going to be. So I did the next best thing. I got it for the PC. It was great at first, although REALLY slow because I was below the requirements. When I got some extra ram to boost up the PC, that helped it alot. The catche: my cpu speed wasn't up to par so it was STILL a little slower than anyone would like. I know its beside the point but, if you're thinking about getting it for the pc, unless your computer is like SUPERMAN'S it won't exactly run as great as you'd think.
Anyway, Christmas came and I finally got an Xbox 360 and since I heard you could play as new goblin on the 360, I went out and got it. I must say I was EXTREMELY satisfied with the results.
Getting it for the 360 was the best thing ever. It actually ran fast and it wasn't so danged short like the wii's. The "cinteractives" were abundant and the combat was alot deeper than the wii's (although the swinging not nearly as interactive). Ok now for good and bad.
Good: The 360 and PS3's version of Spider-man 3 is clearly the best out of them all. The graphics are AMAZING at times. I'll actually just look at the detail in spidey when he's inside a building (thats when he looks his best)and practically, well marvel, at all the lighting effects.
Combat is good, but differs in opinion (I'll explain later). The new way of dodging attacks in the game is a lot different than what it was in SM2. You actually use the slow down button to dodge, which really makes it easier sometimes when your in certain situations. The one button to attack with feature of spidey 2 GONE. Now you get a power attack and a quick attack to give your moves a little more variety. The acrobatics that the normal spidey does are just too cool. Also, I just thought I'd add I didn't really experience any difficulties with the camera. It all seemed to be fine with mine. I also found that there's an option to turn off the camera shakyness if you do have the problem, so its good with that.
Ok, web swinging may not be as good on the 360 over the wii's controllers, but its STILL the fun webswinging that we all know and love. Overall its pretty solid on the controls giving you that feeling of speed we all like.
The black suit is probably the real reason to get the game. He is SWEET. He can do the craziest combo's when he's fired up in rage mode, and his super attacks are almost too powerful. He also looks cooler than the regular suit. I don't know why but he just does.
IF you have xbox live, then the New Goblin is a cheap thing to buy that is totally worth it. Although the controls are funky, you can basically fly like a bird on his sky stick, kickin some butt everywhere you go. Plus it doesn't take 4 seconds to download him, and when you do you it's exactly like the PS3's special addition where you have to fight and beat New goblin on the story. So really its just like gettin the PS3's stuff, which I am SO glad they didn't make it PS3 exclusive.
Bad: Even though the graphics are really good on some area's, when you're out in the streets of new york, unless you're in time's square at night, spidey doesn't really look that great. He's got SOME detail but not enough to make me go wow like I do when he's in buildings or some other dark area. Also, EVERYONE except spidey looks absolutely HORRIBLE. Not one person looks anywhere near as good as spidey does, with only maybe a few exceptions.
Combat may be better than the wii's but it can be really iffy at certain points in the game. Really, if you wanted to, you could go through the entire game using only the basic combo's. It might take longer, but you could do it. Also, if you pressed the attack button and then press jump, spidey will vault off the guys shoulders and end up in the air. Basically this means that if you're in trouble, you can keep doing this combo until there weren't any enemies left. It feels really cheap so I never did it, but the apocolypse gang boss was SO stupid, that I actually had to do that combo and I beat him my first try doing that (idk how many times I had to do that stupid level before I figured out that was the only way to do it). I didn't have to do it again, but its really the only way to beat that level.
The web swinging isn't really that bad. If I said bad things about it I'd be nit picking it to death. Maybe the camera is shaky? I don't think so, but it's pretty solid either way. The only thing that comes to mind is that its really nothing new. It may be alot simpler than SM2's but it doesn't give that same feeling that SM2 gave when I first played it.
Ok, the black suit is the reason this game has playability this time around. I mean honestly if he were gone, what would be new?? They did a great job with him too. Too good in fact. After you beat the game, they let you play as black suit and go through the story playing as him (sorry if I spoiled it but its pretty obvious anyway). When you go through the game you realize just how good he really is. His combos are WAY stronger, faster, and brutal than the regular suit's. He is just PURE power. Rage mode gives him even more power. If you played through the entire game as the regular suit, you couldn't do it. I just wish they could have made that an option, and made the Regular suit a little more up to par to the black suit. I mean I know it's supposed to be stronger than the Original, but come on, couldn't we make it alittle more interesting?? How else could he beat Venom unless he had SOMETHING that made him better (besides brains)??
Ok, even though the New goblin is also cool, and its something else to come back to if there are newer spiderman games, he has some downsides. First off, he doesn't have his own story. All he can do is petty missions that happen, and he can NOT get off his glider for the life of him. All he can really do is races, and that gets old fairly quick. Even though its a blast to glide as high as you can go, I'd still play Superman Returns because he has some enemies to beat up that were more challenging (although thats in its own repetitive). Plus you still have to get points to get him which for some people, isn't possible (sorry guys).
Overall, I think this game had some good and bad that kinda leveled out after a while. Even though it can be frusterating at times, it really is the best out of all of them in the series. My advice, since it is down in price alot, go get it, but only if you're a fair to extreme spidey fan. Otherwise you might not like it as much. | video-games_xbox |
Boring, boring, boring. This review only pertains to the campaign. The story is boring. The story makes no sense. The story drifts from place to place, punctuated by meaningless objectives. Oh, and the story sucks. A lengthy animation introduces the game, and then nothing about it is ever mentioned again. In fact, the big revelation later in the game contradicts the opening sequence. Not only that, but it completely minimalizes the entire human race basically. Think 'Prometheus'. The new bad guys are even called 'Prometheans'. And they have their own weapons that act exactly like every other human weapon that we've already seen, but without as many variations.
The campaign is stunningly short, especially considering you open the box to discover 2 discs. So, when you think you're at the halfway point, no, it's over in a breathtakingly underwhelming fashion. The war has re-started for no reason. So congratulations - you get to fight hundreds of grunts again. The grenades have been reduced to minor party poppers. The armor has been reimagined to reveal a very skinny Master Chief underneath. Speaking of whom, when he miraculously meets up with UNSC forces years after his 'death', no one seems particularly happy or surprised. In fact, the captain of the ship you find treats him like a booger picking fat kid. Your first final objective is to get back to Earth to help Cortana before her programming completely deteriorates. But you pretty much forget this a few missions later. It's mentioned, but you never try to actually do it.
...
Ok, basically, the story sucks, every change 343 made is either unremarkable or actually re-writes some of the good history that Bungie made into garbage. It's not crappy to play really, but the story is a continual letdown at every point and you finish it feeling very let down. Rent if you must, but if you really like the way the Halo Universe is in your head, don't play it at all. | video-games_xbox |
Do your bullets even lift, bro. Typical CoD multiplayer gamebreakers: People get hit with half a magazine then turn and instakill you, people run through a hail of bullets to knife you, and the shotguns double as sniper rifles and spray rounds almost as fast as a belt-fed machine gun. The difference this time is that many of the maps are open and HUGE (by CoD standards), which is nice for sniping, but if you elect not to snipe, then you're going to find yourself constantly getting shot in the back or side, simply because there's too much ground to scan while you move. On a few occasions, multiple enemies spawned about fifteen feet behind me. I've managed to shoot people who were around corners (I'm talking two-foot-thick-concrete walls with a submachine gun), and it's happened to me quite a bit as well. One change I like is the ability to lean around corners. Don't get confused, though; this game still isn't what I would consider tactical or realistic. Also, dogs instakill you and leap from about fifteen feet. However, the dogs don't even make a biting motion or anything, leaving the whole experience laughably cheesy. I'm supposed to be some kind of badass special-forces guy, but a dog jumping on my chest like I just came home from work kills me? Get real.
Single player is the usual over-the-top, generic, Michael Bay movie snorefest with zero plot, though there is a space-station battle and an underwater, scuba-diving mission that I found supremely entertaining, at least by FPS campaign standards.
The only welcome change in this game is the extinction mode, which is much more fun than the zombies modes of previous games, simply because it's boring to sit there and watch the zombies stagger their way toward you as you unload a thousand rounds into them. Extinction mode is better, in my opinion, because the enemies are faster and don't take an obscene amount of bullets to kill. The goal is destroy alien hives (which look very similar to Zerg hives from Starcraft) by planting a drill in front of the hive and defending it. Additionally, one can interact with the map, such as electrifying fences and starting fires, in order to keep the aliens in check. A major downside is that there is only one map on the disk, though there may one in DLC, but honestly, who wants to pay for that?
Despite the much-better Extinction mode, I cannot recommend this game, simply because it's too much of the same. Extinction mode simply isn't worth the asking price for the game, in my opinion. At best, this game is a two- or three-day rental, as that's probably about all the longer Extinction mode will entertain you. Either wait for Titanfall (the beta was great), or get Black Ops 2 if you have a PS3, 360, or PC. | video-games_xbox |
Better than the original, but still some issues to be worked out. So first off, let me say that I have playing guitar and bass professionally for about 15 years and have been teaching for about 4, so I am definitely not a beginner when it comes to the instrument, but I originally bought Rocksmith for the simple fact that you could plug in your own guitar into your XBox and use it as your controller.
Okay, so onto the main pros and cons:
PROS:
- The game feels much more stable than the original. My old Rocksmith would freeze and crash randomly, but after a full night's session of gaming, I never had any problems with 2014. The animation is smooth even when there's a lot going on, and everything loads up nice and fast. I thought the game was malfunctioning when it was seemingly randomly backing out of menus on its own, but I soon learned that it uses the Kinect for voice commands, unless you turn that feature off!
- The guitar tone system seems much improved. Not only do the tones themselves sound quite a bit more authentic, but also we aren't limited to the one guitar tone per song. The game automatically switches tones for you at different points in the song. I thought this was a nice addition.
- Love the fact that you are now able to change difficulty and volume settings on the fly at any point during the game, this is a MAJOR improvement.
- Wide variety of songs included. While some may complain that there are a bunch of unfamiliar bands/songs, I like being exposed to a lot of music I wouldn't normally hear. All of the songs I played through were fun to play. Even without all the DLC I have obtained, Rocksmith 2014 still has a ton of songs to choose from.
- Fret numbers are shown under some of the notes as the come on screen especially for the big position shifts, this is super helpful.
- The technique videos are really well done this time and a GREAT teaching tool for beginners!
- SESSION MODE is an absolute blast! This is essentially a "jam simulator" where you can choose your band picking what kind/sound of bass, drums, guitar, and other instruments like a banjo or kazoo(!), pick the key, tempo, and overall feel. Then, you just start jamming. The game shows you particular scales you can use for jamming and the rest of the band reacts to your intensity, dynamics, and even the notes you play. This mode is simply incredible in my opinion.
CONS:
- Lots of graphical additions make somethings confusing. There's little amp speakers on either side of the screen that move with sound waves whenever you play something, but these can get in the way of the fretboard and note colors. I really preferred the original stripped down look of the original interface, because with the new graphics it can be a bit harder to see the colors and the notes. Especially with chords or multiple notes, it's not as clear as to how many times you should play the chord, or even with someof the techniques, it was hard to tell what was a bend sometimes, although I do like that they specify 1/2 step and whole step bends now. There's just a little too much going on overall graphically. Maybe this will change as you unlock venues? The only I have so far just shows a vague silhouette of an audience, and it makes me miss the "stage view" of the original Rocksmith and with the crowd and lights reacting to how well you're playing.
- There's a manual included in-game, but there's a lot of things it doesn't really explain. For instance, it identifies what the Harmonicity Meter is in Session Mode, but doesn't really explain how it works exactly. The same about the Kinect Voice commands. There's a point where I can turn them on and off, but nothing saying what the commands are.
- Scrolling through songs is a bit of a pain. Sure you can sort them by different categories, but the only way to scroll through is to use the up and down on the D-pad. It'd be nice to scroll through a page using left or right.
- In the initial set up, the game asks you for your skill level. I chose Experienced, but I'm not sure how that factors in with anything, because every song still starts on the lowest difficulty level. Again, back to the manual it would be nice if there was some more information in-game on how a lot of these features work.
I do miss the "Ranks" of the original Rocksmith game. I liked the competition of having to score points to gain levels and ranks and unlock new stuff. I understand Rocksmith's primary focus is to be a teaching tool, but what would really complete the game for me would be a sort of "Career Mode" like in Rockband or Guitar Hero where you play gigs for fans and such. Looks like there are some Leaderboard challenges though, so we'll have to see how those work.
Maybe this could be an additional Career Mode Add-on Pack down the road? We'll see.
I haven't explored the Guitarcade or Multiplayer modes much yet, so I can't review those.
Overall, I think Ubisoft got it right with this 2014 re-vamping of the game. There are some major improvements overall, and they completely outdid themselves with the Session Mode jamming simulator. Still some elements missing that could really make this a complete package.
Definitely worth getting whether or not you own the original!
Juat a quick note: If you want to use any of the on-disk songs that came with the original Rocksmith, you'll have to pay $10 for the Import Tool at the XBox Live Marketplace to cover the re-licensing fees for the songs. | video-games_xbox |
Just effing broken. I'm not a complainer or whiner, but I have been thoroughly disappointed with the xbox one. I've had the original console and 360 for years. The new system is utterly unplayable. I understand that it is most likely software issues rather than hardware, but if 343 or activision or whoever makes a giant piece of s*** game they are only depriving you of $50-60. I've spent thousands of dollars to support Microsoft products. I feel that the company and the xbox team should feel obligated to ensure that whatever experiences their customers are having are satisfactory. Regardless of who you are able to pass the buck on for inadequate or useless software, know that the customers shelling out $1000 on a system and a couple of games place the weight of failure and responsibility on the head of the provider. Microsoft, xbox, and the software manufacturers should be sickened at the level of failure they deem acceptable for the amount of money, energy, and time that they are stealing from their customers. Right now I have an Atari 2600 playing effortlessly, and the enjoyment of that experience far exceeds any moment of fun that I've had on the xbox one because despite its rudimentary graphics, goofy sound effects, and primitive interface, I can take the 30-60 minutes that I have to play a game, and do exactly that. Play. Not load, not wait, not watch, not queue, not download, not update, not bug-out, crash, error, lag, restart, repeat, and eventually toss a $70 controller on the floor, never having actually enjoyed one moment of game play. The blame is multilayered, but ultimately Microsoft or Sony have to take the responsibility of saying we, their loyal customers, deserve to have our weighty investment pay off on more than its potential. I've made my selection, spent my money, and I will keep anticipating that pay-off. I will log in and jump into a game lobby. I'll spend that 15-30 minute wait playing games on my iPhone which cost me exactly $0.00. When it crashes, I won't be shocked. If it works, I won't allow myself to be excited. Jumping on a $1000 console to play a game should not entail so much dread and disappointment when a cellphone or 30 year old game system can elicit an astronomically higher feeling of satisfaction and joy for free. This message floats into empty space, completely ignored. I get no satisfaction from writing it. And expect only snark and ridicule in response. | video-games_xbox |
A Disappointing Showing. The concept of swap-able characters seemed interesting to me, which is kind of why I ended up buying this despite my reluctance after the monumental disappointment that was Skylanders Giants. Still, I only ended up paying about $40 for this game (bought it during the Black Friday deals) so I guess I can live with it even if just for the sake of a multiplayer game.
Anywho, on to the game. I give the game a low rating for 3 main reasons: the levels, the intro, and the bosses.
The problem with the levels is that they're unnecessarily long. It's kind of like the creators wanted to hush those that complained of Giants' shortness by making this game longer, but didn't think it through. Rather than make them interesting, or add a greater variety of levels with more diversity, they essentially just dragged levels out far longer than they should be. It actually got rather boring and left me considering using a fast character like Ghost Roaster to speed through the decidedly mind-numbing levels.
As for the intro, that's where they got truly ridiculous. Each time you start the game, or even just go back to the main area (Woodburrow), you have to listen to the guy near the front give you some options for what to do. This, of course, comes after watching the last bits of the level you previously beat if you haven't yet beat the game. Now, feel free to correct me if you have found a way around this as nothing I have tried worked (not pressing Y, X, start, select, anything).
Oh, and lets not forget the bosses. Why is it the final two bosses combined are easier than the boss that came before them? Don't get me wrong, the whole game was extremely easy regardless of your difficulty, but at least the puppeteer boss actually put up something of a fight.
Putting that aside, I rate the game 2 stars instead of 0 stars because some of the new figures were at least entertaining and fun to use. I bought a full set of new characters (all 16 swaps and 16 core), and they were relatively good. I also give them some credit for actually putting out 32 new figures rather than the 16 Giants had, and for not raising the prices again as they did with Giants (which saw a $5 increase from adventure to battle packs and $1 increase on core figures). However, they lose points for once again making all the triple packs involve 2 remade characters and 1 new, which essentially forces those of us that only want the new core figures to buy all of them as single packs. | video-games_xbox |
Fusion Frenzy 2. First let me say that I am not good at the "regular" games for XBox (360 or otherwise). Anyway, when my husband bought the 360 I was excited to hear that FF2 was coming out for it because my husband & I had a great time challenging eachother and "fighting" during the first FF. So, when we got this a few days ago and started to play a LOT had changed about this. First, there is no Fusion Frenzy (the final game in each stage of the original). Unless, it is a game that we haven't unlocked yet. Which brings me to some interesting things about FF2. One, is that each character who wins the over all game unlocks a new game in a new world. Another is that you choose how many worlds you have to win between 1-5 overall winnings. Plus, this time you get cards that either let you choose the next mini game in the world or lets you multiply your mini game final score by either 2,4 or 6 times the amount. For example, if you use your times 6 multiplier in a mini game and get second place, then you get 6 (your original score for second place) times 6 = 36 points. Then you get first place in that game (which will really irritate the person who actually scored 10 to win first place). You also recieve stealer cards, which means if one person uses a multiplier and you use a stealer then you actually get the multiplier card. And, there is a divider card for someone who uses a multiplier card and you use the divider it will actually divide the persons score instead of mulitplying it. For the first world or so it might seem these cards are not worth it but as the worlds progress they actually seem more useful. Plus, you never know what cards people are choosing so you hope that you are using the right one at the right time. The cards come at random times either by fighting for them in a mini game that the DJ makes or just randomly after a game is won/lost. This game has the same characters as the original as well as some of the original games played in a different type of world. All in all, I think the original FF is the best but this one, once you get used to and get the hang of all of the new things involved is fun. One of the irritating things though is that there are only so many mini games to choose from when you first start to play. It just doesn't look like a lot and it's rather irritating that you can't play all of them but, eventually, you get used to all of these things and the game really is fun. I would say while the other game was good for smaller children, this one should be for slightly older (maybe 8 and over) because of all of the changes and card usage, etc. Give it a try, it is fun, like I said, once you get used to everything. Good luck :) | video-games_xbox |
Start Your Engines. Forza 4 is stunning. The cars are beautiful and the selection of cars and tracks is amazing. Forza 4 is an incremental step up from Forza 3: so if you played and liked Forza 3, you will also like Forza 4.
Forza 4's improvements and additions to the Forza franchise:
1) Graphics: Beautiful. The cars and settings are stunning.
2) Physics: the cars behave better, turns feel more realistic.
3) Season pass: get all the future DLC cars at a discount.
4) Import: You can import your Forza 3 profile. This gives you extra credits, unlocks some cars, and pops some achievements. I like that this feature rewards veteran racers and creates some continuity between the titles.
Forza 4 also adds some "experimental features"
1) kinect control option: this, for me was a failure. Imagine you're driving a car, put your hands on an imaginary wheel, and drive. Maybe for kids who enjoy making car sounds in an old refrigerator box. But for me, this feature did not work/feel right.
2) head tracking: also using kinect. But I liked this. If you're seated in front of your kinect, it will track your head. tilt down, and the screen will "move" so that your center can be mirrors or gauges. I thought this was nifty.
3) voice command: also nifty. As you play through the menus, customizing your cars and adding cars to your garage, you can navigate with voice controls. Its nifty (but not necessary).
My one complaint:
1) there is no realistically priced wheel/pedals kit. The microsoft U-shaped wireless wheel <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Wireless-Speed-Wheel/dp/B0050SY0L2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel</a> got mixed reviews so I passed on it. I saw great reviews for the Fantec wheel, but it costs more than the entire xbox. I think a wheel/pedal kit entering at around $100 would be great for Forza 4 because it would add to the realism. But since that doesnt exist you can use the controller (which works, but again you miss out on that realism) or kinect (which feels a little ridiculous).
Overall:
Forza 4 is a great racing game. Many cars, beautiful, detailed cars. Cars. Tracks. Engines. If you have money, I would recommend a great wheel set up. If not, it is still a lot of fun with the controller. If you already played Forza 3 and liked it, you will love Forza 4. | video-games_xbox |
Pretty good for 25 dollars. As another review mentions the retail price of the remote is 25 dollars so be aware of that until amazon actually has the product.
I've only had the remote for a couple days but overall I'm happy with it. It's a great alternative to the controller and/or voice controls for using any media content. It's a nice size with a sort of rubbery soft touch bottom that I think feels nice. The directional pad is obviously recessed which I didn't have any problems with. I saw another review where someone said it didn't have a power button, but the Xbox symbol on the top is obviously the "Guide" button that turns the console on and if you hold it down gives you the option to turn it off just like one would expect...
You do have the A and B buttons on there just not labeled as such, or at least the back button functions as B would in most scenarios, but no X or Y. So far it hasn't been a problem for me but I've only been using it for Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon.
It would be nice if it weren't IR but it hasn't been a big issue for me and the one big issue that I've had is volume controls. Like others I have my xbox turn on and control my TV and Receiver, but adjusting the volume with the media remote has been really flaky. Sometimes it's great sometimes it takes a lot of work. It's not really a deal breaker for me but it could definitely be for others. Hopefully a software update could clean that up in the future. A full QWERTY keyboard would also be useful, but for the price I really wouldn't expect it.
If you're really wanting a larger remote with lots of options like the 360 remote, then this is not the remote for you. If you're just wanting something to quickly navigate through menus without using voice commands or always turning on the controller this hits close to the mark. Now if I just stop my dogs tail from activating the motion controls...
UPDATE:
What functions as the A button in most apps doesn't work that way in all of them. I'm speculating that there is a "select" method that the remote calls and the A button would usually also call in menus, but some apps look for the actual button press instead. Right or wrong, the remote doesn't seem to work everywhere. YouTube was pointed out to me.
I haven't adjusted any stars yet because I'm not sure if the problem is the app or the remote but I would be curious to know what other apps don't work with the remote. | video-games_xbox |
Now now don't be mad cause of the stars, let me explain. First off after many complains of this game not being the best RPG as the maker claimed it would be my expectations then became very little.
The story is good. I assume all you know the story of you village being burn blah blah blah... And also about you either becoming good or evil.
The graphics are just great looking some good stuff.
The voiceovers fit also good.
The music is somewhat bad, well the music fits the game but after playing it for some hours the music just gets a litte annoying.
The controls are really great after some missions I finally mastered the batte system.
Now with all that said let me go with the bad stuff.
The story was great but barely gets good in the last 2 or 3 missions and should have got my attention for the whole game. For example most missions are kill this and rescue that and in the last missions you actually get the feeling that the world of Fable is unique.
The voiceovers fit with the people but come on with the rescue missions they don't have to talk every 10 seconds!! And sometimes I just had to but mute cause of those rescue missions.
The controls work very nicely and also we all should know that in Fable there are swords , axe , bow, etc. And in battle it was pretty much pressing the X and B button and comeon whats with that!! Even with the spells that make the game better, the maker said we can be whatever we want and I am a big fan of just hacking slashing people but this game makes it so boring-they should look at Ninja Gaiden that was fun cause you had all these combos and stuff to do- this game was rated M so then easily they could have put chopping body parts up and special moves like in your control when you want not just the X then the B button!
And even though there were a lot of various of enemies sometimes it just got plain dumb from the number of enemies you had to fight in a room.
This game is short and I would recommend to talk to everyone and do all stuff cause after finishing this game you might won't replay this game which I am actually doing just cause I am bored, and cause I lost my Warcraft again.
Verdict: 2.6 out of 5.0 Really fun but has a lot more flaws than I mention so that it can be a game that competes with games like warcraft. This is a must-rent and after you pass and think you are interest probably but it. But a great game though after all. | video-games_xbox |
The best complement to GTA IV, and you get to blow stuff up with a helicopter too. GTA Episodes from Liberty City is a great games. It weaves in and out the story from GTA IV with The Lost and the Dammed and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Both add new cars and guns along with different missions types. Each of the games are on the same disc, you just select the game you want t0 play after the rockstar logos. I break each game down.
The lost and the Dammed:
In TLATD, you control a biker try to keep the gang alive. The leader gets out of rehab and cause hell for the gang. You normally drive bikes in the game, but you can still drive cars. TLATD has the best safehouse out of any of the games, it got a tv and the internet like one of the safe houses in gta 4, but you can arm wrestle, play a card game(both for money), see hot biker girls dance, and play pool. The story is not as great as 4 or TBoGT, nor were the mission, the last mission was way to easy and compared to the other games, not as exciting, but still enjoyed The lost and the dammed.
The ballad of Gay Tony:
I love this game, it bring back the wit of the old generation GTA games to the nexgen world. The story and the mission are great and fun, stealing every thing from a rocket pack chopper to a subway car, kickass guns,and getting laid in the clubs, this game has it all and does it well. The story is great, it may be better than IV. You can request the gun van just like TLATD, and can can request cars instead of bikes, and fast cars at that. I haven't used it yet but the mission repeat feature is a great add on. The best part is the two surprises after you beat the game, I'm not telling but they will cause hell in Liberty city. The Ballad of gay tony is a great add on for GTA IV.
Episodes from liberty city is great for any body who don't have the hard drive room or broadband. It is required that if you have GTA IV , that you have these two games. | video-games_xbox |
One small step for Koei. You all know the name Koei. "Dynasty Warriors", "Samurai Warriors", "Warriors Orochi" "Dynasty Warriors Gundam" and all the sequels and alternate versions that go with them. All great action/strategy games, but that is an easy achievment because they are all EXACTLY THE SAME GAME! Before "Warriors" there were a dozen or so "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" games which were pure turn-based strategy. I was a fan, but again, where's the creativity; where's the diversity? So, making historical fiction fun: Koei's strong point. Innovation: not so much. "Bladestorm" marks an ever-so-slight deviation from the "Warriors" games by focusing on a rock-paper-scissors style of stategic combat rather than a one-against-1000 button mashing festival. The setting has changed from feudal Asia to feudal Europe so no more Lu Bu and Cao Cao; now we've got Joan of Arc and Edward the Black Prince to contend with. You create your own mercenary and proceed to fight in the legendary 100 Year War alongside the French and British forces as historical events unfold around you.
You may choose your battles and fight them as you see fit: either going straight for your objective and a quick payout or capturing extra bases and defeating commanders to gain fame. Gameplay consists of you commandeering a unit (assuming you've obtained the proper battle manual for that unit type) and leading the charge to defeat the enemy forces and achieve the objective(s) set before you, which is usually capturing and/or defending a base or bases. Depending on what unit you are commanding (infantry, archers, calvary, etc) you can attack the enemy in several ways, but it is a good idea to pay attention to how, when, and who you attack as some each unit type has strengths and weaknesses against other unit types. For example: pikes and archers beat calvary, calvary and halberds beat infantry, infantry beats scouts and rapiers, scouts and rapiers beat archers, and so on. The variety of units (all upgradeable) is awesome and keeps the game fresh dozens of hours in as you attempt to collect all of the manuals and manuscripts needed to master each type. There are plenty of weapons and skills to upgrade your favorite units with and you can even hire your favorite soldiers types to show up at your beckoning so that you're never really SOL as long you came into battle prepared. I love it. I'm sure that the numbers of camels, elephants, vikings, and ninjas fighting in the 100 Year War were quite limited, but hey, there's no bad excuse for adding ninjas to ANY game.
There is a massive number of hours of game here (I'm past 40 at this point with no end in sight) and the gameplay remains challenging throughout. Some missions are easy and some will have you throwing things at your television and taking solace in knowing that Joan of Arc deserved what she got in the end. Man, that b!+ch is tough! The missions do get repetitive and the game certainly makes you wait FAR too long to advance the story along, but there are few moments in gaming more satisfying then watching your troops cut down an enemy unit like so many shafts of wheat in "Bladestorm".
This game plays like a hybrid of "Kingdom Under Fire" and "Dynasty Warriors" so if either or both of those games tickle your fancy, consider this a must-play. The story is strong, the graphics aren't bad, and it is a nice deviation from Koei's recent indiscretions. Even I'm worn out by all the "Warriors" games now, give us a break already. "Bladestorm" deserves much more attention then it has gotten and if you're looking for a different kind of strategy game then don't miss out on it. | video-games_xbox |
go with "live. When I went to the store, the first thing that caught my eye was the good looking $30 price tag. I then looked over and saw that nba live o7 was asking for $50. Well I considered being non-frugile and just grabbing the nba live, since I do have nba live 04' and it scored as one of my favorite games I have ever played. But then I thought about it and I really hadnt ever played a 2k nba game and that price tag did look awfully nice. So i went with 2k7. Mistake? In my oppinion Definitely. As I started playing I was quickly captured by the great game modes and how each player had a live picture of him when you went for the fantasy draft. I also found all the extra modes like "situation" and "street" to be a great idea and i was excited to dive headfirst into this "amazing" game. But then the game actually started. After an amazingly realistic and fun pre game announcement and comparison, I started with excitement. Then I got the ball of the jump and found that my player was slow and unreceptive. I quickly passed the ball to the best player in the nbs (lebron james of course) and to my astonishment even he was sluggish and had a terrible wide open 15 foot jump shot. I got back on d when they grabbed the rebound and as soon as i went for the steal I got a foul. I went for another steal...another foul. Everytime i went to steal the ball was an instant foul no matter how I approached it. This horrifying gameplay went on for about 20 minutes until i got dead tired of it and opened the cd drive and yanked it outta there and threw in nbs live 04. needless to say the rest of my evening was very enjoyable and nba 2k7 still sits on my shelf to collect dust. hey, it makes a good paper weight at the very least. do yourself a favor and GO WITH LIVE
Ok to finish up, here are my ratings on a sclae of 1-10:
Graphics:10-outstanding realistic players
Storyline:_- since when was there a storyline in a basketball game?
Gameplay:1- if i had the choice of playing that game again or getting kicked in the crotch i would actually have to think about it
Sound:7-decent sountrack and you can use custom soundtracks
Overall:5-I would not reccomend this game to anyone. go with live. | video-games_xbox |
Solid release from IMHO, the best fighting game series out there, but not worth $60. If you've played any of the other Soul Calibur games, this game plays pretty much the same way. The reason this series is so much better than the other series out there I feel is the ability to, blow-to-blow, attack your opponent with series of attacks that do not involve memorizing a long string of commands like in the Tekken series. That said, this game is basically Soul Calibur III plus some small enhancements (outside of HD graphics) that I personally don't notice that much.
This is a really simple fighting game to pick up for first-timers, and there is almost always a character and a fighting style to suit your desire. Really, the only two very similar characters in the game are Siegfried and Nightmare, apparently for a good reason if you know a bit about the forgettable story.
Some specific notes:
Gameplay: Single player - A- ; Multiplayer (local + online) - A
First off, I don't believe games like these aren't really meant to be bought for single player. Clearly, you'd expect to practice your game in your time so that you can lay down the law against your friends on multiplayer modes.
AI is reasonably intelligent in this game, outside of being very simple in the earlier levels on the Normal difficulty setting. Higher up in difficulty, the AI plays defense very well, and this can get really frustrating, sometimes even forcing you to abandon normal attacks and to go for grapples, which for some reason the AI is pretty bad at countering.
Otherwise, when playing your friends, this is not exactly one of those fighting games that you can button-mash and expect to win. Definitely some skill and practice is involved, and the smoothness of the fights and the transitions from blow to blow make this THE fighting game to get.
Online gameplay is smooth and overall as good as the local multiplayer experience. I have not experienced any issues with lag or skippy gameplay. My only complaint here is how selecting "Quick Match" in ranked has the tendency to just match you with someone who has an open game. As a game creator, you can select the level of players you intend to play against. As a level 1 trying out the online game, I got put into too many matches against level 60+ and got slaughtered.
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Story: C
This is the the only reason I am giving this game four stars. For a game that seems to promote its story about the struggle between an evil sword and a cleansing sword (assuming I even understand it right), especially from the moment the trailers hit TV screens nationwide, this game does a terrible job of incorporating the story into the game. This said, most fighting games that even have storylines do terrible jobs at integrating the story into the game as well.
If you are looking for a fighting game with a pretty nicely integrated storyline, the best that I can think of are the WWE Smackdown series. In this game, the story consists of short cutscenes between fights that hint at the location of the next fight, and maybe short snide remarks that the characters say at each other right as the fight is about to begin (that in most cases don't even seem to make any logical sense together).
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Overall, this is a great fighting game to have. It's purely that and nothing more. Expect to play single player mode quite a bit in order to unlock characters and items. The real fun of this game really comes from multiplayer modes. I think that fronting $60 may be a stretch for this game unless you're really into this series. | video-games_xbox |
Run towards the light. CONCEPT:
A dark presence has taken over the town of Bright Falls...it seems to be from an unfinished novel that you (Alan Wake) do not remember writing
GRAPHICS:
Alan Wake sports some of the finest graphics yet to be seen on the xbox 360, period.
Beautiful landscapes and dark shades complimented with extreme lighting effects from various weapons offer very satisfying touches to battle scenes.
SOUND DESIGN:
High tension suspense is heightened through the games exceptional sound design. The narration from Alan really emphasizes the emotional impact of the story. The soundtrack feels cheezy at the end of some chapters but most of the songs fit rather well.
CONTROLS:
Controls are well responsive and easy to learn, they become second nature by the end of the 1st level.
ENTERTAINMENT:
This game is hard to put down once you start playing, the weird story line pulls you in like a movie. I liked discovering the hidden manuscript pages that hinted at details which were about to happen. I have to admit though I was really confused at what even happened within the actual story once I finished the game, but this mystery is also part of the games strength.
REPLAY VALUE:
Moderate
There really isn't too much to explore off the beaten path. although future DLC promises to engage players into unraveling more of the mysterious story.
OVERALL
Alan Wake is much like an interactive lost episode of the twilight zone. Filled with suspenseful tension, gorgeous graphics, heart stopping sound design and an extremely ambiguous hard to understand mystery.
Personally there could've been more action for my tastes, or perhaps just variations in the integration of the action/battles that were present.
On that topic...One tip while playing this game... USE YOUR AMMO as you get it, don't try to save it up from level to level, not in this game.
This was the biggest annoyance to me as I was reserving stockpiles of ammo and batteries but losing it when I started the next chapter with none of the saved up weapons... the corny Verizon presence within the game (can you hear me now?) tended to spoil the mood at one point as well, thank goodness it wasn't flaunted repeatedly... all in all though Alan Wake is definitely worth a play through.
Final Rating : 7.5/10 | video-games_xbox |
Such a Disappointment. This game is awful. I love Sacred 2 and I have been looking forward to this game since it was announced 3 years ago. Words cannot describe my disappointment. Here is why Sacred 3 is a terrible game:
- Linear areas with boring, repetitive fights (no open world like Sacred 2)
- Little character customization (you pick who you pick and that is it. You have a couple of moves, half of which don't do much, so you just end up mashing the same button over and over. And when the skill does level up it does nothing interesting.)
- Terrible story telling (it feels like a 13 year old wrote the story and the bad/constant sex references)
- Little equipment (you get a few different swords, no armor, items are few and after you've used them nearly impossible to find in the levels)
- Save Points! Yes, you can only save (and auto save at that) at certain points, and if you leave the area you restart at the beginning so all save points do is save your experience and gold. You are committed to finish an area and if you don't finish before something takes you away from the game you are back at the beginning.
- No Pause! When you hit the start button the control screen comes up but behind it the fighting is still going on but you aren't moving, so basically if you have to stop for a moment you just die.
- No character screen in game zones. If you want to change your powers or you level up and want to see if you got something new, you can't.
- No side quests (not that it matters since the level up for the few abilities you do have takes many levels to open and you have all the gold you need anyway)
- Controls aren't very good. You'd think having so few options they could get them right, but I would get stuck places, in battle I would hit one button or try to turn and nothing would happen. It was very hard to be effective in combat when success with attack patterns seemed more luck than skill.
- Boss battles lead to death easily. Because the controls suck you find yourself dying a lot, and not in that "this is a challenge to be overcome" way but in that "I hit the button to roll but my character just stood there and then the boss super attack killed me again" way.
- It isn't any fun. The battles are boring when they aren't frustrating, the locales aren't anything you haven't seen before, the story is boring, and dialogue is painful and badly acted, and there is nothing to look forward to with your character since there is no skill variety and you grow so slowly.
I love Sacred 2. Yes, it is Diablo clone, but one that is better than Diablo. So much to explore, so much customization. This is not a Sacred game and has no business being called Sacred 3. If you want something similar to Sacred 2 then buy Diablo III or download Torchlight from Xbox Live. Both have some linear game play issues but at least you can explore in the zones, and there are a lot of customization options. This game is a disgrace, to Action RPG games and to the Sacred name. | video-games_xbox |
Great replay value. So Deus Ex the Conspiracy came out a while back to become one of the biggest PC titles ever. The original also made its second debut on the Sony Playstation. I never had the chance to play the original but it sounds like a great game, naturally I was curious to try the xbox version. Invisible War pulls the player back into the futuristic techno world after a collapse caused by JC Denton in the original. From the get go, players customise their character gender and portraits and jump into post collapse USA.
Invisible War offers a load of great graphics and lighting. Other departments such as particle effects are also very well done. The inclusion of rag doll physics makes taking out a room full of enemies both fun and entertaining-who doesn't love rag doll physics?
The musical score is for the most part very laid back but still very good. Sound effects and dialogue are crisp and entertaining. The voice acting is remarkably well done. The characters all sound believable and basically like normal people, not over the top or bland like most other games.
The gameplay is the meat and potatos of the Deus Ex experience as it offers countless new ways to go about completing objectives. This is truly an open ended game as the player can choose who to help, who to ignore and in some cases who lives and dies among the main characters. The biomod feature keeps gameplay fresh and fun allowing players to use biomod canisters found or baught to gain certain skills and abilities, and onward to leveling them up. Bio modification adds a level of tactics to the game as the player must carefully decide what he or she wants. The character will utilize different skills to become a "ninja" or "Rambo" or even a "hacker". Setting up one particular skill restricts the player from being able to use specific other skills. However, if a change of pace is desired, you can always change your skill sets by aquiring new biomods.
Levels of Invisible War will span from country to country and city to city. Each new area offering new people to meet as well as new objectives. The levels are well designed and offer a myriad of ways to accomplish your goals no matter how your character is customized. Although the game is extemely open ended, there are four final end scenarios. Which ending you get can be decided by key moves during the very last level of the game-basically every decision you've done until the very last level means nothing as far as which ending you see.
Deus Ex: Invisible War offers hours and hours of open ended fun as well as customization choices both character and weapon wise. Great visuals to keep you in the experience and equally good voice acting to keep you interested. Invisible War is a game based strongly in replay value and has enough production worth to keep things interesting every time. | video-games_xbox |
A GREAT game, but probably should be 4.5 stars. World Series Baseball 2k3 is really a great baseball videogame. It is far from perfect, but the overall package is quite good. The game builds on the base and engine of last year's title, and is for the most part a very similar game, but it makes a couple of absolutely crucial improvements.
The first of these improvements is a large selection of gameplay sliders you can tune to your preference. There should hopefully be even more customization avaialable in next year's title, but you can still adjust things independently of each other like CPU pitching skill, how often the CPU pitcher will throw strikes (vs. balls), CPU batting eye, the CPU batting average, and how often the CPU will try and steal. Of course you can still adjust things like your batting cursor size (or you can opt to not use one), pitch speed, and a host of other in-game options. It may take you some time to find the optimal settings for your skill level, but you will eventually be able to turn out very realistic box scores and season stats across the board with the one exception being stolen bases. It is ridiculously easy to steal a base in this game, so you basically need to use the honor system or you will shatter all kinds of records. Otherwise though, after some work, you can play a really good baseball game where walks and pitcher inaccuracies are big factors and you won't get twenty hits or hit ten home runs every game. It is unfortunate that the game requires so much tuning, but the end result is what counts and it is fantastic. Fielding is much better in this year's version as well. Double plays are much easier to turn and the players generally feel more responsive. There is a new jump command as well which can allow you to "rob" homeruns if you time everything right. The move is quite tough to pull off, but quite rewarding when it works. On the whole, the outfield plays pretty well but it does take a while to learn how to take the right angle on a ball and until you figure it out, it can be really frustrating. The second main improvement is much better stat tracking. In last year's game, you lost all record of a season's stats once the season was over. Now you can keep full career records and even get your players into the Hall of Fame.
There are, however, still a few things that really need to be fixed. First, the game has some buggy audio. It's not a deal-breaker, but it is annoying when the announcers make serious mistakes or break-up in mid-sentance. Also, the announcers really need to learn how to say the names of created players if another player in the game has the same last name. And speaking of the announcers, where the heck are Jon Miller and Joe Morgan? If we are forced to put with the special ESPN interface (which really just feels like a commercial to me), then we should at least get the very best ESPN broadcasters. There are a few more stats which should be tracked. For example, pitches per plate appearance (for hitters) and average pitches per inning (for pitchers) should be tracked. It would be neat to have access to the real MLB managers to use as coaches, and it would be neat to see the effects of different organizational philosophies and the quality of the coaching a little more clearly in both user and CPU controlled teams. Also, it would be really nice if the minor league system were fleshed out a little more. You should be allowed to keep more players in the system and you should be able to look at minor league stats as well. It would be really great if you even had A, AA, and AAA teams you needed to fill the rosters out for. Expanding the minor leagues would require the draft being expanded beyond seven rounds, but that would be a bonus in every sense anyways. Finally, the game should be compatible with XBox Live. At the very least, you should be able to download roster updates.
These complaints, however, don't keep WSB 2k3 from being a great game. If you enjoyed last year's version as well and are wondering whether it is worth picking up this year's, I'd say yes owing to the really well executed customizable sliders. | video-games_xbox |
Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne in One. I have to say that I had many reservations when I purchased this game. So many reviews kept saying how much it is nothing like the first 3 SC games and that the series pretty much went downhill after Double Agent. But for anyone that is reading this review, keep in mind that people don't like change. This game transcends the series to another new high level. I would highly recommend that you try this game yourself and don't listen to the negatives. Here's why.
Story: If you like anything that is 24, or spy movie action in general like From Paris With Love, then you will definitely love this game. The story makes total sense. For people who are new to the SC series, it throws some info into the history of Sam Fisher, the character that you play, so you understand what's going on. For those that have been faithful to the series since the first SC game, you will totally fall in line just like a newcomer as the story follows from the last games as the others do. There was only one segment of this game that I thought could have been implemented a bit more which involves a chase scene,. but it is still totally intense and you will actually feel the great pacing of the story as well.
Gameplay: THis is why I don't understand why so many people hated this game. The gameplay is still the quality of other SC games with one exception. They made clinging to walls much easier. You automatically do it which helps. You can also fire from behind walls and objects while in crouch. There is also something called the Mark and Execute option. When you take down an enemy using melee combat, you receive an M&E action. What that does is allow you to tag your enemies, and then when you shoot, it is a one shot, and sometimes head shot, kill that takes them out. This adds so much more dynamic to the already flawless stealth action that SC employs. Some have said that it makes the game easier but quite the contrary. YOu can upgrade weapons in the game which will also effect your M&E options as well as some weapons allow you the minimum of 2 bars and others give you as much as 4 or 5 M&E bars which represents the amount of people that you can tag.
And towards the end of the game, your stealth skills are put to the test as they revert back to the stealthy action from previous games. So that means that you have to hide in the shadows before you strike. It is actually done quite well.
Overall: I will say that it is definitely a AAA game and I like what Ubisoft has done. You will also feel closure in the game as well. If they never make anymore SC games, you will still be pleased with the ending. I recommend this game to anyone that either loved MGS4 or others that have played through all of the other SC games. For newcomers, I would say that if you love spy action thrillers, you just can't pass this up. | video-games_xbox |
Left 4 Dead, 5 star game. I was actually going to wait to buy this game, due to the fact that I've bought way too many games lately and need to buy food at some point. But... every friend that I have that owns a 360, and I mean every single one, bought this game, so they basically forced my hand. I can't be the only loser left out can I? No... as it turns out I can't. So I got the game and I haven't had this much fun playing a multiplayer game in years. The last time my friends and I have all been so wrapped up in a game might've been Diablo 3, maybe Counter-Strike.
Left 4 Dead is incredibly fun from the first minute you get started. It wastes no time with plot or boring character back story. The game loads, you take your choice of weapon and you and your teammates get moving. The AI director ensures that each time you play, you get a different experience. In the opening campaign or "movie", you walk downstairs from a rooftop and encounter a group of zombies in the kitchen and living room of the house. The first time I played, we cleared those zombies and took a breather, and then another zombie ran down from the stairs that we just came down, freaking us out and making more than one of us say, "oh sh**!" The next time I played the same campaign, I sat at the base of the stairs with my shotgun pointed up the stairwell and no zombie came. This makes the game a nerve wracking experience. No matter how well experienced you get, you never know what you're going to come across.
There are also very little frills to the game. The weapons are fairly basic: you have pistols, of which you can get one for each hand, your shotgun, your auto shotgun (my personal fave), your semi-auto, your fully auto and your sniper rifle. You can also get Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs, -both awesome for crowd control- as well as gas cans and propane tanks. There is no upgrading of characters or weapon attachments or anything fancy like that. Besides each weapon type having an improved version that you can pick up later, what you see at the beginning is what you get. Does any of this detract from the game's experience? Not at all. Extra frills would only hold the game back. It's the simplicity of it that makes it so great.
Not everything is so simple though. The zombies come in a nice variety. Aside from the typical zombies that run at you screaming ala 28 Days Later, there are five special types that intermittently appear throughout the stages. Like the placement of regular zombies and weapons, these appear differently every time you play. The most common of these are the smokers, the hunters and the boomers. Smokers can be identified by their nasty cough and their tongue which can latch onto you from over 100 feet away. Hunters can leap from building to building and pounce from anywhere, pinning you down and hacking you up. Boomers look like they were force fed hundreds of cans of Spaghetti by Kevin Spacey (a little movie reference for you) and can be heard far off from their belching and gurgling sounds. If they barf on you, it'll attract a horde of screaming zombies. This leaves the 2 more rare specials: tanks and witches. Each are terrifying in their own way and each will only be encountered once per stage. The tank is about the size of a boomer but looks like he's made of solid muscle, shaped a little like a gorilla. It'll take all four people to bring one down and you'll be lucky to do it without one member getting incapacitated. The witches are probably the most bizarre and creepy of all the special zombies. They're the only ones that actually can be avoided, though carefully. They just huddle on the ground and cry, which is the way to identify them along with really creepy music playing in the background. If you walk too close to one, shine your flashlight on one or even stare at one for too long, they will go apes**t on you and incapacitate you in one hit. Luckily they aren't as hard to take down as a tank. And speaking of special zombies, you get a chance to play as them in the versus mode which allows 4 human survivors to face off against 4 human controlled specials. The survivors, as usual, try to make it to the end of the campaign while the zombies stop them. It's a very fun mode.
The graphics are very good. You can tell that the game is based off of the Counter-Strike Source engine but spruced up for next-generation hardware. The textures and lighting are all good. They might not be quite as crisp as games like Assassin's Creed or Force Unleashed, but they'll do fine.
Despite the fact that I love this game, I do have a few complaints. One is the length of it. There are four campaigns and each one can be completed in 60-90 minutes, depending on how well your team does. Each of these campaigns is broken into four small stages, so all in all, the whole game is made of sixteen small stages. Considering the whole game can be passed in 4-6 hours, gamers looking for tons of content might be disappointed (though if you're playing on the 360, the numerous and challenging achievements will keep you playing over and over even without the addicting game play.) Also, I would have liked to maybe see a little more of a variety, perhaps something a little different about each of the campaigns besides the terrain and objectives. For example, if each campaign had its own special zombie that wasn't encountered in the other ones. Also, even though there is no story explained in the game, it doesn't make much sense that each of the four campaigns takes place in a completely new and unconnected environment, yet all of them feature the same four survivors. They play out like each one is a separate movie, but each one has the same cast. Perhaps if each one of these campaigns was connected in some small way, it may have added another fun element to the game.
But those things aside, this game is a blast. As you may have heard, it's best when played with at least one friend, as the AI teammates make the experience just a bit more bland, and also they can be pretty stupid at times. I can't count how many times me and two other human teammates get into the safe zone only to find out that our AI teammate was busy shooting zombies fifty feet away and getting swarmed. Also, they've been known to trigger car alarms and run right into the witch when everyone else is busy avoiding her. So get some friends, get on your headset and make sure no young ones are around. This game is intense, addicting and just plain fun. Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Master Chief is ready to take over boys and girls. Man in the past three to four days I have read possibly every Halo 2 review-preview I could ffind and have looked at hundreds of screen shots , and watched numerous live feed videos.
After all I've seen I can easily say that this is the most important game of 2003.2004 and possbley 2005 for the home consoles and I'm just glad I'm an xbox fan and own one of these remarkable machines.
Now I totaly agree with every word of the previous reviews on this site before me, well spoken guys.
Now I was on a few site ( pro playstaion) and they claim there " killzone" game is a Halo killer! lol, I highly doubt that , hell I don't even think it will come close to Halo 1. Sure Killzone looks pretty good....pretty good for a PSpoo game that is.
And all the people that don't have an xbox or halo 1 and are saying halo 2 sucks and is the same as Halo 1 are obviously just envious that there weak systems cant handle the raw power needed to play heavy hitting games like Halo 2, Doom 3, Jade Empire, Splinter cell 3 chaos theory,the new Unnreal tournament etc., that xbox was built to handle.
I personaly sold my ps2 the first year xbox came out because I couldn't stand ps2's crappy games and to many problems it has like disc read error and freezing, extreamily long load times, MEMORY CARDS!!!,etc. Sure its got some alright exclusives, that is if your a final fantasy junkie like I'm NOT I don't mind rachet and clank to much though.than you'll want a ps2
If you like washed up plummers and kiddish looking games, and enjoy mass amounts of text reading were other systems can handle voice over and NO online play except ONE game! than Lamecube is for you. Now Gamecube also has a few good exclusives like Mario cart some res evils wich are outdated, except res 4 looks realy cool since after almost 10 years they finaly listened to fans and got rid of there terrible camera angles. But to realy put the nail in the coffin its not even a game cube exclusive anymore because there porting it to ps2 haha.
So if you like online play there's nothing better for consoles than xbox live, if you like large game selections designed for the more mature gamer theres none better than xbox, if you like to have 90% of the best games exclusive to your system there none better than xbox.also NO MEMORY CARDS NEEDED!! and if you don't like the music offered in many games, no problem just download your favorite CD's to your xbox harddrive and vwallla your listening to your prefered music on some of your fav games.
Now it may sound like Im bashing ps2 and gamecube but I'm just telling it like I see it and from starting out with the ps2 ( wich I regret) I am now a loyal xbox fan and owner to this day and 2004-2005 to possibly 2006 until X2 is released to the world the next gen console wras are going to get allot closer baby in the numers I'm almost positive in that we might even see Xbox take the #1 spot.wwwwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
these our going to be our best years for top noch games for our large and in charge black and green machines and so many xbox exclusives your going to have to MAKE time in your social life to acomidate all these killer titles coming out soon. I'm just glad I was fortunate enough to find a girlfriend who plays them with me and enjoys to almost as much as I do.
So my final words are WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO BUY YOU COPY OF HALO 2 TODAY OR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!. | video-games_xbox |
Well Designed Game- But with my pro's/con's I will let you decide. As the third entry on the current console generation, Madden NFL 16 doesnt feel like a rehash of past years. There are redesigns, quality of life changes, and gameplay alterations that feel like theyve been in the works for quite some time. Desperately needed changes to the passing game, new controls, all-new animations, a more intuitive UI, and a new scouting system make Madden 16 feel like more than a fresh paint of coat.
Here are some pros and cons I believe will give you a better glimpse of answering your question. Do I buy or pass?
CON The inability to choose your scheme: This con is for the more hardcore online gamers. I have talked to many different hardcore gamers that have their schemes, whether its a go to play or a go to set, they all have their way of playing the game. In Draft Champions, youll have slim pickings on schemes because the scheme you use will be based on the head coach that you pick and youll only have the choice of three different coaches. This could also be used as a positive because it allows you to go out of your realm and forces you to use.
CON The slim pickings: Again, this idea can be used as both a pro and a con. To some, the slim pickings could be a challenge they don't like. They could enjoy the choice of taking Aaron Rodgers instead of Tom Brady like in Madden Ultimate Team. They also could enjoy having the choice to use their own playbook instead of being forced to use another one. On the other side of the spectrum, some, like myself, could enjoy using the different players then what they normally use. Giving this yet another positive.
CON The lack of leaderboards: Unlike other EA and Madden modes, Draft Champions has been reported to lack a leaderboard. To many people, they would enjoy to have the ability to compare their stats to others who play the game mode. In Draft Champions, you wouldnt be able to compare yourself to other players in different categories, such as Tournaments won, times played, highest overall. This could prove to be a big downfall to EA as whole as some players could move away from the game mode because of this.
PRO No pay to win: In the ever so popular Madden Ultimate Team, if the player has more money they have a higher chance to win. More money gives the player with the controller the ability to open up more packs, giving them the higher chance of packing the better players, giving them the better teams. Unlike Madden Ultimate Team, there is no money involved in Draft Champions. In Draft Champions, you get a variety of players and you cant increase your odds of gaining a top player using money.
PRO The mystery of who will come next: Like a fantasy draft, Draft Champions gives the mystery. In the mode, you won't know comes next. In one round, you can have a middle of the pack QB (think Ryan Tannehill) and 2 top CBs. You can either take one of the two top CBs and pass up on the QB in the hopes that there will be a better QB later in the draft, and you never know, there may be.
PRO The option of offline or online competition: Despite being a big time gamer, I enjoy playing offline in connected franchise mode. In Draft Champions, I have the choice of playing it either online or offline in a tournament type competition. If I draft my team but Im not feeling like playing online, I can hop into some offline games to either get better at the game or take a break from playing online all the time. This idea works for both the casual gamer and the hardcore, and even professional, gamers because they can either play against real people or just try new player in the offline mode.
Personally, I will be playing this mode a lot. I have been a big fan of the game mode Madden Ultimate Team and this makes the playing field even more level for me, as I have usually been left with a low 90s or high 80s team, putting me in a poor situation. | video-games_xbox |
An experiment in morality that fails. Having played the first Army of Two game I find that this one lacks the memorable levels that the first one gave us. As you spend the entire game in Shanghai the only variation you get from fighting in alleys and streets is the Zoo level and the wacky inclined/toppled building level which is rather short. The game is fun as its more of the same. Weapon customization can be a pain as they seemed to have spent more time creating a customization system rather than developing the "moral decisions" you make. Its a poorly executed story element of the game as there is little impact to the story other than brief comic book type shorts after you decide what to do that don't really have anything to do with the story. Whereas in the first game you had a definite story with plot twists and characters this game seems to lack in that respect. Granted your only real mission in this game is to "get out of Shanghai" I felt like there needed to be more of a driving force to this game in terms of story rather than a poor experiment in morality. If you want a game that revolves around choices play a game from the Fable series.
I haven't played the multiplayer as there are better games for that (Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield Bad Company 2 are examples) so I can't comment on whether or not the game makes up for its shortcomings in that respect. The game is fun if you have a friend to play through with as there are very few games that are designed with a partner in mind.
I can't recommend buying this game for $60 as it doesn't really take a step forward over the prequel, in fact I feel like its a step back in terms of story (the radio logs you collect throughout the game are supposed to flesh out what is happening and why, but they do little to help. A couple radio logs are in chinese and another is just some woman screaming for a second). I've played this game through twice and I still don't really have a firm grasp of why the antagonist attacked Shanghai.
If you're a fan of the first game I'd say play this one, buy it for less than full price though otherwise you'll feel like you overpaid. If you haven't played the first Army of Two and enjoy co-op games, go and get that first and keep yourself occupied with that until the price drops on this game. I'd say $40 is fair and anything less is a good deal although if you can't wait to play it or don't have any other options, pick this game up. As far as co-op goes, this game is probably one of the better games to play outside of the first Army of Two or the Halo series. | video-games_xbox |
BEST. STREET RACER. EVER. The only reason why im writing this review is to prove just how wrong that fishsticks guy is who gave this game a rating of 2 stars. Ok first of all, when you hit cars head on depending on the angle and your speed, they can make you spin out of control and slow you down ALOT. When you hit busses head on you DO grind to a full immediate halt and it does damage you ALOT. Yea ok you can smash through trees but come on, can you imagine playing a street racing game going at speed of over 250mph and coming to an immediate halt at every tree in the game?! that would ruin it completely, it would just be too irritating. At the start of the game the computer takes it easy on you abit by lettting you catch up but you need some skill to do that, then as soon as you start equipping your cars with level 1 parts the computer doesnt slow down at all, thats when you are gonna need skill to catch up, and even in the start if you are too far back then there is no way you will be able to catch up with the computer. OBVIOUSLY THE CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS ARE GOING TO BE IDENTICAL TO NFSU2, rockstar couldn't have just invented there own options if they were going to keep realism in this game. In real life, these really are the customization options. But Midnight club 3 has got some options that NFSU2 doesnt like, chop top, custom grills, wheelie bars, tires (with brands across them), i cant remember what they are actually called but you can install those engines that come up out of the hood on muscle cars, and so on. And your talking about how the view tilts in first-person mode every time you make a turn, and then you said, "i've been driving for years, & i have yet to see my car tilt at a 45 degree angle when im taking a turn or changing lanes on the highway". Well now, let me ask you this, have you driven an Impala or a Dodge Viper GTS-R at over 200mph and then tried turning? no. I really doubt that you have. and 45 degree angle is an exaggeration. About online play, i cant really comment as i haven't played it online yet because i still need to get Xbox Live :'(. but i think that the only reason why not alot of people are on there to race with is because Xbox Live is quite new and its not cheap to have, but i think soon everyone will be on it. OH YEAH. ONE MORE THING. TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE XBOX LIVE AND ARE THINKING OF GETTING THIS GAME, CHECK THIS OUT, ROCKSTAR HAS SAID THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD NEW CARS!!!!!!! thats why i want xbox live so bad! | video-games_xbox |
Sega GT's problems, listed A-Z. When Need for Speed Hot Persuit 2 failed to deliver, I turned toward the X-Box Sega GT 2002. After 2 straight hours of playing this game in the store I was hooked.
However, when I bought the X-Box and came home with the game, I found that after many more hours of play, the game can become very, very frustrating. Once inside career mode you can buy a cheap car and upgrade it for a slight performance difference. Once you've won a few races you can buy other cars or maybe you want to play in the Official Races.
The Official Races were a complete mistery to me and after getting my B Licence, I wish I would have never played them. All the Licence's seem to do is make the difficulty go up as well as the cash for winning a race. However, the rate at which difficulty goes up is not matched by the money. By the time you hit B Licence, you'll find the CPU Car's shooting way ahead of you from the beginning of the race and cornering at speeds you'd never be able to, even though they may have the same car as you with the same spec's. This is a very cheap way of making the game harder. The worst part about it is once you gain licences, your screwed and can't go back to old licences (difficulties) unless you start over.
One thing that you learn early in this game is that research doesn't help much. After researching the best car to buy out of all the cars available for $27,000-30,000 price range, I found that the Camero was the best buy. Sure enough it ran well in the races, about as well as any of the other cars.
Oh and did you know, Damage is inexistant! No damage modeling in this game what so ever, atleast none that I can see. The only form of "damage" is a meter in the top right of the screen that says how much health the car has left before you hit "max damage". What max damage means, I have yet to find out, since you can race with max damage on just as well as you can with perfect health. Also physics are pretty nill when it comes to bumping around with other cars. Bumping against another car will make your health go down just as fast as if you plow straight into a wall. Yet the car still appears to be untouched.
In short I was ready to chuck my new X-Box out the window the day after I bought it because of this game.
However, if you are able to look past these problems, you will find beautiful graphics and a fair sound track. The game interface is only mediocre.
Yet I pledge my word that on the [money] I spent on this system, I will attempt to see only the good side of this game, in which case this game is a small piece of heaven, very very small.
SOW_Scarface | video-games_xbox |
Great game...makes you remember that freedom isn't free. The game play was great and it was a really fun game to play. As long as the story goes, it was a great story line though like many others have said the game was a little short; I completed it in four hours (I also play around a bit and charged the enemy). Controls are good and similar to that of Halo and pretty easy to learn. The one thing that I was a little frustrated with was learning where to go but then it got easier once I was more practiced. Other than the game being a little short, which most games are starting to become, it was really fun and shows the military in a great position (in my opinion).
Multi-person was one aspect of the game that I have not played yet, though plan on playing it in the next couple of days if time permits. There are many other players that have explained the multi-player in much more detail than I can or care to get into; this is because I like to place single-player only.
When I first heard of this game it was through a mess of controversy and it really amplified my interest in the game because I wanted to see how the military was being portrayed. I have nothing but glowing remarks for this game and the people that put it together, they really did a good display of military honor among the true soldiers that serve in our armed forces. At the end of the game it says that we do not know about the special forces and how they selflessly serve america; this is so very true because of the many things that they (the special ops people) have to keep secret from their friends and families. We do not need to know everything about the military and what they do; this IS NOT POLITICS AND POLITICS SHOULD BE KEPT OUT OF THE MILITARY!!!! The information that they have, be it experience or vital information to future missions, must be kept private and I have no need to know that happened during the heat of battle (yes, I would like to know but I will not go out of my way to extract the information).
Great game, loved the story, and want to have another game of this content and magnitude again. | video-games_xbox |
I love this game. This game definetely ranks as one of my top twenty videogames of all time. The graphics are crisp/smooth, the gameplay is outstanding, the audio is amazing, and the only feature is better then ever!
Graphics: Like i said, the graphics in Project Snowblind are really good. The animation is crisp and clear, the guns/player models look awesome and the cutscenes are great/entertaining in terms of graphics as well. The graphics are, of course not as good as some Xbox games such as Halo 2, and DOA, but they are definetely good enough to keep you satisfied!
Gameplay: Great! The controls are fairly easy to master, unless you play halo 2 24/7, considering that you can do the same things as you can in Halo 2, except for the fact that some of the buttons are switched in terms of what button to push in order to perform that move. For example, in Halo 2, A is jump, in Project Snowblind, Y is jump. There are also many misions in halo 2 which is another great aspect. The replay value is good enough as well! All in all, the gameplay feature is amazing in this game!
Audio: The audio is really good also as well as everything else in this outstanding game. The voices are really awesome in terms of how it sounds and when you are in intense futuristic war scenes, it seems like you are actually in the war which makes this game super fun.
Online: Ahhh, the online. Probobly one of the best online games that i own currently. You can join clans, just like you can in Halo 2 and whats best is that it never lags! I have owned this game for a month now and i have never lagged which is really surprising, considering the fact that super famous games like Halo 2 lag every once in a while. There are different gamplay types that you can also choose from such as CTF, (capture the flag) Deathmatch, and Team Death Match. Plus many more...
In conclusion, Project Snowblind is an awesome and must be bought immediately! | video-games_xbox |
A great game. A fun game. A kickASS game. This game is so amazing! The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is nice and smooth, the towns, villages, and country side are detailed very nicely! And I LOVE the customization for your character! You can pick any hair style, beard style, hair color, clothing, etc. etc. And the weapons are pretty neat as well! From axes to swords from guns to flintlocks, its all good!
The story might be a "little" short, but oh well, just enjoy the ride and take your time and do every quest/job you can do. What I really liked about this game is the atmosphere! The summer mornings are filled with bright orange and the mid day color of the world showcases and a array of pallets, and the seasons are amazing! From spring are flowers and the greenery of the earth, to the beautiful vibrant, cool colors of autumn and the white, frosty chill and graceful falling snow of the winter. But sadly you cant change the seasons at whim, they only change through the progress of the game.
The fighting system is action oriented from attack your foes with sword and in a instant bring out your flintlock or shotgun to finish them off! The magic system is nice! You can pick a spell and keep on training/building up experience and strengthen that power to make it more devastating. Or you can spend experience on strength that can change fighting styles or make your attacks much more stronger or make you look more masculine, and you can spend experience also on skill to gain access on abilities when using things like guns.
But don't let that all get to your head! Your hero can either be good or bad! Be good and you'll notice how much more good looking and more handsome your character is, not to mention your popularity around the people of the world :D But if your bad, and the people of the world will treat you the same, and as accordingly so does your looks suffer! (My character is BAD as hell, and has horns coming out of his head)
You can also get married (and sex! but of course they don't show it) in the game, have a husband if your a girl, have a wife if your a guy... and to those out there wondering same-sex things, YEP its possible I should know! You can also buy your own home or rent out homes to others, etc.
And yes! This game can be played on Xbox Live with Co-Op (or local Co-Op)
I mean, this game is so fun and awesome! It's for sure my most favorite game on the xbox 360 ever! (sorry GTAIV, your cool too though)
I give it a 9/10! Just go ahead and buy it! I bought mine used from a Amazon.com seller for only $12.00 USD used! you can't go wrong with that and I'm sure this game will bring you a whopping load of fun! Enjoy! | video-games_xbox |
Great stick for the money. A lot of people on Shoryuken.com will tell you that you need the Qanba Q1, and they aren't wrong. Here is why I bought the Hori despite SRKs opinions:
Hori makes great sticks, and this 6-button stick is just another example in a long line of value. I've bought their Tekken stick on Xbox 360, and another one on PS2 back in the day. They are a Japanese hardware maker that has great workmanship, and their sticks are very easy to mod if you feel you need to. The buttons are convex (think of a spoon turned over), just like I like them. The stick also has a turbo mode, as well as a switch that tells the joystick whether the lollipop should function as the D-Pad, left stick or right stick. I thought that feature was especially useful after using it for PC gaming, where older emulators sometimes rely on D-Pad movements instead of analog (I'm looking at you Capcom Vs. SNK 2).
*EDIT: This stick works on PC out of the box. If you find the stick non-responsive, try adjusting the switches for the lollipop to see if that changes anything for you
The button arrangement is also not distracting, meaning everything is within reach. The cord is very long compared to even my corded Xbox-360 controller, so I can easily sit on my couch with plenty of slack. I'd recommend sitting Indian style if you're having trouble grounding it on something sturdy. The rubber bottoms are a nice thought, but they don't really work they way you'd think they should.
The most controversial aspect of this stick is the lollipop stick, but the Qanba has the same thing. It comes down to what you're used to. Old schoolers like me probably love the American tear drop, and this will take some getting used to. You'll soon find that the switches are very responsive, and the stick works very well. The key, I find, is to hold it like a martini glass and make small but precise movements. I even plugged it into my Raspberry Pi to run MAME. Pi detected it right out of the box, and I was able to begin programming buttons immediately.
I'm not trying to be a pro SFIV player, so this stick is perfect for my needs. If you're reading this review already thinking of ways that the Qanba is better than this stick, just go Qanba. For the price, I have to disagree with Shoryuken.com. This stick is a sleeper, and you're sleeping on it. | video-games_xbox |
In space no one can hear you swear. Alien Isolation could have, and should have, been a better game than it is. Like most others I loved it... for the first ten hours. But unlike most others (only fifteen percent of those who start it ever finish AI) I played it through to the end. Twice! The good things about AI are that you'll have to think to survive its challenges. It's definitely intense and immersive - and the art director hit a home run; there are moments of beauty in AI. But along the way I learned a few things....
1. There are bugs in the program! LOTS of bugs. I played AI using the Xbox 360 so I can't speak for the other systems but this thing has bugs galore. I'm still trying to decide if the programmers were being rushed to the deadline and didn't have time to fix all the glitches; or were merely incompetent. In any event they left lots of loose ends for gamers to stumble into.
A. In Mission 14, "The Descent" the ladder in the Apollo Core refused to raise into position and allow Ripley to climb down into the reactor - even after reloading from the previous save point. I had to play the entire mission over from the start. This is a very difficult mission too and it took way over an hour to replay it.
B. In my second go at AI the flashlight quit during Mission 12, "Synthetic Solution" and never worked again. This became a problem later on.
C. Also in my second go, while climbing out of a floor duct Ripley was jumped by the Alien, who hadn't registered on the motion tracker (more on this later). I pulled her back into the duct as fast as I could, but the Alien made the "prepare to die!" screech... then the slaughtered pig squeal - and Ripley didn't die. ???
Strange....
However, the floor panel I needed Ripley to exit was now DOA. I crawled her around through the duct work to the opposite side of the room and was able to exit a floor panel there - and discovered the Alien had left the building. Where shortly before it'd been a killing field I was now able to walk her around with complete impunity! The sound fx channel died too - though the music soundtrack was still playing. However, when I saved at the next save station things returned to normal again.
Strange....
D. When Ripley killed one of the human antagonists, if they had a revolver it would be left floating in mid-air over their dead body.
E. In Mission 10, "The Trap" there were large machines in a room, that only partly loaded. They just sat there... winking spectrally whilst Ripley sneaked around trying to evade the Alien, which is hot on her heels in this mission.
F. If you think Ripley's carrying a specific weapon, e.g. the flame thrower, you might want to think again: because when the Alien comes screeching towards her you may find the revolver popping up in her hands instead of the flame thrower. This will happen whenever she acquires a new weapon; the weapon you thought she had gets pushed down the weapons queue and the new acquisition takes its place. But the controller is so touchy it often will select the item next to the one you thought you were selecting. Whatever the reason, you have to check the "weapon of the moment" frequently to avoid an ugly surprise.
G. In Mission 18, "Tomorrow, Together" during my second play through, Ripley's arms caught on fire and she ran around this way for 6-8 minutes. While it was pretty funny it interfered with game play because I couldn't see well through the flames whenever her arms were raised.
Unfortunately, it's just a buggy game. If you look into the various glitches reported by AI players around the world you'll see and hear some pretty weird stuff.
Along with the bugs in AI, YOU... GET... ROBBED!
Some of the reviewers here have mentioned that aggravation - and they're right. For example, the motion tracker will suddenly not alert you to the Alien that's lurking directly ahead. Oops! Time to re-play the last ten minutes.... Proponents say it only registers motion, therefore the Alien must not have been moving. Well, the Alien was far behind Ripley a few seconds ago - now all of a sudden it's howling down the hall towards her. And Ripley gets eaten again. And again... and again... and again....... Oh well, what's another hour or two of life wasted?
In my opinion the way the Creative Assembly team scalds its customers by arbitrarily changing their game's rules is the worst thing about AI. Worse even than the bugs. Sometimes the tracker works... sometimes it doesn't. The Alien that was behind Ripley a few seconds ago is now ahead of her - or is it still behind her... or above her... because the motion tracker has gone MIA.
Should you send Ripley into a duct to hide and the Alien comes in after her you might as well throw a Twinkie at it as use the flame thrower. And there are times when just a short blast from the flame thrower sends the Alien scurrying; yet at other times you can unload on it for three or four seconds and it still kills her. Your best bet is to give it two short bursts before it starts its charge. If it starts its charge too close to double tap it, give it a long burst. It might flee; but if it does get to Ripley it will only injure her.
The game sticks it to you like that. The Alien pounces with no warning. And let's say you learn to retreat down a hall pointing the flamethrower backwards, because the Alien attacked Ripley from behind the last three tries; it'll then attack from the opposite direction... or drop down from an overhead duct. And there's only minimal auto-save in AI, so when Ripley dies, and she dies a lot, you have to replay from your last save point - which may take a long time if you're new to the game. Basically, the game knows where you are and which way you're facing and will seek to launch the Alien at you from behind.
One point about the save stations: stop and check the floor maps often - both to see just where Ripley is and where various objects of interest lie. The most important objects of interest are the save stations - which look like the phone booths of old. If you miss one, or God forbid, more than one, it means that when Ripley is killed you'll have to replay everything from your last save point. Depending on how many save stations were missed it could easily add another hour to your replay time. Save as often as you can. If you save on entering a room remember to save when leaving the room - or AI will make you pay for that oversight. Don't dawdle too long in one area either or the Alien will soon appear. Keep moving steadily toward your next objective.
And lest I forget: when you have to replay a section after Ripley is killed, or when the game moves from one mission to another, the reload can take up to a minute.
Then there are the slow moving Working Joes... who become world class sprinters when closing the last few feet. Similarly, the Alien closes whatever the distance may be in just a few seconds. When you're trying to hoist the flame thrower into position to blast it, Ripley goes into slow motion. You'll do better holstering it, turning to face the alien, then unholstering it to try to get a blast in before it kills her. I swore a lot playing AI, probably more than I did my time in the Navy. I even woke my wife up one night swearing at it - and she was fifty feet and two closed doors away.
And be forewarned about unreliable game guides. None of them by themselves are much help. What I learned to do was use three guides: the VGFAQ walk through, available on Youtube; the floor maps at Steamcommunity.com; and the Primagames walk through. All of them at once. But even then there are places where you get disastrously bad info. I had to stop play several times and figure out what went wrong. There are sections in the game where you can take it easy and sightsee; and others where you're just getting massacred... endlessly.
Once you become familiar with the game you'll do best taking your chances with the path cursor. The path cursor is a bar at the top of the motion tracker - a device you need to navigate the maze of rooms, corridors and ducts confronting you and which alerts you (supposedly) to enemies in Ripley's vicinity. It swings around on the motion tracker screen, pointing out the direction you need to send Ripley. But it doesn't always work and will often ignore rooms full of stuff Ripley needs to build up her inventory. And it sometimes leads straight into ambushes.
I have to marvel at all the good reviews given to AI. I can only assume most of them are by people who haven't played it through to the bitter end; or even more than the first few hours. I played it through twice - over fifty hours total - and liked it less the more I played it. I started out thinking, "What an awesome game!" But after completing it the first time, reckoned it just three stars. After my second play through, (and that was on "easy") I decided that because of the Hollywood chicanery, programming bugs, weak script and the lame grand finale, (with comically indestructible and homicidal Aliens swimming through outer space, still trying to kill Ripley) that when all's said and done, it's a two star game.
I really wanted to like AI. Like I said, I played it through twice hoping to resolve some of the aggravations of the first round; but it wasn't to be. For me at least AI was mostly a long, grueling slog - with no payoff to justify the pain. When it was over I felt like I'd run a marathon - only to find out the paperwork got lost. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastically confusing wall of lore and swords. I just completed this game last night and am now afforded the ability to browse the reviews on here (I'm a stickler for no spoilers) and formulate my own opinion.
I got this game for one main reason - it was billed as an RPG that allows you to make choices that either majorly or moderately affect the world you are in and the story of the main game. To a certain degree, this was true - but that fact sinks to a watery grave when diluted with the game's other problems.
Graphically, the game isn't exactly spectacular - but this is being said in the afterglow of next-gen consoles and I do own an XBox One, so.....perhaps my view is muddied somewhat. The cutscene graphics are fairly poor, and funnily enough in-game graphics are quite good (comparatively). But - I can overlook subpar graphics for a great game.
Now, I will start with the good:
If you were looking for an RPG, then you have definitely come to the right shop! I have missed RPG-ishness ever since finishing Skyrim (which is a game with its own issues), and it was really nice to be able to step into a fantasy world again.
You are indeed able to make decisions at key points in the game - mostly through a 'persuasion' system in dialogue options. I like how Geralt casts some witchcraft to 'persuade' people, too - it sets him apart from the other characters.
The world is huge and varied, although I do get the impression that you are only shown a tiny sliver of it.
But now, unfortunately, for the bad:
Player connection to the playable character of Geralt is seriously impeded by the brick wall of lore you are expected to consume, process, understand and form your own feelings about. The game does NOT ease you into the world whatsoever. While ME2 did a great job of introducing the player to the world all over again (as Shepard had been basically resurrected), this game does NOT. In missing the opportunity to enkindle a basic interest in the world at large in its players, The Witcher 2 has one, initial, major fatal flaw: it failed to make me care. In a decision-based RPG, that is VERY bad news. I felt that I was basically a non-sentient floating through the game's books and maps and cities, being TOLD about all these other places, people and wars - but that I had absolutely NO reason to worry about any of it, or care.
The map system. The map system is one of the main technical reasons that I did not achieve a fuller understanding of the game world and story. I literally missed 90% of the side quests (some of which with significant stories and/or characters in them) because I was not able to follow the quest markers effectively. You can only have one quest marker at a time on your map, meaning you have to manually choose which quest to go after. Unfortunately, this in turn means that you may stumble into another quest (or advance the storyline) just by attempting to transition from whatever area you are in to the marked quest area. This is very unfortunate. Not only that, but the quest markers seemed to me to be HIGHLY unreliable, unpredictable and - at times - completely incomprehensible. I spent literally HOURS attempting to find two guys to armwrestle in the dwarven city (Vergen, was it?). The quest marker showed their location, at which I was standing, but they weren't there. I went under ground, scoured the city, looked for secret doors, stumbled through catacombs (all the time initiating and completing other missions by accident), did EVERYTHING I could think of to find these guys to armwrestle - to no avail. I can only assume that it was some kind of glitch - but unfortunately it ensured that after that point in the game, I paid almost no attention to *ANY* side quests and did not go after any of them, because I knew I could not rely on my map or the quest markers. Major flaw and one that makes the player feel like they are bashing their head against a brick wall.
Adult material inclusion. I welcome adult language, situations and sex/love in a game. It makes me care, and it makes me want to succeed in a game. I wholeheartedly encourage the use of them in all games. However, even I was left with a bad taste in my mouth after my pummeling by The Witcher 2's profanity, sex and unbridled objectification of women. To make matters worse (and I don't know if this is just the way I played the game or not), but I was totally unable to actually form a romantic relationship with anyone in the game. I mean - apart from Triss, who is just sort of the cookie-cutter 'girlfriend' - but even then there was no culmination of our relationship, or after Geralt saved her.....nothing. She even features on the front cover of the game! But.......yeah. Nothing.
Profanity is used frequently to the point of sounding like every second person in the game has swearword-diarrhea. A smattering here or there to evoke the strength of emotions at certain plot points is absolutely necessary - but in this game it comes across as purely gratuitous. Dwarves can't even pass the time of day at the market without cussing and referencing "ploughing" (you'll need to know some game lore to fully understand that), and you can't even go forward to attend the end-game conference at Loc Muinne without someone throwing a VERY surprising c-word around the place. Ooookay then.
Women are treated with the maturity you'd expect from a 14-year-old in most of the game, too. They are scantily clad (sorceresses), can't wear anything unless it has such a scoop neck that it only just covers her nipples, and are forced into baked-in storyline scenes of bondage, spanking, etc. etc. Very disappointing. Like I say - I still have no idea why this game has all this in it, because you actually can't romance anyone. Mehhh....maybe my Mass Effect is showing.
Potions. Well wow - here's a game aspect that is under developed and under used. You cannot drink potions in battle - I repeat, you cannot drink potions in battle!! So basically, you have to remember to 'meditate' before you ANTICIPATE there MAY be someone to fight soon, and drink your potions. This is a terribly convoluted way to treat something that is supposed to be one of the Witcher's main methods. Hmmm.
So, yeah. The rest of my review really just sums up how I feel about the plot and game story in general. It's pretty unfollowable and mediocre. It definitely has its shining points, but they are few and far between. I had heard the hype about this game and was really looking forward to playing it and seeing what it was like. In reality - I'm exhausted and very happy that I've finally finished it (well - I say finally....but minus the unfollowable, unfindable side quests it only takes about <20hrs to complete all three Acts). The ending of the game came very suddenly and anticlimactically, and because I was playing on easy difficulty, battling the dragon (Was that Saskia? I have no idea.....) was just a little side thing to do to get you to the credits.
There was an epilogue with lots of troop movements, people I didn't know, and places I didn't recognize with armies moving through them. No idea what that was about. | video-games_xbox |
A light gun game....without the light gun. This game is hands down one of the worst shooters I've ever played. Imagine a "rail shooter" in the arcades like House of the Dead or Time Crisis and you'll have some idea of what to expect here. Much like those games, you won't be able to control the movement of your character, so you'll automatically move from place to place. Along the "rails", you'll be expected to shoot any targets you see, but there's no strategy invovled. Die, and you'll face the exact same path again, with the same targets in the same places.
In the middle of a battle, the camera will often spin in 180 degree turns to "shock" you by throwing another target in front of you. When you're in an arcade (or on a console with a light gun), this sort of "twitch" game can be fun. In light gun games, you aim a real gun at the screen, shoot characters, reload...rinse repeat. Unfortunately, this game has no light gun....so you do all of this with the standard controller. The action in this game is sort of like being stuck in the Warthog turret in a game of Halo with a crazy driver who has never played the game before....except it's a lot less fun than that would be.
In Attack of the Movies 3D, you aim your gun with the thumbsticks, and the right one seems to work better than the left. Turning your controller upside down helps a bit with this I suppose, but why would you want to play a game that requires that? Needless to say, aiming is difficult, and the thumbsticks are no substitute for a real light gun. The "3D" levels are a joke (it's the old cardboard red and blue glasses and I thought the game looked better without them). Speaking of the graphics, this looks like a PS2 game...or maybe something for the Wii. Don't waste your money on this game, unless you are morbidly curious to see what one of the worst shooters of all time will feel like. Even if that's the case....try to find a rental copy, because after 15 minutes, you'll want to return it. | video-games_xbox |
Just buy it. I'm not one to write reviews but seeing the negative publicity on this game i just couldn't sit idle and watch. Listen...plain and simple this is one of the best Dragon ball z games to have ever been released. I say "one of the" because i know how people like to complain and argue over things like that. The Graphics are fantastic. The fighting is fluid and FAST. I love the speed of the fighting and with loads of unlockable movesets (the fighting style of your character cannot be changed. As in the character class you select has his own melee fighting style BUT there tons and tons of special moves you can unlock to keep fighting different and interesting). The fighting stages are huge and so well done. Also the loading time is fantastic. You'll play missions that have you jump in between fighting stages so thanks to the fast loading time jumping maps is effortless. The character customization is huge and its your Character. The more you play the stronger it becomes. You can see the Character growing and changing. You'll go back to missions that kicked your ass and realize how much stronger your character has become. The main story line was re worked just for this game and its actually interesting. The side missions are expansive with hidden requirements that make the missions that more fulfilling when you complete them and unlock the certain moves you have been trying to earn also the online co-op works great when it comes to side missions and just 1v1,2v2, 3v3 battles.
Now to say the game doesnt have any negatives would be a lie. The camera does act up from time to time but this is a very minor in my opinion. I just boost away and get right back the the fight. Comparaed to the recent DBZ games the camera has been majorly improved. The only real negative i have is that when it comes to some story or side missions your dependant on your ALLY to stay alive to keep the mission going. Sometimes they just plain suck and die. This can be a little frustrating having to replay some missions due to your partner but if you're a good gamer you learn what you can improve on and do it again. not just complain about how hard a game is. *cough* Dark souls.
Bottom line this is a great DBZ game and i hope there are more to come just like this one. | video-games_xbox |
Worth the 4 stars. -Battlefield has been around for years now, I started with Battlefield 2 back in 2005 and was not impressed with ANY battlefield game that came out after...until today.
- Battlefield 4 is a much easier and more fun game to play than previous versions. The graphics seem to start to show the power of the next gen systems, unlike COD Ghosts which I've been more or less disappointed in.
- The unlock/weapons/equipment menus are still busy and complex, but I found the whole system easier to deal with an understand than in BF3. I was comfortable with the menus a lot faster and that makes a big difference when you enter into a massive multiplayer game like Battlefield.
- Game play is challenging, as it always has been. it will take a while to get the feel of the game and start scoring significant points and earning ranks/unlocks etc. I wouldn't expect to get online and in 15 minutes feel like you've "got it". Give it a couple hours and take the time to look through the customization screens and to get a feel for the background setup of the game.
- The major issue is the SERVERS. I tried to log into Conquest mode all day and haven't gotten in. I only seem to be able to join 2-3 of the 6 game modes I tried ( I also don't have the downloadable content that comes with premium membership for another 49.99), so I couldn't join those modes anyway. This is also frustrating after spending 59.99 for the game, and then finding they want another 49.99 for the premium package which opens up all kinds of downloadable maps and other perks. Personally I think it's WAY too early to start asking for extra money when the xbox one version came out last week. I know its been out for a month on previous gen, but in my opinion offering new map packs this early for that kinda fee ( I realize you get future packs as far as I can tell?).
Server and Premium issue aside, its a solid game for next gen. Its not easy, and will take an investment of your time to get into and earn your way up the battlefield rank system, but its a cool game. I'm actually pleased with it. EA will fix the server issues once the initial rush calms down, or at least they should.
* I'd also watch for black friday and cyber monday deals/holiday deals. These games sometimes drop a bit around holiday sales time!
Good luck! | video-games_xbox |
Best and Most Fun Kinect Game I Own. Please let me start off by saying that Fable: The Journey is not going to give you the wonderful open world and choice frenzy that is a staple of its name sake. The story is as predetermined as you can get, and there is not much in the way of customization.
HOWEVER, if you can look past the lack of freedom, you will find that this game does exactly what it was meant to do; utilize the Kinect to make using will powers amazing. If you have ever wanted to feel like a legitimate spell caster, this game does it. I beat the game in about 13 hours and the time positively flew by between flinging hobbes and balverines into the air with the left hand push spell, blasting them out of the sky with the variety of spells on my right, and steering my faithful horse companion at break-neck speeds to outrun the evil Corruption.
The simple joy of casting a fireball and sweeping my hand toward a baddie to auto-target like a homing missile gave me a rush of satisfaction every time. You can even get fancy by dispatching targets hiding behind walls/barriers in this manner!
Functionality:
As for how the Kinect interface works, it has its bouts of fickle-ness.
I found that targeting worked much more accurately when sitting about 6 feet away and when I was much more deliberate in my casting motions. It starts to fail if you flail. Though as I started to think about it, if I were truly a conduit of will power, I would try not to blindly throw around magic either.
I also found that (after some replay) that some encounters have less margin for error when casting in a direction. The majority of encounters are fairly forgiving and seem to guess where you might be intending to aim, but some instances gave me trouble and left me cursing and up to my eyes in spiders. Though once your targets are close enough, they are very easy to dispatch and the shield spell is useful and responsive.
Close and Far range targets are easy to hit, it's the mid-range targets that get the Kinect in a fit.
Plot:
No spoilers, but I did enjoy that, as you travel with Teresa, she reveals some of her background and insight from the previous Fable games. It starts to tie things together and the ending really opens the franchise up for further expansion.
As I said before, the plot is pretty linear and not terribly surprising, but I did love the cut scenes (very vibrant and well animated), and the dialogue was entertaining and really funny (very British at some points)! What I absolutely didn't expect once I started playing Fable: The Journey was that there was going to be actual character development! The main character, Gabriel, goes through a metamorphosis from young, disappointingly unheroic Dweller to a guy that has self confidence, purpose, and a great moral compass. The few characters that you meet during the game play have story and substance.
All in All:
It was a great experience and though not up to par with the decision making freedom of the Fable title, it really brings out the capabilities of the Kinect interface as well as a good example of what the Unreal Engine programming can do for a game. I bought this for $35 locally and am very impressed, I definitely think it is well worth the $20 something price tag on Amazon.
If you want the same gaming experience as is present in Fable I,II, and III, I would recommend waiting for the next Fable console game to release, because Fable: The Journey is an entirely different interface experience that should not and can not adequately be compared to its namesake predecessors. | video-games_xbox |
Tedium to the point of frustration. This title could have been SO much better. This may come across as a scathing review, but hopefully, the included details will get through to gamers like myself and my brother who were expecting much more from a title like this and were let down considerably. In brief,if you're at all drawn by the medieval setting and prospect of playing a local co-op action RPG (i.e., many fantasy monsters, frequent loot, skill customization, roaming towns, weapon/item shops), you'll be wholly put off by this one-note effort. This is just your typical mindless shooter--if you've ever played the Uncharted games or "Army of 2", where you face off in endless shootouts against scores of uniform enemy soldiers, you've seen this kind of thing before. Just replace the guns with bows and you've basically got "Hunted: Demon's Forge."
Now for the gory details . . .
Yes, there's melee fighting, and it definitely has its moments of adrenaline induced fun. However, attack animations are limited, and you'll always need the archer character to pick off the endless droves of enemy archers you're faced with throughout this plodding title. The focus on shooting and our frustration with it here can't be overstated. The mechanics are fine--I rather enjoyed being an archer at first, but there's simply way too much of it. The levels where my brother and I were encountering an enemy or two standing around the corner were admittedly fun and seemed promising of adventure . . . until we'd inevitably come upon another paintball field setup where we'd be crouching behind logs and barriers in another "gunfight" with bows. And this isn't a complaint about difficulty at all. Unlike other reviewers, we actually did enjoy the limited potions (you can normally only carry one or two) and the fact that you will get DESTROYED if you don't plan your your attack and fight recklessly. A healthy dose of desperate survival can be a good thing, and in that sense, this game delivers.
Unfortunately, this aspect is not enough to offset the game's overall tedium and lack of variety.
Aside from the all too frequent shooter sequences, making the combat even less variable is the extremely simple "skill tree" your character is faced with--rather than having a large variety of strengths/abilities in which to build your character, you're presented with a total of 3 attack and 3 magic "moves," each of which you may invest additional points in to improve damage, reduce mana cost, ect. Adding to this frustration is the fact that the game simply limits you with regard to how many points you may put into any one skill. So, for example, if you want to take the approach of stacking your points into a fire spell, no such luxury as further upgrades aren't available until subsequent chapters. With such limited customization comes limited replayability and more tedium, as you're eventually left with no option but to disperse all of your points across all of the available skills.
But who needs skill trees when you can just go around mashing enemies, collecting loot, and fashioning your character with new arms and armor, right? Games like Diablo and the console Baldur's Gate games were just monotonous click-fests on the surface, but the near endless amount of possibilities in terms of what enemies could drop and the prospect of finding that one awesome piece of gear at the shop always kept things relatively fresh. In this game, however, there are essentially a whopping four weapon types you may find--slow, medium, fast, and special. The "special" weapons simply add some elemental effect, but because this effect is temporary, you're inclined to stay away from these. And armor is few and far between--we may have found 3 or 4 armor pieces throughout the game. Needless to say, looting is not something that adds replayability here, and there's a reasonable chance that you find a weapon on the first level that you keep for the majority of the game. Oh, and there are NO shops from which you may actually use the gold you collect. Gold, thus, is mostly useless (it does give you "points" with which to unlock things in the custom dungeon mode), so there's little satisfaction in finding that hidden section of the cave stocked with treasure.
So, there's little sense that you're ever building your character up with skills or weapons. But hey, skill customization and looting can be nil if there is adventure and excitement in the gameplay. Unfortunately, as with the overall theme of this game, there is virtually NO variety here. Each level is mostly linear, with a set number of aforementioned "secret areas" that you may find, in which case you might stumble upon a few treasure chests that contain useless gold. But perhaps our BIGGEST complaint of of this game is in the enemies you fight. Throughout the game, you will fight "wargar" (orcs, basically), skeletons, and spiders. Wargar and skeletons are the same, existing essentially as humanoid versions of the army troops you would fight over and over in a shooter--some will come at you with melee attacks, while most others will be hiding behind walls trying to pick you off with bows. Spiders were introduced seemingly as a last ditch effort to add some combat variety, as you'll have to fight them with your melee weapon and use your shield a lot. After playing through the first two chapters, you'll begin to realize (unless your brain is comfortably on auto-pilot) that there's NEVER a sense of foreboding when entering a new area--no new enemies (wargar that shoot magic beams instead of arrows do not count), and no real prospect of encountering something new and dangerous. Just waves of soldiers shooting arrows at you with the occasional spider jumping in. Do you love those Uncharted games? You'll probably love this. Shoot, hide, rinse, repeat.
The graphics are fine, and the storyline is bland (your characters just exchange unconcerned witticisms about who killed more bad guys throughout the game). But to me, these things are peripheral--this is purely a COMBAT game, so how is it acceptable to have so few enemies and so few variables (i.e., weapons, status effects, skills)? This game is fun at first, but the idea that the developers figure that such little variety will be lost on consumers is just maddening. I suppose the era of the first-person shooter--which hinges on the notion that gamers consist primarily of teens and young adults who can play Call of Duty and Gears of War for 18 hours straight, killing the same thing over and over again with their mouths agape--played greatly into the development of this game. But even with this bland formula, more weapon and skill customization could have improved the experience immensely!
Utterly disappointing and could have been SO much more! Here's hoping they don't scrap this franchise and instead improve upon its flaws, because despite everything I've said, there are aspects of this game (local co-op, tactical fighting in a medieval atmosphere, and sense of survival) that have a lot of potential. | video-games_xbox |
Tips from someone with a lot of experience with Xbox drives. There are a few things to consider when buying a new drive for your Xbox.
1. If you buy this, you cannot just put it in your Xbox and expect it to work. If nothing it changed other than just swapping drives, you will just have a fancy DVD player.
There is a REALLY long key composed of numbers and letters assigned to every drive and every Xbox motherboard. This "key" has to be exactly the same on both the motherboard and the drive. If it is not the same, your console will play DVD movies, but will not be able to play games.
2. You may not need a whole new drive... in fact, rarely do you ever need a whole new drive. You would need one if you have an Xbox without a drive in it...
But if you have a drive that is going/gone "bad". It is probably just the laser.
A new laser is about $12.
Or, it might be the motor... which is about the same price, $12.
Even if it needs both... that is still only around $25 instead of $40.
3. The only way to make this work is by either swapping the circuit board inside, or by extracting the key off of your old drive, and then transferring it to your new drive.
4. There are 3 different firmware versions of the Xbox 360 Liteon drive for the "phat" xbox version. 7000, 8000, and 9000 series.
5. There is a slight... ever so slight... risk of being banned on Xbox live if you don't get the same firmware version as you had before.
Truthfully, as long as you are not replacing your BenQ, Hitachi, or Samsung with one of these Liteons... you are probably pretty safe where you are using the same model with a different firmware revision... But there is always a chance. Microsoft is pretty picky and once you are banned... they don't take it back.
So, just a few things to consider.
While it is nice having a whole new drive. It might save you a TON by just replacing the laser or motor. Or both.
And you will either need to be able to solder and swap the "PCB" (circuit board) from you're old drive to you're new one... Which is safest because you are keeping the same firmware revision...
Or, will need to know how to remove the keys from your old drive and put them on this new one...
Changing keys, for me, is the easiest... no soldering involved. | video-games_xbox |
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil. This is the expansion from Doom 3, so naturally it's not going to be the same length. Granted the price tag of thirty-five dollars for an expansion pack is extreme in itself. Honestly, it's ridiculous and should be longer than the average expansion. Unfortunately, after playing this, I don't think the story line should have been shorter. Maybe the production costs exceeded what the developers planned, or someone wants to cash in somewhere. Frankly, I think it was the right length for the story told rather than delving into tedium. But people do have merit in their complaint for such an outrageous price. I recommend waiting until you can get it used for a more reasonable price of twenty dollars (standard expansion price tag these days).
Anyway, on to the actual review. It looks like the developers tried to fix some of the things that people disliked in the first Doom 3 installment. For example the pistol has a flashlight on its end. A smarter move would have been to have a flashlight that attaches to your head, because that would actually make a lot more sense, ah well... at least you can shoot enemies while holding the light this time. The other thing that seems to have changed is that the game is a lot brighter for the most part. This was a huge improvement from the original Doom 3. There are really only two sections of the game where you are plunged into absolute darkness, so it doesn't feel nearly as daunting or annoying. On top of these changes they had two new weapons which were the double barreled shot gun and this other guy that affected gravity. Basically it's like the gravity gun from Half Life 2. Real original... I know. They also have a few more new enemies like the Hunters. I think they were the giant creatures that shot rockets at me at least. They were a lot more challenging than some of the other creatures in Doom 3, so these were a pretty good addition.
For the most part this game plays just like Doom 3 aside from the above mentioned changes, so to read about the rest of the game check out my review of Doom 3. The part of this game that was pretty lacking to me was the story line, which is why it got knocked down to three stars. At the end of Doom 3 you're left feeling that it is definitely left open for a sequel. However, the way they tied the two games together was pretty poor. After all the craziness in Doom 3, the researchers on the planet went right back to what they were doing before? And the part that confuses me after this game is that it sort of sounds like the threat of Hell coming into our dimension is closed forever... so does that mean they can't make another Doom? I don't know, the Doom story line was so misshapen that it was just hard to follow as you went along in the game... not to mention you're left wondering if you're the same marine from Doom 3? Nothing is mentioned about your character! I think one thing that also made the story feel a little less involving was the PDA's didn't have that many voice reports. I thought these were ingenious in the first game because it really felt you were affected by what's going on. Nothing says "get involved" like hearing real people's voices make reports. I thought it added a lot to the FPS atmosphere. There were a lot of PDA's to find throughout the game, but it didn't drive the story nearly as much as it did in Doom 3. So this lackluster play in a roughly six hour game really diminished the experience. Don't get me wrong, the environments were awesome, but the point of being there was really not clear.
If you liked Doom 3, then it is definitely worth getting the expansion pack. You don't get nearly as clear of a story line as in the first game, but you do get a conclusion to the game. Granted I had a hard time following the point of the story, but you find out what happened to your enemy that was around at the end of Doom 3. Anyway, they made some marginal improvements, but they could have done a lot better. Maybe I'm just spoiled because Half Life 2: Episode 1, had a superb story line with a cliffhanger ending that made me want more and Doom 3 just doesn't deliver that. | video-games_xbox |
A great basketball game. The graphics, sound, gameplay, and fun factor will win almost anyone over. The presentation is excellent and you'll get to learn where the top NBA talent grew-up along with the street courts that helped forge their game. The computer AI set on "hard" gave so much of a challenge that I could swear "they cheated", but that's what some of us pay for.
However, if you prefer realism, this is not the game for you! As a matter of fact, this is a cross between X-games and basketball--the tricks are that sick! The gamebreaker mode was seriously upsetting my buddy because he didn't know how to activate it or do the tricks to enable it either. This takes a little bit of practice due to the ultra-thin manual. When the Gamebreaker mode kicks in, some of you older peeps will recognize the song from the breakdancing days of the early 80's.
The build-a-baller is great. There are many options to choose from starting with position (Guard, Forward, Center). The position you choose will determine size and starting attributes which is a departure from the "make him big & tall with mad handles & dunks and the rest will work itself out" thing. Then you can customize the players face/clothes/shoes. As you win in the Homecourt Challenge, you will be able to upgrade your starting team with the feature player from the team you just beat. Also, with each win, you'll be automatically awarded attribute points to make your baller great and unlock shoes and clothing to allow even more upgrade points to your player. I really like this feature and I'm am sure you will too!
All-in-all, this is a solid game. I haven't found anything to be buggy or glitchy and you can just pick up a controller and play. Maybe not very well, but your friends will have fun playing right away. I bought this game with a friend and we both had no idea what we were doing but it was a riot figuring it out. We played co-op and versus while having the time of our lives! This game really takes basketball to the next level and I think basketball is the only game that can get away with the over-the-top nature of NBA Street Homecourt.
I gave it 4-stars overall because the manual was crap and the game itself was very pricy. 5-stars for fun though!! | video-games_xbox |
A Great Medieval Fantasy Action RPG. I really enjoyed Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen. It comes with the base game of Dragons Dogma (released in 2012) and all the DLC created for it. It is also the only way to get "The Bitter Black Isle" DLC. I'm glad I waited until the Dark Arisen version of the game was released to purchase this gem.
Pros:
-Great Character Customization: This game has more character customization options than most console RPGs, so you will definitely create a character you like.
-Lively Medieval Setting: It has a well put together game world, that is interesting to explore on numerous playthroughs.
-The Pawn system: Who doesn't enjoy having sidekicks (You have one that you fully customize) that have decent A.I.?
-Vocation System: Switch between classes quite easily.
-Combat is outstanding: It has a great balance of preparation and skill. Also, each vocation has many different skills/spells that work well together and make fighting fun.
-Quests/Enemies: It will take you a while to run out of things to do and impressive monsters to kill.
Cons:
-The Story: Its the Typical Medieval RPG fair. There's a Dragon. You're the chosen one. You must defeat it.
-LOTS of Combat: Some will love this, but others will hate the extent it sometimes reaches. Be prepared for combat at all times.
-Only one save: Or to be clearer, one per profile on both the Xbox 360 and PS3.
-The textures: The HD texture pack that comes with the game is a must install. A console hard drive (which most people have) is required for this.
If you have both consoles get the PS3 version of this game.
"The Bitter Black Isle" DLC
The dungeon you spend most of this expansion in is exactly as bitter and black as the name suggests. It is a fun and challenging expansion to tackle after finishing the base game, but it is tough to justify a full purchase of DD:Dark Arisen for people who already bought the original Dragons Dogma.
If you're a fan of the genre this game is a must have or at least try.
If you already purchased the original Dragons Dogma, wait for a significant price drop to purchase Dark Arisen. | video-games_xbox |
Decent game, but restricts itself. Singularity makes no bones about what it is, a mishmash of things pulled from Bioshock, Doom, and Half life. But it does recombine it's borrowed elements in new ways, and it it never truly embraces them, it's still a solid and interesting game.
Unlike Wolfenstein, Raven's last game, story actually matters here. The game spins a familiar yet still interesting story of time travel and destiny that both holds your attention and has just enough camp to prevent it from taking itself to seriously. The narrative is by no means perfect; it saggs in the second act and the characters are not well developed. It also breaks the show-don't-tell rule at the wrong times, the (three) endings feel a bit anticlimactic. Still, it's much more involved than many videogames and in the end greatly helps the game.
The best thing about the gameplay is that it's varied, alternating between skirmishes, larger battles, quiet exploratin and puzzles. None of these elements are perfectly executed, but it's the variety that keeps the game from getting old, similar to Half life 2. Of course combat is the centerpiece and it's decent, sporting a decent array of weapons, some more satisfying to use than others (the magnum is the most useless magnum I've ever had the displeasure to use in a game, and the minigun is overpowered). Soldier and monster enemies give the encounters a satisfying variety and no enemy is overused, though I couldn't help but wish the soldiers offered greater challenge and variety. It's nothing groundbreaking but it's solid and the encounters, especially with monsters, have a frantic feel. Raven makes good boss fights and they return here, though both (only 2, alas) are in the first half.
Exploration is limited as the game is quite linear with lots of invisible walls, though a collectable currency system and upgrades provide incentive to explore every nook and cranny. Weapon and passive upgrades, as well as buyable perks, provide a system of character progression, though as with the weapons some are more valuable than others. The defining factor here is the TMD. The ability to age or revert objects (as well as a gravity gun knock-off and time bubbles similar to braid) gives the othewise linear game some spice and provides the basis for some clever puzzles. It's a shame that the objects you can use it on are limited and the puzzles start recycling the same factors over and over. Using time travel to solve puzzles only happens one in the game and feels like a missed opportunity. The TMD also offers some flair to the combat, allowing you to blast enemies limbs off or mess with their bodies. This mechanic also feels limited to just aging a target. Though the ability to transform soldiers into shambling monstrosities is always fun and the varying effects on the monsters mix it up, this also feels like it could have been more. Everything in this game does, in fact. Nevertheless, what is there is solid and the multiple elements come together well.
The game's graphics and effects are decent, if looking a little outdated and inclined to the occasional glitch (floating enemies, etc). Voice acting is passable and the setting allows the characters to get away with phony russian accents (funny how they all talk in english.)The gore effects are entertainingly over the top, though they seem toned down from Raven's previous game, Wolfenstien. The sounds are decent and the soundtrack is pretty good. Overall what the game succedes best at is giving everything an effective ambience that suits the situation, though it could have used some differentiation of whether I was in combat or not. As a result, pulse pounding themes would play when I was in an empty room.
I should note that Singularity has no level saves, just one checkpoint. This never gave me problems, however, and I actually sort of liked the seemless narrative (I needed achievents to tell me when a level ended). Overall it's a bit easy on Normal, but that's what Hard is for.
It's a shame that Singularity doesn't take more risks. If it had used the TMD more widely and perhaps bolstered the story a bit it could have been a great game, and an innovative one at that, regardless of it's derivative nature. As it is, it's fairly good, has some intersting mechanics, and is worth checking out. I understand a second game is in the works. I look forward to it, and hope the devs will remedy these errors. | video-games_xbox |
Most Enjoyable Game for Xbox360 (better than ME1. Without a doubt, ME2 is one of the most addictive games I have ever played, and a vast improvement over ME1.
FYI: for newcomers to the ME universe, Bioware has established a fantastic storyline that gives gamers a chance experience ME2 without having to play ME1, but I would highly recommend the first game as well, because there are lots of little nuances to be appreciated from having played the first game. For review purposes, I will go over why the gameplay is so enjoyable, why I would recommend ME1, and--for people who have played ME1--- I will address why it is better afterwards.
Bioware is known for its story and gameplay choices, and ME2 is no exception. After the opening cinematic sequence, players can customize Commander Shepard as either male/female, decide on appearances, and choose what class and bonus power you desire. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses; you gain/lose access to certain weapons or biotic (i.e, futuristic magic) powers depending on what you choose. Gamers can decide whether to manipulate Commander Shepard to have a Paragon or Renegade personality, which will affect choices later on in the game. I don't want to simplify the personalities as the difference between "good and evil," but know that being a Renegade means being more ruthless, or thinking the ends justify the means. This is primarily decided through dialogue choices, but during cutscenes, if you press certain buttons, you can trigger a Renegade or Paragon action.
Characters are also amazing, and completing certain quests for each character, or 'loyalty missions', enabling you to learn more about your squad and the opportunity to delve deeper into the ME universe. Although it is possible to beat the game without doing them, I highly recommend doing them.
Combat is easy--control biotic and weapon choices with the L and R buttons. Combat is fun, your VI squadmates are responsive to orders and are effective against enemies, and gamers can control certain powers of their squadmates, allowing you to focus on one enemy or several enemies at once. You can also hit explosive crates instead to hit multiple enemies and create a more exciting battle experience. There is an effective targeting system as well, allowing you to detect enemies and aim precisely.
Music and visuals are amazing. Cut scenes and movies were amazing, and I didn't notice any texture/graphic delays.
I mentioned that playing ME1 provides an enriching experience for ME2 players, for a number of reasons. Gamers can import their save file from ME1 into ME2 (although customization of the character is still possible in ME2), and decisions made in ME1 will affect some character interaction and options in ME2. Some of these are small effects, some major. If you decide to play ME2 without previously beating ME1, some decisions are automatically made for you. You also start off with more resources and more money.
I hope this reveals something into the nature of ME2, and it is a game I would highly recommend (for ME1 players, read below as to why I think it's better)
For players of ME1, read below.
I've read the criticism of ME2 from the Bioware forums, and I would disagree with it. ME2 is superior to ME1 because:
1) Character development has much more depth. Some characters have limited dialogue options, but doing loyalty missions (highly required) provides more depth and cutscene dialogue than was possible in the first game. You can see the Quarian Flotilla and understand where Tali grew up before becoming involved with Shepard's quest in defeating Saren. You can visit the Krogan homeworld and understand your krogan compatriot more. Has dialogue decreased from ME1? I don't believe so; I found the most character interactions were from the romance partners, and with squadmates, you could open dialogue options, but unless you had them in the squad, they didn't say very much. Bioware left the dialogue, but added depth with the loyalty missions; I felt more attached to my characters this time around, despite being more characters to care about. Be on the lookout for Mordin, he's ME2's most amazing new character.
2) Gameplay: many people thought that the RPG elements were replaced in ME2 to satisfy those into FPS, but I disagree; combat is more steamlined, yes, but not at the expense of RPG and exploration elements. VI squad members are actually useful, using the sniper rifle is less of a hassle (and definitely more stable than in ME1, if you're an infiltrator), and, although weapon choices are less this time around, gamers don't need to constantly sell their weapons for better upgrades or convert unwanted combat items and armor into omni-gel. Armor choices are less, but Shepard's armor is very customizable!
Planetary exploration via the Mako is not possible, but most of those type of little side missions (which weren't mandatory and didn't contribute much to the main story, I thought) have been scrapped, while the loyalty missions have become an important part of the main storyline in ME2, which Bioware has put a lot of depth in. Don't think of the gameplay as detracted; think of all the energy into those little (but many) missions in ME1 as reallocated into fewer (but larger) missions in ME2.
Loading screens are different depending on missions, star systems, where you're going within the ship, and although slightly longer than in ME1, you will not experience the same Mass Relay loading screen, nor the delayed texture appearance; although graphics were amazing in ME1, that was one issue the game had. Not in ME2--graphics are stunning, clean, and very realistic. Cut scenes are much more cinematic, with Shepard/characters actually walking around and being active, not repeating hand gestures and twitching the upper body from time to time. Light and shadows are amazing.
At the very least, give ME2 a try. | video-games_xbox |
Finally a great console Action RPG. Sacred 2 is a very solid console Action Role Playing Game (ARPG) filled with quests, dungeons and more loot then you can imagine. Yes this game does have its share of flaws but those of us that are addicted to these types of games (aka Diablo clones) are likely to be more then satisfied. The port over to the console has been so good that many reviews - even "professional" reviewers say this is better then the PC counterpart.
I've been craving a good console hack-n-slash ARPG ever since the days of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath that came out last gen. The market for these games is so small that they very rarely come out. Sure there are great RPGS currently - Oblivion, Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and other come to mind but we haven't seen a real solid ARPG 'Diablo clone' come out in a long time. Finally Sacred 2 fills that gap - does it do a good job? Absolutely!
Let's go ahead and get the flaws out of the way. A lot of what you may have already read is true to some degree. Yes the frame rate does stutter slightly in larger open areas. The character development does seem daunting at first. The screen does tear a bit, enemies do get stuck every once in awhile, you get stuck every once in awhile, the voice acting is pretty bad, and sometimes navigation is a pain because on your way to a quest you will suddenly hit a dead end that isn't really that visible on your mini-map. The default camera is bad (luckily you can change it to a static camera which is much much better - makes the game play very much like BG:DA).
All of these flaws are present in some degree. It may sound like I'm bashing the game but really I'm not - I'm just telling you the truth. Also, the truth is that these issues are very nit-picky and in the grand scheme of things, well, they're irrelevant. It seems as though a lot of people are exaggerating these issues. The frame rate stutter is very slight and I noticed it smoothed out a bit when I installed the game on my hard drive. The character development is daunting at first but you get used to it and it's certainly better then having shallow character development. Enemies get stuck but it's rare and doesn't really affect the gameplay. People bash the voice acting and yes it is goofy and over the top - but this game doesn't take itself too seriously, which is evident right away when you read some of the gravestones and the text for the quests. The whole game is a little bit goofy - in a good way. The only significant complaint I have is that there is a complete lack of a pause feature, which is odd. Even if you hit the guide button on your controller the game will still go on in the background. I've read that they may fix this and I hope they do.
Some people complain about the interface but I think it's done very well. There is only so much you can do with a controller and I think they did a very good job porting over the interface - once you learn the ins and outs of it you will be flying through it in no time. Some people complain about the graphics saying they are outdated. I don't understand this at all, sure they aren't perfect but the world is vast and beautiful. On the PC this game is a complete system hog and they were able to port it well to the current gen consoles which are now becoming dinosaurs in computer years.
Look, it boils down to this. Do you like games like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Diablo? Are you a fan of hack-n-slash, looting, dungeon crawling, character buffing games with massive worlds and hundreds of quests? If this is your idea of a fun game then certainly you will be able to look past the technical nit-picky issues listed above. Sacred 2 offers a massive world capable of eating up hundreds of hours, there is no reason you shouldn't explore it. I am very satisfied with this game - it scratches that console ARPG itch I've had for quite some time now. | video-games_xbox |
extremely overated. this has to be one of the most overated games ive ever played. everybody has such wonderful things to say about it i don't know why though. my first impression of the game was that it was awesome. for a very very breif amount of time halo 2 has you defending earth itself from room after room of conevant attacks. unfortunately the game then reveals a terrible secret. you have to play most of the rest of the game as the CONEVANT. from there on in not only does the game completely take you away from earths defenses. but also gives you some of the most horrible storyline seqeunces ive ever seen. the game starts off with a wonderfully atmospheric saving earth theme. that felt oringinal and enjoyable at the same time. but bungie decided to throw this idea neck first in the trash for some more crappy level design. from there on in youll find yourself playing an elite called the arbiter. the game completely starts to fall apart at the seams. level design is apsolutely terrible. providing little tiny ugly corridor crawls that lack any sort of graphical appeal. youll start seeing more and more of this as the game goes on. because the whole damm thing is really a crappy corridor crawl. youll also be engaged into some terribly uncomfortable combat particularly against flood members. words cant describe how frustrating it is pounding droves of little flood with 10 grenades and several fuel rod gun shots only to find there still abudantly flowing. speaking of weapons youll be limited only to alein weapons because your playing as the conevant. another stupid thing. when you find human weapons youll go crazy with them. but youll scream with frustration once you find out that you still have hundreds of frustrating flood to bash with merely a plasma pistol or plasma rifle. the best alternative is a needler particularly when dual weilded because it carrys twice the power of halo 1s needler. so those frustrating moments in this tdisapointing game see m a bit less rigid. the cutscenes are also terrible. with noticable fill in and glitches. as the framerate relentlessely jumps from high to low resolutions. the ability to dual weapons is also no big deal because the only weapon that is effective to dualweild is the smg. the rest are plasma pistol rifle and magmum which disapontingly replaces halo 1s zoomable pistol. while the action is intese a lot of the game this cant make up for all the shortcomings in the level design which bash you over the head from early on when you leave earth to the rest of the game. halo 2s ending is probally the worst ending of any xbox game. it ends with a reprehensably bad and unsatisgfying cliffhanger ending that will make halo fans scream in disapointment. shortly after your playing as the elite at the last level. elites and brutes aren't getting along. they fight then you see cheif. commander says WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING CHEIF . he says finishing this war. the game ends on that note without any resolution or understanding. the whole thing was poorly wrapped up particularly the ending which was more of an advretisement for halo 3 than anything else. the campaign is also about an embarasingly short 6 hours. so you can see halo 2 is not the perfect game its cracked up to be. the ACTAUL GAMEPLAY ASPECT IS FUN. BUT ITS BURIED UNDER A LOAD OF CRAP. bungie you really screwed up this time. blah blah blah said bungie makers of halo 2. blah blawh if a game dosent entertain us in five minutes we stop playing them said bungie. while i have played games that entertained me in five minutes but this game is not one of them. so go screw yourselfs. people if you want this game rent it before you buy. | video-games_xbox |
Not as epic, but still fun. Dragon Age 2 had a lot to live up to after the awesome if somewhat flawed Dragon Age: Origins and its expansion pack follow-up Awakening. Here the story is about a single-race protagonist who lives for several years in the setting of Kirkwall, a hotbed of activity due to the unrest of a few factions: the Qunari, the mages, and the templars. As shown in the story's framing device, things in Kirkwall heat up to the point where the Chantry, the main controlling element of both the mages and the templars, has fallen to pieces and put the entire world of Thedas on the brink of war. What the whole game is about is playing through the events that lead to the point of the framing device, with the story taking place in three acts each set apart by a space of three years.
First off, most people don't like the idea of playing a single-race protagonist where Origins and Awakening allowed for the choice of human, dwarf, or elf with the accompanying varied origins of the chosen race character in Origins. That I didn't mind in this game. Secondly, most players felt as if their actions in the game really didn't affect anything, as if no matter what they've chosen, characters will continue to do their own thing regardless and the story itself will proceed in the manner leading to the inevitable conclusion. This became a problem when the original promise of the player's actions affecting the future of Thedas forever was subverted in favor of the route of inevitability, that the player was less an active participant in the events of Kirkwall and even less of a hero in the same vein as the Warden.
As far as controls go, the Xbox 360 version improves on the scheme used for the first two Dragon Age games, this time allowing for strategic placement of characters in combat. This is one thing I wished Origins and Awakening had, as it improved gameplay greatly.
Gameplay remains similar to that of its predecessors, except that combat is faster and at times gets to the point where enemies are just thrown at you from out of nowhere. It definitely feels like this game was made for the consoles, as I felt myself wanting to play this game more on the Xbox 360 than on the computer. Character inventory is a bit more streamlined, though, as the only character you can improve the armor of is Hawke. Also you can't customize your companions beyond making sure they have the right weapons, and in one character case you can't really customize him at all. Thirdly, it feels somewhat constricting to have most of the game's quests taking place in Kirkwall and its immediate surrounding areas, and there tends to be a lot of recycling of area maps in different locations where it feels like the developers could have used more time to polish this game up, not just in this area, but in a lot of places.
Despite the game's flaws, though, I still enjoyed Dragon Age 2 and have completed it a few times, while I'm still struggling to get through Origins and Awakening even on Casual. Hopefully the third game in the series will improve on things a bit more and bring it up the level of awesomeness that Dragon Age Origins had. | video-games_xbox |
An Excellent Replacement. So my old Xbox 360 Pro FINALLY got the Red Ring of Death (about two and a half years too late, I might add), and I was in the market for a new Xbox 360. My replacement had to live up to my recently-increased time spent gaming, and I wanted a product that would carry me through to the release of the next generation of gaming consoles. I knew I wanted an Xbox 360, and since my old Pro console had just died before the release of the new model came out, the logical decision for a replacement was a Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim 250 GB Elite console.
For those of you looking to replace your old consoles, jump into this generation of gaming from a previous generation, or jump in from no generation at all, here are the perks of this specific console: A 250 GB removable hard drive, an HDMI slot (not standard in many old Xbox consoles, highest-definition picture available, cable not included), an upgraded and faster CPU, a lighter/smaller/sleeker design, better cooling via several large fans, three extra USB ports, built-in B/G/N WiFi networking capabilities, and a dedicated Kinect port (that means that if you plug your Kinect hardware into this Elite, you won't need to plug it into an AC outlet as well; one less cord!).
Common features include the standard High Definition A/V port, ethernet port, and award-winning Xbox LIVE online service.
The box itself contains the appropriate paperwork and manuals, one console, one wireless controller, a power brick and cord (significantly smaller than the old power brick), and standard A/V cables (Hi and Low Definition).
Is it worth the upgrade if your current Xbox 360 console is functioning perfectly fine? No way; that's a lot of money to drop on something that you can do without.
For those of you new to gaming or replacing your old consoles like me, you might as well buy something that's going to last! Elites are known to have higher-quality parts on the inside, and you might as well get something that's going to hold a ton of game saves, downloadable content, music, movies, and pictures! This Xbox 360 S will last for as long as this generation of gaming consoles lasts, and beyond! | video-games_xbox |
A SLAM DUNK FOR MICROSOFT. This is a solid basketball bundle for hard-core sporting gamers. The Pros outweigh the Cons, and here they are:
PROS:
>> Superb graphics. I've played all the others (NBA2K2, NBA Live), and these are the best yet. Lay-ins, dunks, crossovers, rebounding, you name it, the XBOX delivers on this.
>> Challenging competition. I'm still a believer the Dreamcast has the best sporting games (and PS2, now that they picked up NFL2K2, NBA2K2, etc.). But even on the "All-Star" Level, I'm able to dessimate the computer on NBA2K2. I have to play buddies in 2-on-2 mode to get some decent competition. Not the case with NBA DRIVE. I'm now on the Veteran Level, and I'm at best a .500 club right now (despite having similar controls, directional passing, etc.). Makes for a more challenging and eventful gaming experience with the computer.
>> Excellent play-by-play analysis. I may be biased on this one, but I'm a big SONICS fan. The voice is Kevin Calabro and Marques Johnson (Sonic play-by-play guys). Calabro gives you a variety of his patented and colorful style. Hasn't got old yet.
>> Easy to learn controls. Microsoft didn't reinvent the wheel on this one, which is a good thing. The controls and method of play mirrors that of NBA2K2. Those of you familiar with that won't have to learn anew.
>> Realistic passing. If you pass into traffic, the ball will be snatched away. NBA2K2 let's you pass into a crowd, the length of the court, etc., and you always find your man. Not entirely the way the game is played, guys.
CONS:
>> Unrealistic rebounding. Even with excellent position, your 7' center isn't guaranteed the board. A little frustrating. Also, there's too many steals during a regulation game.
>> Buzzer beaters. I've lost a couple games to FULL-COURT THREES! Just make sure you're up by three if there's 2.3 seconds to go.
>> No create-a-player. It's fun to create yourself and dunk over Motumbo. Maybe in the next version.
>> Ridiculous blocks. At least 3-4 times during a game, my power forward will slash down the lane, go for a dunk, and there's a clean strip of the ball in mid-air. Yes, very annoying.
Nevertheless, this is the best basketball game out there. The games are sometimes close, sometimes you're blown away, sometimes your guys are hot, sometimes their cold...it's the way a season goes. Challenging game play and sick graphics all make for a notable and superb gaming experience. Now get to it! | video-games_xbox |
Not As Good As The First One But Still Worth Getting. Fable 2. The game that I waited over a year for and got a 360 just to play. So, did it live up to its long waiting and name? Everyone who has waited for this game apparently loved the first. That is the case with me. I am absolutely in love with Fable. So, when I heard that Peter was making a sequel I was in a moment of pure bliss. I counted down the days and checked on news on the game. In the first Fable, we are introduced to the 'choose your own path' scenario. Something that isn't too common with games. It's not in every game that you get to choose to be evil or good. You don't have many choices. Fable brought that to us, and we loved it. We wanted more. And Lionhead gave us more. So, did Fable 2 live up to the first one? I will list the pros, cons, and my opinion of the game below. And a warning to all: It may CONTAIN SPOILERS. Cons first, then pros.
CONS:
-The 'feel' of the game wasn't as powerful as the first Fable. I didn't get drawn in emotionally to the storyline.
-The storyline is a bit confusing when you first play. At least, it was for me. I am starting it over now though and it's making more sense.
-It's cool that people love you and all but when you DON'T even USE the follow expression on them and they follow you anyway, it's a bit annoying. When I got married in Bloodstone people, prostitutes even, horded into my room and they wouldn't go away. Very annoying and frustrating.
-A problem that I was hoping they'd fix for the second game that happened a lot in the first game is lagging. The game will lag when you buy things and sometimes when there's too many people in one area.
-It's harder to find items and get gold off of people. In the first Fable we were all used to just pressing one button on a dresser and we automatically stole something in one second. Or, when you smashed a barrel, almost every time you'd find something, from potions to food to gold. In Fable 2 there is nothing in any crates or barrels, which makes it harder to find food and potions. And, if you want to steal something, you have to hold down the A button. There are chests and places to dig all over the place but there are also plenty of crates stashed everywhere in the game. If there were food in there then it would make things easier during fights so you wouldn't have to keep buying them instead.
-I've noticed with the shops that once you buy an item it automatically sells out. This is aggravating because when you want to buy food or potions then you can only buy one of what they have in stock, thus making things harder for battle.
-Healing during battle. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but most of the time when I'm battling and I'm on the verge of dying, or rather being 'knocked out' then I wait for my food or potion sign to pop up on the pad. But..most of the time it never does, when in fact I DO have potions and food. I have had to go to the start screen many times to give myself a potion before I get knocked out because the game fails to do so for me.
-The ending was..a bit confusing. I get the storyline, even more so playing a second time. It's just that the ending upset me a bit. There was no actual battle with Lucien. You play the treasure chest, he falls off the pedestal thing, and dies. Then you make your wish. No boss battle. It's just over.
-One thing that I liked about the first game's battle system was the option to target your enemy. In Fable 2 you can do that too but sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing who I'm targeting.
-The 'controls' are hard to understand. I've come to the conclusion that it's strictly and xbox 360 thing. The words on the screen are too small to fully read sometimes and I have a hard time understanding what button they want me to press. I've noticed this in other games as well. No, it's not my TV. I can't really blame the game for this though.
-I hate that it takes people so long to get to their shops. It'll be like midday in the game and the barbar still won't be in her shop. I have to wait around for her or any tailors.
-I get and like that my character is a mute but my character never makes any expressions (other than the ones you make them use). For example, when you're standing there in Lucien's castle in the beginning and your sister gets shot you do..nothing? Your character just stands there like nothing has happened. No expression at all. And this is throughout the whole game too. In the first game your main character would gasp, cry, scream (silently), and even threw up because of what happened to his family and home. He had expressions. Your character in Fable 2 does not.
-I didn't like the scenes when people talked very much. Whenever it would show L1 for you to zoom in on something they were talking about, whenever you did that you couldn't hear the conversation anymore. So if you wanted to hear say, your character and Theresa talk at the beginning then you shouldn't zoom in to where it tells you to because you will miss the conversation.
-Hammer was quite annoying. No questions asked.
-I would have loved to hear more about Theresa's story. How, if she is indeed the same Theresa from the last game, she is still living after 500 years.
PROS:
-Being able to choose to be a female or male.
-The game has elements from the first Fable aka Theresa and the Guild, along with the Legends of Heroes and Albion 500 years ago.
-The visuals were beautiful and life like (you could see the leaves from trees blowing in the wind and the sun and moon with the day and night radiated beautifully).
-The citizens of each town are unique. There is rarely any that look alike (except for maybe Bowerstone. Many of the women tend to look alike there).
-Being able to have kids.
-Being able to have sex with whoever you want, not just a spouse.
-The dog tended to get on my nerves sometimes but I actually started warming to him as I went along in the game.
-The expanded range of area. There are so many places to explor OFF of your path that it would take a while to explore every beautiful corner of Albion.
-The areas are much bigger, which I think is impressive. In the first Fable, there were so many arches that you had to pass under into the next region so to say, for loading purposes. My guess is that the game developers at the time couldn't make an area too big or expanded because it would lag. Well, in Fable 2 that is pretty much eliminated. It's like taking 3 loading screens from the first game and putting them all into one free-roaming area in the second game. It saves time, annoying loads, and it's immense. Great treat there.
-All the details in the game are wonderful. The houses are so much cooler than the ones in the first game.
-I love that you are able to use a gun, as well a bow and arrows too. And of course, a sword.
-You get to buy a variety of clothes and still get hairstyles. You even have the option to dye your clothes or hair.
-The ending gives you three options for your wish and the result of your life after the game. Of course, waiting after the credits are finished to continue.
-When you had to pass through the marshes that was pretty awesome. It creeped me out but it was amazing. As you continue on through the marshes you will soon come upon what used to be Oakvale, where our hero in the last game lived. Of course, Oakvale is now a watery grave full of ghoulish fiends. Still, it was awesome that it was in the game and I was glad to see the bridge, hill, and scarcrow still there, after 500 years.
-From the very beginning you see just how much the game is similar to the first. Good/evil choices and having to earn gold to buy something.
Overall, Fable 2 was a very interesting game. I am not disappointed and I will definetely be playing it a lot more to explore Albion more. I really honestly think that people who didn't like it that much playing it through, then they should certainly try a second time. I played as a girl the first time. Well, I've come to find out that I don't like playing as a girl. The girl's expressions are annoying and she gets pretty ugly when you give her too much physique. She's like a he-woman next to her husband. I am playing as a guy this time around and I will say that I'm liking it more the second time around. Things aren't as confusing now and I'm flowing along with the storyline quite well. The first game is still my favorite. It beats this game by a long shot. But, if you have played the first game and you have a 360, then Fable 2 is worth getting. I totally recommend it. | video-games_xbox |
In-Depth Review of the Xbox 360 RROD Repair Kit: After 2 Months of Extensive/Heavy Use on a PHAT Xbox 360 (2008 and Later. Edit 4/3/15. My xbox has been running smooth for almost 1 1/2 years after doing this fix. Not a single rrod after all this time playing nearly everyday.
Ok so I bought this kit on September 4, 2013, so its been about 2 months. I waited this long so that I could give an accurate review of the durability of this product and fix. I used the tutorial that came with the kit (its on a sheet of paper that contains a link to the tutorial online). My Xbox is the PHAT version w/ the extra 3rd heatsink (these were made 2008 or so and later by Microsoft to address the RROD issue. Google "xbox 360 extra heatsink" for more info/pics). It took me about 5 hours, but I was really being overly careful and slow since it was my first time attempting an xbox fix of this magnitude. I also added a Talismoon Whisper Fan as a replacement for my original OEM fan for added ventilation/cooling. The given tutorial was good enough, though youtube videos helped me a lot as well. I did the fix and used everything except the DVD drive pads, DVD drive belt, the RAM pads, and a few of the washers. Read this review of each component below, and you will understand why my Xbox 360 has been running perfectly fine after tons of use for a solid 2 MONTHS now after having been Red-Ringed and dead for about a year. I've also included a list of tools/supplies that I used and needed for my fix that are NOT INCLUDED in this fix kit. They are not 100% necessary, they just made my fix easier/better to do. Lastly I offer some tips on how I did this fix.
Extra Stuff that I needed/used that wasn't included:
-Pliers,
-An old credit card (for applying the new thermal compound)
-Toothpick (for cleaning/removing the old thermal compound)
-Flathead screw-driver (for removing the X-clamps easier. You may not need this it was just easier for me using this tool)
-Sand paper (any grade will probably work, but the finer grades will probably be better)
-Talismoon Whisper Fan (may not be necessary but I wanted more ventilation for my box because most RROD is an over-heat issue)
-4 Copper Heatsinks (which I used instead of the 4 soft RAM pads that came with the kit). NO DRILLING WAS REQUIRED.
The tools:
The tools that come with this kit are perfect for the job. Both T8 & T10 screwdrivers and the xbox opening tool worked perfectly, and as long as you use them correctly, they don't bend or break easily. The hardest past was removing the x-clamps for me. Also some of the screws on my box were old, and very hard to remove so I would highly suggest investing in a good set of pliers as well. There are also youtube vids that show how to remove the x-clamps easier as the tutorial was never clear on this.
The Southbridge X-Clamp Fix:
The Southbridge X-clamp fix (the metal square that goes over the southbridge) was easy to install (just screw it on and follow the tutorial). After installing this, my xbox makes a slight rattling/whirring noise when running. Its not very loud at all, but it is noticeable. Even so I would definitely recommend installing this, as it is a big part of the fix, based on what I've read.
The Cleaning Liquids/Purifiers:
The cleaning liquids/purifiers (one of which was just rubbing alcohol) did a pretty good job of removing the old thermal paste. I used the liquids and Q-tips in this kit, as well a broken toothpick and a paper towel to VERY GENTLY scrape the old thermal paste off. Once I had them as clean as a mirror, I applied the thermal compound that came with the kit. Make sure you remove it all, even the old thermal paste that's on the motherboard itself around the CPU/GPU. Just take your time with this part, it will be time consuming, but getting it all off without damaging any components will help your box run better/longer. You know when you have done it right when you can basically see your reflection and the small engraved words in the CPU/GPU.
The Shims:
The self-adhesive CPU & GPU foam shims that came with this kit did their job well. They were very easy to install and I have no complaints.
The RAM Pads:
These are commonly called the "Band-Aids" (which is what they look/feel like) in an xbox. I did not use these on my box. The reason for this is that my xbox Red-Ringed while these were installed, so I figured why would I put new ones in when the originals (which still looked brand new) did not help stop the problem in the first place? I bought 4 Copper heatsinks from amazon for about 8 bucks (seller XBRDepot I believe), and completely replaced the foam ones with those. I am not entirely sure if they made a difference, but like I said before, my box has been working flawlessly for 2 months so I think I did something right.
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound:
This thermal compound is basically the best that money can buy for doing this fix. Based on what I've read, all the "pros" recommend only this brand that comes with this kit. It lasts the longest, and performs the best so if you buy this kit, you are getting the top brand thermal compound for this job. I applied a very small amount, the drop was maybe about 1/4th the size of a tic-tac, so very small. I used an old credit card to smooth it out and make sure it is very smooth, even, and thin as possible while still adequately covering the entire CPU/GPU. Don't use your finger, as it is near impossible to get even thickness using your finger. Also, try to get as little as possible (preferably none) on the motherboard around the CPU/GPU.
Screws and Washers:
The screws and washers worked as advertised. Be sure to sand down the areas that the tutorial recommends or you may have a hard time closing your box when you put it back together. My first attempt resulted in me not being able to join the two halves of my box together, so I had to take it all the way apart again and sand it down. So don't skip this step thinking it is pointless like I did lol
DVD Drive Belt & Drive Pads:
I did not use these. My RROD was not caused by my disc drive, and my disc drive worked fine, so I saw no need to open it and risk breaking something that wasn't broken. The only function of the drive belt and pads is to lessen the chance of a disc being scratched by the drive. The only time I've ever had a disk get scratched was when I laid my box down flat (from an upright position) while it was on and a game was spinning inside it. As long as you remove the game or turn off your box before laying it down or tilting it, you will probably never have a disk scratching issue. But you can definitely install these components if you want, especially if your box is scratching disks on its own for some reason. just be very careful as the innards of your disk drive are pretty fragile and delicate. Personally though, it just wasn't worth the risk.
Conclusion:
This is a solid fix. If you take your time and follow the directions exactly, you have a great chance of getting your Xbox up and running again. It is a bargain for the price, so even if it fails, you only spent 20 bucks. My only complaint is that my xbox is pretty loud now after doing this fix. I just turn my tv up louder and its fine. I'd rather have a loud xbox, than no xbox. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best anime based games ever released. The mega manga/anime franchise that has been sweeping the states as of late is the Naruto franchise. The universe within the series pretty much says "game" written all over it. If you picked up a random Naruto game, however, chances are it had "not that great" written all over it. Many of them are shallow fighters or platformers that have no real reason to exist other than to make cash on the popular craze. Ubisoft, however, has decided to take on the reels of the franchise and deliver a Naruto game of their own. As the first game in the franchise to be developed outside of Japan, and the first to hit Microsoft's console, it attempts to deliver something that the other games have missed out on: being good. Does it succeed in its lofty goal, however?!
Story:
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja covers the first 80 or so episodes of the franchise, and tells of the beginnings of Naruto's rise of becoming the very best ninja, known as "hokage" in his world. He is known, however, as being a troublemaker, and try as he might, he never really seems to catch a break. Not only has he failed ninja school, but he has an ancient nine-tailed fox demon sealed inside him, which hasn't exactly made him the talk of the town, so to speak. Naruto now attempts to do everything in his power to win the villagers trust. The setup is not too complicated, yet it makes you want to help the young underdog on his quest to earn the one thing he's looking for: respect.
7/10
Design:
There are two different modes in Naruto: Rise of a Ninja: Story Mode and Fight Mode. The Story Mode is the main single player component of the game, and takes you through Naruto's trials and tribulations of becoming a respectable ninja. At the start of the game, no one really likes him. Your objective is to help out the villagers by taking on missions, quests, and several minigames through the Hidden Leaf Village. As you complete these tasks, you'll make the villagers happy, and it is also your main measure of your progress in the game. Also, like an RPG, doing tasks increases your Health Points and Chakra Points. The tasks have quite a bit of variety, and you'll find quite a lot to do in the single player component.
The missions take you through select exhibitions of the main Naruto story covered in the manga and anime. A lot of these exhibitions have plat forming elements, and you perform acrobatic feets, a lot like a simplified version of Ubisoft's own Prince of Persia. These segments require precise timing to jump over swinging logs, spears, and other nefarious traps. During the course of the game, you'll also learn how to climb up certain walls and surfaces, as well as walk on water. These abilities open up previously unexplorable paths, and you'll oftentimes want to exploit them to find another section you couldn't get to before. This is especially a plus, because some of the missions require you to hop onto treetops and get to the other side of the lake in order to complete a mission.
Quests are side missions you can do as favors for the villagers. Often, they consist of finding lost items, gathering a certain number of coins, and others. Most, if not all, are required to advance the story, but you still want to do them if you want to get the more elusive achievements toward your Gamerscore on your Xbox Live profile. Other side quests include delivering ramen, wooing lovelorn villagers with a certain jutsu, timed races, and hide and seek. There is quite a lot to do in the game's world, yet the main story mode doesn't last that long, ranging from about 7 to 8 hours if you don't do everything else the game has to offer. If you are, at least double that amount. It took me about 20 hours to do everything in the single player game, so that may be enough bang for your buck.
The other aspect of the Story Mode, which also has a separate Fight Mode, is the one on one fighting. The combat system in this fighter segment is simple, yet somehow also deep. The fighter is made so that newcomers can still have a reasonable chance to beat a vertran. There are standard combos, throwing knives (or kunai), and the jutsus that can be performed by holding down L trigger and entering a combination of movements on the two analog sticks. Successfully pull off one, and you'll initiate an event, where you have to enter a succession of either timed button presses, hitting the target at the right spot, and so on. The one being attacked can also possibly avoid the onsluaght by timing certain actions just right, so unlike other Naruto games, just because someone performed a jutsu doesn't mean that you will automatically lose if you're low on health.
Another thing that sets the game over the top is its support over Xbox Live. In the Marketplace, you can purchase additional characters and maps (Shikimaru is free, though) as well as download Japanese voice overs for the game (also free). Add online play for the fight mode, and you have a product that pulls a lot of punches.
9/10
Gameplay:
The controller functions quite admirably for this game. Naruto moves smoothly, and all the actions in the game are simplified. There are, however, the occasional rogue camera problems, where it'll get stuck in an object and you have no idea where Naruto is. There are also some minor glitches, like I encountered one where Naruto is mysteriously caught on a ledge and can't get off, and I had to reset the game in order to resume. I also encountered a problem with the Shikimaru download, where it causes the game to crash whenever you hit a tripwire in the single player mode and such. The Jiraya and Sarutobi download did fix this problem, whether it be free trial or pay download, but I figure it should be noted. Despite all these problems, you should have no real qualms with controlling in Naruto, in either modes.
Also, while the fight mode is fun and intense, it's implementation in the Story Mode lacks just a bit of pizazz. Sometimes, you do fight characters from the anime, but most of the time, you're fighting generic enemies. It's not really a problem for me, but it might be for some, so I figured it should be noted.
8.5/10
Presentation:
Perhaps the best aspect of Naruto: Rise of the Ninja is the presentation. The graphics look absolutely breathtaking. The Hidden Leaf Village is just a delight to explore, and oftentimes, you'll end up getting lost in Naruto's world just for the sake of exploring its lush, beautiful world. Oftentimes, it actually looks better than the anime it's based on. One nitpick however is the lips not flapping when they talk during the in-game cinematics. The game also has select cuts from the anime itself, though mostly, they have boarders on the left and right sides if you're using an HDTV. I assume this is done because the source material for the footage is still SD, which was provided by VIZ Media, but it is still a bit odd. Still, if it was full screen, I guess we would be experiencing a weak pressure, so this is understandable.
Audio wise, the package has the voice work from the American cast, love them or hate them. Still, it does make it sound more authentic. Also, like I mentioned earlier, the purists can download (for FREE) Japanese voice overs, which also do a respectable job. In fact, they actually do better, and are actually more funny, especially when Naruto falls into the water ("Flipeee!" Heh heh. I never get tired of that.) The sound effects fit the Naruto world and I found no qualms with any of them. Overall, this is an outstanding package in terms of presentation!
9.5/10
Overall:
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja isn't exactly the best game out there, but it is one of the best anime games ever released! It is great for fans of the show, and is very approachable for newcomers of Naruto's world. While some may still want more, overall I'm very pleased with this game, and it actually made a Naruto fan out of this former non-fan!! If that's not saying something, I don't know what is!!!
9.0/10 (Not an average) | video-games_xbox |
EA Screws Up Sliced Bread. Mad & Done:
The football part of the game -- the tackling, running, passing -- has a whole new more (although not exactly) realistic feel that's decent.
But it almost doesn't matter, because everything else about the game is laughably bad.
- No franchise mode. No team creation.
- The first time you play the game you have to sit through a short film of Ray Lewis essentially comparing himself to Buddah in way-too-long corny soliloquy. Very silly.
- You can edit existing NFL uniforms. This might sound cool, until you realize the sheer stupidity of wearing the Pat the Patriot helmet with the current home jersey, or vice versa. Or the sheer putridness of wearing a yellow Green Bay helmet with their blue throwback. This is absolutely laughable.
- 'Franchise' mode is lagged down by this intricate, point-based experience system. I don't know what it does, if it does anything. But I know to get 200 XP points I have play an entire half in a practice dome against a generic team. How many XP points do I get from plopping down $59.99?
- As stated previously, practice mode takes place against a generic team wearing solid black helmets and white jerseys.
- You cannot change the camera view of the game. No press box, classic, overhead, any of that. It's one view, take it or leave it.
- You can no longer import draft classes.
- Instant replay no longer begins at the snap. This means if you mess up a play, or even if you make a great play, you only see the last 8 or 10 seconds or so of it on replay.
- You can only Challenge certain plays, no simply pressing pause to challenge a play.
- You can't edit players (equipment, player numbers, names, anything.)
- Hot Route/Audible system is awkward clunky (to say nothing about the odd feature of throwing the ball away,) and WR's only hot route in the direction of their original route. (This might not be true, but I've yet to determine how to move them otherwise and am pretty convinced it's not possible.)
- The game is bloated with online options like online leagues, online careers, online digital football card collecting and online rankings.
- As if Jim Nantz and Phil Simms aren't annoying enough in real life, they're all over this game in their folksy glory (instantly muted/no one uses commentary.)
- Players have to read FAKE tweets by the insufferable Skip Bayless. That's not realistic, clever or cool -- that's just annoying.
- Last but not least, you can't see what players earn in the roster editing or trades menu. This is just a laughable oversight. Literally that people got paid to review, test market and critique this game prior to its widespread release is literally the new Whoopie Cushion. You never know where you are in relation to the salary cap? That's very realistic to the NFL -- if you live in Oakland.
Horrible game. | video-games_xbox |
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, A must buy for any war game enthusiast. First of all, I want to clear up any issues regarding the "game freeze" during online play. EA has fixed this problem as of Friday October 28, 2005. They have added an auto-update that takes 10 seconds to load onto your Xbox, and it will allow you to play online without any freezing issues. Before this auto-update, I was only able to play online for a mere 10-15 minutes before the game froze on me. I played the other day for a solid 3 hours without any problems. EA has responded to this problem and I commend them for their quick response to this issue.
Now, my review on Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for the Xbox. I want to start off by saying that this is a great game. The award winning PC version was incredible and the Xbox version is not exactly par with the PC, but it will definitely do.
Now if your like me, it's all about the online play. The campaign mode in this game is a lot of fun, but its not the sole reason to add this game to your cart. The online play is simply amazing. The battlefields are huge, with alleyways, buildings, train crates, bridges, rivers, and ditches to use for stealthy attacks against the enemy. Walking from one end of a map to the other, takes an eternity, but this factor only adds to the realism of an actual battlefield.
The graphics are fantastic to say the least! This isn't Socom people, and you quickly come to this conclusion, when you see the graphics for yourself. I'm still impressed every time I play this title. It looks very good. The Sound Effects are top notch, and the music adds a cinematic element to the gameplay experience that I kind of like. The music will even change to a more intense rhythm when an enemy appears on your screen. And if music isn't your thing while playing a war game, then you can always turn it off in the settings menu.
The ability to choose a different soldier before you respawn is a nice feature. You can choose from Assault, Sniper, Spec Ops, Engineer or Support. Assault gives you an assault rifle with a grenade launcher, pistol, Fragmentation and smoke grenades. Sniper gives you a sniper rifle, pistol, laser target Designator, (for missile strikes), GPS unit, (to spot hiding enemies), and fragmentation grenades. Spec Ops gives you a silenced assault rifle, silenced pistol, explosives, combat knife (for close quarter combat), and stun grenades, (which temporarily blinds the enemy). Engineer will give you an automatic shotgun, blowtorch repair kit, (for repairing vehicles), pistol, rocket launcher, and vehicle mines. And last but not least Support will give you a M249 which is a heavy machine gun with lots of ammo, an auto-injector (field medicine for yourself or other soldiers), pistol, and of course fragmentation grenades.
During combat, there are a number of ways to reach the enemy. You can fly in a chopper or take a ride in a jeep, tank or even a boat. 30+ vehicles to choose from. My personal favorite is taking a transport helicopter. One pilots the aircraft while 2 sit inside with the ability to fire whichever weapon they have, and 2 others operate huge 7.62mm machine guns on the side of the chopper. Want to get out? Jump out and deploy your parachute while picking off the enemy from a hundred feet off the ground. C'mon, this is great stuff!
If you're looking for a great war game, this is it. Battlefield 2 requires skill with the arsenal above, knowledge of the maps, and the ability to be a team player. Walking into a highly guarded area by yourself with a sniper rifle, would not exactly be your finest moment. This game will force you to be a team player.
I only have 2 complaints with this game. What kind of review would this be if I didn't have any constructive criticism? First of all, Battlefield 2 will not allow you to invite your friends over to join you in an online battle. Halo 2 had this, and I definitely miss this feature. Second, When playing an optimatch battle set for low experienced players, I found myself playing alone. The only way to get a massive 24 player game going, is if you choose a quickmatch. So if you're new to Battlefield 2, you're going to have a rough time playing against experienced players.
Besides that, Battlefield 2, with its large and highly detailed 10 online multiplayer maps, 50+ weapons, 30+ vehicles, and 24 players online... This game is a must buy for any war game enthusiast. Purchase this game today, it's a monster of a game and you're going to love it. | video-games_xbox |
I've played them all! And this is one of the best. I own every single Spider-Man game to date. I'm a Spider-Man nut and the moment any of these games hit the market they hit my system for some swing time. This is one of the better Spider-Man games on the market and certainly the best Beenox made Spider-Man game. There have been some big changes this time around. For example you actually have to think about which hand to use while web slinging since you can shoot webbing with your right and left hand using the right and left triggers. And attempting to shoot a webline from the wrong hand can make you fall. It also helps while turning corners to shoot with the corresponding hand. The web rush is back from the previous game which is a plus. Although I have noticed it doesn't work as well as it did in the first game. I put the first game back in my system to make sure and as it turns out the web rush system worked much better in the first Amazing Spider-Man game. Every time you'd push the web rush button in the first game it worked. It seems like half the time you push the web rush button in this new game it doesn't work. I'm glad the web rush is back, I just wish they took the time to make it work as well as it did in the first game. So what about the improvements?
Unlimited crime! Better swing mechanics! Smoother combat! A better story line! More classic villains! More than a dozen different costumes that actually effect gameplay! Stealth gameplay has been vastly improved! A nice variety in side missions! And Peter Parker missions this time! Oh, and let's not forget the fact Stan Lee makes more than just a quick cameo in this game. He plays a big role this time around and it's great! I won't spoil it for you but let me just say it is all very clever and adds lots of replay to this game.
I am thoroughly enjoying this game. I have run into a few minor bugs but nothing game breaking (which will probably get patched anyway). The ability to choose dialogue ala "Mass Effect" was a nice touch as well. If you are a Spider-Man fan there is no way you will not enjoy this game.
*update
I'm much further into this game and I have to say the story line is great! What they do with Kraven and Spider-Man is just fantastic. The debate they get into over whether or not they should ever take a life, and if it is ever justified is just flawless. I was not expecting this caliber of writing for a video game movie tie in. I also really enjoyed what they did with a certain serial killer in the Spider-Man universe. Normally I don't care for changes to story lines and characters from the comics but what they do with this character was very inspired. I don't want to ruin who and what they did, but let me just say the writing for this game is top notch. Best Spider-Man game story since the Ultimate Spider-Man game which was written by the great Brian M. Bendis. So that's saying a lot. You know Beenox has done this game right when, more than once, I actually thought to myself the story line in this game improved upon the story line from the movie. That's all, I just wanted to give an update.
*update 2
I've finished the game and put a lot of hours into the game after having complete it. I love swinging around New York (and replaying missions) but what is starting to drive me crazy is before every random crime it has to load. Which is weird because you can see the guys you are about to fight in real time before it loads. But any way it loads to show you a small cut scene when you arrive and then cuts to another small cut scene when you win and then has to reload the city. When in ALL other free roam Spider-Man game there is no loading to fight the random crimes and loading when you finish the random crimes. It's time consuming and annoying. It also pulls you out of the game. But worst of all is the Daily Bugle news spots they play OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER...
and over after each crime resolved. There really should be a way to turn those off. Or at least skip them the moment they start. Instead you have to watch at least half or sometimes more of each of them before the game lets you skip it. And for someone like me who plays this game non-stop for hours and hours it can get pretty annoying to have to watch those Daily Bugle news reports 1000 times.
So over all this is a great Spider-Man game (possibly the best Spider-Man game yet right along side "Web of Shadows") and unlike the Amazing Spider-Man game before it, this one lends itself to being played non-stop like most of the other free roam Spider-Man games because of the unlimited crime. I just wish they didn't have to load every time I wanted to do a random crime. And every time after you complete a random crime.
*update 3
Ok, last update. I've put a ton of hours into this game even after finishing it. There is lots to do after beating the game. And the swing mechanics are actually much more dynamic than how they first appear. I find myself looking for the tallest buildings to shot a web onto so I can swing around it giving me 360 degrees of movement from that one web line or holding the "B" button to twirl around a corner while wall running instead of jumping off when you get to a corner. The web slinging only seems shallow to those who haven't mastered them. Beenox made them easy to use but complex to master. I can now do all kinds of neat tricks while web swinging around the city that I had no idea I could do when I first started this game. Possibly the best Spider-Man game so far. | video-games_xbox |
UPDATED: This is not a DOA!! This is a systematic product failure. Don't beleive me: check the other reviews on Newegg. This is not another DOA review!! This is a report of a systematic product failure. If you don't beleive me, read the other reviews on Amazon as well as the ones on Newegg and why this product only has 2 stars there.
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Please read "Great Headset, When Not Broken" "Great Sounding Headphones TERRIBLE Design Flaw" review. My first experience was similar to their's.
First off, I don't write many reviews, but I'm writing this one with urgency to warn consumers at large to watch out for this product. I realize that every product that is mass-produced is going to have a chance of defects and DOAs (for which reviewers give one star which might bias the rating of a product). From what I can tell though, this headset has a frequent, systematic issue. What's good about this headset is that, though this is not like a true 5.1 surround sound system, it is still a cool sounding headset (though I'm not an extreme audiophile to critique that), with a seemingly versatile in-line amplifier, and gamer-wise its looks are almost irresistibly "sexy." With that being said my frst problem was that, the amplifier did have an audible hiss. I eventually figured out that just maxing out the Windows volume would help alleviate this problem. However, within a month or so the left side "Front" speaker began phasing in and out until it completely ceased to function. Fortunately the Center and Rear speakers have suitable volume for functionality in a stereo mode. Now out of nowhere the plastic part of the headband right above the left cup broke, and yet I did not abuse this product. These same problems occur far too often. I owned a cheaper pair of Zalman ZM-RS6F 5.1 surround sound headphones, that did not have near this much issue (though it lacked good sound quality). I will be RMA-ing this headset soon, but I'm not impressed with the RMA process so far. When my logitech mouse broke (which has a 3 year warranty), I had to do a quick diagnostic over the phone and I was actually sent another mouse to my address with no expense or trouble to me other than the phone call. Plus I got to keep the old mouse. This was for a product that probably has a much lower defect probability than this Turtle beach headset.
Though I had other problems with the general design of this headset, they are not even worth mentioning in light of the catastrophically disheartening fact that the headset has more-or-less completely fallen apart in a short period of time with no abuse to account for it in conjunction with the fact that this degredation has occured in almost the exact same fashion for numerous consumers (please excuse the run-on). DON'T TAKE THE CHANCE. JUST SKIP THE HEADACHE AND GET A DIFFERENT HEADSET!
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UPDATE:
I received my new Z6A headset a couple weeks after RMA'ing the old one. As I imagined, it broke down exactly like the previous one except in an even shorter period of time. I will not waste any further headache on getting another headset that will break down a few months later. Note that two headsets broke down well before the one year warranty was out (~7-8 months). There may be good Turtle Beach headsets, but I have no faith in this Z6A line. I once again urge consumers to look elsewhere. | video-games_xbox |
You will either love it or hate it. I love this game. Normally I don't have time to write reviews, but I just want to help address a few things that other people complain about.
Firstly, it is certainly a game that you will either love or hate, rarely anything in between (hence the average rating of 3 stars here -- there are about as many 5 stars as their are 1 star reviews). To this, it is probably a matter of determining if you ever had a childhood fancy to be a pirate. Who doesn't love pirates and adventure on the high seas, and BOOTY?
The main complain people have has to be that some people think it is repetitious and shallow. While it can be grindy and repetitious, the game actually changes as you play in that the challenges get, well, more challenging. As you level up in the guilds, you also go to the next tier of missions which ask increasingly more of you to do, and provide greater rewards. So at first you are catching one or two chickens, taking on a single pirate skeleton crew, or finding a single chest, but at level 25 and above, and after you start to understand the game more, it can get pretty exciting. But really where the meat and potatoes are here is from your experience with others.
The next complain would have to be that your upgrades are all cosmetic, with the exception of a few (like sniper rifle with better scope). While I am not sure what Rare has planned here in their updates, it is true for the most part, but the goal of the game was to keep everyone on a similar keel for competition purposes, rather than leveling up to become the most OP pirate on the server. Also, the objective of the game is to become a famed pirate (the final achievement), that is your goal.
And finally, the other complain would have to be the griefers. I won't deny that there are griefers, but they have mechanics built into the game now (after the first update or so) where you can avoid them if you really want to. One such example is when you die, while you wait in the afterlife to respawn there is a poster on the wall that allows you to answer if you feel like you are being attacked by griefers. If you say yes, you are sent elsewhere (it seems like to another server). Other than that, once you stick with the game and learn the mechanics and system, you can turn the tables on the griefers and get revenge. Personally that is what I do, I don't mess with anyone but if they attack me, then ITS ON and I will make them regret it (revenge is sweet in this game).
And that leads to the games biggest strengths...
Personally I love the art style, and the sound is SUPERB, and it has the best water you will see in any game I can ever recall. Also, you can go around talking into your headset like a pirate (just put "arrrgh!!!!" in front of everything you say, and you get to say "booty" in like every other sentence). But all that is really small potatoes to the game's biggest strength: the story you create at sea from the crazy things that happen and the interactions you have with others (both with friendlies and hostiles). You can certainly play with a crew of friends and that would be fun, but my friends happen to be interested in other games (we rarely find a single game we all play at the same time). So, I mostly play alone, but I have also played plenty open crew sessions with others on Xbox Live and it has been a blast. If you find it isn't then you only have to leave the game and join to a different crew (that is the key - don't just settle on the first crew you find, find a good one where everyone is communicating and working together and not acting like D bags!).
So back to the STORIES you create.
What I mean is, the more you play the richer the experience can become to the point that you will actually play into situations that you could never recreate again, ever. You will find yourself saying "I remember the time when...!". Some examples of stories I will never forget...
-The time when we took a galleon (crew of 4) to a "skull fort" and fought through the waves of skeletons to collect about 10,000 in treasure. Upon leaving, we got into a running battle with two other galleons, only to end up being sunk by the Kraken, and we returned to the area and fought over the treasure that was up for grabs (that was exciting to me).
-The time when I alone on a sloop, passing by a skull fort and was hailed by a crew of another sloop (small ship, crew of 2) and we agreed to work together on the skull fort and split the loot (which we did, without a single underhanded incident, agreeing to divide the loot 1/3 each and we went our separate ways).
-The time when we saw another galleon sunk by a pirate crew, and we picked up the ship-less crew on our passing galleon and we chased down the pirates with a crew of 8 (rather than the normal 4). That was a very strange situation where two crews worked together, sailing the same ship.
-Another time when I was alone, minding my business and attacked by a sloop (crew of 2) and we went on a wild chase/battle where I eventually got away. I later hunted them down and ambushed them (recognizing their sail and hull colors), leading to another long running battle (about 40 minutes long) where we blasted each other, repaired damages, ran each other into rocks, and still neither ship could get the best of each other. Near the end of the battle, I put a gun powder keg on the bow of the ship and rammed them, it exploded and nearly sank us both. Finally we called a truce (by flashing lanterns) a breaking off. In this case even though they attacked me, we parted with respect and they possibly thought twice about ambushing the next ship.
-And finally (because I am tired of typing), the time when, again, minding my own business on a sloop alone (doing merchant missions), I was attacked by a galleon with crew of 4, leading to a running battle. After executing several 180 "anchor turns", and hitting them with cannon fire, they were eventually led into rocks, crashed, repaired their damage and I got away. I went to a nearby fort and gathered gun power barrels, followed them to an island where they landed to explore and left the ship. I swam over like a ninja with a gun powder barrel, put it inside the ship, and exploded it which sank their ship. Then returned and gathered the floating treasure and got away. This is that "sweet revenge" that is possible, if you are into that competitive play. If you aren't into that, then you can certainly end up on a server where everyone is friendly (I have seen it many times), or join a galleon crew and drive off any griefers. You can certainly also get away from any pursuit ship too, if you stick with the game long enough to get your sailing skills down.
But let's face it, what really gets you on the seat of your pants and gets the excitement pumping is when two ships are going at it, and two crews trying to out think the other.
Also, more of closing comment here, I do love the fact that Rare is adding new content to the game for free, with planned updates/upgrades. Yes, you can argue that it should have been there from the start, but I am a game developer myself and the reality is that they have to release the game at some point, and the game has been in development for quite some years. I look at it this way: I learn the game and get deeper into the community experience, it is nice to know that a little something new is being (and will be) added from time to time to keep it fresh.
Give it a try and see if you like it if you are on the fence (as a rental, then buy if you like), but if you love pirates, sailing ships, and are competitive then this is an easy purchase. | video-games_xbox |
Failed attempt at improving the original. I loved the first game, except for the time limit. It's the type of game that begs for wandering around aimlessly, fighting zombies, playing with weapons, and discovering new areas. The biggest problem I had with the new one is that it did the same thing... put a time limit on you.
I don't mind being forced to do missions, but a lot of times, the time limit requires that you sit around waiting for the new part to open up so you can do the timed mission and not allowing you enough time to go somewhere else and run a side mission. So, I didn't like that feeling of being trapped behind a time. I was under the impression when I preordered the game that the timelimit would be taken out.
The first one was fun because it was over the top ridiculous and just plain fun. This game takes the story a little more seriously, introduced a little child that is just plain annoying, and doesn't give you proper time to explore in order to try out making new weapons. Also, some spots are just too difficult. I have been playing coop with a friend and we are stuck at a part with two sword weilding tv girls who just don't take enough damage from any weapon we've used thus far, run faster than us, and just murder us in no time flat. It's frustrating because we have to respawn and make our way back there every time. I ended up shelving the game and planning to go back again at SOME point in the future.
The game is still fun. However, it's kind of like GTA games where the most fun is had by moving around and causing damage, murder, and mayhem! Minus the time limit and little girl who needs her medicine (not a spoiler, you learn about it in the beginning, or in Case Zero if you buy that), this game has potential. IF there's a 3rd, it needs to go back to being corny and ridiculous.
I recommend buying it at $30. That seems like a fair price from what you get.
PS - Amazon gave preorders a special clothing code as a bonus. Capcom took forever to make that code available, so we got a sweet 1/2 off coupon for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 as well as an extra $10 off gaming coupon. That made me love Amazon, but Capcom definately seemed to take their time thanks to an underwhelming reception of the game. True or not, that's how it felt. It had no bearing on this review though. | video-games_xbox |
A great affordable way to improve your COD and FPS gaming. So far I love these Kontrol Freek Black Ops III Reveal Edition sticks! I originally had the FPS Freek Prestige's for the Xbox 360 and they helped, but didn't hold up to being removed and reinstalled frequently (The plastic tabs that hold them on the analog stick eventually cracked.) I'm hoping these are a little more durable.
If you've never used Kontrol Freeks or analog stick extensions before these will take a bit of getting used to. Once you get accustomed to playing with these you'll want them on all the time. The Black Ops 3 roman numeral 3 and all the little bumps around the edges provide great grip but also take a little time to feel normal. If you play for a long period of time your thumbs can get a little irritated but that's with hours of gameplay and probably goes away with wear and as you get more accustomed to the Kontrol Freeks.
If you're bad at Call of Duty or similar games these won't instantly make you a great player but they can help improve your aiming, reaction speed and K/D ratio with a little practice!
HOW DO THEY WORK?
There's really no magic here and it comes down to basic physics. Kontrol freeks work by adding height to your controller's analog sticks. These add around 10 mm or so of height which means you get more leverage and increased arc motion from full stop to full stop. The increased height gives you increased sensitivity, more precise controls and 118% more range of motion compared to analog sticks without Kontrol Freeks. You could TRY doing this yourself by adding something between your thumb and the analog sticks. . . but Kontrol Freeks do it for at an affordable price and they look great in the process!
I do little to no sniping or quickscoping but I can see how these would help. The increased Range of Motion and speed I feel seem to help with longshots and with my medium to long range game.
I've found these help with Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Destiny, Titanfall, Farcry 4 etc.
PROS:
+ Affordable way to step up your game
+ Make a great gift for gamers
+ Officially Licensed Call of Duty Black Ops III product!
+ Install quickly
+ Can be removed quickly
+ The bright "Black Ops" orange color looks great.
CONS:
- Take a bit of getting used to
- Can feel a bit irritating to your thumbs during periods of extended play
- The extra height might not be comfortable for smaller hands or people with short thumbs.
- It might just be me, but I find these annoying when I'm not playing a FPS style game. Maybe I just have more time to overthink things and realize they're there.
- A "Limited Edition" so they may not be available for long
NOTE: For those wondering, they will NOT fit the Xbox 360 controller. The analog sticks are different sizes. | video-games_xbox |
Good sequel. I didn't think a lot of the 1 & 2 star reviews were being fair to the game. I think that this game is an improvement to DA:1 & Origins. I am going to address just a couple of the things I liked more about this game than the first 2.
Graphics: Great improvement to the OG's, with what I felt was more realistic and engaging cinematics and cut scenes. The combat graphics are also more enjoyable.
Combat: Much more interactive than the OG's. Enemy status' such as stunned, staggered, brittle, ect. are much more defined and easier to exploit with cross-class combos and the such. Little drawbacks to playing the different classes are much less defined (ex. 2-handed warriors are no longer sooo dang slow, mage's regular attacks are more powerful), not so much that it takes the tactical perspective from the game, but enough that you can't really go wrong with what class you choose in the beginning. Most importantly combat is supposed to be fun (close second is how rewarding it is), so I felt that by making the game's combat system more interactive, they have drastically improved the fun factor of combat.
Story: I'm about 8 hours in so far, but as most of the "new age" rpg's are highly interactive by having your decisions make such a large impact on the story... really the game is what you make of it. Things are going to turn out how you feel they should. I would hope that all of you playing this game are big boys and girls and can live with the consequences of your "actions." I think the game has all the same charm with the casual conversations your companions partake in while you are running around doing your business.
The little things: They tend to make all the difference for me when I'm playing a game. First, the crafting: In the OG's I hated having to put talent points I could be using to kill things better into making potions, poisons, ect. In the sequel you collect recipes and resources out in the world and contract others to make these products for you, very streamlined. Second, companion gear. I noticed a lot of people griping about not being able to equip their companions with the armor (weapons, trinkets and belts still work as they did in the OG's) they find in the world. This is true, but I appreciate it. I have more of an individual attachment to the main character, who is just as customizable as in the OG's, who I care greatly about being able to wear exactly what I want him/her to. This means when I find some mage armor, and I'm a warrior, I can junk it and not worry about carrying it around for a situation that one of my mage companions MIGHT need it for. Your companions' armor still upgrades as you complete side quests for them or collect articles of gear that add to their default armor... no thought involved. Lastly, as you play the game you find things you know your not going to use, you can easily mark them as junk and sell all the stuff off at a vendor extremely easily, making for quick visits to vendors to lighten your load.
Overall, just like going from Mass Effect 1 to 2. The gameplay is very similar, but they have "fixed" a lot of the little annoyances that (depending on personal preference) bogged down the first games, making the game much more enjoyable. | video-games_xbox |
Finally a worthy Champions of Norrath Successor! 4P Couch Co-op FTW. After nearly a decade, finally there's a worthy Champions of Norrath/Baldur's Gate successor on the console. If you know and love Champions of Norrath or the slightly inferior (imho) Baldur's Gate for couch co-op, just stop right now and buy Diablo 3.
Diablo 3 is hack-n-slash, dungeon crawling, RPG, couch-coop heaven. It's fantastic. My buddies have tried many different games since, and although some occasionally came close such as Dungeon Siege III and War In The North, the gameplay was rarely as satisfying, the customization rarely as strong, and co-op was almost always limited to 2 players (or worse, single player like torchlight), even if they did have better graphics. If you're of the philosophy that online multiplayer cannot possibly compete with the sheer awesomeness of fighting side-by-side with your best buds, then seriously, look no further.
Diablo 3 has everything you're looking for:
- 4 Person Couch Co-op (local)
- LOOT! LOTS OF IT!
- Intricate and diverse character skills and progression. Even the skill have modifiers!
- MASS CUSTOMIZATION. The blacksmith, gemsmith, and enchantress add whole new layers to making and customizing equipment
- Six skill mappings for easy and varied use of your abilities in combat
- Strongly written characters and voice acting - The game has serious personality
- REPLAYABILITY
The only CON we've noticed compared to C.O.N. is that only one person can use the menus at a time, this makes town visits lengthy ordeals, however, everyone has a pretty substantial inventory, so town visits are infrequent enough to make for good biology/refueling breaks when you're with a group.
As unfortunate as the wait was this past decade, I can easily see us playing this a decade from now, waiting for yet another successor to the underappreciated niche of Co-op RPG Dungeon Crawling. | video-games_xbox |
Great first experience with this series. Title: Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
Description: The popular PC title goes to a console port for the first time. This series is argued by many to be the first "stealth based" game title as we are seeing it in the marketplace today with titles like Splintercell and elements of Manhunter. You play as Garret a gifted Thief that runs through a city pick pocketing, mugging, and burglarizing buildings and getting deeply involved in a sinister plot with an unseen foe.
Platform: PC and XBOX (reviewed)
Learning Curve: 6- For those of you new to the series like myself it'll take some time getting the feel for this type of game. You have to sneak and be quiet and simple tasks may take time, as you need to always evaluate your situation and environment. Aggression is discouraged. Garret is a gifted thief, but a relatively unskilled fighter. Enemies can kill you easily so they have to be sneak past or knocked out for you to advance in the game.
Replay Value: 5- It's fun to revisit missions on more difficult settings to really test your skill. There are also alternate means to perform tasks on select missions and you can retry them differently to make things interesting. Overall the replay is about average.
Difficulty: 7- There are certain parts of the game that are very difficult to do stealthfully. Expect to mess up and get killed on occasion, but this is natural. It is difficult, but manages to keep from being frustrating.
Guide: There is a guide available from Prima. I have mixed feelings on how much it helped me because the information seemed jumbled. I'd almost say skip buying it, but some of the visuals help to identify parts of your missions. Those who don't choose this route will find some nice text guides online.
Pros: Nice lighting and environment, nice voice acting, great story, "different" kind of gameplay, gameplay pretty much non-linear, and addictive quality gaming.
Cons: You can't swim and I got tired of drowning, Game bugs that can sometimes interfere with gameplay and at worse corrupt your save file and wipe out your information forcing you to start over (remember to keep multiple save files,) and the climbing gloves are a bit sloppy to use and you find yourself tumbling over walls rather than climbing down them.
Time Expected to Invest: One month for a nice run through. I sunk over 40 hours into my game at least. This time should be adjusted to different types of players, but I feel the game is pretty lengthy by today's standard and shouldn't disappoint many.
Retail Value: $49.99
Suggested Purchase Price: If you can find this title in the mid-30 dollar range than bravo. If not the retail price is a bit pressing to some, but this title is nice and I'd purchase it before I'd buy 3 poor quality 15 dollar titles.
Overall: 9- This is a pretty solid game in the fun factor category and will be unique to new gamers to the series like myself. I recommend this title and if you're just curious rent it and see if it meets your tastes. I think open-minded gamers will enjoy it. | video-games_xbox |
Great for Kids and Adults. I got this for my 9-year-old daughter who loves to dance. I also secretly got it for myself, hoping it would be a safe way for me to loosen up at weddings and parties so I didn't feel too embarrassed to dance. That, and also to find more of a fun way to exercise to get back into shape. This game does all of that very well.
Of the games I've tried so far, this one has the best Kinect interface. Instead of trying to awkwardly move your hand toward targets on the screen, it's been simplified to the point where it works very well - I don't feel the need to grab a controller with this game. Basically, you make a fast swiping motion with your right hand to select an option and do the opposite motion with your left to go "back". Menu selections are made with the right hand by raising or lowering your hand, and you don't have to be very careful to hit the right item. I was impressed with the UI.
The game play is very smooth. I ran it in fitness mode, which lets you select from sessions listed in order of physical demand, and each session displays how many minutes it runs. Once you get going, the game allows people to freely come and go during the play list, which is very nice. Someone can get interested and you don't have to stop your workout to let them play. Between songs you get feedback on how many minutes you've worked out so far and how many calories you've burned.
I really like the way the dance feedback works. You are supposed to copy the dancer in front of you as if you're in the mirror. The game tracks your arms and legs, etc. If one or more of those body parts are out of step, a subtle red outline highlights it. When you come into alignment, the outline disappears. If you do an entire move correctly, then the word "Flawless" circles around your feet and glowing streaks come off of your finger tips. Pretty cool. Also, bystanders in the crowd make comments while you're dancing, encouraging you when you get something right.
Playing this game is fun. I found myself thinking it was pretty easy, but yet I still worked up a sweat. It's exactly what I was looking for.
We also got Just Dance 3 for Christmas. I haven't played it yet, but I watched the kids for a bit. It looks like a fun game, but honestly, it doesn't have the same kind of feedback that Dance Central 2 does. It feels more like a Wii game than a full blown Kinect experience.
Other Kinect games:
Adventures, Sports, UFC Personal Trainer, Just Dance 3. | video-games_xbox |
RPG-Lite, Heavy Zombie Blood, Not Much More. More often than not if a game has some truly fun gameplay and mechanics they can usually carry the other aspects of the game - like story, shortage of features, and technical polish--that are lacking, Dead Island is one of those games. Developer Techland has borrowed from some other games and companies like Bethesda and Borderlands, but has put their own spin on the finalization of Dead Island to create a new IP that is simply great entertainment to take part in. And hacking, slashing, looting, extremely accessible multi-player, eviscerating, and mutilating zombies in Dead Island are enough to shoulder the game's shortcomings.
The simple score breakdown of "Dead Island" is like so...
Visuals and Animation - 8/10
Fun Factor - 8/10
Story - 6/10
Controls- 9/10
User Interfacing - 7/10
Sound - 7/10
Value - 7/10
Learning Curve - Minor
Total - 7.4 / 10
Presentation and Immersion
Dead Island's immersion is done quite well when looking at the places my mind went with the environments around me and how I interacted with some gameplay elements, but the narrative itself is lacking and doesn't do much to place you in this zombie world. The reason I felt as though the nightmarish island environments and gameplay immersed my mind in a world recently stricken with an undead outbreak relates to several reasons. I started to realize this during online gameplay because surprisingly your interactions with other people and other human NPCs is where the real immersion is rooted - even in a tale focused on walking dead monsters known as zombies. At first when I was online I was being helpful and telling people that "hey, there's an energy bar over here to restore some health" but then after dying a few times and losing chucks of my money I couldn't help but become selfish. I would consume an item to restore my health even though an ally was nearby with lower health than me and I knew the item would give me more health than I needed to restore to full. I soon realized that it was every man for themselves and at times the game can make you enter this mentality which can radiate an emphasis on a true survival thought process that feels authentic. Another circumstance that really put me in the mindset of a zombie outbreak scenario was the fact that when I was low on health I came to the conclusion of "hey, find humans and inherently they're going to have supplies I need". So, when I was in the open-world I might take it upon myself to seek out human enemies to kill them and take all of their guns and food for myself. This aspect alone made Dead Island feel like a true-to-life survival apocalypse was underhand. And an entire island littered with zombies didn't hurt either.
The main story on the other hand doesn't offer up much of a choice and is fairly generic throughout. You'll play as one of four different main heroes who are each immune to the contraction of zombification. Sadly though, the main storyline and all side-quests make you feel like you're little more than playing the role of an errand boy. You never truly feel important and I can't help shake the feeling that I'm just an NPC's zombie drone. They send you out and send you alone because well...why have them risk their necks when you're immune and when a little bite could turn them into a zombie? You're constantly sticking your neck out for these NPC's and they never return the gesture. With objectives like gathering food, this girl needs insulin, go find spare engine parts, kill my wife and kid "because they're not human anymore", find this person an inhaler, find champagne for a group of party animals, and other things of this sort you wonder why you're even helping these people. Since you're all strangers and they're never aiding you, you never feel a connection to the people you're continuously helping. Although finding supplies and other materials to heighten your chances of survival do at times feel like realistic endeavors because some of these tasks might be what you would actually go do if faced with a survival situation like this - the real problem is Dead Island's lack in choice of how you proceed with your tale of survival that makes quests feel generic apart from their trivial objectives and disconnect to the NPCs guiding you along.
In a narrative that is trying to make a survival zombie scenario feel realistic I wonder why then the game gives you no options of how you act in the world around you. When I think of a post-apocalyptic undead world I think the sentient humans would act in one of several ways. Firstly, one persona would be the "survival savior" human in which your character would do what was the best for a group of people and survivors around them by gathering food and supplies for the benefit of everyone, essentially clinging onto morality and their humanity. Second, would be a scenario in which your character would be allowed to run across people and say "survival of the fittest; what was yours is now mine because I am stronger than you" and take what they need from the weak. Lastly, would be an "every man for themselves" character, wherein they would not help anyone get supplies and have a mindset more inclined to think "Who cares about the stupid girl that needs the inhaler? Why should I risk my neck to get her breathing easy?" I would have liked to see some of these different circumstances of which are feasible personality choices in an actual survival situation. Dead Island does not have shades of gray or black and white morality. Dead Island instead forces you into the "survival savior" role where you can only play the storyline in a way that makes your character help the different groups of wayward survivors you'll find on the zombie drenched island of Banoi.
Aesthetically the fictional island of Banoi is detailed to a stunning level of realism and breathes atmosphere. At times you can almost feel the humidity in the air and can tell humans used to find quite a paradise there. The strong lighting in certain locations can be especially eye-catching at times. The game's world-layout is like that of Borderlands. There are several very vast areas to explore with varied quest-hubs around the map. After progressing through a certain amount in the main campaign you will be able to reach the next large area like; the urban havoc strewn streets of the slums, the luxurious get-away of the hotel resort, and the skin-deep beauty of the vegetative jungle to name the bulk. You can always fast-travel back to any previous location if there are any stray quests you forgot or want to return to. Tracking quests is extremely simple and following them on your mini-map is as easy as following a dotted trail to your destination, though you will be rewarded more often than not for going off the beaten path.
At the end of the day, Dead Island's presentation is simply mediocre. The music and sound do nothing above average and the story seems to have the same goal by basically being a mechanism to chug the game's combat and zombie-slaying along. The fantastic visuals get dragged down by texture pop-ins and the fruitless NPC encounters, dialogue, and side-quests make the game's narrative, sight, and sounding appeal average on the overall presentation of this zombie RPG.
Thank goodness then that the gameplay and combat is extremely gratifying.
Gameplay
We'll get this out of the way quickly - Dead Island is a first-person game and it does have guns, but it is first and foremost a melee combat game. And what amazing combat it is. You'll never feel like you're swinging at air. Every connection with a baseball bat "cluncks" with a fantastic weight and every machete slash mutilates or twists a zombie's body in just the right way. And the analog controller scheme is an absolute necessity when playing this game.
The analog controller setup makes otherwise run-of-the-mill combat mechanics standout and feel special. With this controller setup you move your crosshair over the desired appendage location on the zombie you wish to attack and then you pull the left trigger to lock-on to that location. You then use the left joystick to circle and maneuver around your foe while using the right stick to actively take part in your swing. When you move the right joystick left you can see your right arm come across your chest by your left shoulder or when you push the stick up your arm goes up above your head. After you have moved your arm in one of these striking positions you then need to quickly move the stick to the opposite side of the direction you're currently holding, making your character slash or swing in that direction. This controller mechanic makes for an extremely satisfying melee combat experience and quite frankly needs to be adapted to basically all future melee first-person games. It's not perfect, but man does it really add to the feeling of hacking apart an enemy. The analog system is definitely more interactive and more fun than simply continuously hitting the right trigger to make you swing back and forth.
When combating with zombies you'll choose from a slew of different melee weapons and traditional modern guns like pistols, shotguns, automatic rifles, and the sort. Melee weapons are broken down into two different types - Blunt (maces, clubs, boat oars, etc) and Blades (machetes, cleavers, kitchen knives, and so on). All of these weapons can be modified by finding crafting materials around the open-world that are stored in various suitcases, garbage pails, dumpsters, corpses, and so on. If you find the blueprints and materials required you can then craft a mod onto a weapon whenever you visit a workbench. Mods range from putting barbed wire or nails through the end of a baseball bat or running electrical wires up a blade that has batteries on its hilt for addition shock damage. Also, when you're at a workbench you will be able to repair a weapon's durability (which dissipates annoyingly fast) and up-grade weapons to more powerful tiers of potency - to a maximum up-graded level of four.
All of these weapons have their strengths and weaknesses. Blunt weapons, for example, can knock an enemy down quickly allowing you to pummel them, but don't have the lethality of an edged weapon's cutting power which is able to remove limbs and heads very quickly where as a blunt weapon is able to take limbs out of the equation by breaking them but it takes more blows to render them useless. And let's face it, when it comes down to firearms unless you're an Olympian marksmen then a gun is the worst weapon of choice on the market when arming yourself to do battle with some zombies. Hope you're really good at headshots otherwise you're dead. Shotguns on the other hand...not so much, a great weapon of choice. I really like that guns are not the focus of Dead Island's arsenal. As a matter of fact guns are basically absent until you've finished one third of the game and run into some hostile humans out in the world. The void of guns early on really makes them feel like Link's "master sword" and when you finally get your hands on them they're actually much more satisfying and feel powerful.
Though I love that guns are not the focal point of Dead Island and that they're actually absent for the entire first act of the game I couldn't help but feel as though this was a poor development choice or at least bad character specializations. You see, when you're choosing between your four playable characters at the beginning of the game you can pick from one of the game's clich protagonists like; Sam B the dwindling rapstar who is handy with blunt weapons, Logan the ex-football star who can chuck throwing weapons like it's nobody's business, Xian the undercover informant for China who is martially trained with blades, and finally Purna the ex-detective turned bodyguard who is a firearms expert. It's too bad then for Purna that guns don't play such a paramount role as they do in most first-person games. Each one of these characters has a skill that can be unleashed if their furry meter is maxed out. You get furry after each kill which can then be triggered at your leisure when you think the time is right to lay waste to whatever zombie situation you're faced with. Everyone basically has only the two different skills that can be unlocked through skill trees which are an ever improving head-stomp and their individualized furry mode.
For the most part skill trees are fairly generic and simply fit a formula which seems to simply swap the word "Blade" with "Gun" depending on the character it is pertaining to. For example, Sam B (blunt expert) has a skill called "Devastation" which increases damage and force of blunt weapons and then you'll have Xian's (the edged weapon expert) tree which has a skill called "Flawless Blade" which increases damage with sharp weapons. The skill trees do little to differentiate a different play style from character to character and feel as though each tree is simply retrofitting one word for another to make it fit a different weapon-type without doing much else.
Gear or lack thereof, is another RPG element that doesn't do much to change the overall gameplay but is a welcome feature nevertheless. `Gear' in Dead Island is simply one thing - your weapon. No armor or anything of the sort. I don't know about you but if I was on a tropical resort infested with zombies I would be putting on a life jacket...sure it wouldn't cover my arms but think of how hard that would be to bite through, better than nothing. And on a tropical get-away you'd think there would be some chainmesh for adventure seekers looking to swim with some sharks. I'm sure a scuba chainmesh would make zombie bites impossible to break the skin. What I'm getting at is the fact that I would have simply enjoyed to see other facets of equipment apart from only arming myself with twelve different weapons at a time.
Besides some of the issues I've stated throughout the review with the development fumbles; these are some technical problems that I've run into personally during my time with Dead Island. Here we go, an NPC that I was escorting to safety jumped down from a ledge only miss the ground completely and fall through the earth and die seconds later making the quest fail, I've thrown weapons at an enemy only to have my best weaponry zip away inside the zombie like the monster was a black hole never to be seen again, frame rate momentary freezes, textures can take a while to render, and on my first play through I had 28 hours invested and was relaxing at level 35 with Xian when I choose to save and quit and the game froze at the screen that says "don't turn off your console right now" and my saved game was corrupted. All of these and more!!!! =D
ALL IN ALL
Sure Dead Island tries to be an RPG even with its absence of choice, lack of character development through narrative and skill progression, and a basic color-coated loot system, but is Dead Island still great fun in spite of all of its technical and presentation shortcomings? Absolutely.
Dead Island's focus on weighted melee combat and ease to seamlessly enter and exit multi-player at a whim are parts of what makes Dead Island retain its replayability, besides dismembering zombies of course. Sure it might only take you thirty hours to compete the main campaign and most of the side-quests, but tons of different weapons and ripping apart zombies with friends will make you want to return to the nightmarishly beautiful vistas of the zombie-ridden island of Banoi, if only get drenched in blood once again. | video-games_xbox |
A beautifully executed game...well worth the wait. Those who played Prince of Persia 3D have been left with nothing but nightmares. Jordan Mechner, the famed creator of the title, himself might have had sleepless nights regretting making this disaster. Yet the legacy has survived because the ubiquitous company called Ubisoft took over the reigns and brought out Prince of Persia : Sands of Time, a game so unique in both style and execution that the result is a fantastic adventure of epic proportion.
You are the Prince, a warrior of immense skill and heart. When your father the king, invades a neighbouring kingdom and claims ascension, you seek the dagger of time , a legendary artifact that is said to manipulate time itself, as a gift to him. But when you pay heed to the deceitful Vizier and unlock its secret power, the sands of time is unleashed and the entire kingdom's inhabitants are transformed into zombies, save for you and a princess called Farrah. Together , you and Farrah must journey across the entire palace to unlock the true agenda of the Vizier and restore the sands of time.
Interesting story, really. But it becomes second nature to the gameplay. Your prince is one agile character. He can scramble, flip, rebound, beam-walk, shimmy and do tons of other stuff with a grace and fluidity not seen in any game to date (barring Ninja Gaiden). I've heard that the prince has more than 750 animation moves !. Talk about thoroughness. The combat is all melee and the prince has a number of moves in his repertoire; flanking, defending, wall rebounding, vaulting etc. He has basically two swords at any time. A Scimitar, that will change to better versions as you progress and the Dagger of Time, his main magical secondary. With the Dagger, the Prince can unleash time reversal. You can reverse time anytime you wish so as to re-perform an action. Say you accidentally fell off a cliff, you can reverse time a bit and perform and avoid falling off again. But this can only be done a said number of times, depending on the number of 'sand tanks' the prince has. However the combat can become predictable as you will be facing only a few types of zombies all through the game, but it is still fun. The game is also pretty linear even though it appears open-ended. Fortunately, the save points are many and easy to find and at no point would you find this game daunting or habitually frustrating. You'll also have Farrah by your side at times and the result can be some very amusing verbal exchanges. A great add-on.
Also the sounds are top-notch with the ambient sounds and voice acting especially noteworthy. Ubisoft has taken great care to make this fantasy world even more believable.
But the real beauty is the graphics and level design, more so the latter. Graphics is one of the best around and the game has a soft look to it, probably showcasing the transient beauty of the Arabian environment. Little additions like puffs of dust when the prince moves to the shimmering light from the palace windows, makes this game all the more beautiful to look at. The XBOX version supports enhanced lighting effects and greater polygon count, providing a richer, more immersive environment. And it is faster too. All in all, it is a feast for the eyes.
But as I said, it is ultimately the level design which is astonishing. The Palace is immensely huge and varied, immersing you into a plethora of myriad architectures and puzzles that are both intuitive and interesting. Every level has been meticulously detailed and laid out ingeniously. The outdoor environments are downright jaw-dropping. At certain parts of the game, you have waterfalls , shimmering down into an endless abyss while you gaze far away into the mountains. Not even Halo gave me that sense of awe as Prince of Persia did. Hats off to the designers. Really, hats off.
All in all, DON'T rent this game. Buy it!. It is worth every penny. It delivers a sense of grandness that very few titles can match. As its sequel, Prince of Persia :Warrior Within is due to be released shortly, you'd appreciate it even more if you played this classic. I assure you you will not make a bad investment, even if you aren't a fan of this genre.
Have fun......... | video-games_xbox |
San Andreas and Shenmue 2's spiritual successor. I hardly finish games any more nowadays because the stories just don't keep me engaged enough throughout. Sleeping Dogs has bucked that trend and I'll tell you why.
TLDR version:
1. I like open world games.
2. I like games with a great story that is consistent with great characters.
3. I loved Shenmue 1 & 2. The gameplay on that one was not particularly great, but the story was amazing.
4. I disliked GTA 4 but loved San Andreas. I disliked Red Dead Redemption.
5. I love, love Sleeping Dogs.
Open World - An open world should allow you to do anything you want. You can follow the main missions or you can play side missions. There should also be a sense of progression for your character. San Andreas had this. GTA 4 didn't. In this game, you can earn money which allows you buy cars and clothings. It's more realistic in that to own a car, you have to buy it even though you can jack any car on the street. In GTA 4 failed because your character can earn money but there was nothing to buy! In GTA games, you can go treasure hunting which only adds to your completion rate but doesn't really add anything to your game. In this game, looking for items either improve your (a) life meter or (b) grant you new fighting moves. It gives you a reason to look for hidden items throughout the map.
Story: Like Shenmue, there are memorable characters here. The supporting characters are top notch. The writing is absolutely terrific. Unlike Red Dead and GTA 4, supporting characters are not throwaway without motives, feelings, and act as props for the mission only. Here, each mission connect, with reoccurring characters that matter. As Wei go from rags to riches and move up the chain in the Triads, his internal conflicts and divided loyalty between the cops and his buddies in the Triad manifest itself in both the dialogues and the police profiles. Unlike Saints Row, this game takes itself seriously without being a chore like GTA 4. Sure, the story is a mash up of many HK movies, but the bottom line is do you care about the characters? If the answer is yes, then the writers have succeeded.
Gameplay: This is an open world RPG. There is always a sense of progression. You start as a lowly thug with a crappy apartment where you can buy an upgraded bed and air conditioning to eventually earning a penthouse in SOHO. As you play the cop missions, you unlock new moves. As you date more girls, you unlock Karaoke songs and the ability to sense hidden items on the maps. As you play the Triad missions, you likewise unlock new abilities. Also, gaining face levels afford you the ability to buy better clothing which give you bonuses to your XP gain. Additionally, your face meter also unlocks new abilities. You want better bling, you have gotta improve your face level. People around you react differently to what you wear. Very cool.
The combat doesn't flow like Batman Arkham Asylum. It takes a little more strategy to beat rather than mindless mashing the buttons. The trick is to just time your counter. Don't try to grapple the big guy. Always take your energy drink, herbal tea, and eat food before you start a mission. Without it, your health doesn't regenerate quickly. Use your face meter as a limit break to quickly destroy the big enemies. Since it has RPG elements, you need to unlock better moves and/or face meter bonuses to quickly dispatch enemies.
Comparison to GTA and Red Dead: I beat GTA 4 but I hated it. I never finished Red Dead Redemption. The sole reason for me to continue a game is for it to have a consistent, compelling story that makes you want to beat it. The missions should make sense rather than for it to occur so you can waste more time shooting more people. There should be a cohesive story that ties a game together. I don't see that in GTA 4 or Red Dead Redemption. With those two games, it seemed like 5 different writers wrote the missions and the stories for the missions have no coherent arc with throwaway characters in between. Just like a good movie, there needs to be character development, a story arc, motives, and a sense of progression. If the game doesn't have that, then it loses me halfway through. I haven't had as much satisfaction playing a video game like this since Shenmue 2.
Sleeping Dogs is one of the best open world game in a long, long time. I haven't had this much fun since the original GTA: San Andreas. It's as if they took San Andreas and combine it with Shemues' writing and made a game out of it. Highly recommended and I hope this sell enough for a sequel.
The Xbox version is good. However, if you have the PC get that version instead. It's not a crappy port of a console but it was designed for the PC with better, cleaner textures. I hope to see the sequel on the Xbox 720 (or whatever it's named). | video-games_xbox |
More headphones. My wife jumped all over these headphones when she saw them on a lightning deal back at Christmas. Our son plays the 360 with his friends who have moved away. I think they talk more than they play, but that's understandable too. Anyway, since my wife has been very impressed with my knowledge of stereo brands, she remembered me talking about Polk and bought these without showing me.
Polk to me is a classic audio brand. I can remember my older cousins spending their entire paychecks just to buy Polk bookshelf speakers in the 80s. I wouldn't say they're much different than Bose. You usually get a full, rich sound from both brands, but you're not going to get huge bass from either since huge bass doesn't exist in any music except for Miami Bass music from the early 90s. I know, explosions in video games have huge bass, but that's my point. Polk is a stereo speaker company, not a video game headphone company.
Having said that, I tried these out using the audio plug and would rate them a 2 or 3 at best in music reproduction. Our son tried them while playing one of the online games with his old friends and I could hear him yelling from the basement. We have a no yelling rule, you know, unless it's something really funny. He took the headphones off and told me to fix them. He's 10. I asked what he wants fixed. He says, "Nobody can hear me! I keep yelling at them to quit shooting me." I tried and sure enough, no one was responding. I could hear myself which made me think he had the settings on wrong, but I tried every way possible only to get no responses. Kind of sounds like a defect, but I also think it could be from the design of the microphone.
I understand Polk was trying to be innovative with the design, but it just doesn't work well. We ended up returning them and getting a pair of Turtle Beach instead, which very much are video game headphones. No offense to Polk Audio intended. These headphones just aren't worth the price or even worthy of the Polk name. | video-games_xbox |
The Least Enjoyable of the AC Series. It really pains me to say this, but this isn't a fun game. I love the Assassin's Creed series. It's easily one of my favorite.
This game does have some cool features. Hunting, the wilderness, etc etc, but for all of the cool new features, they forgot the features that made this series enjoyable.
One of the biggest problems is the main character is unbearable. This is something that didn't occur to me until playing this game. With Altair and Ezio, I had taken for granted an engrossing protagonist. Their stories were interesting, the cut scenes where they spoke were interesting and their story was interesting. You genuinely liked them. You wanted them to succeed and you became invested in their characters. Connor is a one dimensional schmuck. He says nothing insightful. He's not endearing in anyway. Actually, I found myself hating him. This may seem minor to someone reading this, but it isn't. It turns out it isn't fun to play a 30 hour game when you hate the main character. It becomes a bit of a chore.
Now let me get down to some of the details of why this is the least enjoyable of the AC series.
I had a bad feeling about the game at the outset. The first 1-3 hours are essentially a tutorial. Now, you might say to yourself, "If there are 1-3 hours of tutorial, then I'll be 100% ready to play the game." Well, you'd be wrong. I'm about 40% into the game and I still don't know how to do some of the tasks that should be simply. I had to go online to figure out how to do basic things like recruit other assassins.
The maps are awful and useless. While the "open" nature of this game is cool, it is nearly impossible to navigate the wilderness. The biggest problem is the map isn't topographical. Looking at a map you may see Point A and Point B. You think you can just travel in a straight line. This isn't so. There might be a mountain range in between the two. The mountain then has only one point where you can cross it or climb it, however you can't see it on the map. So you have to run the length of the mountain until you can find it. This can turn a something simple into a 20-30 minute task. Map aside, navigating the wilderness is time consuming. Horse don't really work in the wilderness. Something stops them up every 20 feet. A rock, a tree, a river, etc. Everything is impassable to a horse. So in order to travel around the wilderness, you need to run. It's time consuming. There are fast travel options that let you move from key place to key place, but most of the side games take place in the wilderness and aren't near key places.
One of the cool things about this game is the new software that makes the cities much more lively. They are filled with much more people, soldiers, animals, and goings-on than the other AC games. The downside to this? If you get you notoriety up in the city, it will take you 10-15 minutes of running before you can become anonymous. I will be mentioning time consuming aspects of this game. I'm not exaggerating. When I say 10-15 minutes, I mean it. This may not sound like a lot, but it is. You will be forced to run around the city like a chicken with your head cut off looking for a nook or cranny where there aren't British or Loyalist soldiers. They are on every corner. Also, hiding isn't as easy or available in this game. Bails of hay and wells are few and far between. This really takes away from the enjoyability of this game.
When the developers were spit balling ideas, they should have stopped about halfway through their session. This game feels like they through everything into it. A game can be too complex. A game can have too much content. Making money in the other AC games was fairly simply. You ran a business from your main hide out or bought stores and landmarks. In this game there is an extremely complex system used to make money. You need get homesteaders on your land, buy supplies, find recipes, have them make products using the recipes and supplies you have and then send convoys to places to sell you product. Sounds simple? It isn't. It's so freaking time consuming, complex and boring that I've decided to continue the game without bothering. I didn't buy Sim City, I bought Assassin's Creed. I want to spend the game going on quests, killing people, and buying/upgrading weapons. I don't want to spend hours putting together wooden barrels and then selling those to different vendors based on the highest rates I can get. If I wanted to do that, I would join a manufacturing company in real life and do that. This is a game. Let's not re-invent the wheel. Let's keep it fairly simple and enjoyable.
The Desmond missions are almost unplayable. There are no maps, no hints, nothing. You just go in one direction until something happens causing the game to dysynchronize. Then you do it again. And again. And again. It's nothing but trial and error. No skill involved. You just go into one area and maybe you get lucky. Then you move into another area and agents see you dysyncing the game. This happens over and over again.
Now for my biggest criticism of the game. The main story isn't fun. At all. It's extremely boring. Even worse, it's 10-20 seconds of game play, then saving screen, then cut scene. Those of you that have played it will know I'm not exaggerating. For example, you get locked up in prison. Game play starts. You walk down stairs, talk to a guy, then saving screen and clip scene. The next day in prison, you go downstairs and talk to a guy, then saving screen and clip scene. Then you need to walk to the gallows which is slow and takes 10 second. Then saving screen and clip scene. It's like this throughout the entire game. It may not sound bad, but when you start to get immersed in the game, it really becomes aggravating when game play stops every 20-30 seconds or when they go to game play for something that could easily have been taken care of in the clip scene. It becomes tedious.
Also, the clip scenes are terrible. There are times where you can't hear what people are saying. The sound effects of the battle in the background drowns out the main characters voices. Although, even when you can hear what they are saying, it isn't very interesting. About half way though the game I just began skipping them. Compare this to the other AC games where the clip scenes furthered the story in an interesting way.
What are the good aspects of the game? The hunting is fun. The fighting is improved, but simplified. You can essentially win every fight using two buttons. However, the best part of the game are the naval missions. One of the side games puts you as captain of a ship. You can go on missions that usually involve you sinking one or dozens of British ships. It is cool, innovative and fun. It is the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing game.
I didn't want to write this review. I wanted this game to be good. I really did, especially after Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil Racoon City turned out to be such horrible games. I was really looking forward to this, but I was let down.
Don't let this review stop you from buying it. I'd suggest waiting for the price to come down. I assume you can get a used one fairly soon as it has little to no replay value like it's predecessors. Instead, let this serve as a warning. When you play the game, after having read this, you can't pretend you were surprised at what an underwhelming game this was.
I'll be trading this game back, whereas I didn't trade back the other AC games. That should tell you all you need to know. | video-games_xbox |
343 How could you... have created this masterpiece. As a fan of Halo since Combat Evolved, I was worried like most fans about Bungie not participating in the development of Halo 4, but after playing it, I can put all concerns to rest. The first three Halos were fantastic achievements that made the Xbox a major console. Halo: Reach was as okay game to me as I strongly disliked the armor abilities and load outs, but still gave it plenty of attention. Halo 4 takes what Reach did, and balances it to a point where at times it may be a bit distant, but still feels like Halo. Halo 4 makes nearly every aspect of Reach better and then adds some. Now I may not be the most organized writer, but I feel I can summarize these aspects pretty well.
Graphics
The moment you pop Halo 4 in your Xbox, your eyes are treated to stunning visuals. The moment when you step out of the tunnel and see the massive Forerunner architecture on the 2nd level will give anyone goosebumps. The game is superbly designed, with smooth textures and the best facial animation on any game to date; still not perfect, but it certainly shows promise. Weapons look very nice as well, when the Promethean weapons assemble in your hand it is just stunning. Anyone who says the graphics are poor are just looking for a reason to complain.
Sound
The sounds of Halo 4 are crisp and clean. All weapon sounds have been redone. The assault rifle sounds so badass, compared to before when it sounded like an automatic stapler, in Halo 4 it sounds like an actual gun. All of the guns sound great with the exception of the Battle Rifle. No big deal since it is only one gun. Vehicles also got a major overhaul and sound more like legit engines. I had fun just revving up my engines the first time I drove a warthog. There is even an extreme detail to sound when you hear Master Chief's armor clunking around every so slightly. 343 did a nice job here.
Campaign
Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of the campaign. It was the first thing I did when I got the game, and I was slightly dissapointed. The storyline was very well done, focusing more on Master Chief and Cortana's relationship as well as stopping some bad guys, but there were some issues. Only three enemies were introduced being the Promethean knights, watchers, and crawlers. That's all. Throughout the whole game you simply fight covenant and those three enemies. The whole campaign seems like one big quest to push as many buttons as possible while gunning down tons of baddies on your way. Most of the objectives were literally push this button, then that button. Got pretty old quickly, but it was saved by excellent story telling and a few missions with some diversity like flying a pelican and a broadsword. Overall, worth playing, but not much replay value here.
Multiplayer
Oh boy, here we go. The source of all controversy surrounding the game. Personally, I love it. The game has kept armor abilities from Halo: Reach; however, they play a much smaller role. In Reach things like armor-lock were game changing, but in Halo 4 the armor abilities play very small parts in the whole match. None are too overpowered, and all of them are still useful. A Call of Duty style perk system was also added; however, there are only two perk slots and again they are very minor and do not cause any major changes. The big changes are the choice of weapon when spawning, and the ordinance drops. In Halo 4 players can choose from a multitude of weapons to spawn with, but they all are either short-medium range or medium-long range so the player can pick their role and no weapon stands out too greatly. The ordinance drops are also Call of Duty style, being the kill-streaks, but they are not chosen before the game. Halo 4 gives you three choices for your ordinance and you simply pick one. They are not a bad addition as being in a situation when the enemy has all vehicles and power weapons can be very frustrating, and a rocket launcher falling from the sky may turn the tide of the match. Ordinance and sprinting lead to faster paced matches than some Halo fans may be used to, but if there is no change, why make a new game? The multiplayer is extremely addicting and fun, and all of the changes suit Halo 4 just fine.
Overall the game is fantastic, and any fans of the previous Halos who may be let down need to stop living in the past. All things change, video games are no exception. The game has a definitive polish on it that separates it from the previous Halos while still keeping it faithful. 343 did a wonderful job designing Halo 4, and it makes the wait for Halo 5 on a next-gen console so much harder. | video-games_xbox |
Good Game, but it has it's flaws. I purchased this game because I wanted to try something new. I love RPGs and this game seemed to have those qualities with a sick twist. This game is a lot of fun and has some good graphics. The quests are not incredibly hard to do and you do have an Advisor who helps you somewhat in the game. You start out with 10 minions (brown - melee type) and as you progress through the game you are able to acquire more (red - fireball ranged attack, green - sneak attackers, blue - healers and resurrecters of dead minions). The red minions have the ability to clear fire obstacles, green minions have the ability to clear poison obstacles and the blu minions are able to cross water. You can summon minions by killing animals or people and taking their lifeforce. But, just running around and having them cause mayhem and destruction is loads of fun. Even their little comments as they find treasure like "for the Overlord", "mine!", or "for you!" are just riotous. Their thirst for blood and destruction is immsense. As I through a fireball into a wheat field where some pesky halflings were and set it on fire they all jumped up and down cheering me on shouting "Burn, burn!!". They will even take the faces of their dead victims and wear them, as well as take any weapons they find. Your minions are fairly easy to direct with the RT button and you can have them stand their ground by posting a flag with the Y button. The minions will follow you everywhere, even to their own death. As the Overlord you have the ability to forge better weapons and armor and can improve the stats by sacrificing minions. Getting around from place to place is fairly simple as well. Everytime you find a new area a transporter pad appears so whenever you are in your tower, you can port right to that zone. The only thing I hated about this was that if I left a zone even for one minute via the port pad just to go to the tower and returned, all the mobs respawned and I had to kill them all again.
My three major gripes about this game are the lack of any map system at all, the inability to view quest details in depth and the inability to change the camera. Not having a map makes things very difficult. I was in the Elven Forest and kept walking around in one big circle for about 30 minutes because I could not figure out for the life of me where I needed to go or where I had not gone yet. This "no map" frustration only becomes more frustrating as you accumulate quests. You will see a list of active quests in the quest log but then you have no idea exactly where you picked it up or where you need to go. For example, my quest log said I needed to get a wench for my tower. All I knew is that I got that quest in Mellow Hills. It's not as though I got it from a specific person and even if I did, guess what, we cannot interact directly with NPCs. Now, that in and of itself is not bad but I guess I just got spoiled with other RPGs that helped you better track what you were doing or needed to do. Lastly, the camera sytle is pretty much "third person, chase cam". Which just means it follows you around so as you turn, it turns. However,not being able to change the camera angle at all really inhibited some attack tactics because I could not always readily see where enemies were and strategically place my minions. However while struggling for optimal placement, I at times found msyelf in full view of enemies and would get attacked. But thankfully my minions are always willing to die for me, so no worries. :)
I can still give the game a 4 star rating because it is strategic and will keep you occupied for many hours. Heck it took me about 8 hours just to get all of the minions. It's just a matter of getting over not having a map and not being able to change your camera style. | video-games_xbox |
Apache Air Assualt. The game looked fun and some of it is. However there are some glaring pitfalls that standout that can't be ignored.
The intention of the game is to get fairly close to a sim on the consoles. The helicopter is hard to fly (as it should be) and takes a learning curve to get the controls of it down fluid. Even towards the end of the game i found myself hitting the wrong control thus manipulating it the wrong way. For those who enjoy the sim part, this difficulty is good as real helicopters are not what one would consider extremely easy to operate. The tutorial mission gives you a basic orientation of the controls but leaves out things that would be useful, like the ability of the hellfire to engage more than one target at a time.
The "story" isn't bad however its not very compelling either. I never found myself starting the next mission to see what happened next. To some that would be good as it may offer a realism of one mission at a time with no real overall plot. There appeared to be a small attempt at a story, meaning enemy leaders names were mentioned but you really don't know more than that. However for your average gamer the lack of a reason leaves you wondering why your Apache is there and why your doing what your doing. There isn't even a reason for the "war" given. As far as the story goes: your one of a few Apache pilots engaging targets that are hostile for one reason or another.
There are a few good things. The game has its moments where it is fun to play (usually when using the 30mm cannon). The graphics are decent, not great nor poor. The game has decent sound effects (i for one enjoy the sound of the chopper at full speed from 3rd person). Probably one of the biggest pluses to the game is Free Flight mode where if you want you can set up your own mini mission or not add any enemies and just cruse around tearing up the landscape. The ability to just fly around in this mode offers a way to learn and better master the controls while not in mission. However like much of the game this mode is limited in options in enemy targets and placement. The game does accommodate those who would like the first person point of view from either seat in the cockpit along from a first person without the cockpit and a 3rd person view of the whole aircraft. Switching these views is simple with a press of the Y button on Xbox. Allowing you to quickly change views to the one you need or want.
The online/co-op is fairly limited and unimpressive. Not a whole lot to say there.
Now the bad. As i stated before, the lack of a story line leaves the player lost in a sea nothingness. While i personally have never flown an Apache, I'm sure the missions are unrealistic for the sim they were aiming for. If they wanted a true sim then i think it should've been mostly engaging ground personnel and light vehicles like trucks in support of friendly infantry forces. Its irritating that there is not way to look out of the side windows to acquire locations on enemy targets and that your only real option is to make that Apache face them. But when it rains it pours and the bad hits keep on coming. The enemies are miraculously accurate when they fire small arms etc from the ground or a moving truck/boat at a Apache 1000ft off the ground and an easy 1000+ yards away. This consistent accuracy doesn't mix with the sim they wanted to achieve. The AI of your fellow Apache's is terrible and they are just there for show. Which means when the large waves containing 15+ enemies arrive its mostly up to you to handle it. As one other reviewer said, once a check point is reached often the enemies will spawn right below you forcing you to evade AA and maneuver quickly to engage them. This leads me to the most annoying thing about the game and the biggest pitfall in my own opinion. For this I'll have to start a new paragraph.
The Apache is weak in the game. Performance alone the helicopter seems to struggle to climb even when your pushing the joystick to full climb it's a painstaking slow climb. According to the internet the real Apache climbs at 2500ft per minute or approximately 42ft per second. in this game your lucky to get a couple feet per second. Along with climbing the helicopter has a slow rate of decent. It almost feels like you controlling a bus with a ceiling fan mounted on top. However strangely enough the enemy AI helicopters can literally fly circles around you, their rate of climb and decent make them extremely difficult to get the upper hand on. In fact enemy helicopters have such an upper hand that on the third to last mission i had finally had enough of the crap and quit playing as i was encircled by 3 or 4 of them and i couldn't get the upper hand on one of them. My AA were a waste of time and the Apache was just the weaker link. Completely unrealistic as the real Apache is a titan of the air and the most advanced tracking and ability to acquire target, engage, and destroy... The game poorly demonstrates this. This game often puts you in situations where your just outnumbered and outclassed (due to their poor portrayal on the abilities of the AH-64D). I realize its a game but for a game to be called "Apache Air Assault" you'd think that the APACHE would have the upper hand... or at least be portrayed a little more like the titan it is in reality.
Overall the game isn't great. It has its fun moments and a lot of frustrating elements. The game is in a weird middle area as it lacks the realism for your sim guys but also lacks the non stop enjoyment for the casual gamers. However it should be noted that its one of the only modern helicopter games so there aren't a whole lot of options. The glaring pitfalls vs the handful of positives earn this game only 3 out of 5 stars. I seriously considered only giving it two but it was not an utter failure. If your a helicopter person or love the Apache then you might enjoy this game (even if your only cruising by yourself in free flight). However for most it won't hit the mark and will leave you feeling disappointed. If you can get it for under $10 then I'd say you haven't wasted too much, however its not worth much more than that. | video-games_xbox |
D@mn you, Bioware! Why can't you just leave me alone. Ok, Bioware. I give up. You win...again.
You had my attention with the KOTOR series. You captivated my heart with Jade Empire. Now this? Really?! Mass Effect just sealed the deal. I'm no expert when it comes to game design but I'll do my best to briefly give you a list of why this is an RPG players' (my) wet dream.
*Sexiness checklist*
+ Space Themed. But it's not Star Wars or Star Trek...how is that even possible!?! I smell a new cinema series...
+ Gameplay. Third person shooter with "on the fly" abilities.
+ Upgrades. Characters, weapons, armor, biotics (it's sorta like magic for those who don't know) and tech skills. Where to begin?
+ Party selection. Stick with the same characters or switch 'em up.
+ Exploration. To the end of the galaxy. Literally.
+ Morality. Practically every decision you (the gamer) make, will have a karmic effect. Converstions with NPC's (Non Playable Characters) and other decisions play a roll in this. You wanna be Mr. Nice Guy? You wanna be an upset, sandy vagina? It's your choice.
+ The script. It's totally a cinematic experience. You can actually get attached to the characters.
+ Graphics. Boner...I mean...eye popping. I sometimes feel bad for my 360 having to push out all that realism. Lucky for me, my Xbox had taken lamaze classes. We now have a brand new graphics baby.
+ Replayability. 3 times. I'm somewhat of a completionist when it comes to games. All the achievements can be attained with 3 play throughs. I did it, yay!
+ Sound. Lasers, spaceships and aliens, oh my! Granted nothing of this caliber exsists (yet), the sounds are authentic.
+ Soundtrack. Sci-Fi to the core. Aptly, it creates an awesome sense of vastness and wonderment.
*The not as sexy but will take on a few dates checklist*
- The Mako. It's extremely resilient and great to get around in but the controls don't always feel like nipplez. Also, unless you have been visited by the spirits of 'Lois and Clark', get ready to do a $#!7 load of exploration in the Mako. It will, at times, become painfully drone.
- Snails. Sometimes during a big firefight, the system bogs down causing a choppy frame rate and a less-fluid gameplay. We need some more lamaze classes.
- Possessed. During a few conversations with NPC's, their eyes would appear to roll up in the back of their head. Someone call an exorcist!
Not 5 stars but 5 galaxies from me. Once again, D@mn you, Bioware! | video-games_xbox |
unbiased gamer's opinion--a 4.5 star production. Only on mission 9 so far.
Just so people can identify with my perspective and my motive when purchasing games. I don't buy every title that hits the shelves, I'm frugal. However I do tend to own nearly all of the best sellers for the 360 platform. I'm a tremendous Gears of War 1 & 2 fan (1 better multiplayer because 2 makes the shotgun unrealistically bb-gun watered down), anyway, I loved Assassin's Creed--one of my favorites. I appreciated the new Prince of Persia, it's a rental though, I love the Call of Duty series 2, 4 & 5. BioShock...okay so now you see what types of games I like. If you like these, you might like this.
I've owned some Clancy titles, mostly the spinter cells and the first GRAW. I liked the 2&3 splinter cells on original platform. That being said this game follows suit for attention to realistic military detail, it's not flawless but it's pretty accurate. The story is pretty engaging, I'm prior military and love all things military, this storyline included. It's a stark prophecy of what could happen in the near future, makes it gripping like that.
Okay, the game itself. Initially, I HATED IT!! I am a huge fan of crimson skies and found the combat system extremely intuitive and very very advanced when performing maneuvers. This game is very close to a combat sim in the way the planes handle, the planes' flight mechanics operate on all three axises (X, Y, Z for roll, pitch, and yaw respectively). Yaw control is something new to me, but I've learned to appreciate it. So if you can get past the first mission and learn to appreciate the manual yaw control--you might find yourself really enjoying the game as it progresses.
Game play is pretty cool, there are different modes of piloting (2 categories described Assisted -ON or -OFF). In Assisted -ON (which you can think of like autopilot--the game assists your control of flight. I don't have much experience, I set expert mode from the onset of the game. In Assisted-ON mode there are three sub-views:
- 1st-person in the HUD-only view
- 1st-person in the cockpit view
- or 3rd-person trailing view
Assisted-OFF
ONLY 3rd-person but it's not always trailing it could be from the side view, this is very difficult to which to become accustomed. I usually excel at games, any genre and found this learning curve exceptionally difficult to master. That being said, if you do master it--you will become extremely rewarded as your ability to perform potentially-unreal and agile maneuvers becomes a possibility. Dog fighting in this mode is difficult as another review already commented. With practice I could see this giving gamers a massive edge over online competition.
I found these aspects to be the most standout qualities of the game and I find the diversity to choose your mode of flight, weapons platform (you can select unique weapons packages/loadouts for each plane), and style of piloting (-ON & -OFF mode), to make this game stand out a lot.
I did not try using the voice-commands yet however I could see that being advantageous if it works properly. I took a cursory glance at the voice-command list and noticed that you can verbally select your missile or bomb type, this avoids the need to look at the corner and manually select with the direction-pad.
The graphics are exceptional from range, up close you can see the developers (particularly the artists) got lazy with the texture mapping for buildings, but from a range the landscapes and scenery are breathtaking.
The bombing system is AWESOME!! Freefall bombs are pretty freaking fun and the multi-target bombs are impressive to watch. There is a lot of realism to this game. My roommate is a huge flight-sim advocate and he comments on his approval. The unrealistic parts of the game are the munitions capacities, i.e. carrying over a 100+ missiles, et al. To me this is negligible because taking on an entire floatilla and several squadrons is fun. It's challenging and launches the fun factor into the extreme end of the fun spectrum.
The flight dynamics are very unreal in the -OFF mode but again, this makes the game more fun, the maneuvers you can pull off, especially with vector-thrust propulsion planes is AMAZING!! Very impressive and you'll feel pretty damn good about yourself if you pull 'em off to avoid a missile locked onto you.
The air-air combat system is kind of neat. You can just manually dog fight, i.e. just fly and engage targets as you see them come on screen or have them automatically selected for you by the radar but you have the ability to manually select your target and when you are trailing a bogey, there's a system of rings on your HUD that if you follow will place you right on your target's 6 o'clock. It's cool!
They use the same fly-through ring system for targeting ground units surrounded by buildings. Think the movie Stealth when the guy flies into sub-orbit and then plunges downward towards the skyscraper to give more velocity to his missile. This is kind of cool too.
*** FYI -- you also can unlock the plane from Stealth which the human pilots fly. ***
I give this game an A+, it would get another + but the feel of the combat system is lacking something. It's not as intuitive as the combat system of Crimson Skies.
I highly recommend this game, but please purchase knowing that there is a high learning curve to become effective in the elite-level of difficulty for this game or for multiplayer. | video-games_xbox |
Pros and Cons. If you're unfamiliar with this genre, it's along the lines of recent Grand Theft Auto, Mercenaries, and Saints Row games. A lot of this game is similar to Pandemic's Mercenaries 2, but you're in occupied Paris during WW II instead of Venezuela in modern times. So if you hate those types of games, move along...
This game looks very good, but it does take some getting used to if you've been playing a lot of those other games and non-"sandbox" games recently. The game is fairly easy on the lowest difficulties, but it's not a cakewalk. How it is on the more difficult levels is probably standard to that sort of thing, when such games even have variable difficulties in the first place.
There are a lot of fun things going on. The disguises and how your actions dictate the suspicion zone is very interesting, for example.
There are some quirks I've noticed so far. It might be because I've installed it to the hard drive, but after playing for a while the other day, the frame rates and voice/speech sync got way off. There also seems to be far too many switchovers from location to location, or at least I got the impression of clunkiness as the dissolve and loading goes on. The females hanging around in the club certainly look okay, if pretty similar, but they are very much certainly not mid-1940s style women -- They've got that stripperific bust enhancement thing going on.
For those interested in such things, I got this used, so there was no Midnight Show code. The seller supposedly thought the game was not for their pre-teen, so it's unclear if that's just related to Nazis and blowing people up and blood spattering everywhere, or if the code was used. Used versus not having it, selling it separately, or thrown away due to its nature or lack of knowledge of such.
However, I myself did download the Midnight Show code. If you're getting the game for that, or having to buy it separately, I'd say don't bother. If that's your sort of thing, you might as well buy Conan.
The add-on is not a "nudity patch", it's a $3 way to remove the "pasties" (nipple-shaped and nipple-shaded covers) from the topless clones, who are basically already as nude as you can consider topless to be. It also unlocks some rather tame boring dances by these girls; these sequences are produced by somebody with no idea of how camera shots should be framed or how long they should last. It made me dizzy more than anything; luckily I was doing something else actually interesting while they were dancing. You also get a knife throwing game you can wager "contraband" on.
Overall, it's a fun game so far. | video-games_xbox |
GTA meets Ghost Recon. The best of both worlds. This is what you get when you mix GTA and Ghost Recon.
In a lot of other games you run around, kill the bad guys and move on. Here... you WANT to kill the bad guys. The game shows you what this cartel is doing to the people. It shows you the horror of their power and their lack of respect for everyone not them. It makes you WANT to execute the enemies. They aren't just soldiers as can be said for a lot of other genre games. Here you can see even the foot soldiers intimidating the Bolivians. When you get into position for kill shots or stealth extractions, you will find yourself wanting to wipe the whole board of enemies. So.. that was cool.
There is a lot of "world" here to go through, but you will find after a Buchon or two that the game does become a bit rinse and repeat with the side missions. Each area has the same set of side missions to complete so you will find yourself calling for helicopters to quickly get to the next place and calling for armored vehicles to take out the next convoy quite often. While this aspect is pretty formulaic, it exists solely for the purpose of beefing up your skill sets and is not a requirement. The over-arching story line is worth following through each and every Buchon. You will be given the option to end the game early based on intel or to continue to destabilize the cartel. I went with 100% destabilization.
The overall mechanics of the game are pretty good but it is definitely tiresome that the cutscene mechanics for getting in / out of vehicles takes over. If you're in a firefight and need to exit your vehicle, you have to wait for your guy to close the vehicle door... why? These guys also take an eternity to cycle their weapons. I get that the mechanic exists to sow the player down a bit, but this is not a reality of any elite soldier. Additionally, at the higher difficulties, the enemies NEVER miss, even when they are shooting several hundred meters with sub machine guns that are super high rate of fire with crazy recoil. These "street thugs" are all somehow expert marksmen when using garbage weapons at great distance.
You will also likely find that you will only use the rebels for support drops and recon. Their presence on the field is often more a hinderance than anything.
All of that negative stuff out of the way... The game is beautiful. While I feel the cutscenes may have looked a bit cheap, the story progression was very good. You get used to the game's mechanics really fast as well. Likely, you will begin making different determinations on how you want to approach a certain mission. Creating goals for yourself outside those provided in the game, just to see if you can do it. And I cannot say enough how much more fun the game is when you've got other people to play with as your squad. While this may take away from the guaranteed kills with sync shot and rely on your friends to land their shots, it is more "exciting."
The weapon progression, I feel, stops pretty early. You will likely land a weapon set-up and combination pretty early on that you will stick with for the rest of the game. Most weapons didn't differentiate themselves enough to warrant changing them out. Take the MK17 (SCAR variant). Depending on where you go, you could get this weapon early on, get a pretty good set of attachments then never take this weapon off. At no point did I feel the want / need to use a submachine gun, shotgun, or LMG. But this is personal choice and fit my style of play. Your mileage may vary.
Definitely a fun game to play and one that does encourage you to finish it out 100%. You can get out at 75% completion... but why? There are still very bad people wandering the wild lands that need killing. | video-games_xbox |
The Way Malls Ought to Be. Frank West, freelance photojournalist, opts to hitch a ride into a mysterious little town and finds this little encounter basically handing him a story beyond his wildest dreams. The problem is that the story has teeth and a population count of about 52,000 - give or take a few undead.
While Dead Rising is initially set-up as a game where you have 72 hours to get "the scoop" and get out, it doesn't really limit you to that type of gameplay. If you like saving people you can do it, if you like watching people die while you take nice picture of it you can do that, and if you like going into restaurants and blending up exotic drinks you can do that as well. The game has a format that it wants you to play out and it rewards you with achievement points, but some of those achievements are rather odd - and rather off the beaten path. This leads to some of the best gameplay out there if you are in the mood to slap around some zombies BUT anyone, even the most diehard fans, can point out some of the failings in the game.
Of all the flaws in the game, the worst has to be the AI of the survivors. When you find someone and you want to save them, you basically have to beg the gaming gods for a break because those people simply want to die. It isn't because they aren't armed (you can give them weapons) and it isn't because they don't have a nice support system (you become a one-man army). They are simply terrible at plotting anything save their own demise.
The second terror the game gives you is a terrible aiming system, and that's kind of bad when you're talking survival. You'll be aiming at something and you'll swing the wrong way or you'll be punching at one thing and find yourself stuck in a meaningless combo, pressing buttons and hoping this hell will end.
How I hate that stuff.
Of the great things in the game, there are the variety of weapons, the way you can level up, and the fact that the game is one big Dawn of the Dead playpen with a camera attached. You can pick up compact discs and throw them (I like to pretend that the zombies suffer audio shock like I do when they get hit with a bad shiny pile of sonnets from artist I don't want to hear), find swords and knives and guns a-plenty, and you can get your hands on garden utensils and lawnmowers and all types of other equipment. Along the way, you pick up points for a variety of things (taking pictures, killing, saving people, kicking a new move in just the right way) and find yourself leveling up. This means that you get more powerful, get more life, and so on.
There are a lot more facets to this game, some good and some bad, but the end result is a great play where you get to play undead tag. It has a plot to play out, some really interesting features, and makes for great play for the pricetag that the 360 now has on it. Combining that with a love for horror games and the need to run rampant in a mall full of zombies and you have something that I absolutely love BUT can see people seeing problems with.
All of that said, if it seems fun to you it probably will be and I can't fault it for having faults of its own because it was one of the first (and possibly best) release titles. | video-games_xbox |
I reconed this game and found a ghostly experience. First and foremost, this game is fun, like a lot of freaking fun. Just imagine, you silently scoping out a enemy position, evaluation all possible threats and tactical implications, and then flawlessly executing a series of expertly performed assassination to allow you and your lethal team to silently progress towards your unsuspecting objective. That, along with a few explosive multi-player moments, primarily found in co-op campaign and the online match mode Decoy, represent the high potential of this game. Unfortunately the bad has strong backing as well: poor multi-player execution on Ubisofts part, and a crippling Uplay system leaves this game lacking a true standout mode.
When I first booted this game up and started to play, I had a eager friend sitting next to me. I, and my friend, both come from a age where, split-screen, or couch multi-player ruled; a time before the inter-web stuck its sticky and relentless silk into the videogame industry. So I, being blinded by the hope of a strong split-screen multi-player presence in the new Ghost Recon game, and remembering the slit-screen goodness of old Recon games, invited a hopeful friend over for some multi-player goodness. What we found was a poorly pieced together pile of horde mode in a Ghost Recon body. I'm not going into too much detail about Guerrilla Mode, but just think of Gears of War horde mode without the addictive leveling emplacements system, and with restrictive "safeguard a HQ rules", and you just about got the whole premise, and regrettably the entire potential behind this finished Guerrilla Mode. Yeah there's fun to be had, but it could have been much better, not to mention the counter-intuitive aspect of having a "protect the HQ" game mode in a Ghost Recon; I thought, as a Ghost, you were the hunter, not the other way around, no? There is some fun to be had in this poorly pieced together mode, but make sure you have at least two other savoy gamers willing to play, because it gets entirely too hard, and repetitive with just two people.
Story Mode does a excellent job of piecing together all the aspects of what makes the Ghost Recon series so addictive and fun; silently dismissing the enemy soldiers from this world, while staying true to real world physics and, for the most part, realistic situations and solutions is incredibly entertaining, and to be honest really makes you feel like a badass. Things like four-player co-op, OVER XBOX LIVE OR PSN, adds to the experience, albeit having friends such as mine playing with you, turns this silent and deadly campaign into The Expendables movie. The Gun customization in the campaign is remarkable, and I wish other games would adopt this system of gun personalization; although allowing the player to have two primary guns on them during each mission, ruins the risk and reward factor of choosing the right gun for the right scenario before each mission. All considered, this mode is the strongest in the game.
The online mode is tons of fun as well, although it is not as addictive as games like Call of Duty, or Halo, it has its appeals and, being that this game isn't at the level of those two games in popularity, you won't have to endure the constant barrage of preteens screaming obscenities in your ear. Although, this game is tactical, its online mode is kind of counter-intuitive in the regards that there isn't as much of a consequence for dying as one would expect. I mean, I feel if there was some kind of restriction to spawning a certain amount of times, or a half a minute spawn countdown the risk of dying would weight down some of the bolder moves in muli-player. I can't tell you how many times I was charged by other gamers, or how many times people choose to run and gun, rather than sit and plan a tactical strategy with other gamers. It kept my attention for a while, but everytime I logged out, I felt disappointed at the prospect of what it could have been.
This game is worth a rent, and if you like it, a buy. But don't shell out the sixty unless you feel this game fills all the requirements that you need. Good thing Redbox is currently renting this game out everywhere (06/05/2012).
P.S. There is no excuse for not being able to play online during Uplay updates and system checks, completely ridiculous when Xbox Live is up and your in a chat room with a friend to find out you can't play because of a stupid add-on by a company. | video-games_xbox |
Great graphics and fighting fun for mature audiences. If you're a fan of the Mortal Kombat series, or fighting games in general, get ready. This mature title has got puzzles, RPG, chess, and yes, lots of bloody Kombat!
The traditional aspects of Mortal Kombat are here. You have different characters to choose from. Different styles of fighting. Key combinations create gorgeous attack moves. You earn coins as you go, to spend on unlocking new characters, levels, and other secrets.
The graphics here are simply gorgeous. The floors and walls have textures from shiny and reflective to grainy matte. The glow of fire, misty mountains and glowing lights are quite impressive. Characters have robes that flow with the action and accessories that sway realistically. If you want to be gory, the blood even flows down your body.
On the other hand, in Dead or Alive the environments are amazingly reactive - fighting in a snowy area leaves tracks in the snow, and autumn leaves blow past you in the forest. In comparison, Mortal Kombat has a desert island fight seem like the ground is made of concrete. So there is still room for improvement.
Body movements are equally as well done. Gone are the days of blocky characters with jerky attacks. You can really feel like you're in a martial arts movie here, with the super smooth blocks and combo kicks. This is great for the audience the game is intended for (mature) - but means that youngsters can easily get upset by some of the very realistic back-breaking moves. There's a reason this game earned that mature rating.
Even the sub-games are so good that they could easily qualify as standalone packages. The Puzzle Kombat is in essence tetris with fighting animations for when you do well. Chess Kombat is chess with little mortal kombat pieces. You can play both of these on XBox Live too! There's also a Konquest Adventure where you wander around talking to characters and taking on quests.
Highly recommended for mature fighting game fans, and with all of the things to unlock you have great incentive to play for weeks and weeks to see everything. | video-games_xbox |
ODST - Overpriced Dark Short Tale. Concept: 7/10
Halo 3: ODST introduces a new Special Forces Recon Soldier for the Halo Universe. The Orbital Drop Shock Trooper is a darker, ligher armored version of a Spartan with silent weapons. That's pretty much it.
Story: 9/10
The story is very well written, well told, and well acted by Firefly and BSG veterans. It is really entertaining and one of the best parts of the game. However, it is told through flashbacks and is somewhat difficult to understand your first time through. You might be confused at times, but in the end, it all makes sense.
Gameplay: 8/10
It's Halo 3, with a couple new guns and a slight improvement to the health system. Your character sounds 'in pain' when your health is low, reminding you to stay behind cover. There's also a night vision visor that you can toggle on and off. Unfortunately, the game seems too dark if you don't have your night vision on, and if you use it in areas that are fairly well lit, you're almost blinded. In the end, the night vision seems extraneous. The game would have been better if the dark areas were just a bit brighter, but still cloaked in shadows.
Level Designs: 6/10
There is an open ended city area where you can explore and Convenant troops are being dropped in to battle. This is new to the Halo Universe and it works quite well. Most of the game takes place in New Mobasa, a futuristic African City that is being invaded by the Covenant. The look and feel of the city is pretty impressive, but overall, the levels feel redundant. Fight in corridors, defend an area... You know you've got problems when the Campaign is only 5 hours long, and the Missions feel repetitive.
Sound: 9/10
The music is foreboding and adds to the grim atmosphere while the effects bring the battles to life.
Replay Value: 7/10
You can start the campaign after lunch and finish it before dinner.
There is a Firefight Mode which is like Gears of War 2's Horde Mode, but ODST features an additional challenge where each wave of enemies has a special behavior like "Dodges Grenades." This mode is for friends and invites only. I understand that Bungie is trying to prevent the Leroy Jenkins of the world from ruining the fun, but it really sucks to not be able to play a pickup game.
There are 3 new Multiplayer Maps for Halo 3, too.
Maturity - The game is rated M because the Halo series is rated M, even though the action is pretty tame.
Overall: 7/10
Buy this game if you're a Halo Collector, you've got a bunch of buddies that still play Halo 3 and will use the Maps and Firefight Mode.
Rent this game if you just want to play the Campaign. It's only 5-6 hours long.
I'd recommend waiting for the price to drop before buying ODST because if you spend $60, you're going to feel ripped off.
$35 for this game feels about right.
NOTE: Amazon and a bunch of other stores are selling ODST for under $40 now! | video-games_xbox |
Highly Impressed. I stopped by a buddies house last night to pick up a receiver I had lent him and he was playing Goldeneye when I walked in. He asked me if I wanted to give it a try and to make a long story short, I wound up leaving his place roughly 3 hours later, with the game in tow. He had to work super early so he lent me the game until he gets off of work tonight. I popped it in as soon as I got home and didn't put it down until I passed out at roughly 5AM.
First and foremost this game wasn't even on my radar. In fact, I am being 100% honest when I say that I didn't even know it was coming out until I saw it in my buddies console. I visit Amazon's videogame sections, among many other videogame sites, all the time and I don't remember ever seeing anything about it. I also subscribe to a bunch of videogame magazines and I cant remember ever seeing it in any of those either. This game was completely invisible to me, until last night. To say I was impressed is a massive understatement. This is easily the best James Bond game I have played in a long time and it ultimately makes the recent James Bond games like Quantum of Solace and Bloodstone look even worse than they normally do. This is what a James Bond game is supposed to be like.
My favorite aspect of this game is that you can play the missions as you like and the controls are absolutely spot on. In fact, these are the tightest controls I can ever remember in a James Bond game. They really are spot on. I love games that reward a stealthy, patient approach yet allow you to run in guns blazing if you so desire. Goldeneye Reloaded is perfect example of such a game. I am roughly 7 hours in and the variety in missions has been outstanding. The developers mix things up extremely well so you never feel like the game is starting to grind or starting to get boring. Even the vehicular missions are done really well. Most importantly, this just feels like a James Bond game through and through, something that was lacking entirely in recent Bond games. Again, this is what a James Bond game should be like.
I have seen a lot of negative comments written in regards to this games price, which is really one of the main reasons why I chose to write this review. For the most part, I agree with the criticism as it would have been nice to see this game have a 40 dollar price point, which is really in line with what we have seen from other HD upgrades. With that being said, from a game play perspective...well, this game is absolutely worth the 60.00 especially if your a big fan of James Bond or stealth/shooter styled games. If you have a problem with the price, simply wait a few weeks for the price to come down. I plan on buying a copy myself and I am not planning on waiting like I do with most games. My son is a huge James Bond fan and he will absolutely love this game. I already do.
5 Stars! | video-games_xbox |
Slippery Game. Remember Me is a really different game than anyone is probably used to playing. It's based around a number of ideas and concepts. You play as a woman who can remix digitized memories. The real difference in this game is that you're pretty much playing as a rebel who lost her memories, so you're a wanted criminal. In some ways, its a little bit like an Assassin's Creed style game.
Combat in this game is slippery. You have to be a master of strategy in not only attack, but defense. Timing your dodges in this game is everything, because your character usually ends up battling enemies who are stronger and larger than she is. It's a game that requires a large quantity of patience and intelligence, rather than just lots of button mashing. There are heavy consequences for dying in the middle of a battle sometimes. If your health hits zero, you'll be brought back with a single bar of health to fight at the beginning of the last check point before you died. This gets extremely difficult to deal with at times, especially when you're trying to fight enemies you can't see, and your fighting controls become more and more complex. (Edit: The further I got in the game, this issue seemed to be resolved, and the character started respawning with full health.)
Small things in the world might hang you up here and there--a flipping billboard, a short circuiting electric unit, or not jumping quick enough between platforms, and then dropping down on the ledge instead. There was even a time or two where it really took me a minute to figure out where to go because a room appeared sealed and actually wasn't.
What I can give Remember Me a major thumbs up on is the world around it. Walk around for a little while and just take it in. For the slums that your character slinks around in, there's a kind of artistic beauty that only a select few games have truly been able to capture--and not exactly in the same way that Remember Me has. It's kind of like walking around inside The Matrix or some super realistic futuristic painting. The whole game is such an interesting idea. While I wouldn't suggest it to just anyone and everyone, its still a great game. | video-games_xbox |
It's All About the Metal, Man. Growing up in high school, I was not a Heavy Metal fan. I looked askance at the dudes in their black t-shirts and doodling death symbols. I was struggling to be accepted as a gamer, and although the Metalheads played Dungeons & Dragons as much as I did, they came from a very different background.
As an adult it's much easier to embrace this form of counter-culturalism. Heavy Metal was rebelling at a time when 80s conformity was emerging, overhyped, oversynthed, and carefully marketed. Heavy Metal was at turns loud, angry, and violent or melodic, sorrowful, even romantic. But it's not too late. Brutal Legend will show you the way.
A lot of people criticize the short playing time of Brutal Legend, as if tearing from scene to scene, save point to save point, is the only purpose of the game. In fact, Brutal Legend is entirely the opposite - it's a world meant to be explored, a culture meant to be absorbed, a state of mind meant to be embraced. You've got to let go of your hang-ups if you really want to enjoy Brutal Legend.
Brutal Legend follows Riggs as he journeys through this strange land. He finds himself in a familiar role: supporting a better-groomed star from behind the scenes. With its twisty plotline of love and loss, allegiance and betrayal, players may be surprised to discover that Brutal Legend has a strong romantic element - an important part of Heavy Metal.
But mostly Brutal Legend is about music. Jack Black as Eddie Riggs is our comedic tour guide through this insane universe, which occasionally pretends it's part of pre-history but is actually a mad mix of Nordic legend, Heavy Metal sensibilities, and Frank Fazetta and Heironymus Bosch's art. It all ties together through a back-story that can be discovered piece by piece by wandering the land, digging up artifacts, musical solos that act as spells, and releasing bound and gagged stone dragons for blood tributes. On paper Riggs is a roadie, but in practice he's a bard of musical Metal, capable of summoning wild beasts, melting the face of his enemies, or even changing day into night.
Music is its own character in Brutal Legend. Riggs can create a vehicle known as the Druid Plow, an incredibly souped-up car that can drop mines, fire heat-seeking rockets, blast foes with sound, and - most importantly - provides the game's kicking soundtrack. This soundtrack is the perfect mood music for the game itself, which feels like you've been thrust into one of those Heavy Metal album covers.
Brutal Legend is highly original too. Forget the usual fantasy tropes of elves and dwarves. This game features carnivorous deer, porcupines bristling with metal quills, huge steel-headed beasts, monsters made-up like Kiss that breathe fire...and that's just the local wildlife. There's a whole coterie of Tim Burton-esque undead foes, the aforementioned Bosch-inspired demons, fire-trailing bikers, speaker-toting roadies...this game is as much as feast for the eyes as it is for the ears.
In fact, this game turned me on to groups I'd never heard of before: Angel Witch, 3 Inches of Blood, Motorhead, Riot, Omen, and KMFDM. I may not be a Metal-head, but Brutal Legend made me a fan of groups I would never otherwise have listened to. That's the highest compliment I can pay a game. | video-games_xbox |
Possibly the worst game on xbox. Ok. I can finally judge a game that I feel is unworthy to own space anywhere in your household. The trash is a nice start but no matter what, it will always be somewhere. This game will make you say, "it's too easy" and every other difficulty is easy. Except hard. They aren't totally retarded and they take away your health a ton.
This is a rip off Red Dead Revolver / Serious Sam game. Linear gameplay, horrid textures that make games like Redneck Rampage and Drake of the 99 Dragons look like god sends. At least I can play them and not point out every obvious flaw that condemn the gameplay to a hell that you must suffer once your grasp lays hold on your cold controller. By the end, the game in entirety is a huge rip off of every game that inspired it. This is so obvious, and I'm actually not surprised I never heard of this game before the time I picked it up at a goodwill. I thought it would be another Gun type game, a game filled with beautiful breath taking scenery, and guns to make the experience so pleasurable. Just take all of that away, and give the main character a potato gun that requires blood to make it shoot correctly. You have to kill people to use your sniper. To use the double barrel shotgun correctly. This shouldn't be a factor. The weapons are just weak and so unsatisfying.
I can't believe a title like this was ever published. The Xbox had so many great games, but this does not compare. Save yourself the 4$ and go buy XIII or Halo, or my personal favorites Unreal Championsip or Riddick Escape from Buthers Bay. This is not a valid first person shooter. This is a plague upon the players who posses it. It's simple, and I have a strange disire to beat it. I beat every game I get, I gave up and performed physical violence on the disc that was undeserving of the plastic the paper was laid upon.
It also makes the best out of the fireplace you put it in! It's a very nice feeling knowing it's in hell where it belongs. | video-games_xbox |
Torn, but moving towards it sucks. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Aliens-Colonial-Marines-Collector-s-Edition/dp/B007P0X7IA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Aliens Colonial Marines Collector's Edition</a> This is difficult review for me. After seeing the videos leading up to the game release, I was really looking forward to this game. I was expecting Aliens with gameplay and graphics on the same level as Modern Warfare or Call of Duty. The reviews on the graphics are pretty accurate I'm not a graphics expert, but it looks like your playing on the original xbox. The aliens look 2 dimensional, it is almost as if you only get to see a front view or a side view of the alien. When the alien or the facehugger are in close, the graphics look improved. I like the story so far, I mainly play single player campaign and in most cases mindlessly shooting bad guys, but with all the hype about how this game was going to be part of the Alien canon, the story has to drive the game. So far the references to Aliens have me wanting to keep playing, but some of inane side quests take away from the game. I really was looking forward to this game, but the dated the look of the graphics is hard to get past. I will reserve full judgement until I finish the game and if it is a supreme disappointment, at least I have a cool statue, blueprints of the Sephora and Colonial Marines patches.
2/15 After reading some of the reviews and stories coming out about how this game was put together I am really disappointed. All the video coming out of Gearbox was about how much they loved the Alien franchise and how it would fix what happened in Alien3. To find out they farmed out the SP game to another company, is totally disingenuous on their party. Now Gearbox is poinitng the finger saying that it was someone else who screwed up the game and Sega is saying it is all Gearbox. This had the potential to be a great franchise game and sadly it will probably be the end. | video-games_xbox |
My favorite RPG. Let me quickly qualify why this is a big deal for me to call this my favorite RPG. The first RPG I ever played was Mario RPG: Legend of the seven stars, a game that is considered a masterpiece to this day. The game that solidified my love for the RPG genre was final fantasy 7, which remains one of my favorites to this day. I have played and beaten final fantasy 6,7,8,9,and 10. I hated 12 and 13. I've played and beaten kingdom hearts 1 and 2, chrono trigger, paper mario 1,2, and super. I have run through every fire emblem game I can find, and with all that being said, Nier is STILL my favorite RPG of all time.
Nier is the story of Nier and his daughter Yonah, who is afflicted with the incurable disease, the black scrawl. In his pursuit to find a cure, Nier comes across the ancient, and very funny talking book, Grimoire Weiss. Together they set off to find the sealed verses that hold the key to saving the life of Nier's daughter.
The relationship between Nier and Yonah is different from most relationships in gaming. Nier is a hard working, loving father, who will do everything in his power to see his daughter healed. They live in an idealic village full of kind hearted people, who care for Yonah while Nier is away searching for a cure, and are not shy about asking for favors.
An important note is that to get the full experience, you NEED to play through this game at least twice. This game features a new game plus that drops you at the halfway point of the game the second time through, and unveils the second side of the story. This adds depth and context to the game that most of the professional reviewers missed. Nier has one of the most affecting and heart wrenching stories I've ever had the privilege of playing, and it demands to be experienced.
Throughout the game, you have the option to take sidequests for the people of your village, and later the residents of other towns,in exchange for money. Many critics have complained of the repetitive nature of many of the quests. I myself enjoyed them, and there are many quests that have humorous and sometimes tragic story lines attached to them.
The biggest gripe that nearly every professional reviewer had against this amazing game is that the graphics aren't very good. This is a non issue for me. I personally enjoy Niers graphics. They are clean, bright and uncomplicated. One of my favorite games of all time is final fantasy tactics; a truly hideous game, with a terrible story, but some of the most enjoyable gameplay of its kind. Nier trades flashy, pointless graphics for wide open spaces and lightning fast loading times; a trade I with more games would be willing to make.
The gameplay is solid. Nier is not turn based, but more hack and slash. Nier does what you tell him to do, when you tell him to do it; you really can't ask for much more. The physical attacks are pretty simple, but it is the magic attacks that are spectacular. From launching multiple magical spears to forming an enormous hand to crush your foes, the magic attacks are numerous and varied. Nier moves quickly, and even has double jump, making traveling and exploration hassle free. The Boss battles are fun and varied. They do a good job of mixing up the boss encounters. Very rarely will a boss fight devolve into hit and run tactics, which is a good thing.
The characters Nier and Weiss are terrific company, and you will never be bored. Their witty banter is dotted throughout the game, and they have a lot to say. I often found myself smiling and laughing along with them, which is rare. The strongest point in this game though has to be the music. Never before have I been so entranced by a games soundtrack that I put the controller down so I could listen to it without any ambient noise to get in the way. Some people have complained about the endless musical loops that inhabit each area, but when the music is this amazing, I doubt many people mind.
All in all, Nier is the complete package. The graphics are clean and effective. The gameplay is fun and efficient. The characters are fleshed out and engaging. The story is deep, complex, and moving. The music is breathtakingly beautiful. Most importantly the game is a joy to play; it gets my highest recommendation. Do yourself a favor and buy this game. | video-games_xbox |
The Most Realistic Fighting Game, Ever. Keeping in context that this is THQ's first attempt to make a UFC game and you have to admit they did an amazing job.
This was obviously a very hard game to make because it's based on real fighting technique's and has to be grounded in reality. They didn't have the liberties to do impossible moves with super hero like abilities to dish out and withstand punishment like in other games. It had to be as real as possible and that alone must have made for a challenge. Why it's so much more challenging than a wrestling or fighting game is also for the fact that you have to be able to have as much ability to attack and defend from the ground as you do on your feet. A handful of moves won't do it either as it'll get old and stale real fast. Considering they had no existing engine to work with like they're WWE games and had to build a new one from the ground up, it's all the more impressive.
I've been playing it all morning and so far I have to say it's alot of fun. The controls are good although they take a little getting used to but it won't be long before your dishing it out like a pro. The fighters all have their own unique move sets so they're not just different looking, they actually play different from one another. I love the variety of ko's and submissions and I went alot of matches before I saw any of the same finishes twice. I started by jumping right in to exhibition mode to just go at it and get a feel of it. Then I went to tutorial mode to learn the various technique's to play the game how it was meant because I could only go so far on my own. The games excitement ramped up alot after that as I found myself eager to apply the new strikes, takedowns and submissions I had just learned. It really started to look and feel alot more real when thinking and strategizing during matches. Other than those, there's a deep career mode where you get to build your own fighter from scratch, train him, and fight up through the ranks to become one of the elite. Also included is an online mode and classic fights mode where you get to recreate some of the best fights in recent UFC history where your rewarded with unlockable video montages of those fights. I thought the original pre-fight interviews they show you before the fights were a nice touch. I'm also very impressed with the 80+ roster of fighters from all 5 weight classes.
Graphically, it looks great. Most all the fighters look very close to the real ones and some are almost spot on. The only one who doesn't is Mark Coleman and the strange thing is that he instead looks EXACTLY like Frank Trigg. Dana White also looks a little too unlike himself but I was happy with all the others. Otherwise, there's a great attention to detail with the rings, muscles, sweat, cuts and clothing all looking pretty real.
The audio is really good. You'll here the same theme songs from the Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed and Fight Night. Also included are background music you'll hear played often at the events. It's all rock type and meant to get you pumped up for some fighting. The commentary is better than I've heard on any wrestling game. Mike and Joe don't repeat themselves nearly as much and actually have alot of informative things to say. They're also synched very well with the action going on in the ring. The crowd noises ramp up with the action or slow to a boo with inactivity and the smacks and thumps of combat are well represented.
It's not a perfect game though. It could be a little faster, ko's come a little too frequent and easy while submissions are pretty tough to pull off and the cpu doesn't attempt to ground you and try them very much. I'd like a little more blood effects from the fighters as in bleeding down they're faces, getting in they're eyes, and more on the body and shorts. Not to be gory but if you've watched alot of UFC you'll know it happens often enough. There are no ring entrances which also means none with customizable music which is what I would've like to see for my fighter in career mode. And why not have your created fighter start out on The Ultimate Fighter show for a chance to be the next Forrest Griffin? I'd also like to save my best matches, highlights and maybe have a tournament mode like the old UFC where you'd have to beat 3 or 4 guys in the same night. But that's all secondary. What matters is that the core game is intact and it was no doubt a very tough task but I believe they pulled it off.
I've been very excited about this game from it's announcement and early screens and video, till picking it up today and I have to say that I'm not disappointed at all and believe most fans of the UFC and video games won't be disappointed either. For the most part, it lives up to the hype. It's also light years beyond any other UFC game that's ever been made and one heck of a start to capturing the feel of the UFC and MMA in general. I give it 4 stars out of 5 for room for improvement next time but also a big recommendation for UFC fans.
Update: I've been playing the game alot over the past 4 days since I got it and am just continually blown away by how authentic it is. The fighters fight alot like their real life counterparts. Chuck Liddell backs away and counters, Anderson Silva constantly tries to get you in a muay tai clinch to punish you with knees and Brock Lesnar attempts to ground and pound you out, brilliant. There are also tons of reversals and escapes on the ground to make it a really fun and interesting part of fighting. I'm also really enjoying the commentary by Rogan and Goldberg, as they'll also recognize and talk about previous matches between fighters who had significant matches like Arlovski vs Silva, Liddell vs Ortiz and Silva vs Franklin, very cool. Congrats to THQ and Yukes, they really did their homework. | video-games_xbox |
Lego: Jurassic World. I haven't been playing for very long but I'm still really enjoying this game. it starts from the first Jurassic Park all the way to the new Jurassic World movie and just like Lego: Lord Of The Rings, this game uses the original audios from the movies for the character's voices. so Allen Grant and Ellie Sattler sound exactly the same as they did in the movies. but not ALL of the voices are the same. you'll notice a few side characters who only had a few minutes of screen time have different voices now. but its nothing annoying so you don't have to worry about muting your TV when certain side characters appear.
The island of Isla Sorna and Isla Nebular are almost completely open world! the reason I say ALMOST is because there are a few areas you cant go such as ponds and mountains. if you jump into a deep river/lake, your character will just jump right out of it and you cant climb still hills/cliffs. but you can still visit many locations on the island you're on. while the island is big, its not The Elder Scrolls big so you shouldn't expect to be spending days on this game trying to chart every location on the map. you have a big map to explore, its just not gigantic.
So far I've only seen a few glitches like when I'm free roaming the map, my companion will suddenly get stuck where ever he/she is standing and will moon walk in place. another glitch is when I get into the passenger seat of a vehicle, the camera will zoom in WAY too close and it'll clip through the dash board or will be sitting underneath your character making it so you can see where you're going. but thankfully this doesn't happen when I'm in the driver's seat. but these are the only glitches I've seen so far and they shouldn't get in the way of your fun.
Another great thing about this game is that you can play as the dinosaurs! but not all of them from the beginning. even when you unlock the T-Rex that doesn't mean you can play as her when ever you want. but you can still create your own special breed of dinosaurs with their own special abilities. like giving a Raptor the T-Rex's roar and bite force, or make a carnivorous Triceratops, or create a Spinarex (Spinosaurus + T-Rex) I haven't unlocked all the parts yet so I don't know the full extent of what you can do with dino hybrids (but I do know that you can only change the head, torso, tail, and details like colors. you cant swap out the arms and legs for wings or Raptor legs) but this is still an enjoyable part of the game.
This game has a lot of funny jokes in it. I won't spoil anything but I will warn you that it does have some crude humor involving dinosaur poop. if you remember in the first movie when the Triceratops was sick and Ellie Sattler was digging through its "leavings" to figure out what was wrong with her, that kinda happens here. but Ellie doesn't just stick her hand into a pile of poop, she also jumps into the air and dives into it like a swimming pool. so this is just a little warning for if you don't like poop jokes to look away when your character needs to do some... "searching" in a big pile of you know what.
But anyway, if you're a fan of Lego and Jurassic Park, then this game is worth a buy. :D | video-games_xbox |
Click On The Buy Option Immediately. Okay so let me start off by saying that this was an excellent deal I picked up on Amazon. Although the game was released back in 2008,it's still a shining jewel for 2014. With relation to action/stealth genre games,I must say that the game did not get the reputation it deserved.
Story:
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy mostly derives from the film version of The Bourne Identity. Although the game does not use the likeness of Matt Damon (who portrays Bourne in the films), due to creative differences with the actor who initially wanted the gameplay to be more similar to that of Myst instead of a shooter;[8][9] it does derive more closely from the film storyline than from the novels, and features musical themes from the films.
As in the movie, the player character begins as an amnesiac found off the coast of Marseille, but as the game progresses, the player is provided with more clues to Bourne's true identity.
Jason Bourne's senses are an important part of surviving the game, with noteworthy items or locations highlighted - when a switch to this sense is triggered, the visual style changes, with important elements much brighter. A third-person espionage action game, the player encounters armed and unarmed combat, the latter usually resolved through quick-time events, and driving sections, also often dependent on quick-time events.
There are three difficulty settings which the player can choose from when playing the single-player campaign: Trainee (easy mode), Agent (normal mode) and Assassin (hard mode).
The game also contains a boss battle feature, allowing the player to fight the boss without having to complete the entire level again, although some boss fights last entire levels. The game also contains a music player feature that allows the player to listen to music from the game. It includes an original score for the game written by Paul Oakenfold and performed by Cee-Lo Green
SOURCE:WIKIPEDIA
I have already completed the game 3 times with over 800 Gamerscore. The storyline is not too big and has an average size. It roughly takes 10 hours to complete the game on Insanity and 2-3 hours on Easy.
It has a combination of Stealth and Action. The combat system is exceptionally made to appeal to the players.
Although the game has outdated graphics for 2014,it was a Crysis 3 of it's time.
MY OPINION:CLICK ON THE BUY OPTION IMMEDIATELY | video-games_xbox |
Snake Is Straight Up Entertaining... Both of Them. The fact is, if you are a MGS fan then you'll be completely satisfied with the MGS HD Collection.
Peace Walker is much more entertaining than I thought it would be. Sure I've heard some people complain about the graphics being a bit poor, but it was ported from the PSP (The small portable gaming system) which makes it hard to upgrade for the big screen. In my opinion, the graphics are good enough, they definitely aren't bad enough to make you dislike the game. It's actually amazingly fun to play. You don't just play through missions as snake, you can play through missions with various military personal that join your cause (Not necessarily by choice, but they stick around once they see how awesome it is being on snakes side.) You control each person in your militia and give them specialized tasks to strengthen your military (such as assigning soldiers to the Combat team or to the Medical or Intel team, etc.) I would gladly pay $59.99 for this game alone for the 360. Hands down the best reason to buy this collection if you haven't already played peace walker.
The other two games (Sons of liberty and Snake Eater) are already known for their sheer awesomeness in gaming history. If you haven't played them and you have a 360, do yourself a favor and drench yourself in the MGS goodness that you've missed out on in this one package. I honestly already feel sorry for those of you who have no clue what these games are like or the amazing character development and game play these games have to offer. For those now and day gamers who think games are supposed to be like Halo and Call of Duty, you have no clue what a true master piece really is in the gaming world. There was once a time where developers cared about a solid story line, amazing character development and giving true purpose in games. You might actually find a life lesson in some of these games and I'm not even kidding a little.
For those of you gamers who have been consistently discouraged by games like Halo, Call Of Duty, Etc. This one is your way out, your way to experience something truly entertaining. -"Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock." | video-games_xbox |
A must-have Xbox RPG. This game is one of the greatest I've ever played, but buyer beware: this is an RPG, not a shooter or "action" game, although the game itself has plenty of action.
The game revolves around a character you create at the game's onset, whose past gets filled in as the story progresses and whose decisions influence the future of the galaxy. You eventually can pick up another nine characters, including Jedi, a Wookiee and droids, one of which is one of the most amusing characters I've ever seen. As the story takes place thousands of years before the events of the films, you don't need to be a Star Wars junkie to dive right in.
The game features lots of ways to customize your character's abilities, and more than enough sidequests to keep people interested. Many of these quests influence your alignment - the more you lean toward the Light Side, the more comfortable people will feel around you (and thus, I found, they will give you more quests as the game goes on). The Dark Side is pretty profitable, though, to make up for that.
The biggest thing that one has to get used to is the combat mechanic. It is very D&D-style, using a simulated 20-sided die roll to resolve actions (for example, a base target of 10 + 5 (for opponent's defense) - 3 (your attack bonus) = 12 (modified to-hit target). Thankfully, this mechanic runs in the background and is quickly ignored. When you sight an enemy, you can choose to engage them, choosing a series of actions to take (e.g. normal attack, special attack, throw grenade, normal attack) that you can modify on the fly. Hardcore shooter fans will hate it, but most people will adapt to it fairly quickly. Plus, the later stages of the game are frenetic enough that most people will appreciate KOTOR's approach to combat.
The game also has significant replay value - besides the obvious filling out your quest and item logs, your choices influence the ending. So if you played the first time as a goody-two-shoes, you can run through it again as a horseman of apocalypse and see what happens this time.
This game requires a serious investment of time - you're looking at least 25 hours, and that's only if you're amazingly good, uncannily lucky and do none of the sidequests.
A few minor complaints I have about the game: first off, the only time you can change a character's equipment is when they are in your active party. This is particularly frustrating when you are in your base with all nine standing around you, but becuase you haven't selected them, you physically have to leave the base with two at a time to change equipment (good luck if your pulling a 4-character switch like I did :( ). Second, some of the videos a dialogue animations are buggy. Third, there is a convenient "Return to base" option; the problem is, it is not always active. This is fine for, say, a boss stage you can't escape until you defeat said boss, but in some cases it makes no sense (i.e. I can walk back through one doorway and it will work on the other side).
Minor complaints aside, KOTOR rightly deserves those Game of the Year awards it won. If you like (or can at least tolerate) a true RPG, pick this up. | video-games_xbox |
For MGS fans, expect an average experience. For newcomers, I would wait for the Phantom Pain. To all, please don't down-vote this just based on the score I gave this, and give me a chance to elaborate. I tried my hardest to convey my experience with this game, and the review tries to elaborate this. Enjoy! :D
For reference, I played this through on the Xbox One - 720p @ 60 fps, and some on the Xbox 360 - 720p @ 30 fps, so keep that in mind.
First and foremost, I've infrequently played any other Metal Gear Solid games. Before you begin throwing rotten fruits, give me a chance: I am fully aware that the Metal Gear Solid series is one of the best and most influential in gaming history. I understand that it essentially defined stealth in video games, and set the basis for other upstanding game franchises such as Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon. As I have played many iterations of both of those series, I'll be using some of those for reference, even though, in a way, those are based off of MGS itself. Thusly, let's begin my personal review.
Graphics - The absolute very first thing you'll notice about this game is the graphics. On virtually all 4 platforms, the Fox engine handles and performs everything very well, from lighting, weather effects to make things look wet, etc., and is twice as true for the next-Gen consoles. However, one of my favorite things in a game is when the faces of the characters emit and show some kind of emotion. While they all look good up close, all characters faces are awkwardly sterile when they speak. Most of you should know what I mean - you can tell when the developers went through the process of mapping real-life faces to look real (such as L.A. Noire, recent Battlefield games (using the equally impressive Frostbite engine)), and it really takes me out of the immersion greatly when little moves apart from their mouth. The only other issue I found odd was that when driving a vehicle, your shadow would either frantically flip-flop or disappear for a few seconds. Also, for the prowess that this incredibly diverse engine seems to have, explosions fall exceedingly short: the initial explosion is large and rewarding, but there's little detail in it and the dust/explosion only stays for maybe 2-3 seconds. None of the above are game-breaking, but it just takes me (maybe you too) out of it. If graphics don't matter to you, then that's something to consider, as the game itself seemed to be parallel to one another, and even the PS3/Xbox 360 versions are still handsome to look at.
Controls, Gameplay, Gameplay Mechanics - The controls are just as what you would expect from a third-person shooter. (In Xbox control terms): LT aims and locks onto a target, RT punches/uses weapons, along with all of your rudimentary controls, so no gripes there. However, things become odd when Metal Gear Solid-specific mechanics themselves come into play. The most prevalent is with interrogating/interacting with regular guards. The game forces you to go octopus-handed nearly every time you want to interact with a guard, such as telling them to get on the ground, knock them unconscious, etc. This is due to the fact that you have to hold the target with the triggers and go through options on what you have to do with them using the right stick which can cause you to release the guard, which in turn causes them to shoot at you and alerts nearly every other guard in the area. This in itself wouldn't be much of an issue, except the game will frequently throw in far too many guards at a certain point. This prohibits the completion of missions such as doing it stealthily or without killing anyone, as there are simply too many guard towers with spotlights, wandering guards, some doing frequent patrols in vehicles, etc. If any of you have played the more recent Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, you can relate to that (excluding the usually idiotic team of AI that accompanied you in that game).
Again, while I haven't frequented any other MGS games, I did take the liberty to do some extra research. I learned that Ground Zeroes is different than its predecessors in that the cover system is now automatic, so that when you get close to a wall or object that can be used as cover, you automatically attach to it. This can commonly be an ailment to the game as trying to hastily turn a corner can turn into Solid Snake doing his animation to go into and thusly out of cover, which can take away a few precious moments to eliminate a guard in a small window of time, or simply trying to sprint away (you'll find yourself doing that a lot) and getting stuck by instantly attaching to cover you didn't want to. I'm disappointed that the first MGS game I invested in ended up having a different, seemingly off-point cover system. Another change in mechanics is the fact that banging on walls/making noise to draw attention to that area is gone. Mechanics such as these used in Splinter Cell and Far Cry 3 are invaluable on many occasions, and it seems odd that this nice little feature was eliminated, especially since its been part of the series for so long.
The story - The plot, while there is an obvious goal, is your typical "eliminate the bad guy to save the world", and is reminiscent of nearly all Splinter Cell games (especially the first) and Ghost Recon games. Apart from Solid Snake himself, I had no reason to care about any of the other characters that had a line of dialogue to their name.
Extras: Music & sound/level design - To me, the soundtrack to a game can make it or break it. In this case, it adds greatly to the ambience of the world around you. All background music and main themes are epic, mysterious, tense, and beautiful. [YouTube - Look up "Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes theme"] - That is just a taste of what you can expect. It put me OH SO CLOSE to giving this a 4/5. The sound design is thoroughly average, and the level design is all you would expect of a military camp; cramped lanes of tents, supplies, parked vehicles, etc. However, with the slightly-botched cover system I mentioned above, it's a shame that the flow doesn't really work out.
Price - Is the game itself worth it? Well, yes and no. While the game is not the full price point of any AAA title ($30 across all platforms), it still offers very little, and feels more like an overpriced DLC. The main mission can maybe reach two full hours if you were to approach everything stealthily and incredibly slowly, and can be beaten in less than one if you plow through it. However, I AM AWARE that MGS games can be played through multiple time like other stealth/tactical-style games, but it is still such a short experience that virtually any form of a play through can be done in or two days.
I wasn't sure when these were unlocked for me, as I had beaten the main mission right away, but eventually you are given different side-missions to complete. I believe there are 4 (each about 20-30 minutes long if they are taken slowly): "eliminate renegade threat": sneaking, assassinating mission; "Intel operative rescue missions": free a guy, escape on helicopter; "classified Intel acquisition": identify suspect, approach stealthily and getting information; and destroying anti-air missiles: a shoot-`em-up mission. I think the last one sort of goes against your typical MGS play through as you are forced to run-and-gun, instead of choosing how to approach it.
There are also collectibles to be found, which include XOF badges (which I'll get into in a second), audio tapes, and mission challenges, which include things like no-kills and completely stealthily. Back to the XOF badges, I wish you good luck on finding them. Of the 9 that are in the average-to-small map, one is practically given to you, but the rest seem to be playing a Major League game of hide-and-never-find; I made a fairly conceited effort to search for them during my play through and found just one other. If I make the effort to find them myself, or when someone comes out with a walkthrough for them, I'll update this.
Conclusion: If I could give this game a 3.5, I would. Amazon describes a 3-stars as an "It's Okay" and a 4-star as "I like it!" To be honest, it's both. When the game was good, the game was very good, and while the graphics are mostly down-right stunning across all platforms (apart from resolution differences), there are enough odd and consistent flaws that simply bring it down too much. Despite the cost, I truly, truly hope that others who are hardcore MGS fans can tell me that this is one of the worse (and still okay) MGS games out there, because it doesn't seem like this one did it any justice, and that I'm missing out on something special. Personally, I would wait for "MGS V: The Phantom Pain" to release, as this is a prequel leading up to it and Ground Zeroes will undoubtedly be cheaper by the 2015/2016 release date of MGS V. Thanks for reading, and I hope this review helped. If you have any questions or feedback, leave it in the comment section below. Have a good one!
P.S. There's an accompanying app that's released for iOS, Android and maybe Windows Phone (through SmartGlass). Not sure of the name of it at this very second, but it shows your stats and challenges, sort of like the CoD Elite/Battlelog of MGS: GZ. Those kinds of things don't matter to me, but it may to others. | video-games_xbox |
thing's TOO loud, enough said. the cons over weigh the pros, so i will only list the things i don't like about it [i'm contemplating a return and wait for the launch of the PS3slim]...
* * * UNIT IS CONNECTED VIA HDMI * * *
~ first and foremost, the thing runs VERY loud... feels like i'm using a prototype of some sort [previous generation users may find it "quieter" than their older units, but for a new user like me, this is unacceptable for an entertainment device]... basically, it takes most of the fun out of playing because you are constantly hearing your system make all kinds of noise, both during load times and actual play... the solution [reason why i haven't returned the unit already] is to copy the games on to your HDD [sold separately, of course] and play it off that... unfortunately, average game file is about 5GB, so unless if you plan to copy/erase often or only plan on playing a couple games at any given time period, you should opt for the 60GB [or 120], which costs about $60+/NEW; i purchased a pre-owned 60GB unit off an auction site for $50/shipped...
~ the system is not stable, the picture gets sluggish/choppy, although very rare, it shouldn't be doing that at all...
~ my audio goes out completely during game play... this happened at least a few times since i have owned the unit since 8.5.09, and i know there's nothing wrong with my connection nor the hdmi cable itself since a simple restart of the unit solves the problem... if i recall correctly, this happened every time i connect my own usb-based memory unit [flash drive/portable HDD] to the unit to play background music during game play... first the music starts skipping randomly, similar to if the audio source was coming from a scratched cd and it goes out shortly after... i have no idea what can cause that to happen besides system instability...
~ lastly, given xbox's rap sheet, i'm always afraid of getting the red ring of death [console tanks completely]... this unit being the jasper chipset era, i am a little relieved, but you never know what's going to happen... i'm paranoid about it overheating, so i don't run my unit for more than an hour or so; though, running the games off the hdd makes it run more efficiently... i would like to customize my case by painting it black to match the rest of my entertainment station, but in order to do that i would have to disassemble my unit and void my warranty; of course that's not happening, knowing my luck, i know something will go wrong with the system... i know there's a way to remove the MS sticker without it leaving evidence of removal, but i'm not that shady...
i'll keep the system for now and see if any other problem arises, if it does this thing's going back... if not, i will keep it, but will run all my games off the hdd, i don't want to hear this stupid white box "whine" ever again... | video-games_xbox |
Review on Fallout 3, includes pros and cons. I'm 14 years old and I have played both Elder Scrolls games and Fallout games, both by Bethesda. Fallout 3, however, is my favorite by far. In my review of the game I will list the pros and the cons. Hopefully this review will be of use.
Fallout 3: RPG, open world, gory action, leveling system.
--Fallout 3 takes place in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C--
Pros:
Graphics - The graphics in this game are among the best that I have ever seen in a game. Very realistic facial expressions in the characters, precise voicework and beautiful attention to detail are abundant in the game. No player should have any trouble with the graphics.
Open World - Some people prefer following certain missions and going into certain areas to complete objectives. Some players prefer to explore a vast world and engage in all the little side missions and discover the locations all over the game. Fallout 3 has one of the most vast landscapes to explore currently presented in games. Over a hundred different locations to discover, not to mention downloadable content that nearly double its size. I've played the game for about a year or so and I still haven't completed everything the game has to offer
Controls - Quick and responsive controls make for precise and satisfying gameplay for both fans of shooter-games and for those who want to try them. You can also alternate between 1st person perspective (through the eyes of your character) and 3rd person (over the shoulder camera), which is a very nice touch for those who don't prefer 1st person.
Tons of missions - As is the name of this pro, this game has SO MANY missions for the player to willfully rifle through. The player can start one mission, abandon it, and back to it months later and pick up where you left off. If I were to give the number of missions, I would say an approximate 50+ missions, including the main story. You can go from killing giant fire-spewing ants to huge mutated lizards with claws the size of a 5 year old child. Don't worry about tense story missions that ask your constant participation, you can go halfway through the story and decide you want to go off and save a town from insane looters.
Unique Control Feature - Bethesda had introduced the new feature, called VATS (I forget what it stands for, something like something-automatic targeting system). VATS allows you to press a button (for Xbox it's RB) to freeze time and zoom in on your enemy, and then target specific parts of their body. This comes in handy for disarming enemies by shooting them in the arm, or reducing their accuracy by shooting them in the head. The use of VATS requires Action Points, which regenerate automatically over time after using VATS.
Cons:
Maturity rating - This game has most certainly earned its M for mature rating. This is by far the bloodiest game I have ever played, and I've played several bloody games. Seriously, you can shoot someone in the head, and if your gun (or melee weapon) packs a serious punch, it can make their head explode, quite realistically. Many players would probably prefer this, and I'm sure there are many who would avoid this. Another maturity in the game is the abundant (but not monotonous) cursing. You'll find many enemies calling you ego-bruising things, such as a f-ing sh-farm (I've been carefull not to include any nasty words in the review). No notable amounts of sexuality in the game, just some minor suggestive themes, nothing major. This con may be considered a pro by some viewers, but I figured it might as well be named a con.
Glitches - Like any game, this game does indeed come with glitches. This is, as I've mentioned, a HUGE game, thus coming with some glitches. Nothing major, surprisingly, maybe an enemy getting stuck in the wall at some point, or silent character dialogue (when it should not be silent). The glitches in the game happen fairly rarely, nothing notable. Every game has them, and Bethesda did a very good job on making sure it's practically glitch-clean.
This next one can be considered either a pro or a con. The game has a leveling system, which means, for new-to players, killing a certain amount of enemies, completing missions in order to earn experience (XP) to level up, hence increasing the power and durability of your character. When you do level up you, of course, get stronger and earn more health. Fallout 3 also has a unique feature when it comes to leveling up: you get to choose a new feature (called perks) for your character. For example, when you level, you can choose to increase your damage with certain weapons, or increase your run speed, reduce your damage intake, etc. Of course, the better perks are saved for later levels. Another unique feature about leveling up is the spending of ability points. These points, which are very different from the VATS action points, are used to increase your damage with explosives, increase your skill with hacking computers, picking locks or melee damage, etc. Note that these points can not be saved throughout the levels, you must spend all of them in order to continue (no frustration here, there are ample amounts of usefull abilities to spend them on).
Well that ends my review of Bethesda's Fallout 3. I hope this review has been helpful to you. All in all, I give this game 4 and three quarter stars in rating (the Amazon rating system wouldn't let me give it the three quarters), and strongly suggest it as something to consider if you're looking for an open-world level up shooter game. Again, please note the maturity rating previously discussed in the review. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome game with tons to do. Fallout 3 was my first foray into this franchise. I must say, it certainly left a positive impression on me. For the current price of less than $20, I'd pick this game up in a heartbeat, and here's why...
The game has an awesome story. My wife sometimes watches me play these games and is totally bored. With fallout, she actually looked forward to seeing what developed next. Plus, you take full control over everything. Want to cause havoc in a crowded city, go for it, wander the wasteland in your underwear, well that's your choice. But remember, your actions have consequences.
Good/evil balance
Do you want to be good or evil? Depending on the responses you give to people, the way you treat them, and how you act will impact the good/evil meter. I was saddened that this didn't really change much in the game, from my experience at least. There are random people you can hire or work with if you are on the right side. At one point I needed to be more evil to have this guy join my squad. I did a ton of evil deeds and he agreed to sign up. Less than 5 minutes later the guy was dead in a ditch and I was left alone again with my poor rating.
Weapons
As with many aspects of this game, you pick and choose what you want to carry, how much damage it does, etc. I especially liked the VATS system, although it took me nearly an entire game (50+ hours) to figure out how to properly operate it. Most likely this was my not paying attention or being too overloaded in the beginning. But it made things much easier to hit than riddling an area with bullets.
Replayability
There's so much to do it is definitely overwhelming. Not to mention all of the downloadable content, which causes the every expanding game to continue almost infinitely. My first game I played over 100 hours and still had things left to do! I decided to start over and see how things differed with my new found knowledge. In some ways it seemed like a completely different game. Again, it all depends on your decisions. Do I want to break into that safe? Should I help those people? Will anyone notice if I steal this or that? These are but a few of the questions you'll have to answer. | video-games_xbox |
Every day now I've been waiting - DuckTales! Whoo-ooo. Ever since it's announcement last year, I was eager to get a hold of this game! Not only is it a re-imagining of the NES classic based off the equally classic Disney cartoon, but it also ties in with the cartoon thanks to the likes of Disney-esc animated sprites and the fact that the voice actors from the cartoon reprise their roles as their respective characters here (Even Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck - Wow...)!
When the game finally came around, I was still amazed.
This isn't just a remake of the original game. It's practically a sequel! All of the levels that you know and love from the original game have been revamped with nearly completely different and expanded level designs. The objective is also different - You don't just go straight to the end, but rather do you need to find a few objects laying around in certain parts of the level. Granted, that may mean less for players that like to go and explore, but I'm not one of those players, and this feature allows me to appreciate the levels even more.
Also, the entire game is really GORGEOUS! The hand-drawn Disney-esc sprites combined with the unique 3D backgrounds make me feel that there's hardly a better use of 2.5D in any other game in general! On top of that, the soundtrack has also been given the "remix" treatment, and I gotta say, they definitely sound even better (At least for the most part).
The plot is more-or-less the same as it was in the original game, except extremely fleshed out. There's reasoning behind the bosses (Who by the way have gained some new interesting attack strategies), and there's even some new elements included that still manage to flow with the existing elements perfectly. There's also LOTS of cutscenes that feel a little like the actual cartoon. There might be too many of them in some cases, but you can always skip them by pressing Start and selecting the Skip Cutscene option.
Man, I honestly don't think there's enough I could say about this game without making the review feel as long as a novella. You need to play this for yourself! There's so many great things that needed to be said about it, and so many cute touches (You can even dive in Scrooge's money bin!!!) that make the overall experience just plain fantastic.
Kudos to Capc-er, I mean Wayforward for making this awesome re-imagining of one of the best licensed games ever! | video-games_xbox |
Easily the best fighter on the xbox. As a huge fighting game fan I've been very let down by the xboxs sparse offerings and even further dismayed by the news that street fighter v will be ps4 exclusive. Luckily blazblue has finally arrived on next gen consoles and it is SO good. It boats that it is the pinnacle of 2d fighting and after spending a lot of time both online and off I find it hard to disagree with that statement.
For those of you who have been exposed to the blazblue franchise you most likely already know if it's your cup of tea or not. Some people simply can't get past all the zany anime inspired characters and see the technical and deep fighter underneath. Unlike many franchises where the characters all play roughly the same blazblue has an incredibly varied cast and each fighter is wholly unique. (This is even more surprising considering some of the characters are the same person) This is awesome because it gives each character even more personality but it can be daunting to pick up a new fighter and learn all their mechanics. This game is faster than street fighter and mk yet slower than marvel vs capcom and guilty gear. Combos are the name of the game here and blazblue boasts a wonderful combat system that is fast and furious while still being forgiving.
For those who are newer to fighting games there is a stylish button configuration that turns your button mashes into majestic combos. Furthermore, there is s robust and comprehensive training mode that teaches you not only skills and combos for each character but universal tricks and tips that will help with any fighting game. The story mode is more of a visual novel with fights thrown in but it is a great way to kill time and learn about the characters. There are a plethora of other single game modes but the online is where the meat of the experience is. The matchmaking is great and there is no lag. The game rooms certainly have more volume on the ps4 but I've had no problem finding a match online. There are even fun little online lobbies in which you can customize an avatar to walk around, converse, and challenge other players. You can even kick back and watch others fight if you are feeling non confrontational.
If you are like me then you are saddened by the lack of fighting games on the Xbox one. Well your prayers have been answered in the form of blazblue so whether you are an arcade junkie or a complete novice you owe it to yourself to at least give this franchise a shot. I would love to see a strong gaming community be formed around blazblue especially on the Xbox. It is a game so bursting with personslity and depth that I cant help but think about combos all day at work. | video-games_xbox |
time management=frustration. I've been playing this game for the past 8 hours or so, so I feel I can give an unbiased review. The reason I bought this game is because I just wanted to mindlessly kill zombies. The commercial made it seem like you can just roam around, change into clothes, and combine weapons in a free world. Then I found out about Katie. Katie is Chuck's daughter and she needs to be given Zombrex every few hours. In order to get Zombrex, you have to defeat some overpowered bosses and rescue people to power up. You can also receive money to buy Zombrex by playing the online mode of Terror is Reality. Terror of Reality is a great assortment of Wii type minigames that are actually fun, with Slicecycles being the best of all. The only problem is that I was sitting in the lobby 6 or 7 times and couldn't get 3 other players to join. When I did play, the session of 4 mini-games, I was allowed to cash out and invest it in the single player funds. After the sessions were over I was forced to quit TIR. The problem I found was after I quit, I couldn't get another 3 people to play. Anyway, this is how I collected my money to buy Zombrex at the pawn shop for each level. There is also hidden Zombrex in the casinos, but there isn't any way somebody can figure out that you must hop across the lights to collect it, without looking at a video on youtube that received 200,000 hits. I wasn't the only one. LOL
So now, I have the Zombrex, the combination weapons, and I go after the bosses. I feel hopeless because as soon as I get hit, the boss demolishes me. Some of the bosses have a hiding spot that you can't go in (like a locked bathroom stall) and will appear for a few seconds coming out at a different location with high powered weapons that drain your health bar in a few seconds. It's almost unfair.
On a brighter note, you can keep your current level and replay the game to try to beat the psychos. Also, I found out that the way you tame the tiger (Snowflake) is by throwing her steaks. I saw the youtube video on this, so I'm excited to tame Snowflake, and start the game over for this reason. Another interesting part of the game is mixing drinks. You can mix drinks that gives you a quickstep (walk faster) and other concoctions.
There have been parts that actually have gotten me so frustrated also. Here is the situation, you're trying to have a survivor follow you, and you have to keep hitting the B button to speak, and the Y button to skip. Sometimes, in the middle of them speaking, you're fighting off Zombies. I'm thinking to myself, why would I want to read this text? I just want the person to join me. It's at least a minute process, but feels like a total waste of time. I don't care about their life story, I just want them to follow me, so I can attack the next objective. Then, just to make things more frustrating, they walk slow or stop, and need to be carried, while you're already at the next location (the locations without separation by doors). So..., you have to go back and wait for a 15 second loading screen to get them closer to you, and another loading screen at the location you were going to originally. FRUSTRATING!
So, if you're attempting to finish all the missions, you won't have time to browse in the stores, try on outfits, gamble etc. You can do that, but you're going to have to play the multiplayer TIR (if you can find a match)to collect money for Zombrex and fail a lot of the missions. This isn't a game that was meant to be finished the first play-through IMO.
There is so much there for this game to be excellent and a game of the year, but there are just too many frustrating moments that focus too much on the time management aspect instead of the free world roam and killing zombie aspect.
More save points, and an option to not play the missions would have made this game much more fun IMO.
Tip and some combos>>>
Tip: You can defeat most psychopaths by attacking them with the Knife Gloves (Bowie Knife + Boxing Gloves) while under the effect of the Pain Killer drink (Beer + Beer or Vodka + Vodka).
50 Weapon Combo Cards (use these to level up faster)>>
Drill Bucket - Power Drill + Bucket
I.E.D. - Propane Tank + Nails
Molotov - Whiskey + Newspaper
Pole Weapon - Machete + Push Broom
Air Horn - Pylon + Spray Paint
Gem Blower - Leaf Blower + Gems
Fountain Lizard - Fountain Fireworks + Lizard Head
Hacker - Flashlight + Computer Case
Ripper - Cement Saw + Saw Blades
Electric Chair - Wheelchair + Battery
Flaming Gloves - Motor Oil + Boxing Gloves
Heliblade - Machete + Remote Helicopter
Fire Spitter - Toy Spitball gun + Tiki Torch
Beer Hat - Construction Hat + Beer
Sticky Bomb - Lawn Dart + Dynamite
Driller - Power Drill + Spear
Defiler - Fire Axe + Sledge Hammer
Hail Mary - Grenade + Football
Freezer Bomb - Dynamite + Fire Extinguisher
Knife Gloves - Bowie Knife + Boxing Gloves
Roaring Thunder - Goblin Mask + Battery
Super Slicer - Servbot Mask + Lawn Mower
Handy Chipper - Wheelchair + Lawn Mower
Dynameat - Dynamite + Hunk of Meat
Electric Rake - Rake + Battery
Parablower - Leaf Blower + Parasol
Boomstick - Pitchfork + Shotgun
Auger - Drill Motor + Pitchfork
Infernal Arms - Training Sword + Motor Oil
Porta Mower - Lawn Mower + 2x4
Super B.F.G. - Blast Frequency Gun + Amplifier
Tesla Ball - Bingo Ball Cage + Battery
Spear Launcher - Leaf Blower + Spear
Bllitzkrieg - Electric Chair + Assault Gun
Flamethrower - Water Gun + Gas Canister
Rocket Launcher - Lead Pipe + Rocket Fireworks
Tenderizers - MMA Gloves + Box of Nails
Power Guitar - Electric Guitar + Amplifier
Laser Sword - Flashlight + Gems
Blambow - Bow and Arrow + Dynamite
Freedom Bear - Robot Bear + LMG
Paddlesaw - Paddle + Chainsaw
Snowball Cannon - Water Gun + Fire Extinguisher
Spiked Bat - Bat + Box of Nails
Wingman - Queen + Nectar
Burning Skull - Bull Skull + Motor Oil
Exsanquinator - Vacuum Cleaner + Saw Blades
Plate Launcher - Cement Saw + plates
Blazing Aces - Tennis Racket + Tiki Torch
Holy Arms - Training Sword + Nails
edit 11/15 (changing 3 star rating to a 4 star rating since it's only fair)I just reached Level 25. I have a question for the developers. Why couldn't you allow the character to walk this fast at the beginning of the game, and just allow for certain weapon combos to be unlocked at the higher stages? The game is SOOO frustrating at the beginning, and doesn't give anybody without a lot of time on their hands to enjoy this game. I now understand why some review sites were giving this game a 9/10, but the beginning stages without being able to walk fast deserve much less. Why couldn't a gamer level up by playing without having to play the missions? There should have been an option to play DR2 without playing the missions. This could have given gamers the ability to enjoy the game without the time management, and for the gamer to experiment without having to complete missions. Anyway, looking forward to completing the game now. | video-games_xbox |
Best Game ever. Period. Well, what else can be said about Gears of War. This game has set the bar for all next-gen games to be measured to. While the game had originally been set for a launch release with the 360, I can only say that the delay was very much worth it. This game is simply above anything else that has come before.
Lets all start off by saying that this is not a Halo game. The mature rating on this game will prevent it from being the next Halo for the 360. With that said, in my honest opinion it is a much, much better game that Halo (1 & 2) could have ever been. The mechanics in this game are much more realistic. This game does not allow you to run and blast your way through, you will be chopped to bits in an instance. You have to be strategic in your approach. There is a lot of cover and shelter in the game and you learn early on that to survive, you must use the cover. A great feature of this game is that it is very much a simple game to play in that you can pretty much use one button to do most of your moves. The story line is well laid out and while the game play in a very linear line, there is enough variation to keeps things interesting. The first thing that anyone will notice is the incredible graphics of this game. Even more so on a HiDef TV. This game is simply incredible in the presentation, the clarity and the framerate. I only noticed a couple of spots where the framerate slowed but it wasn't anything too bad. I have beat the game and am replaying it on the hardcore level. There are several times in the game where you will have to choose a path to go, which does allow for some replayability in the single player campaign. I also have to say that this is simply the best game for use of a chainsaw ever. Doom doesn't have anything on this chainsaw/rifle combo. Start your saw and lay into one of the locust and enjoy one of those guilty pleasures that Gears can offer. This is a very gory game. Blood splatters very realistically and you can blow your enemies (and they you) into many small pieces.
I have only been able to play a small amount of the multiplayer on Live, but what I have played is very addicting. There are several different modes and they all allow for a good variety in gameplay. This will suffice nicely, atleast until Rainbow Six Vegas comes out and rules Live. The voice over acting is done nicely. The main character, Marcus Fenix, carries the game along with his compadres Dom, Cole and Baird. I was floored when I found that the guy who does Marcus's voice also voices that loveable robot on Futurama, Bender.
If you own a 360, you simply must have this game in your library. No other game has the intensity or the beauty that this game offers. While MS hasn't confirmed a sequel, one can only expect another Gears to come out. This game all but confirms it at the end. No spoilers here. I can say that I am halfway through playing it a second time and I am still picking things up about the game that I missed the first time through. While this won't be the next Halo, I think it can ring up it own's little title all it's own. It is definitely a system seller. Enjoy it and if you don't have it now, do yourself a flavor and buy it now. | video-games_xbox |
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