text stringlengths 503 33.4k | labels stringclasses 23 values |
|---|---|
Needs finesse. Although fun at first, unfortunately SW: Force Unleashed just doesn't ever get far enough off the ground to be anything memorable. I'm in the unusual position of having played this game right after finishing up Ninja Gaiden II. I'm afraid that may have made the problems with this game shine even more for me. First off is the combat. It's not bad but it's not great either. Everything felt bogged down and slow. Many things I would make my character do felt delayed. For action games like this you need complete control and I never felt like I had it in this game. The camera was also really bad. I could deal if there were an easier way of positioning it but when you move the camera yourself with the thumb stick it moves really slow (like the rest of the combat). There's a way to snap the camera to the player's back instantly which is great except that you have to click the left thumb stick to do it. Too often I'm running around and if I click the thumb stick the camera snaps to my back and immediately moves the direction I'm running so it's still not centered on my back. I found it better to start throwing force pushes and lightning in the opposite direction I couldn't see and hope I'd get lucky before trying to move the camera. The lock-on feature sucks but that's okay with me because if developers make these games right you won't need one anyway. The engine also seemed glitchy. There were plenty of times where I'd hang in the air. Sometimes the frame rate would drop and things would get choppy (although that didn't happen that much). Also, I know it's a Star Wars game and you don't want blood but give me something that helps me realize when I'm hitting something. Especially the bigger enemies. Give me some particle effects or SOMETHING. Half the time it doesn't look like you're hitting anything at all in this game. It's also difficult to distinguish when something is hitting you as well. There were plenty of times where I felt I was doing good and all of the sudden I died. Only then do I realize "Wow I was getting hit by something the whole time". This is offset by the feature of getting health back for every kill which is a must have for this game. You wouldn't need that feature if the combat elements were polished enough that a player could keep from getting hit provided he was skillful enough. Screw it, I'm just gonna post the pros and cons. If you are a big fan of Star Wars, I'd add one more star to my rating and that's probably the extent you'll enjoy this game.
Pros:
Force Powers are fun to play with
Story is a decent tie in to the movies
Cons:
Combat is slow and repetitive
Controls are iffy and slow to respond
Game is short with little reason to play again | video-games_xbox |
Finally the next gen football game we've been waiting for, biggest leap forward in years. Of course this is the best Madden ever, but it's supposed to be! In fact the expectation has always been that each year we see improvements, it's not supposed to be just a roster update. What makes this year different is HOW MUCH it has improved over last year. Madden 15 for Xbox One is a MAJOR leap forward over last year's Madden 25. Now some of this is due to how bad Madden 25 was yet still for the first time in many years I don't feel like I got ripped off. I'll try to highlight the things that jumped out at me on my first impression (others have done a good job geeking out on the hard core game play so I won't attempt that here)
The stand out items of note for me are:
- Graphics look amazing and game play is crisp and smooth.
- The new defensive play is like a whole new game and very well executed. I won't go into all the mechanics of it, just suffice to say that I simply have never enjoyed defense as much as I have in M15.
- The new kicking system is the best ever and I hope to god they stay with this forever more. It's very intuitive, much much easier to aim and is just works beautifully.
- Offensive game play is improved as well, just more incrementally compared to defense. Meaning everything about offense is slightly better and smoother and these add up give you an overall better experience, but nothing to majorly different in controls, etc
- The new menu calling system offers a lot of tweaking as to how much advice you want, including advice from the community!
And where do I begin with the presentation. Right from the very beginning you are drawn into a cinematic that then turns into a short game play session. After that you taken right into drills, which are actually very fun this year. Going into Ultimate Team (my first time trying this mode) you are guided through the entire setup. Unlike in the past you are not just dropped into the game but you are taken around, talked to, given advice. Madden has had a long history of bizarre menu navigation and I am happy to report this year that is not the case. The entire package is almost as if they hired UI design experts from Google or Apple. Everything is just intuitive, flows well and it's very fun to explore all the aspects outside the actual game play.
I have just scratched the surface. I haven't tried coach glass, the tablet app that acts as an extension to the game. Nor have I tried the Kennect voice commands where you can call out audibles using your voice! What a novel concept ;-) These two features are exciting innovations.
A lot of pleasant surprises. Each aspect of the game is the best I have ever experienced. I wish every year could see such advancements. If I were a wise man I would just end my Madden playing here, quit while I'm ahead, at the top of my game. Each year I wait for the reviews promising myself I will only buy if they show major improvements. Yet each year I still buy anyways.
Well at least this year EA has delivered on the promise of a new exciting football gaming experience. | video-games_xbox |
All talk. Sadly, I was one who looked forward to this game for months. Even getting excited, as I rarely do, when a new game arrives from amazon in the mail. But when this game arrived i couldn't believe how terrible it was.
After watching the videos of how the classes were unique and how much customization the game had I was all ready to play. The problem was every time I tried to play the game online I was met with unacceptable levels of lag. This shouldn't be an issue for a newly released game on multiple systems. The game should have some semblance of support. And so I waited a few days to see if the lag got better. It did. Then the next problem arose, the game was terrible. Not serviceable or even a kind of "this game is ok, because at least it does something different". Just terrible.
The videos released prior to the game made it seem like there were multiple objectives where each class could have a unique use in battle. Sadly, the only way this was true was when rushing the main objective heal a teammate, or refill a teammates ammo. The character customization honestly wasn't terrible...just left you wondering why weren't there more options. The actual game-play was problematic as your gun kicked so much that your bullets felt ineffective no matter the range. Visually the game has a unique style, but at sniper range the game is choppy and unfinished.
The smart system was terrible, absolutely terrible. I play FPS's on a very high sensitivity, and the smart system became the dumb system. You would run to jump up and climb a wall and it would keep running and jump up the next object after that even after I stopped sprinting. After about 2 hours of play online I had it.
Then I remembered Crysis 2 has the same free running style as Brink claimed to have, less lag, better weapon selection, less ridiculous kick on weapons. I decided at the time of the Crysis 2 demo, to forgo purchasing it and wait for Brink. Save yourself from all the aggravation and buy Crysis 2, Halo Reach, or any Call of Duty game. | video-games_xbox |
If you loved Fury Road it's a must play Experience. Most Children of the 80's dreamed of being able to play a Legit Mad Max Game
there was at one point a unlicensed 16 bit Mad Max game for either the Sega Genesis or SNES I forget my older Sister's b/f at the time rented it and boy was it rough and hard beyond belief
but, I'm pretty sure that was it up until now
I almost bought Metal Gear Solid V then it occurred to me
I gave Konami so much money when i was a little kid at the arcades from the 1980 to 1990 from the arcade to home console
They have never truly gave a damn about me as a consumer (but, my 25 cents playing Final Fight or Contra was fine and dandy) saving up money for Nes, SNES then later PSOne games, etc. was also ok then)
Konami is a typical old school Japanese company living in the past
They are terrible to all there employees and think so little of gamer's they are done after this title (Metal Gear V)
Unless you count Mobil Gaming
I've support them enough there Swan Song known as Metal Gear V will sell like gang busters
Cause everyone is a shill nobody takes a stand for the little guy
I honestly don't care "F" Konami Metal Gear is one of the biggest hypes in all gaming hiding in a box is fun (Ripping-off Escape from NY) is ok..... But, you can pull copyright claims off your garbage
You ripped off Escape from NY................ talk about phony hypocrites
The day prior to buying a copy of Mad Max i was gonna rent Metal Gear V from Red Box (I went to 6 different machines) each one had copies of Mad Max but, none had any Copies of Metal Gear V which makes me think Konami put a embargo on the game for a while (my guess 6months) If you have to play the game you have to fork out $60.00 to buy the game
That might sound crazy if you've been following all the negative press coming out of Konami over the past year! It would make sense to you
Just a theory very possible theory none the less
I picked with my wallet a title that should be supported for being ambitious
enough of this palaver on to Mad Max
The Opening WB Logo and Avalanche Studios Logo dissolving by the wind looked really slick like a major motion picture
A+ for that alone
The XOne Version runs at 1080p (for all your Graphic Fanboys)
Mad Max had been in development for at least 3 years (a few CGI Trailers were put on youtube)
When I found out Avalanche Studios were working on it then I knew it would be a outstanding License game
Avalanche Studios is the same studio that did Just Cause II and have been working on Just Cause III (Coming this Dec.)
So if there is any game studio that is ambitious enough to do a open world Mad Max game it's them
so far they have Not in any way disappointed!
I've only put 3hrs into it so far but, the map is massive there's freedom to do all kinds of side missions
Upgrades to weapons, clothes, face, fighting style (The Car itself has lots of stuff to upgrade)
It's had this strange RPG element where the more you do the more of a payoff you'll get which is nice!
You could also call this game Grand Theft Apocalypse
It's a insane sandbox title in the sand and crazy war boys trying to take your blood along with your life
The Story: This should be a Huge selling point for most fans of the film
This game take place before Fury Road which explains why the war boys were after Max at the start of the film
the only down side you probably will not get to see Immortan Joe, Rictus Erectus, The Bullet Farmer, or even Furiosa
Maybe if this game gains enough traction with the fans we'll get a Hardcore DLC Bundle with cool extras
the story so far has actually been interesting (The start of all the Credits rolled by so fast I'm not sure if George Miller helped write any of it or what?)
Audio/Voice Over Work
Whoever they got to do the v/o Max does really good (he reads the lines slow and it works I can understand why they just picked a lesser known actor pay him scale and put more money into the production values) he actually sounds like a young Mel Gibson in the Original Mad Max maybe that was in fact the idea/plan all along
all the others characters sounds unique so far
the weapons sounds very strong the shotgun Max's Famous Gun sounds spot on the way it should sound when you have bullets lol
the car and all the effects the car make when driving throughout the terrain also sound right (there's a lot of attention into detail in this game much like the last film it's crazy
The Controls (on foot) are the weakest problem with this games
They just feel off you jump with the left trigger when it should be the A button
you run with the right trigger, fire gun with (B)
Once you get the hang of it it's Not broken or impossible to play by any means it just feels very strange takes some getting use to
(You might be able to Change the control lay out didn't try)
The Car controls are top notch Flawless the way the car handle different on sand and stones, and smooth pavement/walkway is cool adds this strange organic feel to the driving (I'm shocked WB's quality control allowed Batman Arkham Knight out with a Broken Batmobile)
This has the proper driving down the right way!
The Game play: It's kind of hard to explain this game
you can see glimpse of Just Cause 2 in this game but, pulled back cause you have to think logically
weapons are homemade or modded bullets are valuable!
scrap is also valuable you do a lot of looting
It's like a Detroit Sim
it's a mix between the Tomb Raider (Re-Boot) and the Batman AA Games
The hand to hand combat has been really good it flows free and looks awesome
at first it looks a little hinky but, once you get the hang off it I honestly think it's better in Mad Max then the Batman Games
plus you can pick a home made shiv and cut one of the war boys and watch them bleed out!!! fun for the entire family even the dog!
I could see WB using this new way of free-flowing combat on there next Batman title
Graphics:
The game looks gorgeous we are finally getting to that next Gen point after almost two years with Next Gen. Hardware
like i wrote earlier it runs at 1080p (it's super smooth never had any slow down one time i fell a tad funky maybe that's due to a sniper shooting me in the back of the neck while running though?
Avalanche Studios did a great job! this is just a little taste of what's to come when Just Cause 3 hits
Can you say Crackdown 3 Killer
as a Studio they have grown leaps and bounds when you look at the Original Just Cause
then Just Cause 2 , Mad Max, and the Upcoming Just Cause 3
They are just a great studio that loves there fans and listen and seem to actually care what you (as the gamer) think
Before i bought the title i seen some gamers on twitch downplaying this title how it might get old fast?!?!?
All games get old it depends how much time you put into it
If you have a real life and don't grind for 8hrs. at a block on a game
This game will not get old IMO
I bought this with my hard earned money it was a blind buy just because I loved the last movie to death and I love the studio that developed the game
I didn't beg on any social media for donations, etc.
It's your call If you are unsure Redbox it put a few hrs. into it then go from there
For the short amount of time I've put into this title I've had a blast It's been so much fun! I swear i never thought I'd ever see the day we'd get a Super HQ Mad Max video games it's crazy (what's next maybe a Running Man aka Smash tv (which WB owns the licensing rights to) Robocop?? I shouldn't press my luck)
I'm supporting this title cause lets be honest it's a strong title that'll get lost in the shuffle mostly due to Metal Gear Solid V
coming out the same day (Whoever does Marketing management over at WB should be either fired or slapped acrossed the face live on a webcam!
This game deserves to find a mainstream audience it's a Open-World game set in a apocalypse
I guess cause it don't say GTA Apocalypse on it it's a no go
So Far I'm digging it............................ 9.6/10
P.S. I would have N/P throwing down at least $40.00 on a Mad Season Pass with playable scenes/missions with
The Nightrider, Toecutter, Humungus, Aunty Entity, Master Blaster (Thunderdome Deathmatch) + Max Skins with Beyond Thunderdome Skin Max as raggedy man w/ the long hair in all black with that cool coat
All this could without a doubt happen George Miller owns the rights to all Mad Max Films now
Avalanche Studios also are known for listening to the fans they decode the Online Multi Player for JC2 for Consoles
so if enough fans of Mad Max Request a Hardcore DLC Season Pass with Past Characters from the movies you never know
Hell WB got Jason and The Predator in MKX | video-games_xbox |
Impressive Game. I know this game has dissapointed a lot of fans, but before anyone dismisses this review, for being too generous, there are plenty of very unpolished aspects to this game, but I also have plenty of reasons as to why this game is worth playing.
Comparing this game to the Grand Theft Auto series has already been done countless times, but it simply cannot be helped. This game will attract the same audience, and plays, at least on paper, very much the same as Rockstar's series. However, this game is NOT Grand Theft Auto. Sure, you can steal cars, and wreak havoc in three huge cities, but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Unlike GTA's free-roaming gameplay, which allows presents players with multiple missions at once, and allows gamers to tackle them in the order they choose, Driv3r's story mode is completely linear. You'll be given one mission at a time, and the story will progress much like a movie. Most of the game has you behind the wheel of one of a huge selection of vehicles ranging from motorcycles, to boats, to eighteen-wheelers. There aren't liscensed cars from real car manufacturers, but these vehicles take such a realitic beating, I can't imagine why a real car company would want to see their cars in the game. You'll play through three realisticly modeled cities, all of which look and feel picture perfect, and very real. You'll start in Miami, and eventually work your way through missions in Nice and Istanbul. But not all of the game takes place in a car, about a fifth of it has you on foot, gunning through enemies in either a third or first-person perspective. While, this can be fun for a while, the aiming is a bit touchy, and the enemies never move, or duck for cover. They simply stand, shoot, and get shot. Plus, the range of moves your character, (returning serie's star Tanner, voiced by Michael Madsen of Kill Bill) is given is extremely limited. You can: run, walk, shoot, duck, and roll forward. There aren't any slow-mo dives like in Max Payne, no pressing against walls and jumping out from corners like in Metal Gear, no taking hostages like the Getaway; just very straightforward running and shooting. You're given a handful of weapons, including handguns, machine guns, and a grenade launcher, which will send cars flying, or simply shatter them into auto parts. You can, however, shoot out tires, windshields, windows, and bumpers, which is cool, plus the game models bullet-holes on the car's bodies which is cool if you are going to toy around with the game's Film Director mode, which was featured in the first two installments in the series but has been completely re-wroked for this game. But I'll get into that later.
So, shooting is a bit disappointing, but still dumb fun. But driving is flawless. Speeding through three real world cities, through alleyways, around corners... It is isn't only fun, it's almost addicting. Each car controls uniqely, so don't expect an eighteen wheeler to control like a sports car.
The driving missions can be a lot of fun, but mostly consists of just a few scenarios that keep repeating: escape from a tail, chase a car, or drive to a location and start shooting.
The game offers players three different game mode's: Undercover mode, which is the game's story mode, Driving Games mode, which offers players a number of short but effective minigames with which to perfect their driving skills, and Take a Ride mode, which is basically the game's go-anywhere mode, where you are free to roam the three cities without time limits or missions.
But, in my opinion, the real reason to play this game is the Film Director's mode. As an aspiring director, this mode has been the reason I have purchased each installment of this series, but casual players should really dig it as well. Plus,it has been re-worked, and re-tooled, making it more powerful, and easier to use. Basically, Film Dircetor let's you save a replay from a mission you've played, and mini-game you've run through, or even from the Take a Ride mode, and then choose your own camera angles, locations, and effects, and direct it from the beginning. This time, Film Director includes some options which I have been hoping would appear in the Driver series for sometime: It gives you new camera angles, which include a rotating Chase cam, and a wheel-cam, (positoioned behind the front-right wheel), plus it offers you returning camera angles including first-person perspective, and tripods. This time players can control the tripod's zoom completely. But, best of all, picture effects have also been included. You can now add slow-motion or motion-blur to your replays, which are two ways to better illustrate the game's realistic crashes and destruction.
The game, while not including blood, still earns it's mature rating, by letting players hit pedestrians, (a first for the series) and shoot innpcent civilians and policemen, even while the citizens are still behind the wheel of their car.
All in all, though, if you look past the violence, this is an impressive game, with terrific visuals, and amazing physics. | video-games_xbox |
Very surprised on this one. I was completely blown away at how well these things hold up. Keep in mind, I've only used them twice... maybe 2 hours worth of use... but from the limited use I've seen there is a lot to be liked about this:
Sound Quality (6/10) - I'm somewhat of a sound snob and would call myself an 'amateur audiophile.' This set of phones is not going to make tears rush from your eyes while listening to concerto #5 due to its warmth and color... however, listening to basic music and games, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well this $20 something set of phones can play. Definitely meant for a gaming setup, but still well enough to please most listeners.
Build Quality (8/10) - of course you can't expect this to be made from carbon fiber molded off the thighs of an NFL cheerleader, however, what you get is much more than what you pay for in my opinion. Quality glossy plastic exterior makes it durable, yet the metal skeletal structure gives is the confidence that if you need to customize the shape to your head you have a reasonable amount of pliability to it. The pleather pads are quite comfortable, and the band pad is great for how little the headphones weigh.
Ergonomics (6/10) - I can't complain much since I didn't pay much... but, the microphone doesn't bend forward or backward on the x-axis, instead only 'aims' up and down. Gives a reasonable amount of movement yet I wish I could push the mic away or toward my face. The functionality of the in-line volume control works reasonably well, enough to keep me satisfied for hours of play... that's what she said.
Comfort (8/10) - Again, due to the pleather pads on the ears, you can't expect to wear these for 10-hour stints straight without a little strain. I was reasonably comfortable for the duration of my gaming periods (around 2 hours each) however it wasn't perfect. The force by which it was sitting on my head made me a little fatigued, but nothing a few minutes of rest wouldn't fix. Everyone should be doing this anyway to rest eyes and focus.
Mic Quality (10/10) - I had 4 people in my party while playing and I asked specifically about how well they could hear me. Even though the mic was pointed far out in front of my face they could all hear extremely well.
Connectability (10/10) - I can't say enough about how easy it is to connect and stay connected... like plugging a thing into a thing it's meant to be plugged into... that's kinda what she said.
In Summary (8/10) - Don't expect a set of phones that will make your ears bleed with happiness, but do expect a headset which will far surpass the $20-30 you spend on it. This has been an excellent surprise for me, so much so I even returned my $80 set of gold wireless playstation headphones. This is superior to me, even though it's corded. | video-games_xbox |
Not as expected. I ordered this used hoping to get it in ok condition and it was but it was brand new with the bluetooth chat adapter missing and instruction booklet.... i don't understand how they can sell that and now I'm buying the adapter for 40 more dollars! overall quality in my experience was great with the sound and features it provides and the customizable presets are amazing but are also the only way to adjust base or anything for that matter and i have a mac and the software only runs on pc which isn't a big deal i have friends/ i have decided to keep this even though it was extremely bad service and very costly because its completely wireless, hard to set up with phones but will be cool and easy to use headset and tv, and it sounds amazing on some games and keeps all volume in your head and i recommend only using with friends that dgaf or by your self when your mom goes to bed at 9 hah
Pros
50mm dolby surround sound 7.1 on xbox
fits my head very well and is comfortable for at least 1-2 hours
bluetooth capabilities and more!
Cons:(!
absolutely does not sound isolate the outside world you can wear them and hear your girlfriend or mom nagging still and i feel the sound is escaping me and could be perfect if it did that
very confusing to put on your head at first I've read a lot of comments saying "its way to big and has 2 inches of room from my dome to head set" you are wearing it backwards kid the mic boom should always be on the left side and you can also tell by hearing gun fire and running the opposite direction and feeling not intelligent
its comfortable but inside were the "fat comfy ear cuffs" are is hard plastic and idk if i have big ears but they keep pressure and my ears push at them because there smooshed and become red after 1-2 hours but can be fixed with ear condoms or anything else for you delicate ear problem needs
this is my first review and first time using turtle beaches or any head set i hope this helps | video-games_xbox |
Duly Impressed. First of all, these are for XBOX ONE but you can use them on your laptop (windows). I just plugged the included USB dongle into a Windows 10 machine and they installed automatically.
FIT
- Very comfortable. My entire ear is covered and it forms a nice seal with my skull. very comfortable
- Headpadding for the top of the skull makes this very comfortable at the top of the head - fully adjustable
SOUND
- Exceptional. It has two modes, normal and what I call "thundering bass" which is very nice for games with music. The mode button is by the microphone connect on the left front earpiece
- It has a volume on the headset - back left again (all the controls are on the left side headpiece...as is the charging port and the line in)
- It has a chat / game balancer that you can tune to get you the best sound for what you are doing
MIC
- The mic is detachable, you can plug it in (not retractable like other models) and overall its good. It is sound canceling.
- Some people have reported issues with the sound not being loud enough but I haven't had that problem with mine....this model's microphone is much longer and wraps to the front, closer to your mouth (the added length + the noise canceling has likely solved the issues that the retractable mic version seemed to have had). I just unplug mine and remove it when I'm not using chat.
DONGLE
- You have to plug the dongle into a USB port for this to work. The dongle is a bit long but I guess it has an antenna and you do get the 40 feet that it advertises.
COLOR SCHEME
- It's XBOXISH Green. You can't see the colors when you're wearing them but they do alert people around you that you are "unavailable" There is also a blackout option to turn this off.
- You can see the printed circuit on the headsets - which is kindof retro-tech sheik. Kindof nice.
ON OFF
- just press the big button on the left ear and hold for a second or two
LINE IN
- It has a line in, if your setup requires a physical hardwire connection
BATTERY
- I never play for 16 hours straight so don't know about that but I can have them on all day without any problems 8-10 hours of regular use.
- They recharge via micro USB. Cable included but wall adapter is not. If you're a gamer/tech person you probably already have a micro-USB set up somewhere that you can use
OVERALL
- Fantastic product. I'm not comparing them to other headsets here but these stand on their own merit. You won't go wrong getting these.
- Very high quality product and the sound is awesome....expansive is the word I would use. | video-games_xbox |
Forget FPS's... this is one of the best games EVER, for ANY console/PC. Period. When it comes to FPS's, and any other shooter for that matter, you have your current kings, namely: Halo, Rainbow Six (and all of it's "spawns", like GRAW) and Gears of War (still). Throw BioShock in there if you want... whatever. You get the point. Now - take from each of those games the best aspects... throw them together, and you have Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Simply put - you'll love this game, even if you don't like military or first-person shooters. If you're the type that strictly plays the single-player mode, then I'd rent first, just to be sure it's for you. For me, even the story mode keeps me coming back. This game is a BEAST, and it's a BEAST on every platform it's on - 360, PS3 and PC.
Infinity Ward understands FPS's - their absence was noticed immediately in Call of Duty 3, which sucked. They're back. This game is a few MINOR elements away from absolute perfection, in my opinion. And you don't get better than perfection.
I'll get the little gripes out of the way:
1. No Co-Op campaign. As frantic as every stage is, coupled with the fact that there's really no point on the game where you're not at least with ONE other player - usually more - I thought this should be available. It's pretty much standard now in the next-gen FPS's, but surprisingly absent here. Hmmm...
2. The whole 'friendly-fire' thing... I realize that this is realistic, but it's pretty frustrating sometimes - moreso here than in a game like Rainbow Six, simply because there's no easily identifiable icon or marker. I don't need THAT level of realism in a game - just my opinion. Yes, your recticle is red if it's on an enemy and green for a friendly, but during all of the fighting, that's really hard to see. Coupled with the fact that a lot of the enemies are wearing uniforms pretty similar to YOURS, you may end up accidentally shooting your squad more than you'd care to admit, especially on the Veteran difficulty level.
(That's really it for the 'gripes' - the other is more of an personal preference for me. I'd rather have more gameplay modes available in the multiplayer right off the bat, but I can also see how starting off with just the initial two works.
You may notice that I haven't complained about the duration of the story mode... while short, I doubt that any of the other reviewers that are slamming it have "breezed through in a few hours" on any difficulty higher than Sick Infant - that's before Rookie, if you're wondering. The story is compelling; there are actual moments where your chest and heart actually POUND - tell me the "All Ghillied Up" stage didn't have you holding your breath in real life, I dare you. Other games, while significantly longer, don't always fill their time with substance. A game like BioShock doesn't have an online mode, so it's story HAS to carry it entirely. Halo 3 is longer, sure... but most of it is retracing your steps back through previously played boards. No thank you. Apart from an effective story mode, this game's "bread and butter" is in the online multiplayer. Just like Halo 3. Just like RB6: Vegas. Just like Gears of War. Online play is what will keep this game, and others, being played for years to come.)
...and that's it, folks. Nothing else bad here. AT ALL. Period.
Gameplay - the game is phenomenal. Even if the campaign is rather on the short side (took about 6 or so hours playing on Normal - Veteran or Hardened will probably double that time, plus some) it is undeniably entertaining. While it may not necessarily be breaking new ground as far as plot, it STILL is far more engaging that Rainbow Six: Vegas's campaign mode, which is great, as well as Gears of War and even the mighty Halo 3. (just my opinion) (A+)
Graphics - arguably the best on any console, period. I give it the nod over Gears of War and BioShock - this is the best looking game I have ever played, and it runs (with all the chaos going on) at a smooth 60 frames per second is 1080P HD glory. The word gets thrown around alot with these newer systems, but this game is truly Photo-Realistic. The only thing I've seen comparable would be Crysis, another military shooter -and that's (not surprisingly) a PC-only game at the moment. It absolutely does not get any better than COD4. (A++)
Sound - as good as anything out now. The musical numbers are all spot-on, and the dialogue and combat chatter is phenomenal. Top notch all the way around - no "forced" sounding acting here. This games sounds like it was recorded during actual combat. (A+)
Multiplayer - time will tell if it will stand up to the insanely deep Halo Multiplayer mode, or the ridiculously addictive multiplayer modes on GoW or RB6, but even in this early stage COD4 is more than holding it's own. Choose from a preset variety of classes - sniper, assault, heavy gunner, etc. and get to killing. Kill enough and eventually unlock the ability to create your OWN class - and that's where the fun really gets going. There's a rank structure, but with there being absolutly ZERO offical multiplayer achievements, hopefully this will minimize people's tendency to cheat. (big problem on RB6) Ranking up does have it's privileges, however... different weapons, customizations for those weapons (scopes, skins, etc.) How new players feel about playing months from now when the majority of their combatants have superior equipment remains to be seen... balancing could be an issue there. The way it's set up though, if you're good at FPS's (and you know who you are), you will be alright. There's some work to be done with the team balancing... and I would prefer the ability to choose which maps I play on during ranked matches, but all in all, pretty solid. (A)
Replay Value - extremely high, even with a relatively short campaign. All of the achievements for the game come from the Campaign mode, yet over half of them require you to beat the game on one of the two harder difficulty levels. (not recommended for first-timers - frustration WILL ensue... as well as bullets, grenades and dog bites) Hell, even the TRAINING MODULE is fun and gets replay - Halo can't say that. This game is ridiculous. Even as varied as multiplayer is by nature, the Prestige Mode adds a new level to it. Make it all the way to Level 55, then you have "a tough decision" to make... (A+)
Overall - Dangerously Good. I give it an A+, or a solid 9.9998 out of 10 (I stand by the fact that a co-op campaign would render a potential Call of Duty 5 pointless) This is one of the best games ever. After playing the Beta earlier this year, I proclaimed that this could be a sleeper for Game of the Year, while everyone else was obviously sold on Halo... maybe a few for BioShock. This has them both, hands down. The only surprising part is how convincingly better this game is than the other GOTY frontrunners. All other FPS's (particularly military FPS's) need to take notice - this is BY FAR the best ever. (Note to Tom Clancy and the folks at UbiSoft: you have work to do for that next Rainbow Six. The bar is WAY up there now... don't disappoint)
A definite must own, especially for XBox Live subscribers - this is the best for this year. No not Halo - Call of Duty 4. Period. The only thing I see that could pull people away from this even for a moment would potentially be Grand Theft Auto 4. | video-games_xbox |
The best all around console of the 3 major currently available. I had a Playstation 2 and PSP for years and resited getting a new system. I considered it and researchered the three next generation consules: the Wii, PS3, & the Xbox 360 and still didn't buy a new system. It was only when I was given a Xbox 360 Elite as a present that I changed systems. However if I had decided to buy a new system I would have purchased the 360 and here's why. The 360 is the best all around system out there. Like all the other systems it has great graphics and wireless remotes. In addition it has a wide library of games that cover all kinds of generes, it has a great online commuinity, and is very user friendly easy to set up with great support.
Okay a little more in depth anaylsis. The library of games really is extensive with many Xbox titles playable with backwards compability with more Xbox titles added to the list on a frequent basis. The games run the gammit of generes with titles suitable to kids and adults and with many more titles coming there is truly something for everyone. This was one of my major problems with PS3 at release all titles were avaliable on other systems and there didn't seem to be a lot of titles in the pipeline I sort of got the impression that I would be paying $600.00 to play games made for PS1 and PS2. As for Wii the titles are relaible with old favorites like Zelda, Mario, and Metroid avaible but the ones beyond that are available and other consoles and look better on them.
Xbox also has the best on-line community. I know one major complaint against this system is that it is not wireless ready but I bought the wireless router and works perfectly. In addition even with purchasing the wireless router the cost of the router and the system is still less than the PS3.
There are lots of classic titles avaible for through the Arcade and you can test all of them before purchasing. You can also play demos or view trailers of most games which is great because the games are so expensive it's great to be able to test a game before purchasing it. A big part of the system is the ability to play via Xbox live. This feature is great! I have played multiplayer games both with friends and with people I don't know finding a game to join is easy and even if you can't find one immedaitly you can leave word that you want to play and someone will contact you. Microsoft also seems commited to finding was to improve the online community with frequent updates and new game titles avaliable frequently. The other systems online commuinties don't really compare. The Wii does have a lot of the classic Nintendo titles available but no ability to play with other people. The PS3 does not have much of an online community either with titles to buy or multiplayer ability. While Sony is working on developing it, the community is still light years behind Xbox Live and I wonder if it will ever catch up.
Okay my problems with this system. I have heard that the Xbox does break frequently but I think the Elite may have some diffrent insides because it does not seem to get that hot or be that loud. It also comes with an offer to buy an extended two year warranty for $50.00 that will cover everything, very worth it. If it does break my experince with Microsoft support has been good on other products and I don't expect it to be diffrent with Xbox support. Yes people have complained about support but everyone has encountered a bad customer service person but on the whole I think Micrsoft support is very good.
Next complaint the only way to save music to the hard drive is via a CD. You can play music through a portable music player but you cannot transfer music to the hard drive via it. It would be nice to be able to just transfer your whole music collection at once instead of having to do it one CD at a time! Also using Microsoft media center on the Xbox is somewhat a pain because you cannot store any of the media on the Xbox hard drive and must keep your PC on to use it. It would be great to use the Xbox media center independent of the PC. Lastly it would be nice to use the internet to check email or buy a game you have viewed a trailer for and like directly from the Xbox. However there is no true web browser but I hear that is coming with a wireless keyboard soon.
As to the Elite versus the regular system. If you don't already own an Xbox it's worth it but if you do I don't think it's worth it. The major diffrence is the hard drive is bigger and you can purchase the bigger hard drive seperatly if you already own a system.
Overall this is the best system out there, in my opinon yes it has it draw backs but what doesn't. My advice buy it you won't regret it. | video-games_xbox |
Simpsons GTA Style. Simpsons Hit+Run for the Xbox is an adventure game with a lot of racing. If your kids have been begging you to buy them Grand Theft Auto, but you refused to do so becuase of the mature themes and violence, Simpsons Hit+Run is a good substitute. You can drive around Springfield, stealing cars, breaking objects, like phone booths, mailboxes, benches and lamp posts. When you steal a car, you don't actually see your character pulling someone out of their car, instead you see the screen go black then suddenly you are in it and can drive it. Everything is done in a sorta cartoony fashion and the violence is almost zero. You can actually kick people to the ground, but it looks silly and fake. When you destroy objects and kick people around it begins to fill a law meter. when the law meter is full the cops will come after you, arrest you and take away a bit of your money as punishment. So there is punishment for doing bad things, but again the violence is cartoony and fake. You'll also be able to enter most of the buildings and explore inside them trying to find gold coins, game cards and gags. Everything from the Simpsons cartoon is in the game. I really loved the graphics which were colorful and well drawn like the cartoon, but it looks even better because everything is in 3-D! There lots of secret areas, boxes with gold coins, cartoon gags and best of all they used the same voice actors from the t.v. show! So if you liked the show you will enjoy the humor in the game. Each level has you controlling different characters. The first level has you controlling "Homer", level two is "Bart", level three is "Lisa" and there's more. You can walk around and explore on your own or you can talk to any of the characters scattered around town who'll give you a mission to play. Most of the missions involve racing from one check point to the next others have you finding objects or destroying things. When you complete a mission, you'll be awarded gold coins which then can be used to buy new: cars and clothing for your character. I love the fact that the game is FREE-FORM (go anywhere, do anything), the levels are fun to explore and I loved the fact that they included so much stuff from the show including the voice-acting, but too many levels are similar, there is too much racing with your car! I wished they added more mini-games and better interactions with people and more vehicles. I wanted to ride boats and fly copters, but it does not let you do that. However, I think kids will love this game and adult fans will also enjoy it.
Pros:
+FREE-FORM gameplay
+excellent graphics
+excellent level design
+excellent music
+excellent cars
+excellent voice acting
+looks like the tv show
+good sense of humor
Cons:
-too much racing in cars
-not enough mini-games
-you cannot swim
-you cannot ride boats
-you cannot fly copters or blimps
-little character interactions
-needs more in-door levels
-needs more character abilities | video-games_xbox |
this game is beautiful, but it sucks. I waited to play this game until they had supposedly fixed it, so I am writing in 2016 long after the controversy has died down. I bought it when it was first released. Here's the bottom line: this game is beautiful, but it sucks. Even now. The worst part is not the occasional severe stuttering.
The worst part is the gameplay:
--most ledges have rims, so you can't really do ledge assassinations from below
--using smoke bombs or other bombs is impossible. You pound the button and it won't work, then suddenly throws down three in a row, and you've lost your inventory of bombs
--when you fast travel your character spawns on top of the crows nest that your cleared, and you are supposed to do a leap of faith down to the hay loft below. Well, it forces you to do a "synchronize" all over again EVERY time, unless you jump right away. That this hasn't been fixed despite being released TWO YEARS AGO just shows how lazy Ubisoft has been. This is not a hard thing to fix. They just gave away a bit of DLC to make people feel better then abandoned the game.
--But worse of all, the controls are absurd. The up/down dynamic for parkour is a good idea, but it can be a huge pain. At one point I threw my remote across the room. I've never done before in years of gaming. Two examples:
(1) Take a floor hole with a ladder. You used to be able to press "b" and hang from it to get down. Now you have to position yourself behind the ladder and use the "down" parkour, which will still only work half the time. The other half of the time it does something totally random. This makes moving into a room below you while timing it with sentry movement almost impossible.
(2) Say you want to assassinate somebody on a ledge below you, but there's something in the way so you have to go down just a bit. Well, sometimes your guy might move to the gable below you, sometimes he might go flying across the street into view of the sentry, ruining 30 minutes of strategic planning and elimination of sentries. BEYOND ridiculous.
(3) Perhaps you would like to down-parkour going from on top of a building down to the bottom. However, if your character turns around and jumps down with his hands above his head, suddenly you pressing the stick down is pointing up. Your hand hasn't moved, but because of how your character is now oriented, the instruction means something different. Sometimes it remembers that you were originally meaning to go down, othertimes your character starts climbing back up. Seriously.
(4) There are lots of windows, and to go in you are supposed to hold down left trigger. This works about half the time. The other half of the time it doesn't.
(5) Combat is just lame. Mash buttons. No real strategy. Hope your sword is better than your opponents. I miss the days when combat was actually challenging and interesting in AC.
I have given myself a good 15-20 hours before writing this review to account for growing pains. Still sucks. SO FRUSTRATING.
I have played all of the assasin's creed games from the begining, I have not played Syndicate or Rogue (the xbox 360 exclusive). This is a game which had so much potential, but they just abandoned it. They fixed some of the worst stuttering and visual problems, but otherwise did nothing. And by the way, it still stutters--bad, from time to time.
This is such a shame, because Paris was really lovingly done. I love the crowds, I love the places, I love the story, I love the feel of it, I like the voice acting. But the gameplay is just plain bad. And there is nothing that can make up for that.
Don't buy at any price, it's just frustrating. | video-games_xbox |
III? Don't you mean V. Spoiler Alert!
I had multiple problems with this game which 500 other people have already mentioned ad nauseum, so I will keep my complaining to the highlights.
My first problem arose on the cover of this game. The developer had the audacity to call it Assassin's Creed III when it is the FIFTH game in a series which has two non-numbered sequels which must be played chronologically in order for the over-arching story to make sense. I only bought and played through used copies of Assassin's Creed I and II a few weeks before III was released, and I thought oh-so-foolishly to myself "I don't really need to buy those other two games, they are calling this one 'III', it must take place after the events of II." And so it did take place after those events, WAAAAAAAY after... Remember that girl in the meta-storyline who had evolved into a love interest in II? Oh yeah, your character killed her at some point. Oh, and this is your dad, you two don't get along and he's an assassin too, but you're already supposed to know that. Wait, you didn't find that out in II? You mean you played I and II and don't know what the hell is going on in III? That just seems preposterous... So yeah, suffice it to say I was confused and then angry as the game started and picked up somewhere much later than the end of ACII.
My second biggest issue is much less of a deal breaker but still never stopped annoying me as I went through the game. As with ACII you can purchase new outfits as you continue through the game, but unlike ACII after you change outfits to, say, the "New York Outfit" (a black outfit with red accents) your character will be shown in cutscenes with the same white "Assassin's Outfit" on! This drove me nuts and since half the game is contained in cutscenes I had to look at it over and over and over.
Overall the game is OK, but the ending is anti-climactic which only goes to make the problems one had with the game the enduring memory about it. To paraphrase a line from the game, I'm left "tasting sour grapes." | video-games_xbox |
Good headset for a reasonable price. I have owned many, many headsets over the years. My oldest pair is some <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sharkoon-X-Tatic-SR-Gaming-Headset-with-Dolby-Headphone-Technology-for-PS3-PC-XBOX-360/dp/B005D6EQA6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sharkoon X-Tatic SR Gaming Headset with Dolby Headphone Technology for PS3/PC/XBOX 360</a> which still work to this day and are still one of my favorites. My most recent set is the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/ASTRO-Gaming-A40-TR-Headset-MixAmp-Pro-TR-for-PS4/dp/B014F77FGA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro TR for PS4</a> and while these LucidSound Wireless are excellent for the price, they are not as good as my astro a40's, but that is to be expected IMO. All these other reviews for "BEST GAMING HEADSET" ever seem a little too excited and maybe have not tried 7.1 surround sound headsets.
This headset tries to be universal and when it comes to gaming, i think this is a difficult task to accomplish while staying within a reasonable price point and look cool. Immediately, I noticed that these cups are round and not oval like most gaming headsets. These will not fit well on those with bigger ears or be as comfortable for long periods of time. Yes these are comfy, don't get me wrong, but not as comfy as they possibly could be. My ears start to become tender after a couple hours, not something i'm used to.
A really cool feature on this headset is the gaming volume wheel and the mic volume wheel. I thought this was really great design and you get used to using it really quick.
Overall i would recommend these to those who have small to average sized ears, and those looking for a great sounding headset at this price point. I also own <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pulse-Elite-Edition-Wireless-Stereo-Headset/dp/B0087OZ5FG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pulse Elite Edition Wireless Stereo Headset</a> and these are WAY better than those.
Update: 11/27, 5 months into owning them and using them on a nearly daily basis; The micro usb charging port broke off and the set can no longer be charged. I can hear the piece flopping around in the ear of the headset. I have contacted their customer service and am awaiting their response. The piece basically broke off inside the headset. | video-games_xbox |
Imagine Final Fantasy 7 with current generation dazzle. After seeing Gamespot's score on this game and because I have grown out of the turn-based rpg combat and am a fan of real-time action rpgs, I only expected this to be a mediocre filler game until better games come out. Boy was I wrong.
This was the first rpg I've played in nearly ten years that allowed me to experience the same immersive and engrossing feel I had when I played FF7 and FF8. Actually this game reminds me of FF7 and FF8 in everyway, except with significant enhancements. Well this isn't surprising since it is made from the Final Fantasy team.
Therefore the best way to describe this game is: Imagine Final Fantasy 7 or 8 with much improved graphics, much more interactive environments that feels alive, a very deep story on par or superior to FF7, and music that beats all Final Fantasy games to date.
Gamespot said this game is old fashioned, with little innovation. But this really shouldn't be a negative thing if it is good ol fashioned like FF7 and FF8.
Although I don't like turn-based battles, I actually found the battle system in this game enjoyable.
The music in this title is probably Nobuo Uematsu's (Final Fantasy series composer) best work so far. It is absolutely beautiful and fits in perfectly with the specific settings.
The English voice acting is actually good in this game. It's much better than the annoying voice acting in FF 10, which I always wished could be disabled.
The load times in some areas can be somewhat long, which is what most reviews bash on. However, with the Fall 08 Xbox 360 update, you can install the game on the harddrive and all load time issues will be gone.
If you are sick of the kiddy type JRPGs of late (Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, Blue Dragon, etc.) and want to play a JRPG with a great story, this is a great game to pick up. I am surprised to find that this game, an Xbox 360 game, replaced FF7 and Chrono Trigger as my all time favorite RPG. | video-games_xbox |
Everything WWE 2K15 Was Not. It was right around this time last year when perhaps one of the worst WWE video games was ever released in WWE 2K15. 2K tried hyping WWE 2K15 as being a thing of greatness, but unfortunately for them, it was an excruciating and borderline insulting game that had fans rushing to trade it in within weeks of buying it. This year with WWE 2K16, 2K looks to have finally got it right and Im going to take you through all the reasons why WWE 2K16 is a MUST HAVE.
For starters, WWE 2K16 has the largest roster in WWF/WWE video game history. From current WWE/NXT superstars and divas to legends, this game had an endless name of stars on the list. From the modern debuting top stars like Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, and Hideo Itami to familiars like The Undertaker, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and others. With legends they included some really big names. From top, memorable favorites like Stone Cold, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Randy Savage to surprising inclusions like Brian Pillman, DDP, Rikishi, and Ken Shamrock; all the way to wacky head-scratchers like Bam Bam Bigelow, General Adnan, and Lex Luger. The divas roster is the exact same as WWE 2K15. The only difference is AJ Lee is absent, while Eva Marie makes her video game debut. The divas in this years game remains a touchy topic as the shady exclusion of all NXT divas remains a frustration with fans of the likes of Sasha Banks and Bayley..
Most of the graphics were less or the same as 2K16. A few superstars got some much needed upgraded looks this year such as Bad News Barrett, Dean Ambrose, and Stone Cold Steve Austin just to name a few. Gameplay has been reinvigorated and made much smoother to truly captivate on realness and avoid repetitive gameplay. To give an example, they have added in a new reversal system in the game this year. How it works is, you're given 3 reversal bars at the beginning of the match. Once youve used them all, you have to wait for a bar to refill before being able to reverse again. This is a fresh and clever concept that avoids matches from being plagued with dreadful reversals every 15 seconds. Another new but not so new gameplay feature is the breakout feature. For the first time since Raw 2, players are able to attack a superstar or diva during their entrance. Want Bray Wyatt to attack Undertaker during his entrance. Do it and watch as the Deadmans hat falls off his head and struggles out of his jacket. Want Nikki Bella to jump Alicia Fox as she enters the ring? You can do it. There are no limitations. You can freely attack someone anytime during their entrance. The good news is that this feature is not available in Online as a way to avoid cheaters.
Next on the list is Showcase Mode. This years 2K Showcase revolves around perhaps the greatest superstar of all time and most popular wrestler of the late 90s, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Many were expecting this mode to be very similar to WWE 13s Attitude Era mode and it is.to an extent. Unlike WWE 13, this will not just feature Austins greatest matches and moments from the Attitude Era but his entire career. The Showcase will start at the 1996 King of the Ring where the Stone Cold gimmick was born and from there youll relive and replay Austins WWF/WWE career, ending with his final match against The Rock at Wrestlemania 19. Along the way youll feud with the likes of Bret Hart, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Vince McMahon, and others as you replay the career of the Texas Rattlesnake. Along the way, youll also unlock hidden matches to play from ECW and WCW in Austins career to play as. And there to call all the action is Jerry Lawler and J.R to really capitalize on the 90s/early 00s feel. Its an amazing Showcase and makes you wonder if theyll continue this trend of superstar themed Showcases in future games. If they do, the most logical star for the next one would be The Undertaker.
Were not done yet! Theres another great feature and its name is My Career Mode. After the brutal, dreadfully boring My Career Mode that reared its ugly head in 2K15 last year, 2K went above and beyond and completely rebooted My Career Mode this year. It starts out the same way as last year with you creating a superstar and going to the Performance Center to trainonly this time, Albert will be watching you instead of having the annoyingly brash Bill Demott threatening to throw you out of the building every 15 seconds. After that youll go to NXT and work to be promoted to Raw and Smackdown. What makes My Career stand out so well this year is not only the freedom you're given, but the character and story development as well. No longer will you be forced to endure weekly emails from Vickie Guerrero telling you they have nothing planned while wrestling 50 dark matches against Barron Blade. Nope! Now theres variety! Depending on where you rank on the roster, you can choose what championship to go after. Youll also be allowed to start feuds with superstars and form allies and tag teams. Somewhere down the line Triple H will offer you a spot in The Authority. But beware; if you decline, punishment awaits you in the form of Big Show and Corporate Kane. You also get the choice of building yourself up as a heel or a face. After some matches, youll be interviewed by Renee Young about your match. Your response will either boost your face or heel status. Ultimately, its literally your career this year. Rather than 2K putting unseen forces in charge of your career, you call the shots. What you do and what matches you win/lose, decide who your allies and enemies are, what championships you can challenge for, and whether you're a babyface or a heel. My Career Mode got a serious upgrade for the better this year
2Ks Creation Suite has been revitalized as well. After being excluded last year, Create A Diva returns in 2K16 (Sasha Banks fans are saved) joining Create A Championship, Create A Show, Create an Arena, and Create A Superstar. In addition, the soundtrack got a decent upgrade this year after last years reportedly made players ears bleed. There is no special pre-order addition this year, but for the first time ever, Arnold Schwarzeneggers most famous character, The Terminator will be available to play asAlso for the first time in WWE gaming history, 3 man commentary is a part of the gaming. There to call all the action is JBL, Michael Cole, and JBL at ringside. Unfortunately the commentary is still pretty bland and yawn inducing.
The DLC for the game is pretty jam-packed this year. Theres a Hall of Fame pack that includes HOF legends Lita, Trish, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Mr. Perfect, Dusty Rhodes, and Big Boss Man. A Showcase Rivalries pack that includes Rikishi vs The Rock, Jake the Snake Roberts vs Randy Savage, The Outsiders vs Harlem Heat, and a dream match between Paige and Alundra Blayze just to name a few. Theres a moves pack and then a Future Stars pack including Los Matadores, Blake and Murphy, and Samoa Joe.
There's not much to be said about Universe Mode. It looks much more organized than it did in recent years, but they took out a couple of things in particular. For one, they took out your ability to be able to choose your storylines. As many may remember, last year in 2K15, you could choose a story for why 2 people were feuding and even make championship feuds. 2K took both of those out this year. You can still choose the duration between a short, medium, and long feud but you can't pick and choose storylines for them to be in.
Overall: WWE 2K16 is one big ball of excitement, fun, and enjoyment which is what a video game should be. What they lacked in WWE 2K15 they came back with in WWE 2K16. Largest roster, awesome Showcase, epic My Career Mode, slightly improved graphics, nicely impressive Creation Suite, and better gameplay! The only fault I can find with WWE 2K16 was the blatant and intentional exclusion of the NXT divas. You can use that no one plays as divas line all you want, but I saw a lot of people out there who were genuinely excited to play as the likes of Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, and Bayley this year before finding out the news that none of them would be in the game this year. This may sound harsh, but if you're reading this review and own 2K16 on the Xbox 360 or PS3, this review does not pertain to you. Aside from Showcase and the large roster and slight gameplay improvements, 2K16 will be a lot similar to 2K15 on last gen consoles. Overall, Im thoroughly impressed with WWE 2K16 and if you can, I highly recommend upgrading to an Xbox One or PS4 to really enjoy what the game has to offer | video-games_xbox |
Gave away my Elite and bought this. My brother wanted an xbox 360 for christmas. And I was about to need to upgrade to a 250gb hard drive for my old elite. I did a little math and rather than buying an entry console ($199) for my brother and a hard drive ($130) for me, it just made good sense to buy the new 250gb "S" console ($299 + $20 transfer cable). I am amazed by the improvements to the xbox 360. Here is my experience with the new 360 console:
First, I had to transfer the data from my old xbox360 to the new one. The transfer cable (twenty bucks) was about as simple as I could have hoped for. Once the new 360 "S" was hooked up to the TV, I attached the old hard drive to the cable and plugged the cable into a USB port. A few prompts later and the transfer was underway. Then, I went to xbox.com on my phone and transfered all the lisences. All my saves, avatar goodies, and achievements are on the new "S" console.
The new console is a nice glossy black. It is a little slimmer than the original, but really, they are both about the same size.
The DVD tray has a small sensor that opens it instead of a button.
The built-in wireless works perfectly. I can't believe this feature did not come with original 360. At any rate, I couldn't tell any speed difference between the internal wireless, and the old add-on wireless.
For me, the absolute wonder of the 360 "S" is that it makes NO NOISE. It's not "whisper quiet"--it is silent. The old xbox had its own fan, and because I wanted it to never overheat, I also had an intercooler with external power. So the old xbox made a decent amount of noise. Im sure the 360 "S" has a fan, but I can't hear it!
I have heard rumors that xbox has a slightly redesigned controller to fix D-pad issues. The controller I got with my "S" did have a glossy black accent, but otherwise seemed to be exactly the same as the old controller.
So this holiday season I upgraded my xbox 360, and my brother got his own 360. It is a very happy christmas here! Any xbox veterans thinking about upgrading their old unit would do well to give a friend or relative a great christmas with your old xbox and go ahead and treat yourself to the new "S" model. | video-games_xbox |
Great set of headphones. These things will work with the xbox, ps3, ps4 and a mobile device. They will not work with a computer, at least not that I have been able to determine yet. I will keep trying and see if I am able to hook it up eventually.
These are pretty decent noise cancelling headphones. You put them on and the rest of the world goes away, which is what you want. They are pretty light and you can wear them for a while. The noises you hear in the things are really decent and when I am playing State of Decay on the xbox you need to know where the zombies are coming from. It does help. It is very important to be able to hear where things are in games and these do the trick.
The price is pretty fair. It is what you would pay for a really good pair of headphones and these are wireless to boot. I really liked that as I really hate wires. My main system at my house is as wireless as it can be and this just added a nice component to that setup. You can hide the box pretty easily and go from there.
The headphones last for a while and I was surprised at how long I can use them before I need to recharge them. Recharging is easy and it doesnt take to long before you are off and running wirelessly again.
Nice headphones. You really do need to spend some money if you want to get a decent pair of headphones. These are a little outside of what I would normally buy but turtle beach does make some nice stuff. Comes with everything you need in order to hook them up to an Xbox, a ps3 or a mobile device. Instructions are easy to read and it is easy to set up. No real complaints. Sound is very good as well. Ordering to delivery only took 2 days as well which was pretty nice. Just a solid, nice feeling pair of headphones. They are easy to fit and aren't uncomfortable either. That is important for me as gaming headphones need to be worn of long stretches of time. | video-games_xbox |
Tons of masterwork content. This collection contains all released content for the first four numbered Halo games. That's about 50 campaign missions (you can also download the Halo 3 ODST spin-off campaign for $5) and three times that many multiplayer maps, all operating at 1080P and 60 frames per second, with split-screen cooperative and competitive multiplayer.
Note: I've not owned this for very long and have not experienced the multiplayer issues that many did earlier in this game's life. I can only say that I think these issues are gone and I haven't experienced them.
The sheer amount of content and options is staggering, and while the interface layout in the menus is organized, it's still easy to get lost in the minutiae, and some of the text can be small and hard to read.
For those who are considering picking this up to see what all the fuss has been about this franchise for the last 15 years, Halo chronicles the journey of the eponymous Master Chief, a highly trained and modified human super-soldier, who is awoken in interstellar travel to fight against the Covenant, an amalgam of hostile aliens who've been battling (and winning) humans for decades.
The gameplay was renowned for the introduction of regenerating health, by virtue of his personal shielding, limiting on-person arsenals (the chief can only carry two weapons and some grenades at a time, with some variation), vehicular combat, and still impressive required tactical approaches due to enemy squad compositions and the previously mentioned limited arsenal.
While the story can be obtuse at times and isn't always greatly fleshed out in game, the actors are spot on, and the overarching plot and its religious themes are interesting and thoughtful in ways few shooters, or other games, are.
Most will buy this for nostalgic reasons (like me) and will know precisely what you want to relive in the package. For me, replaying the original Halo CE with my son was the big draw, and the reworked assets from the engine, art, and sound all help to preserve the joy that I had first playing it almost 15 years ago, while the ability to change control schemes and all manner of other options help to draw in a younger crowd to what could feel and look very dated.
The sound deserves a special shout-out. Marty O'Donnel's soundtracks for the first three games are outstanding and varied and great lengths have been taken to improve the sound design from the older titles into punchier, more immersive versions of the already distinctive cacophony of Halo's futuristic battles.
The game to game changes have still been preserved, and you'll notice different feels to weapons, opponents, and movement. If you loved Halo 2's multiplayer, you can jump in to only that game's playlist. If you want smorgasbord of the series's offerings, there's a playlist for that as well, but the slight variations in feel can take some getting used to match-to-match.
Due to the amount of lovingly preserved and modernized content, this should be purchased by any shooter fan who owns an Xbox One, and not just Halo fans of old (or old Halo fans, like me). | video-games_xbox |
Doom is back in all of its gory glory. Right after Wolfenstein 3D became a commercial success, it didn't take long before a skin of the game became equally as popular as the game that created the First Person Shooter genre, and this game was known as Doom. In this hell of a review (see what I did there,) I will be talking about the collectors edition contents and quality. After that I will dive into the First Circle of Hell that is the single player campaign (and trust me, you'll want to play through the campaign first as well,) and what makes it so great. Then last but not least, I'll be writing about the depths of hell that is the screamingly fast paced multiplayer and all of its sweaty Palmed, heart racing, demon controlling fun. Let's get started.
As you can read above, the collectors edition comes with a fairly large statue of one of the in game enemy demons. This statue is pretty weighty and you can see and feel the quality that went into the production of this product. The base that the statue rests on has a spinning turbine and LED lights that illuminate the statue from beneath a stylized vent. This is by far one of my favorite statues to be included in a collectors edition game bundle, period. The detail, build, and quality of this statue is by far one of the best for under the $150 price range. This edition also comes with an awesomely designed steelbook case with the previously stated demon on the front and back of the case itself. Last and not least you also get a voucher to unlock a demon themed armor set, six metallic paints for all armor that you may unlock, and three ID logo patterns to set yourself apart from the demon slaying masses that make up the Doom multiplayer. Also, within the same voucher code you will receive six hack modules in which I will discuss later in the multiplayer section of this review.
Now, the campaign of Doom may not contain the best or easiest to follow narratives in game history but it does not take away from the awesome concept and themes of the game itself (I mean come on, it's a science fiction FPS in which you kill demons on Mars and different dimensions, who doesn't think that's cool?)The game starts off with a man waking up chained to a table (sorry folks, no lady to play as in the campaign,) and as a demon approaches, he breaks free from the chains and makes quick riddance of the faceless beast that approaches him. The game quickly throws its players into combat as the protagonist picks up a pistol that lies on the floor next to the table he once layed on. Through out the story you will be running around killing demons, and listening to an AI named Samuel Hayden that constantly disapproves of many of the actions that you take in trying to continue with saving all of humanity from the grips of hell itself. I completed this campaign in about fifteen hours which isn't too bad for the genre. The campaign contains lots of gore which definitely isn't new to the series. We haven't seen anything this bloody since the newest Mortal Kombat released earlier last year. While this game is rated M for Mature via the ESRB, IT doesn't contain anything sexual or any nudity, if you parents reading this feel uncomfortable with your children viewing or playing games with ultra violent content such as ripping off heads or bashing demons faces in using their own arm or other objects then skip this game by all means. As I stated before, for anyone who has never played Doom or something like Unreal Tournament, then take some time to get used to the pacing and enjoy the demon murdering campaign.
In terms of multiplayer, this game is faster than any Call of Duty game that most core gamers play. While the campaign allows the players to learn the controls and get used to the general pacing, everything here feels so very fast paced and it's not a bad thing! The execution of the multiplayer is fantastic and demands players to stay on their toes and always move as the only way to get armor and health back is to pick up health and armor packs that are spread around the maps themselves. Then there's the demon mechanic that enables players to play as a demon of their choice when they pick up the perk. This is very much like power weapons in many other games but has that very dark touch that sets it apart from many other shooters. Also, there is another mechanic that allows players to see the last player they've been killed by through walls, see all of the available weapons on the map, etc, these are known as Hack Modules and they help mix things up. Every player can create classes prior to each match, allowing all players to play however they excell. Whether it's a running around with a machine gun, or changing positions frequently with a sniper rifle, there's something for every players play style. Let's not forget about the character and gun customization that enables players to change armor pieces and colors, there's also a really impressive dirt and damage mechanic that enables players to make their characters armor appear more distressed and worn down.
This game and edition is one of my favorite purchases this year, and I couldn't be more happy with how the game lives up to the name of Doom. I hope this review helps you in making a choice to whether purchase the game or not, and in the case that you do, I'll be seeing you in hell. Thanks for reading! | video-games_xbox |
It took me a while to realize how much I liked this game. Let me start by saying I am a Diablo II fanatic. I judge all games based on that one---a good game for me is a game that's a lot like Diablo II. I won't say I'm sorry about that---it's the level truth. A friend of mine that feels similarly said this was the closest game he'd found to that Diablo feeling. It's taken me a while to think this, but I think he's right.
The big reason I think a lot of people don't like this game is that it's MUCH more complicated than it appears the first time you play. It seems at first to be so simple it's almost boring---just hit a button to kill, do quests that are fairly easy to do, etc. However, there is much more here than you realize. I've probably play this about 50 hours so far, and I am still learning major new things---how to really use runes and relic right, how to understand the skill trees, how the different characters play so differently---it's really fun if you like to keep learning. I'm just now feeling like I understand the game.
I love the HUGE map. I haven't seen even half of it yet. It feels like you really are in a world that you can explore.
Contrary to what another reviewer said, you can play this and save it WITHOUT XBox Live---I only just got XBox Live and I played and saved MANY times before getting it. The neat thing is that once you do go live, you can use the characters you created offline to fight on-line.
It's not a perfect game. Sometimes the pathfinding is very annoying, and I keep hitting dead ends, even in areas I think I know well. People are right that the storyline is not that exciting, but I really don't care about the storyline. If you are someone that does, this might not be the game for you. I'm more of a kill and collect player. I also get annoyed when it's nighttime in the game---it's very hard to see what you are doing, which I guess is realistic but still not fun.
If you are looking for a game that's easy to get into but has a lot of depth, if you like exploring and collecting and trying different character classes---this is a game you will probably like. If you are really into plot lines and realism, probably not. | video-games_xbox |
Love this deal, good console, awesome games. *code took two attempts to redeem, not the end of the world*
I love this console. It brings your living room together perfectly. The software has been improved so much since release. no longer are there tons of glitches and bugs, it runs smoothly and fast. First update took about 2 hours, but my internet is slow. Surprisingly works with my old DST, and even hunts down the HD versions of the channels! Titanfall is a great game that entertains me for ours on end. 100% reccomend
*What I like:*
[+] The dashboard is integrated WAY better than the Xbox 360 and PS3. There is no longer the feeling of "in a game" or "in the dashboard". You are ALWAYS in both. Say you are in the middle of a game but want to spontaneously change a system setting or launch another app etc. Both the 360 and PS3 had some semi-dashboard functionality built into the dashboard/home button, but most everything required you to first exit the game and go to the dashboard (aside from some shortcuts to go straight to a different game). Now, you press the dashboard button and without interrupting your game in any way, you now have access to the full dashboard and settings, etc. There is really no such thing as being required to "quit" a game anymore, which is awesome.
[+] Speed. I always was surprised that through the entire life of the Xbox 360 (including the 360 S and 360 E), there was an unacceptable amount of lag on many core dashboard functions. Something as basic as showing your list of games, or list of gamerpics to change to, or achievement lists, or loading marketplace screens, would often take several seconds of waiting to populate. The Xbox One's startup is acceptably fast, but basic things like loading marketplace content or my list of installed apps, achievements, etc, is very quick. Switching between game and dashboard is no longer the slow annoyance it used to be, but rather is nearly instantaneous.
[+] Dashboard Layout: The Xbox 360 dashboard was too cluttered and poorly organized, in my opinion. There were many different 'sections' to scroll through with LB and RB that made it take longer than necessary to get around. The Xbox One dashboard only has three now, it's much cleaner and simpler. Your pinned games/apps, main section to switch back to currently in-use game/app or browse your other apps, etc, and the third section is for browsing/downloading new games/apps. Very easy to navigate. It's also completely add free. Though at launch, the Xbox 360 had very few ads, and over time Microsoft worked a lot of extra advertising space into the design. So let's keep our fingers crossed that doesn't happen again, especially when you are a subscribing Xbox Live Gold member! I also like the notification and achievement changes. You can earn 0-point achievements in random apps, like for watching videos and such. It's admittedly pretty pointless, but if you don't like the idea of pointless achievements, you can easily ignore their existence.
[+] Built-in game DVR. Very cool feature that removes the need for external recording equipment for anyone interested in that. Even if you don't plan on using this feature, it could still benefit you in the form of more & better guide videos from other people that will likely be swarming onto YouTube.
[+] The controller. Controller design has come a long way since the old Atari joysticks or uncomfortable NES gamepads. I have used Sony's Dual Shock 3, Nintendo's Wii U Pro controller, Xbox 360 controller and Xbox One controller. They are all fantastic. But I must say I always liked the 360 controller the best. The Xbox One controller is simply an improvement upon that one. The only downside to the 360 controller was the mediocre D-pad, which has definitely experienced a massive improvement in the XBO update. They also moved the guide/dashboard button higher, which I like since I used to accidentally hit that when I meant to hit Start/Back. I even like how they redesigned the battery to go inside the controller. It takes slightly longer to swap a battery out, but since I use the USB cable to charge instead of swapping batteries (no Quick Charge Kit yet exists for the One like the 360 has), that doesn't matter at this point. The only thing I don't like is renaming the Start and Back buttons. "Press Menu" sounds way less cool than "Press Start" you're used to on any game's splash screen.
[+] Noise levels and cooling/reliability. Anyone who had a launch Xbox 360 or launch PlayStation 3 knows what I'm talking about. Those things were LOUD. Distractingly loud. The Xbox One's internal fan is very large compared to the launch 360 (google photos if its internals). Large fans can move more air and are not as loud as small fans. This also helps with its reliability, as the Xbox 360's biggest launch issues were overheating problems. Microsoft learned from this and I guarantee that will not be an issue here. I wanted to make sure of this, so I have literally had my Xbox One powered on almost 24 hours a day for the last week since launch day. This is because if it's going to overheat, I want to know now rather than down the line after the warranty is up. And I'm killing two birds with one stone because Killer Instinct has some goals related to how long you are in practice mode, so I leave it idling in practice mode while at work. Yeah, call me crazy. But anyway, so far, it has handled being constantly on for days at a time with not a single issue.
[+] The HDMI-In is definitely a unique feature to the Xbox One that the other consoles can't touch. It's not for everyone; you might not care about it. But it certainly opens up some neat possibilities. Any other HDMI-enabled device you may be interested in using can be switched to and from at a moment's notice. I plugged my Wii U into mine. I could certainly live without the HDMI input, but since it's there I may as well experiment with some interesting ways to use it.
[+] I obviously can't speak for everyone else, but my Xbox One console, disc drive, and controller, all function flawlessly and had absolutely no issues. | video-games_xbox |
Catherine the Great. If I had to pick one word to describe "Catherine", it would be "intelligent." True, there are other games I'd describe this way, but "Catherine" swaps typical shooting or brawling for puzzle-based gaming. It's a smart game that makes you feel smarter for playing it. And while there's a mature and (for the most part) smartly-written story and some fine-looking cutscenes and graphics, your enjoyment of the game will probably be determined directly by how addictive you find the puzzle mechanics.
Framed as an episode of a late-night cable show, hosted by the enigmatic "Midnight Venus", the game, after an interesting (though long-winded) intro, throws players straight into the action. Vincent Brooks, the main character, is having a nightmare in which he must manipulate blocks in order to ascend a rapidly-crumbling tower. When he awakens, Vincent's life is complicated when his long-time girlfriend Katherine starts dropping some not-so-subtle hints that it might be time for the commitment phobic Vincent to buy her a ring, and when he hears a rumor going around his favorite bar that lousy boyfriends have been having a nightmare similar to his, and that if they fall in their dream, they end up dead on the morning news in real life.
That night at the bar, Vincent's approached by gorgeous Catherine. Unlike brunette Katherine, blonde bombshell Catherine's a free-spirit looking for a good time, and, in a moment of weakness, Vincent shows her one. The story, a mixture of romantic comedy and supernatural horror, is told through a combination of stunning cell-shaded graphics and genuine anime cutscenes. The voice acting for the English dub is top-notch, with voices I recognized from my favorite video games and animated series.
Gameplay takes place mainly in the nightmares, in which you must push and pull blocks to create a path up increasingly tall towers. These puzzles are actually pretty freeform, and different players will be able to improvise completely different paths to the pinnacle of each stage. Different types of blocks are added into the mix as you progress through the game, with various "trap" blocks requiring skill and timing to bypass.
While the puzzles can sometimes be frustrating initially, on subsequent playthroughs you should come to look forward to the challenge of later stages and to find boss "fights" more rewarding. The boss battles, or, more accurately, boss chases, feature monstrous manifestations of Vincent's worries trying to kill him, forcing him to climb more quickly. This creates some of the game's more terrifying sequences, like one where Vincent is being chased by what I think was the "beast with two backs", firing hearts out of its . . . well, you'll just have to see for yourself.
After completing each puzzle, you'll find yourself in a confessional booth where you'll be asked your thoughts on relationships. These questions are randomized each time you play and, along with questions you'll be asked by other characters on the landings between stages, where you're expected to encourage other lambs, and the Stray Sheep, Vincent's bar, as well as text messages you can send Catherine or Katherine, influence the game's nuanced morality system. Instead of pure "good" or "evil", the system is based on which of two viewpoints on relationships you lean more towards, with no consistent indication which choice will lean towards which polarity. Unfortunately, while these choices effect the NPC's around you, Vincent's story path will be the same for every player. Vincent's internal monologue at several points will change, and maybe a line of dialogue here and there will be different, but the story makes all the same stops no matter how many sweet texts you send to one girl and nasty texts you send to the other, at least until the game's finale, when your actions throughout the game will ultimately determine your alternate ending.
However, scenes set in the Stray Sheep do a good job of capturing the feeling of relaxing at your favorite pub, allowing you to choose your responses to the texts from the women in Vincent's life, lend a sympathetic ear to the many interesting characters that make up the rest of the bar's regulars, and chat with Vincent's circle of drinking buddies and the bar's proprietor, the Robert Goulet-like "Boss." There's also a jukebox to change the accompanying BGM and an arcade booth to play a faux-retro version of the game. Of course, you can also pick your poison and drink, which not only gives Vincent a boost during the puzzle sequences but, in one of the game's finer touches, will also provide you with some interesting trivia
tidbits on the liquor of your choice.
Other clever touches include the quotes from famous writers and philosophers on love and marriage that display during the game's loading screens, or the game's great score. Original jazz compositions provide accompaniment for Stray Sheep sequences, while climbing sequences feature ultra-modern remixes of classical compositions by Beethoven, Bach, and the like.
"Catherine", perhaps fittingly, is more of a commitment than it seems at first. On at least two separate occasions, I put the controller down, thinking I'd finished the game, only to be treated to a long series of cutscenes and then flung back into another puzzle. And while the game's central mystery provides a couple great twists, once the party responsible for Vincent's plight is revealed, the motivations behind the plot seem more than a little convoluted. Also, a final hosting segment after the game's conclusion beats player's over the head with the game's themes.
Other gameplay modes include Babel, a more randomized climbing puzzle that can be played single-handedly or cooperatively, and Colliseum, which is meant to be a competitive climbing mode plays more like a tacked-on Deathmatch. In the end, it's the game's unique puzzles and interesting characters that made me want to play again as soon as I finished. | video-games_xbox |
MW3 - They Stick With What Sells. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the latest version of a first-person shooter that attempts to be a realistic combat shooter that pits the American (with limited allied support) against Russian forces that have started an international war. This installment of the Call of Duty franchise includes some updated multiplayer gameplay, a new co-op option, updated weapons, a minor overall improvement to graphics, and the standard model for multiplayer upgrades that any fan of the series will enjoy.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
There is almost nothing that is so new about this game that it rewrites what the series s all about. The good news is that the fans of this franchise will be happy with the new missions without being disappointed about any changes that cause them to be unhappy. Modern Warfare 3 is a direct sequel to the previous game in the series, so you might say it is more like version 2.5 than a true 3.0 update, so it loses a full star on that aspect.
Graphics: 5 out of 5 stars
The graphics have always been important to a game of this type, and this game doesn't disappoint. The graphics look slightly better than the last version of the game, but that isn't to say there is anything wrong with the latest version. Some might calls it almost photorealistic, with is great for console systems that are now as old as they are these days.
Multiplayer: 5 out of 5 stars
No one in this field of games has a better multiplayer than Call of Duty. They have been the leader in multiplayer for years, and there are no major changes to the formula in this latest version. Sure there are tweaks and updates that allow for more variety, but nothing that causes you to ponder what they were thinking.
Single-Player Story: 5 out of 5 stars
The single player campaign starts right where Modern Warfare 2, the last installment, left off. The story is exciting, has great voice acting, and helps pull you into a story that is both complex and easy to understand and follow.
Call of Duty: Elite : 3 stars out of 5
The new Call of Duty: Elite is an online multiplayer service launched Modern Warfare 3. I feel this service should have been a totally free service to build a dedicated fan base for the franchise, but they have decided to design a fee-based system to pull a few more dollars out of the pockets of the hard-core fans of the series. I think casual players aren't going to pay the extra fees, won't get drawn into the full experience, and therefore will not spend the extra cash long-term to help build a better revenue stream. The new service offers new on-line games, social-networking options, access to a mobile app, along with minor Facebook integration.
If you are interested in first person shooters and want a realistic experience without too much detail or realism (no issuing commands to AI squad mates), this is the game for you. | video-games_xbox |
Just not fun. I'm sorry to have to write this review. Like many other gamers I was routing for this game to be a success. I have to say I feel let down.
To be fair, I'm a casual gamer. I don't have any expertise in the field of gaming. If you are a casual a gamer like me and are debating picking up a copy of Two Worlds I hope this review finds you.
I've read other reviews which suggest not comparing this game to Oblivion, as its apples to oranges perhaps. But as a casual gamer, I'm having a hard time separating the two. The theme, gameplay, and even the verbiage (i.e. Mages, Brotherhood, etc.) are all very similiar to Oblivion. Two Worlds even uses a quote that compares the game to Oblivion on the packaging, so it's safe to say that the connection is there. So, as a casual gamer, if you enjoyed Oblivion you would have reason to believe that you were in for a similar experience. From my perspective, that was not the case. Here's why:
On a whole, I thought the graphics were well below average. There were instances where they were nice, but for the most part I've just come to expect more out of games on the 360. The poor graphics make this look like a budget game. I honestly believe that games like GTA San Andres and God of War on the PS2 looked better than Two Worlds.
My initial problem was the cut scenes. As I mentioned earlier, the graphics were terrible, but the voice acting was so bad it was actually aggravating. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting Oscar material, but it was so harsh I had no desire to finish listening to what the character had to say. This makes for a difficult situation when you are trying to obtain quest information, etc. This is the first review I've ever had to consider mentioning voice-acting, I'm actually kind of amazed that I'm discussing it, but it really did take away from the enjoyment of the game.
As far as gameplay, I don't think I gave this game enough of a chance to get past the learning curve, but I found the controls to be somewhat reasonable. I had some major camera angle problems in my first fight with a couple Groms (I think that's what they were called). The controls were also very awkward while on horseback. The horse really didn't respond as you would think.
The bottom line was this game was not fun. I desperately wanted it to be, but it just didn't get there.
There's much more I could get into but the purpose of this review was not to tear down the game but to inform the casual gamer that they are NOT getting the second installment of Oblivion. If you're still looking to play Two Worlds rent it.
On a side note, I exchanged my copy of Two Worlds for Bioshock and am extremely pleased. Bioshock embraces the 360 with a truly next-gen shooter. A ton of fun. | video-games_xbox |
UPDATE.... 4 stars to 3... New "Purple" looks like it got in bed with old pink stock.... Pinkle? . [Old Review...For New scroll down..cant miss it..]
They fit perfect on my xbox 360 controllers, they are too big for xbox one, and they spin... I did manage to get one to fit nice and snug after wrapping the left joystick with teflon tape several times, THEN putting the short concave pad on over it, and I use a KF FPS grip on the right...I just love my controller now, plus I got a purple FL controller cover that adds nice grip, but sadly, I also had to hack it, and cut a bigger opening at the bottom so I could connect my headset adapter into it, but thankfully the rubber is strong enough, and doesnt run when u cut it... (after I made the cuts I needed, I made a small slit on a scrap piece, and tried pulling it apart... Suprising how much effort it actually took, so I am confident it will last!)
And last con incase you decide to get both... You will have to cut a tiny bit around the joystick hole too, as the thumbstick is too wide and short, that the rubber from the grip of the stick, and the grip on the controller cover will make slight contact.... not a big deal for most games, but ones where u must make quarter circles, or larger it will grip together... I was frustrated, as you may see from my review of it, but at the end, with some effort, it managed... and I am content.. :) Happy Gaming!
]
Ok.. First of all, they took my pointers and tried improving this, but the old version was better in some ways, and decided to keep it on and give these away, as for I... I am a purple kind of guy, and kind of my signature color....
Pleased with everything besides the color of the controller grip... I have bought from same seller's old stock, and the purple shown, and the purple i got were similar..... this time the color purple shown in description is the same as old stock description, but the actual color is much lighter, and more pink than anything. Thumbgrips are even pinker. 20 bucks down the drain.. If you have it in your heart to remake them darker, like the actual photo, I will rebuy and give it a 5. Least they can do is send me a green or blue for free | video-games_xbox |
An excellent addition to a great franchise. Let me start off by saying that I am an avid racing fan. I played quite a bit of Forza 2 and have been anxiously waiting the arrival of Forza 3.
Firing up this game the first thing you will discover is that to get all the benefit of the game you MUST have a hard drive. If you do not you will not be able to use all of the cars nor race all of the tracks. Thankfully I upgraded to a 60GB drive a few months ago and don't install alot of stuff so I had room for both the mandatory content install and a full game install. The benefit is much shorter loading times and I have yet to see the drop in frame rate that other have mentioned.
The game itself is a blast. While I do not use a racing wheel I've heard many of my friends mention that the game plays much better with the wheel than Forza 2 did. I also like the new simple menus and the less-hardcore menu music. I do miss some of the information that could be found via-menus from Forza 2 though.
The graphics and sounds are both top notch. Whether it be the sun beaming in your eyes while racing at Sedona Raceway or the detail of the town on the coast everything looks great. Car damage modeling is still not perfect but it's better than it was in Forza 2.
The new storefront is absolutely fantastic, one of the best ideas I've seen in a video game in a while. You can create designs for cars, vinyls, and tunes and post them for sale on the storefront. People can search for them and buy them and the credits go directly to you.
Now to what matters, the racing. If you've played Forza 2 (or any reasonably simulation-like driving game) the overall mechanic will be familiar to you. Pick a car, upgrade as needed, race. The cars seem to handle much better than they did in Forza 2 and thankfully having aero upgrades is no longer mandatory to make a drivable car. I really like the new season mode, it gives a sense of flow and progression to the game. With the AI on medium if you are a decent racer the game will not be much of a challenge. Slip it up to hard difficulty and you'll be fighting just to win. I wish there was a difficulty setting between the two. The seasons seem to progress relatively quickly, I got the game a week and a half ago and I'm in the middle of season 5 sitting at driver level 46 (out of 50). With each level earned you are given a new car for free, a nice touch as overall I feel that in-game cash is more difficult to come by this time around.
One feature of Forza 3 that I totally discounted before the game was released is the rewind feature. I thought surely it would be a "newbie tool" and had no place in a serious racing game...I was wrong. Rewind is a fantastic idea. More than just correcting mistakes in races (which is nice when you nearly total your car on lap 27 of a 32 lap endurance race) the rewind feature can help you learn tracks. Having trouble taking the corkscrew at Laguna Seca? Run the section and then rewind to the beginning of it and try again. Keep trying until you get it down, your braking points, your turn in point, etc. Instead of having to wait an entire lap to try it again you can run it 5 times in the amount of time you would normally do 1 lap.
Another feature I didn't think much of is the auto-upgrade feature. I've never been the best upgrader/tuner but having the computer do most of the work for you can be really helpful when you just want to get out and race. It has a few shortcomings, it will not install engine, aspiration, or drivetrain swaps and it will not change your rim style, but overall it does a pretty good job.
I don't play much public-lobby multiplayer but a group of guys and I get together almost every Wednesday night and race. We've been doing it in Forza 2 for over a year and a half great fun. While I can't comment on the public lobbies the private matches are fantastic and the lobby system works really well. There are so many finite setting you can adjust (if you wish to). Want to only use front wheel drive cars from America between 240 and 260 horsepower? Easily done. Want to set the game up so that people are released from the starting grid at 2 second intervals? There's a setting for that as well. Also, the cat and mouse and tag game modes are alot of fun.
There are a few negatives with the game but overall I really enjoy it. Alot of the content (both tracks and cars) is pulled straight from Forza 2. The cockpit view (to me at least) is a bit of a novelty/letdown. I saw the screenshots of beautifully detailed car dashboards and when I first fired up the demo I was a bit surprised to see the low-poly almost cartooney looking cockpit. There are no shift animations in the cockpit but when using the 3rd person view you can see the driver shifting. Also, the view angle of the cockpit is pretty bad (on most cars you can't see any of your mirrors) but there are very simple ways around this (you can adjust your viewing angle by changing some setting in the multi-screen setup even if you don't use multiscreen).
While I know the game is brand new and they are still working out all the bugs, the auction house is painfully slow at the moment. Searching for a car or looking at cars you are bidding on may take 30 seconds to load. Once again, I know they're ironing out all the bugs but it can be frusterating if you're an auction house junkie.
As for multiplayer public lobbies, there are reasons to complain. BUT with that said Turn 10 has stated that they are planning to constantly update the multiplayer playlists. Within the next few weeks you'll see the ability to race in cars below A class and a whole host of new features.
Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase. Is it perfect? No, but it is alot of fun and well worth the price I paid. Now I've gotta leave, time to get back to racing! | video-games_xbox |
Great game plagued by bugs. What we have here in Fable Anniversary is exactly the same as what you played 10 years ago with fable. Not one bit of the originality is lost in the time gap. This has to be the most beautiful fable I've ever played. Everything seems to have truly been touched up and had quality time spent on it. I just wish that they would have spent as much time improving the games bugs as well as just the graphics as it is plagued with dozens of them ( [...] ) there is a link to prove that it isn't just me. Here are just a couple that I've encountered and be warned if you haven't played Fable at any point in time, there will be a few spoilers. Knothole Glade blacksmith was killed in the White Balverine mission. This might sound trivial, but the problem is that his business is never re-opened, and you can't buy it. This brings about the problem of obtaining Bright Plate Armor for the Demon Door that wants to see the Gallant Knight, as outside the Arena he is the ONLY blacksmith that sells it. Now let me further inform you on how annoying this is, if he is dead, and you go to the arena without enough money to get the plate armor from the blacksmith there, then you can enter the arena fights, get up enough gold for it, and quit the arena, but you will be skipping an achievement that can only be obtained by doing the entire arena battle without quitting, and you can NEVER re-enter the arena on a save file after finishing. This so far is the single most infuriating glitch I've encountered as other than that single Demon Door, I have done 100% of everything (all weapons, potions, side-quest, EVERYTHING!). Game freezing is a very common occurrence, luckily the checkpoints occur so often, that even if it does freeze, you will generally end up almost exactly where you froze at. Quest Incomplete-able. The bandit spy extraction quest gave me hell when I tried finishing it. Had to do the quest 7 times before the game acknowledged that I'd actually finished it, and would let me continue. Texture and frame rate drops are very frequent, and I don't mean small drops, I mean like major, no detail, near game freezing drops. The majority of these could be easily patched to, make bright plate armor available at a couple extra merchants (dark plate is available at 2 different merchant's outside the arena). I never ran into any of these when playing ten years ago. Didn't Lionhead at least test their game before releasing it?They would have surely run across some of these problems. If I remember right, this game was even delayed, delayed and still came out this buggy? Not a good show of ability on your end Lionhead. The game does give that nostalgic feeling to you, but will surely infuriate you with some of it's bugs. | video-games_xbox |
As a older gamer, this is how I feel about Dark Souls. I'm 39. That's not really that old (right?) but it does put me in that group of gamers who still have clear memories of the 2600 and the NES era of gaming.
My first console was the NES when I was about 12 years old. I remember every day coming home from school, running upstairs and sitting down with Metroid, Castlevania, Metal Gear and Rygar. I spent hours, days and weeks on those games and I was pretty much consumed by them and fully immersed in their worlds.
Rygar, in particular, holds a special place in my gaming memory because not only was that game hard as hell and confusing to even know where to go (remember those top-down map sections with the caves?) but also because I was so determined to beat that game.
Anyway, one night when I was playing Rygar my family all wanted to go out to dinner to some Greek restaurant in Boston. I had no interest in spending an hour in the car to eat olives and feta because I was very near the end of the game. But off to Boston I went and so I hit pause, and left the NES on so that I wouldn't lose all my progress.
The whole night all I could think about was "Is my NES going to be alright being on for hours?" and "I bet if I do X, I can climb that tower and get to that boss".
Such are the thoughts of a 12 year old who has little else in life to worry about.
Those were great days to be a gamer and I'm sure little has changed for 12 year old kids today either (except they can at least save their games now - lucky bastards). Games could consume you at that age and the worst consequence you had to face for it was missing a homework assignment every so often.
Needless to say I have always been a gamer but have missed that feeling of being so passionate about a game.
As the years went on (and the systems got better), I never really got that same rush as I did when I was 12 and was struggling to beat Rygar or find my way through Metroid or get all the way through Castlevania. Sure some great games have come along that really captivated me - Okami, Half Life 2, NHL 94, Final Fantasy 9, the Mass Effect series and Silent Hill 2 - but I just assumed that as I was getting older the window for me to ever have that pure youthful gaming experience had long since past and that the best I could hope for was to just really enjoy a game.
But I was wrong.
Dark Souls has reinvigorated me.
I am 12 again.
A lot of it has to do with the difficulty of the game. So often I'm reminded of sitting on my bedroom floor as a kid and punching the side of my bed or swearing at my tv when I got killed in a game only to pick up the controller again and try once more.
But that's not the only reason.
There is something special about this game. I've spent a lot of time trying to put my finger on exactly what it is about Dark Souls that has really captivated me and what I've come to realize is that Dark Souls is a true video Game (capital "G").
Lemme explain that better.
Dark Souls is pure gameplay. Like Rygar and Metroid you have to do things in a very specific order, memorize every enemy pattern in every level, perform each maneuver perfectly every time, know how to use all your abilities and, of course, just keep at it.
I miss that about games. Not that all games need to be like that, mind you, but there is just something so rewarding about doing something well and doing it right and making progress to the next section. Every parry and backstab have to be dine just right, every step down into the Hollow has to be just right or you fall to your death, every boss fight has to be taken on in a full state of gaming zen.
I'm so often reminded of my NES while playing Dark Souls - those games were incredibly difficult (either because they were designed that way or because they were poorly made) but they were also so much fun to 12 year old me. Beating those old games was an accomplishment - like surviving a digital obstacle course in the boot camp of a gaming academy.
And so here I am 24 years later feeling like a kid again. I'm back to swearing at my tv (a much nicer one these days than what I had back then) and I even occasionally feel the need to slam my fists in the couch cushions to vent all that pent up game rage.
In fact if someone was taping me, they'd probably think I was having a terrible time with this game - but they'd be wrong. The torture is amazing and I want more of it.
So to sum up, Dark Souls for me is the first pure video game I have played since I was a kid and I feel like a kid again. I'm not as good at gaming as 12 year old me but I'm savoring this experience because I never want it to end.
I want to be 12 again for as long as possible until I have to go back to being an adult once more.
I know the game has only been out a year but it's officially on my best of all time list - right after Rygar which, by the way, I beat that very same night when I go back from the Greek restaurant. Though the NES had been left on for hours, it was fine.
If I had known then that nearly a quarter of a century would pass before I'd ever feel this way about gaming again I'd have never turned the NES off.
(I originally wrote this not long after the game came out and posted it on reddit (I can verify that if need be). This is my updated and edited version to reflect picking the game up again since the excellent DLC came out.) | video-games_xbox |
Is it worth it? ...maybe. I bought this kit for two reasons. 1. My Rock Band set finally exploded after pounding on it for almost a year. 2. I got better at playing and wanted to take it to the next level.
As I got better at playing, it required me to hit harder and faster, which eventually caused my Rock Band 1 drums to fail. Also, as I progressed to some of the harder songs on expert level, the stock Rock Band drums are just not good enough. You can make it through the songs without failing, but that's no fun. So I was at a crossroads. I could get another Rock Band drumset for relatively cheap, or go with the Rocker. I figured I would go with the rocker and I am glad I did.
This kit is quite solid. I am not a drummer and have no experience with real drums, so I cannot compare it to real drums, but in comparison to the plastic Rock Band drums, the difference is night and day. You can bang on these for hours on end for weeks at a time, without fear that you are going to break them. Also, they are quite "bouncy" for lack of a better term, so that makes playing those really fast rolls a lot easier. The pedal is metal, so no worrying about it breaking, and no more fixes crafted from butter knives and duct tape.
The kit works in Guitar Hero World Tour as well, which is a plus, even though it gets "dumbed down" to Rock Band drums in the game. Not a big deal, its still functional.
Once I have conquered game drumming, I have the option to add any Alesis Drum Module, which can be had on [...], and then use the rocker as an electronic drum kit. I get on a kick every once in a while where I like to make a crummy attempt at recording my own music, and this fills the void of not having drums or a drummer.
Overall this is a fantastic piece of equipment and I have no complaints whatsoever. Sure, the price is a little steep for some folks, but it will improve your game play without a doubt, and if you have any desire to hook it to your computer for 'cheap' easy recording, with a small footprint, and no loud noise of real drums, its perfect. | video-games_xbox |
Forget the movies - This game defines Star Wars greatness. Story (10/10):
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic puts you in a world of complete bliss and utterly fantastic awe. This is not just a shoot-em-up game, for within the millions of pixelated characters lies a story. A story with jaw-dropping, mind-blowing twists and turns and conclusions awaiting. Choose your path, for the first time, you can choose your own destiny rather than the creators.
This game is not just one plot, nor is it a mindless adventure trekking the whereabouts of the middle of nowhere looking for purpose. No, this game is many a quests and riddles, illusions and games inside to keep the gamers on their tippy-toes at all times.
Starting out as a mysterious rebel who does not know his/her own past, fight or peacefully sneak your way through the depths of several planets, each carrying many people with many stories. You may help these people, you may be there savior and deny a reward, or you may bash their helpless heads into their skulls to create your path to the dark side. All the while making the venture across native lands toward beoming a Jedi, encounter friends, enounter foes and convert them to friends if you ever so wish. It doesn't matter, because in the end it's only you facing the evil sith lord, toe to toe, lightsaber to lightsaber.
Gameplay (9/10):
The fighting system is somewhat random, but not entirely, you can choose to create a concrete combat fighter or a wizard casting spells such as lighting, wind, life draining, lightsaber throwing, etc. Many different various skills such as stealth, persuasion, even computer hacking and lockpicking (Sort of).
You can stay close using lightsabers, one in each hand or a double-bladed one. Or you stray afar using blaster rifles and pistols. You have many compainions, droids, jedis, dark side mercenaries and wookies, each with a charming, dramatic, or brutal life story, which will only be concluded as the game furthers on.
Very impressive dialogue and screenwriting, graphics and realism are also mediocre.
I can guarantee, with the low $20 price, this game will give you hours of fun, each day, for at least a month. And trust me, when that month is up, you will not want to get rid of it, you will get the urge to play it again because once you start this game you are hooked on a long-term engagement.
The only thing I find wrong with this game is it's sequel.
Pros:
~ Excellent sound, effects, dialogue, screenplay, scenery, designing and story writing.
~ Hundreds of weapons, armor, with belts, gloves, arm bands, implants and masks to further increase skills.
~ Hundreds of side quests with extravagant rewards and conclusions that will keep you in awe all day long.
~ No wondering from world to world in search of plots, they are usually easy to find but challenging (not boring) to accomplish.
~ No matter what, you can always play the game a different way, so you would be just beginning your quest as soon as you beat the game.
~ Neat little area from xbox live downloadable content, which can open up another plot and give you VERY nice weapons and two new lightsaber colors. (Turquoise, orange)
~ You can change the overall game difficulty, it's default setting is medium.
Cons:
~ No type of multiplayer games in any circumstance. It's surprising they didn't make a co-operative option.
~ Sometimes annoying loading transitions, can take maybe 10-15 seconds at most. I'd advise having some music handy if it's your 2nd or 3rd time through the game. | video-games_xbox |
BO3. When I first heard about the new Call of Duty, I was not really surprised because it was going to more of futuristic warfare just like Advanced Warfare. I thought it would be World at War 2 but then I realized that the developers had to change some stuff with the Zombie story mode. They should have made the next sequel after World at War and before Black Ops. To be honest, I bought this game just for zombies and some online multiplayer. The single campaign mode seemed odd but not that bad at all. I only did a few missions because I got quickly bored with the online modes. I was surprised that one of my fav actors is starred in the video game which was Detective Stabler, Christopher Meloni and glad that he is involved with the franchise of COD. Pretty much any type of known actors/actress can be a part of the video game industry just by voice acting and grabbing his/her image and put inside of a video game. But other than that, the campaign mode is good.
Furthermore with gameplay, I did not feel that black ops gameplay that I had from Black Ops 2. It seemed really different. I was quite disappointed that something changed in that certain element of the game. The way you run or sprint seemed odd or the way you aim at your opponents or getting killed too quickly. It is really tough to explain to compare this with BO2. In my opinion, I think that BO2 was better than this. These developers tried too much with BO3 like they are trying to become better than AW's content. Yes, I say that BO3 is better than AW because better gameplay and awesome explosion sounds but comparing this with the previous versions, I have to say that BO2 was better. We have to leave this futuristic warfare behind us and go back to Modern Era or back in time during the World at War. More fans rather have that than jumping off from walls, controlling drones, becoming a super human, or unknown weapons that are being created. No matter what, I will keep buying every year's new COD game because I am fanboy but might have different perspectives before, during or after playing the game. I assume too much about these new upcoming games, thinking that these will be games of the year, then soon or later, you will realize that some of the previous versions Cod like BO2, COD MW1 & 2, and World at War were actually the best of all time in the COD series. Hopefully, they will be remastered for the new gen consoles. I am tired of these new COD games. I do agree with most people that COD is dead now. I wanted to have that awesome experience from the past games. I just cannot get that in these new releases.
Zombies will be my best favorite mode ever! It was funny that the fanboys wanted Infinity Ward to create zombies after World at War release but we should have know that Treyarch was best at it. This new map with new characters with awesome weapons are quite fascinating but the zombies got extremely hard. By round 5-6, they come at you at different directions. I remember when Treyarch made the zombies come out in certain barricades but when you play this, FORGET IT! They come out in different directions. It is crazy, tougher, and exciting at the same time. I think they wanted us to die quicker than trying to survive until round 30 or more. I am guessing that they also made the easter egg easier to find items and continue unlocking stories of each characters which is great. Now, we don't really have to search online to find out how to do the easter egg. It should be self explanatory in the game because the narrator or some kind of ghost tells you what to do like, "you must explore the unexplored." It was your job to figure it out unless you can just research it online. Overall, it is great but tough, The map is big, different looks of the zombie mode gameplay, and more scarier bosses like some kind of giant plant monster that they stole from Plants vs. Zombies XD. A new feature in the zombie mode was gaining more exp for certain guns you used. So I am guessing that they wanted all of us to keep playing zombies so we can gain levels and increase our advantages with the weapons that we use all the time and when these zombies become more tougher, we won't have any problems.
Overall, the game is not that bad. I bought it digitally than the hard copy. I kind of regret it because what happens if I wanted to return the game? :( Too late for that lol. The things they need to improve on are the servers, the gameplay bugs, and lower down of getting killed to quickly (even though it is not hardcore mode -_-). The servers are terrible in zombies especially. Somehow, I joined in a game lobby with 10 people like how is that possible lol of course, if this happens to you, quickly back out and find match again. You might have to do that for at least a couple of times because the servers cannot get you into a good quality match which it disappoints me big time. | video-games_xbox |
Contender for Most Underrated Game of the Year. Syndicate (2012) is a reboot of an old franchise that takes a turn-based strategy game and turns it into a fast-paced first person shooter with more visual flair than a disco. This change of gameplay left old fans wanting, and limited marketing didn't attract new fans.
Visually, the game is perhaps too stylized. HUD elements are clean, environments are easy-to-read and distinct, weapons feel and look good, but the use of bloom lighting can sometimes pose a serious problem to the player's ability to see anything. Combined with occasionally spotty level design, this can easily create confusing situations for the player. For the most part, though, it works pretty well and maintains a very unique art style throughout.
The singleplayer portion of the game feels extremely linear, and can easily get dull at times. Combat is mostly fought while in DART Overlay mode, which slows down time, increases the speed of breaching (hacking/using powers,) reduces damage taken, increases damage dealt, increases the rate of health regen, and a mix of other benefits. Rather than making the game feel fast-paced and hectic, this instead slows it to a crawl. And sadly, the plot and writing do nothing to allay this.
In cooperative play, however, the game comes completely into its own. It plays like a wonderful mix of Left 4 Dead teamwork, Call of Duty gunplay, and roleplaying game-like skills and abilities all delivered with a silky layer of cyberpunk. DART Mode no longer slows down time, instead acting like a brief buff to everything you do, and your 'apps' (abilities) all apply bonuses to your teammates or yourself. These apps all interact really well, and make properly coordinating with your team both necessary and rewarding.
Syndicate is a game that you buy for the coop. The singleplayer campaign is forgettable, and I would honestly suggest ignoring it completely. I do suggest that you buy this with a few friends, as coop gets very difficult at higher difficulty levels. | video-games_xbox |
This is a very glitchy game. This is one of the greatest video games ever made. I don't particularly care for this genre of game, but this will go down amongst my all time favorite games. All the raves of the other good reviews will give you advice on this games strengths, of which there are many.
However, don't buy it on the 360. PLEASE, save yourself the headaches and get it on a PC!!!
I've had Oblivion for a little over two months now, and my Xbox 360 can barely play this game. It is full of bugs. I've returned it twice and am on my third disk, so I know it's not an errors on the disk itself. It's just tons and tons of software glitches on the import from PC to 360 (which is funny since the 360 is just a PC in a pretty case). Three of my close friends are all playing the 360 version as well, and they're all having the same problems I'm having.
There are plenty of downloadable features (The Orary, the horse barding, priate ship, etc.), and these seem to have a negative effect on the software and cause a lot of trouble. However, I didn't donwload any of this, and my game is rife with bugs. If you go to Bethesda's forums, you can read tons and tons of posts discussing these problems (you might even find me there!). But I'll sum them up for you.
1) The game freezes constantly. I think it has something to do with the DVD drive trying to load sounds and locking up.
2) "Unreadable Disk Errors" are VERY common. The game will pause, go black, and give this type of errors. Some times it even says to remove the disk and put in a game designed for the 360!
3) Strange loads. Sometimes, you'll load saved files and appear in the world paralized and halfway inside of your avatar.
Bethesda is no help with any of these problems. On the forums many people have posted their customer support replies, and they're all the most generic, "I'm not listening," plug your ears and hum responses I've ever read.
As I've said this is one of the best games in a generation. But stick with the PC. You may be one of the fortunate ones with no bugs, but if you're in my boat, you'll be spitting mad at dumpting $60 for a coaster. If I'd have bought the PC version, I'd have beaten the stupid thing by now!!! | video-games_xbox |
No thanks. Personally, I think Bethesda screwed this one up pretty good. Granted, it's hard to go from a game as epic as Skyrim to another of equal caliber but they literally did not have to do anything different except change the world you live in. Instead, they changed quite a bit of features in the game.
For instance, it used to be that whenever you killed an enemy, you could take anything off of his body that he owned (armor, weapons, etc) what happened to that? Is it because it's an MMO now? Personally I don't care why because I'm not a big fan of the fact that they made this an MMO in the first place, part of the fun of the elder scrolls games is exploring the world for yourself.
Second, now we have to use guild stores to buy and sell goods? No thanks bethesda, I would rather have the old shops and shop keepers back. Some of the best parts of the old games is dungeon diving, stealing all the buried treasures you can then selling them to these shop keepers. Now it's just unnecessarily overwhelming. Not that it matters because you're limited as to what you can take off dead bodies anymore anyway.
Third and probably most important: I paid 60 dollars for this game and you want me to pay extra to unlock quests in the story line? How about no.
Fourth: you seem to just bounce from one arrow on the map to the other with no clear "big picture." I miss oblivion and Skyrim where the overall story line of the game is pretty clear. This is just unorganized.
To conclude: Bethesda, this is far below your capabilities and you should be ashamed. Maybe this is just how an MMO is ran? I'm not sure because I've rarely played them but even then, stick to what was working. You went directly against the "if it's not broke don't fix it" jargon and this was a waste of money. To all who are reading: find a different game to buy. I haven't played fallout 4 but I've heard nothing but good things and I'm going to see if I can return this game and get that instead. | video-games_xbox |
Built for smaller hands....still a great buy. So, the XBox 360 controller is pretty much the best controller ever made. I use mine on my PC and had it for ~3 years before deciding to upgrade to the XBONE controller. It's another classic with some flaws the 360 controller didn't have.
Pros:
-USB cable is simple to set up. The 360 controller had this mess of a cord. The usb cable is nice and long easily reaching my pc.
- Looks sharp, nice black finish.
- The joysticks have a nice ribbing on them so your fingers catch and don't slide off like they do on the playstation controller (which is horrible, I know I have one)..
- Just great for PC gaming, plugs in, easy install, ready to go. Also, works with Pinnacle Software Profiler
-Directional buttons work well, I don't use them much but they're their if I do.
Cons:
- This is built for smaller hands than the 360 controller & it's a real shame. You can tell when you wrap your fingers around the triggers your fingers actually go well over them ( You'll see what I mean) instead of just laying right on the triggers. If you have small fingers it will be perfect but for those of us with long fingers, your knuckles almost rest on the trigger instead of your finger tip.
- The bumpers (RB/LB) aren't as responsive as the 360 version.
- The joysticks, while they have a nice ribbing, are also smaller so bigger thumbs will envelop the entire pad.
OVERALL:
-This is another great controller and built to last; Perfect for PC gaming (Skyrim, GTA V, etc...) It's built for smaller hands and hopefully they improve it with the next iteration but It will be awhile if they do. The 360 version is still supreme for larger hands guys but this still is miles ahead of any other controller. Edit: I'm adding some pictures so you can see the difference; my fingers really go over (almost to the knuckle on the XBONE trigger) while the 360 my fingertip rest perfectly on it. The XBONE controller is just built for smaller hands. | video-games_xbox |
Beta release for 60 dollars. After playing through this game the past week and a half, I have to say I'm highly disappointed. This game is a mess. An absolute piece of garbage. How can a game that had been delayed a half a year turn out to be this unfinished, and why did they push up the release? I have a feeling they just wanted to get this lost cause out the door and recoup as much money as they could. It's obvious they didn't test this game at all outside their own offices.
The game has horrible texture pop in. Sometimes just leaving a room and coming back a second later and it still takes 4 or 5 seconds for the texture to load. The shooting, it just feels off. It's like the gun is unable to aim and hit a running target at all. You can get tko'd in 1 or 2 hits and have to wait to respawn up to 20 seconds. Another problem with this game is the respawns. They give you command posts to capture throughout the game, but yet you can't spawn on them? TSK TSK whoever came up with the bright idea for you to always spawn at the starting point of the level. Not only do you have to wait 20 seconds, but run another minute or so to the objective only to get killed again.
This game is very unbalanced. The attacking team almost has no chance on any objective. I sat back one game as defender online and our team literally mowed down the offensive team for 10 straight minutes. Getting an objective done while in offense online is practically a miracle. Most people don't even adjust their character to meet the class needed to complete the objective, so your mostly going it alone on a team of 7 other people. That's if you get a lag free game...
The lag. It's horrible. No excuse for this kind of lag. I've never experienced this in any game I've played. I'm talking slideshow at some points. It's not just me, but everyone is complaining about the lag. Still, Bethesda/Splash Damage have done nothing to fix it, but add matches with less people. Which means you get to play in games with 2 or 3 people facing off with 2 or 3 people. Real fun! Huge maps with just 2 people per team running around. I wish they would of just canned this game. It's not a game, but an open retail beta copy right now, and Splash Damage has not done one thing to fix it. | video-games_xbox |
Decent, but Silent Hill can do better. Granted, I haven't played through the game completely, but there are some serious weaknesses that should've been addressed. Balancing this are also some vast, vast improvements over previous incarnations.
SH 5 follows Alex Shepard, as he traverses Sheperds Hill, his hometown, and then Silent Hill, searching for his little brother, who seemed to be in trouble in a dream he had. His father has also vanished and his mother is a near catatonic wreck. The story actually bears quite a few similarities to the movie, in the way the main character keeps chasing his brother, only to lose him at the last moment. Sheperds Hill tries to appear normal, but is overrun with smoke breathing zombies and skinless hounds, not to mention the canonical roads that vanish.
The character attempts to be intelligent, planning to find his brother and get the hell out of town, rather than "figure this out," but is bogged down by the limitations of a classical adventure game. He has to break through boarded doors with a fire ax, rather than a hammer that has to be found somewhere among the 436 tool boxes scattered throughout town. The few other players in town taht retain their wits can't bring themselves to flee the godforsaken place, and I hope sincerly that its explained at least to some degree.
Significant Improvements: The combat system is a lot more fluid and beliavable. You can dodge and duck out of the way, and you now have a targeting cursor. Enemies has identifiable weakness and strength to certain weapons, and you can use the terrain to somewhat of an advantage, though most veterans still use the time honored tradition of run the heck away.
Enemies no longer respawn, or spawn far less frequently, and there are fewer corridors of death where you can get boxed in and not be able to fight your way out.
God bless them, but pick up items now glow with a glossy sheen, not a flare in the darkness, but you can now see interactive items, rather than relying on your character turning his head.
Same Ol, Same Ol: Searching for that one piece of inventory, and being unable to kick open or shoulder through a door. One of the few things Condemned nailed perfectly.
Drawbacks: Not enough scary. There are quite a few jumps, and some creepy points, but not enough punch like there was in SH 1 and 2. The writers seem to think that darker=scarier. WRONG. However, they've applied lessons learned, so I can forgive them this.
Overall: Decent though not impressive graphics, a significantly improved h2h combat system, good voice acting, attempts at intelligent main character behavior, and a above average story thats been fleshed out more make this a rent-to-own, though I would rent initially unless you're an achivement or ending hound like myself. Definitely turn the brightness all the way up though, else you'll be walking into walls and corners constantly. | video-games_xbox |
It's mostly a good game. Mostly. It's probably more accurate to call this game Marines vs. Aliens vs. Predator. The single-player campaign is divided into three perspectives. You can play as a Marine, an Alien, or a Predator. Each species' campaign takes place in exactly the same locations, but since your abilities change from species to species, the game-play in each mission remains fresh. As a marine, you're limited to the ground. As a Predator, you gain vertical mobility, since you're capable of jumping short distances to higher locations, such as tree limbs or ledges. The Alien's perspective is truly unique, as you can climb along any surface and jump short distances. Seeing these environments from the ceiling, and thus upside-down, is quite interesting.
It's important to point out that both the Alien and the Predator incorporate a level of stealth. As the Predator, you have a cloak which renders you nearly invisible to most enemies. As the Alien, you can easily hide in dark corners or on ceilings, where most enemies can't find you. The marine, by contrast, seems mostly helpless, without any stealth and virtually no cover-system.
None of the campaigns are masterpieces at storytelling. The marine campaign starts off as most Alien-related stories do. And, as a matter of fact, ends mostly the way Aliens ends. There are two halves of the Marine campaign - it's almost as if there was a change in story or development. Your squad-mate "Tequila", ends up harvested and pretty much disappears from the game after you get 60% of the way through. It all makes sense in the end, but the transition seems unnecessary. By contrast, the Predator and Alien campaigns are fairly cohesive, with clear goals and objectives. However, each of them require taking your objectives from on-screen prompts, since technically neither the Predator or Alien speaks "English". As the Predator, I often found myself missing objectives because sometimes this information was communicated in the middle of action. It's really hard to read scrolling text and watch the action at the same time.
From a control perspective, the Marine is the easiest to handle. Movements are smooth. Targeting is spot-on, with excellent hit detection. Only the rifle allows you to closely target your enemies, but in this type of battle, you wouldn't expect to slowly take aim with an assault rifle and target aliens who are charging toward you. The aliens move fast, and you'll be spraying bullets. The Predator allows you to target a specific enemy or location to which you want to jump. It was really difficult, however, trying to find a branch or ledge to which to jump - it wasn't always clear. Like the Marine, the Predator is mostly FPS. The Predator also features a weak and strong attack - however, connecting with the strong attack is difficult. Overall, the game seems to suffer from a distance-perspective issue - it's not clear how close you need to be to an enemy to hit it. The best part of the Predator is the battle disc - a small glaive-like disc that you can hurl at enemies and have return to your hand, much like a boomerang. If you ever played Dark Sector, it's much like the glaive from that game.
The alien's controls? This definitely takes some practice. Transitioning from the floor to a wall requires you to press the right-trigger. Holding the right-trigger indefinitely actually just makes things easier, so it's hard to understand why Rebellion just didn't make surface transition automatic. Unlike the marine and Predator, the Alien has no weapons. You are limited to strong and weak attacks, and like the Predator, I found it extremely challenging to connect with strong attacks. Many times, I just lashed-out with a string of weak attacks. Fortunately, unlike the Marine and Predator, who both require "health packs" of sorts, the Alien regenerates health.
The game features some really challenging but not-impossible-to-beat bosses. You'll feel satisfied after these fights. From a replay perspective, there are some decent Xbox 360 achievements to pursue. Each species has its own collectible - the most interesting of which are audio diaries that you collect as a marine. These help to fill in the back-story. The collectibles for the Predator and Alien are uninspired, but finding them all is a must for completionists.
Technically, the game is superb. The audio is extremely well-engineered - it sounds exactly like an Alien-franchise movie. Graphically, it looks great on current-gen consoles. The aliens and Predators look and move great. Lighting is eerie and appropriate. After nearly two play-throughs of the marine campaign, I did not encounter a single graphical hiccup. It's a smooth game with lots of polish.
Is this a game you should play? Definitely. It may not be able to hold a candle to other FPS titles, but it's not really trying to be an FPS. What this game offers is fun - you'll be tense, sweating, and probably cursing at times. It offers just the right amount of frustration and challenge. | video-games_xbox |
Even if you are just looking for a racing game to round out your 360 collection, look no further than PGR3. Project Gotham Racing 3 was the first game I got for my 360. In fact, I got a copy for Christmas before I even had a 360! Let me start by saying this, PGR3 is a great game, if you are looking for a racing game to add to your 360 collection, get PGR3.
The game plays like a forgiving racing simulator. It's not quite as realistic as Forza, but it's defiantly not as "arcade" as Burnout or Need for Speed. It took me about half an hour to get used to the controls, and about an hour or two to get good. The difficulty settings are very well implemented. Before each event, you chose the difficulty setting you want to race at. The first time I played through the game, I did almost everything on the medium (silver) difficulty. I completed all the events in about 12 hours without too much difficulty. I am currently working though it on the hard (gold) setting, and I am about a third of the way through.
The graphics are very good, but flawed in one way; there are a lot of "jaggies." On my HDTV, there is a very thin black jagged line around each car, which is a little distracting sometimes. However, if you don't have an HDTV, then you have nothing to worry about. On my regular TV the game looks like a really good original xbox game, and there are no jaggies.
The sound in PGR3 is amazing. There are five different views that you can drive in, and the sound of the car engine changes accordingly. When you race using the "dash view" (from inside the drivers seat), the engine sound is slightly muffled and just as it would in the real world. When your racing using the "on car" views (where you don't see any part of your car), the engine is noticeably louder and clearer. Each car has its own distinct sound, which is very impressive, and shows the length that the developers went to make a great game.
PGR3 also has a very good soundtrack. There are around eight different genera's of music including rock, hip-hop, classical, techno, etc. If you can't find something you like on the game's soundtrack, or you just feel like racing to your own music, you can easily play songs off of the hard drive or even you iPod.
The main point of any racing game is the cars. In PGR3, there are about 80 cars. They represent a cross section of automobiles. They have classic cars, racing cars, dream cars, concept cars, they have everything. The cars are grouped into classes based on performance. The only thing I would have changed about the cars would be adding a specific "racing class" and adding more racing cars.
The long term value in any "next-gen" game is its online multiplayer, and PGR3 has an amazing multiplayer. When you race online, you race against up to 8 other people in fun, lag free races. It's similar to Halo 2's matchmaking, where the developer's group races (game types) together and you choose what kind of event you want to race in. The people are very respectable, and much less annoying than those who play many other games. I have only run into a few annoying kids, and usually, the rest of the racers warn each other about disruptive players (example: "Hey, the kid in the blue Ferrari is a jackass, watch out for him.").
All in all, PGR3 is a great game, if you love racing games, than you will love Project Gotham Racing 3. Even if you are just looking for a racing game to round out your 360 collection, look no further than PGR3. | video-games_xbox |
Almost fun, but mostly just work. Pretty much the same as the first game. Suffers from the same debilitating game mechanics and design.
So, ultimately, this is mall number 2; just with some casinos in between. The mall is about the same size as the first. The weapons are much improved, the combo system is a nice first attempt, the graphics are great. The story - meh.
For those who haven't played the original, your goal in this game is to go from point A to point B, and then (most of the time), escort someone from B back to A. The problem here is that the person being escorted is often more combatant than a child. So sometimes you have to bring them a lollipop or fifth of vodka to cheer them up first, enough to wanna go walkies.
In between A and B are zombies. A crap ton of zombies. And you'll need to pick up just about what ever you can to destroy or avoid them (note to Capcom, you DESTROY a zombie, not kill it - shesh). Here's where the games most FRUSTRATING (yes, all caps). This game suffers from animation-lock. You know, like in Street Fighter (hello again, Capcom!), when you perform a power move that doesn't connect, and your guy spends the next hour dancing the samba, until your opponent does you the favor of knocking you out of the animation sequence. So, you get the a ability to jump kick. Awesome? Not really, because after you jump kick your character lands and has to animate the landing, which takes about two seconds, which is ample time for more zombies to bite you.
Same with using most weapons. You swing a bat, well, slugger here want's to do it with a flourish, so you have to wait about 2 seconds after you are done swinging; again, plenty of times for zombies to creep up and chew on you.
Sometimes B (as in from A to B, mentioned above) gets more complicated... Say you get to B, and B is a crazy axe wielding maniac. Time to put them down. The problem here is that all the Bs are way more agile than our protagonist here. They roll, dodge, tackle. And worst, when you are hit, your stagger time is about two seconds.
Now, here is another major downer. Sometimes whilst needing to get from A to B, you also need to get from A to C, and A to D, you get the point. Well, B is clear on the other side of the mall from D, and C, well, I know it's right next to B but I know that Fudge Pants the Clown (TM) is there, and he wants to do me in, death by chocolate. So I can't take B or F there. Now you've got to choose. Do you save B, save D or kill Fudgy? Oh, and don't try to organize, because often it turns out that one of the letters requires you to go to E, F and G, however, you had no idea, so you tried to get some of the other letters done first, on the way. Now you've lost the game, and you don't know why.
This game also suffers from excessively long save, load, and start times. We are talking about minutes here! Seriously, I spend the load times reading or working on my own programming. However, loading between areas isn't too bad.
Look, I'm a huge Romero fan, and I think this series has serious promise. They are obviously copying Dawn of the Dead, and I apprecaite that. Mostly, they've done a right bang up job. They just need to stop programming, and PLAY THE GAME! If they can accomplish all goals (A to B, to C, to D) without wanting to smash their controller due to the mechanic flaws, then, well, I guess it's me. Else, let them drop animation vanity (as in, "ooh, look how awesome he looks after he kicks") for gameplay (as in, "Oooh, look how awesome he rips through the zombies").
I'd price this game at about [...], if bundled with a coupon to anger management. | video-games_xbox |
You make kung fu movie. As a huge fan of Kung Fu movies and just movies in general I found this game to be very amusing. First off the fighting in the game is solid. It is also great for those button mashers out there when you are playing in Battle game, but when in the ninja challenge it pays to know the combos. The game play is very straight forward and offers a good break from your standard fighting game. The closest game I could compare this too is super smash brothers on the gamecube. The game has a lot of depth and many unlockable modes of game play. The miniseries are great and when you unlock them it adds for some great diversion from ninja challenge. In battle mode you have team challenge or free for all and within those modes there are five different ways to play them.
You must first play through ninja challenge to unlock many of the play modes and battle modes as you earn 3 stars or more you can unlock the next level in ninja challenge. The levels are huge and very fun to play through. Though most people will be able to obtain 3 stars in ninja challenge you don't unlock much unless you obtain a perfect 5 stars on levels. This is a challenge and will put you to the test on most levels (though there are a few that you can easily do 5). The single player mode offers a lot but it is the multiplayer mode that really offers up the most fun. Pick up some friends and start saying "I know kung fu" .... This is especially fun to do if you don't want to listen to the games sound track. The game allows the use of the custom soundtrack feature so you can rip your own soundtrack to this wild and wacky kung fu movie. When you are done kickn' your friends trash sit back and watch a great edit of the scene you just made. These are hillarious and I will say it is one of the first games that make you want to watch the replay. So if you love Kung Fu and great lines like "There you are minding your own business when suddenly, ninja clan attack!" This is for you. | video-games_xbox |
Good Buy. To be honest and upfront. I'm a casual gamer in my early fifties and work in the IT field. I've had consoles starting with Atari as well as the PS2. The reason for purchasing this console was the new release of Hitman doesn't work with my current xbox 360. Since I'm not into online gaming I never set my xbox 360 up to the internet. But times are changing. Seems the xbox one is all about connectivity to everything. Not at all a bad thing. Setup was fairly easy from a technology standpoint. Instructions that come in the box are fairly weak. If your not good with setting up electronics or computers you might need some help. It woud also do you good to have a Microsoft account. Once I had everything setup I was able to download my prepurchase of hitman. This took around 40 minutes. Time to download a game will vary depending on your internet speed. I had other things to keep me occupied while this was happening so no big deal. Out of the box there will be updates that will need to be downloaded to the console as well. A pain, kinda. But we are all familiar with computer updates. So live with it. If your not a patient person and want it now, you might be disspointed. I bought the 500GB console. Games played now have to be stored on the console so the more games you play the more storage space your going to need . Good thing is you can purchase an external hard drive and attache it to the console. I don't think that was possible with the earlier xbox 360. I don't play lots of games so I don't think the 500Gb drive will be a problem but it's good to know I'm not restricted if I want to save more games in the future. The other things I like about the xbox one is since I'm a amazon prime member I'm able to access my account through the amazon app on the console. This gives me access to watch movies. Pretty cool. There are also a lot of other apps like Hulu, Netflix and so on. Like I mentioned. internet connectivity is not a bad thing. So overall I'm satisfied with the purchase. Just keep in mind my life isn't this device. My expectations are modest. it does what I want and more. Your expectations might be greater than mine. Do your research. Make sure this does what you want. Last thing as a prime member I ordered it on a Friday afternoon and it was promptly delivered on Sunday. Gotta love it. | video-games_xbox |
BUYER BEWARE: This ISN'T a Turtle Beach product.. Not even close to as described. *** FALSE ADVERTISING ***
I was excited to get my Turtle Beach talkback cable because the third-party cables were a nightmare. My package arrived today and, lo and behold, I got the same piece 'o crap that Ienzia and other vendors are selling. The photos and product description are grossly misleading. There's not even the FOAM WINDSCREEN in the package. Here is what the product DOES NOT HAVE:
* A foam windscreen
* In-line volume control
* Turtle Beach logo or any branding of any kind
* A box as depicted in the image
* Quality craftsmanship
What I DID get in the mail was a manila envelope with a little baggie and a curled-up cable that might as well have been a hot dog with ear muffs because it is so useless. I'm absolutely DISGUSTED to have such an experience with an Amazon Prime vendor that I don't even want to test it out tonight for fear that I may lose sleep. BTW, this is essentially what I got:
http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-Headset-Talkback-Replacement-Headsets/dp/B00KC9J1Z4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449252709&sr=8-2&keywords=xbox+one+turtle+beach+talkback+cable
The difference here is that the cable is a little longer and one end is angled. I'm thinking these are cheaply-made cables manufactured in Taiwain or Tijuana, then bought in bulk to be resold at 800% mark-up. Really, it's a really sub-par product.. And that's being generous.
Seriously.. This is a total BAIT AND SWITCH. If I wanted this cheap cable, I'd buy it elsewhere for like $3-5 cheaper. Come on now!
*** TO THE VENDOR: Change this to "Compatible with Turtle Beach Ear Force headsets for XBox 360" and swap the images out. These selling tactics will lose you customers and credibility. Sure, it's not a life-or-death situation but now I can't enjoy my purchase this weekend. Thanks for that! ***
*** UPDATE: Tested the cable. It causes echo in party chat but at least it doesn't pop. Money NOT well spent. I'm surprised this is shipped and sold by Amazon. You'd expect this sort of thing from a third-party vendor... *** | video-games_xbox |
A great ending to a great series. I am usually not drawn into games in which the main characters are gigantic, testosterone, steroid filled maniacs but Gears of War changed that. Not only did they bring beautiful violence into the mix but they also brought in characters you really got attached to. Although you may think they were all just muscular meat heads, they all had different personalities, problems, and histories. The voice acting played a big part in the characters as well and the dialogue between characters occasionally added nice little puns. I think the cast could not have been better. The story in Gears of War 3 also was really well done. It had amazing action sequences as well as fun boss battles and encounters that definitely make me consider this game as an action/adventure(like Devil May Cry and God of War) AND a 3rd person shooter. The gore may be a little over the top but this game has an option to turn off gore and explicit language; an option which I do NOT use haha. I love the creativity the developers put into the variety of ways you can slaughter your opponent. Everything from sticking a flamethrower into your enemy and filling them full of fire to taking a giant meat cleaver decapitating a downed enemy by using your body weight to press down with the blade on the enemy's neck and more! If you're having a bad day and need to kill something(without going to prison) this game really fills that need! The multiplayer is another great feature of this game. There are tons of weapon skins available for your 5 starting weapons and a large list of usable multiplayer characters that let you customize your player character. There is also a large list of multiplayer gametypes. You can play the standard Deathmatch, King of The Hill, etc that you usually see in shooters or you can play co op in the amazing Horde mode and take on waves of enemies with challenging boss battles after every 10 waves. There is also the new gametype, Beast mode, that lets you step into the shoes of the Locust and play as various types of bad guys that you fight against in Campaign mode. Epic games really put a lot of work into this game and it shows. The only real issue I have with the game is the Sawed Off shotgun weapon which kills multiple enemies within 5 feet of you at almost every angle. It really breaks the gameplay at times but it's just a minor problem and I don't think it is reason enough not to love this game. | video-games_xbox |
I am not am embittered DA Origins fan. You'll read better reviews than this one. Others have gone into greater depth and taken more time. I want to explain briefly why I am giving this a 2/5, however.
The one word to summarize this game: BORING.
I bought this a few days ago. There's a reason, I now know, that a 10 month old game is selling for only $20 at a local big box. I hear DA: Origins was great. I never played that. Some reviewers here are reviewing DA 2 not on its own merits but as an inferior comparison to DA: Origins. I am not. I really have no horse in this race. Another reviewer said this is a terrible RPG but a great button masher. I disagree heartily. If you've ever played Diablo, that is a 50 IQ brainless button-mashing experience, but it's also unbelievably fun. This is not that. Although the combat (what little I've seen when not stuck in a dialog screen) is nothing more than idiotic smashing of A, the rest of the game is not an action adventure at all.
I have played only several hours but based on what I've experienced and read elsewhere, that's enough. Yes, I'm reviewing after only a few hours, but I don't want to play anymore. I have been playing RPGs for many, many years now and this is one of the worst impressions I've had. Here are the main problems:
1) Graphics are bad. They are quite dated in comparison to what the 360 is capable of and we've seen elsewhere
2) Terrible city design. The entire city feels like it was auto-generated. The space between buildings is absurdly large (streets you could drive parade floats down side by side) and it makes everything feel extremely artificial. Too many squares and rectangles and not enough people. It just feels unnatural. They were going for grand, they got weird.
3) Way too much talking between characters. I have spent much more time in dialog than in actual combat or doing anything in the game. The "game" is way too much chatter and unfortunately since it's all voiced it cannot be skipped. Voiced is fine--but only if I can skip it to speed things up.
4) You know something is wrong when you level up and can't be bothered to go into the menu to choose stats. I think the moment I hit "auto-level up" I realized I didn't care at all anymore and I wouldn't be playing again. I never cared, nor felt it mattered.
5) I've never had a game for only a few days and when bored (this evening) struggling to find something else to do so I wouldn't have to go down and force myself to like it.
I actually read some (not enough) reviews of this before purchase. I was expecting a dumbed down RPG with a rich story and fast-paced action, but it isn't. It's slow and uninspiring.
The game was severely rushed, and there is a reason why the lead designer of Dragon Age Origins left the company during design of this. He probably just couldn't stomach it. I know I couldn't. | video-games_xbox |
can a mere shadow......make you beg for your life. your heart beats faster with every subtle step you make....the loose gravel and the light....the light of which is your worst enemy glimmers thru the window in the distance....the guard near the entrance notices a slight mis-shapen shadow on the wall near the bushes....his dog notices your scent....quickly you turn around...you notice a lonesome door leading into a small room filled only with a broomstick, a few cob-webs and an empty soda can, you shoot out the glaring light shining down on you from the ceiling....your fiber-optics allow you to gaze underneath the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor.....he's back to his post....you walk out of the room slowly, VERY slowly....you crouch down and slowly move behind him...all of the sudden you grab him...and with your trusty 5.6mm pistol resting softly on his left temple you force his face into the retinal scanner...the highly secured door opens, slowly you bring him inside along with you, you knock him out, he falls to the floor...and just when you break out that cig and relax over in the corner...the SECOND dog creeps up beside you.....(oops) he visciously starts to bark....guards come crashing in, sirens and alarms go off!!!...
This is just a sample of what you'll face while playing the best game ever made on ANY platform....suspense so realistic, you'll pee in your pants....graphics so life-like you'll forget you're playing a video game...the sound effects and the music alone keep you glued to that controller and your eyes on the screen....addicting!....look out Solid Snake...there's a new kid on the block and he IS a splinter cell.....and his name is Sam Fisher....NSA operative.....and Michael Ironside doing the voice-over??....WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?!....in my own personal opinion....this is THE best game i have ever played...to combine a great storyline, state-of-the-art top-notch cinematic graphics and sound and easy to master controls would've been virtually impossible for PS2 and GAMECUBE.....but XBOX makes it happen...oh, and did i mention the whole entire ARSENAL of weapons you get in the game?? oops...nevermind :) | video-games_xbox |
Same Ole' Same Ole. Black Ops II vs. Halo 4
Even though this review is for Black Ops II, I'm comparing it to Halo 4 because Halo and Call Of Duty are two of the biggest names in gaming.
Campaign Comparison: When I started playing Halo's campaign I was addicted and literally had to keep playing the next mission or I felt incredibly anxious. I am maybe two missions into Black Ops campaign and I'm already bored of it. It feels like the next crap installment which we've come to know as COD, just from the campaign. Halo's felt like a blend of the original Halo along with the new tweaks 343 did, and I was blown away by the amazing job they did.
Blacks Ops:2/5 Halo 4:5/5
Multiplayer Comparison: You would think the game that made $1 Billion would be on their multiplayer. It is the complete opposite. The multiplayer in Black Ops is mediocre. The spawns are decent, the maps are eh, and the game play defiantly isn't what its proclaimed to be. I don't even want to try and explain in detail because how can you fully explain something that's bland? Halo on the other hand, is incredibly fun. The new ranking system is a great addition too, not too mention the new specializations that you can master one by one, with there being eight different types. This provides endless game play. Also, 343 is constantly adding new updates such as new playlists to play in like Team Snipers, SWAT, and the new Team Regicide, which is awesomely fun. The biggest plus to me is the personal player stance you can choose for your Spartan. There is a variety you can get from leveling up and completing commendations.
Black Ops:3/5 Halo 4:4/5
Zombies/Spartan Ops: This is the only game mode in Black Ops that is actually fun. The map Tranzit is an enormous map that has a variety of locations for you to be at and just has a lot of new things to discover. Spartan Ops is also fun, and adds to the campaign, but is a bit repetitive. The same maps are used over and over, just in a new context. All in all though, both are a great addition to both games.
Black Ops:5/5 Halo 4:4/5 | video-games_xbox |
GTA with more bang for your buck. Literally. This is one of the most underrated games in a long time. It has been rated reasonably well by the press, but not great. I disagree. I think this game is well done, great fun, beautiful, and epic. Most of the press agrees with that statement. Criticism comes from bad AI and bugs. I played the Xbox 360 version and didn't notice any bugs really, and I noticed no AI problems.
The game is in some ways a typical open-city game, very much like Grand Theft Auto (GTA) or - even more so - Mafia. If you liked one of those games, you will like The Saboteur. One of the big differences is the setting. Yes, World War II again, but not like you've ever seen it before. And the setting provides for some great opportunities that GTA and Mafia just don't have, like using massive guns to blow up Zeppelins and other massive things.
To my surprise, I also found the setting to be interesting and fresh. Who cares that it is World War II again, when you get to see Paris in the early 20th century done in great detail. I love it when I see things in a game I have visited in the real world. The city is done with so much love and detail, you can spend hours just exploring and driving around (in a plethora of cars ranging from Nazi vehicles to vintage race cars). You can go anywhere you want, from the catacombs to the top of the Eiffel tower. You can find your way around Monte Matre, and so on. Very well done!
And then of course, there is the art style. This game is stunning! The black & white look (with a few specks of color) of unliberated areas of Paris is amazing. And unlike many other games with unique looks, this look doesn't wear off, because as you liberate parts of Paris, color enters the world. As you go back to areas where the Nazis are strong, you go back to a black & white world. Due to this change of style, you end up being reminded of the great art style rather than growing numb to it as is the case in most other games. And not just does the style look great, it simply also makes sense, as most of the WW2 footage we see on TV is black & white. I am amazed that nobody else has thought of it before. Although on the other hand, not just does the game have a black & white look, it has a very unique b&w look with specks of colors filled in, which gives it an amazing visual appeal.
Well done Pandemic! Too bad EA shut this studio down after completing the game. Nevertheless, I am hoping for a sequel. | video-games_xbox |
Pleased with the Autosave....at first. When we popped in Dead Space 3 we were very pleased to see that the game has the auto-save feature, as most games do. No more desperately trying to make your way to a "save station" in order to save your progress.
However, we found that around Chapter 6 of Dead Space 3 our game simply stopped saving our progress. We had sat down to resume our game when we noticed the game was starting us off in the wrong chapter. This was quite upsetting at the time because when we left off, we had just gotten past a very difficult part of the game and were excited to move on. So finding out we had to do it all over again really sucked. And what was worse is we were forced to do it all over, but with a lot less health and ammo for some reason. We just wrote if off to us forgetting to do a hard save, and figured we must have shut down our PS3 before the auto-save kicked in.
Anyway, so we played through all the scenes we'd already completed and were on our way to moving through the story.
We played for 3 hours, and never once did the auto-save kick in.
We were tired of waiting, so we did "Save and quit" and shut down the system.
When we came back to play again....you guessed it....none of the 3 hours of progress was saved.
So that was it for us.
We quit because that really put a sour taste in our mouths. (We were burned by this same issue on "Dead Island", so we were going down that road again.)
Being that we were very much in the mood for Dead Space, we popped in "old reliable"....Dead Space 2.
And oh boy, was it good to be back on "The Sprawl!"
Playing Dead Space 3 for several hours, and then going back to #2 really showed us that Dead Space 2 is all we need.
It's darker, it's scarier, and with the save stations, we at least can trust our progress is being saved. Dead Space 3 would have been fun to finish, but even from the start I couldn't help but think that #2 was by far better.
I'm not seeing that anyone else is having issues with the auto-saving on DS 3, but I thought it was worth mentioning. | video-games_xbox |
A dark shooter meant for adults. Darkwatch is a mature gaming title set in the old west. You're an outlaw set on robbing a train - but suddenly you're turning into a vampire and joining up with a group of monster slayers.
The atmosphere of the game is dark and moody. You are at times running along a dark, rusty train, or riding on your vampiric horse, or perhaps running through a graveyard. Along the way you absorb blood from your enemies, gain in powers and work towards your goal of slaying Lazarus - a vampire who has been around since the days of the Roman Empire.
Primarily a first person shooter, you can choose from a number of "period" weapons - crossbows, rifles, handguns, etc. There are of course the traditional tweaks to add interest - the crossbow shoots dual rounds, your horseback weapons spring unlimited ammo that never need reloading.
I'm intrigued and happy that both of your main friends are female, and are just as good at vampire-slaying as you are. Together with the Darkwatch, you move through Arizona slaying evil.
There is slight "customization" as you go - you can choose to do good or evil actions to certain characters. It doesn't change the course of the game, but it does let you earn different types of powers as you go. Other than that, the game is primarily about shooting a lot, moving to the next map area, shooting a lot more, and so on.
The game is definitely mature. When you fight the enemies, you can decapitate them, lop off arms, and generally cause a lot of bodily damage. There are sexual situations as well. The game is meant for and marked for adults.
I found the graphics on the disappointing side for an XBox title - they were more in line with PS2 graphics. The sounds were reasonably good - I was amused that the title theme was almost a direct take-off from a certain classic western movie.
All in all, the game is a relatively short play, and while you can re-play to try different good-evil combinations or try on different difficulty levels, it is primarily a shooter. If you enjoy shooters, the old west and a dark, undead atmosphere, you'll probably enjoy playing this as a way to relieve stress in a relatively mindless way. We all have our games that we enjoy for this sort of situation - tetris, gauntlet, etc. On the other hand, if you're looking for a more multi-threaded good-evil atmosphere like KOTOR or even Fable, Darkwatch will seem very linear to you.
Recommended for adults who enjoy dark shooters. | video-games_xbox |
Honest Review from a Playstation guy. Pros:
-Voice commands are convenient when they work, I don't have to always worry about finding the controller. I now prefer using voice commands when using the xbox one and I used to think I would never use them.
-Tv Integration is pretty cool. I still use the remote control to change channels because the voice commands need work and don't work as well as navigating the UI. MS were very smart to have this, my xbox one is turned on waaay more then my ps4 since I watch a lot of live sports.
-Controller is awesome, it took me a while to get used to the bumpers but I now like them.
-Apps. There are a lot more apps being offered then the ps4.
-Games: Forza and dead rising 3 are pretty fantastic launch titles. Forza is currently the best game being offered b/n xone and ps4 imo.
-The User interface/Operating System while incomplete and sometimes difficult to navigate, has far more potential then what is offered by the ps4.
Cons:
-Game performance: battlefield 4, cod ghosts, and assassin's creed 4 all run at lower resolutions in comparison to the ps4 versions that run in full 1080p (except bf4). Despite many suggesting there is little difference, on my 60 inch panny plasma it is very apparent that the majority of games perform/look better on ps4.
-MS continues to nickel and dime: the controller still uses AA batteries. Why did MS decide upon this? They want you to buy their play and charge kit which should have been included with the controller. Absolutely ridiculous. Also, they are using a proprietary headphone jack so you will need to wait for them to come out with an adapter in order for you to use your old headphones. Again, $ out of your pocket.
- Snap is useless. Snap mode allows you to run two apps at the same time with the second app running on the right side of the screen. I snapped a college football game while playing forza and realized what a useless feature it was. FIrst, snap mode takes up about 30% of the tv screen. I don't want to give up any tv real estate when I'm playing a game. Second and most important, the two apps run at the same volume with no ability to alter one or the other. Having two audio sources at the same volume running at the same time makes it nearly impossible to enjoy your experience with either one.
-Kinect: Kinect as it stands is a glorified mic and nothing more. Hand gestures used to navigate the menu take longer then if you used a controller. There's no reason why the kinect needs to be included, MS should just release an xbox one with a mic since the voice commands are pretty awesome.
-Inconsistant voice commands. They work around 65% of the time for me. I often times watch a sports game on tv while being on youtube on my laptop. If I have any audio playing on my laptop I need to mute it and then give the voice command since the voice commands will not work with any loud audio playing.
3/5 stars. Honestly, the best feature I am enjoying from the xbox one are the voice commands. Being able to turn on the console along with the tv by saying "xbox on" is pretty sweet. It really is a shame that game performance took a hit due to the complicated OS. This pretty much ensures that all of my multiplatform purchases will be for the ps4.
For those looking for a next gen console, here's my advice:
If you want the best gaming console on the market and gaming is your priority, get a ps4. It's the better gaming console, period. You'll also save $100 in the process.
If you want the best multimedia experience from a console that has tv integration, extensive voice commands, and does gaming as well, get an xbox one. | video-games_xbox |
Feel the force of your growing annoyance. The very first level of this game finds you, Darth Vader, striding through the Wookie Planet Kashyyk, blasting Wookies, architecture, and the forest to smithereens with an impressive array of force powers. You finally confront and defeat a quavering Jedi. Freaking awesome. That all lasts about 4 minutes. Then the real game begins, and the most enjoyable part of it, which you've just experienced, gets left far behind. Don't get me wrong, this game has enjoyable aspects, most significantly the simple experience of being able to act out as a super-powerful Jedi while rousing Star Wars themes play in the background. For that alone, many people will want to give this a look. Just don't get your hopes up that it is some amazing game.
There are games that pull you into the story, in which you have to use your mind as well as your hands to get through the game, where the choices you make along the way greatly effect the game play and, even better, the story and outcome. This is NOT one of those games.
This game attempts to be the kind that relies on memorizing combos, and a whole lot of hand-eye coordination, some jumping around on various platforms, and confronting "bosses", etc. The game that comes to mind in comparison is Ninja Gaiden, or God of War. I say "attempts" because of the pretty ridiculous mishmash of camera and targeting problems, imbalanced powers, awful boss battles, and repetitive levels/game play which add up to an experience that is only briefly redeemed by the cool factor of charging around familiar Star Wars settings.
The game is highly conventional, even "old school." The game play relies on learning "combos", jumping around on various platforms, and manipulating various environmental elements to solve what are supposed to be puzzles or complete various objectives like ("Destroy 5 Tie Fighters On This Level"). You don't participate in the story, you watch it unfold, until the action kicks in, and then you get to run around smashing crap up with your wacky load of force powers.
Your main concern will be not falling to your death. It is ridiculously easy to fall off the various catwalks, platforms, and even many normal walkways--simple things like executing lightsaber moves that cause the character to lunge forward can lead you right off the edge of a platform. Your character has an incredibly powerful jump-- he can jump high and far-- but that usually leads to the impossibility of judging the distances properly, and he lands very sloppily, so you just slip off whatever you were trying to land on and fall to your death! On many levels, you spend a ton of time running around wiping out the zillions of enemies, then have to backtrack to try to jump to reach a floating sphere in order to acquire your Jedi points---and then you slip and fall to your death, requiring you to restart the entire level, and kill all those same enemies again, and then most likely slip to your death another time! I ended up playing the game through on "Apprentice" mode, simply because I found the incidents of getting killed by falling to be more than enough of a challenge, and source of numerous reloads.
There is some leveling up, but it mostly consists of unlocking various combos. Nothing intellectually or strategically challenging, just arbitrary based on your playing preferences.
The learning of combos and the combining/proper use of various force powers I found a bit frustrating. Maybe someone out there likes "combos": pressing a sequence of buttons in order to skillfully execute a powerful move. I'm not one of those people. To me, it is simply a waste of brain power to memorize these stupid combos.
Even worse is the necessity of hitting certain buttons to execute "finishing moves" at the end of a boss fight. You beat the boss down to zero health, then the game forces you to press a sequence of buttons to finish him off in a supposedly cool cinematic, and if you don't, he returns to partial health. This is utterly annoying and makes no sense. There's no real world corollary to a "finishing move". What aspect of life does it represent? Stupid.
Then there's the targeting and camera chaos. You can throw zillions of objects and enemies around, but locking on and targeting them is a mess. Some stormtrooper will be blasting you with a cannon from a far platform, and you'll try to zap him with lightning or a force push, but there are so many rocks, power cells, R2 units, and storage boxes littering the landscape that the targeting system will blast everything but the guy you are trying to actually hit! And good luck trying to use your powers to pick up and throw an object at the guy--the lock on/pick up/aim/throw sequence is so cumbersome and sloppy, and moving objects with the force is so painfully slow --he'll waste you before you get your shot lined up.
The graphics are, as they should be in a "Next Gen" game, very good. Seeing the various levels, planets, creatures, and environments is probably what makes this game worth playing. It is fun to just live in the Star Wars world, especially as most of the environments are made to seem enormous. But that doesn't mean too many extra points in my book, like I said, the graphics should be amazing, it's the 360.
I disregarded all the negative reviews when I purchased this, thinking, as a big Star Wars fan, that I would appreciate it anyway. I was wrong. Then I thought, maybe I'm just the wrong kind of gamer, maybe someone who appreciates "combo" and "platforming" games, more straight ahead action games, would like this, and I should soldier on (maybe if you are that kind of gamer you would give this 3 stars instead of two). After some time, I realized that the flaws were in the game itself- that the game play was unbalanced, the camera and targeting were deeply flawed, the boss fights were stupid and pointless, and that the entire premise of the game was just flimsy. I wish I would have taken those negative reviews more seriously! | video-games_xbox |
What are you talking about. I went out last Friday to pick up Madden 2005 just to make sure I knew what I was talking about. I suffered all day Friday figuring out how to play the game and ended up trading it in and reserving my copy of Fable.
I enjoyed the extras on Madden quite a bit. The minicamps, tutorials, drills, practices, offseason, create-a-fan and all of those extra little bits were far superior than ESPN. The problem is I'm not playing this game for the extras, I expect good gameplay and that's where Madden falls short of ESPN. My biggest complaint (and you can see this on the QB drills before you even get into a game) is when you drop back to pass, the camera stays right in place and if you have a receiver running a quick out on either side of the field, you're going to be throwing to him blind. That has been my biggest complaint about Madden since its inception. Even with the camera mode set to "widescreen" you still can't see the far left or right receivers...BIG PROBLEM. The in-game graphics are inferior to ESPN as well, athough ESPNs renditions of Chris Berman, Suzy Kolber and player interviews are rediculously low-quality, the actual on-field graphics are better. Madden put a lot of time and effort into adding new things you can do on both offense and defense in the middle of the game and this, while noteworthy is (in my opinion) more of a distraction than it's worth. ESPN's "hot-blitzing" is much more simple to grasp than Madden and I still don't use it that much.
If you want a game that plays well (albeit, not without faults), ESPN has a much better overall on-field feel to it and is consequently much more comfortable to play. If you want to buy a game that everyone else has just because it's the "#1 Selling Franchise" or to be able to be "Online King" of an ageing and overrated franchise then go ahead and waste $50 on Madden. The only reason Madden is the "#1 Selling Franchise" anyway is because you people keep buying for the name "Madden", not because it's "better". There has yet to be a perfect football game made and unless Sega decides to somehow put something similar to Maddens "extras" with ESPN presentation and gameplay, we'll have to wait at least another couple of years for it to happen.
I for one am happy I only lost $15 with the trade-in value for Fable and I don't see ever purchasing another Madden title. | video-games_xbox |
A graphical upgrade to a great game. Halo really was exciting when it first came out over ten years ago. The graphics, for the time, were amazing and it broke the mold in terms of the first person shooter gameplay. What I liked best was that the story in Halo was rich and deep without being convoluted or overly simplistic. Ten years later, the Halo universe has expanded exponentially with games, books, comics, and a short animated series; yet I still think the original Halo had the best story in the series.
This game is a graphical upgrade to the first Halo - and almost nothing more. The graphics switching (between old and new) is a nice feature that I use way more than I thought I would. It's interesting to see how the game looked 10 years ago and then press a button and see the upgraded graphics. The gameplay hasn't changed a bit - literally. Because the old game engine runs with a new graphics engine overlaying it; the game literally plays exactly the same as it did 10 years ago. If you were looking for a remastered Halo with all new level design and new AI (and let's face it, after 10 years the AI feels kind of dated), then you're going to be disappointed.
Of course, besides graphics there are other upgrades. You can now play cooperatively through the campaign online. You can also find "skulls" throughout the campaign which, when turned on, can change gameplay (e.g. infinite ammo, or double enemy toughness). Perhaps most interesting, 343 studios has inserted video "terminals" into the game. These insert backstory and plot points that were not in the original game - although they do not change much of the original game. While interesting, the truth is all these terminals can already be found on youtube; so I certainly can't point to the terminals as a huge "plus" for the game. I suppose I should also mention the audio is also upgraded; but I can't tell much of a difference between the old and new audio. (Fans of the original should know the voice-acting remains untouched; don't worry about Cortana or Captain Keyes sounding "funny").
I know a lot of players are upset that the game's multiplayer uses the Halo Reach engine rather than old school Halo. Ultimately, I think this allows more people to play - both Reach fans and people who bought Halo CE. I remember those LAN parties with the original Halo and I have to say I don't miss having to set up 2 xboxes and 2 TV's and enough guys to make things interesting. I can understand, though, why some people might feel like Anniversary really left something out.
If you didn't like the original Halo; you won't like the updated version. But if you're a fan; or if you've never played Halo, I think you'll like Halo Anniversary. | video-games_xbox |
Plagued With Issues. The "bad sequel" always happens, eventually, and here we have it. This iteration of COD is one step forward, and many steps backward from the prior Black Ops. The bugs make it unnecessarily difficult to enjoy this game. Stick with the original BO, or MW3, or just about anything else.
Several patches have come out. The developers only seem to be interested in addressing make-work/trivial issues like weapons balance. It is pretty safe to assume that Treyarch (the software company) isn't interested in fixing any real issues, so this one won't get any better.
A selection of issues that immediately come to mind:
1. Multiplayer lobby: Getting a full team is nearly impossible, and you get shut out from playing with your friends quite often, even if you're on the same LAN. No reason is given. When this happens you can power down and wait for your XBOX to come back up, and there is a small chance it will work again, but usually if there is a problem it seems to remain until every player power cycles their XBOX. Giving up and playing something else takes far less time. I never had an issue in the latest patched Black Ops 1, with the same equipment and network connection.
2. Single Player: Second or so mission, you must shoot down an enemy plane from a boat. When you shoot it down, you fail the mission due to "friendly fire". Latest patch and still an issue. I'm on an old-style XBOX 360, and people on the slim don't seem to be affected.
3. If you like to move around the map, and rely on good aim to get you by, this game will leave you empty and frustrated. Network lag ghosting means what you see on your screen isn't accurate, and in this game it is really bad, constantly interrupting the natural flow of gameplay. On top of that, if you have a good connection, you are at a tremendous disadvantage. The person with the bad connection has a consistently laggy game experience, so they know what to expect and how to compensate. The person with a good connection must suddenly lag to make it "fair" to the n'er-do-well on the bad connection. You can guess who usually wins that one...
4. If you shoot a team mate (team kill or TK) more than three times in hardcore (which is hard to avoid) you get kick/banned and have to sit there and wait for your team to finish, back out, and pick you back up again. This isn't a problem when you're completely owning the other team, but when the pressure is on, you tend to get twitchy and TKs naturally go up. This drastically unbalances multiplayer and really takes the fun/motivation out of taking on tough opponents. It becomes a better option to simply leave the game early than to break up your team because of people falling off one by one. AND, see item 1. Sometimes you get kick/banned and can't rejoin your team. Life is just too short.
Now, this has been addressed properly in some other games with a complaint system (ex. if it a genuine issue, let players press X to complain and THEN kick if there are 3 or so complaints).
Unfortunately, everything changed in this game is poorly implemented...thus far it has only been good at introducing inconsistencies and irritants into an otherwise well-liked and mature model. We're left with a big part of the multiplayer package out to pasture because it simply is too difficult to keep a team together unless you completely trounce the enemy, or simply camp corners religiously (which, unfortunately, you run into quite often).
5. Related to 3: If you wind up playing a multiplayer map twice in a row, your team kill count carries over. So if you accidentally TK 2 people in the first match, all it takes is one TK and you're kick/banned and can't play with your team anymore
6. And many more...
It looks like Treyarch is an art studio, and happens to do game software (poorly, with laissez-faire QA and do-nothing followup patches that, from what I can tell, exist only so that the team can mark the checkbox on some arbitrary deliverable time table).
Unfortunately, COD producers don't have any incentive to put more time into making a completely polished game. The immediate incentive is to push out a product fast since it's COD...automatic, guaranteed $$ no matter if it is complete crap or not. People trust the brand and will buy it without thinking about it, play it, and even defend its flaws in a "Stockholm syndrome"-type fashion. But there's many more of us who are noticing that the brand is being milked, the value of each iteration in the series is now turning negative, and will be really hesitant to buy into the next round of the series. | video-games_xbox |
Great system, even if there are some with issues. I own all three current generation game systems (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), and this one by far is my favorite of the three.
Compared to the Wii, games look a million times better and are much better developed. The game library is also bigger on the 360. The Wiimote controller of the Wii, despite claiming to make the system easier to use, actually makes it harder to use.
Compared to the PS3, almost without exception current games look better on the 360 with higher resolution, better anti-aliasing, and/or faster frame rates. The selection of good games on the PS3 is still pretty poor in comparison as of this writing.
Microsoft did a lot of things right with the 360... the controllers are fantastic, graphics are amazing, and within the last few months they have really tried hard to come out with more family friendly games, and it is really starting to pay off for families to own a 360. Not only are there great titles like Scene It: Lights, Camera, Action and Viva Pinata Party Animals that anyone can enjoy, the collection of $5-$10 games on Xbox Live Arcade are almost all great for everyone as well.
Another of my favorite features is the ability to download television shows and rent movies, many (most?) of which are available in high definition. And being able to stream music or play videos off computers on my home network (or iPod/Zune) on my big high definition TV with excellent quality is pretty cool too.
It isn't all roses, though. As some have mentioned, the console is louder than the others. The DVD drive is obviously very similar to the ones used in computers, and it sounds about the same. There is a high failure rate on early models, some forecasting as high as 30%, though my 2-year old system has not had that problem even once. It would have been nice to have a high definition disc drive built-in, but it is available optionally and Microsoft isn't forcing everyone to pay for the new expensive and unproven technology as Sony does with the PS3. Some criticize the "small" hard drive that accompanies the Pro model, but I still haven't come close to filling up my drive yet, so it hasn't been an issue for me.
For the most part my Wii and PS3 don't get used much, but I do use my 360 almost every day. It isn't that I dislike the other systems, I just like the 360 better because I have more fun with it because it has more games, and the games that are available are of higher quality than those on the other consoles.
Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
amazingly stunning STAR WARS game for the xbox. Well these things have been said over and over so I will spare the you the repititious "this is the sequel to the best selling star wars game" stuff that everyone feels so necassary to include in their reviews.
Instead let us get down to this game itself and not the series history as I'm sure many of you are well aware of.
Battlefront 2 is an epic title from the explosive opening to the "oh whys it have to be over" finish. Any fan of the first game will undoubtebly love this game, especially on xbox. Seriously, what fan of BF1 wouldn't get excited over 4 player split screen. thats my favorite addition for sure as I have many Battlefront buddies. The fact you can now play as jedi and sith is a brilliant addition and it works great. I loved the Episode III game for its playable jedi and awesome lightsaber action. I gotta say though, BF2 does the whole jedi thing much better. Now I'm not raggin on ROTS, I gave it 5 stars. But really, the addition of lightsaber weilding characters is not just a cheap gimick. Its done very well. Space combat is another great addition to the BF universe. And although its recieved tons of hype, it doesnt need a whole lot of explaining. you fight in space battles now such as the ones from episode 3 and 5. Its all great and feels like rogue squadron did on the n64...awesome. There is a storyline but seriously Im more into the action than a storyline. For some this will seem to be a big plus, and justifiably so, the story is handled very nicley too.
Graphicly BF2 is all that it can be on the xbox...wonderful. I liked BF1's graphics alot, and these are so much better. All the new weapons, ships, planets, characters, their all here, in mass proportion. This is truly the complete Star Wars action game. You've got Naboo, Tatoinne, Coruscant, Utapu, Fellucia, Mustafar, Dahgoba, may more. Play as Boba and Jango Fett, Obi-Wan, Mace, Anakin, Vader, Yoda, many more, including the trechorous bothan spy. You must get this game if your a fan of Star Wars or just searching for a great action title.
I hope this review was helpful to you and I gaurentee if you like Star Wars you will love this game. | video-games_xbox |
TR Anniversary - 4.5 stars / 5.5 stars - read on as to why. I am still playing TR-Anniversary, so here's my thoughts at this point.
The graphics are absolutely amazing. I have played every single TR for Mac since the first and it's hard to believe how detailed they are from what they once were (at the time, I used to think they were amazing then, but now, WOW).
~ I can't wait till the next TR becomes available for Mac! ~
For those who have played TR before, the plot will be familiar. The storyline may also be familiar.
I have two main criticisms...
I highly recommend playing the Manor first... Get used to the new controls (which are customisable as before), but more importantly, get used to Lara's movements. I find her movements frustrating to get used to, such as her direction of movement in-conjunction with the direction in which she faces. It's progress though and takes some getting used too.
Lara is much faster moving than previously where you could be more precise with her movements, such as jumps and walking (note: in Walk mode she will now fall off cliffs, so be careful). I really miss the Look mode as I enjoyed investigating. I will also add, her foes are also faster moving, but having said that she seems to run & swim slower and doesn't jump as high as before, which actually makes her appear to be more real.
Having said that, interactions with her surroundings are again, WOW. For example, when Lara moves objects, they move in 3D, as in reality and don't follow a grid-like pattern. Picking up objects is easy (I remember a previous game where it was a bit of a precise issue).
Lara has some really awesome movements which she has either, never had before or are so vastly improved.
I give TR Anniversary 5 stars because 4.5 stars is not available. I am deducting .5 of a star for adjusting to her new movements as noted above and I give 5.5 stars to the graphics, the detail, her interactions with her surroundings, her new moves and everything else.
I'll say it again, I can't wait for the next TR for Mac !!! | video-games_xbox |
Would've been 2.5 because the sounds ok, it's just the mic. I purchased this product back in November from J&R.com, through Amazon. From the first time I tried to use these headphones, I had sound but could not speak to anyone on Xbox live and the microphone "boom" quickly became loose and wouldn't stay in place.
I assumed I probably bought a defective set of headphones and contacted J&R for a replacement, a replacement that they approved, even though I had lost my original packing materials. So I packed up the defective headphones, paid the shipping and insurance costs and mailed them back to J&R. I received the replacement headphones Jan. 30.
This time, I made sure I didn't dispose of any of my shipping materials in the off chance I receive another defective set of headphones. (I even made sure to hold on to the wire ties just in case, but later threw them out because I realized that was a little too much)
Well the new headphones sound great but again the microphone doesn't work. The microphone plug does not seat in the XBox microphone jack and no amount of me holding it at strange angles allows me to transmit over the XBox live network. And I know the my xbox microphone jack works because in the process of a game, I placed my Microsoft microphone back in the jack and people could hear me loud and clear.
I really was disappointed about the fact that I was going to have to spend another (at least)$12 on shipping and insurance to send these headphones back to J&R. Not including another 30+ days for the replacement headphones to arrive.
But just to make sure that the problem wasn't something on my end, I thought it best to check TurtleBeach's Web site and make sure this time.
FROM THEIR OWN FAQs
[...]
AXT Mic issue:
Q: The microphone won't stay in the XBOX live adapter. I thought the AXT was
compatible with the Xbox.
A: The package includes a little adaptor (3" cable) that converts to the
mini Mic input for the Xbox. (It is a very small plug that easily gets
overlooked). Please look for it and if it is not there, send an email to: support@turtlebeach.com
As soon as I read this FAQ, I really took a close look at my headphone packaging. There was no (3" cable) to be found anywhere. There wasn't even a form cut into the plastic packaging material that would have held the piece.
It really made me think that there probably was no problem with the microphone on my original headset as well. I know that one didn't seat in the Xbox microphone jack either, both the prior microphone and my current microphone plug seem to be too small for the Xbox microphone jack.
I've already spent the money for these headphones and the money to have them shipped twice now. | video-games_xbox |
Great game. Oh my! This game is a SUPERB value! It is a fun and rather light-hearted first person shooter that has gorgeous graphics in an Egyptian-type setting and a great use of music and sound effects.
While the game doesn't have a particularly deep plot, there is enough variety to keep your interest. Some of the many enemies you will encounter during the game are the Marsh-Hopper from Rigil Kentaurus, Beheaded Rocketeer, Beheaded Firecracker, Beheaded Bomber (do you see a trend here?), Male Gnaar, Female Gnaar (with no obviously different features), Zorg Mercenary from Beelmez IV, Zoer Commander from Beelmez IV, Reeban Electro-Fish, Beheaded Kamikaze (my personal favorite bad-guy), Scythian Witch-Harpy, Kleer Skeleton, Bio-Mechanoid, Cucurbito the Pumpkin, Zumb'ul from Planet Raw-ad-nyk, Juvenile Anachnoid, Sirian Werebull, Adult Anachnoid, Aludran Reptiloid, Fiendian Reptiloid Demon, Lava Golem, and Aludran Reptiloid Highlander. As you can see, there is quite an arrangement of monsters to blast.
And you get to choose between any of many weapons, such as a military knife, Chainsaw, Schofield .45, 12-Guage Shotgun, Double-Barrel Shotgun, XM214-A Minigun, M1-A2 Thompson Submachine Gun, XPML21 Rocket Launcher, MKIII Grenade Launcher, RAPTOR 16mm Sniper, XOP Flamethrower, XL2 Lasergun, SBC Cannon, and the Serious Bomb.
Along the way, there are the obligatory health, armor, life, treasure, and other pick-ups.
I only have a few complaints about the game. First, the enemy AI is pretty weak, so you often have two or more of same monsters coming at you in the exact same manner. Second, the cut scenes are rather short and superficial. Lastly, because monsters come from "another dimension," you often find yourself attacked from behind without warning. This can be frustrating at times, especially since there is no direction-of-attack indicator.
But these are minor issues. Although I rated Serious Sam a 4, it is only because it is not as deep as Halo (against which all first person shooters on Xbox should be judged). But the game is fun, and a definite title to get. | video-games_xbox |
The Understated and Underrated Star. I first played Enchanted Arms after a trip to Blockbuster and rented it. It hadn't been the game I was hoping to rent, but I figured I would give it a shot. When the time came to return it...well I had become hooked and renewed it so that I could finish the story.
It starts off fairly slow. It has this cool battle scene as an opening movie, then goes back in time to earlier that afternoon, and up to the point of that scene is pretty much a giant tutorial. It was fairly slow, and the instructions at times felt repetitive, and the plot progression was linear. But whatever you do, DON'T STOP READING THERE!.
Then the story really picks up speed as Atsuma (the main protagonist) seeks to figure out everything that happened, deal with emotional conflicts, transforming from very naive student, a member of a resistance movement, and ultimately a hero of a war 1000 years in the making. He manages to do all this while maintaining his trademark "Single-Brain Cell" throughout the whole story, his intelligence, or lack thereof is often used as a source of humor.
This game has excellent character development, from the short-tempered Karin, the strong and silent Raigar, the money-loving Golem Hunter Yuki, and finally to Atsuma's friends Toya and Makoto. By the end of the game, I absolutely loved each and every character.
For Characterization I would rate the game 10/10. The characters dialogue was both witty and serious, and sometimes downright hilarious. There are many moments I had to stop going forward in the storyline and pause the game because I was laughing so hard at either Yuki's or Atsuma's antics, or Karin blowing a gasket. I still laugh when Yuki tries to get Atsuma to bet his right arm in a wager during a tournament in the beginning of the game.
For Music I would rate it 9/10. The music flowed very well from each location and matched the mood seamlessly.
Plot: 10/10. I urge each and every person trying this game out to trudge through the beginning of the game. You won't be disappointed. Atsuma' right arm is the focus of much of the mystery of the game, being artificial and created by methods no longer known by mankind; in addition to its many powers, all of which cause problems for Atsuma, both funny and tragic in many cases.
For the combat system I would say it's very unique. Battle is played on a six by four grid with a line in the middle, and each character has a limited space to move, and each of their attacks affect certain areas of the grid, both ally and enemies side of the grid. This requires strategy as moving one character to attack an enemy may very well rob another character a chance to use one of their moves to support your own team. Along with the whole opposite elements does double damage to each other, while same do half, it leads to some very thought out battles. At the end of each battle your characters recover all health, but lose Vitality points depending on damage, and if you run away from the battle, all characters lose Vitality points. Once the vitality points reach zero the character goes into battle with only 1 health point. So after a long journey, it's best to have a large collection of golems with a variety of skills, because Vitality points are recovered while moving as long as the character is not in the battle party. I rate the battle system at 8/10.
Overall: Definitely get this game. 10/10.
Pros-
Engaging Storyline
Excellent characterization
Thought out battle system
Cons-
The beginning is fairly slow
The battles can get repetitive after awhile
(if this really bugs you) the graphics aren't the best Xbox 360 graphics out there, but who cares about graphics!!! | video-games_xbox |
From a hardcore Rock Band + Guitar Hero fan. Do NOT buy. >no practice mode
>no score duel
>no online mode
>only 60-something tracks on disc (Too many B-list artists)
>poor song choice for many of the A-list artists (Panama is exellent though)
>freestyle solos dumbing the game down (Takes the only fun part out, who's idea was this)
>105 for a guitar bundle that used to be 70
>56 songs put behind pre-ordering, many of which are version specific
This is what annoyed me most though... and what I was looking forward to.
>Character creation, just isn't there. The skin colours have weird values to them, hardly any hairstyles (and you ruined the pixie cut you monsters)
>Masculine and Feminine (I don't even understand this one, what's going on here?)
>Can't modify the character body types or Facial features.
>Character models look seriously out of proportion and cartoony, like ps1 teir character modelling (Not a good thing, it's creepy)
>Band Customisation just isn't there. Can't make a logo, can't assign my characters as stand ins, doesn't feel like my band.
>The multiple choice system gives you a grand variety of two choices, fans or money. Really great diversity (Sarcasm) It may as well not be in the game.
>Every performance looks boring and choppy, so many clipping issues and jagged animations make the whole set look wrong.
>No effort into making the disk songs a unique performance, at least put some new choreography in there. You've clearly just reused previous rock band sets.
>Animations don't match the mood of the performance, (headbanging during silence is weird, this happens more often than not by the way)
>Can't customise your highway (the angle of the highway is really steep, there's a very small visual que of the notes that are approaching giving you hardly any time to register what's happening (I can't play breakneck speed anymore, too fast)
I feel genuinely cheated spending 100+. I didn't expect Harmonix of all companies to adapt the 'fix the game later' practices games tend to do these days. This is not something games should get away with. This release has left me completely disillusioned with Harmonix, and I suggest for people to let the franchise die or sort itself out | video-games_xbox |
Best deal in video game history! 5 games in one box. I have been a fan of Half Life, so I knew I would get this for Xbox 360. (I prefer playing games on consoles.) I was also curious about the other games in this package. There is one disc...when you put it in the 360 a main menu comes up with five choices across the bottom of the screen...1. Half Life 2, 2. Half Life 2 Episode One, 3. Half Life 2 Episode Two, 4. Portal and 5. Team Fortress 2. That's right 5 games! One disc. One box. $59.99! Great deal.
Half Life 2 appears to be much better looking graphically than the original Xbox version...there are not as many glitches either. The backwards compatible version had quite a few bugs that made playing the game on the 360 quite annoying. Not to worry here. The game play is smooth and quite comparable to the PC version. The bonus here of course is that you have both Episodes One and Two to move on with after completing Half Life 2...or you can play just Episode One or Two. You don't have to solve one to play the others. That may be beneficial if you have played Half Life 2 and just want to jump right into the Episodes. The graphics on the Episodes really shine...it looks amazing...they did a great job with this version.
Portal is an interesting game and quite challenging. It seems very similar to Half Life 2 in that it is in first person, but this is more of a puzzle game. You have a portal shooting gun, and you have to figure out how to use the device to get through a maze or puzzle. There are a few twists on this too...moving platforms, switches, blocks, weight activated floor buttons, electrical sensor receptacles, energy emitting zappers that can activate the receptacles and later in the game this is even more complicated by motion sensing robotic machine gun turrets. It really stimulates the brain. It definitely makes you think outside the box. Eventually, you get the ability to shoot two different portals...one an entry portal, and the second an exit portal. I got addicted to this game and played for two hours straight until I became completely stuck and confused. I had to put it down and relax for a while...I was getting a little too intense. I can't wait to play again.
Team Fortress 2 is an online multiplayer based game. You are set up into teams, and then there are different objectives to play. I only played it twice, so I don't know all the ins and outs of it. However, it does look quite interesting. There are a few different characters to choose from with different abilities. These abilities can make one character better at defending a base, one is better at going out and stalking the other team, etc. There are snipers, medics, heavy weapon handlers, spies, scouts and a few others that I can remember. This game appears to have some replay value and a lot of fun for online multiplayer.
With all those games in one box and on one disc, who wouldn't want it for $59.99?!? This is truly the best deal in video game history. Why don't more companies do this and release more content at one time? This may make developers think about quantity in addition to quality. | video-games_xbox |
Doesn't live up to the original, but still fun. I have very mixed feelings about this "sequel." First of all, it can barely be considered a sequel, as it takes almost nothing from the previous story. Even when importing a save, there is nearly nothing brought over from the previous story. (What happened to Morrigan?) We do get brief visits from Flemeth, Alistair and Zevran, but even they seem removed from the previous story.
The Good:
- You can talk now!
- Your family actually reflects what your character looks like.
- Romances are much better, although you can only choose one and it takes a lot longer. A lot of people didn't seem to like the characters, but I found myself more interested in romancing these characters than the ones in DA:O. Anders makes a return, but I find him much less likeable (and a bit uglier) than DA:A. [bit of a Fenris fangirl :) ]
- I prefer the menus on this one better, as well as the level-up system. However, you can't make your own runes and potions now.
The Bad:
- Didn't seem to have a core plot. There was no major antagonist, and no major goal. There were very few sidequests compared to DA:O, and the few they did have were quick and boring. They were mostly, go here kill 3 bandits, done, or find a book and deliver it. The game overall, was pretty short.
- There is very little exploration and the maps repeat over and over, making the gameplay boring.
- You can't change your teams' equipment, only their weapons.
- I had a lot of glitches. One sidequest never marked as finished, one completely didn't want to start.
- Loading times were ridiculous even when installing on the hard drive.
- They really tamed down the love scenes. Now it just has them kissing (fully clothed) and fades to the next day. And you can only do it once. Come on, BioWare! Give a fangirl a break!
Overall, though, I enjoyed playing it, but I felt like it should've been so much more considering how much I liked Origins. Hopefully the expansion packs will be better. I'd definitely like to play some backstories for the characters. | video-games_xbox |
Very involving and diverse game. Overview:
This 3rd person action shooter is very involving. A good story that keeps you going and flows through to the end. The campaign is not too short and changes it up as you go along, and you can co-op through the entire thing. The MP is very detailed with a number of different maps to start with in addition to guerilla mode which is a little twist on the normal.
Single Player:
Playing through the campaign to me was a lot of fun. I would try different tactics and ways of attacking an objective to see if I could eliminate the opposition as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most missions you can choose your route and execute your plans however you would like. If you don't want to use stealth you don't have to in most situations, although there are a couple of sequences where you cannot have any alarms (so you can either take them out silently/coordinated attacks or you can avoid them all together). Even though you have "active camo" if you are moving within their vision or too noisy they will see/hear you.
The game looks really good, great maps and environments. I especially enjoyed the things that would break from the norm, using the UCV (unmanned combat vehicle, basically a mobile mortar platform), the gunship sequences, and getting to play with all the fun gadgets and unlockable attachments. There are weapon challenges, tactical challenges, etc. for each mission that are diffcult to achieve. Unfortunately there is NO match-making system for the co-op campaign. Also, when you start a mission, if a buddy comes online after there is no "drop-in" option.
MP:
Each team is made up of two 4-man squads. You can spawn on your squad or at your spawn point. There are 3-classes to choose from that have their own advantages. Scout- sniper, has coaking ability. Engineer- intel expert, can spot enemies with sensor grenades, UAV, etc. Rifleman- explosives, extra armor class. There are several different game modes: Siege (no respawn), Sabotage (plant the bomb), Conflict (changing objectives that are worth points), and Decoy (hack the bases to find the real base and attack it). The single-player also unlocks addition weapons for MP.
Guerrilla Mode / Co-op Survival:
The twist on your survival mode. You have to infiltrate an area, neutralize the threats and then hold your ground until you can advance to the next area. As you make it through the waves, support options are made available. Gun turrets, air strikes, etc. Very fun for 4-players. Unfortunately, again, there is no match-making for Co-op.
Gunsmith:
In singleplayer/MP gives you the option of changing up your attachments, paint, and internals of each weapon you bring to the fight. In singleplayer most of the options are already unlocked, but some you have to gain by finishing tactical objectives on certain missions. For MP, some unlocks come from the campaign, while most are from ranking up and gaining tokens to unlock certain attachments. Each class also has "decision points" which are free unlocks, but you can only pick one from two options. For example: Engineer's first is between the UAV and the hacking tool. Sniper's first is between a custom sniper scope and a thermal scope. Rifleman's first is between the smoke GL and an underbarrel stun round. If you go to Uplay, there's an unlockable that gives you BOTH at one decision point of your choosing.
Outside Interaction:
--There was a 'prequel' that came out, you can view it on youtube (GHOST RECON: ALPHA)
--Download the mobile App, it allows for you to modify your weapons in the gunsmith on the fly. Also gives you 6 free unlocks for MP. I tried it out for Android and works really well. You can use it in "Free Mode" or "Sync Mode" which allows for your customizations to be uploaded to your game next time you play.
--Try out the FaceBook App, it gives a couple of unlocks and some gun skins.
--The Ghost Recon Network site also gives you some unlocks for the game if you have played previous TomClancy titles, enter certain code words, played the FB app, etc.
Summary:
A lot of options here for replayability and for the completionist. I'm definitely going to go through the missions again and try to knock out the weapon and tactical objectives that I missed. That and will have to play through with some friends to try the co-op aspects. In addition to gaining ranks in the MP so I can unlock some more crazy weapons and abilities. | video-games_xbox |
Tao Feng--the next big thing?! :D. I'll admit it, I've got a bias toward this game. That said, I hope this doesn't come across as being dishonest or too one-sided.
Despite the disadvantage of being the first game for a brand-new company, Tao Feng holds its own amongst the many existing fighters. Microsoft clearly raised its standards for its 1st-party games since Kakuto Chojin crashed and burned, and the team at Studio Gigante worked hard to bring a fresh game to the Xbox's exclusive library.
Tao Feng uniquely rewards aggressive gameplay with its chi system, which helps to vary gameplay in a few ways. If a player continuously lands attacks (blocked or successful), the chi meter builds up, resulting in either a special move ("chi attack") when full, or the chance to heal a damaged limb resulting from excessive blocking. Attacking off walls and poles is a fun new feature as well, eliminating the `trapped' feeling found in fighters with invisible walls. Preset Long- and Short-Form Combos give both veterans and newbies a chance at exploring the game's combos and juggles, some of which range up to 12 hits.
To me, the fighting game genre's `big 5' franchises (Tekken, DOA, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, and Mortal Kombat) have become irritatingly similar in the last few years-nearly identical aquarium and cage match levels pop up in DOA3 and VF4, Mortal Kombat's weapon system and large quantity of unlockable content mimiced the Soul Calibur of three years ago, and the differences between Tekkens sequels are far from staggering. While not as technically big and bright as these more well-established titles, the mere fact that Tao Feng was built with innovation in mind from its inception deserves a chance from Xbox owners and fans of the genre alike.
Lastly, if on the off-chance you're a parent reading this and your younger-than-17 year-old wants to pick up Tao Feng-don't be too alarmed at the 'Mature' rating. Sure there's some blood and the point of the game is to beat up your opponent, but there's no offensive language, sex, or nudity common in other 'Mature' games like the infamous Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. So if your kid is threatening to stop loving you if you don't buy him Tao Feng, remember that he's probably seen blood and fighting before and there are plenty of worse things he could be watching or playing on TV. :D | video-games_xbox |
Excellent solution, however not without its faults. I've owned the Ear Force X4 headphones for about a year and a half now and I have been very satisfied with their performance. They deliver on their promise of a wireless 5.1 sound experience with a few caveats.
First, the headphones succeed in providing you with 5.1 sound. If you're skeptical that a pair of headphones can provide a decent surround sound experience, don't be. The bottom line is that all 6 channels will be accounted four in your movies and games.
Second, the wireless component of the headphones works relatively well. The base station literally beams IR light at the headphones to provide this functionality. Turtle Beach, in their documentation, explains that they use IR because had they used a wireless radio signal (similar to a cellphone or wireless router), the headphones would have issues with interference. As it is, the headphones don't experience interference from wireless signals of any type. However, because IR beams are, essentially, light, any bright source of light -- be it from a strong lamp or a computer or TV monitor -- can cause an irritating static in the earpieces. You can combat this by sitting farther away from the screen, turning off the lamp, rearranging the base-station, etc., but it can be annoying to have to restrict yourself within your environment when freedom of movement is often the reason for purchasing a pair of wireless headphones. It is important to note that the most recent version of these headphones, the Ear Force X41, actually now uses wireless signals instead of IR beams. If you're considering the X4, it may be worth your time to investigate the X41 as well. Because of the IR beams, the X4 requires a moderately strict line-of-sight to the basestation in order to function. I say moderately strict because, like a remote control, the IR beams can bounce of surfaces to reach your headphones, to a degree. It's best, however, to have as direct a line-of-sight as possible for the best results.
Next, arguably the most useful feature of these headphones is the "Dynamic Talkback" feature. Typically, when gaming on Xbox Live while using headphones, it is a chore to use both your headphones and the Xbox chat headset at the same time. This is because a.) both are supposed to go on your head and b.) if you put the headset around your neck, you have to route the chat audio through the game speakers (i.e. headphones), which causes you to lose a lot of control over the game audio and the chat audio. The X4 solves this by essentially combining the Xbox chat headset and the headphones into one system. The X4 comes with a "puck" that you can plug into your Xbox controller and into the headphones themselves. You can then adjust the voice chat volume on the puck and the game volume on the headphones. This works great, but as you might expect, adds a slight tether to your wireless experience. With the puck plugged in, you are essentially semi-wireless as there is a wire connection between the headset and the controller. This isn't a huge deal, though, and as a bonus you can be out of range of the IR beams of the basestation and still hear Xbox Live chat because of the direct link between the controller and the headphones.
A few other notes; the battery life of the headphones is decent. With a lot of use you'll find yourself changing the batteries relatively frequently. I recommend getting two pairs of rechargeable AAA batteries. The audio inputs/outputs on the back of the basestation include a pair of RCA jacks (white and red), an optical input and an optical output for "pass-through" use. This means that you can have the X4 plugged into an audio system and be able to use your speakers without having to take the headphones out of the loop. These headphones were designed for use with the Xbox 360, but can obviously be used for any audio setup that uses RCA or optical audio. You'll lose the functionality of the chat headset on, say, a PS3, but the audio will work just fine. Also, occasionally you'll notice an absence of sound in certain circumstances. There isn't really a term for this, but here's an example: When navigating the Xbox dashboard, each time you switch menus there is a short tone followed by silence. The X4 is setup in such a way that if no sound is present, the basestation stops sending signals to the headphones. This is meant as a way to save battery life, and if there is no sound after a minute or so, the headphones will shut down. So, in the case of any short tones flanked by silence, the basestation will detect the sound and "wake up," but by this time it's too late and the tone has ended. The result is that you don't hear the tone. This is not a big deal at all, but it gives you some insight as to how the X4 works.
Overall, I can recommend this pair of headphones. Consider looking at the more recent X41 reviews to see if they may be a better fit. If you're not concerned with surround sound, but want to have wireless functionality, Turtle Beach has some other, less expensive options you can search for. | video-games_xbox |
This is the F1 game I have been waiting for my whole life. Not to sound dramatic, but this game is really pretty amazing. Admittedly, I have only spent an hour and a half behind the wheel, but so far the attention to detail is actually close to my expectations for an F1 game. I have a feeling that I will be investing a LOT of hours in this one.
Last year I had PS3 version of F1 2010 (G27 wheel so forced to get PS3) and I was kind of disappointed. Nothing wrong with the game for me, but just felt sterile and kind of blah. Visually the color palette was too drab, maybe handling wasn't lively enough, cockpit views kind of disappointing, and the McLaren wasn't even shiny? (Seriously, how could they not get that right in the year 2010 with all the experience they have developing games?)
I don't know if it is because I bought the Xbox 360 version this year or what, but WOW, I am impressed. The handling feels lively and the interaction with the AI cars has an exciting feel. The graphics are just beautiful, tons of detail that you might not even expect. I literally sat there with a huge grin on my face, like the feeling you get on a great ski run or after hitting a beautiful shot in golf. The McLaren is so shiny that its distracting (in a good way - I couldn't stop staring at the beautiful reflections). The rain drops on the cars and little rivulets of water running across the body work add a level of detail that draws you in. The spray behind the cars feels "right", not sure how else to put it.
Overall, the game has the level of polish that I was hoping for. The good news is that it will only get better from here! I will enjoy this one for the next 364 days and have even higher expectations for next year. I have been playing with the Xbox 360 wheel from Microsoft, and am not overly thrilled with the performance of the wheel. Since the 360 version is much preferred, I'm going to order one of the Fanatect wheels and eventually eBay the G27. I'm trying to decide if I should get the GT2 or wait a few weeks for the new Forza wheel. Any feedback on that is appreciated.
Bottom line for me: I LOVE this game. I don't have PS3 version to compare to directly, but comparing last years PS3 version to this years Xbox 360 version, it is truly a HUGE upgrade and I think it will be many months before I'll be setting this one aside (unlike last year, when I just couldn't get into it, no matter how hard I tried nor how badly I wanted to love it). | video-games_xbox |
Add this item to your cart. As my title says, Add this game to your cart.. I loved the original Dead Space. For me, it was one of the best games I EVER played, and this game continues the thrill! I bought it for $55 from amazon and I was very happy with amazon since they always have the lowest price. Gamestop is always a rip-off. The game keeps you in suspense. Viceral made lot of improvements and I am very satisfied with them. Also the aliens come from both direction unlike the in the first installment where they only came from one direction. This makes the game very challenging and yet fun to play. Also they are letting you play the any game mode except "hard core" mode from the continuation from previous game. In another words lets say you have 100,000 credits and 2 upgraded weapons from Casual mode. You can use them in Zealot mode while makes it lot easier since you already have many items and lots of credits. But beware if you want to play hard core, its all over from beginning. As a conclusion, I would highly recommend customers to buy this game and I promise that you will not be disappointed.
My Rating: 9.7
Suspense: 9 <---- this is because I found first installment very scary due to it's background sound.
Difficulty: 10 <----- Definitely much harder then the first game.
Price: 10 <------ I got it for $ 55 on the release date.. $ 42 now? and its just been 17 days. wow.. $ 18 drop!
Multiplayer: 10 <----- Although I have not played multiplayer much and am only on Level 6, I still enjoy it very much just like the single player mode.
Achievements: 10 <----- Lot of easy achievements and yet in some where you will have to work little hard for it.
I hope my review helps.. And if you decide to buy the game I would like to give you two thumbs up and say "thanks for supporting Viceral Games and helping them make Dead Space 3" !!!!
Amazon Tip: I recently bought The Sims 3 for Xbox 360.. I got it for $39.99 at amazon. A day earlier I checked at Gamestop and found the price to be $59.99 and one of the employee said the price did not dropped yet. I just save $20. Whatever it may be, I only recommend people to check at amazon first before going to gamestop. | video-games_xbox |
Overprice on Amazon - $50 less at Best Buy or Walmart. Good bundle. Does not come with a physical copy of game nor LE controller. I snagged this at my local Best Buy for $450 AND got to use another deal they had to get an additional controller for 15% off.
My total came out to be a few bucks more than what Amazon wanted for just this bundle. To make things sweeter, I also got an additional 1 month free of Xbox Live Gold membership, since they were giving out these cards with a physical purchase of Titanfall. I spoke to a blue shirt and he told me I can take one if I get the bundle too. Thanks Best Buy!
Best Buy also has a deal on "accessories", where you get them for 15% off if you buy a game, well this comes with a game and rings up the accessory for an extra 15% off.
So I bought the Titanfall Bundle + the cool Limited Edition Titanfall Wireless Controller + an extra month of XBL for a few bucks more than Amazon wanted for the base bundle. Seems brick and mortar stores are finally able to compete with Amazon!
It may be worth calling your local Best Buy to see what kind of a deal you can get, since Amazon still has not bothered to price match the Walmart or Best Buy deal.
Now on to the bundle - It does not come with a physical copy of the game, nor does it come with the special limited edition Titanfall painted controller. No idea why, but it comes with the standard black controller, and a code to download the game onto your Xbone.
While I am still downloading Titanfall, I can already say that the new Kinect is simply awesome. I love controlling everything by simply giving it voice commands.
I will update this review later with more info on the game itself, but if YouTube videos are anything to go by, I will not be disappointed...
UPDATE:
Amazon now has a code - "XIAMAZON", that when entered brings down the price of this bundle by $50.
Way to go Amazon! I hope my review is what got you guys to do this. Probably not, but I can hope, can't I?
So now Amazon is once again the top dog. Having said that, I am still happy with my Best Buy purchase because I got the additional controller I wanted, and an extra XBL card on top of that.
Edit: According to the manager at my Best Buy, to qualify for the extra XBL card, I had to buy the Limited Edition controller, and the Titanfall game. Not just the game. That is why the LE controller is also 15% off when bought with Titanfall (or the bundle), and the normal controller is not. So just FYI for those interested.
As a side note, the LE controller looks and feels exactly like the original Xbone controller, but the TF paint job gives it an extra OOMPH (IMHO).
UPDATE 2 (4/6/2014):
TARGET now has this bundle + 12 months of Xbox Live all for $449.99. Even cheaper if you have the Red Card. Refer to the link I provide in the comments section for more info (Amazon won't allow me to link to Target in the main review).
Just had multiple friends order this epic deal.
Comes out to just over $460 foor most people after using Red Card (free shipping too).
I am uploading a screen shot of their web page for a reference point as well. Hopefully Amazon will price match. | video-games_xbox |
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Remix. I didn't actually purchase Saint's Row 2 until several months after it had already been out. As a matter of fact, the only reason I bought it was because it was on sale, Collector's Edition, and I thought it was a great deal at the price being offered. I had read several reviews when the game initially released, which ranged from good to average. I had the first Saint's Row, but never finished the game, as it just lost my interest.
However, I'm pleased to say that the same was not true of Saint's Row 2. In fact, I played the game continuously until I had finally reached the end of the story. There's a lot of meat on this bone that is Saint's Row 2. There are a number of customization options for you character, from gender and body type to hair and clothing options, even fighting style and taunts. I played through the game as an African American female, but a quick visit to the plastic surgeon will allow you to remake yourself any way you see fit.
People already know that Saint's Row shares striking similarities to the Grand Theft Auto series, and this game is no different. I found that, specifically, Saint's Row 2 very closely resembles <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Grand-Theft-Auto-San-Andreas/dp/B000EHQDA0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Grand Theft Auto San Andreas</a>. There are the clothing options, you can eat to regenerate health, buy property, customize your car or crib, you can even parachute from a plane. There are also a huge number of side missions that you can take on, ranging from taxi missions and races to fight clubs and escort missions. One of my favorites, Fuzz, has your character in the role of a police officer, taking down criminals, all the while being followed by a TV cameraman.
On the negative side, there are some technical issues that arise, such as slowdown during some of the boat chases, but I didn't feel they detracted from the overall experience of the game. In addition to the incredibly deep single player mode, there are also online co-op and multiplayer modes that only help to further enhance the replayability. If you liked the first Saints Row or any of the Grand Theft Auto series, especially San Andreas, grab your piece, and head on down to Saints Row for a 2nd visit. | video-games_xbox |
The final Bungie installment. Halo Reach being the last Halo game Bungie is going to make means Reach has a lot to live up to but does it? From other reviews that have been posted on television or youtube there are very few complaints and the few there are are not that big of deals. Other reviews could only complain about the campaign being short or the graphics not being a huge leap from previous Halo games. Which both I disagree with. The campaign is about as long as Halo Combat Evolved which was the longest of the previous four(not including Halo Wars in this comment due to it being RTS). And the graphics are a lot better in Reach in my opinion.
The campaign is fun but does lack the feel of an all out war like it has been put on to have. And this is the first Halo game where you actually get to fly a space ship and do Star Wars style combat in space. This was a huge gamble on Bungie's part but it seems to work plenty of people seem to like the ship battles, the ship is easy to pilot and weapons are easy to aim on it. Personally I could have done without it but then agian I havn't enjoyed space ship combat video games since star fox 64. The evasive moves you do in the ship are almost identical to the moves you did in Star Fox 64 but Reach has a much better response time, also just like star fox 64 you have 2 weapons while in the ship, your standard fire or missile fire but Reach made it far more easier to hit stuff. For me the space battle level was too easy and too slow paced. It was very well done when you think about the fact it was a first try on Bungie's part. The rest of the campaign is classic Halo fun for the most part. The enemy AI has been upgraded big time which means it is much harder. Halo 3 was the easiest of the previous 4 which is why the campaign was so much less enjoyed. But in Reach they have fixed it and made the difficulty much more fun. The Normal difficulty in Reach is equivalent to Halo 3 Ledgendary with no skulls active. Your allies AI arn't as smart as enemy AI though which can get annoying I found myself in a warthog beeping the horn trying to get them to get in but they just stood there and when I finally drive off then they start screaming "Hey wait up, I'll take the gunner!" Overall the campaign is fun a lot harder than previous Halo games which is good and still has fresh new stuff to mess with.
Online play speaks for itself I havn't enjoyed an online shooter this much since Bad Company 2. This of course not being remotely similar to it. There are 21 maps available for online play but, with the new forge world and new&improved forge tools there are literally unlimited amount of maps to be played. It will be extremely difficult to get bored with this game. There are a lot more armor variations and even more ways to customize your spartan or elite for example you can choose a voice, gender, etc. However I don't like the change they made on grenade throws, grenades are what seems like a lot heavier so they fall faster so to put a grenade where you want it your going to have to forget anything you brought from the previous games. But that is just a minor set back and its not really a flaw just something I will have to get used to.
Firefight mode was introduced in ODST but mastered in Reach and with the customizable skulls you can literally do whatever you want with it. What I did not like is that you can make yourself immortal and have unlimited ammo in firefight mode which wouldn't be such a big deal but you can use that to farm achievments. Which kind of makes the achievments in Halo Reach not all that special.
So does this game live up to the hype put up for it. Yes indeed it does. The campaign has had its difficulty increased dramaticlly and scales with the amount of players as well. Online play has so many character customization options and unlimited maps to play on. And firefight is loads of mindless killing fun. | video-games_xbox |
Over-hyped but Still Fun. Let's get one thing out of the way immediately: If you think seeing a Rockstar logo means this game will be a "sandbox" game in the conventional sense, with tons of stuff to see and do outside of missions, kill those thoughts now. You can explore when you're not on a mission, but you'll probably quickly bore of this aspect of the game unless you're hunting for achievements. Another thing that may be an issue for some players: you will see brutalized, fully nude corpses during some of your investigations, so if you are sensitive to these things make a note of this.
The story itself is so-so, but LA Noire is a story heavy game so I must spend some time discussing why I wasn't enthralled by it. I did enjoy parts of it but there was a lot of room for improvement. There were also plot points that received little attention (Phelps' family, for instance) and feel out of place when you do experience them. I didn't like Cole Phelps or his character development whatsoever. There are too many flash-backs for my taste, mostly revolving around Phelps' actions in World War 2 as a newly commissioned officer. The developers seem to have gone out of their way to make Phelps an incredibly irritating, egotistical, headstrong, and by-the-books individual. It was a gutsy move to take for a videogame, and unfortunately you lose a lot of immersion and empathy because of it.
The gameplay itself is enjoyable, but investigating a crime scene can be tedious at times. I would've preferred being allowed to make my own inferences about evidence, and having the option of making my own decisions about how to pursue what I'd found. This type of game would've set you up for failure at times, but it least it would be the players fault. Instead you walk around for a while and click on crap until Phelps finds something, and tells you how he's going to investigate this evidence further.
The interviews themselves are the highlight of the game, and I would've liked to do more of them. This was certainly the most hyped aspect of the game because of the new technology that was used, so conducting one is an enjoyable experience when you get to do one. Botching one is a painful experience, but nailing someone on a lie leaves you very satisfied.
I've obviously had a lot of mixed things to say about this game, but I did enjoy it in the end and I'm glad I played it. It's an experience unlike anything I've really played before. I would love to see more games in this genre, but unfortunately Team Bondi was shut down and someone else will have to make it happen.
Just know what you're getting before you buy it and I don't think you'll be disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
Finally. Finally, there's a fun, family game, with good, wholesome, Biblical morals and values!!!
I bought the GameBoy Advance version also, because it is a completely different game than the Xbox version. (Read my review for GameBoy Advance.)
Ok, the best place to start is the beginning. In this case, let's begin at the game menu:
When the game is finished loading, you see the Menu screen. On this screen, there is High Scores, Options, TV Game Show, and Challenge Games.
I'll start with TV Game Show:
You are now in the character selection screen. You can either play alone, against 3 computer players, or play with friends, and family; 4 players can play together. Once you have selected your charater(s), the game begins...
The name of the game is "Do Unto Others". The host is introduced, and starts the game by randomly selecting who will go first. There is a Game Board, with colorful, numbered squares. The chosen player gets to select a square:
Ok, behind the square, anything can happen. Anything ranging from Testament Trivia to The Wrath of God could be waiting behind any given square. Here is a list of things that you could find:
Testament Trivia: If you find this behind your square, the host will ask all of you a question from the Old Testament. (you can go into the options screen and adjust the difficulty of the questions). If you get the question correct, your turn continues, and you choose another square; if you get it wrong, your turn ends, and the next player takes his/her turn.
Challenge Games: These games for for everyone. Too many games to mention, but they are all related to the Old Testament Bible. Games include David and Goliath; False Idols; The Walls of Jericho. Fun games.
Blessing: This is a one player game. Fun games, like; Follow The Light; Angels and Devils
Commandment: If this is revealed, the player gets to select who they recieve points from; Heaven, Leader, Everyone. And the amount of points.
Do Unto Others: The player who gets this square unselfishly helps out another player; This could mean giving another player points, giving up your turn to that player, playing a game and giving the points earned to that player. You have only 10 seconds to make a choice, and the options flash on the screen pretty quickly...
The Wrath of God: Did I mention that you can end your turn anytime, and pass to another player? You don't want to be the one who opens this sqaure!!! The Wrath of God square works two different ways. The most common is a player opens this square, and you see a plague of frogs, locusts, or another plague all over the screen, and the host will say you have lost your points, and that round is over (there are as many rounds as time allows; you play until the clock runs out). The second, less common way, there may be only one square left on the board; another player could pass their turn to you. You have no choice but to open the square and reveal this rapidly spinning box; Ok, now, on this box 3 of the 4 sides have a Wrath of God, 1 side has a jackpot (oh, on the upper lefthand corner of the screen, you see this jackpot...ok, just forgot to mention before). The box is spinning rapidly; will you stop it in time to chance getting the jackpot, or will you recieve the Wrath of God?
Game plays like that for many rounds, number value on the gameboard increases each round, until time runs out.
Once time has run out, the host will tell you it's time to move on the the Grace of God:
Here's how this works: This is your final chance in the game to build your points up; good thing, especially if you're low on points. You see the Tree from the Garden of Eden. There are ?'s all over it. Behind the ? is either fruit (good) or the serpent(bad). Find the fruit, build up your points; find the serpent, you lose all the points earned in this round.
That's the TV Game show.
If you choose Challenge Game from the Menu screen, you see the entire list of all the Challenge Games. Once you have selected your character(s), you can select which game you want to play.
There needs to be more games like this. I strongly recommend, and support this game. I encourage everyone to buy both this version and the GameBoy Advance version(plays entirely different, read my review for GameBoy Advance). | video-games_xbox |
A bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong - I'm enjoying playing this game, but where I was expecting slightly less than previous games (it is the third sequel after all), the team just doesn't seem to have been able to get anywhere near the same level of quality that AC2 or Brotherhood achieved.
This game is a big let-down for my favored playstyle in AC. The best aspects of AC2 and Brotherhood have been cut out - where are the faction missions? Where are the Animus puzzles? Where is 'The Truth'? Where is the city rebuilding (sure, stores open and faction buildings get new banners, but buildings no longer truly get 'rebuilt' due to your input)? Hay bales but no horses - what's that all about? And all the cuts seem to have been made in order to make room for a hideously clunky Den Defense mini-game and the over-hyped but useless bomb crafting (two bomb types are all you ever need). Plus they added in more Desmond storyline - just what we always wanted (sarcasm) - and that part of the game is by far the most annoying part of any AC game - worse even than the first game's Desmond segments. Leonardo is missing (and sorely missed) and has been replaced by the bombmaker, who is well played but his role is small. Ezio's touching love interest in Brotherhood has been replaced by what can only be described as a bland and singularly boring librarian (what he sees in her I do not know).
For fast travel, things are just slightly annoyingly worse than Brotherhood: Ziplines are cool, but never there when you need them, and the same is true of the other method of speeding around the city; the sewers, which are too few and far between.
The voice acting, while still good overall, suggests some time and money pressures - Altair sounds suspiciously like Ezio at some points and some of the voice acting in the lesser roles is patchy.
One thing I thought was a big mistake that happened with Brotherhood - the one big city concept that superceded the three cities of AC1 and 2 - I thought changing to one big city made Brotherhood too big and boring. This game confirms that belief. I've been to Istanbul - big it is, boring it ain't. Another thing is that Ezio's Istanbul is missing some of the historical depth that the previous games all had. Surely the machinations that took place in Istanbul after its fall must have been as interesting as what happened in Borgia Italy, but what we get is a timid and superficial look at the Ottoman Empire in the 1500s. The historical depth is just not there. AC1, AC2 and Brotherhood all felt like I'd been transported back in time, but with Revelations, it just feels like I've been handed a guidebook to Istanbul.
There are a couple of big improvements:
1, the dungeon segments are a bit more varied and a bit less creepy: I dreaded every dungeon mission in AC2 and Brotherhood.
2, you get to do more stuff with the assassin minions and they get to take over and run other cities for you. The only problem is, once they start running other cities, it takes up something like 50% of your playing time because you have to constantly send them on missions to prevent the Templars retaking the city. I wish there was some way to make your assassins do missions in their cities without needing your input.
Okay, it's still a good game - barely good, but in my opinion it's not in the same league as the previous AC games. There are just too many developer decisions that obviously were not thought through.
This game makes me glad that they're starting fresh with another character and another time setting for the next AC game. Ezio has overstayed his welcome just a tad (and I really never expected to say that). But the flaws in this game also make me fear that they'll completely mess up the next installment. | video-games_xbox |
Supreme Commander 2: Streamlined Game, Streamlined Fun. There's been a lot of debate about whether Supreme Commander 2 is worthy of its predecessor's title. Some of the points raised are valid, some not so valid. But here's a quick rundown of why you should buy this game--or not--addressing each concern raised by the community upon release.
The Economy:
Supreme Commander and Forged Alliance both had stunningly complex and intriguing economies. You could be acquiring 50 Mass per second, and be spending it at a rate of 100 Mass per second. The result would be a 50% production rate (a unit which takes 60 seconds to make will take 120). This has appealed to many RTS fans, who may have gotten tired of the old RTS standby where you collect resources, and spend them at the moment you tell a unit to start construction.
Supreme Commander 2 does not have this feature, instead hybridizing the two methods. You still construct mass extractors and power plants in the same fashion, and you still ACQUIRE resources in a steady flowing stream, but you spend them in chunks. There are pros and cons to this situation: the benefit is, it's nearly impossible to overextend your base's economy, reducing yourself to 1% production speed, and since this fashion is more familiar to most RTS players, it makes the Supreme Commander 2 learning curve quite pleasant, and for veteran RTS players it makes the game more accessible. The downside is the loss of fluidity, which while an attractive feature on paper, made gameplay difficult, made the downward spiral to defeat steeper, and made the first 10 minutes of the game cookie-cutter base building to maximize efficiency.
The Units:
The units in Supreme Commander 2 are vastly reduced in quantity compared to Supreme Commander. You don't have a tier 1 tank, a tier 2 tank, and a tier 3 tank: you have a single tank that you can build at the start of the game, which can be upgraded (again, in a more familiar RTS style) through a branching research tree (not so familiar except to perhaps Civilization players).
Again, there are pros and cons to this situation. Building small but powerful control groups composed of only the highest-tier selection of units is difficult (NOT impossible however, as research will allow you to unlock a wider variety of units, some of which ARE more powerful for composing these elite strike forces), but it also vastly increases the amount of specialization--and thus, tactics--you as a commander will have for your troops. You'll often find yourself attempting to field a massive, highly upgraded air force, or tank army, or whatever, rather than spreading out your research points evenly. Again, this leads to more variety in combat, and much deeper tactical decisions than in Supreme Commander.
The Maps:
The maps look spectacular. Many old ones have made a return, and the new ones include geometric man-made terrain and bridges without water that allow for interesting tactics and choke points. The only complaint I'd have is that there is only one 8 player map, but plenty of smaller maps in both FFA and vs. formats.
Gameplay:
As I've hinted at, gameplay is streamlined and much more tactical. Specialized armies with much better pathfinding, area-attack brushes and simpler controls make for a somewhat non-intuitively more entertaining experience. The improved AI for your troops makes thinks a much more pleasurable experience as well: no more micromanaging your engineers to salvage mass, no more waiting for your troops to enter formation before moving out, and so on.
Games have become rather quick, but no less intense. However, units seem much better balanced against each other, including your ACU and experimentals (which can be taken down by a well-coordinated army of tanks or the like), so I can only attribute quicker battles to the increased need for tactics: ill-coordinated tactics (such as a poorly maneuvered flank or not successfully managing a choke point) lead to your fall much quicker than in Supreme Commander.
Steam:
Many players seem to dislike the fact that this game requires Steam installed. I speak from a biased perspective as someone who has Steam on every second that my computer's on, but Supreme Commander used GPGNet, which was vastly inferior to the services Steam can provide. I'd rather have Steam than any other form of DRM, and at least with Steam my game is permanently backed up, I can redownload it anywhere without the DVD, and best of all, since I already have Steam, using Supreme Commander 2 means I don't have to have a SECOND piece of online gaming software installed on my PC.
Conclusions:
This game is fun. You will have fun playing it, you will come out from both victories and failures feeling more accomplished, and wanting to use your tactical knowledge to greater effect next time.
But is it the game for Supreme Commander fans? Well, speaking as a great fan of Forged Alliance and Supreme Commander, I'd have to say yes, and I'll tell you why:
I don't find myself doing anything in Supreme Commander 2 any less than I'd do in Supreme Commander. Do I have less unit options? Yes, but in Supreme Commander I only used one tech level of tanks or planes or whatever at a time anyway (starting with 1, upgrading ALL of my factories to build 2, then moving on to 3). Are battles quicker? Yes, but that's because they have more satisfying finishes and more clashing crescendos. Are the controls simpler? Yes, but that's because they have streamlined things into more convenient ways of managing them.
Does the game have problems though? Yes it does. My factories cannot assist each other, I can't ping the map for my allies--and why, oh why, can my Cybran Experimental Research Facility not give research points to my allies?
Where are my scout planes, or my stupid little army units that take 1 second to build but make for hilariously ineffective assaults?
These questions beg answers. I hope the answers come in the form of updates and DLC (which Valve and GPG seem to have specifically designed the game to have the capacity for, so here's hoping for that!). | video-games_xbox |
Great game but its lost a little something. First off I would like to say that this is a really fun game. If you've played burnout 3 then this is very similar. It still has insane speed, outrageous crashes, and lots of different ways to play. I'm not sure if I just got too used to burnout 3 but I really didn't enjoy all the changes that were made to this game. Crash mode is probably my favorite part of the burnout series. I loved trying for the highest score in burnout 3 and searching for the sometimes elusive 4x all the while trying to create as much destruction as possible. Unfortunately crash mode has been revamped. Instead of hitting the gas in the beginning, you have this stupid "golf swing" meter to decide how fast you take off. Some may find this fun but I was really annoyed that I couldn't just take off and had to get my "swing" just right in order to go fast enough to clear a large cliff. They've also added wind as a factor so now you'll have to fight the wind as you fly off the ramp to your crash destination. I'm sure some like it but in my opinion this is supposed to be an arcade type game and I don't want to have to worry about wind or reving my engine via a stupid golf swing meter. The only new part of the crash mode that I did like is that there is now a target car that you need to crash to get bonus $$$. The problem is that when they give you the initial overview of the course it doesn't show were that target car will be. overall in my opinion crash mode went from a blazing hot perfect 10 to a ok, this is fun 8.
The other major feature that has been added is the ability to ram cars going the same direction as you. Now I will admit that raming a car and watching it go flying into a bus and creating a huge pile up can look great but to me the biggest rush in burnout 3 was going 200mph flying in between cars and knowing that one little mess up was going to send me flipping and slamming wildly into the wall. now I can just plow my way through traffic like a supercharged bulldozer. I wouldn't have minded if this was just a mode added into the game instead of a feature that has been incorporated into every mode in the game. It just took away that white knuckled feeling that burnout 3 had. Its not like I hate this game and I know I'll spend many hours working my way through all the modes but its always disapointing when a sequel isn't as much fun as the prior version. Instead of it going two steps forward I feel like this is one step back. | video-games_xbox |
A Return to Form for an Ailing Series. For far too long have the open seas gone untouched! Not since Sid Meyers Pirates! has there been such a good piracy themed game.
The gameplay is wonderful. The ground combat is fluid and full of multiple options. Its possible in multiple situations to cleverly stealth your way through areas, or go in guns blazing. You have a small arsenal of weapons and devices, ranging from your dual swords(!) to the classical hidden blades, and of course your two and eventually four(!!!) pistols.
It's the naval combat however that is the highlight of the game. The Jackdaw really is the second main character of the game, as the developers claimed. It is also into your ship that you will pour most of your earned money (which is easily acquired). Far more difficult to get however is the three other resources required to upgrade your ship: Metal, Cloth, and Wood. These resources can only be acquired in any significant quantities by pirating on the open seas.
Special mention must be made of the vast amount of collectibles and side activities in the game. It is truly a sandbox. You can dive and explore shipwrecks, explore smugglers caves, and more. Throughout the world are scattered Templar Keys (which require you to complete a mission chain leading to an assassination in order to acquire) and Mayan Stones (which are also scattered throughout the world, but are easily acquired by completing a brief puzzle. Both these collectibles lead to significant rewards in the form of armors. In addition to these, there are also Treasure Maps and Messages in Bottles scattered all around for you to find. There is quite a bit more, such as Harpooning sea life and assassination missions as well.
Special note goes to the Legendary Ship battles. These are endgame, extremely tense, option boss fights against powerful ships which each have their own unique combat strategy. They are great fun, and unlock a powerful reward when all 4 are defeated.
The Story of the game is fairly good, but not the best it has been in the series. Again, it gets the work done, has some memorable characters, delivers some good emotional moments, but ultimately is overshadowed by some of the series past titles.
There are two final bits that I would like to make mention of: Kenway's Fleet and the Present Day portions of the game.
Kenway's Fleet is a sort of minigame that gives you something to do with the ships you capture in battle; in essence, it is the trading missions for Assassins Creed 3 but slightly more interesting. You're definitely going to want to do these missions, because not only do they give you money, they also occasionally give you bits of loot like Treasure Maps or interesting items that you can find in your Island Hideout later. Did I mention the hideout?
The Present Day portions are in my mind far better than they have been in the past games. While they remain optional for those who want to only pirate, doing the various hacking minigames to uncover bits of data and documents provides a wealth of background for the games story. It also unlocks some of the most blatant, hilarious bit of self criticism on Ubisofts part toward themselves that I have ever seen. Seriously, you will know it when you see the 'Marketing Audience Analysis's' or whatever they are called.
In summary, Assassin's Creed IV is the best pirate game that has likely come out in the past decade, moreover, it is the best Assassin's Creed game in a long long time.
If Assassin's Creed 3 left a bitter taste in your mouth, Assassin's Creed IV will wash that taste right out and replace it with those of Rum, Piracy and Fun. | video-games_xbox |
Inferior to 360 thus far and lots of small issues. UPDATE: Glitchiness seems to have somehow resolved itself for the most part. I have not recently had issues streaming netflix or with my controller and box communicating. Don't get me wrong. I still wish I had not bought an xbox one at the $499 price point with a kinect. But if you can get one for $350 with no kinect it may be worth it. So I'm bumping it up to two stars (and I bumped my PS4 down to 4 stars because the rubber grips on the controllers have worn through). All it may take is one decent xbox one exclusive title to get it a 3rd star. Just don't plan on running your tv through it or using kinect and you'll be much less disappointed/aggravated.
I wish I hadn't bought this behemoth at this point. The voice recoginition is a joke. I use Fluency to dictate at work and microsoft's voice recognition is so inferior it is laughable. One of the few games I have, Dead Rising 3, was constantly crashing when I played it. After searching forums/blogs, I found out that it probably was because I played the game while it was still loading (which by the way took FOREVER). So I had to delete the game, lost my save data, and then install the game, install the update for the game (also huge) and then I could play it without crashing. Plus, my biggest annoyance is that I thought that the xbox one was supposed to be better about not having you watching downloading and installing bars cross the screen. Now granted I don't play it a lot. I'm a busy physician and there aren't good games. But everytime I turn the thing on it makes me download some enormous update and then install it. Or when you put a new game in you have to wait for it to load (obviously all the way based on my Dead rising experience). When you only have an hour to play before bed after you get the kids down and you spend half of it doing these updates or loading a game, it's pretty disappointing. Also, the thing is just glitchy. I've had issues with the controller and the unit having communication issues with each other which never happened with my 360 and you can tell the controller has thinner, flimsier plastic than the 360 controllers which would be fine if it were cheaper. Plus I no longer run my DirecTV through the xbox one which was supposed to be some wonderful function because it has a much less user friendly menu when you do this, it made our DVR mess up where it would take 2 or 3 seconds before it would fast forward with the 30 second skip and when you hit that button 6 times during a commercial break it's pretty annoying to have 12 or 15 seconds of just wasted time, and worst of all it CLEARLY made our picture worse on our TV. I took the HDMI cable and plugged it straight into the TV from the DVR and then through the Xbox One into the TV and there was clearly a less crisp, duller, washed out picture. It wasn't even tough to see the difference. My wife clearly noticed it and that isn't something she even claims to care about. And now Microsoft slaps me in the face and the Kinect that I just had to have as an initial buyer because it was "so integral to the Xbox One and it's future" is not not necessary at all and in fact I got to pay $100 for the privelege of having something that was even slowing my GPU down by 10% potentially making the graphics worse according to an article I just read. All I can say is next time Microsoft makes a console, I will absolutely NOT make the mistake of being an early adopter. Lesson Learned. Wow, I sound so angry. Believe me, you don't spend $500 and not want to like something but MS just failed on a lot of levels to deliver here. | video-games_xbox |
Story: Good Online/ Multiplayer: EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. The graphics in this game are awesome and the campaign and what you can do in co op campaign are fun. (You can't do storyline missions in co op). I've been a huge fan of the series since around the time Far Cry predator instincts came out and I was extremely disappointed in this game. There are so many things wrong with the PvP multiplayer and map making. The map making is cool but you can only do it by yourself and you can't play yours or anybody else's with friends. You can only play them by yourself. What's the fun in that? The PvP was hugely disappointing.
1. There's no team death match or anything like it. Its almost like multiplayer in assassins creed 3 and black flag. But it does get kinda fun SOMETIMES. 2. You can't have a party. You have to join a lobby and then invite your friends, hoping nobody else joins or hoping you don't join a full game. Its extremely aggravating trying to play with friends. 3. There is NO leveling system. Which makes it even more boring cause you aren't earning anything. 4. There's k/d but nobody can see it (this really wouldn't even be a problem if you could at least level up). 5. There are only 3 game modes which are almost all pretty much the same thing. One team has to use bow and arrows and the other team has to use guns. There are no game modes to both play guns or bows.
I have no idea what they were thinking but the PvP in this game could've been AMAZING because the graphics are beautiful and the fighting/shooting is actually really fun. They could've made an extremely fun PvP game.
Apparently they've said that they're going to fix most of these things "soon" but its been months and that has yet to happen. They seem not to even care about this game (probably focusing more on assassins creed unity)
So if you're buying this game on for the story I suggest buying it on sale. | video-games_xbox |
Mars Attacks. There were two places I absolutely had to visit in Fallout 3: Dogmeat and the crashed spacecraft. With the new downloadable content, Mothership Zeta, what was once a visit to a spooky alien craft turns into a full-fledged abduction scenario.
After being beamed up by into a saucer, the player is subjected to a disturbing sequence in which the aliens conduct experiments with painful probes. You wake up naked in a holding cell with another abductee, Somah, and have to fight your way to freedom.
Like The Pitt and Operation: Anchorage, this content is an entirely self-contained environment. You're in a spacecraft, after all. The green men, with their guardian drones, pack personal force fields and painful disintegrators that make the weapon you found on the dead alien in Fallout 3 look like a pop gun.
Leading the way through the labyrinthine architecture is Sally, a little girl who is small enough to traverse the ductwork. With a nod to Newt from the movie Aliens, she is at turns annoying (not all of her advice is sound) and helpful. You eventually are joined by other abductees awoken from cryo-sleep, including a samurai, a cowboy, and a medic abducted from Operation: Anchorage.
Like Operation: Anchorage, Mothership Zeta forces cocky players to change their tactics. The aliens are physically weaker but they make up for it with powerful weapons and armor. They come in groups of three or more and attack in enclosed spaces. Mothership Zeta is no cakewalk.
Along the way, the aliens plans are revealed. Creepy tapes of abductees being interviewed and experimented are littered throughout the ship. At one point, the player must conduct a spacewalk - although there's not much of a challenge in doing so. The finale is suitably climactic as you attempt to command the ship to fire on another UFO while fending off wave after wave of angry aliens. The win is hard-earned.
Mothership Zeta provides a few items that will be valuable back on Earth: biogel (heals hundreds of hit points), a disintegrator (inflicts massive amounts of damage in a single shot), and the energy ball-bouncing drone cannon (acts as a grenade but is very imprecise). When I returned to the regular Fallout 3 game, I used the drone cannon to devastating effect, especially because you can bounce the shots around corners.
Motership Zeta isn't for everyone. The foes are a bit repetitive, and listening to the alien chatter (they don't speak English, natch) gets old fast. More often than not I had to resort to bashing their big green heads in with a shock baton - ugly work, as the aliens squeal with every hit. But for fans of 50s science fiction, little green men, and Mars Attacks, this is a must buy. | video-games_xbox |
Resident Evil Revelations. I was quite shocked on how well the game came out. The game was originally for the Nintendo 3DS and it was quite good. The campaign is fairly long. Raid mode will add more replay value to the game once you beat the campaign. With a new mode (Infernal mode)add to the mix, I don't see why anyone will pass this up. Capcom updated the graphics and added a new creature in the game. Here's my brutal honest about the game.
The good things
- Capcom updated the atmosphere giving it an HD look to it. When your on the ship, the camera sways giving it the feel that your actually on the ship.
- The music is fantastic.
- Tight corridors are back! I had numerous experiences where i ran out of ammo and i walk backwards to a corner.
- Jill's campaign is survival horror while Chris's is more action horror.
- You can now evade (similar to RE3).
- Hold up to three weapons and store weapons you picked up in an item box (Oh yeah. They make a return).
- Upgrading weapons in campaign and raid mode is actually pretty neat.
- Raid mode is addicting (yes. Raid mode is also 2-player online. Not local).
- Controls are easy to get use to.
- Can aim and shoot. Even reload while moving.
The bad things
- Keith and Quint are by far the most annoying characters i've ever played.
- Annoying that your partner is with you somewhat of the game.
For this one, i'll let you decide whether this is a pro or a con
- In the old games, backtracking was quite common. In Revelations, it makes a return. There will be times where you have/choose to backtrack. Whether it's to advance the story or open the door that you have been waiting to open. Honestly, this is more of a pro in my opinion but others find this a con.
Overall, this game is extremely fun. I beat the campaign last night and i was pleased on how well capcom ported this game. With Infernal mode and raid mode in the game, i can see myself playing this game fairly long time. You won't be disappointed! | video-games_xbox |
Strong change of pace that many will find refreshing. I wanted to take my time and give you guys my review of the game. I am a die hard shooter fan but also really enjoy games such as Witcher 3. With that said this game despite the negative reviews and trolls is actually a lot of fun. Far cry primal takes a major twist on the franchise that many are very hesitant to embrace. One of the major changed associated with the game include the removal of the modern weapons such as the Ak etc. and instead replace them with bow and arrow spears. They even found a way to incorporate bombs such as the stinger bomb. Which is basically a bee hive grenade which I found very clever. Sure this takes some getting use to, but I don't understand why people are complaining about this. In an effort to do something different Ubisoft decided to take a chance and go all the way back to the the stone age instead of adding jet packs allowing you to fly across the maps (yeah I'm looking at you call of duty).
The wildlife in the game is really the main focus of the game as you are tasked with taming many of the now extinct animals.
This is the first big series game that has decided to completely ditch the older generation consoles. Doing so allowed the programmers to really focus on bringing quality graphics to the game. Some of the animals will look very similar to the ones you saw in far cry 4, however there will be times that you are looking at the scenery in the distance and will be amazed at the quality of the picture that is rendered using your console.
The game has some similarities to Witcher 3. Such as using hunter vision much like you would use Witcher senses to locate objectives or track an animal. If you really enjoyed Witcher then I feel you will really like this game. In all honesty I found some of the quest in Witcher a bit more fun but Primal is not far behind it.
When you are doing base invasion I highly suggest leaving you tamed beast behind as you will end up having to fight your way through most all of them since there is no way to ensure the beast will stay in cover which I feel is a pretty large oversight by Ubisoft but if you don't mind going in without backups then Stealth invasions are still an option.
Crafting and Building can be a bit of a chore. I don't mind farming for materials most of the time but it seems there is a lot to find and items needed to get what you want done than there needs to be. I can see this being quite painful as the game progresses.
One other negative is the subtitles. They are basically broken English. I understand having a fake language created to add authenticity to the game but If you are translating into English they could of done a better job.
Overall I am really enjoying the game. Its a very welcomed change of pace from the franchise that seems to offer a plethora of content for the price of the game which is always welcomed. The graphics are outstanding and the gameplay is very smooth. I have not had any problems with glitches or freezing which is nice considering the game just recently launched. If you liked Witcher and are looking for a similar game with lots of content and beautiful scenery then I highly suggest you take a look at Primal. You won't regret it.
As I progress further in the game I will ensure that I constantly Update my review to help others get a full insight on what they are paying for. | video-games_xbox |
An Exercise in Frustration. I'm a big fan of the UFC and a big fan of working out, so this title seemed like a natural fit for me. I've successfully completed P90X and GSP's excellent RushFit, so I have reference as to what a good workout routine is and I entered UFC Trainer with certain expectations, neither of which is fully met with this title, which certainly feels like a rough draft of a game that could've used 3 months of additional development time. At first, the sheer variety of workout options seems rather nice and varied. The variety is quickly wasted upon hearing your trainer repeat phrase after phrase, such as, "let's get the body ready for a great workout," followed 3 seconds later by "let's get the body ready for a great workout." Much more variety in the dialogue is a no brainer. How the developers let this slide is surprisingly Bush League game development since it really bites into the experience.
More variety in warm-up exercises would have been welcome, such as having the CPU randomly select 5 warm up moves from a pool of warm-up exercises instead of having to do the same ones before every routine. The option to skip warm-up or cooldown would have been nice.
During a routine you are prompted to input how heavy a weight you would like to use for the upcoming exercise... but are never told what that exercise is. So how do I know how much weight to grab (since the weight has to be input, to help figure calorie burn) - I'll use different weight for triceps than lunges, for example. Again, the user experience seems to be an afterthought
The biggest sin this title commits is in its shoddy body movement recognition during 'gameplay.' I can't remember how many clean, strict, push ups I would hammer out only to see the game wasn't registering but a fraction of them. Jumping jacks also gave the game a hard time to see and register, so the frustration quickly builds as you are losing your point bonuses and sometimes even fail an exercise outright since the goal numbers aren't being met. This problem rears its ugly head again in sparring, where sharp and crisp jabs and crosses frequently are met with a buzzer announcing you failed to throw the strike properly.
Graphics are decent, nothing remarkable, background music is derivative hard guitars trying to emulate the UFC feel. Sound effects are ridiculous, similar to 80's kung-fu movies, like when a trainer throws a knee strike you hear a whoosh! Every step the trainer takes on the mat sounds way more dramatic than it should be.
Overall, I got some decent workouts in, but the game's faults were so glaring that I became jaded with it after 2 weeks. Even Xbox Achievement hounds should steer clear of this sweaty turd. In closing, this title suffers greatly from its lack of polish. Perhaps next year's edition will clear up the blemishes this is covered in. For a mere $20 more, I recommend George St. Pierre's RushFit dvd set. Very varied, very demanding, very fun - and produces great results. | video-games_xbox |
A decent stealth game but not worth the full price. I picked this up from Steam after its initial release. The game seemed to be getting decent player reviews and that usually helps me decide to buy a game or not.
Velvet Assassin is a stealth game at heart. If you've played any of the Splinter Cell games you will be right at home here. However, unlike the PC version of Splinter Cell games this seems to be more geared toward the consoles or XBox 360.
You play as a British spy or secret agent (like - James Bond) which is actually a female that has been hospitalized after a unknown tragic accident. As you play through the story you will have various tasks to complete like destroying a fuel depot. Your main task is to get to your targets without being noticed by killing anyone that gets in your way. It's a simple and effective stealth concept however the way you perform these tasks is a bit arcadish compared to many other PC stealth games of the past.
The controls are geared toward a XBox control scheme. You can not navigate the main menus with the PC mouse just the keyboard. The stealth kills are animated cut-sceens which are a bit cheesy to me. Climbing latters, going through doors or crawling under objects are not shown in real time as you will appear on the other side without actually going through the motions.
What saves this game is it's errie and surreal stealth atmosphere. The story is not bad but can get confusing sometimes especially on what happened to her and why she is in the hospital. The music is well placed as you will her creepy sounds when your inside dark hallways and buildings.
The graphics are wonderful and very vibrate. I liked how the designers use color to set the mode in various levels. One level you may have bright reds and oranges and in another level you will have dark greens and blues. This is very creative to make the atmosphere look right for the story plot.
Overall, this game is not very long and you will finish it fairly quickly if you have played these types of games before. I didn't like the console feel but it seems more PC games are just becoming XBox ports where the only difference is that it will play on a PC rather than a console system. This is sad that developers are that cheap and I feel this game is way too expensive for the quality you get. The gameplay does not warrent $50 as the publishers suggest. My advise is to wait until this game comes down to $30 or below due to the length, quality and the fact that there is no multiplayer. You can replay missions in different ways which adds little replay value.
If your looking for a WWII stealth game where you can play as a female British secret agent that stabs Nazi soldiers to death in a immersive atmosphere then Velvet Assassin is a good game. Just don't pay full price for a average steatlh game that resembles a console game to the "T". | video-games_xbox |
My Review. So I'm reading alot of the reviews and the comments that come with them and I'm seeing alot of people downing those folks who gave this game a bad review because the "Don't say anything that warrants a 1 star in their review" So here you go people. A proper 1 star review.
Let me start by saying I've been playing Ghost Recon (we'll call it GR from now on) since GR:Summit Strike. I loved the multiplayer side of this game because I like playing games tactically and I enjoy sniping. I like Co-op alot on games and enjoy working with a team to achieve a goal. That being said lets start the review.
Ghost Recon Future Soldier is far and away the absolute worst GR to date. Lets start from the second I got my game and continue through the week I've spent playing it.
First I picked the game up and automatically had to install sound devices on my xbox. Cool whatever I can wait. I then installed all of the content that came with my game including the Uplay content. Since I bought the game right away I didn't have to pay a fee to continue past level five on multiplayer but I'm at level six and unless the game is fixed I won't be going any further. But I'm digressing. I started with the single player co-op campaign. This started out great but quickly moved into the realm of annoying. The first level was typical ghost recon find the people and kill them. But I had a bad feeling from the start that the game was moving me along a track that I couldn't move away from. The next level completed that feeling. I was basically being played by the game. During my co-op time I basically only got to do my own thing when it all hit the fan and I was firing at the enemies coming at me. I've never felt this in any other GR game but i shrugged it off. After all multiplayer is why I bought this game.
Day two started off with a bout in MP. And instanly I was upset. There are no user controlled rooms, there is no Sharpshooter, there is no tacticle game play and the maps are tiny compaired to old GR's. All of them. I shouldn't be able to walk accross every map in under a minute and still call it a tacticle game. To continue to compair them to GR I would say players of Boneyard and Desert Gulch from GRAW would enjoy any of the maps here. They are cramped and have very VERY few spots where a sniper rifle or team based play would make sense. There is no "Sniper" or "Marksman" class anymore. There is only a scout and with only three sniper rifles in the game I was less than impressed. The run and gun style the game is forced into now is nothing like an old GR game and nothing an old GR player would enjoy. If you play call of duty, Gears of war, halo or Battlefield you will give this a five star rating beause it is just enough of the different and just enough of the same for you to enjoy yourself. All of you who have played GR since it was on the Xbox and beyond will hate this game just as much as the rest of us.
I won't return this game but only because I enjoy the co-op time I spend with my friends and my brother. That and the fact that it's worht less than $30.00 to trade in. | video-games_xbox |
An extraordinary game that is a rare find. (SERIOUS BUG CAVEAT. I have, like so many people, purchased a game only to be roundly disappointed. Every once in a while, you come across a game that is worth playing and rarely still, find a game that is truly extraordinary. Alien Isolation is exactly that--extraordinary. The developing team for this game should be given an award. As far as the story, you can learn that from other reviews, so let me focus on what I think is so special about this game. First, it's exciting and suspenseful. It's also scary, and if you do not like scary games then you will not like it. But the suspense is not what you expect--it's not so much being startled and things jumping out at you. It's the mood, the ambience, it's the fact the you have to deal with multiple threats throughout the game--the Alien, hostile civilians, and robots, the environment. On top of that, you have to do problem solving...so your mind is consistently engaged but at the same time you cannot dispel the lurking expectation that you can fail despite your best attempts. You cannot be careless in this game. Second, the other aspect of this game I love is that it's not a game of mindless shooting and destruction. In fact, it's not a first person shooter game at all, it's really a game of problem solving and careful, relentless, and subtle prowling through the game to reach your objectives. You do have weapons and tools at your disposal to defend yourself, but you will not rely on them so much as your intuition and ability to avoid confrontation all together---this is because you do not have enough weapons at your disposal to deal with every threat, but also because the potential noise created by them will attract the Alien. As for the Alien, you cannot kill it with your found weapons and tools, it will certainly kill you if you are discovered.
I have some a minor quibble---but I understand why the developers did this...as a nod to the 1980s Alien film. In the game, there are CRT monitors and other technology, furniture, etc. that clearly screams 1980s. I would have preferred a more futuristic look.
So here is the bottom line....I highly recommend this game to anyone who is not into fast paced video games and mindless shooting. You are looking for a multi-faceted, thinking person's game with suspense. This is it.
*************************** Review updated 1/4/15 ************************
When I wrote the above review, I was about half-way through the game. I have now run into a show-stopper bug. If you "google" for "alien isolation airlock bug" you will learn about what I am referring to, and a lot of other players are running into the same issue. I cannot recommend a game that you cannot finish. So sad.
**************************** Review updated later on 1/4/15*****************
I was able to make it through the airlock bug. I wish I could tell you how to work around this, but I cannot with accuracy. I was able to make it through the "invisible barrier" of the airlock by reloading my previous save about 12 times and continually trying to get through the door. If you run into this issue, try running through, walking through, or stooping through---as there is no "bullet-proof" workaround. Make sure the alien has run away. I dinged the game one star because of the serious show-stopper bug, and the fact that there appears to be more than one. | video-games_xbox |
Rent before you buy. The first thing I did when I asked my parents for an Xbox with Halo at the age of 11 (I turned out fine) was to make sure they bough a second controller so I could play with my cousins. That was 14 years ago . Ever since then with every Halo release there would be a week or two of entire days and nights spent in front of the TV. Our favorite thing to do? Beat the campaign in co-op in every difficulty, find the skulls, the easter eggs, figure out where every gun and ammo pack was in the games. We didn't care about multiplayer, we preferred exploring, driving around, goofing off. We liked playing with the dead covenant, we liked shooting the flood's arms off and have them follow us around as pets. Split screen co-op has been replaced with in game AI, however it is incredibly stupid, uncoordinated and overall badly programmed. I've been playing halo more than half of my life and I'm afraid to say, I won't be buying this one.
It isn't just about split screen co-op and useless AI though. Halo used to be a simple game. Anyone remember multiplayer on Halo CE? Halo 2? We've come a long way from the simplicity of just picking an armor color. Halo has also joined the microtransaction club. Microtransactions are more common to cell phone games, but recently they've been taking over console games as well, resulting in many angry complaints from players across the board. Why should we have to pay to play a game that we already paid almost a hundred dollars for? One part of the game that DID remain simple was the campaign as it is short, underwhelming and fast. You can finish the campaign in a few hours.
This whittling down of the game is likely part of the COD effect, as you now get cards and level up your weapons and gear and such. For some reason, 343 thought they would sell more Halo if it was more like COD or Destiny. Instead of spreading out and trying to reach more gamers, they (343) should have just stuck to their roots, when a game is as good as halo 1-3, the players will come on their own. All you have to do is write a good story, but from the looks of it, 343 is only in it for the millions. Their job is to spit out as many Halo games as their minds can come up with. | video-games_xbox |
Oblivion= Electronic Crack. I have never played the game yet only because i just got my 360 today but i have watched my roomate play for the past month and a half and i got hooked just watching him play it! This game looked and played SO well it motivated me to get a 360, because before this no game out there really me to want to get it. now the only problems i have with the game is the part wher you become a vampire....i would have improved on that some-
1. While yes it does improve your stats, it is not a drastic increase, but in like all most every movie or game i have seen/played vampires were leagues above everything else when it came to strengh and speed, but i can understand why they didn't if they where trying to balance out the game to prevent the game from being too easy or hard depending on how you played it so i'll let this one slide.
2. You can only feed on sleeping people... come on are you telling me with all of the great stuff you have in the game you can only feed on PEOPLE WHO ARE ASLEEP...that is an insult to vampire lore everywhere. they should have made it where you can feed on anyone if they are awake or sleeping.
3. There is no negitives for not feeding...exept for people won't talk to you, how i would have done it to encourge proper role playing(this is an rpg after all) is the longer you go with out feeding your skills start to diminish and go down for your character is going crazy with hunger, but like number 1 i'll let that slide too because if you can only feed on sleeping people and you really only find them in town then it would be too hard to keep your character in check.
4. You can't create other vampires...which make no since at all because you don't start the game as a vampire but you become one. i just feel you should be able to do this, they're could be several ways to do this too, i feel if you made them a vampire they belong to your coven and they shuold follow you around like your minions(but to keep a balance in check i'd say the number of minions you can have depends on your level of experence)
5. You can't turn a humen( or what ever race you want for that matter) into a personal servent to handle your business during the day time(no i don't expect him to do quest but you should be able to send him on very minor personal missions, but that could get complicated so i'll let that slide too)
other then the very small reason about the vampire parts i givthis game a 5/5 fun wise and a 4/5 overall, i can't wait to pick it up my self | video-games_xbox |
Great Stick! I love it. I was fortunate enough to order one of these while they were still in stock, and I must say, I could not be happier with my purchase. Out of the box the stick is solid and really feels like it can take some abuse. The joystick (Sanwa JLF) is extremely responsive and the Hori buttons are nice as well. Another great thing about this stick is the sheer size of the cabinet. It allows for plenty of space to rest your hands on and it works well wether you place it on the coffee table or in your lap. I've used this exclusively since getting SF4, and even with the amount of use it's gotten already, it still feels solid. My friends say the same when I take it with me to video game nights. They love it as well.
With regards to customization - as others have said, this stick comes with great parts that will perform to most standards and types of playing. With that said though, some may choose to customize the HRAP, and it is very easy to do so. The buttons are all snap in, and it's easy to disconnect the wires since they use quick disconnects. The stick itself is also easy to customize. Sanwa offers many solutions for restrictor gates and bat tops. I myself, wanting the feel of an American arcade stick, swapped out the standard square gate for an octagonal one and put a bat top on the stick in place of the bubble top. I am extremely happy with the feel. A quick google search on-line will take you to a couple suppliers where parts can be ordered if you choose to go the custom route (I ordered my stuff from lizard lick amusements), and a visit to the forums on srk has plenty of info for everything. The only other thing I may do is add some weight inside the cabinet. It's pretty hefty already, but a little bit more wouldn't hurt. It's a personal perference.
All in all, this is a great stick. I am extrememly happy with my purchase and love using it with SF4. 30 years and I've finally realized my dream of having an arcade in my living room - no quarters required! | video-games_xbox |
Somehow - not as good as the first 3. Despite all the pans and critiques, you can't deny that Splinter cell DA is still a pretty good game. It maintains the same tradition of stealth over run-and-gun as its splinter cell predecessors. No doubt, this game is worth renting. But you should be able to beat it before it's due back at Blockbusters.
Now for the gripes:
First, the multiplayer is nothing short of retarded. In the previous incarnations, super cool spies battled it out against mean mercenaries. Now the spies and mercs look like bald goons. I don't generally care about silly looking character models; but they're extremely goofy looking in this game. The big difference, and one that it seems everyone is complaining of, is that spies have very little offensive options against mercs. In past games, spies could at least stun them with a stun gun or launch a smoke grenade in their direction. Now spies have no guns, and can only carry one (that's right, one) gadget - like the smoke grenade or flash grenade. While previous titles made multiplayer such an integral part that it really made the game worth buying, the multiplayer on DA is stupid, unbalanced, and no fun whatsoever to play.
The single-player story is more or less the same gameplay as previous splinter cell games. The "trust" meter thing is pretty silly and it basically goes up or down depending on whether or not you complete primary and secondary objectives. It adds nothing to the game.
The mini-games are a nice addition. I'm starting to wonder if all games will have mini-games one day. At any rate, the ones in DA are a bit on the difficult side; but not so aggravatingly so to make you throw the controller.
I was a big fan of the original trilogy of splinter cell on x-box. But with a short story and a real let-down in the multiplayer department, this will be the first splinter cell title that I will NOT be buying. | video-games_xbox |
Nothing Special Here. If you're a fan of first-person shooters, you know there are certain things that will make a shooter better than the rest. First, level design must not be confusing. Use of different textures can help make rooms look different, and doors shouldn't have anything sticking out to catch you when you're backing up. Lighting should not confuse the player eithers. Too many effects can be really confusing. The single player mode should have a story worth paying attention to or none at all. Events should make sense like they would in the real world.
The designers of Halo 2 must not have played many first person shooters. I'll tell you why:
The level design makes no sense at all. No one would ever make structures like the ones in this game. There is just no logic to it. Almost all of the doors have little pieces of wall jutting out into them making backing up through them frustrating. There are also tons of rocks, trees, broken cement, and other props that bring up the polygon count. High polygon count in an xbox game makes for low framerates. The textures are not very creative. All the rooms look very similar, and the lighting effects are unrealistic and confusing. When you shoot or get shot, there is enough flashing on the screen to send someone into a seizure. Xbox live does not allow you to configure much, and the levels of the menus are confusing. The single player story leaves a lot to be desired and the weapons are not balanced anymore. The energy sword is friggen cool though! Remember how well balanced they were in Halo 1?
First person shooters have been around for many years. Most of the mistakes Halo 2 is guilty of have been made before. If only the programmers played more video games.
Halo 2 is not all bad, but it is not very good either. Considering how fun the first Halo is (for a console game), this could have been ten times better. Maybe Halo 3 won't disappoint...
SCORP GO STABBY! | video-games_xbox |
Ultimately a huge Let Down . I bought Battlefield 1 over the Xbox Marketplace. While the scenery is absolutely stunning and unparalleled to anything I've seen this far. While I was initially exited for it, a few days of gameplay have left me somewhat disappointed. I hate to compare it to Starwars: Battlefront but that's essentially what you are getting minus the heroes and being able to aim down the sights. Gameplay is at this point in time somewhat buggy and noteably glitchy. You can be flying a plane in a dogfight and next thing you know the guy in front of you teleports through the mountain On the Italian Alps Map and then the game catches back up and next thing you know you are hitting the mountain and the guy you are dogfighting somehow managed to avoid certain death. The guns are sot on so no complaint there. The MAIN thing I have an issue with is operations. I feel like some of those maps are "historically" set up to give the Beligerents that fought the battle In the real world war an edge. Essentially the enemy team is allowed to spawn on the last base they have available and you and your team (depending on what side you are on) have to make the treck across a dessert, mountain pass, no mans land, etc and take them out, which ultimately results in your team killing a few other enemy's and getting grenade spammed and choked out on mustard gas or blown up with an anti tank grenade. I mean really? Save that for the tanks. The Bayonet Charge was one of the most Anticipated functions about the game for me and even that left me with a sour attitude. Maybe a couple of updates in and this will get better with time, I'm certain. But until then, I really would rather play BF4 or Hardline as those are Fantastic. If you buy this game, get an actual CD copy just in case you dislike it and want a partial Refund. Don't sell it to game stop because you won't get your 2 cents worth back from it. All in all, I give this game a 2/5 Stars or a 40%. | video-games_xbox |
I'm so addicted to this game...but frustrated. I rented this game and a few days later bought it. This is nearly a perfect Mortal Kombat game. I had lost interest in MK after it's many sequels and same ol, same ol. A new fighting system, weaponry and multiple fighting styles make this not only a challenge to master but a lot of fun as well. Plenty of Gore and Blood and plenty of moves where you have no choice but to say "that HAD to hurt". You have to love impaling your opponent.
Graphics and sound are top notch and the added Konquest mode and the Krypt add a new level to this game the previous titles didn't have. Konquest mode to unlock Blaze and Mokap can be cruelly frustrating, just TRY and do Raiden's Chain Lightning Branch Style Combo, i've been at it for two days now. They couldn't have made Konquest mode just a "tad" easier. certain characters in Konquest mode are far easier than others. Sometimes i could swear there's a glitch where you do the combo right but the game insists you didn't, and as other times you do it by mashing buttons as fast as you can and it decides to let you have it. The old favorites are back with some great new characters as well. It's a interesting concept mixing a fighting game with Kurrency to unlock hidden characters, arenas and alternate costumes to name a few. I've been playing it non stop since i got it. The only problems i can find with this game are the "cheese" factor of Moloch and certain moves or combinations of moves that a human player wouldn't be able to pull off, but the AI pulls off flawlessly, like blocking and attacking at the same time as well as perfectly timed reversals into a 15 hit Branch Style Combo that goes through all three fighting styles LOL.The rounded directional pad makes some of the moves harder to pull off than on say a playstation controller and that can get annoying at times, hitting down back to perform a "special move" only to jump in the air unintentionaly. The range of difficulty should have been spread out a little more as well, you go from your first fighting being a flawless victory in every round,to your third and fourth giving you a seriously AI sided fight. Staring at the screen going what the heck happened, i guess i blinked. I would have liked to have seen more than ONE fatality per character and maybe even a few arena fatalities as well. Some of the Branch Style Kombos seem next to impossible to pull off and having to do them to beat Konquest mode to unlock even more characters is frustrating, although die hard MK fans wll surely have no problems LOL. It's a great game and i can't wait to see the sequel. Plenty of morbid entertainment for your dollars. From what i've herd and seen the Xbox version is the BEST version of this game on a console. If you have an Xbox definetly pick this up or rent it. One final thing, Midway would have been smart to make this game Xbox LIVE compatible so you could play with other people online in VS mode, that would have been most excellent. | video-games_xbox |
Just Dance - FINALLY on the Xbox thanks to Kinect. There isn't a dance game around that has had the success of the Just Dance brand. Selling over five million copies worldwide, Just Dance 2 was a dance game juggernaut on the Wii. This time, the party has returned bigger and better than ever with Just Dance 3. And this time, the party is on the Kinect for Xbox 360.
No review of Just Dance 3 would feel correct without mentioning the other giant Kinect dance title, Dance Central. Once Dance Central 2 comes out, I will do a review of the game and then do another separate article comparing the two games. Do they compete or is there room enough for both? We'll soon see.
For now, my immediate thoughts on Just Dance 3 are about a game trying to make itself accessible to a larger crowd. The playlist (found here) represents a variety of songs from various generations, genres, and ethnicity. There are no opportunities to slow things down and learn each step. The idea of Just Dance is simple, just dance.
Those familiar with Kinect's other major dancing game will feel right at home here. As soon as the game starts, move your hands up and down to find the right menu, and swipe to select. Here is where I have to give Just Dance 3 some worthy credit, because there is a lot of content to play around with.
The first mode that will draw your attention is the Just Dance mode. Hop in, pick a song, and you are off. Instead of a menu of options, everything is decided on stage. Before you start the dance, you set the difficulty and number of players. Raise your hand to pick from easy or hard. If you have multiple players, have them stand side-by-side or by staggering, where they will all show in the feedback panel.
The difference between easy and hard modes is how the Kinect tracks you. For just upper body tracking, pick easy. This is a good way to ease in players coming from the Wii version. It is also a good mode for players that don't want to jump or spin. For full body tracking, pick hard. The tracking is where I have a small problem with the game. There is nothing to tell you what you are doing wrong or right. You are given a "X", an "OK", a "good", or a "perfect". This can be a bit frustrating when trying for high scores or to earn certain achievements.
Speaking of tracking, the tracking in Just Dance 3 seems very well done. If your living room allows for it, you can have up to four people dancing and tracked at the same time. I was able to cram myself and both kids into the routine and I scored just as well as when playing solo. For added fun, Just Dance has brought back Duets and added a Dance Crew for several songs. Duets is where two players can do complementary dances during the song. Dance Crew is similar, but for four people and usually involves an orchestrated performance. For those solo artists out there, don't fret. You can still have your own one-person party by selecting whichever Dance Crew coach to follow and then square dance the night away with your invincible friends.
The routines of Just Dance 3 are what separates it from most dance games. You will either love them or hate them. You will either let loose and have fun or you will dismiss them as being a bit too corny. If you are fine with dancing as a cheerleader to Britney or acting like Mr. Pumpkin man in a Halloween themed song, you'll be fine here. As I said earlier, the main thrust of Just Dance games is accessibility. Nothing says accessibility like swinging a lasso or playing a virtual guitar. Everything is done in fun and is choreographed perfectly with the music. The dances are easy to learn and follow. Instead of the choreography changing to reflect the difficulty level, the difficulty level is set by how the game tracks you (upper versus entire body).
Each song is scored on a five-star scale. Higher points are awarded to "perfect" moves and even more points are given to players hitting several perfect moves in a row, which is also called being "on fire". There are extra points available in the song through Gold Moves and Shout Outs. Gold Moves are specially highlighted moves during the song, which are an added bonus to the score. Shout Outs are specially selected portions of the lyrics, which are sung for even more points. Earning more stars after each song will fill up the Mojo Bar, which is a currency used to unlock items in the game.
There are several nice unlocks in the game, either through the Mojo Bar or by uPlay. The Mojo Bar is simply filled up by dancing. uPlay points are earned through special feats and can be used to buy anything from Ubisoft game themes for your Xbox Dashboard to in-game unlocks. The game specific selection for uPlay is about four items, while the unlocks from the Mojo Bar are many. Just in my first time playing, I unlocked special modes and new choreography for current songs. For instance, instead of rocking out to one song, I was taken to a gym to do aerobics. This is a very nice way to keep things fresh in the game.
Just Dance 3 features downloadable songs, with three available at launch. What is nice about these songs is the ability to demo them before purchasing them. At 240 points a piece, they can get a bit pricey, even though they are pretty fun. Hopefully we will see the store exclusive songs that were made for Best Buy and Target. I'm also hoping Ubisoft follows the pattern of Just Dance 2 and makes a couple of songs free down the road.
Now for my favorite, the Just Sweat mode. Essentially, this is a switch that is turned on and follows you around whatever you are doing. Everything you do is given a `Sweat Points' score. The more you dance, the more points you earn. The points rack up pretty fast and I don't think they can be associated with calories. They do give you an idea of intensity though. An added touch to the last game is various summaries of your progress. For instance, when I earned 1,000 Sweat Points, I was told this was the same as a brisk walk across Central Park.
The best thing to do while in Sweat Mode is to use the set play lists. Unfortunately, you can't create your own play lists, but there are many to choose from. My personal favorite is the Non-Stop Shuffle and Speed Shuffle. Each of these is a non-interrupted cycle of songs in the game. I wish there was a way to skip the slow songs, which I'm not really sure why they are included in the game anyhow. The difference between Non-Stop and Speed Shuffle is the length of the song. Just like in the regular song mode, you can pick to dance to a minute and a half or to the full song.
One of the last features, which is very unique to the Kinect, is the Just Create mode. Here you are given the chance to create your own routine and challenge friends to it. You are actually recording an image very similar to Ubisoft's other Kinect games, such as Michael Jackson: The Experience (reviewed here). The dance can then be saved to your Xbox for challenging others later. Or, you can upload your video to Just Dance Planet and have it ranked and downloaded for more competition.
Speaking of competition, any song that you are about to play, that has been played by one of your friends, will show the current high score and the person with that score. This keeps the game fresh and competition heated, but a leaderboard would have been even more appreciated. Perhaps some kind of stat tracking will show up on Just Dance Planet at a later date.
The presentation of Just Dance 3 is fairly solid with nice visuals and most music being song by the original artist. My only complaint about the visuals is how similar the Xbox version is to the Wii version. Not that this is a bad thing, considering how vibrant most of the visuals are with a changing background. There just seems to be that extra level of polish missing. This by no means subtracts from the fun or usability of the game, but I can't help to wonder why the two versions look and act so similar.
In reviewing games, I look at the five f's: fitness, fun, functionality, family, and firsts. As far as fitness, you can definitely expect to see some motivational stories come out of this. Just look at what this woman and this woman did with Dance Central. Now you have Just Dance 3`s approachable dance game, added with a non-stop playlist, and you have yourself a fitness masterpiece. What will produce those future success stories is the amount of fun Just Dance gives you. There are a large number of songs with a wide variety to choose from, with each being easy to learn. The functionality is spot-on. Occasionally I had an issue where the game thought I slid, when I meant to raise, but that is pretty minor. I wish there was a feedback on my dance performance to tell me what parts I'm missing or how. As for being a family game, everything is edited for proper language. If you are fine with the occasional Britney or B.o. B song in your house, there shouldn't be a problem here. Younger kids can play along with joy, but may have trouble navigating the menus by themselves. And, as for firsts, this is the first dancing game to allow up to four people dancing at one time. This is also the first dancing game that allows you to upload videos and use them as challenges for other people to follow.
In summary, Just Dance 3 is an extremely fun and accessible dance game that anyone can enjoy. There is a huge variety of music and styles to dance to, so this may not appeal to someone looking to perfect their club dance moves. This is a pick up and play type of game, with a lot of variety and content. People playing by themselves or in a party will find something to enjoy here. The bottom line is, if you own a Kinect and you like to have fun, you should definitely pick up Just Dance 3. | video-games_xbox |
Great product. 12/06/2011
All I can tell you about this product is that it is the future of gaming and media interface. I purchased the kinect on black friday and it is awesome. 1st off, the user interface with Netflix and other applications is spot on. I tend to use the voice recognition more than anything out of laziness. As long as you calibrate everything correctly it works perfectly. The great thing about the kinect is the hardware is very good and way ahead of it's time, a great foundation to build on. All other improvements are dependent on software upgrades. It is going to take a while before any other the other console manufacturers can come up with anything close.
As far as gaming goes, there aren't that many games out yet, but I have played quite a few. The Gunstringer is very fun and amusing. The comedic aspect of the characters definately livens up the game with better content. The gaming interface is great as well. I have played Child of Eden which is nothing short of magnificent. If you have a nice TV you will be mesmerized by the graphics alone. The integration of creating your techno beats is awesome. And the gaming experience is like Lawnmower Man meets Minority Report meets Gamer. One thing is, if you have ever had a seizure or if you have epilepsy DO NOT play this game. Both the Kinect Sports games are very similar to wii games, but better because you are the controller!!!! There is no added expense in buying new controllers. Table Tennis and Boxing are my favorites. Kinect Adventures is a great way to get used to the Kinect. I always have people play this first before playing any other game as it is a great tutorial for the gaming experience. Beyond that, it become boring quick, so you have to buy another game within the first few days of owning the kinect, but that is ok, Microsoft is not a charity.
Just to wrap it all up where the kinect really shines is the future. I have read that Xfinity(comcast) has joined forces with Microsoft and the kinect is the future of media viewing. In the near future all of the TV studios will be making applications for the XBOX 360. The live network is a tried and true product and will always surpass other gaming consoles networks. I say this as a person who used to be an avid PS2 gamer and hated the original XBOX. After I bought my 360 I haven't looked back. I hope this review is very helpfull to everyone and I hope you all by XBOX360's and the Kinect! | video-games_xbox |
Lacking in depth, but not in substance. The best thing Max Payne has going for it is a tremendously effective immediate atmosphere. From moment one, you feel like you're a part of this gritty, grimy, underground world. You're convinced that drippy, rusty pipes and dirty snow are the only constants in your own life, and all of that helps to make the central character, Max himself, much more understandable and sympathetic. All of the little things work together, from the graphics to the storytelling to the various ambient sounds to the characters themselves, to paint this immersive picture of a city overflowing with criminals, corrupt cops, self-centered politicians and very few true good guys. Even Max himself is far from a squeaky clean do-gooder, and seems more like a comedically poetic Punisher than a Superman as he fires out one overly wordsmithed sentence after another like so many dirt-encrusted bullets. Really, Max only distances himself from the guys on the receiving end of his wrath through an admirable drive to discover the truth and a tragic origin, and this lack of any true, identifiable hero works toward that aforementioned greater good, delivering a more realistic setting and allowing the story to take some liberties with its subject that would have otherwise been taboo.
Max's tale plays like a solid motion picture; you come in just as the action gets interesting (a rookie cop living the "American Dream" comes home one night to discover a set of intruders in his house, and fails to gun them down before they slaughter his wife and infant child) and hang around as the anti-hero quickly loses his inhibitions and his mind, accepting an undercover job that predictably goes bad and leaves him cut off in the middle of a criminal underworld that feels he's betrayed them. The story is compelling, and is always laid out in one of two ways; either through a live-rendered cutscene in between scenarios or by way of a series of narrated, graphic novel-reminiscent storyboards. It's nothing new to see a game featuring speaking parts in the middle of a mission any more, but the paneled storyboard work that serves to bookend each sub-level is an interestingly novel concept that somehow manages to avoid the cheesiness you'd think it would be drowning in. Although the frames themselves are obviously based off of source photography, and that photography looks like nothing more than a half dozen programmers and their friends out goofing off on the streets and occasionally shooting stills for a game they happen to be working on, there's a certain charm to these pages that helps the player to further identify with the events that are going on within. It's a nice break from all of the tense, blood and guts action of the rest of the game to sit back and take in a quick comic book-based scene, even if that scene does happen to involve just as much blood and violence as the gameplay.
As Payne slowly begins to lose friends and brain cells, he also begins to lose his focus on reality and slides into several amazing, if frustratingly tedious, hallucinogenic nightmares and fantasies. These are the scenes that really help to set the storyline apart from its peers, while at the same time dragging its gameplay a notch or two below that universal standard. The world spins hazily and blurrily around you, your field of vision is always clouded by a sort of dizzying grey cloud, things seem to move just a little bit too fluidly, and time slows to a crawl... they really are some of the best in-game visualizations of a dream-like state I've ever seen, and are crawling with the same sort of bloody, twisted, hopeless tone that fills the rest of the game. You'll hear the last wails unleashed by Max's wife and the occasional wounded scream of his child off in the murky depths, and the first three or four times they'll send shivers down your spine. Once you're on your sixteenth jaunt through the area, they'll grow more than a little annoying. Still, if it weren't for these little bits and pieces of horror, the game would tread dangerously close to straight action, with no respite.
Gameplay itself is slick and easy to master, with the first few levels acting as a great primer for what's to come. There's no real "lock-on" mechanism, as is so prevalent in similar games, but there is Payne's infamous "bullet time" function, which makes the process of aiming precisely at a moving target a bit less hairy. If you've seen The Matrix, then you probably already knew what I was talking about when I said "bullet time" and thus don't need a more detailed explanation, but for those who haven't; Max leaps into the air in some sort of dramatic, gun-wielding swan dive, and from the moment he leaves the ground until the moment he touches dirt again, time slows to a crawl. It's the same sort of thing that was employed previously in Conker's Bad Fur Day and made you groan when you saw a CGI cow performing it in the trailer for Kung Pow a few years ago, but is actually handled with some restraint so that it doesn't feel all that gimmicky and truly blends in as a helpful new gameplay element. You get a limited amount of "bullet time" to dole out, (exactly how much depends upon the difficulty level you've chosen) so you're not doing it over and over and over again, and you're given enough control of your actions in the middle of a dive to keep it from being an easy, surefire kill every single time.
Payne's graphics have long been hailed as a measuring stick of sorts for the Box, and while I'll certainly agree that they're far above the standards set during the N64-PSone war, they haven't aged all that well as this generation's battles near their end. The textures and character animations have become almost run-of-the-mill over the years, and while that may say a thing or two about the game's long-lasting impact on the industry and the trends it may or may not have set, it doesn't necessarily come across that way when played for the first time today. The characters themselves have always appeared to me as though they lacked real weight and mass. They look like scarecrows, especially in profile, with regularly-sized heads and hands, but stick arms and bodies with thick clothes just draped over to give the illusion of substance. The facial textures, while beautiful, don't look particularly professional and feel more like user-submitted skins wrapped around the same body several times over. The constant smirk adorned by Max himself only serves to further reinforce this sensation. The environmental textures that wow you from the ground level don't carry over as the skyscrapers near the roof level, and while that's not something you'll notice in the game's first few levels, later stages take place almost exclusively atop high rises and warehouses, where the poor walls are featured, front and center. Building interiors are sufficiently varied, with little bits and pieces of black humor thrown in like a porno poster on the wall or a hidden video camera facing the bedroom behind a false wall in a seedy hotel, but occasionally distract you with sealed doorways that look identical to the doors you'll need to be breaking open or casually pushing aside as the game progresses. This isn't a bad looking game, but I wouldn't say it's deserving of excessive praise, either. It's close, but the effort and attention to detail seems to drip away as you reach the later levels.
The sound, especially the voice-over work, is very well done. Although the majority of the game is merely accompanied by ambient noise, (and, more often than not, screaming and gunfire) you'll occasionally run into some music or white noise that is particularly effective in setting a mood or getting a laugh. The programs running on the few functional televisions you'll discover are especially funny, and smack of the kind of comedy you'd expect from the various radio stations in modern chapters of Grand Theft Auto. When somebody's speaking, which is really quite often, the voices suit the situations almost shockingly well. Payne himself sports a deep, gritty, exceptionally noir-detective baritone, and pounds out the game's sometimes over-the-top dialogue to terrific results. Sometimes I have trouble discerning whether this game was meant to be a revival of the noir genre or a parody of it, as the acting varies from extremely camp to chillingly effective, and that's a fun line to walk as the events progress.
Playing a game of Max Payne is like owning a passably good movie on DVD. It's not great, it won't be bringing home any Oscars and it isn't quite my definition of an epic, must-see production; it is solid entertainment for a couple of nights. You'll pop it in once in a while when you don't want to have to think about anything in particular, and it'll deliver a fun time. It's got just enough depth to keep you motivated throughout a long session, but momentarily entertaining enough not to demand your time in huge, six hour bunches. I can see how those who rushed out to pick up their copy on release day were disappointed... this isn't substantial enough a game to justify a full fifty bucks. It's short, relatively easy and overly linear. There's no immediate replay value, despite the ability to unlock a few new modes of gameplay, because they're all essentially applying questionable new rules to the exact same game. It introduced a few new gameplay elements and represented itself strongly in both visual and audio, but just doesn't have that undefinable "it" factor to push it up and above the rest of the pack. Every time the story would take a step forward, the gameplay would take a step back, and vice versa. At this point in its lifespan, and for the price you're likely to discover it for today, I'd say Payne is worth the expense, but I can see why some of my running buddies felt betrayed by it back in '01 when they were expecting another GTA, which is pretty much what it was advertised as, and got a straightforward noir-era third person shooter. | video-games_xbox |
A humorous fun game. I am a fan of Insomniac studio (the same people who created Resistance series on PS3) so even though I couldn't get into this game by watching its trailers, I had to give it a try. I have to say it was nothing like I was expecting and it blew my mind.
****************************************************************************PROS*******************************************************************************
Stylish and fluid gameplay: This is the biggest strength of this game. While difficult at first, I loved the fluid movements you can do in the game. Jump, wall runs and air dash reminded me of Devil may cry. Loved going from one end of the city to another defeating enemies using variety of fun weapons and pulling stylish acrobatic moves.
Fun and colorful weapons: Really loved them. In the beginning you start out with some ok weapons but as you progress through the game you get some really awesome devastating yet funny weapons. Exploding teddy, firecracker gun, hairspray gun etc. are all fun to use to defeat different enemies and the explosion/impact they produce is quite enjoyable.
Variety of enemies and bosses: When I saw the trailer I was worried that I may be just fighting mutants but once you start progressing through the game, you get to face different types of mutants, robots as well as human enemies. It was quite fun using variety of weapons on them. Really enjoyed some of the bosses like frisco bots.
Humorous missions: All and I mean all of the missions in this game are extremely funny. There were times some jokes made me laugh so much that I had to pause the game. Bravo to the creators!
Beautiful open world: Found it quite fun to traverse through the open world of this game. Even when on the missions sometime I would just wonder off as some parts of the town would look quite appealing. Loved jumping to the top of the tall building, surfing on the bodies of water, grinding on the bridge and fighting different enemies in the carnival settings.
Upgrades, perks and collectibles: As if main and side missions were not enough, this game has tons and tons of collectibles that helps you obtain different upgrades and perks.
Online play: Yup in addition to 60+ hrs of missions and side missions there is online play that will unlock more unique weapons.
Replayability; All the missions and side missions are replayable. Loved replaying many of them especially excalimune sword mission. Really fun.
****************************************************************************CONS*******************************************************************************
Learning curve: This game can be difficult at first as controls are a bit novel. But once you get used to them, the game becomes quite fun.
****************************************************************************CONCLUSION*****************************************************************************
Truly hope they make a sequel. I really enjoyed this game. The gameplay was solid and the story was as humorous as I have ever experienced in a video game. I hope I get to experience more in the future. I wouldn't give many games 10/10 but a perfect score for this one. Well done Insomniac. | video-games_xbox |
Fresh and new initial review. I have had my xbox 360 since the Elite version, and have been on xbox live for 6 years. I am also 35 years old (just to give this some perspective). I have had my ps3 for about 4 years now. I play the ps3 for it's exclusives and the xbox for everything else.
Having been a HUGE fan of Far Cry 3, I was eagerly waiting the release of FC4 and had planned to get it on xb360. Then it dawned on me that I could have a much better visual experience if I were to play it on the xbone instead of aging xbox360 hardware. That, and the fact that GTA5 (FPS) was being re-release only on next gen, helped me pull the trigger....
First time setting this up and playing FC4 was last night. These are just my initial experiences, updates are sure to follow. Here are some answers to questions I had to look up:
XBOX LIVE Gamertag: yes, it carries over from xbox360. When you setup the xbox one it asks you to sign in.
XBOX LIVE GOLD membership: My initial fear of having to buy 2 different accounts for xbone and 360 were squashed. Your existing xbox live Gold membership works for both consoles.
LAY IT FLAT: it doesn't want to be vertical.
Setup was painless and the updates were very quick. I had the system up and running in 10 minutes.
THE DASHBOARD: is a mess IMO. I like the xbox 360 interface. This one? Cluttered, confusing, too much going on. It seems like a blend of the Windows 8 metro screen, charms dock, and the xbox360 all mixed together. I might just need to get used to it, but being my age, I really don't want another learning curve. Wish I could turn some things off. I don't want to Skype or upload footage of anything.
THE CONTROLLER: feels great. It is a little smaller than the 360 but it feels similar but without that big battery hump underneath. The thumbsticks have awesome feeling grippies around the edge, not on top.
FAR CRY 4? looks incredible! The detail is almost assaulting on my eyes. The controls are smooth and the detail of what you can see far in the distance is overwhelming. I really can't imagine what games will look like after the developers start exploiting the capabilities of the system. Think, Perfect Dark Zero VS GTA 5. Insane!
Bottom line, for the visual treat of FC4, it totally justifies the purpose of this console. IMO. I am a graphics junkie though. More updates to come. | video-games_xbox |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.