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MEJOR JUEGO PARA XBOX 360 QUE EXISTE. Es simplemente fantastico, yo les puedo asegurar con certeza a mis 33 anos he jugado muchos juegos he tenido muchas consolas pero nunca pense jugar un juego con el 99,99% de perfeccion, como les puedo asegurar esto por el simple hecho que temgo un sistema de sonido 5,1 dolby digital y un televisor de 42" SONY da alta definicion (HDTV)los graficos son ESPECTACULARES, el sonido PERFECTO incluida la musica la inteligencia artificial de los enemigos y aliados es una de las mejores que he visto.
Uno se siente profundamente metido en la historia parece una guerra real uno esta asustado tratando de buscar refugio y asi poder dirparar a las hordas interminables de LOCUST y si no disparas el enemigo te rodea y tus visceras terminaran regadas por el suelo.
como podran notar soy latino vivo en ECUADOR y debo pensar bien en como invertir mi dinero ya que aqui cuestan alrededor de 80 dolares pero este juego los vale. La verdad muchos de los juegos que vienen con traduccion en espanol son PESIMOS ya que las voces las relizan espanoles y comprenderan que el OSTIA-EY TIO-DISPARAD LAS PIZTOLAS lo detesto como pasa en GHOST RECON , pero en este juego en espanol es increible parece que por ahi hay un argentino pero aceptable y cuando oigas a los LOCUST decir cuando se acercan PATEASUELOS-OMINIDOS O HUMANOS CON UNA VOZ DE MOUNSTRO MUY BIEN HECHA EN ESPANOL DEBERAS PREPARARTE PARA PELEAR POR TU VIDA y eso que no lo he jugado en ingles ,el juego es un poco corto es verdad con unas 8 o 9 horas de juego lo terminaras.
Otro detalle que es un invento nuevo en un genero tan desgastado como el de tiroteo es la mini motosierra en el rifle simplemente matar a los LOCUST con esto es sanguinariamente adictivo y veras muuuuuucha sangre, a un consejo cuando oigas a un mounstruo decir BOOM mejor ponte a cubierto.
Yo adoro los juegos de la WWII como CALL OF DUTY Y MEDAL OF HONOR EN SUS BUENOS TIEMPOS y a HALO pero dudo que esta vez MASTER CHIEF salga victorioso ESTE SERA EL MEJOR JUEGO DEL ANO SEGURO AHH DISCULPEN POR NO PONER TILDES NI LA N CON LA RAYITA ENCIMA.
Ahhhhh me olvidava porque no es perfecto Solo por un pequeno detalle QUE UNO NO SE PUEDE AGACHAR SI NO SE ESTA CUBRIENDO ATRAS DE ALGO | video-games_xbox |
A Great Stick. I've owned 2 of these Fightsticks for a week now and I am extremely happy with my purchase.
I'm a fighting game fanatic and I've built and modded my own arcade sticks for a few years now. After playing with this stick, I can honestly say it is better than anything I've played with to-date.
The stick is very responsive and surprisingly quiet (for a Sanwa style stick). The case seems to be insulated to tone down on the clicky noises you hear from the microswitches. The stick is very responsive and is tight, it just feels right.
I think most of the people complaining about the stick are not very familiar with playing 2D fighters on anything other than a d-pad. I had no trouble pulling off QCF, HCF, and all double variations of them.
The buttons are very sensitive, just how they should be. All you need is a light graze over them to trigger a response. I have noticed one button on each of my sticks has a little more friction than the others. It's not the same button on either stick and it really doesn't impact your enjoyment.
The layout of the stick is fantastic. I love that you can lock some of the unnecessary buttons and the placement of the 'back' and 'start' button will prevent you from accidental button presses.
The stick is wired, but I think it's a feature more than a drawback. Any hardcore fighting game fan is obsessed with latency and timing. Keeping it wired will alleviate most of the hardcore player's concerns.
The price is perfect for a stick of this quality. I used to be a long-time hater of MadCatz products, but they've certainly turned a new leaf. Keep up the great work.
I love this stick.
UPDATE: After about 2 months of heavy use, my buttons started to stop registering or sometimes they would register twice with one push. I've contacted MadCatz through e-mail twice about the issue and never got a response. I'm displeased that something I paid decent money for stops working after just 2 months. On the bright side, it's easy to replace the buttons with Sanwa buttons.
I'd give this stick 2 stars out of 5 now. A 1 star for customer service from MadCatz. | video-games_xbox |
Don't buy this game. I normally don't write reviews, but this game blows so much, I have to let people know. I should have listened to the reviews. The game is clunky at best: 1) Load screens take 30s to 1.5min each time- this sounds short, but when you have to go through 2 or 3 screens to do something, the delay definitely becomes noticeable. For context, Halo also has lag times, but its only when it goes into cinema mode or you move on to another board- so its not as frequent. 2)The graphics in my opinion are sub xbox 360 level. 3)The announcers are morons who repeat the same things and make statements that don't make sense b/c of poor AI programing. 4) Owner mode is sloppy- I feel like they tried too hard to make it realistic. Old xbox versions were better in this regard- more intuitive and less bs to control. 4)Trades/free agency: why is it when I go to make a trade or pick up a free agent, they don't have a screen showing me the players on my team in the position I am looking for so that I can compare the players right on the screen WITHOUT having to close out of the trade or FA screen, open my team roster again and look at the position(s) and try to memorize all the players and their attributes. This coupled with the load screen lags to accomplish this task is beyond annoying. This is the worst part of all.
The one positive I can give the game is that its relatively easy to pick up the controls. I haven't played madden in almost 10 yrs, and the controls as pretty similar- so short learning curve for me. Unfortunately even with this, they managed to screw it up-
My QBs throws a pass to an open receiver and its swatted away by jumping almost 10 yds away? MY running back just decides to slip and fumble the ball with no one around him right near the goal line after a 30 yd run? what?
This is actually my first real negative review. I can't believe in 2013, as far along in technology that we have come, that EA sports has actually managed to make the quality of this game go backwards. Its actually quite insulting. Its such an easy set up- its the same game every year. just with different rosters. Just improve it each year. How hard is that? If you are not creative enough to make improvements, then just nickel and dime customers to download new rosters but keep the same game. Then save yourselves the overhead costs of producing the game. DONT BUY THIS GAME. | video-games_xbox |
My favorite controller, but it has its issues. While this is my favorite Xbox 360 controller, I must point out where it falls short before we go onto the pros.
I agree that the combat buttons should have been placed lower for easier reach. It can be a pain to not have your hand in a comfortable position while accessing the quick buttons.
The shoulder buttons (LB, RB) do feel a tad flimsy, but I've never had them break yet for the year that I've had the controller.
The analog sticks weren't slippery at first, and unless you wear gloves or thimbles, the plastic sticks will end up a bit slippery. I already had extra analog grips, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.
There is also the issue of the cable developing a short where the cable meets the controller in the rubber part. It seems the rubber part is too tight on the cable, shorting the connection. Having basic soldering skills and the supplies, I was able to fix this problem. If you run into this issue, it's not hard to fix, but it can be a bit tedious to fix the 5 wires. If anyone needs a guide on how to fix this controller, let me know in a response to this post and I will make a YouTube video guide.
Now, onto the pros.
I may be alone in this, but I really don't like clicking the left stick (LS) to sprint while playing First-Person shooters, 3rd Person Shooters, or any game for that matter. Personal nuisance of mine, I suppose. That's where this controllers combat buttons come in. Aside from sprinting, having underside buttons that you can use to reload or switch weapons without having to take your thumb off the right analog stick is a major plus for me.
There are some games that are a pain for players that want to walk instead of fast movement. The controllers Left Precision and Right Precision (for Southpaws) helps decrease the sensitivity so you don't have to worry about going a millimeter off with the analog stick making audible footsteps. Also helps with aiming, I might add.
The side grips, controller feel, and shape are my favorite features. The official Xbox 360 controller is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but having side grips and a better feel makes an already great controller even better. The shape of the Mad Catz controller is a tad bigger than the official 360 controller, but I much prefer the Mad Catz shape as I find it fits better in my hands, though that's more of a personal preference.
All things considered, this is my favorite controller. I ended up buying a total of 4 of these. At one time, they were on sale for $20 each on BestBuy.com (regularly $50 O_O ), so I spent less than $100 US Dollars total. | video-games_xbox |
My favorite game of last year. I am a action gamer more than anything else, but the same old hit (X)/(Y) games get dull after awhile. True, this game's combat could get a tiny bit repetitive, but it's not such a big deal really. You have the option to buy a scythe and maybe another weapon to sort of spice up gameplay, but as the story progresses, you gain access to other weapons: a gun with unlimited ammo, a grappling hook, as well as several others. I've played through it on easy and normal once already and am currently working on hard mode. It is a game even on easy mode that is challenging enough to make you care about it, but not so difficult that only hardcore gamers can play it. The opening two cinematics are seriously beautiful, especially the second, and although the gameplay graphics are not as impressive, they are still incredible, surpassing many games for this year.
The game wants you to explore and open chests, and many players call it Devil May Cry + Zelda + God of War. This is true. You kill lots of demons, you hunt down lots of chests, you level up. Even though that sounds like every adventure/rpg ever, it's different. For some people who are tired of that formula, this is probably a rent not buy game or buy it cheap, and I felt the same way about it before I even bought it. But you know what, it deserves to stand next to those games. It is very much equal and even surpasses at times the fun in the gameplay, the stylish graphics, and impressive attention to details, story, and the story's mythology. Word of mouth is a lot different than playing it. Everybody makes it sound old hat, but actually playing it feels very fresh and it is something worth playing through at least one time.
Pros:
Very good, stylized graphics.
Very fun, you can kill days with this game.
Entertaining gameplay featuring puzzles, combat, and plot in equal measure.
The game can last 6 hours to 40, depending on how much exploring you plan on doing.
The game's 3 difficulty modes make it suitable for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
Draws influences from genre classics.
Can keep your Abyssmal Armor (if you found all of it) on your next playthrough.
Very little loading time.
Cons:
The plot may be something hard to grasp.
Some puzzles can be overly difficult or too easy.
The Watcher is not helpful at all.
Only has replay value for Achievement/Trophy junkies; no new quests or modes at the end of the game. | video-games_xbox |
The Band is back together. After a lengthy hiatus Harmonix is back with what I consider one of the greatest video game experiences...ever. Long time gamer here. Talking playing Space Invaders in the bar at 5 (remember when adults took their kids to the bars?), and asteriods in the laundromat. I've played and owned just about every major gaming system in the 37 years since, and I can say that the Rock Band franchise is the greatest experience (I use this word, because 'game' just doesnt do it justice) I've had the pleasure of participating in gaming wise. You don't just play along to the notes, you immerse yourself in the music. If you do it competitively by chasing the highest scores across the four leaderboards (guitar, bass, drums, or vocals), do it for the party and community aspects of getting your friends and family together for Rock Band events, or do it solely for the pure enjoyment of playing along to your favorite music and pretending you're up on stage rocking the world, Rock Band 4 has you covered.
Now for those that don't know, Rock Band 4 is the start of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One Rock Band 'platform' for this entire console generation. Think of Rock Band 4 as your base starter pack, and over the months, and life cycle of the current generation they are constantly going to add new updates, features, and of course weekly music for you to purchase and enjoy. As an example by the end of October you'll be able to create an entire band and insert them as stand ins during any mode of the game (currently you can create a slew of custom characters, but only the character you are actively playing will be selectable for your band.)
Rock Band 4 in its current state closely resembles Rock Band 2. If your first game was Rock Band 3, this might come as a bit of a culture shock since some of the features from 3 are missing. Online coop and competitive play (though you can still post your scores to world wide leaderboards if that's your thing), the keyboard, and pro guitar and bass are the biggest features from Rock Band 3 that have been excised from Rock Band 4. The world tour from Rock Band 2 is the central focus of Rock Band 4, but there are branching choices in the Rock Band 4 campaign, so multiple play throughs will be required to unlock all the gear and character customization options. Which if you love playing Rock Band as much as I do, then this is obviously a positive aspect.
If you've previously bought add on music (or DLC as it's commonly referred), in Rock Band 1, 2, or 3 then that DLC will carry over free of charge into Rock Band 4. You have to download each song manually to Rock Band 4, so if you have a large library of music then this can be a time consuming task, but well worth the effort to bring your old music into the game. I believe right now there's an excess of 1700 music tracks for you to choose from and purchase (or grab for free if you previously purchased), and they are adding new music every tuesday.
Harmonix will be supporting your exports of Rock Band 1-3, Lego, Green Day, AC/DC, and the track packs (country, classic rock, metal, etc), and an announcement is coming soon regarding the schedule of when these exports will be available for download. Keep in mind these exports are for people that have already exported into Rock Band 2 or 3 as the exports have since expired). It's unknown at this time, if they will over these exports to new users, but more information should be coming soon. The only tracks that look like they will not make it over are the Rock Band Network tracks. These were user created content, and Harmonix has been looking into the legalities, and manpower required to bring these to Rock Band 4. While now it's a no, that COULD change in the future.
Onto the new features!
Freestyle guitar solos. These are a feature that allows you to freestyle (though it does come with base guidelines you have to follow, but much MUCH more forgiving than the traditional charted note highways) during guitar solos. Now some purists might not like the idea, and there's the option to disable the freestyle sections and play it old school. However for an old fart like me who's reflexes are getting slow in his old age, the ability to rock out to the impossible guitar solos and not fail out is a god send. Plus you can futz around all over the guitar frets, and play as slow or as fast as you want, and it still sounds pretty damn good ;)
Freestyle vocals. This is for solo vocals on the hard or expert difficulties. If you ever make up your own lyrics to a song and scream them out while playing, but are frustrated cause the game penalizes you for doing so...well this is the mode for you. As long as you stick to the basic pitch and follow the note tubes you can sing whatever your little heart desires, and still score accordingly. And just like the Freestyle solos you can turn these off if you're a purist that wants to play it old school.
There are also three different drum 'fill' over drive activators you can choose from. The free for all fills of Rock band 1 and 2, the 'static or charted' fills from Rock Band 3 and Beatles, or the new fills that generate on the fly. All are great fun, so you can choose which one fits your preferred play style.
Another returning feature is the crowd sing along, and man does the crowd really get into it in Rock Band 4. It sounds like a small thing, but having an entire stadium of fans scream lyrics at you while you're playing well adds an entirely new depth and level of immersion to really bring out your inner rock star. Also during sets of more than one song the audience can throw requests at you, or demand you play an encore when the set is over. You can of course choose to ignore them entirely, but where's the fun in that?
Set list voting is a great way to break the freeze that happens when you have a massive library of songs to choose from. Nothing stalls out a Rock Band party faster then four people scrolling through a large amount of songs trying to agree on what to play. The voting pops up five song choices for you to play next (this happens in the world tour, and the Play a gig game options), and each player can choose what song they want to play next. The game will then do an eenie meenie miney mo and that'll be the song played next. It's a great way to get options on what to play next without going through an entire massive library and stalling out the game play for ten minutes between songs.
Also if you have a PS4, and have previously owned Rock Band instruments (outside of the wired instruments), they will natively work on Rock Band 4 without any additional equipment. If you have 360 instruments you'll need to purchase a legacy adapter to make your old instruments work on Rock Band 4 on the Xone. Again wired instruments will not work on the Xone as well.
Of course one of the biggest draws of the game in my eyes is how many new genres of music, songs, and artists you are exposed to. As an old fart it's easy to get stuck listening to the songs of my late teens and early twenties, and thinking all new music is crap. Rock Band has changed all that, and I am constantly discovering new bands and songs to enjoy thanks to this amazing game.
Rock Band 4 isn't perfect at the moment, but honestly what game is at launch these days? I am just happy we've got another new Rock Band to play...something I honestly thought would never happen after the genre collapsed in on itself in early 2013. I've logged over 150 hours into the game and it's barely two weeks old, and with the promise of future dlc, and constant updates to continually add new content and improve the overall Rock Band 4 experience, I couldn't be happier with the game.
Rock Band 4's future is so bright, I gotta wear shades. | video-games_xbox |
Black Ops Part 2, Still Waiting On The Real MW3. Oh fun another Call of Duty for me to write a review about. Modern Warfare 3 for me was supposed to be the game that redeemed the Call of Duty franchise for me. Think about it Infinity Ward once again takes over the reins and puts into motion a first person shooter that has (as they have done in the past) tactics and innovation. I held Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as one of my all-time best games on the Xbox 360, maybe even on my list of all-time, all consoles.
After the fiasco that was Call of Duty: Black Ops I was a little surprised when I heard that Sledgehammer was going to be taking the majority of the reins on the making of this game. However I held my expectations high and expected great things to once again return to COD.
For my Black Ops review: http://www.amazon.com/review/RU6SOC34W5AGF/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_alt_1
Single Player: It starts off right where you would expect it too from the previous Modern Warfare. The world is enraged by war. Humorously, or maybe luckily for some reason there hasn't been a nuclear winter on the earth.
I only played it on Veteran as I have all the previous COD's. It took me around 5 to 7 hours to finish. Once again the unlimited enemy spawns are gone which is a great advancement, just like MW2. The settings of the game were set to try and (I am guessing) give it that epic war for the ages feel. I failed to do that in my opinion. The levels that were going well at first ended up being just tiny miniature versions of what they should have been.
The addition of the little side weapons, i.e. AC-130 Spectre Gun Ships, the A10 Warthog, and things like the Assault drone got me pumped up just to let me down in a miserable collage of fire. They last what seemed like 20 seconds only to disappear and be utterly worthless. Example: During the AC-130 mission I decided that I didn't want to shoot the tanks and wanted my boys to get murdered for the numerous times they got me murdered. Needless to say the tanks just sat around and then the mission ended successfully without me having fired a shot. Really! That was supposed to be the climaxing point of the game where you get to wield instruments of death and then they have no impact on the game what-so-ever? The ending missions were the only ones that I actually felt were worth my time. Finally getting to run around in the Jugs suit was pretty sweet. Just mowing fools down left and right while taking insane amounts of punishment was something I was waiting for. Not to mention the thrilling conclusion of the Delta Force Team. All in all the campaign was a little lack luster, but the ending did satisfy to a degree so not all was lost in this 5 to 7 hours.
Special Ops: The Special Ops mode in this game was probably the biggest let down of the entire thing. I knew what the multiplayer was going to be like especially when I heard the reports of Black Ops making over a billion dollars profit. Yes that Billion with a B. Yet the Special Ops of Modern Warfare 2 were intriguing and innovative. They allowed you to get a chance to do the things that you really wanted to do with some of the most advanced weapons at your disposal, as well as give you some of the most intriguing objectives that I have seen in a while. "Cover you boy in a UH-60 Blackhawk with a gatling gun and let him run down the streets as you mow your ill-equipped enemy down in a pool of blood." Sadly there was almost none of that in the Special Ops mode. Some of the boards were literally a campaign board played backwards. Just a huge let down and after I got half-way through them I was starting to get bored with the monotony of the levels.
Survival (Part of the Special Ops): At first when I saw this I thought it might be pretty sweet. Face down hordes of enemy troops as the get better weapons and a more in tune arsenal ready to deliver death to you at any moment. However it becomes repetitive really rather quickly, the Juggernauts, and helicopters make short work of any support you actually call in and then it takes over 100 rounds to bring down a juggernaut as a helicopter is shooting you in the face. Especially when the helicopter is shooting expert in his qualification round and can hit you through a crack the size of a Number 2 pencil. The end result is that it turns into a bunker down and camp fest and let your sentries and crew kill anything that runs into the corridor in front of you camp spot and just merely cover their back as best you can. Throw on top of that; you can only play 2 people cooperative. Not the greatest stories for success when there have been so many other horde/survival/zombie game types out there. Personally I preferred the zombie game type of Treyarch over this survival mode.
Multiplayer: The multiplayer is a giant list of cons for me. It seems to me that they took everything that I loved about Call of Duty multiplayer and just ripped it apart to create something different. The Modern Warfare's used to be about tactics and the ability to adapt to situations with your team to overcome and enemy. Now it just feels like a giant solo mission that has gone horribly wrong.
First I will start with the Pros: Explosions on certain weapons are toned down quite a bit, specifically I am thinking about the Tube on the underside of the guns. They very, very, very rarely ever kill in one hit anymore, if ever. So the tubefest that was MW2 at times is toned way down, and is rarely seen in this one. Yet it would seem that grenades/semtex are also a victim of this callous oversight. I love landing a semtex in on the wall right next to a man's face as it explodes only to watch him scurry off into oblivion then turn and shoot me to my own demise.
Killstreaks: They added the Strike Packages into the weapon load outs now, which is actually something that I am very pleased with. It allows you to mold a class to exactly what you want it to be used for. A support class can now call in killstreaks that support and help your team compared to one's that cause mass murder, although those types of killstreaks are still in the game. In this department there was major innovation to the game and I appreciated it and give it astounding credit for what it is.
Cons: The purposely added lag is the biggest, most major concern I have. They purposely added in a hosting protocol that helps those with a lower internet speed to allow them to stay competitive while hindering any others that may have a better connection. Sounds like a decent concept in theory but in real world application it is horrendous. It's like making a movie and filming it slightly out of focus so that those people with glasses can enjoy it slightly more than those that do not wear glasses. Why someone would do this is beyond me. It all comes down to a game of whether I am going to get the lag advantage or not. When you are playing and you shoot a man 6 times and get no hit markers then get shot by one bullet to die is frustrating to say the least. Then you watch the kill cam and see the enemy pumps 4 rounds into you and low and behold there were no shots that came out of your gun on his screen. The hit detection has some minor flaws but nothing that over impacts the dynamic of the matches, yet once again that usually relies on the lag advantage.
Maps: The maps have taken any semblance of tactics that existed in Black Ops out and replaced them with a free for all team style game match. There are endless alley ways to reach one area, and the fact that all the levels are so small makes it impossible most times to flank your enemy without running into someone who just spawned (either in front of you or with their gun pointed into your spinal column.) If it takes less than 3 seconds to go from contact with entirety of the enemy team (let's just say they all get killed) to having contact with the entirety of the enemy team again your levels are too small. As well as because they are so small spawns are just a randomized patch of guesswork. You might spawn safely or you may spawn looking down the barrel of a Striker shotgun mowing you down before it ever actually shows your screen.
Rankings:
Campaign: 5/10- Not the Greatest but still somewhat enjoyable.
Graphics: 7/10- Good, solid graphics, nothing to brag about but still solid.
Special Ops: 2/10- Get boring far too quickly, nothing new or innovative
Multiplayer: 5/10- Lots of issues, however may just be my preference
This game has some fun moments and can be fun online when it isn't giving you the lag disadvantage. I play this only with friends that do not have other online multiplayer games. I still would rather be playing Modern Warfare or Modern Warfare 2, yet still an upgrade from Black Ops. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best arcade sticks I've ever used, but not for fighting games. The HORI Real Arcade Pro EX-SE is certainly one of, if not THE best home arcade sticks I've ever used. The Seimitsu parts definitely give it a more authentic feel, and actually make a difference when it comes to gameplay as well. The stick can be used not only on Xbox 360, but on a Windows PC as well. It's plug & play and uses the same drivers all other Xbox 360 controllers do.
Let's start with the buttons. They are super responsive, as they should be, and the convex style allows you to more quickly move between the buttons. I actually thought I wouldn't like convex while I was buying this stick, being more of a concave kind of guy, but playing is really believing. They're great.
The body of the whole thing is very hefty & weighty. This is a positive, thing, because if you're in a heated match against somebody, the last thing you want to have is your arcade stick sliding around all over the place in your lap, or even on a table.
The joystick is also great. It has a very short throw, and makes it easy to quickly pull off different directions flawlessly. The default gate that is included can be changed between an 8-way square gate, and a 4-way cross gate. The 4-way gate is perfect for classic arcade games like Pac-Man or Mr. Do's Castle. There's even a 2-way gate for stuff like Galaga and Space Invaders.
The square gate is maybe where this stick falls apart for some people. It allows for a wide range of movement, with each standard direction and diagonal direction taking up an equal amount of space. However, This means you have to be more precise if you want to move left, right, up or down, because you may end up hitting a diagonal if you're not careful. The nature of the gate means when you're hitting left, right, up, or down you're hitting a flat side of the gate, from which you could drift into a corner. This is great for scrolling shooters, where you want to make small changes to your ship's position, but not so much for fighters, where precise input is key for successfully pulling off combos.
I've found that using an octagonal gate is definitely preferred when it comes to fighting games. The nature of that style of gate means that whichever direction you move, you hit a corner, since the gate is in the shape of an octagon. It also has more of a focus on left, right, up, and down, with the diagonals taking up less space in the gate, and making them more difficult to hit accidentally. I looked online to see if they produce an octagonal gate with compatible holes for this stick (in order to screw the gate on, but unfortunately, I don't believe they do.
Another positive of this arcade console is that it's VERY easy to mod. All you really need is the proper alan key (which you can find online for cheap) and you just unscrew the six screws on top of the stick. From there you can switch out anything you'd like, just as though it were an actual arcade console. Switching the gate from 8-way to 4-way was a very simple process, and even though I haven't done it myself, the stick and the buttons all fit into the board very simply. I imagine It would not be very difficult to switch out another compatible stick, or other compatible buttons. You can also unscrew the top of the joystick if you want to put a different or custom top on there.
Overall: The stick, the buttons, and everything about the console all feel really good. The product is well made, and definitely doesn't feel cheap, however depending on the type of games you're playing with it, it may or may not be for you. For fighting games, I'd definitely recommend finding something that has a stick with an octagonal gate. For scrolling shooters and classic arcade games, this is definitely the perfect stick. | video-games_xbox |
Amazing Collection of Stories from the Halo Universe, Do Not Buy for Multiplayer Experience. Despite an utterly broken launch from 343 Studios, and massive let-downs yet still in regards to the multiplayer capabilities of this collection of the Halo installments, this game still deserves some amount of praise for it's accomplishments, and reprimands for it's shortcomings and failures.
The Master Chief collection was a great idea, and as far as the campaign aspect, and keeping the story alive and well, this collection did a great job. All of the campaigns have been remastered for the newer generation of hardware, and it shows. It's even more entertaining that the developers took the time to add in a feature that allows you to press the back button of the controller at any time in the remastered games to change the graphics between the remaster and the original. 343 Studios did a bang-up job with the remasters for all the games, and stayed very true to the originals throughout, with absolutely no story changes whatsoever. Having the iconic main installments to this franchise all on one disk is a very powerful thing. The cohesion that 343 was able to achieve between the games in the collection was very well done and obviously had some thought behind it's execution. The campaigns are all enjoyable in their remastered and original glory, and still thoroughly enjoyable.
This collection, does however, only include some of the Halo games, and not all of them. It includes, as expected, only the ones where the protagonist is Master Chief. This means you will find Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4 in this collection, but you will not find Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, or the RTS Halo spin-off, Halo Wars. I really would have liked to have seen Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach included in this collection, but I completely understand why they were not included, and nothing was docked for that, just a preference thing, as I really enjoyed Halo Reach.
The reason I docked a star is for the multiplayer that 343 decided to implement within the collection. It is still yet broken and has many bugs and issues, even this long after launch. I personally, don't attempt to play much of the multiplayer, and really just wanted the collection for the single player stories, but the fact that a section of the game is utterly broken and was even worse at launch leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and hole in my trust for 343 Studios capabilities in the future for the Halo franchise.
In short, if you want to relive the glory days of the Halo franchise, in remastered graphics glory, this is the place to do it, and have them all in one place together to experience one after the other, is a great thing. But if you're looking to play the multiplayer of the collection, be aware that is is severely crippled and has a lot of issues, many of which make it not worth the time to try and play. | video-games_xbox |
An Interactive Story That Really Means Something. If you've perused any online reviews of this game, you'll know the following about Dreamfall: the visuals are lush, the music and voice-acting are gorgeous, the gameplay is...well, not so great. And while many have commented on the engrossing story, I think what is really most remarkable is that it is *about something*. It's a work of interactive fiction that subtly tries to get the player to think about not just the fates of the twin worlds of Stark and Arcadia, but about the world we're in right now. It is an audacious attempt to stretch the boundaries of the medium of videogames, and I think it succeeds spectacularly.
The first game in the series, The Longest Journey, came out in 1999. The end of the 20th century, the "end of history," we were told. And in TLJ, although it was set in the year 2209, the story was literally about the end of time -- the end of a 13,000-year-old divide between science and magic, between order and chaos. But we pulled through -- as April Ryan did -- we made what we thought were the right choices, and we thought the good guys carried the day into the new millenium.
And here we are in 2006. Enter Dreamfall, which looks at its twin worlds through the same eyes that we're looking at ours. We thought we won. We thought we had the bad guys licked, and saved the world. But it didn't turn out that way. Sure, April saved the world, but things went downhill from there. Just as our "post-historical" world is facing new threats and old fears, Stark and Arcadia are facing powerful interests, fear of the unknown, and rage at what they cannot control.
Don't worry; the game isn't hamfisted or preachy. Its story is deftly told, with characters and dialogue that pull you in, and keep you there. As you lead the characters through the story, they will have you in turn angry, joyful, wondering, and choked up. I took 2 days off of work to play it through, and never once was I bored.
About gameplay: sure, it's pretty easy, and not the smoothest on the block. In attempting to stretch the boundaries of video games, it does seem as though the creators occasionally lost sight of what the medium is currently capable of. However, I think the Xbox version really lends itself to approaching Dreamfall more as a piece of interactive fiction: I could relax on my couch, settle in comfortably, and let the story unfold around me.
Bottom line: Dreamfall will pull you in, and leave you wanting more. It will make you feel, and involve you in the lives of compelling characters and their worlds. And it will make you think, and not just about fantasy worlds. And that is an impressive achievement for any work of fiction, and especially so for a video game. If that's something that you'd like to experience, buy this game. You won't regret it. | video-games_xbox |
All the joy and agony of real racing. While I am not a racing purist, I enjoyed both Project Gotham games and enjoy playing all arcade racing games on my Xbox and PS2. In RalliSport Challenge 2, I've completed Amateur, Pro and Champion levels with more than 100 races in the game finished.
First off, you should know that this is a racing simulator, not an arcade-style racer, but even given that, DICE has still worked to make the game enjoyable for all skill levels. Unlockables like new cars and tracks for example, are awarded just by playing the game -- you do not have to finish in first place to get them. This alone, makes the game far more enjoyable. Also, simply by driving a car and "putting mileage on it" you'll unlock custom paintjobs for each vehicle. That is until you reach the final stage, SuperRally, where you must place 3rd or better to progress.
STRENGTHS:
The first thing you're going to love about RalliSport Challenge 2 is the graphics. The predecessor (RalliSport Challenge) created the standard for a new level of amazing graphics, but this game improves on that with dynamic graphics, like dirt trails that cloud the view of the people behind you and leaves that kick up from under your tires. Birds resting in your path will take flight as you approach and the scenery can be described as nothing less than picturesque.
The race levels are well designed and well thought out. Each has their own interesting twists and turns and elevation changes have been added so that you can suddenly lose control on a jump or bottom out after a wicked turn. Also, tracks have interesting combinations of sand, mud, dirt and tarmac which all perform differently as you slide through them. Although I may not know from personal experience how it feels to go out of control on snow at 100 MPH, this game gives me a realistic feeling of how bad it would be.
Speaking of which, the damage system works well so that you can't simply play "crash 'em derby" through the races to take out opponents and drive through obstacles, but also doesn't hamper the gameplay by making you drive too cautiously through every turn. You can lose a tire in the game, and believe it or not you can finish by driving on the rims, but your track times will certainly suffer. The game keeps you informed of problems with a damage indicator that is extremely easy to read even at high speeds. In addition, your car will "deteriorate" as you take damage, including blowing out the windows, bumpers dragging behind you and even the hood flying over your head! (Yes, I've instinctively ducked a few times.)
Soundwise, the game is top-notch. The car sounds, special effects and other elements of the game all add to the realism. Although many have complained about the music included on the game, I've enjoyed the thumping tracks as I make my way through the levels and, since the game supports custom soundtracks, you can add your own music anyways.
WEAKNESSES:
Alas, the worst part of playing this game is the off-track camera angles. Because of the elevation changes and other 3D elements of the game, you almost have to play this game in third person view (where your point of view is directly behind the car). Sadly, once you drive too far off track, the camera angle rotates and makes it almost absolutely impossible to get back on track without hitting obstacles and bringing the car to a dead stop. This is worsened when your co-pilot tells you "easy left" and it turns out to be a hairpin turn. You realize that your partner and the game appear to be cheating to work against you.
In addition to the camera angles, the display also can be the cause of a crash. In the RallyCross and Ice Racing competitions, your course map is on the bottom of the screen. As you hit checkpoints, the display changes from the map to show your position in the current race. Obviously, this can be deadly if there's a hairpin turn approaching and you were just glancing down at the map to see how far away you were. In addition, there are a few instances where DICE has placed a "dead end" turn immediately prior to the one you're supposed to take, or a second turn that is sharper than the one your supposed to take. These little "tricks" seem like an additional unfair challenge that the computer cars will not fall for, but also add to the excitement when you outsmart their level designers.
Finally, your opponents do not seem to be affected by darkness or some of the inclement weather conditions. This will certainly frustrate you if you're the kind of player that has to be first in every race.
SUMMARY:
In short, I would recommend this game as a "must have" for anyone who enjoys a true on-road/off-road racing simulation. It should be considered by most a "best of class" game for the Xbox console, despite some of the frustrating shortcomings of the game. | video-games_xbox |
managaer mode bug. I have played fifa 08-10, and I have been utterly disgusted with a few facets of the fifa 10 manager mode.
In all honesty I buy the game for the manager mode, and I have found a bug (listed on other sites) where players that you have transferred to your team disappear. Totally unacceptable!! I can not believe a manufacturer would create a game based on building your team through transfers leaving a programming error that bugs out and drops players off your team in place. But.. they did!!
Seriously, imagine taking a team to a promotion and purchasing your first franchise player in order to have that player (probably a low 80 player that you scrimped and saved for both in cap and transfer fee) disappear!? i HATE TO ADMIT IT HAPPENED TO ME THREE TIMES BEFORE i GAVE UP THE GAME. Even worse you struggle for a few seasons and finally sign Ronaldo, Gourcouf, Yaya Toure, Vela, or Donovan and the player disappears? Right.... How fun is that??
Including player's reticence to sign contracts, and a few other bugs listed all over the internet, the game mode is severely flawed. How did they take the old game and create these new problems?? Unless you are playing Real Madrid (how challenging is that anyways??) and new transfers do no matter to you this is a serious design gaff. I would think most of us that play manager mode want to try and tinker to create the next footballing dynasty (at least on our computer since our favorite teams are falling behind the money mafia scum like R. Madrid, Chelski, and ManUre).
It is not all just transfers BTW; the "form" function is also a bit off; not only does the game roster have a bunch of multi-colored arrows indicating form (BTW how do goalies getting clean sheets have bad form??) but the form waxing and waning makes no sense. For "lesser teams" why does the CPU switch the momentum/form on you so suddenly (no Cinderella stories here) during games that big teams place the ball in the net with freakish late game accuracy? You are wondering how much possession and shots the computer thought you needed to win the game! With the transfer fees boosted and the lack of sign-ability for lesser teams this facet (manager: my favorite - booh hooh) is a radical failure for players like me that buy the game for Manager Mode. I wish EA would acknowledge their errors and recall the game. A patch would help....
Lame. | video-games_xbox |
Great for basic gamers, but not for the Pro's. For those of us who like to take there 360 to friends houses or other social gatherings? Finding a way to transport our lovely consoles around has always been a challenge. I mean really, would you want to put something you paid $300+ in a backpack that's seen better days?
With the Xbox 360 Messenger Bag, it solves all the transport problems you need. The design of the bag is quite simple. It has a Main pocket and a Middle pocket. The Main Pocket is where you store your Xbox 360 console. However, at the bottom of the main pocket, there is a padded divider which folds up allowing you to store your AV cables, Power pack and Power Cord. Once the power cords are stored the divider folds down and acts as a padded floor for your 360 to sit on.
Once your 360 is situated inside the main pocket, the extra padding in the pocket allows for extra protection for your console. Once your 360 is situated in the bag, now you need to put your controllers in there. That's where your middle pocket comes in. The middle pocket is capable of holding up to 4 360 controllers. Beyond that are two side pockets and one mesh-zipped pocket that are located in front of the middle pocket followed by 2 mesh pockets on each side of the bag which are great for storing extra cables you might have.
And now for the cons:
Clearly, this bag was designed for the majority of 360 gamers who have gone wireless or have the basic accessories that came with their 360. After packing all of my gear into the bag, it became very clear that there would be no more room for extra accessories that I might consider getting in the future (I even had trouble finding room for my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Intercooler-Black/dp/B000R9BIZA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Intercooler - Black</a>).
Beside room for extra accessories, there is absolutely NO room for you to store your game's. If you're one of those types who prefer to carry your games in their original Xbox 360 cases, then you might want to consider using either a plastic bag or use a CD case because you might have room for one or two games based on if you know where to put them and it was really easy for me since I only have two wireless controllers in the middle pocket and I only own two games.
So if your a basic gamer who just likes to hang out at a friends house and play a few of your favorite games with your buddies, then this is something you should have to help transport your console there. | video-games_xbox |
First time out with Lara. (We may meet again. First, time, though she's been around for a while. Think of, coming of age story, adventure style, on a remote island, the main objective, as typical, to escape. (Or think Far Cry3, for those familiar with it.)
There's a little bit of everything in this game without seeming like a mish-mash of thrown together things to do. On normal difficulty, I think the casual gamer might like this game, casual of course being subjective.
Sure, you get to shoot bad guys, but it's not strictly a shooter game. Standard but reliable weapons, such as pistol, shotgun and rifle, all upgradeable as you progress. And my all time favorite, the bow and arrow. Nothing like a silent tree branch whiffing out of nowhere to take down your enemy. There are plenty of firefights, but not overly drawn out or overwhelming.
There are lots of simple scavenger hunts for relics and such, and places to explore, fairly leisurely, because the island isn't very hostile. Some of the places and tombs require a little thinking, almost puzzle-solving to get to the goods. A little tricky, but not overly difficult.
The graphics and sound are very good, although in the now gen, so easy to take for granted.
The story, though is all about Lara. I don't think her character gets deeply developed, but she grew on me. Especially the first time she slid down a mountain and got impaled on a sharp metal pole - NO-oooh! Ouch! She's smart, she's tough and...cute. Yeah, that's not politically correct, but as politically correct as shooting deer and looting tombs. It's all portrayed very innocently though, so please don't firebomb me!
Once the price comes down, you might want to check this game out. Second time out with Lara? Sure, I'll keep my mind open.
Addendum: Art book packaging. I did not specifically buy this for the packaging. It just happened to be the same price as the regular, so why not? The disc comes in what looks like a little hardcover book, you used to read in grammar. A little larger. It won't fit in with your other standard game cases. Some nice pictures, but otherwise I don't feel I would have got a lot if I'd paid the premium. Nothing extra to read or toys to play with. For the extra cost, you could save up for another game or even a Lara Croft action figure! | video-games_xbox |
The magic is back. If you played the original XCOM years ago, chances are that you fell in love with the game. I first played it on the original Playstation and it really says something when a game that was basically a pretty shoddy PC port with more than a few performance issues kept pulling me back in. To this day, playing XCOM on the PS all those years ago is a period of my gaming history that I look back on very fondly, complete with stories that sound like incredibly detailed documents of actual battles and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that feels that way. Now XCOM makes its return to the next gen consoles bringing with it the turn based strategy genre, a genre that has seen next to no use this current generation. As a lifelong XCOM fan, I can say that this game not only does the original justice but it is easily one of the best games you can currently purchase, period.
As hostile forces from outer space land on Earth, laying waste to everything and kidnapping innocent civilians for their nefarious schemes, it falls on the XCOM force to stop them by any means necessary. Funded by every major country, XCOM acts as a task force with many weapons and gadgets at their disposal. It's your job to make sure that you keep these countries somewhat satisfied with your performance and assist them whenever alien activity in their sectors gets a little hairy. A typical distress call might have you investigate a suspected UFO landing site. Another might require you to rescue a person of high importance to the council that you report to. You take your troops out and go survey these sites, trying not to destroy any UFO tech for future research purposes and if possible, catching the enemy alive so you can better study them and find out what makes them tick.
XCOM plays just like it did with some minor changes to the core gameplay that don't take anything away from the original experience. It's been streamlined a bit and once you get the hang of it, you really start to appreciate just how simple they've made it in terms of control and strategy while managing to keep the game tru to the original. This is a tight and polished interface and it's very obvious that the developers had a very high level of respect for the original. Again, if you've played the original, I think you'll really appreciate what has been done to bring this game up to date.
Theres's a micromanaging aspect to the game which is a load of fun in itself. Your underground base can be outfitted with a number of different rooms with varying purposes just like the original. You research the alien artifacts you get off of the battlefield and then fabricate items based on that research, giving you more of an edge not just on the battlefield but in your day to day operations. Better detection equipment, better weapons, better items... and that's just the icing on the cake.
You can also customize your soldiers and rename them as you see fit. I tend to use my friends names and doing that makes the game incredibly personal because if you didn't know, XCOM isn't exacly a forgiving game. When your soldiers go out into battle, chances are that you've grown a little attached to these jarheads if they've already survived a handful of missions. When those same soldiers get dropped, it's hard to describe other than that you FEEL it. I recently lost my oldest veteran and the way he died was like something out of the most depressing war film you can think of, a sacrifice in the name of his brothers and sisters in combat. Some may feel that the game is cheap and too difficult as a result but this is what is at the core of XCOM. An unforgiving and more realistic battlefront where your soldiers will die if you're not careful.
Everything about this game is done very well, from the Unreal engine graphics and the surround sound, which utilizes some fitting, spooky UFO type music for ambience and percussion based tracks for intense battles. The cinematics and tutorial messages that are seamlessly weaved into the game make it all a much more cinematic experience than what was possible beforehand. In fact, one of my wishes with the original was that it would somehow give you a more cinematic replay of your battles. Though that's not exactly what you get here, this is the closest you will get and it's pretty awesome.
It'd be a shame if this game were to be ignored in favor of any other FPS type game that we've basically already played before we've even picked up the controller. With XCOM, you get true strategic gameplay that is a hell of a lot fun and incredibly involving. The original is rightfully considered one of THE best games of all time and this updated version is deserving of a place in the series and a very well crafted update to a timeless classic. | video-games_xbox |
Cute, But Not Without a Lot of Problems. It's cute, and sorta fun to play in 2-player with your kid (I play as Woodstock to help take out the baddies). But the game has some pretty big design problems. It's fairly average as a platformer, but the mechanics are a bit unresponsive and "floaty".
The most glaring issue that I have with this game is probably just an issue with this particular port of the game. It doesn't feel like the controls were properly adjusted when it was play tested. The XBox 360 analog stick, when pressed very gently to the left or right, does not always return to dead center. A properly programmed game would likely ignore this "dead zone", but this game registers even the slightest variance in the X-Axis and Snoopy keeps running forever. I assure you that it is only an issue with this game as it was tested with multiple controllers. It just seems to be a third-rate port of a game that could be decent with a bit of minor patching.
Furthermore, the game isn't really properly tweaked for either seasoned gamers or beginners. It's too easy for seasoned gamers and they will quickly become annoyed with the broken platforming mechanics. It's too hard for beginners, quite possibly because of the broken mechanics but also due to early levels that can be frustrating at first for young children. It's just unbalanced and doesn't target either type of gamer correctly. I've seen posts from other reviewers that say it's both too hard and too easy. There is a good reason for this.
Lastly, there is no manual at all. I know that the days of manuals are largely gone from games, but this one is the worst offender I've seen yet. Rather than having a manual in the game itself, there is some very small text on the printed insert that tells you to go to Activision's site for instructions. I know it's not a challenging game (I haven't even died once yet and can keep most enemies at bay from my son with Woodstock) but there are some legit questions about the gameplay that are not explained by Charlie Brown's weak tutorials when you stumble upon something new.
The printed insert's manual address is https://support.activision.com/manuals , but if you click on one of the "Peanuts" links, all it does is provide you with a license agreement for the game alone with some warranty information. Even more annoying is that it is in MS Docx format. Activision is clearly clueless.
It's good as a $10 game. Maybe a $15 game. $20 or more is pushing it. It's clearly a cheap cash-in on the Peanuts property to coincide with the new movie. Granted, you can expect as much with a licensed game but it would have been good for Activision to put just a bit more work into this. They're quickly becoming one of my most disliked game developers / publishers along with EA and SEGA. Companies that used to be great back in the era 8-16-bit game machines.
Wait this one out until it's a little less expensive. | video-games_xbox |
Lots of Fun with a Bit of Practice, But it Can Tie You Down. Much like the DDR games, Guitar Hero II is all about coordinating your movements with what you see on screen, except that in this case, what you do affects what you HEAR as well. It takes a bit of practice to get used to, but can end up being a lot of fun. Not all of the songs in the game are for everyone, tending toward Hard Rock and Heavy Metal at times, but the game IS all about rocking out on guitar. There are additional 3-song packs available for purchase through XBox Live, and some have complained that the price is too high, especially since you cannot generate any acheivements or in-game "cash" with them. They are just for fun, and apparently more are on the way.
There are a couple of 2-player modes, if a friend has another guitar controller. There is co-op, with one person on lead, and the other playing bass/rhythm depending on the song, and there are face-of modes to see who is the true guitar hero.
There are basically only two problems with the game (aside from the challenging nature of trying to master some of the techniques):
The first is that you have to be careful not to play to hard or too long. There is a lot of hand movement involved, and you can actually hurt yourself if you overdo it, as with any exercise.
The second, and most annoyingly (and insurmountable), is the fact that the guitar controller that comes with the game IS NOT WIRELESS, despite the XBox 360's inherent wireless capabilities, and the fact that GH2 is wireless on other consoles. While you can argue that REAL guitars are not wireless, the cord on the controller is only several feet long. Inconvenient placement of your console in the play area can mean that it becomes difficult, if not impossible to play comfortably. There is word that GH3 will have a wireless controller, and is said to be released before 2008 ...Supposedly.
It is a spendy game, since you are buying the guitar controller as well, but if you can afford it, it is worth it. Just don't stay up too late trying to master "Free Bird" if you have to work in the morning. | video-games_xbox |
Spectacular Game...from one to 16 players. Okay first things first. This game is better than the original Halo by far, and being a huge PS2 gamer, I must admit this game blows away any FPS game for the PS2; the only game that will give this a challenge is TimeSplitters: Future Perfect.
The graphics are a 9.7/10. The reason it's not a full 10 is because of some minor glitches were you sometimes walk up to a wall and the gun goes into the wall, but it doesn't have any effect on the actual gameplay.
As for sound, that is a 10/10 hands down. The explosions, gun fires, even walking through water or on rocks is crystal clear and sounds like you're actually there, especially with surround sound.
Now for what most of you probably will read this for...the gameplay. Okay, for the first person mode, the game doesn't last too long (about 10 hours should get it done), but that doesn't mean it's not a good game. There are several difficulty levels to make the game more challenging than the time before. The gun selection is decent, however new to Halo 2 is the ability to hold 2 guns at the same time (one in each hand unless it's a sniper, assault rifle, or missle launcher that requires both hands to hold) and with the L and R buttons, respectively, you can shoot either gun when you want. There's also a few twists in the story line that make the game a little more interesting, yet it seems to end a little prematurely.
As for multiplayer (multiplayer as in with friends either on one X Box or with system link--I've yet to try X Box Live), it is, handsdown, the best I've seen (beating out Counter Strike for PC). You can customize your character in several aspects, making you unique from anyone else. There are, if I can remember, about 20 multiplayer maps each with their own cool feel. Vehicles are back and there's more!! About half of the levels are capable of having tanks and other vehicles, which make this game blow by the rest. You can customize what vehicles you want to be in a certain level. There are two types, basically the smaller vehicles and the bigger ones. You can have a Scorpion Tank in the level, and at the same time have 2 smaller vehicles like a Banshee (which flies) and a Ghost (which is IMO the best small vehicle). The only downside is that there are only 2 big vehicles to use, but the way you customize the levels with each one makes the game never get boring! The gun selection is pretty good, and most of the guns return from the original Halo but have been modified (either they look a little different or have heat-seeking ammunition).
Multiplayer is easily the best mode (they have the jeep-like vehicle back-Warhog-which one person can be in the back shooting the machine gun while the other is driving). The game modes are pretty much the same, except they are named differently, but they did add a few more. Team matches (capture the flag, slayer-kill the other team-) are back and are probably the best way to play multiplayer. There really isn't anything I can say to put the game down, being such a huge PS2 fan. I was really impressed with this game, and as much as I hate to say it (it feels like being a Red Sox fan then becoming a Yankee fan) I think I'm going to buy an X Box just for Halo 2...it's really THAT amazing. (I'm a Sox fan btw-2004!!)
If you want my honest opinion, aka you don't want to read all of what I've written above, you really don't need to rent this game. Go ahead and reserve it while you can and buy it - you definitely won't regret it even if you only remotely like FPS games. Graphics were overall astounding, sound was incredibly clear, and the gameplay is easily a 10/10 whether it's single player action or multiplayer. If you want a really good (actually the BEST FPS game) multiplayer game to play with friends on the weekends or during parties, this is easily a must have. No question. | video-games_xbox |
A great rental, but only some will want to keep it. Armed and Dangerous is a shoot-em-up blasting game that boasts repetitive plots, but a great array of weaponry and quite destructable environments!
Your gang is the Lionhearts, made up of a fighter, a robot, a mole and a blind guy. You would be happy hanging out at the pub and occasionally causing trouble, but instead you're caught up in an anarchist plot to overthrow the current King.
There are some VERY long cut scenes in this game that try to give it a plot. However, most of the time during them, while not joking about how the mouths never matched the speech, we were caught up in figuring out why a Scottish mole and an English bandit in Roman gear all seemed to have Australian accents. Yes, they played bagpipe music in the background to give it atmosphere, a touch I really enjoyed. But it didn't help with the accents :)
Still, a game like this is hardly ever about plot and has everything to do with simply blasting things. And there is PLENTY to blast here. There are five types of environments, from woods to frozen tundra, and each is full of trees, machinery, buildings etc to blast into rubble. Each is full of monsters whose sole aim is to march towards you to be blasted into rubble.
To keep things a bit interesting, you're given some great weapons to do this with. Now, these weapons are NOT on the level of Ratchet & Clank which I have to say comes out with the best weapons (and upgrades) that you could have in a game. But you do get rocket launchers, other standard weapons, and a few specials. One is the topsy-turvy gun which is great fun. It temporarily reverses gravity just in the screen area and while you cling to the "ground" your enemies go flying in the air. When gravity resets they plummet to the ground in a great SMASH.
The other weapon deserves some real praise. This is the Land Shark. It amazes me how many people do NOT remember the original Saturday Night Live skits about the Land Shark ("Candy-gram!") which this was probably based on. But in any case, the land shark is a fin that slowly coasts around the terrain, looking for a victim. When it spots one, it slowly submurges under the ground ... until ... POW! It jumps up out of the ground and grabs the screaming victim around the waist. As the victim cries for help, the shark pulls him (or her) back into the briny deep ... it's great! Those of us who grew up with Jaws will have nightmares all over again :)
Still, even with the thrill of the land shark, this did get repetitive after a while. You're blowing up things in a snowy location ... you're blowing up things in a foresty location. There's no multiplayer, so even if you finish the game, all you can do is start at the beginning again and blow up more things. If you really like blowing up things, this might be great! But for most of us this isn't worth it for a multi-week-endeavour.
I'd really recommend renting this one for a week first. See how much you enjoy it. If you're thrilled, by all means, buy it! But it might be that you finish the game in the week, and are ready to move on to something new. It's best to know that on the price of a rental vs the full purchase price. | video-games_xbox |
Argh... It's like 1998 all over again. Way back in the olden days I played a game called Driver for PC (what a rush), car physics were funky and cool, Miami at night was moody and mysterious and the cop chases... well for get about it, it was great! And all that painful pop-up? Come on it was 1998 after-all. Well here we are, it's 2004, Driv3r has been loooong awaited by those of us who adored the first offering from Reflections and now that we have it, all I can say is... "what the h#ll?!" I'll only review this on the graphics merits, so if you like the game play and can numb yourself to the absolutely pathetic textures look away now. Talk about pop-up, "holy.. where did that car come from Batman", the AI vehicles (not to mention buildings trees, power poles and peds) appear out of nowhere not more than a block away at times, they don't fade in, they just appear like some crazy magic trick. Textures tear and flicker and quite frequently disappear all together just to reappear again. Now mind you the lighting effects are beautiful (note Miami at dusk bathed in that golden tropical glow), but there is absolutely very little draw distance and the unbelievable amount of graphics glitches that are found at ever turn are utterly disappointing and inexcusable, they may have passed muster back in the day but not at a time when Project Gothem 2 and Grand Tourismo rule the roads. I went back and ran PG2 and recounted Wreckless last night just to make sure I wasn't being too hard on poor old Driv3r but I came away being even harder on it. Great video games start with (can you imagine) great graphics! Call me a graphics geek but if a title can't draw me in visually then the journey for me and that title will be a short one. How the creative teams at Reflections and finally Microsoft let this pass to distribution with so many bugs to work out is beyond me, Xbox has so much riding on the quality of the games to sell itself that allowing such a shoddy example of workmanship find a place on store shelves is inexcusable. On the upside however Driv3rs' opening cut scene is the most cinematic I've ever seen, and frankly stunning! The levels (cities) are huge and exacting in their detail but the clipping and over-all poor graphics execution relegates what could have easily been one heck of a game to the "should-a, could-a, would-a" file. Simply put... I was expecting so much more and got far less than I could have ever imagined from Driv3r and how sad. | video-games_xbox |
Great Headset with a few minor issues. I bought this headset because I had the old X11's and wanted to upgrade to wireless because the wire for the X11 is ridiculously long and was never needed for my gaming since I play about 5 feet away from my tv.
Let me just say this headset is great. I read a bunch of reviews before I bought it because I wanted to be sure it would be worth the $100 price tag. I read complaints from people saying that it produced static constantly and others saying the game sound or voice chat drops out a lot. This worried me but I ended up trying them out anyway.
I've owned the X32's for a good month now and as of yet I haven't had a single technical issue that made me question my purchase. So I'll keep the review nice and simple:
Pros:
+For the most part a very solid connection. The headset's wireless capabilities are very reliable.
+Sound is very clear and voice chat is incredibly audible. The difference from this and a typical headset it very easy to notice. I now can't stand to chat online with a regular mic.
+Has an auxiliary connection for mobile devices. I love this for listening to music while I play. The game sounds, chat and music all blend perfectly.
+Nice battery life. I bought some rechargeable batteries so I'm set for a long time. I get a good 20+ hours of use before the headset tells me to change the batteries.
Cons
-It does produce a few minor hiccups in connection that last no more than around 3 seconds every once in a while.
-I decided to list this as a con even though it doesn't bother me one bit. It does produce static if the volume is cranked up high and there isn't constant sound coming in. So if you're watching a movie with the volume up it will have some static during the quiet parts. But I don't play or watch anything with the volume high enough for the static to be an annoyance.
^^^Others may find this extremely annoying though.
-It can become a bit uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. But this could just be me.
-Although the chat and game sounds are vivid, it does often take me some time to adjust the two volumes to get a good balance. If this is not done, I have trouble hearing my friends over the game or hearing the game over my friends' voices. But this is easy to fix.
-A few other very minor and insignificant annoyances that don't hinder the experience whatsoever for me. An example is that people you are chatting with can hear pretty much any noise around your mic. So if there's a window open next to you with a loud noise outside, they will probably be able to hear it.
Hope this helps you decide if these are for you. I didn't have any issues because my setup is very simple and there isn't much room for error or interference with the sounds. More complex setups may encounter issues that I don't have. All I know is that they work wonders for me. | video-games_xbox |
Great budget stick, though not without it's flaws. For the price -- around $55 at the time of buying -- this stick cannot be beat in terms of its value. A dual-modded stick like this could have dominated the market a few years ago. Good, but not perfect.
Pros:
Good stock joystick. The "generic" stick seems to be designed to emulate the Hayabusa, and it does a relatively good job doing so. The joystick has a slightly oversized actuator (similar to the Kowal) a slightly higher tension spring than the JLF, and stiff microswitches. The switches could be considered a pro or a con, as some prefer "softer" switches, but I personally like the stiffness of the ones in this joystick. The stock gate (square) can also easily be switched out with a JLF gate.
Good stock buttons. The buttons are not excellent, but definitely get the job done. While most stock buttons seem to emulate the Sanwa OBSF series, the stock buttons in the Mayflash are very similar to Seimitsu PS-14-G series of buttons (they are more tactile and two-stage feeling than Sanwas or Kuros).
Customization options. The box advertises that the controller is compatible with Sanwa parts, and that holds true in terms of the buttons. Sanwa and Hori Kuro pushbuttons fit right in to the existing slots with no modification to the case or panel needed. However, Seimitsu Pushbuttons and Screwbuttons (I have not tried Sanwa screwbuttons) do NOT fit. More about this in the "Cons" section.
Excellent size and weight. The controller is somewhere between the size of the Madcatz SE and TE sticks of old. While I generally prefer larger stick myself (such as the HRAP and VLX) the nice heavy feel of the Mayflash V2 has won me over. Fits very comfortably in your lap, though can slide around a bit due to the smooth metal panel on the bottom. Overall, very comfortable to use, however.
Multi-console support. The top control panel allows for switching between PS3 (D-Input) and Xbox 360 (X-Input). A dual modded stick like this cannot be beat for the price. Works well on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Cons:
Does not work on PS4 games that support PS3 sticks. The PCB of this controller comes up as a generic wireless DS3 when plugged in to a PC, PS3 and PS4. As a result, PS4 games that support PS3 sticks (such as Mortal Kombat X, Skullgirls, and Ultra Street Fighter IV) will not recognize this controller properly, which is a bit of a let down.
Difficult to change the jostick. The joystick, while I do like it, is not directly replaceable with a Sanwa JLF out of the box. The system used to connect the joystick to the PCB is uncommon, and extra measures and connectors must be used to replace the stick joystick, as it does not use the standard 5-pin hookup. Also, due to the location of the cable storage compartment, the Hayabusa will NOT fit in this controller properly. However, with a special cable I was able to insert a JLF in to the controller.
Not compatible with all buttons. While any Sanwa and Hori snap-in style buttons I have tried fit in to the case perfectly, not all 30mm buttons will fit correctly. The holes in the panel are shaped in such a way that Seimitsu snap-in and screwbuttons will not fit in the controller properly.
Macro and turbo are more of a nuisance than a feature. While some may see the macro and turbo features as nice, they create a grey-area for tournaments, and some tournament officials may ban the stick due to the option of macro functionality. However, indicator lights do flash when the turbo or macro are used, so some tournaments may allow the stick without modification.
Supposedly does not work perfectly with all games. While most games I have tested the stick on has worked perfectly, Marvel vs Capcom 2 on the PS3 has given me troubles with responsiveness, and I have been told that some other games do not work perfectly with the controller, particularly Street Fighter 2 HDR.
Overall, this controller is definitely a bang for your buck, but there are a few flaws that prevent it from being a five star product. Would recommend as a beginner stick, or for modders up for a challenge and collectors. | video-games_xbox |
Great performance on enhanced games! Terrible dashboard/UI. First off I want to say I'm a gamer. I did not get this console for the 4K blu-ray player or because I'm a die hard Xbox fan. I got this so that I could play Xbox One/360 and the occasional original Xbox game on the best Xbox console available. This is my first Xbox One console so I won't be able to compare it with older models but I do have every other console out right now including a newer gaming PC with 4K monitor. I do all my console gaming on a 1080p projector so I was mainly interested in performance and not 4K. With all that being said I just have a couple personal pros and cons.
My likes: So yeah, the Xbox One X enhanced games look awesome! The first game I downloaded was Halo 5 and was instantly impressed on how smooth and stable the game felt from a console! Definitely impressive although the insane file size of 95GB! The way this game looks even on my 1080p screen I felt outweighed some of my frustrations. I still think its an awesome piece of tech. probably more for enthusiasts than casuals. The console itself is small yet heavy which just makes it feel like a quality product
My dislikes: The Xbox dashboard itself is just absolutely terrible! It feels like everything important is hidden away while things like advertisements are right on the home screen. It's also incredibly slow and unstable even on the "most powerful console ever made" The UI feels slower than the dashboard on the original PS4 or even the Xbox360! WTH! The Xbox store app is especially frustrating as it crashes on me pretty much every time I use it! My other gripe, which is the same as everyone else's, is the lack of first party games. I already knew this before purchasing but I felt it even harder as I scrolled through the Xbox store on my brand new console with not a lot of decent games to download! Lastly, no rechargeable batteries for Xbox One controllers....yeah... still in 2017 apparently its still an issue, this just drives me nuts.
I recommend this console mainly to those that are strictly console gamer's and cant wait for the next gen consoles to come out. You definitely get PC like performance on this with Xbox One X Enhanced games. If you're like me than you are probably unbiased on consoles, and just enjoy gaming, which means you should buy this just so you can have it and be able play any game that comes out! | video-games_xbox |
Great game, but not as good as Trials Evolution. I bought this game on Xbox Live. This is a great fun game, and can easily give you 20+ hours of enjoyment due to replayability (and that's without the DLC). However, this game is not as good as its predecessor, Trials Evolution, which is why I give it 4 stars.
My beefs with this game are:
1. Too much space-age stuff, and since it's a lot of smooth surfaces it sometimes makes the futuristic environments look bland.
2. Annoying commentary while driving. Not bad on your first playthrough, but if you're playing on a difficult track or trying to get a really good run, you get sick of hearing the announcer say the same crap over and over, especially if you keep faulting. It adds annoyance to frustration. However, you can turn this feature off.
3. They went overboard with the difficulty on the extreme tracks. Sounds like a weird complaint, extreme is extreme, right? I loved extreme tracks on previous games due to the challenge, and most jumps on those games' tracks were skill based, not gimmicky jumps you had to get exactly perfectly right, as in Trials Fusion. To illustrate my skill with Trials, I was consistently in the top 1% of the 1.8 million+ person leaderboard on Trials Evolution, and had beaten all but 1 of the dozens of extreme tracks from Trials HD, Trials Evolution, and all their DLC's combined, and had Gold medals on all the extreme tracks in Trials Evolution, so I'm pretty good. Now to illustrate the difficulty spike in Fusion's extreme tracks, In Trials Fusion have only beaten 2 of the 5 Extreme tracks, after easily 3,000 to 4,000 faults on them combined, but still while getting gold medals on all other tracks in the game within 1 to 3 attempts.
Regardless, still and excellent game, well worth the money. However, I hope they chill out with really gimmicky jumps on the extreme tracks in the DLC, extreme isn't that fun anymore.
Update: The Extreme difficulty tracks in the DLC were just as crappy as the main game, and the DLC had half the content as previous games (probably b/c the previous games did not have Ubisoft involvement). I'm not adjusting my review score because this review is on the version that did not include DLC. The user-generated tracks never picked up steam in this game either, and the interfaces stayed buggy over time.
All this combined for me just makes Trials games something to maybe buy when on a deep, deep discount sale, rather than something to buy for full-price on day 1 like previous entries. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic training tool. Our household has two people using Rocksmith 2014 - myself with 19 years experience (albeit a very interrupted 19 years) and my 13 year old son with less than one year experience.
Rocksmith 2014 works great for both of us. The difficulty adjusts on the fly depending on the skill displayed by the player. It can also be adjusted manually. The '101' training lessons are great ways to learn essential guitar techniques and include training tracks with feedback, increasing difficulty, and scoring.
Learning songs consists of applicable '101' lessons, replaying of certain song sections and riffs, and the familiar graded accuracy and note streaks.
The variety of songs that ships with the product is excellent and many more high quality songs are available as DLC (I've bought a few already). The DLC songs are of the same great quality as the included songs.
Rocksmith 2014 offers bass, lead guitar, and rythm guitar. We have not tried bass, but my son plays lead while I chose rhythm and those definitely are very different from one another.
The guitar tuning can be picky at times, but once you figure out how to tune the way the program likes it, it ceases to be a problem.
The difficulty of songs scales very well for both lead and rhythm. A beginner rhythm player would start out with chord root notes played every measure or every other measure and slowly work their way up via power chords, A5 chords, complete chords played once per measure, and then increasing in frequency until the song is played in full difficulty.
A beginner lead player will start out playing just one or two lead notes per measure, working up to combined notes and more advanced techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, etc.
The songs have good variety not just by music, but also by difficulty. I found it relatively easy to master "Blitzkrieg Bop" rhythm guitar at 100% difficulty. However, trying to master "Don't fear (the reaper" is considerably more difficult.
My only gripes are the sometimes difficult tuner, the rare freezing of the program, the frequent buzzing present in the included cable, and the weird way the program presents its version of tabulature.
Bottom line, Rocksmith 2014 is no substitute for real lessons and dedicated music theory study, but it is a damn fine and exceptionally fun training tool for players of all skill levels. I have started/stopped playing quite a few times in the past 19 years, but I have never developed the callused finger tips as quickly as this time around - Rocksmith 2014 is so much fun to play that I have probably spent 10 hours practicing in just one week. | video-games_xbox |
Decent build quality and comfort but lackluster audio performance in the high freguencies. Bought these primarily to play Destiny 2 online with friends as we're a bit spread out and often have a hard time getting together. I was using an old pair of Sony MDR-V2 headphones ($50 @ retail when new but over 5 years old now) but wanted a mic and to dedicate a set to the PS4 rather than switching around. So with the Sony's as a reference, here's my thoughts.
+ Build quality is quite decent for a very inexpensive pair of cans. These seem like they'll hold up alright other than the cord. I found that I already have a "sensitive" connection at the base of the audio cord where it connects to the device output (after a week) but I can repair this myself easily enough. All in all, they're robust enough to be satisfying given the price range. They don't stand up to my Turtle Beach PC set but they're a quarter of the price or less, so it's not a fair comparison. Comfort is reasonable even for a big guy with a big head and tendency towards long sessions (when I play, I tend to put in a few hours).
- Sound quality is just OK. They do bass well enough and don't distort at my definition of comfortable volume for content full of explosions and such but they lack on the high end (and I'm a middle aged guy with lots of ear abuse, so my upper limit is nothing compared to a teenager for instance). I notice that in Destiny 2, where they use some high frequency rings to hint at hidden items nearby, that I can't hear said clues until I'm right on top the item but my Sony headphones allow me to figure out locations from much farther and track using my screen rotation much better. So clear but lacking in highs.
So where do I stand? I'd buy them again if I was budget limited (on sale, they cost about as much as 2 combo's at McD's), certainly. I'm only giving them 3 stars because of the audio cable quality at the 3.5mm connector and because of the lackluster highs. The problems are not a deal breaker but, since I don't think the PS4 has an "EQ" to turn up the treble a notch, I'm thinking I'll always wonder if I'm missing things when I use these. A star off for both items but I still say that, if you don't mind my two gripes, you'll likely not consider these a bad bargain. You can definitely do worse by more than you can do better. | video-games_xbox |
One of the Finest First Person Shooters Available. Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: L.E.G.
As a lover and avid player of FPS (First Person Shooter) type games, I am probably one of the toughest critics and a game must satisfy all my criteria for me to give it a 5/5 rating. Without any doubts, Call of Duty Finest Hour has successfully accomplished this lofty goal.
To start with, Call of Duty Finest Hour is entirely based on events that happened during World War II. But, ActiVision took on a bigger role than just making a video game and actually tries and succeeds in teaching us a brief history lesson. Granted it's very short and concise, but it helps to setup the game and it's many diverse and challenging levels.
You start out playing as a member of the Russian Army fighting with your comrades on the Eastern Front, from the Volga to Stalingrad. The missions can be somewhat difficult to finish, but the squad leader does give you instructions (just as if you were in the army) on what you need to do or where you need to go. "Blow up that building" and "Take out those machine guns" are typical fare. And most of the time you are a member of a "squad", so don't try to be all "Rambo" and try to defeat the Germans all by yourself. You will get slaughtered!
After you complete your mission(s) as one person, you are then placed in someone else's shoes and get to fight the war from their perspective. Which also opens you up to using different weapons and driving around in tanks. But, this is not Grand Theft Auto. You can't go around and jump in vehicles and take off. Your tour of duty on the Eastern Front with the Russians takes a total of 8 sometimes-grueling missions. At least the game is very forgiving and lets you restart the mission at the last checkpoint.
After the Eastern Front, you are whisked off to North Africa to serve with the British Army in Tunisia. All of the buildings and backgrounds used in this game are simply amazing. There is a lot of rich and articulate detail to keep your attention. You will serve a total of 4 missions with the bulldogs. More neat weapons used by the Brits and a lot of blowing stuff up in these levels. G-D Save the Queen!
And last, but not least, you go to the Western Front to fight with the American Army. As in previous levels, you get more awesome weapons to shoot and tanks to drive. Some of the toughest battles will be fought with the Americans. A total of 7 missions await your shooting skills.
Call of Duty Finest Hour by ActiVision is available for the Playstation 2, Xbox and Gamecube. It is rated "T" for Teen and contains a ton of blood and a whole lot of violence. Since this game is based on World War II, blood and violence is to be expected. Total missions are 19 and 23 different weapons.
This game is Single Player only, but does offer multiplayer online broadband only and 2-16 players. Online gametypes are: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Search & Destroy.
Overall, this game was as close to perfect as they can get with very few technical glitches. Like one time I was crawling around on the floor and trying to climb a flight of stairs and my character just fell through some empty space to his terrible death.
This game was just so well balanced between missions, story, music and action that I had to give it a 5/5.
It's really an awesome game, so go ahead and get a copy. | video-games_xbox |
Good game, but could use some squad tweaks. (I'm going to keep this review short and only hit on the things I haven't seen other reviews address. I will not address Singleplayer as I haven't touched it)
I'm a huge Battlefield fan and I have played all of them since 1942 came out. BC2 is a great testament to the Frostbite engine and I thoroughly enjoy playing it with my friends. That being said I do have some issues with the game.
Pros:
-Awesome bullet drop physics -> Although not quite "Arma" realistic, it is nice to lose the "laser" sniper rifle.
-Balanced kits -> All classes can be equally effective when used properly, and with careful aim and precision even an engineer can take out that pesky sniper. Kit customizations are fun and keep the game fresh.
-Excellent draw distance-> I've always hated the draw distance on BF2, and it's been resolved in BC2.
Cons:
-Squad Management -> Last night I had four other friends online... I was forced to lone wolf it the whole round because the squad caps out at 4 players. They need a way to "link" squads at least for communication (i.e. voice chat and player indicators on screen). Xbox Live Party chat is currently the best workaround...
-Switching Teams -> Goes along with Squad issues.... if you join a game with your friends and their team was full, you cannot switch to their side once a slot opens. I understand its to prevent people from "hot swapping" to the winning side, but you should be able to join your friends squad and team without having to exit the match completely and re-loading the map.
Bad Company 2 is a great game, and if you enjoy shooters it is definitely a good game to pickup. My only gripes are concerning squads at the moment. I simply cannot enjoy any game without my friends engaging in teamwork, and if I'm forced to play alone then I will simply log off and call it a day. I hope DICE addresses the squad cap with at least some form of tweak so groups of 5+ can enjoy this wonderful game together. | video-games_xbox |
Fun addition to the series. WWE '12 definitely changes up the SmackDown series. The gameplay mechanics have changed, and while not everyone seems to like them, I find that the game flows a bit more smoothly now. The control and grapple system is fairly simple but still fun.
The overall presentation of the game is excellent and very true-to-life. Yukes have obviously gone to pretty big lengths to try and accurately recreate a real WWE broadcast, with TV-style camera angles, authentic entrance music, realistic character models and in-game commentary from Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.
The game modes are fairly plentiful, on top of the usual Exhibition mode, there is also WWE Universe and Road to Wrestlemania. The Road to Wrestlemania mode took a different approach this year. In previous years, RTWM mode gives the player the option of picking one of about six different superstars to follow them throughout about three-months of gameplay from the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania.
This year, you don't get much of a choice, but instead there are three different chapters of gameplay which span about two-years of matches or so, making it quite lengthy. I did enjoy RTWM in most places, but it did admittedly drag on as well, and I found myself wishing that I could simply choose to play as a different wrestler for 3-months rather than getting stuck with the same guy for so many months.
WWE Universe has changed and upgraded from last year's model, and it can be a lot of fun. Essentially, Universe mode just plays out full calendar months of WWE programming. While you have complete control over the booking of matches, who faces who, and you have a fair bit of control over the rivalries, the game will also essentially run in autopilot. For example, when I simulated through a few months worth of play, it developed a number of rivalries on its own. CM Punk seemed to regularly feud with The Miz, and the game seemed to constantly push Mason Ryan towards the WWE Championship. The cool thing is that everyone who I've talked to that has played this game has had different experiences with the Universe mode, making it quite unique.
The Create modes are excellent. The game gives you the ability to create your own wrestler, moveset, entrance, video montage, logo, story, finishing move and arena. And each mode goes extremely in-depth, it's obvious a lot of detail and care went into these modes.
The game is also great fun online and has definitely improved from previous versions. In the past, I found SmackDown to be quite clunky as it would struggle and lag with connections a lot. But WWE '12 doesn't seem to do that too much. It still needs some work and tweaking but it's definitely on its way. The community is excellent as well, as other players can upload their own created content for download.
All in all, as someone who has played every game in the series since the first SmackDown for the PS1, I enjoy WWE '12. The control style and gameplay mechanics are different, but still fun, and overall this just feels like a new and fresh entry in a series that has been gradually getting as stale as John Cena. | video-games_xbox |
Quality? What Quality?' should be NECA's middle name. I got my Lancer two days ago. It's been a 36" bundle of disappointments, even though I knew what was coming.
1. Appearance: While the blood is nicely applied, it does nothing for the look of the gun. All the right levers and triggers are there, but they do nothing. And despite claims to the contrary on the product's description, this is not the Lancer used in GOW2, but GOW1 (shorter barrel), which makes me wonder if it wasn't a delayed tie-in with the original game.
2. Functionality: Here is where this gun really falls on its face. For almost $150, this gun does ALMOST NOTHING. Heck, if you don't know how to wedge a piece of metal between the uppermost battery and the battery terminal (small coin, paper clip, bit of tinfoil, whatever works), it DOES do nothing. The chainsaw noise sounds like it came off of a $3 toy in the 80s, and the vibration is even less convincing. With the price tag on this joker, they could've at least included an assault rifle sound effect (they used the assault rifle trigger for the saw for some reason). Heck, for that price, they could've lit the blue lights all over the gun, as well as the sights, and made some of the levers move, even if they didn't do anything. As it is, this thing's a very big, very pretty motorized paperweight, however well the fake blood is applied.
Also, that's not weapons-grade plastic. That's thick, cheap toy plastic. Nice to see that NECA is willing to cut corners on their contracts. The plastic hindsight also is slightly cloudy and often badly scratched on the examples I've seen, another trademark of poor-quality plastic. Not that it matters, since this gun doesn't even make a 'bang-bang' noise.
The extractable magazine's ease of release varies by the gun. Due to the defectiveness of the battery compartment, I have seen several exchanges of this gun. Some of those magazines wouldn't come out without plenty of wiggling and shaking. For this price tag, that's beyond unacceptable. That's just plain ridiculous.
Even the folding handle for the chainsaw feels slipshod and loose, likely to break off with even the slightest pressure. That's even less acceptable than the magazines, since this puppy's pretty weighty in the hands. Hands off the merchandise, folks.
I hope the modding community comes up with some great stuff, just so this shoddy toy is worth something close to the price tag (love to see an assault rifle sound and some flashing LEDs, personally). If I weren't such a big fan of the game, I'd dump this thing in the mail to Amazon and demand my money back. There's something a little intoxicating about having my own Lancer, even a bad one, but it sure doesn't outweigh the cost! | video-games_xbox |
Better than Dynasty warriors. Better than almost all other xbox 360 games. BUY this game right now. Even before u read. Its that fun...omg. after its in ur cart u can read ahead.
Ill be brief about this 1. I rented it and bought it the next day. Its different from dynasty warriors and is the funnest game on my 360 right now. I could play this game forever and do the campaigns over and over again. It has the replayability of Super Smash Bros if u want a comparison. And this ISNT a multiplayer game!
The graphics rank among the best the 360 has to offer and the gameplay is awesome. The controls are surpsingly simple and you could jump into the game and pull off 500 kill combos within 2 mins. Id prefer to make the controls a bit more complex for combos even, as ive pulled off some moves I think i should have to work harder for. Youll love to watch.
Framerate stays fast throughout the entire game. Only a couple times have I pushed too far and its slowed for a few seconds. This is usually when Im using a special (orb) spark and everyone in the area dies. Youll love those. I use these when theres like a million enemies so the lag is very rare; like twice since ive owned it. If only the 360 could output more than 60fps... The levels are fun and of average length, although if u want a good rank and wanna kill everyone it can take a half an hour or more if ur a novice or a wimp. Remember some levels are longer than others. Aggressiveness and good tactics will save your life and ur time.
As for no saves....I DONT CARE AT ALL. When ur good the levels take between 5 and 20 mins. You shouldnt die....if u die u need to practice more. HP is abundant with all the items and the way u can use them. I never die. And if i die i just play again. After levels u can save. Its so fun you and (I'll) wanna play levels over and over again anyways. Itd be different if levels were 30-60 mins. Plz, these ppl are such whiners. They play, and are doin good then die and cry about it when they were (almost therre!)...lol. You ppl standby in halo. Go get an rpg and save every minute if u need to take the pressure off. I actually push to the end of a level even if im tired, and it does take up hours fast. If u know u cant save......get better and you won't have too!!!!! In this game you can bestow massive army ownage.
I love the music. Very nice and suits the mood. It changes with the pace of battle, which always pumps me up in this and halo. Very, very similar to Halo. Wow its good. If u don't care about music, its still good enough. Now I own the soundtracks to both games.
This game deserves a much better reputation and advertisements, ppl just don't know about it. Me and my friends do though. Will you?
If there was a 2 player system link or online mode where u could anhilliate each others armies or do co-op; then i would cry...OMG would i cry.... (thinks about it)....*tear*
Now......burn ur copy of dynasty warriors now. DO IT!! NOW!!! | video-games_xbox |
Mass Effect 2: Raising the Bar in Video Game Entertainment. One of the main questions you will hear people ask about Mass Effect 2 is whether or not you need to play the first game. Different people will say different things to this question, but the answer is a little complicated. Someone who played the first will get 100X more enjoyment out of part 2 than someone who hasn't, but even if you skipped the first, part 2 is still an amazing game. You'll be missing out on the small things, like when Shepard is stopped by someone thanking him for saving them "on that one planet." If you played the first, this will jog your memory and you'll actually remember saving this person and a feeling of goodwill will wash over you, something I have never experienced before. I actually felt like people were thanking me for saving them in the past...when in reality, I just controlled a character to do so in a game. What an amazing game design!
Building off of my previous point, if you played the first game you probably still have the save file. If so, good! Keep it! Mass Effect 2 has a build in import tool that allows you to import an existing Shepard into Mass Effect 2 bringing over your looks and morality. Depending on what you did in the first game, you could also begin your career with extra money and minerals. I imported a max level (60) Vanguard from the first game and I started the game "rich" for importing him. I was given a stockpile of minerals and money and was able to begin at level 5. This was a very cool addition to an already amazing game.
The team at BioWare really put an effort forth to change some of the mechanics from the first game. Most people who played the first game complained about a few key things. First, the Mako. The Mako is the vehicle you drove in the first game when you landed on a planet. The driving sequence has been removed completely, replaced with a system that automatically puts you on the planet where you need to be. Another issue was the elevators (although a minor complaint). The elevators in ME1 took forever since they compensated for the load times. Finally, the combat was reworked in the second making the game a much more competent third person cover shooter (think Gears of War meets Uncharted). Ammo has been introduced into the game for the first time in a unique way. Instead of picking up ammo for each weapon, you will instead pick up cooling clips. You "reload" when you weapon is beginning to overheat and picking up additional clips will give you additional ammo. It's an easy system to master, but at first can be a little different.
In terms of gameplay, the game just feels a whole lot more polished. They took everything that was wrong or not perfect in the first and tweaked it to make it perfect. The game is quite literally a masterpiece of game design. Enemies are varied and unlike the first, can't just be gunned down all willy nilly. You need to think about what enemy you are fighting and plan accordingly. Some have shields, some have armor, some have both and each take different tactics. Shields can be brought down with a team members overload ability and then gunned down at will. As you play you will pick up these tidbits of gameplay knowledge and by the halfway point you'll be mowing down enemies at will, with the big challenges, the end bosses, putting up one hell of a fight.
The main part of any BioWare game is always the story. Continuing from where the first left off, something big happens in the beginning of the game. This big event allows you to make your character look any way you want and you can even change your character type. The choices include a soldier class that allows you to use all weapons, magic classes, magic + combat classes, engineering classes, engineering + soldier, and a few other combos. Needless to say, there will be a class that will suit your needs in some way or another.
After the game begins, you are tasked with finding a group of soldiers, mercenaries, vagabonds, prisoners, and other unlikely sources to join your team. You have to visit a wide range of worlds, all uniquely designed and beautiful in their own right, and "woo" each to join you. Most won't join you at first or need something in return. Once you complete the mission, they join you on your ship. From here on out, they can accompany you on missions. There's a bunch of people to recruit, but once you recruit them the "wooing" doesn't stop there. You need to gain the loyalty of your crew, although this is completely optional. Gaining the loyalty of your crew confirms whether or not they will join you for the final mission of the game, the looming "suicide mission" that is constantly talked about. It is possible for Shepard to end the game dead and the game completing. This only stresses the need for you to gain the loyalty of each crew member and upgrade your ship to it's max capacity. More on upgrading later though. After you bring the members on board, you can talk to them after each mission you undertake. You will learn about their back stories, their troubles, their lives, basically who they are and how they tick. When you speak to them enough and get a good repertoire going, they will offer you their mission. Complete the mission, and you gain their loyalty as well as a new outfit and power for them. Screw up the mission (some can be failed with no retry) or say something damaging to them and you could lose their loyalty forever. With some characters, you can even garner a romantic relationship that ultimately ends up in a bedroom before the final mission. This love interest will carry over into Mass Effect 3 and play a big role, so chose carefully. Character growth and character relations is a huge part of the Mass Effect universe and you will spend a very large amount of time talking to your squad mates. If you just grimaced at that, don't. It's very enjoyable and you will feel closer to your teammates because of it. You'll find you'll bring your "friends" with you on missions more than the other people you don't like as much. My personal favorite characters include Miranda (the sexy Cerberus operative), Tali (Quarian from first game who is now a possible love interest), and Jack (Subject Zero - the hard ass biotic bitch who has a very troubled past).
Mass Effect 2 introduces a couple new features that weren't present in the original game as well. You can now upgrade most, if not all aspects of your armor, weaponry, and ship. Your armor can be fully customized to whatever color scheme you want, different armor types, helmet types, etc. and these will show up in all cut scenes. This helps to better immerse you in the game. Weapons can be upgraded much like other games and your ship you will be upgraded for bigger and better facilities and weaponry. The ship upgrades don't really matter until the end of the game. Upgrading your ship is a must to survive the "suicide mission."
While certain things were added to the game, others were removed. The biggest removals from the game were random loot drops and enemy XP. In the first game, killing an enemy gave you two things, experience and loot. Now, you only get exp after a mission has been completed and your loot is found sparingly around the levels with upgrades thrown in for good measure. It's missed, but not a big deal. I found that in the first game I would clear out every enemy in the level to try and get every piece of exp possible...now I don't care as much.
Mass Effect 2 is going to be considered for Game of the Year 2010, I can assure you that. It's an amazing game that has surpassed my expectations completely. Having spent well over 150 hours with the first game, I consider myself an expert on the Mass Effect universe. The lore continuation, story flow, characters, everything is just perfect. BioWare is doing an amazing job bringing the universe to life in Mass Effect 2 and players who give it their time and attention will be treated to an experience unlike any other. It's not unlikely that while you aren't playing the game, you'll be thinking about playing it. Sitting at work yesterday I was contemplating who I should become romantically involved with, Miranda or stick with my old girlfriend from the first game Liara T'Soni. But what about Tali? What's hidden under that environment suit...yeah, it's sounds bad, but don't knock it until you've experienced it yourself, and you won't experience it unless you give it a shot. Mass Effect 2 is a game you should buy though. Unless you have GameFly that allows you to rent games for however long you want, you'll need to hold onto the game for a good long while to complete the 25-50 hour game. You could blow through the main missions and forget everything else, but if you did that, you'd be missing out on the whole Mass Effect experience. Take the time to do the side missions, talk to the characters, gain their loyalty...in doing so you'll be experiencing gaming history in the form of storytelling the likes of which have never been seen in a video game before. Be careful though, this game will take up a lot of your time, willingly of course. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent. A big improvement over the first game, Assassin's Creed 2 takes place in Italy. So you already know the scenery is gorgeous. The story is also much better; the protagonist is a more fleshed out character, one with emotions for example? Presentation is great, the story gets even more intriguing that the original, and the audio is magnificent.
But as with the original, the main selling point here is still the gameplay, and it is also an improvement. You get more (and more fun!) weapons, have more combat techniques at your disposal, and the collectibles aren't such a dreadful pain as those pesky flags in AC1. You can swim now! But you know what? That's just the tip of the iceberg. They've also introduced a money system, so now you can buy tons of cool stuff like armor, weapons, decorations for your home, etc. You can also hire groups of thieves, courtesans, or mercenaries to aid you as you try to sneak past guards or just take them out. They've really put a lot of thought into the gameplay aspect, as I've come to expect from Ubisoft. They even made riding horses more fluid (the landing after jumping over fences used to look and feel a bit awkward). Oh, and they got rid of those annoying NPCs that swing at you if you get too close to them as well. They replaced them with pickpockets, who very rarely get close enough to you to actually steal from you so it's definitely better.
I only have a few minor complaints, as I did with the first. Although there is now a night and day cycle (which is wonderful, mind you!), I don't like the fact that at dusk/dawn, the guards you've killed on the rooftops are replaced with more guards. I used to enjoy feeling like I was clearing the city of guards in the first game, but have had to get used to not having that sense of accomplishment here. Also, the collectibles now glow, which again is pretty neat in and of itself but only truly useful at night. I mean, sure, you can keep switching eagle vision on and off as you run around but that negates the point of such breathtaking scenery. So the real problem is the fact that there is no sort of "Rest/Wait" option for while you're hunting the collectibles down, so you can't keep it nice and dark to spot them more easily. And finally, not a fan of the notoriety system, in which just escaping from the guys chasing you isn't enough to make you anonymous anymore; you have to waste time pulling posters off the walls to get your notoriety level down again so you can get back to having fun.
All in all, this is a fantastic game though. Polls I've read online sometimes rank it as either the best or the second best Assassin's Creed game out to date (after Black Flag). I wouldn't go that far, I think each one has been better than the last (except Rogue and Unity, because those are the ones I haven't played yet), but this game is still a solid and fun experience. | video-games_xbox |
Much better than the 360 counterpart. Not the best SC, but still good. After making the mistake of trading this version in for the 360 version, I finally decided to trade the 360 version in to get my old XBOX Double Agent back after being dissapointed with the 360 version.
I won't even go into graphics and sound, because as always they are great. No big improvments from Chaos Theory, but that is not a bad thing since the visuals and audio in CT were near perfect.
The actual storyline is kind of a twist from past Splinter Cell titles, instead of working solely for the NSA, you actually become a double agent to bring down the terrorist organization, the JBA from the inside. The things that happen in this game have already happened as you will be able to tell from the cutscreens between the missions. As a Double Agent, you will be forced to make tough decisions. Before you choose, you must decide what is most important, the lives of innocent people, or keeping your cover and gaining the trust of the JBA. But be carefull tip the trust meter too much to one side and your mission will be in jeopardy one way or the other. Do too many things that help the JBA, and the NSA will threaten call off the mission, Do too many things to help the NSA and the JBA becomes suspicious and your cover may be blown.
The game mechanics are pretty much the same from past, and you have what seems all of the gadgets and tools you have from past Splinter Cell titles, you can still remote hack, split jump, optic cable, disable cameras, lights and other electronics with your pistol, etc. Also reappearing in this game is the visibility and sound meter tied to your OPSAT. For reasons that are beyond me, many of these things Splinter Cell vets have come used to are MIA in the 360 version, one reason why I got the XBOX version of the game back. While all of these thigs are in the XBOX version what makes this game different is the fact you are forced to make decisions and they can be nerve racking, (in a good way). One example is that you are forced to make a decision on whether you want to allow the JBA to set off a bomb on a cruise ship or bug the phone bomb so it won't go off. You are screwed either way, and the decision is up to you. The double agent aspect of a game is a interesting twist, and makes the game pretty fun and helps the replay value because there is potentially many different outcomes of the game.
As I said in my title this game is not the best of the splinter cell titles. This is not because of the double agent aspect, it because the missions do not seem as fun as missions in previous Splinter Cells. Things can sometimes seem to drag along making an already stealthy game, more tedious and time consuming. The first couple of levels were really like this, but now that I am getting further into the game, it seems to be getting better. I also have a much greater appreciation of this title after playing the obviously rushed, unpolished 360 version.
Saves in this game is very forgiving. You still have save points, but you can also save AT any point in the game and you have an unlimited number of them. This translates to not being forced to do things over and over again, which is one of my pet peeves with video games. I am not sure if using "too many" saves will affect your stats or mission performance, but from what I have seen it doesn't.
There is also a multiplayer mode, which I haven't played and more than likely will not be playing online, and if you check my past reviews on multiplayer games, you will know why.
While this game is not the best Splinter Cell title, an award I will still give to the very first game in the series, I still think it is a very good game. If you have an XBOX and an XBOX360 and are debating on which Double Agent you should get, take it from someone who has owned both, get the REGULAR XBOX version! It is more polished and overall a much better game. For more info, see my review for the 360 version. | video-games_xbox |
Surprise return to series roots - a must play. Like many longtime gamers, the Resident Evil series is near and dear to their hearts. Ive played the entire series, and some of the installments, many times over. However, the installments since Resident Evil 4 (the best in the series), have lost the it factor that made the series unique. Resident Evil 5 moved more action based, and Part 6 was all action, that the series lost the horror element.
Not Resident Evil 7. This game changes the formula to a first person based game, but goes back to the tense, ammo scarce, horror game that the series was yet adds new elements to the game. This game takes influences from western and eastern horror genres, and melds them into a intriguing, and immersive, story. Looking at the game you ask, is this a Resident Evil game in title only? The answer is no but be aware that this is in the same universe as you come to expect.
Graphics: Breathtaking 9/10
The graphics are make you look twice anyone fans of found film movies, or even the torture film genre, will find the visuals in this game well done. Take some time to watch to look at the detail of the environment. Little touches in lighting, leaves, pictures, and shadows really take this game up a notch. If playing in 4k/HDR, this looks as if you are playing a VHS video, and the environments look real and full.
Sound: Amazing 9.5/10
The sounds, music, effects, and voices take you immediately into the game and you can get lost into it. Surround sound / headphones are a must so you can hear the uttering, chanting, and footsteps in this fun house of a game. The sounds are enough to make you yell out loud.
Gameplay: Spectacular 9/10
Smooth animations, smart A.I., brilliant level design, and different possibilities for battles make this game fun. Easy puzzles, especially for this series, is the one thing that is a knock against this game. Younger gamers may not think so, but those familiar with the series will see that this is extremely easy. Overall, the gameplay is different from the past, and in a good way. The first person perspective is a refreshing change of pace and the dialogue / story is well thought out.
Replay Value Amazing 9.5/10
Even without multiplayer, this game has high replay value. You get to choose your own path, make your own choices, all which affect the outcome of the game. The game will take you anywhere from 12 to 16 hours to complete, but you will want to do it again.
Overall Near Perfect 9.5/10
I am a fan of First-Person-Shooters (FPS) and all that is associated with them. This is a FPS technically, but it is so much more. It takes a tired, lost Resident Evil series, and breathes new life into it. It may be FPS, but it is survival horror and scavenging that the roots of this series introduced 20 years ago. The story details and ideas that went in this game prove that the mix of Western horror and Eastern horror can mix in story telling There are a few quirks in this game, but it was fun.
Resident Evil 7 is labeled as a survival horror first person shooter, but it is so much more. It takes a tired series and made a game that I am recommending to everyone. It was such a surprise that I have not felt this way about a game in years. It has elements taken from past RE games, such puzzles, jump scares, scavenging, and action-adventure, and brings it to the now not a tired old Umbrella story. Spending time with this game, it is apparent that Capcom wanted to create a statement, also to create a cinematic game, and different experience in a game one not felt in a Resident Evil game before.
RE7 took a chance to be different, and it worked. This game is gorgeous, involved, and deep - and it is not the same experience for everyone. The experience and horror is different for each user, which just shows you how much time and thought went into this game. With this much depth, it is hard to compare it to something else out right now, and you cant. It is the perfect January release for when game releases slow, the lull of winter sets in, and the year is just starting.
Typically, when I play a game that I truly enjoy, I have a wow moment maybe two. This game made me do that several different times. Maybe they weren't WOW moments - more like OH SH$# moments. This game is definitely worth checking out, and I hope that it does not get lost in the with an early spring release, but for 2017, it is already in my GAMES OF THE YEAR list. | video-games_xbox |
Missing a lot of features. Don't get me wrong--the game play is fine, the navigator's pace notes are fine, but the menus and the setup are missing several features that were included in the PS1 version of Colin McRae Rally, chief among them, the ability to pick and choose exactly which stages on any given course you want to race in time trial mode. Second, gone is the ability to tune your car between stages--you can't tweak the suspension or change to a different tire type between stages like you could in CMcR1, not to mention changing the gear ratios and the brake balance to favor front or rear bias. CMcR3 menu navigation is weird, as it wraps around to the same choices left to right and doesn't give you a list that flows logically.
The game is fun to play, however, if you like to just take the car how the program sets it up and the environmental effects are awesome, but I've found V-Rally 3 to be much better for the PS-2, and CMcR1 to be better on the PS-1. Also missing from this version is the Rally School qualification as in the PS-1 version, where once you got your expert license you could race any car on any stage and try to beat your best time, and in that version, you couldn't earn any new cars that you didn't have already--I unless I missed a cheat somewhere along the way. Like I said, this version is fun, but I do miss the car customizing features of the older version, but this version does have the older version beat as far as environmental effects and pace notes, so I guess it's a wash.
There is no Colin McRae Rally 2 or CMcR4 for the PS-2 in NTSC, those awesome versions are only available on PAL Playstations, and I'm disappointed for that, because I think all of them are the best rally games ever made, V-Rally 3 for the PS-2 notwithstanding. (V-Rally and V-Rally 2, which are only available on the PS-1 are okay, but they don't really compare to V-Rally 3 or the PS-2 versions). | video-games_xbox |
wayyyyyy under rated game. Please Dont listen to all of these negative reviews because this was a fantastic game. This is not Call of Duty , Halo , Gears of war or any other big name title you have played. This is Homefront developed by THQ. Since this is none of the other titles I have mentioned above take this game for what it is and enjoy it. Game developers each have their own style when it comes to making a game and all are different in their own way. If everything were like Call of Duty , or Halo wouldnt games get kind of boaring after a while.
___ Graphics. - The graphics are not horrible or bad as alot of these reviews say , they are just different . If this game was made By the developers of Call of duty or Halo I would expect the graphics to look like or better than the latest call of duty , or halo , but as I said above this game was made by THQ and this is their style of graphics and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them
___ Sound.- The sound is great. the explosions are pumped up to sound as real as possible in a game. If you have a surround sound system at home you will absolutely love this. the guns , tanks , etc. also meet my expectations.
___ Gameplay.- The game is fast paced and fun. People have been making false statements about the lenght of this game. There is no way you can finish this game in under three hours or under four hours. I played this game on normal and beat the game in a little over five hours so it is a little short , but the game was fun all of the way through. I won't tell you how it ends but you will deffinately know by the way it ends that there will be a sequal to this game . who knows there might be a trillogy or more. I hope so. I started the game again on it's hardest level which is guerrilla and I know for sure no one will be finishing this game quickly on this setting. I am having just as much fun on the second play through as the first and will play through it again after this to aquire all of the achievments. So If you want this game to last you longer play it on a higher setting because normal on this game felt like an easy setting to me.
___ Multiplayer.- The multiplayer in this game is just awesome. You have the tanks , helecopters , drones and unlimited sprint like in battlefield bad company 1 and 2. Your controls are Identical to call of duty and can also go prone in this game. the drones , and missles in this game are controled by remote like the RC car in Call of Duty Black Ops. All you have to do is find a place to hide and press up on the D-pad and you will deploy your drones or missles. you will be in third person control of your drones and missles until it is destroyed by an enemy or you are killed in your hiding spot. You can also spawn in tanks , helecopters , Hummers, and any other mobile vehicle they have to offer when you have earned enough points in a match. Also the controls in the campaighn and multiplayer are smooth and percise ,and if you are used to playing Call of Duty there will be no learning curve.
___Multiplayer Maps.- ALL OF THE MAPS ARE HUGE. the maps have to be this way because of the type of warfare that goes on in these matches. 32 people on a map at a time is awesome. If you tried to put that many players on a call of duty map you would be killed as soon as you spawn so this is why we have large maps in this game. not to mention could you imagine how it would be to have tanks , helecopters , drones and everything else this game has to offer on one of the small Call of Duty maps. Two map packs have now been released for this game and only cost 250 microsoft points for the first and 400 for the second , not to bad if you ask me.
I didn't go over all the specifics of this game because they are to numerous and would take alot more time but, I hope this will help you make your decision on buying the game. If you are still not sure about it go buy a used copy from Gamestop and if you don't like it then you can return it within 7 days of your purchase date. So no loss if you decide to take it back. I think if you give this game a fair chance you will see this game in the same light as I. Have fun and happy gamming | video-games_xbox |
Expected More. I've been playing this for probably 6 or 8 hours total so far and it hasn't lived up to expectations. The actions that you perform as the murdered detective are all fairly repetitive. I found it difficult to understand exactly what I was supposed to be doing after collecting the clues. It wasn't explained well in my opinion. As the ghost detective, you can possess people to either read their minds or influence their actions. For the most part, you get very boring one liner comments from anyone you possess and it doesn't add to the investigation at all. Their may be one or two who will be helpful and usually there's one you can influence if you get all your clues collected and figure out their meaning. Then for no apparent reason, a weird flashback of the crime committed will suddenly appear. You go from location to location through a city that's half reality and half weird ghost world. You can take on side missions to help other ghosts out. Those offer very little challenge. There are also demons who appear only to ghosts and who can kill by sucking the soul of the ghost. You have to sneak up on them from behind to be able to kill them. Finally you meet a teenage girl who is a medium. She can see and hear you and works with the detective to try and find her mother and solve the case of the serial killer. The graphics are okay, nothing outstanding. I realize it's a ghost world but some of the scenes are overly dark and I had to change the brightness on my screen several times to be able to make out the character locations. I've also run into a couple of lock ups when a new location has been loading. Finally just tonight, I thought I'd gotten into a really good part of the game where the investigation takes the new partners to a cemetery where the ghost of a murder victim appears. The program got locked into some sort of circular logic or something and I can't get past a certain point, almost like it's restarting from the last autosave over and over. I've tried exiting the game, restarting the console, everything but completely starting over which I don't want to do because I don't like the game that much. I don't know what is up with Xbox 360 games lately but I'm tired of wasting money on crappy games. Are they just trying to frustrate us all enough that we will buy an Xbox One? | video-games_xbox |
Wife's grandson didn't want to stop playing. I just wrote up a quick review for another item that I had gotten for wife 2.0's grandson to check out with me: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Uncle-Milton-Wild-Walls-Amazing-Spider-Man-Web-Attack-Room-Decor/dp/B00COLHKF6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Uncle Milton Wild Walls Amazing Spider Man Web Attack Room Decor</a>, and noted within that review that sometimes it's all about the timing. I had given that set to the grandson to check out and held back a little before giving him this video game to play. I knew well enough that he'd enjoy both items, but also suspected that once he started playing this video game he was going to be lost in that game throughout the weekend. I wasn't wrong at all. If I had given him this video game before he started playing with the wild walls set, he never would have gotten to that set (or at least not until he'd gone home for the weekend, leaving the video game back at our home).
It was heartwarming watching him sit and play and enjoy this game as much as he did. It was obviously immersive for him and seemed to catch him at a perfect age for everything that goes on in the game.
I would note that this grandson has played with Legos for years now, and has played through several of the earlier Lego superhero video games (the Batman series as an example), so the learning curve for him playing this game wasn't steep at all. It was just the latest game in the series as far as he was concerned, and yet, well, it offered him a ton of fun. He went about collecting the in-game Lego currency so he could cash it all in (multiple times) to unlock some of his favorite characters, and by the end of the weekend, sure enough he'd unlocked several of those characters.
Within the game, he was also enjoying the challenge of figuring out the various puzzles as well as determining how he was going to accomplish whatever the next task was that he was supposed to be doing in the game.
Realistically, this game is, in many ways, <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Grand-Theft-Auto-V/dp/B0050SXKU4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Grand Theft Auto V</a> for younger gamers. It offered up the ability to drive around, fly around, use special abilities to get around, swim around, etc., to go off and do whatever the next task was, or alternatively, just wander around the world collecting the Lego currency to save up so you can unlock your favorites. The cartoon violence that takes place is relatively tame, though you do see the Lego characters get beaten up, run over, torn apart, etc., as you play. Persons that are sensitive to the thought of letting their children play in such fashion might want to avoid the game, but really there's little to even think of objecting to here.
I would note that the game did freeze a couple of times in a very repeatable fashion. By the end of the weekend the grandson had learned how to reset the Xbox 360 multiple times because of that issue, but also seemed to have learned which part of the game led to the freezing issue. Hopefully that issue will be resolved soon with a patch.
Easily worth the purchase price. Available for most major video game platforms. I'm personally going to be looking forward to the PS4 version when it gets released later. Until then, I'm enjoying watching my wife's grandson get so much enjoyment out of a video game. | video-games_xbox |
Being an Assassin should surely be more fun. I was sorely disappointed by Assassin's Creed 1. After all the hype, after all the publicity, and after the pimple-faced kid at Gamestop told me it was a "Must Buy..." It turned out to be one of the most boring and uninspired games I've ever played. I've been entertained longer by Diner Dash.
So when Assassin's Creed 2 started showing up on my TV screen, I thought, "Oh boy, here we go again." I did lots of research, I read several reviews. Finally I picked up a copy for a discounted used price - knowing that my membership at Gamestop would give me some extra money should I decide to trade this one in as I did AC1.
The opening of the game was as I expected - the stunning graphics are evident immediately. The voice acting - as I have read - is superb. Finally I was at the controls of Ezio. Time to go killin'!!! Oh, no, wait... First I have to race someone to a rooftop. Okay, slice-and-dice time! No, hang on, gotta deliver some documents. Okay, now I have to... ...deliver more documents. Oooh, okay - go rough up some guy who's cheating on my sister. About this time I started to feel concern. This felt eerily like Grand Theft Auto IV. I was just waiting to have to take someone out on a "man-date."
Then there's a minor plot twist. Suddenly there's a sword in my hand. Here we go...
...well, sorta. First there's training (even though we've done this before) and a few more stupid races to do... And then next thing you know, you're out and about, murdering at whim.
I CAN say that at this point - half-way through the main story - I don't feel like I've done the same thing over and over and over. It's not as repetitive as the first game, even though it's still just traipsing around killing people for reasons you never quite feel like you understand... This game feels like an 80's cartoon - the good guys verses the bad guys and though you never quite learn how the fight started or the actual intents of either faction, you're told to root for the good guys, so there ya have it.
But the game still just isn't INTERESTING. It isn't FUN. There's no real motivation to head off for the next mission except for maybe unlocking the next weapon. The variety of side-missions - though certainly more abundant then AC1 - still aren't interesting. Running deliveries, racing people (who you never actually see racing - you just compete against an arbitrary clock) give you more to do, just no reason to do it. The assassination contracts are fun because, well, in case you weren't aware - you're an ASSASSIN. They're the only side missions that actually relate to the overall objective of the game. They also aren't dolled out to you by some lazy guy whining about his leg hurting so "please go do my job for me - oh and hurry 'cause I'm hungry..." There's also the tomb challenges which are OK - basically the developers have chosen to show off how well their game engine can work as a platformer. Of course, if I wanted to PLAY Mario, I'd have BOUGHT Mario...
The challenge of the game isn't working your way through the story - it's finding ways to do what you have to do CREATIVELY. Sure, you can whip out the $11,000 sword you bought and time a couple button presses (the counter-attack is still the only method that really works in a fight) to clean out the guards, kill your target and be done. Or you can try to get creative - leap across some roofs, stick some throwing knives into a few unsuspecting archers, flip on the "blue-tinted-night-vision-titled-'Eagle-Eye'" and stalk your target until the opportunity arrives for a signature flying assassination - easily the game's most pleasing visual. But most times this won't work. Your throwing knives cannot be aimed - you have to select a guard which only works 25% of the time. A guard will see you too soon - or more annoyingly - from behind their own heads. Or you'll jump off a roof as the camera spins around and suddenly you completely lose your bearings and assassinate some innocent woman carrying a box... It just doesn't WORK like you expect it to, like the demo's show it working, and you ultimately just end up feeling disappointed.
A true Assassin collects intel, they stalk their target and infiltrate the enemy's life. They spend indeterminable periods of time waiting for the right opportunity and strike when it's least expected. Assassin's Creed just doesn't present this strategy. It puts your targets inside a building and you have to attack that building. You have to generate a strategy on the fly and hope that the game lets you pull it off. Ultimately, the game itself limits you from doing what you feel needs to be done. Why can't I drop down from a ceiling to make a kill? Why can't I dress up as a guard and infiltrate the enemy compound? Why the hell can't I crouch behind short walls or boxes?? Why can't a guy who leaps from buildings and scales vertical walls somersault over a guard and put a knife through his back? And why do they keep scripting the story so that the target knows I'm there anyways? Doesn't that defeat the purpose??
A lot of people have recommended Modern Warfare in lieu of buying Assassin's Creed. I think that's ridiculous - they're entirely different genres of games. But if you really want a GREAT sleuthing game, with deep strategy and variety, incredible combat, and that really lets you pick your own way through unsuspecting guards in a way that makes you anxious to play it again and again and again because there might be a strategy you haven't learned yet, then you NEED to pick up Batman: Arkham Asylum. It is EVERYTHING that Assassin's Creed needs to be. And if you've already played through that game twice as I have, well, then just hope that IT has a more successful sequel than Assassin's Creed. | video-games_xbox |
It was just so damn bad... Really Capcom. I was SO excited for this game to come out. The potential for it being a huge success seemed too obvious to mess up...
If you grew up playing the original resident evil games on the playstation you know that they were suspenseful, fun and interesting. The games story wise were ahead of their time and the producers obviously left a lot of room for our imagination to take over in the future. Well, thanks to slant six games fun ideas such as "having different and interesting assassinations" against the enemies or "playing as hunk" or my favorite "good looking cut scenes" are all out of the question. In their opinion (slant six games) "they did what they were asked, nothing more, nothing less..." This game was obviously not made from the same vigor, enthusiasm and compassion as the original resident evil games were made from (minus the crappy knock offs I.E. "Resident Evil Dead Aim")
Those of you who really enjoyed watching the original William Birkin scene where hunk and his team confiscate the G-virus from him and... Well, I'm not going to post spoilers here. Let's just say, if you really enjoyed the plot and awesome cut scenes from the original Playstation 1 (NOT EVEN PS2) games. Then go on YouTube and watch them over and over again. They are much better done, both in looks and execution than in Operation Raccoon City. This game really down plays those original moments in the early resident evil series.
I'm just gonna say it, they made the original characters look bad. Both in character and appearances. Leon seems like a completely weak and pathetic hero of the series. Claire looks, interesting... Both their characters in the game have minor voice/acting roles and when they do perform it's very silly. I know I talked a lot about hunk. But I think this is a good way to paint a picture for you guys. If you are like me, than you think hunk looked awesome in RE4 and was fun to play as in "mercenaries mode". The sweet cut scene he did where he would break the neck of the "zombie person" after shooting one bullet in the head. Yes... It was rewarding, fun to watch and I could do that same move over and over again because it looked so damn bad ass. In Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City... Hunk physically looks worse than in RE4. I mean he looks pretty poorly designed... His role, like the others I mentioned above, was relatively minor. He didn't do anything bad ass. The cut scenes he took place in were choppy and boring. I mean, he was a big nothing POS in this game... How could you do that to Hunk???? This was a good time for him to shine... And you had a great starting point of character moves from RE4...
Remember when you played through the very first RE games? The excitement that you felt for them each time a new one came out... When you thought of characters like Chris, Leon, Claire, Rebecca, Jill, Wesker, Carlos or Barry and wanted to see more and more... Well, this game is the one game... The one Resident Evil game that will have you forgetting those feelings. It's so far from good and is so far from nailing the characters that we all have grown to love... It may just make you feel that resident evil died a long time ago... When they turned zombies into people throwing axes and shooting flame tipped arrows at you...
If you create something amazing and decide to build off it. Use the same foundation... If you sway a little each time, each new game... You end up with a different type of game. Why mess with a successful and highly entertaining series like that Capcom? I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that RE6 will be a big improvement from their recent titles. I just don't understand the logic behind what they've done with this series. It's pretty mind numbing...
Slant Six Games dishonored this series...
They are Lazy, Boring and Generic developers.
I would have never imagined a game with that much potential to be executed so poorly... | video-games_xbox |
I'm Gonna Make Make Him An Offer. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Sorry, I had to say that. Its the best line of the whole trilogy. What can I say about "The Godfather: The Game" that hasn't already been said? The really annoying part of the game is how easily you can get killed over, over again. Plus, they can easily sneak up on you kill you very quickly. Not to mention, it so easy to get lost inside of just about any building in the game. The worst part is that when you set the bombs to blow up the buildings you're only given like 10 seconds to haul your butt out of there before the bomb goes off and you wake up in the ER. The worst part is if you get killed during a mob war your businesses will get torched. Also, another annoyance is how to have to wait for your 1 bodyguard/crew member to get in the car. In most cases you're getting shot at before your partner finally gets in the car. The Godfather II gives you a complete 5 member crew to help you out which is a lot of help when you're taking over the tough buildings.
The storyline is based pretty much from the movie, so its fun to actually take over NYC and rake in the huge profits you get along the way. The only thing is the gameplay is really repetitive. It gets a little old after killing the generic gang members over and over again.
The experience of playing is game, overall, is quite enjoyable if you can tolerate the obvious flaws of the game. For the sequel, EA really fixed a lot of the problems from this game. If you liked "Mafia II" its pretty much the same game. In fact, the storyline of MF2 is based roughly off of TGF and TGF2. One major difference is MF2 is a little bit more fun to play that this game. I highly recommend this game for anyone who just wants to whip out their Tommy Gun and go nuts taking down some really bad mobsters. Also, its fun to find out what it feels like to become the Don. | video-games_xbox |
Best console turn-based game of all time. This is, without a doubt, the best turn-based console game I have ever played, with at least 40 hours of compelling gameplay. It has some extremely deep strategic gameplay that you just won't find in very many games today, and as such, it stands apart as an instant genre-busting classic. I am glad the 2K/Firaxis took a chance with this game. Like Civilization Revolution before it, this is glorious turn-based strategy (TBS) action for strategy fans, and should appeal to real-time strategy (RTS) fans as well.
This game is quite hard, actually--or maybe I'm just not very good. I played through on Normal difficulty, and it took a while to get the hang of it, at least to where my soldiers don't die often. I was doing one really hard mission--can't recall the name--but it was the one where you first meet the behemoth battletech-like robot. It took about 4 hours. Ugh! But my peeps kept getting wiped so I'd have to reload. Finally managed to finish losing only one--my MEDIC, who I'd had for 15 missions. Very sad. You do get attached to the squad after so many missions, so one thing this game does exceptionally well is to engender empathy in the player. I do not want to lose my troops, not just because of the cost and training, but because it's like losing a primary character from a good TV series.
There are some notable bugs, but they are not so distracting or ruinous that one would focus on bugs to the exclusion of the awesome gameplay to be found here. First, the most annoying one involves the camera. It usually does a fair job of keeping your characters in view but too often it fails and leaves you with a top-down view while they're in a building (when that happens, use the D-Pad to drop the POV level up or down). And in one case of uber-camera-fail, the camera went into orbit on me, to where my units were specs and I could see laser fire like tiny lines. This happened when I had the whole squad set to overwatch and a bunch of aliens landed in the middle of them.
Another notable bug involves aliens spawning in the middle (or on top) of your squad. There are spawn points in the game that are used if you can't actively see the spot, but if it's in view then they won't spawn. But occasionally they do appear out of nowhere in the middle of a battle--quite unfair, too! Wish I could just "magically appear" right behind the enemy! That's a pretty big fail on the Suspension of Disbelief angle.
The next noticeable bug involves the timing of notices in the base/hologram Earth room. Too often, an alert will come up, and while your dropship is flying to the destination, a second alert will come up and interfere with the pending new mission (such as: "Egypt wants Thin Man corpses and will pay handsomely for a few..."), with a pair of buttons: Dispatch or Later. It hasn't ruined the game, but seems like it could potentially do that if it appears while you were about to launch a mission, causing you to hit the wrong button.
Once in a while, when the camera view shifts to "first person" while a soldier is shooting, the character will be facing in the wrong direction to where the weapon is firing.
Fortunately, most of the bugs are user interface/camera issues, while the A.I. seems to justify the term most of the time. Characters do tend to walk intelligently to their destination. The Enemy a.i. works pretty well most of the time, that is, it can be really hard to defeat. But then, sometimes it fails badly too. One pretty bad bug involves the enemy "seeing" your troops through solid walls (not just an edge issue, but through untouched structures), and shooting said walls to obliterate them. Yay for destructible environments; boo for x-ray vision (there is no such "tech upgrade" as far as I know). The behemoth also seems to get confused while navigating interiors.
Personally, I'm pretty hard on games in my reviews, and this one has kept my attention for the long term, like it's older sibling, CivRev. There is also quite a bit of replay here too, due to Xbox achievements and the obvious ability to play again after learning how to best make use of resources in the game. | video-games_xbox |
A Little World, a Lot of Fun. This has to be one of the most surprisingly fun games I've played in awhile.
I'll be honest, I have no idea what's going on with the story nor have I ever even heard of the television show so I don't really know the whole point of the game but I do know one thing, it's a lot of fun.
So the game begins with you at your farm which you were just given the deed to. There is this green lady crying over your farm and she later gives you a shovel to get to work on fixing the place up (if she had the shovel why didn't she do anything about it?).
As you begin to change the atmosphere of your farm (by breaking down the tough dirt, planting grass, or digging pond space) animals begin to take notice and join into your ecosystem. As the animals join others who prey on those animals also come. You can also plant flowers, trees, or vegetables in order to attract other forms of animals.
The animals interact by preying upon species which they find to be tasty. For example, the fox pinatas will eat the rabbit pinatas that they see in your garden so you have to be careful if you want to keep them around.
As you progress you're given new abilities (like digging the ponds), you attract better pinatas, and are given more land. So the game starts off fairly simple and becomes more complicated as you go which is the correct way to handle the learning curve. It's a beautifully designed game in that sense, I must say.
As for the level of maturity of the game, I'd say grade school children could probably easily play. Reproductive related activities are present in the game between pinatas but they just do a love dance and a flying faery lady comes by and drops off an egg. The food chain preying also isn't too bad and when the pinatas crack open candy comes out (just make sure the kids don't start thinking real animals have candy in them).
The game also has an XBox Live component which was nice of the developers to work in but I have yet to experience it so I'm sure someone else here can give a better review regarding that.
All in all a great game and just as much fun for us adults as for kids. | video-games_xbox |
Story Great, playability lacking. First, this is not a game for children, as the mature rating implies. If you are considering purchasing this as a gift for a child, DO NOT DO SO. Beyond the violence associated with any video game, there is a large amount of nudity and near sexual content; however, from an adult's standpoint, who has read the Divine Comedy, this fits in quite well and is tastefully done. If not buying for a child, this should not be too much of a deterrent.
Having read the Divine Comedy, it was interesting to see how the creators portrayed the various sinners in the ever descending levels of Hell. These 'hellscapes' are quite interestingly portrayed, creating the desire to explore further. Though most levels have a different landscape, the enemies are not as diverse as one would expect. Surprisingly, each circle of Hell does not contain a new type of enemy, nor does each level contain a boss. Rather, one fights the same villains over and over again. The enemies may have different names as one progresses, but it is obvious they are based of the same model and behave in the same manner.
The combat system is quite good... for the first hour. After that there really isn't much variety. Though one does have some choice in how Dante progress, this does not truly create the variety some of the other reviews imply, or perhaps there is diversity that isn't really necessary. Regardless, if it were not for the need to jump from platform to platform, one could defeat every enemy in the game by simply mashing (x). In fact, several enemies can be killed instantly.
Having mentioned the platform jumping, this is the game's crucial flaw! There are numerous times in the game where a jump has to be perfectly timed or else one instantly dies only to start that section over. In one particular section, Dante must use a series of elevators to descend lower. Several of these work fine, but one malfunctions with no warning causing Dante to drop to his death and repeat that section. Such instances cause one to repeat sections of the game numerous times with the overall effect of making the player feel as though he is in video game hell.
To conclude, the player is tantalized by the promise of seeing the 'hellscapes' of future levels while be tortured by a repetitive gaming system. It is worth playing to see Hell portrayed, but is a frustrating endeavor. | video-games_xbox |
Halo Wars: an RTS for the Halo generation - HD-Report Review. Halo represents a lot of firsts for today's young gaming population. Halo: Combat Evolved was the first title developed by Microsoft Games Studios for the original Xbox and, for many, it was the first duel analog shooter played on a console. In this line of firsts, the Halo franchise now brings us the first Real Time Strategy (RTS) game developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 - Halo Wars.
Halo Wars was developed by Ensemble Studios in association with Microsoft Games Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. It is a Real Time Strategy game focused on events that took places in the years leading up to the Halo trilogy that we know. The effort by Ensemble to move Halo into an entirely new genre was largely a successful one. While the game play and presentation of Halo Wars were absolutely stellar, the game is lacking in a few major areas, including a clear narrative focus, which holds it back from being truly great.
Today's gamers, who may not be familiar with the RTS genre, should have absolutely no problem picking up their Xbox 360 controller and playing Halo Wars. Its controls are intuitive and the game play instantly makes you feel invited. For core fans of the RTS genre, however, Halo Wars may feel a little too action oriented. The pacing is constantly moving you forward with little time to explore the depth of the game's upgrade system. I fall somewhere in between the fan lines. I have always enjoyed games like Warcraft and C&C, but have never been truly able to wrap my head around their complex management systems. For people like me, Halo Wars has been simplified just enough to be accessible without losing its integrity.
The things that they did end up simplifying only seemed to add to the experience and pacing of the game. For example, resource gathering (a staple of the RTS genre) has been reduced to simply building and maintaining supply depots. This gives players the chance to focus the majority of their attention on the combat of the game. Supply Depots constantly replenish your resources and can be upgraded to work even more efficiently. Quickly moving the pace, in this manner, helps gamers to feel like they are truly playing a console game.
The presentation of Halo Wars is excellent. For those familiar with the Halo franchise, Halo Wars will feel instantly comfortable. You will notice an extreme attention to detail with character animations and specific unit types unique to the franchise. Halo Wars offers beautiful CG cut scenes in the vain of Warcraft and Dawn of War, and the voice work is on par with the best of this generation. Something that really stood out to me was the gorgeous color pallet of the in-game action. It is stylized in a way that almost makes you feel like your watching a Pixar movie (a Pixar movie with Halo characters, of course).
The biggest complaint that I had with Halo Wars, was its lack of a clear narrative focus. The game is paced well and the story is interesting for those seeking more Halo, but it really seems to trail off at the end. Of course I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that it is abrupt and makes the story feel unfinished. There are fifteen missions in total but I would love to have maybe five more to really flesh out the stories ending. Perhaps some DLC down the road can remedy this with some added elements.
Halo Wars was fun. The campaign may have been a bit short, but the online modes offer tons of replay ability and depth. I believe that it is a must have for any fan of the Halo franchise, or anyone who has been yearning to play a good RTS on their Xbox 360. Core RTS fans, however, may want to rent Halo Wars before committing, as they might find the controls and depth of game play a little lacking. | video-games_xbox |
the original and 2nd game and unlike many I enjoyed both of them especially the original. I played both the original and 2nd game and unlike many I enjoyed both of them especially the original. Inquisition needs an 8 GB install from the start; this wasn't an issue for me however unlike GTA 5 which repeatedly mentions this fact all over the game information for Inquisition it's more of a surprise. One thing I haven't heard other reviewers mention is the game DOES NOT import saves from the first two games. There is a time consuming and convoluted process to manually input every single critical decision via Origin to Inquisition. After spending tons of time on this for whatever reason my Inquisition game is linked to the PC version of the earlier games not the Xbox 360 version..and I never played the PC version.
Unlike earlier Dragon Age games where you have a gritty beginning here your character is immediately proclaimed the "Chosen One" and last best hope for humanity. Sigh like we've never seen that plot line before.
Graphics are okay hardly earth shattering and sometimes when characters speak in turns into incoherent jibberish. I'm early in the game but feel no connection to any of my companions other then Varric and that's only because he's a familiar face. The world is billed as open ended and that's true however so far there are a lot of cliffs and mountains that are impossible to get through. Also so far I have found fast travel between areas but not within areas and it takes forever to travel from place to place and it's difficult to pinpoint exact quest locations.
For me combat is difficult even on the easiest setting and why can I only carry 6 healing potions at a time? So far I've encountered several rifts that my Chosen One must disable yet they are glitched and exist far in the sky and I cannot target them with spells..while all this is happening my guy is under attack from demons.
Auto saves happen rarely and more then once I've forgotten to save often enough and must travel the same tired path over again. There is some sort of a crafting system but so far I've only found items such as tattered rags, rusty blade, etc so I don't see any point in attempting to create anything yet. This was the one game I was really looking forward to this year and I've already put it down.
I would suggest Skyrim, the original Dragon Age, GTA 5 or just about anything else really. Even Mass Effect 3 was far superior in my opinion. | video-games_xbox |
AMP FTW but not the headset. Okay the good news: First this is a good gaming headset not great but good. The reproduced sound is very solid. The fit is very comfortable, HOWEVER, THE SECRET SUCCESS SAUCE IS THE AMP AND THE AMP ONLY.
The bad news: I will explain by what I mean by the amp is the FTW. I am owner of 2 turtle beach HPA2 headsets which the Z6A is supposed to replaced from a product development standpoint. For general information the pin layout is the same on the z6a as the HPA2's. So you can mix and match the amps and headsets if your are so inclined. I also own the CM sirus's as well (whose pin layout has one extra pin so you can't mix and match it if your wondering). My biggest grip about the HPA2's was the amp that came with it at high volumes on the computer would produce an ear splitting squeal that would drown out all other sounds and make them unusable. I used both headsets with the new z6a amp trying to reproduce the terrible squeal and needless to say it was gone (Hallelujah!). Now onto the problem with the z6a headset itself. It's not bad but the bass and the punch of HPA2 was much better on the HPA2's and generally the sound quality was better all around on the HPA2 when paired with the z6a amp. A suspicion I had from first opening the box since the z6as are noticeably lighter compared to HPA2's. A sort of quality test that tells how serious the manufacturer was about their product during development (my suspicion was that Turtle beach was trying to cut production cost and cut corners which is disappointing to say the least). Needless to say Turtle beach has regressed on some levels with this headset. Another concern that I have is the connection mechanism of each ear cup. I unfortunately had the misfortune of owning some medusa 5.1 headsets a few years back and the connection looks identical which is bad because that is a point of stress causing the plastic to break after only a few months (trust me medusa burned me hard on 2 replacement headsets). So there is a durability concern in my mind.
Recommendation: If you don't already own a 5.1 headset this is solid beginner entry but you may want to strongly consider a extended warranty (if it covers the possible plastic stress break I described above). IF YOU ARE ALREADY A HPA2 OWNER THEN GET THE AMP ONLY!!! You can go to the turtle beach website and order the amp part by itself for half the price of the complete headset. IF you feel industrious and want in my opinion the best sound try to find the used/refurb-ed HPA2 headset around just buy the amp. Hope this helps | video-games_xbox |
Contender for game of the year. Disclaimer: I'm not a multi-player fan and therefore my review doesn't take it into consideration.
Strap on your armor and load your lancer, because you are now on earths final mission to save itself from the Locust.
From the moment you fire-up the single player campaign to the end credits, GOW2 is a major step-up from its predocessor. The first thing you'll notice is the improvement in graphics as well as some new finishing moves for downed enemies. The first thing I noticed was that Dom was no longer a retard just running into enemies and getting killed. Another nice touch is that the AI members can also revive you from death by running over and saving you. You can also rapidly press A to crawl over to them -- take too much time though and its game over.
The game play was really enjoyable. You still only play as Marcus, but you have a lot more AI characters aiding you this time. The story is massive and very emotional. You almost feel battle-worn and exhausted while playing and there are a few points in the game where the emotions really kick-in, like when Dom finally locates his wife Maria. I was really thrilled throughout the entire game and enjoyed the various mission styles. Driving tanks across breaking ice, fighting a monsterous creature in the water, killing a massive worm from the inside-out and flying around on a reaver just to name a few. All great stuff. Be sure and watch through to the end of the credits for a treat.
The only real downside to GOW2 that I experienced was that several times my character became stuck in the environment, forcing me to restart a sometimes difficult part. Also, some of the video clips would get stuck and skip, but they could be skipped -- however, at the cost of missing the cut-scene. While these were minor for me, after reading some of the other reviews out there it may have been more problematic for others.
Final thought:
If your a fan of the original Gears of War, then its a no-brainer that you'll really enjoy this title too. If you've never played the original, but are out for a really great event driven game that packs in the action, then you need to look no further then GOW2. Personally, I think this is a must have game for any action addicts out there. With multiple levels of difficulty, it's perfect for the casual to the die-hard gamer. | video-games_xbox |
Avoid and save your money. I bought this "gadget" (cause that's what it really is) on a whim, hoping that it would at least work as a regular xbox headset, but I was sorely disappointed. Obviously I wasn't expecting a miracle and definitely not the actual capabilities of a military grade, or even a commercial throat mic/earbud combo.
There were several problems with the item as soon as I unpacked it and plugged it in.
1) The 2.5 mm pin (standard xbox and most cellphone headset pin) was loose and would not give a positive "click" when inserted in the controller.
2) The ear bud wire is attached to one of the "transponders" (the flat round sensor that lays against the throat) but it is not reinforced. In fact when I first picked the unit up, I could feel the wire move within the transponder. Also, I knew that if any accidental snagging occurred to the ear bud, there was a big probability that the wire could just simply be ripped off of the throat mic.
3) I'm quite thin so the microphone band fits around my neck fine, but I highly doubt that they built the product with full-sized adults in mind. The band is not adjustable in circumference and will strangle anyone with a larger neck.
Unfortunately, all my initial assumptions after opening the package turned out to be true.
It worked the first time I tried it out, hearing perfectly from the single ear bud, albeit slightly screechy. Tried out a recording to test the microphone, it came out slightly muffled but still understandable. Note that I haven't even used it in an actual game yet, all I did was test the audio and the mic. Everything seemed to be dandy. The thing would end up being a decent replacement to the original xbox headset after all. Wrong.
From day one to day 2, it just stopped working. Audio no longer went through, although the mic still worked. I would have opened it to see what was wrong, but for the price I paid for it, I would expect something as simple as a "headset" would at least work a few months before dying.
My suggestion if you don't like the current available xbox headsets, is to use your current non-usb PC headset (2 prong 3.5 mm mic and audio) along with a headset buddy<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Headset-Buddy-Adapter-PC35-PH25-Use-PC-Headset-with-Phones-Convert-Dual-3-5mm-to-2-5mm/dp/B002D41HKS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Headset Buddy Adapter PC35-PH25: Use PC Headset with Phones, Convert Dual 3.5mm to 2.5mm</a>
Heck, at that price you could buy a new (reasonable) PC headset and still not pay 26$, plus you get to use the same comfy headset you want for your PC and your xbox. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, but takes some getting used to. I'm not a verified buyer because I bought my copy from Xbox Live.
First of all, I wouldn't say the game is bad, but it's not something you're going to jump right into and have a blast. The learning curve is pretty steep...The first couple hours playing this game were very frustrating. It was very challenging. You will definitely need to invest some time to learn how to control the bikes and learn the tracks. You also may need to change some of the controls. I know I made a few small adjustments to my button layout and it made a huge difference.
There is no freestyle mode and the only trick you can perform during races are whips. This is strictly a racing game that aims for realism. It's more of a simulation where as the MX vs ATV series is more arcadey. One of the things I really like about the game is the customization options. You can buy bikes from all the major companies and customize them with aftermarket parts that do everything from making your bike faster and handle better to just cosmetic stuff that make it look cool. There is also a wide variety of gear that you can buy for your rider as well. None of this costs real money, you earn points from racing that you use to buy this stuff. I haven't tried the multiplayer yet, but I do know that it is only online... No local split-screen. That's not a deal breaker for me, but I know it is for some.
Some people will love this game for the realism and others will hate it... That's just the way it goes. If you are a hardcore MX fan and have been waiting for a realistic MX game to come along then this game is probably right up your alley. If you want to be able to do backflips and throw supermans in the middle of a race while getting huge air then this game probably isn't what you're looking for.
My final thoughts...
I'd give the game 3.5 stars, but that's not an option. 4 seems too high, but 3 is too low...
I do like the game, but it could have been a lot better had they spent more time polishing it... Hopefully the developers keep updating it.
I'd say the $50 price tag is a tad too high... Again the game is fun, but seems rushed. $39.99 seems about right. | video-games_xbox |
Need for Seriousness. At first I put in shift with every intention of not likely it, but several hours later I found myself firing the game back with different intention... to have an adrenaline fueled excitement race behind the wheel! Many months ago, I was just another nay saver, posting negative comments about the series shifting in the wrong direction. It's definitely fair now to retract my previous statement, as I always seem to do with this series (Refer to my review on Pro Street). They did a wonderful job transforming an arcade series into a full pledged simulated racer.
I've played every single racer that has been released on the next-gen consoles, and I can't even count how many dating back to last generation. In my honest opinion, Need for Speed Shift's new cockpit view is hands-down the most exhilarating and realistic experience that you would have behind the wheels of a car. From the shaking of the car, the heavy breathing of you as the driver, and best of all the disorientation that is experienced when slamming into a wall over 100 mph. The graphics are also the best in the series, with a great polish over vivid colors, plush textures and practically no frame rate issues. I gave shift 4 stars for entertainment value because it simply is very entertaining. However I gave it 3 stars in over all because of some minor set backs that don't entirely bring the games value down, but don't help very much in the over all dept.
My grips with the game come in random fashions: 1. Instant relay is somewhat lack-luster, with poor camera movement and excitement, though kind in mind the series has really never had replays, except for Underground 2. 2. Customizations have dumb down too much, this coming from a series that invented the "auto-sculpt" in Carbon. 3. Lack of visualization in the menus, before the series offered a "photo mode", to get an overview of the car, but that has been taken away by far.
So all in all, this is a solid title with plenty of replay value for the time being. Now sure how shift will hold up once Forza 3 and GT 5 are released, but it definitely fills the void for the time being. This game falls somewhere in-between the hardcore simulation and the casual arcade racers. If you are open-minded and prefer to play both types of racers, the Shift is worth your time. However, if you a junkie for tuning cars and customization of engine parts, then this game may not be for you... just remember to have fun with this game, that's what it was created for! | video-games_xbox |
Not for fans of DS1. As someone who has beaten the first dark souls multiple times this game is kind of a slap in the face. I haven't played the second game but everything that I learned from the first game does NOT apply here. I feel like I'm playing a completely new game series. From what I've heard the overall difficulty of DS1 was much higher than that of DS3 but I cannot even get past the first level, the High Wall of Lothric. Enemies are faster and deadlier, and maps are absolutely FLOODED with hostile NPCs, most of which can stunlock you and hit you while you're down. But you can't do the same to them!
I started the game up and proceeded to beat the first boss on the first try, something I was NOT expecting... Only to be beaten by a naked man wielding nothing but a katana over 6 times before I finally tricked him into jumping off the side. I discovered Firelink Shrine and got excited, only to be introduced to the High Wall of Lothric. This is where things go downhill. The transforming enemies can and will two shot you unless you remember exactly which one transforms and take him out within 2 seconds or so. This means a lot of dying just to learn enemy positions, and this means that you HAVE to do things a certain way every time, taking a lot of the fun, variance, and open-world feeling away that the first game got so right. You'll constantly be fighting 2-3 people at a time (DS1 had a much better learning curve and allowed you to take on enemies one on one before being thrown into groups of them.) When I said none of the gameplay from DS1 made it into the game, I lied. They brought most of the bad things from there and put them in here. When blocking if not right in front of the enemy you will not block anything, yet when you attack an enemy from the side with their shield raised it never hits them, making blocking feel useless, and making you feel like you're fighting the game and its hitboxes, not the enemies. This is always one problem I've had with the series, that the difficulty can oftentimes seem artificial and reliant on things that would make you scream from the unfairness, and DS3 brings this feeling to the forefront of the experience.
The enemies are a lot more diverse, but this means that they're also a lot more deadly. Since this zone is so difficult I've tried running through to get to where I need to be so I can save my estus, but this didn't really work out so well. The rogue-like enemies that wield daggers run as fast as you if not faster. Imagine an enemy type that's basically the thief npc from Darkroot Garden, but with less health and MUCH deadlier programming and you have these enemies. Regular enemies, in the first level of the game. This should give you some idea of the balance issues here. Also, the knights in this area are more deadly than the Black Knights from the first games, just with less health. Rolling used to be my main form of dodging attacks from melee combatants but it seems that it's much less useful here than in DS1. Rolling into the enemy during attacks will just get you knocked down. Rolling away seems to be your only option now, but this just takes away stamina and puts you in a position where you're not able to counter attack. This one small change makes the combat seem completely different from the first game, but it's not the only change.
Also, with the addition of more enemies comes LESS estus charges! The most crowded maps I've ever seen in a DS game, less health to work with, more difficult enemies, bad hitboxes with shields, and much less forgiving combat. If this sounds like fun to you then get it, but honestly, it just feels like a crowded circus that is difficult just to be difficult. The first game is one of my favorite games, if not my favorite game of all time. I'm not sure where they went wrong. People complain about DS2 though I've never played it, but if I get a chance to get my hands on it for cheap I'll have to try it to see if that's where a lot of these failed design philosophies come from.
Overall I'm a bit disappointed and would get my money back if I could. Was not nearly the game I was expecting. They should have just called this Bloodborne 2. | video-games_xbox |
Not backward compatible with Xbox 360. Fun multiplayer game. I had played it on PS2 a few years back and bought it again recently to play with my boyfriend, since both of us are Marvel fans.
My only major complaints are that the game felt short and that it is not backward compatible for Xbox 360. When I put the disc in my 360, it informed me to check Xbox.com/games for an updated list of playable original Xbox games, which hasn't been updated since November 2007. I doubt they ever will update it or make more original Xbox games backward compatible. Next time I buy an original Xbox game, it will have to be one of the following backward compatible games:
* 2006 FIFA World Cup
* 25 to Life
* 4x4 EVO 2
* AirForce Delta Storm
* Aggressive Inline
* Alias
* Aliens versus Predator Extinction
* All-Star Baseball 2003
* All-Star Baseball 2005
* America's Army: Rise of a Soldier
* AMF Bowling 2004
* Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
* Amped 2
* APEX
* Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
* Arena Football
* Armed and Dangerous
* Army Men: Sarge's War
* Atari Anthology
* ATV: Quad Power Racing 2
* Auto Modellista
* Avatar: The Last Airbender
* Bad Boys 2
* Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
* Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
* Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
* The Bard's Tale
* Bass Pro Shops Trophy Hunter 2007
* Batman Begins
* Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu
* Battle Engine Aquila
* Battlestar Galactica
* Big Mutha Truckers
* Bionicle
* BLACK
* Blade II
* Blinx: The Time Sweeper
* Blinx 2 : Masters of Time & Space
* Blitz: The League
* Blood Omen 2
* BloodRayne 2
* BlowOut
* BMX XXX
* Breakdown
* Brute Force
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
* Burnout
* Burnout 2
* Burnout 3: Takedown
* Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures
* Cabela's Dangerous Hunts
* Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2
* Cabela's Outdoor Adventures 06
* Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season
* Cabela's Deer Hunt 2004 Season
* Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
* Call of Duty: Finest Hour
* Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
* Call of Duty 3
* Cars
* Casino
* Catwoman
* Championship Manager 2006
* Chicago Enforcer
* The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
* Circus Maximus
* Close Combat: First to Fight
* Colin McRae Rally 4
* Colin McRae Rally 2005
* Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers
* Commandos 2: Men of Courage
* Conflict: Desert Storm
* Conker: Live and Reloaded
* Constantine
* Counter-Strike
* Crash Bandicoot 4
* Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
* Crash Nitro Kart
* Crash Twinsanity
* Crime Life Gang Wars
* Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
* Dai Senryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics
* Dark Angel
* Darkwatch
* Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2
* The Da Vinci Code
* Dead or Alive 3
* Dead or Alive Ultimate
* Dead to Rights
* Demon Stone
* Deathrow
* Destroy All Humans!
* Digimon Rumble Arena 2
* Dinotopia
* DOOM 3
* DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil
* Drake
* Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
* Drive to Survive
* Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes
* Dynasty Warriors 4
* EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3
* Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness
* The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
* ESPN College Hoops
* ESPN College Hoops 2K5
* ESPN Major League Baseball
* ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
* ESPN NFL 2K5
* ESPN NHL 2K5
* Euro 2004
* Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
* Evil Dead: Regeneration
* Ex-Chaser
* F1 2001
* Family Guy
* Fable
* Fable: The Lost Chapters
* Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
* Fantastic Four
* Far Cry: Instincts
* Fatal Frame
* Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly DIRECTOR'S CUT
* FIFA Soccer 06
* FIFA Soccer 07
* FIFA Soccer 2003
* FIFA Soccer 2004
* FIFA STREET
* FIFA Street 2
* Fight Night 2004
* Final Fight Streetwise
* FlatOut
* Ford Mustang
* Ford vs. Chevy
* Forza Motorsport
* Freaky Flyers
* Freedom Fighters
* Freestyle Street Soccer
* Frogger Beyond
* Full Spectrum Warrior
* Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers
* Futurama
* Future Tactics: The Uprising
* Fuzion Frenzy
* Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
* Genma Onimusha
* Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
* Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
* Godzilla: Save The Earth
* GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
* Grabbed by the Ghoulies
* Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
* Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
* Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
* Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
* The Great Escape
* Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball Max'd
* Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
* Guilty Gear Isuka
* Guilty Gear X2 Reload
* The Guy Game
* Half-Life 2
* Halo
* Halo 2
* Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack
* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
* Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
* Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
* He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
* High Heat Major League Baseball 2004
* Hitman: Contracts
* Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge
* House of the Dead 3
* The Hulk
* Hunter: The Reckoning
* I-Ninja
* IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
* IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005
* The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
* Incredibles
* The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
* Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
* Indigo Prophecy
* IndyCar Series 2005
* Intellivision Lives
* Jade Empire
* JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future
* Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death
* Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
* Justice League Heroes
* Kabuki Warriors
* Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
* kill.switch
* King Arthur
* The King of Fighters Neowave
* The King of Fighters 2002 & 2003
* Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
* The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
* Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
* LEGO Star Wars
* LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
* Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
* Links 2004
* LOONS-The Fight for Fame
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
* The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
* Magatama
* Magic: The Gathering -Battleground
* Manhunt
* Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects
* Marvel vs. Capcom 2
* Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
* Max Payne
* Max Payne 2
* Maximum Chase
* MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf
* Medal of Honor European Assault
* Medal of Honor Frontline
* Medal of Honor Rising Sun
* Mega Man Anniversary Collection
* Mercenaries
* Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
* MicroMachines
* Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
* Minority Report
* MLB SlugFest 20-03
* MLB SlugFest 20-04
* MLB SlugFest: Loaded
* Monster Garage
* Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
* Mortal Kombat Deception
* MotoGP
* MotoGP 2
* MTV Music Generator 3
* MTX: Mototrax
* Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
* MVP Baseball 2003
* MVP Baseball 2004
* MX Unleashed
* MX vs. ATV Unleashed
* MX World Tour: Featuring Jamie Little
* Myst III: Exile
* Namco Museum
* Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection
* NASCAR Thunder 2002
* NASCAR Thunder 2003
* NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control
* NBA Ballers
* NBA Inside Drive 2002
* NBA 2K3
* NBA Live 2002
* NBA LIVE 2004
* NBA STREET V3
* NCAA College Basketball 2K3
* NCAA March Madness 06
* NCAA March Madness 2005
* NCAA Football 06
* Need For Speed Underground 2
* NFL 2K2
* NFL 2K3
* NFL Blitz 2002
* NFL Blitz 2003
* NFL Blitz 2004
* NFL Fever 2004
* NHL 2004
* NHL 2005
* NHL 2K3
* NHL Hitz 2003
* NHL Hitz Pro
* NightCaster
* Ninja Gaiden
* Ninja Gaiden Black
* NTRA Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships
* Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
* Open Season
* Outlaw Golf 2
* Outlaw Golf: 9 More Holes of X-mas
* Outlaw Tennis
* Outlaw Volleyball
* Outlaw Volleyball: Red Hot
* OutRun 2
* OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast
* Over the Hedge
* Pac-Man World 3
* Pariah
* Panzer Dragoon ORTA
* Phantom Crash
* Phantom Dust
* Pinball Hall of Fame
* Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
* Playboy The Mansion
* Predator Concrete Jungle
* Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
* Pro Evolution Soccer 5
* Pro Race Driver
* Project Gotham Racing
* Project Gotham Racing 2
* Psychonauts
* Pump It Up: Exceed
* The Punisher
* Pure Pinball
* Puyo Pop Fever
* Quantum Redshift
* RalliSport Challenge
* Rainbow Six Lockdown
* Rapala Pro Fishing
* Rayman Arena
* Raze's Hell
* Red Dead Revolver
* Red Faction II
* RedCard 2003
* Reservoir Dogs
* Return to Castle Wolfenstein
* Richard Burns Rally
* RLH
* RoadKill
* Robin Hood Defender of the Crown
* Robotech: Battlecry
* Rocky
* Rocky Legends
* Rogue Ops
* Rogue Trooper
* Rugby 2006
* Rugby League 2
* Samurai Jack
* Samurai Warriors
* Scarface
* Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights
* Scrapland
* SEGA GT 2002
* SegaGT Online
* Serious Sam
* Shadow The Hedgehog
* Shadow Ops: Red Mercury
* Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
* Shark Tale
* Shattered Union
* ShellShock: Nam '67
* Shenmue II
* Shincho Mahjong
* Shrek Super Party!
* Sid Meier's Pirates!
* The Simpsons Hit and Run
* The Simpsons Road Rage
* Sims 2
* Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams
* Silent Hill 4: The Room
* Smashing Drive
* Sneakers 5
* Sniper Elite
* Soccer Slam
* Sonic Heroes
* Sonic Mega Collection Plus
* Sonic Riders
* Soul Calibur 2
* Spawn Armageddon
* Speed Kings
* Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
* Spider-Man
* Spider-Man 2
* Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
* Splinter Cell: Double Agent
* SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
* Sponge Bob Square Pants: Lights, Camera, Pants!
* The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie
* SpyHunter 2
* SpyHunter: Nowhere to Run
* Spyro A Hero's Tail
* SSX 3
* Stake
* Starsky & Hutch
* Star Wars Battlefront
* Star Wars Battlefront II
* Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
* Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
* Star Wars Jedi Starfighter
* Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
* Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
* Star Wars Republic Commando
* State of Emergency
* Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
* Street Racing Syndicate
* Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse
* The Suffering
* Super Bubble Pop
* Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
* SX Superstar
* Syberia II
* Taz Wanted
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
* The Terminator Dawn of Fate
* Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
* Test Drive
* Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
* Tetris Worlds
* The Thing
* Thief: Deadly Shadows
* Thousand Land
* Thrillville
* Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07
* TMNT Mutant Melee
* Tom and Jerry: War of the Whiskers
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 Summit Strike
* Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
* Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
* Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
* Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x
* Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
* Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
* Tony Hawk's Underground
* Tony Hawk's Underground 2
* Torino 2006 Winter Olympics
* Tork: Prehistoric Punk
* Toxic Grind
* Transworld Surf
* Trigger Man
* Trivial Pursuit Unhinged
* True Crime: Streets of LA
* Turok: Evolution
* Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
* Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue
* Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan
* Ultimate Spider-Man
* Ultra Bust-A-Move
* Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
* Urban Freestyle Soccer
* The Urbz: Sims In The City
* Van Helsing
* Vexx
* Vietcong: Purple Haze
* Volvo: Drive for Life
* Wakeboarding Unleashed: Featuring Sean Murray
* WarPath
* Whacked!
* Winback 2: Project Poseidon
* Without Warning
* World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International
* World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
* World Series Baseball 2K3
* Worms 3D
* Worms 4 Mayhem
* Worms Forts: Under Siege
* Wrath Unleashed
* WWF Raw
* WWE Raw 2
* X2 Wolverine's Revenge
* Xiaolin Showdown
* XIII
* Yourself! Fitness
* Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny
* Zapper
* Zathura | video-games_xbox |
Okay Sequel. The first Kinect Sports is a "must have" and I would throw this in barely. This game offers different games compared
to the first edition. Overall I would recommend buying this game, but not for the retail price.
Football:
The concept of playing football on the kinect seems fun, but the execution of how this is done was poor.
I don't expect the football to be like Madden, but certain aspects of the game could definitely be better. Kinect
football is 4 downs to score a touchdown or kick a field goal. You run in place to run, duck and stand up to hike the ball,
and you can only pass the ball. Kicking field goals seems fairly accurate.
Improvements that could make this an awesome game:
- Add the ability to jump, stiff arm, juke (jump from side to side)
- Expand the playbook to include running plays
- Allow kicking team to kick ball
All of these improvements are within the capabilities of the kinect. Future improvements with the Kinect 2 (or whatever microsoft names it) would be to allow tackling, swatting balls, etc. The new hardware will definitely use usb 3.0 or some technology that allows a lot more data transfer than usb 2.0 (usb 3.0 allows roughly 10x more data transfer than 2.0)
Baseball:
The overall feel of the baseball is fun, but there are a few things they could add to make the game better. The object of the game is the same as regular baseball. The swinging is pretty accurate (could be better) and the pitching is pretty accurate. Once you hit the ball you have to run in place to run to the base. If you are pitching and the ball is hit, you can catch the ball by moving your hand towards the drop spot.
Improvements:
- allow base stealing
- allow catcher to run to ball and throw to a specific base
Tennis:
Tennis is one of the funner games. The object of the game is the same as normal tennis. You have the ability to serve, swing back hand, forehand, smash, and lob. One improvement that could be made is to make the swings more accurate.
Darts:
Darts is the most realistic of all the games. The object of the game is to score exactly 501. The hand and arm movements are pretty accurate. Of course it could be more accurate but I think it's more of a hardware limitation rather the actual software.
Skiing:
Overall Skiing is pretty fun. Of course it's not like real skiing but virtually it is pretty accurate. In this game you move from side to side to dodge things and crouch down to go faster. One improvement they could make is to allow your arm movements to make you go faster.
Golf:
Golf is the best game on here. The rules are the same as real golf. You have the ability to survey the course, change clubs, etc. You have the option to try a practice swing, which is how you can determine how hard or soft you will hit the ball (assuming you swing the exact same way). One improvement they could make is add the ability to play up to 4 players online. The maximum online is 2 but playing with more than 2 people would make the game that more fun. I have a few friends that have the game and we attempted to play together but we ran into this problem. Overall the feel of the game is fun and a LOT better than wii golf.
Overall
-----------
Football: 2/5
Baseball: 4/5
Tennis: 4/5
Darts: 5/5
Skiing: 5/5
Golf: 5/5
Other additions they changed in the game from the first one to this one.
- Voice integration
- Mini games (of course the worst of them is the football) | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing. When I saw this game had come out and was supposed to be a remake of the N64, I got excited. It certainly brought back a lot of memories. Needless to say, if you loved the original N64 game and you're expecting this to be an update of the original DON'T buy it, unless you are a big fan of the series. There are brief glimpses of the original scattered about, but for the most part it's disappointing. There isn't even a Natalya in the game, I mean, WTF??
Graphics are okay, shooting controls piggyback off of COD. If you've played COD then the the control scheme will be simple. The guns fire like COD games and have the same feel. Also when you go to breach certain doors you get the COD slow motion action, which allows you to get the jump on the men in the room. Hence, if you're quick enough you can take them out easily before time speeds up and they shoot back.
However, this isn't Bond the way it should be, granted I haven't played a Bond game in years, and after this, I'm disappointed enough to never buy one again. It's basically a COD game except your Bond, a spy, and you pretty much work alone, where as in COD you're a soldier and you've got other men watching your back. Sadly, there are no cinematic cut scenes that show any type of personality from James Bond, he is and does remain solidly one dimensional throughout the game. He could be Carrot Top toting a gun around and he'd probably be more interesting then the Bond they have created in this game. Basically, you get briefed on the mission and jump right in. Now this may work when you're in COD cause it's a war game, but it's hardly sufficient for a Bond game.
Overall, unless you're a big fan of the series or really love COD stuff, then you'd be safer to sit this one out, or at least rent it first! If you're like me, thinking this game is going to be like the old N64 version with new graphics, better weapons, and updated integrating story then you're doing to be sorely disappointed, because GoldenEye Reloaded offers very little storyline. It's certainly not like the original and offers nothing new in the way of shooters as it's basically a COD game. Shame on ACTIVISION for advertising this as a "reloaded GoldenEye." More like, reload my $50 because this doesn't touch the original. | video-games_xbox |
Dont Listen To The Poor Reviews...Seriously. First let me address all these poor ratings. These raters are voting out of context. A lot of these people are die hard racing game fans that prefer simulation styled play such as forza. Forza advertises as a simulation game.
Need for Speed DOES NOT try to claim to be a simulation game.
Yea its a racing game, and on that note there should be a feeling your driving a real car- but there are different levels of that. Most games put a twist on reality to make it more fun. Thats what need for speed is. Most of these guys coming in from forza trying to bash this game are like military veterans who've seen action coming in giving call of duty one star because theres no bullet drop, no limb damage when you throw a grenade, no post tramatic stress when you return to the "home" screen (see what i did there). Like the standard your setting isn't appropriate for what you're critiquing whatsoever.
Need for speed doesnt say "hey, we're going to give you the real life experience of feeling like you're sitting behind a porshe". They don't advertise for that. What the advertise is "hey, we're giving you a great GAMING experience, and you can do it in a porshe."
So thats the truth regarding all these negative comments. These reviews are rating out of context. Forza and need for speed may be both racing genre games but they target different totally experiences. I cant emphasize how wrong these people are for comparing this to forza. You don't go and buy Halo 5 then give it one star because its nothing like Battlefield 4 (same genre...different experiences)...like seriously.
Now, to my personal review:
4.5 stars.
If you like customizing....you need to get this asap. You can make anything and apply it to the car however you want using the tools they give you. I'm attaching a photo of a car I made being inspired by the Halo 5 controller just to show what I mean. As long as you can think it you can make it!
The options even go beyond cosmetic but functional as well. A lot of people fall in love with one specific nfs game and feel like all the other games suck since it doesn't have the same feeling. But with enough tweaking in this game you can adjust it so the physics and drifting feels like any previous nfs game you've fell in love with.
I'm deducting .5 stars is because the colors you create on the car can often look totally different when you take it out of the garage because of all the lighting effects they have in the open world. So those blues in the car I've shown really look green when I'm driving it, which I don't like. And i agree with a lot of the one star reviewers that its kinda silly theres no manual option. The actors are also crap and the dialogue is as cheesy as ever but that's just need for speed it comes with the territory lol.
If you're on Xbox one feel free to add me for crew riding(more points plus it looks b.a.) Gt WoundedCyborg | video-games_xbox |
Survival Horror LIVES. Although a bit clique and at times repetitive, Alan Wake met my expectations and you are reading a review from a guy whose been eating up horror games ever since the very first Clock Tower (ever since the first Castlevania for that matter).
The story of the insomniac, temperamental horror writer whose stories are coming to life is nothing new (The Dark Half, In the Mouth of Madness). This is where Alan Wake fails to terrify the way it should, because you know what's turning the world upside down just by reading the back of the box. I would rather leave it to the imagination to guess why the world has gone insane.
Still, for what story this game tells, it tells it well. It's played out in intervals. At the start of every "Episode" you talk to people, get to know the town, play past events prior to Alan's arrival to Bright Falls. Then you're thrown deep into a dark environment, most of the time in the woods, but sometimes you'll find yourself in a specific area of the town and all you have to do is make it to someplace alive. Then the whole cycle starts over again with the next "Episode." This makes for a very linear game. I was hoping for a more sandbox style game where you can explore and find hidden objectives inside peoples houses, or in the shopping mall or the lumber mill. Instead you are tossed wherever the director wants you to be. But the gameplay was fast paced and the environments were suspenseful enough to keep me playing until I absolutely had to go sleep. At work or doing chores all I would think about is getting back into it. Why is that?
Because this game has got style. Alan Wake has got to be the most beautiful game I have ever seen, and hooked up to my home movie theater surround system, I felt the horrors were in the room with me. The gameplay itself is also very cinematic. The enemies are hordes of possessed townsfolk called "The Taken" and they like to ambush you as you follow the dark forest trails. Before you know it you're dodging axes, chainsaws, and sharp projectiles--each successful evasion played in slowmotion. You have to weaken them with your flashlight before you can shoot them, so you'll be doing quite a lot of evasive movements. You also have flares that you set off when you find yourself cornered and completely surrounded. Flash bang grenades for the real big guys. Once you exercise "The Taken" using all the illumination at your disposal (which sometimes include flare guns and spotlights) you blow them away with either a revolver or shotgun. The beam of your flashlight is your aim. So combat is very tactical. You have got to have a plan for any given scenario, using and sparing the weapons you find.
When being bombarded by enemies become tiresome, they step it up a notch with you being chased by a possessed bulldozer, streets and bridges blowing up as you try to cross, the sky raining cars and other heavy metal objects.
I personally feel that a true horror game is played mostly in dark, silent environments, but when Ozzy Osbourne starts to play in the background as you're taking off heads, that was awesome too. Like I said, this game has got STYLE.
Even the story segments (that you play and interact with as well) are very stylish and cinematic. Often times when you are walking around and Alan sees something like a prominent building across the lake on the side of a mountain, the screen prompts you to hold the L button so the camera will pan out and focus in on what he's looking at and he'll start to narrate his thoughts. Really neat how they did that.
Being an American horror game, I'm not surprised or disappointed that it didn't do for me what Silent Hell did for me when I first played that a decade ago. Yet Alan Wake feels new even though it borrows old subject matter (did I mention you had to use light to survive in Alone in The Dark as well?) I thought I've seen the end of Survival Horror with Fatal Frame III, but Alan Wake has brought it from the depths where it has been buried for so, so very long. | video-games_xbox |
As Long As Your Alive........The Heart Of This Army Will Never Be Broken. Opening Statement...
So coming fresh off the heels of Call of Duty 4 I thought I had to get this game because it was another Call of duty franchise game. But I was leery at the beginning because the only thing that drew me to Call of Duty was the online game play. Well I thought I would give this game a shot because I personally like World War games like this one. I was in for a big surprise when I booted this game up.
Presentation...
The overall feel of the game I believe is great. The audio and graphics everything is set up in a good manner of everything. I think the game is a little dark however I think it has to be with the amount of everything going on. The game feels and looks great, nothing to complain about here. I give this category a 5/5
Graphics...
The graphics in this game are awesome. The amount of blood when you shoot and or stab someone is a good amount. The guns look real which is a plus they are spot on with guns bused back then. There are night mission and they look cool. Overall the game looks pretty good. I give this category a 5/5
Audio/Sound...
The audio in this game is fantastic, the certain songs that play during the game such as the war marches and so on are spot on and they sound awesome. The sounds of the guns and the voice over's are also done very well. Also in the "Nazi Zombie" modes there are songs in that game mode which are pretty catchy as well. I give this category a 5/5
Game play...
Now this is where a few problems come into the play, it is basically the same game play as Call of Duty 4 which is a downside because there is no cover system and no cut scenes. Now I know a lot of people can careless about that but not this gamer, I think those two little things would improve the game by a lot. However the campaign and multiplayer along with the hidden Nazi Zombie mode add to this games fun factor, I think this is a game that can be played a long time after it was release. I'm still playing it. I give this category a 4.5/5
Story...
This story kicks some major butt. It completely blows any story that Call of Duty has done out of the water. The amount of mission is just enough the characters are well played and developed, you don't jump around as much which seems to happen allot in the Call of Duty franchise, and the ending is just awesome!! Great storyline. I give this category a 5/5
The Wrap up...
This game is classified as a classic in my eyes. The campaign is one of the best that I personally have ever played and I like games set back in this time period. The guns look just like they did back then which is a big plus. Plus the Zombie mode make this game have a high replay value so you can't go wrong with this game. There are a lot of things with this game that make it playable so I highly recommend this game if you are into the World War two kind f games. Great games right here. I give the final rating of this game a 4.8/5 | video-games_xbox |
Microsoft has TERRIBLE customer service. Microsoft has TERRIBLE customer service. My console has had nothing but issues and has been sent in for repairs multiple times. It is again having issues and I KNOW the HD is going bad which I mentioned for the last repair. It will randomly freeze and not turn on. I have recorded when it freezes up you can hear the HD needle pinging around like when a computer drive is going bad.
Discussion from microsoft "tech support" - I love the guys "guarantee"
Sebastian: The console was repaired. Every little issue on the console was repaired. However we are not able to see which part of the console was repaired. Only the service center technicians has access to those information.
Cameron: So you are saying they do not provide any information as to what was done/fixed/replaced during the time it was there at the facility?
Cameron: They could just ship it right back and say its fixed with 0 explanation?
Sebastian: Yes, you are correct.
Sebastian: Only tampered consoles are returned without repair Cameron.
Sebastian: Worry not, we provide quality support to our customers. We are strive to provide the best ultimate entertainment experience.
Cameron: Okay that's fine. I just want to know what was done to my xbox
Cameron: Not being able to provide any info as to what was done is not "quality support"
Sebastian: I understand Cameron.
Cameron: Obviously
Cameron: They have to document what was done to the unit
Cameron: even for your own records
Cameron: what was done to the unit to fix the issues?
Cameron: was the HD replaced?
Cameron: was it a software issue?
Cameron: did the OS need to be wiped and reloaded
Cameron: what was wrong with the system and what was done to repair it
Sebastian: The service center has been repairing consoles over the years and we didn't have a console brought back for a second repair. We can assure you that everything will go smoothly. I can guarantee you that you that you won't have to experience any issue again. | video-games_xbox |
A fun game, for awhile. It is not easy to find too many flight simulation type games on the console platforms, let alone helicopter simulation games. To that end, this is a unique and interesting concept that will appeal to any flight-sim type fans out there. The flight dynamics are great, the graphics and sound are really good, and the overall enjoyment of blowing stuff up is there. The gun cam view is fun, similar to COD AC-130 play, however it seems odd that in this multi-million dollar piece of machinery, I have to approach to within range of the enemy weapons in order to destroy them with a hellfire missle?
The missions are pretty straight forward, go blow this up, protect that, etc and get progressively harder to the point of frustration as you are overwhelmed by sheer amounts of bad guys and have to start over from scratch. Replay value is low on these missions, as the enemy is always in the same place, etc. From a multiplayer perspective, this game had the ability to really shine, but sadly falls a little short. You can join up with 4 players on XBL and participate in several stand alone missions, but again, the replay value get's old quick, not to mention, there are very few online games ever going on. You can jointly co-pilot one apache via local play on a split screen, but this turned out to be more frustrating than fun. What would have been enjoyable would have been allowing 8 players via XBL who can jointly pilot/gun an apache via separate screen views, etc. In addition, coop play via XBL with your friends on the campaign or in the free flight mode would have been fun as well.
All in, I think this was a decent attempt to bring a military helicopter combat experience simulator to a console. The graphics, flight physics and novelty are there, but the execution of the game itself needs some work for online play. Otherwise, this is a play for a week kind of game and then it sits on the shelf. | video-games_xbox |
I'm sending my copy back. It's a mediocre game, only worth your time if you have someone to play with. I specifically pre-ordered it to play with my girlfriend.
The graphics are pretty... but not THAT pretty.
The AI isn't all that special. Enemies aren't that smart, and the game attempts to make up for stupid enemies by throwing more of them at you. The experience just doesn't feel as realistic as with pretty much any other game I've played in the last three years.
I echo the sentiment of scar_raver that it's much better when played with another human being. (Again, the AI issue) Ostensibly, you're able to control a computer-run "buddy" with voice over your headset, but thus far I don't find this to be a tenth as good as the voice command technology in the Rainbow Six series.
The design of the game (story and flow) is extremely linear, overall... and feels a bit canned. Stale canned. Oh, here's another situation where you're going to do a back-to-back shootout. Here's a spot where you have to advance, against a hail of gunfire, and (SURPRISE!) just happen to have a riot shield handy. (One of you holds the ballistic shield, and one of you fires around it to take out enemies) The game doesn't leave it up to you when to implement a given tactic. I mean... you could choose to go without the riot-shield, but that'd be suicide. AoT's hyperlinear nature is only confirmed by using the game's "GPS mode," pressing the back-button to reveal a dotted line, telling you where to go, and what to do. I got to feel a little like a chimpanzee in the first two campaign missions.
I spent only fifteen to thirty minutes playing online in multiplayer... but with only four maximum gamers in a given game (two to a side), and the limited maps I saw, I wasn't real impressed. Army of Two will not hold my interest once I've solved the campaign with my girlfriend... I might go back and cooperatively play the campaign with some other online friends, but that's it.
I'm afraid that Call of Duty 4 has spoiled me... so many other shooters just don't seem to make the grade, after playing COD4. I had to stick with it, to tolerate my way through perpetual irritation with the combat mode in Mass Effect for awhile, until I got sucked into the story and began enjoying that game in its own right.
I'm sorry... I guess this is sounding like a fairly negative review. In fact, the game rates a 6-7/10 on my internal scale. It's especially worth getting IF you have someone at home to cooperatively play through it with. There are so few decent titles which you can do that on. (The lack of this may well be my #1 beef with COD4)
***
And, I have a MAJOR beef with GameStop. They had a deal going for months, where you could get a code for TWO extra weapons if you pre-ordered Army of Two from them. In fact, I only got ONE weapon when I entered the code... the machine-gun only. The promised sniper-rifle is nowhere to be found. I called GameStop's Customer Service line (1-800-883-8895) and they verified they are aware of the issue, and are talking to the developer about a patch to fix the issue. Everyone who bought into this deal was cheated out of their money. | video-games_xbox |
LotR Better then expected. I'm gamer who just loves to game. Whatever I put in my reviews I compare the game to other games and go more into the pro and cons. I'm just looking to have a good time and this surpassed my expectations.
I heard about the game before it came out and never really watched the previews to it. I've been waiting for another good game to come since Watch Dogs on console. I didn't watch a preview of the game until I saw one from a coworker. I'm a huge Batman Arkham fan and Assasins Creed fan so when I watched the game play I was excited. I bought the game a couple of days ago and played it almost 10 hours straight (sad I know) but I haven't had a game hook me that long in awhile.
So what does it compare to the most? The parkour stuff is definitely Assasins Creed style. Going through the environment and climbing walls is the same. The Batman aspect comes into play when the fighting starts. You have your basic attacking/countering with finishers and othe abilities to build up your combo meter.
Pros:
-Open world RPG
-Addictive combat play style
-No bugs so far
-Good for Lord of the Rings fans
-Wide variety of abilities and weapon upgrades
-Saurons Army (Nemesis system)
-Fast enemy respawn
-World is alive
-Challenging
The game itself plays very well since I have not had any bugs yet. When I got into the game and finished the tutorial the world was open and ready for the taking. The navigation is just like AC where you can mark icons or destinations on the map and where to go. There are towers in each little area you can climb and use it as a respawn or fast travel point. So I felt very familiar of how things worked when roaming around. The combat controls are similar to Batman Arkham games and brought memories of that since I love that style of combat.
Since it was open world you can almost go anywhere you want. There never seems to be a dull moment because you never really feel alone. There are always orcs around to pick a fight with, or you can run around and run into random wildlife that could be hostile or peaceful. With that being said, the developers did well making the game feel alive. Even if you clear an area of orcs they can respawn quickly as a patrol and take over the area. Even when you are fighting, reinforcements can be called to make it a lot harder.
There is a unique aspect of the game called Saurons Army. It's an interface that shows you the commanders or the Uruk armies if you have discovered them. Some of them are part of the main quest line and some you find by running into battle with them. I like this part of the game because you have to gather intelligence from normal orcs to find their leaders. As time goes on leaders are promoted or killed by yourself or other orcs. The stronger they get, the more points you get toward leveling up your abilities after killing them. Since the game is challenging you are bound to get killed. When you get killed, ranks move up for the Uruk that killed you and then they become a captain or get a higher captain rank. If they are able to retreat and survive from your encounter they get stronger still. So as the game goes on, there are always captains to kills and it's fun trying to get revenge on captains that kill you. Over time you can run into the same captain again with the battle scars that you have left them, which makes it really fun.
Cons:
-Clunky combat (updated)
-Fast tutorial
Not many cons so far. The combat system does remind me of Batman because attacking/counters/finishers work the same way but it feels slow. As I get into a battle it feels like there is a slight delay in between attacking and switching targets. In the end it feels clunky compared to Arkham games because Arkham combat is as smooth as butter. With the slight delays it causes me to spam an attack more rather than time it for a critical hit. As far as the tutorial goes it felt too fast because they would show the buttons to hit for certain combos or abilities but it would disappear before you could memorize it and try it again. This caused me to panic through the intro and tutorial and not pay attention to the story. I had to watch a game play video of the intro again to figure out the story.
Maybe over time I will adapt to that delay and it will naturally feel smoother. I'm afraid it won't get any better since my highest combo has already been in the 60s with just attacking/countering and with no critical strikes.
The delay is something that I am getting use to. It's just slightly slower game play and I am just adjusting to the speed of the combat. After slowing down a little bit, it feels a lot smoother.
Overall:
Get the game. I was actually waiting for the next AC games to come out before playing console again but this totally brought me back into console gaming. If you are a LotR fan and enjoy AC type games you will have fun. If you have doubts, just rent it for a day and see how you feel. You dive into the game pretty quick so a couple of hours will give you a good idea of game play. As far as having more fun, you unlock cooler abilities as you gain experience and find new ways to terrorize orcs. | video-games_xbox |
Mad World Indeed. When I heard Gears of War 3 was written by Karen Traviss, author of the Gears of War novels, I hoped that we would finally have a campaign that would break the mold of the traditional rail shooter/pointless dialogue/tired boss fight. I was wrong.
Let's get multiplayer out of the way first. Gears of War 3 optimizes the already awesome multiplayer experience. I play every Wednesday night in Horde mode and it simply can't be beat. Halo fans will miss the ability to jump, but the rest of us will enjoy the same ducking, covering, and chainsawing action we've come to know and love is an integral part of the multiplayer experience.
But it's the campaign that I enjoy playing with my brother, and here Gears of War 3 falls short. SPOILERS OF WAR: By necessity I need to talk about what happens in the game in order to critique it. You have been warned!
First, Dom's death. Dom, who memorably put his tortured wife out of her misery in previous games, has another emotional moment in the third installment. After journeying so far to find a fuel tank for their super-secret submarine, Dom decides that the only way for them to escape is by smashing his vehicle into said fuel tank. So he does, to the accompaniment of the solo version of "Mad World" that was so memorable in Donnie Darko (apparently no one saw this movie, because so many reviewers mention that they first heard the song from the Gears of War 3 commercial). But music alone does not a poignant moment make, and Dom's death seems pointless. Where do our heroes get their fuel after journeying so far? Shut up and chainsaw grubs!
Gears flirts with these mysteries throughout the campaign, and almost all of the story's flaws are pointed out by Baird. Why is Phoenix's father working on a cure to the Lambent problem? Why does the Queen hint that humanity shares a common history with the native Locusts? Why is the Queen a human leading the Locusts? None of these issues are resolved or explained.
Oh there are ways to find out. There's mythos and lore scattered throughout the three games that suggests certain conclusions, but the end game's dialogue brazenly asks these questions openly...and never answers them. It's almost like Traviss was overruled with the developers. It's a frustrating experience for those of us who appreciate a good story.
It's not just the story. The boss fight is repetitive and anticlimactic - we don't even get a multistage monster that forces you to change tactics. Instead, you fight the same giant bug ridden by the Queen, alternating between the Hammer of Dawn and another weapon, until it dies. The Queen is not even a combatant - she is stabbed in the gut by Phoenix in an act that has creepy misogynistic undertones. Phoenix's father, who tested the serum on himself, doesn't turn into a giant monster like I hoped.
And that's just it. This isn't a good story, it's an excuse for He-Man action figures with chainsaw guns to tear up Locusts. Unfortunately Tom Bissell was right that we said that we need to bring art back to gaming; but he was wrong in thinking the solution would be to hire more authors. This most recent Gears of War 3 is proof that even with the author of the novels at the helm, the campaign is marginally engaging at best. | video-games_xbox |
Strikes a balance with being simple, yet requiring skillful movement and shooting. Titanfall is a game that means a lot to me. It was the first game I bought for the Xbox One that I played to death. It was the first game I had, in recent memory, maxed out in rank (I became a generation 10, level 50 a couple months ago). This was before the Rank Chip was introduced in the latest update, as I'm still working to reach Tier 5 Diamond (I am a completionist, after all). It was the first game I could call Xbox One's first killer app that also happened to be a new IP.
I've played this game since the day it came out, so I've seen every update and enhancement from day one to the present. From the over powered satchel charges (they were like mini nukes) to the Titan Punch's ability to send opposing titans flying twice as far backwards, to Nuclear Ejection explosions being twice as big to becoming somewhat more balanced, this game has mostly changed for the better. Titanfall requires you to be adept not just with shooting the standard weapons, but with movement, positioning, and Titan combat. Being able to outmaneuver your opponent as a pilot or Titan is just as important as being accurate with your shots. You also have to consider when to use Burn Cards, cards that grant the user temporary abilities, like being able to see every threat on the battlefield through Map Hack, being able to call in a Reserve titan at the beginning of the match, and having a high damage version of the standard carbine or Archer homing missile launcher. Just one of these cards can level the playing field, or turn the tide entirely.
Then, there are pilot and titan abilities. I personally lean towards quick reload and warpfall transmitter as a pilot, as it saves time for increasing your rate of fire for weapons, and for the latter, gets your titan into battle quicker, as well as gives you a better chance to crush an opponent by dropping your titan on them (you even get a satisfying *squish* when you make contact with a poor little pilot). The weapons themselves may be standard fare, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers, but there's enough variety in them to make them fun to use. Like using the Plasma Railgun to pop pilots into bloody chunk balloons.
An impressive feature of this game on paper is using Microsoft's cloud servers to render AI in matches. In practice, however, these guys, from the grunts, to specters, and enemy titans, are merely cannon fodder used to fund attrition points and decrease the clock for your next titan drop. However, it makes you wonder how future games will utilize this feature. At the moment, the player count for the game's population is pitiful, as most online console gamers are preoccupied with Destiny and past Call of Duty games, but there are enough people currently playing in order to get you into a match relatively quickly. Just be sure to select your correct zone at the start of the screen by pressing X and selecting the zone with the lowest ping. I look forward to what Respawn will do in the inevitable sequel, and hope players keep this game alive in the meantime. | video-games_xbox |
Some fun moments in an otherwise drab game. Medal of Honor: Warfighter isn't a bad game. It really isn't. Unfortunately, it isn't a good one either. Even though the basic shooting mechanics are pretty solid, the campaign is suspiciously short, even for an FPS.
What is wrong with Warfighter?
Not only was I able to complete the campaign in less than four hours, but I also did so without even the slightest clue as to what was going on. The story, which is what Medal of Honor games try to tout the most, was convoluted and confusing jumping between multiple different timelines and characters. For example, after I began to slightly understand what was happening - and more importantly why - the game tossed in a 2 minute long mission consiting of somali pirates who had taken a ship captain hostage. Your objective: snipe the captor. If your fast, the mission could even be completed in less than 2 minutes. After that mission, it was back to a different set of characters. There was absolutely ZERO connection between that mission and the main story arc. It was almost like an extra "deleted scence" you might find on a bonus disk to a movie that was ultimately cut by the director.
On top of that, Medal of Honor games traditionally claim their campaigns "honor" the soldiers. I had hoped that this would be a break from the hollywood escape death in the nick of time, or never ending over-the-top explosions that make up most FPS games today. Unfortunately, from mission 1 through the rest of the game, every mission seemed to incorporate some bizzare hollywood moment that wasn't necessary.
Multiplayer, in my opinion was entertaining for a few hours, untill I realized that even this too was a poor mimic of other FPS franchises already available. To be fair, the idea of representing your country seemed very promising and innovative - and I hope the feature can make it's way into other titles.
So, in light of this information why isn't Warfighter awful?
Despite the long list of things this game did wrong, there are a few things Danger Close managed to actually do quite successfully. I've already mentioned the nationality aspect to multiplayer, but there are others. For example, throughout the campaign, there are a few foot and vehicular chase sequences which offered a good mix up from the repetative nature of FPS's. I thought the vehicle sequences in particular the 2nd car chase mission was supurb. Additionally, the basic "shooting" mechanics in Warfighter are strong and I think the game also presents an excellent soundtrack. But these things don't outweigh the general lack of polish and length Warfighter has.
All in all, I don't hate the game, but I couldn't possibly reccomend it to anyone - especially considering the slew of AAA games coming out this quarter. | video-games_xbox |
Customer service experience, LED lights no longer work after fourth use and flickering/dead pixels. *****Update*****
August 28, 2014
I've had defects with two Halo Vanguards. Luckily Gaems has stood behind their product and given me replacements, even outside of warranty, provided I furnish a receipt.
I am presently on my 3rd and hopefully I won't have any issues.
*****CUSTOMER SERVICE UPDATE*****
May, 14, 2013
I wrote Gaems support telling them of my issue. I exchanged emails with Russ Dermody & spoke with John Smith. Russ asked for my address to mail me a shipping label so I could return my Vanguard and in turn Gaems would furnish me with a replacement. My communication with Russ happened May 2, 2013 at which time I emailed my shipping address. Later that day I spoke with John Smith and he relayed that he empowered Russ to handle my issue. At the present time I have not received any label and have not heard from Russ. I will email Russ today and inquire if they intend to stand behind their product. I will update this review when I receive a response.
Two stars for customer service.
*****CUSTOMER SERVICE UPDATE*****
May 21, 2013
I received word back from Gaems, namely Russ Dermody, on May 17, 2013, ten business days after our initial communication. They finally sent a return label electronically and sent a replacement Vanguard, but no explanation as to why there was no zero communication apprising me the status of my return. I believe had I not inquired about the status of my warranty claim, no action would have occurred.
My replacement arrived today and in the end it was the WRONG Vanguard. I ordered the Halo UNSC Edition and Gaems delivered the non-Halo edition. In my opinion, details matter and Gaems neglected a material detail.
I will be sending back my replacement Vanguard for the correct replacement Vanguard. I have been without my Vanguard for three consecutive weekends and will continue to be without it until the correct replacement arrives.
My "customer service" relationship with Gaems has been one failure after another.
One star for customer service.
Original Review:
I went to Project Gaems on Facebook and saw that they were having a sale on this PGE. I purchased this on March 20, 2013 and the next day it was delivered. I waited a couple of days after that to test the PGE when I had time and make sure everything worked. I read in forums that people had issues with pixels and the blue LED lights failing. I hoped this was an aberration and in my case it was the norm.
The first time I used the Vanguard I made sure my PS3 settings were accurate so there were no issues. The unit performed correctly and I was stoked. I played for a couple of hours enjoying my gaming. I travel frequently so I was ready to use the Vanguard on the road.
My second use was equally satisfactory. I traveled by SUV and used the strap provided to carry the Vanguard. I set up the unit in my hotel room played during my free time.
My third use, April 25, 2013 was in my home. Everything was fine up until I noticed there were dead pixels in the lower right hand screen area. I was traveling the next day and decided to take the unit with me because I did not want to be without entertainment.
Again I traveled by SUV, this time my Vanguard was carried inside the Gaems Battlebag. I arrived at my destination and unpacked. When I turned on my Vanguard, the blue LED lights on the side of the screen as well as the Gaems logo beneath the screen did not illuminate. I removed my PS3 and accessory bags and closed and re-opened the case several times initially to make sure it was not a crimped wire. Nothing worked and the dead pixels were still there too. My weekend gaming was not as pleasant as I hoped.
I was unable to return the unit to Amazon for a replacement because I was beyond the return date by a few days. I talked with them over the phone to no avail. Now I have to ship the Vanguard to Gaems to have it fixed. I guess the money I saved by purchasing the unit at a sales price will be negated by the return shipping costs. I wish more quality control was applied before the Vanguard was released. I know I am not the only one in this predicament.
In sum, make sure if you purchase this unit that you put it thoroughly through its' paces before the return/exchange date expires. I should have known that a 90 day warranty could yield suspect reliability. | video-games_xbox |
Quick! Back to the Sewer. I remember the olden days when my pals and I would go over to my best friend Blake's house to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on his Nintendo (he was richer than we were, and could thus afford something better than the old Game Boy). I had hoped that this game would be vaguely nostalgic and still back the memories of me as the Purple Guy whacking my stick at nothing in particular (my aim was off, okay?). It didn't.
This game was pretty bad. It was also strangely familiar. It seemed to me like a bad version of Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu. While that was an okay beat-em-up game, but that was because that was all it tried to be. This Ninja Turtles game tried to be more, and failed utterly. It lacked the driving focus that makes other games amusing.
Also, this game was weirdly difficult. I don't mean it was insanely difficult, I mean its difficulty level shot up to near impossible at times, but could sink to a walk through a ninja infested park. Part of this had to do with the fact that the turtles' abilities were not evenly balanced. Whereas the Purple Guy could not swing his stick to save his miserable life, the Orange Guy was so ridiculously strong that villains that struck fear in every other turtle's heart made him laugh. I'm serious. The Orange Guy was the guy cracking stupid jokes all the time. Why on earth was he granted such power?
But hey, everyone points out those flaws. Here are some other things that I noticed. There are two kinds of cut scenes. Some are stolen right from the cartoon, which is not exactly the peak of animation. But, because the TV show doesn't burn through every plot element that the game does, new cut scene animations were provided, and they're bad. Speed Racer bad.
The in game animation is not much better. The turtles only have about two combos apiece, and they suck. Also, the so-called "individual special abilities" that the turtles posses rarely come into play. And when they do, you don't necessarily have to switch from one turtle to another; sometimes there's always another way, a simpler way, around the obstacle. Of course, any game that asks you to do stuff necessary to completing the level without explaining how to do them can't be all good.
This was not the worst thing I've ever played; this game was tolerable I guess. It was just that there was no reason to keep going. So, although an unlockable of this game was the arcade game, I never got to level nine to find it. I just couldn't keep playing. It was just too stupid. This game was in serious need of a "hari-kiri" button. | video-games_xbox |
XP500... Not quite what I thought. Alright, let's talk about the Turtle Beach XP500 for a minute. I bought the XP500 in November of 2011, and at the time, had no problem at all with them. I bought the headset as an upgrade for my TB X31s, so there was an obvious improvement. The first problem that I encountered with the XP500s was an issue with the wireless radio. Depending on the location of my setup in my house in relationship to my wireless router, the XP500s would cancel out all other wireless devices on the 2.4Ghz frequency. The only solutions to this problem were to either, turn on the headset, or disconnect the transmitter. This was very annoying, but not as annoying as the transmitter on the X31s, which had the same problem, except it lacked a power button (the transmitter had to be constantly unplugged and plugged into the console). The second problem I ran into with the XP500s was the included Bluetooth adapter for the Xbox 360 Controller. About 6 months after purchasing the headset, the adapter stopped functioning properly. Players on the other end of the chat were complaining about my voice sounding quiet and riddled with static. I confirmed this by recording a voice message and playing it back to myself. This forced me to start using the headset in wired mode, thus defeating the purpose of the Bluetooth function of the headset. Finally, in June of 2013 (when this was written), I realized that the plastic on the right side ear-cup had been fractured slightly. As the headset is old, it is understandable to have a slight amount of wear and tear, but nothing this severe. The left ear cup now hangs ajar from the rest of the headset, and will no longer properly fit on my head. I treat these headphones with great care, due to the price I paid for them in 2011 ($260). This being said, the headphones are almost unusable at this time. I think it's about time to get rid of Turtle Beaches, and find something better | video-games_xbox |
Not quite the gaming revolution. After watching video reviews on Youtube and reading them all over gaming websites I thought, finally a controller for me. Boy, was I wrong. I actually really prefer the original 360 controller and should have bought the new one with that transforming d-pad.
I've been playing for a few hours and here are my cons so far:
1. The Razer Onza is just too light for my taste. It actually feels lighter than the PS3's controller!
2. The second left and right buttons, which are called LMFB and RMFB (right mother f****** button?) annoy me and are not useful at all. You would have to have the skinniest fingers on the planet to be able to push one without accidentally pressing the other so both of them are set to do the same thing which kind of defeats the purpose.
3. If you have to hold down X, Y, A, or B for any reason you might have to try multiple times as the buttons are really sensitive and may just think you are rapidly pressing it. I am playing Dead Space 2 right now and went to upgrade a weapon. Well I pressed B and instead of going back it just completely exited out. When playing games like Modern Warfare 2 that ask you to hold a button to do something, you may find a problem. Example: If you happen to reload while standing above an enemy weapon, you will end up picking that weapon up instead. The buttons are way to sensitive.
4. The triggers angle up too high making shooters/racing games that use the triggers not all that comfortable to play. And shooters make up, what, 80% of the market right now? Also, if you set it down you will more than likely accidentally press one of them.
Now for the pros. Pros.......um:
1. I like the way it feels. Even though it looks smooth it's actually not. Hard to explain but it's really grippy. Your hand pretty much sticks to the thing.
2. The light up face buttons are nice looking but the font is seriously ugly. All the letters are capital except for the B and possibly X as someone pointed out. The Y looks like a goal post. Why not just use the original XBOX font? It was fine.
3. The controller is also a PC controller.
So, that's my review. If you really love the XBOX 360's controller, don't get this one. That's all I can really say. You will end up either returning it or putting it away and letting it collect dust. I will try more games with it to see if it eventually grows on me but definitely not MW2. Although I was somehow doing better with it. Maybe cause there was no lag since it's wired? Who knows, but it wasn't the most comfortable cause of the triggers.
I will give it some more hours before leaving a final impression but if it still doesn't wow me, I will be returning it.
Update: I ended up returning it after all and getting the official silver one with transforming d-pad. It's a lot better. | video-games_xbox |
A great comeback for the Ghostbusters in digital style. Set in 1991, New York's favorite parnormalists known as The Ghostbusters are still eliminating spirits. A new recruit joins the amazing four to help our fellow men but a new evil force is driving the city into chaos including the Sedwick hotel where the boys busted Slimer for the first time. It seems that the boys in suits including the newest member will face a bigger challenge then the last two adventures they did.
An outstanding and worthy game for the popular motion picture series is definitely stuff that delivers to fans of the movies. It reunites the actors like Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as the Ghostbusters especially Annie Potts as Janine and William Atherthorn as Walter Peck with some new characters voiced by Brian Doyle Murray and Alyssa Milano as Peter Venkman's new love interest. The graphics are outstanding yet realistic that really makes the GB characters look just like their movie counterparts and awesome creature designs. The Controls are very unique on how you can capture ghosts in different ways then trap them just like in the movies, the voice acting is outstanding here including the writing which the game was written by Ramis and Ackroyd. It's a fairly simple but unique game that plays as the third movie but as a game instead of a film, you even get to meet some familar faces like Slimer with Stay Puft Marshmellow Man who is more powerful this time even with killer marshmellow minions even that librarian ghost.
Here in this game the score to the original GB is used as the soundtrack for it as it even has the famous theme song by Ray Parker Jr. and this game even expores the origins of the first two adventures even on what originally caused the river of slime in part 2. it even incorporates the same humor that made the original a masterpiece and you even can use different blaster weapons such as the slime one used in part 2.
One of the best games i've ever played coming for a GB fan like myself, if your a fan of the movies then you'll have a blast that is probably the best GB game since the Sega Genesis GB game and Real Ghostbusters Arcade game, it's even better then the horrendous NES GB 1 and 2 games. | video-games_xbox |
Absolutely fantastic for the price. Absolutely fantastic for the price.
The general idea is this -- it can hook to PS3, Pc, or XBOX 360 (including mic in all cases) and/or a cellular phone. It comes with a sound mixer as well to facilitate this.
In the Box:
-- Mixer with plug for one of two headset cables and another for the xbox cable on one end, and two cords coming out the other. These are a short 4-pin connector for your phone, and then the usb 2.0/3.5mm combo for powering the whole system and the sound via the 3.5mm with the mic being usb powered.
-- HEadphones (obviously)
-- Cord to connect to the xbox controller for mic functionality
-- Both a standard headset mic and an in-line (one-button) mic -- either of which can plug directly into a phone if desired. (NOTE: These cords plug into the headset directly, for what it is worth, there is no none-mic option as far as I figure, but I could be wrong. . .I don't really want one anyway).
Sound:
I had some driver issues at first -- update yours and you should be set though. That said, the sound is perfectly 'fine'. I've had better phones for the price, but not headsets, and never had any kind of mixer at all in the price-range so I think it was a good compromise all in all. A few basic sound-tests and it seems they are quite reliable, and have plenty of range for most people. Audiophiles and just snobs in general will have plenty to say about the flaws here I'm sure -- all I can really say though, as I am not of that ilk, is that the sound is fine, but it doesn't compare to any of those beautiful BOSE headphones I've demo'd at the shop I keep telling myself I'll get one of these days. IF that makes any sense.
I really love the mixer though, so let's move on to that.
Mixer:
--- Big radial dial on the outside -- this is main sound (also has an 'off' position).
--- Two small sliders on either side of the paddle button in the middle, these set the balance of the levels of whichever of the two sound sources you have it set to.
* Paddle button switches from game-chat + game to phone + game. I haven't actually been able to test the sound balancer of the game-chat + game on PC, but everything else on every other system I did test and it works just as fine as you'd like.
-- At the bottom of the circle, a 'phone' button ( can answer a call if its ringing, pause/play songs, double-tap just right and it'll skip songs like a single-button in-line mic and prolly other stuff I haven't even thought of)
-- An 'equalizer' button beside that. . .it has three settings, all of which are pretty 'meh', though I do have reason to change occasionally. Really tho. . .just a bit of bonus you can basically ignore. Oh, and it beeps (once, twice, or thrice) to let you know which of the three settings you just switched to.
The mics are both pretty clear, the mixer is convenient as all hell (no more fiddling with sound by any other means really) and the fact it comes with an in-line mic cord for your phone. . .as well as being able to pair with your phone WHILE connected to the tele is pretty dang neat.
OVer-all, that's what it really comes down to tho. This is -neat-. A couple conveniences, a fair price, but not at all the best of anything -- but headsets have always been a compromise between cost, mic and sound quality -- tossing in the mixer didn't fudge the balance on the other three in the least, and the mixer IS neat. So, well done.
I'd definitely recommend it if you need a -headset- for 120-ish USD or whatever it costs as you look at it. . . . if you just want headphones (since, really, phones have mics good enough you don't need an in-line at all anymore -- and not everyone does game chats) then go somewhere else --- and if you can/want to pay more -- there are better things at higher price points (with or without mics/gimmicks/bla blah blah).
EDIT: By the by, these broke (snapped just over the left phone) after about 5 or 6 months. Dunno why, just noticed the plastic had worn really thin there one day (they were bending out too far) and then a few days later it snapped. | video-games_xbox |
Pretty, Fun, and Interesting. I just finished my first playthrough of the game. Dragon Age 2 is a little bit different from the Origins game. So if that game was your idea of perfection, you might not like this one.
Visuals:
The game was beautifully illustrated. All of the character models look way better than in Origins ('cept Zevran, who makes a cameo.) But over all the new characters look great. The scenes are nicely done as well. And the battle animations are great. The only drawbacks were the some of the cutscenes- The characters tended to blink in and out during a few of the scenes. This might've had something to do with my video input or hdmi or something though.
Game Play:
Origins took a while for me to figure out how to play. Putting characters next to enemies and letting them 'autofight' until I put in a command for a special move.. this wasn't something I was used to. It left a bit to be desired. This is addressed in the improved fighting style of DA 2. You push buttons to do basic attacks, then select from a menu to do special moves. I've only played as a mage thus far, i can imagine a poor dagger-wielding rogue might have to do much button mashing if improperly leveled. But it works for me. You can technically upgrade weapons and armor for everyone in your party, but it's not nearly as cool as armor upgrading was in Origins. Also, the names and descriptions of tactics are a bit vague/misleading. This can lead to poor leveling, and a very week party. Check online to see how you should level your characters. And the worst thing about the gameplay... The glitches. I got to the last (literally last leg of the game. final battle.) And the game developed a glitch based on a romance i created, where my main character moved too slowly to be any good. I had to search online to find an Xbox 360 modding solution to finish the game. Be warned *Isabella.*
Ambiance:
So this game is called a "dark fantasy" and while the visuals of the game may not support that tag, the story does. There's so much tragedy involved as the game unfolds. It's sure to bring you in, and make you care about the characters in your party. The way the story is told is quite interesting as well. I almost didn't want it to end. And while some games, like LoZ: Skyward Sword has the player enter the same areas of the game over and over (which can be quiet annoying) I didn't really have issues with the limited amount of areas in this game. The music is good too- just about as good as the score was with DA: Origins but with less 30 second to mars. | video-games_xbox |
MUY BUEN JUEGO PERO NO PERFECTO. VAMOS PRIMERO CON LO POSITIVO:1) LA CAMPAÑA PARA UN SOLO JUGADOR ES MUY BUENA TE DA LA IMPRESIÓN DE ESTAR EN UNA GUERRA HAY MUCHOS TIPOS DE ARMAS Y VEHICULOS, MUCHOS GRAFICOS QUE INTERACTUAN JUNTOS A LA VEZ Y EL JUEGO NO SE TORNA LENTO, LOS NIVELES SON VARIADOS HAY SELVA, NIEVE, BASES Y LUGARES ABIERTOS, LA HISTORIA ME PARECIO UN BUEN FINAL PARA ESTA TRILOGIA ,A MI CRITERIO DE FORMA PERSONAL EL UNICO NIVEL QUE NO ME GUSTÓ ES EL DE RESCATAR A CORTANA QUE ES MUY ORGANICO PARA MI GUSTO Y UN POCO CONFUSO.
2) JUEGO EN COOPERATIVO ES SUPER DIVERTIDO POR EXPERIENCIA PERSONAL SE LOS PUEDO DECIR JUGUE CON 2 AMIGOS TODA LA CAMPAÑA Y ES DE LO MEJOR IR TODOS EN UN CARRO DISPARANDO A LOS ENEMIGOS O CADA UNO COGER UN VEHÍCULO DIFERENTE.
3) JUEGO ALTERNATIVO EN LA CAMPAÑA: COMO YA SABEN EN CADA NIVEL HAY UNOS CRANEOS QUE ESTAN ESCONDIDOS UNOS SON GOLD QUE DAN 10 PUNTOS DE ACHIVMENTS Y LOS SILVER QUE NO DAN NADA, MUCHA GENTE DIRA PARA QUE COGER ESTO PERO TODO TIENE SU RAZÓN 1: SI COGES TODAS LA CALABERAS TE DAN UN CASCO PARA EL MULTIPLYER COMO DE NINJA. 2: Y LO MAS IMPORTANTE CADA UNO DE ESTOS CRANEOS CUANDO LO ACTIVAS TIENE UNA FUNCION ESPECIFICA POR EJEMPLO: UNO HACE QUE CUANDO MUERAS EMPIEZAS TODO EL NIVEL DESDE EL PRINCIPIO, OTRO QUE SI SE TE BAJA EL ESCUDO SOLO SE RECUPERA SI DAS UN CAHAZO, OTRO HACE QUE EL RADAR DESAPAREZCA, OTRO QUE ENCUENTRAS LA MITAD DE LAS MUNICIONES DE LO NORMAL, OTRO QUE LOS ENEMIGOS TENGAN EL DOBLE DE SALUD, USTEDES SE PREGUNTARAN PARA QUE TODO ESTO, SIMPLE SI TU TERMINAS UN NIVEL CON 15000 PUNTOS O MAS TE DAN UN ACHIVMENT DE 10 PUNTOS PERO MIENTRAS MAS CALABERAS ACTIVES MAS DIFICIL EL JUEGO SE PONE PERO MAS RAPIDO LLEGAS A LOS 15000, AHHH Y TIENE QUE SER EN EL MENOR TIEMPO POSIBLE AUNQUE NO LO CREAN NO ES NADA FACIL.
4) JUEGO DE XBOX LIVE: ES SIMPLEMENTE ESPECTACULAR HAY UNA DIVERSIDAD DE FORMAS DE JUGAR TANTO EN RANQUEADAS COMO EN PARTIDAS PERSONALIZADAS, HAY UNA QUE ES DE MIS FAVORITAS QUE ES ENCONTRAR LA CALABERA Y TENERLA LO QUE MAS PUEDAS EN TU PODER Y ESO TE DA PUNTOS COMO PODRAS IMAGINAR LOS DEMÁS TE QUIEREN MATAR A TODA COSTA Y MIENTRAS LLEVAS LA CALABERA NO TIENES ARMAS ES MUY DIVERTIDO, Y HAY UN EXTRA QUE ES DE LO MEJOR QUE SE LLAMA CINE Y TEATRO EL CUAL TE PERMITE GRABAR PARTIDAS COMPLETAS O EDITARLAS Y ENVIARSELAS A TUS AMIGOS Y EN TU BASE DE DATOS SIEMPRE TIENES LAS 25 ULTIMAS PARTIDAS ES UNA OPCION EXCELENTE, SIN CONTAR QUE HAY UNA BUENA VARIEDAD DE ARMADURAS Y CASCOS PARA ELEGIR , COLORES, EMBLEMAS E INSIGNIAS.
BUENO USTEDES DIRAN PORQUE NO ES PERFECTO ESTE JUEGO? POR LO SIGUIENTE: 1) LOS GRAFICOS SON BUENOS PERO PARA SER UN JUEGO TAN PUBLICITADO Y EN 2 AÑOS DE DESARROLLO NO CONVENCEN, HAY JUEGOS COMO BISHOCK, GEARS OF WAR, Y LOS QUE TUVIMOS LA SUERTE DE JUGAR EL CALL OF DUTY 4 BETA ESOS SON GRAFICOS EXCELENTES, Y PAR MI LO IMPERDONABLE ES: QUE ESTE JUEGO QUE ES LA BANDERA DE LA MICROSOFT Y DE LA XBOX NO SE PUEDA CONFIGURAR EL SONIDO COMO TIENEN LA MAYORIA DE LOS JUEGOS QUE SE PUEDE ELEGIR EL VOLUMEN DE LA MUSICA-DE LOS EFECTOS DE SONIDO Y DE LAS VOCES, CUANDO UNO DISPARA LA METRALLETA EL SONIDO PARECE QUE ESTA A 1 KILOMETRO DE DISTANCIA, BUENO ESTO LO PUEDO APRECIAR PORQUE JUEGO CON SISTEMA 5,1 CON CABLE DE FIBRA ÓPTICA.
MI RECOMENDACIÓN: COMPRENLO VALE LA PENA JUGARLO SI NO LES MOLESTA LO DE LOS GRAFICOS Y EL SONIDO. | video-games_xbox |
Despite Its Basic Setup, I Couldn't Sync to an Xbox One To Even Try It Out. Despite what are supposed to be very basic steps to make this fightstick function, I could not get the controller to work and I am in the process of returning it for a future exchange with Amazon. I'll update this review again if I manage to get the next one to maybe work.
***
Setup looked so simple (especially with how scant the instructional pamphlet was), you take your platform of choice's controller, plug the included USB Micro end into that, plug the USB-A end into the Mayflash stick, then take the attached Mayflash's USB cable and plug it into that console. I tried two Xbox One systems (an X, and a Battlefield 1 "storm grey" S models) and three official MS wireless Xbox controllers (all of the current 3.5mm headjack line--no crusty, first revisions), and I got absolutely nowhere. I'm wondering if it's actually an issue with something being soldered wrong, or if the stick's USB port just happened to be faulty, nothing I would try worked. The closest I got was seeing the lights next to the turbo functions finally light-up when I plugged it into the PC to try to update it.
Initially, it took me a little bit to realize that the gamepad picture on the top-left Input toggle of the fightstick was actually a third function and not just an icon for what the toggle does; this is one of the only steps included in the instructions for setting up your controller, by the way. There's an all-encompassing, IKEA style diagram that shows a simultaneous depiction of every combination of "controller + fightstick + console" that can be used together, and under that is a brief 2-3 individual lines of instruction for plugging said controller into the Mayflash.
I see word here on Amazon that when you have problems syncing your Playstation controller you need to hold Start + Y, which is maybe the most curious to me, since this isn't seen anywhere in the manual, and the website is so scant it is basically just short summaries of all available Mayflash items, along with some firmware downloads (only the most recent version is available for each of their products, from what I saw) along with actual-text hyperlinks to customers' YouTube videos... that's when I really kind of lost hope in finding anything useful coming directly from Mayflash. (The product page is here if you'd like to take a gander at the instruction, that is if the domain decides to load at all: http://www.mayflash.com/Products/XBOXXBOX360/F500.html ) Oddly, I couldn't find much in the way of help ANYWHERE on the internet when searching for steps to remedy connecting to an Xbox One. I had read many reviews of the stick on various "arcade stick sites" and watched plenty of Youtubers reviewing the product, yet there didn't seem to be any help anywhere. Puzzling to say the least for such a seemingly popular, underdog, starter stick. | video-games_xbox |
Simply Better. I am a long time Madden junky and I have to say that I was incredibly skeptical about whether Madden could make a jump forward instead of delivering the same version as before. After seeing the changes that were made in countless videos I played the demo and fell in love with this game. I've been playing Madden 12 for about 2 months now and still am loving the game.
As far as gameplay modes they didn't add anything revolutionizing, but added depth into all the classics that I have grown to love. Franchise mode has bigger in depth then ever before. You start off in the preseason with an extended 75 man roster with your rookies with undefined overall and potential. This is interesting enough that as a man that likes to test his drafting skills by actually playing through, YES I SAID I PLAY THROUGH THE PRESEASON, because I want to see my potential rookies play and apply them to a role. Then lead your way down a road to a supper bowl. While Superstar mode has been more refined then changed its a nice change. Now you have points that can be changed and applied to your overall, which is much more more and interesting then its ever been. Online there is no game, other then Fifa soccer, that creates such a huge online game base. You can play head to head or join team play. There are even online franchise mode, I play in two with over 6 of my friends and is a blast.
Gameplay has also been changed from 11 so that your defense may actually play...defense. In M11, I felt that offense was allowed to tear apart the defense and the never would never change its play or react to plays that were being played over and over and over again. This is great if you love 90 to 82 online games, which was one of my scores at the end of the my own games online. Your defense will play zone coverage and slide towards players nearest them. This A.I. is fantastic as it actually makes the player be more create in their plays and throws so that they may score. Overall, the animations running, throwing, catching, tackling, blocking all work very well and look semi-organic. Its not perfect yet, but it looks beautiful.
Overall, here's my vote, get the game if you are a crazy fan such as me or if you haven't gotten a new madden game in 3 or 4 years as this should impress you. If your doubtful and skeptical just don't get the game so that you may complain later. I really have enjoyed my time spent playing M12. | video-games_xbox |
My honest thoughts of the Xbox One. So the whole reason I purchased a Xbox One was due to the fact I was starting my vacation, which would involve sitting around the house for a week.
I haven't had a system since the summer of 2013. I was a previous owner to the xbox 360. I decided to sell it online, for the sheer fact I was losing interest in it.
So since I knew I was going to be on vacation this week, the bug inside said "Hey buy a new generation system!" I spent countless hours on the computer reading reviews, reading comments, watching videos. One of the main reasons why I purchased a Xbox one was due to it being available right off Amazon. Ps4 seems to be high demand/lousy production as they are hard to come by online, or at the retailer. UNLESS you want to pay joe the additional 100$ finders fee since everyone likes to take advantage of each other.
At any rate, lets talk about the Xbox One. I purchased this system not happy about the total cost. I was disappointed that Microsoft forced the kinect on us. They would have been wise to sell 2 systems. 1 with kinect for 499$, 1 without kinect for 399$, and mark the kinect at 149$, for those who didn't buy the bundle. They would have made alot more money this way. I purchased the kinect when I had a 360 and it was fun for me for a very short time, before I was over the gimmick. Since the Xbox One comes with it, I have no other choice. So far I have not really used it, I have used the facial recognition which is cool, and I have used some voice commands, other then that I haven't found much use for me. I do think it has much potential, and many do enjoy this feature, including some of my close friends. My friends enjoy being able to say voice commands, playing kinect sports, and simply using it for a sense of social media. I just would rather control all the features through the controller, for me this is much easier, again that's just my opinion.
I purchased Need For Speed. as the choices in games are very sparse, that includes PS4 fans as well. So far the gameplay has been really good, the visual effects are a noticeable improvement, as well as sound quality. The games visuals are an improvement from the previous generation, but not anything thats jaw dropping. I would say soon, you will see newer games that will really show what the xbox one and ps4 can really do, all with time. Right now its so early to really nid pick on something like graphics, now if in the next 6 months nothing changes then we have a problem!
The controller: For me the controller is an upgrade. I know many say its a step backwards in the reviews but for me I prefer this over the 360. I like the D pad MUCH better then the 360! Much more crisp and accurate. The first thing you will notice is the size. The One is slimmed down alot compared to the 360s. I felt it fits more snug in my hand, and it loses some weight in the process. I simply love the fact the heaviness is gone from the Ones controller. The triggers are decent, but I will say I prefer the 360 trigger buttons over the Ones. I do like that Microsoft incorporated the rumble feature in the triggers, thats one thing you will notice! Overall I think the new controller is a small step forward, again IMO!
Software: If you are a windows 8 fan guess what? You will love the new dashboard. I am still a windows 7 user so the whole tile setup was a little different to me. I do feel its sometimes confusing. Its organized, yet at the same time it feels cluttered to me. I see all kinds of tiles, on my main page, and at first glance it seems like a mess in my eyes. Yes the tiles are organized but I feel Microsoft could clean it up a little nicer. I personally enjoyed the latest 360 dashboard layout, I think the One has potential in the future though. The major point of this new dashboard is the simple fact you can multitask! I love being able to play a game and go back, change a setting, look at something ect ect, and resume the game instantly. This makes the whole gaming experience for me so much better. It was frustrating on the previous gen having to always exit, to only have to start the game all over, with its opening acts. I believe the PS4 does this now as well. Overall the new dashboard is an improvement, over previous 360 but just barely. I think given time, once all the bugs,kinks, and such are overcome the dashboard will be awesome, but I am sure this is ways out.
Overall whats my assessment? So I will be honest PS4 had my eye for the simple fact its a 100$ cheaper. Lets be honest money is tight these days, and knowing the ps4 is better stat wise on paper then the Xbox One its hard to look past that, with the 100$ savings its tough. I have been a fan of Xbox's online gameplay, and that was a big part on my decision. Most of my friends play Xbox live, so knowing If I switched to Ps4 I would be on my own with very few to play with. I am sure this applies to some who have a PS3/PS4. I also am a big Forza, and Halo fan these are two games series I don't think I could do without. Plus Titanfall is supposed to be a epic game. I think games, have to be a deciding factor when you make the decision of which system to buy.
For me the Xbox was convenient, suited my needs/wants and so far I have no regrets on my purchase. I think no matter which way you go PS4 or Xbox, its a WIN WIN, so far they both have there sets of bugs, and bad systems being sent out. However If you have a ps3 or Xbox 360 I would really wait on the purchase. I think it would be best to wait it out, wait till more games come out, wait for the patches to be fixed ect ect. The only reason I did not was since 1 I didn't have a system to play, 2 I was bored on vacation, If I had a ps3 or 360 I more then likely would wait at least 6 months. | video-games_xbox |
Great for the average gamer. My original (pre-MadCatz) Tritton AX720s died back in August and I have since been on an intense gaming headset buy-try-return cycle ever since. I am searching for the immersive sound experience that my AX720s were able to provide me for many years, and I was told by many friends that the Razer Chimaera 5.1 was the headset for me. I ignored their suggestions initially and chose to stay loyal to what I thought was Tritton by picking up a pair of AXPros, but they were quick to disappoint and seems a lot of people agree with me that MadCatz has done only harm to the Tritton lineup. After returning those I went with a pair of Turtle Beach DPX21's which were great at first but the right ear stopped working within the first month, and despite TB being quick to dispatch a brand new pair.. this second pair is awful. The slightest amount of bass causes major distortion and the sound quality overall is severely lacking. That was the last straw, when I saw these were a lightning deal on black friday I quickly snatched them up to try yet another headset.
They showed up today (thank you Amazon for your very quick shipping) and my first impression was how well Razer packages them, followed closely by how simple setup was. The batteries needed to be charged out of the box, but the manual states this.. I just found this disappointing since I wanted to jump in and test them. After about an hour on the charging station I was amped to try them, much to my dismay the sound experience wasn't immersive at all. I cranked the game volume to max which was about the equivalent of a quarter turn on my DPX21's, granted the sound quality was much better. I thought maybe it was the old Digital Optical cable I was using so I swapped it with the provided one with no change. I tried the Chimaeras out on several of my shooter games that I enjoy playing and was sadly disappointed with the low game audio I was greeted with in each one. I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile and I feel that the sound quality of these is up there with the best headsets on the market, if only it could do it at a much higher volume these would be the final stop on my journey. Unfortunately, they are already packaged back up and will be heading back to Amazon tomorrow.
I'm giving these 4 stars because like I've said I was impressed with the quality and care Razer put into these, the headset is comfortable enough to wear for hours, the idea of the docking station charging the batteries is brilliant, and the sound quality is delivered.. these just aren't the headset for me.
TL;DR: Good quality, easy setup, cool design, low audio volume and even lower chat volume. | video-games_xbox |
Keep up the good work Jeecoo. I bought these headphones thinking that they were going to be quite possibly some of the worst headset that I have ever owned....
until I actually plugged them in and tested them...
not only were they ACTUALLY GOOD but they were actually pretty comfortable to wear! so having said that I plan to at least list the pros and cons of this headset for the other potential buyers out there.
Pros:
Cheap
Decently Loud
Does in fact muffle outside noise (not to the point where you feel like you are wearing earplugs but still rather well)
The colors are vibrant and are a nice touch to make it seem as though it is an expensive headset.
There is a manual switch in order to mute your microphone rather than a button ( Take a HINT LOGITECH)
The volume wheel can only turn so far and has a satisfying feel to it.
The cable Length is nice and it is braided rather firmly.
Cons:
The foam around the ear isn't the thickest
The microphone is not the clearest and the positioning is a little odd for people with larger faces ( the microphone sits at the corner of my mouth making me shift my headset forward in order to speak and be understood effectively.
The lights on the headset stay on regardless of if your PC is on or off ( to some this could be a pro I suppose)
It didn't come with a box ( Hey some graphics or some simple information on the box could easily make this headset a great gift for family members who love to game)
I personally think that this was worth the 20 dollars that I payed to get this headset. It is comfortable for most daily uses.
Jeecoo you did a good job with this headset but that being said please try and extend the Microphone length a little bit and look into making the ear foam thicker along with upgrading the quality of the microphone a little more and you honestly could make a fortune selling these affordable medium quality headsets.
This is my first headset from Jeecoo. | video-games_xbox |
Great game! Only downside is multiplayer. Overall I love the game. Of course I should start out saying I am a huge fan of the Far Cry series so I am probably a little biased. But I think overall it really does deserve 5 stars.
Pros:
- Huge open-world map with tons of places to explore and things to collect
- Numerous animals to hunt or avoid! Big step up in animal variety from last game in my opinion
- Great graphics, it looks stunning on my t.v. (I do have a 1080p t.v. though)
- Tons of side missions to keep you busy while completing main missions
- They added in grappling and climbing! Makes exploring much more interesting
- They didn't change what made the last Farcry games great. It feels new but they kept the aspects of the game that make it a classic series
- The map editor is back and better than ever!
- You can play the game as a stealth master or go in guns blazing it really is up to you
- You can play other people's maps like they were a mission. Essentially making the game have a never ending supply of new missions as long as people keep creating
Cons:
- Multi-player is not great. Really my only complaint. There is no option for player vs. player where both sides have guns. It's only Golden Path vs. Rakshasa. So simply put it's guns vs. bows. While the Rakshasa do get some stealth benefits it's still really not fair. I don't mind the game mode, but with that being the only option multi-player becomes boring quickly and is pretty one sided. They should have added it in as one mode while the majority is gun vs. gun. It seems like the online multi-player was an after thought really.
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Why it gets 5 stars still even with this major multi-player flaw.
Simply put the campaign is great. Good enough that the online play being poor is not enough to take stars away. Add in the fun of making maps (and playing other people's maps) and it gets a 5 in my book. Plus its not really a game I bought with multi-player in mind. To me that's just an added bonus. If you are buying the game for the campaign you will love it, if your looking for a good multi-player game I'd look elsewhere. But for what I believe it was meant to be it performs great. | video-games_xbox |
Diablo III, a blast for 1-4 players. Our entire family (adults & teens) loved playing this game together (up to 4 players on same machine)! Interesting player class variety to choose from, they level up quickly, tons of equipment & magic items found during game play, immersive graphics, your character regenerates quickly if you die in battle and its addictive. I remember playing the original Diablo on my dad's PC ages ago and this one pays it tribute but is significantly superior. We liked the old Gauntlet PS2 game which is why we bought this one since its similar multi-player gaming style. Diablo III is mostly hack and slash but not gory or graphic like others. When characters level up, you get to select what new skills you want yours to have which added personalization. Not all aspects of Diablo III are intuitive (i.e. how to get supplies so your blacksmith can make magic items) but they aren't imperative for game play. We were able to play the entire game without any supplemental guides or information. An option to save the game whenever we wanted would have been greatly appreciated, rather than making us finish a quest or get to a unknown check point. Its storyline wasn't totally predictable, which was nice. Characters snap back near each other if one ventures off too far so don't need to deal with divided screen confusion. Our only minor disappointment was that we finished the entire game more quickly than expected and wish it was longer. The boss/big evil meanie battles weren't that tough with 3 players and we killed them on our first try every time. We'll definately download the supplemental adventures and replay this one in "ghost mode" to continue the fun.
I encourage Blizzard to model Diablo IV after this one but please don't make us wait too long for it to come out. A suggested enhancement would be to make the text on screen (i.e. item & ability descriptions) larger so it can be read more easily at a distance on our TV. Would love to be able to export our characters from Diablo III into the next version as well.
One of our favorite multi-player Xbox 360 games so far! | video-games_xbox |
Great controller, get an extended warranty, or else you will be writing a review a month after Microsofts warranty expires. TLDR: The controller has a drift issue (aka it will start to automatically look in a direction regardless if you are touching it), this is a massive issue that if you spend a second googling will lead you to find out that many people get screwed by it right after Microsofts 90 day warranty expires. Their response? Replace the $50 dollar controller.
This controller is a 1 star, if you do not have the extended warranty...
So, if you are considering which PC gaming controller to purchase, every reputable website makes the claim (for the most part) that pound for pound, the Xbox one controller is fantastic. I cannot disagree with that statement, from July to November, this controller was bar none one of my best investments.
I LOVE THE XBOX ONE CONTROLLER IN EVERY SENSE.
From the feel, to the control, to the response, for 50 dollars it just was that small upgrade from the 360 wired controller that made PC games really feel like anything that happened in game is my fault alone, as the controller was responsive enough that I was me, and not it.
Then the drift issue started kicking in. It happened slowly 2 months after I purchased it, but I assumed it was the games I was playing, that might just be glitchy on Windows 10. If I had known what was happening, I could have replaced the controller in time, and saved myself the heartache. I didn't, and the problem got worse. I started diving into the world of DIY repairs, because the only response from Microsoft on a massive controller malfunction? Replace the controller.
This isn't a small issue, I am not a 1% guy on this. From what I can tell, everybody knows that this is happening, and the industry is not taking Microsoft to task for it. Their FAQ has it clearly placed "Drifting" issues near the top, meaning that enough people started asking, and Microsoft is just getting away with this.
I am going back to my 360 controller. A 7 year old, wired 360 controller, has less issues than a 2014 model controller. If you want to purchase the controller, get an extended warranty, and might as well get two controllers on extended warranties, that way you can keep rotating them out from the repair shops as it will be taking 20+ days each time. That is not a solution, but how Microsoft is handling this, rather than doing a recall, the only other option is to not purchase a lesser controller until they address these issues. | video-games_xbox |
What happend to this great trilogy. You know when I played through mass effect 1 and 2 and gearing up for 3 I was thinking that this game trilogy could be one that would make record books and leave a mark in gaming history. I waited a little bit on Mass effect 3 when it came out for a price drop maybe and let all the bugs and problems to be ironed out. Well it didn't take long for me to hear the rumors of the bad ending and the complaints. I have heard the majority of people give their "opinion" on alot of games and I never agreed with them. So when I heard the ending was bad I took it to heart but thought that there couldn't be anything bad enough to ruin this saga........I was so wrong....
I won't ruin the ending, but let me just say that if you heard the ending was bad from a friend or someone and heard all the bad rumors, believe them 100%. All your hopes and dreams for the mass effect trilogy will go up in smoke in the last few minutes of the game. This damage to the ending and the expectations is so great, that you very well may not even sleep at night, lol. Mass effect 3 in my opinion cannot be reviewed without dragging 1 and 2 into the mix. Why? Because unlike some other games, the Mass effect trilogy is based on your choices and the choices that you make carry on. Its a long story that is somewhat molded by your choices. But Bioware didn't seem to take that into consideration near the end of Mass effect 3. I don't care about how great Mass effect 3's graphics are or the special effects. Or even the increased difficulty I longed for. This game ruined Mass Effect 1 and 2 then ultimately offed whatever was left in the franchise.
I am sorry there is no excuse for this Bioware, and I hope listen to your fans. You honestly have lost alot of respect from me and your ability to make a good rpg saga such as Mass effect. Making mass effect 4 while keeping Mass Effect 3's ending the way it is won't fly with me. You lost a customer, and I am not the kind of person who says stuf like that. I am not sure if you were on some bad medication when you wrote the ending or what, but since you refuse to listen to fans, you have now alienated yourself. I could care less about your new ideas for Mass Effect 4. You get a score on Amazon of 1, and wish I could give less. You promised a rpg of choices and instead you gave us something that wasn't even of this world. Or like I said, maybe some drugs were involved when making the ending. | video-games_xbox |
A worthy update to a classic. The Good: Looks great, decent story, not so linear, upgrades are great, powers are useful
The Bad: Little enemy variety, graphics are a bit bland, can be pretty hard at times, pretty much the same throughout
id software is famous for creating the FPS genre with Doom, Duke Nukem, and Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein is a little different from your typical WWII game. The game is wrapped around the paranormal, so you're not going to get another Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. The game is entirely fictional, so it lets the Raven use fact and fiction and kind of mix them. You play as BJ Blazkowicz who is an American secret agent trying to stop the Third Reich from using the Black Sun as a weapon to rule the world. Sounds cliche? Well it kind of is, but it's interesting enough and has a very small plot twist at the end that makes the whole story worthwhile. You are working for to resistance factions known as the Kraisau Circle and the Golden Dawn.
Wolfenstein isn't just a linear run and gun shooter. In fact the game is a bit sand boxy in the sense that you can choose your missions and getting to them requires running around the city, fighting your way through Nazis, and getting the right sections. While I found this kind of pointless since there are only half a dozen side missions, but it makes it different from most shooters. The game has four different powers you can use as well as a whole new weapon upgrade system.
The four powers consist of slowing down time, shield, Empower, and your basic passive power that can let you go through certain marked walls, climb hidden ladders and see energy pools, as well as highlight enemies in the dark and reveal bigger enemy's weak points. You will use all these weapons, but not as often as you'd like. You can upgrade your powers at the Black Market buildings, but finding gold is a pain since it's all hidden and the only way t upgrade everything 100% is to find every sack of gold in the game and there are over 200. The same goes for intelligence files and Tomes that let you unlock more power upgrades. I just find hidden items in shooters pointless since you're concentrating on not dying yet you're also supposed to hunt for crap? I don't like it. The powers must be used during boss fights and to get through some enemies.
Upgrading your weapons are real fun since we have never had a WWII game that uses real WWII weapons that can have silencers attached to them and scopes. Of course there are fictional weapons such as particle cannons, tesla guns, and a flak cannon. All these are slowly acquired as you play the game and each weapon is fun to use and the way the weapon's efficiency is solely up to how you upgrade.
The levels are pretty varied, but they all look the same. The graphics are very nice, but there's not really an art style here. All the levels are pretty much laid out the same: Kill these nazis, figure out how to get past this obstacle, kill more nazis, blow this up, kill boss. Rinse and repeat for about 8-10 hours. This doesn't mean the game gets boring since all the is scrambled up quite often so you get the illusion that its not the same thing over and over again.
There is some enemy variety in the human form. Each are the same except some are wearing different uniforms, but its the super natural enemies that you should worry about. There are assassins that will sneak up on you and slash you to death if you don't use your powers to spot them quickly. There are powerful generals that shoot fireballs and pound the ground and they will kill you fast. You have sexy Nazi chicks that do extreme melee on you unless you're fast. There are guys with flamethrowers and particle cannons that use must find the weak spots on to defeat. That's about it though and you can throw creepy monkey dogs in there too. The enemy variety is a bit thin, but these guys work.
The boss fights are pretty amusing and some are just down right hard. You just figure out there weak spot and what weapon works best then it's easy from there. So overall the structure of the game is sound with your main missions branching off the city of Isenstadt where you go get your missions from the two resistance factions. The game is well worth the purchase, but you won't really come back to this and not even for multiplayer since no one's even playing, and even if there were it's pretty generic.
Wolfestein offers great game play, a decent story, and just a good solid 8-10 hours, but you won't be coming back to this one unless you really want to find all the hidden items. | video-games_xbox |
It didn't work for me but the kit is pretty good. This kit did not fix my xbox 360. I tried the regular way they describe, then some of the supplemental ways. I still have 3 red lights. I don't really blame the kit since it is exactly what it says and comes with all the necessary stuff. (except you need paper towels and a flathead screw driver from your own tools). The opening tool worked fine for me and everything fit well. I used my own thermal paste since I had some Arctic silver. Maybe that was the problem?.... doubt it but I might try again with their paste. Most of the guide online is great with pictures etc. I wish they had some more pictures on the last few steps about applying the thermal paste etc. It sounds pretty simple and I have done it on computer CPUs but it would be nice to have some pics.
I am going to try again and re-bake the gpu/cpu and see if I can do it again.
FYI: I tried the original method and when I turned it on the first time I still got 3 red lights. I let bake until I got 2 red lights, let run for exactly 2 minutes (iphone timer) then turned off and let sit for 15 minutes or so then tightened screws to heatsinks. Turned on and still had 3 red lights.
I baked again after the tightening and repeated the process. This time letting the CPU stay cool with the fans and a blow drying on cool. So there were no 2 red lights this time just 3 for 15 minutes. Still had 3 red lights.
Repeated again this time having pressure on top of the gpu heatsink during the bake. Still 3 red lights.
Repeated again with baking while the m/b was upside down. Still 3 red lights.
I was going to try the "12-cent trick" (basically adding 4 stacks of 3 pennies wrapped in electrical tape glued to the ram chips underneath the m/b) but I saw I already had 4 little sponge blocks doing the same thing.
Basically I do not know what is wrong with my xbox but from what I read and understand about it this kit did what it was supposed to do, my xbox is just a little more fried than others I guess. | video-games_xbox |
Solid, family-friendly game with enough song variety & charm to coax you off the couch. What makes Just Dance Kids 2014 so enjoyable is that it provides songs that all ages can enjoy. Preschoolers are going to recognize songs from The Wiggles (Get Ready To Wiggle), Yo Gabba Gabba (The Freeze Game), and classics like Hickory Dickory Dock.
My sons (now 11 and 9) were drawn immediately to "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" which provides a trio of dancers dressed as glowing purple skeletons. The dance routine imagery conjured up my sons' first experience with the song in <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Beetlejuice/dp/B001AGXEAG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Beetlejuice</a>, Michael Keaton's turn as a ghostly Rumpelstiltskin in a PG-rated fairy tale. BTW: I recommend that movie but you should read the rating details on commonsensemedia[dot]org first.
Our initial experience with the Just Dance Kids game series was in 2011 with <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Just-Dance-Kids-2/dp/B0058SHO5I/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Just Dance Kids 2</a>, the first entry for the Xbox 360 Kinect. At the time, we owned several Kinect games, including <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Kinect-Sports/dp/B0050SWALO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Kinect Sports</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Wipeout-In-the-Zone/dp/B004T7PWZ8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Wipeout In the Zone</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Child-of-Eden/dp/B002I0H8FK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Child of Eden</a>.
We've since sold all of those games except for Kinect Sports. That's not a reflection of their quality but rather our household policy to sell games before buying new ones.
The set-up and interface have improved since 2011. Again, your level of frustration will depend on how much previous experience you've had with the Kinect system. My sons expressed that they had no trouble with tracking or menu commands on Just Dance Kids 2014.
I'll attempt to add some video later (my sons are getting harder and harder to capture on video when they know I'm writing an Amazon review).
In summary, Just Dance Kids 2014 is another solid, family-friendly game with enough song variety and charm to coax you off the couch and get you dancing. This would be a fun addition to a family game night, a sleepover and a birthday party.
NOTE: Teenagers are the age group least likely to enjoy this game. Expect a lot of eye-rolling and deep sighs if your teenager was expecting Miley Cyrus dance routines. On the other hand, take comfort in knowing your child won't receive instructions on how to twerk in Just Dance Kids 2014.
Rating: Five stars | video-games_xbox |
The Perfect Fit. This is the first set of `gaming' headphones I have ever purchased. I wanted something I could use with multiple different devices (I don't like the idea of having to by separate products for my Xbox, PS3, 3DS, Computer, etc.), offered great sound quality, and included a must have retractable mic. I found the Performance Design Products (PDP) Afterglow headset in Gamestop a few days ago and decided to give them a try. Their controllers have served me well in the past and, for the price and function, it seemed like a good option.
Sound
A quick preface, I am no expert in sound quality. That being said, I had the unique opportunity to attend E3 in Los Angeles earlier this year. There I was able to try several different headsets from Turtle Beach, Tritton, and PDP. After testing several pairs, I could tell absolutely no difference in sound quality between a set of $250+ headphones from Turtle Beach and the $90 Afterglow Headset from PDP. The sound is simply amazing - whether gaming, watching a movie, or just listening to music.
Design
A large part of my shopping experience was finding a headset that would fit comfortable on my enormous head and ears. This headset fit perfectly. The adjustable support band automatically and comfortably adjust to the contour of my head. I don't have to try and slide adjust the earpieces before hand, wasting time. One of the huge bonuses is that I can be wearing the headset and then hand them off to a smaller friend and no adjustment is necessary and they still fit her just as comfortably.
Quality
There is always concern in buying a product that is significantly cheaper than the competition. I am here to tell everyone that there is no need for that fear to exist with this product. All of the buttons have a great feel to them - a healthy amount of resistance to provide a solid feel. The mic slides easily into its compartment and it is just flexible enough to allow users to move it into place comfortably. I have absolutely no idea what type of plastic polymer PDP used for the support band but it really holds up to damage. You can almost rotate the earpieces 180 degrees from each other without that piece snapping.
Overall
This has been a great headset - no regrets! They put out sound comparable to products that are far more expensive and are more comfortable then any others I have tried. | video-games_xbox |
A fitting (and crazy) sequel, but a little buggy. I was a little apprehensive when I heard that super powers would be a part of this game, but they really fit in with the goofy feeling of the game. It also changes up the game quite a bit. Once you get the super running (early on in the game), cars become practically useless. Super jumping/gliding (also fairly early in the game) eliminate much of the need for aircraft. It's still fun to steal a flying saucer and cause havoc in the streets, though.
Gameplay itself, for the most part, is similar to SR3. Grenades are gone (replaced on the gamepad by superpowers). In this installment, you can customize various aspects of your weapons (not just upgrade them in general, but upgrade damage, recoil, area of effect, etc). Unfortunately, these upgrades don't change the way the weapons look, as they did in the previous game. You can customize the look of most of the weapons, but it generally amounts to only a color change. Money is fairly easy to come by - not enough to upgrade everything all at once, but it's easy enough that you don't feel like you've started a part-time job just to keep yourself supplied with ammo.
One gripe I had about this game is the way the missions are set up. While most of the main missions are unique, a lot of the side missions have you running around town completing various activities. It almost seems like filler sometimes (a point that one of the mission titles actually pokes fun at later on in the game). Racing (which I can't stand) seemed to come up repeatedly in the first half of the game. One nice touch, however, is that if a side mission requires you to finish four specific activities on the map, and you've already completed two of those, you don't have to repeat them. You could always skip the side missions, but then you'd miss out on a lot of really nice weapon, power, and homie upgrades.
Another gripe I had was that the game seemed a little bit short. I just finished my first play-through last night, and even with all the stop-and-go playing I did, it only took me 35 hours (spread out over about 3 weeks). SR3 took me about 45 hours, another 10 for the DLC. My next playthrough will be on the hardest level, so that might make things last longer.
The bugs in this game are jarring enough for me to take away a star. Occasionally, your game will just lock. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason for it happening. One time I was running around the ship, another time I was trying out my "Death from above" attack from the highest point in the game. The game apparently compensates for this by saving about EVERY TEN SECONDS. Whenever it saves, it's like the game skips a beat. VERY annoying,.
All in all, if you liked the direction that the Saints Row games were taking, you'll want to pick this up. The levelling is not a slog (but not too easy), and the gameplay is a lot of fun with the new superpowers. If the series has to end, this was a great way for it to go out. | video-games_xbox |
Dropped to two stars - audio does not work outside of games. Otherwise, pristine Xbox gaming experience. Update: I cannot, for the life of me, get this headset to works in apps outside of a game. I've tried Plex, YouTube, Halo Waypoint, Groove Music Videos, and more. For some reason, the audio will completely drop-out, and the only way to restore the audio is to unplug/replug the audio dongle in again. Sometimes, I can get audio to work briefly in non-game apps, but it almost always will go haywire and disconnect. This has to be a driver issue as it makes no sense whatsoever - but something is up with how the Xbox routes audio to the dongle. I've tried this on two Xbox consoles that I own, so it's not just a defective console. Additionally, I tried it with a separate brand headset which does the same thing (PDP AG7) - so this is an Xbox driver thing, but I don't know who is responsible - MS, or Turtle BEACH!
PROs:
- Excellent wireless gaming audio - clear, crisp - significantly improved over plugging a headset into the bottom of an Xbox controller. Occasional static crops up over a couple hour gaming session, but I have yet to experience a full drop-out.
- 50mm drivers do pack a really nice punch, and bass boost mode does not drown out the rest of the audio spectrum. Mids are a little muddy during music listening but overall the sound quality is pretty good here, but obviously tuned for gaming. I don't think the audio modes work with line-in music sources, but Ill keep testing.
- Fast power up and sync with Xbox it takes just a second to power on, and you get nice audio cues through the headset to confirm
- Mic feedback is executed very well - voice quality on "other" end seems high!
- Removable mic (see also CONs section)
- All plastic design is very lightweight (see also CONs) - also perforated ear cups help SOME with heat build up inside over other synthetic headsets.
- Can be used for simultaneous audio with another audio source - or stand-alone with your favorite audio source (tablet/smartphone music service, et al). Yes, you can listen to your favorite music through your phone while GAMING at the same time! Volume is controlled through your phone/iPod volume.
CONs:
- Light effects - please TB (and all other game console headset manufacturers), stop putting LED lights in every console headset. There's no way I can see to turn off the green LEDs. In a dark room, the bright green light on the USB dongle itself is too much as well. Time for some black electric tape!
- No Passive listening mode: Using with tablet/phone/iPod requires the headset to be turned on! This results in the logo LED lights on both ear cups to blink rapidly - also, the headphones will go into "power save" mode because they are not connected to the Xbox console. You can press the power button once when an audio prompt chimes in that the headphones are about to turn off - "press power to cancel". Unfortunately, you might not hear this prompt if you listening to music or another audio source loudly.
- All plastic headset feels a bit low-quality for this premium price - I guess that's the tradeoff for the weight? I would have preferred a steel or aluminum headset band however. Price should be $99 for this material level - hopefully it will come down in price over time.
- Comfort - I wear a 7-3/8 ball cap - I have to stretch these headphones to their limits, and the pressure on the crown of my head is still uncomfortable during any listening/gaming session.
- Controls the little buttons and wheels are a bit hard to find when on your head. I wish the MUTE button was easier to find
SUMMARY - The Stealth 420X is better than any headset plugged into the bottom of the headset from my experience. The signal quality is reliable (in-games), and game audio is clearer and more powerful truly immersive with no jarring static/audio popping or requirements to unplug and re-plug into the bottom of a controller to improve a bad connection. Since becoming a new dad, Ive been waiting on this type of truly wireless setup. But until my odd issue with the audio not working reliably in Apps other than games, I have to give these a 2/5.
Some of the way they advertise this headset is a bit deceptive (use them for tablet gaming) because it seems like more of an afterthought that you can use these for anything other than Xbox gaming. Yes, you can use them for general purpose use, but youll have to deal with the lack of passive listening, deal with the aggressive power save shutdown (you have a couple seconds to hit the power button to prevent a shut-down), and the rapidly blinking LED lights when not syncd to the Xbox.
I plan to buy the new PDP AG7 to compare, which cost 50 bucks less. I think we are paying for the recognizable Turtle Beach branding here. It might be worth the premium if TB support and warranty coverage is better than PDP. | video-games_xbox |
Great multiplayer. I've been a huge Battlefield fan for a while, having played & loved both BF1942 and BF2 on the PC. I've also played and loved COD:MW on the PC as well, but have not touched MW2 yet, so I will make no comparisons between the two.
The single player is not anything special here. I have not finished it yet but have progressed far enough to make a judgment on it. It seems to play out somewhat like a movie; The Dirty Dozen meets Indiana Jones...The cut scenes cropping up all the time do seem to interrupt the flow of the game and some scenes I felt were just unnecessary. Your teammates' AI is not the best; At times it feels like it's just you out there and your buddies hang back while you take all the fire up front (I felt the same way about the first MW). I think there is a hard balance to strike between allowing the player to have control over how they play the game and the efficiency of teammates. If your computer-controlled teammates are too good, you may find yourself following them and acting as support / second fiddle to them rather than the other way around. I think this is an inherent problem with these types of games.
What mainly attracted me to this game was the multiplayer. BF games have traditionally been known to be heavily weighted towards MP rather than single player, so my 5 star rating takes that into account as well as my overall satisfaction with this purchase. I love the MP in this game. I like that there are objective-based game modes that reward the player for defending/taking objectives and supporting squadmates. The maps are quite large also. Before buying this game, I thought 12 vs 12 would be too few players (having been used to playing with 40-64 players in BF1942/BF2 on the PC, but 24 players works just fine, especially with the ability to spawn at a squad member's position. On the matter of spawning, I've almost never been spawn-killed when playing (unless spawning at a squad member who is under fire), which is nice. At first I was weary of not being able to go prone, but playing the BC2 demo and now the game put my worries to rest. It just works. Snipers can still snipe, etc. As large as the maps are, if you were able to go prone as a sniper, it would just kill the game; there would be too many campers sniping you at long range, who you would never be able to see. Allowing players to go prone would have probably killed the gameplay mechanics and I understand why EA kept it out of the final release. This could not be a battlefield game without vehicles, and this game delivers, although I would have liked to have a little more variety as in BF2 such as including the DPV or LAV, just to mix it up a little. I also would have like to see more than just Russians vs. U.S. (adding S. American milita?), although this would not have fit as well with the SP story. At the very least they could have included more faces for players or could have made some more generic as every US medic has the same mustached face...It would have been cool to be able to customize what helmet/hat/beret you could wear but I understand that EA probably wanted the player to be able to easily visually distinguish between classes for gameplay reasons. The hardcore game mode is also pretty fun... Anyway, I won't go into everything here because other reviews have touched most everything else I would have mentioned.
In closing, multiplayer is flat-out fun. It's a DIFFERENT style of play than MW and if it's not for you, then it's not for you. But I for one, love the team-based gameplay. | video-games_xbox |
Forza Fans of the Motorsport Variety Will Not Be Disappointed. If you loved Forza 5, you'll love Forza 6 even more. More cars, more tracks, and upbeat music are noticeable right away.
In my own opinion, you will read many reviews that point out comparisons to Forza Horizons 2. Skip those. The two games have a night and day difference between them and seek out different audiences to play them.
Speaking of night and day, here is the first big change. Forza Motorsport 6 holds races both during daytime and nighttime conditions, and it adds a little more challenge to a race; for example, when the track itself isn't illuminated at a corner, it adds to the realism that the game is trying to portray. Some gamers do not like it, but you have to understand that this is what Motorsport is, and Forza Motorsport 6 is a game that attempts to capture it.
Driving in the rain isn't fun in real life, and it sure isn't fun here either. Don't get me wrong; I'm so happy that the game did this. It's just difficult to navigate through a turn at the highest possible speed when a huge pool of water exists on the apex. Again, another challenge that the developers over at Turn 10 threw at us, possibly from seeing it in person over at Sebring International in person, and it's definitely a great addition to this game.
The game is so deep and it's nearly impossible to review everything. Some of the narration you'll hear in the game definitely got me to think that automobiles in itself is a true art that is taken for granted by nearly everyone. The amount of cars at launch is (and looks) amazing, somewhere around 450 on the standard version of the game alone. The music is upbeat and fun to listen to in the menus and during a race. I remember on Forza 5, I decided to switch it off because it got old quick. Apart from these two qualities, remember that this isn't something like Forza Horizons 2, Need for Speed (from what I remember is being like), or any other game that it seemed possible to take a 90 degree corner at 200 miles per hour or drive through a cornfield in a Ferrari without so much as a scratched paint job. It's a game that requires attention to detail if you want to be competitive at the higher difficulty levels with less and less assists engaged just on single player alone, more so on multiplayer.
Motorsport fans, you definitely won't be disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
WELL WORTH THE PRICE. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Pro-Value-Bundle/dp/B000W91YTA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Pro Value Bundle</a>
I bought this Pro Bundle from Amazon a few weeks ago (more like 3 weeks ago) and I have to say, I LOVE IT. I have to say that for this generation of gaming, Microsoft and Nintendo have really dialed in their consumer base with pinpoint accuracy. The Xbox 360 has, by far, one of the most amazing lineup of games that do NOT disappoint. I so far have bought:
-Gears of War
-Halo 3
-Splinter Cell: Double Agent
-Project Gotham Racing 3
-Perfect Dark Zero
-Top Spin 2
...also, with this Pro Bundle, you get Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance for free! And take my word for it, Forza Motorsport 2 is AMAZING. You will get addicted to the real-life accuracy of the world of racing. Forza's replay value alone further sweetens the deal of the Xbox 360.
LIVE:
Xbox Live Gold = PHENOMENAL. I have been playing Halo 3 online nonstop and it is just endless fun. The technological development of the Xbox 360 is flawless. I used to play on LIVE with the original Xbox...and the Live of the 360 far surpasses any expectations that I had.
The wireless controller...something you don't really think about at first, makes such a difference compared to the old wired S-Controllers of the previous generation. The controller for the Xbox 360 looks futuristic with its white color and aerodynamic design. It feels very comfortable in my hands and most importantly, very natural.
So, why get the Pro Version? You get two free games (worth over 100) and a 20GB hard-drive, which is definitely a necessity. It allows you to save all your games and download additional features from the Xbox Live Marketplace such as demos, videos, and game add-ons. Speaking of Add-ons, I have so far downloaded the Gears of War maps as well as the new Halo 3 maps.
All in all, plunk down the 349.99 and immerse yourself in a world of nonstop gaming. Not only does the 360 allow you to play some of the best games yet to be offered, it lets you play against some of the world's best gamers. I use this console on both my television (when at home) and on my 19" widescreen monitor in my dorm. However to play on a monitor, you'll need to buy the 360 VGA cable. I bought one from Joytech for less than the official MS one and it works fine. I have no complaints...it saved money, and it works!
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Joytech-VGA-Cable/dp/B000CEO8ZM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Joytech VGA Cable</a>
I would recommend that you purchase either a Quick charge kit or play and charge kit for your controller(s). I can personally attest that the regular batteries that come with your new controller last about 3 weeks as I am now having to replace the batteries.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Quick-Charge-Kit/dp/B000EYF88G/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Play-Charge-Kit/dp/B000B6MLS2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit</a>
Don't forget...the console also plays DVDs. Once you connect it to your computer (which is super easy), your 360 acts as an all-purpose Media Unit. Its' great, you can play music, look at photos, play videos...all on your 360.
Now is the time to buy the 360. All the popular games are out and there's a reduction in their price. What are you waiting for? Get out there and GAME! | video-games_xbox |
Whew* - a lot better than LEGO Batman 2. I was initially very excited for this game. Then a couple of months before its release, I played LEGO Batman 2. It was easily the worst LEGO video game entry and it made me apprehensive about the LEGO Marvel game. Well, I can safely say it is A LOT better than LEGO Batman 2. But there are also several factors that made me not give it a five-star rating I wish I could give it.
First, the pros:
* It doesn't make me nauseous like LEGO Batman 2! I can run around the open level of Manhattan without feeling like I'm about to hurl chunks. So, whatever the graphic designers did to fix that, kudos to them!
* They also included a little map in the corner of the screen so you can see where you're going without pulling up a full-screen map.
* They fixed the flying! Flying in LEGO Batman 2 made me want to punch someone because it's so not intuitive and very different than flying in the levels. Flying in the open level in this game was similar to flying in the actual levels and therefore a vast improvement over LEGO Batman 2.
* The cast of characters is a lot more diverse and fun to play with than Batman 2. I'll admit it's because I like Marvel more than DC and I'm more familiar with Marvel so there's a bias there. The levels feel longer and better written, and the humor is a lot better.
* The world is just brighter, prettier. Again, maybe a Marvel thing versus a DC thing. But running around Gotham was just a joyless (and nauseating) experience for me. Running around Manhattan was bright and fun and exciting.
* The music, the graphics, and the humor are all on point.
* It feels like they incorporated less of the horrible split-screen.
The cons:
* The split screen, though less, is still frustratingly there. When it spins, it's horribly distracting. When it's just two static screens, it takes the fun out of playing offline co-op since, essentially, it feels like my husband and I are playing two different games in the same room. That's not the experience I want when I'm playing co-op with him. While there are plenty of co-op shooter games we've played that split the screen up, those games, by their nature, forces the players to stick together in the same vicinity. Yet in this game, we'd find ourselves in opposite ends of Manhattan sometimes. LEGO games are intended for a more family-friendly audience and splitting the players up is really detrimental to the fun of the experience.
* There are several glitches that made us have to restart levels. It was never so bad that we can't finish a level, but just having to stop and repeat a level was frustrating. And in the open level, there are times when a character's audio would just cut out. This happens a lot on side quests when you're trying to help citizens. They would start to tell you what they need and then the audio would just cut out. It's good ghost! Deadpool helps point you in the right direction and the puzzles are never so difficult that I can't figure it out after breaking all the LEGO bricks in my vicinity. There were also a couple of rendering glitches when the environment couldn't render fast enough to catch up with my character's flying speed.
* The camera angles could use some work as it often automatically re-adjusts when I'm flying around Manhattan. All of a sudden, I'd be speeding in the wrong direction because the camera angle automatically adjusted. That gets really frustrating in a race.
* I wish the LEGO characters would go back to being incoherent. I really don't care to have good voice acting in my LEGO games. I rather have the grunts and murmurs back. I think the extra long, voiced cut scenes made the load time a lot longer than necessary.
So overall, I do think it's a decently fun game that I'll play religiously in the next few months to try and get 100% completion on because I am a fan of LEGO and a fan of Marvel. But I do think it's not as fun as it has the potential of being if the game developer on these LEGO games would just take out the split screen on co-op mode. I am a huge fan of the first LEGO Indiana Jones game and I remember laughing all the way through the levels with my husband because our characters interacted on screen. And most of the fun of these LEGO games is watching the crazy shenanigans the characters get up to. Half the time now, I don't even know where his character is in these new LEGO games and that really brings down the fun level for us. While it's a vast improvement over LEGO Batman 2, it's inferior compared to the earlier LEGO games that didn't have such rampant use of split screen. | video-games_xbox |
Not as good as Dragon Rising, but almost. This game is not as tactical as Dragon Rising, but almost as fun, depending on how your outlook is and what you are hunting for in a First Person Shooter. If you want to be directed on every aspect of what to do and where to go on missions, and don't care about your own mission approach and tactics, then this game is for you. If you do care about those things, I recommend playing this game anyway, as well as Dragon Rising. The comedic expressions of your squad leader quickly get old, but offer up a nice twist in the story once in a while with a good chuckle. If you have kids, keep them out of the room when playing this game, otherwise they may hear the F-bomb every two words in this guys' sentences.
The action is intense just like dragon rising, however, this game is more of a move a click or 2 to defend a spot, then run all the way back to defend the last spot you defended, again. It's a linear experience compared to the last installment of this game, and there is no multiplayer, just coop, which is a good thing in my opinion because this company absolutely blows at making multiplayer games.
This is not a run and gun style game, unless you enjoy restarting every 5 seconds from dying. So, call of duty players, beware, your tactics are not good enough. I am pretty sure that these games are geared more towards military, ex military, and semi intelligent tactical favored persons. There are many acronyms that the military use in this game, so if you never have been in the military, just go ahead and turn the dialogue off because you will not understand a word that is said in this game. Otherwise, people with experience with these acronyms, such as myself, can rather enjoy this games dialogue.
Overall, this game is more tactical than every other shooter out there for consoles, except dragon rising. It is crazy at times with all of the bullets flying, but is very repetitive, but such are the marine tactics in real life, which this game is based off of. Its a nice change of pace from the other games out there, but for such a cheap price, I would recommend buying this and its predecessor - Dragon Rising. | video-games_xbox |
He's Back (the Man Behind the Mask. It was surprising to me to see this franchise make a return, but welcome nonetheless. I never had a TurboGrafx-16 and never played the original Splatterhouse, but fondly remember the second and third games on Sega. What's nice is that all three of the original games are unlockable in this game the further you progress in Story Mode.
Generally speaking, this game is a wonderful upgrade from the original titles. Tons of blood, gore and topless photos of Rick's girlfriend, Jennifer. It's also the first game I've played where you can kill an enemy by ramming your arm up into its anus and rip out its entrails. It was fun to play through the chapters and collect as much blood as possible to upgrade Rick's moves (combos, life and weapons), but there's not much replay value for me here for a few reasons. The first is the controls. My experience with the controls was that I would have to continuously press the LB button to activate Berserker Mode even when my bar was full. Another downfall I felt was when you utilize the Mask Eye vision. You cannot look around, only straight, so if you want to look around a room you have to keep waiting for the Mask Eye vision to stop, change your position and try again. On a positive note regarding the controls, I was playing this game parallel with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, so it was refreshing to be able to use the right joystick to control the camera angle. Another reason is the graphics. I thought they were okay-to-good, but I just didn't find them that appealing. Finally, after the first few chapters, I had to put the T.V. on mute because I couldn't stand the Terror Mask's repetitive comments all the time. It was almost as annoying as how long all of the loading screens took.
One of the aspects I enjoyed most about the game was how there were both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional levels, sometimes within the same chapter. How they were able to interweave the two together changed the landscape of the game and made it more enjoyable for me. The final level of the game was quite challenging and provided an ending that suggests a sequel, but only time will tell.
There is one final thing I must mention. It has nothing to do with the game play but it stands out to me and I feel that it is worth bringing attention to. The instructional manual. Okay, you have this very vivid and colorful cover and then you open it up and everything is black and white. Not only is it black and white, but all of the pictures are stretched, resulting in the horrible pixilation of the photos. It looks like it was thrown together last minute and is a bit of a disappointment. | video-games_xbox |
Great open-world exploration, bad story & co-op. I'm rather torn over how I feel about this game, so I'll break down the different parts of the game below. Do keep in mind that the majority of time I spent on this game (well over 30 hours) was in single player free roaming. I would estimate the total time for story missions at about 5 to 10 hours depending on how good you are at them and what difficulty you play on. I played Co-op for maybe two hours tops, and I didn't try the regular multiplayer at all. Also, in case it's unclear, the story missions take place within the single player mode as quests you can start whenever you feel like it, following a linear progression. Co-op missions and multiplayer are completely separate from the single player mode.
Single Player Free Roaming:
Absolutely the best aspect of the game. If I could cut out the Story missions entirely and ignore the co-op and multiplayer, this would be a 5 star game. No questions. Exploring the two islands is a load of fun. There are hidden relics to find, radio towers to unlock, enemy outposts to take over, hidden letters to find, and tons of generic loot to sell so you can buy and upgrade your guns. The guns are all good, the bow is amazing, and the melee "Takedown" system makes stealth kills fun and useful for once. The one drawback of exploring too much is you get free guns from unlocking radio towers, and you get a ton of cash and sellable items, so it's very easy to max out your cash very early in the game, even with the biggest wallet upgrade. It's a blast to climb up the taller hills and mountains and find a hang glider to swoop down across long distances, and about halfway through the game you gain access to a permanent wing-suit and parachute so you basically have a mini-glider at all times, and can parachute to safety when needed. At that point in the game it starts to feel a lot like Just Cause, but in all the right ways. Especially with the enemy outposts and random races and stuff, not to mention the VERY similar settings. I've already traded my copy back to GameStop (towards a pre-order of Bioshock Infinite of course!), but if Ubi Soft announced a massive new island to explore as paid DLC I would buy the game again without hesitation. And with the latest patch as of this review, you can reset all captured outposts. While this also takes away most of your fast travel destinations and puts more enemies back onto the islands, it gives you the option to keep playing and exploring the island and to keep using those awesome guns (especially the unique unlockable guns!). Oh, and for anyone who cares, the graphics on 360 are not very good... at all. It's very obvious that this game would look stunning on a good PC, but was never really meant for consoles. As far as the landscape and weapons are concerned, though, it's still a pretty good looking game. One last thing, the locations of all collectible items can be added to your in-game map by purchasing maps from the in-game stores. No real money involved, no hassling with video guides and location lists, it's all right there built into the game if you don't feel like searching for the items on your own!
***Rating here: 5/5 - hours upon hours of fun for anyone who likes open-world exploration, first person gun combat, optional stealth mechanics, and especially those who love collecting stuff.
Single Player Story Missions:
Bad. That's the only word I can think of to justify the story missions, and the only word they deserve. First off, most story missions put you into situations that are outside of the normal mechanics of the game. One mission takes away your ability to use Takedowns, but expects you to sneak through a base undetected. There are several cheap "escape before the timer runs out" missions. A lot of potential is lost on poorly scripted events and lack of detail. One set of missions is a complete rip-off of Uncharted or Tomb Raider. Another bunch missions are auto-failed when a friendly NPC takes too much damage (a friendly NPC that stands out in the open while waves of enemies rush at you). This happens with different NPCs at different times in the story, mind you. The "boss" encounters are all scripted drug-trips full of boring dialogue and quick-time button presses. You don't get a single satisfying boss in the whole game, it's all taken out of your hands and put into cutscenes with those quick time events. The only interesting character in the ENTIRE game, Vaas, is not a particularly important character in the story, which you find out fairly early on, and he doesn't get the dialogue or interaction that a character with his level of detail and depth deserves. Jason Brody (your character), his friends, the quest giver NPCs and enemies are all annoying as hell with a few exceptions for humorous inclusions such as the CIA agent you meet, his German undercover partner, the drug-addled "doctor" and a few others, all of whom play rather minor roles in the ultimate plot. I'll admit I didn't buy this game expecting some spectacular storyline, but I was definitely disappointed. The two endings are especially disappointing, as the choices turn out to be "bad" and "worse", and those are the only 2 options you get for endings, and which one is which is not exactly clear at the time the choices are presented. If it matters to you in any way, yes, there are two scenes in the game in which one particular female NPC is seen topless. But seriously, don't let those cheesy scenes influence your decision, for better or worse.
***Rating here: 2.5/5 - I've seen worse, but this is such a frustrating disappointment.
Co-op Missions:
If the story missions were bad, these are awful. Terrible. It's like a Left 4 Dead style co-op where the co-op campaign is segmented into shorter missions/chapters. Unfortunately, the mechanics (such as healing syringes) are a bit different from the single player. It's also very obvious that the co-op runs on a different engine than the single player or at the very least was developed and designed by a separate team from the single player stuff. I played split-screen, which I'm sure didn't help my experience, but the graphics were several times worse than single player, to the point of not being able to see distant enemies at all. The maps are bland, uninspired, and boring. The gameplay is the same. The characters aren't interesting at all, and the story is completely expendable. While I'm sure there are people out there who love these missions, I couldn't stand them. My advice is don't buy this game expecting to enjoy the co-op. Buy it for the excellent single-player experience (minus the story missions, at least).
***Rating here: 2/5 - If you're patient and have low standards, it might be a tolerable experience, but I hated it.
Multiplayer:
After trying the co-op missions, I decided not to even bother with multiplayer. I'd played the game I wanted to play, done all the stuff I wanted to do, and multiplayer did not sound worth my time even if it turned out to be better than expected. Can't say anything good or bad here, folks. It could be amazing for all I know, but I've got other games to play for now.
***Rating here: n/a. | video-games_xbox |
X-Marks the spot. Microsoft's little engine that could, was at first met with cynics such as myself.
I actually referred to it as the all American discardware: Red as in RROD, White for white hot heat sinks which can lead to RROD. And Blue, for the early adopters 2005-2007 that "Blew" $$$ from buying accessories and peripherals i.e. wireless adapter, box live subscriptions and replacement consoles.
But when it comes down to it, it's about the games stupid. What makes MS' stand out from it's competitors, is that the X360 has the strongest 3rd party support from publishers of exclusive titles such as HALO, Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead, Fable, etc.
And although there are 3rd party games for both consoles, the 360 usually has the advantage when it comes to graphics and processing power. Just compare a game like say, Bayonetta between the PS3 nad 360 to see who comes out on top.
What's great about the 360 is the option to rip game DVDs and play it from your hard drive.
The bad news is that you better have atleast a 60gb HDD to get best results that and you still need the original disc in order to boot the game. As of now, the newest crop of 360 consoles have an improved chip that would less likely to overheat, and now you can get a yearly subscription for XBL Gold as low as $35.00 if you look hard enough.
Although I could care less about the facebook and twitter features, it's an added bonus to one up it's competitors. (All they need now is youtube!!)I'm mostly stoked by the Netflix option. Although you need the gold subscription to play streamed movies, I found the interface far superior than the Netflix compatible Blu-ray players such as Samsung's pd-3600 with no lagging either.
What also bumped this up a notch for me is the ability to not only play mp3 and divx videos, but it can be bookmarked. (Meaning if you turn the console off during the middle of the movie/file, you can continue where you left off once you reboot the console.) Other players lack that feature. Hopefully there will be a Matroska firmware update in the near future.
Overall, I am very satifsfied with my 360 consoles as it's tailored for the hardcore gamer audience without too many bells and whistles. | video-games_xbox |
What you may or may not know about Call of Duty 4. You probably have already heard that Call of Duty 4 is a great looking game, and that it's the best first person shooter on the Xbox 360. You've probably already heard this a million times, so I won't waste your time by writing a review about the graphics. By now, you should already know that Call of Duty 4 looks amazing. I do however, want to share with you a few of the great features that Call of Duty 4 has to offer.
I'll start with CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION for multiplier because this is my favorite feature for Call of Duty 4. You can choose a preset class with default weapon load outs and perks assigned to them. Those include Assault, Special Ops, Light Machine Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper, or you can customize your character by using one of five "Create a class" slots, (which you can unlock fairly quick in multiplayer). Create a Class is a nice feature because you can build your very own soldier with weapons and perks. Perks are like options to further your Call of Duty 4 character and there are three sets to choose from. You can only choose one option per set though, (3 perks total) so you'll have to decide which perk will suit your soldier best. Here's a complete list of perks.
PERKS SET 1: C4 charges, Special Grenades, RPG-7, Claymores (mines), fragmentation grenades, Bandolier (extra ammo), Bomb Squad (detect enemy C4 and claymores).
PERKS SET 2: Stopping Power (increased damage), Juggernaut (increased health), Sonic Boom (increased explosive damage), Sleight of Hand (faster reloading), Double tap (increased rate of fire), Overkill (two primary weapons, but no handgun), UAV Jammer, (undetectable on enemy UAV).
PERKS SET 3: Extreme Conditioning, Steady Aim, Deep Impact (bullets penetrate more objects/thicker cover), Eavesdrop (ability to hear enemy chat when close), Last Stand (when damaged, players may make a "last stand" using their handgun), Martyrdom (drop a live grenade when killed), Iron Lungs (hold breath longer for sniper scope view), Dead Silence (less sound when moving).
RANKING up is pretty easy which is great because it allows you to unlock some of the better weapons. You can also unlock power-ups, such as silencers and sights by obtaining a specific amount of kills for each weapon you use. Same goes for headshots, which will unlock new camouflage for your weapons. Complete your quota for both kills and headshots and you'll receive a golden gun for that weapon class. COD4 also uses a numbering system like Halo 3. 65 Experience Points (XP) is the highest ranking you can get. Once you hit the 55 points mark, you will unlock Prestige mode, which allows you to trade in your rank and start over at level 1, (you can do this up to 10 times). What's the point of this? Prestige baby! Your "prestige insignia" will change each time, letting other players know just how dangerous you really are.
ONLINE PLAY is of course top notch. There are many game modes to choose from: Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All, Domination, Ground War, Sabotage, Headquarters, Search and Destroy, Team Objective, Team Tactical, Team Hardcore, Old School, Cage Match, and Oldcore. Along with the great game modes to choose from, there are many new and different ways to engage the enemy. For instance... Get 5 kills in a row and you can call in an airstrike, (similar to Battlefield 2 Modern Combat). Get 7 kills in a row and you can call in a helicopter to fly over and unleash a barrage of bullets to the enemy from a side mounted chain gun. This makes the game a lot of fun in the sense that you're not just fighting foot soldiers all the time. It's fun to take down a helicopter now and then.
THE CAMPAIGN is very well done. COD4 does a nice job of making you feel as if you're really there. A teammate will blow open a door by firing a shotgun at the door jams, another one kicks it in; you blast into the room firing short bursts at bad guys from your silenced MP5... You get the idea... It's just plain and simple Call of Duty fun!
People will no doubt try to compare this game to Halo 3, Rainbow Six Vegas, Gears of war and maybe even Bioshock. Thing is, is that the Call of Duty games have always been great games, so to try and compare it to any other game on the market really isn't necessary. It's a different animal. The Call of Duty series will continue to win awards and capture the eye of many if not all first person shooter fanatics. It's one of those weird things, where you know if you go out and buy it... You'll love it. It's as simple as that!
Complete Weapons List, (For those of you who care):
Assault - M16A4, AK-47, M4 Carbine, G3, G36C, M14, Mp44
Sub Machine Guns - MP5, Skorpion, Mini-Uzi, AK-74u, P90
Light Machine Guns - M249 SAW, RPD, M60E4
Shotguns - W1200, M1014
Sniper Rifles - M40A3, M21, Dragunov, R700, Barrett. 50cal
Side Arms - M9, USP .45, M1911 .45, Desert Eagle
Special Grenades - Flash Grenade, Stun Grenade, Smoke Grenade | video-games_xbox |
Started off good, but wore thin half way through. I admit, this is the first Silent Hill game I had truly sat down and invested time into. Everyone keeps telling me that this was the wrong game to start with, alas it is too late. =)
I thought the graphics were very good for an original Xbox title, and the sounds were great and very creepy at points. The story is good but has some strange elements to it, but should keep your attention between the cut scenes and notes you will find through out the game.
The story pretty much puts you in a locked room as a man named Henry Townsend. There is no way to get out of said room as it is locked numerous times over, and the room has a very eerie feel to it. Without giving away much the room eventually turns from being a safe haven between missions, to becoming a not so safe place. It adds an element of loneliness and a creepy feeling of not being able to truly leave this room.
The only way to leave Apartment 302 is to enter a huge hole in the wall of Henry's bathroom which leads to a hell type universe, full of other characters, puzzles, weapons, demons, and much more.
Sadly not all is golden with this title. Roughly half way through you get thrown together with another character who needs babysitting to a degree, she cannot climb ladders and you must open certain paths and do a TON of back tracking to get her to tag along eventually. You also have to manage your items you need by going all the way back to your apartment's storage if you forgot something. You can get back to your apartment via these huge holes in the wall in certain places of each level.
Just to be clear with the babysitting, a certain character who becomes a sort of partner can become possessed if she is attacked by you, by others too frequently, or left alone for too long. She then freaks out and hits everything including you and also can in turn change the ending of the game for the worse. Let her get abused the whole game, and supposedly it will effect her in the last boss fight.
I was engaged with the story and enjoyed the characters well enough. But between the babysitting, backtracking, and item management it was a bit of a chore by the time I got to the ending. I had fun to a degree, and the creepiness was definitely there for me. It also held my attention enough and made me want to try the so-called good titles in the series that I went out and purchased Downpour, Homecoming, and the HD Collection. So I assume it did it's job.
Graphics: B+ ( Nice graphics for the old school xbox, cut scenes are OK. But overall the game looked pretty nice, especially some of the walls and backgrounds.)
Sound: A (Good voices, creepy as hell noises, good stuff! )
Fun: C- ( As said in the upper paragraph, I enjoyed it overall. But the backtracking, babysitting, and item management annoyed me. Without a walkthrough I probably would have stopped at the mid way point. )
Overall: C- (A good semi side story to the Silent Hill series from what I hear, decent enough. I think most fans of the series should play this even though it is considered one of the weakest in the series. I found it to hold my attention despite it's flaws. ) | video-games_xbox |
Great Car-Smashing Fun. Most racing games have you trying to dodge crashes and hitting your opponents. In Burnout Revenge, your entire goal is to create as much mayhem as possible.
We have every racing game for the XBox 360 and really love this genre. I have to admit that the first few times playing Burnout Revenge that I found it VERY hard to "hit" the cars. I would naturally dodge them. Even when I said to myself "hit them! hit them!" my fingers would zoom around them. I finally broke that habit and was able to mash them with great glee.
The graphics are really quite amazing. The car model is great of course - they have really gotten that down on the XBox 360. But more than that - your car deforms in a TON of ways. The paint scrapes off. The sides dent in. It all has to do with how you damage yourself. Cars get sheared in half, tires fly off, you name it.
There are a number of game types. There are races where you bash as you go. There are crash situations where you launch yourself into traffic and see how much destruction you can make. Other cars on the highway are fair game; bash them and watch them fly. Boost yourself to faster speeds. You develop relationships with other drivers - there will be certain cars that are out for revenge. There are grand prix matches of multi races.
Each course has its own distinct feel. These aren't closed tracks - you are driving through the streets of LA, Miami, Tokyo and other areas. You get palm trees and shiny office buildings, all depending on the area you're in. There are helicopters flying overhead and a ton of car models.
The music is reaosnably good, a collection of fast-paced modern music. I would have loved it if you could choose from different music styles as well, but you can't have everything.
There's a ton of replay value here - you go back to get the top ranking in every course, aiming for those perfect scores. Since you unlock some really cool cars as you go, it can really help out to take one of the later, super cars back to the early tracks.
The LIVE feature is really neat, too. Not only can you bash other players online, but you can even record your favorite crashes and load them up. It might be voted one of the top 20 best!
If I had any complaints about this game, it would be the "look back" the game does every time you slay an enemy. Since your car is still moving very quickly, it's sometimes really tough, if you're about to hit a wall or something, to have that look away and look back happen. Also, I don't like the camera angle in general. It is very low and right against the car. I like an angle that is higher up and further back. I realize some players like both of these features as is, so I wish they would have options for a player to change these 2 items.
Still, those are minor complaints in a game that is a ton of fun. Highly recommended! | video-games_xbox |
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