text stringlengths 503 33.4k | labels stringclasses 23 values |
|---|---|
Assassins Creed-why i gave it 3 stars. Assissins Creed is an interesting game, it starts out fresh and unique, graphics are good, voice work is good, the story seemed some what interesting. Then BAMN! 4 hours into it, you fall into the "broken recored syndrome". Everything begins repeating itself and the games' flaws start to surface.
The Good
-Graphics, no pop in what so ever and a very loooooooooong drawl distance, impressive. Small particals float in the air in dusty rooms.
-Climbing buildings seems oddly natural, and ofcourse, the time period and setting are very nicely done.
-Voice work is well done. Dark and foreboding.
-Actually got horse riding in a game where it's fun and looks natural.
The Bad
-Character movements are a mixed bag. Climbing and jumping looks good, but fighting and dialogue scenes seem choppy and look very unnatural.
-Why must i climb all the freakin look outs to continue with missions? Climbing aspect of the game is fun when you don't have to do it, but sucks when you constantly do.
-Characters movements almost seem to slow. There were countless times when i was running from the enemy trying to escape to the rooftops when my character seemed to slow going up the side of a house, or got stuck at an awkward place, giving the enemy time to shoot arrows or throw rocks to knock me down. Kind of annoying.
The Ugly
-Why at the beginning of every mission do i have to run through an entire level to get to a horse?
-Lack of variety
-There is a certain surprise in the game that you find out shortly after playing, this actually took away from the experience i thought. Why couldn't the game just be what the trailers made it out to be???
If this was out of ten i would give assissins creed a 7 out of 10. By no means is this game crap, you can tell many talented people spent long hours on this, so many things are done right it's a shame that crucial areas were over looked, like keeping the gamer interested, switching up the missions, throwing in a boss fight or two to give you a sense of progress. This game had so much potential. I wouldn't buy this game, it's a good rental though. | video-games_xbox |
An OK Game, not a Great Game. Full disclosure: I'm nearing the end of the single player campaign and have played about ten hours of online play, so that that into consideration as you read this review.
Generally speaking, I'm surprised at how similar to past GTA games this game feels. The cars feel similar, the shooting feels similar, the tone feels similar...even the stupid physics when you jump into a wall is similar. This is both a good and bad thing. The driving has never been great in GTA games, and this is no exception. The shooting feels a bit too easy and to compensate the game just overwhelms you with enemies. The story so far is pretty solid, and the lead characters are pretty interesting, though some of the side characters are pretty one-note. The heists missions are really great, and I'm even enjoying the heist setup missions as they make you feel more invested in the heist itself.
Online play is, quite honestly, poorly done. The leveling ramp is much too steep, and playing "out of your league" is beyond frustrating. I'm coming to this game new on current gen, and the friends I played with all leveled up their online characters on the Xbox 360 version of the game. So the end result is that we're playing on missions that are way above my level, and I'm dying in two shots. Basically, before you realize that you're being shot at, you're dead. Not only that, but playing and beating missions beyond what you "should" be playing doesn't level you up any faster, so you end up going from a level 9 to level 10 in the same amount of time it takes a friend to go from level 89 to level 90. In short, it feels like there's always a ceiling above you that keeps you from enjoying the online play if you're playing with higher-leveled friends.
One last thing worth mentioning is the load times. They are horrendous. Not just bad, unacceptably bad. From a cold start, it takes several minutes to load your save game, and if you fail to load into a friend's online game, get ready for another minute of loading back into a different game. | video-games_xbox |
Deus Ex Gaming Revolution for Square Enix. I got this game having no real prior experience to the old Deus Ex games. ( I had only played a couples hours of the older ones.)
I have to say the story is amazing. Who you chose to kill or let live does make a real impact in game play that feels intense and relative to the story line. It has real depth and an thought-out ending to the game.
It will also make you really question is transhumanism going to be an accomplishment for humanity or a tool to control it.
Chosing different dialouge options does effect immensely what will happen in the game.
I would save before important dialoge moments/cinematics and watch the multiple different way sceanrios would play out. Characters would say quite differents things instead of just changing one or two sentences.
The stealth mechanics are solid. No problems of enemies randomly finding me cause I was just too close.
If I was completely out of their line of sight they did not see me. However, I thought this was highly addictive and fun, was the fact they can still hear you even out of their line of sight.
I remember a couple times I did not pay attention to my enviroment while sneaking behind a desk and stepping on glass, papers, etc. to have the guards notice the noise and go check it out.
Enemy AI is quick and swift. In most games on spotting enemies it takes them a couple seconds to realize you exist and then start firing, although experienced gamers at this point would have mowed two or three of them down. Like real military personnel, they would carry their guns in front of them facing forward so as soon as the AI sees you it starts firing. While the AI is firing at you the other AIs will find cover and then start firing at you then work to flank you.
I saw many reviews of people complaining about the boss battles being unskippable or avoidable and that they were too hard. Honestly, I never ran in to this problem or as bad as they make it seem.
If you want to know more about the boss battles read more below or skip below to more of the Deus Ex review.
Spoiler Alert!
In the first boss battle he has a machine gun while I only had a measely taser, pistol, and mini uzi.
I easily died 5 times trying to just blow this boss away with gun power, however this was not working.
I figured heck maybe if I taz his #$% he`ll lock up for a second or make a comment about it.
Suprisingly it froze him for a full 5 seconds, plently of time to get to new cover. I tired this tactic for a while to mow him down, but I still kept getting killed. Eventually, I noticed explosive barrels and tried throwing them at him, but whenever I picked one up he shot it blowing me up.
After a while (total of 10mins into this boss fight) I worked out that if I tazed him, grabbed an explosive barrel, threw it at him and then shot it with my pistol the fight was over in less than 2 mintues.
Again if you use your enviroment in Deus Ex properly none of the boss battles are truly too difficult. You just gunning bosses down as you usually do in other games (Gears of War) won`t cut it in this game.
Spoilers over!
I have to say that this was defintely a game changer for Square Enix. I was a little reluctant to purchase this game when I knew they were involved. Thinking it was going to be like Final Fantasy or countless other of their RPG games. With Deus Ex, Square Enix has shown that they can enter the first-person shooter RPG realm for consoles and succeed with flying colors or in this case glossy techno limbs.
Because of how awesome Deus Ex was, I am looking forward to Square Enix`s take on the Lara Craft series coming out and will be purchasing it.
The only complaint I have about the game is you have to save constantly in certain parts of the game otherwise you have to start all over. The game only auto-saves when you make important decisions or when you enter a new area. This leads to the problem of if you have been in the same area for the last hour cleaning up crime in Detriot City, but get shot and killed, though you didn`t save you gotta replay it all over again.
The love interest in the game is a little stale. (Again Square Enix is new to this, think of all the JRPG romances out there, not much of anything exciting happening.)
If you are looking for a stealth game (Metal Gear Solid style) with some shooting and ducking(Gears) with awesome RPG abilities I highly recommend you pick up Deus Ex and discover what it is like to live in the future being an unstoppable force of robotics and man combined. | video-games_xbox |
Good game for veterans, too many issues to recommend it to new players. Beautiful Katamari feels like a port or an expansion pack. It packs competent levels that play well but do not really innovate. It plays well enough to be worthwhile for fans of the series, but has too many problems to be recommended as someone's first Katamari game.
First, what it does right:
The graphics are certainly improved. Widescreen 1080i really helps the visibility of your target objects, which makes the game fun to play and watch. Object detail is probably double what it was in the PS2 installments. Which, to be fair, still isn't saying much compared to most next-gen games. But it is noticable and nice.
The overworld is whimsical and fun. It is similar in concept to "We Love Katamari," but minus the annoying conversations you were forced to have with the people in that world.
The music, when it is not remixes of the previous two games, is very good. There are no painfully annoying songs as in WLK, and some of the J-pop is really catchy.
The larger stages expand the scope of gameplay nicely. Difficulty is ramped up, so if you can beat the other two games with your eyes closed, this installment offers more challenge for your gaming dollar.
What doesn't work:
The framerate issues are just unforgivable. Even though detail has been increased over previous games, it is nowhere near other more stable next gen games on the 360 or the PS3. Yet, when a lot of movement is on the screen or you are swinging the camera around quickly, the framerate chugs to a very frustrating degree, and exacerbates control issues. This is just sloppy coding. We all know the 360 can handle this amount of polygons without turning into a slideshow.
Speaking of controls, it is difficult to put my finger on, but my thumbs get a lot more sore playing this that the PS2 games with the dual shock. Other players I've talked to have confirmed this. Either it's the response programmed in, or the controller itself, but you can feel it. I tend to think it's the game, because it's more noticeable on the larger levels than the smaller ones.
The difficulty, while welcome for a veteran, will probably be painfully frustrating to a newbie. Several levels are timed so that it takes extremely fast and consistent play to even make the minimum objective. Control and framerate issues add to the frustration.
Online modes add interest, but do not really evolve the gameplay in any new directions. It's the same stuff you could do on split screen on the PS2. Also, you need a Live Gold membership, at $50 per year, to do it. Given the overall lameness of 2-player Katamari modes, this is unjustifiable.
I find myself wishing the game were on PS3. The controller is better, perhaps the framerate issues could be solved (again, I think this is the programmers' fault, not Microsoft's), and the online play could be free and wireless.
Nonetheless, it's a good game which fans of the series will enjoy. I bought it for around $30 and felt this was a fair price. Now that it's $20, it's not a bad cheap title to get for your 360. If you want to get a friend into the game, though, get them the original game on PS2. It's better balanced, has fun story cutscenes which help set the tone, and doesn't have the framerate issues of this installment. | video-games_xbox |
Not quite perfect, but ALMOST five stars. The biggest ding on this headset is the pricepoint. For well over a hundred bucks, anything but a wireless solution seems too expensive unless it has perfect sound quality. This headset has very, very good sound quality, but there is the slightest buzzing at the highs, and the attempt to give that "room filling bass" feeling from a 50mm speaker over your ear results in a little muddiness down there at the lows. The sound quality isn't good enough that I find myself wanting to watch a movie with the headset instead of my surround-sound speakers.
But for times when external sound isn't an option, or game chat is key, this headset (and adapter) are well worth the price. Having to wire myself to a controller is the only significant drawback.
PROS:
- Mic monitoring. With the Turtle Beach adapter, this setting is on by default and should stay on. Your own voice is laid over the game sound, so you can hear yourself just as your teammates will. Since the cans do a pretty good job of blocking out ambient noise, without this feature you'd be yelling all the time.
- Mic presets: You can set this to "quiet room" (one beep), "normal room" (two beeps), or "loud room" (three beeps). With the aforementioned good "seal" around your ear keeping the ambient sound level down, this is more about whether your teammates hear only you, or hear everything else going on around you. On quiet, the mic will pick up anything above a whisper, a great setting for when you're in game and the rest of the house is asleep. Only turn on "loud room" if you truly are in a loud room, because the mic will cut off occasionally when you speak at normal voice.
- Game presets: "normal," "Bass boost," "bass and treble boost," and "voice enhancer" are your options here. I never take it out of normal, because the boosts introduce a bit of distortion to my ears. Good to have them there if you like more lows, or more highs and lows, but not my listening style. Similarly, I haven't used "voice enhancer" because I can hear my teammates fine without it. It does give some more punch to chat, so it is nice to know it is there if I ever do get into a firefight where my teammates voices are getting lost.
- Superhuman hearing: Unlike many reviewers, I do use this feature. I don't think it gains you a competitive advantage - you either listen for footsteps or you don't, and if they are there you'll hear them regardless. BUT! For those times when you want to be as quiet as possible, and you want to turn down the volume as low as you can and still enjoy your game, this feature is great. Because it enhances those small audible cues, you can turn the whole game's volume down to a low level and still pick them up where you normally wouldn't. At regular gaming levels, this is a gimmick, but if you're gaming with a sleeping baby or person right next to you, this setting can't be beat.
- Build quality: These feel very sturdy. the faux-leather cups and strap haven't made my head sweaty even during hours-long gaming sessions, which is a different experience than I've had with any other leather or leather-like headphone material.
- Wires: I wish they weren't there at all, but since they are it is much appreciated that they are shrouded in braided cloth, pleasantly thick and tangle-resistant. Since I'm not eight feet tall, the wire is a bit longer than I ever need it to be between my head and my hands where the controller sits, but I'd rather that than a wire that'll yank on my ears if I extend my arm fully.
- Fold-flat earcups: It's the little things, and at a lower price point this is the kind of thing that would earn that fifth star. Makes 'em easy to tuck away in a drawer when not in use.
- Detachable boom mic: Not something I'm taking off, because I'm not going to use the "mobile cable" with the in-line mic and plug these monsters into my phone while I walk about, but the gaming mic is incredibly flexible with a nice, solid rectangle you can feel and guide the mic to directionally pick up your voice without looking at it.
NOT CONS TO ME BUT TO OTHERS, IT SEEMS:
- Volume: These don't get loud enough to make my ears bleed. Not a con for me, because I don't want my ears to bleed. It is uncomfortably loud if you crank the volume all the way for any length of time. If you like it really loud or have some hearing loss, other reviewers seem to indicate these aren't loud enough. Not my experience, but maybe I already had SuperHuman Hearing and didn't know it.
CONS:
- not wireless: This is more Microsoft's fault than Turtle Beach, because they have made it so ridiculously difficult for anybody to have a truly wireless chat headset.
- price: For a headset that does not work at all unless plugged into a controller, the price is a little high. They are a marked improvement over the roughly third-of-the-price Microsoft branded headset, which has good sound quality on its own. But much of the reason I'm keeping these as my go-to headset is in the thirty dollar adapter Turtle Beach sells separately - the settings, mic monitoring, etc. Buy that and a set of Marshall Monitors, and you've spent about the same as you would for the XO Seven Pros and the sound quality will be a bit better.
If you already have a set of high-end headphones you like, get the new adapter. But for an all-in-one-box solution, the XO Seven Pros do not disappoint. They do not over-perform at this price, however, and for that they don't earn a perfect five stars. | video-games_xbox |
A one button, 50 hour movie. I really had high hopes for this game and I really wanted to like it, but it's pretty boring. The first thirty hours are cut scenes, many of which are poorly written and redundant. There's only so many monologues about pressing on and having hope that I need to hear. Also for those first thirty hours you can only have two people in your party for most of it, which makes most of the battles tedious.
After the first thirty hours, the game "opens up" where you can explore... an uninhabited world. And there really isn't much to it to explore. I didn't buy the strategy guide, so maybe I missed a bunch of stuff to do there, but as far as I could see it was a bunch of empty space with only one kind of side quest, which is the same as the mark hunting side quest from 12. When I got to that point, I wasted 15 hours exploring, doing the quests and farming only to find out that not all the side quests can be beat on the first play through because the levels are capped the entire game. It is not possible to max your stats on the first play through and some of the marks can't be beat unless you have maxed stats and the best gear.
When you leave that one little explorable area, it's back to cut scenes and linearity. By that point I just wanted to get the game over with, but between each boss they stuck a sea of battles which are trivial, but time consuming. Every other battle in the game is that way with the bad dudes' hp between 150,000 and 2,000,000. Even when you plow through them many of the battles will take between 1 and 3 minutes. Stick 20 of those between point A and B and it's 30 minutes to run down a path. Happily, a lot of the battles can be avoided, which is okay, because with the level caps and crappy loot (the best stuff coming off bosses or out of chests and side quests) there really is no incentive to fight them.
By the end, you get the option to go back and do side quests and level up, but by that point it is entirely unnecessary, since if you even did a fraction of the battles, your characters will be capped. When you beat the game, you get to save and you start out at this point in the game and are finally able to max out stats. So I suppose if you wanted to do the side quests that you couldn't complete before, that is a nice feature to not have to play through the 30 hours of cut scenes to get to them again, but...
The battle system is boring anyway. Not once did I feel any sense of accomplishment for beating a boss. The vast majority of the battles can be won handily using Relentless Assault with a healing paradigm. The tougher bosses will require a boost from a synergist, but for the most part the battles are a one button ordeal. And since it is a one button game, it would have been nice if you could just hold down that one button, but you can't, you're forced to repeatedly mash that one button throughout the battle. I wouldn't be surprised if I developed arthritis in my thumb.
I think the most frustrating aspect of the battle system is the fact you only have direct control of the party leader and if your party leader dies, you lose. That limits your options for your party, because you can't have a weaker leader, and a sentinel leader is out of the question, since he/she gets the aggro. Also, if you're not using a strategy guide and are devising your own methods for fighting bosses, you will waste a lot of time. You'll be grinding away at a boss, get his hp down around halfway (after spending 10-15 minutes to do so) when the boss casts Doom on your leader, and there isn't enough time to finish the boss off. Since your leader dies, you lose and you have to find a new strategy. Most of the bosses are easy to figure out after the first attempt, however, there were two bosses that took me 3 hours in attempts to figure out a strategy that worked before doom was cast. That said, you won't find any clever use of game mechanics in the bosses, though, like in past titles (like casting zombie and full life on a character). The formula that they stick to with this game is lots of hit points and lots of damage. Doom is really the only thing that makes any of the battles challenging.
Health and status ailments do not carry over from one battle to the next, which is a good thing considering the monotony of the battles, but it makes most items useless except for librascope and phoenix down. In fact, most of the time you don't even need to worry about the status ailments, because the nature of the battles has you hacking and slashing to a stagger point where you deal the majority of the damage. You are graded on each battle by how fast you win it, so mostly, curing status ailments is just a waste of time. It's a wonder why they left them in the game.
If there was any reason to buy the strategy guide, it might be to learn how to level the weapons. Instead of the old get to a new town, find a new shop with better gear paradigm, you find new weapons along the way in chests, all of them with crappy starting stats. You can use enemy drops to upgrade your weapons. I didn't mess with this too much. I got my characters starting weapons to the second level when I got bored of trying to figure out the system. Without a strategy guide, there's no knowing what weapons turn into what, without hours of experimenting. Also, I never made that much gil to find out, but I think some of the components they require to max out each weapon cost 2,000,000 gil, and I didn't want to commit that kind of time to farming. In other FF games, farming was an easier process (turn on the music, kill a bunch of guys, in a couple of hours you can afford what you want), but in this one, since each battle takes so long and you're not guaranteed a drop, farming takes too long, so I didn't think it was worth it.
And speaking of the shops, there aren't any. Instead, you get an "Online Shop" at each save point where you get your stuff magically delivered to you. I did not like this feature as it further streamlined the game, making it more linear, giving me less world to explore and cutting out some of the RPG-ness that I play these games for. But since I found most of my gear in chests or got it from boss drops, there really was no need for the shops anyway, except to buy an occasional phoenix down or a specialized component for the weapons.
I probably haven't figured out how to use them properly, but the Ediolons seem pretty weak and useless, especially against the massive amount of hp most of the enemies have. If the stagger they inflicted on the enemies remained after the Ediolon left, then they'd be useful, but the stagger bar gets reset, so the only thing they're good for is a brief grandiose cinematic entry. But it's Final Fantasy, so you get your token summons.
Leveling is too easy, since the game is so linear, you are forced into all the battles you need to level your characters, and they all get experience, whether they are ever in a party or not. The crystal grid thing that you use to make your characters better is very linear. There isn't a whole lot you can do to customize your characters, which I really didn't mind much. It forces you to use each character at some point (with the exception of Sazh, I found him too weak), and makes you think a little about strategy once in a while. I didn't see how the grid expanded after beating the game, but even when your characters' grids open to all the roles, you'll still find yourself confined to their primary roles, because they won't acquire all the skills in the other roles, and the amount of experience you need to collect to boost them in those roles is too high to make it worth the trouble.
The graphics are great. It is a pretty game, and nothing looks out of place. So it's got that going for it. There was one point in the game where I had just finished a battle, and by chance the camera was close up on my party leader's face, and it took me a moment to realize that it wasn't a cutscene. So the game's got that going for it.
The sound track isn't too bad either. It fits. There's one or two tracks that kind of drone and get on the nerves after a short time, but that's when you stream your own music from your computer and the problem is solved.
The story starts out pretty good, but by the middle of it you're sick of the characters. There never really is a clear cut antagonist. Not all of the characters get fleshed out enough, so some of them just seem tacked on and you never really feel any emotional connection to any of them. Also, if anyone can explain the ending to me, I would appreciate it, because it just didn't make sense to me. I don't know if I missed some important cut scenes that were tucked away in side quests, or if it's because I have lousy sound on my television which caused the music in the cut scenes to drown out the voices of the characters (they should have included separate voice, sound and music volume controls in the options) and so I couldn't hear important information, but I don't remember anywhere in the story where they told me that they had those powers. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I am purposely being vague. Anyway, it wasn't one of Square's stronger story lines.
Unlike other Final Fantasy games, this isn't one I'll be playing again. You decide for your self if you want to spend your money on this game, (renting would probably be the better option, or better still, borrow it from your disappointed friend), but I just thought I'd share my opinions. | video-games_xbox |
rockstar finaly offended me! terrorism is too much. when i first heard i could play a gta game called "the ballad of gay tony",i thought it would make me squeamish by overdoing stereo typical gay humor.you know how gta always pushes everything over the limit,by a hundred thousand miles.this is not what happened.of course they cuss a lot.if you are a gay man you WILL find the language offensive! the "f" and "c" words are used millions of times each.not the traditional "f" and "c" words either.i am as straight as they come but i felt bad for old tony.he says he's gay but thats it.he's not outwardly gay at all.it was just another way for rockstar to push the limits.
a bunch of the folks from gta 4 show up like brucie,roman and packie.brucie isn't a high roller but more of a punk.im not sure what was up with the personality overhaul.
now rockstar is known for doing things that will piss people off in thier games.i have been patient with them up until now.i know they only care about sales and think its funny that im offended.but terrorism is going too far!
terrorism,you ask?yes! straight up! al-queda,taliban,terrorristic acts in new york city and you must help perform them! no i am not kidding!.
among other things,this terrorist makes you bomb the subway system,steal an army chopper for him,steal an army tank for him,and having to battle the department of homeland security.
i have put up with a lot from the gta series including being forced to play an ex con,being a drug dealer,made to dress up like a sissy,being a gang member,battle the national guard-fbi and other patriotic teams,racism,extremely disgusting and crude humor time and time again,aiding all sorts of losers and hooligans etc.but being made to help in terroristic acts ordered by a guy straight out of pakistan is going too far! like luiz says "why do you bother to learn the english language if all you're going to do is be an a@s h*le?"
plus,whats up with the 800 helicopter missions?is this grand theft auto or jumping through hoops for fliers?GET A CLUE!people hate flying missions ,across the board,on most any game! the only 2 games that ever any good with flying missions were "lego star wars 1-3" And "rogue squadron".
i'll probably buy gta 5 when it comes out,but this is there last chance.for years ive been trying to decide wether bio ware or rockstar were my favorite game makers.ive been leaning towards bio ware for years.but now its ultimately official.you guys had a good thing going and you DROPPED THE BALL you losers. | video-games_xbox |
MW2 but terrible. This games has some pretty cool elements to it. I really like Survival mode. That is pretty fun. The campaign I have no real opinion on, as it is a continuation of the prior game. And the r/c mini tank is fun. However, it is like they moved back 8 years in multiplayer spawning technology. I mean, really? How many times in a row are the players going to be spawn killed? It used to be that game developers had so many complaints about spawn kills that they did something about it and fixed it. This series of games has yet to address this issue and in fact is going backwards with every release now. MW3 is spawn kill candyland.
And the maps. Too many maps that are similar to the older maps with just enough difference to call them new. Most maps are now better off being sniper maps and anyone running around trying to find someone is a sitting duck. That said, at the same time if you are camping, you better have a buddy watching your back as there is almost nowhere to actually take a spot and hold, almost everything has two or more entry points. Mostly, these maps are really designed to keep the battle fluid around the entire map as there are few choke points to actually control any one part for very long but there are also many high points on over half the maps for snipers to take you out.
The multiplayer is also unbalanced. If you bought this game and have played it everyday, you have a huge advantage over anyone else who is of 10 levels or more lower than you, unless you prestige of course and reset your equipment. This was a problem at times in MW2, but it was not near as bad as MW3.
This game is basically the same game in how it plays and yet experienced MW2 players who were decent at that game will not have the same experience with this game. As someone who was a slightly above average player in MW2, I am lucky to come even close to breaking even, no matter what tactics I use because the spawning is so bad. Tonight it was virtually unplayable due to poor spawning and getting spawn killed.
Overall, so far, this game certainly is not worth more than $30 dollars because of how it is just a remake of MW2 but more unbalanced. This game relies less on skill and more on luck that before and so far, my luck has been terrible with being spawn killed so many times, I just want to return the game and get my money back because it is no longer fun. If not for the Survival mode, I probably would have already. | video-games_xbox |
SEGA Should Have Buried This Hatchet-Job. This is one of the worst 360 games, I've seen. I'll start off with the good. The graphics are mediocre, Tyris's run speed is kinda fast, and Death Adder looks cool. Everything else is terrible. This game takes the worst elements of the original Golden Axe and slaps them together at a pathetic attempt to make a next gen game.
Story - 0/10
The game begins with Tyris walking through a barren valley by herself and realizing she's late for a huge ceremony where her Dragon God flies down from the sky and blesses her people. She realizes that being late for this is probably a bad thing and starts to run, but encounters orc-like creatures called, "BOOGEYMEN." Seriously, that's that they're called. She battles her way through the BOOGEYMEN and arrives at the ceremony too late. A group of BOOGEYMEN kill all of the priestesses, knock Tyris out, and kidnap her all mighty Dragon God.
- If your Dragon God gets kidnapped by a band of Orcs, it's time to get a new God.
Later Tyris awakens and the dwarf from the original game is there, pulling an axe out of his chest. He sees Tyris and exclaims, "By my balls, I thought you were dead." Ok, if you're a hot chick who was unconscious and the first thing you hear is a dwarf talking about his testicles, that's not a good thing. Maybe he's saying he resurrected you somehow with his balls, or he is your father, or maybe that's just a contemporary Dwarven expression. Anyway, the Dwarf gives Tyris an axe and says you must find the pieces and reassemble it. Lucky for Tyris, the pieces just snap on. Near the end of the game, Axe Battler from the original game appears and says something like, "Gee, Tyris, I'm sorry your game sucks so bad. See Ya," and he's gone. I think there are 30 lines of bad dialogue in the entire story.
Gameplay - 1/10
In this day and age, developers of real games put the player in an adventure and let them battle their way through it. Golden Axe puts the player in a world and punishes them if they don't do what the designers intended. No attempt is made to make a cohesive world. Instead, the game just stops from time to time and says, "Challenge Complete" and gives you a score, usually telling you that you suck. If you die during a Challenge, you have a LIMITED NUMBER OF CONTINUES that you can use or you must start over. The game also makes every attempt to take cheap shots at the player: Bombs hidden in objectives, poison hidden in chests, near impossible jumps...
Controls - 1/10
The controls are very awkward at best.
A - Jump, B - Mount Beast, X - Light Attack, Y - Heavy Attack, RB - Parry, LB - Evade, D-Pad - Choose Magic, L Trigger - Run, R Trigger - Magic, X+Y = Knockback Attack.
Combat relies heavily on pressing RB, LB, and X+Y. Where do you put your hands to press RB, then X+Y immediately after that?!
Combat - 2/10
You begin AND END the game with 2 combos. XXX for multiple enemies. YYY to do damage to a single enemy. If you delay your presses, you deal extra damage. You can mix and match the X's and Y's, but there's no point. You can't get new moves or new weapon types, so you'd better love pressing XXX or YYY.
Most of the focus of combat is on Defense, which is a lot less fun than thinking about slaughtering enemies. There is NO BLOCK in the game.
Tyris can Parry or Evade. The enemy attacks are color coded. Orange Attacks can be Evaded, Blue can be parried. If you are successful, you can counter attack for extra damage. If you try to Parry a Blue or Evade an Orange, Tyris just stands there and gets beaten up. If no attacks are coming at you, THE BUTTONS DO NOTHING AND YOU ARE IMMOBILE FOR 2 SECONDS. If you are attacking, the Parry and Evade don't take effect until the animation ends, so the best way to fight is to stand still, Parry or Evade, then attack. Boy, I bet you can't wait to experience that! There is no combat manager in the game, so Tyris can be attacked by a Blue and Orange at the same time, which means you get hit and lose your bonus. This reminds Tyris that the world is cruel and unfair.
Beasts - 3/10
Beasts are only in the game about 10% of the time. The beasts are sluggish and clunky and they only have 3 attacks each. X, Y, and X+Y. In some cases, using the X+Y attack drains the beast's health. The beasts are disposable and if Tyris gets knocked off a beast, the weakest enemy can jump on it and ride it, to remind her that she is not special.
Leveling Up - 0/10
At the end of each challenge, you accumulate Gold. If you defend well, you get a bonus to the gold that you pick up. If you get hit once, the bonus drops to zero. This is very frustrating. When you complete a level, you get graded based on damage taken, gold, time, and dismemberment. If you play on NORMAL MODE, the game multiplies your gold by 1/3!!!!!! You only keep 1/3 of your GOLD!!! The background for this screen should have been a giant middle finger! (Hard Mode is x1)
Getting gold, fills a bar at the bottom of the screen. When that fills up, you get what the game decides to give you. You usually get a new outfit for Tyris that looks the same as the one she already has. This reminds Tyris that no matter how hard she tries, she will never get ahead in the world.
Level Design - 0/10
Every level looks the same. From the rocky barren plains, to the dusty barren plains dotted with ruins. In every level, there are spikes that randomly pop in and out of the ground for no apparent reason. Absolutely no attempt is made to make this look like a world. Instead the levels are there to take cheap shots at Tyris. In some levels, while riding a dinosaur, the wind can blow you and the dino off of the cliff.
Opening doors is incredibly confusing. There are 9 different ways to open doors, but there is only 1 way to open each door, and you never really know how you are supposed to open them.
If you ever get lost, the best way to tell if you are headed in the right direction is the slow down. The game drops frames to load in enemies. So, if the game suddenly pauses for a second, that's a good thing. There are invisible walls everywhere, so the levels may look like mass expanses of dirt, but they're linear dirt trails surrounded by dirt.
Bosses 1/10
Almost all the bosses are the same guy. It's a 60 foot tall giant that you attack. After you hit him a few times, he crouches. When he crouches, Tyris kicks him and he goes flying backwards into a fire column to take damage. If Tyris can move a 60 foot tall giant with a kick, why can't she jump more than 5 feet? Perhaps the bosses are made of helium.
Bugs - 10/10
I've seen Tyris get stuck in level geometry. I've seen the game crash. I've heard the sound skip. I've seen Tyris fall out of the world. There are render tears and slowdown. I've also seen an entire palette shift to blue.
Sound - 5/10
The music is ok, but neither feels epic nor atmospheric.
The Ending - 0/10
Tyris catches up with her captured Dragon God and he tells her the final piece of the axe is his soul. She stabs him in the head and does her best Darth Vader Episode 3, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I laughed for a minute. Then you fight Death Adder. The fight is 20 minutes long and makes no sense. But, that's ok because the fight pauses every few minutes and pop-up windows appear giving you detalied instructions on what you are supposed to be doing. Hit him, ride him, make him destroy some statues, then a cutscene plays where Death Adder says, "Fool, I will destroy you!" Tyris replies, "Maybe, but not this day!" Seriously, that's what she says. She chops his head off. Your reward... a skimpy white bikini costume. So, the final scene plays and the Dwarf and Axe are there. Tyris says, "I've lost my land, my god, my people..." But it's hard to take her seriously because she looks like `Fun in the Sun' Tyris who's about to go play beach volleyball and drink something with a little umbrella in it. Axe Battler says, "This is just the beginning." The dwarf starts to talk, but is abruptly cut off by the credits. That's right, the credits interrupt the last cutscene.
The game is rated M for violence, gore, and nudity. Unfortunately, the nudity is only on dead, charred, or dismembered bodies. If you're going to put breasts in a game, put them on living women so the non-necrophiliacs can enjoy them, too.
If you're dying to play a hack and slash game, you should play Ninja Gaiden 2, Devil May Cry 4, Oblivion, Too Human, Viking, The Force Unleashed, Lego Star Wars, Assassin's Creed... then buy a Wii and play Zelda and No More Heroes... then buy Castle Crashers on the Xbox Marketplace... You're better off avoiding this game.
If you feel you must play it, it's only 6-8 hours long and not very difficult.
You might be thinking, "Poisoned Blade, if the game was so bad, why did you finish it?" I did it, so you don't have to. | video-games_xbox |
There are NOT better arcade sticks out there. This is the stick I've been dreaming of for a long time. Along with meeting the checklist of awesome features this stick gets a lot of little things right also that make it perfect. I own many "high quality" sticks but this is by far the best. I currently have pelican real arcades customized with all Happ parts,
Hori Fighting Stick EX 2 (360), and Hori Real Arcade Pro. EX (360), various older sticks. I have also used many of the more popular sticks including MAS Systems, Street Fighter 15th Anniversary, X-Arcade, and even Quasimoto.
All quality Sanwa parts, easily exchangeable with Seimitsu parts if thats your thing. Since the stick is a Sanwa your not only getting quality parts but the ability to easily customize the stick later if you want (Differnt gate (changes the way you feel corners), different tops (differnt color or change the ball to more American like "bat").
Works on 360 and PC.
Switch to make the stick to take the place of the d-pad, left analog, or right analog. I haven't encountered too many problems using a stick on 360 but have all kinds of issues because of the lack of this feature on other sticks with wii, gamecube, xbox 1 and playstations. Also useful if you use the stick on pc since you can map the other buttons when the switch is moved to other features (like insert coin or debug).
Button layout is amazing, if you look carefully the left 6 buttons has a Japenese setup IDENTICAL to the Vewlix Cabinet used for Street Fighter IV. The right six buttons match an American Street fighter setup. The top four buttons make a great SNK/NEO Geo setup. Another nice feature is that the start and select button are on the "top" part of the stick so you can't accidently hit them during gameplay (pausing during a tournament is frowned upon I assume).
Compatible with all official 360 headsets and as simple as this seems this also is placed in a great place, a positive for most people compared to the Hori 360 sticks.
I find the weight of this joystick to be spot on. If set on a table it doesn't move around too much but can still be used on your lap if you want to.
Turbo feature is selectable on a per button basis. This feature might take you about 30 seconds to figure out, but once you figure it out it works quickly and easily.
If you want to "risk voiding your warranty" this stick is easy to modify the looks of, and all of the buttons use quick disconnects so it should be easy to change buttons or button mappings.
Negatives (two little complaints, lots of text):
- Not too hot on the white sides.
- People associated with Madcatz have claimed around the internet that the warranty is void on this product if its opened for any reason, including changing the artwork. I don't want to play internet lawyer but I'm sure that its strictly illegal for them to enforce this policy, but its not like anyone would be able to face a lawsuit with them over a 150 dollar stick.
Would you think its OK to buy a new car to find out that the hood is welded shut and if you don't go back to the dealer for oil changes, gas fill ups, tires, and if I change the radio, mudflaps, or floormats the warranty is void. In the case of vehicles I know that they have to prove that the change you made caused the problem to happen (if I change the tires and the muffler/engine stops working they would have to show that I damaged these parts somehow in the process of changing the tires). Why then does Madcatz think that if someone changes a piece of artwork they don't have to cover the stick if a button starts to stick or the joystick part gets stock in one direction (as is being reported with their other products in this line). | video-games_xbox |
A great sequal. I just want to get this out of the way. I didn't like the first assassins creed. It was incredibly repetitive and boring to me. After repeating the same play cycle twice I got frustrated with sitting on benches and listening to boring conversations. So much so that I returned the game to get whatever I could out of it.
How surprised I was then to find out how fun the sequel was. Assassins creed 2 is a great example of how a company fixes their mistakes from their first attempt.
This game is exciting and the missions are varied. Yeah, you kill and kill and kill but the ways the game sets you up to do it is awesome. I love that there are different mission varieties as well to keep the game fresh.
The story is great as well. I really enjoyed the combined story of Ezio and Desmond. I was always wanting to know what happened next.
Another big complaint I had about the first game was the stupidity of the enemies. I would just get a huge bounty then wait for a crowd of soldiers to crowd around me. One at a time they would strike at me. I would just counter and immediatley kill them. They just continued to do that until I had killed them all. I didn't find it fun.
In this one however there are many enemy types. Some have heavy armor. Some have spears. Some have knives and are incredibly quick. They still aren't all that intelligent but they definitely mix things up a bit and make it a challenge. The combat is also improved and much more fun to utilize in this game.
I did like the visuals in the first game and this one is no different. The massive city you navigate is very detailed and fun to look over from a high perch.
The only small complaint I have is that the game did start to get a little repetitive with some of the missions be a bit too similar but overall it is a very fun game.
If you liked the first game then you will love this sequal. If you didn't like it like me then still give this one a shot. It is a much better game. | video-games_xbox |
Reliability questions are still out there, but unmatched games. I got my XBOX Elite shortly after they were introduced (it had the 205W power brick - newer ones have the 175W brick), which was just over a year ago (this review being written in June 2008). I had read, as others have, that there were reliability concerns with early systems but I didn't experience the red ring of death (RROD) in that year. I used my Elite in both the vertical and horizontal positions, depending on where I played and it's in a room with other computer equipment, so it's not exactly a cold room, tends to run 80-85F year round, no overheating and no disc scratches. I have also taken this system over to friends houses for game nights and on a weekend trips to play Rock Band, GH2 and GH3 as well as Gears or War, Rainbow 6 and several other games. This system is really about the games and that is where it excels!
We have also been using this system as a home entertainment device for my 3 year old daughter. We downloaded Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer episodes from XBOX Live and she has spent many hours enjoying them. This is great since like most young kids she doesn't get bored with repeating the same episodes and I don't have to wear out my theater DVD player. It sits in my study connected to a 32" Sharp LCD running at 1080P and she loves it (although these episodes are not in HD).
I have also downloaded a few HD movies from XBOX live and they look great on our 50" plasmas (only 720p though :( )!
The reason I got the Elite, over the other system options, was for the large HDD. I ripped about 50 CDs to it over the year, so I could have background music while I work. Once again, the Elite is perfect for that. The system is very quite when running things other than games (playing games is another story, that DVD drive is loud when it kicks up to high speed - which is all the time when playing games from it!!).
I ended up using about 50GB total with all the songs and downloads, and I still had a lot of room... I say "still" because a bad thing happened this past weekend. Literally 1 year and 5 days of enjoyable and trouble-free ownership when all of a sudden the HDD starts making a strange clicking sound and the system will not boot with the HDD attached. I got the E68 message every time I tried to start (bad HDD). So I call their support line and after escalating to a supervisor and telling them my story (and they confirm that I've had the system for 370 days), they say I need to buy a new HDD and that my system is out of warranty and they can't do anything... I understand not doing something for a system that's a few months out of warranty, but 5 days?! Wow, that's strict and really reflects no commitment to customer service. I've had much better post warranty service for my car dealers when I'm 10K miles and a year out of warranty than what I got from MS's outsourced support... it probably reflects the mass market consumer focus of these devices. They could have at least offered to sell me a replacement at a reduced cost, but no, they quoted full retail!
In any case, I politely declined their offer and I contacted the company I originally purchased the Elite from. They understand customer service and graciously took it back with a full refund (including shipping!!!). I'm now waiting to buy another Elite from them when they get them back in stock with a good bundle.
Anyway, my point of all this is, based on my experience, I would say that MS has gotten some of the reliability bugs out of the systems (the problems caused by heat management), but there are still issues. In this case, I believe they are using low cost (i.e. low quality) drives. From my personal experience in both the PC support field and from 10 years designing and supporting high end routers that use rotating media, there is a wide range of vendors for drives and the quality between them varies wildly - you have to pay more to get good quality (I personally prefer Seagate for mission critical things now - but there are other reliable vendors too). I suspect that a cost decision influenced Microsoft's designers/product management's choice for this drive, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are more reports in the near future of increasing failure rates of their drives.
I love this game system, and still would recommend it to people over the PS3 because of the broader games catalog and versatility, but would strongly urge anyone buying an XBOX360 of and model/package to get an extended warranty or performance plan to cover the HDD and DVD drives since these seem to be susceptible to early failures. | video-games_xbox |
Well done, but a lot of frustration. I'll say this... Dark Sector reminded me heavily of a very popular game and movie franchise combined with a little known anime franchise.
Of course I'm referring to Resident Evil, and the anime is The Guyver.
The creators of the game seemed to have both of these in mind when they put it together.
The story is pretty basic. You play Hayden, a secretive special operative working for the CIA. You've been tasked with finding a fellow operative in a fictional country in Eastern Europe.
The prologue sets the scene for the rest of the game. After finding and `liberating' your fellow operative, you're set upon a strangely armoured figure (very reminiscent of the Guyver), and upon the orders of a man named Mezner, the figure infects Hayden with a disease that begins to mutate him.
His right arm, shoulder and part of his torso becomes metallic, and he gains a three bladed throwing disk called a glaive, which is an extension of his own body.
Ok, enough spoilers regarding the plot. If you want to learn more, you'll have to search online or play the game yourself.
The game is cut into ten specific chapters, each one of varying degrees of difficulty and length. Some I found very easy to play through, others were far more difficult and even considerably longer than others.
Believe it or not, that was one of the highpoints of the game for me. Most of the games I've played since I got my 360 back in Christmas of 2007 have been very short. Five to seven hours is what it typically would take me to beat most of the games I've played.
So, when I come across a game that takes longer for me to beat, I'm quite pleased.
Anyhow, as the game progresses, you learn to utilize your newly discovered powers in a varying of ways. Your glaive can absorb different types of elemental energy when it's encountered, such as fire, electricity and cold (is cold a type of energy? I thought it was lack of energy - sorry, I digress).
You can use this stored energy for a limited time and it will affect not only the enemies you encounter, but the environment as well. In fact, it will be necessary to use the elements around you from time to time to progress through the game.
The game does involve a little bit of puzzle solving. There are times throughout each level you'll have to figure out how to open certain doors, cross water, put out fires, or even keep the elemental power of your glaive on long enough to get to the next area.
It could get a little frustrating at times, especially when you have to do the whole `bullet' time with your glaive in order to control it's trajectory in flight so you can use it to unlock doors or absorb elemental energy.
Still, this whole bullet time where you can radically control your glaive has its uses, especially when you want to get the decapitation achievement.
You will also get a variety of weapons to use through the game, and you'll be able to pick up the weapons your enemy drop after you defeat them. This, however, has a major drawback. The weapons that you pick up from your enemies will last only a short period of time before they short out because of your condition and you'll be forced to drop them.
However, it is a great way to conserve ammo. Grab dropped weapons and then you can empty them, without burning through your limited supply of ammunition. And there are times you'll find yourself running out, and it can be very frustrating.
So, speaking of weapons, you can choose from a variety of handguns, assault rifles and shotguns.
You'll start out with a basic handgun to use in conjunction with your glaive, but as the game progresses you'll discover Rubles lying around in various spots on the map. You can pick the money up and use it occasionally in the underground black market to purchase different types of handguns and rifles.
Which brings me to weapon upgrades. On top of finding money, you'll find weapon upgrades (which appear as metallic attaché cases through the game) that you can use to modify your weapons in the black market. These range from increased fire rate, magazine capacity, stopping power and reload time. I know I'm missing a few, so please forgive the lack of complete information.
Oh, and lets not forget that you find grenades quite often. Perfect for forcing your enemies out into the open, or getting past them when they're hunkered down behind cover.
Before I forget, your glaive has one very handy feature. It can be used to snatch up items such as ammo, money or dropped weapons at a distance. Use it well, use it often. I loved that particular feature.
As for the enemies you encounter, it breaks down into four types... the mutants, the soldiers, the armour and the bosses.
Each and every type of enemy has its strength and weaknesses. Soldiers have the advantage of tactics and ranged attacks, where as the mutants can swarm and stun you. Bosses... the bosses are an exercise in both frustration and futility. I won't lie to you, I had to go online each time I ran into a boss to figure out how to defeat it.
Once you learn how, it's not too difficult, but good luck trying to figure it out on your own. And be prepared to spend at least an hour defeating the finale boss in the game.
The graphics were standard for what I've come to expect from Xbox 360 games. They were very well done. The lighting was terrible in places, and it only helped heighten the mood and feel of the game.
The environment looked exactly as it was supposed to... dirty, worn down, dark, old... it was perfectly done and suited the game wonderfully.
And, since I'm on the subject of graphics, I'll tell you right now, some of the kills you made with your glaive are very gory. You will lop off limbs, decapitate your enemy and the blood will fly.
If you're squeamish, this game won't be for you, I can tell you that right now.
Some of the games I've played recently had really good soundtracks. This game, there was nothing at all that struck me as memorable, so I can't really say anything about it other than it was simply there.
Oh, and I almost forgot, the ever present cut scenes. They definitely were well done, and I was quite surprised to see that the actor who did the voice for Hayden was none other than Michael Rosenbaum. You know, Lex Luthor from Smallville?
One last thing about the game play that I forgot to mention earlier. You do get to pilot a vehicle at least twice in the game, and unlike many of the games I've played where you pilot a car, tank, helicopter, boat, etc... this games vehicle controls were easy to handle and use. Kudos to the programmers on that aspect!
Ok, overall it was a slightly better than average game for me. I liked it, although it definitely lost marks for the bosses and the frustration that ensued in trying to defeat them.
Pros
- Longer than normal game play. Ten levels in total
- Really cool kills with the glaive.
- Lots of checkpoints.
- Well done cut scenes.
- The Glaive and the powers you gain as the game progresses.
- Easy to control vehicles.
Cons
- Extremely frustrating boss battles.
- Very little in the way of enemies to fight.
- No real destructible environment.
- End battle very long and frustrating.
Overall 3 out of 5 | video-games_xbox |
A Good Start - Maybe Rent First. FIFA 06 - Road to FIFA World Cup - takes soccer to a new level with XBox 360 quality graphics. It's not as complete as other soccer games out there, though.
Soccer is a game that's hugely popular in much of the world - but less so in the US. I personally think soccer is a great sport and am happy to see sports games covering this for gamers to learn and enjoy.
The graphics in FIFA 06 for the XBox 360 are rather impressive. In the team selection screen, it looks like real embroidery on the patches and uniforms. You get to choose through a ton of teams - everything from Brazil to Ukraine and everyone in between. There are 5 difficulty levels to tune your challenge level. You can even choose your ball color. Take a look at your roster, and you can even practice while the loading screen is going on! Now THAT is a feature I'd like to see on every game I own.
On to gameplay. The crowd, as usual, looks really bizarre. Someday game makers will figure out this crowd thing. The character models are nice, although a bit "plasticky". Certainly better than old-gen games on the XBox and PS2, but not as good as some other 360 games on the market. Character movement is generally nice although a little jerky. You don't get a lot of the fine detail that you get on some other sports games since here you're usually watching a far-off view of the characters.
Commentary and sounds were OK. What can you really expect from commentary in a game? Are you really listening to what the commentators are saying? It's usually better to play some of your favorite iTunes sets while playing a sports game vs hearing "crowd noise".
I have to say that I found the real life ads running down the entire side of the screen REALLY annoying. I'm already paying a pretty high price just to get this game - I don't see a need to be bombarded with commercials too!
On one hand, if you have an XBox 360 and enjoy soccer, you might as well get this for the nice graphics and the wide screen gameplay. There's plenty here to keep you entertained. On the other hand, the game could be MUCH much better if someone put the time into it. I realize that the XBox 360 is relatively new so maybe they did the "best they could" to get this out for the 2006 season. I really hope that they now have a full year to work on the 2007 version, and now that they know how to code for the XBox 360, they can finally get the new version really tricked out with a number of improvements. | video-games_xbox |
You could say it just clicked with me. As a Sony fan, I would prefer to go with Xbox 360 exclusive games for the system. So, to the review!
As an aspiring writer, this game was, from the first spoken line to the very last shot, this game was chock-full of literary references, practical advice from actual authors vocalized through Alan (who, ironically is suffering writer's block), and little easter eggs throughout, this game was practically heaven for me. Even though I'm not interested in the genre Alan Wake writes (hardboiled mystery), what he goes through is one of my favorites (psychological thriller). From the moment he snaps out of his nightmare while on the ferry to Bright Falls all the way to his couple flashbacks, light fights, gunfights, etc., the backstory, the main story, the gameplay, and truly well-detailed environments (no matter if daytime or nighttime), everything is incredibly well-balanced and controlled (except Barry Weaver's oddball ego, that comic relief's on his own). In any other game, you get upgrades to the weapons you have and keep all your equipment until they run out- that rule isn't just broken repeatedly, you could say, in a tongue-in-cheek style, it's consistently made fun of when, after tragedy after issue after complication, you're constantly reset to having nothing, find another flashlight, flare, revolver, etc. Luckily, the game never makes too tricky a challenge (such as ganging 5 Taken on you and you only have 1 flare and no bullets nor flashlight), but appropriates each scenario according to the overall context of what's going on. Normally, also, a game can keep me seated throughout, no matter the intensity. This, on the other hand, after episode 3 (there are 6 total), I ended up either being on the edge of my seat or standing up (except during cutscenes, those were my moments to relax and have a breather), now that's very taut tension and meticulously designed storytelling.
Then the quirky characters (besides Barry, Alan's book agent) further the quality story: the arrogant police officer who has an axe to grind against Alan, the police chief who's willing to help Alan, the over-obsessed fan, the mysterious archvillain who's flat-out spine-chilling, the self-centered psychologist who really knows nothing important, and (my favorite) the former rock star brothers who've gone crazy and are obsessed with Norse mythology ("It takes crazy to understand crazy!"), many factors help out a game's story. But if a game takes itself too seriously with its characters, then it falls apart regardless of the other factors. This game takes the risky approach of having serious characters at odds with comical people (both bright people and total idiots). Alan? A perfect mix of both (especially his remarks on his own cutout). It's too bad very few games with a strong story don't take a lot of hints from this (and furthering the disappointment is a few game articles, years ago, had lists of pretty good X360 that were still recommended to not buy, why this was on it is beyond me).
This sidenote is for Christians only (anyone else can look over it): if you can get past the swearing throughout, keep this in mind; the entire game kept reminding me of the Gospel of John's first chapter (all the chapter was was an allegory of darkness not understanding light and, therefore, was seriously offended by the light). The Taken was only weakened by light and sought out to destroy any sources of light, that alone kept me driven forward and loving every minute of it. | video-games_xbox |
A Step in the right direction but not quite there. I preorder this controller the second I heard about it I keep hoping Razer will manage to nail down that perfect third party controller I owned the Onza before this controller though I did not continue using it the same way I did not continue to use the Sabertooth. To begin the the sabertooth is defiantly a step up from the Razer Onza Tournament Edition I owned before. The removed the physical tension controller in favor of software control and have left the Hyper response buttons in place which was one of my favorite features of the Onza series controllers. The third set of bumpers make the top of the controller very crowded I found that I was hitting the wrong bumper quite often in the heat of playing a game (my hands are on the smaller side so this could be due to that) the remapping is much improved with the small OLED screen everything can be done within seconds in the middle of a gaming session. Now to what I believe was the most intriguing design inovation and also were the controller falls short the two extra "triggers" as some people call them razer was right to call the 4 extra buttons because this is what they are they appear and feel like triggers but do not work in that sense they are merely a piece of plastic hitting a small plastic button on a rocker so if you attempt to hold down like a trigger the slightest depress causes you to have to release and press again this may be OK for some people but was not what I was looking for this controller is a step in the right direction but once again just does not have the feel that is going to pull me away from my original gamepad. I also ran in to some trouble with certain games causing triggers to glitch and zoom in and out Dead Space 3 to name one such game.
Pros
-Hyper Response Buttons
-Braided Cord (Detachable)
-Software based on the fly Sensitivity settings and button remapping
Cons
-Four rocker buttons appear to be trigger like but are far from triggers
-Top of the controller is extremely cluttered | video-games_xbox |
Had no idea about the Lone Wanderer. So one day (back in 08) i decided to go to gamestop, I get there and see a giant figure of a guy in an armor (couldn't have cared less), sometime later i see a game with that same figure on the cover called Fallout 3 and once again... i coulnd't have cared less. Days later I went to one of my friend's house and found him playing it, he had just bought it. My friend later decides to take all of his games over to my house so we could play for a while, it got a bit late and when it was time for him to leave, he had just decided to leave the games at my house and pick them up some other time. After a few days of just looking at the games just sitting around I decided to pop in the game to check it out. At first I felt like -ok, ill just play for a while, see what the point of the game is and than goes off. After that while had passed, I said -ok, just a little bit more... After that other while had passed, I had realized I had fallen in love with this game. Unfortunately for me, my friend picked up the game a couple of days after i started playing, but of course, i bought later.
So after inserting the game in my xbox I chose to create New Game... obviously.... a little intro of the kind of place ill be adventuring in shows, than i hear a baby crying who was just borned just to find out thats the character ill be using throughout the game. Than my "dad", whose voice seemed very familiar (Liam Neeson from Taken), tells me about this monitor that shows the way i'll look once im a grown up. These is where we get to choose our facial aspects, hair, race, and of course, our name. Dad talks to us for a while than an unfortunate event happens. Right after that, a year or so passes by. We are made to believe we will always be living inside a vault where people will be protected from the outside world. I find myself still a baby in a room, dad talks to me and than leaves the room, right here we get to choose our S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills (Strenght, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck) , which determine what aspects we want to be stronger on. After we're done with this, dad walks in and than tells us about a passage from the bible (revelation 21:6), which is of major importance to the game. After a few years, I get a birthday party, interact with some people, blah blah blah, than Im introduced to a watch-like artifact called the Pip-boy 3000 which is received to everyone at the age of 10 to people living in the vault, this specific object plays a major role in the game. A few years pass and now, I am obligated to go and take an exam which will determine another set of skills which work differently than the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills, these ones determine how effective we can be with guns, melee weapons, medicine, speeches, lockpicking, repairing, sneaking, and others. Some are also affected by your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills. Once again, a few years pass and now, I seem to be in some sort of trouble, to put it simple, a series of events happen that will causes my character to have to leave the vault and see the outside world for the first time. From there on, Im on my own...
After leaving the vault I felt greatly awed by the amazing environment, kinda like if i was living the game from my television set. Right from there I felt such freedom. For example, we see a whole bunch of places from far away and we get the feeling of need to go and explore it, we get there and scavenge around for exciting thing to find. While walking around, we will also find some enemies which will give us some trouble during our first levels of the game, but after earning some exp and leveling up, these morons should reconsider firing us at site.
The games pase goes as we will, we could either choose to help someone in need, get on with the story, or explore around the capital wasteland scavenging for weapons, medicine, clothing, miscellaneous, books, and a whole lot of other stuff that will aid us in the adventure. When facing enemies, i can compare the shooting to bioshock, and the close and personal to oblivion. Of course, we also have VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), which automatically pauses the game and allows us to aim for different parts of the enemies body, it depends on how close we may be to the enemy and/or our level of our guns/melee skills that determine our chances of hitting. VATS will come continiously handy to us on the wasteland, not only that but it also provides some really amazing, constantly gory cinematics.
To wrap it up, I just want to say that there has never been a single player video game which I have enjoyed more in my entire life. I truly consider Fallout 3 one of the best games ever made, game I had no plan on acquiring until I accidently realized how great it was (thanks to my friend). haha. I love this game and would recommend it to any shooter, rpg, and/or adventure loving gamer. Btw... I CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR NEW VEGAS!!! | video-games_xbox |
Still an underrated series. I remember the first time I played a Dark Souls game, it was Demon Souls and I thought it was the most clunky, frustrating action/RPG I had ever played. But if you're familiar with the series, you know what I'm going to say. I just had to figure it out. I had to make it work right. I then spent a couple of months laboring away at and understanding the series.
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin was my third Dark Souls game and I thoroughly enjoy it but it's missing something, isn't it? Either that or I've figured these games out. I've not, I can still go back to Demon's Souls and get my butt handed to me. This is a fun game, it's really a better place to start than Dark Souls or Demons Souls just because you're not likely to get as frustrated and mad at this one. There's a part of me that doesn't even know if this series is in my top 5 favorite or top 5 most hated. I get a new Dark Souls game and let it set there. Looking at me. Knowing the beating it will give me but not Dark Souls II. Lots of weapons, lots of bosses (not as impressive as the others in the series), great atmosphere in all these games. A tip from someone who hates spoilers and who doesn't like multiplayer games. You can summon someone to help you if stuck. I hate that! Why do I need help? I'll play it 1,000 times! So, yeah, not for sure if I love it or hate it. I will say I buy every Dark Souls game and have played through all them without needing to summon any help. It has added gray to my beard and taken years off my life but it can be done. I'm also sort of kidding about the hatred part. After awhile you either quit or just accept that you're going to get killed over and over until that one perfect moment when you do something right and make it. It reminds me of older video games. Kind of like the difficulty and frustration of the old Mega Man and Castlevania games. Last, this one isn't near as hard. My son (12 at the time) beat it and he won't even hardly play the others. Good series to test your patience and luck too. | video-games_xbox |
A Whole New Burnout Experience. Fans of the Burnout series be warned : They've overhauled one of your favorite games.
There's a lot to say so I'll try to be concise. I first heard about this game on [...] A reliable community that I frequent that has a LOT of members who are in-the-know in the video gaming industry. The forums there are always handy.
So, the game. They've completely changed the format. If you didn't already know, they've made it free-roaming. Circuit racing as you knew it in Burnout is dead in this game. Races are now run from point A to point B in the free-roaming map, the quickest route up to you to find. Road Rages are run in the same fashion, save for the fact that you have free reign as to where you want to go to take down your opponents. A new "Marked Man" event gives you a point A to point B route to run with up to 7 other cars trying to total your car before you get there. The Burning Route has replaced the Burning Lap of Burnout Revenge fame.
Graphics. The graphics are actually quite good. Very high on par with the abilities of the console. The crash damage and crash physics are almost spectacular. The damage your car incurs is very representative of the way in which is wrecked. Driving performance is not, however, effected by damage.
The crash mode as we knew it is beyond dead. It has, like the rest of the game, yielded to the free-form trend. You can now initiate a crash run at any time in the game by tapping both RB and LB buttons at the same time. The Crashbreaker from Burnout Revenge is replace with the Ground-Breaker which hurls your car further across the pavement. Score is tallied by a combination of the distance your car traveled and the total value of the cars you wrecked, receiving another multiplier for each bus you manage to smash.
Online is an experience in and of itself. The most popular thing to do currently, it seems, is the online co-op challenges, which require all participating drivers to meet some sort of criteria (like total jump distance, hang time, drift distance, etc.) before the challenge is completed. There are 350 of these to complete in the online mode, along with Road Rages, Races, and Marked Man events.
On top of all this, there are 400 "smashes" to discover in the game, which are simply gates on either end of shortcuts throughout the city, 120 Billboards to fly through, and 50-some-odd super-jumps to find.
Overall it's a whole new Burnout experience that takes a little bit of getting used to for veteran fans of the series. Burnout as you know it is virtually dead, but it's progeny shows promise.
If you've never played a Burnout game before, then you've got a better running start at a very rich game with hours of playtime to 100% completion. | video-games_xbox |
Assassin's Creed 3. First let me say how much I have enjoyed all the Assassins Creed games up to this one. I think they're one of the best game series ever produced. The action sequences, the look of the game, the attention to detail, the recreation of historic times made me want to go and read the real history of the times covered by this series. I loved the side missions and attaining a goal so as to beat puzzles and get into the fantastic cut sequences. All first rate.
Then they came out with AC3. I am presently near the end of sequence 7 of the game and I have to say I find this game tedious and overly busy with cut sequences and difficult. Where I could inhabit the worlds of the previous games of the series, happily wandering around enjoying the little side missions, with this one I just want to get through it and finish it. I have been stuck for weeks at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but I get so bored with it, I get killed.....again, turn the Xbox off and go and do something else then some time later try again.
Where's the set up for the assassination?, the planning of the kill?, the escape strategy? the continuation of the back story? As an Australian who has been to Boston I must say I do enjoy walking the streets of colonial bean town, I just wish it had a better game to play in it.
I do hope the 4th in the series is better than this one.
I write a few months on from the above. After having left this game I came back to it and managed to get a few more Sequences along, but I can't say it has improved and unlike all the previous titles of this series (which I still have) it will be traded in unfinished and I'll be glad to be rid of it. Any enjoyment is just too dominated by the frustration of the appalling game play and I took the advice of another reveiwer here and watched the cut scenes on you-tube. I find it so bad that I really wonder whether I should make any investment in the 4th (6th) Assassin's Creed. | video-games_xbox |
Same old Madden - Going back to the store. I tried really hard to like this year's version of Madden...I really did. I held off on getting it last year due to my past frustrations of how it never seems to evolve, and so hoped that this year's version would be a refreshing return. I understand that they have a formula that makes them a ton of money and caters to a certain crowd who play it competitively, but that really leaves a sour taste to us casual players who just hope to see something new.
This year actually seems to have more bugs than the past. The audio is way off at times, is very predictable, and I'm pretty sure a lot of it is rehashed from past versions of the game (and I did not even play last year's version). In franchise mode I have had several games freeze up my entire console, sometimes late in a game, which I was surprised to see. It seemed to happen the most during in-between-play animations. In the past those could be turned off to speed things up but I could not find such this year. The option to remove the accelerated clock is also strangely missing during franchise mode.
Most of the player textures look good, and the tackle animations are improved. The intro animations are interesting to watch, but halftime and close of game seem to be completely messed up. During both, the game tries to show a few key replays from the game but ends up cutting them off and then moving to the next screen without any sort of flow or feel of completion. Its like watching your star RB break a tackle for a winning rush but then the replay ending before he even breaks through the secondary. Very disappinting....
However my biggest complaint is my gripe from past years... the difficulty is just not consistent. There is a lot of parity in the NFL, but that does not show up here. I played against the Vikings in my franchise and I beat them by 30 points. I then played the Packers and Texans and it was clear that the game had decided a priori that I would lose. One game 300 yards passing with 4 TD's no Ints, next game 100 yards passing 5 ints, 1 TD. I know those are the better teams, but not that much better. I am playing on All-Pro because the lesser difficulty options are way too boring, and I know that I could customize the settings individually. However I have no desire to do that between each game in a franchise just to compensate for the disproportionate quality of the teams. What happened to "any given sunday"? Not in this game....
My guess is that the true talent over at EA has long since moved on to other things, so the team reworking Madden each year are just driven by getting something out the door so they can charge everyone another $60. If you want your football kicks for the year then this may be a good buy, but just don't expect anything you have not seen before. Slighly improved graphics, deep franchise, competitive multiplayer, but very little else to do.. My copy is going back to the store tonight in hopes that I can get at least $30 back for it. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Game, Full of BUGS. This game is exactly as described, very fun, good and solid game-play throughout. I've enjoyed it on the Xbox 360 since it was released. The combat is quick, but difficult enough that you'll need to work through the game and not simply breeze through like some.
The bad: This game has TONS of bugs. Check out the official Gearbox/Borderlands forums for details (link to official forums: [...]). The Xbox version (maybe PS3 as well) has corrupt saved game issues that are running rampant (Gearbox even suggests that you buy and use a memory card to backup your own saved games just in case they get corrupted). I've never had any other xbox 360 game corrupt my saved game.
Also, the 'custom game' search which is suppose to match your current character with finding a game on xbox live does not work (and I mean it does not work for ANYONE on the xbox 360). It only shows games with other people of levels 1 through 15(roughly)...so if you have a level 20+ character you can't find games your level. This also means if you start a game and you are above level 15'ish no one can find your game. Basically, goodbye co-op experience unless you are playing with people you directly invite off your friends list (or split-screen).
Look up the details on the technical forums of Gearbox/Borderlands before buying. This game should have been released another month away, they did NOT spend enough time finding some very major game breaking bugs.
I am skeptical about trusting another Gearbox game on release date. They 'say' a fix is coming for a lot of this stuff, but for such obvious glitches that are so widespread, these should have been found and fixed in testing.
Overall, fun gameplay, disappointing quality and confidence in the bugs. They already released a patch for the game and we should be expecting more patches coming soon. I haven't played since level 22 because I can't find any games to join that are my level. | video-games_xbox |
Great multiplayer, so so offline play. The online play is fantastic, you participate in an online war that changes whether you're online or not. Partake in missions to turn the tide in your favor, or just to earn some credits for that brand new part.
This is made from the same people as Armored Core and you will notice a large influence from that game, though it is all land based so no flying around and shooting newbs who don't know how to look up yet. (If they released an armored core game in this same format I would give my left nu...kidney for it by the way.)
Single player is almost just a preliminary stage to the online play, which I feel the game was designed for almost exclusively with the offline play being an afterthought. I know that isn't the case, but it's the best way to describe it. You basically pick your class of mech and do the missions they require of you. The better your score, which ranges from D, C, B, A, and S I believe, then the better your reward. If you get an A or S you generally receive an extra part as well.
Online is where you see how extremely fun the game is. I feel it's balanced as no one type of mech is undefeatable, although obviously the veteran players will have much improved versions over your weaponry I still found I was able to get a good amount of kills in and not feel useless or anything. If you really want to make people regret picking on the new guy use heat weapons as most people build their defense against shell weapons, etc.
Strategy is important as there is no radar in this game to detect the enemy, only sonar. If you move you can be detected, like some mech warrior games. If you sneak up behind someone and shoot their weak parts you can literally bring them to their knees in less then half the time it takes to bring them down from their normally heavily armored frontside.
Each part has durability and you can blow up the opponents weapons or just go straight for his core and end it all quite early with some well placed shots from a sniper rifle/cannon.
The variety in weaponry is fantastic, allowing for all sorts of combinations, good and bad.
-You can choose from parrying blades, shotguns, rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, cannons, missiles, rockets, flame throwers, mines, howitzers, and more!
Like to get up close and personal? You can do it! You can do it all night long!
Like to reach out and touch somebody? We have the perfect assortment of sniper rifles just for you!
Want to shoot someone on the other side of the globe? Use the howitzer for that unexpected bundle of love from a secret admirer!
The best thing is you can mix and match any and all weapons you so desire, weight permitting that is. -Based on the legs you choose amongst other things.
Synopsis: If you're looking for a solid multiplayer mech game with the same customization as Armored Core, even down to the emblems (you can actually place them anywhere you want in this) then read no further.
If you're just an average gamer that isn't really into sci fi or big robots, then it's still going to be a blast shooting highly destructive weapons at big chunks of metal. The special effects are great, with very nice looking explosions and even debris from the ground, like dirt and scrap metal flying up from the big howitzers' explosions.
For the mech fans: 10/10
For the average gamer: 8/10 | video-games_xbox |
Final Verdict: Its fun- but the "MP" is getting old. This is going to be 3 reviews in one: One for each section of the game (SinglePlayer, SpecOps, and MultiPlayer)
===============================================================================================================
SinglePlayer:
===============================================================================================================
Definitly has some "puckerfactor": (Contains although barely: Spoilers)
Single Player campaign is average length for games nowadays (about 5-7 hours). It does contain another
terrorist attack (similar to MW2's where you can choose to skip it). The campaign goes from New York City, to
Paris, to Hamburg, to London, to Russia, and a couple more I think. Forces that you play as include, US Army
Delta Force, TF 141 (now Disavowed), SAS, and more. There are a few returns of NPC's as well:
Captain Price
Captain Soap
Nikolai
Sgt Walcroft CoD4 SAS
Cpl Griffin CoD4 SAS
among others
All in all, the campaign is suspenseful, and will keep you playing. My rating:
4 out of 5 stars (could be better (still linear as always).
===============================================================================================================
Spec Ops (Co-Op Modes):
===============================================================================================================
Now this is my current favorite part. This mode is split up into two categories (Survival, and Missions)
Missions is the same as MW2, so I won't get into that, they just have different maps, weapons, etc. The new mode
survival however is outstanding:
Now why is Survival mode better than Multiplayer in this one? (my opinion) It is multiplayer. Up to 4 players
can team up against waves of enemies (ranging from normal unarmored personel, to dogs, armored personel, air
support, juggies, and more! And get this: They are played on the MultiPlayer Maps. For me this is a huge winner.
You somewhat get a new experience for Call of Duty (for once) and at the same time: you can learn the maps for
when you do go online. Now here is where it gets interesting. It is Modern Warfare's take on Zombies (basically),
so you will have to buy weapons, perks, air support, etc. However, here is where it is different.
1: You level up! and thus while doing so are allowed to use different weapons, air support, explosives, perks,
and attatchment upgrades.
2: You get to use several killstreaks! don't feel like dealing with a juggernaut? fine buy a predator missile
and blow him up!
3: you can also bring in NPCs from single player (currently have only unlocked two: GIGN Riot Shield Squad, and
USADF Squad. As with most survival games enemies become harder to kill as you go on these guys help out alot.
My rating:
5 out of 5 (something new to the table ...kindof)
===============================================================================================================
Multiplayer:
===============================================================================================================
This is pretty much the same as the past CoD games so I will just tell you the differences:
-Killstreaks are now Pointstreaks: you add to your streak just like before however objectives now count too.
-Pointstreaks are divided into three categories ( Specialist, Support, and Assault)
--Assault: Pretty much what you are used to (has its own killstreaks that are unavailable in other categories).
--Support: Works mostly how you are used to. however now does not end upon death (but if you switch class it
will.
--Specialist: Newly added hass no rewards that we are used to instead are replaced by adding additional perks.
4 kills: 1 extra perk, 6 kills: 2 extra perks, 8 kills: all 15 perks activated. You do get to choose your first
two extra perks though.
-Pointstreaks are now class specific. This means they are linked to a certain class. This way you can have a
assault class with an assault set of rewards, a support class, etc. as well as different rewards set for
different classes.
-Weapons now level up and get another Perk (brings it up to 5 total perks per class).
-Stopping Power Makes a half return: as a deathstreak for your next kill. most likely the most plain and most
welcome death streak to be used in my opinion as it only effects your next 1 kill.
Weapon Highlights:
Barrett .50 Cal
Draganov
AS .50
RASS
MP5
MP7
UMP 45
ACR 6.8
AK-47
Type 95
M-60
Spas 12
AA 12
USAS 12
Model 1887
G18
P99
ES Five Seven (Counter-Strike Favorite of mine)
Perk Highlights:
Hardline Pro = same as MW2 except now also adds: 2 assist = one point for pointstreak
QuickDraw = Perk made for Quickscoping
Stalker = Move faster while ADS
Sitrep Pro = now completely negates the Dead Silence (Ninja Pro renamed back to CoD4 style!)
Hollow Points (Death Streaked Stopping Power)
My Rating:
5 out of 5 (Old but new at the same time) | video-games_xbox |
Stop Whining (Arnold voice. Let me give you a little background. I'm a 44 year old geezer gamer who has been gaming since Pong, Atari 2600, Intellivision, and Microvision and I haven't stopped since and I'm not ashamed to say it. I am a huge fan of FP Shooters and can still to this day keep up with anyone out there. My sons will be the first to tell you. That being said, I think I am qualified to speak about this newly acquired piece of hardware.
Anyone who claims that these headsets do not improve your game (and yes people make these claims) is either a hopeless gamer to begin with or is not using the headset properly. Forget the trash modded controllers and cheating lag switches, this is the single greatest enhancement to your ability as a gamer available.
I originaly bought these simply to make my game a more immersive experience but quickly came to realize how much they were improving my awareness. In the very first round I played with them on in COD Black Ops 2, I went 30 and 9 in a Yemen free-for-all with the headsets on the Superhuman Hearing mode. 30 kills is not unusual for me but 9 deaths in Yemen is as it is a map I have never been particularly strong in. The difference was I had a sublime awareness of where people were and it is ABSOLUTLY directional. I could hear foot steps and know where a player was and which direction he was moving, I could hear someone coming up behind me, I could hear a magazine being changed and know exactly where it was coming from and all of this was without use of the awareness perk.
People in these reviews whine about them being made of plastic then complain about them being too heavy. Give me a break. They are well constructed plastic and if they were metal you would complain about the weight even more. They are not heavy, nor are they cumbersome. Construction I would give a B+.
People complain about popping and interference. Maybe it's time for your mother to throw away the 1987 microwave, because I get none at 18 feet away in a house full of gadgets. Performance I give a B+
People complain that there are too many buttons. Really? They take all of about 30 minutes for this old man to get used to so maybe there is a little ADD going on if this is too difficult to be figured out. Design I give a B+.
The one and only con I have is that the mic boom should have been a bit longer. Overall this is a fantastic product that will take your gaming to the next level for certain.
See you out there, and don't try to sneak up on me...l WILL hear you coming! | video-games_xbox |
well worth $$ if your patient. Okay, first let me say that i returned tomb raider AOD for this game, and i am amazingly happy about. it I would give this game a 4.5 if i could so i guess i will give it 5. The graphics are perfect. from the sail boats to the ports to the dungeons, they all look amazing. The ability to fire cannons at another ship, and they board it is amazing. the controls. between ship and person is eazy, one isn't lacking over the other. Both are well thought out. The fact that i died so much is either do to the fact that [I'm bad] or the game is hard. i will choose the latter. You might think [I'm bad] but try to escape the storm without running away. When you have two pirate boats firing at you, now that is fun, especially when you sink one and the other is running from you. Now the complaints. a little fawly collision detection but nothing major. like walking through people you just cut apart. and not that much, but it is there. controls are a bit annoying. for some reason you cant look 360 without moving your character only up or down. but you can do it with the boat. The convo windows could of added a back option on some parts. And this last piece mayb not be a complaint, just my generall thought. pirates and gold and everything is generaly random, you can go to a spot and find a diamond, then die and go to the same spot and find gold. inside houses are like that two. pirates generally move ambush you in packs of 3 to 6 and they are all better than you. and your single shot pistol, reloads way to slow when there is six blades coming your way. you will die in this game, alot. a real alot. so be sure to save. Have patience, i first i was about to return but i just spent 6 hours playing a game without turning it off. i haven't done that since playing the original RE for the first time on ps1. have patience, grasshopper, and when you find you love it, tell your signifact other to have patience, because you will never see them again. unless there is a blackout. | video-games_xbox |
Tamerial Limited. I was debating between purchasing ESO for launch or waiting until everything settles down. I will say I am more than happy I bought it day one even with some issues that nearly every mmo encounters.
To start the gameplay itself plays very much like Skyrim except the fact that there are thousands of other people running around as well. The quests have been great so far and have been hard for me to want to give the game a break. For those console users used to the combat of Skyrim they will find it easy to pick up and take off with the game. The environments are amazing considering the scale, the game may not be the best looking next gen title out there but it definitely impresses once you consider how large the world of Tamerial really is.
As I have just reached level 10 and just opened pvp access I cannot voice an opinion on that quite yet. I will say sometimes I feel clustered while doing a quest and finding 10 others doing the same quest which at times has been annoying as they take away from defeating a large enemy on your own and the feeling of accomplishment. Other times though it is great to have some help on some of the tougher enemies. The health bars can be quite confusing when entering an environment with other players as everyone has the same red health bar and I find myself struggling to make out the actual enemies bar from users.
Now as day 3 approaches the servers have been down or hard to enter in the afternoon as it appears everyone is playing all at once. The queue to enter the game is misleading as it will jump from saying you are number 1 waiting to enter all the way up to near 700,000. I have found much success playing in the early morning as it is less crowded and easy to jump right in and enjoy the game as it is meant to be.
Overall I think ESO is a fantastic rpg for next gen and it's only competition at the moment is the highly praised Witcher 3. Once bugs such as invisble npcs or the minor lag in which it throws you back from where you have just walked from gets resolved the game should run smooth. The servers are definitely a turn off but only being the first couple of days and a mmo its hard to not understand. If you are a fan of Skyrim I say this is a must buy whether you wait until the server issues clear or jump right in and face the hiccups as they clear up. For Xbox users who enjoy RPGs but that have never touched an elder scrolls game I'd say wait a few weeks until all the issues resolve and more reviews are out and give it a try. For multiplayer ethutists that don't enjoy RPGs involving tons of dialogue this will not be the game for you. | video-games_xbox |
Par. I normally do not write reviews of products, but I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this game. I have played EA golfs games for a few years now and enjoyed playing them. I liked the progress of the game from year to year and they even inspired me to play real-life golf. Like many of you, I was looking for to playing EA golf on the next gen console. Sadly to say, many of the reviews are dead on.
If you are looking for this game to be similar to TW 14 and that is one of the main reasons why you are buying it, then save your money. There are around 12 golfers and about 8 real courses. There are some fantasy courses that you can play as well.
The game play is fair and the graphics are okay. The camera angle can be a bit tricky if you are using the zoom feature to see the arc of the ball (a feature you can turn on/off). I wish I could zoom in like I could on TW14. The graphics are okay. The fast load times are somewhat true. They are shorter than previous versions, but there is a slight delay between holes. I do feel that some of the greens are too bright and I wish I could control that without having to adjust my TV.
The menus do look a bit generic. The stats that are kept are okay. I have to stroll through the list to see where my golfer ranks in each category. I am not a fan of how I have to select the category either.
Speaking of the created golfer, it is a step back. I was looking forward to creating a golfer with my face. You have limited options on face, head, eyes, body type, etc.
The commentary is okay. After a while, it does get repetitive and it is not that exciting. I do like the fact that they can recall how you played holes in the previous round of a tournament. The celebrations are a bit excessive. Who does the robot after a par on the second hole of the first round of a tournament? Seeing animals just strolling around the course is funny and weird at the same time.
Seeing the crowd animations is nice. Some folks are walking around as you are playing a hole. At times however, folks will just stand there and get hit by the ball; we all know that is not realistic.
I have yet to try the night mode. I am mostly into tournament play so that I can develop my created golfer. By the way, the points (XP) that you earn from playing rounds are automatically assigned for you, unlike in the past where you could choose which attribute (power, putting, etc.) you wanted to assign your points to. You can choose the type of golfer you want to be (Balanced, Precision, Up and Down, etc.) which raises abilities in one category and lowers them in others.
There is no schedule so you can see which tournament is next. There are no country clubs and no Augusta. There is no real-time weather from what I can tell.
I gave the game three stars because when I realized and accepted that features when compared to TW 14. I do like the game play for now. From what I read, EA is going to release patches and content for the game; some may be free but most of it I can imagine will be for pay. I hope this will be the case. Supposedly, EA will update this game and not make a new one new year; this is something that I will have to witness to believe. I hope this helps. | video-games_xbox |
Of course this is like the last ones, but that isn't the point. Overall a great game in the series. The multiplayer is definitely the best in the series (although I'm still sad about not having Hardcore Capture the Flag for the past few games), the campaign gives you some great action (a good variety at that) and a heck of a challenge when the internet is down. And Extinction mode will give you something to play with if you get tired of multiplayer, although it doesn't quite stack up to Zombies, it is still worth trying out.
Story: A good story line with some game play challenge. These maps are where the multiplayer one's originate, and there is a large variety of scenery. The different missions vary quite a bit so you get a fair amount of play in a different style whether you want it or not. Lets be honest, this isn't why you are buying the game.
Multiplayer: It brings out some larger multiplier maps which is very much appreciated, and brings back ricochet for the hardcore modes. The perk style is similar to Modern Warfare 3 and some new weapons and perks are added. This is why you picked up this game! Overall a good improvement over the previous games from the way the HUD and menus are displayed to the actual game play experience. It is easy to pick up if you have played the others, but there are a few new things that will leave you wondering what is going on for a few rounds. The challenges are a welcome addition!!
Zombies... I mean Aliens: Meant to replace the zombies mode, but it isn't quite there yet. If this is why you are picking up the game, you will be a little disappointed. Black Ops II had some great zombies action (especially with the DLCs) with the buildables, but that teamwork is lacking with extinction mode. The customization of the loadout and perks is a great idea, but you probably won't be playing this for hours on end and unlocking secrets for days. Hopefully one of the DLCs will bring back that fun. | video-games_xbox |
Not Great But It's Pretty Good. After playing the oh so awesome (not really) Battlefield 4, I had made my decision to wait to get the next Battlefield game when its price drop. A month or so (I think) after Battlefield Hardline releases, it does. I had to buy it then. With that being said, lets go ahead and get on with the review. If you just want a quick read, skip to summary of the review, located below the double star * line.
Story-
It's short but it's actually pretty good and enjoyable. I didn't get bored like some of the other ones that I've played and thought "I really want to just hurry up and get this over with." Put it this way, it is good enough for me to want to play through the story again.
Multiplayer-
The good-
It's actually pretty good. Is it better than Battlefield 4's? When it comes to the problems? A little bit. Overall? Not really. I like Battlefield 4's better (bigger maps, destruction, etc.). The online mode for hardline is pretty good though. You will still get those "what the $%&@!" moments but it's not as bad as 4. Yes it says Battlefield but with a cops and robbers theme. I honestly like it. It's a break from the same military shooters that we've been getting. This probably helps deal with the problems a little bit more because you aren't playing with the same theme. I don't know but that's just me. There's some differences but not a whole lot.
There aren't a thousand guns in this game like in Battlefield 4 but the amount isn't bad(in my opinion). We could definitely use some more though. The weapons are set up to be in specific classes. They feel pretty good to use. However, I think that the sniper rifles are a little easy to use. I will be honest, when it comes to sniper rifles, I am bad with them. I will give an example. In this game, I can get at least 10 kills and that's on a bad day. Before, I would be lucky if I even get that much on a good one. A lot of people seem to be running around with sniper rifles. I have been in games where almost the majority of the team (seemingly) used sniper rifles. And the bullet drop? Not much it seems. There is also this one sniper rifle that needs to be dealt with. I don't mind getting OHK'd (One Hit Killed) with a sniper rifle AND from a certain distance but come on. You die if you get shot in the toe even though you have 100% health? And no, I am not kidding.
This time (for modes that didn't have it in the past game), console players can now have more players in some of the game modes. Team Deathmatch, for example, allows 64 players to play in a game. While the maps aren't huge like Battlefield 4's, they can make 64 player matches feel chaotic... and fun.
Instead of ranking up to unlock a certain weapon to use, you can just use the money that you earned online to buy them as well as gadgets.
Looks like Dice listened to their customers. They bought back the ability to customize your soldier in the game without needing to get into a match first or use battlelog. I am very happy they did that. Using battlelog was alright but it was better to just customize your soldier in the game while NOT in a match. They allowed this in Battlefield 3 but took it out in 4.
They also decided to leave out Battlefield 4's knifing system... which is fine by me honestly. Don't get me wrong, I liked the knifing system in 4, HOWEVER, it was broken. They should have just left it out. Not only was it too easy to counter, it did not always work (too often). It's pretty frustrating when you have some guy come up and knife you from the front, you hit the counter button in time, yet you still die. I'm glad they brought back the knifing system from Battlefield 3. It was a good idea but poorly executed.
The bad-
Sometimes it seems as if no matter how many rounds I put into a guys noggin, he lives because he has a weapon that's rate of fire is 1200. I've shot other players plenty of times, well before they even pull the trigger, get headshots and all, but they still seem to win because of that gun. Lag and/or bad hit detection maybe? I surely hope so.
Lag can be terrible sometimes, as well as rubberbanding. Rubberbanding however, does not happen much (to me anyways). It sometimes gets so bad that I have to shut the game off. I have played games that ran flawless, then all of a sudden, I'm rubberbanding all over the place and the lag kicks in bad. It can happen when I'm playing in the exact same game. Hit detection can be a pain as well. It's quite annoying when you shoot another player and the hits are not registering. I've died a few times because of that. Yes I am playing in my region and I do not have bad internet (for some that will automatically assume it's because of a person's internet or that it's them. Just because the game works great for one doesn't necessarily mean it will work the same for everyone else. Those two answers are possible, but not always the reason).
Battlefield Hardline will probably be the only or one of the games that a person can say "the majority or a lot of my deaths came from being spawn killed." One example was when me, my team, and the opposing players kept spawning right in front of each other at least 4 times, back to back, no kidding. We were only 30ft away from each other and this time I am not exaggerating. That doesn't happen all the time but it happens a little too much. The spawn points are terrible. I think that this game has the worse spawn points I have ever seen. And maybe this depends on the mode (I play Team Deathmatch majority of the time).
For those that played previous Battlefield titles, they remember that you can demolish buildings with rpgs, tanks, etc. This time, you can't. There is some destruction but not much (in certain maps anyways). That is one of the things that I do not like about Hardline. I can't tell you how many times I've been in situations where the first thing I thought when I saw someone camping in a building was "oh he wants to sit in there? Well I will just blow up his cover!" This is one of the reasons why I preferred the Battlefield series over Call of Duty. You can still destroy some things but not as much as you could in previous titles. Although that can depend on whatever map you are playing, it's still limited.
Also, it seems like shooting your enemy through the fence he is standing behind is pretty useless. You can aim right at the other player, shoot through it, and still not cause any damage.
There are still some problems that exist from the previous game. However, they aren't really as bad. Despite all of that, it is still enjoyable. Is it worth buying premium though? Continue to the summary to find out.
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
Summary-
While Battlefield Hardline is a pretty good game, it is not worth $60. Right now it is on sale for $39.99. Is it worth that much? Since the game has just been just been released and it's pretty good, yes. Despite some of the problems/cons that I have listed above (lag, hit detection, somewhat limited destruction etc.), it is still quite enjoyable and worth playing. However, I'd say pay no more than $40 for it. Is premium worth getting? No. I would wait to buy that when they have a sale on it as well.
I recommend the game overall but If you are a Battlefield veteran (like myself), I still recommend it but if I were you, I would do some research on Hardline before buying it. Really, that statement goes for whether you are a newcomer or a vet. If you're still hesitant, rent it. Renting it is the best option for this one to be honest.
I rate Battlefield Hardline 3/5. | video-games_xbox |
Would Purchase Again. I'm honestly amazed that I'm giving this game four stars, as Dragon Age is one of my favorite series ever (yes, even after DA2). This is still a good rating, but if I'd rated it immediately after playing I likely would have given it 5 STARS EXCELLENT! However, I've had some time to settle down after the hype.
It's a good game, if not a little disappointing. I'll lay out some of my points below. Keep in mind this is specifically for the Xbox 360 version.
- I'll start with the story, because I think that's the most important part of a game. It starts off great, and I love the majority of the game. There's a lot of lore to read and discoveries made about the world. The story itself is nothing I haven't played before, but RPG is my favorite genre and I still love it. I don't always expect the most inventive story. Your hero comes from humble beginnings (humbler than a title like the Herald of Andraste or Inquisitor, at least) and rises to power, the only one who can save the world. Fairly typical RPG stuff, which is not criticism if you love the genre like me. Some people say that it starts to fall short around the halfway point to the end of the game, but the only very noticeable disappointment was...the end of the game. The final boss battle specifically was a joke. It happened too suddenly, and it didn't seem like anything you did throughout the game really mattered. The final boss went down way too easily, and it didn't leave me satisfied. It didn't feel like a heroic finish. If you go on to Youtube you can find dialogue that was cut from the game and there was definitely supposed to be more to the final battle. I'm sad they had to cut that.
- The gameplay is very good, I feel like it's an improvement. I love the exploration and the ability to move around with a character with more freedom (specifically, I like being able to jump around on everything and the evasive rolls). I think the dialogue wheel has been improved, and you can make your character more complex and it's not as confusing as in DA2. I was, however, hoping for more tactics. The tactics screen is a joke. I can't really tell my companions to do anything in any specific situation and I really wish I could. I hope they bring back a tactics screen more akin to the one in DA:O for the next game. The overhead tactical view also has flaws, though some of those have been fixed with patches.
- The soundtrack is very good. The tavern songs are the best, but the instrumental songs are also extremely well done. I love to listen to the background music while wandering around. It's very nice but not distracting.
- Now to the graphics. This is a port, so I understand this was not a game made for the 360. I am grateful they released it to the previous gen consoles, but still, I will say all this just so that others know what to expect. The graphics are not as bad as everyone on the internet may have you believe, but they pale in comparison to the next gen consoles. As I was making my way through the game my first couple playthroughs, I specifically avoided watching anything from the next gens because I didn't want to see how good it could be. I was surprised that everyone complained so much, because they didn't seem that bad to me (then again, graphics are not super important to me). After playing a fair amount, I did look online at videos, and yes, the next gen graphics are way more beautiful. But it obviously has graphical issues even if you don't look at next gen performance. The textures pop in, especially during interactive cutscenes, and some never load at all. Some graphical things were even cut out completely (to compare the scene after you close the first rift and defeat the pride demon, you wake up at Haven, there's supposed to be a crowd cheering for you. This is not in the 360 version at all, and it seemed like a major change to the mood of the scene IMO). All that being said, I don't think it interferes too much with the enjoyment of the game. It still plays well, and the graphics don't make the game unplayable, physically or mentally.
Despite all this criticism, I have a very positive opinion of this game. Overall, if you really like Dragon Age and RPG's, I highly recommend. I recommend even for people who don't love the genre. It has its shortcomings, but would I buy it again? Yes. In fact, now that my PC has been fully upgraded, I probably will. But I'm just a huge fan. | video-games_xbox |
Best Xbox 360 Lite-on Drive On Amazon. This Drive is Well Worth The Money You may Find a Cheaper Dealer That Offers the Product As "New" But a Couple of months back Before i ordered this Drive I Ordered this exact same drive from another Dealer, And When I got the Drive it Looked Brand new from the outside i soon Realized that was a lie, When i opened the Drive up The PCB Board Was Damage, And not by mail this was a piece together drive advertised as "New" The Drive still works but have of it was chipped off. When i Ordered this drive to repair another Xbox 360, immediately when i opened the drive to see if there was any Board or Drive Damage Everything Checked out A-Okay, The only thing that was wrong with is that one of the legs broke off and that was because my mailman tried to shove it in the mailbox as i watch him, (Bastard, He said Sorry By the Way) Flashed the Key Over for The Xbox along With iXtreme 3.0 (Light Touch 3.0) I Do Recommend.
Note: Keep In Mind when you order this drive you either have to flash the key over with stock or iXtreme 3.0 (Which is Legal, It's only illegal When You burn a back-Up of a game that you don't own, Which is considered as Piracy)or You can switch out the PCB Boards (Which Wouldn't Had work in my situation Because the costumer tried flashing there drive on there own and inserted the power cable in wrong, which fried the PCB Board [-___- Dumb ass] Luckily he saved the Key Before the PCB Fried, Honestally i recommend flashing Way Easier then switching the boards ****NOTE**** DISCONNECT ALL THE CABLE'S FROM THE PCB BOARD BEFORE FLASHING OTHERWISE YOU COULD BURN OUT THE LASER, You only need to disconnect the laser but to be safe i disconnect all of them.
More Info Look on youtube for more information. Now if you didn't get your key From the drive before your PCB Went out, The Only Option Left to get the key from the Xbox 360 it's self and the only way to do that is J-TAG ****Really The Only Way**** | video-games_xbox |
Much better than press reviews give it credit for. I've been quite surprised by the relatively mediocre reviews press have been giving Dying Light. That said, I never played a Dead Island game so maybe this feels fresher to me than it really is.
If you enjoy the zombie genre this is a must buy imo.
- Great graphics
- Great controls and fun, fluid parkour system
- Story is good (enough) and voice acting is surprisingly strong
- Lots of interesting weapons and crafting options
- Audio is *really* good
- Not buggy at all (as far as I can tell on XB1)
For example, the game is around a 68-69 on game rankings right now, personally I think it's a high 70's, low 80's quality game minimum. Highly recommended.
Update: Just finished the game
Ok now that I've completed the game I definitely think this is an 80+ for sure. For me it's more like a 9. Reviews that gave it 5 or 6 are out of their minds imo. I enjoyed it immensely - according to the in-game clock I spent 25 hours playing it total over the course of a couple of weeks. A few notes now that I've finished it:
- I almost never went out at night. Chicken! I would always find a safe house and sleep until morning (unless the mission prevented it somehow).
- I did very few side-quests. Only a handful I think. I mostly played the main story quests and then wandered around looting stuff to get gear etc as needed. People complain about the side quests...just don't bother doing them if you find them boring or uninspired or whatever.
- I used guns rarely. Mostly vs humans when there was not threat of virals charging at me from the noise. I think it's a mistake to think of this as a FPS at all actually. Guns seem very secondary to the experience.
- Make sure you upgrade your weapons, it makes a big difference. Also, for the "thrown" weapons, I used Molotovs a LOT. They are great for blocking off zombies trying to reach you, and clearing out large groups. Then loot all the crispy remains. In the early game I used throwing stars too but I used those and firecrackers less and less in the second half of the game. It was mostly molotovs.
- The end of the game wasn't great. I mean, story wise it was fine (no spoilers here). I won't give too much away about what I didn't like about it, but one aspect was it kinda broke the consistency of the rest of the game and suddenly the parkour became a big pain in the butt and the game got quite hard. Meanwhile, it was hard to restock or craft replacements for stuff so I was running out of my preferred weaponry, gadgets and medkits. I got through it, but at one point I almost threw in the towel and said "screw it, I saw most of the game anyway". However, I pushed through and I'm glad I did.
Awesome, awesome game. | video-games_xbox |
Great Story, Solid Play. The story of Wolfenstein: The New Order for Xbox One kept me engaged and the gameplay was exciting. Graphics and sound were just fine. I typically go for RPGs, however, you can always bet that Bethesda will produce a quality game, and you will not be disappointed with Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Great things:
1 -- Excellent story progression. At a certain point, I was compelled to just play through as I was unable to put down my controller. The story left me Googling non-stop to see if there will be a sequel.
2 -- Smooth gameplay. Glitches are usually inevitable, however, I did not notice any with Wolfenstein: The New Order, and that is saying alot.
3 -- It is a fun, yet challenging game. Some foes are quite difficult and it was fun to figure out how to get the upper-hand. The fact that weapons reset at the beginning of each level also added another degree of challenge.
The reason it did not earn 5 stars:
1 -- You cannot save wherever you please. The game only saves at certain checkpoints - there aren't enough of them and sometimes, their placement made no sense. For example, you kill a pack of Nazis and then of course a stronger, more difficult foe comes in. If you die, you have to go all the way back to re-killing everyone in that zone again. Sure, some might say the simple fix is to not die, however, I like to play on a higher difficulty and dying is just part of that until you learn the weak spots of your foe or a good area to hold your ground.
2 -- I had some difficulty with Xbox One audio commands. This might just be my fault as I am still getting to know the Xbox One. The idea of speaking a weapon change is GREAT! However, it just did not work well. I could never get some weapons to change when I commanded them and with the ones that did work, the delay was too much.
3 -- Almost every level in the game is fun, exciting, and engaging. However, the level in the sewers was a big waste of time.
4 -- Gameplay is mostly linear. There are a few chances for alternative routes, but it is NOTHING like Dishonored (which is a bummer because Dishonored is pure perfection).
Totally worth the money and I think there is a high likelihood of at least 2 playthroughs. | video-games_xbox |
The dead don't kill their own. I bought the first couple episodes of THE WALKING DEAD on a whim, being a fan of the show only at the time. Though the price was right, in the back of my mind I was still wondering if it was going to turn out to be just another cash-in of a popular franchise, or even if I'd warm up to its "point and click" format, with which I had absolutely no experience. All of my skepticism was washed away by the end of the first episode. I've played many, many RPGs that tout choice and consequence, moral dilemmas, etc., only to offer up the superficial good reaction/bad reaction with everything else proceeding as normal. THE WALKING DEAD gives new meaning to the concept of choice in video games, dealing with mature situations that few developers would even think about touching. And this is only the first season.
You play as Lee Everett, a former professor on his way to prison in the back of a police car. He's been convicted of murder, and would've gone away for a very long time had the infection not complicated things. Taking shelter from the undead, he meets a young girl named Clementine who has been surviving on her own for several days. The pair make an alliance of circumstance and set out into a world ravaged by the the walking dead. Along the way, they meet up with more groups of survivors - emotional baggage and all - while trying to stay one step ahead of the undead (and, in some cases, the living) and keeping some kind of goal in mind to keep them moving forward.
To say much more would be to spoil one of the finest stories ever written into a video game. There's a reason the zombie genre has been gaining popularity, and it's only partly because of the zombies. The threat of the undead places ordinary people in extraordinary situations. They're up against a mass of creatures that always play by the same set of rules, and it's usually a failure of human cooperation that dooms the survivors. This is where THE WALKING DEAD walks the line so brilliantly, even compared to the first couple seasons of the television series. Lee's only goal in the game is to keep Clementine safe, and the best way to do so is to keep his ragtag group of survivors from getting at each other's throats. They'll occasionally have some vague goal in mind: going to this town or that, heading for the coast or trying to find help in other places, but survival is really the main goal of the game, which is where the choices come in.
If you've played Obsidian Entertainment's <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/ALPHA-PROTOCOL/dp/B001D25M1Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">ALPHA PROTOCOL</a>, then you'll be delighted to hear that Telltale Games took heavy inspiration from its fantastic dialog system. Unlike games like MASS EFFECT, where you can sit and think over a decision that's really bugging you and make an informed decision, THE WALKING DEAD employs a time limit on the decisions that need to be made in a hurry. In my opinion, you will likely be faced with some of the most stressful choices you've seen in a game in some time, choices that sometimes have no good outcomes with one only being slightly worse than the other, and you'll have to make them *now*. By the end of each episode, I was absolutely exhausted.
This isn't made any better by the fact that you'll likely end up caring about most of the characters. Though you won't necessarily like all of them - in fact, you might actually end up despising some of them - circumstances are such that you rely on them for survival. This requires to either play the peacemaker, the antagonist, or even the indifferent one in the group. The choice is pretty much yours.
The "point and click" format works in this instance. Make no mistake, this is a cinematic experience first and foremost. The drama unfolding in front of you, and the ways you're allowed to influence it, is the centerpiece of the game. There are only a few isolated sections where you'll see some action, but they're usually just for effect. In large part, you'll be chatting it up with your group, making/breaking alliances and friendships, investigating different environments, and surviving through scattered quick time events. It doesn't require much investment on the gameplay side of things, but you'll want to stay on your toes through every cutscene.
I can't say enough good things about this game. On the negative side of things, some people might find it a bit off-putting that their decisions don't have enough repercussions down the line. Characters will react to your choices, but the story doesn't change around all that drastically, except in a few key instances. Some then might argue that your choices don't matter, but I'd say they matter no more or less than in games like MASS EFFECT, though the ending for THE WALKING DEAD is much, much more refined. I can honestly say, given my emotional investment with the characters and the story, each and every choice mattered to me.
THE WALKING DEAD has to be one of my favorite games at this point, and I never would've imagined that it would be. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the best zombie stories out there - not to mention one of the best video game stories, period - made all the better by the fact that you can have an impact on it. There are emotional highs, lows, moments when you just want to yell at your fellow survivors through your TV, others when a choice with only seconds left to be made might leave you sweating like a bomb defuser. This is more a story about the human condition than anything else, and how it won't always work in Lee's favor. As one of the characters dutifully points out, "The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta worry about." | video-games_xbox |
Prepare for Titanfall: Evolution of First-Person Gaming. I was raised by the 90's era of shooters: Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, GoldenEye, Duke Nukem and more. The ultra-violence entertained me like nothing else. In the 2000's I was obsessed with Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2, Halo, Battlefield and Call of Duty. Each of those games expanded on the concepts founded by their forefathers in fun and interesting ways, evolving the genre as it went on. But I believe out of all of those titles I mentioned, Call of Duty created a revolution that impacts the whole first-person shooter genre we know today.
Many people nowadays will write off the Call of Duty games as "boring" or "always the same thing" and while that may be true in their eyes, I saw Call of Duty as the next step in first-person shooters. In the early 2000's, it seemed to look like Call of Duty was just another World War II game, but the singleplayer was much more than just shooting Nazis in bland hallways-after-hallways. It was one of the first shooters to make the player actively feel like they were in a playable movie. Call of Duty achieved a mixture of both cinema and gaming unseen at the time and paved the way for a future that we are still working towards even today. And with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007 they re-invented the way we play multiplayer games too. They borrowed the addictive concepts of leveling up, skills and more from the RPG-genre and mixed it with the intensity of multiplayer first-person shooters to give us a game that is highly influential and widely copied to this day. While Doom was the pinnacle of 90's gaming and Call of Duty was the evolution of first-person shooters in the 2000's, Titanfall is the next, gigantic step for this decade of gaming.
Here is some quick background on the making of Titanfall. Respawn Entertainment is a new studio from the majority of employees from Infinity Ward, the studio that was responsible for the original Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2. After the release of Modern Warfare 2 in late 2009, some legal issues hit and the creators of Call of Duty were fired. Soon after, a majority of the Infinity Ward jumped ship to join the creators and their new company in early 2010. Nearly 4 years later, Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall is their revival.
Before I review this game as a whole, allow me get the negatives out of the way first. Many reviewers complain about a lack of content with this game and it is understandable, one of the worse feelings you can feel as a consumer is buying a product for a good amount and not getting your monies worth. But that's not the case, in my opinion. For Respawn's first title, Titanfall offers so much content: 15 varied maps, 5 solid game modes, over 2 dozen weapons, skills, "prestige" system and more. Sure it doesn't seem like a lot when compared to the likes of Call of Duty or Battlefield, but remember that this is the first game from a new company, not a $100 million dollar studio. I can guarantee you that the success of Titanfall will enable a sequel with 10 times more content. But that thought shouldn't justify if its worth your hard-earned money, only you can, but I personally believe Titanfall offers a lot of lasting content for its asking price.
Gameplay-wise, this game is not much different from what you played in other first-person shooters. It resembles Call of Duty the most and its logical: both games were created by the same people. So why try re-work a genre you already perfected? But that isn't a negative to me, they are only expanding on the groundwork they laid a decade ago. Wall-running is a newer way of travel in a first-person shooter and its highly enjoyable, I actually prefer that way of travel more than sprinting on the ground. And the game's titular Titans, which are by far, the best part of this excellent game. Borrowing from previous "mech" concepts such as Macross and Gundam and mixing it with a battle tank, the Titans of Titanfall are among the most fun and feel-good vehicles of gaming. I wouldn't even consider them a vehicle, they are more of an extension of yourself in the world of Titanfall. And in all my years of gaming, nothing is more satisfying than shooting a few enemies, calling down your Titan, wall-running to its drop-point while rockets and bullets whiz past you and finally jumping into the hands of your Titan as it puts you inside and the HUD flickers on-screen and is ready for action. It sends shivers down my spine every time and easily worth the price of admission.
Graphically the game is more artistically impressive than it is technically. On the tech-side, the game runs at a near-constant 60 frames-per-second and looks good doing it, with no hiccups noticed. Artistically, the game is beautiful. The Titans look majestic and intimidating, the Pilots heroic and the environments war-worn and futuristic. Even the background, a part of the game the player cannot go to, looks highly detailed and impressive, so-much-so that I sometimes get killed because I was amazed at how gorgeous it all looked. Visuals are indeed one of the more impressive features of this game.
Audio is by far some of the best among the next-gen consoles. Respawn knows how important audio is to an action game and this game does not disappoint. The heavier weapons make satisfying booms and the lighter guns make fast audio punches that resemble the quick and deadliness of their weapons. The goliath thuds made by a Titan's movement accurately portray how it would feel to be inside a powerful machine such as that. Intense music plays at the beginning of the match to get the blood pumping. I believe an audio theme of "weight" plays heavily into what makes this game so immersive. Overall, this would be a demo-worthy material to show off a surround-sound system.
One of the more controversial features of the game is the "campaign" mode. Instead of spending time creating an actual, separate single-player, Respawn decided to focus on multiplayer and mix the best of both worlds to create a mode that is interesting but highly flawed. Allow me to explain, the concept of mixing solo and multiplayer together sounds great, the on-going storyline playing in the background while I'm riding around in my Titan makes me feel like I'm part of a living world and the cinematic intros really get the adrenaline pumping. But the execution could've been done a lot better, as it wears out its welcome within an hour. But that's mostly due to the story. The story of Titanfall seems to be one of the only things they put on the back burner and is, in my opinion, not that interesting. And also couple the fact that the average gamer would rather shoot and play the game rather than focus on the story, it makes the campaign mode a failed attempt at creating something different. I don't think its a complete failure completely though, I think the game could be even more immersive if they attempted to work on a story that is actually interesting.
At the end of all of this, Titanfall is the evolution of first-person gaming. The little flaws it has can be easily improved in the future and the parts that work are some of the best in gaming. People were expecting a first-person shooter revolution with Titanfall, a game made by the people that practically reinvented the genre, and I don't blame them for thinking that way. But what I say to them is this: Evolution is just steps, big or small, towards a revolution. Titanfall is a colossal step towards that. | video-games_xbox |
Glitch and Cheat 2014. This game is full of glitches and annoyances that will leave you frustrated.
Examples:
Passing - You're WR will be wide open when you throw but don't expext him to be when the ball gets there. Youre WR will have a 3 +step lead on the db and once the ball gets close to the WR the DB will take multiple steps to all of a sudden position himself in front if your WR. On one on one matchups the DBs almost always deflect the ball. If you're running a straight route and are ahead of the DB, the DB will catch up and stop the play most of the time, if not your WR will most likely drop the ball.
No Huddle - When you're running the no huddle your QB will go through a series of motions that takes what seems likes forever before you can snap the ball. This wastes so much time that its sometimes quicker to not go no huddle.
Defense - You could have control of a defensive player moving towards a runner and as soon as you're about to tackle, the player takes a sudden move in the opposite direction, guaranteeing youll miss the tackle. This happens quite often. The CPU is setting you up to fail on purpose.
Blocking - Also CPU forced missed plays. Ive seen lineman and RBs missing blocks by not even moving, just giving the defense a pre determined sack or tfl.
Glitch Fest - I've seen so many crazy things happen that I had to use instant replay just to try and understand what happened. For instance, I threw a pass into the endzone, my receiver missed it ans the ball went out of the endzone bouncing on the ground, yet somehow the db picked up the ball from the ground out of bounds
mind you, and was awarded a 120 yard interception TD return. He never left from out of bounds and never caught the ball! Whaaaaat?
I could go on a longer rant about the multiple glitches and the CPU forced outcomes on multiple plays. Theres is however some positives, the recruiting is finally a pain free process, the coach skills is a nice addition, and the running controls have a nice upgrade. | video-games_xbox |
Great concept, fails on some items, can't wait for RockSmith 2. First, my background: I'm an amateur pianist and guitarist; I've taken several years of lessons, familiar already with chords, picking, hammer-ons/pull-offs, bends, etc. But by no means am I actually any good at playing guitar in a real setting. So that's where I am.
I have to say that I love this game. I'll break it out into pro's and cons.
Pro's.
1) Play with a real guitar. Totally awesome. There's a little lag for me, but I haven't yet hooked up the XBox sound directly to my stereo, so that might solve it. No biggie.
2) I really like the idea of the game automatically making your second go through a song harder. I wish this was an option that you can disable I could work on a particular version of the song, but it's still a neat idea. My real guitar teacher wouldn't let me do the same thing over and over and would instead constantly challenge me and this is like that. Though I definitely agree with other reviewers that the engine itself needs tweaking since it switches between "Eric Clapton" and "Monkey with Guitar" modes too easily (thank you, reviewer, who gave me that phrase!).
3) I REALLY like that many songs have both picking versions and chord versions; and the songs in the store look fantastic!
4) After about an hour of playing a few songs, I certainly feel like I've had a lesson with my teacher. It's awesome.
Cons.
1) The single biggest con of this game is its user interface. It is maddening and confusing. I still don't know why some things are here versus there and how to do certain things (why can't I replay a song in my venue screen, instead I have to search for it under Songs?). It's also dark and the navigation just unintuitive. It desperately needs a re-think.
2) No fingering! Fingering makes all the difference when playing and the game does not give suggestions for which fingers to use; this is a major downside for beginner guitarists (and worse for those of you who have never actually picked up a guitar before this game).
3) I also don't exactly like the gameplay interface. When notes are falling towards your strings, it's not obvious which order to play them in because they are too close together.
4) Finally, I don't like that each string is a color. So I have to memorize that red is the 6th string, yellow is the 5th, blue is the 4th, etc. I'd rather they used the number (and maybe even the note!) because that is closer to reality. As a guitarist you will play the E string rather than the red string. Just sayin'.
To summarize: awful and awkward user interface, but the concept has great promise if re-thought. I certainly enjoy this game even given its cons. In the end, it still does a good job at exercising my fingers and pushing me to improve my guitar playing. | video-games_xbox |
It's not Fable as it used to be. I haven't beat the game yet so I can just talk about what I've played so far. Since it is a Kinect game it is way-way more limited than a regular game. Basically what you do is ride a horse, stop to rest (clean, feed, give water to the horse), fight here and there, go back to the horse. Ride the horse is more fun than fight, since it is not very accurate - actually my husband is playing and yelling at the game right now - so if the targets are far, its quite hard to hit them. Once they get pretty much in front of you you can kill them. And it is pretty easy to kill.
The story hasn't been that interesting either. A young man (you do not have the option of choosing a character) that eventually meets Teresa and go on from there.
The first Fable I played was the third one, so I wasn't disappointed at it at all. Actually that made me buy Fable 2, and when I eventually bought Fable (the original one) it wasn't very fun as the graphics were quite old. So the fun about playing Fable is you making your choices, having plenty quests to do as you desire and making your own path. This Fable isn't that at all, so I do not like playing it. The only option you have is what you are going to upgrade and there are not many options. The chests are stupid. All you get is cards from stuff you've seen at the other Fables - A card of a pie, a dog ball, a gargoyle... So far I haven't seen a use to them.
The balls [I am sorry, don't know how to call those things you get that gives you experience (red, green and blue)] you just get them on the road and there's no difference. They all go towards the same thing that lets you upgrade something. The only difference is that according to the color you need a different speed from your horse to pick them. So that's another thing kind of stupid.
About people complaining of getting tired... Sorry to tell but it is a kinect game, so you have to use YOUR BODY to play. And actually you can play sitting, so that's a good thing. If I compare with the game it comes when you buy the Kinect, I play that for 5 minuted and I am dying, Fable Journey you can play for half an hour and you should be ok. And I do not do any exercise so no excuses.
My final point is: If you want to try it, go ahead and play it. But I am not sure if it's worth 50 dollars. Maybe you could just find a way to rent, have it for a couple of weeks and be done with it. I feel like I wasted way more than its worth it and I am already considering to sell it. Or maybe the game will get so many bad reviews that the price will go down pretty soon... | video-games_xbox |
Prepare to have hand cramps from mashing buttons. This game looked intriguing to me. It had that sci-fi, mutant bug everywhere, everything is trying to kill you, you are a one man/woman army who must save the world feel that I oh so crave. The visuals are nice(so purty) but I've come to expect nothing but the best from my beloved X-box. This game pits you against millions and millions of bugs and you have nothing but your insane dash/jump abilities and some very sci-fi-esc weapons to defeat them. This was one of the first games I played after I got my X-box hooked up, and I must say that this game got me very familiar with the X-box's controller layout(which by the way some think is insanely huge but I think is very comfortable). The levels are a bit confusing, but just keep in mind that everything must die(use the map). I spent over an hour trying to figure out how to get to a door. The most exciting part of this game(i.e. what makes it so unique) is it's button mashing control system which has you press the jump button, then the analog stick in while pushing forward, then backward, then to the side, then to the other side, and then to the front again. Congratulations, you now know how to play the game. During the first or second mission(i don't remember) there is this huge hole in the ground with some flying bug creatures. Once you take care of them, go play with the jump/dash over the cratered area, but stay above the jets of air that will shoot you up in the air if you screw up. I did this for an hour and I think I am a pro at the game now. This game is extremely frustrating when you press a button wrong and quit jumping around in the air and fall into a big mass of bugs(and oh will they kill you fast!). I would not suggest this game for children, anyone who doesn't have patience, anyone who frustrates easily, or anyone who likes a game that you can easily pray a spray(i.e. just shoot your weapon in random directions hoping that you will hit something)and defeat the competition. There is a steep(we're talking mount Everest) learning curve that makes this games player's limited. To recap, buy if you are a sci-fi fan, a big one, and don't if your not. It is as simple as that. | video-games_xbox |
There's few things I hate more that a great game that didn't get the recognition it deserved. Vexx is easily one of the greatest hidden classics on the original Xbox. As far as puzzle/platformer games go this is one of the most memorable I've ever played. Vexx is easy to get into, but difficult and challenging to complete. Completing the challenge of this game is highly satisfying.
I'll start with the storyline, which leads into the goal of the game. Spoilers past this point. The story starts in the ruins of the world of Astara, with the protagonist Vexx, who is living peacefully in his village when it is attacked by the main villain, Dark Yabu, who is the leader of a group of destructive, otherworldly beings called Shadow Wraiths. Yabu enslaves everyone and ultimately ends up killing Vexx's grandfather, who sacrifices himself to keep Yabu from killing Vexx. Vexx sneaks onto Yabu's airship and finds the main weapon of the game, the Astani wartalons which permanently fuse to his hands, destroying the airship in the process. This leads to the tutorial, which reveals the ultimate goal to collect the energy filled hearts, created from Shadow Wraiths that burst from consuming to much of the energy that fuels the rift portals that connect the worlds of the game. Vexx must collect Wraith hearts from each world in order to power up the next portal, until he can open the portal to the Landspire and destroy Yabu, who is currently devouring the soul of Vexx's grandfather. Apart from a few more cut-scenes, you aren't given much of the story. To find out why the world is the way it is and how it got that way, you have to find scrolls, that are part of the diary of the game's narrator and last surviving member of the world's previous inhabitants, Reia. I personally like how the game reveals the story, letting the player decide whether to focus on solving puzzles to complete the game, or unraveling the mystery of Astara's destruction.
Level and game design in Vexx is fantastic. There are nine worlds all connected by the games portal system the Rift Hub. Each world having it's own rich and unique design and puzzles. Ranging from murky swamps with ancient hidden temples, to massive ice covered windmills surrounded by frigid gales of wind, to bone dry deserts with massive skeletons of long dead legendary beasts taking up half them, each level has its own to depth and richness that you'll want to explore. To top all of this off each world has music that really adds to the atmosphere of the current world. Character design is good, especially around Vexx himself. Vexx is small, fuzzy, and has the nose of a cute animal, yet manages to be badass, powerful, and a fearsome warrior. Vexx is a silent protaganist, he only communicates through growls, snarls, angry facial expressions, and flipping off his enemies. Enemies in the game are a strange and warped looking bunch, consisting of the violent fauna of Astara and Yabu's forces. There isn't anything particularly scary about them, but they manage to be memorable anyway. There are a few unique characters in the game worlds that have special challenges associated with them. The supporting characters don't show up outside of a few cut-scenes, so the only other source of information you get about them is Reia's scrolls.
Gameplay is all about solving puzzles and completing various platforming elements to collect the Wraith hearts. These aren't cute Valentine's day/Legend of Zelda hearts either. These are swollen, grotesque hearts, purple with corruption and still pulsating with the devoured Rift energy. Each time you collect heart you automatically warp back to the hub, which is good because some of these hearts require you to make a leap of faith into the empty void surrounding the chunks the planet that each world sits on. There are a total of 81 hearts to be found, but you only need 60 to get to Yabu and finish the game. I like how the designers gave the player a choice between collecting everything or simply doing the bare minimum. Before you enter the Rift portal to a world a screen appears showing the hearts you have or haven't collected. Scroll between these hearts will show you a riddle related to solving the puzzle neccesary to get that heart. All hearts have a puzzle or challenge that need to complete to get to them, often with death as the punishment for failure. Patience, speed, and cunning are your best friends here. Mastering the various jumps and acrobatic moves is critical to sucess, thankfully these are all intuitive and easy to get use to. There is a fair amount of combat, most of which is as simple as learning the tactics of the enemies and tearing into them with Vexx's Wartalons. There is also the frenzy meter that Vexx can fill up by fighting enemies or launching them into the air and juggling them with attacks. When full, Vexx can shoot deadly energy bolts from his hands for a short time. Apart from the unique enemies, there is only one boss fight in the game, the final showdown against Yabu. This fight is quite difficult because of the lack of blocking, you have to dodge every attack thrown at you and there isn't a dedicated dodge move either. With only six hits needed to kill Vexx, don't expect to win on the first try.
Puzzle fans absolutely need to add this game to their classic games collection. I would love to see a sequel to this game, but with Acclaim long dead, the chances of this happening are near nil. | video-games_xbox |
A great gift for someone you don't like. It's very rare I find an RPG I don't like but Resonance is one of them. I wasn't sure what to expect from the reviews but I never expected something so backward and primitive. It incorporates some of the worst features of old video games.
The thing that seems to impress and most people is the battle system, it's complex so people have a difficult time explaining it but stripped of all it's bells and whistles it works on a simple premise that some terrible NES games used. An idea that should have been left dead and buried in the 1980's. Doing special moves depletes your life bar. That's all you need to know but I'll elaborate anyway. You must use special moves because you are weak without them they cost a nugget of life which you can get back if you meet a damage requirement but unless you are fighting much weaker enemies meeting the requirement is just luck and guesswork. They call this the hero gauge but it should be called the suicide gauge.
Another blast from the past is not being able to save in the field. Combine that with the fact that the game is very unforgiving about death and you'll be running back to the "inn" over and over to save like you were playing Final Fantasy 1 on the NES. Resonance does allow you to retry the battle for a modest fee which is good if you screwed up a winnable battle. However if you stumbled into a battle you can't win you are trapped and your only escape is to reload your last save(more suicide).
The way Resonance makes you grind is also reminiscent of early RPG's. The NES had it's limits, without grinding the game would be over too quick and it wasn't possible to give you enough side quests to make the grinding seem like it served a purpose other then leveling up. Modern games provide you with a surplus of side jobs to keep you busy and if grinding is involved for a task or achievement you can choose if and when you do it. Like an NES game resonance frequently leaves you with nothing to do but grind before you can progress. You're gonna grind, and you're gonna grind when the game decides it's time for you to grind.
Other then the battles there are three other elements to Resonance; the towns, the world, and the dungeons. The towns are pretty much a 2D side scroll with two shops and an inn. The world is a 2D overhead viewed grid of hexagons, you are a small peg that you mouse over the grid with the left stick. The dungeons are a stings of hexagon shaped rooms with one battle in each room. You progress from room to room like a tournament fight with the boss at the end.
Resonance could have been a fun throwback type game had they not gone out of their way to make it annoying and frustrating. It's the kind of game that makes you want to throw your controller through the TV. | video-games_xbox |
A 4 star game with 3 star controls. I have played roughly 30 hours of this game so far, and there are some highlights. Tremendous animation, complex/interesting story, lots of places to go, lots of quests, amazing fight scenes, interesting and unique potions and powers, great x-rated visuals and banter, great characters, realistic voice acting, some creative additions like arm wresting and dice, very quick loading...but I am a veteran gamer (closing in on 30 years of gaming) and this one smells of lessons unlearned:
- Inability to save whenever you want. This is a colossal failure in this game particularly, because many cut scenes propel you into combat after combat, with no opportunity to save. You just keep watching, praying for either victory or a save button.
- And while on the subject of cutscenes, there are just too many and they are just too complex. It is nice that you can skip them, but it at times feels like I am playing a movie, with limited participation.
- Entering buildings and areas tells you nothing of where you are going. The door goes to the Inn or Brothel? Or to just some guy's house?
- The banter is repetitive. If a character near you is saying the same thing over and over again, the reality is lost.
- Many quests leave you with no idea where to go or what to do. You have to "find someone", but no way to know where she is. Talk to everyone in the city? Search every corner? Is this fun? She is hiding in the forest in some ruins, but I only know this because I looked it up.
- The fighting encourages button mashing. In fact my thumb hurts just thinking about this game. And often, the fighting is just too easy or too hard. I realize this is a difficult balance to strike, but some realism is missing here.
- No ability to jump or fall. The action plays like it is on rails. I can't go over a tiny rock, I have to go around. The paths are painfully predetermined.
- On screen mapping is poor. It is almost impossible to tell where you are going. The offscreen map is nice, so I found myself bouncing back and forth to get anywhere.
This game has a lot to offer, but the interface issues make me not want to play as much. I have a feeling that this could be an interesting series, that could be taken to the level of Skyrim in a Witcher 4 or 5 (just as Skyrim is an Elder Scrolls 5) but for my time and thumb muscles, Witcher 2 is a 2012 game with 1 foot caught in the past for some reason. | video-games_xbox |
Capcom Arcade Goodness on one disk. If you were a child in the eighties and nineties, I'd be willing to bet you spent more than your fair share of quarters on old arcade cabinets when you were a kid. Capcom has several great arcade games to their name, and these range from brawlers, to shooters, to even platformers. And if names like Final Fight, Ghouls and Goblins, Gun. Smoke, and Mercs are enough to make you nostalgic, then boy are you in for a treat. This is a compilation of twenty two total arcade classics from the guys who gave us Mega Man and Mike Haggar. While Final Fight, one of the beat 'em up titans that every self respecting brawler fan should play at some point in their life, is the crowning jewel of this collection in my opinion, each of these games is great to play. And this isn't your censored, watered down Super Nintendo Final Fight, we're talking the Arcade Original, no censorship to be had.
Are these games to tough for you? Too Easy? If you don't like the default difficulty, you can lower or raise it to your liking. Some games even have an infinite credits option, and even a difficulty that can be lowered or raised. So whether you are a noob who needs a bit of help, or a total bad dude or dudette who thrives off the challenge that tough as nails games provide, CCC has you covered. The games control very well and the button layouts can be modified to your liking. Some games even have a new sound option if the original sounds don't take your fancy. The screen size can also be changed, and let me just say, Final Fight looks awesome at full screen.
I only have two small gripes with this game. First off, there are no saves, you cannot save and come back to your progress later. While this is minor, it would be nice to be able to save and leave, and pick up where I left off. My other gripe is that this game is NOT backwards compatible on the Xbox 360. These are two minor annoyances, but they are far from deal breakers.
In conclusion, whether you are a fan who played these timeless classics as a kid, and want to relive the cherished memories, a newbie who wants to see what they were born to late to experience, or just an Xbox Collector looking for a cheap edition to your Big Green, Capcom Classics Collection is a clear cut winner. If you're concerned about price, I'll just say this. You probably spent more money playing the cabinets as a kid than you will picking this game up for your console. | video-games_xbox |
Fun game. 007 Nightfire is out for all major platforms, in time for the latest Bond film. The graphics are stunning, gameplay is amazing. Well worthy of the series!
I'm a huge fan of the Bond games, and we have all of the previous ones. We got this one as soon as it came out, and were definitely not disappointed!
The graphics are a huge step up from previous versions. In the first 'training' mission, you're driving a car through city streets. The lights reflect off of the curves of the car, you can see inside to all of his controls and movements, the dents show up realistically, the back up lights glow softly, and if you bash it a bit, the trunk comes loose. The city around you has cobblestone streets, water rippling, streetlights that come down when you hit them. The attention to detail is just amazing!
As you then move on through the various levels, you see this same level of detail everywhere. From the Austrian castle and other alpine scenes, to the city scenes, watery scenes and more, each really shines.
The plot is very engaging and typically Bond. But in an attempt to show that this isn't about violence - he's a SPY after all, not a Rambo - you get bonus points for being stealthy instead of blasting in with guns, and for stunning or capturing enemies instead of killing them.
In fact, just about every area can be 'accomplished' in many ways. Bluster your way into an objective by a full frontal assault ... or sneak in the side way for extra points. Since you're also rewarded for your time and health, often the sneaky, non-violent way is the best.
You've got a huge array of equipment, weapons, armor and vehicles, and all work just the way you'd expect them to. I found the default controller configuration REALLY annoying, but a quicks stop in the config area got it back to the way I'm used to playing.
Plus, there's multiplayer! Play with up to four people at once on REALLY great maps with quite a bit of customization options on each one. Grab some bots for practice, and play arena, team arena, king of the hill, capture the flag, or other game types.
Definitely worthy of the Bond series, and highly, highly recommended to any first person shooter fan! | video-games_xbox |
Am I a little late to the dance. Let me start this review by saying that the price range of $10-$15 for this game is a steal and I'll tell you why. Although my review is many years after this game came out, if you enjoy firefight and still play halo 3 this is what you'll want to buy.
From the campaign stand point it is very short and slightly confusing at first. Basically you are 'Rookie' an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) and you travel through the Mombasa streets trying to locate the rest of your team. Now it is slightly confusing because you'll wander the streets after every mission to locate another piece of evidence then enter another mission and rinse and repeat. On easy mode you can clear the entire campaign in 1.5-2 hours, no joke, playing on legendary would probably be in the 5-6 hour range. And campaign along with firefight is co-op up to 4 players.
But luckily campaign isn't the main selling point. Most likely you purchased this game for the firefight, which isn't my style of games but there is quite a few different firefight missions and with a party of 2-4 depending on the difficulty each mission can take multiple hours until you eventually run out of lives. Firefight is the Halo version of Horde Mode in Gears of War or Zombies from Call of Duty.
Some changes from Halo 3 to Halo 3 ODST are your VISR mode which is kind of like night vision and it also outlines enemies in red making them easier to be seen. Other changes are you cannot dual wield weapons, the SMG has a silencer, and there is a new enemy known as the engineer which basically floats around providing an over shield to nearby enemies.
There is also Theater mode which will allow you to watch previous campaign missions and firefight missions to take screenshots or record clips if you'd like. Although it is essentially your Halo 3 file share as well you cannot watch clips or films from the Halo 3 matchmaking.
Now that's all on the first disc, the second disc is a great bonus upon buying this game. On disc two you will be given the Halo 3 matchmaking disc which includes all Halo 3 maps including DLC and all other modes excluding the Halo 3 campaign. So you get theater mode and custom games along with all maps and DLC. Which if you're still playing halo 3 this is a good deal since most playlists will require all DLC.
So even though I'm 5 years late to the review party hopefully someone out there is helped by my review lol. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent headset with impressive versatility. The versatility of this headset is impressive. Not only does it work with a variety of popular game systems, but it also works with computers, mobile devices, TVs, and pretty much anything with an audio-out jack. I use it more for listening to music on my iPhone and watching movies on my laptop than gaming.
First off, the headset looks really cool with its blue glow and clear case that lets you see the circuits inside. The mic slides into the case and can be extended when needed. The headset has 3 audio profiles--pure audio, bass boost, and immersive (virtual surround sound)--that can be cycled through with a click of the mode button located near the mic on the headset. Powering on and off is just a simple press-and-hold of the button on the left side of the headset and an audible alert lets you know when it has turned off (something I wish my Vengeance 2000 headset did to keep me from accidentally leaving it on).
Wireless use of the headset requires that you plug the included transmitter into a powered USB port. It's about 2-3 times larger than a thumbdrive and has a standard audio cable attached that can then be plugged into the audio device (there are a variety of connectors included). The range has been pretty good for me and I've rarely, if ever, had problems with distorted audio or interference.
I estimate the USB charging cable to be about 6' long, giving you a long leash to snake it around whatever obstacles you have to in order to still listen while charging.
My only gripe is that I can only wear the headset for a few hours before the pressure on my temples begins to give me a headache. My Corsair Vengeance 2000 headset has swivel ear pieces, which lets the headset fit more naturally on my head, whereas the Afterglow are rigid. This is usually only a problem when I'm listening to music for hours or watching a long movie, though. I'm a slimmer guy, so it's reasonable to say that my head is probably slimmer than the average gamer's, and that may be the cause of the discomfort after long periods of time. Nonetheless, I do love this headset and highly recommend them. | video-games_xbox |
Battlefield 4. There are several reviews that have stated that Battlefield 4 is of poor quality, more specifically, people have criticized Battlefield 4 for the graphical elements, poor spawn placement, hit-markers being non existent, among other things. I purchased the game on release date for Xbox 360 and started playing the multiplayer, which I personally thought was pretty entertaining, and enjoyable with new abundant additions, such as range finders, zeroing scopes, new camouflages, additional game modes, and additional weapons, as well as the new Frostbite 3 engine. Although I enjoy the game, I will admit it does have some faults, including spawning in front of an enemy, hit markers disappearing, the textures not loading, and the game freezing multiple times. However, some of these faults are due to the systems limitations rather than the game itself. Because the Xbox 360 only has 512 MB of RAM and a Tri-Core Xenon processor; the game's features are limited by the consoles' ability to render the textures, which in turn makes the game look visually unappealing at first. However, after the textures are rendered (which takes about 20 seconds or so from when you first spawn in), the game actually has very good graphics. The freezing is also do to the limitations of this generation of consoles, however, it should improve greatly with the next generation.
As for the single player, I have only played a few missions, which so far are ok, but the story seems to be very clich, and the AI in the campaign take too many shots to kill (about 5 shots with 5.56x45mm NATO to the chest, using CZ-805), in addition, my single player progress has been deleted a few times, which is something that DICE definitely needs to fix.
Even with the bugs that the game currently has, I believe that at its core, Battlefield 4 is a good game, and hopefully when DICE fixes these bugs, the game with shine at its full potential. | video-games_xbox |
Tons of content, polished gameplay, and one beautiful looking fighter. I have played every single Tekken ever since the original arcade back in the 90s and I'm a fan of all fighting games. I'll keep this short and sweet with basic bullets and facts. + for positive, - for con, and * for neutral.
Gameplay:
+ Classic but refined Tekken system that retains the foundation from Tekken 6 but adds Tag mechanics that add another layer of depth and strategy.
+ Tag Assault combos add a whole new realm to explore in terms of combos and maximizing your damage to finish off opponents.
+ Game can get very intense and it has many "edge-of-your-seat" moments when it gets down to "last hit wins" on both players and you're desperately trying to get a raw tag in to save your character.
+ Online gameplay is very smooth much like that of GGPO quality or Super Street Fighter IV's netcode. Playing on 4 out of 5 bars of connection is average among most players but you will face little to no lag. 5 bars is like you're next to someone on the couch.
+ Earning money to customize characters isn't as much of a grind as it was in Tekken 6.
- Rage system can be a bit overwhelming at times similar to Marvel vs. Capcom 3's "X-Factor" mechanic. Rage gives you a damage buff (not speed, thank god) whenever your character is at low health.
* The game can be difficult to start out with and is somewhat noob friendly but it's also very rewarding once you put the time in and you see how you're improving and how your reactions are getting better.
Graphics/Audio:
+ Improved graphics on skin detail and other minor touches such as dirt or liquids (poison/gas) getting stuck to characters.
+ Motion blur returns and makes the characters fluid like in Tekken 6.
+ Backgrounds and stages have more going on than they did in Tekken 6 and have more detail.
- Background details are removed during online play, this could be a good thing for people that find it distracting.
Features:
+ Every possible fighter that was playable in the Tekken series is added. There are over 50 total characters!
+ Combot Mode teaches new players the in's and out's of Tekken as well as common tactics in fighting games such as punishing.
- There isn't a single player mode outside of Combot Training such last game's Scenario Mode or Tekken Force.
- Outside of fighting there isn't much to do in terms of mini games such as previous Tekken games like Tekken Ball or Tekken Bowl. There is however your standard modes in Tekken such as Team Battle, Survival, Time Attack etc. At the time of this writing, the Wii-U version is getting Tekken Ball as a feature.
Overall, this is one of the most definitive Tekken games ever and if you're a Tekken fan you should definitely pick it up. If you're interested then you should at least give this game a try. | video-games_xbox |
Not a Call of Duty rehash, but that's a good thing. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series is such a blockbuster that every FPS inevitably gets compared to it. That seems to be why this game is getting rather mediocre reviews; if you're looking for a MW2 look-alike, this ain't it. But I don't think it was meant to be either. The whole advertising campaign revolved around its uber-realism as it is loosely based on US SOF activities in Afghanistan immediately following 9/11. Everything from the lingo to the settings and gameplay aspire to give you the closest possible experience of being a "Tier One" operator (the top dawgs of the SOF community). On this front I think they did a decent job.
Single player: As I previously mentioned, the single player campaign is based on the initial invasion of Afghanistan in the weeks following 9/11. You play in various alternating roles including a Navy SEAL, a Ranger, and an Apache pilot. The campaign is pretty fun because it's a good combination of traditional FPS and newer roles like calling in Air Support, .50 cal long-range sniper, Apache pilot, etc... It is very realistic (to the point where you might not understand what they're saying if you're not familiar with Military-speak, e.g. 5 mikes instead of 5 minutes or RTB instead of return to base). As far as glitches I didn't really notice many. I did have one where my ATV got stuck in between two trees and that required a reset but it seemed like a freak accident and I wasn't too annoyed. I thought the graphics were pretty good, but I'm pretty forgiving of things like frame rate, graphics etc for what it's worth. As far as difficulty I don't think it was too easy. They have a Tier One mode that is unlocked for each level after it is completed. Everyone who said it was too easy probably didn't play on it. Although I do wish the campaign was a bit longer I don't think it was atrociously short; but you can easily finish it in a weekend.
Multiplayer: There are a few types of games: team deathmatch, team objective, sector control, and you get to choose between 3 classes of soldiers, each with their own weapons: Rifleman, Special Ops, Sniper. You level up each class separately by playing in that class. The points system is a basic 10 points for each kill plus bonus points for particular achievements (head shots, tier 1 kills, double kills, etc...) The gameplay is a little different than you'd expect based on the single player. For example the button layout is different and a lot of functionality from the single-player mode is disabled, such as the slide to cover or going prone. Yes you read that right: you can't go prone in multiplayer. But it's a good thing because otherwise snipers would be unstoppable as there is no kill cam. This game emphasizes shooting skill as the explosives (grenades, rockets) are very weak and unless someone is right next to the explosion they will survive. It's nice because it more or less eliminates noob tubing, but these limitations also give an advantage to snipers in some levels (particularly Diwagal Camp). It would be nice if they enabled the slide to help dodge snipers. There are also kill streak rewards, although they're not as elaborate, or fun, as those in COD:MW.
Overall I think it's a fun game and I don't regret buying it. I give it a solid 4 stars. Here are some of the things that can be improved upon and make it 5-star worthy: a longer single player campaign, ability to slide in multiplayer, more involved kill streak rewards, rebalancing teams that are obviously uneven, and making the Diwagal Camp less sniper-friendly (how about a tunnel to cross valley?). | video-games_xbox |
Not worth the trouble. Initially I found the controller to be a little awkward to use, but I eventually got used to it. I liked the adjustable stick tension and how easy it is to press the face (a,b,x,y) buttons. To me it seems like the triggers have too long of a pull to fully depress them though.
HOWEVER, none of this matters. My controller died after about 28 days of having it. During this timespan I maybe used it for 5 hours total. An issue arose where the controller would constantly send the signal that I was pressing the back button. While playing Call of Duty online this constantly brings the scoreboard up making it impossible to play. I contacted Razer to request a repair/replacement. A few days later I received a response saying that the easiest way to receive a replacement would be for me to return it to the retailer I purchased it from. However, by the time I received this response my return window on Amazon expired. I contacted Amazon customer service and was told that they were very sorry for my inconvenience and that a replacement controller would be overnighted to me at no charge and that I could ship the defective controller back in the same packaging. AMAZON HAS THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE OUT OF ANY RETAILER I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH!
Once I began to use my second controller everything seemed great again. However, again just a few days after the return window my controller developed a similar defect of signaling random button presses. At this point I decided it was not worth my time to deal with an obviously defective product so I again contacted Amazon this time for a refund. I was told that they would make an exception and allow me to receive a refund even though my return window expired. I sent my controller back and was refunded $40 of my originally paid $50. I was slightly annoyed that I didn't get a full refund, but kind of understood that I could have easily been told that there are no exceptions and could have been stuck with an useless controller. I feel if I had pushed the issue I could have received the full refund, but felt that would be petty since Amazon was so helpful throughout the whole process. Had I purchased the product directly through Razer you bet I would have demanded a full refund.
SUMMARY: Do not buy this controller unless the manufacturing issues have been worked out. I received my two controllers when they first came out so Razer may have very well fixed the issue I kept having. I figured my review my help someone so I went ahead and posted it even though it is possibly outdated. | video-games_xbox |
Factory Reloads. GoldenEye was the Nintendo 64's staple game for the console and sold over 8 million units, long before Halo and Call of Duty, Rare's GoldenEye could show that console based FPS games can be enjoyable. With the movement of retro gamming in the Video Game Community GoldenEye was an obvious game tapped for an HD remake for the current generations of consoles.
However GER is not a remake, it's a reimagining. Unlike the HD remake of the original Perfect Dark that was just a graphical up grade, GER was built from scratch.
Daniel Craig replaces Pierce Brosnan, in fact with the exception of M, the entire cast is replace, there's no Sean Bean, no Famke Janssen, no Izabella Scorupco, even Joe Don Baker is missing. Because of the recasting, the time line of the game is bumped up to the present, the game taking place sometime after `Quantum of Solace'. The order of the levels is also rearranged, the statue level is AFTER the archive level and the location of the secret GoldenEye Station is moved from Cuba to Nigeria and the motivation of Alec Trevelyan is changed from an Lienz Cossack that wanted revenge to an idealistic anarchist.
Outside of the single player campaign, which only takes about takes about twelve hours, I beat it in two days, there is also a selection of challenge maps: elimination, stealth, etc. Along with the usual package of multiplayer maps.
Dose this equal a bad play experiences? No it doesn't, GER is a good game, but it's not a great game
Some of the game play elements include the Halo "Two weapon" rule along with a pistol that Bond can not swap. The game contains a "classic oo7 Experience" difficulty where your health dose not regenerate and you must rely on body armor to get yourself alive. When Bond ducks behind any low objected for cover he will pop up when using iron sites on what ever gun is being used. There's a host of weapons to chose from, oddly very little gadget use (the most used gadget is of all things, a cell phone). Combat is both smooth and challenging. The games quick time events are somewhat confusing, using just the left and right trigger and sometimes the b-button, however they are thankfully few and far between. Stealth, although not emphases, can be an important part of the game, if you are sneaky and just used your silenced pistol, you can clear out a whole area that only has five or six baddies instead of shooting through twenty in a prolong shoot out. The tank mission is easier to navigate and officers more things to blow up and as dressing the graphics, although not as good as they could, are eye pleasing with smooth facial expressions.
Most of the issues that I have with this game are cosmetic and the ideal of "if it an't broke don't fix it." I did find this game easier to play then the original N64, but it negates the efforts of the pervious James Bond. | video-games_xbox |
Solid and Enjoyable Game. I don't plan on writing a lengthy review, most reviewers have already touched on the hits and misses with this title. However, if you enjoy the movie series and want to play a FPS that's refreshing and different, give this game a spin.
PROS:
-All three species have their pros and cons, I believe the game is very balanced. It's just a matter of figuring out which species fits you best. Personally, i've had the best of luck with the Predator, but i'm improving playing as the Alien. The Predator is good for stealthy kills and the Alien is good for stealth and quick-strike attacks. However, the Marine has advantages too. If you see an Alien or Predator coming from a distance, it's very easy to score a kill on them.
-True and accurate of the franchise. The weapons and character models are spot on. The environment and sound effects are great as well. The Alien uses its tail and claws for attacking, the Predator has razor claws, a blaster cannon, and a throwing disc, the Marine has a variety of weapons including an automatic rifle, machine gun, and flame thrower.
-Multiplayer is a blast! Tons of different game modes and very challenging.
-I have enjoyed the campaign modes for the Alien and Predator thus far. The story is solid and the gameplay is fun and interesting. Playing through these campaigns is a good way to learn all three species before you enter online play.
-Survivor Mode is a fun addition. Basically you are a Marine and have to try to survive through wave after wave of Alien attacks.
CONS:
-Graphics could have been better. The graphics for this 2010 game are slightly above average. I was expecting better, but it doesn't hurt the experience much.
-Game play needs tweaking. I appreciate the fact that trophy kills can be difficult and that there is a sense of strategy to the game. However, the melee attack system is somewhat flawed. It can prove really difficult to get accuracy out of a melee attack.
Overall, I highly recommend this game. It's not your typical boring shooter that you've played 100 times already. The different classes of species really offer variety/balance and require a lot of strategy. The campaign modes are fun and really help you learn how to master each species for online play. If the game would have had better graphics and slight gameplay tweaks, it would have been an easy 5/5. | video-games_xbox |
Halo 2 really does meet the hype. I loved the first Halo. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Halo 2 but I have kind of felt in the back of my head that there is no way that Halo 2 can meet the hype. Well I got the game yesterday and I have been very happy with it.
Pros:
1. I love that you can hop on an enemy vehicle when the they go by, punch them and throw them off. On the covenant "Wraith" you even have to punch through the top to pull them out, or throw a grenade in. I found that to be excellent attention to detail. You can operate more vehicles and there are more options when you do.
2. The Plot is very good, and you really want to watch the video in between levels.
3. The graphics are surprisingly much better than the first Halo. The videos are amazing and the actual game graphics have great detail. (In the Multiplayer mode there is a new "Blood Gulch" level. If you compare the graphics there is no comparison.)
4. The plot runs side by side, with an enemy covenant who is punished for loosing the battle (in Halo), and Halo blowing up. On some levels you play as the enemy covenant. (You can even be him in multiplayer mode.
Cons:
1. The game is a little too easy. I would recommend not doing it on "easy" or "normal" if you want a real challenge. You have a new shield that seems a little stronger and recharges a little faster. It is cool, but having previous skill from the original Halo, it seems easier than the first one.
2. You can't be black in the multiplayer mode. Not a big deal, but I always liked have my profiled character be very dark.
That is it. The game is a lot of fun! And it has renewed my excitement level for Halo. I think it is important to understand that the game is Halo, with new levels and a few new details. If you loved Halo you will love Halo 2.
P.S. There are a lot of reviews on Halo 2 from before the game was even released, so I realize nobody is going to read this, but the game was so exciting I felt a need to give it 5 stars. | video-games_xbox |
A lot like Forza 3, but some fun new features. Forza Motorsport 4
Having maxed out my profile to level 50 in Forza 3, I was pleasantly surprised to see Forza 4 recognized this and gave me some goodies like free gift cars and 60,000 credits. It is far easier to earn free cars in Forza 4 than in 3, because each level gives you a choice of several cars but many of them are shoddy older vehicles (ahem, I meant classics or retro). It is also easier to earn credits through race bonuses or affinity bonuses. The manufacturer affinity is now no longer capped at level 5, but at level 5 you get 100% discounts on upgrades which means you can customize your cars without being charged. I always felt that it was unfair to spend that much money in Forza 3 to find out that your performance index went over the limit for that class.
The controls are amazingly intuitive. I did not tweak any of the settings for my controller, but the layout is a major concern. In Forza 3, I ran Layout 5 which uses "X" as the handbrake, and "A" as the rear view. For some unknown reason, Forza 4's Layout 5 is the same except "X" is now the rear view, and "A" is the hand brake. Needless to say I always accidentally use the handbrake when I want to look behind, or I look behind when I want to tap the handbrake. I find it idiotic for the developers to lock us into fixed controller configurations versus totally custom setups.
The very first race you start in the game forces you to use an unfamiliar controller setup with all of the driver assists enabled. I was not a happy camper as I tend to brake late and slide the rear. The AI difficulty is kind of weird. In the World Tour, the difficulty is progressive. So as you start off, the AI is fairly easy. As you progress, the AI starts to overpower you with shoddy cars or overpowers you in spec racing which makes no sense. It is not possible to adjust the difficulty in the World Tour, but it is possible in the regular events. This makes no sense whatsoever, but if Microsoft had anything to do with it, then it totally makes sense. Just like printing Outlook calendars where you can never have the previous month and next month in the corner of the calendar, or how all default "All-Day" events have 18 hour reminder times which can't be changed because it was made by Microsoft.
Speaking more about the AI difficulty, I found that Forza 4 and Forza 3 have the same levels of difficulty. I normally use Medium because I want to relax and have some fun. The Hard setting is hard because the AI just gets on your six and can overpower you if you open up a hole for them. In the Professional setting, I've given up because even in Spec series racing where everyone has the same car, the AI will actually overpower your car in the straights as if they had extra power from the engines. The AI makes mistakes in the Medium mode but sometimes they act strange and start to become ultra competitive. I'm just playing Forza 4 to learn the tracks and enjoy myself, not to become King of Forza 4.
Some of my other complaints include the lack of the Le Mans Bugatti circuit which was in Forza 3, which was a lot of fun and happens to be used in the MotoGP series. The Indianapolis Grand Prix circuit, also used in MotoGP, is found in Forza 4 but it is somehow run in reverse. I am not sure why that was done, because after playing MotoGP 09/10 for a year plus and watching the MotoGP races, I was used to it running in the anti-clockwise route.
Forza 4 has a similar feel to NFS Shift 2, especially with the race starting sequence. Forza 3 felt a bit different, more bland or sterile compared to Forza 4, which is seemingly more vibrant with its menus and Auto Vista feature. I really wish the player's engine doesn't rev in the starting sequence because it messes up the launch sequence. You want a continuous RPM, not a bouncing RPM. The speedometer and tachometer in Forza 4 is difficult to read because of the white/bright text and colors and actually fades out on the bright tracks. The framerate of the game actually slows down with the rear view mirror enabled! It clearly shows the limitations of the Xbox 360 GPU hardware.
Some new features in Forza 4 include the multi-class race, where you can have two different performance classes running on the same track (like S and D) which creates some interesting situations. The Top Gear bowling pins and soccer ball games are fun, but not that mandatory. The Top Gear test track was brutalized by the developers with the addition of fake barriers that don't exist in real life. I sat there and pondered why they would do that, and assumed it was because the game needs some type of definition for the course and to determine where you "get off the track". At least it is better than not having the Top Gear test track in the game!
One of the gripes I have is with realistic engine sounds. The GT500's supercharger is not very audible in Forza 4, and I recall it being somewhat audible in Forza 3. In real life, the familiar whine of the Eaton is very audible inside the cabin, let alone outside the car. The rich sound of the blower should be replicated for a better experience.
Another gripe I have is that most of the powerful cars are very difficult to drive using the controller. In Forza 3, I have no problems pushing the "A" cars to the limit with Traction Control and ABS shut off. This includes the Audi R8 V10 and Ferrari F430. In Forza 4, the "A" cars and beyond (S, R3, etc...) become extremely touchy with the throttle and brakes. I find myself easily locking up or not using enough brakes, or losing traction very quickly. Once I enabled Trac Ctrl and ABS, the cars became totally drivable and I was leaving the AI in the dust in the world tour. I find that it is hard to tell when the tires are at their point of adhesion with the game and Xbox controller. In real life, there are clues like the sudden relaxation of the steering feedback or sounds from the tires, or your butt meter tells you the car is yawing.
The Downloadable Content (DLC) for Forza 4 consists of extra cars so far. The November and December car packs are now available, and there is a modicum of decent cars with plenty of junky, ahem I mention retro classics, cars as well. The Ford Raptor, Pontiac Fiero, Chevrolet Chevelle, and Suzuki SX4 Pike's Peak race car are some of the more interesting cars, but note that after spending Microsoft Points on the DLC packs or cars, you must use in-game credits to buy the cars!
A Xbox Live Gold Membership is required to post videos, download gift cars, and buy/sell auction cars. Compounded with numerous bugs in the game that corrupt your save game files preventing you from saving replay movies, it gets on my nerves. I had a Gold membership last year when playing Forza 3, but I quickly realized that the Gold membership wasn't worth the price last year. Microsoft raised the price of the membership for this year and I didn't bother to renew it. So far the gift cars from Turn 10 aren't very good, and the DLC cars aren't enticing enough to convince me to shell out the coin for a Gold membership. I do have some free trial Gold membership codes, so I plan to do all the "shopping" at once on a free trial to avoid paying the exorbitant membership fee. It's just frustrating that a Gold membership is required to do all of these static things, I could understand Gold being required for online race sessions, but to download a gift car or to buy/sell auction cars? Outrageous.
Overall: 4/5 stars. Forza 4 is a lot like Forza 3, and shows the limitations of the Xbox 360 hardware. There are some nice new features, but again many frustrating aspects are back or are new and mainly related to AI difficulty and controller layout. It's a fun game for sure, and if you have not tried Forza 3, and you are a gearhead/petrolhead, you'll miss out if you don't try Forza 4. If you have played Forza 3, Forza 4 is worth the price of admission. | video-games_xbox |
It's Good NOT Great. --------------
***UPDATE***
--------------
After ignoring my 360 and just focusing on the XBOX One, I will admit I was wrong. The game on XB1 is far better, in many, many ways. Graphics are definitely superior but not up to par to some other XB1 games. The game play is more fluid due to the better engine. As a huge fan of Madden and the NFL, I still am sourly disapointed in the Madden series but Madden 15 is definitely the best Madden to date if its played on the PS4 or XB1.
------------------
ORIGINAL REVIEW
------------------
I have this game on the 360 and the Xbox One. Its definitely much better on the 1 than the 360 but its still Madden and it sourly disappoints regardless.
-------------------
On The 360
-------------------
I actually think it graphically looks worse than Madden 25 on the 360, which is odd. I just spent $60 on a roster update and what appears to me, worse graphics than the previous Madden 25 on the 360 lol. All the new marketed features, such as "A New Point of View" are ONLY on the One or PS4, not PS3 or the 360 lol. Talk about a sham and rip-off.
It's OK at best on the 360. I'm more upset it looks (to me) worse than the previous Madden (Madden 25). Seems odd. All in all, you're just paying $60 for a roster update.
---------------------------
On The Xbox One
---------------------------
Prior to buying it for the 360, I thought the graphics for Madden 15 on the Xbox One weren't that great and marginally better than Madden 25 on the 360. After trying it on both the Xbox one and 360, its definitely superior graphically and functionally on the Xbox One. All the new features they market for Madden 15 (such as "A New Point of View") are ONLY on the One or PS4, not PS3 or the 360 lol. Talk about a sham and rip-off.
It's good on the One, NOT great.
-----------------
In The End
-----------------
If you want to enjoy all of the new features of this game and get remotely decent graphics (for Madden 15) you will have to buy a next-gen console (Xbox One or PS4). Its just THAT bad on the 360. #FAIL!just THAT bad on the 360. #FAIL! | video-games_xbox |
Unbelievably Disappointed. Words can't even begin to discuss how disappointing this game is to me. I first have to say that i didn't have Madden 06 for the 360 so i don't know how big of a step up it is this year (but if 06 was really that much worse i would have thrown the game out the window). I fully realize why all of the features that are on the regular Xbox version are not on the 360, mainly capitalism. EA wants another year or two of people buying the old xbox games before the 360 owners (temporarily satisfied with the incredible graphics) explode and demand equal depth in games on the platforms. At that point the regular xbox madden will officially be obsolete. But for now they can even get some people to buy both.
Personally, being without many of my favorite things about past versions of madden made this game a huge disappointment for me. For example, there really is no owner mode. no deciding prices, no hiring and firing of coaches, no moving teams or changing uniforms, no building stadiums or making money to spend on things, etc... also gone is the ability to do things like change players, change their positions, etc... i agree with another poster who mentioned that the new trading feature is very difficult to manuever as well.
I slightly knew this was coming because the college version is missing some things too, but EA assured people that everything would be back in the madden version this year that was missing from the 06 version. they lied. and its not like they have to hold back features from year to year to keep you buying it because people buy a new versin every year to get the hot new rookies anyway. i really wish that i'd waited and read reviews like the ones posted here before i ran out and bought it. i just might have dusted off my old xbox and gone and gotten the that version. oh well. i guess i'll have alot more time to do things this fall than i have in past years. | video-games_xbox |
The cons for this game have been greatly exagerated. So this game has been out for a week now, and the reviews for this game are greatly exagerating the cons, giving little light to all the things this game does right. The two grievances that are being exagerated are the Xbox 360 graphics vs the PS3, and the linearity of the game.
First lets deal with the graphics, since I think this complaint is the most insignificant. *in no way should you go buy a PS3 just in order to experience this game at its fullest!!!* This game was made for the PS3, moded to the XBox360, so there are subtle differences in the graphics. The video is compressed on the xbox360, but has a higher framerate than the PS3, but unless you are a unrelenting, anal-attention to detail freak, I don't think you would notice. I played it on my 47" HDTV on my Xbox360, and I can honestly say it is a next gen graphics kinda game; it looks absolutely amazing, and the FF artwork and enviroments are in full force in this one, beautifully rendered and fluid. Now I was hanging out at my friends house who just bought this game on his PS3, and he was playing it on his 46" HDTV, which is an LCD just like mine, but I believe his has a faster processor; and as I watched him play the first hour of the game (which is mostly cutscenes) I could distinguish no real difference to the experience I had on my 360, except maybe the hair looked a little bit better in motion, but nothing to lead me to believe the PS3 version to be superior. I get it, the PS3 owners are unhappy that Microsoft is getting a peice of the pie, understandable, and if you want to claim your version to be superior, thats fine, but its not a game breaker, or shouldn't be unless your a fanboy one way or another, its a ridiculouse argument to pursue, and should just be avoided. BOTTOM LINE: You will enjoy the graphical awesomeness of this game no matter which system you play it on.
The next argument is a little harder to address, but should not sway you into avoiding this game. The complaint has been that this game follows too much of a linear path, and removes much exploration from this strong RPG franchise. Now I have played final fantasy games since I was 5 years old, and they have always been greatly geared to wandering around towns, talking to NCCP, trying to find objectives and missions to advance the story line. Now I know this is one thing that has made the series great, but I don't feel that removing the wasted hours of wandering around towns trying to advance the story has hindered the RPG elements of this game at all, if anything I think it has improved it greatly and made it a much more enjoyable experience. Now this is coming from a guy that has been bored with this franchise for awhile now, the wandering had gotten to be an astronomical waste of time, leveling up characters and barely advancing the story, playing stupid card games and other B.S. that offered little to the actual game other than a waste of time without reward. Now I have spent 10 hours on this game so far, and I hear the game takes 50-60 hours to complete, and I am in no way feeling skimped on because I haven't had to wander aimlessly. The direction to take is usually clear (provided by an onscreen mini-map), with different paths to walk and explore with dead ends and 'orbs' to find, but the main path remains clear and easy to find. As I've progressed the exploration has increased more and more while keeping the main story line in focus, it eventually gives rise to greater areas of exploration, but nothing like the FF games of the past. It is genuinely a 'new' expereince, for better or worse depends on the gamer and what you want out of a FF game. Even with a more 'linear' path, the basic RPG elements of the game flourish. The combat system has been improved, and offers a fresh take on an old favorite. You only control one party member durring combat, the other party members are controlled via A.I., which die hards of the series will scorn at, but it makes combat faster with less decision makeing and more sword slashes. You are able to control what the computer controlled players are doing by a system called 'paradigm shift' which allows you choose their battle style focus, i.e. strictly attack, defend, use magic, or be a medic, which you can change their focus at any time in real time to strategically alter the progression or outcome of a fight. This is really cool because it gives you enough control to give the fights strategy and depth, but doesn't overload you with commands and keeps the fights moving and entertaining to watch. You are able to chain up your attacks in this fighting system, so as your chain gauge charges in real time, you can input a string of different attacks and watch them get carried out all at once,which is really cool when you can do 3 or 4 attacks in one turn. There are multiple routes to leveling up your players ( you have 6 playable characters total) depending on your focus. You unlock abilities and such based on a certain battle focus, then in battle, whichever focus you are using you will have those abilities available to use i.e. when your in your medic focus you can use cure, when your in your attack focus it might be unavailable for that character. You can unlock abilities for all 6 characters in whatever area of battle focus you choose, developing each individual how you see fit. The RPG elements are still in full tact in this game, just presented differently, in a more user friendly fashion if you will. You level up your characters, find and acquire new items, equip and develope your characters how you see best, and send them into battle to watch beautifully rendered fight scenes that are as much fun to watch as play. Don't think that because you have a more linear story line that the content isn't there, it is!! There are plenty of side quests and missions to complete, even after you complete the main game. The adventure is definetely that of a Final Fantasy epic, and your personal taste would tell you wether you like the storytelling capabilities of Square or not, thats a personal preference in my opinion, but it is true to the story of any final fantasy game, a monumental epic, with exceptional graphics and a real good voice cast ( except for Vanille ). I think fans of the franchise and newcomers alike will enjoy this game. It has plenty of content, and you deffinetely get your moneys worth in it. Xbox 360 users rejoice, our version is just as good as the PS3's, if they want to argue over theirs being the superior version, let them After all, we all need something to feel good about. :O) | video-games_xbox |
Not your average survival horror. Let me start off by saying this game is amazing. Its similiar to other survival horrors, like resident evil, but this ones better. First off, you can customize how you like to play it. What i mean by this, is first you choose how hard to want the combat diffuculty, beginner, easy, normal, hard, if you choose beginner mostly everyone dies in 1 hit. Now you might think thats stupid, but its actually smart, because after you choose that you get to choose your PUZZLE diffuculty, so you could make the enemies REALLY easy but have REALLY hard puzzles, so its more of a scary puzzle game, or you can crank up the monsters and lower the puzzle to get an action fighter game. Or you can customize it any way you like it to fit how you like to play your games. I think this is extremely innovative. And the story is OUTSTANDING, it makes you think, not to mention MANY different endings, and these endings fit how you played the game, your style of play, rather than what you accomplished. The slighest things, like staying at low health most of the time will affect your ending. Which means you can play over and over and never get tired of it while your earning all the sweet endings. And another thing, you can use the same controls as resident evil, where forward goes the direction your facing, and left and right turn, or you can change it so up is up down is down left is left and right is right. I like that control setting alot more, and it beats resident evil in that category also. Graphics, the graphics are SUPERB, at times, it looks nearly real life, that includes some parts IN GAME. Konami did an excellent job in creating every detail to fit each atmosphere. Overall, this is an awesome, although i beat the PS2 verson, i had to BUY the x-box version cause it has a sub-game and an all new ending. This is a truly amazing game. If you liked Resident Evil at all, this game is definately for you. | video-games_xbox |
Better than last year. First off, allow me to say that with NHL 2005, you have to be ready for arcade style hockey. Having played this series since it's inception in 1992 on Genesis, I knew what I was getting into, especially considering that the series has been pretty much unchanged in 4 years. I'm a pretty hard core hockey fan, and I'm more into simulation based games. Having said that, I am having a lot of fun with NHL 2005. As everyone is quick to point out, the game's graphics are amazing. Unfortunately, graphics and gameplay are different things!
First, the good. I HATED last year's edition of this series. I found the gameplay to be horrible, and I ended up selling it shortly after buying it. I decided to go ahead and pick up NHL 2005 because of the addition of the World Cup, complete with official IIHF jerseys (for the first time in a game) and venues. Another cool touch to the World Cup mode is that in addition to having the correct venues, the PA announcer speaks the language of the country you're playing in! Since I'm team Finland, the announcer in Finland speaks Finnish and the croud chants "SUOMI! SUOMI!" (Finland in Finnish).
Controls were a little difficult at first because I am used to ESPN's NHL series, and it has a different feel. I immediately noticed that skating and button response were vastly improved over last year's outing. One timers still feel unnatural because the shooter delays for a second or two before getting the shot off rather than blasting it off of the pass. This makes it kinda hard to fool the goalie, and it gets frustrating pretty quickly. Other than that, I am happy with the way this game controls.
The menus are nice looking, and they are pretty fluid throughout the game. EA earns an A+ overall for the front end of this game. Also, the presentation has been completely revamped this year. Teams that use special props, such as the Oil derrick in Edmonton or the Sharks head in San Jose will be a part of the pre-game presentation! It's cool to see the Oilers skate out of the derrick and onto the ice! They also brought back the national anthems, which in my opinion is a great touch.
Unlike previous versions of EA's series, it hasn't been to terribly easy for me to score a lot of goals. I'm glad this was addressed, because I was tired of winning games by 8 goals in previous versions. This may belong in the presentation category, but when your team scores a key goal late in the game, the crowd goes CRAZY. The atmosphere is a lot like an NHL game.
It's been mentioned a lot before on message boards, but this year's game is also without Create-a-player, which was a huge dissapointment. I don't understand why they couldn't leave this option in the game...it's been in since NHL 95. This makes the Dynasty mode less fun, and that brings up another shortcoming. In Dynasty mode, each team has goals that are similar to their actual NHL counterparts. Each team has specific goals that you must achieve. Some teams like Colorado and Detroit just want to win, no matter the cost. Other teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh just want to make money. In fact, your objective with Chicago is to obtain the first overall draft pick, which means that you have to finish dead last...or trade for it. This is a shame, because I'm a die hard Hawks fan...and I cant spend any money to improve the team, and essentially I'm supposed to lose as many games as possible. Not much fun.
I have two other gripes with this game. First, the gameplay is extremely too fast. Even with the gameplay speed set to minimum, the game is extremely fast. Game speed makes it almost impossible to cycle the puck. The other is the completely unrealistic hitting. It's pretty impossible to get further than your opponents hash marks without getting NAILED by a defenseman. It wouldnt be bad, but it happens EVERY TIME you try to enter the zone.
All in all, NHL 2005 is a solid game as long as you know what to expect. I'd say rent before buying, but if you're a fan of this series already, go ahead and get it. Even with the deletion of create a player, it's better than last year's game. 3.5 out of 5. | video-games_xbox |
Song Listing; Fun videos and selection of 40 songs from 5 decades. This is probably the best of the Lips offerings thus far for overall singable/fun music. A good selection of songs from 60's, 70', 80's, 90's and 00's. Most of the songs have the original videos which is cool, especially of you grew up in the 80's with MTV. Some of the oldest songs (60's and some 70's) do not have videos- presumaby because they didn't have videos then! In those cases Lips plays still images of the Artists in a slideshow-same as with previous versions.
There was no song listing on Amazon or Xbox's Lips's product page..so here it is...
Lips Party Classics 40 Songs
1. What's Up ~4 Non Blondes
2. Black Velvet ~ Alannah Myles
3. Rehab ~ Amy Winehouse
4. Doctor Jones ~ Aqua
5. Love Shack ~ The B-52's
6. Let's Get It Started ~ The Black Eyes Peas
7. Word Up ~ Cameo
8. Tubthumping ~ Chumbawumba
9. Rhythm of the Night ~ Debarge
10. Groove Is In The Heart ~ Deee-Lite
11. I Touch Myself ~ Divinyls
12. American Pie ~ Don McLean
13. Son Of A Preacher Man ~ Dusty Springfield
14. I Want To Know What Love Is ~ Foreigner
15. I Will Survive ~ Gloria Gaynor
16. Laid ~ James
17. You're Beautiful ~ James Blunt
18. Rock and Roll All Nite ~ Kiss
19. Sweet Home Alabama ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd
20. She Will Be Loved ~ Maroon 5
21. To Be With You ~ Mr. Big
22. These Boots Are Made For Walking ~ Nancy Sinatra
23. True Faith ~ New Order
24. Live Is Life ~ Opus
25. When A Man Loves A Woman ~ Percy Sledge
26. Every Rose Has Its Thorn ~ Poison
27. Brass In Pocket ~ The Pretenders
28. Shinny Happy People ~ R.E.M.
29. I'm Too Sexy ~ Right Said Fred
30. Addicted To Love ~ Robert Palmer
31. Kiss Me ~ Sixpence None The Richer
32. Wannabe ~ The Spice Girls
33. Friday I'm In Love ~ The Cure
34. My Sharona ~ The Knack
35. Unchained Melody ~ The Righteous Brothers
36. I Think We're Alone Now ~ Tiffany
37. It's Not Unusual ~ Tom Jones
38. Red Red Wine ~ UB40
39. Y.M.C.A ~ Village People
40. Is This Love ~ Whitesnake | video-games_xbox |
Pushes FPS games further in some aspects...not there yet though. Allow me to start off by saying this game is the reason I picked up an xbox one. While do not feel let down or disappointed by the final game, I do have some things to point out that might help if you're swaying on buying an X1 over this game. These are mostly the drawbacks as I do not need to re-iterate the thousands of people saying this game is a ton of fun! It's an absolute blast and I've enjoyed almost every minute of the 20 hours I've put into it so far!
The cons:
-This game is online only. Meaning that your enjoyment will depend on your internet connection/game servers. I have TWC Ultimate and I've frequently had the reconnecting to server message pop over my gameplay. During this time, you're still vulnerable and unable to move or do anything in-game. I've had several instances where it seemed to reconnect but left the game screen blurred over for another minute. So, I was able to control my guy again but the screen was darkened out and blurred as if the reconnection screen was still there. This problem was very frequent over the launch weekend. Could be worked out over time, but it's very frustrating, especially if you're in the heat of battle in your titan. I've also had the game load and start then take everyone back to the game lobby. Lost an Atlas Refurb burn card thanks to that -_-
-The campaign might as well not be there. It's a few cutscenes then a typical Attrition (death match) or Hardpoint Domination (control the zone) matches. It doesn't matter if you win or lose to further the story.
-If you're into achievements, there are some centered around the campaign but there's no way to track which missions you need to win for either faction.
-Game is kind of lacking in the content department for $60. You have 5 game modes (death match w/AI kills counting towards score (Attrition), death match with only player kills counting (Pilot Hunter), sudden death first to 4 wins death match with titans only (Last Titan Standing), capture the flag and domination spread across 15 maps. With such a meaningless campaign rolled in there, it's hard to count that as anything worthwhile.
-6vs6 match sizes. The maps are pretty expansive and often yield to you running around a bit, running into more AI controlled grunts or spectres than other players.
-Game currently runs at 792p and shoots for 60 frames/second. Respawn has said they intend to issue a patch that will up the res to 900 or 1080p. At its currently state, the game does see some frame rate dips occasionally, especially if there a lot of Titans in one place at a time. The 360 version will run at 720p and 30 frames/second. Use your judgment on if you feel like this is a game worth buying new hardware for. The game looks fantastic but I believe it will look just as fantastic on 360.
Even with all of the downsides, Titanfall is an extremely well made first person shooter. The game offers tons of fun and rarely has any dull moments, even with people who like to cloak and camp with the auto-lock pistol. While it may be a bit of a stretch at $60, it'll certainly rope you in with its addictive and fluid gameplay. Titanfall does not re-invent the first person shooter genre, but it certainly is a fresh new approach to it that hopefully begins to change other fps games for the better as well. | video-games_xbox |
Poor Port of the PC Version. The expansion pack to Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, "Kane's Wrath" adds new units, sides, and features to the original game.
The main new feature of the game is the six sub-factions added to the game's existing three sides. In addition to the base sides (GDI, Nod, and the Scrin), each of these sides now has two sub-factions that are similar to the main faction with a specific focus or bent. GDI has the Steel Talons, an armored unit that uses improved mechanized units (specifically, the walkers from Tiberian Sun rather than traditional tanks) at the cost of infantry units, and ZOCOM, who specializes in countering the effects and growth of Tiberium, but has no sonic or artillery technology. Nod has the Black Hand, who have improved flamethrower technology and more powerful infantry units at the cost of air units and stealth technology, and the Marked of Kane, who have a majority of their units as cyborgs rather than traditional soldiers. Finally, the Scrin have Reaper-17, a heavy attack faction that trades subtle units like aircraft for more powerful ground units, and Traveler-59, which focuses more on speed and warp technology and less on actual combat.
For the most part these sub-factions are fun and interesting, and add some neat new units to the game. However, they're not particularly ground-breaking; they all fall into the "specialize in one, less adept in another" category that's been used for sub-factions in every other RTS. Sure, it's nice to see some new units - or returning old units, like the GDI Wolverine and Titan from Tiberian Sun - but they don't really breathe new life into the game.
In addition to these changes, there's a new campaign mode and an alternate mode - either a Risk-like turn-based game for the PC, or a series of challenges and events for consoles. All of these are a nice attempt to infuse some variety into the game, but they all wear thin pretty quickly. Basically, if you liked C+C3, then the game is a welcome pack of new content; if not, it probably won't change your mind.
There are some specifics regarding the 360 version of the game, as well. Camera and controls are both handled fairly poorly; the idea of replacing the PC's boxes of options with a simple radial menu for selected units was a nice idea, but as a whole moving around, ordering units, and managing a war are all annoyingly frustrating to pull off. Furthermore, the game's tactical display is too large, covering up a huge percentage of the screen.
The graphics in the game are the same as in C+C 3, which is to say decent, but not particularly detailed. For whatever reason, with the Xbox 360 version, the graphics are difficult to see - as in, they all blend in with the background and are not sharp enough to make out as unique units. Therefore, it's unusually difficult to manage your units or see other ones. The minimap is similarly difficult to see.
As a whole, Kane's Wrath is a decent attempt at an expansion pack, but doesn't have many virtues on its own. The Xbox 360 version is even worse due to the poor controls and graphics, and deserves special note for its poor quality.
The PC version gets a 7/10; the 360 version gets a 5/10. | video-games_xbox |
Not the Tony Hawk you loved. Well, I grew up with the Tony Hawk series, starting with the first game on the N64 all the way through the THUG entries in the series. For me, the series peaked around Pro Skater 3 or 4, but for the most part, I generally loved playing all of the games in the series. Since they starting releasing them at a rapid pace, I eventually decided to not buy them new and revisit the older titles when I got that Tony Hawk "itch."
With the release of the abysmal cash-in Pro Skater 5, I started looking at some of the older titles I hadn't gotten a chance to play. This was one of the highest rated of those games, so I thought it would be a worth a shot and would likely be fun and enjoyable enough, even if it didn't recreate the magic of the original Pro Skater series. Well, unfortunately I've been mistaken. Although there are many core elements of the Tony Hawk franchise included in this game, it's just missing something that drops the fun factor a couple notches (hence my 3-star rating).
The overworld is now one continuous playing space...and while this may sound like a good idea, it's fairly disjointed and in my opinion, not very well designed. Most of the time I find myself wishing I could load up an individual level and focus on taking care of the objectives in one area. In P8, as you complete goals, you'll get these annoying nokia messages telling you about other goals, usually located in another area. I find myself skipping these since they are so frequent that they are more of a distraction than a valuable addition to the game. In addition, many of the goals and objectives are repetitive throughout the game, and unfortunately they are placed in a world without creative lines and no level altering events. These were the coolest aspects of the older games. Not to mention that sometimes it's a chore just FINDING the objectives and starting them. UGH. In addition, the frame rate is SO inconsistent it can cause you to make mistakes, which is very frustrating.
That being said, the game does have some redeeming qualities. All the tricks you've come to love are included, and the mechanics are still solid. Grinding, manuals, and reverts are all here and work well, even if the environments aren't conducive to using them in fun ways. The new nail a trick moves are interesting, but didn't really blow my socks off. I would've preferred a more solid framerate and more interesting levels.
Overall, if you are a Tony Hawk fan and have played most of the other games in the series, this will give you an opportunity to revisit the series and play in some new levels and conquer some new objectives. If that's what you are looking for, you can get this game for pretty cheap at this point...just don't expect your time with it to be quite as fun as it's predecessors. | video-games_xbox |
An unfortunate turn for a promising series. Before I get into what I thought was wrong with Warrior Within, I must say that this *is* a very fun game. The acrobatic puzzles are still there (sort of), the combat is much improved, and the animation is as high quality as the first. However, things start to break down after that.
Gone is the charming, cocky prince from the first game, replaced by a scowling, unconvincingly brooding prince in leather bandages (and gone with him is any sympathy you might have for his character). Gone is the engaging music, a fusion of vaguely middle-eastern sound and modern rythm, replaced by sickeningly repetetive generic industrial drone that doesn't key into the action intelligently. Gone are the interesting puzzles and complex acrobatic paths, replaced by much simpler ones that must be traversed repeatedly as you backtrack through the castle. Gone is the inventive architecture of the sultan's palace, replaced by dull brown textures as far as the eye can see. Gone are the witty dialogue and voice-overs, replaced with grunts and screams and cringe-inducing one-liners. Gone are the interesting uses of time-manipulation, replaced with much more gimmicky superpowers. Gone is the simple but exciting story, replaced with a confusing and hokey plot with a twist that is easy to spot far earlier in the game.
With all this gone, what has been added to make this a sequel? Well, boss battles have been added, which are frustratingly long exercises in doing the same three moves over and over again until you wear them down, hoping they don't kill you in one unblockable hit. New enemies have been added, including unimaginative "evil prostitutes" with embarassing taunts and large ogres that are only interesting to beat once, but show up quite often.
It's sad to see Ubisoft trying so hard to destroy what was good about Prince of Persia. One can only hope that Prince of Persia 3 harks back to the earlier installation of the series. | video-games_xbox |
A little short but still a great sequel. I'd give this a 9.7 out of a 1-10 scale. The game was pure Halo but with improved graphics, weapons and story. I'm not sure I understand why some say it had little plot and a bad ending because I thought both were great. The ending was a cliff hanger and cliff hangers are supposed to leave you wanting more - I loved that they did that. I was thrilled when it ended and I heard Master Chief's last words because I knew there would be another sequel.
I played the game on Normal and I quickly finished it in about 12 hours. I like to explore a bit and back track for weapons so it was really even shorter than that. That is my biggest complaint. It felt shorter than the first game. But, to be honest I've finished the first game on Legendary about five times and I fly through it now so it probably isn't a fair judgment to say it was too quick because of my experience with the previous game. I also think a lot is being put into the online gameplay features and for those of us who don't have that option you feel a bit ripped off. But someday, if I'm able to do the live stuff I'll probably be thrilled with all that was put into that.
The controls are very similar with a few minor changes to accomodate for some newer weapon usage, like being able to hold two guns at once. Also the Banshees have some newer features and I had a little confusion with that because I was used to the first game and accidentally blew up another banshee I was going back to exchange with the damaged one I was flying.
It was fun being able to use the Elites sword and the Wraith tank. I got quite good at slaughtering enemies with that sword. I prefer the human tank over the Wraith even though it was fun finally getting a chance to try it.
You can also take over a vehicle that someone else is in by hitting the X button as they go by you and then fighting them for control.
My cons would be:
1. Game a little too short.
2. The cut scenes threw off the flow for me. An example would be in the beginning of the game Master Chief is coming out of an glassed in transport thing and you can see a crowd of soldiers standing there applauding. As he steps out the screen goes white and the then the story picks up again in the same part. I'd prefer if it was just one big scene where he walks out through the crowd with them clapping without the "white" transition. This happens through out the game and I found that frustrating.
3. Some parts of the game were just too dark to see, even with the Master Chiefs light on. When you were playing as the Elite, it was very hard to see at all because he didn't have the luxury of having a light.
4. No more camouflauge triangle things for the humans. But that isn't my complaint. The Covenant apparently doesn't need them anymore because they now have the capability built into the armor but the Elite you get to be in the game's ability to use this is so short it's kind of useless. You push the button to be camouflauged and a few seconds later it already wears off. Early in the game something happens to him (I don't want to give it away) where some see him as an outcast and it's explained to him that his camouflauge capabilities are minimal because they don't trust him yet. So I expected that as the game went on and he gained the trust of his comrades that this ability to camoflauge would increase as the game went on but it didn't. I know they are trying to make it more difficult but it was more of an annoyance.
5. I thought it had a great story and the cut scenes were great but it was very hard to hear what some of the covenant were saying and they put so much effort into having these scenes and the covenant's point of view it would've been nice to be able to hear what they were actually saying at times.
Things I really liked:
1. The Master Chief looked the same, acted the same and sounded the same (Splinter Cell changed what Sam Fisher looked like and that really bugged me).
2. I liked that you were able to get a really good look at some of the Covenant. What I mean is in game one it was really hard to see what they looked like and when they died they always were lying face down so you couldn't see what they looked like. You now have a binocular type feature that you can check them out close up. Also, you get a chance to play with the Hunters on your side and it was fun to be able to walk right up to them and look at them from all angles. You could never do that in the first game because they were too busy killing you and you were too busy running for your life.
3. I thought the AI was more intelligent and crafty than in the first game. In Halo 1 they were harder to kill and dodged your fire more as your selection of difficulty went up. They were doing a lot of this on the Normal difficulty setting. An example would be the Master Chief is in a circular area with a central lift and the covenant can more or less follow his movements from above. As he's coming up the lift, a grunt immediately throws a grenade at him and you have to be quick to dodge it.
4. Seemed like more comments being made by both the convenant and the humans, not as repetitive as before. And they often make you laugh out loud too.
5. I thought the covenant all looked even better. Much more detail in how the Elites looked and the Hunters were taller and more muscular looking. Also harder to kill. You can still shoot them in the "soft" part on the back but they move around a lot more in this game than before. Their weapons are also more intense and go further and are harder to dodge.
6. Mentioned this before but it was fun trying out the sword and the Wraith plus there were a bunch of new weapons to use too. Different weapons worked better on different creatures.
7. Great story. The story divides into two different view points were you get to see what's going on with the Master Chief and then with the Elite. It was great how they managed both stories because as you were playing one you were longing to find out what the other guy was up too.
8. And again, great ending. Some reviewer mentioned that it felt like the story was unfinished and again, I tell you, this is a cliff hanger and that's what is supposed to happen in a cliff hanger. The way it ended was a definite sign to me that there would be another sequel. The story they were working on, in my opinion, was concluded but something happens near the end to let you know that it isn't the end. I felt that way with the first one too.
9. The music. It had music from the first game but also new music that fit right in. I was pleased they kept some of the original because that theme fits so well with Halo.
Lastly, I'd like to recommend to anyone who really enjoys the story part of the game to read the Halo books. They are great. There are currently three books. The first is a prequel to the Halo game and it tells how the Master Chief came about and how he was selected as a young child, kidnapped from his family and replaced with a clone so his family is none the wiser. The second book is based on the game but it is so well done that you don't feel like you are just reading the game but that you are actually in the story. There is so much more added to it. The third is the story between Halo 1 and Halo 2. Now I'm hoping there will be a book covering Halo 2.
I highly recommend this game. I think it is hard for any game to live up to the hype that precedes it and I also feel that if they keep the controls very similar and you've become an expert at the first game, you will go through the second one at a faster rate. I'd be interested to read a review from someone who hasn't had the chance to play the first game first to see how it was for them. But with all that said, I do think it came pretty close to living up to the hype and I can't wait for Halo 3! | video-games_xbox |
The most unreliable piece of equipment I have ever owned. My initial review of the XBOX 360 Pro was a few days after I purchased it in November of 2006. Since that time I have gone through four or five XBOX Pro consoles with problems ranging from no video on the screen to the games freezing for no reason at all. In addition to the XBOX Pro's failing, I have also had to have two XBOX Elites replaced or repaired since purchasing my first one in January of 2008. The problem with the Elite consoles was that the shoddy DVD drives could fail to read Game CD's until after 30 - 40 tries of opening/closing the drives. In fact I have just boxed up my 2nd Elite console to send back to Microsoft. None of my XBOX Pro's have lasted more than seven months, and in terms of my XBOX Elite, it will be my THIRD in less than a year.
I can go into every single reason why my XBOX's have failed but why bother when you can just as easily go to the multitudes of message boards and read the horror stories of this extremely unreliable console. When I purchased my XBOX Elite in December of 2008, it started having problems of not always reading game discs two weeks after purchase, the only reason I didn't return it to Microsoft then was because I knew all they would do is just send me a POS refurb. I dealt the with the problem for several months until finally it started freezing and RROD'ing on me; giving me no choice but to return it. Now my most recent Elite is doing the exact same thing in less than three months!
What makes things even worse is Microsoft's customer support is absolutely useless. As with many companies that don't care about customer service, their XBOX support is somewhere in India and the customer service reps are hard to understand, clueless, unhelpful, and sometimes even downright rude. When I was returning my 4th or 5th XBOX Pro console earlier this year, the rep didn't even want to process the return because he claimed that my warranty expired. This was despite the fact that I had purchased an extended warranty plan THROUGH MICROSOFT and had the actual print out of the warranty certificate that Microsoft sent me. This idiot even tried to tell me that the warranty I purchased for my XBOX Pro console in November of 2006 was for my XBOX Elite console which was purchased in January of 2008. Not only does it make ZERO sense that I could even purchase a warranty for an Elite console I did not even own at the time, the XBOX Elite console was not even out in 2006! I had to fight with him for over an half hour before I got the supervisor on the phone who agreed to let me send it back provided I included a copy of the warranty certificate. Yet even after all of that the geniuses at Microsoft STILL did not apply my warranty to my console so I had to spend another week straightening that out. With me finally sending a letter to the main corporate office stating that I have an extended warranty and I expect them to honor it.
I will admit when working I think the Microsoft XBOX 360 console oflffers the best in terms of overall game play and features, but what good is all of that if the console breaks all the time? I am nearing 32 years old and I have bought tens of thousands of dollars (maybe even more) worth of electronic equipment and only ONCE have I had to return something to the manufacturer due to a malfunction. Yet in under two years of owning the XBOX 360, I am on my eighth one. This is absolutely unacceptable and Microsoft has proven that not only can they NOT make a reliable console, they have also proven that they don't care. Even after Microsoft spends over $1 billion to "correct" the numerous problems with the XBOX 360 console, failure rates are still off the charts. Heck, I can't even get one that lasts a year. I have taken every precaution to ensure I am doing all that I can to help the extremely fragile console function properly but NOTHING helps. I don't plug it in to a power strip, I always lay it horizontal. I ensure it has adequate ventilation, but guess what? it still fails. I know for sure that if I dusted off my old 8 bit Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, or Sony PlayStation (The VERY first one that came out), they would STILL work flawlessly. Yet in two years time, the amount of XBOX 360 consoles I have gone through is MORE than the total amount of gaming consoles I have owned in my entire life!
As much as I love playing the multitude of fun games on the XBOX 360, once my warranties have expired and they will no longer "fix" the console free of charge, I am done with Microsoft based consoles. If I am unable to fix it myself (which I had to do with the first gen XBOX) then all of my games will be sold or donated. I am not really interested in the PS3 or GameCube, so once my 360 bites the dust for the last time, then its back to PC gaming for me.
In any case, I will never spend another DIME on Microsoft's extremely unreliable pieces of junk that they call the XBOX 360 or any future consoles they plan to make. I urge potential buyers to think long and hard before spending this kind of money on the XBOX 360, if you still insist then I suggest a replacement plan AT THE PLACE OF PURCHASE, I don't even recommend getting Microsoft's service contract as the reps don't even know how to handle that correctly. | video-games_xbox |
Good not Great. Call of duty is a great series, don't get me wrong, I think the games have a high polish and offer an addictive, fun and fast paced style of gameplay. However, there are two main factors that decide the quality of a first person multiplayer shooter, the maps and the balance, both are off by quite a bit.
The maps fail in two ways, they are much too small, and they are dreadfully bland. The worst part of the game, its spawn system is just as bad as it was in modern warfare 2, unfortunately since the maps are much smaller, you spawn into gunfire, or a guy spawns with you in his sights more often. I liked ground war in previous games, but the maps are just too small for it. My other qualm is that there are too many inside areas, which makes camping too easy, and break up the maps too much. The only hope is that the map packs are better, but this requires an extra investment, and are not likely to offer better gameplay because modern warfare 3 promised close quarters gun on gun combat, which because of spawns does not work.
The balance of the game is horribly off, with problems in the weapons, and the point streaks. The weapons have much of the same old problems, snipers are too easy to use and offer no drawbacks, especially with quickdraw. The shotguns are nerfed to having no range, damage or, accuracy. Either nerf them and have them be secondaries or leave them and have them remain primaries. The weapons system gives aid to those who want to use overpowered sniper rifles for everything, while hurting those who use explosives. I was unhappy that all explosive damage was down, while the grenade launchers of old were too strong, there was no need to make the well balanced lethal grenades weak too. The strike packages also are messed up, simply put, the support package is way too strong. Anyone can get 18 kills in a match, sometimes twice, and anytime they do they get three of the most overpowered killstreaks, the juggernaut, the escort airdrop, and the EMP. By making those and the stealth bomber so easy to obtain it lets anybody get packages that are too strong.
In the end this game is fun, it is addicting, but it is so frustrating to play especially when against a party, the small things add up to make it less than stellar, with every step forward, it takes a step back, it could have been great, but map variety and balancing killed it and made it only good. | video-games_xbox |
A Great "Halo 3 Expansion. First of all, I would like to point out that I bought this game on release day, and haven't really come around to writing a review until now.
And another thing, this game deserves a 4 star, however, not a three and a half (the the average of all the reviews) so I put a 5-star in a feeble attempt to improve the average of the now 413 reviews to a 4 star.
Now to the game.
If you have played any of the Halo's before, there isn't anything much groundbreakingly (if that's a word) different. The same graphics, the same basic gameplay, and pretty much the same weapons. Same old Halo. However, there's nothing wrong with that because Halo is pretty amazingly awesome.
The only big difference between Halo 3 and ODST is the Firefight mode, which would probably be compared to Horde mode in Gears 2 or Nazi Zombies in World at War. This mode is a wonderful addition to the Halo universe, but they forgot to include some basic things, such as, let's see...oh...MATCHMAKING! You can't play with anyone who's not sitting next to you or is not one of your Xbuddies (that's right, Xbuddies). To me, that should be a pretty mandatory characteristic of a gamemode like this.
Another difference would be the campaign, which is not as linear as the first 3 games, and just happens to be lightyears better than the previous Halo campaigns. I loved the feeling of being a feeble little human (in contrast to Master Chief) in the dark world of New Mombasa, with scary covenant forces around every corner.
A huge complaint about the campaign seems to be the length, as it only lasts about 5 hours. However, I disagree with this oh-too-common complaint. After all, it is not the size that matters, it is how it is conducted, which in this case is amazingly brilliant.
Now to the last part of this game which is the multiplayer (which, in fact, needs it's own disc 'cause Microsoft is too cheap to include some sort of Blu-ray disc reader in their Xbox). This, to my surprise, was the "complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience." So, if you are buying this for the multiplayer, you might as well just stick with Halo 3 if you already have it, cause there is nothing new (besides a couple maps).
As with most other just-released video games, this massive expansion pack was 60 bucks. Personally, I don't think anygame, no matter how good it is, is werth this much, but compared to other 60 dollar games, this is werth the money. Plus, since you are reading this review, you probably are looking to buy this game, which is now like 40 bucks, so it's probably werth it.
SO BUY THIS GAME! YAY! | video-games_xbox |
Great Gameplay, Bad Hardware. I have always been a nintendo and Playstation user, but after the XBox got us hooked on Halo we decided we would buy the XBox 360 due to the higher volume of games offered. Here is my opinion of how it stacks up to the other two:
The XBox 360 was much more costly than the Wii (even after $150 of extra equipment for the different games) but ended up costing the same as my friend's PS3 after all the peripherals and extras we had to get.
The game performance is on par with the PS3; the graphics are amazing and the gameplay was very smooth. The Wii, while viewed as a little more cartoonish, is actually graphically enhanced as well. The new Zelda is awesome on it.
All three will play older games, but the Wii has some really cool options for your GameCube games. Same with the PS3.
Hardware is where I found the XBox 360 to fall behind. The Wii comes fully fnctional. It is WiFi ready and even after months of constant usage (and quite a few cocntroller bruises) it has not had any issues. From what I have seen of my friends' PS3 systems, they are actually pretty quiet and also have very few hardware issues (BlueRay is nice, too). The XBox 360, on the other hand, is loud, annoyingly loud, and everything had to be bought separately, including the Wifi, the HDDVD, etc. It gets so hot to the touch that I fear for my fingers, and it has damaged game discs. And then came the RROD, or motherboard overload as we have began to call it. We have tried to combat the heating problems with many different cooling solutions, but none have been effective enough to keep the stupid thing alive for more than a month.
I know about 20 people who have bought XBox 360 consoles, and out of those 20 people 9 have had to return their system due to some type of hardware malfunction. Only 3 of the original 20 have actually kept their system and have it still running.
I am just a normal game user, but I can tell when a product is obviously very flawed and the XBox 360 is. Save your money, give it little time, and the PS3 will have more games and be much more worth the buy. We're buying one. (A little PS3 extra: the games are not region encoded, which can come in handy for some of us). I have a feeling the new Final Fantasy games will be much more worth the extra money spent than a few days playing Halo 3 and then having to return or sell the system.
When I buy a game system, I expect it to last. I have every Nintendo ever made and the PS1 and PS2. They all still run (even after kicking a few across the floor.) The XBox cannot offer this type of staying power with or without customer abuse. Microsoft apparently didn't build a quality product. It seems like Microsoft botched the 360 just like XP. Maybe they need to work all the bugs out... again.
Final word: buy a PS3 or a Wii. Leave the 360 alone until Microsoft takes a look at its product and revamps the hardware. | video-games_xbox |
So there's always the multiplayer right. What the hell happened?
So to get it straight I've been playing Halo since Halo Combat Evolved. I own all of the Halo games, even ODST and Reach . All of the Halo games I've loved. So 343 took up the reigns with Halo 4 and it had an awesome story with some good levels. I really liked Halo 4, maybe not as much as prior Halo's, but I did not regret buying the limited edition.
So Halo 5 came out and I hesitated to buy it. As I stated I liked Halo 4, but I wasn't sure if I would be buying Halo 5 at full price unless it really impressed me via trailers... it didn't. Who the hell is Locke? Why would he be in charge of Buck? Well there are some vein attempts at explaining that, but basically he just is. Locke isn't very interesting as a lead, and he is, unfortunately, the lead. He doesn't have any of the 'so badass I don't really have to speak' Master Chief quality and really just comes off as a puppet. I felt his squad was much more interesting than him in general, especially Buck.
Now the Chief and his Spartan 2s are actually very interesting and as someone who has read the expanded universe, I was very excited to see them together for the first time in game. To bad you get around a quarter of the campaign to play with them. It's cool to see The Chief going full rogue after hints of it in Halo 4.(Spoiler) Locke and Chief even get in a hand to hand fight and it's disappointing. (Spoiler) Though they fight like tanks, the Chief with his superior battle experience and augmentations should have cleaned the floor with Locke, instead it's a semi interesting fight probably to validate Lockes 'toughness'.
To be honest I haven't even finished the main campaign, I'm a level away from doing so and here's why, the campaign level design is boring at best. They don't seem to have any cohesion, rarely adding up to more than obvious arena type areas connected by ridges and paths. It's all rather boring looking, with some of the textures less impressive than those in Halo 4. Halo 4 had some great armor textures, but Reach beat it in overall graphics. So where does that leave Halo 5? Well again, Halo 5 beats out Halo 4 in armor and weapon texture, but that's about it.
One of Lockes levels where you end up running around and driving on this atrocious grey rocky surface which is easily the ugliest texturing in the entire game and you spend A LOT of time there. The first level ends with you shooting at this ugly static Covenant crawler which you can barely land on and blows up rather unspectacularly. The Promethean levels literally feel like pieced together floating Forge maps with tons of silver and red everywhere. The snow in this game(Warzone and Halo 4 for that matter) is a sad rendition, leaving no 3D mark of your movement, it's flat and lifeless. Again I site Halo Reach and Halo 3 even where snow was dynamic and 3D, leaving collapsed footprints and explosion craters. Reaches multiplayer snow even glistened in the light. The water is also a joke, in Halo 3 and Reach it moved and rippled interestingly.
Halo campaigns were known for their beautiful vistas, varying environments and jaw dropping sky boxes. There are one or two sky boxes that impress and the rest of those are completely absent. The Campaign environment graphics are just flat out disappointing, there is no way around it. The 30 or 40 second cut scenes in Halo 5 can be cool, but the epic feel that the other Halo campaigns had are just lost.
So there's always the multiplayer right? Well sure, but it's lost it's Halo-ness and has just kinda become a mad dash for who can remember when the power weapons spawn and where in what maps(at least in slayer). Now surprisingly most of the smaller maps look better graphically than the campaign(weird), and where did Spartan Ops go? Warzone was semi interesting, but not very well explained.
It's not all a flame fest. I will admit 343 did several things well in Halo 5. 1. The implemented Spartan abilities are cool and really help you move fast and with a fresh brutality that was missing in prior Halo games. Being able to hover while shooting, aim down the sights, ground pound and climb up ledges makes moving in Halo 5 a lot of fun. Sprinting is also back. However I do miss the jet pack from Reach, which was substantially nerfed in Halo 4, but still added verticallity to levels. 2. The three sets of weapons aren't just re skins of each other. Each weapon, Human Covenant or Promethean, all handle differently and uniquely. This was pretty exciting to see. 3. The Vehicles are faster.
So my verdict, is it a terrible game? Not necessarily. However, when a once great and unique game falls into mediocrity it can have a detrimental impact on your enjoyment of the game. If Halo hadn't been a renowned series and just your average shooter, would Halo 5 be a terrible addition; No. However, with Halo 5's distinct lack of focus and attention to the Campaign story while also ignoring interesting level design and the over perversion of the multiplayer, Halo 5 has lost focus of what being a Halo is supposed to be. Halo always had a well built story mode, with beautiful vistas, jaw dropping graphics and a not in your face linearity with lots of explosions and exciting events. Halo 5 has none of that. The Multiplayer also used to be more about skill and remembrance of map layouts, not watching timers to run for the only power weapon on the map to decimate your enemies.
In the end though I hope 343 can redeem Halo 6 and pull Halo back from the brink. It is disappointing when you regret spending 30 bucks on what used to be a legendary gaming franchise. | video-games_xbox |
Fight. I picked up MKX on day one and I don't regret swapping it for MKXL now. For those who already had the game, the XL DLC bundle for $25 is an awesome buy since it includes nearly every DLC for the game (it doesn't have the Krypt Unlock or Krimson Ermac). For a game with an already-large roster, I've only picked up a couple additional characters and I think one costume pack, so this was a no-brainer value.
Here's what you're getting with this version, and the prices on XBL if you were to buy them individually:
* Mortal Kombat X ($40) (the actual game on the disc, everything else is DLC so get your internet ready)
* Bo'Rai Cho ($5 - playable character)
* Tanya ($5 - playable character)
* Goro ($5 - playable character)
* Leatherface ($5 - playable character)
* Alien ($5 - playable character)
* Predator ($5 - playable character)
* Jason ($5 - playable character)
* Triborg ($5 - playable character)
* Tremor ($5 - playable character)
* Klassic Fatalities 1 ($0 - Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, and Sonya)
* Klassic Fatalities 2 ($0 - Mileena, Kitana, Kung Lao, and Jax)
* Apocalypse Pack (bundle only - skins for Takeda, DVorah and Erron Black)
* Klassic Pack 1 ($4 - skins for Kano, Sonya, and Liu Kang)
* Klassic Pack 2 ($4 - skins for Quan Chi, Jax, and Kung Lao)
* Predator/Prey Pack ($4 - skins for Johnny Cage, Scorpion, and Jax)
* Horror Pack ($4 - skins for Mileena, Reptile, and Ermac)
* Kold War Pack ($4 - skins for Sonya, Sub-Zero, and Kano)
* Kold War Scorpion ($0 - skin for Scorpion)
* Samurai Pack ($4 - skins for Kenshi, Shinnok, and Kitana)
* Brazil Pack ($4 - really stupid skins for Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao)
Now in theory that's $113 worth for $60. You know, assuming you were ever really going to pay for that stupid Brazil Pack. But let's be real - even if you ignore all the skins, you're getting the game plus all DLC characters, about $85 if purchased separately, for $60. So you're $25 ahead even if you never change a costume (but really, there are some good ones - like the Kold War pack).
For the game itself, I gave it five stars a year ago and I'll stand by that. It is easily the best fighter on Xbox One (and yes, I also play <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/KI/dp/B00MMPB4RE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">KI</a>). Mortal Kombat is simple enough for anyone to pick up, but complex enough to take weeks to master. It is smooth, amazingly responsive, *balanced* (cannot be said for KI), and they've really stepped up (and down) with the ability to toggle assists - a boon for newbies. With a large and vibrant online community and some really smart online features (that are detailed in the game description so I won't bother repeating), this is definitely the definitive game of its genre.
See you online! | video-games_xbox |
Well...I'll never get that hour of my life back. I've made fun of trendy hipster MAC using tree-huggers in previous reviews...but on this game I must agree with them.
For shame the amount of pollution that was released into the atmosphere because of this game. How horrible that it will all be in the landfill someday where it belongs.
I rented this Jewel of the Vile for free (thank God) from my little brother's game collection. He handed it to me and said, "Here...this one isn't...uh...it isn't really my thing."
"Thing?" He's only 16 so hasn't really mastered the use of the English language, so I can't blame him for being unable to eloquently describe the putrid nature of this game. Therefore, I will help him voice his opinion.
I was only able to sit and play this for about an hour. I kept waiting for the game to improve...but it never did. What accent is that on the vampire character? I suppose when it came to the voice acting that they couldn't afford a guy that sounded Transylvanian...they had to go for an American guy who -Vas taulkinguh like he vas an eeeevil scienteest goinguh to blow up zee vorld!-. The best part was when he called the idol of greed "fatty".
Also...what is wrong with this world's populations' pelvises? Leonardo stood like he was in a permanant state of humping or was beginning to bloat. Do the undead bloat in this world? I kept waiting for him to spike one giant chunk of his hair and say, "It's time for a little demon cleansing, I MUST SAY!" (Old Saturday Night Live reference for those of you too young to remember Martin Short's character Ed Grimley.)
I have never played the other Kingdom of Fire games...but (if I've heard correctly) they were more strategy-based. The makers should really have stuck to strategy...because whatever style this is simply sucks.
You run around...trying to find monsters to train your skills...which never happened for me. I got one spell but after that single spell (Heal) it seemed impossible. The vampire character (Lenny...or Lactate...something) is trying to mutate to become as strong as Rufus(...or was it Randy...?). It was fun in an oldschool Gauntlet at the arcade kind of way. After pegging the upteen-thousandth little scorpion with my Kunai of Frost and Wounding and Shrieking and Making Toast, however, I simply lost interest.
Basically...if you can get the game for free then have at it! It will at least fill up a little bit more space on your shelf so that when people come over they look at your games and say, "Wow! You've got a lot of games!" Other than that...get something else. | video-games_xbox |
Gamer do not buy! Buy PS4 or wait for xbox pro/elite. I'm sorry Microsoft.... You just went another direction. Ok, after being an Xbox gold member for more than 7 years and really being a huge fan of Microsoft, I really feel they went another direction here. I purchased the PS4 first on launch and I was blown away by it. I never had the PS3 because I just felt Xbox was better. It was.... So, I was so excited when I got the Xbox One and I must tell you, it's a beautiful looking system. So, here I am with both systems and I feel great about just having the option to play either one at anytime. Now here comes the reason for my low review. I bought battlefield 4 for ps4 at launch at it looked awesome! In fact everything looked awesome on ps4. I do admit the interface on xbox one is a lot prettier/nicer and it's Kinect feature is far more superior. The problem is when I started to do my own graphic side by side comparisons same settings, tv, cables, ect... I could really tell the difference in graphics. I'm not talking about a little bit, I'm talking about a lot! This was really disappointing! I then rented assassins creed, nba2k14 and call of duty.... for me, shockingly the PS4 was a lot better not a little a lot! I then found out that the xbox one was a lot weaker and the other components took a lot away from the graphics and power of the system. Many Xbox One games are at 720p to 900p and all PS4 games are running at 1080p. If you can't see the difference between that, then you are blind. I'm telling you people, it was small details either, they were big details. I have always known ps3 was better graphically then xbox, but you couldn't really see a major difference. I tell you, on these you can see a major difference. I cannot express to all of you on how much I HATE the new Xbox Controller! Why did they have to change it?!? It feels horrible and the RB and LB buttons are sometimes unplayable. It's so stupid and frustrating. I then realized, Microsoft cared so much about sports, Kinect, their interface and money more then they cared about the people who buy their consoles..... Gamers! You buy a gaming console to play games and when you lose focus on that I feel you really lose a lot of customers. I truly feel the PS4 has built a system for gamers and that is why I returned my Xbox One. The PS4 graphics, controller and gameplay was far more superior. I cannot express who clearly the clear winner was! I know some of you would say, Xbox has better games. I did a lot of thinking and I was like the only game I'm going to miss is halo and Titan Fall but this system ain't worth $600 at all! I found myself playing the ps4 a lot more and having a blast with a console that was built for me.... a gamer! Guys another thing, the PS4 controller is flawless! I have told all my friends to wait because I truly feel Microsoft will come out with a pro version in a year or two. They will receive a ton of backlash from their hardcore gamers. Trust me on that. If none of you believe me, buy both systems and try it yourself. You have 15 days with the receipt at best buy and target. Do what I did and I promise you, your going to see a major difference and you will appreciate that Sony had the gamer in mind a lot more.
P.s. I really wonder why the CEO of Microsoft left....? $600 for an upscaling system? | video-games_xbox |
I'm on the Brink. Day one: I am on my way to Game Stop, and I am on the BRINK of picking up my copy of the game for 60 bucks plus tax. I am really excited, this game is going to be so much fun. Bethesda has created some of my favorite games, including the Fall Out games. I get home and pop my copy into my XBOX 360 and the story boots up. Not bad, I get to create my own character and this is going to be so much fun! I start playing the campaign, and I feel as though there is some mistake. Single Player is playing exactly like multiplayer. I'm on the BRINK of wondering if I accidentally started a multi player campaign. Nope!!! Oh well, lets see what this game is all about. I play for about an hour, and I just cannot find any really good qualities in the game. Now I am on the BRINK of getting a little worried. Did I just shell out 60 clams to play this piece of junk game? I shut down, and take the gamers walk of shame to my bedroom and retire for the night.
Day two: Maybe I was wrong Yesterday, today is going to be a better day. I resume my single player campaign and I start to realize that I am on the BRINK of throwing my controller through the television. This game is actually worse today than I thought yesterday. Maybe I am being Punked, but where is Ashton Kutcher? I play on, and begin to have the sensation of being sucker punched in the balls. Punked has been over for years, this is the real deal. God, why has thee forsaken me? I am on the BRINK of losing my temper. I turn off the game and begin to think about the 4 hours of my life which were wasted on this game. I won't ever get them back. Then I begin to think about the 60 clams I gave to Game Stop for absolutely no reason at all. I am now on the BRINK of crying. All hope has been lost, I need help......fast. I go back to Game Stop to trade my game in, and I am given 24 bucks for it. At least all was not lost. On the way home, I wonder how this abomination made it to a console. I may have got some of my money back, but my pride will not heal so easily. I get home and decide to erase all evidence that this game was ever on my X BOX in the first place. I'm done, I'm requesting extraction. Hotel, Eagle, Lima. Pa Pa.-----HELP!!!!! I am on the BRINK of losing my mind. HQ. re-call the e-vac, I am too ashamed to be rescued. I'm popping the pink again, but this time drop a J-Dam on me. Please God, if you are out there, make it fast. I am on the BRINK of insanity.
Day 3: Back to Call of Duty and the rest of the best, I guess I should wait next time. Then I could read all of the reviews about a game before I buy it. I feel a little better today, apparently I am not the only one who went insane. However, there are a few people huffing gasoline or super glue who gave this game a 5 star rating. Really, can you be serious or do you work for Bethesda? I am pretty sure it is the latter. There are even people out there giving this game a 5 on the PS3, and that is with the entire Sony network being down. How can you rate a game meant for multi player on the single player alone? Oh, I forgot, Bethesda employs lots of people. Now I am on the BRINK of taking a copy of this game and using it as a rectal dilator for whoever wrote positive reviews in the press for this game.
Bye Bye. | video-games_xbox |
Wow.... this was amazing, but Halo 3 has to appear soon. Halo 2 was the game people have been ranting and raving about for 2 years now. Everything you heard about Halo 2 was good, and man were they all right. Halo 2 is probably the greatest game I have EVER played, and when I picked this one up Tuesday Nov. 9 I was literally shaking, so excited to play this. I own the original Halo and at the time I thought this was the greatest game ever, and now it's sequel owns that title. Now on to the great things about Halo 2...
1. Graphics- THEY ARE AMAZING!!! The graphics in this game truly outwit any other game I have seen before, and they are incredibly stunning. One level that I particularly find the best looking is Delta Halo. The tropical atmosphere of this level is so cool, and the water is purely beautiful, it is by far one of my favorite levels in the game.
2. Music- THE MUSIC IS ALSO AMAZING!!! and much, much better than Halo:C.B. There's music in this game for when your in the heat of battle and kickin the Covenant's ass, and there's also music for when the game starts to get a bit deep into the storyline, and it tends to sound a bit sad. There's music for when your fighting along side your men gloriously, and there's music for when the battle is being won. My personal favorite is in the beginning of Delta Halo.
3. Gameplay- ....just really cool.. believe me.
4. Storyline- How can people say the story is less detailed than HALO!?? Halo was a game where you knew what was going on, but so much was left out, and you just wonder wtf is going on on this planet!? Well, in Halo 2, all that and more is answered. The story takes a perspective on both sides,(the covenant, Earth's army) and has quite a suspenseful turn of events near the middle of the game. Overall, the story is perfect, and you really feel like your watching a movie sometimes, only to be thrust into a vast war between the forces of the covenant and Earth's army. However, look for a strange bond of arms near the end of this game...
5. The Ending- Now I will not spoil the ending because all of you who haven't bought this game.. go now, right now, buy the damn thing already! and if you don't have an X Box, screw gamecube or PS2(even though I have it and love it), buy it! However, I have seen lots of complaints about the ending, and the game itself and how long it is. Yes, this game is pretty short, at least it certainly feels like it is. The levels also do not seem to be as long. Although, hey, I can deal, the gameplay makes up. Secondly, about the ending, I thought it was good, and ended in a very cool way. Especially after the credits... I wonder what will happen to Cortana, and what's she gonna spill? The whole ending makes a very horrible want for Halo 3, believe me guys, I thought I was about to go into some giant earth battle, instead the game ended right in my face. Although, it was a good ending when I think about it.
Overall, Halo 2 kicks ass, all the fancy new stuff you can do is awesome, and just go buy this, because you'll truly love it. | video-games_xbox |
A Theoretically Wonderful Package, Cynically Rushed to Market. What's here should be absolutely amazing - it contains every game, every multiplayer map, updated versions of Halo 2's single and multi-player [including an amazing new iteration on that old stand-by, Blood Gulch], and cool new challenges and playlists.
However, 343 and Microsoft Studios should never have shipped the game in its current state. Matchmaking teeters on the edge of "completely broken" and "frustrating." In the few moments where I was actually placed in a multi-player game, teams were unbalanced, and lobbies rarely lasted more than one game. More often, the matchmaking simply spun for upwards of ten minutes. Leaving and re-entering the hopper did not seem effective. Over the two weeks I owned this game, I was placed in four or five actual matches, and completed half of those. As such, I can't comment on the quality of the in-game netcode, although I didn't experience any glaring instances of lag or teleporting.
If you have other friends with Xbox Ones and copies of the game, and are willing to coordinate and set up split-screen/custom games online, you will probably get a lot more mileage out of the multiplayer as it exists right now. Everything you love and remember is there, ready for customization.
The single player package is better - the updates to Halo 2 look fantastic, and the gameplay mechanics of the first three entries are still rock solid, even with the sometimes wonky weapon balance. The movement and weapon handling feels as crisp and exciting as it always has - popping Elites with Halo:CE's ridiculously powerful scoped pistol is just as fun as it was in 2001. Unfortunately, the campaigns are also marred by strange bugs. For example, I've loaded saves on a specific level, only to have the game spend three minutes loading, display part of a cutscene, then dump me into the /next/ level, apropos of nothing. All levels are available for play at the outset, so it's not the worst issue, but it is pretty odd.
Additionally, I've noticed recurring instances of what appear to be occlusion culling bugs in Halo 2 Anniversary - occasionally an enemy will be partially behind an object in the level geometry, and the engine will fade them out, rendering them invisible, even though they're still in the player's line of sight and less than ten feet away. I also noticed Halo:CE Anniversary Edition's frame rate struggling in sections that clearly shouldn't be taxing the Xbox One's hardware. Overall, for a package that was positioned as a tribute to a beloved series, it feels pretty haphazard and rushed.
If you're really excited for this collection, and want online matchmaking, I suggest waiting for the next few rounds of patches, and checking with other owners about their matchmaking experiences before buying. As a collection of classic campaigns, it does the baseline job of reproducing the gameplay - but the litany of new interface and engine bugs indicate an absence of the technical craft and polish that this collection deserves. | video-games_xbox |
A buggy mess without the patch. Fanboy reviews aside, there is something seriously wrong with this game. Take this as a heads up, there have literally been 4 separate missions that glitch out and are incapable of completing due to npc's not reacting, my character sinking into the floor, and a quest giver not appearing, requiring you to restart your console. They claim there is a patch, but if you don't have a live account to download that day 1 patch, you can expect clipping issues, glitchy characters and objects separating into mid-air, broken mission objectives, and sync problems. It astounds me to no end that publishers think they can push this crap out with the expectation that they can simply fix it later.
In terms of the game, here are some facts, judge them as you will:
- Some of the features that have been marketed are misleading- you can't actually "free run" through buildings. You look for an open window and he just goes through an animation and you're out the other side, losing pursuers. It is pretty much a fancy, slightly faster version of the hideouts from previous games
-There are a LOT of cutscenes. Probably around a 1:1 minute per minute ratio in the first few hours. Expect a lot of talking, an order to ride a horse somewhere, more talking, go run over here, more talking, kill a deer, more talking, go run over there, kill that guy, repeat.
- Combat is just about blow-for-blow arkham city's combat system. Two buttons do just about everything, so the entertainment comes from watching him do the moves. Combat is still set up so that everyone circles up around you and take turns getting murdered.
- Naval warfare takes up a fair chunk of the game. In my opinion, it's totally awesome and probably the best part of the game (when your ship isn't literally sailing through the port, glitching out of the map)I checked the clock the moment I finally unlocked it. The first time I stepped foot on a ship that I controlled was 8 hours and 24 minutes into the game.
-You don't play as a full assassin(white robes and gear) like the previous games until 6-7 hours into the game.
I haven't tried multiplayer yet, our internet connection is still out from the storm. If you can't get the patch yet, don't play this game, a better version will probably be out in like a month(and a good black friday deal or something) | video-games_xbox |
Which to buy????!!!! Plantronics Gamecom X10 or Microsoft. I couldn't decide which to buy, both were close to $10.00. So I bought both. Also I was worried about controller differences since some headsets are newer versions than others. I bought the newer whisper quiet xbox 360 w/ 4gb hd in January and both work with my controller.
Both have volume adjustment and microphone mute either at the base of the controller (microsoft) or built into the wire (plantronics).
Plantronics microphone doesn't start picking up until after I have started speaking. So you would hear this: "......crophone doesn't start picking up _ntil __ter I have started __eking." Microsoft microphone is like talking on a cell phone. (This is the report I got from my friends as I cannot be in two places at once listening and speaking to self report.)
The one by microsoft seems to have the headband curved and squeezing more can reach the top of your ear on the other side of the head from the earphone. If you set it incorrectly on your head it can dig into your brains between where the top of your ear connects with your scalp.
In comparison the Microsoft version while seems much more loose and excessively swivelly, regarding the side with the earphone and microphone, which kinda makes it feel like it could wiggle off your head.
Bottom Line: While the plantronics gamecom x10 looks better and is definitely more comfortable for myself, the microphone is not as good. Which is the whole point.
As for which will go out first, I cannot speak to because I'm sure the one I use the most (Microsoft) will die sooner than the other. I have both, I have a choice I use the microsoft version there ya go. They both work and when my microsoft one wears out I'll switch over to the plantronics one until it dies, my friends tell me I'm too chatty anyway.
P.S. The microsoft headset comes in a bag taped shut, don't be alarmed. I was until my friend told me thats how they come direct from microsoft. | video-games_xbox |
Can This Sequel Be Called Dead Space? (Spoiler Free. I'm a big fan of the original Dead Space and over the years since its release I've replayed the game several times. Dead Space is a true survival horror game set in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a derelict space mining vessel. The game manages to to build tension and horror in the player through a careful mix of storytelling, use of limited light and shadow, excellent sound-effects and a carefully controlled use of "necromorphs" the series' antagonists. Dead Space 3 eschews that formula to the furthest extent possible and the result is a game that is almost completely different with the exception of name alone. Whether or not Dead Space 3 is a 'good' game or not is a subjective exercise. But it can be compared unfavorably to its predecessor.
--------------------
Storyline:
In the original Dead Space, Issac, your character and the series' main protagonist is mostly silent. You rarely see Issace without the signature DS helmet on and communication is kept to sparse exchanges via his suits built in communication device. This time around you immediately get a full treatment of Issac who is clearly suffering from the mental stress of surviving two bouts with a necromorph infested Ishimura. The game opens in Issac's rundown apartment on a moon where agents are set to retrieve Issac for a last-ditch effort to save humanity from the Marker-obsessed Unitologists (kind of a cult that thinks that humanity has to die in order to elevate to the next level or existence). Soon Issac finds himself in orbit around a planet called Tau Volantis working with his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend and team to turn off a mysterious device that they believe are responsible for the Markers and the Unitologist's efforts. I'll stop there to avoid any possible spoilers.
--------------------
Environment:
The story and ultimately the environment involve a lot more people and a lot more set pieces. Issac goes from environments ranging from a heavily populated moon city, to orbit around Tau Volantis and then ultimately to the snowy surface of Tau Volantis and more. Part of the greatness of the original Dead Space was it's incredibly creepy, dimly lit interiors of the Isimura. That has been somewhat lost in DS3 because of the huge variety of environments and the increased lighting in these environments. There are still interior spaces that are dimly lit and crawling with enemies but the effect is not the same.
--------------------
Gameplay:
Perhaps the most controversial area in DS3 is gameplay. The most noticeable change is the adoption of multiplayer for the entire storyline. In fact large portions chunks of the game (side-missions) are only available when playing with two players. I played through the game with a friend and found that it isn't to my liking but others may feel differently. I respect that. I will say that multiplayer takes any sort of tension, suspense, and horror right out of the game. Further, Visceral Games chose to make another major change to the game. The careful mix of pacing in the original game has been removed for favor of over the top encounters with waves of enemies. You can almost count on being swarmed over and over again at any point during DS3. Because of that the amount of drops has increased dramatically. Having to carefully allocate resources or choose flight over fight was a major factor in Dead Space. In DS3 you'll be annoyed at having to drop items in your inventory to clear room for better stuff. By the end of my first multiplayer run I had over one-hundred health items in my inventory. Ammo is another area where the game has changed. You can carry only two weapons but each weapon used the same type of ammo, again removing the inventory management aspect out of the game.
--------------------
Other Changes:
The weapon and suit upgrade system has been scraped entirely. Nodes which were found in the environment in the first two Dead Space games are gone in favor of resources that consist of Tungsten, semi-conductors, somatic-gel, transducers, and a few other items. Each suit upgrade costs certain amounts of resources. Weapons can be upgraded by finding upgrade circuits or building your own at 'benches'. Resources are harvested from the environment, from killing enemies and from releasing little robotic harvesters that bring resources to the nearest bench. Weapons can be crafted from parts you find and from blueprints. Each weapon has an upper and lower (alt-fire) weapon that can be customized a number of ways. That's a lot to take in. Personally I didn't like the new system at all. It's complicated and the result is less satisfying than the system used in the first two games. Interestingly, there is plenty of (day one) DLC to buy up scarce resources. Connection there?... possibly.
--------------------
Final Thoughts:
Another reviewer put it well - this is Dead Space after receiving the Michael Bay treatment. There are lots of pretty explosions, a lot of color, some sort of love story... you get the idea. Some people will love this game; certainly those that are interested in online co-op gameplay. For fans of the original games that appreciated what those games did (true survival horror) will probably not like the changes here. All told this is a game worth playing and worth your time as it does seem to wrap up the series but falls considerably short of the high mark established by the original Dead Space title. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic remake of the original. I would first like to start out by saying everyone who has bashed this game over multiplayer not being like Halo CE in 2001 is obviously not a true Halo fan, as 343 Industries specifically told everyone back at E3 that they would be remaking 6 of the multiplayer maps from Halo 1 & 2 and they would be using the Halo Reach engine. They never said anything about having its own multiplayer. I was fine with that as I understand why they did it--Reach has only been out for a year, I mean this game isn't COD, which you only get a year to play a multiplayer before having to purchase another dull game.
Anyway, besides the whiners, everyone seems to love the campaign. The campaign is awesome to say the least. I love how the graphics are detailed and switching to classic mode gives me that nostalgic feel all over again. Kinect feature works out well too. I've heard reviewers complain on the response time, but I haven't really come across hardly any disturbance after I say, "Grenade" or "Analyze" it takes a second to respond. That isn't long at all. The campaign is a lot more difficult then I remember, but that is a good thing! So far the skull locations are easy to find, and I haven't found terminals yet.
The remastered soundtrack has been labeled inferior to the original by some reviewers, namely IGN. I don't see their validation, as the soundtrack sounds amazing. They really did a wonderful job remastering all the songs.
I can't really think of anything else, but all the people who complain about $40 to purchase this game are really crying a river. The map pack via Xbox Marketplace sells for $15 dollars. You get a game for $25 dollars which I think is pretty close to the actual price they sell the original Halo CE on Xbox Marketplace. Plus they added in kinect controls, 3-D capability, remastered soundtrack, remastered graphics, terminals, skulls. | video-games_xbox |
What happened to the Red Alert games. I've played both Red Alert 1 & 2--with RA: 2 still a favorite for it's mix of gameplay, humor and just overall fun. Having been disappointed last year by the lackluster C&C 3: Tiberium Wars (which, like its predecessor, suffered horribly for speed and gameplay issues, while RA: 2 did not, nor did the excellent C&C: Generals) I was hoping RA: 3 would take me back to what got me into these games--fun, challenging missions, a bit of humor, and hours of fun.
What I got was...C&C3, dumbed down. I mean really dumbed down. I'm not talking about the FMV scenes or the hot babes (most of whom out-acted the "professional" actors who appeared in C&C3), which I was prepared for, but the gameplay itself:
--Units just about crawl across the screen. Even fast-movers, like MiG jets, take forever to get anywhere. You're forever jumping back and forth trying to see where the unit you just sent to attack is, if it hasn't already been destroyed. And there is NO option to change that speed. If there is, it's well-hidden.
--Too much power: RA1 & 2 started you off with relatively weak units and gave you a challenge by having you overcome enemies using them. Not so here--you're handed units capable of doing major damage almost from the start. It takes a good chunk of challenge from any mission, which is not helped by the
--AI Commanders, or as I thought of them, "cannon fodder". Using these guys means every mission can play out the same--you send them out to distract the enemy, while you build up your forces and go for the win. That's fun about...one time. After that it just sucks out any challenge there might have been, and you don't have the option to turn these guys off.
--Loooong load times at startup. I swear, it takes a full minute or more just to reach the main menu! Worse, it took a full 2 hours to install this--actual installation itself to about 1/2 hour, the remaining hour and a half was spent trying to stop the game from trying to install itself twice (running two versions of setup) and crashing in the process.
Are there any good points? Well, you get some very attractive ladies to look at in the FMV scenes, and there's George Takei, who really plays the role of the Emperor of the Rising Sun very well. The units are surprisingly varied though infantry is pretty weak. Graphics are pretty. Music is kind of cool. But beyond that...nope. Don't waste your money. If you want real gameplay that's fun, fire up a copy of Red Alert 2 and go back to that. It's 100% better than this waste of time.
That's all I have to say. | video-games_xbox |
Gotta read the manual. This game will frustrate you unless you read the manual.
Once you read the manual you will be able to take advantage of 2 crucial things: multi-target homing missiles; and identifying primary objective targets. Without the latter you will get NOWHERE in the game.
Pros:
- Fans will appreciate the art work that can be unlocked in the game- including Ralph Mc Quarrie paintings.
- You get to check-off one of your childhood todos- ie fly a Viper. You get to fly from within the cockpit of the viper as well as cylon marauder. If you press and hold the Y button while in this view, your viewpoint turns slightly as if you are turning your head- so you can see to the left and right of your cockit.
- Cutscenes are pretty cool - but unfornately are very grainy.
- Game is more enjoyable when you have read the manual and are better able to control the Viper's systems.
- Your weapons automatically aim at a target to a limited degree- this gives it the same feel as in the original series. I think more space-sims should do this.
- Sound effects of laser cannons and turbo are from the original series.
- Game soundtrack is an updated version of the score from the original series.
Cons:
- The game is hard and there are no cheats. You have to do things pretty quickly or you will miss your opportunity.
- Expect to have to sit thru the first mission at least twice to get through it. First time to get used to the controls. Second time to fully grok the controls from what you've read in the manual. And maybe one more time to really win the mission.
- Game sequences between saves are long so if you die you have to start all over.
- Cutscenes are grainy.
This game is not worth paying full price, but now that it has hit the bargain bins, I think it is well worth it. Come on, you get to finally check off that "fly a viper" item in your geek-childhood-todo-list. You know the one I'm talking about, the one right below: "Fly down the trench and destroy the Death Star" | video-games_xbox |
American McGee Fans Beware -- Madness Returns. I recommend renting the game from Net flicks or Blockbuster for $1.99 as its not worth the (new release) price. The good reviewers it seems who are giving this game 5 or 6 stars are obviously cult followers or are trying to make themselves feel better about being out $60 bucks. Misery enjoys company. Don't take my word for it. Look up the reviews on Game Informer and watch it on IGN. I give props to American McGee for crediting his team, because the prequel Alice (the 1st game) received its success from the creative team of artists who worked on designing the characters and building the environments, but Mr. McGee struggles to capture lighting in a bottle the second time around with Alice: Madness Returns (the sequel). The limited art work in the scenery and characters/ environments during the few scenarios that take place in London are appealing, but through out the remainder of the game the environments surrounding each chapter seem to decline and become uglier.
Your better off purchasing the book the art of Alice: Darkness Returns and renting the game. Although the graphics have improved and Alice has two different looks (Wonderland/London) and a different gown for every chapter the original game you can download for $9.99 or it comes free with the new purchase of this game, is an eye sore. They could have alt east updated the original graphics to 2011 standards if they expect users to pay ten dollars extra. After playing Madness Returns the original Alice games pixelated graphics are painful to watch.
Your provided with 4 upgradable weapons to fight the same enemies with a couple new ones mixed in throughout the game. Bosses are boring. Theres a point where your tricked into thinking you'll be battling the mouse and the hares giant robot until it randomly explodes in cinematic mode for no reason and your forced into the next chapter. Theres minimal and almost no game play interaction with any of the Wonderland characters. The game in its entirety is a skeleton of potential for what it could off been. Game play grows tiresome and it adds up to working your way up to nothing. The game plays out too long wasted on continuous environments and pulling a series of levers to open one door to the next and then once you get through the toy doll environment the game abruptly comes to an end as if McGee couldn't figure out how to end it or he was just being lazy. The game is incomplete and had a lot of potential but Like I said its not worth full retail price. | video-games_xbox |
So difficult, it's mesmerizing. I read a million reviews for this game before purchasing it. I have so many games I need to finish, that I just needed this one to be amazing to get it.
And it is.
This game is fantastic.
This review is long, so I will section it out.
**Appearance: The graphics aren't perfect, I will admit, but they're definitely not a problem (like, not bad enough to be distracting, just decent). However, I can entirely understand why this is true--the game is HUGE. And I don't just mean huge like there are a lot of doors to go through, I mean that it basically loads the entire game when you enter the main map. It's an understatement to say that the game is extremely interconnected. Once you get to the main map, you will find out exactly how far you can go without hitting a door, or anywhere where the map transitions. There are about 6 or 7 (I have yet to complete the map, so that number can be higher) different cities in the main map, and you don't ever hit a loading screen to transition to any of them. It is insane, and remarkable. It baffled me when I discovered all of these cities because I had never seen a game (I don't recall) this intricate before. If you don't believe me, you can always look up videos of this game. Basically, for being as huge as this map is, the graphics are stunning. But in general, they're decent.
**Battles: The battles are actually very nice. I have never had a glitch of any sort (like if I attack and it was supposed to hit the enemy but it didn't), but they are pretty average as far as these types of games go. As for the items, weapons, and magic that can be used, it is quite unique (black firebombs, for example, are intriguing and awesome). I should warn that the enemies are capable of having the exact same items / weapons / magic that you can have, so you'll need to get used to having a lot of versatility in your enemies' fighting repertoire.
**Enemies: I was going to mush this into the battles section, however I feel it needs its own review. The enemies are staggeringly difficult. They range from intermediate / hard to virtually impossible. I can promise you, if you get this game, you will battle in the same area hundreds of times just to level up for the bosses to become mildly tolerable. To many people, I can see this as being a huge turn off. My friend played an area twice, died both times, exclaimed how ridiculous the game was, then proceeded to throw the controller across the room. He obviously has no patience. I would normally feel this way--but from reading the reviews (and being prepared on the difficulty of the game), I became humble. I knew I would have to work hard to succeed at all at this game, and thus I was not surprised in the slightest. These enemies, and bosses, especially, are exactly everything that people say they are. This game has a crazy learning curve, and yet to me, that's why I love it so much. I have never been so challenged by a game, and it truly tests my abilities (and patience). Be warned--if you can't accept defeat in games (well, if you can't, then you should be advised against playing games in general), then you really should not get this game.
**Plot: eh...there really isn't a plot in this game. At least, not quite. It exists as a subtle background, and they give you enough of a plot to keep you informed as to why you are killing the enemies and doing what you should be doing, but that's basically it. There is only one real cut scene I have encountered so far, and it was only being carried from the introduction map to the main map. The people you can converse with are few and far between. Other than the merchants, about half of those people speak in complete gibberish, and the remainder speak in riddles. At this point, if I see someone, I don't even talk to them until my curiosity overwhelms me, because I know in my gut they have absolutely nothing to say. If you need a plot, then this isn't the game for you. Although, I personally love plot, and strongly prefer this game without it. I believe that plot in addition to the rough enemies would make this game too hectic and possibly even uncomfortably manic.
**Online play: I am not a fan of the online aspect of this game. The reasons for this are 1. Because on frequent occasion, when you are already trying desperately to level up, a contemptibly high leveled player will invade your territory and kill you mercilessly. Then, well, all of your souls are gone and you need to battle the same enemies you just battled (without dying again!!) to get back to your bloodstain to collect those precious souls. And 2. People can freely write tips and hints on the ground. They can say anything. And so the ground is scattered with these messages that are, much more often than not, useless. But, among those public-written messages and the tips and hints written by the creators of the game, which are very advantageous to read. I would play this game offline, until you are at a high enough level to immediately incinerate everything that crosses your path. I've heard approval of the option of kindling, but I haven't explored that aspect of the game.
Bottom line: 5 stars personally, 4 stars for people who get frustrated easily, and 3.5 for playing online.
I very highly recommend this game. | video-games_xbox |
a game-changing (sorry) add-on for your XBox or PC. The kinect is a peripheral for the XBox, but it can also be used with your PC if you're a programmer.
It's fair sized, with an integrated array microphone, infrared camera, and normal RGB camera. Still, I'm able to set it on my fireplace mantle beneath my LCD TV, no problem.
What does it do? Glad you asked! Hook this up to your xbox, and you can use it to control some of your xbox menu's and experiences. For example, on my 360 I use it sometimes to navigate menu's. There's also a bunch of games you can buy which are controlled by you standing up and making gestures - no physical controller needed! My favorites so far are the Kinect Adventures and Dance Central, I haven't tried many others.
Some warnings:
- you need space to use this thing. It seems to like you to be between 6' and 10' from the sensor.
- You use it standing up, and it needs to be able to see your whole body. So, don't try to play with a table between you and the kinect.
- Make sure you have room to flail around. It's easy to get into a game and forget how close you are to that priceless ming vase.
If you are a programmer, you can also play around with the kinect on your PC. There's an SDK which lets you get the depth and RGB video streams as well as audio. Works great! You can see lots of videos on youtube too if you look for 'kinect windows' or 'kinect demo' - look at the more recent stuff. You can find the SDK by searching for 'kinect sdk download'
The kinect uses a USB port. On the newest XBox-360's, there's a dedicated port with enough power on the back. You can use the kinect with older XBoxes and PC's as well, but you have to use an optional power adapter that comes with it.
If you're interested, I recommend going to a store or a friends where a kinect is set up and playing a game or two. I bought one of these cause I was excited, but I'm too lazy to hop around playing the games so far! My nephews and my son love it, though!
Overall the kinect is cool enough to try out! For the prices of 2 or 3 games it gives you a whole new way of playing with the xbox. Now if I could just get myself to expend the required energy... :) | video-games_xbox |
HALO5 is lame. I own and have played hundreds of hours of all previous HALO titles on the XBox platforms. HALO4 was the pinnacle of the series, with HALO3 and ODST not far behind. HALO5, however, is what happens when a software development company wants to get greedy and make money off of a game title's popularity at the expense of the gaming experience. The loadout system is pay-to-play via micro-transactions in real-world money, or by way of attrition, where a character cannot spawn in-game with a specific set of gear and armor and must instead "earn" loadout upgrades during the course of a match. So, suspending belief is already part and parcel with FPS sci-fi gaming, HOWEVER, we went from spawning with customizable armor perks and weapons, to always spawning with default everything, forced to run around killing things to get equipment upgrades, which is not how ANY viable military would operate, now or in the distant future - you start the mission with the gear you need, period. The HALO5 loadout system is fantastic, insulting garbage. Instead of paying for additional content, users get to pay for equipment. The game shipped with far less than was advertized, only getting game-types like Big Team Battle months after launch. And the 60FPS, while ok to behold, is not nearly as refined and realistic-looking as HALO3, 4 and ODST are. So the 60FPS was added at the expense of visual awe. In HALO5, the movement looks cartoonish, not realistic. HALO4 and ODST both look MUCH more textured and realistic than HALO5 does. To worsen this pile of failure, the HALO5 scramble-jump and the hover-smash features, which partially replace useful loadout options from previous titles, are extremely lame, weak and gimmicky. Do you see this rant, 343? You took a beloved, long-standing, flagship title and absolutely killed it by way of micro-transaction greed, ruining most of the core of what HALO fans wanted in the franchise. Bungie is STILL showing you how it is done. | video-games_xbox |
Very, very good game! Whether or not you buy the collector's edition is up to you. Ok, if you are one of those people who like quick short reviews than just read this part. Otherwise go to the pros and cons and conclusion section. So, basically in this game you start out robbing small jewelry stores and eventually go to maximum security banks. It is a addicting because of its reward system. The CE comes with mask, gloves, wallet, and OST(more on this stuff in conclusion.) Overall it is a very good game. Buy it!
Pros:
-Gameplay: Do you want to go in guns blazing? Or stealthily take out guards and camera's? It's your choice! You can try and survive while the police assault you, or take out all guards and camera's and then tie civilians down. Plays like almost any other first person shooter in terms of control.
-Reward system: There is payday at the end of each mission where you can pick a card and unlock a mask color, mask material, mask pattern, gun customization, or extra money. You also have a small chance to get a rare item that appears very little of the time.
-Customization: One of best things about this game is the customization. You can customize your mask with a material like wood, rubber, metal, ceramic whatever you want. then change it up by adding a pattern and colors. You can customize everything about your gun such as: Barrel, Barrel extension, Extra, Gadget, Sight, Grip, Stock, Magazine, Upper receiver, lower receiver, etc.
Cons:
-AI: The AI cannot pick up bags so on the harder missions it is nearly impossible to play with them. PLAY WITH FRIENDS!
That is all
Conclusion: A very fun and rewarding game if you put your time into it and worth the 40 bucks to buy standard edition. Please don't listen to rapister. He is a troll. Now, about the CE items. The mask is a medium quality rubber mask that I like a lot. It is based off of the character Dallas' mask in the game. The gloves are just surgical gloves. Not latex in case you were wondering. The wallet is decent and is the wallet I am using right now. It is not just printer paper. It feels like it is made of similar materials to that of real money. The Soundtrack is absolutely amazing. I already transferred the song to my phone. | video-games_xbox |
Great concept that fails on poor implementation. I wanted to like Rocksmith, and I keep giving it another chance, but in the month+ I've owned it I've only played it 3 times, because I always get fed up and frustrated with the idiotic design choices the developers made in the implementation.
The concept is brilliant: using your real guitar, learn to play songs and learn techniques via the game.
The execution of that concept is idiotic. So much of the game has you repeating the same stuff over and over and over and over.. you get annoyed really quick. Here's a tip UBI, employ some common sense user interface designers, and test it on real people as well.
One annoyance isn't the games fault, but Microsoft's, as the USB ports, needed to use the cable to plug into the guitar, are just such a pain to plug in and they fail if you look at them funny. That requires you power down the system, unplug the power, wait 10 minutes then power it back up.. and then the USB ports seem to come back. Not having an easy way to see the status of USB ports in the XBOX 360 console interface, or reset them from there, or even see them in the Rocksmith game menu is aggravating. Ok, lets assume you have the USB ports working and the cable plugged in.
Now the soley UBI annoying, Rocksmith 'feature'. Every time you want to do 'anything' you have to strum then pluck each individual string. Thats a 20-30 second sequence of events you have to do every time you want to run an exercise or practice a song. Every time. Yes, you just ran the exercise or song 5 seconds ago and just want to restart it to try again. Sorry, lets have you strum, now pluck each individual string.. ok your guitar is in tune. What the?! Why would the guitar be out of tune all of a sudden that we need to check it? I can see checking that once per game load, and then on-demand if the user wants it or if it sounds like things are really off, but forcing the user through this exercise at the start of every little thing? Really?!
So if you get past this without cursing and shutting the system off, you have to deal with the way the game seems to want to surprise you at every turn. It seems the favorite way for the game to work is to lull you to sleep with a non-changing screen, and then suddenly, as you feel a bit distracted, blast some important information at you in audio/screen text and expect you to react to it. I'm finding time and time again that I've got to be an expert on the exercise and really have learned the positions on the guitar well, before I have any chance at reacting in a timely fashion to whatever the game throws at me.
Example: an early training in changing positions. The lesson shows some frets standing up and indicates its a position, then indicates a new position... and as you are trying to figure out where up on the guitar neck that new position is (because you don't already know how to play the guitar), wham, the 'reference position' shifts to a new spot on the neck and you are supposed to start playing notes at that position. Then, old that position even though you see the new note coming at a new position, but don't you dare try and get in position early.. no the game only recommends the position change the micro-second before the new note is needed to be played. Never mind a beginner will take 5 seconds at least to find the new position, then another second or so to get the fingers in place. Geez guys... for beginners, give us some 'time' between the instruction you give us and the need for us to be able to react to the new configuration.
Example: so you are playing along on the first song they teach you, and you start to feel like you are getting the hang of it and feeling a bit better about yourself. The game then does something that is, in theory quite smart, it senses you are getting better and starts adding a few more notes for you to play in.. so where you started plucking a note every few seconds, soon you are playing a note every second.. more content gets added as you get better. That brilliant. Thumbs up. But then they toss in some totally new icon that you don't have a clue about before they even explained what that symbol is (or was it explained in the intro you watched 3 weeks ago?) that hasn't been part of the song at all.. and now the notes are flying by and your brain is trying to figure out what the hell that icon is,and bam you have missed the notes you were supposed to play and now your song has gone down the crapper and you feel frustrated again. I really think the game should let you build your confidence and ability and then recommend a greater complexity (with new symbology or movements) and then explain what its going to add and let yo practice those new things BEFORE throwing them at you in the songs you try to play. I'd really like to get through the song at least once decently where I don't feel I hosed up a note, before you toss some new technique at me.
Finally, the way the interface works in general.. its hard to figure out what you can do and where you are. When you can use the controller a/b/x keys vs start and where you are in the hierarchy of menus. So you just finished another hatched job on song x, and really want to practice it some more, but the game wants to feed you along to some new song. Finding your way through the menu to 'practice' and the right practice to redo what you just tried, is not at all easy. More importantly, the need to put pick up the xbox controller for everything is frustrating. Moving from standing in front of the screen to wandering around on that short cable to find the controller.. then put it down again (cause you have one second from having said practice again before you need to be picking notes).. frustrating. You have a guitar with 5 strings. Why can't the software let you use the guitar to be a rudimentary controller to walk the menu rather than the xbox controller? I should be able to 'repeat' what I just did without using the xbox controller.. just with the guitar strings. I should be able to do basic menu left-right-up-down or next lesson also without using the controller. Sure if I want to dig around the menu for something far unrelated to what I just did.. yeah, the controller is the way to go, but to do basic progression through the game, making me take my hands off of the guitar neck is just a major pain in the rear.
I'm 'hoping' UBI will address the shortcomings in the game via patches over the internet - the beauty of network connected game consoles. One can hope right?
With some of fixes this could be a very enjoyable game and great way to learn the guitar. Currently its a bit of an exercise in frustration. Make sure you play it with a cheap guitar to start lest you cannot rest the urge to smash your guitar into the xbox in frustration. | video-games_xbox |
The XBox 360. What do you mean you've never heard of the Xbox 360? Where have you been living for the past 5-6 months - a life of solitude in the wilds of Timbuktu?
Advertising? What do you mean there's been no advertising? With only 50,000 consoles (the number mentioned in numerous articles about the Xbox 360) being made available to the UK, do you think there's any real need to spend money on something that people have pre-ordered since late August, when Microsoft officially confirmed the release schedule of this console for the globe. Yes, globally launching the console within weeks of each area getting theirs. This has been an unprecedented move by anyone in the gaming industry, since typically they stagger the release of new hardware (and software on occasions) by a matter of months.
But then again, Microsoft needed to be daring and ambitious this time round, with their first update of the Xbox console. Sony and Nintendo have been in the game much longer, with the former having the majority share of the industry. As with all things Microsoft, they want to be the dominant, the most widely used brand, and in order to attempt to take some of Sony's share, they had no option but to release the next generation of gaming hardware first - especially as Sony won't have their new PS3 out until late next year (2006) in Japan, then the US. We Brits (and Europeans), well we've been relegated to second-class consideration, by being put on hold, until February 2007. 2007?! - yes that's the rumoured expected date of the PS3 in Europe.
So, because of that situation, most gamers (hardcore and casual, young and old) see the Xbox 360 as their ticket to the "next big thing".
So, what is it about the 360 that makes it the next big thing? Well, Xbox Live is by far the best online service available for gamers - even hardened PC users accept that nowadays. The console will also allow you to connect your Apple iPod, and Sony PSP, to use for playing back your music files in a game. Equally, you can hook up a PC to the console to stream video across.
The graphics on the Xbox original, were top notch - better than the Sony PS2, by any stretch of the imagination, but now that we're in the midst of a High Definition revolution (or should that be resolution), something the NTSC US and Japanese Xboxes have been able to do since day one, with games that supported the Hi Def resolutions (1280x720p and 1920x1080i), the 360 lets European customers finally have a gaming system that outputs Hi Def and enjoy the spectacular graphics quality that games have, and will have. The 360 will still work on normal CRT TVs, but you really want to go Hi-Def to see what all the hype is about. Equally, you can buy the VGA cable, and hook it up to an LCD computer monitor, which you may already have being used by your PC. If you have one with DVI and VGA inputs, and a graphics card on the PC with DVI, then you'll save yourself an awful lot of hassle swapping VGA cables over to use whichever unit you want.
The bulk of 360 machines sold are the Premium version - the same as the Core system but only with a lot more included for a small price increase. There's the hard disk drive (20 GB), HD Component cable, wireless control pad, headset - for talking to your team mates online, and for a limited time only, a cut down version of the separately available media remote control, which can control a connected PC's Media Centre OS, should it be installed.
Ultimately there will be a number of you who can't get hold of a 360 before Christmas, having to wait until possibly as late as February before you will, but whilst the delay causes frustration and disappointment, the reality is you will forgive Microsoft's ambitious attempt to rule the planet...er, satiate global demand for the new console, once you eventually get your hands on one, and play it for the first time on a HD display.
All the frustrations and other emotions felt in the interim period will melt away, and you'll wonder why you stressed yourself out so much. Life is stressful enough, there's no point adding to it.
The rear of the console has the power receptacle for the connector on the out-board brick-styled power supply, the proprietary Xbox video connector, and an Ethernet (RJ45) port, which allows hook-up of the supplied Ethernet cable to your broadband modem/router. If you've a Wi-Fi set-up, then you can always avail of the USB 802.11g wireless adapter, sold separately.
The 360 can be can be oriented in an upright manner ( la Sony PS2), or horizontally, just like the original Xbox. Size wise, it's still big - Sony PS2 sleekness, it is not. The unit I have is noisy - the fans are audible but the main source of disconcertion is the DVD drive. It is very noticeably noisy, and spins practically continuously when playing a game. Watching DVDs is not the same; the main noise heard (if the TV volume is low enough) is the fans. This noise becomes background noise once you get into the game, but if your concentration is disturbed, or you're watching a cut scene, it becomes foreground noise once again, which is disappointing to say the least. It's been reported some units are quiet all the time; others likened to the noise of a jet aircraft - a slight exaggeration, but highlights the point that there seems to be an element of potluck which DVD drive and/or fans yours is possibly going to have. If you can place it in an enclosed space under the display, maybe it won't be so bad - but if not, then it could just spoil an otherwise excellent package.
The new control pad design is another area for praise and criticism. On the praise side, the pad is slightly larger than the small controller of the original Xbox, which superseded the original control pad that shipped with the system initially. The shoulder now has buttons, the black and white buttons (too small and poorly located to be effective in most games) having been replaced by these. The `X' button in the centre of the pad lights up and is a switch for turning on or off the pad itself, as well as the console - talk about making us into even lazier couch potatoes! Still, it's an excellent feature. Of course, it's wireless as well - I shan't bore you with the technology employed, which means no more wires to get under your feet, tripped over, eaten by the hamster - and no I'm not referring to the gleaming teeth of Top Gear's Richard Hammond! - etc. The 360 system comes with batteries (AA) for the control pad, as well as the remote control (Energizer, no less!).
The only negative of the design is the Start and back buttons - placed either side of the `X'. All to often, when pausing the game to change options or do something, the `X' button gets pressed instead or as well, resulting in the dashboard showing. It's a minor annoyance, but nevertheless, one that should have been caught at prototyping stage or early testing. Already one well-known 3rd party accessories manufacturer's wired (not wireless) pad has these buttons over on the left under the thumbstick, just like the S-controller has. Makes much more sense that approach, if you ask me. Still, aside from that minor gripe, the pad feels great and works a charm - especially as the 4 buttons (A/B/X/Y) are spaced further apart than previously.
For the money - 279.99, it's a bit of a bargain, considering the additional gadgets it can work with and make use of, providing you with countless hours of enjoyment. Such ones as Apple's iPod and Sony's PSP, not to mention the other brands of MP3 players, of which, some, Lord Percy has had his leather gloved hands carressing in the past!
With the new design of the dashboard, and use of colours for each sub-menu therein, you know Microsoft's design team have put a lot of thought into it, rather than being a case of "that'll do rightly". Similarly the games out now, at launch - they all look excellent graphically, and as the programmers get to grips with the system as time goes on, I'm sure there'll be games along that push the boundaries of what we thought imaginable in this day and age for a sub 300 games console.
Also, whilst not absolutely perfect, Halo 2 works straight out of the box, and gets a welcome boost in visual impressiveness. There are a few areas where the emulator throws a bit of a fit; the main noticed one being the characters at the very start. They seem to take 3-4 goes at turning, and at first I thought this was an anomaly by standing beside them, but alas, it's not. They do it when standing well back from them. But that's nit-picking - once playing the game, you get absorbed into shooting everything that moves, and barely have time to notice the improved visuals or smoother frame rate that seems to have resulted with the additional processing power the Xbox 360 has compared to it's predecessor.
Therefore, a "well done" congratulation must go to Microsoft's Xbox team - they've done a superb job. The only concern is that in meeting that price, sub-standard components have not been foisted upon them, or in their rush with 2 factories working all day, everyday, QC is not being scrimped on.
For now, the Xbox 360 is simply superb, and as time goes by, it'll still prove to be the case, rather than initial infatuation. Does it live up to the hype that has thus far surrounded it? Well, I'd be lying if I said, "unequivocally yes" - the hype is greater than the actuality if truth be told, but that in no way implies that it's dull or suchlike. Far from it, it does give you a definite buzz, but it's not life changing - just a refreshingly renewed enjoyment of gaming solo, online, or with a few friends round for the evening.
Lastly, if you were hoping your cables from the original Xbox would work on the new 360 - you're out of luck, they are smaller and have a slightly different profile. Had hoped the same with the RGB SCART I used with the original unit, but alas, it wasn't to be. More money to fork out now for a better image on a conventional TV - at least it's more affordable than a 37" HD Ready LCD, a projector, or a Plasma TV! | video-games_xbox |
Amazing, best turtle beach headset out there. This headset is one of the best Turtle Beach headset's out there. I got it on sale for $170 after christmas which was 40% off and that was an amazing deal! I love this headset, everything is wireless and works very well. This headset has many presets (9) and theres a lot of variety of the presets that will work best for the game that your playing. I hear people complaining about it because it can get to interfered with other wireless connections but i have NO problem with it, i have a router in my room, wireless home phone, and my xbox360 is wireless and i don't have any problems. Any hardcore gamer that plays games for many hours such as call of duty or battlefield should get this headset. The headset is very easy to install and simple to operate when you get use to it. The headset can be played very loud and its just such a huge plus that everything works perfectly and is completely wireless. I played for about 8 hours in total and the batteries are still working. I bought Sanyo eneloop rechargeable batteries for this headset and still don't need them. I would also like to say that this headset is comfortable for me and i play about 3 or 4 hours each day. This headset isn't the lightest, it may also be somewhat kind of heavy to some people but what do you expect, its wireless and has 2 AAA batteries in them so it will be heavier then a wireless headset.
The two best headsets from turtle beach are the tango vs the xp500, i would recommend either, they basically have the same thing except different color and the xp500 has an xba adapter which makes xbox talking wireless and the tangos not. While the tangos have a built in rechargeable battery but makes it a heavier headset and are based on black ops 2. Also some people claim the tangos are more comfortable but i would say the xp500's are comfortable as well. I chose the xp500's over the tangos because the xp500s looked nicer with a green color instead of orange, also the xp500's are fully wireless while the tangos are not and the xp500s are cheapert hen the tangos and offer the same thing. | video-games_xbox |
i loved the xbox 360. this was a let down. okay let me start off by saying i am 23 and i absolutely loved the xbox 360 which i had nealy 1000s in games and consoles worth invested into it.
so i jumped at the first chance to buy an xbox one when i had the chance,
looks:
this is defiantly not an xbox 360.. the 360 looked amazing when you saw a 360 you knew you were looking at one, it had presence it looked like nothing out there, even the xbox slim looked unique.
unfortunately the xbox one looks like an old dvd player. the design is bland at best. fingerprints are left on its shiny surface super easy. you can only have the system laying down and its brick like shape has it looking like a ps4.
design :
+yes this is a gaming system designed to play 1080p games at 60hz but the xbox 360 and ps3 could both play hd games.the graphics while on paper are much better they are un noticeable to most people.
+looking up peoples profiles or sending messages or viewing achievements lags really hard wich really sucks since xbox was always way ahead with the 360
+the homescreen layout while looks cool feels clunky and with so many images being bombed and thrown at you it feelsoverwhelming at times.
+it has hmdi only wich is fine since most TV sets come with hdmi ports now adays unfortunately it seems as though many TVs cannot accept signal from my xbox one??? ive only been able to connect my xbox to one tv and it is the oldest tv set at bare minimum video quality not even HD or 720p ??? perhapse it is just my xbox.. i will try one more new tv and if it doesnt work ill call microsoft
+ since it does not have a disk tray sometimes disks do not go in all the way back to read and you end up with a very annoying message that the disk isn't readable
+ being able to play with up to 64 people is cool but sadly most games you can still only play with 16 people at a time
+ backwards compatibility while it exists not all xbox 360 games are compatible with the xbox one , you must look up if it is compatible first, most are not..
+although this isn't the case anymore the xbox one was originally designed to prevent the sale of used games and to prevent game sharing ( xbox only makes money when you buy games new since they charge developers a royalty so they lose money when people sell used games) because of this original design you must intall every new game you get , this can take hours sometimes especially if you are connected to the internet, you are no longer able to just put a new disk in and play it. since you are playing off the hard drive you will find that some games like fallout 4 will take several minutes loading, this feature is extremely annoying
+ the games on this console are few, very few... EA games has gobbled up and now owns almost all the game publishers. because of this now only a few games are ever released by EA. in this day and age it costs so many millions to create a game it is close to impossible to create a new video game publishing studio, studios are less likely to take risks and try new ideas so most video games are the same as they were last year only different graphics.
+ microsoft says they created the xbox to be a home entertainment system not just a gaming system but most tv sets that are out now all have the same streaming so most of the xbox one's reason for existing is no longer relevant
conclusion
the xbox one while the latest and greatest, feels like it was rushed in attempts to keep up with pc and mobile gaming. i think we need to wait around some more before we see what the xbox one is truly capable of. but as of now you nor i will be impressed with what Microsoft has brought to the table this generation | video-games_xbox |
Not good. This can only be enjoyed (I think, for the most part) by those who are fans of Assassin's Creed to a religious extent. Nothing significant really happens in this little segment of the story, which, like Brotherhood, is stretched out for too long. This is just a stale (and failing) recreation of the past two Assassin's Creed games.
WARNING: SPOILERS
Ezio's an old man now and he's in Constantinople. That's it. As far as the story goes, this game is even worse than Brotherhood and it's too obvious that Ubisoft wants to milk this series for all its worth. If they were going for quality, Ezio's part in the game would have been over by now. Instead you have to do everything all over again: get a second blade, renovate shops, recruit assassins,upgrade armor, all while trudging through a pitiful excuse for a plot... if I wanted to shop I'd just spend my time on Amazon. Of course, this doesn't mean everyone won't like the game, but for the casual gamer, I'd personally just recommend AC1 and AC2. Wikipedia the rest if you're interested in the "story".
Another strong message from Ubisoft in this game that reads "I want more money" is the fact that you get to "play" as "Altair". Except its a fake Altair. The character's face looks different (with a creepy, partially-grown mustache), a different person is voicing him, and his personality is the polar opposite of the Altair in Assassin's Creed 1 (in a sequence in the game that takes place before AC1). So as far as I'm concerned it's not Altair, just an Altair-impersonator. Altair plays just like Ezio, minus the second blade and the gun- and that's for SOME of the game. For MOST of the time you play as Altair when he's an old man. He can no longer run, let alone sprint or climb, and he doesn't really fight at all. He just lets the Apple of Eden or other loyal Assassin's fight for him. It is such a boring part of the game, and you don't even know what's going on in his life unless you've played those other miniature games that came out on the DS (and I didn't).
Nothing goes on with Desmond that's worth making a whole game about. The graphics are really good, the CPU's are still stupid beyond belief, and everything else is mostly the same. Overall, a disappointment. | video-games_xbox |
Not game ready. Hold off on buying this unless you want to be constantly frustrated. No Dolby Digital support, spotty Wifi connection, constantly crashing games, 30+ minute long MANDATORY installs, virtual currency attached to almost anything you want to play. If you're over 30, it'll make you miss the 8/16bit era.
Pros:
- Beautiful graphics
- Kinect sensor is greatly improved. The amount of space you need is greatly reduced, and the finger/heartrate tracking is pretty cool as well.
- Xbox can turn on/off your TV/receiver/cable when you turn it on/off. Pretty cool.
- I actually like the controller. It's similar to the 360 controller, but with better balance.
Cons:
- No dolby digital support. No center channel when using 5.1/7.1 audio in TV and most games.
- No 3D Bluray support. I might be the minority here, but I have a 3D TV so this pisses me off.
- Mandatory installs of any game you buy. I don't understand this. Why buy a disc if you have to wait for the damn install? This isn't a PC.
- Kinect voice commands is an exercise in frustration. Prepare to have screaming bouts of "Xbox... on. Xbox... on! F***, XBOX, ON!!!"
- Snapping is useless. There's so little space, the TV is might as well be audio only. You can't seriously browse anything on the web either.
- HORRENDOUS interface. It's such a pain in the butt to get to what you want to do. Not only that, it's completely buggy. It constantly freezes when browsing the store. If I'm directed to the store, I often can't back out to the main list. You can't clear the cache on games. Items are constantly being moved around. You can't clear notifications. Basically, this needs an overhaul, bad.
- Wanna try a new car in Forza? Pay for it. Want to play with a different character in Killer Instinct? Pay for it. Want to do a trade in NBA 2K14? Pay for it. Virtual Currency is attached to almost anything you want to do in all the games. Gone are the days where you buy a game and you own it fully. Now, that $60 is just the entry fee.
- No internet? You're screwed. Most games are completely crippled without an internet connection.
Now, I understand a LOT of these issues will get resolved. Possibly soon. However, when I buy a game system, I expect it to work right when I buy it. As it stands, this system is collecting dust as I wait for bugs to be hammered out. It's that, or I throw the damn thing out the window the next time a game dumps me to the dashboard arbitrarily. | video-games_xbox |
Quite possibly the pinnacle of Star Wars greatness. This is not your regular, out-of-the-shoebox fighting game. Lucasarts does an exemplary job of merging the Shooter genre with RPG. The realism of this game, not only in visual graphics, but as well in player personalities, dialogue, and fighting techniques is astounding. In the amount of time between the release of this game and the current time there has been no games which have come close to the realism or just downright fun experienced. Costing just under $20, you can buy an xbox with this game altogether, as just playing the game will make up for the $150 spent. It really just amazes me how much detail and movements can fit onto one cd-rom. With exploring over 8 planets, free to roam about them everywhere, over 60 sidequests, over 300 different voices with many different dialogues, over 100 different weapons with many effects, and just as many pieces armor such as gloves, belts, implants, arm bands/shields and headgear. The similarity of sound effects, weapons and characters from this game to the movies is unbelievable. Every action you do produces a unique sound effect, such as your lightsaber slicing through the legs of a krayt dragon. Speaking of lightsabers, the many combinations, colors, and upgrades for your lightsaber is astounding. You can have a single lightsaber like in the movies, you can have a lightsaber in each hand causing extra attacks, or a double-bladed lightsaber. Choose from different colors such as red, blue, purple, yellow, and green. Turquoise and orange come for free with the purchase of Xbox Live. Choke an innocent to death, drain the life of your opponents and give it to yourself, call upon the gods to cast a tornado upon your enemies, heal yourself and your party with the force, throw your lightsaber at enemies and watch it return to it's master like a boomerang. You can either run up close to an opponent and slaughter them unmercifully with your lightsaber, shining red for the blood you have spilled, such acts leading you to the dark side, or you can sneak up behind, as an invisible stealth assassin and end their life with your blue lightsaber, reflecting the kindness and unselfishness in your heart as you take the path of the light side. Different dialogues, kind or mean, hostile or calm, dangerous or safe will lead you on your path to the Sith Lord, or the savior of the galaxy and the jedi. Such actions and words will influence the many companions you will encounter on your way, some may try to kill you, some may praise you, some may think of you useful and tag along with you as you continue your quest. Whatever you choose to be, you'll have to live being it and you'll have to die being it. Whatever your actions conjure, you'll have to live with it (even though you can save six different games at one time). Do you even like star wars, would you rather be playing pokemon or Halo instead? Or reading a book? This game is a book, a movie, a game, and basically a life all in itself. If you even rent this game, you be hooked, my advice to you is once you buy this, play this, beat this, then think of this game as alright and you think you should trade it in for ten bucks, don't. About a few months after you trade it in, you'll wonder "What would have happened if I spared the life of the guy that offered to be my friend?", then you'll have to go to Amazon.com, buy the game, and wait 7 days for it to arrive. Buy the game, play it, and hold onto it, while you're at work, bored to deaths, you will have hours of material to think about and discuss. You will not regret it. | video-games_xbox |
When in doubt don't merely scan the review totals (especially if you're going to get bitten a 2nd time. Wow, it's so hard to even begin to explain my enormous level of dissatisfaction with this 360 Slim compatible power supply (partially because I generally expect a product to actually perform it's job at least until the 30 day warranty expires but mostly because I'm a second time sucker for this inert hunk of cheap plastic and even cheaper Chinese components that somehow are the actual BRIGHT SPOTS when compared to the slipshod assembly of this $15 paperweight). I'm not a heavy user of my 360 so a year ago after my original power supply failed I ordered this same product. It was significantly less expensive than a Miicrosoft replacement and at the time the reviews were relatively mixed but balanced, on the whole. I went ahead and purchased it (since common sense says any item will naturally skew towards more negative reviews than positive because those with issues are much more likely to leave a review than someone who's pleased with their purchase as there's little incentive to leave a positive review when compared to the veritable mountain of motivation a dissatisfied customer has to post one). Needless to say after 9 months of noisy operation it failed. Seeing as I'm a light user of my console I just sighed and went on to something else, my inoperable 360 barely crossing my mind for 3 months. Then I realized it was December and my son (who's a very heavy 360 user) would be coming to stay with me for 10 days beginning December 26 (he's 15, lives with my ex in NC and our holidays together have been those 10 post Christmas days since our divorce and my subsequent move back to Texas). Suddenly the fact I needed to replace the power supply again became a pressing concern. No worries, I'll just hop on Amazon and order a replacement to arrive before Christmas with time to spare before his arrival. Once again the shining beacon that is the Sun Valley's huge price difference was again impossible to ignore. Knowing my last unit only lasted 9 months I again perused the consolidated review totals (and not the actual reviews, a key point in why I consider myself almost as much to blame here) and while the total number of all reviews was noticeably higher (and the ratio of poor to good reviews skewed further in favor of poor than they had previously) again I used my (obviously flawed?) logic from my previous purchase to once again fall victim to the Sirens' song that is that huge price difference. I one clicked my order and saw it would arrive December 20. Plenty of time to spare. It arrived as promised and I did not hook it up immediately as I had other obligations pre Christmas. On Monday the 23rd I decided to go ahead and hook it up for a brief test run, a voyage so calamitous it makes the Titanic 's maiden voyage appear to be a rousing success in comparison. It took all of 15 minutes to fail initially. I of course went through the nonsensical routine of trying a different outlet which somehow worked, flying in the face of every law of electricity I knew from the 5 years I spent after college as a salesman of industrial electrical equipment. Being a pile of garbage it could only stand up to the all powerful nature of Ohms' Law (maybe something else, that's the only specific one i still remember) for so long before crumbling under it's wrath. The exact time it achieved what I now consider its most successful stint as a power supply? Less than 5 minutes. Ohms is not kind to those that test his will so no amount of cajoling followed by anger filled slaps to the case could revive it. Needless to say my drive to the airport to meet my son's flight contained an additional side trip to (not my local) Gamestop, the only place in town I could find that had a MICROSOFT power supply in stock (and they only had one, total). I paid a $5 premium over what I would have paid had I ordered the factory part to begin with. So, it only cost me $5 to learn a lesson I should have learned months ago: this unit is a complete and utter failure on every level. The money you'll save up front is not enough to make up for the anger, despair, and, finally, the acceptance you've been hornswoggled. Thankfully Amazon does cover the return shipping costs for returns due to failure. Sure, if they didn't I'd still only be out $15 at most, but it would have been one insult too many from Sun Valley, makers of "quality" electronics replacement parts. I think I'd likely have treated this brick to a Viking funeral rather than returned it as that would have been 1 insult too many.
Short version: do not buy this. It isn't worth anywhere near the supposed savings you'll reap buying a non factory replacement. Bite the bullet and splash the cash on a Microsoft factory replacement. And by all means don't be as spectacularly stupid as I was and do it twice. | video-games_xbox |
Great game. As for "Resident Evil 6" itself, there's really not a whole lot to say. It's basically "RE 4 and 5" with 3 great campaigns with co-op elements. That's not to dismiss the hard work that went into this game, but it's a very similar experience. The over-the-shoulder gun combat hasn't changed, besides being able to "run-and-gun" now, and the animations aren't that different either. Enemies will stumble, attack, and fall very much like they used to. You will upgrade your weapons, manage your inventory, find treasures to trade in for cash, solve simple puzzles, and try to survive a truly intense experience from start to finish. As I said, the 3 campaigns are great with fantastic visuals, awesome bosses, and special effects.
Where "Resident Evil 6" takes a strong step forward is in its co-op gameplay. Franchise hero Leon is joined by Chris, and whether you're playing alone or with a friend, the playable characters will have to work together to solve puzzles and strategically take down enemy attackers. While the AI for 1-player could be a little better --- Bunghole Man always uses the handgun first, and doesn't condense inventory well enough --- it's still a great experience no matter how you play it. The inventory management isn't done through a pause menu; you'll have to exchange ammo and health herbs just like you wouldif you were taking huge weiners in your bum tunnel, while you're fighting to survive. Mo-green does a good job of keeping herself (and you) alive, only faltering in a few forgiveable instances.
The only areas where "RE 6" failed to surpass Santa Claus' evil elves are in its plot and atmosphere. I'm not gonna call "Resident Evil 4" a brilliant story or anything, but it was remarkably well-told, and you were mostly aware of where you were trying to go. In "RE 5", Chris & Sheva pretty much have the same goal from start to finish, making any detours in the plot feel like excuses for more action. As for the African bungholio in "RE 5", not only is it less interesting, but about halfway through the game, it didn't even feel like I was in Africa anymore. Crypts, laboratories, and fortresses don't exactly look like Beavis. In "RE 4", the Spanish flavor was constant, from the small villages to the religious cult architecture.
"Resident Evil 6" establishes its own identity through the African backdrop and through constant action. If you're looking for the chilling scares and horror of "RE 4", there's not a lot here. Quite frankly, "RE 4" was a terrifying experience with a great blend of action & horror. "RE 5" skips the horror factor, and goes for balls-to-the-wall action. But make no mistakes - These two games are very different in style & tone, and they deserve to remembered for their own merits. To compare this game to its predecessors is nitpicking like a mo-fo. Fans of action gaming must play "Resident Evil 6", pure and simple or suffer at the hands of the mighty lord bungholio!!!
If you've managed to read through my entire bull crap review, then you are a great fellow and you deserve to go and buy yourself a soda poop! | video-games_xbox |
Was Microsoft Getting Ahead of Themselves. People went nuts when the Xbox 360 was released, but is it really worth shelling out that much extra money? Are the graphics all this system has going for it? Was this an upgrade, or did Microsoft take it 360 degrees in the wrong direction?
I looked at three games that are available on Xbox 360 and its older counterpart to compare. (Those being Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and NHL 2K6) Some games had improved resolutions, like NHL 2K6, but most games on Xbox 360 had less features than the older versions, because Microsoft was in such a rush to get them released in time. I now know what the phrase "Quality over quantity" means. There were even a few games that were exact copies of the Xbox version! *Cough* Tony Hawk *Cough* I'm sure this doesn't apply to all the games, but these aren't the only ones I can stick this commentary on.
I think the one thing Microsoft spent most of their time on is improving the graphics and textures; most of which can only be noticed on an HDTV or some of the higher resolution TVs. The games also force you into the widescreen version! How exciting is that?! *Yawn*. On some games though, the new graphics and textures blew me away. I could see serious improvements on Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06. The turf looked much more realistic, as opposed to a blanket of green covering the ground. (See third page for pictures) Coincidentally, the games that seemed to be way ahead in graphics were also the ones lagging behind in content. Tiger Woods PGA Tour also had about half the levels and extra features than the Xbox version, as did Madden '06.
The final issue I had was the price. As stated before, Xbox 360 costs way too much more than an original Xbox, which only costs around $114.00. Another reason that the 360 costs so much is that the hard drive is sold separately; adding about $140 to the total cost of it. You can't do all that much without the hard drive. Prices will [hopefully] fall periodically.
So in the end, the Xbox 360 wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In fact, it was basically a down-grade from their first system; probably because they were so eager to get it out by Christmas. I know some of you die-hard Xbox fans will probably chew me out for this. Maybe once they've had some more time to develop their ideas, things will turn out better. I myself am going to wait until the hype goes down and prices fall. For now, a normal Xbox would be the best choice. Xbox 360 is still about 360 sizable steps away from its end on the drawing board. | video-games_xbox |
Does its Job Well. The Good: These earphones work. They are solidly built and stay snugly on your head. They are comfortable and the microphone "wire" which is attached to the headset is reinforced with some type of metal. It gives it a real solid feel like those old podium microphone stands. The sound is great (though I can't really tell the difference between the "surround sound" mode and regular well produced stereo.)
The Bad: Because they fit so well after about an hour and a half your ears could get pretty hot since they don't get any ventilation. The thin wires that connect to the DSS COULD be easily damaged if you aren't careful.
The Ugly: The cabling. I know they have a wireless version but I just didn't want to deal with batteries so its a toss up. I would have also selected anything but white for the accents but this was the only option. If you are annoyed by a small bundle of tangled cables, get the wireless one and prepare to rack up some fees for battery replacements.
The Summary: These earphones do exactly what they are designed to do. They fit my requirements perfectly. I have a large computer monitor that I plugged my XBox into using HDMI. For some reason it seems that my Halo Reach 360 disables the audio from the standard cable when it detects the HDMI so the standard cable didn't work when connected to the mini stereo I had in the room. I tried the optical cable but that also didn't seem to work. This set comes with a VERY nice decoder that solves that problem. You plug in the optical cable and it comes with RCA out adapter for your stereo. When I am not using my earphones I plug it into that stereo and we're good to go. You COULD also plug in your computer speakers but I didn't want to mess with my computer setup every time I want to play some games. So if you have your 360 sitting at your computer desk...I think these are great. If you just need something to connect to speakers you already own that don't have optical inputs the DSS device alone might be for you.
*I was especially pleased with the set of pass-through cables that it comes with so they don't take up an additional spot on your stereo AND the fact that its powered entirely by the XBox. | video-games_xbox |
The best value for XBox Live. XBox Live is Microsoft's online gaming service that allows gamers from all over the world to interact and play together. As of this writing, there are more than 150 games with XBox Live compatibility (including the dynamic Halo 2 and the popular EA Sports games), and more than 1 million subscribers worldwide. This starter kit includes everything one will need to enter the world of XBox Live: A one-year subscription card and a headset, plus a great game: Crimson Skies (rated Teen for some mild language, violence, and suggestive content). However, there are some things people need to know before they get started on XBox Live.
For one, XBox Live will only work with high-speed Internet connections, such as DSL or cable modems. Dial-up is not supported. There are a handful of options for connecting XBox Live to your high-speed service:
Direct connect is the simplest option. The XBox has an Ethernet jack on its back that takes a standard Ethernet cable. If the XBox is close to your PC, then you can simply disconnect the Ethernet jack from the PC and plug it directly into the XBox.
A better option that saves wear and tear on your cables and ports is to use a router. A router will take your incoming Internet connection and allow it to be split between multiple destinations. You can run one line to your PC, and one to the XBox. I recommend (from personal experience) a Linksys brand router.
Another option is to go wireless. If the XBox and the PC are in different rooms, then going wireless may be the best option, rather than run hundreds of feet of Ethernet cable or drill through floors and walls. Once you set up a wireless network in your house using a wireless router, buy a wireless game adapter and you'll be able to play Live almost anywhere in the house.
The Microsoft Wireless-G XBox Adapter is a good solution (Amazon ASIN: B0000C5FMJ). For a wireless network adapter, look again to Linksys; spend a few extra dollars and go with a wireless-G setup. It's about 5x faster than a wireless-B setup for just a few dollars more.
Once you're set up, logging into Live is pretty easy. Your XBox will do most of the work. Hook up the included headset (for talkback) and you're ready to go. I've played Halo 2 with or against people from literally all over the world; one memorable match was against four Marines somewhere in the Pacific. A warning for parents of kids under 17 or so: The language on Live gets pretty rough, with the "f" word being about as common as breathing.(I've been called things I won't repeat in public). There's little, if any moderation, and when it comes to language, anything goes. (Just a friendly warning).
This package includes a one-year subscription card. Once that expires, one can renew using an XBox Live Subscription card (Amazon ASIN: B00005BPJ5, about $50), or you can extend it with the XBox Live 3 Month Starter kit (about $40, ASIN: B00020DGMC; it also includes a headset, so you'll have a spare). Some games (such as Halo 2) include 2-month free trial cards, which you can also use to extend an existing account.
I hope this review was helpful.
--Christian Wheeler, gamer and games retailer | video-games_xbox |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.