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Get ready for Lessons. Will it replace a instructor? Absolutely not. As stated previously, the game doesn't focus on music theory and the lessons have to be limited, so a teacher will always be needed for that. Someone else said that the game lets you get away with "bad habits". Yes and no. If there's a part of a song where the guitarist played a ridiculously ridiculous riff, the game might let you slide on a couple notes that you missed, but if you're like me, you'll keep yourself honest. As for fingering and strumming/picking, what exactly is a bad habit? A lot of the best guitarists are self-taught. In my opinion, the only bad habit would be one that prevents what you play from sounding like what's inside you. On the other hand, lessons cost around 120 bucks for 2 hours (four 30 minute sessions) a month. This game paid for itself the first day. Once I'm good enough for lessons, I won't have to waste my time or money on the basics. "This is how you hold a guitar... The big string is the E string... ok that's all the time we have, work on that and we'll see you next week" |-_-|
This game is good. Is it perfect? No. There is room for improvement, but it is a great start and a way to make more enjoyable the endless hours of practice that are necessary to perfect any craft. To that point, I even noticed a couple achievement unlocks: one mentioned a fraction of 10,000 hours and another mentioned "Now that's dedication" or something like that. So the game periodically reminds you that time spent practicing is very important.
Side note: At first I thought the song selection was pretty weak as I'm more inclined to jazz and blues. A lot of the distortion effects just sounded like noise to me. However, I realized that the songs I wanted to play were a bit too advanced, so I let Rocksmith recommend a song and ended up liking it so much that I added it to my Spotify playlist. Overall, it's worth the money any way you look at it.
10/12: Update:
Been playing for a week now. Almost every day for around 2 hours each time. I've mastered one song "Don't look back in Anger" and I'm moving on to the next one. I also noticed that there are a lot of blues songs in the downloadable content. I went through the first few lessons up to hammer on and offs. After that, I went into "Learn a Song" to utilize the techniques from the lessons. Now I'm going to try some of the more advanced lessons and see how I do. I'm beyond satisfied. My progress was stagnant until now. Good luck all. I won't keep updating, just wanted to follow up on my previous post. | video-games_xbox |
Retrospective Review on the Blockbluster. As an avid fan of the franchise, I had no worries about the quality of Halo 4 upon it's release. The original studio, Bungie, had handed down their baby to 343 Industries and I honestly can say that they did one damn good job.
When you first play this game, you'll notice it is graphically beautiful. Although it is not necessarily a necessity for a good game to have amazing graphics, they definitely did help to the experience.
Right off the bat, you'll also notice how different and yet similar the game feels. The game heavily implements tools placed in a previous Halo installment, Halo Reach, and uses them as new mechanics. The game, itself, still returns to it's roots by feeling like a Halo game but it also creates an entirely new experience as well.
The singleplayer storyline is rather action-packed and a fulfilling experience. The ending (no spoilers) might confuse you a bit but when you think about, it's a science fiction shooter so don't be too surprised. Masterchief is a little more talkative in this game (which is unusual) but it's nothing too jarring. Cortana returns as her lovable self and players really delve into her character and struggles. The difficulties are similar to previous Halo games and each one adheres to each playing style.
As for multiplayer, Halo emphasizes strongly on versus multiplayer as much as it always has. It plays rather well and combat is essentially balanced. Players have been arguing and crying out over the superior power of the DMR (a rifle) but the game is highly based on player preference in play style.
The game modes range all over the place from silly to classical game types on maps that are either came with the disc, DLC, or were made using the forge feature in the game. In the beginning, there were complaints about a lack of diversity in gametypes but 343 Industries is really stepping it up. My only complaint is that I miss an old gametype from Halo: Reach called Invasion. It was Elites (alien race) vs. the Spartans (aka many Chiefs). They also changed the zombies gametype to Flood, which makes sense, but it's a uneasy transition for silly fans like me.
There is also the hallmark to the new Halo installment called Spartan Ops. It's a cooperative online experience that is released episodically focusing on a story surrounding the Chief and what was going on with the other Spartans during his epic journey. Each episode starts with a five minute cutscene and then allows players to play through the five missions in the episode. Some of the missions can feel rather irrelevant but others really push the story forward. It's a great experience and all of it was free right on release day.
Regarding DLC, so far there have only been map packs. They implemented a free DLC map called Forge Island. The name speaks for itself but it's essentially a map made for players to create anything they want on. The other maps have their features and aspects but they are just maps and don't necessarily enhance your gaming experience.
All in all, if you're a fan of first person shooters, science fiction, or the Halo franchise, I highly suggest you pick up this bad boy as it is a good deal of fun. It definitely sets 343 Industries as a driving company for the Halo universe and really instills faith back in to the gamers. Some may disagree but I'll be upfront and say that they did a damn good job. It certainly isn't perfectly but it's definitely worth a look. | video-games_xbox |
BBFYM Award. Great keyboard at affordable prices. I buy a lot of keyboard. I don't know why either. I just have some weird obsession with keyboards, especially mechanical ones. But I always buy them at Microcenter because it's just a few blocks away and they will price match with anything Amazon sell. The best part is they have the same return policy but they're right there. So if there's an exact item, my order of priority to buy would be Microcenter, Amazon, then Newegg.
Anyways, back to the keyboard. This keyboard is full of quality. It compares to my Corsair K90 and K70. It felt better than my Black Widow Ultimate. These are my 3 favorite keyboards and I think it is on par. Of course, you have to gauge which Cherry switch you like based on tactile and pressure difference. However, that is preference and mine is different so I won't even get into that. I will tell you that it won't be quiet like a good membrane or dome type keyboard. It will still sound like a your wife is tapping her 10 long freaking finger nails on the cherry wood dinner table just to piss you off. But I don't mind the sounds. I love the feel of the keyboards. There's good consistency and my fingers adapted to it within hours. It never felt like it would fall apart.
The keyboard layout is good. Spaces between the keys are appropriate. I type with this on my spare computer as my blogging computer. My hands never felt tired or aches like those cheap keyboards.
Why 5 stars? because it's cheap for what it is. If they priced it for $120+ like the Corsairs, then I would give it 4 stars. But it's $80 and Microcenter price matched it. I am happy with this purchase because it is the same keyboard as the others for $40 less but it won't have the 16M color backlight feature. That doesn't matter to me because I care more about the keys and layout. Those features are perfect. Lights are gimmicks.
I give it my BBFYM award at $80. But if it's over $100, you're better off buying the Corsair K70 for the same price. It's slightly better.
Best Bang For Your Money Award. | video-games_xbox |
Okay, this is hands down, the most simultaneously stupid and awesome game ever. The game is simultaneously idiotic (you start off as an anti-terrorist spec ops guy, become president, appoint some of the previous series most popular characters to your cabinet, survive an independence day attack, and get put in the matrix) and brilliant (mocks countless other games pretenses from metal gear solid to mass effect, to classic early 90's arcade games) to ridiculously insanely over the top, fun (you get super powers, matrix flying ability, crazy costumes, a DUBSTEP GUN!!!).
People may criticize the story line, the graphics, etc And I confess that that criticism has a point. The storyline has an almost incoherent feel, the plot is a hodgepodge of cliches thrown together in a big bowl. Some of the things they do to bring back characters, and advance the storyline go well beyond suspension of disbelief. But they miss the point completely.
This game is about fun, laughter, references to classic sci-fi, and video games, characters you love, and most importantly, I want to stress this....TAKING A GIGANTIC DUMP ON MASS EFFECT 3!!! This game was everything that they got right in 2 and everything they should have gotten right in 3....almost everything. ME3 should have offered you the choice of at least 3 different ambivalent endings, but I digress.
Characters you loved from previous games that may even have been killed are brought back to life ,save Oleg and Viola "Sasha Grey" DeWynter....
:(
Like Benjamin King and Matt Miller? They're there. Like Keith David and wish he could come back? He's the Vice Freakin President (how you like them apples Joe Biden?). Fan of old Shaundi, and the new? Screw it, you can have both. Want to drive a tank? You get to teleport it right to you less than 10% of the way through the game. Hate driving everywhere? Glide and jump there Matrix style or bring yourself an Alien jet fighter immediately. Want to romance any and all crew mates ME3 style? Do it from the get-go. Don't want to pay for all of that through expensive DLC's? Guess what? IT"S FREE from day one.
For those of you who gave this one star. Perhaps this was simply not for you. Volition makes games that are mostly dumb fun. They tried sadistic killing and being deep in 2, and it was honestly a disappointment. They've settled on making Stooopid Fun games. SR4 is at it's core, a funny character driven game that asks that you
For those who gave it 2 and three stars....WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!??? The people who gave it one were probably just looking for something else, and it went over there heads. But 2 or 3? You were obviously looking for a sandbox gangster game of this kind, or a sequel to SR3, found it, and decided to be smug, or judgmental or a troll, or I don't know, because it wasn't...I don't' even know....serious? As well written as Bioshock? Gritty enough? Maybe you're setting your standards a little high.
I'm sorry, I don't know what happened to you as a child, but the part of your brain that allows you to feel joy has atrophied away, and been replaced with a steaming pile of Dog Dookie and hate. Looking back, I think the reason they couldn't use Oleg or Viola, is just because a giant mutant Belgian enforcer and a pornstar would have been so pants-crappingly awesome, it would have been drowned in low ratings from literally causing the aforementioned bowel movements and ruining so many pants.
I cannot recommend this game enough. In an age in which pompous big-budget blockbusters have taken over, and the industry has pretty much no where to go, this game is the equivalent of responding to Zero Hour and Airplane 1975 with Leslie Nielsens's Airplane. And they did it by remembering the rule so many entertainers have forgotten about their craft, that above all;
You Must Entertain. Thank you and good night. | video-games_xbox |
Nice effort. When I seen that Madden is going to have competition this year, I was more than excited to see someone testing EA and their purchase of the market. But, after playing nearly the whole campaign and against several users, this game is OKAY at best. It really seems like this game was rushed to meet deadline. There are so many bugs that hurt this games rather than positives that enhanced it.
The first thing I noticed when playing the game was the kickoff. When you return the kick, the opposing team follows the carrier, and I mean follow. When you go right, EVERYONE goes right. The team pretty much emulates your moves w/ the controller. This reminds me of the 'ol Ten Yard Fight controls on old regular Nintendo, didn't work for them, don't know how it would work for this.
This game just really doesn't feel like a football game. It is so arcade its almost uncomfortable. NFL Street is more real football than this. And that game was over the top to the extreme. I wanted so much to love this game but there are so many things to dislike it was hard. But, needless to say, I love the injuries. Breaking someones leg or arm never gets old. But, it does amaze me that they will only sit out 2 to 3 quarters even if you do not chose to drug them up and send them back into the game.
This game overall is a renter for hardcore gamers and Madden players. I found this game just too easy. I have played Madden since Madden '95 on Sega so I know football games pretty well. I conquered this game w/in the first 10 minutes of playing. I knew what plays worked everytime by halftime. The defense unfortunately does not have knowledge of defensive plays. So, they forget to cover and are lost when you get behind the safeties and juke back and forth, like the days of Super Techmo Bowl.
I tried so much to like this game. Just way to bad to LOVE. I did like the idea of the game and the attempt Midway made on creating SOME form of competition. I could see this game being great a few years down the road. But, for now its just a starting point, and you can see a promising future, just not this year.
Just buy NFL street 2 and wait for this game next year. It will cost you 30 bucks less too..... | video-games_xbox |
Call of Duty 3.5. I have to admit I was quite disapointed with this release. I had been deciding between purchasing this or Left 4 Dead and ultimately went with Left 4 Dead. I decided to rent this title the other night to see if I made the correct decision. Good thing I did.
I've always been a big fan of the Call of Duty series but this one was no where near the bar set by Call of Duty 4. First of all, I beat the campaign in around 3-4 hours and was quite confused when the credits started to roll. There was no significant ending to the American campaign whatsoever.
Overall, the levels are far too linear. However, sometimes you do get to choose between two or so paths to your objective. One very frustrating thing I found was getting over obstacles. For example, in Call of Duty 4 virtually all obstacles could be climbed over/up on but in this one you find yourself constantly getting stuck behind things as only a very very small percentage of obstacles can be climbed so in many cases you have no idea where to go until you can find your linear path to continue on.
No missions in this game significantly stand out(My personal favorite was a Russian Sniper one and probably the only one I'd have a desire to play again). Many of them are just frustrating and not in a good way. I found majority of the places you seek cover from enemy fire are of no help at all as you will always be constantly shot from somewhere no matter where you are hiding. (You can lay down in front of cover and still be shot from straight ahead)
Your team A.I. is on par with the mentally disabled and do not help other than providing meat shields for you and the occasional team kill to get more ammo.
On the other hand the graphics are great. A lot of work was put into the scenery but not into the gameplay. Majority of the levels are excellently designed but the gameplay inside those levels is weak at best.
In conclusion, Call of Duty World at War is a step down in all aspects from Call of Duty 4. My rating has nothing to do with a WWII vs. Modern shooter. I enjoy any FPS genre and I just believe WaW was more concerned with everything going on around the player and not the player themselves. | video-games_xbox |
The hype machine strikes again. One of the reasons I bought an X-Brick was for the Sega titles; I've always loved Sega games, and it seemed that Sega was bringing out all its best and quirkiest titles to the 'Brick. In anticipation for Panzer Dragoon: Orta, the first game I picked up was, like so many others, the original Halo. Needless to say, I was addicted and became one of the best players in my region, and after wasting god-knows how many hours of my life sober, drunk or half-asleep playing it, I was caught up in the breathless anticipation for the sequel.
That was, of course, until I began to see the amount of hype poured into it; too much hype is the toxin that destroys even the best titles, and knowing how flawed--charmingly so, mind you, but still flawed--the original Halo was, I began to lose faith in this new Halo. Until the E3 demo video.
This video showed what I believed to be the zenith of action gaming, and everything I wanted--large battles, squadrons of vehicles, intelligent AI, massive cities, and so much more. You all know what video I'm talking about. So what of the final product?
Eternally cynical as always, I didn't purchase it - I waited for a buddy to get it, and actually sold my X-Brick beforehand as I just had the most awful of premonitions concerning this game; unfortunately, all my worst fears were come true, as this is one of the most disappointing games I've ever played.
The graphics are really not much of a step up from the first game, and many of the levels look grainy and run choppy, and when it comes to the single-player campaign--for which I wanted the game--the plot is absolutely god-awful, and the levels are more a chore than a joy.
That's all fine and good, though, as my premonitions were proven correct once again: a game with that much hype has to be a failure waiting to happen. What really irked me, though, was the E3 demo video; it was presented in a way that made one expect the game to match that scale, whereas the finished product was more subdued and boring than the original! Battles were rarely large and never epic, and 95% of the cityscape so well presented in that glorious demo video was replaced with some dirty, dingy training-style level lacking in any sort of scale. Nice trick, Bungie and Microsoft, but you lost me.
Is there any merit in this game at all? Perhaps the multiplayer. After the incomplete cutscene ending--yes, the cutscene just cuts off in the middle, as though they just ran out of ideas and time--the single player is just a flaming train wreck disaster, and the multiplayer I suppose is the only reason you would purchase this smoldering pile.
Am I bitter? Not really; I sold my XBrick. Get it if you like multiplayer; don't get it if you like a nice campaign or cooperative mode.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10 | video-games_xbox |
You had me at pipe bomb. When Left 4 Dead 2 was announced about six months after the first game came out, a lot of people were shocked for a few reasons. It's Valve and Valve is notorious for taking their sweet time releasing quality games, was one reason. And then there was the more important question. Was this a cash grab? Is it merely an expansion pack masquerading as a fully priced game? And now it's released and the answer to the above questions is evident: Left 4 Dead 2 had me at "improved pipe bomb."
But you're not here to listen to me go on about how cool the pipe bomb is and how awesome the changed effects of zombie bodies literally exploding through the air is. At least I hope not. The fact is, after playing through Left 4 Dead 2, the original game feels more like a blueprint. Everything that was in L4D is in the sequel, but the sequel is a completely different beast. I was surprised, when we played through the opening campaign "Dead Centre" just how varied and improved the game was. You begin at the top of a hotel, bringing to mind the small apartment complex that began the first game. Except that this time, there's a whole lot more. You see, the building is on fire, you can create backdrafts through doors, and the entire event feels more context driven than...well, than the entire first game.
Fire will cause impromptu passages, forcing you to discover different ways through the crumbling building. This means sometimes climbing out a window and balancing precariously on a ledge, moving from window to window in your escape. The intensity is further exasperated by the introduction of the special infected. Imagine playing this in Versus as a Jockey, hopping onto one of the survivors and moving them off the edges or being a Spitter and spitting the goo at just the right moment. Moving through the hotel, the fire increases and eventually, smoke will cloud your vision, creating an extremely claustrophic even where zombies charge out of the dense, dark smoke or other zombies, wearing hazmat suits, will simply rush, unharmed, through the flames at you. This diversity continues as you race through the chapters. In the first campaign alone, you will race through a burning hotel, tear through a grocery store in search for cola to bring back to a crazed, holed up hermit so he'll destroy a barricade and eventually reach the climax where you have to locate gas cans (like in the new mode) to gas up a car to escape.
The thing is, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Later campaigns like "Dark Carnival" add a bit of whimsy as you can play some of the carnival games (kudos to Valve for bringing back the Half Life 2 gnome for an achievement), race up and down a roller coaster as zombies chase endless after you, and eventually reach the end which culminates in an inspired ending scenario that's completely different (and a tad whimsical) than anything else in the game. This diversity only continues through the later campaigns as well, with "Hard Rain" being my absolute favorite. In "Hard Rain," as you move through the maps, it starts raining harder and harder. It's by far the most atmospheric and most interesting, since you eventually have to backtrack through the zones, but this time they are flooded and the weather adds a completely different challenge to the map. Additionally, unlike the first game where the campaigns all felt a bit too similar, resulting in my group relying on a couple campaigns we liked the most, each campaign offers so many differences, that I find myself wanting to replay them over and over. With five fully-developed campaigns, there's a lot more content than in the original game. Also, if you're feeling especially masochistic, try turning on the Realism mode which gets rid of the glowy outlines around survivors and ammo, makes infected harder to kill (headshots, please) and gets rid of the spawning closets...
And that doesn't take into account the other features. Of course, there's Versus and Survival Modes like in the original game, but L4D2 also throws in Scavenge. Scavenge essentially is L4D2's version of a capture the flag mode, with the myriad of gas cans being flags. The survivors race around the map, fighting both the infected and the clock, trying to get as many gas cans to start a generator as possible. Meanwhile, the infected obviously try to stop them. What I love about Scavenge is that it's not the time commitment that Versus is. It's a quick best of three or five game that ratchets up the tension and can create some truly inspired situations. My only complaint about this mode is that there's only one per campaign right now. Ditto the Survival mode which doesn't seem to have as many maps as in the original Left 4 Dead. Hopefully Valve rectifies this with DLC.
After you get past the myriad of modes and campaigns, there's still more tiny additions that made me smile. Guns are now strewn across the level and you won't find conveniently placed groups of weapons that contain everything. The guns also have a lot more variety, with a few different options for each type of weapon (I really enjoy the combat shotgun). The newly introduced melee weapons are interesting. In lower difficulties, they are seemingly overpowered; however, as you start to play on expert, I've found their limitations to be too great. Still, a nice additional and some of them are fantastic: taking down a witch with a chainsaw is perfection. The two grenade types return as does vials of Boomer bile. This operates under the same concept as the pipe bomb, except that the undead will race to the impact point and try to destroy whatever's there...like a Tank. Not that they will destroy a Tank, but they do provide some assistance. Then there's the other miscellaneous items, like defibrillators that will bring back dead party members.
And I haven't even talked about the characters and story. I do miss the original gang of archetypical characters; I miss Frank's acerbic comments ("I hate vans...") and the camaraderie they had. But the new gang is also better developed and their banter is fresh and entertaining as they move through the campaigns, which, by the way, feel a lot more connected and there's more story here. So here's the thing. Those who didn't care for Left 4 Dead will probably not be swayed by L4D2 because it offers more of what the first one did. It's not a radically different game, it just feels...more complete. When I blasted through the first game, I wanted more...I felt like I played through a blueprint of a fantastic game. L4D2 delivers on that promise. It's not an expansion, it's a great, new, longer and better game.
Very much recommended for fans of the original. | video-games_xbox |
Best opportunity to see a lot of Tamriel. Anyone with common sense would know that server and log in issues were bound to happen on launch day. That shouldn't justify coming here day 1 and giving this 1 star. I have played that game a decent amount today to give it 4 stars. If you like the Elder Scrolls universe you will like this. Just try not to compare it to Skyrim, it's quite different. I just like being able to explore the different areas of Tamriel which is what makes the game awesome for me. It will be cool to see the areas of Skyrim that are in the game but I am more interested in the other areas. Tamriel unlimited is a fitting title indeed.
******UPDATE*****
Now that I have played the game for a good bit I have decided to bolster my score up to the full 5 stars. This game is just awesome. I have found that today has been my best run and I have gotten booted once. No error 318s or anything. Yes there is that random lag, but I haven't had the one where I run like 20 yards and it lags me back. All in all I have had a fantastic experience. The game is deep with all sorts of new lore in the Elder Scrolls universe and as I may have previously mentioned the game's best feature is being able to see areas from literally all the provinces of Tamriel. You have multiple areas in Morrowind, multiple in Skyrim, multiple in Hammerfell, and the other provinces as well. MMOs are usually a grindy game and my only other experience was Destiny, take it or leave it. Usually MMOs come with all sorts of classes and abilities. In ESO you got all the races although the imperials are behind a stupid paywall, but I prefer the others over them. For me I right now have kajhit night blade on the North American server and a Nord dragon knight I believe on the Europe server. With Destiny I found myself really only wanting to just do one character, in this I recommend doing at least 3 since you can have such a different experience based on the alliance you pick in terms of quest line and locations. This right here goes a long with my favorite part, exploring Tamriel. It is often a long wait between each standard Elder Scrolls game. Yet the traditional games mainly just involve one Province. It may be a while till we get a whole game where we can explore all of Black Marsh where the Argonians are from. What ESO does, is it gives you that taste of what Black Marsh is like. It gives you a taste of all these areas that have not even appeared in an Elder Scrolls game. This is my favorite part about ESO. The combat ain't bad and it reminds a bit of say Dragon Age with abilities, but once again this game knocks out what makes the Elder Scrolls games so good, good questing and exploration all in the form of an MMO. It is the closest thing you will get to having nearly all of Tamriel available in one game. | video-games_xbox |
The Fight is Done. Love it or hate it, Halo 3 is a huge gaming event. The series has had huge commercial success. To the point where it had bred fanboys and haters alike. It's almost to the point where you can't just say the game is good. You either love it or hate it. I don't love Halo, but I don't hate it either. For what it's worth it's a pretty good game. Obviously if you didn't think much of the first two games, however, it's unrealistic to expect you'll think highly of the third one. Simply put, if you don't like Halo, don't expect the third game in the series to turn you into a fan.
The story is told through cutscenes that are well acted with their voice talents. If you've been interested in the story since the beginning, chances are you'll like it and be satisfied. The game doesn't drown you out in story sequences either. For those who just want to get to the gameplay, you've got it. But there is a fair amount of story here as well.
In terms of gameplay, however, Halo 3 doesn't really do much to distinguish itself from Halo 2. Most (if not all) the mechanics to the gameplay are pretty much the same. There are some new weapons thrown in there, but for the most part, a lot of your arsenal comes from the first two games. There's very little that separates the third installment from the first two. This can either be a good or a bad thing. Good because you'll instantly be able to familiarize yourself with the game. It's like seeing an old friend again. Yet because of this, the game is no challenge at all for the veteran Halo gamer. Likewise, those expecting Halo 3 to go above and beyond will find it doesn't. Whether or not the game being too much like Halo 2 is a problem or not is up to the individual gamer.
In addition to that, the campaign is quite short. Most likely you'll be able to finish it in one or two days without fail. To compensate, however, the game does have different difficulty levels and there are plenty of achievements to get. There are also skulls hidden in some of the missions which can alter gameplay and make the game a bit more difficult. So it may be short, but there is replay for anyone who wants to master the game. There's also co-op with up to four players. You can actually do co-op with some friends online.
Halo has always been well known for its multi-player. Particularly online. Again, like Halo 2, it doesn't do a whole lot of things differently. There are a couple of new modes, but much like the gameplay, there's just not enough new here. However, there is a Forge system that allows you to customize maps by placing things like weapons and such in different places. You can even share these creations with your friends online. Multiplayer isn't everything its cracked up to be, though. While it can be fun, it only really takes off if you decide to get on XBOX Live or System Link with a bunch of friends. Offline it's only you vs. your friends and even when it's four of you it's rather unexciting in some of these maps. You can't set up AI competitors either. So unless you go online Multiplayer can feel quite empty.
The game looks good. By far one of the prettier games on the console. There certainly are better looking games on the 360, but this one is still a nice piece of eye candy. It runs smoothly as well at a steady framerate. There are a couple of moments of clipping but it's not enough to hinder gameplay and some will not notice these things. The game's soundtrack is also a good one. Many tunes are repeated from the previous games, but what's new is also good.
Halo 3 is a good game overall. If you were impressed with the first two games, you'll probably be impressed here. It doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from the previous games but it's still a good game overall. As I noted before, if you didn't like Halo before, do not expect the third game to make a fan out of you.
Pros:
+Familiar gameplay
+A lot of online multiplayer modes
+Good graphics and music
+Emphasis on gameplay and story
+You can customize maps
+There's some replay value here
Cons:
-The campaign mode is quite short
-In terms of gameplay and multiplayer the game does not do a lot to distinguish itself from the previous games and there isn't enough new stuff thrown in either | video-games_xbox |
I am shocked at how bad these people are rating this game. I have to admit. I bought my xbox 360 ONLY for this game so far. I was so nervous because I was waiting to buy the xbox and then noticed all these bad reviews. after I got the game, I said What the ++++? This game is incredible. whats with these people talking about the controls first off? Its like they are making it seem like the guy is a vegatable or something. I think it is amazing at what you can do. You can throw an object or you can just keep it in your hand and just keep bashing a zombie. No problems for me. Secondly about the save issues. There are a few restrooms in the game. Obviously people haven't played it for about 10mins I guess not to be able to find a save. Only thing that the reviewers are right about is the text. you cannot read it. But to me, the game is so logical that there is no point having to read it. You have one of the people on your side talking to you, then you have someone shooting at you right after. I am assuming your partner is telling you to LOOK OUT. and HERES A GUN because I did not have a gun until after speaking to him. So basicly you do not really have the need of reading the text. Ive done well so far without it although it would have been better if I could read it. But you cant expect the game to be perfect but for what it is, you will not find a better game that is more creative and extremely gorgeous graphics which some people in here has regret to inform in here so far. well worth 59.99. couldn't see how they could sell it cheaper being someone put a lot of time and effort in the graphics and game play.
One other comment. Already reading this, you guys must already think My fav games are resident evil which is true. My fav is resident evil 4 of the series. This game is by far different from the resident evil line.when you play this a little bit you will already know there is going to be a zombie everywhere you turn around except for the restrooms and the top floors of the building and atop of the building. A Little different than resident evil because the resident evil series is that you do not know what to expect to happen next. This is more of a shoot em up and fighting zombie game more than an average story line but that makes it unique. Kinda surprised of that coming from CAPCOM. but they stand behind the Resident evil series so when I noticed the CAPCOM name I knew it would be good | video-games_xbox |
Very Difficult to Place A Finger. ...on how one feels about this game...
We do indeed live in a different era of video gaming, don't we...
I did a little research on this title before writing this review. I could have sworn that this was a remake or a sequel of another game, but apprently it is not - this is a stand-alone title.
This makes it a bit tougher, because I was hoping for some history to explain how the story of the game became to be. You start off on a small boat, heading to shore, and learn quickly that you're the legendary bodyguard to the Empress (that's nice; think I can get a bigger boat next time?) You're looking around and notice right away the odd graphics. At first I thought they were just shoddy. I learned later that this was intentional - "steampunk" I learned it was called. Similar tactics were used by Borderlands. That's nice, but frankly they bothered me.
Anyways, you're quickly kicked to the curb as a bunch of magical beings appear, kill the Empress (rather easily - nice job there, bodyguard) and a few well-dressed blokes appear and blame you. Now you're in prison, and you're going to be murdered. Cool.
Of course, you escape with some anonymous help, and are wisked away to a safe area where you learn of a coup in the works. Seems simple enough, right? You're going to have to kill some bad people, and then all will be well. "Why don't you go take a nap..." Got it. Don't mind if I do.
Then you awake, and things are... weird... Within minutes you're learning magical powers, you're hunting for musical runes and are handed a beating heart... Wait - WTF is going on here?
Dishonored is a strange, strange game. You have to be ready for the weird. Don't expect it to make sense, and don't expect to find a lavish backstory. You're kinda tossed into an action film at the start of the car-chase scene. Oh, and the cars fly. Just accept it, k?
Bottom line is, you're a magical masterful assassin with plenty of tools and tricks to go and kill some people. (Even though you showed up on a tiny little boat.) But... then the game keeps suggesting you shouldn't kill people. It actually makes it rather apparent - hints at the bottom of loading screens, stats at the end of levels that show the "panic" level induced by the number of people you've killed. The game makes it apparent that a "better ending" is achievable if you keep the kills low... Oh and here are some grenades and exploding crossbow darts and skills to rewire electrical fences to kill people and hell have a gun or two and...
...wait, aren't I NOT supposed to kill people?
And it gets even better - players tell stories of freezing time and leaving grenades in the lap of an NPC. Dropping people from roof-tops mid-sentence. It all sounds very fun, but the game literally tells you "don't do this stuff - it's a no no!"
Dishonored gives you tools to do things it doesn't want you to do. It's like having a sports car in a well-policed community with a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit. You can knock people out from behind and hit them with tranquilizer darts. That's about it. If they see you and you're fresh outta ammo, you either have to reload, or use a bond-like slew of assets to render them dead - and be made to feel guilty for it later.
And with everything Dishonored does, there's plenty it doesn't do. Physics are phoned-in at best. In one level I was carrying a valve knob, trying to find out where I had to place it to access a hidden room. Around the corner I found a guard-dog who I wasn't expecting and who wasn't pleased to see me. Almost on instinct I hurled the knob at the dog, hoping for at least a spare second to switch to a weapon. Instead the valve bounced off the dog and into Oblivion and the dog, much to my dismay, launched at me without even a sound-affect to hint at what I had done. Later, I picked up an unconscious body with the intent of hiding it. I turned around to realize that another guard had appeared behind me. I threw the snoring body of his accomplice at him, expecting to see the two tumbling across the floor. Instead the conscious guard turned towards me as the lifeless body simply fell off of him as if striking a wall. He wasn't too pleased to see me, either...
I didn't finish Dishonored - I was renting it. I was a little bummed to make my final game-save and eject it from the console. But I also can't say I was eager to pick it up again later. The entire experience was... bewildering. Confusing. Awkward. It was also rather creepy - almost Fallout'ish in it's tone (Don't misread: this game PLAYS nothing like Fallout - it just "feels" like it, somewhat.)
At the bottom of every adventurous car commercial is small text that reads, "Do not attempt." That's kinda how Dishonored treats ya. "Does this look awesome? Yeah? Well, don't do it..." | video-games_xbox |
Horrid Programmers - Unplayable Due to "Wall Glitch" Cheating - We're Fragile Cyborgs. <div id="video-block-R1TMAE6398GNKY" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1Y3%2Bz8an7S.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/01T7asZLKFS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> The game play is fun. The concept is different. It's familiar and new. The programmers are careless and unwilling to update. I've been happily playing Call of Duty for years. A new game never had this many issues. When an issue did pop up, the producers fixed it. This latest game has a lot of issues but they don't seem to be going anywhere.
"Wall Glitch" - Players are able to go inside of a building that doesn't have doors. Once inside they can shoot out but bullets cannot hit them from the outside. This has been happening for weeks now. It makes the game unplayable since two persons can go inside and continuously kill and not be killed.
"Spawning" - When you're killed and then comeback to life you shouldn't be within the enemy sight nor should an enemy be in yours. This constantly happens in this game. I've spawned while being shot at.
Pre-Game Lobby - When you're in the pre-game lobby and look at other players, the names do not align with the character. This is such a simple issue that a proper programmer could address but this multi-million dollar company Activision must outsource to elementary schools.
Weapon Selection - The BAL or the BAL. The assault rifle BAL is the most popular weapon because it is too powerful. The sniper selection is a joke. Instead of offering a silenced sniper rifle, the developers opted for a gun that fires two rounds, one of which explodes if the second is close enough. I have 13 hours of game play and have not seen anyone use it.
Failed Update - Two weeks ago the developer released an update that made an unnoticeable improvement at the cost of game play. Myself and others were unable to play after that update. When I attempted to join a match I could only spectate or the game would freeze completely. If this is how they update, Ill keep the cheaters.
Personal Side - This is not Call of Duty. It is like Call of Duty since the structure is the same as previous games. This is like Future Combat (fake name) where one fights fragile cyborgs. Everyone is jumping/ fly around and doing all types of silly things that should not be in a Call of Duty game. Call of Duty is supposed to be life like. This is science fiction or top secret military lab crap at best. | video-games_xbox |
Did EA nail it. As far as the mechanics of boxing, as a former fighter I can tell you that this game has me thinking like I was back in the ring.
I'm watching for facial reactions to my body shots, I'm watching for rythem and changing my style from round to round in order to out smart the opponent.
It's a game that think might (even in small way) help the sport itself.
I can really see where the other reviewers are coming from reguarding the advertisements, but I the Burger King guy didn't bother me... it made me laugh. So I can't take points away for advertising considering you can skip it all by just pressing the "A" button. Except for the fact that when I'm replaying a fight from the 1940's I don't think I should see a burger king or dodge logo in the back... in black and white.
So the graphics are indeed a true next-gen standard as far as the fighters are concerned.
There are even things to make the games realistic in career mode. Like the fact that wou have to work even hard to simply keep your attributes from falling quickly... I felt like a true 40 year old trying to prove himself to the young up and comers that I was indeed the greatest.
Here is my wishlist for the next game.
1. I would like to change the entry music and such like previous games. (though I can hook up my ipod and play anything I want.. it would still be nice)
2. I think it would be cool if I could wear a robe while entering the ring. I love that part of a real fight as the tension builds up and the fighters show each other how hard they really prepared to battle.
3. The Ability to save some of my fights... there were battles that I wish I could watch again. Race fans get this, why can't boxing fans?
4. More real boxers. I understand not letting fight Ali in carreer mode, but I'd still ike to fight some real fighters. This is probably expensive, but out of around 65 fights I'd like to beat more than just Roy Jones Jr. 3 times.
5. Let me come out of retirement. If I retire, but keep getting updated news about a punk who is calling me out, I'd love to be able to train up my guy again and kick his [...].
6. Show my fighter age. I think it would be cool if some of his hair started to grey out, or if I kept some scars from past fights... imagine having Fight Night Carreer mode having a hint of Fable!!!!
In conclusion I want to mention rivalry mode. This has the potentional to really make the game matter to some people. My rivals and I went back and forth, but one in particular.
I'm not obsessed, but I do find this game to be the best boxing experience I have had ... without the headache of taking one to many. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent Entry Level / Casual Gaming Fight Stick. I'm a casual gamer. Especially when it comes to fighting games. I suppose what frustrated me personally with fighting games on the console, and PC was that it didn't feel like the arcade. I mulled around with the thought of getting a fight stick one day--checking reviews and reading about what 0players recommended. Then I came across this gem: the Mayflash F500. This was exactly the entry-level fighting stick that I was looking for. This fight stick has got me excited in my playing fighting games again! It really does make a difference what kind of controller you use.
One of the things that piqued my interest with this particular fight stick, was that reviews were saying it was designed with the casual gamer in mind. That sounded perfect for me. I'm a casual gamer, and I needed something that would get me startedand it wouldn't break my wallet. I'm happy to report that the Mayflash F500 is remarkable for my fighting game needs. It has great weight to it, thanks to a solid metal bottom. It also has a nice plexiglass protective cover (not shown on the Amazon webpage), for smooth movement of my hand/fingers over the top.
One of the attractive features of the Mayflash F500 has been it's functionality across multiple platforms too. For me at least, seeing a fight stick work on PS3, PS4, X360, XB1, Android, and PC is phenomenal! I'm mainly a PS4 gamer, and it's been working great on that console with Street Fighter V (SFV). One caveat though, a console controller needs to be plugged into a front USB port of the Mayflash F500--in order for the fight stick to work on the corresponding console. This isn't really a big deal for me personally, because I have a 6-foot USB cable, and I simply lay my PS4 controller out is the way... so it doesn't interfere with my space. It would've been nice that the port was placed in the back of the unit though, instead of the front, because I find it does get slightly in my way when I have it in my lap.
I've played with the Mayflash F500 with the stock buttons and joystick for about a week, to see if I liked them. While the buttons are responsive and work well, they can be quite loud when button mashing. Overall this isn't even a major problem, but your selections will be quite audible to you and those around you.
The joystick that comes with the Mayflash F500 is okay. This joystick isn't the most responsive one I've used, and I've found that it has a lot of play in-between the micro-switches... and wiggle room (as I like to call it). Up/Down/Left/Right definitely takes some some effort to move out of the dead zone. I've found that the distance from the dead zone to contact with the micro-switches caused delays in my fighting movements in SFV (for example); I would miss some jumps or special moves a lot. The joystick is mounted to a 4-way square gate on it's bottom, and thankfully the Mayflash F500 comes with an a replacement 8-way octagonal gate. I immediately replaced the 4-way gate with the 8-way gate in order to get a better locked-in range.
The amazing thing about this fighting stick so far has been the choice for me to mod it. After a week of playing with the fight stick with stock inputs, I was able to get an idea of what I wanted--and what I was better looking for. As a teenager growing up the 1980's I frequented public arcades whenever I could. I got used to those style of arcade machines, and their joystick movements (e.g. tension, range, feel). Thankfully there are a multitude of replacement parts available online, and I've been able to mod my Mayflash to my liking now... and I'm absolutely loving it.
I want to say that the Mayflash F500 is a fine fighting stick all on it's own. How it's built, designed, and plays is excellent. This is certainly a decent fight stick. I love it's weight, it's mod-ability, and it's overall size and feel. It's clean, neat, and compact--it doesn't take up a lot of space on my desk or lap. For anyone starting out looking for an entry-level fight stick like me, I encourage you to try the Mayflash F500 out. I think you'll be pleased with it, until you decide to double-down on a more expensive stick down the road. I know that I'm glad that I got this, and I'll be passing it down to my daughter when I finally make the jump to a $300 fight stick down the road.
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Addendum:
For those wondering what I replaced the stock buttons and joystick with, I went with Sanwa Denshi. Although Amazon has some great replacement parts available here on it's website, you'll need to go to places like Arcade Shock or Focus Attack to find more variety and choices. I was able to change my ball top on the joystick with a bat top style. I was also able to find colored buttons, and I mimicked the color scheme of the PS4 controller inputs. I was also able to find sound dampeners that I could stick in each button, to quiet down my intense button mashing. The choices for customizing are endless. Have fun, and happy gaming! | video-games_xbox |
More action and cutscenes, less atmosphere. THE GOOD:
Great graphics, the gameplay has been HUGELY improved from the original, and the story is interesting. It definitely feels more supernatural than the first one, because they hit you with the mental stuff right off the bat. So right away, this game feels like the awesome, hallucinaton-filled second half of the first game. That's a very good sign. It goes back to "reality" a few chapters in, and the hallucinations/supernatural elements become less common, but it's still fun.
The combat is fun - some people say it's become too easy to beat down on the thugs, and so it takes away from the suspense...but it's fine with me, because 1.) It's not THAT easy to beat up the thugs, you're still on your toes, plus they often attack in packs, and 2.) Story-wise, it makes sense. Ethan's been through so much, he *should* have learned to fight better since the original. So instead of feeling cheap when you're doing a Chain attack on someone, you feel awesome and powerful.
The investigation segments...gah, they're so much better it's ridiculous. Instead of just finding the victim's wound and taking a picture, you have to decide whether they were stabbed or shot; whether it's an entry wound or exit wound, etc. It's awesome.
Now, for...
THE BAD:
The environments you explore are reminiscent of the first game - run-down, deserted buildings. You spend more time outside in the city, which I don't particularly like...at least in the first game, you could pretend that the outside world is "normal", that you're really exploring a deserted department store in a real city. In this game, you're often outside, and the city is ridiculously deserted and the sky is green. Stupid.
It has more cutscenes...more cutscenes that either try to show how "cool" Ethan is, or cutscenes that make you think "What the hell just happened?" For example....*MINOR SPOILERS*....I found a body, took some pictures, thinking how fun that was. I had been with two cops, and we got separated, so I had to tell them the number of the room I was in. And then suddenly a cutscene started which showed those two cops running with the body on a bridge, with Ethan running after them at the head of a gang of thugs. One of the cops turned and shot some electrical box that made a line of fire block the bridge, so Ethan and the thugs had to stop. It wasn't until the "good" cop cried "Ethan's still back there!" that I realized Ethan was NOT suddenly aligned with the thugs. It was just a stupid-looking cutscene, and something you'd never find in the first game.
Anyways, the constant moves from gameplay to action-packed cutscene are jarring and pretty much kills any of the lonely, mysterious atmosphere the first game had.
Another thing I just don't like is the "upgrade" system. If you find things throughout the level (like the dead birds from the first game), you get Mission Points. Do good enough on a Mission (chapter), and you get an Upgrade. Stuff like bullet-proof vests, silver knuckles, etc. It sounds cool...but I kind of like the idea of surviving with whatever you can find in the environment, and getting upgrades that, well, make sense with the game world. It's ridiculous to jump off a roof in Chapter 2, and land in the factory in Chapter 3 with a brand-new bulletproof vest. It feels like it came straight out of a videogame from 1995.
So...overall I think it's still a good game, and I think it's worth $30, but not $60. It seems to have the "Prince of Persia 2" syndrome. It's like the marketing people didn't like the sales of the first game, so they made Monolith put in "more action" and stuff like that. Although at $30, it's kind of tough to go wrong when you know what you're getting into. | video-games_xbox |
I really like the customizability and way this controller comes set up. I really like the customizability and way this controller comes set up, although I have to say the buttons it came with feel cheap to me and are not the kind that most arcades use. It left me a bit disappointed.
That said, the buttons are easily exchangeable with others. If it weren't for the buttons I would give this 5 stars. Don't get me wrong this is an amazing controller, and the removable LONG cord is great. I am just a bit nostalgic to the days of MAS Systems who would build you custom arcade joysticks from genuine arcade parts that are used to build the actual arcade cabinets that you saw in arcades. The same exact materials, and now the guy seems to have disappeared :(
If anyone knows for sure the brand of buttons used in those, please comment. I am not sure if they are Happ or Sanwa. The description of Happ sounds correct. I am used to those and like those.
This is a great stick though, the only thing I miss about the MAS Systems ones and wish the guy was still around is that he had an analog / digital selection system where you could use the stick as the analog stick instead of the D Pad. That was definitely major for using it for games that did not have the same controls on dpad and analog (pretty much mostly fighting games have that?)
This is probably the best fighting stick on the market for Xbox One anyway. I wouldn't trust those specific game ones or Hori they look like toys. This feels like a genuine arcade stick.
The only caveat is that the door that opens to reveal the arcade innards doesn't lock. I was thinking naturally there was a lock mechanism to prevent it from coming open accidentally from a simple push button open but there is not. It hasn't been an issue however.
The other thing is I don't know if you want to beat on this like you would a traditional arcade machine. Traditional arcade wood is very strong, the MAS Systems stick made from genuine arcade parts you could beat the living heck out of it. This one the top is no where as thick. I would not beat on it hard. Rage on something else nearby don't rage on this controller, it may not be able to take it like the authentic arcade sticks LOL | video-games_xbox |
Good collection, but could have been great. Worms games are turn based strategy where the goal often is eliminating the other team, using a variety of weapons, think of the old game 'Scorched Earth' only with movement and you get the general idea of what worms is all about. All games have single player and multiplayer (online and offline) up to 4 players.
This collection contains three worms games:
Worms- a 'reboot' of worms for the Xbox 360 console. Decent graphics, good controls, though the variety of weapons feels lacking compared to the last 2D worms game 'worms world party' on PC. NO extra DLC for this game (even the free ones).
A good game overall.
Worms 2: Armageddon - (not to be confused with Worms: Armageddon) This game is easily the best worms game in the collection, it has a huge selection of weapons and tools, and worm customization. Included are 6 DLC packs -need to be installed from the disc first.
A Great game overall.
Worms Ultimate Mayhem: This game is actually a remake combining two games in one (worms 3D & Worms 4: Mayhem -meaning lots to do and unlock). The graphics are good, though the 'pixelated' shadows are a bit distracting. The biggest drawback to this game for me is the pace, there is a second or two lag between turns and for people who try to complete missions under par time will find this annoying. Also the loading times being VERY LONG (loading missions from the disc takes about 45 sec) which becomes tiring when you have a few missions that only take about 2 minutes to complete. Also NO DLC for this game either.
A decent game overall, despite its issues.
Overall I a good collection.
I love worms, ever since the original back in 1995 in DOS, I'm glad to see these Xbox live arcade games on one disc. I would recommend this game collection to anyone with an Xbox 360 who loves good old fashioned strategy games.
UPDATE: I was able to install and use ALL DLC for Worms 2: Armageddon that was on the disc | video-games_xbox |
Should have just been a DLC. First and foremost, this game is not terrible, but wow, I was expecting -much- more in terms of quantity. The first Kane and Lynch, in my opinion, was outstanding; I had a BLAST playing this game with my friend (co-op and fragile alliance alike), I probably soaked up 40 hours with this game over the course of the past few years, time well spent.
This game, however, is honestly not that good. One of the biggest problems this game has is the campaign length; no joke, I beat this game in one sitting. I'm so glad I didn't buy this when it came out for 60 dollars, or else... wow, that would have been so awful to say the least. There's very little replay value to the game, and the online isn't mind-blowing either. The graphics are really gritty and murky, almost looks like they were filming this through a 90's camcorder or something. Ever watched your old baby tapes? They are comparable to that, and honestly, this isn't a bad thing. The graphics really add a nice atmospheric touch to the game
The game is somewhat unfair in terms of delivery. For instance, cover, in my opinion, is absolutely useless in the game. You can still get shot from cover and die instantly (especially on extreme difficulty, which is ridiculously brutal to say the least). Not to mention, the enemies are VERY difficult to kill in this game. I can remember plenty of times using an entire magazine to kill ONE guy, and I even shot him directly in the chest too! The enemies are extremely tough in this game, and you'll probably find yourself chewing up a lot of ammo.
Oh yeah, extreme difficulty, at least for me, proved to be downright impossible. The first K&L wasn't NEARLY as difficult as this one, in my opinion. I mean, at least you had a second chance with an adrenaline shot in the game; if you go down here, you're dead.
I don't know, I just thought the original K&L was so much better in pretty much every department. This game is alright, but I wish it was just a DLC and not a full-fledged retail game. Good thing I only spent 5 dollars on it | video-games_xbox |
If you like the Predator your in for a treat. Now I want to give this a 3.5 but they won't let me, Now there are a few problems I had with the game. 1- the graphics should have been better,but the Pred models look amazing. The gameplay lacks in a few departments but overall I was quicte happy with the game, I mean was I started and learned the movies in about 10 mins , the game comes second nature to ya. Now it may be different for people who have never seen a predator movie,game,comic etc. before because that extra'knowledge' makes you a better hunter in the game.
Most of the game you need to determine how to hunt your prey the right way and thata what will make or brake you in this game. Some enemies need to be snuck up on stealth style, others need brute force to be beaten and others need to be sniped from long range. Its up to you to figure out the best way. An easy way to do that is to go into first person view( down on the D-pad) the pull the left trigger to lock on to an enemy, then depending on wich vision mode your in( thermal,tech,Neuro).Each will give you info on your locked on enemy after 3 or 4 seconds so you can determine there weaknesses tec.
Theres lots of great classic predator 'kills' in the game like d caps, inpales, body spliting, limb ripping etc. that are done by sneaking up behind an enemy while cloaked ,lock on to them in 3rd person then once you close enough a skull outlined in blue will appear over there head then simply press the X button(light attack) and the kill annimations take place. Cool stuff.
Now the Pred contraols quite well I must say like jumping up onto 3 story buildings with ease, tearing through enemies with upgraded weapons is a blast. There are 23 weapons , thats including there upgraded and unlocked versions of them selves. 7 costumes to unlock and 23 levels to beat.
Now after beating the game once dosnt leave a whole lot of reason the play it a few more times through, but some people like myself will have alot of fun with the game that they will play it through again on a harder difficulty.
Now I have also been told some people have troublewith the camera, you can switch between inverted and non for both horizontal and vertical, and chage the way the rest of the buttons are alyed out til you like them.
All in all I have had a great deal of fun playing ,unlocking,upgrading and beating this game. I urge every pred fan out there to at least pick this game up for a spin, I doubt you will be dissapointed. There are some minor problems but once you play the game for some time you'll become very used to the controls and camera work that you will be hunting,stalking and killing pesky humans like a pro hunter from another world. Just make sure you scan your prey once in awile to make sure your not killing unhonorable prey but only the strong aggressive hostile honorable prey you need to hunt. Because if you kill to many inocents you will fail the missions. | video-games_xbox |
Same war. New [great and unforgetable] battle. I'm getting a little tired of WWII games. Well, that's what I said before I played Hell's Highway. This game has reassured me that there are aspects that even the terribly whored out WWII genre has yet to touch. But with that aside, everyone's asking the same question, "Should I get this over Call of Duty: World at War?" Well...no. This is Call of Duty we're talking about! But Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is just too good to pass up.
Hell's Highway follows the mission of Operation Market Garden, and if you know your history you would know that the mission wasn't necessarily the Allies' finest hour. You assume the roll of Sgt. Matt Baker, and you're tasked with leading your squad through war ravaged Holland in order to push through the heavily fortified, tank ridden, and infamous route known as "Hell's Highway".
In many ways, Brothers in Arms is a black sheep when compared to other conventional WWII shooters. Hell's Highway is no exception. One of the biggest differences is it's emphasis on it's story and narrative. The game plays out kind of like your average high-budget war drama, like Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan. We've seen these kinds of stories in movies and TV shows, but you'll probably never find a WWII game this side of Call of Duty with this kind of dark and complex narrative that just sucks you in. You'll find a plethora of truly cinematic cut scenes and A plus dialog through out the game that all advance the story. That's right, it has a story. A good story as a matter of fact. The characters all look and sound like real people in a real life-or-death situation. In some ways, you start to care about some of them, and sometimes you'll hope that they'll make it out of this alive. To be frank, the story is not a pleasant one. Not only is Hell's Highway trying to focus on the horrors war, but also on the major loss of the mission the game is based off of. So when you do beat the game, you probably won't be feeling too good.
Besides focusing on it's story and narrative, Brothers in Arms also plays unlike any other WWII shooter. While most games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor have you running into the battle and tell you to start shooting anything that speaks German, Brothers in Arms is the total opposite. The game is more strategy than a straight shoot-em-up. If you try to tackle the game like a run 'n' gun FPS, you're not going to last very long. Hell's Highway tries to focus on what it calls "The Four 'F's." "Find him. Fix him. Flank him. Finish him." This mechanic is presented virtually flawlessly with the command controls and suppression meters. Giving commands is easy and practically impossible to unlearn once you learn it. You select the team you want use with either the D-Pad or the B button, and you issue commands by holding down the left trigger. Depending on where you point the curser, the team will go to that destination selected, or start suppressing the enemy you selected. This brings up the art of suppression. Your enemies all have red circles hovering over their heads called suppression meters. They might look like the enemy's health meter, but they aren't, so don't get confused. When the suppression meter is red, it means the enemy isn't suppressed and the moment they see your movement, they'll open fire on you and your squad and probably kill you in the process. To counter this, your squad must open fire on the enemy to make the suppression meter turn gray. This will mean that the enemy is now suppressed, and this is the perfect time for you or one of your teams to go around and flank the enemy and finish them off from behind. Yes, the meters sort of make the game a bit easy. So if you want a little more challenge, just turn them off. But this whole suppression thing wouldn't work if the game didn't have good friendly and enemy AI, and boy, do they have good AI!
Brothers in Arms also tries to focus on realism. Not just in it's story, but in the battle field as well. Yes, the cover system can be used on virtually any kind of wall or barrier, but depending on what it is (like say a picket fence or wooden barrels) they can be destroyed with a few well placed shots. Even sand bags can be demolished with a well placed rocket or grenade. Hell's Highway also implements an incredibly brutal gore system. Depending on what kind of stopping power the weapon you used has, heads and limbs can be blown off and even entire bodies can be blown apart. Right when something like this happens, the game will slow down and zoom in on the, ahem, action. So if you're a fan of gratuitous blood and guts, you might find a liking here.
But probably one main thing that sets Hell's Highway apart from all other WWII shooters (that I've played at least) is that it has one thing most of them don't have, color. When ever I play Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, heck, even Wolfenstein, the main color I see is grey. Lots, and lots of boring, uninteresting grey. Grey buildings, roads, skies, everything is just so... grey! That's not the case with Hell's Highway. Blue skies, different colored buildings, sharp green foliage, red orange fires, and of course, dark scarlet blood.
I think you get the jest of my review. If you're one of those gamers that believe that WWII shooters have all but lost their touch, you NEED to play Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Just, don't start playing it like you would with Call of Duty or something similar. In order to really appreciate this game, you need to play it using your squad and not your trigger finger. This is one highway you should really consider going through! | video-games_xbox |
The Hype Quickly Wears Off. Titanfall was the benefactor of a ridiculous hype machine before it was released. I honestly have to admit I bought into and was very excited for the game. I've been hoping for and looking for a fresh new shooter since I soured on the Call of Duty series and got bored with Battlefield 3 on PS3. I also had yet to purchase an Xbox One, so when Gamestop did their Titanfall bundles for the regular purchase price of the console, I couldn't help but pick it up.
The first few hours of Titanfall were nothing short of fun and amazing. The new gameplay dynamics with the parkour and jet pack really add a fresh new twist on multi-player. Getting in your titan the first few times is amazing and gives you a great feel as you lumber around firing your huge weapons. At first I found the game pretty entertaining with a quick learning curve. Unlike other shooters, you can be a new player and not get completely destroyed in each match vs. more seasoned players. They also built NPCs into the multiplayer maps so you can still contribute and get points even if you aren't doing so well against human controlled opponents.
That having been said, once the initial newness of Titanfall wears off, you're pretty much stuck with another run of the mill shooter. I'd mostly compare it to Call of Duty Ghosts with Atlas Mechs from Mass Effect 3. Another review I read on metacritic said it in fairly humorous fashion. Titanfall is like moving in with your best friend, at first you are all happy and excited, and then you realize your best friend is no different than your last 2-3 sloppy roommates who don't clean up after themselves. It's just more of the same thing in a fancy new package.
This is made worse by the fact that the "campaign" is laughably short and in reality is just the same multiplayer modes the game offers with a few cut scenes and voice overs. In all honesty running through the campaign is kind of like a tutorial for the rest of the game, and unlocks a few of the titan chasis for you while allowing you to learn the game mechanics. After that it's off to the multiplayer modes which is just basically the campaign maps all over again. The game has your standard team death match mode, capture the flag, hardpoint capture which is basically domination, and last titan standing where everyone starts in a titan. Really nothing new here compared to Halo 4, COD, or Battlefield, it's the same game modes with a mech.
I think part of the problem with the game is that it just doesn't feel complete. Anyone who played the beta pretty much played everything the game had to offer. One of the problems I think is that it is just too easy to get a Titan. Even if you stand around doing nothing you get one within a default 2 minutes. Getting kills and acquiring points just speeds up the timer. The games get pretty boring pretty quick once everyone has a titan within the first few minutes.
There are also some other glaring issues, most notably the lack of a competent single player campaign mode, no destructible environments, and a very small and limited customization and class system. The graphics also don't really offer much in terms of next gen. I honestly couldn't tell much difference between this and most PS3 and Xbox360 games. In all honesty for the laughable lack of content this game offers, I was going to give it a 2 out of 5, but I am bumping it up to 3 since Respawn has promised that more content and customization options are coming with their season pass and DLC.
Still, it is rather insulting that this game is $60.00 and then we will be expected to pay more money for DLC and more content and customization. This game sets a very dangerous precedent for games and shooters going forward, paying full price for basically a title that hasn't changed at all since beta and offers no single player story or campaign. After the initial excitement of my first few hours of gameplay, I once again find myself looking for that shooter that will revolutionize a horribly stagnant genre. So far that game looks to be Bungie's Destiny, but time will tell. | video-games_xbox |
Still not even close to NG Black or NG 2. It was a nice gesture that Team Ninja recognized that Ninja Gaiden 3 was terrible and long-time fans were severely disappointed and wanted to fix this. Unfortunately, the game still has crippling flaws.
The storyline is complete garbage. Ninja Gaiden's never had a good storyline, but at least previous games kept the story minimal and it served as exposition. I'm okay with a storyline doing just that compared to what Ninja Gaiden 3 does: force an awful "dramatic" storyline down your throat as if it's good. The story calls into question whether or not Ryu Hayabusa is a hero. I don't see why I should question it because it's not as if Ryu has some ulterior motivation to stopping LOA and Regent of the Mask. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance does a much better job at calling into question whether or not the protagonist is really a hero because Raiden is much less the "protector of the weak" as he fashioned himself out to be; it was a personal vendetta against Desperado because he was a child solder in Liberia.
The bosses are really bad. Some of the bosses are just downright awful. You've got the infamous... "mentally challenged" dinosaur where you have to wait for the boss to trip over itself so you can attack it then you repeat that until the boss dies. You've got a battle with an aircraft that's really just an exercise in shooting your bow and QTEs for a "cinematic experience." Then you've got the final boss which is one of the worst that I've seen in a long time. It feels like either it wasn't tested or the developers forgot about the game's own mechanics. You have to charge up your meter to cast the new Ninpo you just got by killing waves of enemies. While you're doing this, purple bolts rain down on the roof of this building while the final boss slams her arm down to crush you. It takes quite a few kills to fully charge the spell. You're without Ninpo to heal yourself and Steel-on-Bone doesn't help much. It's challenging, and yes I completed it, but it's not a fun sort of challenging; it's just frustrating.
The game still has awful mechanics. Why does Ninja Gaiden need QTEs? I don't want to be mashing a button to perform some cinematic action. Essence is gone from corpses, so you can't chain UTs; you have to wait until you kill enough enemies for Bloody Rage. Muramasa's shop is gone. The game is painfully linear and backtracking to find scarabs or a skull is virtually impossible when areas lock behind you for no reason. You're reliant on Ninpo to heal yourself. I never liked having to use Ninpo in NG Black or NG 2 because of how easily they could kill everything, but now I need to use it to heal myself. Steel-on-Bone is now a grab-counter that heals you. When luck favors you, Steel-on-Bone just feels imbalanced with how you can instant-kill a number of enemies with ease when other times it feels like you have to rely on Steel-on-Bone to kill some enemies.
The only things I really enjoyed about the game are the Trials of Valor and the bonus characters to play with after you complete the story. Momiji and Ayane are really fun to play as. They play differently from Ryu with their unique weapons. The Trials of Valor are good fun in fighting your way through waves of enemies to fight a boss from NG Black or NG2. Sadly, one of the few times that Razor's Edge shines is when it uses content from previous games. Shame that characters that are enjoyable to play like Momiji and Ayane are part of such a terrible game.
If there's going to be a Ninja Gaiden 4, then Team Ninja as a whole needs to sit down and play through NG Black and NG 2 to see why those games are good as they are. Maybe then there will be some hope for Ninja Gaiden 4. Until, the franchise is dead. | video-games_xbox |
Doesn't live up to the hype. Halo 2 is a capable video game, but it falls flat of what it should be. It has good AI, fun level design, decent graphics, and some good weapons upgrades from the original, but it lacks in several areas. Having said that, I'm pretty uhappy with Halo 2 overall.
Here are some gripes:
1) It's just too short. I played it very casually a few hours a week and beat it in no time. Maybe 15-20 hours total. Halo took forever with expansive levels, Halo 2 just feels short and hurried.
2) [Minor Spoler] The story doesn't make a lick of sense. Several of my friends and I all beat it. Five of us (all college graduates, some professors of English who know a bit about story interpretation) have no clue what happened. Something about a rift in the covenant or something and an arc? The storry is muddy and choppy and confusing and unsatisfactory. One friend of ours has gone door to door explaining the events of the game, assuring us it was a good story. But if five out of six people just don't get it--that is far from good story telling.
3)[Minor Spoiler] The ending is a giant set up for Halo 3. I understand the principle of a cliff hanger, but don't set up major fights and what could be the best level of the game and then make us wait three years for the trilogy. I endured three years of misery when I was kid waiting for Return of the Jedi. I don't see myself sticking around and waiting for Halo 3 like that.
5) There are virtually no new enemies from Halo 1. Some flying critters and big hairy apes and maybe a variation on the energy shield weilding aliens. Otherrwise, you might as well just play Halo.
4) Audry II. If you don't understand that, look up Little Shop of Horrors. Lame.
I was an avid fan of Halo, and I played plenty of lan parties with it, tried different difficulties and got every dime out of my fifty bucks on a groung breaking FPS that put the XBox on the map.
Perhaps I'm so salty because with a reported $27 Million+ budget, I wanted it to be a 12 out of 10. Instead it's maybe a 7, 8 tops. I remember when the flood hit in the original, and my mind was blown. I thought "Now I see what all the hype was about!" In Halo 2, the hype is about hype.
I slaved over Ilovebees.com all summer, waited in line at midnight, and was rewarded with game that's kinda cool. Frankly, kinda cool isn't good enough. I've been having more fun with Call of Duty on the Xbox, and I already played it on the PC.
In all fairness, I haven't tried it out on Xbox live, and that's supposed to be pretty awesome. I just with the game team learned a lesson from Unreal. Spend some time making a great single player, and then just make a great Halo Online game. Don't cheat us out of the Halo experience just to cater to the online gamers. Not fair and definitely not cool.
Halo 2 is a fun game, but save yourself the hype and expense and just rent it. You'll beat it before it's due back. | video-games_xbox |
MEH . . . UNIMPRESSED. Having heard good things about the first CRYSIS game, I was eager to give CRYSIS 2 a spin to see what the hype was all about. While I can certainly see why this series commands such a following, at the same time I was a bit underwhelmed with what was presented. . .
STORY: Absolutely throwaway. Right from the get-go I had no clue what was going on. So New York is under attack by aliens and patrolled by soldiers. What else is new? I would even say that the story felt a bit like Pac-Man in that I was basically chasing dots (the blue destination dots) just going from point to point.
CHARACTERS: Not very interesting. Let's see, I play the role of a mute maniac with a machine gun and yes, there's the scientist guy with Tourette's syndrome.
GRAPHICS: Pretty good, but I felt that a lot of the environments were too dark and drab to really appreciate it. I specifically remember towards the beginning of the game where I saw this brass-colored blob on the ground next to a mounted machine gun. Guess what it was? Probably the ugliest-looking bullet casings I have ever seen in a game.
GAMEPLAY: This is where the game gets some points in its favor . . .
--Headshots to every soldier in sight while cloaked is definitely entertaining.
--Holding your ground with armor activated and blasting everything to bits is also entertaining.
--I also liked the ability to modify weapons on the go, everything from sights to firing modes to secondary weapons.
--Some fairly interesting scripted sequences.
--IR mode makes you feel like Predator.
--A little bit of freedom in how you get to your destination.
. . . but still, all is not rosy and peachy. . .
--The main premise of CRYSIS is that you have a really powerful suit . . . but you start the game with almost all of your abilities locked in the name of "holding your hand" tutorial-style.
--I was absolutely baffled by the following: You can throw a bottle or bag of trash across the room. You can turn a computer on, work the printer and water cooler . . . but God forbid that you be able to do something useful like turn on a light-switch, pull the fire alarm for a diversion or interact with some of those infected people. I don't understand why a programmer would dedicate lines of code to allow my character to do something that is basically meaningless.
--Absolutely horrific AI. I stood on the second level of a building. At my feet was a hole in the floor where I was looking down on the heads of a bunch of soldiers. Do you think they ever bothered to look up? Even after bodies started heaping up in full view? Nope. They just walked around like the oblivious idiots they were. If you want to see some reactive AI, play F.E.A.R.
--Okay, so I've already told you that the AI is stupid. So why am I still dying? It's because one of the few good things about this game is that damage is somewhat realistic. Despite your Nano-suit, if you try and go Gung-Ho into the midst of battle, you're not going to last long.
--Unimpressive upgrades. I was really looking forward to upgrading my Nano-Suit. Let's see, there's bullet tracking, which sounds pointless because I'm cloaked almost the whole time and kill everyone before they even get a shot out. There's a bonus for ledge-grabbing and sprinting . . . also pointless because again, I stay cloaked most of the time and move slowly to make the most of it.
I basically unlocked the first two rows of upgrades for my suit and didn't find a single one that seemed worthwhile, considering the rarity of finding aliens to kill to be able to afford them.
OVERALL: I probably played a good 5-6 hours worth of this game (I got as far as finding the Hive), but in all that time the only upgrades available were pretty much worthless, which basically reduced this game to something that was half FPS and half Metal Gear. The lack of enemies was disappointing (nameless soldiers and chthonic aliens . . . again) and made even more disappointing given how stupid their AI was. Toss in a dark and drab environment and an absolutely uninspired story and you basically have a game that is worth a rental, no more. | video-games_xbox |
XO Seven Pro vs XO Seven (non-pro/original. Great headset!
I have both the Turtle Beach XO Seven Pro and the Turtle Beach XO Seven (non-pro/original) and the differences are so minimal that it is NOT worth the upgrade if you already have the Turtle Beach XO Seven (non-pro/original). That difference being "Superhuman hearing" and "Game & Mic Presets". While nice, it's not worth the added cost if you already own the Turtle Beach XO Seven (non-pro/original).
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XO Seven Pro vs XO Seven (non-pro/original) - *Key Differences
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*Superhuman Hearing Mode
Use Superhuman Hearing Mode to pinpoint quiet audio cues like enemy footsteps and weapon reloads.
*Game & Mic Presets
Selectable game presets to customize your sound (Natural Sound, Bass Booster, Bass & Treble Booster and Vocal Booster) and environmental mic presets you can set based on room noise levels (Quiet, Normal & Loud rooms).
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Is It Worth the Upgrade from XO Seven Non-Pro to XO Seven Pro?
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No it is not, unless you like to waste money. If you are going to upgrade, go for the fully wireless Turtle Beach Stealth 500X headset.
It would be worth while is going from the Turtle Beach XO One or Turtle Beach XO Four. If you currently have the Turtle Beach XO Seven, save your money.
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Do the "Pro" Feature Really Help?
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Yes they do, but again not worth the upgrade unless you're coming from the Turtle Beach XO One or Turtle Beach XO Four. To be able to hear footsteps, reloads, gun fire direction far more clearly and accurately is a major bonus and advantage to "sound whoring" while playing COD or BF. It does make a difference without a doubt.
The *Game & Mic Presets are also nice but I prefer them off for more of a flat neutral sound it helps bring out the footsteps and reload sounds easier without drowning in bass.
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VERDICT
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Awesome headset, works great and the "Pro" features were much needed. In my opinion, they should have been added to the XO Seven from the get-go so I could easily see how a lot of buyer of the original non-pro XO Seven could be extremely annoyed. | video-games_xbox |
Good if you like the gameplay; disappointing if you're after the story. I was a bit apprehensive about getting this game - I knew for fact that I'd get it, since I loved the original so much, but I was worried that the absence of Ken Levine would be too obvious on its story. However, I kinda ignored the voice in the back of my head, and decided to get the game anyway. When the 'more of the same' reviews started coming in, I wasn't disappointed; I loved the original game enough not to mind going through a very similar the game again (I played through Bioshock two or three times; each time finding something new in the game, or the story).
The beginning of Bioshock 2 seemed promising. It's certainly impossible to top the beginning of BS1 (the whole segment up to the exit from the bathysphere is classic), but there was a lot of promise in the presentation of the new antagonist of the game, including the shrines you find here and there, and the occasional communist drivel she spouts. Once you reach near the end, however, you begin to realize that there's really not much of a twist in terms of a plot. The ending(s) is predictable, at best. In the grand scheme of things, Lamb is barely touched upon; enough to make you wonder why she was chosen as an antagonist. Many of the characters you meet in the game seem transient; the last conflict with Sinclair is almost laughable in its brevity and insignificance. In short, the story of Bioshock 2 doesn't hold a candle to that of the first game.
On to gameplay.
The Big Sisters, which seemed to hold so much promise before the game's release are nothing but another enemy - one almost impossible to beat without dying - at least early in the game on Medium and Hard. No real story is presented to explain their existence, short of a silly blurb about them being Little Sisters in a specialized suit.
The underwater levels promised early on are nothing but brief stretches of linear path, and not deserving much mention.
The Big Daddy drill is an interesting weapon in the new arsenal, but it lacks in two serious aspects: a) the drill dash is not available until later on in the game, and this move is often crucial for survival, and b) unlike the wrench, it requires "ammunition", which is often scarce to come by, especially on higher difficulty levels. You are pretty much guaranteed to drain the drill's ammo in any serious fight; therefore, you cannot depend on it in any medium- to large-scale fights.
The variety of new weapons offered in the game is great, but you'll soon learn that you really need the drill, the shotgun, and the rocket launcher. The rivet gun becomes useless almost from the beginning - even headshots hardly scathe the opponents.
The music! One of the best parts of Bioshock is the music, as it sets the mood perfectly. In Bioshock 2, music is barely heard in five or six locations throughout the game. I have heard more old-timey music waiting for the game to load, than I have throughout the entire game; making me wonder why 2K even bothered licensing the songs.
That said, the game does make some good gameplay changes, including the spear gun, which is a fun weapon reminiscent of the one in Half-Life 2. Hacking is better, if not much more realistic, as now you need to hack as you play. While the underwater moments are all-too-brief, there are a few scenes which are beautiful and deserving a lot more attention, than that given. Another excellent addition was the view of the world through the eyes of a Little Sister - if you ever wondered why they refer to the splicers as 'angels', this part in the game makes the reason all-too clear.
All said, I'm far more disappointed by the lack of a solid story in this game, than I am by the elements of gameplay. Living up to the original is not an easy task, and while I didn't expect the same level of innovation from this one, what I did get, I expected - a sequel that desperately cried out for the attention of the author of the original. | video-games_xbox |
LOVE it or HATE It, this is a 5 star game. I read a bunch of reviews before purchasing this game (5 star and 1 star). I want to start out saying that the quality of this game is, without a doubt, 5 stars. The low rating are purely based on gaming preference.
My only complaints are:
* frame rate in certain areas/situations
* the auto-lock distance (you'll see)
* the camera at times
I'm about 45 hours into the game and I have no idea how long it will take me to complete it and I'm already looking forward to playing through it again (and again). I was looking for a game that I could REALLY sink my teeth into and this totally delivered.
I know epic gets overused online, but this game is truly EPIC.
I'm going to point out some of the cool things about this game:
* the experience playing the game is more valuable than "experience points" (souls, you use them to level up). A higher level certain helps defeating enemies, but not as much as a thorough understanding of battle tactics against them.
* the structure of the world is masterfully done. The shortcuts you'll find, the way areas link together, the ability to explore areas you aren't prepared for yet, get surprised by... stuff. It's excellent.
* not being able to pause! I read complaints about this, but it's actually really cool when you think about it. When you're playing, you're PLAYING. It also doesn't give you the chance to quickly change your equipment when you run into an unexpected enemy or boss. That said, there are PLENTY of places to kick back and take a breather. The enemies don't really roam around until you set them off (with an arrow or by getting too close), so the lack of pause doesn't mean you can't take bathroom breaks. :)
* all the different equipment and playing styles! You can go from being in ninja gear with a blade to an armored tank with an ax. and both styles can be useful in different situations.
* no reseting stats or going back to old save files. Again this could be a negative, but the effect of this is you really think about how you round out your character and you have to think twice when given choices.
The less you read about this game, the more you'll get out of it. If you read nothing but the manual, you'd run around super confused about... everything! But the game is setup to be like that, it slowly explains stuff to you through experience and meeting NPCs and it's definitely designed to be played again (and again). That said, I ended up watching videos about how to beat the first two major bosses (before I bought it, was trying to get an idea of what the gameplay was like). I wish I hadn't.
I also checked out the wiki about the different classes...
Some tips:
* Take your time! Slow and steady wins the race! If you're about to die, sprint as far back as you can to make it easier to get your souls back when you die.
* Really explore and take in the environments. If you don't you'll miss awesome equipment and maybe even that bonfire (check point) which will make it feel like it's been FOREVER since you were able to rest (I've missed a few).
Last thing. It took me about... 10-15 hours to really get into the game. I spent a long time running around lost. It probably took me a couple hours just to notice the path to the easier area of the game... lol (I didn't look it up online).
Anyhow, this is a high quality epic adventure. The epic isn't about the story, it's about the experience of playing and grandness of the bosses and environments.
This game isn't for everyone, but if it's for you, you'll love it. | video-games_xbox |
Some good ideas, terrible execution. The game has some great premises. It's got RPG elements (skills and levels), weapons to repair and upgrade, an interesting melee system, tons of side quests and seemless online multi-player.
Unfortunately thats all the good points. Heres a list of the cons
-No split screen co-op. Seriously for a game that advertises as a co-op experience not having split-screen co-op is a serious omission.
-Graphics are sub-par and headache inducing. If you love glare this is the game for you, it is chock full of it. Also don't be fooled by the trailer actual game looks nothing like this.
-Controls are clunky and not intuitive and not changable (there are two styles but other than that not configurable)
-Which matches perfectly with a clunky environment (shading and texture glitches, imaginary walls limited interaction with the environment).
-Vision reduced to foggy mess anytime health gets down to around 30%, which coincidentally means if you want to play this on a challenging mode than you will be playing with glare vision for half the game.
-Zombies leap on top off you all the time from like 10 feet away, kind of like the hunter in Left for Dead. Only this can happen with any zombie and sometimes you get in a string of 4-5 of them, makes the game seem very repetitive quickly,
-Terrible voice acting, the worst of any game I've played and there are some bad ones out there.
-Bad AI. You get knocked down and zombies kind of wander off.
-Weapons degrade too quickly. Whats the point in having a weapon upgrade feature if you will only use it for a couple dozen kills before you have to switch to a nearby paddle.
-Serious lack of guns for the first part of the game (yet to see a gun about 4 hours in).
Might be worth a rental as it gave me about 3-4 hours of entertainment but the many flaws, as well as the numerous bugs and glitches caused me to rapidly lose interest. | video-games_xbox |
Best Just Dance Game. Just Dance has made improvements and more options in this game. There are also music from the 90's if you like old school music(: The downloadable songs in the shop so far are Can't Stop Us by Macklemore, Wake Me Up by Avicii, Pound the Alarm by Nicki Minaj, and We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus, What About Love by Austin Mahone, American Girl by Bonnie Mckee and more. You need to use a credit card to purchase the songs in the shop. There are 48 songs included:
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - ABBA
Danando - Ivete Sangalo (NCSA-only track)
The Way - Ariana Grande Ft. Mac Miller
Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley
Isidora - Bog Bog Orkestar
Fine China - Chris Brown
Limbo - Daddy Yankee
Get Lucky - Daft Punk Ft. Pharrell Williams
Moskau - Dancing Bros.
She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) - David Guetta Ft. Sia
Prince Ali - Disney's Aladdin
It's You - Duck Sauce
Turn Up The Love - Far East Movement Ft. Cover Drive
Signorini (Eroe Nazionale) - Fedez (EMEA-only track)
The Love Boat - Frankie Bostello
Careless Whisper - George Michael
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani Ft. Eve
Feel So Right - Imposs Ft. Konshens
Wild - Jessie J Ft. Big Sean
I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
C'mon - Ke$ha
The Other Side - Jason Derulo (US-only track)
Applause - Lady Gaga
Just Dance - Lady Gaga Ft. Colby O'Donis
Just A Gigolo - Louis Prima
Blame It On The Boogie - Mick Jackson
In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry
Pound The Alarm - Nicki Minaj
Starships - Nicki Minaj
Troublemaker - Olly Murs Ft. Flo Rida
Kiss You - One Direction
Feel This Moment - Pitbull Ft. Christina Aguilera
Gentleman - Psy
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
Maria - Ricky Martin
Where Have You Been - Rihanna
Candy - Robbie Williams
Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Ft. Pharrell
99 Luftballons - Rutschen Planeten
Miss Understood - Sammie
Nitro Bot - Sentai Express
Danse (Pop version) - TAL (EMEA-only track)
Flashdance...What A Feeling - The Girly Team
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In - The Sunlight Shakers
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
#thatPOWER - will.i.am Ft. Justin Bieber
Follow The Leader - Wisin & Yandel Ft. Jennifer Lopez
Also download "Roar" by Katy Perry for free in the Song store as soon as you buy your game!!
There is World Dance Floor, which is a multiplayer option. You could dance/battle with people around the world in REAL time.(Xbox Live needed) You could also dance with your friends!
On Stage mode is like you're really performing on stage with a audience, which is a good alternative choreography to the song! Same as Just dance 4, you could choose your character you want to dance as. There is a Alternative mode, it is different than On Stage mode. In Alternative mode, there is a alternative choreography of the dance to the song, they also added props to the dance.
Other options include Dance Mashup, Puppet Master Mode, Dance Battle, Dance Quests, Dancer Card. A Dance Mashup same as Just Dance 4, it has mashups of choreography from previous Just Dance games to dance to. You also get Mojo points from dancing, to boost up your dance rank. (Great for competing against your friends)
Just Sweat counts the calories that you burn from dancing. In Just Dance 2014 Just Sweat session, you could choose any songs to dance to while it counts the calories that you burn. There are also different types of Just Sweat timed sessions (10 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes)
Other creative features include Just Create lets you create your own dance routine. Just Design lets you create your own character and save it. Just Dance TV lets you browse and share your Autodance videos. (In order to use Autodance you need a Xbox Hard Drive!) Karaoke tracks your voice and gives MOJO points on how accurate you sing while dancing! With those points, you could use it to "buy" Alternative song modes and mash ups.
Ubisoft is making Just Dance games even better! Happy Dancing & Singing! | video-games_xbox |
Amazing campaign - great visuals and interesting and compelling story. Amazing campaign - great visuals and interesting and compelling story, makes you actually want to watch all cinematics. A lot more complicated with the skill trees than you expect, lots of customization. Bonus caves for special skills are really awesome and for once I have been inclined to explore the entire game not just blow through main quests 10/10
I am about 8 hours in and still loving it. The progression is perfect, I just learned some new skills (got combat knife, and the explosive arrow) and normally Im used to having the entire tool-kit available after a few hours in. I am still mowing through the content but there is so much to do with side quests and all the hidden caches/coins etc!!! And I still have a few caves that I had to skip because I didn't have the right tools to get past the door earlier in the campaign. These are intended to be returned to later, hopefully i don't miss any! I didn't use it much initially but the map is very useful and well done. Also later in the game the quick-movement/teleportation via the campfires becomes much more appreciated!!! Beat a challenge cave then just port out back to where you were without the tedious climb out.
I thought it would get old but in all honesty I think one of the greatest parts of this game is just the movement. I really enjoy just climbing up things, using the hooks, zip-lines, etc. It's great physics and simple unadulterated fun! I really hope the designers of this game stick together for another, this is one of the best if not the best title on xbox one. #1 without doubt in its category but it even gives longstanding champions like destiny a run for its money. I purchased halo 5, the new COD, and fallout 4 with this game and I have been stuck with Lara almost the entire time. (will focus on fallout 4 after completion)
Anyways, very great game and I recommend it to anyone who loves captivating dungeon crawling solo campaign type games. | video-games_xbox |
A Major disappointment and rehash of every game that came before it . . . I had eagerly followed this game for months before its release. I read all the developer interviews where they stressed the "battle repetitiveness" that makes so many shooters boring games of whack-a-mole where you mow down endless waves of enemies with no pacing, atmosphere, or story. I read how they really admired the story and pacing of Half-Life 2 and how they were influenced by that fantastic, unmatchable game. I even preordered it. So, what did I end up with? The "battle repetitiveness" of a shooter where you mow down endless waves of enemies with no pacing, atmosphere, or story. I ended up with the same game I have played over and over again in the past but with different game titles. And while I realize that graphics alone don't make a great game, I at least want one that is pretty. The graphics in this game look like they were developed on an early version of a PS2. They are that bad.
It's a shame, the story idea was great - but 10 minutes into the game I realized the gameplay in the campaign is a poor carbon copy of every shooter that has come before it. Nothing fresh, nothing new, nothing innovative. In a word, the gameplay is stale. Unless you have never played a shooter before, you will get bored quickly with the campaign. Mindless AI, glitchy companions, and a superweapon that you get to deploy that automatically kills all enemies in sight. I didn't try multiplayer - I was too disheartened by the campaign, and figured not using my MP redemption code would help my resale value. What's that you say? Multiplayer redemption code? That's right - you must redeem the in-box code to play on-line, this developer's sneaky way of jamming the used game market. Nice - sell me a crappy game and then make whoever else buys it purchase a new code to play on line. That fact that this tired pile of digital waste has managed to sell over a million copies tells you how desperate FPS fans are for a breath of fresh air and innovation. Those one million sold copies are not a success story, but more like one million let-down fans. | video-games_xbox |
Definitely a good deal on a controller battery & long charging cable, but take care when using it due to the cable construction. The cable length is good, but the housing for the wire is actually more like a stiff fabric rather than a typical rubbery encasement. I'm not sure if that might mean there is more chance of electro-magnetic interference occuring, but it should not matter to the cable itself because it is only meant for charging the controller, not transferring data.
Speaking of data signals, anyone, who is buying this battery/charging pack, should definitely be aware this is ONLY a charging cable. Therefore, if the wireless signal between the controller and the Xbox One cuts out or dies off due to some kind of interference or conflicts, then this cable will NOT by-pass wireless and enable the controller to reconnect and keep playing. At least, I have not figured out how to get it to work that way. I believe the product description does not even try to claim the cable works for data transfer anyway, so no one should feel like there is any false advertising going on. I'm simply mentioning this to makes sure no one presumes the product functions any other way than it is reported to work.
I've had two of these for our two Xbox One controllers for a couple of months, and I've noticed a small issue popping up. Due to the stiffness of the cable, there is a slight strain on the connection when it is plugged into the controller. Since the plug is a tiny micro-USB port on the controller, the weight and stiffness of the long cable causes significant tension at the connection point. Most of the time, we just keep one of the cables plugged into the Xbox One, then take turns charging our two controllers when necessary because there is only one easily accessible USB port on the Xbox One. Unfortunately though, that means one of our charging cables got a lot more usage than the other, and its micro-USB connection to the controller has become a bit touch-and-go. If we aren't careful while holding the controller, then the charging stops even though the wire still appears to be plugged in. Other people might be able to see the charging connection is lost because the little blue light no longer glows, but the player, who is holding the controller, will not immediately notice because the light is facing away from the player on the trigger side of the controller. Therefore, players, who are charging their controllers while actively playing, need to be diligent about keeping an eye on that charging light. Obviously though, when you are in the middle of a game, most players don't want to have to focus on a technical issue. Of course, a simple work-around to this problem is to make a regular point of only charging your controller when you do not need to hold it in your hands. That way, the controller can rest on a table or something, then the weight of the long stiff charging cable can rest on the table-top as well and not cause a strain on the micro-USB connection. | video-games_xbox |
A LOT of imagination (and friends) required. First some housekeeping. Xbox Live Subscription required as it's an online only game. 11GB mandatory patch as of this review.
You have to have a lot of imagination and creativity for lasting appeal of this game or at least hold your attention
Love the art style, best water graphics since opening of Bioshock (1). Audio is also really good especially the environmental audio. Aside from this, the game is pretty bare bones as I'll go into the game mechanics.
There are 3 quest types:
Hunt for Treasure Chests
Fight skeletons*
Capture chickens and pigs
There's no progression in the game and no story (unless you make one up yourself). You do quests to gain money and use the money to buy cosmetic items (no stat boosts). Bad thing is, everything is ridiculously expensive. It takes hours of grinding for one cosmetic item. In order to unlock majority of the items, you'll have to grind quests which gets boring after a while especially when the challenge is the same. Also once you complete a task, you have to sail back to the quest giver which can take up to 15mins
Skeletons are the only major enemy in the game, and they all have the same battle animations/moves. The only difference is how they look and randomized attack and HP stats. There's also The Kraken is in the game, but it randomly pops up when it wants to, when it does, taking it down is anti-climatic as it just runs away. If you dive down to try to see its whole body...well the kracken is invisible. Just random grouped tentacles floating on the waves
There are raids in the game where you team up with other people to fight hordes of skeletons for treasure
Also, there are passive challenges like opening certain amount of chests. But the challenges can take hours to complete just one artificially extending the life of the game
PvP
This is where you attack other ships and pirates online. This is the most fun and frustrating part of Sea of Thieves.
good if you have a decent team or people you know to play with you. If you don't communicate and/or teamed up with noobs you'll have a bad time as you can be decimated by the other team as your team have to micro manage everything on the ship: have a scout, people on the cannons, person steering the ship, people patching up the ship/throw buckets of water back into the sea so it doesn't sink.
When everyone know what they're doing, and coordinate/work together it's a blast (this is rare unless you have friends to play with). Thus the this part of the game is as fun as the people you are playing it with.
If you don't have online friends, it's hard for you to get a decent team. First off, most won't communicate with you, or worst yet won't accept the mission to even start the quest.
There are no rewards for PvP, just you losing you quest progress if the enemy team starts shooting at you and/or sinks your ship...
After a few hours, you feel like you're done with the game. The game gets repetitive really quickly, unless you have friends who like getting together to raid other ships and like doing repetitive grinds cosmetics. It's like the developers saw how kids can put in 100s of hours on a game like Minecraft, where the game gives you a little and have to use or imagination to extend the playtime...but instead of building, you're raiding other pirate ships and grinding for your your next belt, beard or dress.
In the end, it feels like a tech demo for water physics and animation, and to test how much people are willing to grind for a different colored gun that has the same stats as any other gun in the game. If you get bored of the repetitiveness, you can create your own fun I guess*
*varies depending on your imagination | video-games_xbox |
Humorous First Person Shooter that has a flawed control system. I only sort of like this game. I get frustrated within a 1/2 hour of playing it, but then always return to it later on, for another frustrating 1/2 hour.
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This game is a very standard first person shooter. The hook is that the guy you are playing knows he is a video game character. This is the centerpiece of the idea of the game: this guy you are playing in the game is being attacked via the game by a "real" guy who hates your character, for whatever reason.
So, there's some humor involved - and it's mildly funny. But, they really should have taken it a few steps further. The game has stereotypical villians, and they could have made them much more ridiculous and funny with just a few simple changes. The bosses are the best in this regard. It's the main bad guys you fight who I feel could have been stepped up a notch.
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And it's the gaming system I find so frustrating. It takes a surprising amount of ammo to kill anyone, unless you get a headshot. Which isn't too hard as most of the AI just hides and pokes out, repeat - so you'll know where their head will be for and easy kill. But many times - MANY times - you'll be focusing on what's ahead of you when out of NOWHERE bad guys will appear directly behind you and kill you. This is utterly annoying as you have no radar and the path behind you was absolutely closed off. Also later on, any cover you have will disappear if hit enough times by enemy bullets, and when your options for cover are limited, you're dead. This is more frustrating than challenging.
I find the movement and cover system to be quite clunky. And it's all these things tied together that make me give up every half hour - it's just annoying and not fun. But I always pick it up again because I want to win it, and I like the humor of the game itself.
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It's pretty cheap right now - but just remember, you get what you pay for. | video-games_xbox |
Works fine, but don't expect to be an instant master. I bought the EagleEye (EE) from Amazon along with a Microsoft wired controller and cheap USB keyboard & mouse. In the end, there are a bunch of wires laying around the living room, but this is the nature of this beast.
The EE is very easy to figure out and program. The included software is a piece of cake. You click on an image of a controller, then press a button on the keyboard or mouse for assignment of that function. Mousewheel scroll up and down as well as press are included functions. The Function Keys (F1...F12) are reserved for in-game programming of the EE. Once you have the programming set, a simple button will download the settings to the EE.
I tested the EE as both Controller 1 and Controller 2 and both work. First, you have to plug the MS wired controller (alone) into either port of the EE. Then, once the Xbox detects the controller, you can remove it and plug in the KB & Mouse. If I want to make the EE Controller 1, I had to plug the wired controller into the XBOX, then start it up, then plug in the EE. A little bit of hassle, but it does work. I haven't tested all variations of connectivity, so there may be easier procedures.
Next, start a non-competitive game (no enemies) so you can learn the in-game calibrations. Yes, you have to do in-game calibration in order to play properly. I am not exactly positive of what the ***Mouse Deadzone*** settings do, but I set them. Next is the x-axis, then y-axis. I found that I have to set the x-axis at a very high rate in order to have good sensitivity in-game. I also have to adjust the game's ***"look sensitivity"*** to the maximum setting.
Once I started playing, I realized that some of the keys had to be changed (I changed grenade from <2> to <E>, etc) but that is an easy re-programming using the easy-to-use software. I also had to re-adjust the in-game calibrations and "look sensitivity" to get good gameplay every time I start a new session. This is a bit of a hassle, but not too bad.
Just to be clear, using this device and a keyboard/mouse does not give you any advantage over other players who have experience and skills with a controller. The only advantage this will give you is if you are a PC player and just can't get the hang of the XBOX controllers. The online players who have experience at the game/map/etc. will be very dangerous until you become as experienced. | video-games_xbox |
A great bargain, but statue has issues. Picked this up for $80USD including postage to Australia, and this is no longer available here, with the regular game-only edition going for $100AUD, which is what I paid for this, so financially, I'm thrilled.
The parcel arrived as you would get it from a shop, it was not in another Amazon box, at which I was slightly disappointed. But hey, as long as there's less rubbish! But was upset that every handler knew what was being sent to me. I thought the whole point of letters and parcels where that they were nondescript? Someone during the line could have opened it and take the game out or all sorts. I cannot leave packaging feedback for this order through my account (believe me I tried) so that is why I'm including it here.
The statue is great, a gruesome design! The feet are wobbly - how did I not see that coming? - because the creature is standing on grates. However, as long as you don't shake the statue or throw it like a football and simply display it as intended, you should be fine. There seems to be a small issue, for me, I installed the batteries (which need to have a tiny screwdriver, pocketknife or other implement to remove the battery lid) and while the statue works as described and advertised in that the fan slowly rotates and has a menacing red light underneath the fan, there doesn't seem to be an on/off switch anywhere on the statue, which frustrated me. I'm the kind of person who would enjoy turning it on for a few minutes of a night during writing or playing games as a small distraction, but if I have to get a screwdriver out every time I want this statue lit up that's bad design. If anyone knows of an on/off button I'm missing let me know but I looked all over the statue pressing everything on it, including on the gear on the skeleton creature itself, to no avail. In this I am disappointed at the inconvenience.
Excited to play the game. Glad to have this edition though, not a bad buy, especially at Amazon's rock bottom pricing of late (August/September 2016). Just be aware you may need to either unscrew the battery compartment every time you want to turn it on or keep the batteries in it until they die. Your choice (again, unless there's a button I've missed).
Highly recommended to keep the packaging as it is built specifically for the statue.
EDIT: It appears the on/off switch is hidden underneath a removable door behind the creature's right foot. Poor placement and hiding it was a silly idea. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, but completely unrealistic. First off, I love this game and play it a lot. It's a lot of fun. If all you're concerned about is having fun, this game works for you and is cheap. However, this game is so unrealistic it's insane.
First problem is the hitting glitch. Left-handed hitters only hit about 50% as well as righties. Net result? My entire lineup is righties, because lefties just get out. Making half the hitters in baseball(more than half, acutally, because switch hitters will hit lefty the majority of the time) useless is REALLY annoying. When Todd Helton, David Ortiz, and Carlos Delgado have combined for 3 HRs and you're 20 games in, you got a situation to look at.
Second big unrealistic component is the trades. I put together a godly lineup that would make even Steinbrenner cry. Starting with the Red Sox roster, I got a batting order of 1. Orlando Cabrera 2. Nomar Garciaparra 3. Alex Rodriguez 4. Manny Ramirez 5. Magglio Ordonez 6. Vernon Wells 7. Todd Helton (even with the lefty glitch he's good because he hits like .320) 8. David Ross 9. Jose Reyes. O yeah my pitching staff was 1. Barry Zito 2. Pedro Martinez 3. Roy Halladay 4. Mark Prior 5. Josh Beckett, with Billy Wagner as the closer. Now assembling a lineup that schools the MLB heroes team is fun, it's also never going to happen in real life.
Next is the disparity between pitching and hitting. Pitching is just so much easier. To get the game going at an even rate, I have to set it to pro when i hit and mvp when i pitch. Hitting and Pitching should be more evenly balanced.
In the field, the CPU is insane. It makes the diving, shoestring, whatever catches you see on ESPN highlight reels about 10 times a game. And that leads to my next point. The announcers are just annoying. I turned them off a while ago.
The game definitely has its weak areas. However, overall it's a fun game and i recommend getting it if you're not really intersted in simulating real baseball | video-games_xbox |
Such a sweet smelling rose. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting when I loaded up Rumble Roses XX for the first, but I do remember I wasn't expecting to be impressed. So much for pre-judgment.
Rumble Roses XX turned out to be a pretty sweet game.
First off, I have to say, I rarely ever play wrestling games. The last one I played was on the Dreamcast, and I thought it sucked (the game, not the system). So, if there is any common criteria by which such games are judged by, I am unaware of them. I can only comment on what I liked and disliked about the title.
That said, I must say, there wasn't much about the title I didn't like.
Rumble Roses XX, is a wrestling game. All of the standard characters you play with are female. There are a variety of play modes to enjoy and entertain you and your friends with.
The graphics are gorgeous, and I'm not just talking about those lovely polygon models that you wrestle with (though they are, err... composed very well). The stages you play on are richly detailed and beautiful. The soundtrack never seems to be inappropriate; every song or tune seems to match the moment it is played. The character models are well designed and well animated. Most model motions are smooth, fluid and natural looking with the odd exception of the execution of a few of the holding moves. I'm pretty sure most normal people can't bend like these character models can bend.
Graphics, sounds, and pretty polygons are all done very well, but all those points would amount to nil without good game play to enjoy them with. Fortunately, Rumble Roses XX has very solid but simple game play. Nearly all moves are executed by hitting a single direction and a button. Special moves are executed by positioning yourself correctly, and hitting a simple combination of buttons (usually no more than two). The most annoying control issue is the mashing of buttons to escape holds or pins, but that seems to be a universal design flaw among almost all wrestling games I've read about.
You can participate in a variety of different match types against a computer opponent. You have the traditional one on one match, the tag team match, battle royal free for all matches, handicapped matches (two on one), and humiliation matches. With the exception of the humiliation match, in all of these you win by pinning your opponent to the mat or having them submit to a hold.
Rumble Roses XX has in addition to the wrestling mode, a street fighting mode. This is a sort of simplified `Street Fighter' type fighting mode. Your wrestling moves are limited, and you have a `life bar'. You win a round by simply pummeling your opponent until their life bar is empty, and you win a fight by winning two out of three rounds. It does make for a nice change of pace from the normal wrestling matches.
Complementing the primary wrestling focus of this title, there is a collecting aspect that features many things may be unlocked. Each character has many outfits you can acquire. These outfits run the range from very revealing thong bikinis and suggestive shorts, to combat gear and school girl outfits. There is a photo shoot mode where you can take pictures of the characters wearing the outfits you have unlocked while they participate in special activities you have also unlocked (like riding a bike, swimming, or stretching).
Also, in addition to unlocking additional outfits, each character has a counterpart that can be unlocked. The game has a face versus heel arrangement (good guy versus bad guy). Each face character has a heel version you can unlock, and the same goes for the heel characters. Each character version has her own unique outfit and intro movie.
In addition to playing against the computer, there is an `Exhibition Mode' where you can play against up to three friends, and use the outfits you have unlocked. All of the wrestling match types, along with the street fighting mode, are available. I've found this to be a very enjoyable element of the game.
Rumble Roses XX lets you online to play against others, and even lets you share photos you have taken.
There are only three things about this game that annoy me, all fairly minor.
The first thing that I found annoying is that it is a great pain to change a characters costume in the `Exhibition Mode'. You can only change the color of the outfit your wrestler is wearing, or pick her `Super Star' outfit if it is available. To change the outfit to something different you have to exit out of the exhibition mode, load up your single player character, change her costume there, then go back to the Exhibition Mode. Very annoying of you have four people who keep wanting to change outfits.
The second most annoying thing I found about Rumble Roses XX is that it is unclear what you are supposed to do in the single player mode, and how you progress in the game. If it is explained in the manual, I overlooked it. I just kept playing matches until I won a title.
The last thing that annoyed me about this game (and this is really the most minor) is that there was no kind of training mode. I guess I've played too many fighting games where this feature is provided and I've come to expect it.
Over all, I have to say, I enjoyed this game greatly. It's entertaining to play by yourself, and is a great title to bring out when your friends come over.
Unexpectedly, Rumble Roses XX turned out to be a really sweet smelling rose, without any thorns. | video-games_xbox |
Hated it at the start and loved it in the End. I have played both max payne 1 and 2 that's why I was a little bit skeptical about this one. First let me start with the things I didn't like. I didn't like only being able to carry 3 weapons at a time. In the other games you could carry as many as you wanted with plenty of ammo to mop up the bad guys. This game only let you carry 3 at a time and towards the end of the game like the last 4 chapters I found myself out of ammo just waiting to be slaughter by some num nuts who would randomly pop out of nowhere and blow my top off. I am a huge fan of the DE gun and I could never find any ammo for it no matter how hard I looked. Even though they had a chapter or two with him fighting against mobsters like the max payne we are use to I felt kinda annoyed that most of the gangsters he was fighting hardly spoke any English. What I mean by that is that I didn't know if they were yelling for one to flank me from the side or just saying a line about how they were going to kill or even cracking a joke. That I guess is my problem for not paying much attention to learning my spanish back in school lol.
What I liked about this game was the fact you still kept the bullet time and even when you had no health you still had a chance to save yourself by killing the last guy who shot you. I found that the bad guys were plenty and I never felt a shortage in that area. I thought the new cast of characters were ok but were missing something that makes the max payne characters so interesting or even funny. I did find the story interesting and not knowing completely who I could trust or who was the villain until the final few chapters of the game. I enjoyed the combat being able to target and shot was easy and I loved the way the screen does a small flash when you kill someone to let you know you did. I do have to say one of my favorite parts was max having a flash back when he was in new york and was getting hassled by these goons that looked and sounded like the guys from that show "jersey shore" Of course you can guess how it turns out with them and I know I am wrong for saying this but I actually felt some satisfaction emptying a clip into those look alikes LOL. Anyway please don't take that the wrong way I was just joking about that =)
All in all I didn't like the game at the start due to the fact it didn't completely feel like max payne but towards the end of the game when the destruction began I started to love it. The storyline was ok the new characters as well as the setting were average and the combat was great. | video-games_xbox |
Wait 6-8 months. This game is unplayable. 11-29-2013
I really enjoy FPS games and was hoping to enjoy BF 4 for next gen. My history of FPS games date back to Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Call of Duty 1, BF 1942 etc. I enjoyed BF 3 but wasn't that impressed. I thought Bad Company and Bad Company 2 were great. However I was excited for BF 4. Well it started it out good, but then I noticed Campaign mode wasn't saving at all. I heard a mix of stories about Campaign saving or not saving on Xbox One and on the PS4. I tried doing the campaign twice and wasted about 5-6 hours of my own time to see that it doesn't save. HOW CAN DEVELOPERS SCREW UP THE CAMPAIGN? I cannot recall a time in my life where I couldn't save a campaign, solo play, RPG etc. It blows my god damn mind.
Lets talk about multiplayer? It freezes a lot during game play. Glitches are all over the place, such as the single bullet kill. Want to play with friends? Good freaking luck. You basically have to tell your friends what server to join and hope they all make it in. Want to work on your load outs? Good luck. You have to do it in the beginning or in the MIDDLE of game play. Want to play on servers? Good luck getting a stable server. They crash or freeze every 30-60 mins. Also, I have noticed that XP from the previous match doesn't count toward your progress sometimes. Overall...this game is a cluster **** of train wrecks. This is totally unacceptable for multi-billion dollar developers and publishers. It's 2013 (Almost 2014) EA and DICE! Get your **** together or people will continue to file class action lawsuits.
12-16-2013
***UPDATE***
A whopping 600mb+ patch was released on 12-13-2013. Servers seem a little more stable but it seems the game is unbalanced with certain weapons. I think the single bullet kill is back. I have also noticed CRAZY spawn situations now. Blah...still rating it a 1/5 star until EA/DICE finally realize their product is a fail. I know the board members know it was a fail, and hired Holzer Holzer and Fistel, LLC for misleading investors and stakeholders :) | video-games_xbox |
Great investment for OTG gamers! But do be careful with it. Being a gamer is tough. Being one thats always on-the-go is even tougher. I had been looking at this for some time as a solution to be able to play my console games on the go.
First impression
From the moment you open the box, you're instantly impressed by it. Then you realize that you still need to hook it all up. The great thing about this is that Gaems includes everything you need for it to work from the power supply to the HDMI cable. Powering the display takes only a moment and when its on, youll be amazed at how beautiful the display is!
Pros:
Lets go further into what makes this display so great. First of all, this display is actually quite loud being that it also has speakers built-in. The refresh rate on it works perfectly for games like Forza 7 and the 1/4 tripod mount on the back is great if you want a little more flexibility for viewing angles (more on that later). On top of this, itll display ANYTHING that can be plugged in via HDMI, even a Fire Stick! Plus, did I mention the included carrying case? It perfectly holds the display and keeps it from scratches and has ample storage for all the supplied cables, power supply and whatever else youd need.
Cons:
Well, to be fair, there are some downsides you must consider when buying this, chief among which is the most common caveat many buyers have with this product and the way its Micro USB power supply port is located onto the display. To remedy this, I HIGHLY recommend buying either an extension or right angle adapter for the USB port. Another problem that other users have is that the connections are rather firm, which wouldnt be a bad thing if the connections weren't hard to access in the first place, which again is why I suggest getting HDMI and Micro USB right angle adapters (or extensions). Another issue is that the supplied power supply Y-cable is, for lack of better description, REALLY short and other users have suggested buying a longer replacement from here. It is sufficient but for some, it can be a problem. Lastly, the viewing angle sucks and a reason I mentioned the 1/4 tripod hole earlier. Sure, the built-in stand is great but the viewing angle that it provides isn't that great and most users have suggested using a selfie stick on the back as well as using the built-in stand so you're not solely relying on the stick. One final thing: while the included sleeve is nice, it won't protect it from impact so be mindful if you plan to just stuff it into a regular backpack with your console! Personally, I recommend getting the M155 backpack if your plan is to take your console everywhere with the display.
Overall, Im happy with my investment and you will be too, especially if you're a gamer on the go! | video-games_xbox |
Worthy sequel. Loved:
- Gun Combat - Fights in Mass Effect 2 have moved from being the weak link of the first game to the strongest part of the sequel. Aiming is based on skill alone instead of generated numbers. Each weapon has a unique feel, the sound effects and feedback are tremendous. Replacing the cool-down system from the first Mass Effect with regular ammo and health regeneration makes for fast pace, visceral combat. Targeting body parts has effects, such as more damage for head-shots, and slowing down targets with leg shots. I found infiltrators impossible to use in ME1 because sniper rifles swayed too much, the damage was low, the cool-down for a single shot was the same time needed for enemy shields to regenerate, and head-shots didn't help. In ME2, picking off distant enemies is extremely satisfying.
- Strategy - Enemies have different health bars for shields, barriers, armor, and health that protect them from certain powers. This forces you to use different guns, ammo, and powers to whittle down their health. It adds a nice strategic element to the combat, and ensures that your main character cannot rambo through every encounter without help from your allies.
- Allies - Your companions are well defined, with decent back-stories, and each has 2 missions to further flesh out their characters. With so many allies, you are bound to find some that you like. Gameplaywise, each only has a few skills that are normally specialized for certain enemies, so it encourages you to use different allies for different missions.
- Dialog - The voice acting is superb. Every character's voice fits well, and the animations and camera angles have been varied to make the dialogs seem more cinematic. Bioware games really shine in this area.
- Graphics - All the technical hiccups of the first game are gone. Textures are always present and sharper than ever. Tech and biotic powers look and feel powerful. The backgrounds are stunning. And the characters are all gorgeous during their closeups.
- Armor customization - You have limited choice for your armor style, but you have full control over each piece (helmet, chest, legs, arms, shoulders), the pattern and color. You no longer need to worry about wanting the nice stat bonuses but looking like a clown wearing pink armor.
- True sequel - So many choices from the first game change the dialog and actions in the sequel. It makes each play-through unique and gives the game so much replay value.
- Mordin - This ally has the best dialog in any game ever. Buy the game just to see what he has to say.
Hated:
- No villain - ME1 benefited from a strong story involving a great villain, Saren. You got to see his cruelty, his power, and most importantly, his motivation. The story was compelling because you were saving the galaxy from his actions. In ME2, there is no central villian. You must save the galaxy from the collectors, but they never speak to you, and you never witness their hostility. In the cities, no one mentions them or seems all that concerned that the world as they know it may end. Your team keeps saying the entire galaxy is threatened, but without visual proof of that, the plot seems hollow.
- Missions - The gameplay is broken down into small chunks that take between 10 to 30 minutes to complete. They occur in areas that you can't return to, and once you meet the objective, the mission immediately ends. This is really nice in terms of pacing, but it's possible to miss items and upgrades. I always have the nagging feeling that I need to search every last corner even though I should be evacuating the exploding space station because I know I won't be able to come back later.
- Lack of weapons - There are only 2 or 3 guns of each type. Each one is significantly different in terms of power, clip size, and rate of fire, so old guns are still viable. However it does get boring using the same gun for 1/2 the game, and another for the rest. A few more options would have been welcome.
- Ally dialog structure - Your conversations with allies follows a strict structure where they have nothing to say to you until you reach another milestone in the main story. They never walk around the ship and never approach you. It's fine in most cases, but gets awkward when one of them proclaims their undying love for you and then finds an excuse not to talk to you for another 10 hours. Even a bit more variety in the reasons why they can't talk to you at the moment would go a long way for believability. When they give the exact same excuse again, it breaks the immersion, and you realize you are playing a game. Another reason why Mordin is so great. He is the only one with dozens of funny excuses for not having the time to chat with you.
Collector's Edition:
- The hardcover art book is gorgeous, and has some insight into ideas and designs that were proposed but rejected.
- The comic is nice, but leaves you wanting more, as it is part of an ongoing series
- The tin can was misleading. I thought everything was housed in the can, but in reality the whole thing comes in a paper box, and the DVD case is made of metal. That said, it is a beautiful tin DVD case.
Overall Mass Effect 2 stands strong as a 3rd person shooter. When combined with solid RPG elements, top calibur voice acting, and memorable characters it becomes an outstanding game from start to finish. | video-games_xbox |
Total RIP-OFF!!! Veteran BF players will hate it. AVOID. Are you a fan of the Battlefield series? Have you played BF2, BF3, and BF4? Were you disappointed with BF3 when it was first released? Were you even more underwhelmed when you played BF4 after playing BF3?
If you answered "yes" to all the questions above, AVOID BF Hardline like the plague! The only good thing about this game is if you purchase a 'hard' copy, you can sell it later and at least recoup some of your money that EA suckered out of you. Got a download edition? Sorry bud, you just threw $60 or more in the trash can.
This has been the biggest disappointment of any "Battlefield" release ever. Why? For starters, it shouldn't even be in the BF series to begin with. If it were billed as its own game, in its own right, I'd give it 3, maybe 4 stars. But trying to play this off as a BF game is a downright sham. It's a joke. The only thing in common between BF Hardline and the actual BF series (other than in name) is the fact that BF Hardline is simply a re-skin of the same game physics and play style in BF4. But EA didn't stop there. They then had to dumb it down by trying to make the play style more like C.O.D., though they couldn't even get that right.
Let me summarize the game modes of multi-player for you (which is the only real reason to buy these games, right?):
Conquest: Like the BF conquest you are used to, but with only small maps. Add OP'd helicopters and RPG's, both of which have to spawn. Oh, and practically zero strategy; like C.O.D.
Protect the VIP: Well, that's not what the game mode is called. It's so dumb that I can't remember the name, but who cares. The game lasts about 5 minutes. No re-spawns and you have to "protect" one of the players on the "VIP" team. 5 vs 5 players. WTF is this???
Blood Money, Heist: Cops and robbers on a small map. No strategy (like C.O.D.)
Hotwire: The only fun mode in the game - for about 4 or 5 rounds until you are SO FRICKIN BORED with driving your car around in circles on the map. BTW, the opposing team will place C4 type charges on the same spot every round, because they know you have to driver over the same spot. NO strategy. I'd even call it negative strategy... like, the opposing team is telling you what your strategy should be. DUMB. Oh, and btw, this useless crap mode is the best way to level up. For Pete's Sake, watching TV is more stimulating than this game mode.
All other game modes: I know there are a few more that I don't recall the names. They all suck.
Bottom line: this game is the biggest disappointment from EA to date. From now on, I am waiting until EA's games hit the bargain bin before I even THINK about buying them. What a joke. Except the joke is on the buyers. Someone please think of a class-action lawsuit to file against EA for absolute rip offs. | video-games_xbox |
New Modes, Endless Fun. With a solid internet connection I have found the game to be far, far more fun than frustrating. Beautiful graphics, semi-solid all around gameplay; when climbing objects there is some problems, sometimes I still get shot by someone I knew I shot or the game is just not visually updating my opponents correctly.
I have played BF4 since it came out almost everyday and I still look forward to playing this game, few titles stand this test over months.
Obliteration is almost perfectly designed, the maps really lend to this game mode the best. Obliteration is reminiscent of football in many ways. Other games and game modes have come close to this analogy of course (like COD Sabotage), but Obliteration really nails it. There is a real momentum that builds when your team is doing well, but it can be swayed to the other team by a "Big Play" even if that team is being crushed (or vice versa). Having a parachute spawn point is very smart. The only thing I see missing is a tie-breaker when there is a draw. Something like; start the map over with bomb in the middle, the first team to get and hold the bomb for 30 seconds wins. Show a countdown. I know it was originally intended to be a 60 minute timer, but am guessing this caused server problems, quitting?
Rush mode is slightly subpar compared to BF3. It is clear the maps were designed for large scale warfare and don't do as well for the more intimate Rush mode. For me, and I think most others, rush is at it's best in urban settings. Nonetheless it is still fun on most maps.
I never really liked conquest so am biased against it, but the 64 player version is definitely more enjoyable than BF3. There are moments where it is great, but being an impatient gamer I do not have much fun in this mode.
Hardcore mode has become virtually unplayable unless you are sniping, using a DMR, or don't mind constantly being sniped / hiding from snipers. I really hate the sound the DMR's make, plus the use of them has been abused by Hardcore Mode gamers. I used to only play hardcore and now I never do.
I am looking forward to Naval Strike Titan Mode... | video-games_xbox |
Nice Attempt, Huge Potential LIST OF PROS AND CONS And MORE. 3.5/5
Is this game worth buying? Yes. However, I'm much more critical than most other reviewers so bare with me. This game is basically a knock off of GoW. You're probably like "oh not this again". But it's too obvious to not mention it. Even though it still does not hold a candle next to the awesome and epicness of GoW, even the first one, it has a lot of potential I am very anxious to see.
Similarities with GoW aka God of War series:
1. Doing special moves by pressing multiple buttons OR mashing one button.
2. Certain action sequence is extremely similar. Example would be the slow motion grappling scenes, those that play GoW should be very familiar.
3. Enemies releasing orbs of energy that gets absorbed by the heroine who is his own worse enemy.
4. The gameplay in general, if you play GoW and this, you'll feel like this is the chinese knocked off version. It's good, but not there yet.
Before I give pros and cons, here are some general advice to play this game:
1. ALWAYS remember to talk to Virgil (your little shade helper, the blue guy that follows you around). Remember to talk to him completely whenever you see him. He sometime gives you stuff like relics.
2. Absolving the damned is good for souls because you get to play the mini game. Punishing will only grant you +600 experience to. They both grant you an automatic +600 experience to unholy or holy. Absolving goes to holy and punishing goes to unholy.
3. Unholy makes the scythe more powerful in terms of adding more scythe skills and holy makes the cross more powerful in that you get more powerful moves for the cross.
4. Some magics I found very useful: Sins of the Father, divine armor, righteous path. Martyrdom is very powerful but is boring to use.
5. All scythe skills are pretty useful, best get as many as you want and use them in a mix bag. There's no dud in this skill, only depend on your own personal gameplay type.
6. Divine armor level 3 magic combine with ciacco's bile relic found after absolving or punishing clodia and talking to Virgil makes this game a cake walk even in the hardest difficulty.
7. Remember to get all of the mana and health increase upgrades as you see fit. The tier 6 and 7 mana and health regens are very useful too.
8. When you press the B button to shoot your cross, max out the skill so you can shoot more. It's the one on the left most side on the holy side, I forgot what it is called.
9. You can open up two more relic slots, each located on the unholy and holy side. Do so.
PROS:
1. Since it is an adaptation of GoW for the xbox 360, and GoW happens to be extremely successful, the gameplay therefore is similarly addictive. Not as good, but similar.
2. Graphics are pretty decent, but still gets beaten by the PS2 versions of GoW and GoW2.
3. I really love the whole setting of hell, again, I'm really anxious to see much improvements to the point where it can closely be more comparable to GoW.
4. I hear some complaints about how short this game is. If you're new it would take you about 9 hours and if you know what you're doing probably 6. However, good things should be left short and to the point. I'm glad it didn't drag on.
5. A lot of check and save points. Don't believe otherwise, they can't possibly add more checkpoints to this game. They might move it so it is more convenient for you, but no game is perfect.
CONS:
1. Button mashing or patterns are always the same. That means it gets a bit old. I believe in GoW there are some slight randomness so that the next time you get a special event or attack, you have to look at the screen and make sure you press or mash the right buttons.
2. They need to increase the beast riding awesomeness in this game. There's only a few scenes where you can ride some sort of monstrosity and most of the time it is very limited or the role is very limited aka three or so types of boring attacks and not enough action and explosion.
3. More outrageous scenes. If this is the adaptation of GoW, they have to at least attempt to match it if not beat it in order to succeed.
4. If you've ever watched the movie, the story adaptation for the game is not as smooth and acceptable. Acceptable means giving the gamer something that has more meaning and has more definition. Watch the movie, then watch the game. The game is very similar to the movie, just that the storyline is not as well entwined and feels a bit choppy and not as satisfying.
5. More weapon choice. Dante only gets 2 weapons and it gets a bit stale.
6. I'm alright with the graphics, but I expect much improvements. I've seen paintings and pictures of hell that scared me more. Hands moving around under the water isn't scary, especially with people that have cable TV. More with area interaction, find the most messed up people in the world and ask them for ideas.
7. There are some commentaries on the artwork of this game, but personally I think the whole baby with the blade for arms is a lame and pathetic attempt. I remember the "making the baby" commentary, I would not accept credibility for such a lame design and concept art. Let's get a baby and chop off the arm and connect blades to there and make it look creepier! People that are phrased for such mediocre attempts are a good example of our society endorsing mediocrity. You do not have to turn to a professional to get an idea like that... most of the artwork in terms of monsters in this game is alright at best.
8. When there's multiple enemies around you, especially air and land combination, trying to hit a specific target is difficult since it is on auto targeting in a general direction and you can't really aim.
9. Magic attacks don't seem to have a secondary purpose other than the use for combat. Secondary purpose such as using it to help you overcome an obstacle that would otherwise be impossible without using certain magics. Other than divine armor for health regeneration, no other magic seems especially necessary, they're just there.
10. Limit in magic use. I find even with ciacco's bile (mana regen relic) that without all of the mana upgrades, you find yourself very limited in the amounts of time you're able to cast magic. Even with max mana upgrades and points in tier 6 and 7 mana and health skills, I still find myself continuously attempting to conserve my mana and never really enjoy using magic to a degree of satisfaction....I'm just always running out of it.
Does this game have a good re-playability rating? I would think so. Unlike what some people say, some of the cutscenes are skippable if you press some buttons. It still has a far ways to go, but I hope I'll be there when it meets my expectations. It still feels like a flimsy knock off | video-games_xbox |
An Odd Dichotomy. I just completed the game after just over 15 hours and I thought I would share my thoughts on it to others who are considering purchasing it.
One thing I can say without any hesitation is that this is unlike any game I have ever played before. The story and game play are very unique and that alone wins big points with me. The animation is very well done reminds me a great deal of the game "Borderlands" in its presentation.
The game really takes place in two distinct parts, one being the narrative of the main character Vincent and the other being his nightmare (very fitting name) stages which consist of solving increasingly more difficult puzzles as you ascend long staircases. For me personally, the climbing took a great deal of getting used to. I am mostly a FPS player and puzzles and strategy games are not really my cup of tea. There were numerous levels that I had 20 or more deaths on before finally being able to pass them. If you can get through this game without a mountain of frustration then you are a more level headed person than I am. I would be willing to bet that numerous people that attempt this game will fail to complete it because of this level of difficulty and frustration (even on easy).
To those not so easily deterred by a challenge, the story is fantastic, the characterizations are rich and the voice acting is executed quite well. Its nearly impossible not to be engaged by the story line. It is odd, quirky, random but most of all very fun and captivating. I really do not want to get into specifics of the plot because I do not want to spoil it for anyone, but suffice to say you will get much more than you bargained for as far as development.
The game is not without its flaws, but it is able to compensate for these by being so fresh and unique. I would suggest this to anyone who is looking for something out of the ordinary. Your not going to play something like this often. That much I can assure you. | video-games_xbox |
Not as bad as critics and gamers claim. Not as bad as critics and gamers claim. To deserve a 1 or a zero a game would have to unplayable and this game is not unplayable. Yes it is a bit basic in the control department but the controls work and are very responsive you have a light attack, strong attack, a kick move which is the light and strong pressed together, then you have evade and parry, the golden axe projectile, a fire spell projectile and a fire spell area attack, and run and jump buttons. You also ride beast like in the arcade genesis version and the beast vary and have their own energy bar and their own run jump heavy and light attack and spell attack. The parry evade system helps you kill enemies faster by rewarding those with good timing with a super counter move or parry deflects some projectiles. The graphics are good for the time the game came out they are not the best but far from the worst of this generation and era. The levels are done well you never wander aimlessly you solve basic puzzles to unlock gates or portals. Sometimes you have to kick a foe into a spike or a wall to unlock a gate which is cool or you have to break statues with the golden axe or light fires to trigger an event. You find statues that give you extra lives. The sound and music is pretty standard the voice acting is standard not cheese y at all. The story is the Death Adder's Hench men crash a ceremony of the sisterhood a group the main character is part of. The ceremony is summoning the last god or dragon god during the ceremony Adder's goons fire harpoons into the dragon while massive beast men pull the dragon to capture it. The sisterhood tries to fight them off with help of the main character and the dwarf from the original golden axe series but they fail and in the melee the main character is knocked out she later awakens to seek out revenge along the way she must piece together the golden axe the only way to kill the Death Adder. This game is super cheap by now. I would reccomend it especially for hack and slash fans. | video-games_xbox |
Fan of 3rd Person Shooters. Like me, do you like third person shooters? Games like Uncharted, Gears of War, or Resident Evil 5? Stick to those games, then. I played this game with my cousin and it is, by far, the worst game I have ever played for PS3 or 360 (not exaggerating... it is awful).
The game itself is a good concept, but the mechanics are so clunky and terrible that this should never have been released. Example: you can collect data in the game that are like hidden items. The screen will say to press A to collect it, but you won't pick it up. You have to be standing in just the right spot with the item centered in the perfect part of your screen to pick it up. Same with picking up items, like herbs or sprays. It seriously feels like it's a BETA version of the game. Something that I would look forward to if it had a final release coming out in a year or so. It isn't, though. This IS the final release and I am disgusted that CAPCOM even let this game hit the markets.
I am so thankful I didn't buy this game. Wait till it drops to about $30, which should be in about a month or two, and then wait another two months for it to drop to $20, because even $30 is too much money for this awful, awful game. I can't stress how bad it is. Even the story seems like there was no effort. At the last stage, you have to choose your path (whether you defend or kill the spy). When you make your selection, there is no cut-scene to describe what just happened. There's just text that pops up on the screen that says "Prepare for the final battle!" What? Why is it the final battle? What just happened? Anyone who took the time to beat the game (all the while shaking their head in disbelief at how bad it is) will know what I'm talking about.
Other reviewers have also stated the invincibility of the Spec Ops. Six head shots to take them down on Hard difficulty. SIX! And if you hit them in the chest, it doesn't even phase them. They don't get stunned or back off. They just keep aiming perfectly or swinging their knife at you as they get shot up. They're like juggernauts. There's also a battle with a "Super Tyrant" which, after you defeat him, command says "That won't be the last we see of him." But it is... it is the last we see of him.
The coolest thing about this game is the CQC finishing moves. That part is awesome. Just don't get near any crates or edges of walls, because that ruins your progression forward and you get stuck with swinging at the air and are left vulnerable to attack (getting stuck on edges gets very annoying in this game). They also have the "meat shield" concept of Gears of War in it, which is also kind of neat and helpful. Those are the only reasons I gave it 2 stars for how fun it is.
The last thing I want to bring up is the AI. There's a stage where a room is on fire, and all 3 of my computer AI teammates just kept walking into different fires as I was leaving the room. Are you kidding me? One of them actually died, and when I revived them, they went right back into the fire. That whole revival thing is sketchy in it's own right. I get it, you can bring them back to play in the game, but your teammates can also become infected and turn into zombies. When this happens you have to kill them, usually resulting in you blowing their head off, or blowing off different limbs. After this happens you can, again, just bring them back to life as if nothing happened. I just blew the dude's leg off after he became a zombie. How can he just pop up and be fine again? That player should be out for the level or at least until the next checkpoint.
I just wanted to touch on parts of the game other people didn't touch on. 2.5 stars is way too high a score for this game. It shouldn't be above a 2. I am no longer going to pre-order RE: 6 thanks to this game. I'm going to wait and see what reviews it gets before doing anything. Shame on you, CAPCOM.
Edit: I realize this review is pretty harsh, but I just wanted to convey that spending 60 bucks on this game would have been a mistake. I was trying to deter people from being upset. I know when I spend my hard earned money, I want to be happy with my investment. A large group of people put much of their time and effort creating this game, so I'd like to stress that it can be a fun game if you play cooperatively. Especially after the drastic price drop, I would now recommend purchasing it. Just run around using meat shields and using finishing moves on zombies after weakening/stunning them. You'll get your money's worth. | video-games_xbox |
Good, but could be a lot better. Ok, I am a big fan of Morrowind, Skyrim, Borderlands 1-2, Black Ops 1-2, Halo 1-4, and WoW. So, variety is the spice of my gaming life. I am not a serious gamer, as I have a family, kids, mortgage etc, so while I consider myself an enthusiast, I'm not die-hard. That said, here is my list of pros/cons/observations.
Pros:
- Cooperative play is fun, and you can spend 10 min on it or several hours, depending on what you want to do.
- You can team up with all kinds of random people while leveling, for raids, etc
- The PVP you can do has a decent amount of variety, and the fact that they level the weapon damage makes it so you can be competitive even at lower levels (though higher levels will have significant tactical advantages due to character spec development, bonuses from better armor, etc etc).
- This game incorporates some fun strike/raids which can be a fun way to test yourself, get better gear and meet other players.
- leveling your character is not a long, tedious process, and you get free bike and ship upgrades along the way!
Cons:
- The world is not nearly as "free roam" nor expansive as those in Borderlands, Skyrim, etc, and you will find yourself going back to the same dank sewer or dilapidated building over and over to grind reputation with factors based on bounties/quests you take...
- The vendors are fairly useless once you've reached level 18, except to get factor gear, which takes a lot of tedious grinding.
- You are limited to 3 classes, which each have 2 specializations, period. You have to "level" each specialization separately as well.
- Armor and weapons are limited in variety and they are unique to each class, making it impossible to pass on good gear to another character you create if it's not the same class
Observations:
- The game has potential, if they would
-- expand the worlds,
-- incorporate more variety in the missions,
-- expand PVP game types/sizes,
-- develop more options for armor, weapons, equipment
-- Expand specializations, classes
-- and incorporate better drops in strikes/raids. | video-games_xbox |
an awkward and frustrating user interface and gets less and less fun, more and more frustrating, ...then fun again. ** Games are supposed to be fun right? Not make you want to throw your freaking controller at the wall???***
We initially avoided the update for a couple of days, and were able to play the game on the 360. We only had problems with the game saving. Sometimes it would revert back to an older point in the save. I finally allowed the update and was able to play just fine.
The game is fun (sometimes when you can actually figure out what to do), but it is far more difficult than some of the other Lego titles. For example, the Lego Star Wars series is overall easier to figure out what to do next, whereas in Jurassic World, the game play is not at all intuitive, and we spent a lot of time running around trying to figure out what to do next (there are some times when an arrow is pointing where to go, and other times not). It is also peculiar that there are cut scenes mixed in with other "in between-maps" where you have to complete a task just to be able to advance the story (aka go to the next level).
Unlike the cantina/diner in Lego Star Wars, or the Batcave/Arkam Asylum in Lego Batman, one player is stuck in the command center in-between levels. The whole split screen where one player is stuck at the command center, and the other is out in the park trying to figure out where to go to advance the story, is extremely awkward, and is not a fun way to have to advance the story.
We've really had to rely on watching Youtube videos of the game play to see what we had to do next. Which makes it far less fun. And that is just to get through the story mode, I'm use to watching videos to help with free play mode and finding all of the minikits and special hidden bricks, but not just to get through a story level, or to be able to get into the next level.
We are still in story mode and only have completed the first of the four parts, so perhaps it will improve in the Lost World section? **(nope)**
** Moved on through the rest of the game. The final level Jurassic World, is extremely frustrating. Even with watching several videos on Youtube, can't figure out how to beat the indominus rex at the end. It be nice if the developers had some hints as to how to do things in the game, you know like finish it.** I'm guessing it has some complicated finishing move like in mortal kombat??
***Figured out how to finish... most of the online videos are done by soloists. When you are playing as a team, things are slightly different.***
***After finishing story mode and going through various free play sessions, and running around the parks, it is overall enjoyable.*** There are many hours of game play. | video-games_xbox |
TT Games Hits One Out Of The Park. TT Games hit this one out of the park!!!!!! I have played every Lego game ever released. In the beginning they were great challenging games, but after a while they got very difficult with impossible times runs and races that were frustrating and unbeatable. I've been complaining for years about this problem. Well, TT must have been listening because all of those issues are gone in Jurassic World.
As with all Lego games the object is to collect studs like crazy. Jurassic World is loaded with opportunities to get studs. More objects to break and big rewards for completing a task. Second, you'll need to find characters, vehicles, solve puzzles, find or create dino's, find red bricks, find mini-kits, find a lot of gold bricks, and win timed events. There is a ton of action and things to do packed into Jurassic World. You will need to explore and play on 4 different islands, each representing one of the major action films.
Moving around is very easy. Within an island world there are open hub areas and levels. You can run around, drive a vehicle, or warp to different areas once you have unlocked a location. You can also use the chopper, a boat, or a tramway if you wish. Art work is amazing and the world of the Jurassic period is beautifully rendered. The creatures are also very well rendered, and they did an excellent job of reproducing the locations familiar from the films. As usual, as you play through you will learn the capabilities of each creature and use their skill to complete tasks and levels. As you find Red Bricks you can activate the bonus extra, A nice and welcome touch is that once you activate a Red Brick extra, it stays ON. Unlike in past games where you had to remember before starting to play to go in and turn them back on. You will need studs to buy the Red Brick extra once it is found, and you will need studs to buy characters and vehicles.
I found that the game play was challenging enough to be fun without being frustrating. There are many things you need to do in order as you gain more abilities, and unlock different powers or creatures. Finding some of the red bricks is a real challenge. Once you get the Bonus Extras for the Red Bricks and Gold Bricks and Mini-Kits it makes it a bit easier to know they are there. Then you can figure out how to get to them. The best part of all was that TT games made the timed runs or races winnable. Some were a bit of a challenge, but most were winnable with some basic skills. The hardest one was the boat race near the heliport. Its long and the boat wants to over react to your steering commands, and controls flip from side to side as you go up and down which throws you off and makes you fail. A few of the vehicle ones are full of crazy obstacles which you keep crashing on or getting stuck on, but keep trying and recalling where they are and you'll get through without too much difficulty. Character control was excellent.
I had a ton of fun playing this game. I am very pleased that TT games listened to our concerns and made the required changes to the timed runs and races. I did not experience any Xbox One issues at all. No hanging, no corrupted files. All I can say is that the operators are probably doing something wrong like exiting before a game is saved or pressing multiple buttons at once. The only thing of note at all was the load times are a little lengthy. But if you want all of that gorgeous art work, then you have to be patient. If I had to have them change one thing it would be to put the name of the movie next to the island or on the badge in the map. I was not familiar with the symbols used for each film and had to enter into a world to see which one I was in. Otherwise, excellent job of game development, do not change a thing!!! | video-games_xbox |
Borderlands. Borderlands is a game most of you have heard of, if you haven't, then you're hearing of it now. It is a Role-Playing Game/First Person Shooter developed by Gearbox. With that in mind, most of you will think "Oh, it's just a Fallout 3 clone." Well don't, it's far from it. If you need a game to compare Borderlands to, it would be best to think one of Blizzard Entertainment's massively successful games: Diablo II, or World Of Warcraft.
Graphics:
If anyone has been following this game for any length of time, you know that about halfway through development that Gearbox made a dramatic change in style from a grimdark realistic look to the now, cel shaded-esque "Concept Art Style". Typically you loose a lot of detail in cel shading, but with Gearbox's method you maintain the style, while keeping tiny details like a wrinkle on cloth. The graphics are very suiting of the game, but there are hitches here and there. Water effects are nonexistent, and on-character shadows tend to be fragmented. With previous few I cannot say for certain if they are a product of the Unreal Engine or not, however, the ridiculous texture pops are. You would think that people would either find a work around or license a better engine. Oh well, I guess it can't be helped.
Audio:
The sound fits the game unbelievably well. Walking unknowingly past a skag nest, only to hear one running at you from behind is at intense at it gets. Guns sound different to the point that really fell them for what the are. Be it an assault rifle that sounds like an anti-aircraft gun or an SMG that sounds like you could kill ten people without them even noticing, it's really amazing how many different sounds they have. The background music is a bit western and use a lot of plucking in strings to give it that authentic feel. Needless to say, if you enjoyed the music of Firefly, you will feel right at home here.
Gameplay:
This is where Borderlands truly shines. The game consists of either single player, or up to four player co-op in Borderlands' nice open world. You have buggies that come in various colors and in either a rocket launcher or chain gun variant where one player drives and the other guns. Borderlands has a quest system set in place to where you find a quest giver, fulfill the requirements, and return for the reward, not too different than you standard RPG. Quests come in the "go here, kill that", "go here, find this", and "go here, find this, and kill something with it". If you have ever in your life played an instance on World Of Warcraft you know exactly what to expect from "dungeons" on here. You go into an area, fight your way through many a "peon" and several sub-bosses to make it to the final boss. And when I say sub-bosses and bosses, I mean exactly that. Be prepared to have yourself killed SEVERAL times in the process of fighting through the instance as well as burning through most of your ammo supply. Dying consistes of two stages. 1) You are knocked to the ground and can either kill someone while downed to get up, or wait for a teammate to pick you up. 2) if neither of the previous happen you will respawn at the last checkpoint marker you passed, aptly named "New-U", You'll come back with no real penalty other then a loss of money. You really feel the need to work together, and I'd say doing so is more important than Left 4 Dead. On to one of the most touted aspects of the game. Guns. As has been said, this game has guns, guns, and MORE guns. You will literally never find the the same gun twice. Even if you find a gun that has the same sight, the same barrel and same name, they will not have the same stats. The amount of variety in the game truly does match that of Diablo and World Of Warcraft.
As an obvious statement, no game is perfect. And Borderlands is no exception. You will come across bugs here and there such as getting stuck between a ramp and a rock. The only way to get free, being dying. The occasional graphic glitch during respawn, or shadow not lining up correctly. But in all honesty, you will be enjoying the game too much to care.
Graphics: 8.2/10
Audio: 8.9/10
Gameplay: 9.7/10
Overall: 9.2/10 | video-games_xbox |
Well... There's Nudity at Least, Right. Yeah, there is, and it's about on-par with the rest of the game. Sort of... 'eh, well that happened'.
As a huge fan of the movies, I've never been quite sure how to feel about these Godfather games. They're such weird animals, based loosely on the movies but not really inhabiting the same world, what with all the swearing and bright colors. They feel more like 'Goodfellas' the game rather than 'The Godfather'. Not that one is better than the other, but 'Goodfellas' was much more visceral, casually violent and coarse; and that's where these games seem to come from. And they go so far out of their way to 'expand' on the story to shoe-horn in this super-gangster you play as: did the Godfather realy need MORE plot? Also, HA! Did you see the fake Michael Corleone they had to use because they couldn't get the rights to Al Pacino's face? More like Al Paci-NO! ...huh? Or, Michael NO-leone! ...maybe?
Anyway, the story is awkward and 'expands' upon what was already a great story in ways that just cheapen it and make it... stupid. The Corleone family starts to come across as some kind of para-military organization as opposed to, you know... criminals. None of it works. Still, I appreciate the attempt to get as many of the original actors as possible to do some voice acting for it. That was pretty cool to hear.
But the gameplay, despite my moaning about the story, isn't too bad. Shooting and brawling are both fun if occasionally flawed, and there's the beginnings of some nice variety when it's time to assault your enemies compounds. You've got your different varieties of italian stereotype sidekicks to choose from, with different specialties and abilities (demolitions, lockpicking, electrician, what-have-you), so there's some strategy involved in making sure you try to have the right guy for the right job. As the game progresses and you 'promote' guys within your crime-family, they can take on secondary and tertiary skill sets, making certain members true assets. One of the more enjoyable parts for me was building up my crew into a formidable fighting force and promoting and enhaching guys I felt had been the most "reliable" (i.e. shoot bad-guys good).
The three cities you visit (New York, Miami, and Havana) are decent to run around in but always wind up feeling a little flat and a little small (though I might just be spoiled by the GTA series at this point). Grinding down the other crime families, taking their properties and assasinating their leaders, is fun and rewarding if repetitive. You can sabotage their businesses to take away certain bonuses (bullet-proof vests and stuff) but none of it is too difficult, so you might as well just take the whole building rather than waste time planting bombs and cutting wires. You can send your crew to do it for you, but they're not always reliable on their own and will wind up shot down more times than not. There are side-quests to get small bonuses and banks to rob, but overall there isn't much variety. And once you've done something once in this game, there's very little reason or incentive to do it again.
In the end, it's a decent play'n'forget title (so long as you're not a purist about the films). It doesn't ask you to get too invested, which is good, because you wont. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing terribly interesting. The weak story isn't overly-detrimental and could easily have been overcome by strong game-play. But form matched function in this one and mediocrity abounds.
Still, there's some CGI boobs. Not great ones, but that's still better than NO boobs, right? Right?
...Michael NO-leone, HA! | video-games_xbox |
A game that falls painfully short of its true potential... just like the movie. Usually when you see a game with a movie's name on the cover of it, you know its 100% rental-only material despite how much you love the movie. This was my case for Jumper: Griffin's Story.
The movie Jumper is definitely one of those movies I really want to love. And having watched the movie, I immediately wanted to see how a game based off of your character zipping around the world in the blink of an eye would translate to gaming on my XBOX 360. Well after several hours of watching my character jump around my opponents in melee combat, I saw all there was to see.
Gameplay is criminally simple: Your A,B,X,Y buttons translate to locations around your opponent from which you can jump to and attack. Press B, and you jump in front of them with melee attack, Press X, and you attack them from their left, and so on. Your character can chain a specific combination of attacks to go from start, mid, and finisher moves. You learn more combo moves not by the experience of fighting, but by collecting... comic books... Ok. The moves themselves get repetitive quick, and the finishers while matrix-esque, are not unique enough to get you excited to seeing them performed. About the only cool part in finishing off your opponent is the occassional scripted sequence where you dispatch an enemy in some crazy jumper-ific way. While the location you kill them at is set by the game, the first time you see Griffin jump several thousand feet in mid-air with his opponent, only to jump away leaving the baddy to free-fall to his death is awesome. Unfortunately as said before, its a scripted sequence you can't control where, nor when it happens.
The game levels themselves run on rails, so despite the movie's tagline that "Anywhere is possible", that's not entirely true with the game. Sure you play in iconic settings that were from the movie, but you don't even get the ability to 'Jump' anywhere in that level. You can however teleport short distances in the level that you're able to move your 'jump cursor' to, (which are always ground-based locations) and special 'focal points' in the level that were designed to allow you to jump to areas that you can't necessarily walk to. For a game that is set in a movie with no limits, you certainly do play with them.
In the end the game is a frantic button masher, trying to press the right button to attack from and chain moves together so your opponents aren't able to counter attack. There is no save-game feature aside from the usual checkpoint system, so if you screw up and die, you may have re-mash those buttons on waves of bland Paladin fighters as well as other types of enemies the movie doesn't cover. I guess the one real surprise from renting this game was how rediculously easy it was to rack up 350 gamer points in just 20 minutes of gameplay. The developers basically took 20 simple goals and tagged 50 points to each one of them. So if you have the patience to grind through scores of Paladins with baseball bats (yes, baseball bats!) and those electric cow-prods, you should be able to pump up that GamerScore quite nicely.
But all in all, if you're looking for a gaming extension to do what you saw in the movie, don't bother being disappointed and 'jump' clear of this over-priced, railed fighting game. | video-games_xbox |
More Star Wars goodness, though not perfect. I mostly agree with those reviewers who criticize this game for being very good yet not quite up to the first KOTOR. This may be the case, but I still feel that to give this game 3 stars while saying it's a great game is a back-handed compliment. In my opinion, the rating scale is absolute, and not relative, meaning that if I have a great time playing a game, it will get high marks, regardless of whether it lived up to the hype or not. Yes, the first KOTOR was a phenomenal game, but so is this one! I wonder if the roles were reversed and KOTOR I were the sequel, wouldn't people have the same criticism?
The Good: Terrific gameplay, engrossing storyline (no less believable or entertaining or deep than the first; the jury seems to be out on who prefers which. I liked the first better, but I suspect it had something to do, again, with novelty and a Star Wars game not stinking for the first time in human history). The world is believable, the characters are fun and deeper than most hollywood movies (certainly than the last 2 Star Wars flicks), and most importantly, you CARE about your character. I genuinely agonized over certain decision because of the possible repercussions. Also, this game has two great value incentives: long gameplay time (40 hours or so) and great replay value (I'm planning on completing it on Dark Side next). The new tweaks (create and breakdown raw items, modified force powers) are nice and generally well-implemented.
The Bad: The graphics are terribly outdated. The Neverwinter Nights graphics engine on which this is based is some 5 years old, and it shows. Compared to what is being done out there in terms of visuals (Half Life 2 anyone) or even just on the Xbox (Halo 2, of course, but also Splinter Cell), this franchise is due for a facelift. They added weather effects, which are nice, but actually have little impact in gameplay atmosphere.
The Ugly: Some of the effects actually slow down the framerate below acceptable levels. It's too bad, because they can be gorgeous. The loading is also on the long side, though I've seen longer. It'd be nice if the loading were related to lots of high resolution graphics, but alas that is not the case.
Bottom Line: This is a phenomenal game, with an addictive blend of RPG and action/adventure driving a solid, well-written and well-acted storyline. I know people who prefer KOTOR I to this one, but I also know some who prefer this second version to the first. You be the judge. | video-games_xbox |
Poor design and materials causes plastic extension to crack and break with just a few months of use. EDIT 2: I contacted TB support and after filling out some information and sending them pictures, I was able to RMA the defective headset back. The cost to ship was about $18 which included insurance and signature. Two weeks after TB received my cracked headset, they shipped me a brand new set, which I received the first week of December. I've been using the new set for roughly a month. I have wrapped both extensions with a Loctite reinforced clear wrap to provide some additional support; hopefully this will help prevent it from cracking. Only time will tell.
EDIT: I used this headset without any major issue for about 4 months. After that I noticed cracking on the right and left side headset extensions. I take great care of all my gaming gear. As noted below, I own the X41 and Tango. I have owned them for a few years. Both still work great -- not withstanding a few nits here and there. Unfortunately, the Stealth 500X is not designed to the same standard in terms of durability. If you do a search you will come across MANY owners who are experiencing the exact same break at the same location on the extensions. I have contacted TB and sent pictures so hopefully they will respond and rectify the issue. Other than the extensions breaking, my review below still holds. It's a nice headset for gaming. I just hope they fix the design flaw.
First, I'd like to say that I currently own and use the Turtle Beach X41s, Ear Force Tangos and recently the Stealth 500X. This review is based on my experience with using the headset with first person shooter type games. I do not have any experience with music or movies.
Pros:
- Easy to set up: First, download the Ear Force Audio Hub from the Turtle Beach Web Site and install it on your computer/laptop. Unbox the 500X and connect both receiver and headset to your computer using usb/micro usb connectors. Open the audio hub and allow it to update itself. After it updates it will automatically recognize your hardware and install the latest firmware for both receiver and headset. This is very important as many bugs have been fixed including the low volume issue that many are complaining about. Volume may still be too low for music/movies as this review is focused on gaming.
Once the headset and receiver are updated you can follow the simple installation to your smart TV or Xbox One. It doesn't matter you can connect to either. My preference would be to connect to the Xbox One as this headset is exclusively made for it. This would potentially free up your smart TV (assuming you have one) for another headset such as the X41s. I currently have my 500X connected to my Xbox One and my X41 connected to the TV. I can use both at the same time if need be.
- Good variety of presets and easy to figure out from the quick start guide. You can also "replace" default presets with additional ones using the audio hub. For example, I replaced a few of my default movie presets with some that are more geared towards first person shooters such as footstep focus and super human hearing.
- Controls on the left/right ear cups are adequate and provide enough choices without having to worry about complicated sound editing and programming. For example, I can't tell you how many hours I spent fine tuning my programmable Ear Force Tangos before I was happy with the sound. The programming guide and videos were not easy to follow and took some time/research to figure out. The time/effort needed to program isn't for everyone. The 500X has taken this concern off the table. It provides rich sound and gives two or three choices without having to worry about programming.
- 7.1 dolby digital surround sound is excellent. It's on part with other Turtle Beach 7.1 dolby digital surround sound models. Mic monitor is also a big plus for anyone that has used it. The 500X gives three choices, off, low and high. I typically keep mine on high when gaming online with friends.
- Completely wireless. No chat cable to the controller like my X41. Works like the Tango/XP510 for the Xbox 360 only it doesn't use Bluetooth so the chat is more clear (not perfect but better than Bluetooth technology for the 360).
- I've used it for over 8 hours so far on the same charge (it's rated for 15 hours). My Tangos never lasted more than 8 hours depending on how I used them.
- Very comfortable and light weight. More so then my X41. The 500X cups are somewhat oval so If you have big ears like I do they're comfortable to wear for hours. My X41s begin to bother me after a couple of hours of use.
- Typical hard plastic study build. No complaints with the materials including the fabric ear cups. I actually prefer them over the fake leather that my Tangos use as those make my scalp around my ears sweat after some hours of playing.
Con:
- A little pricey at $230 plus tax. One tip - go to turtlebeach.com, enter your e-mail address in their mailing list (follow the advertisement) and retrieve the 10% coupon code. At this point you can either purchase on their site or you can use an option they offer to purchase with your Amazon account info. By doing this you get a 10% discount on the headset, no tax purchasing through the turtle beach web page and no shipping charge. Your total cost is $207.
- Mic sound is not as clear as using a chat cable. There's nothing like my X41 (or equiv.) with chat cable connected to the controller, but the trade-off is no cable. Anyway, 500X mic technology is better then the last generation Bluetooth, but can still use improvement.
- Some sound seems to come through the cups as the headset doesn't fit too tight on the head. They're similar to my X41s. My Tangos are more "sound tight" and emit less sounds. The Tangos are also tighter on my head and took some getting use to, which these do not. Not a huge problem just something of note.
Overall: worth the price ($207) if you require a completely hands free 7.1 dolby digital experience. Remember to configure the Xbox One sound settings correctly or you won't get any sound! Look at the TB web site or Xbox One FAQs for support on what sound settings to use. | video-games_xbox |
No joy in Bungieville. I bought the online version direct from the Xbox.
I've been a big Bungie fan since they first came out with Marathon back in the 1990s. To say this is a disappointment is an understatement. In my heart this game is 1 star because of what I expect from Bungie. I even have friends on the team. But this game just isn't fun.
What's good about it? It's beautiful. It looks great on the 360. The settings and scenery and clothing are all quite engaging and sometimes I just want to stop and look around at the scenery. Some of the character modifications are nice. But I'm not here to fiddle around with faceplates and shoes. I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass.
What's wrong with it?
First and foremost there's nothing human about this game. There's no humanity to it. No human conversations. No sense of human duty. You're almost a robot (you can play a robot if you want) set in a series of settings shooting at enemies who you have no care of other than your need to kill them. You're alone the whole time apart from an AI companion who talks in riddles and jargon. Who are you saving? Humanity? Where are they? There are no humans in this game. No one appealing for your heroics. No sense of purpose other than to be a jarhead and kill things. There's no connection to the game as a result.
It's monotonous. The scenery changes (sometimes) but for the most part you are spawning in places you've already been. You shoot some aliens. You walk or ride a little bit. You shoot some more aliens. Then you kill a boss. It's like the flood scene from the first Halo. It's drudgery. The whole time.
It provides no joy. Finishing a level provides a feeling of relief rather than joy. It's mentally exhausting. I kept thinking "when is this level going to end?" and "how bad is the boss going to be. Have I gone all this way and I have the wrong gun?" And when you finally kill the boss you just feel pure relief. Thank god that is over. No fist pumping. Just a slump into your seat.
It's complicated. This may be a function of me being old. I just want to sit down, load up my character, choose between 6 guns, and enter an interesting storyline and kill s***. In this game you choose between seemingly unrelated 'projects'. There's no right order to how you accomplish them. Thus the storyline is confusing. I have a million and one weapons, emblems I have no idea what to do with or if they are important, and choices to make about upgrades and things to buy at home base. Do I need to go back to home base and purchase a new weapon for this particular level? I have no idea. I'm in the blind the whole time. And it's quickly getting harder and harder for my aged neurons.
There's no soul to this game. Nothing enjoyable. I'll await Halo 5 instead.
Update: If there's a redeeming quality of the game it's the strike missions. This provides some, albeit minor, companionship and humanity. You go in as a team of 3 and take down some aliens and a boss or two (so what's new?). This pops it up one star. I will probably focus on playing strike missions against all else. I'm just not interested in grinding out crucible matches and so forth to gain more light and level up more. That part of the game is like Farmville. | video-games_xbox |
Who cares about multiplayer? I'm playing for the story campaign. Call me a fool, but contrary to most, I primarily purchase these first person shooters for the single player experience. I could care less about multiplayer. Sadly, most developers seem to have abandoned the practice of delivering on a solid story for a more robust online experience. However, being the Special Forces afficionado that I am, I felt compelled to pick up this title despite the recent trend these days, especially in a market inundated with shooters.
There were two concerns I had leading up to this game's release. First would it hold up graphically on consoles and would it be light years better than the first title? I can say a resounding YES! to both. When I first saw the gaming footage at E3, my first thought was how impressive the game looked. It was running on a high-end PC which dampered my enthusiasm a bit since I cannot afford a $2000 rig. However, once I popped the disk in my 360 (oh, and make sure you install the HD visual pack) I was completely blown away. Warfighter is bar none the most beautiful game I have ever played on a next-gen console. Everything from the textures to the lighting are top notch and there were some instances where I couldn't believe that a 6 year console could deliver a PC-like performance. My favorite level involves a high speed chase through a busy marketplace in some third-world country. Here the Frostbite 2 engine is put on full display. The level of destruction and mayhem is thrilling as your car barrels through busy street after busy street, desperately trying to catch up with your target, while debris blasts around you. Little details like mud splattering on your windshield and even a chicken pinned to your hood are great touches. Granted, there are some drawbacks. The framerate tends to stutter a bit, especially during cutscenes and the sound cut off from time to time, but it was definately not game-breaking.
One aspect of the original title's marketing push was that the experiences in the game were based off of real life experiences from these mysterious Tier 1 operators. In the end, it seemed more like a gimic as the game was marred by some technical glitches and underwhelming visuals. In Warfighter, I think the developers fully embraced what they should have in the original game. The storyline is more dramatic, yet it tends to take itself too seriously. But most importantly, I was engrossed. However, as par for the course these days, the campaign is not especially long. Expect something along the lines of 5-6 hours, but an enjoyable 5-6 hours.
So for those who are looking for a single-player experience, Warfighter simply delivers. Perhaps, this will give future notice for developers to give as much love to the story campaign as the multiplayer experience. Not likely, but one can hope. Anyways, just wait until you get to that car chase level... | video-games_xbox |
A little bit of everything, including some really bad stuff. I really wanted to like this; I've enjoyed Mass Effect, Jade Empire and KOTOR (not the sequel, but that was other people butchering that one). But while I got into it at first, the more I play, the less fun it is. I eventually reached the point where I just dreaded every battle. What went wrong?
Constant stuns. I know people love standing there and watching your character get beat on, over and over, while unable to do anything about it, but for some reason I don't enjoy it. Every single battle in this game includes constant stuns. Maybe there's some bizarre character build that lessens it, but I've found nothing. From animals that knock you down and gnaw on you, so instants from rogues and wizards, to endless traps and knockdowns; even the amusing-once ogre pummels quickly get to the point of tedium.
Magic and missile fire are overpowered. If they wanted balance, they could have knocked down melee somewhat, but the massive fireball overkills, instant stuns (plus ranged stuns) for rogues and wizards don't play like balance so much as they're just obnoxious ways to drag on already-tedious fights.
Potion huffing. How do you survive the constant fights? Drugs! If you have enough potions you can beat nearly any monster with no tactics at all - once they run out you're hosed. So you find yourself in a tough fight and will choose to reload rather than win and be out all those potions.
Metaplot. The villains are boring and fairly stupid, and while you keep waiting for some twist, drama, action, something - it never comes. There's a plot because it's a RPG so there has to be one, but that's about all the effort that seemed to go into it. The second Flemeth starts talking about running around and raising an army you roll your eyes and pray that it's a misdirection. Nope, and it's as rote as you fear.
There's many good parts; some of the mini-events are clever, there's some good humor, lots of character options (though, again, the payoff blows since the combat does) and there's an occasional ruthlessness that's refreshing. But this game feels like it took way too long to make, went through too many committees and drags in many of the worst elements of older games (potion huffing, obligatory combats, idiot plot, constant status effects) and ultimately would up pretty mediocre. A huge step back from Mass Effect (and yes, the vehicle elements of that were horrible, and some of the dialog pretty groan-inducing), and hopefully not a sign of things to come from Bioware. | video-games_xbox |
Could have been so much better. I'm not going to lie. I did not beat Far Cry 2. I didn't even get past 20% game play completion. The reason? Is it because of the game's stale and repetitive missions? The infuriating gameplay? Or is it because I had my friend rent it for me and he needed to return it to rent nip/tuck season 2 disk 4? It could be any of these reasons. But it's mostly the last one.
Far Cry2 is the "sequel" to 2004's shooter Far Cry developed by Crytek, published by Ubisoft. And by sequel, I mean it has absolutely nothing to do with the original whatsoever. This time around, the game's been developed by those dirty French Canadians at Ubisoft Montreal and while the first Far Cry was a semi-linear game with a second half that "sucked a little", Far Cry 2 is an open world game with both halves that "suck a lot" (source: myself). Well, "suck a lot" might be a bit of an overstatement, but I hated this game. It wasn't downright terrible. It wasn't too bad. It was just a huge let down.
When I originally began reading the previews of Far Cry 2 last year, the game sounded awesome. Open world, the guns degrade, fire spreads, it all should have added up to greatness. Perhaps the reason I hated this game so much was because I just had too high standards that nothing could have lived up to; I that that it would it was going to be the greatest FPS game ever, but in the end it turned out to be a sloppily generic FPS (Fat Patterson, stinky!)
First and foremost, the game isn't fun. It just flat isn't. It's a real snore. The missions are all the same. This is known to many as "openworlditus". Let's say you wish to unlock more guns at the local fire arm parlor. You accept a mission from the gun dealer to spend 15 minutes driving around until you happen upon a rival gun dealer whom you are to kill and whose merchandise you are to destroy. You sit in a bush and shoot up the guys convoy. Ok, that was pretty cool right? Well go back to the gun dealer for another mission, and, what, its the exact same thing just in a different location? And the other missions are pretty much the same. Go here and kill some guys/one guy.
Basic gameplay is ultra repetitive too. Picture it: you're driving through the countryside on your way to a mission objective. You drive through a guard post (there are millions). You can't outrun them, don't bother. So you press "A" and switch to the turret and dispatch your foes. Alright, on to the objective. Oh, its another guard post. Drive through, press "A", and kill. I hope that sounds fun to you, because you will be doing this about a million times. So you finish the objective that you've done a million times, and decide to head back. Remember that guard post you just slaughtered no more than 5 minutes ago? Well guess what, they've respawned. Hurray.
Speaking of annoying respawns, there are vehicle patrols that you will encounter, and these run ins get extremely annoying after you've played for an hour and have experienced them a trillion times.
Maybe these wouldn't be so bad if the core gameplay wasn't so bland. I spent a great amount of time pondering this subject. Call of Duty 4 is fun. Halo 3 is fun. Shooting people in those games is fun. Shooting people in Far Cry 2 sucks. I don't know why. Maybe its the environment. If you're like me, you will die fifty times. I will explain how the gunplay works: you find enemies and shoot at them. Because of the tall grass, you can't see where they are. You die. Reload last save. You attack again, but this time hide behind a rock. An enemy rushes at you. You unload a pistol clip into their midsection. They reel back, look at you and kill you while you try to reload. Mind you, these guys are wearing nothing but normal clothes. What kind of person can take 8 shots to the stomach/chest from a range of 4 feet and not go down? The enemies are just too tough. The game is too tough. And I don't suck or anything. I've played many Shooters, and rock at all of them. But in Fary Cry 2 , I don't even feel that its possible to get through a firefight without using 3 health packs (syrettes).
I don't understand what kind of style I'm supposed to play with. I can't run and gun, because I get chewed up too fast. I can't be stealthy because the enemies see me and chew me up. There is no stealth. And what's the point of silence weapons in this game? THEY DO NOTHING!!
Just a quick side note, what's with the voice acting? It seems as if Ubisoft payed the voice actors by the hour, but seeing the need to cut costs, told them to read the lines as fast as they could. What the heck? Why does everyone speak so fast?
This game could have been great. Had the gameplay just been tighter, had the missions been more varied, had it felt like the developers actually tried to make a decent game, it would have easily been an A+ title. Alas, it is not. | video-games_xbox |
Simply Amazing. What can I say. The Xbox One is by far my most favorite console to date.
I'm not going to get into the which is better as I really think it is more a preference. I will say however, for those out there that say the Xbox One is not a gaming machine... well they could not be more wrong. It is a gaming beast!
Here are my pros and cons list.
Pros:
Setup was a super simple. Each prompt was very well expressed and it took little time to get everything set.
The Kinect sensor is simply amazing! I have mine set to auto recognize me and then sign in to my Live account. Works like a charm!
Love the voice commands as it makes doing simple tasks so much more enjoyable. This is also in the cons so read on!
The video quality is super stunning! Ryse is simply amazing (and a fun game, too!) as well as some of the others I've played. I have not noticed a single bump or slow down. No stutters at all!
I love how it controls all of my devices. I walk into my office, say "Xbox On!" and my TV and Cable Box pop right on! For some reason my LG A/V receiver won't turn on or off, but I can mute, increase/decrease volume and any other command it allows. Not an Xbox issue and LG tech support was horrible (I do not and would not ever suggest buying an LG product. Not because they are bad products, but because support is like pulling teeth. Too many other good companies that make the same products with so much better support. Told the guy I'd blast this every chance I got - true to my word!) Anyway on to the cons.
Cons
I think it would have been a nice perk for Microsoft to add some type of camera cover to ensure privacy. I purchased the Kinect TV mount and it had a cover with it so no biggie, but would have been nice when the video was not needed to have some type of automatic cover.
Voice commands while cool do not always work! I've been through the calibration several times and it seems to me the mic is simply not high enough to pick up my voice unless I talk loud. I got my kid one for Christmas and sometimes in his room when he is trying to do something my Box will pick it up and all of a sudden my game stops and I'm back home lol
Most people will need to have some type of HDMI switch as I'm sure these days people have more than one HDMI device. I had to order an HDMI switch for my kid's room so he could have his 360 and other devices connected. His TV only has one HDMI. Minor but worth mentioning.
All in all I love it and cannot wait for them to add to it and for game makers to start pushing the limits! That is when things will get really cool! | video-games_xbox |
If this is any indication on how next year's game is going to be, I can't wait to purchase it going forward. When I heard about this game's upcoming release a few months ago I was extremely skeptical, simply because the past few editions of WWE's games have been poorly done and just a rehash of the previous year with some minor additions and a new soundtrack. This game, though, is way different and in a good way. Personally, I found this to be the most enjoyable WWE game I've purchased in the past four to five years. The graphics are awesome, the AI (computerized opponents) actually gives up a good fight, the controls are good, and the loading screens are surprisingly fast compared to previous years. The only thing I've noticed with some loading issues is that when I'd be in a gold rush mode and had two CAW's facing off against each other, the loading screen would crash. Not sure why or if it's a bug that'll be addressed when an update comes about for this game, but none the less, I'm glad I bought this game.
Upon starting this game, I did notice that the loading screens are much faster than previous years, even between matches. I also noticed that the soundtrack to this game has much more sporadic songs raging from superstars from the past and the present. The Create an Entrance feature is nifty, too. Theres a lot more you can do than previous years and they have a lot of different entrance choices, especially for the Divas selection, paying tribute to some past Divas (such as Candice Michelle, Gail Kim, Maryse, ect.)
The only complaints I have aside from the loading screen freezing up is the CAW section. When is that going to be revamped? The same choice of hair, clothing, and make up every single year is annoying. I also wish the CAW's would look more realistic like the rest of the WWE roster does. So far the most annoying thing about the 30 Years of WrestleMania feature is thee Randy Savage vs Ric Flair match at WrestleMania 8. I cant seem to beat it yet! Im being lenient and blaming the new batch of controls and the overall excitement I have for this game.
To end this lengthy review, I give this game a 5/5 because of the enjoyment I get out of playing this game, the ability to have up to 100 CAWs, and the fact that the online game play issues that previous games seemed to have seems to be fixed. If this is any indication on how next years game is going to be, I cant wait to purchase it going forward! | video-games_xbox |
FANTASTIC. Let me start off by saying I am not a RPG fan or a console player. I like PC action and adventure games and mostly first person shooters. However Because of the lack of these games being produced that are any good plus all the newer PC games are loaded with DRM and playing restrictions. I decided to try this older game not really expecting much. How wrong I was,the game was amazing. But at the same time it was the Buggiest game I had ever played. I won't go in to all the details but eventually it Destroyed my PC and this was a middle of the road gamming rig. I then bought a top of the line Voodoo gamming machine. It came loaded with VISTA 64 bit. Well that won't play Oblivion. It's funny how XP OP will play VISTA games but Vista will not play XP games. Guess that showes which OS is the best. I realized after I bought this expensive PC that because of the VISTA OS there wasn't much to play on it. The ones that were being produced were console games adapted to play on a PC and very badly at that. I broke down and bought an X-BOX and A 27in Hd Tv to play it on. I tried The witcher revised edition and to be honest it SUCKED.I then got Oblivion for X-Box and it is truly great. Plays Great and even looks better than the PC version. I am about half way through this huge game without even one problem. The one problem I have is using the joy stick. When I played it on the PC I had great controll but using the joy stick added a whole new level of difficulty. On top of that I looked on my PC and found all these articales on how to level up. I took the advice and chose Britan as the race,Battlemage,and all the other stuff on major and minor skills. By level five I realized my character was so wimpy his specialty was getting killed. I also realized that because using the joy stick was so bad in a fight I needed some defense big time so I started over. This time I chose REDGUARD and went for pure power in every thing major and minor. Let the geeks use Magic I want to kick Butt. The first thing I needed was money to get the best armor I could in order to live long enough to kill before getting killed. I joined the fighters guild. Not to fight but so I could sell all there equiptment. I striped and sold every thing movable in every city. Then I did the same to the mages guild but I kept all the soul gems. After that I joined the Thieves guild and that is whear I discovered two things. The joy stick is easier when it comes to picking locks and the city guard don't show up when you are robbing the place as often as on the PC game. I striped the Imperial city then started on all the other towns and there Palaces. I did keep a Katana sword I found in one Palace and sold every thing. The first thing I bought was the AEGIS of the APOCALYPSE and HANDS OF THE ATRONACH.Then I bought the staff APOTHEOSIS.Then I went out of the Imperial city and killed an Imperial city guard with the staff and compleated my armor. Now I am broke again even though all the stors are filing for bankrupcy and all the Nobels are eating with ther HANDS.( I did kill Umbra but decided to waite till later when the Umbra sword was more powerfull)I now went to the Arena to try out all my new DUDS.Did pretty good,made a few bucks and robbed the $500 dollar chest. I finally killed Umbra at level 21 took part of her armor that was better than mine. That is when I made another earth shaking discovery. On the PC the Umbra sword was so powerfull that all it took was a couple of blows to kill. On X-Box outside of the soul trap it isn't that good. I found GOLDBRAND to be much better. I am now at level 25. I am the Master of the Fighters Guild and the Leader of the Mages Guild even though I still can not buy over the counter spells because I DON"T HAVE ENOUGH MAGICA.My armor is rated at 85 and is a little bit of everything. Still have the CURIASS and GUANTLETS I bought at the start of the Game. I added UMBRA GREAVES,Spell Breaker sheild,Oreyn Bearclaw Helmet and boots of the thrall. I feel my greatest accomplishment was defeating the GREY PRINCE in the ARENA head on without any Enchantments and he hardly made a dent in my armor. I have came a long way and there is still a lot of game to play. NOW IF I COULD JUST LEARN HOW TO SPELL.I DON'T MEAN CAST THEM.I MEAN SPELL CORECTLY.Well I just became the GREY FOX.When I entered the guards chamber I entered with no shoes and in sneak but with the slightest movement the guards were alerted and killed me. I tried this 3 times with the same results. OK NO MORE Mr. NICE GUY I put back on my boots went in and when thy attacked I Killed them all. Then went in the Dinning Hall and Killed the ones in it. I then plundered all the chests. After I got the SCROLL I proceded to kill every body and left. I have decided MY ARMOUR IS UNBEATABLE. | video-games_xbox |
Our first Xbox game and we love it...even with its glitches. We finally upgraded from our old PS2 to the Xbox 360 so my husband can play against his sons online. This was our first purchase with our new system and we are already addicted to it. And based on their growing stats I'd say they're completely addicted to it too.
My husband and I are total Xbox newbies so we can't compare this game against any other version. What I can say is that after playing it pretty much non-stop for the entire weekend our only complaint is that when we strike a putt the view immediately changes to a far away shot, as if you are now a spectator watching the play from way too far away. It bugs. The problem with this is, I can't watch my own putt from my own perspective so I can't pick up any tips if I miss the shot. This feature is rather frustrating, most likely because we're avid golfers. If the viewing angle was closer I might not be so bothered by it but it's way too far away to help me in any way and that part sucks. It may be a setting I can tweak but I doubt it. I've been through most of the menus by now and haven't seen such an option, at least not yet.
So far though that is my only complaint to report. The graphics are amazing, and for avid golfers it is really cool to be able to 'play' such revered courses like Augusta, Pebble Beach, and St. Andrews. This is as close as I'll probably ever get to 'playing' them so I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing what these courses look like with no spectators and grandstands and scoreboards all over the place. I know it's simulated but still, if you like golf this is pretty darn cool!
Update: After playing this game for several months now I can say that my opinion of it is still very high but I do notice a lot of glitches that are starting to bother me. I think the most frustrating is when the clubs in my golf bag revert back to the Starter set before you start a new round of golf. Since no one thinks of checking their clubs before each round, this glitch can really upset you when you think you have your 8 degree Nike driver (and all its attributes) only to realize you're now stuck using their default 11.5 degree starter club and it's extremely limited attributes. When your gaming profile is up to 90+, losing your upgraded clubs can really hinder your skills! I've also noticed several other little glitches that are apparently known issues if you check out the blogs on EA Sports. For example, if I select my female golfer as my profile player sometimes a warning pops up that says my other profile golfer will be removed from my console. So then if I want to use my male player later, I have to completely log out of EA Sports and log back in to get both profiles back. I am using my local hard drive for storage instead of their cloud storage so I don't know if that is why this keeps happening or not. One other issue is when I recently tried to enter a sponsored tournament their registration servers were unavailable every time I tried. | video-games_xbox |
A Very Slight Step Down From Part I. I can't really explain why I fell so deeply in love with Yu Suzuki's first console release, the Dreamcast's original Shenmue. Perhaps it was the sense of complete freedom, which allowed players to spend their income however they saw fit, completely disregarding the story in favor of video games and little toy capsules. Maybe it had more to do with the utterly enveloping environment, which went further toward becoming a totally immersive scenario than any other game in history. Who knows, maybe it was the game's setting in mid-80s Japan, two cultures I've always found fascinating (80s pop culture and traditional Japanese culture). One thing's for certain, it wasn't the emotionless, deer-in-the-headlights expression constantly sported by the story's hero, Ryo Hazuki. Regardless, I was hooked on this story of revenge, reality, and the kind of awkward relationships characteristic of our teenage years.
Though the Dreamcast sequel never arrived in America, Sega revamped the title, added a few new features and finally released it on Microsoft's Xbox. Alongside Halo, it was my first purchase for the enormous black and green machine.
Bar none, the coolest thing about the Shenmue series is its outrageous attention to detail. There exist hundreds of storefronts, people, objects, games and environments that don't have any impact whatsoever on the story itself. They could've just as easily been left out, yet their inclusion broadens the game's scope substantially. Almost every doorway can be opened, every object, from the fliers hanging in a popular street corner to the televisions hidden away in the corner of a pawn shop, can be examined in detail. Sega even carried on the tradition of including emulated versions of Suzuki's arcade hits, this time packing in Afterburner II, Out Run, Hang On and Space Harrier.
There's no such thing as a cut scene in Shenmue II, everything you see is live rendered. And, while that was a real feat for the Dreamcast (producing graphics on the fly that rivaled those of the Psone and N64's pre-renders), it's not as impressive on the Xbox. Though it gives it the old college try, Shenmue isn't as visually impressive as Rygar: The Legendary Adventure on the PS2, Metroid Prime on the Gamecube or even Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee on the Box itself. Honestly, though the visuals are improved slightly, this still looks, feels and functions much like a Dreamcast game. The water effects, especially, pale in comparison to what we've already seen the Xbox can do. The game looks above average at best. Not great, but still good. As I mentioned earlier, the real strength of Ryo's world is the tremendous variety in the storefronts, environments and various items, and this is something that helps set it apart from the pack.
Occasionally, Ryo will be drawn into a fight scene, which functions like a strange blend of Final Fight and Tekken. Visually, the transition between "wander and talk mode" and "fight bunch of guys mode" is almost seamless. Very rarely are these fights one-on-one affairs, and you're usually called upon to take down upwards of a half dozen guys at one time. You've got an impressive list of moves at your disposal, with more available as the game progresses, but really only utilize about ten or eleven on a regular basis.
The musical score to Shenmue II follows in the footsteps of the original; it's epic. Every one of the arrangements in the game serves to broaden the scope of this already impressive, expansive title. It truly feels like you're playing a character in a major motion picture, and it invokes your emotions at just the right moments. Near the game's conclusion, when Ryo stands atop the roof of the tallest building in town, staring into the sunset, you really feel as though you're coming of age along with him. When he first rides into port aboard an enormous ocean liner in the game's opening scene, the music further emphasizes that this is the beginning of a tremendous journey. It really is that solid.
Pity I can't say the same about the voice acting. Every one of the characters is just as wooden and emotionless as Ryo himself, which is one of the dark clouds that seems to have followed this series throughout its existence. Though everyone in town has a distinct voice, they all share similar traits; nobody gets excited about ANYTHING, and they all place intonations on the wrong words with frightening regularity. Ryo himself is one of the least appealing characters I've ever played, and nearly everyone in the world seems to share this disposition. It's hard to get excited about the revelations involving Lan Di and his relationship to Ryo's father, when those making the revelations are themselves completely disinterested in the proceedings.
Included with the Xbox version is a DVD containing the majority of the cutscenes from the original Shenmue for Dreamcast. I found this to be a great, somewhat quick, refresher course before diving into the new events. It'd been years since I last ventured into this world, and I was reminded of several small threads I'd have otherwise forgotten. On that same hand, I can imagine how much the inclusion of this disc would have aided players with absolutely no experience with the Dreamcast. A great idea, and something I wish more gaming dynasties would consider.
Overall, I found myself enjoying the first Shenmue more than I did the sequel. This is still a series I'd be interested in seeing pursued, but no matter what you may have heard... it HAS taken a small step down with this release. While the first game focused much more on Ryo's inability to relate to his peers, his awkward social life and his pure intention to avenge his father's murder, the sequel delves more into the spiritual and political ramifications of his actions. It wasn't quite as much fun as the original, though the overall feel was very similar. | video-games_xbox |
A Waste of time and money. A very disappointing game and a complete waste of money. Having played the tabletop I was expecting far more - but it's a poor excuse for a shooter. The solo modes are nothing but running around killing bots in a capture the flag type event (identical to the online modes) - no story mode or interactive play mode what so ever. Basically just digital paintball. Just pathetic for a game based on this source material. It feels as if the magic and tech is slapped on as an afterthought really, and handles very poorly overall. Don't waste the money
I see many of reviews giving this game kudos and stars as the best shooter ever - and that's all fine and well. As to why some reviewers don't think so many should be disappointing, and should have done research I will address. I purchased this on Amazon, and in the description it mentions solo play mode. Sure it may not say "Story mode" or "Roleplayer" but Shadowrun was a Roleplaying game - and a very well known one. As such, it is not a far stretch to expect the solo play mode to be some sort of roleplaying or story mode. Especially when it is repeatedly mentioned that you earn money to buy upgrades to tech, weapons, and magic throughout your career in solo or multiplayer mode. What it doesn't say, and really should spell out on the packaging and in the online sales pages, is that solo play is mindless shooter matches against bots. Gears of War was a far better shooter experience in my opinion, without the magic and tech, and IT had a story mode...Even Halo has one. Not putting more effort into making this more of a roleplayer or with better Story Mode play for solo players was a serious oversight on the part of the developers, and really used the iconic status of a well known Role Playing Game to hook sales for a mediocre shooter - and that is a travesty.
Basically, if you are going to make a game based off of, and using the imagery and names of a popular role playing property, then include aspects of role playing and story progression somewhere in it. There are already far too many shooters on the market, this was just not needed, and a complete black eye for the Shadowrun genre. | video-games_xbox |
Welcome to the world of classic film noire. Rockstar has done it again with L.A. Noire, they've created another immersive gaming experience with a rich story and compelling characters.
This game takes place in the late 1940s and has you playing the part of police officer Cole Phelps that you get to see become a hardboiled
detective. The game has the gritty feel of classic film noire crime movies from the 1950s (hence the title L.A. Noire), which I love. Don't
let the setting of the 1940s put you off trying this game, it's surprisingly violent, tense and the main storyline and missions are filled with
action. The much hyped advanced facial character animation technique used to create the game is jaw-dropping and exceeds the hype.
The detail in the character's expressions, the story, the highly detailed graphics and realistic 1940s L.A. environment pull you deep
into this game. I picked up the game at a midnight release and played it for nearly 8 hours straight! It was that good, I didn't want to put
it down.
One of the game's major strengths, beyond it's revolutionary graphics and story, is the way in which you can perform detective work. You
use a notebook to perform your investigations, it works like a hud (think the Pip Boy from Fallout). You can examine crime scenes, search
dead bodies, hunt for clues and interrogate witnesses. This is a lot of fun and can be simple or difficult, depending on how you want to play.
By default, the game helps you find clues by giving you music cues and even controller vibration alerts. However, if you prefer to not receive
any help with the clues, you can disable the help, which I think is a great feature. You're also able to upgrade your character by gaining XP.
You can do this several ways, but one of the most common is by interrogating suspects. If you interrogate people the right way and get
correct answers from them, you're rewarded with Intuition points you can use to move your character up in rank. If you fail to get answers
from suspects, cases will be tougher to solve and you miss out on XP. Don't worry though, you can replay any finished case in order to
"get it right". Interrogations are made by successfully being able to tell if someone is lying, and having the evidence to back it up. You
need to listen closely to what the person says and keep an eye on their body language and eye movements. I really enjoy this element
of the game. Again, it's another element that pulls you deep within the world of L.A. Noire.
Rockstar spared no expense with this title. Everything is top shelf, from the voice acting to the graphics to the original score and licensed
music selection. There's so much content that the game is contained on not 1, not 2, but 3 game discs. I'm sure this is because the highly detailed
graphics just couldn't fit onto one disc (I would be curious to know if this is on just one Blu-ray disc for PS3, I bet it is). It's not surprising
that game is on multiple discs, because in just the short amount of time I've played, I've seen tons of cut scenes that propel the story
along. In other words, this game is gonna be deep!
If you've ever fantasized about being a criminal detective or if you've thought it would be cool to play a game that had the feel of the
Jack Nicholson movie "Chinatown", then this game is for you! My hat's off to Rockstar again, they lead the industry in developing original
and enthralling gaming experiences you won't find from any other studio. I've barely scratched the surface of the game today, but I can
already tell this one's gonna be right up there with Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV. | video-games_xbox |
Amazingly fun - if only it was 360 compatible. Oddworld Stranger's Wrath is a brilliant bounty-hunter game from the off-beat creators of the Oddworld series. You roam through a fantastic world chasing down enemies with your arsenal of living creatures.
The game is extremely well animated and rendered, with a variety of creatures that you immediately connect with. There are little multi-teethed killer Fuzzles, the oh-so-cute Chippunks, flying creatures, smelly creatures, and more. You fire all of these with your crossbow, wreaking mayhem on your enemies.
The theory here is that you're trying to capture as many bad guys as you can alive, to get the largest bounty for them. Different enemies call for different capture techniques. Some require the flying monsters, while others need to be wound up in a cocoon. It's all done with an "old west" motif, with drawling, laconic discussion and dusty, tumbleweed landscapes.
We love the game. The dialogue is brilliant at times, the gameplay is engaging. Your ammo is just so much fun! They talk back to you, laugh as they are flung at the enemies and have a variety of attack styles. When you run out, you just go to a patch of weeds and track down some more.
The game goes between first person and third person and does so rather well. My only real complaint is with the camera, which at times gets caught behind buildings and other obstacles.
The game guides you along nicely. You are pursuing bounty person X, you know their hideout area, you go there and find them. It keeps you moving along in the right direction.
If there's a real complaint, it is that the game does NOT work on the XBox 360. This is one of the only reasons we were holding onto our ancient XBox system and I would much rather be playing this on the XBox 360. It looks very unlikely that they're ever going to patch the 360 to support this older game, though.
Still, if you own an XBox, I definitely recommend finding this game! | video-games_xbox |
Xbox One Is Your Clingy Ex-girlfriend. I love the capabilities of this machine. It is truly a step forward for technology. However, there are some things I could do without. Most notably the cable and TV integration. I wired my Xbox through my Direct TV satellite box and to my TV as the directions instructed to do. Now if you want to watch TV the Xbox has to be on. I'm going to repeat that for dramatic effect. TO WATCH TV THE XBOX HAS TO BE ON! And guess what, when the Xbox is on the Kinect is on, and when the Kinect is on the eye is on, and when the eye is on you're being watched. OK OK OK a little paranoid, maybe, but it makes me uncomfortable. I sit on the couch watching TV and I'm hesitant to adjust my nuts because that creepy red eye is looking at me. You have other options. You can opt to not wire the Xbox through the cable/satellite box, but then you are not utilizing all of the capabilities of the system. I believe there is a way to toggle the Kinect on and off, again losing capabilities of the system. Here's what I'd like, everything hooked up as recommended and I don't need the damn Xbox on to watch TV. As it is I have to turn on the TV (the Xbox will not, only turns on cable) and then turn on the Xbox with the Xbox controller, then I have to turn off the Xbox controller because I don't want to drain the batteries in the thing when I'm not playing games, then I have to select TV from Xbox home, then I have to turn off the Kinect so I can scratch my balls guilt free. Finally I can change channels. Yes I could do all of this with voice commands but I rarely enjoy talking to people and enjoy talking to electronics even less. Especially considering I am usually watching TV while my daughter sleeps and every parent knows the fear of waking them up and adult swim is over.
Basically the things that I like about the Xbox are also ultimately the things I don't like. I like Xbox being able to pop up in the corner and tell me when a friend wants to play a game with me and I can jump right in. I like watching the football game and having the fantasy football popups telling me when one of my players scored a touchdown. I like the Kinect recognizing me when I come in the room and offering shows I like. But do I really have to have it on all the time to operate other electronics?! This is where we get into the clingy girlfriend comparison. I love hanging out with her. She's new, she's exciting, she does many things that I find amazing, but sometimes I need some space. Let me do things with the other guys without you having to be right there like a fifth wheel. In the end I may have to make a clean break and unplug cable and Kinect from Xbox so we can be just friends. Sad. We could have been something really special :-( | video-games_xbox |
A Good Game. I preordered this from Amazon a couple days ahead of time, delivery was prompt, as I expected from Amazon.
Now to the game:
I bought this game primarily for the single player, and in this area it definitely delivered. Everything was functional and had feeling. This is something that I feel has been lacking in Shooters (specifically CoD MW3 and Black Ops). I could tell that the developers went to great lengths to deliver a good game, and it resulted in a deep narrative that was more than just an IV of cool military stuff and everything exploding at the drop of a pin.
That said, I did not play the previous title, and I think the game would have had a greater impact if I had played it (I mean to as soon as I get the money).
Multiplayer is quite fun too. I have played all of the major shooters (Halo, CoD, Battlefield and now MOH) and up to this point Halo and BF were my favorites with CoD sorely lagging behind. Having played MOH, I find it to be a good balance between what CoD and BF offer. There are no vehicles, but the gameplay is fast paced, somewhat realistic and fun. Other players are very difficult to spot (just like in real life) and recoil can really throw off your aim. It almost seems to take the fast pace of CoD and infuse it into the awesomeness of Battlefield. I like the Fireteam Buddy mechanic. If you get a good buddy, cover each other, and work well together, you can be nearly unstoppable.
The menus and leveling are initially a little difficult to understand, but I picked up on it pretty quickly.
Overall, this is a very good game, and I would highly recommend it (it pushed CoD back to 4th place for me)
A note about the preorder bonus case though: Amazon includes the normal game case, and the metal one does not hold the discs very well, and has no room for any of the documents that came with the game. Overall I was disappointed with this part. Seems rather pointless and poorly redundant. | video-games_xbox |
scariest game ever made. Rule one about Silent Hill 2: it is not an action game. So all you morons who bought it because you wanted zombie-blasting action, you're going to be disappointed. This game is scarier in an infinitely more psychological sense. Rule two about Silent Hill 2: The graphics are not bad. If you're wondering about the fuzziness in the course of gameplay, it's like that for a reason. Rule three: Stop comparing it to Halo and Max Payne. That's like comparing apples and oranges. Its a wholly different game, and a fantastic one at that. Another note to all you morons...just because someone likes the game and you don't, doesn't mean we're being paid by Konami.
I'm a diehard Resident Evil fan, so when my best friend told me that it was scarier than any of the series, I tried to call his bluff, and it turns out he was telling the truth. Silent Hill is scarier because it is more realistic...because you get tired when you run for a while, because you need a flashlight to see in the dark, and because you don't just go from room to room, with very obvious hints of where to go next. You have to explore to get anywhere, which is why one could easily spend over ten hours of gameplay searching around, praying you don't run into the Pyramid Head. Another aspect which makes it better than RE, and better than most video games: this game has easily the best voice acting I've ever heard. Beat the game, get the "leave" ending (one of six), and listen to Mary's letter to James. It couldn't have possibly been read better. And as for the plot...disturbing, intelligent, and once you finally sort it all out, incredible. A real study in human fragility, to sound incredibly pretentious for a second (thank God I'm saying it about an Xbox game).
I've only beaten the main game, so unfortunately, I can't rate the second game, featuring Maria and Ernest, but the main game is absolutely incredible. And with the price of only twenty dollars, its more than worth it. | video-games_xbox |
I represent the Justice League, the Justice League, the Justice League. I remember when I was younger I used to love playing the classic arcade version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In it, you could be any turtle that you wanted, typically you had the panoramic screen, and you and a group of friends would punch buttons till they bled waiting to finally challenge the ultimate Shredder. It was a game that memories were made of, and it definitely drained your Sunday of all the quarters that you had been saving. What made this TMNT game a memorable one for me was that you could really immerse yourself in the game and refine your strengths on a certain turtle. Did you like the bow of Donatello, or did you prefer the dual swords of Leonardo? The options were yours, and so when I saw "Justice League Heroes" released with the opportunity to play all the great characters from the series, I saw my youth days at the arcade spring back into action. This game developed by Snowblind, did not disappoint (at least not in most areas).
The world is in chaos, and you, the chosen elite that compose the Justice League, have been summoned to stop the evil forces of those like The Key, Brainiac, Queen Bee, and Gorilla Grodd (and even a special appearance by an ultimate favorite near the end!) to name a few. You fight as Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Flash, several Green Lanterns, and so forth to bring down hordes of mindless drones that want nothing but to fight you in a pre-destined way. This game is a no brainer, by that I mean you can mash the keypad as much as you want and as long as you keep an eye on your health you will be victorious. There is no deep thought involved with this game because if in the uneventful case of your death, you can still go back and do it all over again without any amazing AI to change it up. With unlimited continues you can finish this game with several RedBulls and a night off. I remember the Justice League always having huge challenges with the villains that they fought, but with this game, the challenge was not there. It was monotonous, it was simple - yet somehow, I was enthralled by it. This was a simpleton's game. It was a game that one could come home, not devote so much time to, but thoroughly enjoy a classic "wham-bam" arcade style of youth to demolish the haphazardness of your corporate day. This was a game where you could be a superhero and "hover" (not fly) over cities and see villains do what they do best - corrupt the world.
"Justice League Heroes" completed the task at hand - allow for several hours of game play by a user without needing to step outside the box. Give them a twist here or there, make the fanboys happy, but don't over extend. They were not trying to recreate the wheel with this game, just provide for several hours of enjoyable gaming. The graphics were decent, but nothing to write home about. The voices could appeal to some, but I couldn't get past Ron Pearlman - Hellboy himself - doing the voice of Batman. That was a fit that didn't seem to match. The rest seemed to allow for decent moments. The controls of the game were ... again - without sounding repetitive - decent. There was not much discussion or lead-into the reasoning for the speed power-ups and honestly, for me, they were unneeded. They may have added benefit to my characters, but as I continued to play I found that I just randomly attached them to a character, without any rhyme or reason. The super features were fun, but grew old over time and I found myself attached to Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern more than the other characters because they had lengthy special abilities which came in handy for a boss or two. The cut-scenes were enjoyable, which provided for the storyline clich enough to fall into a comic, but convincing enough for this game. I thought the story kept me going - I wanted to see who was behind all of this, and what techniques would be used to stop him. I must say that my biggest gripe is that you could go through the game and not unlock all the hidden characters, and you can't really go back and try. I didn't get to half of the new characters or costumes because I was too busy trying to finish the game. I didn't see the need for me to buy three extra Green Lantern costumes before I could unlock a character. That befuddled me. I also seem to agree with the others making comments about this game with the construct that I could not pick my own heroes for each sequence. That was a fun element that only seemed to coincide with randomness. Characters were thrown together with no reasoning and I was forced to helm the stronger of the two. The AI is decent, but if you just a one player, beware - your other character will just stand on a puddle of flames and die unless you continue to move. ARG. Think about it Martian Mindhunter!
Overall, I enjoyed playing this game, but would not find myself behind the helm of it again. I didn't go to deeply into the other games that could be explored in the game itself, mainly because I only have one controller and a very short time to play these games. I thought it kept with a classic arcade style of playing, but didn't redefine itself. I have not played the "X-Men Legends" game, but hear that it is modeled very closely. I also am going to try "Marvel Alliance" to see the similarities. I would suggest this game to friends because of the excitement of helming a mission as Batman or Zatanna, but after three hours of game play your thumbs will be tired and you will see the repetitive nature of the game. Give it a try, but do not prepare yourself to be blown away.
Grade: *** out of ***** | video-games_xbox |
Fun Good Looking Game, Lacks Replay Value, Wait For A Price Drop To Pick This Up. Feels/Plays Like: Crackdown, Jet Set Radio.
Sunset Overdrive is a fun game, but lacks any long term engagement sadly.
The game is easy to pick up with a control scheme that feels natural and intuitive. The game play is fun and frantic, and the XBOX ONE chews its up, even when things are blowing up like crazy and you'd expect there to be frame rate drops or slow down. It handles all the graphical mayhem without any issues, which was frankly somewhat surprising.
As fun as this game can be and as good as it looks, I hate to say there is no replay value, but from my perspective, there doesn't really seem to be any. Maybe the upcoming DLC will change that, but from having played through the campaign, past all the silliness and fun I had doing that, there really doesn't seem to be any reason to come back to this title.
Part of the problem with the lack of replay value is, there are certain guns you can unlock pretty early on that are extremely overpowered and make it so the enemies are little more than a blip on the radar as far as challenge goes. I unlocked the hairspray launchers and it was just a matter of shooting that into a crowd a few times and everything was dead without issue. I love the diversity of weaponry in this game, but the guns are incredibly imbalanced and like I said, overpowered to the point of removing any real challenge or aspect of danger from the game.
There is also an odd pseudo-celebrity appearance, that while I knew who it was and was pretty jazzed by it, I doubt sincerely anyone under 25 is going to have any clue who this person is, or really even care frankly. Its a neat idea, but its a complete throw away in terms of adding something to the game of value or giving gamers a neat surprise. If you're an old school punk, you'll be stoked by it, but nobody else is gonna know who this person is or really care. Google has probably gotten a lot of traffic from people looking them up to find out who they are, but beyond that it felt kinda pointless.
Overall the game is great while it lasts, but once you've run through it once, I cant see really ever going back to play it again. | video-games_xbox |
Tough Learning Curve, but Still Fun. I've had Rock Band 3 for a few months and decided to pick up one of these keyboards to try out the "Pro Keys" feature, and see just how fun the pro modes are. I've never played a piano/keyboard with any amount of attention that I could really learn anything so I'm completely new at playing keys.
The normal "Keys" is very straight forward and simple, easy to grasp, and no where near as complicated as pro. Anyone can have fun with this mode, even new comers will find this easy enough. The new ones also come with an arm strap so you can hold it like a keytaur, but when I wore it the keyboard sat up to high and I couldn't hold it comfortably.
"Pro Keys" However is a massive leap to a whole new level. Luckily enough there is a "Learn an Instrument" Mode that will roughly teach you some basics, but I found it failed to even give you the correct way to place your hands. And it seems like out of nowhere you're expected to hit 3 and four note chords.
After you get accustomed to the very very basic of things you can move on to the learn a song mode (Only available for songs from Harmonix not RBN) this will give you the most repeated parts of the song and your goal is to get 100% on each section. So it doesn't really teach you anything you just got to figure it out as you go. Once you've got that down and start actually playing for points is when things get a bit difficult. Even on Easy I found things pretty hard, and I've only passed a handful on Expert. This however does not distract from the amount of fun I had playing though.
Overall I believe in time I will come to enjoy this very much. It does a great job of note placement (Looked up a few online) and the keyboard itself is very nice. But it does lack a lot in the department of teaching you how to play the instrument. So don't expect to be playing Impossible level songs on Expert (Or hard for that matter...) a week after picking it up if you're brand new to it like me. It's fun and everything but don't think it will replace a traditional piano lesson. | video-games_xbox |
A Transcendent Gaming Experience. Demon's Souls gave the RPG market a much needed shot in the arm back in 2009. The challenge and satisfaction attained from building your character through arduous leveling up frustrated many, including myself. I left the game for over a year when I first picked it up. Even making it to the Phalanx was a chore. It became much more enjoyable when I learned how to deal with the unfamiliar and barbaric learning curve.
Back in 2011, Namco Bandai released a companion in the game of Dark Souls, an open-ended, sandbox-style romp through dilapidated cities, decrepit ruins and an ancient cathedral. Although quite different from Demon's Souls, yet still familiar, I personally found the difficulty much more manageable than Demon's Souls. There is even an early soul farming location near the game's central "hub." Shields can now be dual-handed for additional bashing utility, but the quick-descend option has been removed, making ladders just as frustrating as they were in Demon's Souls. Curse you, Namco Bandai!
Now, in 2014, we finally have the much-anticipated Dark Souls 2 that has left countless fans gasping and panting for this new feast. And they won't be disappointed. Taking a leaf from Eternal Darkness, Dark Souls 2 has chosen to break the fourth wall in certain instances, making the player feel even more immersed in the world than ever before. Add to this more weapons, armour and spells and you've built yourself a recipe for near-limitless replayability and epic PvP deathmatches. Anyone who's too acclimated to the gargantuan challenges and actually finds their journey too simple can equip the Calamity Ring once again. Dual-blades make combat even more exciting and fun. Few things are more satisfying than finding an enemy boss incapacitated after running into a wall (or missing you entirely) and leaving themselves open to five swift swings of a Darth Maul Special.
Even if you can't play online, the new boss fights will make the adventure fun enough to replay several times as you reap more souls and ramp up the difficulty with each New Game +. | video-games_xbox |
Improved mechanics, but shortfalls elsewhere. This is not Origins. Not even close. That being said, as a standalone game, it's not bad.
TL;DR at the bottom.
First, some positive changes:
* Inventory is much easier to manage. There's a lot of junk loot that automatically junks itself, so you're not dealing with Garnets and Private Documents taking up valuable inventory space if you forget to sell it. The armor change, for better or for worse, also makes this easier (see below).
* Crafting is MUCH easier, and in my opinion better. Rather than carrying around reagents, you just find resource locations around the world and you always have them. Potions/Poisons/Runes are purchased from your crafting counter after you find enough of the reagent locations. For example, if a potion takes 2 elfroots, you need to find 2 elfroot locations, and then can buy as many potions as you want for a small chunk of change. As a hoarder, I cannot express my love of this change in words.
* Combat is faster, and a bit harder. You can't run 3-mage doom squads and be able to get a sandwich while fighting bosses. You fight waves of guys instead of all at once. This means battles last longer and you feel more like you're in a fight. It is therefore less tactical than Origins since you can't know exactly where all the enemies will be. You still have the same pause control and can do that, however it feels a lot more like an action RPG than Origins did.
* Voice acting for main character. I liked it, and the game now uses the Mass Effect style conversation wheel, which also indicates what kind of response you're giving (romantic, angry, peaceful, etc) so you don't end up pissing off someone by accident. Some of the dialog is...questionable...but overall I felt this was a good call. People also call you by your name, rather than "the Hero of Fereldan" or "Warden-Commander" all the time, which is nice.
Second, some "meh"
* No armor customization for companions, limited for hero. At first I thought this was a terrible idea, but really it's not that bad. You don't spend nearly as much time fiddling with armor on all of your companions, and you get less of it. Selling off unused stuff is simple, if the main character can't use it, then junk it. You sometimes miss putting armor on, but this way you always get to see your character's models, which are definitely much improved over Origins, and for the most part pretty cool. You can still change most weapons, and everyone's belt/amulet/rings, and still put runes in everyone's gear though, so it's not like all the customization is gone. TL;DR: No armor customization for companions, not as bad as you think.
* Companion relations. This was hit or miss for me. Some of the companion side quests were really interesting, and some just felt like a colossal waste of time. Some of the characters are well developed, and some just feel like one trick ponies. Your interactions are much more brief, so it's difficult to really get attached to any of them in the same way you could immerse yourself in the Origins characters' stories. One redeeming factor, though, is that instead of just hating you, companions who don't agree with you become "rivals" instead, get a different bonus, but still allow you to do all their quests. For the most part, you can use who you want without having to care about appeasing them.
Lastly, some bad ones.
* Classes for companions do not have specializations, not all trees available to all characters. For example, only one companion mage has access to the heal spell (which also is terrible now) and you cannot specialize in Spirit Healer with anyone but the main character. Each companion does have a special unique tree, but I really wish you could customize your companions a bit more.
* Lots of re-use of the same areas. Most of the game takes place in and around one city across 3 Acts, so of course you see a lot of the same scenery as the game progresses, but the maps for many of the side quests are all based around a core set of 4 or 5 maps, and they vary it by blocking off sections. One mansion will have doors that you cannot open, another will have different "wall" doors, so you're on the same map, but you're just limited in where you can explore. It really killed the immersion for me, I really wish they had chosen a different method.
* Story. Now, the story wasn't bad, but at times you feel like you don't really know why you are doing something. For a normal person, finding jobs to pay for a trip may be acceptable, but in a game I expect something more...epic. You rarely have the sense that what you're doing is important to anyone outside the city (or sometimes anyone but yourself), unlike in Origins where you're tasked quite early to save the world. Also, after finishing, you feel as though this game was designed specifically to be part 2 of a trilogy (and this is certainly no Empire Strikes Back!) You don't get the same satisfaction as Origins, and I felt a bit empty after finishing it. Either they've designed it for DLC, or they have big plans for DA3.
TL;DR: The game is not terrible, and its not fantastic. It's somewhere in the middle, and still fun. If your expectations are high, lower them, and if you compare it to Origins constantly, you very well may hate it. But, for me, I played it without much predisposition, and I found it a fun but flawed game. They improved game mechanics, but dropped the ball on immersion. | video-games_xbox |
Afterglow blue wireless headset - Well deservered 5 stars. We have 2of every console (two gamers with different gamer tastes, whatchagonnado?) and it has been a huge pain in the rear trying to find ANY headset much less a wireless that will work without issue on every system. We use HDMI so that complicates things - the solution offered has always been "Go buy an adapter or switch off of HDMI". Screw that! We did buy one small adapter for the xbox 360 that allowed the audio to go out separate from the hdmi but ultimately we didn't need to use it. Our Home theater has usb port for controlling the ipod and so we tried it and it works! I just plug in the 'usb dongle' from the afterglow into the aux ipod usb port, pop on a 1/4 adapter to the 1/8 stereo plug and plug it into my home theater's headphone jack. WHAMMO! All game systems AND the TV are now heard via wireless headphones. My husband has his own set of game systems in the Man Cave/Office. Everything is centered on his desk, so he's done the same. Except he also runs a coax audio cable from his PC soundcard into the home theater as well so now he has all the game systems, PC, iPod, Pandora, XM... whatever he wants he can run through the headset via the home theater.
As to sound/look/feel, its a well made product. The mic sounds great. The controls for fading/fixing in mic/game volumes are on one control and overall volume is on another. They keep a charge forever it seems - especially if you turn them off after using them. My husband says he had put his aside while he was redoing his office and 6 weeks later they were still good for a couple hours of play. The leather/pleather earpads are very supple. Quite comfy- about the same texture as the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros but the padding is alot firmer on these. So the Senns are more comfy but that's a pretty high-end set to compare to, and wired as well.
I love the green Xbox cable (phones-to-controller)- its easy to pic out and never gets lost. The lights a very cool (you can turn them off if you don't want them- but why are you buying a 'glowy' head then, hmmm?). Also, setting the sound mode (there are three) changes the mic-boom led color, so you know which mode you are in. The mic also retracts- another plus.
Overall we are both very happy with this product. Its solidly built, comfy and very flexible in its application. Four calloused gamer-thumbs up!! | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing Single Player saved by Deniable Ops. Tweet: Deniable Ops and CO-OP shine whereas Single Player is a huge disappointment!!!
Recommendation: BUY @ $30 (discounted)
Pros:
. Deniable Ops makes up for Single Player
. CO-OP a good addition
. Still in some ways a unique experience
. Michael Ironside voicing Sam
Cons:
. Destroyed unique gameplay that is key to the series
. Missions that force you to run and gun
. Cheap gimmicks that ruin the game such as Mark & Execute
. Weak story with poor mission design
. Iraq mission?! OMG
. Sales people should not make design decisions PERIOD
A few words (rant?):
As a huge fan of the Splinter Cell series, I had really high expectations especially for the Single Player mode. Unfortunately, Ubisoft decided to take the sales/marketing rep's advice rather than a designer's perspective. The result is an utterly disjointed single player campaign that destroys what made Splinter Cell this outstanding unique experience that we (better known as the Darksiders) were waiting for.
For the record, the pinnacle of the series, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was one of the most successful and most played game on the original Xbox so why destroy it is beyond comprehension?! Pure incompetence is the only answer... So they decided to go for the Modern Warfare / Gears of War trigger-happy crowd and seemed to have failed if we look at the numbers. Worth mentioning they brought on one of the Ghost Recon designers "Beland" to the series which probably didn't help in any way shape or form.
Simply put, I start my mission and expect to stealthily go around enemies/AI like the good old days, I soon find out that in most missions that's just impossible!!! So I have to run and gun and since the odds are stacked up against me they introduced a mark-execute mechanism that (depending on the weapon) can auto-kill up to 4 enemies with just a tap, how entertaining!?! Absolutely horrible!
Ok enough ranting.
Deniable Ops makes up (sort of) for the Single Player since you can play through the missions the old stealth way but there's no story at all, still it keeps you busy and has a few different modes; Last stand is a Gears Horde-mode clone but not as entertaining and very un-Splinter Cell. For the hardcore, there's an infiltration mode that can be played on Realistic so you have to remain undetected, they added this mode to make up for us Series fans but without the story element it's quite boring. CO-OP is similar to Deniable Ops plus a mini-story, it's rather entertaining and some additional missions are available via DLC. There are multiple costumes and weapons with an ok upgrade system as well as an internal list of achievements that could keep you busy if you're into completing everything.
The next game is in the works, hopefully they learned their lesson and listened to the feedback, you can visit the official forums to see some of the reaction if you're interested, it ain't pretty! | video-games_xbox |
Multiplayer drags it down. First Ill start off by saying that Gears 2 Singleplayer campaign and horde mode are great fun with friends however the multiplayer is a serious joke. Im a veteran of Gears 1 multiplayer with over 10k kills and a lot of matches played. Needless to say Gears 1 offered an addicting, fast paced, teamwork oriented mutiplayer experience.
My hopes were high that Epic would follow the same formula for Gears 2 but sadly I was wrong. The game is unbalanced to say the least. The chainsaw has become a standard method of scoring easy kills and the poor hit/stun detection of the game causes endless scenarios of hearing your friends say "Wtf? I just shot that guy and he still chainsawed me." The main gameplay mechanics have changed from skill based methods of attack and defense to using the cheapest tricks possible to win. Planting grenades right in the enemies spawn zone, constantly facing enemies who are wielding human shields, and the predictable initial spam of stun/smoke grenades gets old fast. Its not much fun to be smoke stunned and after 5 seconds of flopping around on the ground you stand up into a 12 year olds chainsaw insta-kill. I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh sometimes.
Gone are the days of visceral shotgun battles and strategic flanking of Gears 1. Gears 2 just feels slower and more cumbersome. The whole game feels like its trying to be tougher than its older brother by having a heavier slower feel and deeper weapon sounds but the fact is the game is just slowed down. Going back to playing Gears 1 after a frustrating few weeks of Gears 2 gave me an even greater realization of the stark contrast that separates the two games multiplayer experience.
To finish this review off Id just like to say that theres a lot of fun and and entertainment to be found in Gears of War 2. The Singleplayer was a blast to play with a buddy and I thought it was odd and unfair that so many magazine reviews criticized the singleplayer so harshly but spoke volumes about the multiplayer. I think they had it the wrong way around. Horde mode also soaked up about 50% of the time I spent playing with friends online but for all its greatness the mode can become quite repetitive. The graphics are great, the storyline was okay, the voice acting solid, and the varied locales of the singeplayer were a high point in my opinion.
The addition of new DLC/achievements and a new ranking system shows the hopes that Epic and Microsoft have to try and make this game relevant and inspire desire to play. I think its far less successful than they would ever let on. Message to Microsoft and Epic: Gears of War isn't supposed to be Halo!
To wrap up Ill just say that I used to play Gears 1 with several friends almost everynight for 2-3 hours which was well worth what I spent on it. Gears two is the exact opposite. I played for about 4 weeks and it ended up being an excercise in frustration and only comes out for a late night Horde session which is more of a chatroom time burner than anything else. | video-games_xbox |
Solid, fun platformer in the "old school" tradition. Blinx: The Timesweeper is a fun and fairly well made platformer cast in the mold of some classic games but with a new twist: the ability to manipulate time. I read a fair number of reviews on the internet before buying this game and a distressing number of bad reviews nearly dissuaded me from the purchase. I'm quite glad though, that a few poisitve and insightful comments convinced me to take the plunge.
Starting with the basics, Blinx is a three dimensional (actually four dimensional) platformer game. That is to say, you control a character who has to move through large levels and leap about and stay alive while defeating a fairly large number of quirky enemies and rooting out hidden secrets. For a plot you have your basic save the world, get the girl scenario. The controls for Blinx are a little difficult to manipulate at first, not because the scheme is particularly complex, but because of the camera. A faulty camera is the first pitfall in any three dimensional, third person game and the deisgners of Blinx, recognizing this, put the camera in your hands. You choose the angle and can even go into an "over the ears" mode which lets you look around from a first person perspective. The challenge in controlling Blinx is figuring out how to move while constantly manipulating the camera to your best advantage, as "forward" and "backward" and such change with the camera. It can be a little disorienting at times, but that's just part of the game. If you can get that skill down early, a lot of the tougher sequences in the game get a lot easier. Ultimately, Blinx can move and look any which way, you've just got to learn how to make him do it and the challenge is subtle, especially in heated battles where you don't have time to choose your angles carefully.
What makes Blinx special and different are the time manipulation features. If you gather certain cmbinations of special "time crystals", you can alter the game with the stdandard VCR controls: pause, slow, rewind, fast forward, and record. All the powers are cool and useful although they sometimes seem under-utilized, which is to say that there a lot of levels and enemies you can easily defeat without any of the time manipulations. But they are still fun to use, with rewind, record, and pause seeming to be the most powerful. Rewind is most often used to reconstruct crumbled or destroyed features of a level, pause is a useful combat trick to say the least, and record is a multipurpose tool, making you twice as deadly in combat or giving you a spare hand to open special, double triggered doors and such. You can gather crystals by walking over them or by sucking them up with your vacuum cleaner. Blinx is equipped with one heck of a vacuum cleaner and he uses it to suck up garbage to fire at his enemies.
Graphically and musically speaking, Blinx is dripping with cuteness. The graphics are amazing and the landscapes are trippy and highly detailed although there seem to be an awfully lage number of invisible walls keeping you out of some of the nooks and corners. The music is your typical platformer fare, and would have gone perfectly with Sonic or Mario games of the past, although it is more techinically involved than some of those games' music and obviously beyond the capabilites of the older consoles we all played those games on.
Blinx is a long game of standard levels punctuated by occasional boss levels that you move through in a linear fashion. However, you can go back and replay old levels as many times as you wish in order to stockpile gold or to perfect your technique. Indeed, you have to go back to some of the old levels once you have better equipment as some secrets are only accessible once you have used some of your cash to upgrade your vacuum cleaner. Some objects are far too heavy and large for the sweeper you start with to handle.
The most common complaints people have made about this game are about its camera, its difficulty, and its music and feel. Most of these complaints are unwarranted. The camera is challenging to learn to use, but once you do it is quite powerful and flexible. Good games should be difficult. An easy game you can pass in a few hours without dying or having to really think or explore new strategies is just a waste of time. The difficult stages you encounter later in the game go a long way towards giving it that "old school" feel. And finally, the game is supposed to be "cute". If you don't think you can stomach that sort of Hello Kitty brand of cuteness, then Blinx, despite its excellent and innovative glameplay, is not the game for you.
Overall, Blinx is an excellent game for both kids and adults. It is fresh, challenging, and worth adding to the collection of any fan of platformers. | video-games_xbox |
Not the Oblivion killer, but a good RPG anyway. The first two hours of so are probably the most nail-biting moments a gamer can experience. Not because of the atmosphere of the game, but because it makes the game start to regret shelling $60 for the title. The graphics are not even close to that of Oblivion (the new standard for fantasy open-RPGs), the voice acting is a little over-the-top, the story is only so-so, the instruction manual is virtually useless (in fact, incorrect at points), and the menu navigation is simply horrid. Most gamers will likely abandon their hopes of having a fantastic RPG experience. However, those that trudge beyond the aimless wandering and frustration are rewarded heavily.
The story is rather generic, but the persistent world aspect puts a unique twist on the way it is presented. While the sheer number of quests is impressive enough, actions the player performs within the game affect the way certain quests will play out. For example, one townsperson asks for an item from a woman. If you have learned of a particular plot line, you can use those details to trick the woman into relinquishing the item. If not, she'll ask a favor of you instead. And since each action, each quest you complete, fail, or decline changes the dynamic of character interaction, playing the same game twice will be tricky.
Combat is, regrettably, similar to the hack-and-slash style of PC dungeon crawlers (Dungeon Siege comes to mind). You have an attack button, a dodge button, and a hotkey button (as well as buttons to quick-use a mana or health potion). Attacks are split into three flavors (pierce, slash, bludgeon) with different enemies being more or less affected by each. Magic and skills can only be done by assigning a spell to a hotkey. The variety in combat comes from decisions to fight one-handed (shield in the other; blocking is not controlled by the player), two-handed (using a spear or stave; you can hit multiple enemies with a single blow), or dual-wielding (the second weapon is less accurate, but can do extra damage). There are a few skills that can be useful in combat such as kicking dust in the eyes of your foes or shooting multiple arrows at once, but the hotkey system makes using them a bit tricky. It will certainly take some getting used to.
Screenshots for Two Worlds looked on par with Oblivion, so when looking at the bland character models, it's a disappointment. But they are not without merit. The draw distance is very impressive, being able to make out individual trees far off in the distance, as well as virtually every unobstructed tower, castle, and city. The variety of region gives each area identity as opposed to walking through what looks like the same forest for the entire game. The water looks about on par with Oblivion, with wake in the water from the movement of the arms and body. Shadows are complete, but look blocky from certain angles.
The sound is a mixed bag. Combat noises are too generic to be noteworthy. However, background noises, such as birds chirping in the trees, are a nice touch. Voice acting, as I mentioned before, is a bit over the top. Sometimes, the voices lapse out of character or don't follow the subtitles. A major advantage over Oblivion is the variety of voices used, so it won't sound like the same three people over and over again. Overall, the audio is not a selling point, but it's above average anyway.
In the end, the quirks draw all of the attention form the early going, but go away with time. The many positives (those mentioned above as well as fluid alchemy system and item combination) will surely please the dedicated [few - if you believe the reviews of the less patient]. It is certainly not Oblivion, but why would I want to pay $60 for a game I already have? Two Worlds does enough well that it can stand on its own amongst the [albeit, few] RPGs on the platform. By all means, give the game a chance; and please, be a little patient. | video-games_xbox |
Finally!! just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this and totally redeem yourself. It seems the year that all of us Madden fanatics were ready to give up on the franchise, finally Madden pulls one out of its monopolized helmet and delivers a title that we all have been waiting for since the birth of Hi-Def gaming. It seemed the 360 was cursed when Madden was first released. Cursed with overly achieved graphics with gameplay so choppy that it was virtual unplayable, not at least without wanting to destroy your house in utter frustration. It seemed year after year, Madden got a little closer to what we wanted but always spent 50% of their time on the look, 40% on marketing and 10% on gameplay, intuitiveness, seamless animation and development. That's being nice. Perhaps every year getting a little closer but always falling drastically short; adding a new feature that we didn't care about or was rendered useless because of its pathetic attempts of making a game that we could actually play and enjoy. New features don't mean jack if the underlining game is as promising as a new Micheal Bolton record.
Now, I just got this game but I can honestly say my initial reaction is 10x happier than I was last year. There is no need to hesitate with your Madden purchase or reluctantly rent before buying. I think finally Madden has taken its first huge leap since its debut on the 360. What's great? #1: fluid and seamless animation. The curse of the choppy gameplay that Madden has consecutively suffered over has officially been kicked to the curb like Chris Brown. I know this is going way back but do you remember when a football game played fluidly (like NFL 2K for instance). You would hit the button to juke left or right, spin move and the player would react instantaneously. And not only that, but animation in general didn't feel like Vista running on an old computer. In the previous Maddens, delays would happen constantly, so much so that you had to predict a few seconds in advance on what your opponent was going to do be effective. In other words, you had to have psychic abilities or just have plain dumb luck in order to be successful. It would become a button masher frenzy in hopes you're controlled player would react to one and that's counting the constant hiccups, delays and overly bad AI on both sides of the ball.
Did I mention the game looks great. So ok, you may not see the closeup shots you saw of later year but what would you rather have: close-ups of sweaty pores or a game that's fluid and has more playability than Budweiser has drinkability. Don't get me wrong, the graphics look amazing, cinematic and even on par with the live HD NFL experience. Stadiums are spot on! Crowds and sidelines look and feel realistic. Player's mannerisms, faces, attributes, play-styles and actions are all on par with their real-life counterparts. Graphics are superb but I'm glad they've taken the passenger seat and let controls and gameplay take the pilot seat. All plays pan out the way you can expect them to and for the first time you feel like you have control over what's occurring on screen. What a concept, its just sad its taken Madden almost 5 yrs on hi-def gaming to figure it out. I've bought Madden and i'm actually not in complete disgust that I did. Just the opposite, can I go as bold as to say this year's Madden is 1) fluid 2) graphically appealing 3) fun 4) ultimately playable and dynamically challenging 5) on par and on same page with the NFL experience 6) realistic 7) gradually challenging. WOW!!
All modes and features from previous Maddens are here: Franchise, Superstar, hit stick, Madden IQ and the whole nine.
Whats different and greatly adds to the realism: scrubs, yards after contact, crowd reactions (very responsive and appropriate to whats going on), ref interactions (during plays and off), broadcasting commentary and realism, cinematic angles and replays.
Online features are VAST and well implemented!
Enjoy Video Game football again for the first time in Five YEARS!! Finally! It's about time!!
I leave you with this:
"just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this and totally redeem yourself." Dumb and Dumber
More to come as I play more..
I'm into my six game into the regular season and I'm still enjoying the game. The meat and potatoes of the game work, gameplay is superb. Not sure why some are still being negative. Madden has finally delivered smooth, good-paced gameplay yet people find faults in a few missing non-essential features. What's lacking, no player progression element with camp, practice or otherwise--only based on performance but no real way to track it. No training camp. Not a huge loss. Better than 09 as 09 suffered from lag and hiccups at times and execution of plays was poor and didn't have a whole lot of replay value (I went back to 08 on the original Xbox to get quick-paced action).
Fight for fumbles (button-smashing sequence) only happens during a pile up and rarely. It takes you by surprise at first but you get used to it. Yes, its arcadey and doesn't really belong in a sim but you can turn it off.
Scrubs are fun, especially when they go your way. Sometimes you can even break free from them with a truck move or juke. I love using the truck stick with Brandon Jacobs and using his power to fight through them (so life-like).
I'm progressing nicely and with Madden's IQ system, challenge is always dynamic to your level of play. | video-games_xbox |
Same Fun Game, 25 new levels and crystals to collect. What is there not to like about Crash? His goofy grin, odd tricks, and weird since of saving the world make him the perfect Super Hero! That's what made him and his games sell on the PlayStation. Well, he's back, and better than ever! Only now, he's on Xbox.
For those of us who loved the first 3 Crash games, it was a heavenly joy when Microsoft announced that PlayStation's best selling super hero would be making his way onto the Xbox. And make it's way it did, as Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex is the best yet, and is up there with the best games Xbox has to offer. Here's why I bought this game, and why you need to do so QUICK.
1. What makes this game so great to begin with is the 25 fun filled levels. Fly a plane, power a submarine, or just skate across the level to get the crystal. So much variety in each warp room means each crystal you desire will require a different skill to get it. Control all kinds of machinery and battle through all kinds of conditions. So many crystals, so few lives! Can u defeat the game?
2. The awsome graphics and easy controls: This game, as cartoonish as the cover may look, puts a new theme in cartoony graphics. Everything from the past 3 games is jam packed into here including collecting peaches for lives (need 100), TNN boxes, warp rooms, and oombagas. Only with better graphics. This game will feel just like your PlayStation did back in the day. Similarities are easy to find, including the controls (which keep the same basic moves). All this plus 16 games files to save your game, you'll be trying to beat it over and over and over...
Finally, it just brings back old memories. Same controls, tricks, and the basic gameplay make you feel at home in the game right away. Great to just hang around and play swapping the controls with a friend(s), this game will keep you entertained for hours upon hours. Don't miss out on this wonderful game, get it now, and bring back fun memories! | video-games_xbox |
Solid kit, minor flaws. Unlike some of the other users, I did not have any problems with small pieces breaking (yet). It took me awhile to put the kit together but I was careful not to screw anything in TOO tight, to avoid possibly breaking or cracking the attachments.
PROS:
The drum pads/cymbals are solid and larger than the pads on the RB2 drum set. The ability to adjust, tilt, raise, lower and space the drums is almost limitless. This was the most time consuming part for me - finding the most comfortable placement for each drum. Once I got my arrangment down (after Day 2), I tightened all the nuts in place to lock in my placement.
They pads have good bounce back and are pretty quiet. Very pleased with the pads overall.
CONS:
I had no idea this was NOT a wireless kit. Not a huge deal, but having the USB cable stretching to the console kinda sucks when you have cats...
The cymbals do not register light hits at all. However, they are quiet and well-paded, so hitting them hard is required, but not as obnoxious as with my previous drum set. This lack of cymbal sensitivity, however, discourages me from playing on PRO mode.
The bass pedal seemed loud at first, but I stopped noticing once I started rocking out. The pedal comes with velcro strips to prevent them from sliding on the carpet, which was much needed.
After arranging the placement of the drums to my liking, the control unit was pretty much buried underneath my pads and kinda a pain to access (having to reach UNDER my drum pads to navigate the menus and songlist). This seemed unavoidable to me. The directional pad and the buttons on the control unit are also very far apart from each other, making it more difficult to navigate and choose songs with one hand.
OVERALL:
I knew the cymbals and the bass pedal could be an issue from reading past reviews, however, I am very pleased with the kit overall. The drum pads feel great and the ability to position everything individually is fantastic. It's a larger kit, so it is less portable, but a LOT of fun and definitely makes you look and feel like a rockstar! ;) | video-games_xbox |
NCAA Football 08. I've had this game a week, and I've played a few games. I've been playing ncaa football ever since Bill Walsh football for the SNES. Here are my current observations. i will begin by saying that I enjoy playing the game a lot.
CONS:
1. Probably the most annoying thing is that the commentary will lag almost a whole play behind.
2. I miss the create a school option, not so much for being able to create m y school, but at least it gave me access to play the fight songs.
3. The sideline teammates, not only just stand there and clap, but their facemasks aren't even the correct color. I play as Oklahoma, and on the field, the facemasks are white, but on the sideline, they are dark blue.
4. I wish they'd keep the stiff arm buttons as RB and LB. It shouldn't be the A button. I keep forgetting this and i fumble the ball as I tend to hit L trigger after LB does not work. I'm teaching myself to hit A button though.
5. During bowl games, i wish they at least put each team's end zone design in there instead of some generic stuff. EA sports has done it before, and they do it in the OU-Texas game, so it shouldn't be that difficult.
6. Even though they've tried, i wish the crew would work on even more new dialogue.
PROS:
1. The animation, especially tackling and mid air collisions is way improved.
2. the players, for the most part move a heck a lot smoother.
3. i'm glad they have more stadiums in the game, THe fact that the Alamo Bowl, played in the AlamoDOME played outside was inexcusable.
4. OU-Texas and UF-UGA are played in their correct stadiums. They finally included the Cotton Bowl. Too bad they didn't get the official games designs like prior years. (PS it's too bad it's supposedly no longer the world's largest outdoor cocktail party too. God forbid if college students drink alcohol.)
I'm still debating if i like the instant replay saving stuff yet. I like how fast it comes up at the end of the game, but the viewing options are quite limited afterwards. It is nice, however, to relive the time the guy dove for my endzone, and i whopped him in mid air, and he fumbled and I recovered to keep him out. The game isn't as bad as some people on here would lead you to believe.
1 August 2007
After playing a little longer, I've discovered a couple of more things about the game that I would like to comment on.
Turn down the clipping attribute to almost nothing. I had about fifteen clipping calls, so I turned the slider waaaaaaay down, and it still called them, but not as often, but almost.
Secondly, while I like that the stats come up at the bottom of the screen, EA no longer lets you know if they are career, current season, or just that game's stats.
a nice suggestion would be to bring back the EA ticker either across the bottom of the screen or accessible in the pause menu mode like ps1 so you can see how those other teams are doing. with the espn tie in, it'd be even cooler to run have your dynasty's and real life scores and info running across the bottom of the screen, or at minimum, do the on the :15s like they do on espn. I played this year's Big XII championship in the Alamodome, but it was an outdoor stadium. Go figure. I never did check this year's Alamo Bowl. | video-games_xbox |
Crackdown- 20+ hours of the same thing. First of all, a note to the parents: This game is rated M for blood, intense violence, language, drug content, sexual content and I'm sure they've come up with others. I'd like to take this time to say, this rating is stupid! I had my mother watch me play this game for about 20 mins and she found nothing wrong with it (or at least nothing as severe as they make it sound). Blood is there, and violence is there, but drugs and sex? Not really... Anyway, to the review!
"Shortened" Review is at the bottom titled "OVERALL SUMMARY"
Crackdown is a typical "sandbox" game. (A "sandbox" game typically involves a player controlling 1 character with 1 major objective and they can complete it in any way they want while roaming the entire map)
The big story is that there is a city which is composed of 3 islands- each island controlled by a different major gang. The "Agency" (the police) have created clones, capable of growing into large, powerful and talented agents to fight these numerous gangs. (The player plays as the clone. They choose 1 of about 6 different body types)
Gameplay: The bosses breakdown into a pyramid style. The kingpin (leader) is at the top, 4 followers in the middle of the pyramid and 2 minor gang bosses at the bottom. This is where some freedom for the player is brought in. They can choose to attack the kingpin right away, but will probably be killed for the first couple of tries. Or, they could kill the "underlings" first. Each boss is incharge of something. Gang member fitness, weapons, vehicles, explosives, gang numbers, etc. Taking out a leader, let's say the weapon's leader, would have a major impact on the other gang members. Now that the weapon's dealer is gone, instead of snipers and rocket launchers, gang members only have pistols and shotguns. There are 5 basic skils: Agility, Strength, Driving, Explosives, and Weapons. Using these skills to kill other gang members incrases them. For example, a level 1 in explosives, might have a grenade explode with a radius of about 4 feet, whereas a level 4 in explosives (max) has an explosion radius of about 20 feet. You may also grab cars of your choice (even if someone is already driving them!), throw almost anything you see on the screen and, if you choose, kill innocents (however, the agency will send an endless supply of agents to hunt you down- making this path undesireable).
Graphics- Not much to say here. 50% of the players will love them, 50% will hate them. The sky is realistic enough, along with the buildings, but the characters arn't realaistic, but more comic book-like. Explosions are fun to watch as the physics engine is very good. (ex. When an explosive goes off a trash can flys 100 feet, a car only goes about 5.)
OVERALL SUMMARY:
This game is a police verison of Grand Theft Auto with numerous weapons, races, cars and areas to explore. The graphics and physics engine demonstrate their true power brilliantly. The achievements range from incredibly easy (finding 1 supply point) to incredibly difficult (find all 300 hidden orbs). It's fun, addicting, and a way to kill some time until some of the stronger sellers come out later in the year. My only complant is that the game is very repetitive. Reborn --> Kill gangs --> get some skills up --> do something stupid & die --> Repeat. Overall, if you have $60 buring a hole in your pocket, this probably the best game to spend it on. | video-games_xbox |
Garden Warfare. Reasons people are giving this game negative ratings/ reviews: it REQUIRES xbox live gold and there is no split screen co-op which it clearly says in the description. Now that that's out of the way, here's my review...
PvZ Garden Warfare is a nice change of pace from typical shooter games (CoD, battlefield, Halo, etc) because it's a game where you can literally just play for ---wait for it--- fun! Honestly, how can someone get upset at an engineer (riding a jaackhammer with his butt crack hanging out) for vanquishing you. The game is full of action and explosions and it's fun for all ages especially younger children (no blood, gore, nudity or swearing like most shooters).
There are 4 different types of classes for both the plant side and zombie side but each class has many different character skins that will have different abilities or elemental effects added to them. Characters for plants: Pea shooter, chomper, cactus and sunflower. Characters as Zombies: All-Star, foot soldier, scientist and engineer.
Garden Ops: Survive waves of zombies with up to 3 others (4 total) on 4 different difficulties easy, normal, hard and crazy. Each game is 10 waves and then surviving for two minutes at the extraction point. Waves 5 and 10 will be Zomboss Waves the bosses include the disco zombie, two different garganutuars, a yeti, tombstones, or money rewards.
Competitive Game Modes (24 players aka 12 versus 12): Team Vanquish (think deathmatch/ slayer), Gardens vs Graveyards (think conquest from battlefield), Classic Team Vanquish (deathmatch with only the basic character classes allowed), Classic Gardens and Graveyards (only basic character classes allowed), Gnome Bomb (think neutral assault with each team having 3 places to plant the bomb), and Vanquish confirmed (think kill confirmed from CoD).
You can buy sticker card packs varying from 1,000 coins up to 40,000 coins. You earn money for everything... winning, losing, kills, assists, garden ops, multiplayer etc. or you can use actual money to buy card packs the most expensive is 200,000 coins for $9.99. Buying these packs unlocks new character pieces, plants to plant, zombies to summon, different weapon skins, character upgrades, and new pieces of clothing for your plants and zombies.
The sticker book shows your stats for every plant and zombie, your vanquish to death ratio overall and for each character, time played overall and for each character, etc.
Overall the game is a lot of fun. Both DLC's for the game are free to download which is nice. As you progress and unlock new characters they get much more powerful and the game becomes easier for you. And I have to say ALL of the maps are fun and enjoyable, there is not one map I dislike. The game is great and worth the $19.99-$29.99 price tag. I originally rented it but it was good enough that I bought it. | video-games_xbox |
Madden improves with additions that may change the way you play the game. For years Madden has been a decent game that could be enjoyed by overlooking its considerable flaws and deficiencies which have generated frustration yet avoided game-breaking status. For many that was possible and the value was there, for some it was still too much to get past.
That really hasn't changed with Madden NFL 15 which has improved in several areas of need but come up short yet again in others. Whats different this time is the number of options that change the way you can play for the better.
Continue on to check out what Ive identified as the best and the worst after 15 hours of playing Madden NFL 15. There are obviously more to come as Im not able to touch on issues people have seen with simmed stats or play calling fully yet as a few examples. A more complete review will follow late this week or early next week.
************* TOP LIKES ************
DEFENSIVE CAMERA ANGLE AND CAMERA SWITCHING ON THE FLY
Its been a long time since a feature has completely surprised me in how much the functionality changes the way a game is played. Never would I have thought camera angles could have such impact as they have with the implementation in Madden 15.
I had no desire necessarily to change away from the traditional camera so when the announcements were made none of it resonated with me. Even when games like NCAA Football added them I would generally stick to the defaults and having tried specialty ones like Player Lock in that series a flipped option on defense was assumed to be virtually unplayable and a pointless offering.
The defensive camera in Madden keeps the action in front of you and that can actually be advantageous as you get the sense you're containing big plays. Its probably most natural for controlling a defensive lineman or a blitzing player but even linebackers and safeties can be utilized effectively in many instances whether in man, zone, or spying. Rare is the occasion where a player gets behind the last line of defense and off-screen and switching who is controlled during a play isn't disorienting at all. Situationally the best time to use the defensive camera may be in third and long where you can get at the QB and rush a throw or pick up the sack. Ive had less success in short or medium yardage but that is probably not the fault of that camera.
The D-Pad lets you switch between camera angles before every snap and Ive found myself changing it on an almost play-to-play basis. When running up the middle I like the zoomed in perspective. When passing its the traditional camera or one notch out. When running to the outside its one of the two zoomed out options and screen plays are all the way zoomed out. Then I get crazy and for some reason like the broadcast camera for kick and punt returns. The only problem Ive had is that the CPU doesnt give you any time to change the angle on some kick returns. Everyone will probably have their own set of preferences but I suspect those aware of the options will get creative in using them to their benefit.
DEFENSIVE LINE CONTROLS
Though the pop-ups might look gimmicky controlling a defensive lineman is much more enjoyable and effective due to the new controls. Its fun to anticipate the snap (and the good QBs will try to draw you offsides and its worked on me a few times) and hit the left trigger to get the best jump. Then once engaged you can hit the button that pops up to try and get off the block and/or use the stick to try and get around them. Sometimes itll work and others it won't its pretty satisfying when it does and impressive when it doesnt. From the defensive camera angle especially the double and sometimes triple teams that youll see are really neat.
The problem might be the number of sacks racked up. This seems more related to the QBs willingness to eat the ball rather than get rid of it. Its not solely on these controls making it easier to get after them. Ndamukong Suh is on pace for 32 sacks (through eight games he had 16) in my franchise season and I control him on only maybe half the snaps.
BALANCED GAMEPLAY
In order to put up realistic scores and stats games are going to need 10+ minute quarters. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. The games are playing out more true-to-life but the number of possessions aren't adequate with shorter quarters. With the defense improved youll be punting more than in the past plus the CPU is converting at a high rate on third downs which keeps the clock running.
Exploits from last year have really been cleaned up. Running to the outside isn't going to always work. In my franchise currently Reggie Bush has 4.7ypc and Joique Bell only 3.2 yards. Getting the running game going isn't easy but Ive started to have more success as of late. Money routes in the passing game have too been limited though Im sure some will be found as far more effective than others (Ive already learned a number of routes to pretty much avoid). The crowd-sourced play calling already is showing some trends on what tends to work and what doesnt. There are also more options to counter the opposition when on defense which are great to have though I haven't been able to fully evaluate yet.
The CPU is far more challenging on All-Pro. I started my franchise season 3-3 though Ive now won the last 4 games to go to 7-3. Only 2 of them have been won by a big margin. Unfortunately stats still seem to be a problem. In the franchise my Lions have the #1 defense and #32 offense.
GREATER PLAYER DIFFERENTIATION
Despite the success of lower-tier quarterbacks (see the dislike section) even their player skills are shining through well. The difference between taking on Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn is huge as it should be. QBs are playing to their strengths with Cam Newton running the ball a lot, Johnny Manziel looking uncomfortable in the pocket and scrambling around frequently, and Drew Brees sticking to the pocket and making throw after throw on the money.
Adrian Peterson is difficult to bring down, far more so than most other running backs. The versatility of a Reggie Bush is fun to utilize. Ndamukong Suh or J.J. Watt are monsters and can get to the QB consistently especially if you are controlling them. Lower rated lineman will not have that kind of impact. More talented receivers will make some spectacular catches and adjust to the ball better but otherwise don't separate themselves as well as QB, RB, or DL. Kicking is super easy even with the worst ones but not many field goals are missed these days in the NFL. Other positions, whether it be offensive line or linebacker or defensive back, are a little more difficult to evaluate over a constrained period of time so well have to see how they shake out.
COMMUNITY PLAY SUGGESTIONS
Another unexpected area of appreciation comes with the new crowd-sourced play call suggestions. This uses telemetry collected from all games of Madden being completed to present a handful of plays that have been successful in the current situation. It even shows why the play is being brought up with data indicating its success rate and average yards gained. This has proven much more useful than GameFlow and for the most part appealing plays are floating to the top. Hopefully over time there will be more variety rather than less as people begin to identify what tends to work too often. The only problem with the community suggestions are that you get defaulted to it after every play and have to back out to get to other play-calling options.
********** TOP DISLIKES **********
CPU QB EFFICIENCY
In the lead-up to release EA Sports made a big deal out of how quarterbacks would play more to their skill level specifically when it comes to accuracy. That poor QBs would struggle because of it. Unfortunately this hasn't completely turned out to be true.
There are the occasional inaccurate throws yes. Youll maybe see one or two of those a game. They will also throw some picks. However regardless of who the QB is they will most likely complete 70-90% of their passes. Christian Ponder, Matt Flynn, Geno Smith, and Johnny Manziel are some of those who have done this to me. They rarely take shots deep but will consistently find receivers in the short to intermediate range and move the ball down the field showing especially good decision-making skill on third downs.
While the defense can get good pressure on the QB and rack up the sacks, the actual presence of pressure seems to do nothing to affect most throws. The QB will either eat the ball and take the sack or deliver an accurate pass.
INABILITY TO TAKE DEEP SHOTS WITH ONE-ON-ONE COVERAGE
One of the biggest problems with Madden has been how poorly it represents one-on-one coverage down the field and that hasn't changed this year. Even with guys like Calvin Johnson throwing a bomb to them when single covered is just asking for an interception. Receivers don't use their body to position for the ball and corners playing underneath leap for the picks practically uncontested. Quarterbacks, even those with big arms like Matthew Stafford, consistently underthrow the deep ball even when attempting to lead the receiver. I could count on one finger the number of times Ive overthrown the receiver on a deep ball.
Receivers are simply too passive in these situations. Youll recognize the familiar putting up their hands to make a catch on a ball that won't be getting past the defender animation. Its almost like the defense knows this too, because Megatron and other elite receivers are left in single coverage far too often. Its incredibly frustrating knowing that cant be exploited because the risk of being picked off is too great despite any spectacular catches and incompletions mixed in.
NO-HUDDLE OFFENSE MOVES WAY TOO FAST
EA did a lot of good things to make Madden more sim this year, even slowing down the ability to make multiple hot routes, but going no-huddle seems poorly represented. Players are able to get to the line of scrimmage from all over the field, lined up properly knowing the play (telepathically it seems unless you want to pretend they called multiple in the last huddle) and set for the snap consistently in 4-5 seconds. This happens so fast and with the camera on the QB rushing to the line that on defense you have maybe half a second to change your play or camera angle. The CPU snaps it immediately, while maybe user opponents would adjust the play at the line. Its not realistic even for the most up-tempo of offenses.
PROBLEMS WITH OFFICIAL REVIEWS AND CHALLENGES
The play review/challenge system continues to have its frustrating limitations. Plays that should be automatically reviewed those after touchdowns, turnovers, or under two minutes are often not despite appearing to be close calls. Of course the user cant manually challenge those because they are supposedly always under review. Even if its going to be confirmed there should be more of the reviews seen. This year it has been amplified by players seemingly just dropping the ball immediately after knowing theyve triggered a score despite it appearing they didn't hold possession on catches long enough in the end zone or complete the process on the sidelines. There also remain many instances where youd like to challenge, and should be able to do so, but inexplicably the option is locked in the menu.
COMMENTARY AND FRANCHISE PRESENTATION
It seems nothing was done to improve commentary this year as many watching the streams have noted they haven't identified anything at all new. The pair of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms are often completely wrong with their facts or analysis and Simms is just maddening to listen to like real life! There is very little if anything touched upon when in Franchise mode as to stats or standings or storylines. The presentation also barely improved by adding a single upcoming schedule or division record graphic that shows up in the fourth quarter and disappears after about two seconds. The halftime show is simply about your games top plays rather than others that have taken place or are in progress. Still too much of a disconnect between the happenings in a franchise and while playing the games. | video-games_xbox |
Don't believe the negative hype, this is the best karaoke game released so far. *NOTE: For those of you having connection issues:
YOU MUST UNPLUG ALL USB MICROPHONES BEFORE STARTING LIPS!
One of the better gifts I gave this Christmas was Lips, though I have to admit I was hesitant to buy it after reading a couple mediocre reviews from gamespot and kotaku. Most of the negativity seems to revolve around the music import tool, allowing you to import your own MP3's, WMA's and M4A's from a connected thumb drive, music player (haven't tried the iPod yet, sorry), and even through a wireless connected media center! It sounds like a good idea, but one reviewer pointed out "importing thousands of my own songs was...largely useless. You don't get lyrics..." Not so. Forget proper karaoke for a moment - if you love just singing along with your favorite tunes but lack a legitimate excuse to grab a mic and rock out, Lips offers exactly that. Matching the music's waveform earns you the same points and fills the mic-gesture-gauge just as though the song were part of the game. It's a blast and we love it! Even if you decide not to import your own music, there's plenty to purchase online with full lyrics and music videos. Unfortunately, with only 40 tracks on disc, you'll find that if you DON'T add to the library at all, you'll quickly tire of repeating yourself.
Besides the library, the game itself offers a lot over its sing-along competition. The interface alone is super-slick, displaying album art for each song during music selection, and overall the whole experience is tailored for group play. Players can sing simultaneously in versus mode, or take turns with phrases and harmonies in duet mode. There's even a few party game modes (vocal fighters, Kiss, and Time Bomb) which can be activated by selecting them as the songs background video. Spectators can even use the standard controllers to make a verity of percussive sounds (ie "noise makers"), and the motion-sensitive mics can be used to activate a star/point bonus when the gesture gauge fills (much like star power in RockBand / Guitar Hero). And to answer your question, yes, Harmonix has promised a patch which will make the wireless mics compatible with RockBand in the near future. Woo!
My only complaint is an incompatibility that isn't documented in the instructions:
YOU MUST UNPLUG ALL USB MICROPHONES BEFORE STARTING LIPS.
I'll explain. First, don't listen to what other people have said -- the process of syncing both mics is just as easy as syncing a normal wireless controller. We ran into no problems here what so ever. The problem was that, though everything was working fine in single player mode, as soon as I tried to join in with the 2nd microphone, BOTH mics stopped working. Then, when starting over, the first mic, which was working fine before, started having timing and static issues. Additionally, the lights on the 2nd mic never light up, making me think it was either broken or not synced properly. No matter which order I connected everything, connecting a 2nd mic broke the connection with the first. Almost ready to take it all back, I ran across this thread on Gamespot, revealing the following observation:
"It turns out that all my issues stem from the fact I have a USB microphone connected to my Xbox 360. Somehow microphone registration gets all screwy because of that. In my case, I have my Rock Band microphone plugged into the Xbox 360 at all times. The fix is to unplug the USB microphone when you're playing Lips. Apparently this will fix both the 2nd microphone lighting issues as well as the static noise, video and audio out of sync issues, as well as the freezing issues."
My problem EXACTLY. I hope someone out there finds this useful. Happy new year! | video-games_xbox |
A Decent Shooter That Missed It's Mark By A Hair. If you remember Bullfrog's Syndicate game for PC and SNES from the 1990's and want something remotely like that, just move on.
Are they gone? Good. That game was overrated anyway. This is a modern FPS brought to us by the capable hands of Starbreeze Studios, the same people who brought us those cool Riddick games from last generation. Their mark shows in this game by making the game play more compelling than the fiction with high levels of immersion throughout the five hours or so you play. Single player is action packed, throwing you into multiple high-impact situations, attempting to keep the action from getting stale.
There are some interesting hacking abilities that allow you to do horrible things to other people, but with only three versions of these powers, you find yourself wanting more before the game ends. There is plenty in the single player experience to enjoy, with boss encounters that require you to use cunning as much as trigger, and a few surprises when the scenarios make you gun from atop a train, ride a zipline into another apartment, and much more. The story, unfortunately, is trite and plays it's hand too easily. Characters are by the numbers, and while voice acting is good (hey! that guy from the Crow!) the characters are about as one dimensional and predictable as it gets. Big twist? Not bloody likely. So for the 5 or so hours you play, you'll enjoy the ride (even if you keep screaming to your character "say something, damnit!!") I'm getting so tired of the "silent protagonist" fps games are making us play these days....
Multiplayer is only a co-op affair. And its good. Real good. Get three friends and complete varied missions together with highly customizable and upgradable characters. It's like an action-rpg hidden in a standard fps game. Create your own clan, see the rankings go up...wait, there's almost no one else playing. Well, the game is cheap now, so buy yourself and three friends a copy, otherwise the awesome co-op is unplayable. It's worth doing if you can.
Bottom line? If you've actually gotten bored of all the other games released this holiday season and need a quick shooter in between now and other releases, you should check this out. It has some good ideas and as long as you can find other players, great co-op multiplayer. | video-games_xbox |
Perfection.. until you play in Multiplayer (Updated. It's often said the the third time's the charm, and in the case of Forza Motorsport 3, that couldn't be more true. FM3 manages to improve upon it's predecessors in almost every imaginable way. If you've played Forza Motorsport 2, you're probably aware that the game wasn't designed with casual gamers in mind. FM3 changes this, and finally brings the franchise to a level that it has appeal not only as an uber-realistic racing simulator, but also as an entertaining racing game that just about anyone can pick up and enjoy. The addition of autobraking and rewind undoubtedly make things easier on newcomers, while the tweaked physics engine and ramped-up AI will give even the most die-hard Forza fanatics a run for their money. With over 400+ cars and 100+ tracks, one would be hard-pressed to get bored with this game.
Without a doubt, the two most significant improvements are the graphics and the new "Storefront". Forza Motorsport 3 displays in a native 720p (upscaled to 1080p by the console) running at 60 fps. This translates to a rich, detailed, and smooth-flowing picture that makes you feel like you're actually racing in Le Mans. To further immerse gamers, Turn 10 added a true in-cockpit view that was rendered to be a perfect likeness of the real life car. The environment and tracks weren't spared from this graphic overhaul either, and I often found myself going on free rides just to scope out the scenery and enjoy the ride.
Glossy graphics aside, the "meat" of the game is still incredibly satisfying. Those who were avid players of FM2 can testify to the integral part that online activities played. Don't worry, as Turn 10 was obviously aware this and made sure to spice things up just for you. Painting cars, applying vinyls and decals, and selling customized cars in FM3 couldn't be easier. In fact, this practice is encouraged with the addition of the new "Storefront". Players now have the ability to sell not only liveries for cars, but also tuning configurations. Making a name for yourself as an artist in Forza Motorsport 3 is a definite goal for some, but even those who lack the finesse required to create liveries can benefit from the changes.
Overall, this game not only meets all expectations set forth by hardcore FM2, but exceeds them. Those of you who are looking for a fun and relaxed racing game won't be disappointed though, as Forza Motorsport 3 was also designed with you in mind. I would, without a doubt, recommend the purchase of this game. The only downside is that the game comes with two disks (and a total of 1.9 GB of data) and necessitates the use of a hard drive if you plan on adding the bonus content (100+ cars and 3 environments).
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(UPDATE - November 4, 2009) - Numerous reviews have been posted addressing the shortcomings concerning the online multiplayer mode. They are correct. Turn 10 absolutely perfected the single player aspect of this game with "Season Mode" but, upon playing a few hours in the online multiplayer mode (which, due to all the waiting, is only two or three races) a glaring flaw reveals itself- Turn 10's "reset" of the new matchmaking system sucks. A lot. Gone are the days of creating your own custom party. Gone are the days of racing sub-A class cars. Gone are the glory days of online multiplayer.
While this may not be a huge deal to me (I mostly play single-player anyways), it's definitely a problem that NEEDS to be addressed. I've also noticed some problems in single player mode..
* Some in-car views aren't interactive, or don't render correctly.
* While the sound of cars has been vastly improved, there are still some problems. It seems that the exhaust note is based solely on displacement of the engine. A Camaro shouldn't sound like a Murcielago.
* Uploading the "Movies" doesn't work unless they're shot in low-res. 720p videos just don't upload.
* The "Performance Index" is broken. A Dodge Ram with a PI of 700 should, logically, perform on par with a Lamborghini Reventon with a PI of 700, right? Well, that's not how it works. I don't know how the PI is calculated, but it's not right.
* The resolution of Photomode leaves alot to be desired. While it's understandable that there needs to be a limit on file size to relieve strain on Turn 10's servers, I feel that the quality of the pictures doesn't do the game justice.
* Everything sold in the Storefront has a price cap of 10,000 credits. While this is just temporary, it's a huge disincentive at to spend hours upon hours perfecting a quality livery to be sold.
* The AI occasionally does stupid things. Though it's rare, I've seen opponents slam on their brakes for no reason when they're in the lead, slam into walls, or just stop driving. I don't know if these are just glitches, or the AI trying to be "more human". Whatever the cause, it's not right.
MY ratings so far-
[*****] - Single Player Mode
[****_] - Soundtrack
[*****] - Visuals
[****_] - Multiplayer (Split-screen)
[*____] - Multiplayer (Xbox Live)
[***__] - Fit and finish (Ready to be released?) | video-games_xbox |
Be warned, not a worthy member of the franchise. Okay, DRM is bad and all, and this public marketing campaign needs to keep up-it's the ONLY thing getting these companies to reconsider using it. However, this is more about the game..
Gameplay: 1/5. The controls and interface, along with the rock-paper-scissors units are well suited to casual console gamers. The general powers were overpowered and the economy in the game was the only thing keeping these games from lasting more than 5 minutes.
The building on water, while supposed to add a new aspect to gameplay, is a nuisance combined with overall inefficacy of defense buildings and poor economy. In other words, the only viable gameplay types are rushing and land grabbing.
Storyline: 2/5. The story is mostly recycled from red alert 1 and 2, with some slight creativity but mostly stereotypical asian empire/dynasty team using stereotypical japanese giant robots. Most of it was literally pulled off of red alert 1 and 2.
Graphics: 2/5. The graphics were bright, cartoony, and obnoxious. Red alert, while it had humor, was never obnoxious like this. It's unfortunate at best, and for me it actually caused eyestrain even with gamma and contrast tweaks. Boo.
Multiplayer: 1/5. The co-op campaign is for online play only, no LAN play supported. Why? It's apparently an attempt to curb piracy, but some dedicated hackers are making it work. Normal online matches are all rush games with no strategy.
Music: 3/5. I feel this is worth mentioning because they managed to convince frank klepacki to come back and compose for red alert 3. Unfortunately it looks like they really heavily interfered with his creative process, and much of the music feels forced or obnoxious, such as the title music. Hell march 3 was a complete and utter disappointment, it was 2 with new instruments.
Overall: 1/5, +1 star of franchise loyalty, 2/5.
Unfortunately this game is lacking in everything that a game bearing the 'command and conquer' name should have. It's catering towards console gamers, balanced to simplistic 'rock paper scissors' players, and advertised as a strategy game.
The graphics are annoying, the music is annoying, the characters are always presented in a 'look at their chest!' way, and the storyline is lacking.
If it weren't bad enough that this game was ridiculously easy on 'normal' settings, the co-op campaign with a friend doesn't work over LAN, meaning no hamachi if EA's servers don't co-operate with you.
And lastly this game uses DRM that restricts your ability to resale it. That's right, you cannot sell your used copy of this game. When you register your CD-key to your account, it's yours for 5 installs, then you get to call EA. I hope you've heard this enough times.
Buyer be warned, bargain bin material. | video-games_xbox |
The most gripping game I've played this gen. Alan Wake is one of the most unique gaming experiences I've ever had. Typically I lean towards open ended, player driven RPG games over linear experiences, but the moment I started up Alan Wake I knew I was hooked. This psychological thriller grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the end.
Imagine David Lynch adapting a Steven King novel. That is the best way to describe the feel of Alan Wake's single-player campaign. As Alan Wake you are thrust into the quirky Washington town of Bright Falls where you encounter all manner of quirky characters as you try to save your wife from the evil darkness hidden with the lake. Your only weapon against a never-ending stream of nightmares is light (flashlights, flashbangs, flares, etc.) and your own will power.
First off: Alan Wake is GORGEOUS! This is without doubt one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360. The Washington landscapes, the town of Bright Falls-- all of it just looks great. The motion capture for the characters is also really good.
The game play mechanics of burning darkness away from your enemies works great. This isn't a typical action shooter (you're supposed to feel vulnerable) but that doesn't hold back the combat controls from being fluid and effective. Lots of horror/thriller games don't have very good gameplay controls, but Alan Wake passes with flying colors!
Writing is where Alan Wake truly shines. The story is well told and full of memorable characters. Alan Wake himself is a fully realized character. Playing as him you feel vulnerable and on the higher difficulties will struggle to stay alive. As a character Alan is also an interesting case. He struggles with anger management, and clearly has inner demons he's working through. The way the plot unfolds you are given brief glimpses into this man on the edge and are constantly given reason to doubt his (and by extension YOUR) perception of reality within the game.
The game is also accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack with original music by Poets of the Fall and old favorites such as David Bowie. Petri Alanko's score can range from chilling to beautifully poignant depending on the scene. All and al it perfectly adds to an already great game.
In Alan Wake developer Remedy has crafted a masterpiece of interactive story telling. We can only hope that one day we'll see further adventures of Alan. Until then Alan Wake will stand as one of the greatest games of the 7th console generation. | video-games_xbox |
A Teen Version Of GTA. Some people say that Bully is not simply "A Grand Theft Auto in highschool." Well, I am not saying that either. However, this is a Grand Theft Auto style game aimed towards a slightly younger audience. Whether you like Grand Theft Auto or not, this game is definately fun, and worth every penny.
Overview:
You play as a messed-up teenager,Jimmy Hopkins, who arrives at a school known as Bullworth Academy. During the first day, Jimmy is already taunted and hated by everyone. Rockstar truly uses cliches and stereotypical humor in this highschool environment, adding up to be a funny and enjoyable storyline. Beat up nerds, stand up to jocks, and show the drop outs who is boss in this terrific and outstanding Rockstar game.
Complaints:
Many people believe that this game is "not up to rockstar standards." I would like to remind everyone that this game is basically a Playstation 2 game, in terms of graphics. This was the original platform, and they merely updated it a bit before releasing it for Xbox 360 players to enjoy as well. Graphics should not everything in a game, and for the time period it was originally made in (2006), they are actually pretty good. However, one problem I noticed with this game is the abundance of glitches. There are several annoying glitches that occur periodically within this game. Nothing too bad, just minor annoyances. Here and there are some glitches that really annoy me, like when someone attacks an adult while you are talking to them and you automatically fail a mission. Other than that, the game runs pretty smoothly.
Gameplay:
Rockstar makes up for the lack of graphics in terms of CONTENT. There is so much to do, it takes over 15 hours to beat. I have played this game many times, and even when I try to complete multiple missions a day, I couldn't beat the game in less than ten hours. My recommendation is to take things slowly, perhaps one or two missions a day, to really enjoy the game. This way, you don't simply rush through it, and you have plenty of time to enjoy the little things Rockstar has prepared for you. Here are just a few examples: You can attend classes, which are like minigames and give rewards, visit a carnival and play carny games, socialize with students, complete missions, run errands, complete jobs, beat up clique members, kiss girls, pick lockers, avoid prefects, ride a bike, race go-karts and bicycles, skate, shop for clothes, upgrade combat moves and so much more. To beat the game 100 percent would take a very long time, and is definately worth the 20 dollars you would pay.
Multiplayer:
The multiplayer option is not all that great, but it is pretty fun. Play through classes and minigames that you would in the normal game, but with a friend. It's not the best thing in the world, but it's fun at a party or something.
Differences:
There are some differences between the Scholarship Edition (this game) and the original. Scholarship Edition features 4 new classes (thats twice the amount than the original), 8 new missions, multiplayer options, more rewards and achievements, 4 new characters, and slightly improved graphics. Basically, if you have the original, it wouldn't be worth buying IF the price was still 60 dollars. However, since it is only 20 dollars, and you don't want to bring out your outdated PS2, this game is definately worth buying. I have both this one and the original, and I don't feel like I wasted any money. The color saturation and graphics are much more enjoyable, the missions are fun (but don't expect them to add a whole lot more gameplay, thirty minutes more at the most), the characters have more little phrases, and you can actually keep track of your achievements. Yes, I would say this game is worth buying even if you have the original. You won't regret it.
Overview:
So, all in all, if you are looking for a game rich with content, that will keep you busy for hours, this game is for you. I have beaten this game a few times and still find it fun. Definately a must have for any gamer, serious or recreational. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this game an 9.1. While it's graphics may not be the best, it's a fun game where content means everything. Truly one of Rockstar's greatest. | video-games_xbox |
One Very Colorful Game. The amount of color simply on the box is astounding, and it really shows in the game too.
This game is as lighthearted as you want it to be, but if you want to be serious about your gardening and truly maximize profits, then you can do as you please.
There is A LOT of variety in this game. Initially, like all games, you start with very little, but once you catch on and start leveling up and doing new things (thus unlocking new items and pinatas), you will have a blast trying to get new stuff.
This game looks like a kiddie game (similar to Rare's other recent work, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts), but it really isn't. Like N&B, you can give a little kid the controller and they might find their way around (or you can simply plug in a second controller and give them a helping hand cooperatively). What I find most impressive is the amount of detail given to everything, things that young kids will easily miss: the descriptions of EVERY single item in the game, the clever species names, the witty dialogue, the interesting story that is unlocked as you go along, the trial and errors, etc. I've been playing for a great deal now, and I was astounded to realize one of my pinatas had a special variant simply because I decided to feed him an apple for the hell of it. Things like that may easily be overlooked by young ones, but they won't miss out on the bright colors, and cute pinatas for sure.
This game will have you working around the clock (well, not literally, in the game world at least) to tend to your garden and everything inside. If you want to keep making money and leveling up, you will not have much of a break as the action is nonstop. Thus, you will always have a difficult time putting down the controller and saving your game for next time.
Lastly, don't ignore this game because you are not a gardener/breeder/landscaper in real life. I am none of those, and find this game immensely enjoyable. Like all games, it is not for everybody, but it is worth trying. As a cheap Platinum Hit (one you can play with your family nevertheless), there is nothing to go wrong.
Also, I have not played the sequel yet (Trouble in Paradise), but I am led to believe it is very similar with some extras and maybe a bit more plot. I, personally, think it best to start at the roots with Viva Pinata, then if you enjoy it, you continue with the sequel, and if you don't, then maybe VP: Party Animals is more for you ( :P this is more of a kiddie game with simple gameplay, it got decent reviews, not like VP and VP: TiP). | video-games_xbox |
This is a platinum hits version . I just wanted to let everyone know that this is a platinum hits version. The cover art looks like the old GOTY editions but when you recieve the game you will notice it is in a grey box instead of the lime green. Then when you open the box you will imediately notice the Platinum hits disks.
This doesnt really matter but I didn't know I was getting this version because it is not advertised as Platinum hits. Also don't expect there to be a game manual in it like the original came with , its just a sorry little 3 page pamplet with the controller layout and another pamplet advertising some game that I cant remember. I really was thinking I was getting the original GOTY edition with the map and full booklet. Oh well.
Now for what really matters. I have completed Skyrim and the expansion dlc dawnguard and also leveled all the way out to level 81. That is a most excellent game!!!!. I decided I wanted some more Elder Scrolls so I decided to pick up Oblivion. I can honestly say that I am not disappointed in the least. I went into this knowing the game was released in early 2006. So I knew the graphics and voice acting were not going to be up to the standards of Skyrim. The gameplay is almost identical to skyrim. The world is beautiful even with todays standards. The character movement seems to be no different than Skyrim. There are plenty of side quests to go along with the main quest line. So far I am really enjoying the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quest lines. Just as in Skyrim you can either do the main quest line or save it for later and do side quests like the Thieves Guild that actually have a story of their own. There is just so much to do and so many places to explore.
In conclusion I have to say to you. This is an excellent game with top notch game play that will keep you playing for hundreds of hours. I actually have friends that have been playing this game since its release date and still are playing it today. Go into this game with the mind frame that it was released in 2006. Im not downplaying anything about the game but if you go into it like that there should be no disapointment. Finally , the graphics and world of the game are beautiful , the gameplay top notch , so many hours of quests to even begin try and count. You could literally play this game for years and still not find or do everything. So If you are on the fence about this game climb on down and just buy it because in my humble opinion it has been well worth the money.
Note: ( don't forget that this is the platinum hits version and doesnt include the full release date manual , map and is incased in a gray platinum hits box. If you are looking for the original with the map , lime green box and original GOTY edition discs try somewhere else. Although I was a little disappointed with these few things the game itself is a 5 out of 5 stars and I do not regret my purchase. ) | video-games_xbox |
Franchise mode does exist, Best Madden since Madden 10. This is the Madden game that I've been waiting for and expecting since Madden 10!! The last one that I purchased was Madden 11, which was a joke, returned it that same day. Stayed away from Madden 12, since it was also a joke. However after playing it for a few hours at my buddy's house I liked the new gameplay and the feel of the game. It's more fun and authentic. No more LB's jumping 20 feet in the air when you throw a pass in the middle of the field,regardless of the QB or scrambling 50 yards backwards and throwing it on the run for an accurate pass down field, and non mobile QB's out running players like; Peppers, Willis, Lewis, and so on. Finally a football game without all the bull****! Everything is different in Madden 13. It was worth my $60.
This isn't just another roster update, new graphics, new gameplay, better tackling, authentic feel to the game that stay true to the abilities of the NFL players. For years Madden gamers like myself have demanded a better game and EA finally answered. For those crying and saying that Franchise Mode doesn't exist is wrong. It's called Connected Careers. Connected Careers is a bundled mode of "Superstar Mode" and "Franchise Mode". Sure you don't have fantasy draft but that's an option I never used so it doesn't hurt me at all. You can't edit players in Connected Careers but you CAN edit the rosters prior to starting a Franchise Mode and just use that custom roster for it. However, I do like the challenge of getting XP to make my players better instead of just editing their ratings. Sure some players deserve a higher rating than others but this isn't a bad option either. Online franchise is still there too. People just need to play the game for a few hours and play the different modes that they offer.
For years Madden Gamers have complained about how Franchise mode and Superstar mode never had any changes and the gameplay and graphics engine are a joke. Now they made some changes and yet no one is happy? My main concern was that for the last 3 years EA never changed anything, like all the examples I gave in the 1st paragraph. I like the new Connected Careers because I have the ability to play with Legendary Coaches and Players, it will also be a challenge for me to make them great if not greater than what they were in their respective careers. Most of these gamers that are complaining are probably the same ones that have a created players roster, use the same play over and over and over again, and rush for 100 yds with QB's like Peyton and Brady, if that's you. Than yes, this game is not for you!
I've been playing Madden for almost 20 years and no one likes changes but this game is something that I will be playing for quite some time! | video-games_xbox |
Typical Defensive Version. The creators of Madden cough up a defense heavy version of the series every couple of years or so. Most people prefer playing offense in football video games to defense so EA doesn't put out the D-heavy games as often as the offense heavy versions, but here one is. All in all, this a pretty good game. EA rarely makes a complete stinker, but they rarely churn out jaw droppers either. This one won't blow you away if you're used to the series, but if you're an offensive minded person, it could frustrate you to no end. The cpu defense is smart, aggressive and quick and the game is slanted to bring that home to you until it hurts. The All Pro level on this particular version, which is usually way too tame for a grizzled old vet like me, is challenging and a heck of a lot of fun. You have to work to score and all the old sure bets, those killer plays that you generally find in most versions that seem to work about 90% of the time, have been removed. You'll have to think and scrounge to win games. In that, it feels as close to the real pro game that I've seen them crank out. Real football is really about overcoming adversity. You have to stay calm, be patient, keep fighting and play smart. You'll need all of that for this game. Go for it repeatedly on 4th and ten, or try running the same play over and over again, and it will beat your ears off. What are not a lot of fun are the excessive INTs. Excessive picks (for and against you) seem to go hand in hand with defensive versions of the game. Don't let these experts on some of these video game message boards fool you. I'm about as good a video game QB as you're going to find. I read defenses and know how to exploit the various coverage's. I mostly make good, quick decisions and rarely force things. That being said, I've found it very difficult to get through a game in this version without firing at least one pick and often more than one. IT'S NOT JUST YOU!!! The game is geared to produce picks. Even when you don't do anything wrong, you will still cough them up, particularly if you've got a noodle arm QB like Christian Ponder. My advice is to adjust the INT slider for both the CPU and the human until you can find something that you can live with. Otherwise you'll be chucking picks as often as all those experts who claim they don't chuck any. Overall, I give this game 4 out of 5 stars. It's pretty to look at and a challenge to play. I don't generally give any sports games 5 stars, because they all tend to largely just recycle and update. I might have give this one 4 and a half, but it has some glitches which won't allow it. | video-games_xbox |
Great Controller for a while, too costly and poorly made. I just got mine yesterday, and I love it. It is very comfortable to use and seems to be very high quality. I don't see what all the hate is about, this is a really good product. I am glad that it is wired so now I can use it for my PC as well as my Xbox. It works very well with Mass Effect 3, as well as shooters. I have tried this with Mass Effect 3, Battlefield 3, and Fallout 3; just to name a few.
BASIC OVERVIEW
-PROS
The controller feels really nice, it is made of sleek materials and doesn't fell rubbery or squishy at all.
The buttons (A,B,X,Y) are AMAZING. They are way better than the original kinds of buttons. I barely even need to click them to get it to do the button's action.
The re-mappable buttons are a very nice touch. Works great when you are on the fly (run) and you can't take your fingers off of the thumbsticks.
The Precision D-Pad is extemely responsive and one of the best D-Pads I've ever seen on a controller.
The controller is wired, so there is no need to keep getting batteries to keep on playing.
The ability to add or take away resistance to the thumbsticks really helps with shooters.
The wire is 15 feet long. Yeah, you heard me. 15 FEET. You can sit all the way across the room and play!
The ergonomic design adds to the experience. I don't know about you guys, but this controller just seems to "fit." My hands perfectly fit on it and it seems to improve my gameplay.
-CONS
Not many cons, but there were a few.
The thumbsticks (the actual tops of them) are a little slippery. I recommend getting some sort of analog stick cover for them. WARNING! These are not normal thumbsticks, and I doubt all kinds of grips will fit! I use
Grip-it analong stick covers, and they work perfectly. You can get those here:
http://www.amazon.com/Grip-iT-Analog-Stick-Covers-Playstation/dp/B003NSLGW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1335654274&sr=1-1
The back and start buttons are a little awkwardly placed. This is a minor deal. I just need to reach farther to hit them. If you are really agitated by this, then remap the extra buttons to be start and back.
The controller feels pretty different compared to an original controller, and may take time getting used to. The triggers especially may take some time.
Not really a big deal at all, but the Red N7 stripe on the left side of the controller isn't that red. The actual one is a little darker and more like the No. 7 of the Dark Cherry Red in this image:
(...)
This doesn't have to do with the controller, but the Collector Assault Rifle kinda sucks. If you really need it, then get it cheaper with the iPhone case.
RATING
Quality 5/5
Price 4/5
Concept 5/5
Overall, this is a great controller and I recommend it to anyone.
Many people say that their controllers have broken quickly, but at the moment I cannot comment on that subject, as I have only had mine for a day. I will write updates if I see problems or notice something worth writing about.
UPDATE!
My controller broke yesterday, the left trigger is not working at all. The controller is great while it works, but it breaks too easily. | video-games_xbox |
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