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Great Bang for the Buck. When I decided to buy a new HDTV to compliment my Xbox360 I figured that I should look into getting a surround sound system as well. I originally looked at some offerings from Logitech but then saw the HTS-GS1 while browsing Amazon. These speakers seemed to have everything that I wanted - great reviews, 5.1 sound, digital inputs, and an AM/FM tuner. Along with this it was "officially licensed" for Xbox360... this didn't really matter to me, but the color and contol integration was a plus.
The HTS-GS1 comes packaged in two boxes inside another larger box. One box contains the subwoofer and accessories and the other box contains the 5 surround speakers. After getting everything out of the box, the physical set up is very easy. All of the wires and connections are color coded and there is a quick start manual to get you going right away - I was done in about 5 minutes. Another great thing was that Pioneer has started to include a digital opical cable for quickly connecting your Xbox.
Once the system was set up, I started listening. The radio was first and it sounded... well... like radio. The tuning is a little strange, but I don't really plan on listening that much so that's ok. Next I hooked up my Xbox and played some music. The Dolby ProLogic II setting expanded stero music to all 5 chanels and made it sound great. The only downside was that the subwoofer seems to be a little underpowered. After a little tweaking with the settings and positioning of the woofer I started to get a better sound (helps to aim the front section into a wall or corner to get more bass response).
I think that the best part of this system is how many options it has. You can tweak so many setting that I find myself looking to the manual to figure out what the display is saying. This is a little annoying at first, but once you know what you're doing you can make the system sound exactly how you want. In addition, automated system setup is possible by using the included mic to have the system calibrate itself to your room and listening position. I haven't used it yet, but I'm planning to soon.
Overall, this is a great product for the price you pay. I would suggest shopping around for a little as I found wide ranges of prices for this product. This system is obviously not the absolute best system, but it will definitely get the job done for someone on a budget. In addition, more performance can be gained from this system from all the tweaking that is possible. | video-games_xbox |
The Best Games in Life Aren't Free. I really wanted to like this game.
The fact that it recently became available for free through Xbox Games with Gold is what ultimately led me to give SR4 a whirl. SR3's captivating humor and downright ludicrousness had me hooked pretty early on, despite not having played the previous two installments in the franchise. A friend of mine picked up SR4 the day it was released, and after watching some of the game play and asking others what they thought about the game, I wasn't entirely convinced that I needed to spend $60 on it right away. When it showed up for free on my Xbox dashboard, I thought, "What do I have to lose?" Well, aside from about 12 hours of my life that I'll never get back, not much I guess. The 'free' price tag doesn't leave me much room to complain, however, I don't feel this game functions well as a standalone product. Unbeknownst to me at the time of downloading, SR4 was intended to serve as DLC for SR3, but was instead expanded into a full game. Now that I'm aware of this little tidbit, things are beginning to make a lot more sense.
Granted, the superpower elements are pretty neat at first: sprinting, telekinesis, high-jump, etc. The problem is that they're only enjoyable for about 10 minutes. Corresponding upgrades to these powers make other elements like cars/driving virtually obsolete. Why go through the trouble of driving and possibly (okay, probably) crashing and wrecking at maximum speeds to get from point A to B, when you can just sprint there (much faster than any vehicle) and mow down everyone and everything in your path? The high-jump is entertaining as well, but it didn't take long before I started to feel that it was only incorporated in order to collect the 1200 or so data clusters scattered throughout Steelport. The sheer number of clusters alone is overwhelming, and you'd have to grind for hours to collect all of them. On that note, all of the missions (both main and side quests) grow tiresome real quick, and there is little to no variation in what you're essentially asked to do. Nearly every aspect of the game requires running & gunning, and soon I found that regardless of who was handing out the quests, they were all the same at their core.
For these reasons I've stated above, I've decided that I will not be finishing the game. Who knows, maybe I was too quick to judge...but video games are ultimately about having fun. If I'm not having fun with a game, why endure it just for the sake of finishing? If you enjoy endless repetition with a bit of humor and SR3 charm mixed in, you'll love this "game." Like I mentioned above, I really wanted to like it, but I just can't bring myself to finish it. I think the fans deserve a genuine sequel, and SR4 felt like an overpriced filler that should probably have been marketed as Saints Row 3.5. Thankfully, I didn't pay for it, and if I had, I'd feel pretty cheated. | video-games_xbox |
Okay for DS! For other systems, not so much. I was interested in this game when it came out, due to the promise of being able to make your own impact in the world of Middle-Earth. Unfortunately the promise is not quite fulfilled, but it is a fun enough game...on the DS, anyway. Essentially Conquest is a Middle-Earth version of capture-the-flag, but with a few things to make it more interesting, such as the ability to switch character types during battle, and of course the trappings of the Lord of the Rings world.
While such a simple enough game goes well with the DS and is great fun on it, it doesn't go well on the 360 at all. I can't speak for the PS3 or PC releases, but the 360 version is a complete opposite of fun. It's ridiculously hard, and not because it is challenging, but because the controls are stiff and unresponsive, the enemies are better-organised than your allies will ever be, and the game has no balance whatsoever.
You really have only to play the first proper level to see how lacking the game is. Was there any playtesting done? It doesn't seem like it. It's easy to fall to your doom, to an inaccessible area below, but what's worse is, if you have an item necessary for the completion of the level and fall off, you might as well start over. You can never recover it. A very clear example of sloppy game design. And yes, I did mean start completely over, as there is no interim save, nor any sort of checkpoint, featured in Conquest. The levels are not really short, but if one single thing goes wrong, you're doomed.
Enemy AI is overpowered and ruthless, whereas ally AI is asinine and virtually no help at all. However, at times enemy bosses will fall afoul of the same problems that plague you, such as stumbling to their doom over the many treacherous ledges in this game, which really should have been tempered somehow.
You will spend the battle constantly knocked down and out, or running for your life as you try to get a better vantage point or recover your energy. Conquest feels more like 'Lord of the Rings: The Prostitute Simulator' because quite frankly you spend 90% of any given level on your back. The difficulty settings are worthless, because even on the easiest one, you are beaten like a rag doll no matter what you do.
The 'Instant Action' option is useless, as is most of the Campaign, if you want to have any real fun. The official pitch is that you can unlock heroes from the story to use, but the reality of it is that you only are rarely able to use them, and even then it's usually only against other players, which limits it considerably since the game's online play servers are no longer in operation. This makes the DLC with extra heroes completely useless, since you can only parade around in hero deathmatch arenas...alone. Boromir's pretty impressive, too bad all he can do is beat up an empty courtyard.
More or less every mode is as little fun as the main game, and you're so completely outmatched on any difficulty setting that it's not even remotely entertaining. Battle your foes, who are so overpowered that you have no chance and constantly have to respawn...what a blast.
The voices are not bad, but they're misused horribly. Your allies constantly bark at you during any battle, and what's worst of all is that they bark pretty much the same thing, or exactly the same thing. It takes very little of this before you will become absolutely sick of hearing it.
The DS version is entertaining, simple, and straightforward. Though it has only a handful of maps to it, and naturally much fewer options in terms of modes, it's a significantly better game. It controls well, it's simple, it's capture-the-flag fun with some bonuses. It's entertaining to play, you can pick it up and do a stage, put it down and feel satisfied afterwards. It may not be for everyone, but it's certainly fun enough and will satisfy especially fans of Lord of the Rings.
Unfortunately the 360 version, at least, is nothing like that. While ambitious, it managed to fall short in pretty much every way. The stages look very pretty, though to me they didn't really seem very much like Middle-Earth. The music was fine. The voices became irritating very quickly. The gameplay is atrocious and ridiculously difficult, though not challenging -- just frustrating and poorly-implemented. The game is full of holes and bugs, clearly not playtested or put through quality control of any kind. It's a pity, especially since it held such promise. It could have been a really good game. But there's absolutely no reason for anyone to waste their money or time on such a bad game.
I understand the online multiplayer was fun, and I'd believe that it can't be any worse than playing against the hideous computer, even if I'm not that fond of playing against other players. But the game at its root is just a bad game, and that is quite an unfortunate thing. It could have been something very special. But for whatever reason, and I'm tempted to believe it was probably pressure from EA, well-known for ruining many games, none of the promise of this game was fulfilled for anything but the simplified DS version. | video-games_xbox |
one of the best games from PS2 just got better. first, please vote whether this helps or not. otherwise its kind of pointless writing these. yes/no buttons are right at the bottom of the review. thanks.
if you enjoyed this game on the PS2 half as much as me, you're going to love it on the 360. there's tons of new content including 8 new missions, 4 new classes, new characters, two-player classes/mini games, new unlockables, new rewards and achievements. in total you get 82 missions, 45 lessons, loads of mini games and collectibles. 30+ hours of gameplay.
its an open world sandbox game with deeper combat options than most, full of options to dispatch your enemies, including tackles, headbutts, and a few wresting grapples. the world is pretty massive, and will take some time to fully explore. maybe its just me, but the environments seem to be expanded pretty majorly from the PS2 version. theres a few vehicles you can use to explore the campus and the surrounding town including a skateboard, bicycles, go-carts, and scooters.
the graphics have been revamped significantly. an all new lighting/shadow system has been added, along with high resolution textures. it still doesnt compare to most xbox 360 games, but thats not the point, and thats probably a big part of its price.
this game has more general character and spirit than almost any other game ive played. everyone is a pretty believeable character in thier universe. playing this really takes you back. its like being in highschool all over again, but if you want to shove someone into a locker you can, you want to pinch your teachers behind as she walks past? go for it! you wanna watch the hall monitor(prefect) fall in your scattered marbles, only to be shot down by your bottle rockets when he chases after you?? no problem! there is great variety of people to interect with, each group with their own members and unique personalities:jocks, nerds, preppies, bullies, greasers, teachers, townies, carnies.
its the Grand Theft Auto of the schoolyard, complete with no killing, and the lack of anything too offensive. during its developement, this was quickly becomming one of the most controversial games in years. upon its release, all the soccer moms and political wives with nothing better to do than scapegoat video games were slapped in the face by a harmless romp down memory lane, with a few complimentary wedgies.
add a surprisingly good story full of twists that goes through the whole school year and a cast rivaled by very few games, and you have yourself the answer to your open-world thirst. next to GTA IV and Saints Row this is your best bet. | video-games_xbox |
Star Wars of the videogames. I first saw a commercial for Advent Rising while watching TV maybe a couple of months ago and when it first came out I bought it without second thought. This is mainly becuase I went online and researched the game and found out that Orson Scott Card helped write the scripting for the game, and I love his Sci-fi work. It was one of those situations that I just couldn't say no to.
Let me first start off with saying that the plot, characters, and just the whole concept of the game are 2 thumbs up across the board. A little rundown is that a race of aliens, the Seekers, have it out for humans becuase all across the galaxy humans are worshipped as gods for the powers and nobility, but are thought extinct. The Seekers know that this is not true and are hunting down all human survivors after they originally destroyed Earth.
You play as Gideon Wyeth, and the humans, after moving to a different planet, but having been isolated for so long, have forgotten their pass, finally meet friendly E.T.'s. This other group of aliens has come to warn the humans of the imminent destruction of their race and advises them to evacuate their planet as fast as possible.
The bad news is that the Seekers show up right then and destroy everyone except Gideon, his brother, and a female captian who they escaped offworld in her ship. Gideons wife was taken, and after his brother also dies in the endless struggle for freedom, he's basically pissed.
Thats about the some of the game, in a nutshell of course, because the in-game conversations aren't corny as many games are, and many of the in game movies have been leveled up from just cut scenes using game graphics to just below Final Fantasy: Spirit's Within. This gives the game on hell of a cinematic experience. Graphics are great, along the lines of Halo and Halo 2, and the powers that you have are also very creative.
Most of your powers are very like Star Wars ones, but in-game text explains how these powers really work. Many are such things as Surge, which tightens all the threads of surrounding space-time and whips it back, which can be aimed at an enemy. You can also do the opposite, and steal weapons from other enemies. This is just one of the six powers that you have, and all are very unique, not just different names that basically all do the same thing.
This game does have many technical glitches, but I find that many of these are experienced by other gamers. I have only had Advent Rising freeze on me once, and I have never gotten stuck behind or in anything. The in-game A.I. can be a little slow at times, but I also play on easy (not very good of a video gamer) and I'm not complaining.
Overall: Definitely a 5, including the glitches, which I'm guessing will all be soothed out in the two upcoming sequels to one of the greatest games created. | video-games_xbox |
Great for the price. I'm writing this because I'm a bit surprised to see how many negative reviews this has. So I figure it needs the other side, and it's pretty simple to me. I did not buy them from Amazon, I bought the from GameStop over a year ago because I didn't want to wait on shipping at the moment.
For one, I have had no problem with the construction. I see many people have complained about them breaking, but I have not had this issue at all, and I take them to a lot of LAN parties. They have been stuffed in messenger bags and backpacks nonstop, and at home I literally just throw them on the ground and kick them aside if they're in the way. I bought them back in February of 2011, and they're still working great.
I love the sound, although I think that the microphone can be overpowering even at lower levels, so I love and constantly adjust the individual controls for volume and voice to find my happy medium for my games. I have easily used this on my PS3, Xbox 360, and PC with no issues going across platforms. I can hear everyone and everything loud and clear, although I feel as if on PS3 the voice is not as clear as it is on 360 and PC.
The headphones fit great and adjust well. My brother uses them, who has to extend them a lot, and I use them, and my head is much smaller. I can literally hear nothing outside of my game, even on low volume I have to take of one side of the headphones if someone comes into my room to talk to me. The detachable microphone comes loose every once in a while and I have to plug it back in. It happens very rarely, and probably because my idea of taking my headphones off is pulling on the mic to get them off my head.
The mic is great as well, I can speak in a low voice and still be heard. I have never had anyone tell me they can't understand me or can't hear me, unless my mic is very far away from me. It's so sensitive, if someone comes into my room and they start speaking in a normal speaking voice, they can be heard about 5 feet away. I guess this could be a bad thing for some people who may live in noisy households, but I think it's great because I hate raising my voice.
I have only had two problems with my headset. The first is that at first, when my cable would come unplugged from the base (the one that goes out to your 360 controller), I would have to restart my Xbox to get the mic working again. This was a pain for a while, but it has been fixed somehow as of late, and I think it relates to issue number 2. The second problem is that the cable that connects from the headset's little base to go out to your 360 controller had to be replaced after about 5 months. When I replaced it, the new cable fixed the issue of it always being bent or in the way in uncomfortable fashion by adding a rounded base to your 360 controller instead of just the straight cable. The bad thing is that this new rounded plug, made to be more durable than the straight plug (and thus far it has been great and has made not even a hint as to being worn out or breaking since being replace over 6 months ago), I am unable to plug in my chatpad while using my headset. This is a little annoying, as some of my friends message me still relatively frequently. Problem number 1 seems to have been resolved since replacing the cable to the new rounded base cable. I'm not sure if that actually has anything to do with it, but since the new cable, if it comes unplugged from the Tritton base, I just plug it right back in and I'm fine.
Overall, I do give the headset 5 stars. Compared to Turtle Beach, I do find it to be cheaper, I like the style better, and it has outlasted me by a longshot considering how abusive I am to my headphones/headsets. I have not even considered getting a new headset and don't feel like I need a wireless one because the cable is plenty long. If I did get a new headset after this one goes though, I will without hesitation either rebuy the same exact one, or one of Tritton's wireless gaming headsets. I'm really not sure how there are so many bad experiences with this headset (bad batch? Haha), but I'm truly beyond pleased with mine, and would not think twice to recommend it, and I do recommend it often. My friends that have bought the same headset have not had any issues either. | video-games_xbox |
Fun system. In most of the online forums and in the various reviews of the current generation of video consoles, there are plenty of fanboys that are biased towards one system or another; but ultimately all that really matters with these systems is the games that are available for each. After looking at the three different systems [Wii, PS3, Xbox 360], I decided to go with the Xbox 360 as it had the mix of available games that appealed to me the most. The hard part was in deciding which Xbox 360 system to purchase as there are 4 different offerings [Arcade, Pro, Elite, and Halo special edition]. My choice ended up being the "Pro": Originally, the "Elite" was the only system with an HDMI port, and it comes with a 120Gb hard-drive, HDMI cable, and some other gimmicks. Now, the Pro system has an HDMI port, I felt I didn't need the extra 100Gb of space, and the Pro's Component HD cable gives as good a picture as the HDMI [at least on my TV]. The arcade lacks HD cables of any sort and the lack of a hard drive would make downloads impossible along with backward compatibility. The system comes with 2x games - Forza2 [racing] and Marvel Ultimate alliance [like the game Baulder's Gate for the last gen systems, except with Marvel characters]. I don't like racing simulations, so I didn't play Forza2, but Ultimate Alliance is fun. There are also quite a few trial versions of "old-school" style games [i.e. Pac-man] loaded on the hard drive as well, which are fun. So far, I've been quite pleased with the system.
As for the minuses, there's been a lot written about this, here, and in the various gaming magazines and in other online reviews. Some of these I've found as well - only have access to about 60% of the storage space on the hard drive [rest used for system], downloading large files from "Live" service is slow [may be function of high use during holiday season], DVD drive and fans EXTREMELY loud when in use, and Microsoft tends to nickel-and-dime you to death for the extras [i.e. wireless adapter], and the system doesn't have all the features that the PS3 has such as Bluetooth, Blu-ray, card reader, web-browser [however, I find I don't need/miss these features]. Since I haven't received the red-ring-of-death yet, I'm happy with the system. My only advice is buy the system that has the games you want. | video-games_xbox |
Don't Believe the Hype. Don't believe the hype. Look at all the reviews on this site that just blush about this game. They all seem a bit too well written, i.e. how amazon is known for selling reviews and promoting such great reviews for products with a lot of marketing behind them.
Back to the actual game. My first complaint. There is just too much going on, the game's environment is way too busy. Most games of this nature would introduce complicated aspects to a game a piece at a time. This game unloads more than a handful of new aspect:, game play, plot structure, up mods (of which there are plasmoids and other such features, of which's ammo aren't named the same but are ADAM and EVE) game mapping all in a matter of a minimum of two hours of game play. The map is just utterly confusing, even with the arrow that points you in the right directon (which it does only at cerain aspects of the game). To help on this confusion they have a number of "diaries" made to unlock glimpses of the plot to you. Playing for about a half hour two hours in I ran across at least five. It becomes so over whelming to have to listen to these diaries to keep up to date on what you're supposed to look out for that they should have found a better way to incorporate them into the game (i.e. You have to find them, recognize them asgainst the several options you have to search for - ammo, money, plasmoids, upgrades, health, etc etc - that to see "oh it's another diary on the microscopic font on the screen" and then hold down A and listen to it while doing everything else.)
Additionally, the setting is so dark - which as a mood setter is good, but for game play is horrible. Someone would appear behind you shooting a tommy gun and it would take more than a few seconds of gaping around before they're actually found. At which point you've lost a good amount of health. Then there's the vita tanks. The points where if you die you're automatically respawned with just about every weapon/item you had before. And if you were fighting an someone, then the damage you had inflicted is still present. Ever heard of that in a game before? Neither had I, and it's there because if it wasn't you toss the game in your closet and forget it.
Did you play Condemned: Criminal Origins? Did you like it? Yeah, I didn't think so. In that case avoid this game, because the fighting style is basically the same. Nameless lackee jumps out from wall swinging wildly in that same clunky manner, running in the same style. And you're melee attack is exactly the same. They may have well as called this game. Condemned: Aquatic Surrender. Thank God, I rented it. | video-games_xbox |
How Can Anyone Not Like GTA 4. I've played all the Grand Theft Auto games from GTA 2 on Playstation 1 up to now and I just don't get why people dislike this game.
You can choose clothes but not absurdly so like San Andreas, you don't have to worry about stupid stuff like collectables or going to the gym or getting fat from eating too much fast food - which I always thought was just too much in San Andreas.
There is a large amount of useful and cool weapons, only a couple I thought were just a waste of time. You can drive all sorts of cars and bikes, boats and choppers weren't as easy to come across in this game but still in existence. You can still have several safehouse and a girlfriend of course. Rockstar basically cut the fat from the steak and left all the meat in my opinion as far as variety and choices.
The missions are fun, vast, and full of variety. Some are a bit over the top challenging or just plain stupid but that was only 4 or 5 missions out of around 90.
The controls aren't all that clunky like most say, the only problem I had was getting in and out of boats and controlling choppers.
The graphics are great just like you'd expect, maybe not as good of Gears of War 2 or Assassin's Creed 2, but otherwise better than average.
The story and characters aren't going to rock your socks but it will suffice. After all, who really plays GTA for the cut scenes?
Most of what I liked about this game is that you can take a taxi and practically warp to most every location in the game for just a few bucks, the only locations you are restricted access from is if the bridges are blocked, but they all will be eventually cleared as you progress through the game and you will be able to take a cab there as well. It saves a lot of time and effort driving from one side of town to the next just to die in the first few minutes of the mission. Some said this made the game unchallenging or cheap but I don't know what they're talking about. Buyng a taxi for a few bucks versus driving around for five minutes - really?
Also, if you fail a mission you get a text on your cell phone that gives you the option to try it again. If you select yes you will instantly warp to the beginning of the mission. A lot less hassle in my opinion.
There are a few negatives to this game. There are no gang wars unless you buy Episodes and the multiplayer isn't anyting near the level of Modern Warfare 2 or Halo 3. However, I still believe GTA IV is way better than its respectable spin-offs like Saint's Row 2 and The Godfather 2.
In the end, everyone that says this game is the worst of the GTA series or is a step down from San Andreas needs to stop playing Xbox 360 and go back to Playstation 1 where you played the entire game from a hawk's point of view and your character looked like a freakin PEZ. | video-games_xbox |
What has Dead Space become. Dead Space has evolved from the horror of the original. The third installment is a straight-up action game, despite a few scares and surprises along the way.
That said, it's a well-executed action game-- the game is polished, the story integrity is maintained from the first two installments, and a lot of exposition goes into what the 'markers' really are. You are given enough motivation to keep moving forward and you never feel like you're just wandering about aimlessly. Co-op is actually handled very, very well, including offering up incentives for co-op play. The space-walk element is fantastic; it's so good that I wish there was much more of it.
If you play through at a decent clip, you'll likely spend about 12 hours on it, and there are incentives for a second (or even a third) play-through.
What I didn't like about it? It has very little actual 'horror' left, instead substituting a few surprises to provide shock value. I suppose that you could argue that Resident Evil isn't horror anymore either, but I believe they could've really ratcheted up terror with just a few different design choices. (Of course, apparently they were forced to shift to an action focus by EA management, so they probably saw the possibilities as well, given that they're professionals and all.) The microtransaction system also is totally unnecessary-- I'd be surprised if EA made $30 on it total, since fortunately, you don't have to spend any money to complete the game.
My biggest complaint would be the weapon/ammo situation: weapon-specific ammo has been done away with in favor of a generic 'clip'. This completely removes any incentive to use more than just the one weapon you really like. It also reduces the amount situational decision-making that needs to be done. (Do I have enough ammo? Is this gun the best for what I'm probably going to run into?)
The bottom line-
Did I have fun playing it? Yes
Did it keep me playing? Yes
Did it look good? Yes (but I have a high-end rig and had all the settings at 'max')
Do I feel like I got my money's worth? Pretty much.
That said, I'd only give it 3.5 stars, because it really had a chance to set itself apart, and instead we got a forgettable Dead-Space themed shooter. | video-games_xbox |
Back to its roots...A MUST HAVE. Ever since Ghost Recon Island Thunder came out, I have been a huge Ghost Recon fan. I played that game hours on end and never got tired of it's game-play. About a year later, Ghost Recon 2 hit store shelves, a day I had been looking forward since it was announced. I played the game no more than a week until I realized what a disappointment the game was in comparison to Island Thunder. The graphics may have been better, but the core game-play from the first Ghost Recon games was lacking greatly. Then, when Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was announced for the Xbox 360, I thought I'd give the series another chance. To my surprise, the game took me back to its roots. It wasn't just another run and gun shooter like so many others on the market today, it played like a tactical shooter once again. It might not always seem that way when playing over Xbox Live however, because some gamers new to the series just can't come to grasp the fact that the game isn't another Halo (not that there's anything wrong with that ? Halo 2 is one of my favorite games). Overall, I am extremely pleased at how this game turned out. Everything about this game screams "Next Gen," from the game-play to the graphics and EVERYTHING in between.
Presentation:
The story of the game is extremely action packed, but still plays like a tactical shooter - perfect for fans of the original titles in the series. The menus for the game are set up very nicely and are easy to use.
Graphics:
The extreme detail this game goes into really makes you believe the power that the Xbox 360 holds. Things like individual sprigs of grass swaying in the wind, leaves moving with the wind, lighting, and reflections on windows make the game seem very realistic. People keep saying that the game doesn't look as good in multiplayer as it does in single player, but, in my opinion, the multiplayer maps are what 360 games should look like (especially this early in the systems release) and the single player are just WAY over the top.
Sound:
Another thing that really sets the mood in this game is the sound. When you go by a certain building or area, and you start to hear enemies talking in the background, it really gives you the feel of being in the game itself. Not only can you also hear bullets flying out of your gun, but you can hear the shells falling and hitting the ground. This was another nice touch and adds to a truly realistic feeling.
Game-play:
This game, as I've said before, plays very closely to the original ones in the series! This is one of the main things that keeps me excited and entertained every time I turn on this game.
Lasting Appeal:
The true test with games these days is how the multiplayer portion of the game is and this game doesn't lack in it at all. I find myself playing on Xbox Live for hours on end with no intention of quitting anytime soon. The 10 maps available right now are each great in there own respects and there is great diversity between them. I have a feeling the multiplayer aspect will keep this game fresh and exciting all the way through to the end of this year and into 2007. | video-games_xbox |
I'm FPSed out!!! Lets get something new. I grew up in the age of Atari, Nintendo, SNES, Sega etc. and i use to dream of games looking realistic and being immersed in it. Bioshock sadly does neither, the pace of the game can get annoyingly quick to were you really have no time to just explore Rapture, unlike say Oblivion where you can pretty much explore all day and not have anything jump out at you. Also the graphics are very good, but seem very doom 3ish. I have been playing FPS games since wolfenstein and DOOM came out, and i must admit they are getting old. I think next gen consoles need to quit worrying so much about creating "just" great enviroments and start creating some great GAMES. Most stuff on Xbox 360 you find is shoot this, blow up that, kill this, mame that, it just gets repetitious after the first 20 minutes of nearly every game you play. We need more platformers, remember games like
Sonic, Tomb Raider, Maximo(PS2), Sly COOPER(ps2), the list goes on, even Gears of War, Lost Planet, and Resident Evil 4 while violent still had more depth than all the First Person Shooters combined. To make a long story short i'm tired of walking around just seeing my hand or arm sticking out shooting things point blank.
Games to look forward to
Crash Of The Titans(definately Different)
A new Next gen MX ATV game wow FINALLY!!! after 2 years.
Assassins Creed-This will own even Halo 3, sorry fanboys:)
Alone in the Dark-Yeah now we're talking the first next gen Survival Horror Game!!
Resident evil 5 whenever it makes it way out.
Indiana Jones-Pysched as hell for this one.
Clive Barkers Jericho-Yes maybe and FPS, technically survival horror though:D
So lets get the variety back in gaming, heck i still play the PS2 more than the 360 just because of all the different games:)
And btw keep Halo 3 it does not look impressive, never understood the hype of that game seek and destroy your enemy, gee that hasn't been done before has it??? | video-games_xbox |
Great deal for the price. I bought this game when it first released and I now have all the DLC characters. I have put in many hours I to this game, and they have been well spent. As a note, the first half of this review will mostly focus on the description of the game and it's pros. In the second half, I will discuss the cons.
For those who don't know much about this game, it is a pure multiplayer experience which tasks a team of 4 hunters to hunt down and eliminate another monster player. Other game modes exist such as "defend" - where hunters must defend a series of generators as the monster player and two minion monsters take the assault, and "arena" - where the monster and hunters are trapped in a caged environment, forced to fight untill one team is left standing. beyond what was mentioned there are around 4ish other game types.
There isn't much of a campaign except for an "extraction" game mode which basically consists of around 5 rounds of mixed game modes listed above. For each round, the winner gets an aided bonus for the next upcoming round. Whoever wins the last round, however, wins it all. So it is important to always strive for those bonuses.
Despite having no concreat campaign, the game prevails regardless. It is a game meant for multiplayer and that is just what it succeeds at. Without any DLC, there are 4 hunter classes to choose from, each with 3 different hunters with their own unique abilities (totalling up to 12 hunters to choose from). There are 3 basic monsters, and two DLC monsters (each of them greatly different).
One thing I have to praise this game about, is the balance of characters. No character feels OP. They all balance themselves out. Furthermore, while other games may be dominated by "pay-to-play" gamers (meaning that those who buy the DLC do better than those who don't), this game is not. Honestly, some of the most useful characters you can play as are the free starting characters!
Another thing I love about how DLC is handled, is that it does not restrict the matchmaking. Any and all maps are free to everyone. Also, if by chance you join a match midgame and the only available spot is a DLC character you don't have, you still get that spot. That means you can play as a character you didn't even pay for! It's almost like test driving a new car. Before I bought the DLC I was able to experience how it felt to play as various different characters just by joining midgame. Periodically, free DLC will be released to the community, including skins, maps, and alterations of characters (where you have the choice of playing as the basic version of a character or the new version which has their appearance and skill set reformed).
The gameplay flows well and while matches can last long (especially in the standard "hunt" game mode), it doesn't bother me. As a hunter, there are controller commands that can be used to communicate with your teammates, such as marking a position or spotting the monster. This is particularly useful, as the hunter's role relies heavily on teamwork but not everyone in your game may have a mic to communicate. Playing as the monster feels awesome... Nothing else much to say there. I love it. The maps are large and feel appropriate for the game. A little asthetic piece to this game that I absolutely admire, is the opening dialogue for each match. Depending on what set of 4 hunters are picked for the game, you will have a unique and different conversation between them. Nearly every time I play, I'm always hearing new intros. This little detail goes a long way to show the effort and care that was put into the game.
Despite all my praise, you may have noticed I only gave the game 4 stars. That is because, like any game, there are some downsides.
As I mentioned before, there is no campaign. Before I continue, I must stress again that this game function fine without one, however, almost any other games these days includes some form of single player story. It would have been nice to see just what an Evolve campaign would be like. But sadley, we will never know.
"The game is repedetive" - oh how I hate it when this is the only reason someone can argue for why they dislike this game. Unfortunately, they are right... to a fault. Yes this game is repedetive. You will play the same game modes, often with the same objective, and sometimes against the same enemy. For some, this game is not meant to be played religiously. But it is great to play every now and again. It's worth a great time to play with friends when you are bored once and awhile. That is... If you can find anyone to play it with...
Now is the time to address the elephant in the room... Likely the biggest problem Evolve has, and the reason why it is so often on sale. The player base is depressingly low. For a game that is not so old, it struggles to hold numbers when it comes to how many gamers are actually playing it. This causes matchmaking to often be horrendously loooooooooong. Evolve never had a really good start to its career on the shelves. When the game first came out, gamers were outraged by the surprisingly large amount of DLC. Though most of the the content was cosmetic and in no way effected the game, fans were discouraged that so early in the game's life, the developers were already trying to get gamers to pay more. Since then, Evolve hasn't been in popular demand. It's player base population was decent for a while, but as new game modes &a a whole deport ate "competitive hunt" mode was added, the player base was fractured even worse. The best way I have been able to join games is to go into quick match. You won't be able to choose what type of game mode you want to play & you may end up playing with a few bots (AI teamates) but at least the matchmaking is on par with ordinary games. If trying to go into competitive hunt by yourself, you are likely going to have to wait 30 minutes to an hour. It's going to be awhile.
This game has been so much fun & for the standard edition $10 price, that is an incredible deal! For so cheap, the pros heavily outweigh any cons. If you're still undecided after all this, then ask yourself this - do you want one of the best hide n' hunt experiences for cheap & quick fun? If yes, then Evolve is all that and more. If no - then there are plenty other games in this world that you can play. 4 stars out of 5. Good game. Great for the price. | video-games_xbox |
. Amazon
18000
Amazon
PCStepmania
DDR
Lv17
AC
5mm
DDRAC
DDR
Let me write here and I think it would be helpful so review (but of course) English only.
It is a review for those who have lived in Japan for us, that, I want you to ship to Japan.
It is the flow of the ship from the first order, while they also took several hundred dollars just another controller carriage, for the U.S. Amazon will do the shipping, this controller requires only about 1000 yen.
I was able to get this controller so in about 18000 yen.
Were to be with, take about 4 days to 2 weeks to arrive from the ship, the goods arrived in 5 days from order.
Ease of purchase, I truly think Amazon.
Thoughts as a controller.
I'm playing with Stepmania connected to the PC. (The judgment is easier to fit)
Therefore, delay, etc. I do not know.
Reaction of the panel itself and you can enjoy a comfortable DDR without well, slipping out just freeze arrow.
The reviews often feel that you step on, sinking, feeling like stepping crawl to a feeling that the switch is attached to the base or to.
However, in order to grasp so sensuously whether or not this is in stepping are stepping in reverse, it is incredibly easy to play.
without moving the controller for the back is machined entirely non-slip, even stepped on Lv17, etc. For the purpose of the current table difficulty, play the music mad comfortable.
However, because you just hooked a leg injury to this screw pile of screws that secure the panel is large, and do it barefoot, shoes it is mandatory.
Because the skin of the sole of the foot is stiff, his Although not hurt, especially AC so playing barefoot regularly, and I do it and be cut definitely towards the ordinary and do it barefoot.
If you want to do with barefoot is recommended that as a measure, replace the screws, etc. purchased at home centers ultra low head screws 5mm.
No longer caught in this, I can with confidence slide step.
I thought that the beginning is painful and there is no bar Naa, the accuracy of the score of AC is far better off now I will go up if you do DDR accustomed to at home without bar.
Please try not hesitate and buy all means those who are, I think I want to do a DDR perfectly at home. It is recommended! | video-games_xbox |
Is Modern Warfare 3 the Next Game of the Year or is it just a Bargain Bin Pick Up. Is Modern Warfare 3 next Game of the Year or is it just a bargain bin pickup?
There was certainly a lot of hype with this game, and the midnight release line was no joke. The game had over 5million pre-orders and certainly will sell over 10 million Copies within this year. Being a fairly active gamer playing hundreds of games including the entire Call of Duty franchise, I certainly will try and be fair within this review. However, there is a lot of controversy on the quality of this game.
The game features three modes single player, spec ops, and multi player.
Single player is very similar to the previous installments of the modern warfare franchise. It is a fairly fluent experience. The pacing is about right distracting the player from an onslaught of killing baddies with story, and other interesting game play features. It's length is a bit short some where around 5 to 7 hours depending on the difficulty, but this is normal considering all the cod single player mods are this long.
Spec ops mode is broken into two categories survival and mission. The survival mode is a new add on, and I would say its much like zombies with weapons. It involves one person and a buddy surviving waves of baddies which get more difficult. One can play it on every multi player map. The mission mode is much like MW2. A player is given an objective and must carry it out, on a certain difficulty. This mode is also fairly fun, and is a nice co-op add on. Overall, spec ops is a fun mode, and certainly adds "beef" or versatility to this game.
Multi player mode is the most emphasized mode of this genre and series, and therefor it should have the most weight on the review. The multi player interface is exactly the same as MW2, but differs some on the stats and classes. The multi player itself has a very in depth leveling system which has became a staple for the COD franchise. One who has played MW2 or any other COD game will be fairly familiar with how leveling works. For instance, getting points gives experience which progresses the player and allows unlocks of varies perks weapons and kill streaks. The new addition of kill streak selection is nice, and the changes to leveling weapons is also accepted. Continuing on, the multi player itself is fairly fun. Racking up kills and seeing the points appear on ones screen is always a thrill. However, there are some drawbacks to the multi player. They had a huge change in map layout compared to MW2. The maps feature close quarters urban environments and that's about it. There could have been a larger diversity in the map design. There is also little recoil with the weapons giving somewhat a "laser effect", but this allows for a more fast pace game. The graphics are not the greatest, but they are fine. In order to receive the magic 60 frames a second, they can't be drop dead gorgeous. There is an issue with them charging $50 for a stat tracking service which is already programed in the game, but i suppose supply and demand wins again (i didn't have a high enough demand to buy it, though). In conclusion, The multi player is fairly engaging, and can be a thrill even with the minor drawbacks.
Modern Warfare 3 is a great installment in the series. There is a lot of content to be explored, and the multi player is nearly endless. However, there is little innovation within this game, and the game is very similar to all the other COD already out there. Even though the lack of innovation the series is selling gangbusters, and it seems to be what the crowd likes. Bottom line is if one likes COD they will most certainly like this game. | video-games_xbox |
seriously flawed but playable anyway. when my housemate gave me his copy of this game to play recently, I had no idea how much hype it has had, because I'm not much of a gamer. I have finished a grand total of maybe four games in my life.
This game, despite the fact its kinda dull for the first hour, had me interested straight away, which is a rare thing for me. I liked the concept and the graphics were pretty nice to look at, and it all captured my imagination - which I like a game to do. So I was happy to stick with it for a while, because despite its flaws the game is eminently playable. but wow does it have flaws:
the fighting / menu system is a mess. It's so unweildy and cumbersome. every button is used and objects are assignable. up to now I haven't figured out a way to unassign things so I've ended up digging at really inappropriate moments, like in the middle of a melee.
the concept of good/evil is interesting and it has an impact on the way the rather one dimensional NPCs interact with you, but in the end it is pointless because the outcome is the same either way.
the camera is generally alright but lets you down when you really need it, like when you're under attack from all sides. and if you press the wrong thumbstick the stupid map takes up half the screen. this can be very annoying.
Why the fishing thing gets harder the more you do it is beyond me.
For all it's hyped ultra freedom, the game is still pretty linear, and you can't explore anywhere you want, unlike a game like the GTA series. You are restricted to staying on the path mapped out, but this only a minor problem.
The story line is pretty halfbaked, just your usual RPG/Fantasy cliches really. On that note, I don't really think this is much of an RPG, its more an action-adventure game and unfortunately the endless button mashing battles get kinda samey and dull after a while.
A lot of people have complained that the game is too short, but I haven't really been concerened about that. It's a fairly easy game for the most part, I guess hard core gamers might feel cheated somewhat.
It's playable though, and i'm pretty fussy when it games to games. I enjoyed it and wanted to keep playing despite all of it's many flaws. I wouldnt recommend it to hard core fans of the genre but i'm sure they all ready have a very negative opinion of it. | video-games_xbox |
A Worthy Additiona To The AC Story. I'm not really big into gaming, but my son certainly is, and I enjoy spending time playing video games with him every now and then. Although he mostly enjoys first-person shooter type games, I really enjoyed the strategy style that Assassin's Creed Brotherhood offered. That is the first and only other AC game that I have played. Unfortunately the game became quite easy with practice, and my son and I burned through it quite quickly. So when Assassin's Creed Revelations was released, I just had to snag a copy right away!
The graphics are amazing! You really need to experience a big-screen, high definition arena for this game, in order to get the full effect of just how awesome the video quality is in this version. The story seems to be fairly seamless, as a continuation of AC Brotherhood. Game play is very similar as well, although there are a few (very few) extras in Revelations. They have added a hook blade, which is cool, and a bomb making feature, which starts out great but gets boring pretty quickly. Having almost every chest check provide you with bomb making materials just doesn't offer enough challenge. In fact, low levels of challenge are my biggest complaint with this game. As I said, I am not much of a gamer, yet my son and I have already finished this game. It just isn't hard enough to make you shed blood, sweat, and tears, to complete the game. It just went by very quickly and now really bad for the folks that shelled out top dollar on the day this game was released.
Overall I am quite pleased with Assassin's Creed Revelations. The graphics are great, the audio is solid, some of the new features are fun (although maybe only for awhile), and the story makes for a great ending to the AC series. But other than the cosmetics of the game, there really is nothing to wow the player. And including 3D glasses (of pathetic quality) just seems like more of a gimmick. I am glad to have played the game, but I don't know as though I will ever play it again. Maybe my son will. I just feel like this game would be great as a rental. If you dedicated the time and energy into stick with the game for several hours, the average player could likely finish the game within a couple of days. Now I have a pricey game that will likely sit and collect just for the foreseeable future. So even though I am giving this game 3 out of 5 stars, it is still one that I would recommend, if you have played the other Assassin's Creed games. It really is quite fun to play, and offers a solid ending to the series. But the game lacks in so many areas, including the lack of challenge, that I couldn't even muster a 4 star rating. I guess I just expected more, far more, from the makers of this game. The fact that a non die-hard gamer, such as myself, finished the game in so little time should indicate the lack of polish and skill that this game should have had. | video-games_xbox |
Activison hits one out of the park with a new IP. Prototype is a new game from the guys at Activison. Here they take a look at other open world (sandbox) games like GTA, Crackdown, and really Hulk UD and mix them up in a blender to form this tasty cocktail.
The game starts off in the heat of the battle. Crazy "infected" cilivains and armored military face off. You, Alex Mercer, is in the middle. The game's first 5 min introduces all the powers you can get while playing the game and really previews some truly specail and powerful moves. The game then takes time to jump back in time to tell the story from the start. It's this little "Pulp Fiction" take on the narritive that has you rebuilding Alex to the person you first played as. The game's story is done well enough to never make you want to skip it, it does manage to prgress the action along nicely.
The biggest complaint is the opened ended of the game. Don't go in expecting a GTA game world...or even a Crackdown game world. NYC in Prototype is small in comparison. A fully upgraded Alex can go from one side of the map to the next in a few mintues.
This isn't the lush playground that Rockstar created with GTA4. Here NY seems a little plain and boring. It is nice to see all the gory deathes and the change from the infection spreading over the NY landscape. With that said the mission are also very linear in scope. You will not have a dozen of missions at once on the map. You'll get one at a time.
They included a few "events" or minigames that you can pick from and play. All these do though is add to your Experiance Points so you can purchase upgrades. And this is where Prototype shines. Destorying bases and killing bad guys for all the EP you can muster just so you can upgrade Alex is great fun, always with the goal to become that killing machine you were in the first 5 mins. of the game.
In the end Activison has a soild game on their hands with Prototype. It might not have the buzz or the flash of other sandbox games but it really is a nice change of pace from the norm and well worth a play. Here's hoping they follow up this game with a Prototype 2. | video-games_xbox |
What could have been. Uncreative implementation of one of the best concepts in gaming history. Without a doubt, Halo 1 & 2 have the most engrossing story and universe compared to any other game bar none. Better than average AI and a decent assortment of weapons can easily keep one entertained. In fact, there is not a lot negative to say about Halo, but one of the problems is bad enough to bring down the entire game. This is of course, the use of checkpoint saves as opposed to user saves. It may seem like a long game to some of the less perceptive gamers, but in reality a lot of the game is simply doing the same exact things over and over again. I realize there may be some people out there that enjoy this type of mindless repetition, but for those who require a little more intellectual stimulation than your average assembly line worker, you will quickly begin to wonder what unimaginative knucklehead decided to make this part of the game. What makes this worse is the sometimes atrocious timing of these checkpoints. You will be amazed at how far back you can be set if you die before the designers allow you a save. This does not make the game difficult, it just makes it a waste of time. Replay value is also affected by this, since some scenes will be so familiar from when you had to go through it 12 times, they will begin to seem like a chore. Hopefully in future versions, the game play designers will attempt to put as much effort into the game as the people who designed everything else.
A couple of other small annoyances. 1) Architectural designs that incorporate huge drops as part of their structure for no other reason except to make something a player can fall off of. Is there no OSHA in space? 2) The ability of the aliens no know that you have them sited in your sniper rifle from great distances. Why these guys start dodging around as soon as I sight them up from a mile away is beyond me. | video-games_xbox |
Better idea is to get borderlands 2 and save yourself from Defiance. My thoughts on the game Defiance, I give it a 1/10 1 star, even a Zero 0.
If I knew it was a poormans knockoff of Borderlands 1&2 I never would have bought it. Seriously, it is an over the shoulder very dumbed down version of borderlands games. My big issues, the hit boxes are messed way up, while the graphics are rather good the technical errors on the player body are disturbing, The difficulty of the game can be similar to the frustration felt when playing Halo 2 on Legendary containment, the rest is where the game falls short... The creators of Borderlands said " We are surprised nobody has copied our idea" a bit ago, wellllll someone tried to... here is how they messed up.. Defiance vs Borderlands ... Defiance is a 3rd person shooter, Borderlands is a FPS.. Defiance has a higher customization of your character and the ability to mess with gun attributes using mods, Leveling up in Defiance is up with the most confusing things I have ever dealt with... seriously, the leveling is bad at best with no real progression, The weapons only get better, yay, I use that term loooosly, when you use the same weapon for the whole game, and when you do "level" you get a point to spend to upgrade your 'ego' and again, those points that go into a skill tree, don't do crap in the big picture, and no, you don't gain health or anything else. Now where the game falls flat with direct comparisons to borderlands. Because that is all this game is, someone taking an idea and just messing it up, instead of making, what could have been, a great FPS or 3rdPS
Enemies- Borderlands has 11 groups that have there own sub groups, and those their own ranks. Defiance has 5 groups and each group has 5 ranks <- A lot less and lots of repetition.
Guns- Defiance has used borderlands type of gun elements, Fire, electricity, acid <radioactive>, and slag, but defiance has not used explosive.
Grenades- Defiance uses the classic, a glue type, a sticky, and a exploding that sends out more... this is about 100 less then Borderlands variations, elemental types, healing, singularity, homing, and the combo to name a few.
The shields- so far I have yet to find any shield worth using outside the basic thing you get at the start probably because they are just the basic type, Borderlands has so much more variety like ones that blow up anything nearby if they get drained.
Vehicles- Defiance has more vehicles, and they are more readily available with a push of a button, In borderlands you have to go running around for a station, but they are all over around the maps, as for the vehicles themselves, all the ones in borderlands have guns and boosters, in defiance they just have boosters, maybe a gun on one of them.
Healing- Defiance you heal over time as long as you don't get shot, or someone shoots you with a healing weapon, in contrast, borderlands you run around and get a health potion, or you have a healer shoot you in the face.
Classes- Defiance has NONE, you are only picking an outfit at the start of the game not a class.
Humor- Defiance has none, and what it does have is awkward sexual innuendoes.
Some good things about Defiance, The story is actually really really good, There are a ton of people that play this and it shows as a true MMO.
Map, Missions, AI, Visuals, Left out because they are all personal debate between the games.
I am sure I left stuff out end result, I give Defiance a 5/10 if I never played Borderlands, sense I did, I give it a cheep knock off dirt. Like Halo vs Fire Warrior cheep knock off. | video-games_xbox |
Required playing. Bioshock is a transcendent piece of workmanship. It is a whole package of arts from many media: visual design, architecture, acting, literature, direction, music, sound design, choreography, narrative, pathos, humor, emotion, philosophy... In my opinion, all art, regardless of media, is judged by only one criterion: how well it immerses the audience. It is highly difficult for a videogame to work well with all of the artistic elements it must from other media, but when it can, results are breathtaking. For videogames have an artistry trump card should all other elements come together brilliantly -
The audience affects them.
I can't begin to say how much this can add to the immersive experience of art. Fallout and Deus Ex and a handful of other games have had a marriage of elements that made in-game actions true epiphanies and sometimes truly difficult decisions, but no game has had quite such a successful integration of the arts and interaction as Bioshock.
To start, the world of Rapture, the undersea self-governing utopia of the late 1940's, is as fully realized as a fictional arena can be. The narrative begins with a plane crash in the middle of the Atlantic. As the only apparent survivor, you swim to the only nearby shelter, a skyscraping spire jutting out of the sea. Upon entry, you're greeted by the larger-than-life bronze bust of the larger-than-life antagonist of the tale, Andrew Ryan. His austere face hangs just above a placard which succinctly states the vision of his that became reified with the construction of Rapture, "No Gods or Kings. Only Man." A later banner declaring "Altruism is the root of all wickedness" rounds out Ryan as a man whose will is singular and formidable and who believes that man's progress truly comes through serving one's self. I don't wish to divulge much more of him. He's somehow omnipresent. His dream world that became as abyssal as the ocean in which it sits, is clearly his world, a full manifestation of one man's vision. Ryan pulls off complexity in a singular character with aplomb. However much you might hate him, you admire him in equal measure. He's an iconic villain, who is actually able to perhaps shake your long held beliefs with surprising charisma, gaining with sheer will your empathy.
Ryan's dream is an art deco, mid-19th century cityscape with impeccable design. Neon signs with bold lettering mark every locale. 40's style public service announcements chime through speakerphones, littering propaganda from Ryan's mind and often featuring a domineering man speaking to an unsure woman as though she were a neurotic child. Heavy, steam-powered machinery powers the city, replete with worn and bulky looks of the period's real engineering. Posters of idealized men and women from the age paint the walls with advertisements for the newest products and services. A highly curvaceous and opulent architecture is present throughout; it's beautiful, beautifully realized and extremely cohesive. There are even cases in which period music plays, from Perry Como, Billie Holliday, and others, used to better effect than almost any feature film soundtrack.
The atmosphere is complete and compelling, but clearly crumbling. Hypnotizing trickles and even larger floods of water flow in through cracks of the foundation, most places are unkempt, or in ruins. There's evidence of a struggle between Ryan and an enterprising businessman named Fontaine. You find out about his smuggling ring whose importing of the "parasitic" ideals that Ryan so abhors caused a war between the two men over philosophical matters and financial ones. "Adam," discovered in Rapture and studied by parties supported by the two men, is a substance that changed Rapture, by allowing the grafting of stem cells that can radically rewrite DNA sequencing to give a man or woman virtually any characteristic they so desired.
A war over Adam is taking place. Fontaine and Ryan fought over its rights and nearly everyone else is fighting to obtain it, and as much as they can. Homemade weapons dot the underwater fortress. Genetically altered quasi-humans walk the city, ever searching the premises for Adam as though it a powerful drug, hurting and killing for it.
Inhabitants exhibit behaviors that are powerfully disturbing. They retain and relive memories of their former lives, giving hints of the trials and tribulations they faced before becoming hideously disfigured in every sense of the word. Some seem like they were broken of their former ways by force, some seem to have arrived by greed or the jealous need to usurp, some seem to have fallen in because of tragedy, and still others, such as the Little Sisters, were simply bred into their monsterhood.
Little Sisters are Rapture's Adam harvesters, and while the game allows for numerous and wonderful player choices in terms of evincing enemies, Little Sisters provide the moral choices. Your guide, a man named Atlas, encourages you to harvest them for the Adam they posses so that you might be better able to survive with the improved genetics by killing the filthy girls with glowing eyes, strolling through the halls with a syringe drawing the blood from corpses they call "angels." The woman scientist who developed the children asks you not to do so, but givesno immediate reward. The system creates a great dilemma both morally and from the virtue versus instant gratification aspect.
Though this is really the only immersive hinge in Bioshock, the story is so closely tied to the Little Sisters and the narrative so tight, this one recurring choice manages to be thoroughly compelling. Bioshock is the only experience I've had in recent memory, where I actually as the audience felt deceived, the effect of which I could hardly put into words. Suffice to say, it managed to find through a simple motif, a way to bring me to feel disgust, regret, hatred, and disbelief. Bioshock makes everything that occurs within it your real experience and it makes what is a brilliant social commentary into a frightening self examination.
Is it perfect? No. There are issues with immersion that remind you that you are playing a game. For instance, the penalty for death is nearly non-existent, which takes away from the feeling of fear and discourages tactical thinking. The physics, particularly in death animations, are quite wonky in some cases. There are clipping instances. Corpses twitch.
...That's it though.
Bioshock is truly Dynamic art and comes with my unequivocal recommendation. | video-games_xbox |
Easily the best in the franchise. Breaking their 2 year cycle, Epic Games announced that the finale to their Gears of War franchise would finally be released and as much as I hate the word, intends for it to be the "definitive" Gears experience. The engine's being pushed the hardest, the multiplayer's the most balanced and there's enough features and things to unlock that this game can literally be the only thing you'd play just from sheer volume of stuff it has. While the game isn't re-inventing the wheel gameplay-wise and it still has the odd dichotomy between explosive-bromance-testosterone-blockbuster and emotionally-charged character-driven epic but if you're a Gears fan, chances are Gears 3 is probably the best one that they've done. But I do have complaints but I would easily recommend buying this game provided you can tolerate some annoyances.
2 years after the sinking of Jacinto, humanity's spread out and the COG has disbanded. Some of the Locust are being corrupted by the substance known as "Imulsion" and have become mutated versions of themselves dubbed the "Lambent". While on the ship Sovereign, Marcus Fenix receives news that his father, Adam Fenix, is alive and has a weapon that can potentially destroy the Lambent and possibly the Locust as well. So with buddy Dom Santiago, fellow COG buddies Baird and Cole, Anya and a new Carmine, Marcus heads off to locate his father and attempt to stop the Locust and Lambent threat once and for all.
Written by frequent Gears' novelist Karen Traviss, she does a much better job personifying the characters and she delves more into who they are. While it still has the typical action junkie "**** yeah, take that!" type dialogue, the story has a bit more weight to it. Well as much weight as you can give muscle dudes in heavy armor with chainsaws on their guns. While the set-pieces are still as grand as ever, I felt some of the pacing lacked as well since for all of its go-for-broke tendencies, Gears 2 was perfect in this regard. And while I hate to use the word "filler", there's parts of the game that feel extended or lengthened which sacrifices the flow. But then there's a mid-game cutscene that packs a huge emotional wallop and there's some impressive moments in the campaign that'll be fun to replay. It's just too bad the gap between those moments is a bit wide.
The core gameplay is still the same: take cover and fire shots into enemies until you hear the "all done!" sound cue but there is some minor tweaks. You can mantle kick into someone if they're on the other side allowing for quicker kills, the entire game carries 4 player co-op whether through standard campaign or the score-based Arcade and some new weapons come in such as the Digger which launches a grenade that travels underground as well as the controversial Sawed-Off Shotgun. Not to mention you're constantly rewarded such as headshotting enemies, doing successful active reloads and the like. It's not revolutionary but rather fixing the leaks and improving on the strong parts of the franchise which makes it a more satisfying whole.
The standard Versus mode returns although some gametypes have been dropped. Gone are Submission and Guardian and in its place is Capture the Leader: one player acts as the "flag" that must be captured but the Leader is able to hold LB and highlight not just your allies on the HUD but enemies as well which encourages communication. Also new (yet familiar) is the industry standard Team Deathmatch although there is a twist as your team has a shared amount of lives and once it reaches 0, everyone only has one life and upon death, they must wait until round's over. Although you will most likely see horrendous spawns and frequent uses of the Sawed-off, it's a fun mode anyway.
The 2 big draws are the return of Horde and the new Beast mode. In Horde mode, it's still up to 50 waves however Epic has added a tower defense-ish structure where you can purchase barriers to slow enemies down, automated turrets and manned turrets, buy grenades and additional ammo and decoys which distract the Locust. It's just as addicting as it was before however in later waves, it gets remarkably difficult and boss waves can be a tad overwhelming so expect many quitters or re-tries. Always wanted to take on 20 Locust plus a Brumak single-handedly? Now's your chance.
The new mode Beast is also a fun albeit a tad fleeting experience as you control the Locust themselves with unique abilities as you try to kill the Gears heroes and COG soldiers. It starts off simple enough as you use the bomb on feet Ticker or huge Butcher but pretty soon you can be a giant spider, a long electric centipede and even a berserker with distorted vision. It can get pretty frantic as the timer constantly ticks down which encourages speedier results yet at 12 waves, it's all too brief and unless you're being the absolute best on your team, you likely won't even unlock the last tier until towards the end.
When they talk of replay value, Gears 3 has an abundance of it although that depends on whether you actually want to tackle it. Gears rewards ribbons for completing certain challenges (3 headshots in a row, the most executions in a round etc) and also medals which are huge milestones such as completing x number of Wingman matches are getting x number of kills with a certain gun. But let's just say if you want to get all of them, you're going to be here a while: we're talking 6000 kills for each starting weapon, playing in 3000 matches of each gametype and executing your nemesis 500 times and there's a lot more that I haven't even mentioned. Want bang for your buck? Gears 3 has it but it could possibly backfire as you might decide the new Seriously 3.0 achievement might not be worth it considering how ridiculous the requirements are but it's a lofty goal to be sure.
Like Resistance 3, the extra year of development definately paid off as top to bottom, a Gears fan would be quite happy with the end product. While you might have some grievances (overpriced on-disc DLC, that damn Sawed-off and bad spawns and that ridiculous achievement), those looking for an alternative to military shooters can't do wrong with Gears of War 3. | video-games_xbox |
Broken. I had high hopes for this game. I loved Battlefield: BC2 and was excited when I heard the MoH multiplayer was made by the same team. However, the multiplayer is broken and feels half-assed. It has potential, but the content and performance sternly limit the greatness this game can reach. While I like the idea of unlocking new items for the class you're using, there is nothing distinguishing each class aside from the primary weapon, and with only 2-3 weapons per class you have little motivation to upgrade one class over another. The game seems to favor snipers, as they are capable of delivering a one-shot-kill without being in visible range or exposed to players using automatic weapons. Also, the lack of any kind of killcam prevents a repeat victim from ever knowing where he's being killed from. There is no way to take viable cover as there always seems to be a sniper who can see you from any angle. Another problem is hit detection. So many times I shoot directly at someone without getting a hit marker, and after hitting someone multiple times, I'm the one killed by seemingly fewer shots. I found myself getting progressively more angry about it. It started as "maybe my aim was off" and soon became "there is no way he didn't die". Another ridiculous problem is the spawn points. You will respawn in the exact same place over and over again. Not a place in a general area, but the exact same location. Often times, these locations are in the corner of the map where both exits can be easily covered by the opposing team. You try rushing out and die, you try sneaking out and die, you try peaking around the corner "slicing the pie" shooting as soon as you see and enemy and you die. Also, grenades seem useless.
I tried accepting the game as it is, not wanting it to be something it isn't, but ultimately I found it unplayable. Until EA or DICE or whoever fixes this game, I will not be playing it. | video-games_xbox |
you seriously need to realize what you are getting into ( or more like what you are going without compared to earlier Forzas. First off, I have not actually played the game yet, I have a pretty good idea of what im going to be getting myself into just from the run up to its release, I pre-ordered the LE from gamestop, was really excited to pick it up, as I was going to buy an xbox one just for this title. I have been playing forza since the first title, and this series has been my reason for buying the original xbox and the 360, and was going to be my reason for an xbox one.
The game as advertised comes with a day one pack, limited edition/VIP cars only avail to vip's, 1250 tokens that are supposedly enough to buy any car in the game. Turn 10 had to do a black friday style in game economy readjustment cutting every cars cost in half in game credits and as of writing this the game has not even been out a week. The most expensive car in tokens in the game is the F1 Lotus and 250 ferrari GTO, both costing 10k tokens, far more then 1250 supplied. The packaging itself consists of the metal case, a paper sleeve around the case, the game, a sticker sheet, and the code for the car packs to be unlocked. that's it. There is no included manual. AT ALL. so in terms of physical extra goodies, you are paying 20$ extra for the metal case and a sticker sheet and no booklet...I was really disappointed about this as the first forza included a fairly in depth booklet, detailing all of the game modes, features, and even went into methods of driving, how to take corners, tuning features...this has none of that.
The game itself will feel gutted if you have played any of the earlier installments, several HUNDRED cars have been cut, as well as MANY tracks, (read like 15 tracks that were mainstays have been cut)
Tracks cut:
Mugello Autodromo (long and short), Hockenheim ring (all versions), Suzuka Circuit, Sonoma fictional track, Sears Point, Tsukuba (yep....), Twin Ring Motegi, Maple Valley Speedway, Road America is gone, any chance of going on a mountain run up and down Fujimi Kaido is gone, and many many more....oh wait....NO NURBURGRING (either one, nordschleife or gp).
Another kick in the teeth, there is a day one DLC, which i wouldn't have any problem with normally, i like dlc, you won't really like this tho if you've played Forza 4, the LaFerrari pack is mainly for the Ferrari, the rest of the cars in the pack are all from Forza 4, cars like the 70's camaro Z28, and the 80's MR2 SC, there's like 2 new cars in it, ferrari included. the kick in the teeth part is that the laFerrari pack is part of the season pass, so your paying 50$ more and the first pack is leftovers from FM4 basically.
I tried to be enthusiastic about this release, as FM is about my favorite game on any xbox... even now i am seriously regretting having purchased it and i haven't even played it yet. | video-games_xbox |
Why This is Great For Beginners. I am a beginner. No experience at all. I bought the bundle that had the guitar. The guitar that comes with it is a low end cheap guitar but in my opinion it's perfect for someone who knows nothing about guitar. This guitar is very simple. 1 humbucker, 1 tone knob, 1 volume knob. I've read alot of reviews of people bashing this guitar and I can see why someone with alot of experience would not like this guitar. I've read that this guitar won't stay in tune (bad tuners) and the pickups (humbuckers) are cheap. Maybe so, but for this game, I think it is perfect. The guitar is plugged up to the game anyway and is amp'd to the sound it needs for the song you are playing. so you're really not going to notice that it is not "perfectly" tuned. Unless you are great at guitar. (and if you are you won't buy the bundle)
But if you are planning to plug this guitar up to an amp and jam, you will probably find that it's not that great.
Ok, here's what most of us do...(what I did anyway).
We want to learn and play guitar. So we research, ask around, and go out and buy a real nice guitar (expensive) and sign up for lessons and after a few lessons and hours of boring exercises, we get aggravated and quit. sell the guitar for a loss and later we get the itch again and wish we hadn't. LOL.
Guitar is hard. Don't let anyone tell you different. Those boring finger exercise are CRITICAL for learning and this is where, in my opinion, this game rocks!
This game will not teach you music theory and alot of other very important tips and techniques. But it is great for finger muscle memory, fretting, shifting and other cool stuff. I believe this is a wonderful starting point that very well could get you ready for the next level. Get you over that "hump" if you will. Because it is alot of fun to play this game. When something is fun, you will more likely stick with it. And this definately is!
Been playing six hours and already seeing improvement. Very little mind you but any improvement is awesome! Motivation! That is the key. And this game definately will do that for you. Now don't get me wrong, it's still hard but this game starts off very slow and if you are doing well, it speeds up. If you start back sucking (and you will), it goes back down to easy. If you are having difficult with a certain section of a song, it has a riff repeater so you can pratice just that section. Has mini games that are designed to work on your finger exercises and develope muscle memory.
Lots of people complain about the track selection but these tracks were chosen for a reason, ease of play. It starts you off on a song that is designed for beginners and then builds from there. There was alot of thought put into these tracks and the progression of the play. If you are a beginner like me you won't mind the tracks so much. They're not that bad, I like em.
I don't know if I'd go as far as saying that this will teach you guitar, but It will teach you alot of techniques and get your fingers going where they should. I will say you will definately get alot of good from this and having loads of fun in the process.
If you are great at guitar, you *may* find this boring.
But for the rest of us, It gives us hope. I bought the bundle but the game works with any guitar.
This is what I don't like about the game so far...
Load times...Long load times. Hate waiting on it to load.
Tuneing every song.
The menu can be a bit confusing.
Wish the learning curve was more spaced out...seems like there is too big of a jump between super easy and to where it starts getting tougher. wish there were more inbetween if that makes sense. But then again that is what the riff repeater is for.
Overall, If you are brand new to guitar or have some experience, this is tons of fun and great exercises. Like I said, If you can master this game while haveing fun, In my opinion, you will be ready to go out and hire a great instructor and take off and not look back. No more quitting this time.
Oh and as far as the lag some people describe, for me it was opposite, set my tv on game mode. Had to use HDMI instead of av cables. There was lag with the av for me and none with the HDMI. I've notice others said the opposite. anyway
Great game/exercise tool.
Best advice I ever heard with guitar is..., "Stop dreaming and start playing".
Hope this helps. | video-games_xbox |
EA drops the ball again. This review isn't about the game itself as I haven't been able to install it thanks to EA's latest goof-up. Some games shipped with serial numbers that are missing a character (you need 20 but there are only 19). Amazon was nice enough to send out an email notifying us about this issue and had a link to EA's support page.
My first thought was, "Okay, mistakes happen. Not a problem. Let's get this fixed". I go to the support page and there are two options to resolve the issue. The first is to call their tech support line. Hmmm, that's not a toll free number. Okay, so it wouldn't cost that much to call, but I'm supposed to pay for the call to fix a problem that was their fault for a product of theirs that I paid for? Next!
Option two is to send an email to their support address. Okay, we'll try that one. You have to select what game you are having issues with. Ummmm....they don't even have C&C Red Alert 3 in the drop down menu yet. Wow! They really are dropping the ball more than once on this one. They know there are issues with the game and that customers will be trying to contact them to resolve these issues and they neglected to add the game to the support list? It's been out for over a week. Just shows you their level of incompetence and how much they "care" once they have your money.
Edit: A day or two after I posted the review, they added the game to the drop down menu.
Because of this and the news about the SecuRom spyware, I may seek a refund and shun EA releases from here on out, unless they change their policies, which will probably take a major shake up with upper management (shouldn't be too long with their stock dive). This is a shame as it looks like the developers made a great game here. I was really looking forward to just playing the game. More game publishers should treat their customers like customers, such as Blizzard or Stardock. Edit: Scratch Blizzard (a division of Activision) off that list.
Guess what? Stardock has zero (0) copy protection and they're doing very well financially and continue to grow. So much for blaming piracy for "loss of sales" instead of bad games, poor customer support and sleazy DRM schemes. Most people who obtain cracked software would not have purchased the game even if there was no pirated version. With Stardock games, you do need to register the game to get updates which sometimes end up being like free mini expansions (like Galactic Civilization II v2.0 update). That's how they reward legitimate customers instead of treating them like they're all thieves. Visit their website to see their customer's bill of rights. Demand change! | video-games_xbox |
worst game ever, E.T. for the 2600 is better. as a long time fan of the bioshock series having all the games in the series, even the mobile version of the first game when i heard this announced back in 2010 i was so happy that from then on i got a 120$ pre-order waited months for it to come out and (being into game design myself) the game is a terrible travesty the main character is flat, the other main character is down-right stupid (being dumbed down from all but two trailers being the revile and e3 2010) the city is crap in looks feel and awe-factor, the npc's are extreme being both way to easy or way to hard, the story is boring, the gameplay is a boring chore, the "vigors" are weak or so situation specific that i almost never used them, the combat feel's way to sluggish even at max sensitivity, the boss characters are brokenly hard even on easy, (handymen are brutal no-matter what, the siren is just retarded, and the bell-heads <-- my crafty name, are to sensitive for a stealth section, and the zeppelin raid is way to long)
and now for the worst ending in video-game history
the ending has so many problems one is the ending ensures the game loops forever, it also ret-cons the first two games (witch is why infinite is non-cannon) because one, it says rapture was based on Columbia, and two it claims Ryan was inspired from one prick in columbia who was inspired by Ryan, there are also many plot-holes in the endings b.t.w, making sure the game dose not happen, yet makes it loop forever, is Elizabeth drowns Booker in a pond (heavily implied where he was baptized as a child) she drowns him before he was born, but he was still born again because Elizabeth got herself caught in a loop where she is put back in the songbird tower, and yes i know (especily in bioshock 2) has cheesy endings but infinite's is beyond cheesy and is just THE WROST ENDING IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY.
this is why this is the worst game ever, of all time | video-games_xbox |
A great RPG with hours of enjoyable content worth a purchase. I've previously completed Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, and Dragon Age II. I really like the franchise and EA-Bioware's focus on storytelling as well as enjoyable gameplay. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a return to a broader story.
Without spoiling anything, the initial Dragon Age game told the story of a hero crossing an entire country completing quests, gathering allies, and preparing to stop an ancient evil. Bioware changed the scope for Dragon Age II and instead of crossing geography, they allowed time to progress. Dragon Age II followed the protagonist as he rose to prominance in a single city and it's surrounding areas over several years while stopping an ancient evil. Dragon Age: Inquisition goes back to the formula of a hero completing quests and gathering allies to stop an ancient evil but is broader than Dragon Age: Origins because instead of a single country, the protagonist now explores an entire continent.
In practice, this means a lot more gameplay. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the closest a Dragon Age game has gotten to being an open world game like the recent Elder Scrolls games. It combines classic Bioware decision-driven story missions with open world questing (collecting items, killing enemies, and hunting dragons). It mostly works. It is enjoyable if you have a couple of minutes to run a quick mission in a geographic location. If you have more time, it is great to dive into a longer story mission.
The campaign has a good story. It builds off the previous Dragon Age games but I think you can enjoy this game stand alone if you a willing to explore all the dialogue with characters. Most characters have dialogue that almost function as Dragon Age 101 for new players if you dive into it. Without story spoilers, I guess my only criticism of the overall plot is that it reuses some previous villains from earlier in the franchise history and sometimes I wanted to see something entirely new and fresh.
Some additional complaints (a little nitpicking) I have for my Xbox One play-through:
1) Finding crafting materials out in the wilds requires you to use your "radar" like ability to ping your surroundings and find plants, stones, and animals you can use to build potions, weapons, and armor. The problem for me is that means you are constantly pinging as you walk and run around the world. I found it annoying. I would rather crafting items be shaded differently or differentiated passively from the environment without actively using radar. This became as annoying for me as how in Mass Effect 2 you needed to complete planet scanning and mining. Both were necessary if you wanted to upgrade items but both became very unenjoyable.
2) Not enough ambient voice work. Now that you have a open world to explore with your party of Non-Playable Characters (NPC's), you spend more time wandering around the world then previous Dragon Age games. However, I feel like there was less audio between NPC's. Bioware finds great voice actors (some also known for mainstream television and movie work). However, sometimes I would be wandering around the world for an hour and only get a couple of seconds of banter. I wish they had just recorded hours of random chatter with these great actors. This could have been an Xbox bug. It just felt very sterile exploring a world with such subtle music and very little NPC dialogue.
3) Tarot cards to represent companion / NPC loyalty. I didn't like this. I just wanted a numerical score or bar chart like in earlier games. If I made a decision that increased or decreased a companion's view of the protagonist, I could never find a way to understand how the impact the overall relationship. I might have missed something. The Tarot cards looked nice but communicated less information.
4) Pathfinding / Exploring could be frustrating. This is a complaint of mine for all open world games so I don't want to blame just Dragon Age. Sometimes you know exactly where you want to go on the map but you can't find how to get there. There are forests of trees, mountains, or bodies of water that are impassable. Whether or not you feel spending time trying to find the single path to an objective (mission, resource, enemy) is just a natural part of an open-world game or is frustrating might depend on your personality and how long you have been looking for the single path. A couple of times I just cheated and looked to the internet for maps of the regions.
5) The War Room can be sterile and boring. One of the interesting additions to Dragon Age: Inquisition is the ability to go to your War Room and launch missions that will be completed by other characters. You aren't involved and you won't see the mission being completed. It just starts a timer to the mission completion and when a mission is completed you receive feedback on the result and any reward (gear, resources, influence, and power). This is a great addition but I wanted it to be more interactive. It could feel sterile - like instead of a commander hearing battle results you were just playing an RPG game within an RPG game. I wish Bioware recorded additional audio content with voice actors for all or some of these war room missions. I would have loved it even more if some of these missions ended with in-game engine cut-scenes.
6) Porting decisions from Dragon Age Keep didn't work for me. I played earlier Dragon Age games on my PC. I wanted to pay Dragon Age: Inquisition on my Xbox One. Due to the move between console generations, Bioware had already set-up a website (Dragon Age Keep) to make story choices from earlier games manually migrate to new games on the new consoles and PC's. I used Dragon Age Keep but none of these choices were represented in my Dragon Age: Inquisition. I think this might be some issues the first week on the technical side and if I complete a 2nd play through I'm going to try Dragon Age Keep again.
There is nothing like Dragon Age: Inquisition on the market. There are other open-world games on the market (Saints Row, Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto, Infamous, Watch Dogs, etc.) Some of these open-world games have good stories too, some don't. Only Dragon Age: Inquisition combines so much gameplay (questing, crafting, etc.) and story (side missions, character missions, decision-driven story missions) in one game for only $40-$50. It is worth a purchase if you enjoy RPG's, any of the previous Dragon Age games, the Mass Effect franchise, or video games in general.
31 Achievements out of 50 Won | Played for 94 hrs 11 min upon first Campaign Completion on Casual
Updated 01/04/2015 - My mistake for not doing enough research. There does appear to be a Banter System bug that Bioware is going to patch at some point. It doesn't change my rating of the game but hopefully people playing the game on Xbox One in 2015 will get more party dialogue compared to my play through. | video-games_xbox |
dated but pretty. Halo 3 quick rundown:
It looks and sounds gorgeous.
It's considerably behind the curve on FPS games for the 360.
It looks like it was built more for the online multiplayer crowd than the at-home single player audience because it seems awfully short.
More detail:
The music, surround sound, gun fire, etc., are all awesome. Noticably better than other games, including Gears. As good as Bioshock's, which I thought was quite good.
The graphics are very nice, especially the vista-views. The foliage and water is pretty good, though it's not quite in a same class as Far Cry's foliage or Bioshock's water. The weapons/bad guys/character models aren't as crisp as many other games, which is a shame since that doesn't seem like it would have been that hard to do, but I suspect it plays into the target audience thing.
As far as what I mean by it being behind the curve, I mean that in other FPS games, like Gears, Rainbow Vegas, or GRAW II, there is a very useful, very nifty, fairly realistic "cover" system. You can flatten against walls, reach over obstacles, and those games, while different systems for each, were fairly intuitive and an intergral part of the game. Halo 3 has none of it. No cover system at all, which makes it feel very dated to me. Would it have been so hard to incorporate one of those systems? I really had trouble with that for the first few minutes playing and then it faded into the background, but overall I think it's a pretty big deal. I think that's also true of the aiming (which is too arcade-like for me) and ally and enemy tactics, which are better in those other games. Now someone might say those are tactical shooters and this is a run and gun shooter, but I had a dastardly time getting used to having my allies run around and ignore me, run into the open, trip new bad guys arriving, etc., when I've been so used to (basically since I got the 360), having tight control of my team/allies, or at least having them not be idiots.
Also, from what I've read, the game is very short. 10-15 hours depending on how quickly you go. By comparison, I'm not even halfway through Oblivion and I'm into 80 hours of gameplay. Now I know they are not the same kind of game, but it would be nice to have a more thorough story. GRAW II took me 25 hours or so; Gears a little less, but both those appear to be twice as long as Halo 3. I spent not even an hour last night and finished the first chapter already. That seems to bode ill for a long game. The first Halo took me a long time and had a long story. The second one I blew through in a few days. I'm afraid this third one is more the latter than the former.
So overall I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Very pretty, very smooth, but technologically lacking for a shooter, if it it's as short as people say, it's main value will be in multiplayer, which isn't my cup of tea.
I wouldn't run out and buy a 360 just to play this game. Rather, go out and buy your 360 to play Gears of War or Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter II or Oblivion or something, but not for Halo 3.
[UPDATE:
I just finished the game. It only took about 12 hours, which seems rather short. That said, I have two new comments:
1. The game gets even more intense-looking and the graphics are beautiful. The story really picks up and gets kind of interesting towards the end, but...
2. I literally could not understand the cut-scenes. I don't mean that they didn't make sense (they may not have) I mean that throughout the game the giant uni-mind of the Flood is talking at you, as is Cortana, in these weird dream-like sequences. But I can't understand what they are saying. I turned the volume way up and it was still unintelligible. Did no one else have this problem? I tried replaying them even. I would only catch a few words per sentence, and it really ruined these scenes for me. I still can't figure out how the one ship ended up at the old Halo, or how Cortana was being tortured by a giant flood creature when she's a software construct, and this may all have been explained, but I think I need to read the book to figure it out because the dialogue was unintelligible).]
Other than that, the rest of my review is the same. | video-games_xbox |
Better MP, lesser SP than the first one. So I was a big fan of the first Bad Company. Though I think I was in the minority. It had a witty and engaging singleplayer with large, open maps. The multiplayer rounded out a great package with destructible environments, great ranking and perks system and the squad-based play and vehicles made it much more a team game than other FPS's.
So when Bad Company 2 came out, I was more than excited for it. And for the most part it has delivered. I would say the one downside is they tried TOO hard to replicate Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 singleplayer. While the maps are amazing in their beauty, they are now far two linear and I felt the enemies got easier as the game progressed (probably b/c as you weapon choices improved, the enemies do not). And as someone who comes (and stays) for the SP, I was a little disappointed. Not to say it is bad, in fact it was well worth the 10 or so hours I put in. I just felt the first Bad Company SP was a better fit for the style of gameplay.
The pleasant surprise in Bad Company 2 is the multiplayer. They took a great system from the first and added just small tweaks and improvements that multiplied to create the best online game to date for Xbox 360. The destructible environments means you'll never play the same game twice (I've probably logged 20-30 hours just in MP). The squad format makes teamwork not only easier, it sort of makes players default to team tactics than going lone wolf.
And while many will complain that the in ability to talk to the WHOLE team is a downside, this is a plus in my book. I tend to get turned off by MP games due in largest part to the Xbox Live "community." It's usually not till some "leet" player or overzealous teen ruins the experience for me. But since I don't have to communicate with those types (and I can easily change squads if I don't like the one I'm in) this means I have spent more time in Bad Company 2's MP than most of the other Xbox 360 games I have played COMBINED!
If you either A) love FPS's for the 360, B) are tired or hated Call of Duty, or C) are on the fence about whether to get this game...get it! You won't be sorry!!! | video-games_xbox |
Is this supposed to be the beta. The game has a lot of good things going for it with regards to aesthetics and gameplay, but far too many clear and obvious problems to recommend it at this stage. It feels like the game is still in paid beta and shouldn't be released for quite some time. Yet here we are.
There's no ability to communicate with other players, even though this is integral to the game since most of the interesting content can't be accessed solo. Combine this with the very limited matchmaking only allowing you to que for very low level dungeons, and it feels like most of the good stuff is inaccessible to the solo player. The loot system was recently improved, but it's still far too random, and the lack of the ability to trade items in any way makes it downright frustrating. I only have a single 'exotic' item, the highest level in the game, and I can't even use it because I'm the wrong class for it. The story is also virtually non-existent and is plagued with poor implementation and narrative choice. Many things that should be explained are left completely vague, and those that are explained are done so almost exclusively through voice messages, which are often poorly timed for listening purposes.
It's also generally bereft of content. You hit max level very quickly, and once you've done the small handful of dungeons there's nothing else to occupy yourself with other than incessant reputation grinding. And as for grinding, that seems to be what 90% of the game is about, with frustratingly repetitive daily quests and patrols. The pvp (crucible multiplayer) is alright, but nothing amazing, and feels like it's a couple of years out of date from a design standpoint. There's a tiny number of modes to play in, and the classes and weapons are very much not balanced. Add to this a poor matchmaking system that often leaves you down one or more players for long periods of time and the significant amount of 1-shot kills and it becomes frustrating at times.
The game borrows liberally from the MMO genre, but what it borrows are often the worst parts of the genre, and it lacks the necessary features and design choices to make them functional and enjoyable. It turns out that the fun part of an MMO is not the repetitive questing and grinding, though that's what Bungie decided to focus on with Destiny.
Overall, I'd recommend staying away from the game for time being. It might turn into something special once Bungie starts to learn how to make video games again and learns lessons that other developers learned a decade ago, but as it stands now it's a pitiful shell of a game. There's a solid foundation to build upon as the combat is generally fun, but too many crucial elements misfire for me to recommend. The game feels like it was rushed out by a disorganized team with inconsistent visions executing poor design choices that are at times downright inexcusable. | video-games_xbox |
Could have easily been better. I have mostly only played multiplayer as that is where I find all games most enjoyable
LEVELING UP SUCKS!!!!! To earn a lot of points you will have to run into the middle of gunfire and accomplish the objectives. It takes a long time to hack the computers fully and you will almost certainly die before completing this. I would guess this would be impossible for players new to shooters or who just aren't that good. Just killing people will only earn you limited points and it would take alot of hours to level up completely.
When you are playing against players who play hour after hour and have no life, whom have leveled up their characters almost fully, it is almost unfair. Their guns are far, far superior to the ones you are using. When they have a red dot on you it is game over in one or two shots (you won't unlock any type of optical sights for quite some time, I sure haven't, nor have I unlocked any guns. All this while leveling up my 3 classes concurrently to about level 12, and I have logged many hours doing so). What I am trying to say is that all the good (superior) stuff is unlocked at the higher levels (I believe the first gun unlock is level 20 and then the rest are 30 and up). Until you do so you will get owned. This isn't like call of duty where even the first gun works pretty darned good. THIS GAME CATERS TO THE HARDCORE GAMER!!!! (I am leveling up all classes concurrently, but you may wish to stick to one class to level up that one faster)(Leveling up gets harder and harder with each step up in rank)
The game lags big time. I can put a full clip into a guy short range and after doing so, somehow I am the one dead. Load times are fairly bad as well. I can see guys running over the map while my character is still loading.
The game doesn't adjust teams based on a players skill or how well (or not) they did in the previous round. So if you are unlucky and put against some really good players, expect it to be that way round after round. Teams just aren't equal most of the time. This makes it pretty hard to accomplish objectives and level up.
I find most of these flaws to be small, but they are utterly irritating. I don't know how these haven't been fixed, or more curious, how they weren't considered before release. If anything the leveling up system must be fixed to make it easier for the casual gamer to compete.
Update: Server has just crashed again, last time it was out for a whole day....hopefully they are fixing some issues.
Update (See Comments): After someone commented that there is a one level, one point accessory upgrade system, I was able to apply changes to my gun. These changes really helped to even out the playing field, tempering my frustrations with the game. I now give the game 5 stars for fun and 4 stars overall (still needs some fixing) | video-games_xbox |
extra buttons and triggers are better than paddles. Razer Wildcat - eSports Customizable Premium Controller for Xbox One and pc Ricos Review
sick and tired of buying ,charging , changing batteries and wireless issues, like were the controller disconnecting for no reason ,I decided to go back to the old xbox cable setup ,
the Elite controller and others 3 party ones have the same micro usb connector that get damage so easy too ,not impossible mod the elite into fully wired ,but require more money and void guarantee
I been looking at the razer for months , but with at same price of the elite $149.99 with less stuff and extras , hell no
but now I was able to get for 80 bucks at amazon
here's my honest review
the cable is tangle free with the same quick disconnecting feature in the console side like old xbox
controller micro usb is inside a square block that lock inside thigh
impossible to bent connector
buttons AXYB and the extra 4 multi function buttons use micro switch that are hyper responsive short travel with a click that you can fell and hear similar to a mouse
back side two extra programmable chromed triggers that are removable , your middle fingers will handle this triggers or rest them on side hands grip away from them
the other two extra programmable buttons are place it in the area were the tip of your fingers rest after going around the left and right front triggers, so you can press this buttons wile holding triggers or press without press triggers , awesome placement
2 programmable profiles that swap with a button press ,one for racing ,one for fps
button mapping is done by pressing program button, a small green light go on, press a hold one of the extra 4 buttons ,press any button you want to assign ,controller vibrate and is done
the Zero slow-turn carbon steel analog joysticks
are very precise ,locks picking in a game
like dying light is more easy now, ,the tops are more wider that original and rubberized like scuba gear
outside casing is no much different than original black plastic one
the elite got rubber grip , this one come with rubber grips that back side taped that are hard to install , putting them on is out of the question for me , what really matter is was on the inside ,but still WTF
chat connector and sound controls are build in but data port for chat pad or headphones with game sound won't work here ,you must have a astro mix amp pro or stereo systems with headphones jack to get the game through headphones
microsoft won't aloud data port in any 3rd party wired controller , not their fault
the big problem of this controller that get bad reviews is caused by microsoft , without updating the firmware this controller can freeze and force people to unplug and plug back , can't be update on console , you must update on pc
almost forget the hair trigger pull modes,a switch can short the triggers pull distance and a setting can make them fire without pulling all the way , on elite the distance can be more fine tuned but razor pull is shorter that elite supposedly ,
this controller is a badass in my believe , but the price of 149 forced by microsoft because of the elite is some bulls**it , this could sell at 69.99 like the original easily, this review was made by gametag Rico OIF VET PR a hardcore gamer | video-games_xbox |
The last real Resient Evil game 9.2/10. Originally released March 2009
Resident Evil 5 has somehow in the last couple of years become the red head step child of the series
Being sandwiched between the amazing R.E. 4 and the mess called R.E. 6 doesn't help the lack of the respect it's gained
When it first arrived on the 360 everyone was playing it for a good 6-8months
Then a few years ago out of the blue it was labeled a low point in the 20 year series
Which is proof how clueless the gaming community is as a whole
All the so-called real gamers need to make there own decision on games, hardware, etc.
Stop listening to social media shills 1/2 of the people out there don't pay a dime for the games and hardware they review! The others are payed off from publishers
Then you have the worst of the bunch "Gamers" that just want to be famous and do YouTube videos
Nobody should take any of these Youtube channels seriously cause they are not for the consumer/gamer
They are all about clicks and add revenue
Capcom has been inspired by North American Culture for a long time
The Bionic Man inspired Mega Man
George A. Romero's Dead films inspired Resident Evil/Dead Rising
Romero was originally given the task to Director the live action Resident Evil film
As much as I'm sick of the tired crutch "Remastered/HD Remake that's been sprinkled throughout the 8th generation consoles
This one really isn't offensive you get a lot of bang for your buck $20-$16 isn't bad for the entailment value
I spent $14.00 to see Batman v Superman now that was a waste of money
Story: This is without a doubt a solid follow up to Resident Evil 4
Things have changed a great deal in terms of the mythology
But, Chris Redfield is still Chris he's not wooden and FPS generic like he is in Resident Evil 6
Sheva Alomar is a solid female lead on the same level as Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield
She fits into the Resident Evil Universe perfect
This is also the last appearance of Albert Wesker
Is it still Survivor Horror???
Yes and No it's like Resident Evil 4 it's a true upgrade that's balanced
Some could argue that the day time setting isn't scary But, it works extremely well
Look at the end of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre after Sally gets away it's daylight out that last 5-10min. are brilliant and scary
Having terrible and dark things happen in a bright setting is very unique and fresh
Graphics: Back in 2009 this was one of the best looking Capcom titles
Today it still holds up
Is this a Remastered/HD 4k, 6k, whatever no....
But, It's the HQ PC Port
The set pieces and back drop add a lot to the overall story/game
Not to many games take place in Africa especially horror themed games
Audio is a massive improvement compared to the last Gen version
Decoding in DTS 5.1 is phenomenal
Again i highly recommend a middle of the road Home Theater system (Play a game in true DTS 5.1 against the audio coming out of your tv)
Trust me it's night and day Theater sound really enhance any game you play
Having surround sound is the real VR
Controls are solid easy to pick up and play (Not the insane amount of QTE that would be in Resident Evil 6)
Is it worth a double dip??? Without a doubt yes it's $16.00 if you have Amazon Prime Regular it's $20.00 which is still dirt cheap for all the content you get on disc
You get the complete game in DTS 5.1
The Lost in Nightmares DLC
Desperate Escape DCL ,
4 Additional costumes,
All 18 Charterers to play in The Mercenaries Mode
The Mercenaries Mode returns made infamous from R.E. 4
That stand alone game should make anyone pick this up
It's pretty much a 3rd person Arcade style game so fun
It makes me truly miss Arcades
Anyone with a PS4 and XBox One should actually gets this game and play it again then maybe more gamers will appreciate what a fantastic game R.E. 5 truly is 9.2/10
MS Gamertag Duckman 1979
Update 7-26-2016 After dumping 6hrs into the main campaign/story the only major negative about this game is the single player mode (Rogue) If you are around my age you played all the original R.E. Games on Playstation, N64, Saturn, Dreamcast you'll more then likely play this game in solo/Rogue mode the biggest problem playing it in Rogue Mode is Sheva's AI it's bad not terrible game breaking but, bad
If she is behind you she'll shoot you in the head while trying to hit enemies But, having a second AI partner helps to have double the items just don't give her any heath items unless you have 'em stock piled
If the "stupid" AI is why this game lost respect that's silly
Playing the game alone is the way it was meant to be in a sense it's much more challenging | video-games_xbox |
Not impressed, confounded by rave reviews on amazon. Purchased the game and completed it on the hardest setting, medium, allowed in the first play through (hard is unlocked only after beating the game once. Really cannot understand how the game has positive reviews at this point from other players. The graphics aren't impressive and tend to be very repetitive and uniform (can't wait for Fable 2 in this regard). The cutscenes are indeed plentiful, but they aren't essential to the progress of the game and sometimes tie in very poorly. The old standard such as having your men attacked by a tank in a cutscene, then allowing the player to assume control to knock out said tank is replaced by a prolonged attempt at creating "meaningful" characters and pumping their irrelevant and base interactions between different stages of the game. Unfortunately the cutscenes are not skippable, and despite the comparison made by another reviewer to scenes from "Band of Brothers," the content is clich and repetitive.
The gameplay is what sets this game apart from it's competitors...it's abysmal. Yes you can hide behind cover as with many games since Gears of War, but the finer details of the process are an example of the frustrating simplicity of this game's controls. For one thing, hiding behind cover, versus simply kneeling behind the cover will give you two different levels of protection: while only kneeling you will be hit, but by "hiding" you will be safe- apparently the game developers wanted to encourage hiding. To switch from ducking behind cover to regular movement means you must also unzoom your rifle and click a button, not an easy thing to do in one smooth motion. On the subject of zooming your rifle, make sure when you reload, you don't press the zoom/aim button before it's finished reloading, or the game won't zoom in fully. If you pride yourself on being a good shot in these type of games, don't expect too much from this game either. Even with the cross hairs at their resting state, single-fired shots will fly any number of directions. Killing an enemy does not seem to be a matter of aiming, but shooting the required number of rounds before the computer decides a hit should be registered. If you happen to be crouching and decide to run, make sure you hit the crouch button to stand back up, or when you stop running you will resume crouching- this alone caused me to die on numerous occasions. Trying to throw a grenade? Good luck making it go where you want. Apparently our character can chuck a grenade some 150-200 meters or more, and controlling the distance is not done by holding down the throw button, but by the angle of launch. Need to toss a grenade over a tall box nearby at a steep angle and have it come down on the other side? Not a chance. Be prepared for numerous grenades that ricochet off the wall you are crouching behind as well, and don't expect a grenade proximity indicator to alert you to your missed throw (this happens most particularly when throwing from a ducking/hiding position). Although the game is billed as a FPS, you will find the majority of shooting must be done from a hiding position in order to stay alive. When hiding, you are in a third person perspective and the crosshairs are pathetically small and very easy to lose in the background, the crosshairs are equally poor when not hiding but not using the zoom/rifle-sights function. All these are minor annoyances compared to the way enemy hits on the player are registered and "felt." There is no vibration or shock when you are hit, in fact, there is no indication of individual hits whatsoever, rather when exposed to enemy fire such as running across a field, your screen grows blurry and appears gradually more and more red. Strategy for staying alive is reduced to exposing oneself from cover according to time exposed rather than an actual evaluation of who is firing at you at the time. What is unlikely to be shown in any of the previews of the game, short of actual gameplay footage is the horrible "life meters" above all the enemies. One doesn't actually have to look for camouflaged enemy combatants, as they all carry large red circles above their heads indicating remaining life. These circles will show up well above any cover targets may be hiding behind. In fact, one often doesn't have to see an enemy at all to shoot them, merely shoot under the space with the dot and hits will be registered even if the enemy is below your point of aim.
Aside from the above problems with the game, the controls are quite simplistic for a game released in 2008. Be prepared for many of the controller's buttons to be completely unused. Finally, if you're used to games with realistic weapon sounds such as Medal of Honor Airborne and Bad Company (due to extensive recording sessions with real firearms), the shock of the sound of the weapons in this game may alone be enough to disparage a potential fan... the guns sound like someone beating on a trashcan...and that is exactly where this game belongs, in the trash. | video-games_xbox |
When it becomes a grind, it's really not that much fun. My feelings about Medal of Honor Airborne are clearly going to be beholding to Infinity Ward's Call of Duty efforts and any war themed first person shooter really should be as they are the standard bearers for quality. So, let's address a few of the obvious points that make a game worth the effort or not. When I say MoHA is a grind, I might be putting it lightly. Soldiers, as the game wears on, will take more damage than a tank. It really becomes a chore to have to slog through these super Nazis and a bit too unrealistic. It was tough to get through CoD on Veteran difficulty, but even on Casual, in MoHA, it doesn't seem challenging, just more like the game is cheating to make it harder. I never felt that way in CoD 2 or 4 (3 doesn't count) and never got so annoyed I just didn't care to play any more, which happened a lot as MoHA wore on. The gameplay is just not that compelling or immersive.
The graphics are servicable for a current generation shooter and there are no superlative aspects that stick out in my mind. I noticed a lot of shiny objects that shouldn't have been. That's the only thing that sticks out in my mind if you're interested in a negative.
The missions were ok in that the layout was open so you could approach most missions in any order seen fit. There was an awkward element to this though, in that most of the time, after dieing, the character would be jumping out of the plane again to parachute back down onto the playing field where all of the prior completed objectives would still be cleared. This only plays into the fact that the parachuting aspect of the game is a gimmick, the only value of which, are the Skill Jump achievements. It's not a really exciting mechanic, so the fact that the player might jump out of the plane 20 times (for each time you happen to die) makes it less realistic and more of a chore (load times and real time adding to the grind) than it is fun.
The peak and lean mechanic, where the player can mover around in cover, is a really nice feature as is the weapon upgrade experience feature (weapons become more efficient and improved as they are used more). These would be nice additions to other games but, as a whole, don't really help make the act of playing Medal of Honor Airborne better enough to make it a good game. The overall gameplay keeps that from happening.
In the end, Medal of Honor Airborne is a perfectly average game. It works. It doesn't look terrible. There are a few good things about it. It's really not that memorable. While I will remember CoD 2 & 4 as all time greats, MoHA will fade along with most other gaming experiences I'd just as soon forget. And the also ran parade marches on... | video-games_xbox |
A hot mess that's disappointing. Let me start off by saying, I don't get game company strategies. You start out with a somewhat weak game and you improve upon it to the point where it's actually worth playing. This happened with Assassin's Creed (first game) and ended with Revelations (the last before Assassin's Creed 3). So, Revelations was definitely on the right track. It still had a few flaws, but overall worked and worked well. The whole island thing and Desmond potentially losing his mind story arc had a lot of promise. Then, in this final installment, it's ruined by being overproduced and overdone.
So, here comes Assassin's Creed III. So, the first thing I notice is that Ubisoft has tossed out the old gaming engine they were using for every previous game and they've now introduced another one. Presumably, this change was to support both Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed Liberation. I'll come back to Liberation in a bit. So, by choosing a new gaming engine, they also redesigned Desmond's character model? This is the first of many inconsistencies that just drive me nuts about AC3. Desmond's face is all long and distorted and he just looks wrong. He doesn't look like Desmond. So, what's up with that?
Story
So, onto the story. The story is basically an unmitigated mess. You're still playing as Desmond using a rogue Animus. This time, you're in a cave inhabited by a digital being like Minerva from previous AC stories. Except, we don't know this digital character's motives. Oh, she's speaking and explaining her plight to Desmond, but not really saying a whole lot. Basically, she pontificates a whole lot about trying to save the world by doing this or that, but ultimately failing. So, Desmond is now in the Animus looking for a 'Key'. In that goal, they have to locate power sources to activate several different panels in this cave so they can get to the 'end'. Into the Animus Desmond jumps.
When in the Animus, you start the game playing as Haytham, a colonial assassin. We get no real back story about Haytham, but he's an adept assassin who has all of the same moves as Altair and Ezio. The Haytham story line progresses for several real playing hours until Haytham meets up with a native American woman and the two have a fling and a kid (which is not a visual). Their offspring is Connor. However, Ubisoft decided to cut out any relationship story between Haytham and his apparent one-night-stand. So, we have no idea what transpired there. Next thing we know, Connor is now a kid as the player character and we are out playing hide-and-seek with a bunch of other native American kids. So then, Connor's village is burned down (and his mother killed) by some colonial men and Connor vows revenge.
So, after 2 hours of playing as Haytham as an extremely long and mostly boring tutorial, you're now starting over again playing as Connor. From here, you go through the long excruciating cut scenes getting Connor to the point where he can even become an Assassin (another several hour stint). Ok, so here's the first real problem. The game should have started with Connor from the beginning. The Haytham segment should have been cut out. Leading up to the Connor just prior to becoming an assassin, the cut scene should have shown the village being burned and Connor's vision. After that, it should have progressed right into training to become an Assassin. Meeting Haytham later could have just been the main character he saw burning his village, it didn't need to be his father.
There were lots of other parts after you get to Connor that were added that just simply wasted tons of time (i.e., being a ship's captain and the naval canon warfare). For example, most of the main quest challenges that are so in your face you want to throw a controller at the screen. All of that could have been skipped and not missed. So, after weeding through Connor's quite long and boring cut scene filled gameplay, you finally get to the key, which Haytham had all along.
The key opens 'the final door' and the ending of Desmond's story is, well, not worth waiting for. I won't spoil it here, but suffice it to say that it seemed to have been set up to have a multiple choice ending, yet it didn't happen. What happens to Desmond and, indeed, the world is just so predictable. I would have expected a whole lot more to the Desmond story line than what came out of it. It looked like Ubisoft needed a way to end the story and they tied it all down to the 12-21-2012 date and wrote a story that seemed to fit but ended up predictable.
Story Problems
Neither is Connor nor is Haytham likable. You don't really come to care for them or their plight. These characters are just too two dimensional. Worse, that Connor chooses to become an Assassin just to kill the people who burned his village seems a bit extreme. For Altair and Ezio, their stories worked. For Connor (and Haytham), it fails. The setup wasn't done well enough. Basically, Ubisoft needed about two or three more rewrites to this story before ever designing a level. I also personally wouldn't have chosen this era of time to place the story. 1776 is just not really a time most people would want to see of our history within a modern video game. I would have choosen something far more modern (WWII) or something much more distant past, but after Ezio's time.
Cutscene Galore
This game made one of the biggest mistakes I've seen in a game of this notoriety. It decided to use cutscenes to not only begin and end quests, it liberally intersperses them into the actual game play driving it to a complete halt. We don't buy games to watch cut scenes. We buy games to actually PLAY them. Unfortunately, this game is so filled with cut scenes, you'll find yourself skipping and skipping and skipping every single one of them at about halfway through the game. I'm amazed that the game director actually let the game go out the door like that. It's a good thing that this is the final game as I don't think the next game would have near the amount of people buying it.
Environment and Graphics
While the environments are gorgeous, there are just too many gameplay issues that prevent the game from being truly fun. Although, the wilderness does look amazing. Connor's Assassin outfit, when you finally get it, is top notch. There are some truly awesome visual design elements in this game. But, as with movies, visual effects aren't what matter here. It's the gameplay.
Fighting System
The fighting system was overhauled, but not for the better. Ubisoft dumbed down the fighting to two buttons, attack and counter. So, when fighting a guard, you have to use one of the two of these buttons. The problem is, when being attacked by a crowd of guards, you cannot focus on one guard and eliminate him. The game constantly forces you to switch focus to the most recent attacker. So, if you manage to get a guard to the ground, by the time he's down, the game has changed your focus to the most recent attacker and you can't finish the other guard off. So, you're constantly trying to kill even just one of the guards. Unless you can manage to the get the game into 'streak kill' mode, you cannot recover from this constantly switching focus problem.
With previous AC3 games, the engine specifically waited until you were done with one guard before having another guard attack you. In this game, they all attack all at once or by taking turns, but none of them wait for anything to finish before attacking. Some attacks can take nearly all of your health. Some attackers have a move where they will jump over you and attack you from behind. You can't counter this attack nor can you even make this move. If he's supposed to be a skilled assassin, how is it that the guards have more attack skill than Connor?
When roaming the wilderness, there is one other fighting mechanism that was introduced in AC3. This is the predator fight system. When you get too close to wolves, elk, bears or mountain lions, they'll posture, growl and then attack. However, instead of the familiar grab-your-blade and fight them real-time, the game inserts one of those two random timed button attack things. So, you have to press A then B or X then Y in a certain amount of time. If you get one correct but not the other, you might have to press B a whole bunch of times to get the mountain lion off you (all the while draining tons of health). Whomever at Ubisoft thought this was a good idea should be ushered out of the building. Timed button attacks have no place in this kind of game. If a mountain lion is to attack, let me take my chances with a sword or a gun. I don't want to have to guess at which button is next or at getting the timing just right. Thankfully, the animal does give a warning before it starts the attack, so you can whip out a gun or a bow and nail it before that whole thing starts. That's the only redeeming value to this part.
Health
Ubisoft botched this in AC3. With previous AC games, there were Doctor's stations where you could heal. You could also carry around medicine and apply it whenever you needed it. In AC3, this system was removed completely. No more doctors or medicine. So, the only way to heal yourself is to get out of the fight and run away as you will slowly heal. This means that to heal, you have to run away. Worse, while fighting mode is activated, you heal twice or three times more slowly than when it's off. So, you have to run away to get out of fighting mode just to heal yourself. This is probably one of Ubisoft's biggest mistakes with AC3 (along with the abysmal story).
Gameplay
You'd think that Ubisoft would have the game controls down by now. Now, even though Connor is an Assassin, Ubisoft completely botched the stealthy aspect of this. They did this by making you a trudging klutz and then by filling the roofs with guards about every other building so you now have to roam via street. Gone are the fair maids you could hire for cover, the mercenaries and the coin flipping roof dwellers. You are firmly on your own. Second, the fighting has completely changed and not for the better. No longer do you have the many different ways of attacking your opponent that AC1 and AC2 carefully taught you how to do. No. These are all gone. Now you have two moves, attack and counter. Taking out your gun and trying to shoot a guard is way out of the question. That move is just far too slow. Same for the bow. So, it cannot be done easily. Worse, if you manage it, it takes far too long to reload to do it again. Yes, I realize it is a musket. Instead, you'll find yourself using desyncronization as a trial and error method to getting out of a fight. In fact, it's actually faster to descyncronize than it is to attempt to run away and become incognito again.
Horses are probably the most worthless means of transportation in the game. If you can manage to keep the horse on tiny narrow trails, then the horse gets tripped up on rocks, water and just about every other little thing that it comes across. The horse will only jump the tiniest of things, so don't expect much with horses. Even though they are relatively fast, you can't really use them for off road travel. Expect to run if you want to travel off of roads.
Commentary on AC3
Ubisoft made a hugely risky and questionable choice at investing in a new game engine this late in the game (pun intended). Frankly, this change was to the detriment of this game. But, I think I understand the reason. I believe the new engine was introduced so that this game could work on not only the Xbox and PS3, but also the PS Vita for Liberation. In that game, you play as Avaline De Granpre. She is an Assassin with basically the same moves as Connor. In fact, I believe the same game engine was used for both AC3 and Liberation. The difference is that Avaline has personas she can take on (Lady, Assassin, Slave). In these roles, she gains different levels of access to different quest pieces by taking on different personas. But, in the end, the game is all about being an Assassin. For the same reasons that AC3 isn't nearly as good as AC2 or any of the previous AC games, the same can be said of Liberation.
Glitchy is definitely the word of the day for Liberation too. Specifically, when pigs fly. Yes, in this game Pigs do fly, out of the back of wagons as these wagons trudge through town. The game is just glitchy enough that even Avaline can fly when wagons roll through. I haven't seen too many glitchy issues yet with Connor, but I've definitely had control problems with both games. The same problems I've had with all of the previous AC games are still in AC3. This part has not been fixed. The fighting engine was majorly dumbed down and actually Assassinating someone is no longer really that much fun as the controls are too klunky.
Overall
I thought this game might resolve some of the problems surrounding previous AC games, but instead Ubisoft made it worse by introducing this new game engine, introducing tons more cut-scenes and dumbing down the game play (while adding tons more guards). When you do attempt to battle the guards, they just come out of everywhere all over the city and you just get ganged by them. Worse, there are some guard types where you cannot win. They will counter your counter and block your attacks. Some of them will even jump over you and attack you from behind. Assassin's Creed 3 is by no means a welcome improvement to the game or a fitting conclusion to this franchise.
Overall: 2.2 out of 5
Graphics: 4.8 out of 5
Story: 1.2 out of 5
Pros: Closure, looks great, side quests are more fun than main story
Cons: Main story boring, X-Y predatory fights annoying, dumbed down fighting, too many cut scenes | video-games_xbox |
For those of you who don't know who Gordon Freeman is. Prior to purchasing the Orange Box I had never played Half-Life, Half-Life 2 or Counter Strike. This review is from a non-fanboy perspective.
Yes it is 5 games for the price of one, but if they're 5 crappy games is it really worth it? These 5 games could not be sold separately at full price. Half-Life 2 has dated graphics, Episode 1 is WAY too short, Episode 2 has the best graphics, but is still too short. Portal is a mind-bending blast! But it's too short to be sold separately, and Team Fortress 2 is a lot of fun, but is strictly online multiplayer.
So now that we have all of the bad stuff out of the way let's get to the good.
1) Half-Life 2: This has the worst graphics of the group, but it is the longest and has the best weapon set. The driving levels are a little long and tedious, but the rest of the game is a lot of fun. The gravity gun is the trademark of the Half-Life series. As long as there is something you can pick up w/ the gravity gun nearby you have ammo. Whether it's saw blades, radiators, washing machines, etc, this gun is a blast to use! Also the laser scoped rocket launcher and controlling the antlions are a lot of fun as well. The graphics will probably be a huge turn off when you pop this one in, but the game is so fun you'll get sucked in and get used to the graphics in no time.
2) HL2 Ep 1: This game is the shortest of the group. You get to know the characters a little better, but being the shortest it is also the least memorable. Thanks to the achievements I know it's possible to play this game firing only one bullet. That's how short it is!
3) HL2 Ep 2: Episode 2 has the best graphics. Almost as good as Gears of War and Assassin's Creed. In Episode 2 you'll REALLY become attached to the characters and the end will blow your mind! It will leave you screaming for Episode 3!
4) Portal: It's the best thing since Tetris! In Tetris it's the same blocks falling over and over, but it's different every time. In Portal you have the same concept of shooting portals to get to hard to reach places, but it's different every time! You can beat Portal in about 3 hours or less, but you'll come back to it over and over. It is the new and innovative game of the group. Add in a few more levels and it's worth the full price tag by itself!
5) Team Fortress 2: It's a squad based online multiplayer. Every character has their strengths and weaknesses. The spy can look like someone from the other team, but has weak weapons. The Heavy has the most powerful gun, but he's slow. The Engineer is great at setting up defensive turrets, but isn't very good at offense.
The bottom line: The Orange Box is worth a purchase. I would avoid renting it because you'll spend many hours playing through the different games, and you'll want to come back over and over. The early reviews say: "5 games for[...] what a deal!!" Now that it's[..] how can you pass it up? | video-games_xbox |
HERE. This review was updated by me August 5, 2014. This is the only game review I have ever come back to Amazon for over a year later to update, because of the game's status of "free-to-play". The reason why I am updating this review is because regardless of the free-to-play status "YOU" the "CONSUMER" (just like me) need to be aware of the developer's immaculate disregard for your time, for your money, and for your efforts. Never before in a review have I ever been so compelled to update consumers. If you truely value your time, money, and efforts then please continue reading. You really should in my opinion even if you aren't going to play this game, because this is legendary status:HORRIBLE.
THIS IS AN "ONLINE ONLY GAME". Regardless of its "free to play", you are required to have "internet", an "Xbox Live Account" (for this platform version), and will be required to accept an "End User License Agreement" every time you play this game.
Because this product's functionality is BASED primarily on the functionality of the servers from Trion Worlds and their ability to maintain them. END NOTATION***
--GAME INSTALLATION---------
-The Good: The game requires installation (especially since its now FREE to PLAY). The game disc "DID" requires 5.1g of space. Installed games run faster & take less time on load screens. When logging into the game you are taken to a character load screen, sometimes a window queue and how long it will take for you to get into a server to play.
-The Bad: Approximately EVERY TWO WEEKS since this game launched in 2013, this game gets an "update". That "update" or "Patch" is only obtainable at the speed by which Trion allows you to download it. From the very beginning over a year ago and to this very DAY this system HAS NOT CHANGED.
You will turn on the game, you will be required to download an update. Your Screen will briefly display your update speed, then remove that download speed from the screen, and display and estimated time of 3.5 to 4 HOURS to complete downloading the "required to play" update. After the update completes you WILL receive a window on your screen stating "PATCH FAILURE". You WILL end up needing to do it all AGAIN, and in the interim you will spend a minimum of EIGHT HOURS downloading an update... every two weeks... with NO certainty it will EVER WORK. Leaving you with a game you cannot play until maybe two weeks later, until ANOTHER "update " is required, which with 100% certainty will FAIL after its first download that takes four hours, that you will then be required to try again and spend a minimum of EIGHT HOURS attempting to download an update... again.
To date and the very moment I am finishing this review there have been 75 updates since launch of this game. That is 600 hours spent stuck downloading patches that always fail every two weeks. That is more time than Ive spent playing the game ITSELF.
--STORYLINE--------------
-The Good: Starts off with a brief cut scene, and then a tutorial. The NICE thing is the cut scenes (cinematic events developed with the game engine) include your designed character in them. The story line (without spoiling anything) is in my opinion is enough to keep you occupied and averagely entertained.
-The Bad: the game fails to allow you to play missions with friends 90% of the time. If you are lucky the "Join Phase" option MAY work. But more often than not you either get told "YOU have lost connection to our servers" or "Identification Failure" or "This is a notification stating blame at you and not this company who made this game".
--CHARACTER CREATOR---------
-You can pick from: Human Male, Human Female, Alien Male, Alien Female.
-Hair and hair color, Nose, Eyes, Facial structure, Mouth/Lips, Facial scars, Facial/Body tattoos... are all included in the character generator. The options available are enough to distinguish who you create, but are not vast enough to keep people from all picking the same "cool looking" hair style or "cool looking" tattoos. So keep in mind when creating your character that the one or two tattoos for the class your considering... alot of people may pick that too.
-The Bad: A character class is relevant to nothing but the gun you start with in the game. The skill tree for any class you pick is the same skill tree every other class has. All Trion did was randomize the boxes in the skill tree around into different positions. So no matter what class you pick, everybody has the same things, LITERALLY. Nothing differentiates you from anyone else other than what you look like. Which by the way... what you look like is replaced with a default male figure in a puffy jacket when around more than 5 players. So at large public events it resembles nothing more than a michilin man mosh pit where hundreds of puffy jacketed figures are running around. Theres no individuality to speak of unless you are standing in front of less than five people. It's a joke... a bad one.
--WEAPONS-------
The Good:-Pistols and magnums, shotguns and sawed off shotguns, assault rifles and light machine guns, submachine guns and high magazine auto pistols, grenade launchers and rocket launchers and MORE... can all have up to 4 attachments IF you find the attachments for the weapons you like. Those attachments are: Scopes, Stocks, Magazines, and Barrels.
-Weapons also can be found or bought in the world WITH "synergy bonuses".
-Attachments go on weapons into Slots. Attachments can be found or bought in the world WITH "synergy bonuses".
-Both weapons AND attachments can be found or bought with elemental damages which apply to weapons.
The Bad: -Slots can be placed on weapons when you reach the required level. That required level changes based on Trions currentlt running hotfix or patch version. So if you have a weapon with no slots you can place slots on that weapon by paying a form of in-game money (Ark Salvage). This has become a problem, because through various updated patches the expense of placing slots on weapons has gone from more than double what it use to cost, on top of the fact that as you level up in the game, the costs to place slots goes up as well. The base stats on all weapons remain static and don't change no matter your level. The more you level, the more salvage is required to modify a weapon, the more you modify it the more it requires to BE "modified", and after achieving the max modifications of a weapon the changes made are literally and mathematically so small that they would go unnoticed if compaired to another weapon never modified at all. So the bottom line is the weapon modification system is completely a waste of time.
The WORSE: - the items in this game known as "Orange Items" which would be considered as the "Most rare" are primarily obtainable by paying REAL money into a roulette reward system. Whether you are on the official forums, youtube, wherever... Trion Worlds has designed the game to clearly benefit those willing to pay real money and reward them with items in game that have "Bonus Statistics". These purchases are made with "Bits". "Bits" are bought with "Microsoft Points", "Microsoft Points" are bought with real money. These bonus statistics are so small and minute that when compared to weapons in game without those bonuses you would never know they exist. Im talking differences that are 1 tenth of a whole number. A simple example would be a gun with a firerate of 10. If you pay Trion real money you may get a gun that has a fire rate of 11.2 at most. The longer the game has been out, the more expensive Trion has made in-game costs. The higher the costs, the less you can do, the less you can do, the more inventory you have to carry, and for that they sell space via BITS so you can carry more. Its disgusting.
--GAMEPLAY--(Youre lucky if it works. Youll feel like you won 25 bucks off a scratch ticket for five minutes IF the game functions without an issue)
-During the game dynamic events called "Ark Falls" transpire. Ark Falls are when pieces of major objects orbiting the planet fall to the Earth carrying with them technology that upgrades your weapons. Trion has INCREASED everything it costs in the game to "play" the game, and DECREASED the ratio at which what you need to pay in the game is obtained via their patches.... unless you buy it using real money.
-During gameplay you will regularly get kicked from Trions servers with notifications stating "Your connection to our servers has timed out".
-During gameplay you will regularly lose your ability to see your friends IN the game. The option/s in place to resolve this issue has not resolved it since launch day.
-During gameplay the current patches have devised a system by which you are forcibly stuck with an extremely poor UI and an overwhelming amount of items that are designed to clearly take up your inventory space, only providing you with an option to pay real money to buy that space via microtransactions.
-There is no ability to play the game "IF" you cannot SUCCESSFULLY achieve updating your console with the most current patches from Trion Worlds Inc. Normally a patch takes 2-3 HOURS to download (regardless of your connection speed Trion has set pre-set speeds at which your download is achievable from them). These patches, taking 2-3 hours each, transpire at minimum every 2 weeks. That's not including random server down times from server crashes, server maintenance, server resets, and randomly scheduled hot fixes for their servers that despite saying "will not interfere with your gameplay" on their main web page, disconnects everyone from their servers for up to 12 hours at a time.
This game "WAS", and Im saying "WAS" playable within the first 30 days of its launch date. I severely recommend you NOT invest ANYTHING in this game. It was worth time when it first came out, but due to the current IP laws and how this developer has COMPLETELY DESTROYED this product POST-launch it is NO LONGER a game worth recommending. Your time WILL BE WASTED. Not only do I not recommend the game, I don't recommend the developer for any game they will ever make.
Buy DESTINY.
Defiance over the last 15 months is a broken game that only crossed 500k units in its sales, and the developer turned everything in it into a MONEY SCAM. Literally. The game rewards you with things you cant use unless you BUY the DLC the reward is associated with. The items you can use become useless every two weeks via a patch designed to downgrade what you have and upgrade what you haven't bought with real money.
If you don't believe me, go get the game. Go ahead... *shrug*
Youll remember this review. | video-games_xbox |
Original and fun gameplay and story. The game has its flaws. Personally, I found the stealth element far more engaging than any stealth action game I've played before, and I've played a couple of the Splinter Cell games, and Assassin's Creed. You have to think quickly, respond to your surroundings, and use your skills strategically. The character sheet has a great deal of depth, and I think this game system would translate very nicely to PnP or a sequel.
The loot and the gear you can buy seem balanced pretty well.
While the plot has its problems from a strictly critical viewpoint, there are plenty of surprising twists, and a fair share of intrigue, not to mention the remarkable range of choices you have in many parts of the game. You cannot skip any dialogue or movie sequences, however I find myself rarely wanting to, even after playing through for the second or third time on a mission. The real time dialogue works really well. The system of influence on characters is fun and intuitive, although I wish it came into play more often and had a little more development. The dialogue is well done in performance and writing, at least insofar as it keeps my attention pretty well. Overall it holds my attention quite well, even when I'm being irked.
The save system uses checkpoints. This doesn't combine very well with a combat system that, while generally pretty unique and fun, has definite irritating qualities. I frequently needed to reload on normal after making some major or minor error, forcing me to go back to the last checkpoint. This is both good and bad, good in that it shows how dynamic the game environment is and how much your tactical choices make a difference, bad in that is the most repetitive and frustrating aspect of the gameplay.
Bosses zoom around the level supernaturally and hit you for ridiculous damage on normal difficulty. In many boss fights there is a weakness of some sort, but typically I'm driven to exploiting a certain bug to avoid the frustration of dying and reloading repeatedly for the same boss fight. You can die *very* quickly fighting a boss. It makes me loathe boss fights.
In general the combat is very rewarding, and requires you to think on your feet and act fast. Something I didn't notice about Splinter Cell or Assassin's Creed, at least not for me. Also, cover is important but cover isn't arranged in obvious ways, and you need to improvise as best you can. The AI also tries to get you out of your cover, which would be a good thing. The problem being, the enemy has an infinite supply of grenades and is generally trying to push you out of cover, which is pretty easy to do - and it takes a very long time for your armor to regenerate, which might be a result of how the RPG stats work.
To bring another game into the mix, Mass Effect 2 combat was a lot more polished, a lot less interesting, unique, and dynamic. That goes for Mass Effect 1 combat as well, and to some degree for Splinter Cell and Assassin's creed combat, although AC has a very nice dueling mechanic.
Somewhere between Bioware and Obsidian is the perfect RPG developer. I would say this game isn't real high on replayability, especially that you can't skip dialogue, but it's awesome for a first time playthrough and a shame they won't get a chance to refine this gameplay and story developing technique, which rival earlier RPG's.
I rate this game five stars because I love the game. From a critical standpoint, I would give it three or four. | video-games_xbox |
Shame on you razer. Very poorly made. The controller was great... While it lasted.
The buttons are amazing, especially a b x and y- they're light as a feather, and feel more like a very high-end mouse click than a controller button.
The longer triggers and adjustable thumbsticks are GREAT for racing games, though I admit for fps games I just leave the triggers on the loosest setting.
The d pad is great for blops but worthless for just about anything else.
Now on to the part where it gets one star:
It lasted about 4 weeks before it started to fail. The left thumbstick started ghosting (basically it registers upward movement when it's not being manipulated at all), the housing started to crack and creak jut from squeezing it to press in r3, and finally, the left trigger stopped sensing consistent presses before I threw in the towel.
I'm sending it back to razer, though I'm not really excited about my replacement. It's too bad too because ergonomically I'm not sure much could be improved- its an awesome controller!. Sigh.
EDIT / UPDATE: Razer replaced the defective unit. In fact, they screwed up and sent me TWO replacements. WOO-HOO! Right? RIGHT??? Nope. Wrong. Both replacement units (brand-new in the box replacements, not refurbished units) broke within just a couple weeks of use. Since they sent me multiple replacements (I had argued my way up to a supervisor after having my return order ignored for over SIX MONTHS, and both the supervisor and the person I originally dealt with accidentally sent me a replacement), I figured I would use them one at a time. Basically, I thought: "if the next one breaks, I'll still have a third, brand-new in the box, waiting as a replacement." Three units in, I figured I'd HAVE to get my money's worth. Nope. The first replacement lasted less than 2 weeks, which is less than ~10 hours of gameplay for me, before the left trigger started registering button presses like a strobe light (quite the trippy effect when trying to aim down the sights in an FPS game). The second replacement admittedly lasted about 6 weeks, and then the thumbstick ghosting started up and the B button stopped working.
Long story short, these things are worthless garbage. I've got 2 OEM controllers that I've had since launch that still work perfectly! | video-games_xbox |
An epic tacti-cool experience. After playing games like COD, Battlefield and Killzone or Halo, sometimes, I tend to lean more towards tactical warfare that has a much more realistic approach. The problem with consoles is that these games are few and far in between. While there are good tactical games like Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, America's Army, and previous Operation Flashpoint games, they tend to be games that try to rely on way too much realism whilst butchering the game play aspect.
Thankfully, this game does the exact opposite by providing a tactical but semi-casual experience. Here's my review-
Graphics-
Being that I played the previously released OF- Dragon Rising game, I immediately noticed the slight downgrade in graphics.
The graphics aren't bad by any means but there are some instances of bland textures, and the background is somewhat static.
Still, the most impressive feat of this game would be how big the maps are granting you full freedom to explore them. Again, the maps are huge and the scale is very impressive.
Other things I liked about the graphics would be the destruction detail. For example, shooting an RPG at a building will not only show the impact of the other side of the building being blown out, but there's also a HUGE hole left behind.
When your character gets hit, you actually get to see blood on his gear, on his lenses and all over his hand and medkits; also his guns as well when action gets up close and personal.
I also liked the environmental touches such as sun glare, sand making everything look dusty looking amongst other touches. The characters in the game look cool looking with modern tactical gear, masks, bandannas draped across their mouths, though sadly, sometimes the lipsyncing can be downright awful.
The game also has lots of blood and gore.
For example, if you toss a grenade at an enemy, expect to see realistic gore such as legs and body parts flying or sometimes the whole body will explode leaving a pool of blood behind. Normally, you'll see lots of blood when successfully getting headshots, while other times, shooting an enemy in the belly then walking up to the body will result in seeing exactly where you shot him.
The backgrounds is reminiscent of modern warfare with lots of sand, mountains, some vegetation, village, deserted vehicles, and clear skies for the most part with lots of dust and sun glare. In a nutshell, it looks realistic.
Score- 9/10
Sound-
All I've heard about this game before actually getting it would be SGT. KNOX and how much he curses. But when you're actually playing the game, SGT. Knox has some of the best dialogue in a war game; period.
I will however say that his "penis" insults are excessive; and his cursing is a bit heavy but commendable.
Expect to hear the F-bomb, S-word, MF-word, and penis jokes that I found very funny.
The guns sound really good; especially RPG's, Sniper Rifles or Grenade Launchers. There's also the sound of airstrikes, mortar attacks and such to subtle touches such as the enemy's dialogue.
For example, I critically wounded an enemy and could hear him groaning in pain as he was dying from a distance. Stuff like this is rarely done in war games.
The one thing I absolutely hated about the game's sound would be when Alpha, Bravo or Charlie squad will keep repeating phrases such as "taking fire", or calling out a possible position of the enemy over and over. It actually got quite annoying at times.
The game does feature some good music as well. Songs are licensed songs however.
Score- 9.2/10
Gameplay/game modes-
One of my biggest worries about this game would be "if I could actually see the enemies" being that Dragon Rising had some missions that I could barely see where enemy fire was coming from. With Red River, it's a bit easier to see enemies and at times, there is close quarters combat as well.
Still, the game retains it's tactical combat engine whilst introducing them in a slightly casual way. Think Battlefield, a small amount of Call of Duty but still Operation Flashpoint.
This experience is limited to normal difficulty, but once the difficulty is ramped up, there's less HUD and enemies are much harder and will try flanking you a lot more. In fact, there is an option to remove the HUD altogether giving you a much ore realistic experience.
Health regeneration is a tad on the weird side being that you have a medkit that will heal nearly anything excluding a well placed shot to the head. One you're shot in the head; it's game over.
However, if you're shot in the body, you'll bleed out unless you have a med kit. If you're critically wounded, you'll have to call a medic over to heal you which gives this game a "down but not out" feature.
The story is minimal and boils down to your squad being put in a place called Tajikistan with missions ranging from clearing roads for your convoy to taking control of dams or just scouting for enemies.
Although the story is weak, the gameplay is superb. Things happen in this game that doesn't normally happen in console shooters such as escorting your company of men to a village and letting an IED expert diffuse a bomb attached to a car, tactically deploying mortar strikes and airstrikes, riding vehicles etc.
One thing I liked about the game much like I like about ARMA, DRAGON Rising and the short list of tactical shooters is the fact that you'll have to walk, run or hike to an objective or hitch a ride in a humvee. I found this to be better instead of peppering a game with nonstop action.
The other thing I liked was the fact that you're not given extra ammo and once you've used all the rounds of your gun, you'll have to find a gun left by a dead enemy or squadmate. Before any mission in the campaign mode, you're given the option of choosing what class soldier you want to use. (Rifleman, Auto rifleman, Grenadier, Scout etc)
The campaign itself has about 12 or so missions that take time to get past. On the easiest setting a mission can be beaten in 20 or so minutes but on higher difficulties, some can really eat away at the clock.
After the campaign or even before the campaign, there's another mode called FTE or Fireteam engagements which are customizable missions of your choosing. You can choose to defend, escort, team deathmatch style games or just hop right into action.
I wish I were able to write a better review about this game, but I feel that it's really underrated and one of the best shooters I've played on the 360. (and keep in mind that I literally almost own every FPS for 360 from COD to Battlefield to Bad Company to the worst games like Soldier of Fortune Payback, Conflict Denied ops etc)
I highly recommend buying this game. | video-games_xbox |
Maybe 2.75 out of 5. This is a review for Resident Evil: Filler Edition, I mean Operation Raccoon City. First off let me say, I've played every Resident Evil game on the major consoles and loved most all of them. This is NOT a Resident Evil game. Those familiar with the horror genre and the Resident Evil style of "OH HOLY $***" moments will not find any in this game.
Campaign:
I finished the Campaign in about 6 hours or so, and I have to say...it was pretty awful. The game is broken down into missions with each mission taking between 30-45 minutes to complete. One of the major flaws with these missions is the autosave feature. The game autosaves a few times during missions, but if you quit before the end of the mission, you are doomed to repeat the entire mission. I'll break down the campaign and it's elements into categories.
Controls: The controls to the game are actually pretty fluid. There's a little lacking in the aiming department and hit marker system though. It seems your laser sight likes to bounce around (literally not sway but bounce), Even when you have a direct headshot, some zombies brush dem hatas off and keep coming.
Story: The story mode is somewhat lacking. You're just sort of dropped into the game with an extremely brief introduction and small cut scenes in between each mission to give you the story. Also (without spoilers) there's a choice towards the end of the game that makes no sense if you know anything about the franchise.
AI: You may notice that most of your teammates wear helmets and I can assure you it's for good reason. The friendly AI in this game are about as smart as dog crap on a stick. They refuse to heal themselves or you and believe the best place to find cover is to hide between a group of enemies. They will run into the open and you will find yourself yelling at them over and over (much to the dismay of those in your household) to do something at least somewhat f'in useful.
Graphics: The graphics from this game (in my opinion) do not improve on RE5. After such a time frame to develop a "new" game, one would expect to at least polish the graphics.
Gameplay Elements:
Character Design:
The "main characters" for the game are pretty cool. While there is no story arc (or even real background) for the characters, each has unique abilities. Each is a separate class which determines their abilities, but does little else. Abilities are unlocked through buying them with XP,
Lupo is a leader and assault class which grants incendiary ammo, an infinite ammo for a times perk, and a superman perk (no damage for so many hits and increased weapon accuracy).
Spectre is a surveillance class which grants a threat scanner perk, a biothermal vision perk, and an ability to see through walls perk.
Vector is a recon class which grants the motion detector perk, the ability to copy the look of an enemy, and the ability to go invisible for a short time.
Bertha is a medic, this allows her to increase the accuracy and movement speed of herself or a teammate for a time, cure an infection of herself or a teammate, and to reduce the damage taken to herself or a teammate by 50%.
Four Eyes is a field scientist her perks allow her a chance to infect a soldier or turn an infected friendly, a pheromone vial to attract infected to a target, and the ability to control infected enemies.
Beltway is a demolitions expert which gives him a fragmentation mine, a timed sticky grenade, and a laser trip mine.
Infected Types:
Sadly this is another area the game is lacking. There is of course the normal zombies, the "runners", and the lickers return from past games.
Hunters are a new B.O.W. which look like the creature from the black lagoon has an affair with a large lizard, attempted an abortion, and the hunters are what resulted.
There are special types of B.O.W's (Tyrants and Nemesis included) but I won't ruin the rest of them on the off chance you actually play the game.
Multiplayer:
The multiplayer surprised me. When I began this review I had only played the single player campaign and was inclined to tell you all to ask for a refund for having to even think to rent such a horrid game. The multiplayer however is quite fun and does add an extra point or two to the overall score for the game.
Games Modes:
Team Attack: Deathmatch against a team of online players with extra infected AI thrown in to spice things up.
Biohazard: This is a kind of team based one flag type mode. There are random spawns for canisters of the g-virus, which you and your team must try to capture and return to your base. While you are attempting these, the opposing team is trying to do the same.
Heroes: This is an interesting spin on the Team Attack mode. One team plays as the traditional "heroes" of the gaming series, while the other team plays as the "bad guys" from Umbrella. Your goal is to wipe out the other team. If you die, you come back as a generic sort of "protector" for your team.
Survivor: This game type is a sort of "team" free-for-all. The goal is to rack up points by killing the opposing team and the infected. However, the twist is at the end of the match, an evac chopper (with limited seating) will land and the goal is to get you (and your team if you choose) out of the infected zone.
Overall: 5.5/10
This is not a Resident Evil game and should not be labeled as such. The campaign is lacking in so many areas. The game had the opportunity (and interesting features) to be great, but falls before it even leaves the starting line.
The games only saving grace is the multiplayer which while fun, does not make up for the $60 price tag on what amounts to little more than an expansion pack. Rent the game, it's worth a try, but don't go out and pay retail before you've tried it. | video-games_xbox |
Cackling gleefully at the thought of complete dominion. Being an devout 'RPG'er I (like so many other Xbox owners) was completely thrilled at the fact that 'ole Mr. Gates' console is finally getting a bonafide RPG to add to it's repertoire. For all fans of role-playing games this was to be the end all, be all game of games for the RPG genre. And we so patiently waited for the grand "Fable" to arrive and entrance our minds for nearly 4 years now. This game has garnered much discussion and anticipation from the "underground" gamers abroad. All bets were off, this game was to revolutionize the way RPG's were to be programmed and played just as Final Fantasy VII had done to the genre in '97. Did it? Was Microsoft able to pull it off and alter the future of RPG's? Was it as great as anticipated or was it a huge dissapointment and a waste of time and money?
Well, according to the various forums, chat rooms, and reviews of it Fable is all of the above-It is both fabulous and a failure.
I personally can not honestly say that Lionshead Studio managed to reinvent the way RPG's are to be played, but I must say that the freedom in this game is grander than what I have experienced in all other RPG's to date. The premise that you start off as a young child (propably around 6-7 yrs. old) and age along with the story line as you progress in experience (all the way to senior citizenship) definately makes it easier to immerse yourself into the game. I have laughed to myself many a time now at how outright inpropable, and yet impowering, it is for a 65 year old man to manage to have women (and men alike) fall madly in love with his elderly "hero" self. The beauty of this game is that impowering impropability. Yes, I know all RPG's are games of donning someother reality, but still most of them still do not reach the depth of total control over your character as Fable has managed to do. The control over the Hero's appearance from hairstyles to facial hair is rare. Then add into it clothing, weapon of choice to wield, powers/attributes/abilities, moral/ethical choices,even sexuallity-heterosexual, gay, bi? It is all up to the player and however he or she may want to take it and then RUN with it! These types of decisions enable a deeper sense of connection with the character-shallow they may be, but they allow more control over character development than any other RPG that I have yet to play.
Unfortunately however the storyline is still rather linear AND VERY short. I completed the game in under 9 hours. The limitation in the length of the main story does not restrict freedom to "wander around" though. My latest replay of the game I have managed to strecth my 9 hour game to a 19 hour game and I am not even 2/3 done with it yet. So, Fable permits plenty of "filler" time (if you will) to make the game experience that more unique and personal to the gamer and the gamer's intentions during a run through. For example, if I want to be wickedly evil I can do so and still complete the game at my own pace hacking and slashing townsfolk, robbing them in the middle of night, or even killing them in thier sleep. Or another day I feel like being noble, virtous, pure and full of integrity so I defend my fellow man as he is attacked by a raid of bandits or trolls earning holiness. Then again another day I want the best of being both morally good and sinfully, immorally bad. And this where the twisted fun can really happen, because the gamer now has the opportunity to save his/her fellow man once again from the dreaded bandits and immediately following the now rescued person's gracious, flattering remarks YOU can now strike them dead, thus balancing out the games moral meter.
*Rescued Trader-"Thank you, kind sir. Hooray for the mighty (hero's title)!!"
*Hero-In response to the traders compliments and adoration you smash his face in with your (weapon of choice) thus killing him immediately.
Note: As I'm writing this review I realize that it may read quite disturbing that someone would find such a scenario enjoyable . . . well trust me IT IS.
All in all the heart of Fable is not the storyline nor the gameplay, which by the way is superb and quite easy to grasp almost immediately, but in the honest moral choices it asks the player to make. Nobility is honorable and gratifying, but let's all be honest here it's FUN to be bad. And having a game to explore some of these completely uncivilized decisions can be rather well . . . entertaining. I must add though that these moral decisions should be left to more socially/emotionally mature minds with enough reason to understand right and wrong, cause and effect. Fable should not be played by children who do not yet grasp the understanding of appreciation for life. In fact this statement should not even be neccessary, because the game itself is rated mature (17+), therefore these moral/ethical questions should not reach the minds of children nor young teens.
Fable is just that-a complete and total farce made up of whatever you choose it to be. Good, bad, indifferent the choice is yours. So why not have fun with it, because that's what RPG's are really about right? Making your 'own' Fable?
As far as whether or not one should own Fable, I recommend renting it for the average gamer and owning it for every RPG fan. | video-games_xbox |
Good, not worth the hype. The game is ok, but certainly not what the hype would have you believe.
It's the Jeepers Creepers Semi-Star of fighting games. It's not all that good, but it's not all that bad.
First: The Good:
The graphics are amazing.
The contusion modeling (that's bruising, for the vocabulary-challenged) is very nice. Clothing damage is cool too.
The Mediocre:
The controls are average. Not great, not all that bad. Limb damage is ok, but not all that amazing a feature
The Bad:
BLATANT FALSE ADVERTSING:
We all saw the ad. They show the fighters going at it, then one of them hits a shoulder, or does a throw where they pull their oponent's elbow down hard on their shoulder, they cut to that animated skeleton model, and the announcer goes "bones will break!" Not like that at all. Basically, the limb damage is just a hit damage penalty and a slight animation difference. And they can still use the limb. It's really more like you just gave the guy a charlie horse. Also, you can only damage one limb at a time.
The computer cheats in Quest mode. Combos are supposed to be unblockable if the first hit lands, but I lost count of how many times I'd land a couple hits in a combo, only to have the computer fighter block and dish out a punishing countermove. The amount of damage a move does also depends on whether it's you or the computer controlling the fighter. Master Sage's wheelbarrow, sliding "butt"-kick move (not the moves real name) takes off a sliver when you do it, but if the computer is Master Sage, then it takes off about a quarter of your life bar. It only seems to do this in Quest mode. the other one-player modes have not been cheating, as far as I can see.
What would make this game better?
First off, a true skeletal model for the fighters, where you could break limbs and have them flop around. Dislocations would be cool too. And something where you could dislocate jaws with real powerful punches. Maybe have a full body X-Ray of each fighter as an after-match bonus feature.
Second, the computer doesn't need to cheat.
Third: I know the programmer is trying to get away from Mortal Kombat, but this is a game that's hyped for its brutal moves, so is a "crippler" style finisher too much to ask? | video-games_xbox |
You Killed Franchise Mode. Once again, EA Sports let me down!! I should be used to this by now but i guess I'm just a sucker! Of course they really don't care about their most loyal fans, only about making a quick buck. I have been playing the franchise mode for the last 10 years and was really excited to see them fix the few remaining issues since the overhaul last year. So you can imagine my horror when i put the game in and tried to get right into the franchise mode and couldn't even find the dang thing. Took me awhile, but after doing an online search i realized it was now the connected careers mode. What idiot thought of that idea! Oh, lets take something that for the last 10 years has been a staple of the game and rename it and make it unplayable!! That should really frustrate those stupid franchise gamers who are always whining to us about all those costly "improvements"! Maybe now they will all go away and never bother us again. That is the only scenario i can think of for this debacle. It was almost perfect last year aside from a few minor bugs. The scouting and progression systems were finally fixed. The menus were good. The game moved along quickly. Now....it is not even playable!
So now let me get into the meat of the PROBLEMS. First off that ONE stupid menu song makes me want to jab a sharp instrument into my head after hearing it for 8 hours. I always enjoyed setting my song menu with all the power and glory songs in the past and finding a few new artists i liked. Now you get one horrible song. I had to turn off the sound and put on my power and glory CD. Must have gotten tired of paying all those artists for their music!
The menu system is the worst ever. Financial management is crucial to building a winning franchise but it's almost impossible to manage in this game. In the past all the salary info was included in the main player info screen and you could easily cut or resign from one menu. Now you have go to another menu all together to find the salary info. But once your there you can't resign or cut from that menu. So stupid. Obviously the developers have never tried playing a franchise themselves or they would realize this makes the game almost unplayable. Now you can only resign a player during their walk year.
Where did the potential rating go? That was such a great improvement last year and now it's gone after one year. Now there is a size rating which is so out of whack it's a joke. I'm a Seahawks fan so i only got a chance to look at our personnel but from what i saw it was whack. I think Red Bryant, our huge DE who is really a DT at 330lbs was rated in the 30s for size. Just shotty work really. And if you want to play a guard at tackle or DT at DE forget about it. For some reason you can only play a C at T but not a guard. Ya, that makes a lot of sense! It's just the little things like this, and there are so many more but I'm tired of writing about them. In fact I'm done with Madden for good after this experience. At least I didn't actually buy it this year. I just rented it for a few days from GameFly. So sad, but your dead to me now Madden! | video-games_xbox |
Excellent Sequel with Beautiful Atmosphere, Lacks Length and Has Moderate Glitches. If any of you played the original, you remember many of the WTF Mate moments that made the game. It's rare that an FPS actually succeeds in making a horror game that works. Others have tried, but failed miserably (This means you Condemned 2!!) whereas FEAR captivated many gamers with creepy atmospheres, bizarre moments of hallucinations, and one strange little girl that you wanted to either hug or give a swift kick to.
In other words, for us gamers FEAR 2 had a lot to live up to and they did alright but I fear the FEAR franchise is going the way of Halo; letting it go to their head.
The story is simple. You are Delta Operator Beckett sent in to extract a bad CEO from some company doing bad things in a town plagued by weirder things. In the process, all goes to hell and so does reality and the story as well. The story keeps you reeled in w/o the main character engaging in any dialog and without any cut scenes scene outside of first person. This is what made the first FEAR and Project Origin does a good job of staying faithful. The ending, however, is a Halo 2 "that's it?!" since it ends so bloody abruptly. When the credits started to roll, my brother and I looked at each other and spent a whole minute exchanging "uhhhs" and "huh." Like a rug in The Big Lebowski, endings are supposed to tie the story together but perhaps I am spoiled by RPG endings.
Despite the WTFness of the ending, Project Origins does sport some major improvements. The animations are top-notch and true to reality. When you have to press a button, move something, or open a door, you actually have to temporarily move your weapon while your other hand does the action. This grounds the animation in reality and is executed properly, especially when you use the ladder (which is automatic instead of requiring you to carefully place your aimer). The aiming reticules are also improved as the weapons have red-dot or neon iron sights similar to actual firearms. Even the recoil is accurate and the movement through the sights as movement causes the red dot to move around since they are never really fixed but projected.
Another improvement is the weapons and their balance. The shotgun is no longer an end-all weapon and you can hold more then 100 rounds of assault rifle ammo as opposed to the first FEAR. Grenades are also more abundant and you don't accidentally shoot incoming grenades (which causes them to explode in midair) as easily as the first game, which caused me more deaths than anything else. The special weapons are also more abundant such as the penetrator (now the Hammerhead) and the sniper rifle. Not to mention new weapons such as the laser. Sadly though, the particle weapon seems only to come at the end of the game.
And yet another improvement is the enemy AI. Replicants are no longer just small obstacles but considerably smarter opponents. In the first FEAR, you could slow time down through "reflex time" (which is in Project Origin), dash into a crowd of Replicant soldiers, lay waste, and then take cover. Not in Project Origin... or as much. Now the enemy will actively try and outflank you so it is easier to get pincer in by enemy troops. Sadly, they no longer talk like Half-Life marines but still scream like them. The stealth ninjas only appear towards the end of the game and are a lot easier to handle as they appear in better lighting so it's easier to recognize the distortion they create. No more hiding in wait.
They also created three new, and very annoying, enemies. The first are what I crawl "non-tongue lickers," a play on the Resident Evil version but they do not have tongues. They will, however, crawl agilely across floors and walls and lunge at you. The second are what I call "puppet masters," civilians that have little stringy tentacle thingies that resurrect the dead to kill you. To me, these guys were the most annoying because they usually soak up the bullets like a sponge and will continually bring back those you just killed. The third are the power units, similar to those in the first FEAR, but a lot more dangerous as they have shields and will chase you down. However, you get to drive two later on!! That was my favorite part as I was driving the armor down the street, laying waste to... everyone, almost casually. The only features missing in the power armor is a Mr. Coffee and an MP3 player since I was humming "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson while launching rockets.
The last improvements, and probably the most important, are the atmosphere and the freaky moments. The first FEAR executed this almost flawlessly so how do you improve upon that without going overboard? Simple, Monolith simply spread them out so the player, who probably played the first one, will keep expecting it and then lower his guard since it doesn't happen as much. I noticed there weren't nearly as many freaky apparitions or lunge in front of you moments, although you do wrestle with Alma more. My personal favorite scene involved an elementary school and a crap load of lockers. There is also a lot more blood and gore as the first one.
Now, despite all these advantages, there are three distinct complaints I wish to bring up.
The first is the length of the game or the lack thereof. My brother and I started at 3pm, played until 5:30, stopped until 7pm, resumed then, and beat the game at 11pm. If you do not count restroom and food breaks, our total completion time was (rounded up) 6 hours. The first time around in FEAR, which had around 13 intervals as opposed to Project Origin's 7, took twice as long and then half the time the second time around. An FPS should take longer than that but, as they did with Halo 3, they figured quality would trump quantity. It doesn't quite work this time around. They could have expanded significantly or, oh I don't know, MADE THE ENDING LONGER!!
The second is how the wacky linear nature of the environment is hard to tell at times. By that, I mean it can be very hard to find the hidden ladder needed to advance, or the door, or even see the lock you have to shoot out. Dead Space did an amazing thing with the interface by allowing the player to press a button to see where they had to go and it did not take away from the overall experience. This isn't Resident Evil 2, where you bounce back and forth in the police station like a ping pong ball.
The third, and probably my biggest complaint, are the blatant transition glitches. I swear, my brother and I are glitch magnets. When Alma attacks and you have to fend her off your person it ALWAYS effects the environment whether it be opening an elevator door or knocking some boxes down. However, three times the transition did not occur and we were stuck to either wander around endlessly or reset to the last checkpoint. The first time was in the elementary school right after we fought the principle. We went back to the elevator and fought off Alma. Normally, she opens the doors but this time they did not and we wandered around for 20 minutes trying to figure out where to go. Once we restarted, we did the fending off again and this time the doors opened. GLITCH!! This happened two more times during the same play through. THIS is bad.
All in all, FEAR 2 will dazzle previous FEAR fans with brilliance while no players will be dazzled with BS as you seemingly have to be a fan to appreciate it. Nonetheless, if you're a new player then do yourself a favor and get the first FEAR, THEN get this one. It is well worth it, I promise you.
Overall, an 80/100
-10 for glitches
-5 for lack of length
-2 for hard to find paths
-3 for bad ending | video-games_xbox |
The Franchise Has Regressed. I am huge fan of the NBA Street franchise. I played both the first and second ones completely through with numerous fully maxed created ballers. I did not play the third one. I can not understand why EA would take out the best features of the second one. The create-a-baller options are now templates you get to choose from (i.e. you choose guard then choose between a player skillset to replicate - Kobe, Vince Carter, AI) - you can't allocate points to skills, you can't choose the size/weight/height/speed of your player, you can't design your own face - you choose from like 20 options. Considering I like speedy guards who can dunk like an Andre Iguodala, have crazy handles but don't like to pass since I'm a ball hog, shoot threes all day if needed, and block shots like the best - tell me who does this? Or maybe I want a big man who has handles like Magic but power like Shaq. Horrible. The gamebreakers are slightly better as they leave you the ability to get up to 6 points, but the greedier you get the higher the possibility you get nothing as the opponent may steal it as you trick up the points. The shooting engine is too easy on this game, get a baller above 70 on shooting and he hits almost every three he shoots. The second one you would still be a more NBA lifelike 40-50% shooter from beyond the arc even at 100%. I'm not asking for that necessarily, but maybe only a 60-70% would be reasonable. Next up is, unlike the second one, you can't carry a team of 5 players and pick 3 to play against your opponent. It was always fun going big or small, or playing matchups. You choose 3, and if you want another player, you have to dump one and very likely not get him back. Lastly, one of the best parts of NBA Street 2 was the old school players. Jordan '86 and Jordan '93, Russell, Chamberlain, Earl Monroe, etc. I understand they can't put all the greats, but maybe a handful that could be unlocked like a Jordan, or other recent retired greats like Barkley, Magic, Bird, would have made up for this deficiency. If you are a first time NBA Street buyer and don't mind the out of date stats and player teams, I would suggest you get NBA Street 2, or rent NBA Street 3 and see if it's any good. But avoid this one. It's more refined then NBA Street 1, but considering that 1 came out of nowhere and put the franchise on the map over six years ago, I would rate 1 higher. The only positive for this entire game over the whole franchise are the double dunks - that's it. And this can barely offset the fact you can't choose your own dunks like in the second one. Your dunks are dictated to you by the position of your player. So, in ending, if waited this long to get this game, wait another year and get the next NBA Street. EA can only go up (I hope). | video-games_xbox |
Motion sports adrenaline. Well, here's another Kinect title that looked promising yet failed to live up to expectations.
THE GOOD -
improved character art/representation. no bobbleheads in this game!
Better music, theres some decent tunes here..a big improvement over other Kinect titles IMO
Graphics....overall not bad, a bit more realistically represented environments.
Some different/new game content....mountain biking, kayaking, surf gliding, body gliding & rock climbing add some spice.
Overall....the theme of the content has the appearance of a game that is reaching out to a more mature audience.....which is what many of us have been waiting for.
THE BAD -
AS i said, the game looks geared toward older, more hardcore gamers..... but it only partially succeeds in that aim as.....once again the coin/star collecting circus is back in town....oh joy [ insert sarcastic tone ] .... Listen up game developers......Sonic the Hedgehog is dead & gone.....give the coin chase a rest already...that is sooooo yesterday.
So .... We took a few steps forward...then took two back....& IMO what would have been a better than average game, that i would actually enjoy playing....is in reality only mildly entertaining game that i will soon forget about.
Screen clutter - when skiing for instance......they throw all these prompts, arrow direction indicators & place markers ect. that it is absurd & detracts from what could be a really cool experience. I looked for an option interface.....hoping perhaps to find an option to toggle off all that pop up clutter & HUD nonsense that screams KIDDY GAME !! ... but no joy....no options whatsoever !!....wow...that is weak.
So we have a "poser" of a game....a game that says...." Hey, im cool....lets party duuude !
But in reality is a really nerdy geek.
What i like ..
Skiing .... it is the best skiing experience i have played on Kinect yet. If that course was not littered with stars, coins & other clutter & IF it had a free ride mode that would let you ski just for fun....it would have been great !!
Mountain Biking - This is pretty cool....control is pretty tight...but of course it is all about collecting coins again DOH !! ....seriously....it really gays up the game IMO. Keep in mind i am 50 years old so my taste is not typical.....meaning i have little interest in "living out a second childhood" by engaging in such insipid activities as collecting cartoon coins.
Why couldn't they make realistic bike trails ?? ....that alone would be great !! ....that & some tunes & animated wildlife to bring the game alive....but nooooo....they have us going so fast you cannot take in scenery or stop for any reason. Yeah i know the game is called MS Adrenaline.....implying frenetic action .....but to have nothing but emphasis on racing & tricks & scores along with all the coins & screen clutter....it is just more annoying than fun half the time.
If the game had a better balanced approach...it would have likely been great & had much wider range of audience appeal. As it is now....few over the age of 18 will likely spend much time playing this one....& it will quickly fade from our consumer scopes as we focus on the looming Kinect gaming horizon with our eager hopes.
What do i mean ?....well look how long it has been since Kinect launched.....& all we got is a handful of half baked & mostly faked games. Many of them so bad if i didn't know better i would say they came off the desk of a 12 year old. The absence of original thinking is appalling....& if find this really bizarre ...as the Kinect is revolutionary.....yet where is the follow through ? ...why are they turning out only kiddie games or dancing games ? ...or fitness "games" this really blows !! ....
OK...i also liked body gliding.. yeah this is a great idea, flying/gliding is cool...but once again the screen clutter about just ruins any sense of realism.
Rock climbing...i like the idea...but execution of this idea is really just ok at best,
What games i did not like - Kayaking & surf gliding.....the kayaking could have been great..but not...sooo much like other river race/coin collecting Kinect games it just blows.
And the Surf sailing deal was simply somewhat boring,
So, to sum it up....this game took things a timid move in the right direction, but at this pace i will be dead & gone before an epic game hits the store shelves.
Yes there is some juice to be squeezed out of this lemon...& there is some sweetness in there behind the sour...but 3 stars is all this effort gets, as the game itself is replete with enough coins & stars of it's own !!
Yet
I would wager that young kids would think that this is really cool. Perhaps the 9-17 yr olds ?
So...i guess the games rating is relative to your perspective age..meaning....generally speaking i would say it is safe to say the game will score higher with youngsters than with the aging hipster dufus crowd i occupy. But be that as it may, i think 3 stars may be 1 star too generous. :) yet will let it stand as i know my perspective is somewhat age biased .
Add note : I forgot to mention my major gripe !! In all the advertising i have seen for & about the game.... i did not see any of the aforementioned coins or stars that clutter the courses, displayed or depicted .....even the game box itself is devoid of these things i would otherwise avoid.
In others words.... I cry FALSE ADVERTISING !! .... this is intentional deception, no doubt !!
They knew they would lose sales if they accurately represented this title....for shame !!
Yet another dirty trick on us consumers to dig dollars out of the pockets of our dungarees.
Check out the screen shots above for the game & you will see for yourself..... what it depicts is a game free & clear of any screen clutter from pop up directions coins ect ... so....
What we see is not what we get.....& i feel like i got got. | video-games_xbox |
A refreshing take on the third-person shooter. As shooters are a pretty packed genre, new franchises die by popular ones such as Halo. Standing out requires creative aspirations and a solid shooting mechanic. Thankfully, Rogue Trooper possesses both.
The story is enthralling. Despite its slight cheesiness, the plot strikes a chord of originality with an ability to keep you interested through numerous well-done cutscenes. Voice-acting is also top-notch, even with the odd awkward one-liner. Plus, knowledge of the 2000 A.D. comic book of the same name isn't required for your enjoyment.
The gameplay is refreshing, even if the situations they put you in might not be. However, the way you can deal with these encounters are. Your dead buddies ingrained in your helmet, backpack, and gun offer you tips and cool abilities. You can project a hologram to distract enemy troops, set up a gun emplacement then flank to the side and activate it to create a crossfire, lay proximity mines then attract unsuspecting guards, and a number of other methods. The game also employs a neat cover system that lets you peek out and fire some well-placed bullets, toss a grenade, or just spray blind fire. Despite it not being released yet (at the time), Gears of War seems to have inspired this mechanic.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of cool ideas (or even cool 'borrowed' ideas). Your backpack can manufacture 'salvage points' into ammunition, medi-paks, and upgrades. To salvage, all you need to do is press 'A' next to a dead enemy, and he'll disappear. This will let you know which enemies you've yet to salvage. Speaking of your backpack, Bagman (as he is called) can also heal you in the midst of a fight by simply pressing right on the D-Pad. He also automatically reloads your weapon when you need it. The animations for these actions are incredibly smooth and cool-looking, as are most of Rogue's in-game dives, rolls, and cover moves.
One of the coolest parts of the game are the stealth kills. You can silently take down an enemy by sneaking up behind him and pushing 'A'. Rogue will execute a number of animations at random, and they are all fun to watch (the coolest one being where Rogue cuts off the soldier's oxygen tube and strangles him with it (hmm, now that's overkill)).
The graphics are simply average--nothing to get excited about here, but it does have some impressive looking vistas and backdrops. A nice touch is how smoke and blood puffs, err, puff out of an enemy's body when shot. This makes your shooting satisfying.
The cooperative multiplayer is fun, especially Stronghold, in which you must frantically defend a GI from waves of enemies. The other mode is Progressive, tasking you with objectives while making your way through resistance, much like the main game. Some sort of versus mode is sorely lacking, however, and it would have added even more replay value.
Pros
+ Creative abilities
+ Interesting story
+ Brilliant (if copied) cover system
+ Cooperative multiplayer
Cons
- Average visuals
- No multiplayer versus modes
- Controls can be a bit unwieldy at times
Bottom Line: At only $13.98, this game is a good buy. | video-games_xbox |
If Legend of Zelda and God of War series had a child, this would be it. This game is a third-person adventure hack-n-slash sort of game. It's very Zelda-like dungeon gameplay. Go to a new dungeon, get new item, kill miniboss, kill big boss. The main weapons have a leveling system like God of War (You earn souls for killing things, pretty similar). The story is rather original for it being based on the Apocalypse and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. All in all this is the closest game I've ever played to a Zelda game (one of my favorite franchises) and it's very fun.
The Story:
- You are War, the first of the Four Horsemen, arriving to Earth (present day) as Angels and Demons are fighting it out. You are neutral and with the humans you are supposed to decide the fate of the middle kingdom (mankind). As you fight your way through a city, you come across Abbadon, the leader of the Hellguard (Angel army). He says that the seventh seal was not broken, meaning the Horsemen were never called, as he gets killed by Straga (one of the Chosen of the Demon army). You are then called to the council (leaving Earth). War is sentenced to death and loses all his powers as he was not called, however if you can end the Apocalypse, the Council might reconsider and send you back to Earth (still without your former powers) with one of the Council's lackey's attached to you, in order to assure you do what you're supposed to. The five minutes with the Council equates to about 100 years on Earth, only Angels and Demons are left as all humans have been killed.
Pros:
- Zelda fans will love this game because of how it plays.
- It's very God of War fighting and macho, but there aren't anywhere near as many Quick Time Events. If there are Quick Time Events, it's just tap the "B" button once.
- The weapons are unique, but pretty much follow the same idea of usefulness as most Zelda weapons. The Crossblade equals the boomerang, abyssal chain equals the hookshot, etc.
- The graphics are pretty good and fits the setting.
- I live how a lot of the surrounding environment can be used as weapons, (Cars, light poles, parking meters.)
- Quite a handful of unique characters.
Cons:
- The Boss fights are way too easy, the hardest one for me was the first one. The first one is the only one that you actually need to use the item obtained in that dungeon to beat it. Also, each boss takes only 3 hack-n-slash combos after you stun it to kill it. (I played on the hardest difficulty).
- Everyone acts super macho, it's rather annoying (the characters look straight from Gears of War)
- While I like the Zelda dungeon formula (if you want to call it that) it's sort of a rip off, that said they do it pretty well.
Other:
- I got all 1000G on a single playthrough on Apocalyptic difficulty (the hardest). Yes, the difficulty achievements stack.
- There are a couple missable achievements (helicopter smashing, riding the angelic beast, beating Ulthane's killcount)
- It took me 22 hours total including all collectibles (the last one took me 4 hours to find because while there is a weapon enhancement that reveals all hidden treasures on the local map, you have to travel to each spot for the local map to appear, you cannot zoom in from the world map). The local maps are also very spread out and three dimensional, as most dungeons have 5-7 floors.
- Plus, one of the achievements require you to ride your horse 100 miles, that is extremely hard as you are limited where you can ride it. I used a rubberband around my joystick and something heavy to ride my horse around the Stygian's lair, in a circle. It still took 2 hours.
You should buy this game if:
- It's under $20 (it's been out for quite some time, whether it's new or used it shouldn't be hard to find around or under this price).
- You like God of War and/or the Zelda series (you even have a horse, granted you are a "horsemen")
- While the gameplay isn't so original the story is very epic, well written, and most importantly, well done.
You shouldn't buy this game if:
- You don't like hack-n-slash games
- Want to collect everything as soon as you see it, most things you find early on cannot be obtained until you get a weapon or learn skill later on, meaning you have to travel back. | video-games_xbox |
Good single player and thats about it. I usually skip games in the COD series, so I haven't played one since MW3. Having said that, I think this game is a lot of fun. I don't understand why this game gets ragged on so much. I'm about 3/4 through the single player campaign and I think it's been awesome so far. Extremely entertaining. Good, although sometimes incredulous, story line, great diversity of campaign environments, and a large assortment of guns has made this game hard to put down. If you're interested in this game only for the single player but are skeptical, I would recommend buying it. I'm not much of a multiplayer type person and I am extremely satisfied with the single player thus far.
As for the multiplayer, I haven't played it a ton but it's had its ups and downs. Jumping into the foray after many players have already had a month's experience on the 360 and switched over to the X1 version made the learning curve a little more frustrating, but after several hours I was playing fairly well and could hold my own for the most part. But people are right, the maps are too big and the spawning sucks. But I don't take the multiplayer too seriously and it's a great way to release stress for me :)
Overall, I think it's a great game. Single player is awesome. Multiplayer became fun after several hours of death-fests. I haven't tried Extinction mode yet, but its looks interesting. I would recommend this game for people interested in single player or multiplayer, as I think they are both a lot of fun.
Update: After some more time with this game I've got to lower my rating. While the single player is a lot of fun, the multiplayer really sucks. I'm not the type to get frustrated, but the online play is really irritating in this iteration of COD. Maps are way too big which results in the majority of people camping with sniper rifles. You spend most of the match running around looking for somebody then get randomly shot by a sniper. Spawn, Die, Spawn, Die, Spawn, Die, rinse repeat. I rarely actually see who kills me. The only way to be successful is to camp, which I despise. Also, Extinction mode is fun but got old quickly for me. I'm seriously considering trading this game in because outside of the single player, I'm really not having fun with it. | video-games_xbox |
Shop statues..check, floating orbs..check, same menus..check. Look what we have here. Sorry to "POP" your bubble Team Ninja, but it's really sad that you think you deserve credit for crafting the ultimate action game. It's so sad even the devil himself may cry.
I have finished the game now, and the credits prove..."thank Team Ninja for creating a classic" or something along those lines. This guy Itakigi has thrown Tecmo's credibility out the window(fatal frame and deception are original). This game supposidely in the works for 6 years, and yet numerous aspects are ripped off from multiple titles . Sure, you can use wall-running like Shinobi, but you have to put your share in too. Anything from the storyline(gothic demons in a ninja game??), characters(Trish = Rachel) you name it it was done somewhere else first. If I was capcom I'd file suit and take some of NG's retail revenue, because without the games in the first paragraph this game would not exist in this form, guaranteed. Think not, name me one SINGLE game Itagaki has done that has an OUNCE of originality. And when the press is too blind to see it you will contiune to get copy-cat games riding on name prestige on your system from Tecmo. There is a reason Citizen Kane is praised, and there is a reason I'm sticking up for DMC. Hint - they're the same exact reasons.
Lastly:
Graphics - See any credible Doom 3 review.
Sound - The effects are all there. The soundtrack is on ADD and can't keep focused for even one chapter.
Gameplay/design - It's not that hard, it's stressful in lots of cases to to a lazy camera. Lots of the truly hard parts are optional, and there is this huge move list...but most of the weapons are not practical. The highlight is the AI and fighting engine, but that isn't always great due to bad/cheap/repetitive level design that rear it's head occasionally. Other than that, everything here has been seen elsewhere. | video-games_xbox |
The greatest installments to the Assassin's Creed universe! Ezio's Trilogy is the best you are going to get. I will admit that I am completely in love with the Assassin's Creed franchise. I love the feeling of the games, I love the characters, I love the villains, I love the music, and I really love the storylines that comes along with it. But the greatest storylines of them all had to be Ezio's story in Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed Revelations. These were the greatest games ever created.
While I did love the first Assassin's Creed game I sort wished we could have gotten more out of Altair. Don't get me wrong Altair was a badass assassin and I thought he was a great way to start off the franchise. But there was a feeling that something was missing from our character. And then we met Ezio in Assassin's Creed II. When I first met this guy (on the screen) I instantly loved his character. He was a rebellious teenager, someone who knew how to fight and speak his mind (even if it was a little too much). Not to mention he was a "ladies-man", which was something I was excited to see in our new character. As the games progressed we got to see Ezio evolve and really develop. Sure he was still the young, rebellious, romancing, badass assassin as we always knew him as. But wow did we see a lot of change in Ezio, both physically and mentally. It was then that I realized that the reason I loved these games more than the first and newer ones is because the character development in Ezio and some other characters is really done well. We could feel that change happening and we could just go along with it without hesitation. It is that very same development that keeps II, Brotherhood, and Revelations all such lovable games. Now that is pretty impressive.
The villains of this trilogy are actually okay. The Templars make such amazing bad guys in this game and I can feel just how much trouble they are to the world and to the assassin. The present-day Templars are very well done and I can feel the excitement of the danger they pose. In past... well... that depends on which game you are playing. Both II and Brotherhood actually did very well in having great villains who control the Templars, in Revelations the villains felt a little weak. But still they all are intimating and that is enough to make a good story.
The music in every one of these games are just amazing. In fact, this is the best music by far in the series. Without it this series wouldn't be so good. Even the emotional settings of this trilogy relies off of this music. Assassin's Creed have created perhaps the greatest music in videogame history.
The storylines of these three games are very compelling and very emotional. Ezio's development and journey serve as the primary focus of the games, which makes all of it even more interesting. We see him taking on impossible odds and also see him struggle against the pain of his past and also the present. If I had to choose which one had the better storyline it would be Brotherhood.
The romance in this trilogy very good, the best the entire franchise has to offer. Ezio is a ladies-man but only three women have ever caught his heart: Cristina Vespucci, Caterina Sforza, and Sofia Sartor. I will admit that there is tons of emotional in these romances of his. There is even a "Romeo and Juliet" type of setting, for which I will not spoil. Heck, we even see Ezio finally settle down with one of these three girls by the events of Revelations. If I had to choose who was the "true" love of Ezio it would be Cristna Vespucci. The romance between the two was so powerful and so beautiful that you could tell that they were meant to be.
The characters of this series are amazingly done, both present and past. Desmond Miles is a very likable character, including Lucy, Sarah, and Shaun. Even the characters from the past like Mario, Leonardo da Vinci, and Octavian just make the game even more fun.
The gameplay of all of these games are just enjoyable, fun, amazing, and just a whole new level in games. You can just enjoy the world of these games and have free-reign (which is freaking awesome). The gameplay in Brotherhood is the reason why Brotherhood is the best game in the entire Assassin's Creed franchise.
I absolutely believe that this trilogy is worth buying. They are all the best games in the series and they are worth the time on your hands. The characters are great, the music is amazing, the storyline is compelling and emotional, the action is enjoyable, and the gameplay is one of the best. Even the character development is just amazingly done. Just buy this game! It is worth it! | video-games_xbox |
Lackluster, but good game. I recently picked up The Saboteur for the Xbox 360 after being hesitant of the title after Pandemic Studio's last big title Mercenaries 2 had so many unfixed bugs in it. I figured the same would happen with The Saboteur and after Pandemic Studios got shut down, that about sealed it for me.
Nonetheless, I picked up The Saboteur anyway out of boredom.
To begin things, new copies of this game come with a free code for a download called 'The Midnight Show,' that can also be downloaded for a price off Xbox Live. This code inserts nudity into the game ~ nudity that you'll see right from the start. So, be warned of that if you have nudity sensitive people in your household. Beyond that, The Saboteur plays similiar to that of GTA4 or the 1st Godfather game. It's an open-world environment where you complete tasks, missions to get upgrades and whatnot to advance in the game. The game takes a que from Assassin's Creed, as well, as you can climb nearly any building, including the Effel Tower (did I spell that right?). Although, the climbing is nowhere near as polished as Assassin's Creed's, nor as polished as a GTA4 in the other departments. As for my concern about bugs ~ well, they're there. The most obvious I've come across is a stripper sitting... on the ceiling! With Pandemic Studios closed down, don't look for this game to get patched.. ever!
One thing unique about this game that I do like is the B&W color scheme in Nazi occupied areas, used to demonstrate the low moral of the area. It gives the game a nice look, but sometimes makes it difficult to see in shaded areas. As the Nazis are weakened, color returns to the area and Paris does look amazing.
Open-world fans will probably dig the game and the mission structure looks like it's going to provide a lengthy experience. So, if you can look pass the bugs and the subpar mechanics of the game, you might enjoy it. | video-games_xbox |
Don't be a snob. First off... yes, I am just now playing this game in 2014. And no, I did NOT download the free version on Xbox, I bought this edition here off Amazon.
There are 2 camps of opinion on Saints Row: People who love it, and people who hate it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but what is a little grating is the Hate opinion is full of judgment on how `immature' the game is. What? Are those people really trying to convince the rest of us that when you start playing other sandbox games, like GTA, Red Dead, Crackdown and Sleeping Dogs, there isn't at least ONE moment in the first week of gaming that you don't just go hog-wild and see how much s&&& you can f### up in the game? You know what I'm talking about... you just saved your game and instead of continuing, you decide to free roam and go crazy. Because as a fan of ALL those games, I will call you people liars to your face.
So take that one moment between saves where you go crazy. Now turn that moment into a WHOLE game. Now you have Saints Row 3! (However... I do truly understand that if you're a fan of SR1 and SR2, then SR3 just goes off the deep end and maybe that's disappointing. For the rest of us, its fun as heck).
But ees ok. You say you ONLY want serious narratives and `real world' guns and cars? Then why are you even here? Shouldn't you be playing GTA4 or GTA5 right now?
Ah... but look. There is a weapon here called `Fart in a Jar'. Seriously. So, I read some elitist pretentious comment where someone declares that `farting in a jar and throwing it' is the reason why Saints Row 3 is awful... the worst... horrible... only for immature middle schoolers! Except, no one actually farts in a jar in this game. There is no animation of someone literally farting into a jar and throwing it. It's an upgraded tear gas grenade is all. Yeah, it looks like a mason jar, sure. But if you can get past the name, your character is throwing a mason jar at people. So my point here is... a lot of haters have taken to making strange assumptions. And you know, maybe those assumptions are kind of self-inflicted when you name a tear gas grenade, `fart in a jar'? But to get all pretentious over it and declare it the stupidest game ever? Lighten up you jerks.
Meanwhile... a giant shark bigger than a helicopter is discovered in Battlefield 4 and everyone goes ga-ga over it!
Meahwhile... those same adults are waiting with baited breath for the next season of My Little Pony!
Meanwhile... people paid actual money to see Sharknado in the theaters!
If I could say anything negative about SR3, its that some of the gameplay mechanics are outdated in 2014. It took me a couple of minutes in the beginning to remember there is NO cover system, no firing from behind walls, etc. Having played Sleeping Dogs earlier this year, I also really missed the great hand to hand combat system.
Outside of that... I love this silly junk. From streaking around naked to the over the top missions to the crazy mini-games. The game isn't really all that tough or hard, but that's ok, that's not why I'm playing SR3. If the subject matter and gross-out humor is really that off-putting to you, then move along. What's there to get all elitist about that one has to blather on about? Its not for you.
(Psst. Irony left you a voice mail, she says, "You said its immature and stupid and the people who play it are immature and stupid... however, going on and on about it and not accepting that it's just not for you is the actual mark of immaturity. Thanks. Now go f^^^ yerself".
Enough hating. At 98% completion, I'm already looking forward to picking up SR4. I'm actually going to skip right past GTAV and do SR4 first. Because back in the day, it was this type of insanity that made sandbox games fun, and I'm glad SR exists so we can have a full range of flavors to choose from. | video-games_xbox |
The Madden that brought me back. Every year, I used to wait anxiously until mid-August for the release of the newest Madden. That was, every year until about 2006, however. After Madden 2006, the series seemed to take major steps backwards and never nearly capture its full potential on the Xbox 360. There were a couple of decent versions, in my opinion, such as, Madden 09 and Madden 12, but those would be followed up by sheer mediocrity. It seemed as though EA would put in a tiny bit of effort once every 3-4 years to make the game somewhat good again and then would spend the next 2-3 years releasing the same exact version. Of course, they would charge $60 every single time. I never wanted to, being a HUGE football fan (basically die-hard), but in 2012, I made a decision to never even rent another Madden game. Well, I must admit this game changed that all for me. I happened to have one shot to play it with a cousin and have never looked back since.
Most gamers are into the Madden Ultimate Team or the online Connected Franchise or even the cool new Gauntlet Mode. No disrespect to these game modes as they are in fact pretty sweet, I am an old-school offline Connected Franchise guy. I love just being able to take control of a team, manage them like the coach/GM and take them to glory. Madden 15 enables me to do just that with the best franchise mode in nearly a decade. I can play as a player if I want a real simplified experience but want to keep it like the old Superstar mode, as a coach to get the old Franchise mode, or as an owner to be like the old Franchise mode but with added pricing/ownership responsibilities. The trade logic has finally been drastically improved as no longer will the Broncos take a 1st round pick and a mediocre QB for Peyton Manning. The free agents have multiple criteria they look for when looking to sign offers. The Twitter feeds, albeit not really necessary, are a neat feature to hype up storylines. The XP is great for upgrading your coach/owner. I love the player progression as there are many different categories to choose from and the younger players earn more XP as they play more games than the old vets. The draft scouting, however, is rather weak as it's hard to ever see any "important" ratings, like a rookie's overall grade, since the XP for the scouting costs so much dang money. I like the concept, but to make it more enjoyable, I should at least be able to scout more than two rookies fully throughout the season.
The gameplay is ultimately what makes this Madden great and keeps me coming back even more. The sliders do require a bit of tuning as the CPU passes are completed way too darn often, but the tackling is a fun system. The passing is very realistic for user-controlled teams and the coverage by Nantz/Simms feels exactly as it does when watching a CBS televised game. Despite these and many other positive features as well as my 5-star rating, this game has just a few minor flaws that make it fall just short of beating my favorite Madden of all-time (Madden 06):
PRO's:
-XP system for coach/owner
-Player progession system
-Very realistic passing system and also running system that will punish you for not following lead blockers
-Realistic coverage of games by Nantz/Simms (even if commentary is still not the greatest)
-Challenging trade logic (assuming you don't cheat the system with the WR trade glitch!)
-Great FA negotiation system
-Defense is actually FUN to play again!
CON's:
-Rookie scouting system
-Owner mode lack of funds for small market teams (I get the concept here EA, but really? Should I have -$5 mil with the Jags if I have $70 mil in cap room. This makes owner mode only playable with large market teams!)
-Menu system gets annoying to navigate at times and could easily be simplified
OVERALL GRADE: A- | video-games_xbox |
What's not to love? The best RPG on X-Box. Now normally I'm a Playstation man but my friend and I have been playing Knights of the Old Republic on his Xbox over the last couple of days and I am completely blown away by how great this game is.
The premise is pretty simple, set the Star Wars universe thousands of years before the events of any of the movies and in the middle of the chaos of the Sith / Jedi wars. You start off a simple solider or rogue but gradually discover you hidden Jedi potential. One of the great things about this game is that you really have to be one of the good guys if you don't want to. You character accrues light side and dark side points based on your interaction with the other characters in the game. I have only played a lightside character at this stage so I must admit I don't know how different the game is if you plan a darkside character.
For a die-hard gamer like myself the use of the Wizards of the Coast / Dungeons & Dragons D20 system is fantastic as well. It means that anyone familiar with Star Wars or Dungeons & Dragons pen and paper games or PC games like Icewind Dale will have no problems understanding game mechanics when it comes to character creation, levelling up, combat or use of your Force powers.
The character animation is outstanding probably the best I have seen since FFX on Playstation if not better. The combat simulation is outstanding, probably the best I have seen. Lip-syncing is also impressive. The speech is also the best I have seen in a game since Final Fantasy X on PS2, all the main characters' dialogue is fully voiced along with plenty of additional lines for the supporting and background characters.
My only gripe about this game is that some of the dialogue for the supporting characters is a little repetitive especially if you have to speak to the same person multiple terms or ask them multiple questions.
Also the cut scenes, although very beautiful, can sometimes be a bit long with you having to sit through five or ten minutes of cinema before actually getting to do anything. But this is a complaint that I have about a lot of RPGs these days so maybe that's just a matter of personal taste.
In summary this is a great game. A well-realised, engaging story in a well developed setting with great characters which has been beautifully realised by the folks at BioWare. Any Star Wars devotee or fan of quality RPGS should love this game. I just have to hang out for it to be released on PC so I can really sink my teeth into it. | video-games_xbox |
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: The Best of The Bunch. Of all the games I've played on the FPS genre of video games, I rank this and "Battlefield 3" my two favorite games of this series albeit for slightly different reasons.
This follows the storyline of the first "Bad Company" game but flashes back to 1943 in Japan where a top-secret weapons project is underway and an American convoy captures a scientist who was involved in the project. Having taken him into custody on a submarine, the top-secret weapon detonates and with a terrifying burst of energy, a tsunami wiped out the entire convoy and the secrets of the project were lost....until the early 21st century.
Now in the present, the four miscreant who comprised a renegade 'cannon-fodder' squad called 'Bad Company' are on a mission to track down a weapon that was based off of the original Japanese project, nearly seven decades earlier. Originally going on a behind-enemy-lines mission within Russia, their mission took them to a dead end. Later on, they find themselves in South America where they fight through nests of militias, Russian spec ops, and urban warfare as they go through towns, cities, and countryside alike, in order to track down and destroy the weapon that will cause untold devastation if activated.
The campaign mode on this is far more serious and much darker, and less comical than the first Bad Company game was but still incredibly well-written, and lots of fun to play. Even now, I still go back to play this once in a while just for the various scenarios.
The multiplayer online mode is where this game also shines. Not only is the 2008 predecessor's game present but now there is the addition of three other game modes, Conquest, Squad Rush, and Squad Deathmatch. Conquest is where two teams, U.S.A. and Russia contend for control of flags scattered around the map and the team who has control of more of them will cost the opposition points. The team who does not run out of points wins.
Squad Rush is very much like the Rush game mode from the original Bad Company game but has no vehicles and is on much smaller maps and involves one M-COM station as opposed to two.
Squad Deathmatch is a game mode where up to four squads face off against one another and kill the members of enemy squads. It is kind of a midway between Team Deathmatch and Free-For-All but it is squads now facing off for supremacy. The squad who gets 50 kills or the most when the time runs out wins. If you like Team Deathmatch, this is the closest to it you'll come with BC2.
And there is Onslaught which is which is a Co-op mission where up to four players must fight enemy troops and capture three or four flags to win the mission. It is very much like Conquest except instead of multiplayer teams at war, it is a four-player co-op game where players must push back the enemy forces from flags, capture those flags and then do the same thing again. The mission ends when all players are dead or the final flag is captured. This is a very fun and challenging game mode. My only gripe about it nowadays is that it is a DLC-only purchase and it is rare to find a public game to play it on unless you create it. It took me nearly an hour to just start a game because of it. Still, Onslaught is/was a fun game mode.
Overall, the "Bad Company 2" game took what was great about the 2008 original and built on it even further to create what in my opinion, remains one of the best entrees in the entire "Battlefield" franchise and one of the best of the FPS genre. The graphics were leaps and bounds clearer and much more detailed, the sound effects are even more realistic and the overall atmosphere is realistic and brutal to say the least. Even better is when on the Russian side, the soldiers and announcer speak in their native language. This gave the multiplayer a more realistic and natural feel.
On a side note: This game also features the addition of "Battlefield: Vietnam" which is a DLC that has to be purchased online. This DLC adds multiplayer maps from Vietnam and bases the games, weapons, vehicles, and settings in the Vietnam War era. Everything from the weapons' textures, to the villages themselves are all Vietnam-War-themed. Even the NVA's side speaks in their native language and like the regular game gives the "Vietnam" side of "Bad Company 2" an even more realistic and brutal feel to it. Of all the DLCs I've played over the years, I rank "Vietnam" as one of my favorites just becasue of how well-done it is, and how despite the huge differences from the original game, does the original regular game justice and adds a whole new dimension to the game.
It's unfortunate that a good fraction of the game's multiplayer lobbies nowadays have limited players, if not outright empty, as this was one of my favorite multiplayers prior to "Battlefield 3". Even with that game, "BF:BC2" is still a fantastic game and highly recommended, if you can get enough players together. The game still has plenty of life in it even now and ranks as a classic in the "Battlefield" series but when the time comes (Hopefully not too soon), that the servers finally shut off for good, it will be a somber farewell to a fantastic game. | video-games_xbox |
Am I the only person who prefers COD3 and WaW over COD4. I try not to review products that have so many reviews since mine get lost in the shuffle but I just had to post. While not picking on a particular review, it is general comments like this... "treyarch just can't live up to infinity ward"... that make me cringe. Like many people, I have COD3, COD4 and now COD:World at War (WaW). Guess which one I like the least.....COD4. While all three games are good (great), to me, it is the multiplayer that separates them from each other. On single player, I have only finished COD3 (I'm in the middle of COD4, and halfway through COD:WaW). That is enough for me to say that they are all equal. Multiplayer on COD4 is an absolute joke. I hate it more than anything I have ever played .... and that says a lot. I admit I am not the best player in the world and that is the problem. If I join a game, I can't get any kills in COD4 because I am up against all these high ranked players that can kill me in 1 second because of either their increased skill level or worse yet, their better weapons. Thus, I can't level up. Too many times, I finish a game with 0 kills and don't even have the chance to level up. Go ahead, make comments that I am not good....I know it. Do ranked matches actually work in ANY game?
I understand that COD:WaW has this same issue but at least it offers more in the way of playing multiplayer (co-op campaign) and that alone is a reason to give this gave a higher rating.
Too many reviews are written from people that are experts at these games and not enough are written by people like me who just want to have a little fun. I have no problem with people complaining about legitimate issues (spawn points, etc) but the comparison between Infinity Ward and Treyarch is just getting old. The only advantage COD4 has over the rest of these games is that it was in a modern age which I do prefer.
In closing, I would like to say that these are all great games and each of them have pluses and minuses. For me-a rookie, this one (WaW) is one of the better ones. | video-games_xbox |
High price for a high quality game. I'm finding it kind of hard to put into words just how I feel about Splinter Cell: Conviction (oh sorry, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction). See, the game originally had "hobo" Sam Fisher for awhile before last year's E3 when Ubisoft unveiled its dramatic makeover with a focus on more faster, fluid and more dynamic gameplay, compared to the slower-paced, methodical and patience-requiring previous games. Only the game was met with 2 delays from October to February than finally then till April 13th and the demo wasn't exactly released to high acclaim from some fans saying it wasn't Splinter Cell anymore and it felt more like a 3rd person shooter with stealth bits which happen to involve Sam Fisher. But given Ubisoft's pedigree and the delays intending for further polish, how's the final game? Well that's kind of where my difficulties since it's a really fine game on its own and nicely put together yet it doesn't hit me as "game of the year" which I was kind of hoping it was and it doesn't feel like the game I'm going to revisit throughout the year. But the campaign is great, co-op's an absolute blast and owners of the game will be given access to the Ghost Recon: Future Soldier multiplayer beta in the summer so there's some bonuses there but as far as longevity and breadth of material for such a high price point might turn off people.
Story: Agent Sam Fisher is no longer at Third Echelon and is gone into hiding though it doesn't take long before his former colleague Anna Grimsdottir and tells him that people have been sent to kill him. Interrogating the leader, Sam finds out who is responsible for the death of his daughter Sarah and from there Sam delves deeper into the plot inside Third Echelon and the conspiracy behind it all. The reason why I left the story bits so vague and small is that the fun of it is discovering it for yourself and all the twists and turns are more compelling the less you know. Also another reason why I kept it vague is that I haven't actually played a single Splinter Cell game before, maybe playing Pandora Tomorrow at one point but some of you fresh to the series might be entirely clueless as to what the hell's actually going on when names, organizations and events are recalled with fans completely in the know and nodding while others are like "um...what?" But the game's length, normally something that elicits whines is actually a perfect length for the game: it tells its story, it doesn't bore by excess and it gets out before it overstays its welcome.
Graphics: Looking at the game graphically, you can't really say the game's ugly but when so many games are really pushing the bar as far as graphics go, a game long in development as Conviction as well as Ubisoft's ability to create some stunning looking games (Assassin's Creed II, Prince of Persia, Far Cry 2), it's somewhat underwhelming looking at this one but by no means is it a slouch. Character models are really well-done, lighting's excellent and some of the scenes with large crowds look stunning. Conviction also adds a color/B&W scheme to its stealth where in hiding, everything's in monochrome while if you're in well-lit areas or in danger of being seen, it goes to color which is quite handy though strange at times since the game doesn't impress graphically in black and white yet it's recommended you play in it. As seen in the E3 demo, all your objectives and hints are displayed on the environment itself so as opposed to the "press Back button to see objectives" or an on-screen text telling you what to do, it's projected onto walls and even flashback sequences in certain moments are projected as well. Sometimes it works incredibly well while other times, which have stuff like "anger" and "lies" onscreen is kinda much.
Sound/Music: Now let me say that everyone in the main cast do their jobs exceedingly well. Michael Ironside returns as Sam Fisher who brings that anger into the role nicely when he needs to while everyone else doesn't feel out of place. But it's the enemy VO that is going to seriously grate on your nerves. Like Batman Arkham Asylum and Borderlands, your main baddies have a habit of talking a bit too much and not only that, saying the same thing too much so "come on out, Fisher!" can get repeated ad nauseum by more than one guy which tends to make you want to kill them as fast as possible. Music's well done but the sound design is awesome and the explosions of grenades are seriously some of the best I ever heard cause those things sound threatening and dangerous for once, same with gunfire.
Gameplay: Many stealth games are built on assessing the situation and figuring out how to dispatch enemies with little trouble and if you're caught, doesn't matter since they don't know where you are anyway. This also means however that it can become really slow paced to the point where you're almost waiting a bit too long for the right opportunity to do something which can wear out its patience. Conviction is built more like James Bond or Jason Bourne: get in, get rid of everyone quickly and get out before anyone realizes what the hell hit them. While this makes the game way more intense and action-oriented, it also feels like like a stealth game and more like Uncharted 2 starring Sam Fisher. No problem in it really but in other games it was usually never a good idea to be seen since a whole battalion was dropped on you. Here? Just throw some frags, exploding cameras and remote detonated mines so it becomes less about not being seen entirely but more like somebody who's shooting and exploding stuff from who knows where. But Sam does have quite a few tricks up his sleeve from the mines, flashbangs to shooting things in the environment that can take guys out. It's a lot more action-oriented which might turn off the stealth purist but for those on Realistic, it becomes more intense because of making sure things go right without getting caught.
The new feature Sam gets to play with is the Mark and Execute which works like this: get a melee kill on someone and you have the option to "tag" enemies where pressing Y goes into a cool cinematic of Sam dispatching the enemies in one shot. This doesn't make it the "win button" as some people were worried about since melee kills are not always readily available or accessible without being seen but it also makes clearing out a room sweeter. For example: say there's 5 guys in a room, chandelier overhead 2 of them and another 2 on the other side and one right below where you are. Bit too much forces huh? Nope, just tag the 2 guys on the other side tag the chandelier and drop down on the one below, chandelier gets knocked down taking down the 2 while you shoot the other 2. There, room cleared. It becomes immensely satisfying and just looks cool doing it as well. You can add more upgrades to the amount of tags you can do as well as gun stats by going into your weapon cases where you can add more tags, more stronger bullets or better accuracy. While it's worth it for the achievements, I found it was usually best to just stick with silenced weapons only as some guns can't be outfitted with one which kind of sucks. Why would I want to bring this noisy assault rifle that gives away my position when I can take a silenced SMG?
Another added feature is the co-op mode which comes in several flavors from the story mode which takes place prior to Conviction's story to a horde mode type deal and several others. Playing with a friend is really quite fun though I'd bring friends you know since randoms have a weird tendency to want to treat it as a shooter and constantly get shot at or run off without you than whine about not keeping up. For those of you who want all the achievements you pretty much have to play every co-op mode there is and play them on Realistic difficulty no less so you're bound to sample them though how great you find them can be a problem. In a cool move, Ubisoft is adding free DLC to the game seemingly every week with new equipment and costumes most likely being added and like I said, owners of the game will be able to play the Ghost Recon multiplayer beta that is supposed to be out in the summer with the full game in the Fall so that's quite cool. Unlike other betas where you have to get lucky to be picked or to somehow receive a key, if you own Halo 3: ODST then bam, Halo Reach beta and it's the same here. If you have the game, off you go. Hopefully more developers will start doing this as it lets everyone have a shot at playing while also potentially giving people a chance to love a game they might not even bothered with at it not been included.
Honestly? Unless you're a huge diehard fan of the series, I'd wait until this one dropped in price a tad. Even for a game this high profile, the price is a tad high given the amount of content but by no means is the content bad but considering the amount of it, it feels a tad much. But it's definately a game worth playing, if not outright owning but with May looking to be one hectic month for game releases, maybe you'll wait a bit. | video-games_xbox |
From a long-time and still current fan of the Resident Evil franchise. I'd like to preface by saying that I've played every other Resident Evil game, including some of the ports, and the remake. Since Resident Evil 4, followers of the "survival horror" franchise have understood the departure of sorts from the isolated environment and slow moving zombies, however that hasn't stopped most of us from going "Where are the zombies?!" Resident Evil 5 follows suit, perhaps a little too closely, to that of Resident Evil 4 by making drone-like locals the main enemy of the game. The Majini are essentially Ganados, in fact, they possess a more advanced form of the Las Plagas. And while in Resident Evil 4, the idea of "pod people" may have seemed refreshing, and it was, in Resident Evil 5 it felt like Capcom was really trying to milk it. Resident Evil will always be a survival horror game, and people will go to it expecting unique puzzles solved in the dark, and that one zombie hidden in the closet; unfortunately, Resident Evil 5 didn't quite deliver on that note.
Playing through Resident Evil 5 on the X-Box 360 was enjoyable for the most part. The game play came across as very "Gears of War-ish" so I was constantly wishing I could move and shoot at the same time--unfortunately, that is a mechanic the series has yet to attain. The most "revolutionary" mechanic to the series is the no-pause inventory screen--I think from almost any angle you can look at it, the concept made the game attain a new level of tension. No longer can you quickly pause a screen and mix your herbs, or just take a moment to pick a new weapon. RE5 forces you to come prepared, or die trying. Of course it also made it easier to pick the wrong thing when trying to access the inventory in a stressful situation, or at least moving the items around the 3x3 box in order to quick-access an item via the d-pad. It made for an interesting experience in the long run. The controls itself were simple enough, and shouldn't be a problem with anyone who has basic hand-eye-coordination. They were far from innovative, but even farther from "clunky". One of my favorite mechanic additions was the close-quarters combat; though it was restricted the button-prompting use, it added a much needed element to the game. Some of the neatest ways to defeat a foe or boss was to use combat instead of guns, simply because it looked that much cooler.
Co-op. What was only hinted at in Resident Evil 0, RE5 delivers in a well done way (perhaps, too well done?) I found this game best suited for 2 players, and never found playing with the computer adequate (although this is most likely a personal preference). Simply, this game breathes much better when 2 individuals play it, whether that's side by side or over X-Box Live.
Playability is phenomenal, at least a degree better than in Resident Evil 4. If nothing else, Resident Evil has evolved into a more enjoyable experience over the long term. Beating the game with different weapons, on different difficulties is no longer as boorish as it once was, when the only goal was an "infinite rocket launcher". And what's better is the continued use of "Mercenaries Mode", which allows players to play a "time trial" game where the goal is to get the most points before time runs out, all while avoiding death. For myself and the friend who spent countless hours playing with me, this was the highlight for us. What makes this so great is the selection of characters, both for their costumes and weapon selection. Definitely a good reason to keep this game on your shelf, rather than selling it back or merely renting it.
The storyline was wonderful, as was the cast of characters in it. The flashbacks were great and the "surprise blast from the past" was, well, a surprise. I won't delve into any specifics as I don't want to spoil anything, but the overall creativity of this game's direction was fantastic. However, I only have one issue with the choices they made: Wesker's behavior. It's well documented in the series that he is a mastermind, plotting from the start, yet loses his cool in the end. I won't say much, to avoid spoilers, but for those of you who have played the game I'm sure you understand my meaning. One of Wesker's defining traits is that he takes everything in stride, yet somehow, the events of RE5 force him to succumb to his more human side and he uses the Uroboros to alter himself. Why do I have a complaint about this? Because ever since I found out in Code Veronica that he had been exposed to the virus, I've always wondered what his Tyrant form would look like--playing Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii made this curiosity even stronger, and I was somewhat disgusted when Capcom just made him a combination of Krauser from RE4 and every other boss in RE5, aesthetically. Which brings me to another complaint: The bosses of RE5 ALL LOOK ALIKE. The Uroboros does not make you special. IT is special. Unlike the T or G Virus, it does not mutate the individual to reflect the individual, it simply overcomes the individual altogether. This was disappointing as fighting each boss felt the same. One humongous, black writhing pile of goop and tentacles after the other. The ending of the game was also rather lack luster, and as much as I'd want them to produce the next installment, I have a hard time thinking of what they would accomplish with doing so.
My last words will be on an aspect I've always enjoyed in the games, and have noticed a dwindling utilization of: the documents. I always liked to find the diary of this or that scientist in RE1 and immerse myself in the fiction of it, but in RE5 documents are not in the same vein. They are casually strewn about pieces to click on, things you could ignore and still accomplish your primary goals. This, coupled with the fact that the majority of the documents were incredibly long and a bit on the boorish, technical/science-side, they lacked the flavor of previous documents in the various other games, even the really scientific ones which used to be fascinating.
I gave the game a four out of five because while I loved it, it was still far from revolutionary, the sort of revolution a game ought to experience after being around for as long as Resident Evil has been. There really is no reason not to own this game if you love the series or enjoy playing similarly crafted games on the X-Box 360. | video-games_xbox |
WOW. You know I heard all the pre-release hype about the Xbox and Halo, how it was the sytem selling title and how it was going to revolutionize the FPS (First Person Shoter) genre. I heard all that and hoped that it was true. I have not played a title in a while that has kept me playing for more than a few levels. I'm not one of thise guys who has to play a game all the way to the end even if it is just OK. A game has to keep my interest.
I got my Xbox the day it came out and I got Halo as well. The game started and I thought, well... Looks pretty. Then I played through the first level and I had to force the controller from my hand. I knew the game was going to be way too short for my tastes. And now that I just completed it on the "normal" setting I know that it could have been a hundred levels and I would still think it was too short.
This is not just a great game, a great Xbox title, or a good FPS. It is one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I have had in a few years. I will never look at the "experience" the same way.
I read the article about Halo on Amazon before I played the game and after. I don't see where those "cons" exist in the game at least as cons.
Yes, several maps are used multiple times, but while your playing you never care because they are always different as time passes in the game. A good example is the ship you begin the game on comes under attack and is boarded in the first level. The ship crashes and later you find yourself inside the wreck. Corridors are collapsed and fires burn throughout. Same map, totally different experience.
The save feature is perfect and after a while you forget your worries about "checkpoint save" problems you have had in other games. Another good game Perfect Dark used a level system that makes this one look like a work of art. The people who designed the "checkpoint" placement must have had the same problems in previous games because they avoided them here by placing them in all the right places. No large dangerous fire fight or trap goes unrewarded without a checkpoint, and at any time you can save and quit the game only to start again later at the last checkpoint you passed.
Now the 30fps. Now you play the game and honestly tell me that 30fps hurts your playing experience. If it went any faster it would probably be too difficult. People who state this as a problem act as if the game moves at a snails pace. It doesn't and after a fire fight or two you'll be happy for the time to make decisions.
All the Pros listed are there though. The AI especially. OH MY GOD! The AI is the best I have ever seen in this type of game. Bad guys duck, dodge, run for cover fire from cover, talk to eachother, curse your good marine cyborg name, run and get help when outnumbered or outclassed, and your buddies are even better. I remember only a few times they acted like total morons which is par for the course for most AI buddies in FPS games. They assist eachother, apologize for accidents, flank enemies and actualy attempt to outsmart their alien foes which their foes try to do to them as well. They outsmarted me once or twice.
I can't say it enough, Best AI ever.
Now what keep you in the gae though is the story which I will reveal none of here besides to say that I can't wait for Halo 2. That AI makes you feel like the cutscenes are going on all the time as the Marines will talk to you and act as if they all know you. The whole game feels like a movie and your the action hero star. You will feel happy about what happens, scared, sad, and even heart pumping excitment which should be the heart of the game and is. More than once did I feel upset that a marine followed me into combat and fell to enemy fire. Not upset enough to quite playing but instead to comntinue on i order to "avenge his good name!"
Buy this game if your an XBOX owner. I plan on playing it through again myself and letting a buddy join in, in the games Cooperative mode. The Multipayer is pretty good, it is actually the only complaint I have about the game. There are not bots, or fake opponents. Luckily there are a lot of people I know who enjoy playing the multiplayer so that is not that big of a problem.
In conclusion this game is a terriific FPS, a fantastic action game, a wonderful War movie, sci-fi / military escape and the best game I have played in a long time. | video-games_xbox |
A no frills fasted paced arcade shooter that knows it is not Call of Duty. I got this game now because it has gotten cheap as I was skeptical of the value it provides before. With this said the story in this game is not something that is particularly interesting or engaging but the gunplay and overall mechanics more than make up for it. This game throws you into the grinder right from the start. The environments are getting torn to pieces all around and there are enemies everywhere. There is a near constant tug of war between factions and you are in the middle of it all with odds not in your favor. This gives the game a sense of urgency and you never quite feel safe. Only issue is that you are limited to your load-out and cannot swap weapons with what lies on the ground. This is more of a pet peeve, but feels out of place as a mechanic in this time and age. The soundtrack supports the setting by giving the appropriate tone when the action is happening and it is happening A LOT, there is not much down time here. The game is broken into sections with different environments and then followed by an assault on the local hub of a mysterious corporation whose agenda is not clear at the start. These sections are set in a very high-tech sci-fi scape tend to be the weaker portion of the campaign but provide a break by changing up the environment and lighting. If you have played Killzone,Syndicate or the Tron games you will feel right at home here.
On the technical side the graphics are nothing to marvel at, which is surprising as this is running on the EGO engine that powers DIRT and the recent Operation Flashpoint games. The lighting and shaders used are very low quality compared to many titles and at times look so dated that even Far Cry Predator looks better in certain sections. Where this game shines is with its physics and animation system. Morpheme is used for animations if you have played GTA 4, Star Wars the Force Unleashed or Enslaved you will be familiar with this system. While the nervous system AI that was used in those games does not appear here the animations of reloading, walking and various NPC behavior is modeled very realistically thanks to this middleware. Havok is used extensively here and its destruction system comes into play in a big way. Much more than a gimmick like it was in Inversion, here you can blow holes in walls, make your own pathway and take out baddies through walls. Silenced shot to head through a wall Hitman style. The destruction is so well incorporated that it brings back the Days of the original Red Faction games. The engine allows for decently sized open environments which have quite a bit of "verticality" to them. You are never tied to a corridor and forced to shoot and cover only in that area. You go where you want and achieve your objectives when you want to from multiple "floors" of the level. The cut-scenes are done in comic book fashion a la Infamous and at times the graphics look cell shaded to sell the arcade feel of the game.
This is a very fun and fast paced FPS romp that will make you remember the likes of Serious Sam and Metal Slug. It is very much a spiritual successor to BLACK it is as much gun p8rn as the older title and just as destructive and intense. Lead flies in this game and will keep you coming back for more, just don't expect it to take you on a journey with deep character development.
Graphics: 6/10
Design: 8/10
Story: 4/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Sound Design: 8.5/10
Soundtrack: 8.5/10
Replay Value: 8/10 | video-games_xbox |
okay if you're a Buffy fan, otherwise buy the first game. The camera angles are bad. It's not like in the first game where you had complete control over the camera. No, you can only rotate it 180 degrees this time, and sometimes not even that! Sometimes the camera sticks for no reason!
The controls are bad. Even if you're an experienced gamer, you may have some trouble controlling the character. Sometimes when you're getting attacked, you can't always get she/he to face the proper direction. The inventory sucks. Unlike the first game where you could pause the game to equip a different weapon or heal, you have to fumble through your inventory while being attacked!
While the first "Buffy" game had beautiful graphics, this one looks like a first generation Playstation One game.
Some of the voice acting is terrible, especially Anya and Willow, who were not voiced by Emma Caulfield and Allyson Hannigan.
This game's biggest drawback, though, is the inability to save your progress except at the end of the level. There are continue points throughout each level, so if you die you don't have to start all over; but if you reach a continue point, turn off your Xbox or PS2, then you do have to start the level all over the next time you play the game. Most of the levels are pretty huge -- 45 minutes to 90 minutes in length -- so this gets to be a serious problem, especially in the later levels where the boss fights are A LOT tougher, and you have to keep playing until you beat them, or lose 90 minutes of progress.
But if you're a diehard "Buffy" fan like I am, you'll find the patience to play all the way through this game anyway. Bad camera angles, controls, graphics, and voice acting aside, it's still a video game based on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". After you beat each level, you unlock a video interview with one of the "Buffy" cast members.
If nothing else, the story is better than the first game: Ethan Rayne has escaped from custody, and he has a new ally... The First Evil. Ethan has an arrangement set up with The First where if he can choose six warriors to represent him, and they pass all the tests, then The First will imbue Ethan with godly power. So Ethan forces the Scoobies to be his six warriors, by trapping them in an alternate version of Sunnydale. The only way Buffy and her friends can now get back to their own dimension is to pass all the tests... | video-games_xbox |
skip this junk. really wanted to like this game! i played the other RE games all the way thru they r great but im not doing all that again. so i was looking forward this RE game being different and more of a shooter. and to capcoms credit its really a masterpiece in the way that they really succedd in making a good 3rd person shooter and keeping the RE feel as much as they did. but what ruined this game for me is the the crazy amount of bad guys! and THE CRAZY amount of bullets it takes to kill each one! remember RE 1 and 2 when killing a zombie took 2 or 3 bullets from yr 9mil bereta? it was cool beleivable and fair. this game itll take about a whole clip FROM YOUR MACHINE GUN to kill one regualr zombie! and keep in mind in this game your constantly swarmed by zombies! in RE 1 and 2 if you faced 3 zombies at once it was a big deal you were in a lot of trouble! in this game if you are in a room with only 3 zombies thats a good hting! bc its only 3! bc in this game your swarmed all the time! and your MACHINE GUNS(ALL OF THEM), are so underpowered it pointless! killing ONE of those zombies that has the parasite on his head will take 3 full clips from any of the macine guns! thats right at close range you have you unload 3 full clips on one "parasite zombie" to kill them. that means 3 times you have to reload! all the while atleast 2 other zombies are attackign you! people say this game is too easy? in some ways it really is. but in other ways its way to hard for all the wrong reasons! i don't mind a game that is challenging or a game where the AI just outplays me. fine i lose. but in this crappy game all they did is give you underpowered weapons and swarm you with way to many enemies. if you use the shot gun its more effective on the zombies but its a lot slower. so you run into the problem of trying to shoot many zombies quickly with your slow shot gun that needs to be pumped after every shot. if you shoot them in the head they die much quicker but head shots are harder to land bc its a smaller target and still your constanlty attacked buy too many bad guys. skip this crap! it coulda been great its not. its just a dispointment and a waste of 60 bux. | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing. I can't say I'm all that pleased with NHL 16. The games problems far exceed its thrills. If you're not an avid hockey fan or player, save some money and stick with NHL 15. Here's why.
Cons:
THE GAME DOES NOT RUN WELL - It continuously freezes on menus forcing me to restart and I haven't played an online game in Hockey Ultimate Team without bad lag that interrupts play. EA needs to fix their servers, but I haven't seen that yet.
PASSING IS DIFFICULT - For some reason EA removed pass assist. So if you're not pointing directly at the player you want to pass to or anticipating where he is going, your player will randomly pass the puck to nowhere. The puck usually ends up on your opponents stick giving them scoring chances. It also make cross-ice passes and one-timers much more difficult than before. This is the biggest con and really ruins it for me since I can't seem to set up good plays.
INTERCEPTIONS ARE TOO POWERFUL - Defensive zone passes are even harder than NHL 15. If your opponent or CPU player gets his stick anywhere near you, the pass will almost always be intercepted or redirected. Simple plays moving the puck up ice to an open man are extremely frustrating.
THE PLAYER ICONS ARE TOO BIG - EA decided they wanted to change the player icons and colors from the previous games. My guess is some actual changes needed to be made to justify a new $60 price tag one year later. The new round, much larger icon takes up a lot more space on your screen and is pretty irritating in my opinion.
The game isn't all bad. Here are some improvements over last years version.
Pros:
SHOOTOUT MODE - The Online Shootout mode is awesome and probably the best part of the game. You and your opponent go head-to-head, taking turns as goalie and shooter. It's hilarious how bad the goaltending can get. Making for some pretty sweet replays.
LOTS OF OPTIONS - More game modes, unlike NHL 15. You can pay HUT, GM, EASHL, Be a Pro, Playoffs, Seasons, and more.
NO MORE GOALIE INTERFERENCE CALLS - If you played NHL 15 you will understand this one. In 15, every time you get near a goalie they call interference and a two minute minor which was extremely unrealistic. Search it online, you'll see. Now the goalies can take a beating without penalties.
HUT IS STILL FUN - Hockey Ultimate Team is pretty much the same but still fun and addicting. Buy and play your favorite NHL players! | video-games_xbox |
Halo 2 Fan. Alright, now I have to start off by saying that Halo 2 is in my opinion the best game of the series, because of the amazing multiplayer and the community. Halo 1 was amazing since it was revolutionary. Halo 3 was, average, since the feel of the multiplayer wasn't as great as Halo 2 and the campaign wasn't as exciting for me. Halo Reach was really good as well, and now we got 343's first game, and man did it live up to the expectations I had.
The campaign has the Halo feel to it, with a new race and different weapons. The weapons themselves lose your interest after you kill a few enemies with them and the balance of the original weapons is restored [Magnum is not nerfed, and Needler is powerful]. The storytelling of the campaign and the cutscenes were very well done, not innovative or new, but really good. Playing on legendary is as tough as it has ever been as well, since those knights are fierce.
Now on to the most important part, multiplayer. Now there are some good things and not so good things about the multiplayer. Something really good is the balance, nobody seems to fight over the power weapons as much, since now there are Ordnance drops [Get some kills, earn a weapon/power-up that you can choose]. And the sprinting is, well it's different, since it mixes up the Halo experience, we all knew this was coming since CoD has imposed itself on every other FPS out there. Sprinting is a noob favorite since you can, sprint away from battles. Something that you could not do in Halo 2 or 3, so you either killed the other person or got killed, now you can run. This balance out a bit with the DMR, since a few headshots and nobody can run, which is great. Also, you have armor abilities, which aren't as important as I thought since you can kill people easily that have them enabled.
The loadout system is OK, since you can't get overly powerful weapons in there. And the armor customization is great, especially with the Amazon Pre-Order CIO Webskin, which looks great. The promethean weapons are similar to the human weapons except that the heavier weapons disintegrate you into data, which looks cool for the first 50 kills or so, then you are back to using the DMR. The binary rifle is a source of debate online, since it is overpowered, one-shot one-kill, as long as it hits you. The sniper meanwhile, gives the same satisfaction for a headshot, and a bit of shame for the body shots. The rocket launcher no longer locks on, which is better for vehicles, and the plasma pistol still disables vehicles, which levels out the game. And the assasinations, man they are so great, you feel great when you tackle someone of a rock on ragnarok and stab them with the water still rising around you, and it's extremely humiliating when you get assasinated too.
The thing that is missing from thi game is the community, people rarely use headsets and there aren't as many custom matches like in Halo 2, where there were always Zombies, Tower of Power, BXR Duels, Boxing, Cat and Mouse, Superjumps/Map exploration, Troy, and etc. going on with your friends, which made Halo 2 the most fun in an online game.
So all in all, this game has a great campaign, a great multiplayer, the only multiplayer that has come close to Halo 2's multiplayer and in my opinion, is still lacking the community [use headsets and have fun people]. I do love this game, since i can't play Halo 2 and it was a great experience that reminded me of some of the things that I loved in Halo 2, but lacks some of the stuff that made it legendary. I recommend this game to anybody that liked Halo 2 and Halo 1. [I for one loved those games and Halo is still my favorite game] So thank you 343 for not letting a fan down! | video-games_xbox |
MUCH Better the Xbox 360's Kinect. My experience with Kinect has been a mostly awesome one, I have been using it since December 2015 (about 5 months). I had the Kinect for the 360, and was pretty disappointed. The old one was usually unresponsive or just slow to the extent that powering up a controller and making selections would have been just as fast and much less frustrating. They also lacked compelling games. With the NEW Kinect for the Xbox One, they have VASTLY improved its speed and usefulness. Unfortunately, the games for it are even more sparse than for the 360 model, but I didn't get it for the games, I got it for the functionality. Below, I will list out some of my favorite features/use-cases for the Kinect 2.0:
1.a. Voice Control - The Good - This is easily what I use most on the Kinect. Walking in the front door and saying "Xbox On" never gets old. It is also probably one of the most reliable voice commands (mainly due to the TV being off). I would say this command works on the first attempt 95% of the time or better. Other commands I use daily are launching apps/games by saying "Xbox go to Netflix" or "Xbox go to Rocket League" or whatever app/game you can think of. The only problem with this command, is that some games require you to say their full name. For example to launch Halo 5, you must say "Xbox go to Halo 5 Guardians". This might be a little nitpicky, but for some titles you just feel silly/corny especially when you never use the full title at any other point in your life. This command is much faster than going to the home menu and using a pin to go to your app, especially because you can go straight from one app to another without navigating any menus whatsoever. Other commands that work really well include: powering off the console, playing paused media, and navigating through SIMPLE menus. Using "Xbox Record That" or "Xbox Take a Screenshot" commands are really nice ways to record/screenshot without taking you out of the moment.
1.b. Voice Control - The Bad - Many of these points aren't too big of a deal once your learn when and when not to use voice controls, and many of them aren't really Microsoft's fault IMO, but here they are nonetheless. The biggest issue with voice control, is that if you have your volume up loud at all, it is hard for the Kinect to hear you. This makes sense, I mean my Kinect is directly under the TV and I am probably sitting 6 feet away. So of course it won't hear me say "Xbox Pause" during intense scenes of a movie (or any scene with your TV loud enough). I don't really know how to remedy this. As long as Kinect also has video capabilities, it will need to be right there underneath the TV otherwise it would hamper any use when video chatting or playing motion controlled games. IDEALLY we could have a MUCH cheaper model that is only a microphone, and we could put it on the coffee table or side table. My dream solution would be to implement this into the controller itself or even use the headset for these commands (though it would make Kinect obsolete and MS has little motivation to do that this generation). Anyways, back to my main point, all voice commands are only as useful as the conditions you put it in. Pretty much all of them work amazingly if you have your TV volume low, are using headphones through the controller, or are simply in a quite moment in game/video. Another random issue is that my wife has a much harder time getting the Kinect to respond to her voice. One last issue, is that when navigating more complex or in depth menus (like Amazon Video) it can take a really long time to get where you want to go. I'm not sure who else they could have done this, it is mainly an issue with how the app is designed rather than how the Kinect responds. These sorts of situations are much better handled by the controller. Despite all this, I still find voice commands to be an awesome addition to the Xbox experience, though they lose half a star from my review.
2. Skype - This is my second most used feature. Having a dedicated camera in the living room for Skype calls is just wonderful. Before, we would either be huddling around a laptop or holding up a phone to have extended talks with far away family. That was never very comfortable, and would make these conversations much more irritating than they need to be. However, now I can just say "Xbox go to Skype", navigate to the person I want to call, and relax on the couch. The Kinect even automatically adjusts its zoom/picture to include everyone in the room. My parents (who live in a different country) joke that it is like watching a documentary since it adjusts as we move and will follow us across the room to another chair (as long as it is within range). This is so convenient for us, and it makes us enjoy our conversations more (especially the longer ones). You can also use Skype while playing games. I haven't used this feature, but if your friend also has Kinect, you can play online games with each other (or each do your own thing) while still video chatting with them. All you have to do is "snap" Kinect to the side of the screen.
3. Games - Although I didn't buy this for use Kinect games, it did come with a Dance Central game, which works really well. I would say it is much better than how it worked with older generation Kinect games. Also, I finally picked up Kinect Sports Rivals (just got it for $9 yesterday on sale through the Xbox Store, I had been waiting for a good deal), and have been really enjoying it so far (for that price it is easy to enjoy). So far, it works just as well as the Wii sports games I have played. You can also do much more with it than motion-controlled Wii games, since it registers your entire body instead of just one hand. My favorite mode of that game so far is the Rock Climbing. I really wish there were a few more decent games released for this, at least some backwards compatible games. It seems to me they could make some arcade games that are super simple to fill some of this void without much issue, but alas, all we have are dance games and one decent sports game. I would say this loses half a star from my review.
4. Working Out - This was a surprisingly decent feature that I didn't expect to enjoy, much less spend money on. The Xbox Fitness app has workout videos, some free some paid. After doing some research, I decided to pull the trigger on the Insanity workout videos for the Xbox One (they were 50% off at the time). During the videos, there is a side bar that shows you how the Kinect is tracking you, and it is constantly scoring you based on your performance: both speed and form. This works surprisingly well! Occasionally, due to the setup of my living room and where I was doing the exercises, it wouldn't pick me up perfectly, but I don't blame the product for that. Based upon its tracking it will give you instruction on improving your form, increasing your pace, and shows your score. I am confident that the score it gives is a fairly accurate representation of your effort. As I was getting in better shape with the videos, I was consistently seeing higher scores, as you would expect. It will also motivate you during different exercises by pitting you against "average man/women in your age group" or against your best or average score. You also earn mini achievements within Xbox Fitness and little other motivating factors. This was a cool and unexpected use-case for the Kinect. I think you can now use the videos in Xbox Fitness without the Kinect (and without all of the features I've talked about of course) but it is a cool experience to use the Kinect with.
5. Controlling the TV - This is very much tied into the voice commands, but since the Kinect has an IR blaster, it can control basic functions of essentially every TV and sound systems too (though I only use it for my TV). You can give it various options such as turning on the TV whenever the Xbox is turned on, and turning off the TV whenever the Xbox is turned off. This is ideal if the Xbox is your main media hub, especially if it is the only one. This also allows for you to turn up and down the volume with the Kinect. You can do this via voice commands, or even on your smart phone through the Xbox App. I highly recommend using your phone instead, because (at least for my TV) you have to say "Xbox Volume Up/Down" three or four times before it makes a decent change in volume. You can also use "Xbox Mute/Unmute".
Overall, the Kinect is a very useful product. If you could buy this at a steal, such as $50, you will LOVE this product. If this was $50 for me it would have been 5 stars! It wasn't though, haha. This is a great accessory and I highly recommend it as long as you understand when and when not to use voice commands, and as long as you aren't expecting more than two or three decent games. | video-games_xbox |
You can do nearly anything. Nearly. Not many games get my attention quite as vigorously as GTA4. The main character Nico Belic is a likeable immigrant straight off the boat from war-torn Eastern Europe who fails to stay within the law, ends up working for a variety of minor (and major) gangsters in the NY based 3 island openworld vista that is Liberty City.
What's great is the amount of free will in the game. It's far more than many other games put together and allows the gamer to decide whether to be a goodie (albeit a marginal goodie by not smashing people up for no reason) to the opposite. You can tune into whatever radio station you want (there is a choice of about 16) and they all have extensive decent programming.
Why talk about the radio you ask? What about the game? well I think that's the point really. Its that good all-round, that I can harp on about the peripheral stuff that I personally get a kick out of. Watching TV in your apartment instead of shooting people is actually what we all kinda should feel like doing (should we be tired from all the carnage) every now and then.
You can buy burgers, go to the top of the Empire State equivalent, go see a comedy show, take a helicopter tour, help friends, paint your wheels, surf the web, email ladies for dates, go on the dates, fish for a kiss afterwards, fail a bit, sleep with prostitutes to feel better, swim nowhere for no reason, buy a burger again, watch TV a bit (even channel hop), go bowling, improve, go to a strip club and get a private dance, go drinking and then drive home, play darts and even, should you feel like it, steal a car.
Its long. Takes months to finish. There's a ton of side missions. You'll eventually get annoyed that not every door will open wherever you go. You'll start dreaming about the game at night too.
The end gives you a choice too. That's exciting, and yes I tried them all.
I was sad to finish it and immediately googled GTA5.
It loses one star for giving me the illusion of free will and then making me upset when realised I didn't have it. Even though I played it for months and have become obese. | video-games_xbox |
Not a Bad Game. I love the Madden Games; I always have. I think I even had all the way back to Madden 94 on the computer, where you had to use the mouse to control your guys, and the series has come a long way.
This game has taken a lot of flak for not being much different from Madden 05, and in truth it's not a whole lot different. The graphics are a little crisper, but not by much; the changes are more subtle. The animations are smoother (a stiff-arm actually looks like the player is pushing the other guy away, as opposed to just sticking an arm out), but again, not by very much. The different modes, such as Franchise Mode, are all largely untouched.
That being said, however, there are quite a few changes in this version of Madden that are noteworthy. First off, the obvious one of Quarterback Vision. It's not extremely fun to use, but it IS more realistic. It puts much more of an edge to the team that has a quarterback with good awareness, as they can see much more of the field. In Madden 05 it was really easy to throw bombs downfield that were caught everytime; in this game it's harder to do so.
In my opinion, you can take QB Vision or leave it, as the game allows you to turn it off. Since it's not required, I don't see how you could knock the game for putting it in, as many people (such as myself) enjoy playing it, but if you don't enjoy it you don't have to use it. The other changes they made to the game are what I liked more. Again, they're more subtle, but noticeable.
First off, you can now choose where on the receiver you're going to throw the ball. You can throw it high, low, leading, or behind the receiver, which is a nice touch. It's also more realistic, for the way you specify is with the left analog control, so if you're scrambling right and want to lead LEFT to a receiver running the other way as you, it's much harder--much like throwing across your body--because you have to push the analog stick to the left, which could mean taking a hit or a sack.
They've also changed the game to be more unforgiving. Defenders actually *gasp* INTERCEPT the ball, instead of dropping it all of the time. It's arguable that the interceptions thrown are now too high, but that just means you have to get better at reading the coverage and throwing it to the right guy. The pass rush comes much faster now, so you have to get rid of it quick (or adjust pass blocking to be better in the game settings). Fumbles happen more frequently, especially when there's weather involved.
I also like how much better the Hit Stick is in this game, as it was always difficult to line up a guy before, so using the Hit Stick usually meant missing the tackle, but it's much easier to make contact in '06. The offensive Hit Stick isn't very effective, especially where you have to remove your thumb from the A button (burst of speed) to use it (it uses the right analog), but it's still a nice touch.
They also added Xbox Live capability, as well, which makes the entire game worthwhile, as now when you're bored you can play someone online as opposed to playing the AI.
This game has received a lot of flak over being too similar to Madden '05, and although it is largely the same game in controls, the tweaks and changes they made--in my opinion--are largely worthwhile. Not everybody will be pleased with the final product, but if you ever got sick of your opponent making the 4th and 40 Hailmary, or your defenders not making the interception that's right in their hands, then this game is worth purchasing. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best all-around X-Box FPS experiences. Far Cry hit the PC Market last year with a bang. Combining revolutionary graphics with cunning stealth/guerilla tactical fighting, Far Cry was easily one of the most enjoyable and memorable PC gaming experiences ever. So how did it translate on the XBox?
As Jack Carver, you take an undercover reporter to secluded Jacutan Island, where a number of mysterious incidents have occurred for the past 2 or 3 decades. When your boat is blown apart by a helicopter attack, you find yourself stranded on this tropical island, fending for your life and trying to find out just what exactly is happening here on Jacutan. Along the way you'll encounter a literal army's worth of enemies and a few horrifying surprises.
The premise is simple enough and the story, though a bit weak, keeps you moving through the lushly detailed tropical island. Undoubtedly one of the best looking games on the X-Box, Far Cry features beautiful water effects, swaying trees and lush tropical growth. Gorgeous waterfalls and rivers dot the landscape, as well as enormous mountain ranges and dense jungle trails. When you're not caught up looking at the landscape however, you'll be up to your eyeballs in bullets.
The gameplay is somewhat different than most FPS games, in that it is no where near as claustrophobic. The areas are wide open and allow for precise sneak attacks and guerilla hit and run tactics. Enemy AI is impressive, though can also be quite dumb at times. The dense tropical growth allows for many hiding spots, as well as deadly traps to set up against your enemies, such as branch whips and claymore mines. When the game calls for all-out action, there is a big enough arsenal for you to just let loose on your foes with reckless abandon. However, most 'stand and fight' gun battles are usually a fatal encounter for the player.
There are only a handful of enemy types in the game, ranging from your standard mercenary fare to well-equipped tactical ops, as well as gun-toting, suicide bombing zombies and tremendous monsters that look to be a cross between the Incredible Hulk and John Carpenter's 'The Thing'. While the Mercenaries are easy enough, the zombies tend to take alot of damage and the special ops are extremely deadly. There is a huge arsenal of weapons to choose from, and an equally large selection of vehicles.
Vehicle control is a bit simplistic, and at times can lead to confusing tumbles around the map. While some felt the vehicle controls in Halo were too much, I find the vehicle control in Far Cry to be a bit more difficult to get the hang of, if only because i've mastered Halo driving and found the simplistic controls of Far Cry to be less fluid. Nevertheless, there are plenty of vehicles to experience.
The game's best all around feature is undoubtedly its Map Editor mode. Something that is not often included in console games, the map editor is VERY simple to use, and should take even the average editor a mere hour or two to completely get the hang of. Unfortunately, the map editor is VERY limited, and much of the game's content, such as mounted gun emplacements, lava hazards, certain buildings and environmental decorations, are noticeably missing. I almost felt cheated that so much was lacking, but at the same time the map editor has so much going for it that I found myself fiddling around with the editor almost more than I was playing the actual game.
The editor alone is worth the price of admission, and is something I would like to see alot more of in console games of any type.
All is not perfect in this game however. First off, the game is ridiculously easy for the first 3/4 of gameplay. Once you get your mutation powers, the game becomes even easier. However, once you hit the final 1/4 of the game, it takes a sharp turn from being ridiculously easy to unbeleivably difficult. Perhaps the game's worst aspect is lack of in-game save, as you must rely on check points. Furthermore, the gameplay itself is laughably unrealistic...enemies seem to just shrug off half a clip of machine gun fire pumped into their chest, but a punch to the face sends them flying 2 miles in the opposite direction. Weapon power is grossly misinterpreted...you can take a gunshot to the face at point blank range and suffer about 20 points of damage, and yet a melee attack from any enemy takes off a minimum of about 70-90 points! Ridiculously unbalanced damage, but that changes once you hit the endgame scenario, where enemies seem to always get one shot, instant kills on you no matter how much health or body armor you are wearing, making the endgame portion one of the most frustrating FPS experiences in a long time. The load times between new levels are also dreadfully long.
There is one more, outstanding and trying thing that brings this game down an entire star: The fact that there is a 4 minute, annoying 'Coming Soon' type trailer for Far Cry that CANNOT be skipped. You have to see it every time you load the game up, every time you go back to the main menu, everytime you quit the game...it absolutely cannot be skipped, and more than once I have been in the mood to fire up a quick game of Far Cry, but got so frustrated that I couldn't skip that trailer that I just turned it off before it even finished.
To wrap this review up, let me recap by providing list a series of Pro's and Con's with a short explanation:
PROs:
Best feature - Map Editor: Easily one of the most captivating parts of the game, the Map Editor allows you to express your creative side. Though lacking some of the game's most interesting items and objects, it is an excellent tool nonetheless.
-Outstanding Graphics - though nowhere near as nice as its PC counterpart, a beautiful game nonetheless.
-'Feral Senses' provide a unique and exciting aspect to gameplay
-A truly cinematic feel to the game
-Lushly detailed and gorgeous landscapes
-Huge arsenal and vehicle list
-exciting guerilla tactics and combat
-creative use of superhuman abilities in game progression
CONs:
Worst Feature: Lack of in-game save makes for one of the most incredibly frustrating trial-and-error gameplay segments ever, and checkpoints become fewer as you progress
-Unskippable 4+ minute trailer for the game everytime you go back to the main menu really makes you NOT want to play
-DREADFUL load times
-Laughably unrealistic weapon damage on enemies (emptying an entire handgun clip into their chest at point blank range is...minorly annoying?)
-Severe misrepresentation of player damage (getting shot doesn't hurt that much, but getting punched is fatal?)
-Enemies become far too powerful as you progress, often getting one-shot kills
-Enemies can see you no matter how well covered you are
-Enemies can see at great distances, where the clipping completely prevents player from seeing them (I guess shotguns are equipped with sniper scopes nowadays?)
-Grenades utterly useless...enemies know your location immediately when you prepare grenade for throwing and scatter before it even leaves your hand
Overall, its a great game that has a few flaws. The overall experience, however, is well worth the price. Between the beautiful landscapes and geniusly implemented map editor as well as the rich gameplay experience, Far Cry is definitely worth adding to your collection. | video-games_xbox |
Dangerously addictive. I have never played an Elder Scrolls game before this one. Now I think I understand what I have been missing. The amount of work and detail that have gone into Oblivion is staggering. The sheer number of quests, characters, weapons and places, all set in a gorgeous "real" secondary world is just amazing.
Since the first week of March I have been held hostage by this game. The scope of the story is vast and the game world is enormous. The main quest ranges all over the game world, and follows the assassination of the Emperor, the search for his lost heir and the recovery of the Amulet of Kings. The goal is to stave off an invasion from an alternate plain of existence, Oblivion. I am still only half-way through this quest, as I have enjoyed all of the alternate quests scattered throughout the world.
Everywhere you travel there are cities, towns, dungeons, forts and caves, along with shrines, ruins and every type of terrain you can imagine.
For me, the greatest thing about the game is choice. You can choose to follow the main quest, or follow countless alternate quests and return to the main quest only when you wish. Wander the countryside exploring the sights and getting into scrapes. Join and advance through different guilds, namely the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, the Thieves Guild, or the assassin's guild called the Dark Brotherhood. You can join orders of chivalry and become a knight, fight in the Arena in Imperial City city to become Grand Champion, or join a secret society of Vampire hunters (or become a Vampire yourself). There is just too much in this game to list everything and it has been expanded by downloaded content. I haven't even started The Shivering Isles expansion pack, although I have enjoyed the relatively brief quests associated with the Knights Of The Nine expansion.
I haven't enjoyed a game so much in years, and the only other RPG I have enjoyed as much in the past was Knights Of The Old Republic.
Oblivion is an instant classic and an excellent game. | video-games_xbox |
Ubi watered the game down. I am a big fan of the original Ghost Recon and have put many hours into it along with many of the mods and add-ons (Desert Siege and Island Thunder). Ghost Recon is a tactical military shooter about an elite Air Force reconnaissance unit that operated by stealth behind enemy lines. The game forces the player to stragetise the use of cover and concealment rather than "run and gun".
The single player missions in the original allow you to choose specialized personnel necessary to achieve the goals. If you lose a specialized team member in combat you lose all the 'points' you invest in him or her. This means you need to complete missions flawlessly. To accomplish this you are given a map on which you can coordinate the actions of your teams with a reasonable degree of precision and you are allowed to accomplish your tasks in nearly any order you think appropriate. Once the mission was accomplished you were given points that allowed you to further modify your teams (and sometimes new weapons and personnel).
I had hoped GR2 would be in the same vein but adapted to better technology (along with the expected new weaponry and missions). Unfortunately that is not the case. Ghost Recon 2 has had the entire team system ripped out and replaced with a couple of stupid commands that are effectively 'sit still' and 'charge'. When not rushing blindly to their deaths your squad will wander around... sometimes wandering into your line of fire, at other times firing at inanimate objects like rocks.. attracting every enemy in the area. Their only use seems to be to draw fire away from you. If they die the only effect seems to be that you get fewer points in the final tally (perfect scores unlock weaponry and such).
This game hits several of my pet peeves besides the team control... the missions are very linear, offering very little variation (the lone missions at least relieves you from your team wandering into fire), most combat interactions on scripted events, concealment seems to have no effect (except that you cant see them when they are concealed) and the mappers sometimes used invisible walls to block access to areas.
On the positive side, fans of less strict tactical shooters like Call of Duty or Socom will probably find the gameplay entertaining even though the plot and storytelling methods are less than engaging. Personally though, I didn't see anything here I haven't seen in earlier, better games. I still hold out hope that the cancelled PC version will mean the upcoming Ghost Recon 3 will be closer to the original version in both style and content. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent. I was skeptical that these headphones were worth the cost, but I am very pleased with them and glad I got them! As soon as I removed them from the packaging, I was impressed with the quality of the design and construction, and that is a rare thing for me. I've had my headphones for about a month now and have used them many, many, MANY hours (playing Modern Warfare 2 almost exclusively) and have no complaints. All the features work great, including the dynamic chat volume adjustment (when the game sounds get loud, the chat volume is temporarily increased), the bass boost, the Dolby 5.1 sound, and more. I wasn't sure if Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound actually works in headphones (other than simple left and right), but it really does -- I can easily locate sounds that are behind me and in front of me, too. I never noticed any hissing until several days after I started using the headphones, when I didn't have an audio signal, so I have absolutely no issue with hissing. I have a great Dolby Digital 5.1 receiver/speaker system, but since I got the headphones, I quit using the speakers and I only use the headphones for gaming now (due to the ability to hear subtle game sounds like that fool trying to sneak up behind me).
Note: if you have an older XBox 360 and you are currently using its HDMI output (to go to your TV or A/V receiver), you MIGHT need to get a new Optical/RCA Audio adapter. These headphones (the transmitter part) connect to the XBox via digital optical cable. On older XBox 360s, you can't use both HDMI and optical audio outputs at the same time because the size of the audio adapter is so big it blocks the HDMI port. You may want to check that before you buy. If you have that problem, you can order a newer Optical/RCA Audio Adapter which has a smaller connector (or, if another reviewer here is correct, you might be able to trim the old adapter down to a size that fits). | video-games_xbox |
Madden arcade? Just stick to last years game. What the heck happened? I actually liked Madden 13 quite a bit. Say what you will about the franchise and player clipping issues the AI was about the best I can remember. This game reminds me of playing Blitz , the defense serves no purpose. I have played 6 full games and all of them I have around 200 yards rushing and about 300 passing. There have been several times where I have misread defense and threw strait to the other teams corner right on the numbers and the ball just hits them and drops. I am still yet to throw an Interception in this game. When playing Zone defense it is like 90% of the time the position player doesn't even recognize there is a receiver to cover or the ball is being thrown. I was playing as Patrick Willis over the middle and switched to man coverage. The other teams half back then ran right strait to me and then caught still caught the ball and then ran strait into me and I just stood there as the player bounced right off . No attempt to A. Break up the pass B. Tackle the player C. Make any attempt to do anything but stand close to the guy. My safety made the play 10 yards later on a pass that should have either been picked off or broken up. Atleast I can say that the Defense AI is braindead for the player and computer alike.
As for the presentation, the commentary and the cuts literally look like they were cut and pasted from last years game. The replays are really short ,like soo short they don't even show the whole play most of the time. On touchdowns there is a weird moment of Silence after you run in. I don't remember that in the past. It is pretty jarring and takes you out of the moment. The stats are few and far between and usually pop up for like 2 seconds, not even long enough to read them.
I thought Madden 13 was promising enough that I was excited for this game , I really thought they were on the right track and if they just smoothed out a few rough edges and went back to the basics with Franchise mode this game could not miss. I regret to inform you this Madden is just a broken mess. | video-games_xbox |
Says it can work on pc if you buy a couple cables, sounds like a cheap childs toy. So i got this headset about a year ago on boxing day to use on my xbox and it did the job, not anything great but it was fine non the less. The problem arose when i tried to use it with my pc, now on their website it says all you need to use it with a pc is two cables. Ok great, ordered them online (came to about 40 CAD but the Canadian dollar is terrible right now so whatever) So after spending another 40 dollars on a 100 dollar headset i expected it to have some decent quality. Nope, the mic was completely sub par and the audio quality was absolutely terrible, it looks on their website like the cable you can buy from them has a volume changer or mute button inline but its just a straight normal cable. On top of having terrible mic quality the audio was absolutely terrible, and i mean TERRIBLE. Because of no inline volume changer (I'm aware the headset has a volume changer on it and it was set to the lowest) the volume almost broke my ear drums when i tried to watch YouTube for the first time, not a little loud either, it still hurts 20 mins later. But wait theirs more! So the audio was pretty terrible compared to other headsets around the same price point when it worked. But half the time it didn't, people could hear me on Skype but I couldn't hear them, I couldn't hear anything suddenly. I'm no newbie when it comes to computer hardware so i new to look in the audio manager and all that, it straight up would not let me hear anything. I changed the batteries as well...nothing. OK so this inst working, so i decide to see if i can plug in the audio in cable that came with one of the cords (They want you to use a cable from the PC to the headset for audio out and from the pc to the box for audio in) but the audio out cable also had an audio in. So I plug that in and it "works"....kinda. The audio that came out those headphones would not be worth 40 dollars even. (I know im not suppose to use the cable like that but i tried everything else). So here I am out 40 dollars with no working headphones as now they don't even work at all. I know this is a xbox headset but if you advertise on your website that it can be easily converted to work with pc then it should be able to. Im now out 40 dollars for the cables and still have to buy a headset for my pc as this one doesn't work as advertised.
TL;DR It says on their website that it only takes two cables to get this thing working on pc but in reality it doesn't work half the time and when it does it sounds like a dollar store headset. | video-games_xbox |
Much Better Than It's Made Out To Be. A lot of reviews of Sea are saying that the game sucks because of the lack of substance. While I can't argue that there is a whole lot to do right now, by October that will change. Over the summer 2 or 3 large updates are releasing that will add new enemies, ships and other stuff like bug fixes. Another thing people complain about a lot. I personally have only ever experienced one bug. It's annoying but not game breaking. One of my friends I play the game with has a bugged client, so when we play our instruments, neither of us can here the other. That's the only bug I've experienced. The content that is in the game has thus far given my friends and I hours of fun. There are three alliances, and you purchase voyages from and level up in each alliance. The alliances are The Gold Hoarders, who will give you voyages of two kinds. The first is an X-marks-the-spot voyage, where you will receive one or more maps of different islands throughout the fairly sized map, (which will be expanded over the summer) and you have to navigate to the islands and find where the x's are located and dig up treasure. The treasure chests range from Castaway chests, worth around 100 gold to the Hoarders, to the more rare chests like the Chest of Sorrows, which will cry and flood your ship if you aren't careful, worth around 2000 gold. The other type of voyage is a riddle voyage, where you travel to a random island and solve various written riddles to find buried treasure. The second alliance is the Order of Souls. The Order will give you voyages in which you will have to venture to various islands and defeat skeletal pirate crews and claim the Captains' skulls. The skulls range from the Foul Bounty Skull, worth around 100 gold to the Order, to the Villainous Bounty Skull, worth around 1000 gold. The final alliance, the Merchant Alliance, are essentially the goods traders. Upon purchasing a voyage from them, you will be given a list of goods you will need to obtain and deliver to a specific outpost by a certain date. The tasks range from catching animals like various types of chickens, pigs, and snakes, each fetching a different price, to filling crates with different goods like bananas, cannonballs, or wooden planks. Beyond voyaging, there is still a lot to do. You can battle other players and their ships, or use your gold to upgrade your clothing, weapons, equipment, and ships. All of the upgrades are aesthetic, making Sea of Thieves a skill based game, which adds a fun amount of challenge to the battles and voyaging. There is no way to have an advantage over other players. You can shoot each other out of cannons, fight the kraken, and more. Overall, Sea of Thieves is a really fun game to play with your friends, (though you can play solo) and I highly recommend buying it for yourself. | video-games_xbox |
Better than expected, not as good as it should be. I agree with the sentiment of other reviews I've seen, it's a good game but it's a bit outdated (graphics, physics, etc). When you have racing standards like Forza 2 or Gran Tourismo it's hard to pop this game in and be impressed. Heck even Tourist Trophy for the PS2 looked better and it's over 3yrs old.
The funny thing is...MotoGP08 (which I also had high hopes for and did NOT like) was developed by the same folks as SBK 08. How they can be so wildly different in game play quality is beyond me.
So the question I had before I bought it was "how's the gameplay?" The answer is contained in my title "Better than expected, not as good as it should be." The difference in difficulty levels is not linear and covers a LOT of ground. Just going from Basic to Arcade is a pretty big jump. "Realistic" is completely misnamed. Unless you think that lowsiding/highsiding should be possible at any angle other than straight up and down with anything over 15% throttle is "realistic", then this is the setting for you. I do like the fact that you can get it to be very hard to control but I wouldn't call it simulation. I've done a custom setting to add in Traction Control, I can still crash myself if I get crazy with the throttle but not just by breathing on the throttle. I think once you find your own handling "sweet spot" you'll enjoy this game immensely. You get all the qualifying and practice sessions as in a real race weekend so if you really wanted to simulate a race, you could take days....
The AI isn't great but on the 2nd hardest difficulty level the riders are turning lap times within +/- .2 seconds of real lap times.
My guess would be that while other genres of racing games generate a lot of money, motorcycle racing games are just not that popular/profitable in the US. To me that's very sad because after being a M/C road racing fan for over 20yrs you are seeing some of the best racing, the most amazing machines ever (MotoGP, bring back the 990's!). So with that this game is better than I expected but not as good as it could be, especially when you see other games out there LIGHT YEARS ahead in graphics, gameplay depth and physics/feel.
Here's hoping the next version is more that just "new bikes/rider/tracks" with the same level of graphics and physics....but I still can't wait to be Ben Spies on the R1 at Portimao!
For $29? Recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Sadly I ordered waaay too early. Alas I bought this item on a spur of the moment desire to own a replica of this fine weapon. For the record I ordered way back in October prior to Amazon offering a free Gears of War 2 copy with the gun. So in essence I was paying 140 bucks for what I thought was a high quality replica of the gun from Gears of War. What I got was....ugh something else entirely.
Let me first preface the fact that I know high end replicas like the ones blizzard put out do generally cost more. However I definitely feel this item fell far short of it's 140 dollar worth. Lets start with the first item that comes from the item description:
"Weapons Grade Plastic"
Owning several guns and rifles myself, this is a hoot to hear. Seriously, even if they use some plastic that might, MIGHT be worth to placed on a Saturday Night Special, the linkage and assembly of the gun render the claim worthless as the gun feels that a strong shock or accidental drop on the ground (and lets face it, this gun just screams to be run around with) will cause the whole thing to just snap apart.
Build Quality
There are lots of exposed seams all over the gun. The assembly that holds the mag together really wasn't properly measured as it feels unusually flimsy and the fake mag itself is a royal pain to actually remove from the gun. When you do actually remove it you find that the chainsaw actually sits inside the magazine, so you don't even see anything like fake bullets or something like that. Small potatoes I know, but still, for something tagging itself as a replica using "the same 3d Model Renders as the Game", you'd think they'd take the placement of the chainsaw into account.
The Handle that folds into the gun also feels like it's one jerk too hard from snapping off. The joint that connects to the gun itself and slides on the inside definitely feels way too flimsy given the amount of stress that it's going to be exposed to. The handle also rattles hollowly as you shift it up and down and definitely detracts from the feeling the gun should convey.
The Battery Issue
I won't spend too much time on this as other commentators have already discussed the issue in great detail, but I indeed had the same darn problem. Had to use the foil trick as well to get my connection right, and even then that stopped working all together after about 10 minutes of use. For something like this, I shouldn't have to jury-rig something as simple as battery contacts given the price.
Overall Thoughts
Sadly, I am returning this item simply due to the sheer lack of quality in it and I can't really justify spending 140 dollars on something that literally, given the quality of construction is meant for nothing more than something to be slapped on a wall and left there to gather dust on. The build quality and battery issues really prevent this from being handled with anything more than a delicate touch, which is a real shame because this would make a fantastic costume accessory or film prop that could see some heavy use. I really wanted this replica to be as awesome as the game, sadly, it did not live up to the task, nor is it worth the 140$ price tag.
Ah well...on to other things. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game, but the Driving Needs a Little TLC. As a Mad Max fan since the Road Warrior movie, I was really looking forward to the release of this game. The open world setting seemed like a perfect fit for the franchise, and so I picked it up on release day and have enjoyed my first few days with it.
Like most open world games, Mad Max gives you a wide variety of main, secondary, and side missions for you to occupy yourself with. While the secondary and side missions aren't generally mandatory, some story-required upgrades are difficult to get without completing some of them. Stronghold upgrades have a real effect on how easy or difficult gameplay can be for you, so it is often worth running around collecting the necessary bits and bobs to construct them.
Likewise, some car upgrades can only be achieved by performing side missions or by lowering the threat level of the areas around certain strongholds. So, while mostly optional, they can have a real benefit.
The game gives you a good deal of freedom as to how you may want to tackle each location or mission. While stealth options are limited, there are some instances where you can sneak in through secret entrances and execute enemies while they're still unaware.
The main and secondary missions actually do not take a great length of time to complete (perhaps 20-25 hrs), and are very linear (the side missions add a lot more, however). The story doesnt seem to deviate much at all depending on your actions, which seems to be par for the course with a lot of open-world games. The missions themselves are pretty entertaining, and even after you complete the main storyline, you are allowed to free roam and finish whatever left over activities you want to.
COMBAT
The combat in Mad Max is very similar to that in the recent Batman, Shadow of Mordor, and Assassins Creed games. Similar enough that if you hated the prompt-heavy combat, you probably won't like it here either. It seems far more brutal here, especially with all of the executions, and you certainly have a lot of choices when it comes to dispatching your enemy. I think it fits the setting and the gameplay very well. There's not a great variety of enemies for you to fight, with "normal", "fast", "strong", "brutes" and bosses rounding out the roster. However, since they frequently come at you 5 or more at a time, it can feel frantic at first. Later on, after you've upgraded Max a bit, combat feels "easy" as long as you're patient and don't act foolhardy.
DRIVING
It should have been called the Road Warrior because thats what youll be doing the mostfighting the road. Unfortunately, one of the central gameplay features, driving, leaves a lot to be desired. All of the cars, even once fully upgraded are sluggish, unwieldy, and not much fun to drive. None of the cars hold true on the road and either require lots of little taps or huge overcorrections to steer through the wastelandstheres no grey area. While you can get used to the wonkiness during regular play, it becomes painfully evident when you tackle the more advanced races, and even some story missions that require precision driving. A small rock, tiny love tap, or even nothing on the road can send you spinning off a cliff with a big WTF look on your face.
Now, if these things were tweaked a bit, the gameplay would be greatly improved. Its not brokenbut its not fun, either. I found myself quickly resorting to fast travelling whenever I didn't have any objectives between point A and point B.
The actual car combat...if you can get a handle on the above issues, is fun and engaging. It would be better if it didn't feel like everyone's car was faster and more maneuverable than yours, but it is extremely satisfying when your rip the wheels off a truck, or send a flaming tangle of steel off a cliff with a well placed shotgun blast.
ATMOSPHERE
The game nailed the Mad Max universe to a T. The vehicles, the colorful characters, and their wacky names are all on display here. But the best part is the wasteland itself. Theres so much detail there, and it totally sells the desolation.
There are some minor things, like the use of the same character model and voice actress for 90% of the scout and wanderer encounters (or who knows, maybe its all supposed to be the same lady) , but its very minor and really doesnt detract from the game.
The developers had reported that the game map was not finite implying that you could travel into the distance until you ran out of gas or water. I was hoping this meant you would run into procedurally created encounters, or at least something like the loading screens from Assassins Creed where you just wander around. Unfortunately thats not the case, and if you drive more than 30 seconds straight into the Great Nothing , you will begin taking automatic mystery damage until you are dead about 15 seconds later. Sonot as advertised.
So, all in all, I would say it is a fantastic entry in the Mad Max universe, which could be improved even further with a little extra tweaking in the driving department. If you like open-world games, this is certainly a worthy entry. | video-games_xbox |
An Icon At the Crossroads. Halo is one of the most iconic video games over the past decade, and one of my personal favorites, so obviously I had high expectations like many others. For the most part, Halo 4 met them and in some cases even exceeded them. But first, let me start off with my only qualm. The campaign story was easily the weakest element of Halo 4. Especially for a game kicking off a new multi-million (possibly billion) dollar franchise, I was definitely disappointed with some of the key plot points, particularly the ending (though I won't spoil it). While Cortana's rampancy plot line brought a new level of characterization and emotional depth to a franchise usually tied to a faceless hero, it was brought down by a vague and often confusing second half.
Having said that, however, the rest of the campaign shined. The cutscenes were absolutely incredible, especially at the beginning and end of the game. You will have trouble distinguishing whether or not some scenes were live action or CGI. It's that good. The new race, the Forerunners, definitely brought some variety and intensity to the Halo formula. Though the Forerunners themselves were mainly limited to three types of enemies, I'm sure they will expand upon that in future games. And the new weapons will provide a fun alternative for any Halo fan. The Campaign levels themselves were full of set pieces and engaging art direction even if some of the levels felt exceedingly linear and repetitive. There were enough vehicle segments to break up the action and at least one WOW moment per level made for a fun play through. And as always, the co-op campaign and legendary difficulty will add replay value to those that enjoy testing themselves and/or playing with a friend. Overall, the campaign had some incredible moments and was good overall, but the story didn't adequately establish the new villains, or provide any momentum for the next two installments.
The multiplayer is where Halo 4 really shines. By combining combat and level design reminiscent of Halo 2 with the more fast-paced and tactical combat of Call of Duty (in a good way), 343 Industries has created an excellent online experience. The variety of game types, levels, weapons, loadouts, armors and specialization allow for many ways to experiment and enjoy Halo 4 multiplayer. Although leveling up is currently based on experience from play time, 343 also plans on incorporating skill ranks in the near future for any of the hardcore fans or new players tired of joining matches with significantly disproportionate teams. And that is the only real flaw I've come across in multiplayer so kudos to 343 Industries for already coming up with a past solution most fans of the series will welcome.
Other Pros:
-Spartan Ops provides additional missions separate from the campaign, adding to the full experience and giving the player more bang for their buck.
-Forge mode has been improved, specifically with the "magnet" feature, now making custom level design much faster and less frustrating.
-The best Halo graphics thus far as you would expect. One of the best looking games on the console.
-Great sound effects that immerse the player in the action.
-Increased level of customization aesthetically and tactically.
-Although there are only 8 missions, they are all lengthy and provide a variety of environments, tasks and challenges.
-Master Chief becomes much more human and interesting as the soldier behind the armor is finally more fleshed out.
Interesting:
-The music is not as robust as past games, and not as exciting, but it does set up the more alien atmosphere and futuristic nemesis of Halo 4.
-The Halo web series adds background to the other characters and ties in nicely.
In conclusion, if you own an Xbox 360, buy this game. You will not regret it. | video-games_xbox |
In-depth but to the point, no frills review. I'll start off with the negative (as the list is much shorter imo). First, there are a number of features that were pretty fun in the original game that were taken away. Namely, the crowd isn't there cheering you on anymore, and there appears to be no points system, so no bonuses for bends, harmonics, and whatnot. Amp mode appears to be gone (replaced by virtual band, see below). You also don't really have a career mode that I can discern. I liked it to track my progress the first go around, but didn't like how it threw random master mode songs my way at the end. These mostly seem to have been removed to keep the game running smoother whereas the original tended to get bogged down. The interface operates differently as well. This is only sort of a negative if you're used to the old interface. It will take some getting used to, but after you learn it, it becomes a positive change.
That's about where my negative comments end. Some of the fun was taken out of the game, sure, but in trade-off it was replaced with much needed utility in the game play. The biggest improvement, and I mean huge, is the much improved sound EQ. You can hear the dynamics of your playing much better this time around, the game actively switches between tone settings now (as if hitting an effect footswitch) while you play, and the tone of your instrument is integrated with the overall sound of the song much better. In addition, the tuner is much more accurate than before, and tunings are closer to the tru tuning of the song.
The sorting system is somewhat improved. I've seen some reviews knocking it, but its easy with the bumper buttons to re-sort the songs in 'learn a song' mode by tuning, play count, date, title, artist, favorites (more on that later), etc. It still could use some tweaking, but it's improved.
In game play, the bends and slides are broken down to show you the arc of the note shift instead of a clumsy line. As the crowd isn't there taking up graphic space, the songs keep better time. Sustains are picked up easier and last longer. In addition, the notes are connected to the fretboard instead of floating, and the frets you are playing show up on the note stream so you don't have to look down at the 3,5,7 etc fret markers and guess where the song is transitioning to. Despite these improvements in user friendliness, the game is actually harder, requiring more accuracy to strike the notes, and more overall accuracy to advance a song, thus helping you to learn it better.
In addition, the leveling system is improved. That is because instead of 'mastering' a song, you master a section. This enables you to play the riffs you have down in master mode, while still playing those you haven't quite got the hang of in normal mode. This makes the learning process easier as you now have steps between the two modes.
The next great thing, well, two great things, are the favorites list and the continuous play. Favorites is simple: in learn a song mode, select the songs you play most and favorite them (y on xbox), then hit the bumper button to sort by favorites, and the ones you like playing come up. The other is continuous play. This setup is pretty simple as well; either hit begin to play what they throw at you, or pick the songs you want to play for x amount of minutes. Very handy. Actually, this is how I prefer to play this edition of rocksmith.
The last new feature I want to talk about is the virtual band jam mode (replacing amp mode apparently). Now, I must preface by saying that the sounds are very casio like hokie sounding garbage sounds. If you expect to write the next hit using this feature you'll be sorely disappointed. What the value of this feature is sort of akin to an advanced metronome. It just supplies some background sounds using different genres and different instruments you select. If you want a fun party jam session, this isn't for you, but if you want something that keeps good time and doesn't care or stop if you screw up, the background instruments provide this. It is great for just messing around in a key, practicing a riff, or just freestyling. For any musician that writes, this is a good feature to just provide a silly freeforall that you can jam to in order to get the juices flowing.
Plus you can play all the songs you own, including those from the original game (sync costs an extra fee tho, but not too bad). Also, you don't have to pay for a bass module; it's included.
In all, this is a good buy. It won't please a lot of people, but if you want to learn guitar or bass, this is leaps and bounds beyond the last installment. If you want a fun guitar hero style gameplay (and there's nothing at all wrong with that), I'd suggest the first version, which had a touch more personality. I'd say this one is more utilitarian and useful in general. Still, continuous mode is a blast and combined with the improved sound and gameplay, I'd say this is an overall improvement.
I like it. | video-games_xbox |
A comprehensive review. I wanted to give this game some time before just throwing something up here for people to look at. There are several aspects of this game that need to be played and explored before passing judgement on the product. There is a single player campaign, Spec Ops Mission play, Spec Ops Survival play, and of course multiplayer.
The campaign is of course the final chapter of the Modern Warfare trilogy so of course the main characters both protagonists and heroes have already been developed. Modern Warfare 2 left off with all out war between the Russians and Americans thanks to the "No Russian" chapter and subsequent invasion of the United States by the Russians thanks to Makarov. As is the case with previous MW games you bounce between characters, this game you play primarily as "Frost" from Delta Forces and "Yuri" ex-Spetsnaz and known associate of Nikolai. The cinematic sequences are once again stunning and there are some new and fun moments in gameplay as well as a thrilling return to AC-130 Gunner. There is a scene with close quarters combat on a sub, a zero gravity gun fight, rescuing our old buddy Soap, and more. For you achievement hunters out there, you will find a handful of unique campaign oriented achievements to try for as well as a few that have been recycled from previous versions, like looking for intel. I wouldn't necessarily say it's the most memorable campaign I have ever played, but I also wouldn't say it's a complete waste of time. If you enjoy the story behind these games then there is something here for you.
Spec Ops Missions. For those of you who like to link up with a buddy over Live and try your hand at some Co-op play then this is for you. As with previous versions you can attempt these missions at different difficulties or "stars." An example of something new you will see would be a mission where you both suit up in Juggernaut suits and try to make it through a level while collecting chemical samples. You can throw smoke on ememies for some air support, but your enemies can too. There are hours upon hours of gameplay to be had here, especially on higher difficulties.
Spec Ops Survival. For those who say "nothing new" this is what is being over looked. Think "horde" from Gears only there are some subtle and flawed differences. For starters, only two people can play this on co-op rather than four or five. The second, and perhaps largest flaw, if both you and your partner go down and cannot be revived you have to start all over at wave 1. As you can imagine it is very maddening when you make it to the higher waves just to be kicked back to square one when you both get stomped by juggernauts. On the plus side there are some fun things you can buy from the weapons caches to help you: a NPC delta squad that fast ropes in, predator missiles, airstrikes, sentries, etc. While this mode is not perfect as illustrated by the two flaws I noted above, there is still a lot of fun to be had here with a good buddy.
Multiplayer. This is obviously the most hotly debated aspect of Modern Warfare 3 and rightfully so. There are a ton of complaints about this versions multiplayer, let me explore a few here.
Maps. There are a lot of complaints about the maps, one that I've seen a lot of and tend to agree with is their generic nature. The developer has altered these maps intentionally I think to discourage "camping" and to a certain extent "quick scoping." To eliminate some of the quick scoping it seems they eliminated some of the long sight lines we've seen in previous maps, think Wasteland and Fuel. This gives the feeling to the maps that they are more fast paced since there are more corners and different avenues to get to the same spots. This also plays into the camping issue. While not impossible, it is more difficult to camp when there are more flanks to cover. I personally don't have a big issue with the maps being altered in this respect, though I do have a problem with spawning and then being mowed down within seconds in some instances, think Rust. The other complaint I have seen some of and completely agree with is the generic nature of the maps. None of the maps seem particulary memorable or have much character. When I play with friends for example and get killed, in MW2 I could call out where the shooter was. For example in Terminal I could say, "cockpit", "bookstore", "escalators." You see these are one word descriptions that are nearly universally known in team play format. In MW3, the lack of character in the maps turns these communications into 3 sentence phrases rather than single words. By the time you are done explaining it to your team, the shooter has either already moved or has already slaughtered more of your team.
Another prominent complaint I see is that the developer is favoring the casual gamer or "noob" in this new version. What I perceive they mean by this is the introduction of Strike Packages. Previously you were rewarded with kill streak advantages for racking up lots of consecutive kills without dying. This is still in the game under "assault package." To use assault package perks you must not die yet achieve large kill chains. The very experienced shooters are likely the only people that can actually use this and have any fun at the game. The new feature is the support package. With the support package you still have to get kills, but you don't have to start the kill count over when you die. For example 3 kills could be a UAV, 5 kills you can drop ballistic vests for your team, etc. With the exception of a Stealth bomber later on in the kill chain, none of your kill rewards actually work to directly kill the opponent, they support the overall team. This effectively gives the less experienced and those without the twitch reflexes an opportunity to be more than shotgun fodder. As you can imagine the hardcore gamers probably don't think much of that, they will miss their shotgun fodder, but for the folks learning or less gifted at shooters it provides incentives to work at their game and not give up.
I won't spend much time on this because it doesn't strike me as a big deal, but folks are complaining about the weapons. From most of what I have read there is not much constructive talk going on in this regard, mostly just "the weapons suck." I can't speak for those people because they aren't specific, but what I will say is that the weapons progression system has been altered. The developer has built into the game incentives for becoming proficient with your favorite weapons. For example, if you use the M4A1 a lot then you are going to start unlocking all the perks and toys that go with that weapon. What you will not unlock are the perks and toys for weapons you are not using and becoming proficient with.
Finally, I will end with what I believe is a very useful feature of multiplayer that is not being discussed at all in any review I have seen. There is a feature when you first enter multiplayer and before selecting Xbox Live called "Vault." In here you can go to the option of "Theater" and view your past matches in video form. You can choose to follow your own movements through a selected match or those of someone else on your team, perhaps the guy who just went 25-8. Then you can add them to your "Vault." There are eight spots where you can save your favorite eight matches. I believe they intended this as a way to brag to your friends since there is also an option to view the vault entries of your friends. However, you can also use this as a learning or training tool if you really want to improve. By following yourself you can see what you missed that killed you since you are no longer in the heat of battle. You can follow the stud on your team to see how they played a map differently than you did and how that led to their success. Best of all you can put your WORST matches in the vault, invite a friend to party and you can both view the video at the same time and have them critique you on things maybe you couldn't see yourself. This feature really should become standard practice for those who care enough to want to improve, myself included.
Overall I give the game 3 stars. If I could award half stars it would be 3 1/2. I have a blast playing this game. However, I grade it down two stars for the two big flaws in Spec Ops Survival I mentioned and the lack of character in the maps for multiplayer. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Budget Game. The first thing people do when they see this game is ask themselves why someone would choose to make a Top Gun game now. It's been 27 years since this movie came out. It's not like there's a remake being made,,,,,,,is there?
That's what this game is, though. It's a remake of Top Gun the movie in game form and I like it.
Despite being based on a blockbuster film that I happen to also like, this game is definitely a budget game. It shows in the dated graphics and terrible voice acting. Now, there is a weird film grain filter they chose to put on that you can't seem to remove. I guess they were trying to make the game look like a VHS tape or something and I kind of like that even though the game takes place in current times, but it makes the visuals look muddy. There is a cool effect when you break the sound barrier. There is a sonic boom and your guy says, "I feel the need. The need for speed," which I also like, but it IS cheesy and repetitive. The planes do look really good, though.
I find this game to be good ol' fashioned fun. The game doesn't take itself too seriously, and I like that. If you watch the Top Gun movie you do realize that it is rather cheesy and this game captures some of that cheese. That said, they don't use enough of the source material. I fully expected the title screen to be playing "Danger Zone," but I guess they couldn't afford to license it from Kenny Loggins. They play the "Top Gun Theme" a few times and that makes me happy, but it doesn't play often enough for me. I heard Maverick talk in the tutorial level and the guy they got sounded enough like Tom Cruise to make me happy.
Ok, Gameplay. This game seems to only have 2 maps. I haven't beaten it yet, so I don't know if more unlock, but I've gotten far into the story and I've only ever played on one map. They reuse the same rocky coast for 99% of the missions. That may be an exaggeration , but it certainly fells like it to me. The missions are fun, though, and they throw enough targets after you to keep it entertaining. The best part are the little quicktime events that you do when you get a "Hard Lock" on someone or they get one on you. It's a fun, in my opinion, series of maneuvers you must do in order to get a missile lock on some of the tougher enemies or break his lock on you. You have to quickly hit the two sticks in directions and they can get complex. I like that. It makes the dogfights more tense. The developers felt that the whole Hark Lock" system would sustain the whole game. I'm not so sure, though. I really enjoyed the game for a few days, but I started to get board with the monotonous missions and gameplay. I still really liked what I played. Unlocking planes and skins is fun. The "Hard Lock" stuff is also fun. It's just not enough to make the game more compelling.
I can't say I was surprised. I knew it was a budget title and I played the demo. I enjoyed the demo enough that I bought the game. I think that 505 Games did as good a job as they could with the Top Gun license. They obviously didn't have the time or money to make it too ambitious, but I like what's there even though I stopped playing it. I know that I can always play it again to have some fun.
The End. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome concept, flawed execution. I'll prefix by saying I've been playing guitars for over 25 years. I play for fun, and even after all this time I'm not that great. Mostly because I never practice. I can, however, pick up songs and play them by ear. I also write and record my own music. With that in mind, I'm definitely not a beginner, nor am I a virtuoso of the instrument.
Ok, so I was excited to check this out. GuitarHero/Rockband/clones were amusing, but if you know how to play guitar it seemed really weird. I figured this would be a great way to learn some new songs, and thought perhaps my wife might like playing guitar with guidance. Popped this in the Xbox 360, and the first thing I noticed was that their idea for a loading icon is a static microphone (or was it a guitar amplifier cabinet? I don't remember.) I wasn't sure if it was actually loading for quite a while. Get used to seeing that icon, because it loads frequently.
After loading is complete it goes through a bit of calibration where you strum the guitar and it sets the levels for it. Then it takes you through an electronic tuner which ensures your guitar is in tune. All pretty straight-forward stuff. One annoying thing that is repeated everywhere in the game is how they labeled "Next" as "Skip". I sat there for a while after a voice over played, wondering if there was more. Nope. You have to click the A button to move on to the next part. I'm sure you can see how this is confusing. You're left wondering if you're skipping something instead of the game verifying that the section has completed.
Next up is the ability to dive in and play a song. They tried to do a Guitar Hero/Rockband type of presentation, where notes appear moving towards you from a distant plane in 3d space. Each string is color coded, and the camera will slide to the left or right if the notes are higher or lower on the fretboard. The problem here is that unlike the other games which have a fake guitar that only has 4 buttons on it, you're playing a real guitar with 21+ frets. The way the notes fly out from infinity towards their targeted position on the fretboard can be confusing, especially when the camera starts sliding down to the higher fretboard positions. I felt like I was always struggling to figure out finger placement because of the way the notes were being displayed. Even slow and simple songs left me feeling like it was more of a hassle than it was worth.
The other hindrance is latency. When you pluck the string there is a very noticeable delay between the pluck and when the note is played by the game. This makes it incredibly difficult to play notes which appear rapidly on the screen, as what you're hearing doesn't synchronize with what you're playing. There's a tip that scrolls across the screen which suggests that if there's problems with latency, try bypassing internal circuitry on your amp (mine is always direct when playing the Xbox 360) or plug in headphones. So much for being a fun thing to watch if you're a bystander. I didn't try headphones as I spend enough time when recording real music with headphones on, and since this game is more than likely going to be played on the family's TV the last thing you want to do is stand there plucking away at an electric guitar while others can't hear what you're playing against. So I was stuck with latency.
Next is the voice-over. There's no way to get the guy to stop talking during a voice-over cut-scene. You will sit through what he has to say from beginning to end, unless you either exit the game or turn off your console.
One thing good I'll say about it is it seems to learn how well you're doing, and adjust the experience. If you're starting to do well, it will begin throwing in more notes for you to play. I guess this is good and bad, because if you just start getting the hang of what's happening, the game starts throwing you curve-balls pretty quickly.
Just as a test I had my wife, who doesn't know how to play guitar at all, give it a shot. After all, the back of the case says "Anyone can play guitar". So she gave it a shot. She was irritated she couldn't skip past the voice-over. She picked a song to play, and started it. All she was able to barely do was hit two of the notes. As soon as the camera slid up the fretboard to play different notes on different strings, she was utterly and completely lost. Needless to say, she didn't want to try it again, and was extremely frustrated by it.
This game could have been fun. Marrying a real instrument with a video game console is a great idea. The things they need to do, in my opinion, to fix this:
- Don't do this in a Rock Band/Guitar Hero style. That type of interaction simply does NOT work for this kind of experience in my opinion.
- Add tutorial modes, where people can practice the types of notes they will be playing in a song. Let the player control the speed during these practice sessions.
- Fix the latency, as no matter how fancy the graphics or brilliant the user interface is (assuming they come out with a v2 that has a brilliant interface - because this one does not) the game will remain unplayable.
- Don't use "Skip" for controlling the UI when what's really meant is "Next"
- Allow people to blow past voice-overs.
- Don't make customers have to use a controller. The guitar they just calibrated and tuned should be used to control the game. The only exception would be to cancel a song in progress (and maybe a few other places where the game is expecting notes to be played back.) | video-games_xbox |
Fail. My wife surprised me with an Xbox One in November and, despite my elation, I have to admit that I was disappointed to find that it was not bundled with the Kinect. This is partially my fault because I'm sure she's heard me rant about how the Kinect and other motion controllers are ruining gaming (I don't think that anymore since most of these systems are collecting dust and game developers have abandoned the gimmickry, reverting back to developing for conventional controllers.) But from the reviews that I had been reading, most everyone was saying that the Xbox One essentially required the Kinect in order to allow smooth navigation of the menus. Also, the vast majority of reviewers reported that the Xbox One Kinect was a vast improvement over the 360 Kinect. In my mind, the Xbox One was really only half a console without the Kinect. And this belief was confirmed in the weeks following the unboxing of the Xbox One. The menus were clunky and navigation with the controller was tedious. This served to reinforce my conviction that the Kinect was a critical piece of hardware for the system. I took the plunge 2 weeks ago and, due to lack of availability on Amazon, ordered the Kinect through a chain electronics retailer that I will refer to as Worst Buy.
I counted the days to delivery, eagerly anticipating the magical unlocking of the Xbox One's true potential. The glorious day arrived. I carefully read instructions and did a thorough job of mounting and adjusting the Kinect. "Xbox On" I declared in a crisp, clear tone and was elated to see the system come to life. This was amazing! That was my first and last good experience with the Kinect.
I quickly found that in order to get the Kinect to respond to voice commands, you had to all but shout at the device and your diction and annunciation had to be spot-on. As a dedicated father and husband, my Xbox time is pushed into the evenings after the wife and kids are in bed. At this point, shouting at the Xbox is neither practical or pleasant. I ran through the calibration routines to no avail. Even in daylight hours, the volume of my voice that is required to get a response from the Kinect is unpleasantly loud.
Not a big deal, I can still use my hands to seamlessly navigate through the menus. Wrong. Unless the lighting is perfect and you are sitting up ramrod straight or standing, the Kinect has a great deal of trouble accurately tracking the movement of your hands. The onscreen cursor is excessively jittery and always jumps off of the item you are attempting to select as you push to "click" on it. About 50% of the time, the Kinect doesn't even see my hand. About 90% of the time, the Kinect cannot detect that my hand is closed to drag/scroll through the menus. I have good lighting and I have HUGE hands.
Tonight as I gave up trying to command the Xbox to turn off without shouting and used my tried and true controller to power down, I was struck with a piercing pang of buyer's remorse. And even worse, the sobering realization that the Xbox One, despite its glowing specs and stats, is not much more than a 360 on steroids. It has certainly failed to deliver the next-gen wow-factor. | video-games_xbox |
Who Knew Repetion Could Be This Fun. First impressions of this game were actually given to me by the public eye. Most, if not all, of the people I had spoken to about the game said that it was tedious, boring, and not worth playing it. Then the mysterious happened. Suddenly everyone was playing it, including me, and couldn't keep their fingers off the controllers. Once you have enough skills to be formidable the game becomes a ridiculously fun repetition of itself that is, to say the least, addicting!
Though you would think the game would be about ancient civilizations, old world order, and assassins it is actually about only the later. Specifically a modern day drop out assassin who has been kidnapped by a company called Abstergo. You are forced to enter the Animus, a machine that taps into genetic memory, and you must relive your ancestor's (Altair's) history. This is by far the most creative part of the whole game. Otherwise, it's rather drab. Another benefit, however, is that you get not one, but two story lines that connect loosely to one another and unfold sparingly.
Back to the drab part of the review. Assassinating a target is a very small part of the entire game, otherwise you're simply moseying about collecting data, avoiding (or slaying) templars, and trying very hard not to kill random citizens that get in your way (so hard not to do). Still, this makes sense. Assassins gather a lot of information and knowledge before they go about the actual dirty work, so I was never too bothered by it. However, gathering the information is simple and boring. The hardest thing to do is assassinate some pesky targets for another assassin because of a sprained leg or back (imagine my eyes rolling) later in the game where even bumping into a wall will send every guard within twelve miles flocking. Otherwise you pickpocket, eavesdrop, beat information out of people, or do those helpful requests from other assassins. Almost all of my time was occupied either doing these missions, saving citizens, climbing viewpoints, killing templars or collecting absolutely useless flags. The flags are only for those who are obsessed with gamer points or as easy save locations. Otherwise, just let them hang out there and glitter. Ohh...and why must you die when you fall in water? For all of his prowess, I suppose Altair can't swim.
Regardless of a lot of the repetition, annoying long, unskippable cut scenes, and a vast amount of redundant tasks the game is still, shockingly, fun! Running around everywhere, climbing ridiculously high structures, escaping and killing guards, all brings us gamers back and looking for more. The proof is in more recent games, such as inFamous, where the same concepts of open world environments and interactive surfaces become realized even more. The storyline is also rather interesting and it is a step away from the norm. For this we commend the game and it is no wonder we welcomed the newer editions to the franchise and were pleasantly surprised that the producers listened to the complaints of the first. | video-games_xbox |
Best Game of 2013. (Full Review as promised) I'm going to put it like this, this game is absolutely gorgeous.(In my opinion probably the best looking game in the past 2 years thanks to the Unreal Engine). The beginning of the game is absolutely amazing, IT GAVE you the feel of what Columbia was; Comstock's little dictatorship. Comstock is an excellent antagonists, maybe even better then Atlas (Those who didn't play Bioshock he was the main antagonist). Elizabeth, is detailed so flawlessly. The game mechanics are still wonderfully done. The Skyrail systems are probably the coolest thing ever incorporated into a video game in my honest opinion. What more can I say, I could give you every little detailed I love about this game. Which I WILL give you some pros and cons. But a short summary, the game is based around the prophet, (Comstock), and the lamb. The Hall of Heroes despite being extremely short part of the story is actually extremely cool.(This part will actually come up at the ending pay attention) It gives you a brief history of Booker and who he was before coming to Columbia, and there are also cool little dialogs when you do find Elizabeth where you begin to tell her about why you are there, who you are, and what your job is. (basically a Merc). The game IS racist, but it does a good job at explaining what a utopia really is. It's solely a rich white city, and an extremely spiritual place, as you will see within the first minute of entering Columbia. (PAY ATTENTION WHEN YOU ENTER THE LIGHTHOUSE AND GO INTO COLUMBIA IT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE COOLEST INTRODUCTIONS I'VE CAME ACROSS IN A VIDEO GAME, EXTREMELY STRONG). I know, I'm rambling on, but I can't really put my thoughts of this game onto a review because its just way to awesome to actually give a proper summary. And I do apologize for that. BUT you will see what I mean when you play. As I finished the game I got teary eyed... This was the first game I have actually felt anything for the characters as strongly as I did for Booker and Elizabeth. I mean I could tell you the summary of the every chapter, but that would ruin your experience. Just expect yourself to get teary eyed and let it out. It makes the game that much more powerful. BY FAR THE BEST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED.
Now I will present the pros and cons of this game.
Pros :
1. Amazing landscapes, details are extremely well done.
2. The fair games are actually pretty cool incorporation into a video game.
3. Game mechanics are still flawless.
4. Handles well for a FPS.
5. Gives you the feel of actually being in Columbia.
6. Elizabeth isn't a worthless AI, like most games have.
7. Booker is awesome.
8. The Vigors are sweet, I personally like them better then the original Bioshock.
9. Skyrails = epicness.
10. Fights are still somewhat difficult on the normal setting.
11. Storyline draws you in because it is well-written
12. It's Bioshock again, not the mess they made with Bioshock 2.
13. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HOLD DOWN THE LEFT STICK TO RUN! IT'S AUTOMATIC ONCE YOU PRESS IT ONCE! YAY!
14. Songbird
15. Comstock
16 Best Game I've ever came across.
Cons :
1. Enemies aren't very creative (besides the big mobs), all of the grunts look alike. I would have liked to see more then 3-4 facial structures.
2. Despite it feeling like Bioshock they took out the hacking aspect (which I miss dearly), I'm guessing possession took it's place. (since you can possess turrets).
3. Bugs, bugs, bugs. (In the Hall of Heroes got stuck on a statue, had to keep jumping and pushing forward to get unstuck).
4. I miss the darkness from Bioshock, and the jumpy parts when Slicers would appear out of nowhere behind you (plus the Big Daddy's and Creepy Little Sisters).
5. Guns could have been created with more flare,I mean they are in a flying city, THEY HAVE a lot of money since the city is based on quantum mechanics, so I would have liked to see a little more detail in guns.
6. When you find Elizabeth and when she throws you money she finds it gets a little annoying after awhile... hearing the same thing over and over again.
7. ADD more MOBS this is FPS I wanna kill tons and tons of people at once (especially when I have Bucking Bronco activated).
8. NOO BOOBS? lol (jk). THIS IS TO SEE IF YOU'RE STILL READING.
10. Cutscenes would work wonderfully for a game of this nature, in my opinion it would bring more attention to the storyline.
11. Didn't want it to end....
Overall, I am very pleased with this game. It's one of the best FPS I've played in a long time. It's creative, unique, and absolutely gorgeous. Anybody who is a fan of FPS will love this game, anyone who is Bioshock fan WILL NOT be disappointed. It is GOTY quality. If Bioshock was still an XBOX exclusive it would be the best game on the 360 to this date(In my opinion). I'm lost for words with this game, from beginning to end. Get yourself a box of tissues and let it out.
ALSO BE SURE TO WATCH THE CREDIT; DO NOT PRESS ANYTHING. | video-games_xbox |
Dont worry, the cart of straw will break your 300 foot fall. First off, I avoided the hype (and the $59 price tag) when this came out and got it used cheap. I think this always skews my review a bit, but there are few games in this world worth $60 in my opinion. However, Assassin's Creed is like no games in the world, and was very much worth my $29. :-)
Graphically, its outstanding. Rendered textures and lighting are some of the best and most realistic I've seen on a 360 game. It got buggy in a few spots, but on a good LCD TV with HDMI inputs, you'll be impressed. The sound, from the music to the AI "chatter" is brilliant, and adds a real cinematic feel to the experience. I'm gonna sound like a fan-boy here, but having Kristen Bell's voice as a character sweetens the deal. Gameplay is solid, and easy to pick up, and its a helluva lot of fun to climb the highest church tower in Acre and leap off.
Cons are few. The gameplay gets repetitive if you play ALL the sub-missions, and I absolutely hate unrealistic, craptastic gopher missions like the "get all the flags within 3 minutes" ones. Also, a lot of the fights do get a little lengthy, and your button mashing hand will get its workout until you figure out what combos to hit and get your timing down pat, at which point you will take on 20 enemies with a Shaolin-like flow.
I loved the storyline, and no other game I've ever seen crosses the historical lines like this one. I think its one of the most imaginative and creative stories in a game, ever.
It gets 4 stars from me because now that I'm done, I'm probably never going to play it again. It was a great experience, there just no payoff to going back to it. Like a great summer blockbuster movie, once you have gotten the thrills and chills, it never has the same effect, and I would guess this game would be the same way.
Dont let that stop you though - especially now that the price has dropped AGAIN, you've got no excuse but to add this to you collection. It WILL occupy many, many nights of your life. | video-games_xbox |
Crackdown 2 Meets Road Warrior. Well as my title says, it's more than remencent of the 1981 movie Road Warrior. Once you've watched that movie, you'll see where the designers got most if not all of their ideas from.
I did not like the first game Crackdown when i first tried to play it, i don't know but i think it was because it was so flooded with enemies. I came back and played it a few weeks ago after never playing it for 2 years! I liked it so much that after the first few hours of playing it, i got hooked and played it to the end of the story... It got better and i think the main reason i stuck with it, was because of the immersive environment, and the relentless enemies, they make you want to beat and shoot the crap out of them, and kill all of the Leaders hiding in their heavily guarded buildings. I really gained interest in the game after the first few leader take downs, it got fun knowing that the gangs where out on the streets and that there was someone behind the scenes controlling them and empowering them to be out on the streets causing chaos, and after i saw i could diminish their effects on the city, that was it for me, i was playing the game for 5 hour sittings straight and thinking about playing it after i had been away from the game for a while. That's the sign of a good game, when you think about the game at work or out running an errand, or washing clothes or the dishes... LOL
Crackdown 2 is pretty much along that same formula, damage the center of the problem to reduce it to a more controllable situation, while getting stronger and stronger. It's an interesting concept, the main enemies in this game are right from the last game, mutant creations loose in the city, and they only come out at night, and daylight destroys them. They seem a lot like vampires, with their super strength and varying types. Some are able to jump 20 feet like your character, and have super strength, and others are like zombies or ghouls, that prey on the weak population that gets caught out in the streets when the sun goes down. No match for your character though even at the lowest levels. They do overpower you by sheer numbers, but you die only if you just stand there and do nothing. You have a broad range of weapons to fight them with too, like light based weapons, [vampire stuff again] and every type of explosive you can think of. You can even rip weapons off of vehicles this time, which is really cool and adds to the anything can be used environment.
The sounds effects for the mutants are really cool, with them screaming and growling. The animations for both the player and the characters is really good, and much improved over the first game, with the agent using more detailed animation in all of his actions swimming, running, grappling ledges etc...
The weapons sound effects are a little weak in the gun department, and sometimes sound underpowered, even though most weapons destroy the various enemies and vehicles with little effort. The weapons are improved though with their other effects such as shell casings and bullet impacts on various objects. I liked the way the bullets zip from behind you and leave the appropriate marks in things like metal holes and glass holes, the glass even makes the approriate shattering and cracking effects, also i got trapped in a car once and smashed out the windshield and climbed out of the car that way, as i was pinned on both sides by landing in a rock bed. The Agent is stronger much faster now, which is good because if you played the first game, you will like that fact especially when you can't import your old agent from that game. I was throwing cars and trucks much sooner in this game. There are lots of weapons in the game and you can get any machine gun you could imagine, i did notice a lack of handguns this time, which i did not like, i liked the handguns in the first game and used them to good effect for running head shots in close quarters! I found it almost a needed thing in some of the tight building infiltrations of the first game. I guess they didn't need them since this seems like an all out war to take back whats left of Pacific City this time around...
The Music is really good in the game with a lot of remixes of songs you've probably heard before, such as the freaks come out at night by whodini which is appropriate because the main enemy is called the freaks. I like the boom boxes on the roof tops playing various call to arms addresses and music. The vehicle sound effects are good and give nice sound for the different performance looks of each vehicle. The other enemy the Cell have all of their vehicles armoured up and fitted with weapons and rams on them. They also come out and fight the player, but the cops are a little more aggressive this time, and notice them racing into fights all the time, and you find yourself fighting right along side them many times, even at night when they are hopelessly out numbered they still stop and jump out in two man teams fighting the freaks and the cell. The Cell also fight the freaks so it's kind of weird to be fighting off freaks then having to turn your weapons on the remaining Cell that just helped to fight the freaks, brings to mind the enemy of my enemy is my friend thought... So i found my self actually jumping up and out of the area after we had jointly dispatched a freak rampage, taking shots from the Cell shooting at me fleeing the scene, but being super powered and literally damage proof, i just ignored the bullets and left the area... Speaking of which even missles and grenades raining down on your agent this time just scratch you in a robocop indestructable way... You can almost be riddled with hundreds of rounds of bullets yet still manage to crawl away to recharge and heal.
The NPC's and the Cell have good voice work too, and you'll be laughing at the NPC's cursing about what's happening near them, they react in various levels of distress, even the Narrator swears which is funny also. The Cell have really funny responses to the situation and the threat level, with the Armoured Guys in junk suit armour yelling muffled things from inside the suit like "i felt that it hurts!" and other Muffled cries, really funny. The Cell on the ground and on buildings are funny too with their responses they have really funny crazy voices that fit the situation they remind me of the postal enemies with their cries and taunts.
So overall a good buy for the lower price, and if you liked the first one this one is familiar with a different twist. Think of the first game as methodical, and this one as all out war. The innocent are still cared about though so you still have to watch out for them in all the turmoil. | video-games_xbox |
Fun to play, but not a top tier game. This game is actually pretty good. Yes, it's a shooter - so it is a lot like Call of Duty or any other shooter. I watch Hockey even though the players look the same. Yes, it's a Scifi game - so it's a lot like Star Ship Troopers, or Dead Space, Rage, Halo, or any other Scifi game out there (yes, I know the first one I listed is a movie). I love Scifi, even though all of the themes have been done over and over again. When your wife wants to jump your bones, do you go "Well, that's not very original, billions of people have done that before..." Originality matters, but true originality is only found in an insane asylum. None of us are as unique as we think we are, that's just what they tell you in kindergarten.
What matters is this: is the game fun to play. Yes, it is.
The graphics are not the best, nor the worst. The multiplayer graphics seem a bit worse than the single player graphics. They certainly don't suck though. The campaign is a fun game. You run around, you blow up giant bugs, you throw grenades, and you use your shotgun a lot. You level up your gear, you get new paint jobs for your guns. Yes, you will get tired of it eventually, but this game is still fun. Mass Effect remains my favorite game, but I have stopped replaying it as well.
Multiplayer has Team Deathmatch and a Versus mode that is much like Left 4 Dead 2. It has a few other modes as well. It is not super easy to find good matches, but I never had to wait more than a couple minutes. Lag is a serious issue - I only saw one or two people with above average connections to the game. It does not seem to impact gameplay too adversely, just annoying during loading and stuff. This is a substantive complaint and a significant drawback. I am not sure how long people will play this game. I remember when Black Ops 2 came out Medal of Honor dried up nearly completely. Too bad though, it's actually very fun. I wish more people would give it a shot. So to speak.
Overall this game is a good one, though not an excellent one. I felt it was worth my $60, but you may not. I'd feel happier if it cost me $50. I suspect I will play this a total of 20 - 30 hours. If enough people play multiplayer I could see myself playing it more. They are offering a season pass DLC but that seems like wishful thinking. I guess we will see. I like Battlefield 3 and Black Ops 2 multiplayer more, but it's nice to do something different for a while. Who doesn't want to play as a giant alien bug that climbs on walls and ambushes futuristic marines? The current shooters out there do not offer this. Yes, it's juvenile, but it's fun.
Give this game a shot if you have the cash or really like Scifi. If you are strapped for cash, you might save it for Crysis 3 or Dead Space 3 - or Gears of War Judgment next month. If you don't have Halo 4, Black Ops 2, or Battlefield 3, then start there. | video-games_xbox |
If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the overpriced official controller, get this. + Better quality than the $50 official controller
- Isn't wireless
+ Don't have to worry about the battery dying
- Isn't wireless
+ Matte finish where you hold the controller
+ Sticks are comparable to the 360 controller
+ Good value (spent $20). Much better quality than the usual 3rd party controller.
+ Good looking controller
+ Very nice box you can use to store it in
+ Good manual that explains how to program the button wheel things
+ D-pad is great
+/- Triggers are nice, but a bit short on the "pull"
+/- Face buttons are nice, but the shape buttons are too tall. This is the one area where they should have copied the DS3 instead of the 360. The 360 ones are fine because the buttons don't have as much resistance as they do here.
+/- Bumpers are ok, but need to extend out more like on the 360 controller.
+/- Controller is comfortable to hold and the matte finish keeps your hands cool, but it could stand to be a bit larger in general.
- Can't turn on the PS3 with it.
- Programmable buttons are useless even within the context of BF4.
- Can't disable programmable buttons
- The programmable buttons are too easy to accidentally press and mess up your gameplay as they are put in a location that is meant to be inherently easy to reach. Best thing you can do is to map all of the buttons to a single function that would do the potentially least amount of damage. Something like up on the d-pad or stick or start, which would usually just pause the game.
I've seen the complaints that the sticks have huge dead-zones. No more than usual. I was able to play a good round of "Race the Sun", which is a very stick-accuracy intensive game. When I finally died I didn't feel like the sticks were at fault.
I've seen the complaint that the triggers should be programmable. I would blame DICE for this as it would be much easier to allow button remapping or at least an alternate control scheme in BF4 than it would be to allow it on a piece hardware like this controller. Every other game that allows the proper use of the triggers should benefit from the triggers. | video-games_xbox |
It lives up to it's name. So, what do you get when you cross an army of clones, a telepathic madman with a habit of eating people, and a twisted little girl?
One twisted first person shooter that can at points scare the living hell out of you, that's what.
F.E.A.R. or first encounter assault recon is a first person shooter for the Xbox 360 that I recently finished playing.
It was a damn good game, with the right mixture of creepy music, bad lighting, and genuine scares that made the sphincter of a grown man loosen while playing it in a near pitch black basement while his wife and kid were out.
You play the part of a recon soldier, who just happens to have only recently joined F.E.A.R.
You're first assignment is to hunt down and kill a man named Paxton Fettel, who just happens to be telepathically linked to an army of clones, who are under his complete and utter control.
Without him to guide them, they would be nothing more than inanimate bags of meat, blood and bone.
Somehow, there is this very creepy young girl that appears throughout the game, and she and this Fettle character are linked, but you don't know how, or for that matter why.
Throughout the game you will encounter these strange flashback sequences, in which you will invariably see corridors filled with flame and blood, the creepy girl coming towards you, and you can hear the voices of other people talking, especially this hunted man, Fettel.
The game play harkens back to the older games such as Doom and Half-life, where you had to pick up weapons and ammunition to use, as well as health and armour packs to restore what you lost due to encounters with Fettel's minions.
After playing so many first person shooters for the Xbox 360, in which you just had to hide from enemy gunfire to regenerate your health, this, I found, made me all that much more careful.
The graphics were very well done for a game that is now three years old, and the enemy AI was more than adequate. The enemy soldiers would do their best to flank you, get you into cross fires if possible, and would run from you if you happened to get the drop on them.
Combat was also very bloody and at times quite gore filled. If you happened to use the combat shotgun, for example, at close range, you would quite literally blow the enemy soldiers in half, or blow off their limbs.
Not for the squeamish!
Also, further on in the game you could find an energy weapon that, if you took the time to make a head shot, or if the target wasn't heavily armoured, would instantly kill the enemy target, blowing off their flesh and reducing them to nothing more than a blackened skeleton.
The best part of the combat? You got to pull off a Neo, right out of the Matrix. You could essentially slow down time, allowing you to carefully aim at your target (remember, head shots people!) and if you were skilled enough, you could quite easily wipe out an entire squad of the enemy soldiers without even getting shot at!
The bullet time was one of my favourite aspects of the game, and I used it constantly. Sure, it took time to recharge, but if you were in a particularly large battle, and there were plenty of places to hide, you could allow it to recharge sufficiently to give you that extra edge to make short work of Fettel's boys.
There wasn't a huge variety of enemies, mainly the clones, some stealthy versions who liked to get up close and personal (those scared the crap out of me the first time I encountered them). There were also larger, more heavily armed soldiers who took tactics to take out (or several grenades, if you had them handy).
Finally, there were three different types of robotic units you had to fight. Floater drones, which were quite easy to dispatch if you had the shotgun. Then you had the turrets that were just plain hard to take out, and finally these missile launching monstrosities that looked like they came right out of Robocop.
You could only carry up to three weapons at any time, so it was always a good idea to keep a variety with you. The assault rifle went through tons of ammo (you'd be shocked at how fast you could rip through three hundred rounds!) was my favourite to use through most of the game, but I also loved the energy gun (which had a nice sniper scope feature, so it really helped with the one shot, one kill while in bullet time).
There was also the ever present pistols (you could use two at a time, plenty of ammo), machine pistols (the most common weapon I found), sub machine guns, the aforementioned assault rifle, shotgun and energy weapon.
Also, for really making short work of some of the tougher enemy targets, you could get a missile launcher and this assault cannon that dealt exceptionally heavy damage.
To round things out, you also had three types of grenades. The standard throw and forget, proximity, and remotely detonated. I have to admit that it was quite fun dropping the proximity grenades and waiting patiently for the enemy to blunder into them.
And, finally in regards to combat, always check your environment. There were barrels that could be shot to ruin the enemies day (just be careful you don't hide behind one yourself!), fire extinguishers, and power junction boxes.
The level design was also very straight forward, with little interaction with the environment. With the exception of opening doors, occasionally you might have to blast through a grate, or turn on power controls, or hit switches in order to get past certain areas.
But, the most fun was when you were allowed to use the automated turrets to get the drop on the enemy. Eventually they'd end up destroying the turrets, but you could mow down tons of soldiers if you were careful and fast.
Now, as I stated earlier, the music, combined with the lighting, made it for a very intense experience. The fact that you are almost always alone in the game, with the rare exception that you get to interact with a handful of people, just heightens the fact that you are very much alone against hundreds of heavily armed troops, and one extremely creepy little girl.
Two final things. First, the game is longer than most of the Xbox 360 games I've played since I got my system for Christmas of 07. It took me about eight hours to beat the game, and that was on the standard level of difficulty.
That I like. I hate these games that take about six hours or less to complete. I don't feel that I get my money's worth.
And, the final cut scene was very well done, leaving it wide open to the sequels that have been produced for it.
Although I have to say that the end was better done in Call of Duty 4. I won't give away any more detail than that though.
It's one of many first person shooters that are available for play out there, but what really sets it apart is the supernatural mixture (with the creepy girl that seems to have come right out of the Ring), and the bullet time!
Not perfect, but damn fun none the less.
4 out of 5 | video-games_xbox |
Kinect is imperfect, but at the end of the day its all about the exclusives. Alright, if you're thinking about buying an Xbox, you probably already know what you are getting into. As for whether or not to get Kinect, well that's more of an individual choice. It's pretty great to be able to cook dinner and pause netflix or hulu with your voice. And getting autologged in just by standing in front of xbox? Brilliant!
However, the Kinect functionality can be a little spotty. Motion control doesn't work well enough often enough, and the result is I just got tired of getting frustrated by it and reach for the controller instead. Voice control is great, but doesn't always work well if you have the tv playing at any sort of volume, and if there's people talking you have to shush them all first. For some reason it loves to stop working entirely, which typically requires a hard reset of the system and doing a little voodoo dance to get it to come back on. The steps on the website show you how to fix it, but still, it be better if it didn't happen at all. My first one stopped working completely, but Microsoft overnighted one to me for free and replaced it, so that was pretty awesome. Points for customer service Microsoft! (as a die hard Apple guy, I never thought I'd say that phrase!)
As for the console itself, I imagine the number one question is "Should I get this or a PS4? My answer: get the one with the exclusives you want to play. Yes, a good number of games play 900p on Xbone and 1080p on PS4. But you know what? 900p looks great anyway. Unless you have at least a 50 inch tv and sit no more that 7 feet away from it, you almost certainly won't notice the difference. I can barely tell the difference between Dragon Age at 900p and Destiny at 1080p, and they both look spectacular. The much bigger issue is the games. If you want to play Forza, Halo, Titanfall, Sunset Overdrive, and Tomb Raider, this is the box for you. PS4 has a remake of The Last of Us and Infamous. It's really about what you want to play. | video-games_xbox |
Nothing new and quite a few glitches. First of all, I am a huge fan of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. I played both through several times. That said, I was disappointed with Arkham Origins. I found the whole game to be basically a superficial revamp of Arkham City. Yes, there are a few new villians but very little else about the game changed. The premise is that Black Mask has put out a contract on the Batman and whoever brings him down gets the payoff so all the top assassins are in town and gunning for the Bat. This takes place prior to Arkham Asylum so not even the cops are on Batman's side. This time instead of looking for the Riddler's question marks, you're looking for Enigma's data boxes. Instead of taking out the video cameras around Gotham, you're taking down Enigma's networks in each sector of the city. I played through the first time on Normal difficulty and found it to be much easier than Arkham City. I'm sure the developers are working on these glitches so some may be resolved but during the first play through, I got about 30% through the game, it froze and I got a corrupted save which forced me to start back over from the very beginning. The corrupted save only happened to me once although I've read on some websites that some people have gotten it numerous times. I have experienced 5 or 6 separate instances where the game completely freezes. The only way to get past it is to turn off the Xbox and restart. To say that I was frustrated would be putting it mildly.
The graphics are almost identical to Arkham City. All Batman's equipment is pretty much the same except that he gets some electro-shock gloves off the Executioner after their fight. The gloves charge up during fights and add a "Shocking" element to the scenes when our caped crusader is taking on a gang of thugs. Batman's abilities and gadgets are earned as you progress through the game in the same manner that both previous games have done.
I was looking forward to this game for months and actually had it pre-ordered but it sadly has not lived up to expectations. If you're a Batman fan, you'll no doubt want to give it a try but Arkham City is still the ultimate Batman game. If you can wait a few weeks, I'm sure you'll be able to get a better deal. I see this one dropping in price pretty quickly if others had the same experience I did.
I have only played in the story mode thus far so can't comment on any online features. | video-games_xbox |
Good Fun Round 2. As someone who loved the original Saints Row, I was glad they made a part 2. I am glad the player gets to talk this time around, though the British accent for a white male is really weird in a game like this. The concept is basically the same as the first game except now you are more of a leader than a follower. I like how they tied together the first and second games with all the characters as I was worried they were going to make this game its own entity with the "same character". I love Johnny Gat and he looks even cooler this time around. The graphics are a disappointment - I know its a cartoonish game, but the first one looked a whole lot better in my opinion. There seems to be this haze that makes it even worse when looking at things, no matter the time of day. I think fighting and the weapons are much cooler in their effects and how they are represented.
That being said, the originality between this game and the previous really isn't there. It's basically the same story and goals - earning respect, doing missions against rival gangs, conquering rival strongholds, etc. There is more variety with the respect challenges which I like and its not as easy to succeed in the early level of the respect challenges either. This game is fun, but still seems to be lacking something. I wish I got to choose how to attack the rival gangs for once in a sandbox game. It would also be nice to have the AI of my gang be smarter and have more of an effect with their guns. I watched Johnny fire 8 shotgun blasts into someone and it didn't kill the guy. Forget it when he uses a regular pistol. It's like the computer controlled gang members really have no effect.
I like the game, but I honestly felt more of a connection and interest in the original rival gangs than this one. These gangs seem very far fetched and weird to see on the streets just walking around like everything is normal. I like that my character is the leader and not just a silent runner for the big guys. I like that the respect bar adds up faster this time around through various methods besides respect activites. It's better than GTA in fun and replay ability but still not a perfect "gang" sandbox simulation. | video-games_xbox |
Jasper Elite is the Best Xbox 360 Chipset. I was in the market for a larger Xbox hard drive when I heard about this special edition Elite. Being an avid Resident Evil fan, and a fan of the color red, I wanted it immediately. Then I heard it was going to have a better (dubbed Jasper) chipset, and that only added to the desire to own this rig.
I bought it, and I do not regret my purchase. It IS more heat efficient with than the other modles (after testing it myself), and it runs very quietly. I've owned two other Xboxs in the past, including the white one I replaced with the Red Elite. I've never had them RROD, however I did notice they tend to run extremely hot.
When my Red Elite Xbox was delivered I was playing my old white one, so I plugged in the new one immediately using the cords that were already connected to the outlet, and television. On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the quietest, and 10 being the loudest I'd have to say the Jasper Elite rates about a 3 or 4 in comparison to the older chipset which would rate about a 8 or 9.
I am very happy with this product, and I recommend it to anyone wishing to buy a Xbox. They're almost out of stock everywhere, so if you have the cash to spare do it now before the prices get jacked up by auctions.
Not only do you get a superior model with this purchase, but it's very handsome with its crimson and black chassis. Also it comes with one of the hottest games released recently, and a 120gig hard drive which is A MUST if you're an avid gamer. Don't forget the hdmi cables, and the headset. I don't have a HDTV (sadly) but when I get one, it will be handy not to have to drop extra cash on hdmi cables.
With the 120gig hard drive you have more than enough room to fit all your downloaded content, and have the space to copy your games to your hard drive - which helps the Xbox run smoother, and cooler. My old 20gig hard drive was getting full, and I sadly couldn't download all the Rock Band songs that I wanted fearing I would run out of space.
My favorite thing about owning a Xbox is Xbox Live. No other gaming system has replicated the fun, and social networking Microsoft has established for its console. The ability to have downloadable extra content at your fingertips is amazing. Plus the online game play for some games never gets old. I am a Halo 3 junky myself (PMS CLAN FTW), but I also like the Arcade where I can download some of the most unique home brew games out there.
I do admit, I wish there could be older titles re-released on the Xbox, like with the Wii, but I understand licensing issues are troublesome, and don't always work out. That is one thing Nintendo has that is superior to Xbox Live
Overall, 5 stars. | video-games_xbox |
seriously. I don't usually wrote reviews, but after reading so many I had to throw on my ideas. I can't believe how many negative reviews I'm finding towards the game, seriously? So anyways after being a long time assassins fans, here are my thoughts.
Graphics: 10/10 simply stunning, the new world is detailed and unique, and never repeats. The weather system is new and adds an amazing feel to the world. There is almost too much to explore, and I have yet to see new York.
Story: 10/10 yes the game does start off a little slow and your character is restricted, but I feel that Ubisoft really wanted to build your character(s) up. A review wrote how non of the missions are unique.....not even close. Missions are very unique. Character development is amazing, and of course the setting is outstanding, and its been amazing to feel a bit of what it would have been like to be there at that time, that was weird to say.
Controls 10/10 yes they are new, and yes they took a while to figure out, being the last few were so closely the same. But it's not hard to figure out the timing. I hate games where to have to push multiple buttons to do one thing, enough already. I'm not playing it to mash buttons, I want it as simple as possible so that I can pay attention to what's going on. Once I got it I found the controls to be much easier and much more fluid
Fighting 9/10 I love fighting the people, combat system is outstanding, and especially taking down multiple people with some stylized moves was quiet enjoyable. More of this rating was based on the bigger animal "fights". I don't find it terrible, but I do feel they could have made it a little harder, or more entertaining, don't ask me how, I just found killing a bear was a little too easy. But again not bad.
Conner 10/10 easy enough to say many were saying they don't feel the new character like they did ezio, or altiar, but I feel they did an amazing job with representing him. He feels a little rough, and harder to get used to, but I feel that was a huge plus to show his personality.
Final: 10/10. Amazing game. Yes there are a few glitches but they have yet to bother me or deter me from what I was doing. I'm a long term fan of the series, but I do feel they stepped it up from all previous titles. I wasn't amazed with revelations, felt like brotherhood in a new setting with a hook. Loved brotherhood, ac2, and original. But I do feel that they hit this game on the nose. It's very epic, and was quiet pleased. Regarding all previous negative comments, opinions are always gonna be there but they are all useless, go buy the game wait till you becoming adult conner, and explore a bit than make a decision. Like I said might start slow, and restricted, but it doesn't last and soon you immerse yourself in an amazing adventure.
P.s. they really should make naval.missions a seperate game.....those missions are probably.more fun than previous games alone. | video-games_xbox |
Big head approved. I'm not a huge gamer, I mainly wanted a headset for the chat features and to drown out ambient noise to allow me to immerse myself in my gameplay. I picked these up after testing a few pairs of Turtle Beach and these at Walmart. What won me was that:
A) They were more comfortable than the turtle beaches they had to try (XO4, XO 1)
B) They were wireless for $100
C) They fit my big head (Seriously - Size 8 ball cap)
Build - The overall build is about what you'd expect for a $100 wireless headset - heavy plastic. I don't anticipate these breaking anytime soon with proper care, but I neither expect them to survive being stepped on. They are comfortable to wear. The ear cups are soft and sit nicely on your ears, which is saying something on my dome.
Sound Quality - Supposedly these have two modes, flat and bass boost, I can't really tell them apart. (tested on Halo and Madden 16). You will hear footsteps with these when playing FPS, my K:D in Halo improved slightly because of that advantage vs using TV audio. Overall they sound better than me LED TV speakers.
Chat/Game Volume - This is a nice feature. I read another review said his wasn't working... mine works fine. You just adjust your main volume to where you want it, then use the chat:game knob to control the chat:game ratio (this took me a few days to figure out).
Battery: Don't know, I've never played 16 hours straight wearing these, the longest I've gone without charging is maybe 12. After a couple days i'll generally plug them in with the included cable and I'm ready to go again for my next gaming session. Turning off the "glow" feature helps i'm sure (hold down the Mode button for 4 seconds to turn off the glow).
The thing I don't like:
Microphone placement: I wish companies would get rid of these removable microphone and go back to them flipping up out of the way. If I take this thing off I'll lose it. As it is if you want to bend the microphone up or down to get closer to your mouth then you tilt the entire headset forward to backwards | video-games_xbox |
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