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Definitely worth the money. Essential points:
Graphics - 5 stars
Character Design - 4 stars
Ease of Use - 3.5 stars
Battle System - 4 stars
Story - 5 stars
Enjoyment Factor - 5 stars
I don't have a very big game budget, so I have to choose my titles with care. After doing a bunch of research and reading all the reviews, I decided to try Resonance of Fate.
-The graphics are lovely. Ebel City is a wonderfully layered steampunk setting, its small size offset by its detail. At first it was almost overwhelmingly busy, but as I got used to each layer of detail, there was still one more and one more after that to see. Beautiful. The world map is totally functional in design, but it suits the mood of the game.
-I didn't like the choice to make all of the playable characters blond, particularly since two of them are shown in the beginning cutscenes with dark hair. For one of them, this makes sense, since he's "in hiding" and supposed to be dead. I don't understand the rationale, but it's still workable. All in all, the characters are attractive, distinctive, and have believable personalities that interact well.
-I bought this game with the strategy guide, because I like to have backup if I can't figure something out on my own. The negative reviews definitely are not true; there are 16 total tutorials offered in the arena area, and I highly recommend doing each until you understand it. They are repeatable, and for my first few game sessions I repeated at least one tutorial (mostly tri-attack) for review before moving out into the world map. Even with all this, there will be times when you get whipped and have no idea how it happened. Just keep trying!
-The battle system is easy to get the hang of, but very hard to master. The vast variety of options available to you means you can enter the same area against the same enemies and begin the battle in the same way, but one time you win handily and the next time you get handed your heiny on the way out. The trick is paying attention to the changes - what works and what doesn't? If you pay attention to detail, the combat system is much easier to understand.
-I am not a "hard-core" gamer, just a major dabbler. I played and loved all the Final Fantasies (that were released in the U.S.) from 1 through 13, excepting 11 which I played but which was kind of terrible. I've played JRPGs from Lunar: Silver Star Story to Eternal Sonata, and I love the genre. I don't typically like the gun based ones, hence my hesitation to buy Resonance. I'm incredibly glad I did, though. Story is the main reason I enjoy playing these types of games, and Resonance's story is more sci-fi than most RPGs I've played, making it a fun change of pace.
-Despite occasional spikes of frustration, this game is entirely enjoyable if you take the time to figure it out. I'm so very glad I did. If you want something mindless to play, this is not, repeat NOT the game for you. You do have to strategize, to think several steps ahead of both what you are doing and what your enemies are doing. If you aren't capable of putting in that effort, don't bother buying this game, because you won't like it. If you are, get this game NOW. (I bought this game last week (before Christmas '10) at 13.99, and the price has increased twice since then. Just a word to the wise.) I'd also strongly recommend the strategy guide; since this game has not been as popular as others of its genre, online walkthroughs are scant.
Cheers! | video-games_xbox |
Great adventure game. This was my introduction to the Far Cry universe of gaming, and I'm quite pleasantly surprised. The graphics during gameplay are beautiful, and the game itself is really fun to play -- you genuinely feel like a person against nature. I've quite enjoyed the freedom to roam around and select missions in my own time. Capturing enemy territory is generally quite fun, as well, especially when planning and implementing your assault -- using the owl to scout and take out the enemies who sound alarms, finding vantage points to stealthily take out enemies by bow & arrow/spear, and sending your beast in to clean up never seems to get boring. As you progress, the challenge increases, adding to the fun.
Deciding how to distribute points to level up characters/weapons in games has never been anything I've been interested in, and while this game has that element, I've found that all roads lead to Rome -- eventually, you get all of the upgrades, and I never felt like I was missing out on abilities as a result.
I've opted to not give the full five stars to Far Cry Primal for several (rather minor) reasons. First, resource-gathering for upgrades can sometimes be a bit dull. Second, sometimes moving about in caves is cumbersome in the absence of a torch or already well-lit area -- again, though, just a minor (and short-lived complaint). The biggest problem I have is some slight glitchiness when your beast is out and about. Generally, I find it gets in the way when jumping around on the sides of mountains or over obstacles (resulting in bizarre physics occasionally), sometimes blocks my path (like when coming out of a hut), and gets in the way when trying to search enemies. Dispatching the beast to an out-of-the-way locale (or flat-out dismissing it) is easy enough to do, however.
Overall, it's a really great game and worth every cent. Replayability may not be fully present here, but there is a lot to do between exploring/hunting, doing missions, and finding artefacts. | video-games_xbox |
Premium price for not Premium Support. I purchased the A30 headset along with Astro's mixAmp and life was great. The A30s come with everything you need to use them with your PC, PS3, and XBox. Finally, one head set for everything. No expense was spared and these beauties come with all the fixings including a very well made reinforced carrying case.
My only complaint about the sound was that the sound detail was slightly lacking and the bass was a little muddy. However, these are headphones are intended for gaming not high-fedelity music playback. Any shortcomings in the sound department are made up by the excellent microphone which is fantastic. The clarity matches what you'd get from much more expensive stand alone microphones. Rest assured that your voice will come through loud and clear to your teammates or friends.
Now mind you, these are premium headphones and a such I treated them very carefully. While the build quality is pretty good, the I was wary of the plastic bridge (Looking at you Beats by Dr. Dre). When not in use they hung on a hook high on the wall of my nerd cave. These headphones served me very well for a year and some change until some microphone issues began. Friends would complain my voice would go in and out and that there was often audible crackling.
I contacted support who guided me through some troubleshooting steps and determined I needed to send them in at my expense and they would get back to me about repair costs. The gentleman told me to expect to pay about $50 plus return shipping to fix what I was describing. I boxed them up and sent them in.
I got an email about three weeks later (a week later than they stated it would take), which simply told me my headphones were unrepairable. No explanation. And reasons why we're never explained. I could pay to have them shipped back or they could throw them out. Now it had never even been mentioned throughout my numerous email exchanges that there was a possibility they wouldn't help me. I was prepared to pay anything up to the cost of a full replacement but this was not an option.
I tend to keep things for a long time and have chosen to buy quality products expecting quality support for them. When you buy nice, expensive stuff you expect a company to take a little extra care and respect your investment. You expect a company to stand by your as a customer and by their product. Instead I was told to just buy a new set and it was 'totally impossible' to repair my otherwise flawless headphones. My efforts to work with them are ongoing.
Buyer beware (for now): Life is great while they last but don't expect support like you'd get from Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Etymotic, or Bose when you drop good money.
TL;DR Pay a premium price for great gaming headphones, but don't expect premium support. I would not recommend.
UPDATE: After some back and forth with their support team, the best they could offer me was a 20% coupon off my next purchase. Needless to say, I politely said 'no thanks' and instead purchased the Plantronics GameCom 780 which is better in almost every way, although is less comfortable to wear with glasses.
Buyer beware of Astro. | video-games_xbox |
You buy yourself a product and you get what you pay for...": Blood-soaked Neo(n)-Noir Done Right. "So I guess I'd become what they wanted me to be: a killer. Some rent-a-clown with a gun who puts holes in other bad guys. Well that's what they had paid for, so, in the end, that's what they got. Say what you want about Americans, but we understand capitalism."
Simply put, this is Rockstar's sleeper gem in an already sterling collection of third-person action games. Criminally underrated and oft overlooked, Max Payne 3 delivers a thrilling and cinematic experience that will satisfy veterans and newcomers to the franchise alike.
As with the two preceding titles in the series, Max Payne 3's gun-play is a beautiful, unparalleled feat in style and design. Ever wanted to fire a gun whilst jumping through the air? Ever wanted to fire TWO guns whilst jumping through the air? Ever wanted to fire a gun into the air and say AAAAAAAAH??? Well, my friend, now you can. The game's signature Bullet-time (don't sue me, bro) Bullet-ballets(???) are literally unbulle-... sorry- unbelievable. I know Rockstar liked telling people that GTA V builds on Max Payne's shooting mechanics, but that's just the marketing team making another paycheck: Max Payne 3's firefights are phenomenal and peerless.
The single-player package checks in around 6-10hrs, and delivers a narrative wallop. Expect backstabs, blackouts, conspiracies, and monologues galore as our titular hero shoots his way through the rich and the rag sides of So Paulo, Brazil. Along the way, you'll meet bumbling magnates, wise-cracking Serpicos, mustachioed mercenaries, murderous swat-nazis, wailing damsels in distress, and a couple guidos in Hoboken. The writing is (unsurprisingly) punchy and extremely well-delivered (James McCaffrey 4ever!). The game's soundtrack, courtesy of the also criminally overlooked band HEALTH, steals the show with a driving, tribal attack on whatever speakers you have on hand.
Multi-player highlights include an early iteration of GTA V's crew/Social Club/internet-gang-thing that Rockstar's big on these days, capture the flag, team/regular death-matches, and a somewhat wonky Bullet-Time online duel feature that only kinda works. That said, the single-player campaign is highly re-playable, not to mention the added New York Minute and challenge modes which tack on solid game-time, as well.
Overall, Max Payne 3 is an excellent addition to an already excellent series, a must-have for action fans with a thirst for poetic bloodletting. Brutal, funny, intense, and well worth whatever price-tag comes attached. | video-games_xbox |
A sequel..... but really only in name. While this is a second installment to the franchise, it really merely feels like a continuation of the first. Now there is a solo quest line that can garner coins and progression, but even still it doesn't quite have a sense that you are really accomplishing much in the process other than accumulating more coinage.
The multiplayer, while improved (albeit the bar was not set very high by the 1st anyway) still leaves little to be desired. Constant disconnects are prevalent and you and part of your group even get placed on separate teams at times when matches are set up. That makes zero sense to me. Why would you want to be in a group with your friends only to be paired up on separate teams?!
Again I state this really just seems like a continuation of the previous game instead of its own, separate sequel. Glorified DLC comes to mind often as I've played it which leads me to think it is not near worth the full price tag of a stand alone game but more worthy of arcade pricing around $30 or so. I would recommend waiting for it to drop in price to purchase.
Lastly the new stuff. There are new maps of course, but really it is as though you play the same 3 over and over so I truly can't tell how many more there really are (again..... glorified DLC). Also new characters were added to the original lot. They all have some merit and are a neat addition where each has something unique to bring to the table. Unfortunately though the characters are very uneven with regard to attack and ability. The Rose is especially one of these characters where a player simply holds down RT the whole time, darting back and forth, able to get "vanquishes" with great frequency. I would consider it the most "cheap" or "cheesed" character of them all. The disconnect and even feel with the character classes tells me they simply used the Beta as a hype builder more so than a way for gamers to give input for improvements of the game.
All in all this is merely an ok "expansion" to the GW universe. The map design should have really gone more so toward the less is more than the cluttered mess they turn out to be. The hit detection is fairly poor at times and frame rate dropping should not be happening in this day and age of gaming with such a simple game. But once the price drops about half this game will be worth a buy imo. | video-games_xbox |
Campaign is Great, But The Competetive Multiplayer Is BROKEN. As the title of this review mentions, the single player and co-op campaign is great, but if you enjoyed the multiplayer in the first game be prepared to be disappointed beyond belief.
1) MULTIPLAYER IS BROKEN: At the time of this writing, it takes at least 20 minutes to enter a multiplayer game.
2) LAG IS BEYOND ANNOYING: The system randomly chooses a host, so some matches there won't be any latency and in other matches the lag is horrific. It's like flipping a coin and hoping you get what you want on that flip. Also, don't forget, it takes 20 minutes for that coin to land.
3) CHAINSAWING IS WAY TOO EASY: Killing an opponent in Gears 2 has been reduced to running up to a character and holding the B button, whether you are getting shot or not.
4) SMOKE GRENADES NOW KNOCK YOU DOWN: When you aren't being chainsawed, you are being knocked down by a smoke grenade since smoke grenades have become the most effective weapon in the game. The get-up animation is unbelievably long and by the time you get up 70% of the time you go right back down because opposing players are capable of shooting you and essentially killing you while in that very long downed animation caused by a smoke grenade.
5) GRENADES CAN BE STUCK TO WALLS: Every grenade now can be stuck to walls and if you happen to unkowingly run past a grenade you are either knocked down and left to be shot to death or you simply blow up if it is a frag grenade. In Gears 2, more people than ever are seperating from their team members and simply grabbing as many grenades as they can and either randomly planting them on walls or they're barricading themselves in a room until the other team comes in after them. 1 person can literally eliminate an entire team simply by planting grenades all over the map and then simply sit back and watch as the other team explodes one by one.
6) 1 WEAPON TO RULE THEM ALL: There is one new weapon called the Mortar and this weapon can be found on a good portion of the multiplayer maps. This weapon has the ability to kill an entire team even if they are spread out from each other. And to top it off, there is no warning besides the noise of the weapon shooting, to tell the opposing players where this barrage of falling missles is going to hit until the missles actually make contact with the ground. By the time this happens it's already too late.
In conclusion: If you are buying this game for the single player experience then you will have a great time, but if you are purchasing this game because you loved the multiplayer of Gears 1 or you are looking for a good multiplayer game to play with your friends, then look somewhere else. Multiplayer is broken and is not worth the money if playing online was your main objective. | video-games_xbox |
A Must-Have for Every XBox Owner. If you have a wireless controller for your XBox 360, then you MUST get a play and charge unit. This unit lets you recharge your wireless controller - and you can even play while you do it!
In essence, this unit is both a USB power supply for your wireless controller as well as a fully functional cable to connect your wireless controller to your XBox. This means that any time you need your wireless controller to be wired - for example because your batteries ran out - you simply use this cable to plug it into the XBox's USB port and it now has power. It even charges while you play.
On the other hand, let's say you want to charge up the wireless controller and you do NOT want to play. You simply plug it into any USB port in your house, and the USB port sends power to charge it up! Yes, this can be your XBox, if you're the type to leave it on. Maybe you're watching a movie or listening to music with it. It doesn't HAVE to be your XBox, though. You can plug it into your computer. Heck, when I got my iPod it came with a power box that plugs into an outlet, that has a USB hole in it. That's how I charge up my iPod. It works just as well for this charging use.
So I find this to be a perfect solution. If your wireless controller is low on batteries and you want to keep playing, then keep playing! You plug in the cable and are set, and the controller recharges while you play. If your wireless controller is low on batteries and you do NOT want to keep playing, then you plug the play-and-charge cable into any USB port for an ON SYSTEM and it powers up.
I put the emphasis on the "on system" because a few people complain that the XBox has to be on in order for the wireless controller to charge. Simply put, an OFF system can't charge. That's a fact of electronics. Really, most homes should have some USB device turned on pretty much 24 hours a day - whether it's your XBox, your computer, or the plug-in-the-wall iPod type power unit. It's about as basic a charger as you could want to have, and I find it perfect! | video-games_xbox |
Started off great and ended in disappointment . . . I enjoyed the first Two Worlds and I really enjoyed Two Worlds 2 at the beginning. The like that the main character can carry countless non-weapon/non-armor items; and I love the system for upgrading weapons and armor. The story started out fantastic and it had the open-world feel of the first Two Worlds with much better graphics. I even liked the voice acting, which many reviewers have been very critical of.
The disappointment started soon after I started roaming the open-world. In the first Two Worlds there seemed to be random chests and caves through-out with all sorts of treats to discover. I like to roam and I was looking forward to what I would find. Unfortunately, Two Worlds 2 has a lot of ground to cover with very little bonuses to be found. Almost, if not all, of the caves are quests related, and there are really no extra chests with goodies except in the quest areas.
Another thing I didn't like was that even though the world is mostly free-roaming there are a lot of caves, houses, and areas that cannot be accessed unless you advance the story or accept their respective quests. In the first Two Worlds I enjoyed roaming the vast landscape, killing baddies, and finding treasure as I leveled up before advancing the story. This is not possible in much of Two Worlds 2. I roamed the world, killed enemies and found only locked caves and areas that could not be opened. Then, when I accepted a quest or advanced the story and had access to those places the baddies I killed along the way were already dead, so I reached my destination unscathed. The least the game designers could have done was create a system that would re-spawn enemies into areas after a certain amount of time had passed.
A third thing I did not like was the fact that I breezed through the game when fighting the creatures and villains. I had virtually no problem with any of the enemies and only used a few health potions during the game. That was NOT the problem. I am a causal gamer, so the ease of play and lack of any real difficulty was enjoyable for me. Then, at the end, I came up against the boss and everything changes. I won't give a spoiler, but what I will say is that the boss was nearly impossible to beat because I had created and advanced my character one way and the boss battle was completely different then my character strengths. In fact, the boss battle was unlike any of the battles or fighting styles from previously in the game. I say the boss was nearly impossible to beat - I know that many gamers did beat the boss, but I had to read how to beat the boss online and I STILL couldn't beat it. Sooooooo, I finally broke down and put in a cheat code so I could beat the boss and see the end of the game.
The most disappointing part of the game was that the largest island of the world is almost completely closed off to single player mode. The only way to access the rest of the world is multi-player. As I stated earlier I am a causal player, so I do not and will not play multi-player. Imagine my shock and then disappointment when I could not access the rest of the vast island. Even when I managed to run, climb, and claw my way over mountains into this unexplored world the game told me I had gone off the intended path and dumped me back into the closest "playable" area. VERY DISAPPOINTING!
Overall, I spent about 50 hours playing Two Worlds 2 and enjoyed it very much. However, like a good movie with a terrible ending, Two Worlds 2 left me feeling empty, disappointed, and like I had completely wasted 50 hours of my time. I enjoyed the game for the most part and I would recommend it. I just had high expectations that were realized early in the game and then faltered and fell well short at the end of the game. I am not writing this review to discourage anyone from buying the game. I am just warning people so that they have a better understanding of what to expect before buying the game. Fun game most of the way through and then wraps up suddenly with no rewarding payoff. | video-games_xbox |
Black Ops 2 Uprising DLC. This map pack is in line with just about every other map pack that's been released as of late. You get what's advertised: 4 maps and a new Zombies mode. Personally, I never play zombies, so I bought this DLC purely for the multiplayer maps. I have had a few hours experience with the map pack at this point, and I'll share what I've found:
The Maps:
This map pack has its own unique flavor to it. I especially like Magma. While it does not actually have dynamic map elements, the lava is certainly a fun addition! It creates a few choke points that force enemies into your line of sight, and there are plenty of long range views for sniping. The map feels more unique than previous maps. I'll give this one 5 stars.
Studio is a reskin of the map from the first Black Ops, Firing Range. Players of Black Ops will immediately recognize the map. I found the reskin refreshing, and it makes firefights feel more whimsical and fun. There is one tower that has remained that is only accessible by one ladder. I like this, but it can get frustrating when an enemy is up there and kills you repeatedly.
Encore is much larger than I initially expected. Really, it's about what you would expect. Pretty fun, and I got a Warthog scorestreak the first game I played on it!
I have not yet played Vertigo, so I cannot yet review it's quality.
Conclusion:
After getting to play on 3 of the four maps, I feel that I've already made a good decision spending $15 for this DLC. Obviously, there will be haters and fans who are never satisfied. But, in my experience, I've found this map pack to be worthwhile for any fan of the series looking to drop $15 on games. There's no new weapon, which is mildly disappointing, and there are only 3 "new" map experiences for those who have played Black Ops 1 multiplayer. I recommend mixing things up by using weapons you wouldn't normally use. Make some crazy classes and see how they work on these maps. The verdict? Go buy Uprising! | video-games_xbox |
pass on this controller unless you're deaf and have small hands. Anyone who has given this controller a positive review has tiny hands, has never used it, or is a Madcatz employee :P
I too absolutely loved the idea of this controller- and then I actually got to use it once it arrived :/
Problems:
1. Immediate thing you notice is that the black plastic on the thumbsticks is quite slick...the stock xbox360 controllers have a slightly ruggedized texture, concave surface, and tick marks to help hold your thumb in place: of all of these, this controller has one and it's only the very center of the stick that's concave. I took a knife to the surface to scuff it up, and now it holds in place just fine. Which brings me to problem 2:
2. The headset voice has what sounds like a phase delay- gives an echo to the sound and making any headset sound far less crisp than even the basic microsoft headset (plugging that headset in sounds just terrible). Wish I had spotted this before trying to modify the thumbstick into a usuable feature because I'd have returned it on the spot if otherwise. Test your new stuff in a real game, not in a private lobby alone so you're testing things you might not realize don't work right: which brings me to #3
3. The bumper buttons are huge and the sensor pad for them are near the top- so the bottom portion of the buttons that I touch the most are intermittent at best. Cooking a grenade? I hope not :P Reallllly disliked seeing a grenade I'm trying to carefully time suddenly fly out of my hand because the bottom of the button wasn't applying enough pressure.
4. Trigger frame and bottom buttons. Unless you've got tiny child-like hands, you're going to have a hard time finding a comfortable position to put your fingers so that they sit on the combat buttons on the bottom. I don't know anyone who doesn't wrap their middle, ring, and pinky fingers around the palm grips of a 360 controller, so why not put these buttons there? The sloping of the frame where the trigger is pulled into makes it impossible to hold the controller tightly and use the combat buttons. I'm in the middle of trying to figure out a way to balance a beam across a bearing over the button to extend these down the underside of the palm grips, but I why should I have to redesign the controller to make it usable? That's Madcatz's job and they failed at it. Great idea, incredibly bad implementation. Great controller to let someone you hate use, so unless that someone is you, don't buy one. | video-games_xbox |
Are ya kidding. I was thinking this was going to be another WWII arcade style flight-sim, similar to "Secret Weapons Over Normandy", but the developers must've had a screw loose when they put togther the control system.
Every other flight sim (even acarde style) have offered independent roll, pitch, and yaw control. Usually there's an option to have either "novice" or "expert" controls, included with some sort of control customization.
Blazing Angels only offers the ability to invert the pitch axis (y-axis), and turn the vibration on and off. I'll also point out that the default setting for the y-axis is reversed compared to normal; since when does pulling back on the stick make the nose of your aircraft go down?!
The other control issue (and this one is a winner), is that you have dual alieron control: if you push the left stick to one side, you get a coordinated turn, and your roll is limited to 90 degrees, and if you push the right stick from side to side you perform a simple alieron roll. Oh, and there's NO independent RUDDER CONTROL.
In short you are stuck with a wierd orchestration of control inputs to execute a turn - especially in combat. Like anything else you can adapt and get used to it, but why would you want to when there's plenty of other good flying games out there?
Aside from these issues, the ONLY instrumentation is your crosshairs; no airspeed, damage, or attitude indication - not even a compass. The dialogue is unimaginative and severely repetitive, and your enemies all speak english (IMHO, if you're going to include subtitles, take the time script your enemies' native language).
My last gripe is the challenge. Despite my difficulty with the controls, it was easy to progress through the missions. If you have infinite fuel and ammo, where's the challenge to be a good shot? And while I appreciate useful wingmen, when ONE guy can pull a whole enemy squadron off your tail, and take them all down, you might as well make your plane invulnerable too. No challenge at all.
All in all, this game was not worth the time spent. I highly recommend renting or borrowing before you buy.
On a good note, the visuals are rather impressive, however, and the missions offer some interesting scenarios. | video-games_xbox |
Constantly breaking, and atrocious customer support. No more than 3 months ago I purchased a set of the AX pro headset. While originally running with no problem, I noticed that the audio started to cut in and out. Any movement of the receiver box supplying the audio to the headset would stop the sound entirely, and then start it back up again. It made popping sounds, and was unable to hold the signal. I emailed Tritton about the issue using the supplied customer service links on their page. No phone number was provided there, and they have a live chat with an agent which is always either offline, or away. After waiting a 3 weeks with no reply to my ticket, I was able to track down a phone number to call. Apparently Tritton is owned by Madcatz (although this is mentioned no where on their webpage, or on Madcatz' webpage). I called the number and explained my situation. They replaced all the parts of my headset, other than the headset itself. A week went by before receiving my new headset. In that time, I received a reply to an email I had written to MadCatz about their poor level of customer support, and availability. I was informed that the link on Trittons webpage, emails to a ticket system they are currently unable to check as it is inaccessible on their own end (Why they have no other means of contacting support readily available was not mentioned and is unknown to me, and to them it seems). Having finally received my new parts today I plugged them in to test them out. They worked with no problem on my xbox 360, however upon plugging them into my PS3 I was getting no audio. None of my Ps3 settings have been changed, and the setting on the receiver are identical to the receiver being replaced. Out of curiosity, I unplugged all the cables from my new receiver, and plugged them into the old broken one being replaced by Tritton. I had audio, however I was still experiencing the original problem warranting the replacement (the audio cutting in and out/popping), as this was the broken receiver. Here we are over a month after originally trying to contact Tritton and I still have a headset that isn't properly functioning. For the price these headsets cost, there are much higher quality, and companies that will make you feel far more valued. I have to say the customer service I have been receiving from Tritton is insulting and the worst customer service I have ever received. I warn everyone to stay far away from this headset, and put that money towards a cheaper, better sounding, properly functioning headset, made by a company that doesn't ignore its customers or their issues. Tritton and Madcatz quite simply are disgusting in customer care. | video-games_xbox |
Not really all that Xtreme. Rather strange game. There are many of these infamous DOA Beach Volleyball games now. This first one is actually pretty tame. Sort of sim/volleyball game. The game is a two week vacation where you get to choose from a variety of DOA girls. During those two weeks you can play volleyball, a pool hopping game, or gamble in a casino. But its more complicated than that as you are also constantly building a relationship with your female volleyball partner. And constantly buying swimsuits and accessories, both for yourself and other girls.
It occurred to me that girls may actually like this game more than guys, with all the relationships and dressing up. Even the music is pop chick music. Of course that won't keep the boys away from the bikini girls. Which isn't all that racy really. There are a few thongs here and there, but thats about as adult as it gets.
You can put your own soundtrack in the game from copying music CDs into your Xbox. If you still own CDs. I had to burn one then copy it over.
One of the things that annoyed me is all the girls have the same ending, and little difference in the story dialog and such. So it feels rather generic that way.
But the volleyball is pretty well done and engaging. There are a ton of sexy swimsuits to buy with your volleyball winnings. And that will keep you playing for a while. I mean this is overall a pretty fun game, if Xtremely odd. But I took a star off because there needs a little more meat on the bones. More story. More things to do. Something.
I would not pay more than $20. Oh, but try to get it with a manual. The likes of the girls are in it, and you are constantly referring to that. But DOA Ultimate is really a better deal if you want to see some DOA girls. You can still look at the girls and get a classic fighting game too. Lots of outfits, even bikinis there too. Just saying.
Edit: I went back and added the star I took off because I kept coming back and playing this game. The above criticism still apply, but this is an oddly addictive game. | video-games_xbox |
Just plain fun. I just recently got this game after reading many of the pros and cons of others.
Quite simply this is one of the most FUN games I've ever played. The most common complaints I've seen have been "not enough levels" or "too easy". To the latter, I say, try upping the difficulty level. This game is *anything* but easy on the Legendary difficulty. The A.I. is pretty top notch too on everything above 'easy difficulty'. I had several instances where I was overwhelmed by a small group of alien forces when I went rushing in all gung-ho. The stronger/smarter aliens will take cover when hurt and make it extremely difficult to kill them. Plus, in single player mode, you occasionally have groups of ally marines as well and they work surprisingly well together and with you. There are some glitches (occasionally killing your own guys accidently, etc..), but this is still well above and beyond any other game.
Regarding levels, yes, there are not a great deal of levels (10 total). That said, the levels and environments (especially those set outdoors) are surprisingly huge. Yes, you have to fight your way back out once you fight your way in, and to be honest, it makes perfect sense in terms of the storyline. Additionally, the levels are generally quite different coming out than they are going in.
Now, the good parts that everyone seems to agree with: the graphics are simply the best in *any* game of this type, and nearly any game I've ever seen. The textures (especially in outside areas) are insanely intricate and beautiful. The sounds (and sound effects) are perfect as well. The music swells with intensity when you are about to confront a large group of enemies and settles into the background when conflict ends. The gameplay is incredible. Not only do you have several different weapons to choose from, but in some areas, you have several different vehicles as well. The (nearly) constant overwhelming odds keep the game pretty well-paced and exciting. Plus, there is a plot twist in the story about halfway through the game that will surprise you and give the rest of the game a very 'Aliens meets Night of the Living Dead' creepy type of feel. But the going never gets so difficult that it loses any of the fun. It's a great balance for a game to achieve.
In short, if you own an Xbox, you *want* this game. Trust me. =) | video-games_xbox |
NO. Blops 2 is by the far the worst game in the whole series. I have been a faithful COD player since COD 3 and 4. COD4 was an easy five star, probably one of the best, if not THE BEST multiplayer experience/game ever; even the campaign was amazing and innovative. I never played WAW. Then there was MW2, an obvious step down in intellect and innovation for the whole series, probably a three to three and a half star game but I played anyways because I was addicted like C/C by then (I had every golden gun in cod4 and was the ultimate prestige). So pretty much, as you may be able to tell, a HUGE fan of this series.
Next we got Black Ops 1. Black Ops 1, in retrospect, was probably a five star masterpiece of a game, the best since COD4 and just epically fun. Big maps, great assortment of guns, really fun games and really quite innovative for how simple it actually was. Loved black ops 1, put that up in the multiplayer HOF.
MW3 was okay, still fun but beginning to become stale. It was probably a four star game, fun and entertaining but not on the same level as BLOPS 1. Could have used a bit more innovation and changes to the structure. I played it, but I sort of wished for something a bit better after a while.
Okay, so then comes BLOPS 2. This game is a steaming pile of dog excrement. Words cannot describe what a failure this game is because, really we all had to know it was going to be a big disappointment. You give a company millions and millions of dollars and they become immune to the market and the innovation goes away. The reviews were pretty bad, ascribing it a milquetoast grade. The entire idea of the game sounded bad. Military technology in space? Whatever. The COD series had to crash and burn at some point, we all knew it was coming. This is where the satellite comes crashing down to earth on some pavement plot, all crashing gears and crunching steel, fire smoke and burning flames. BLOPS2 is an accident, it's atrociously bad.
The maps are hilariously small. They didn't even try on the maps this time. The guns have an okay feel but that doesn't matter when you're shooting everyone in a game of what is practically close quarters dodgeball. EVERYONE is camping, and there's mass spawn killing going on in nearly every game. BLOPS2 is like COD in chaos, as if the world has become complete anarchy and everything is juiced up to eleven. You can't even get a respite from the battle, there's nowhere to hide. There's no time for strategy, just pure run and gun.
And then, by God, there's the awful lag comp. Or is this game just ridiculously buggy? You can't even kill people anymore. It seems like Lag Comp was the easiest excuse but I really think they just didn't even try when trying to comprehensively engineer the game. BLOPS2 is the worst running video game I have ever played, since the days of the PS1 and Gex2. Usually a developer wouldn't have the balls to have released such a sad excuse of a game. I guess we killed the golden calf with too much milk and potatoes.
Treyarch should have been punished for this mess but I'm guessing the sales were once again legendary. I wish people would be more practical with their money and read some of the reviews and descriptions and stuff before a game comes out. I really hope people vote with their wallets next time Treyarch attempts this shameful horse manure they call video game developing.
We'll see if Activision can do at least somewhat of a good job with MW4, if they're working on that(?). For me personally, they've lost a lot of good will and I wish some developer had the cajones to make a better game than the last round of MW/COD/BLOPS games; Lord knows just by playing these recent titles it wouldn't be hard at all to do.
Oh, and the community of players is awful and rude. Only had to play for an hour and I was already getting snotty comments, which is weird since that never happened in the other cod/blops games. Perhaps this is a sign of some weird desperation? This Blops multiplayer has become a miniature Wild West, no structure, rules or courtesy to other players. Just a lot of fat eight year old kids shooting each other on a video screen, completely hopped up on chemicals when they should be reading a book.
And for all that I'd rather spend my time in the civilized world of Halo. | video-games_xbox |
Bioware=sleep deprivation. There are a large number of well thought out (and long ;)) posted reviews of "Dragon Age: Origins", so I will be brief.
First, let's get this out of the way. It's not a huge deal with me at all but the graphics are maybe a little dated. It's not that it's ugly (VERY far from it), but it won't "wow" you like the first time you stepped out of the sewers in "Oblivion". Beautiful, but not ground breaking.
In fact "Beautiful, but not ground breaking" is a great way to describe this game. If you like your High Fantasy deep and Tolkien-esque, you will probably like this game. Bioware has not broken any new ground here, but they have done their usual job and Bioware's "usual" is excellent. It's an epic tale with more back-story and lore than you will probably ever read, there are plenty of side quests, moral dilemmas, characters, creatures and villains. Artifacts, arcane weapons & armor, potions, spells..., it's all here. Some of the names have changed, but you will be right at home if you've played any fantasy RPGs. The user interface, while maybe not the best I've ever experienced, is still pretty logical and becomes second nature pretty quickly.
The most important point I want to make though is that I have to force myself to stop playing it(!). It always seems like there's just "one more thing" I want to do, and before I know it the clock says 3:00 AM. I have lost a lot of sleep over this game, and I couldn't be happier.
[addendum]
OK, after having finished the game I can only say that I wish I could give it 6 stars. It is a fantastic ride that was over all too quickly even after about 80 hours of play. It's NOT too short, I just didn't want it to end. And a very satisfying ending it was, with just enough ambiguity to make one hope for a sequel. I cannot wait to play it all over again.
I did want to address some of the things I've read about bugs in this game. Your conditions and experience may vary, but the only problem I experienced was some missing spoken dialog during some early conversations. That effect virtually disappeared after I started cleaning the hard drive cache (from the Xbox 360 system menu) after each play. Also, I didn't see it documented anywhwere (and I did at least skim the manual), but the game appears to limit you to 30 save slots (plus the auto-save). I never like to over-write old saves; it has been my experience that it can lead to corrupted files. However, I did not see any way to delete old saves from within the game, so I went back to the system menu and deleted some from there. Again, some simple hard drive maintenance after each session. I cannot say for certain that any of this helped performance, but I did finish the game with no lock-ups and no broken quests. | video-games_xbox |
Final Chapter to the Stories of Altair and Ezio. I'm AC fan, yet I am still critical of the games I play. I liked this game, but I didn't completely fall in love. If you like the AC series and have been playing thus far, you'll certainly want to play this game, end the story arc for Altair and Ezio, and come out satisfied. If you HAVEN'T been playing the AC series, unfortunately, you're at a disadvantage because they don't quite cover the past of the series that well; most likely than not, you'll have to play the predecessors to catch up with the singleplayer experience.
GRAPHICS - 9/10
I thought they were great. It's a continuation of the previous engine, certainly, but you'll also notice a change in the facial constructions of the characters; Ezio and Desmond look different, but I think better. UBISOFT certainly did a good job in my opinion, and it shows in the game. Overall, the engine is similar to Brotherhood's.
STORY - 8.5/10
Good storyline overall. You meet new friends and new enemies, of course. I found it strange how abrupt your relationship ends with some friends. It's set up in Constantinople, a wondrously beautiful city, but perhaps not as captivating as Rome, I think. Altair's ending wraps up nicely, but I still had some questions about Ezio's.
SOUND - 9/10
Loved the musical soundtrack! I truly did. It was really good, and the music always seemed to fit the scenario at times.
MULTIPLAYER - 8.5/10
The multiplayer is fun if you're into hide-and-seek. It's basic form is that, and it develops that concept into many interesting modes that you could have fun playing for hours, team-based or solo. It's tough in the beginning because of the lack of abilities and getting the hang of the UI, but if you play enough, you should eventually be much better at it. Like I said, it's a bit jarring in the beginning, but there are two introductory sessions you can practice with before jumping into live play.
ACHIEVEMENTS - Very Easy.
It was incredibly easy to collect all the achievements this time around. Even the multiplayer achievements were easy to obtain; only took me a few days. There's no "Reach Level 50" like Brotherhood; only one that asks you to reach Level 20, which is easy to obtain in 2 days. There are plenty of guides out there if you use a search engine if you need some additional help.
As much as I love the game, I still bought this at a discount during Black Friday sales. I just don't think it's worth the $60 price tag. I think it's a great game to play, but it can be quickly completed. | video-games_xbox |
Only "OK. I bought this to go with my new Xbox 360 so that I could watch DVDs more easily. The fact that it was a learning remote was neat, but not critical.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Backlit
- Learning (see notes)
Cons:
- Low powered IR emissions
- Learning (see notes)
- Went screwy on me and I had to reset by removing batteries
The build quality of the remote is pretty decent for a low-end remote. It's not really heavy or solid feeling, but it's not dirt-cheap feeling like the original Xbox DVD remote (the green/black one). It fits in your hand OK just like any remote of this shape or size would. The buttons are the typical rubber buttons you'd expect, and I have had some issues with the directional (arrow) buttons not popping up immediately as they can get slightly wedged in the plastic case. This is only on the large buttons, primarily the left and right direction buttons.
The backlight is green LED and makes the keys easy to see in the dark (see the Customer Photo I added). You must press a button to activate the lighting which could send a code that you don't want - there is no "turn on light" button. The backlight stays on for a very short time (probably 1 second) which was somewhat annoying to me. This is undoubtedly due to the use of AAA batteries and not wanting to use them up too quickly.
The learning was easy enough to program and IMO, I prefer having to take the time to program buttons rather than get this gigantic sheet of paper with a million tiny codes on it for every make and model of equipment, punch the codes into the remote, find-out that some buttons don't work, then try the next code, and so-on. If you've ever used a pre-programmed universal remote, you'll understand. To program this Nyko, I simply got my original remote out, placed it end-to-end with the Nyko, started the learning sequence, and pressed the desired button on the remote to be learned. Fast and easy, but yes, you do have to do each button individually.
The learning did have one problem though: it replays the codes too quickly. I programmed my TV's volume up/down into the Nyko. When I press the buttons on the Nyko, the TV volume jumps up/down rather than smoothly going up and down like with the factory remote. I'm guessing that the Nyko re-transmits much faster when a button is held down, thus causing the TV to jump from 1 to 5 to 10 on the volume rather than 1,2,3,4... This made the remote unusable for anything that needed careful control.
The IR emitter seems to be either under-powered or mounted so far back in the plastic case that the beam is very directional. When using my Tivo, TV, or stereo remote, I just point them in the general direction of the units and they work. With the Nyko, I often had to carefully aim the remote at the device and press the button several times. I did have brand-new batteries in the unit as well. This was my largest annoyance.
The switching between the "360 mode" and "learned mode" is somewhat annoying as other reviewers have stated. There is no real reason I can find to justify this since the 360 controls are at the top, and the others at the bottom with no/very little overlap.
Last night, I had the remote do something weird. I was trying to watch a DVD in the 360 and the direction (arrow) buttons weren't being received, yet the 'enter' button in the center and the Xbox colored buttons worked fine. I fiddled with it for a minute and could not get the arrows working (which is somewhat critical when navigating a DVD menu) and ended-up pulling the batteries out of the remote to reset it. After that, it worked fine. Obviously there is some bug in the remote - at least in the version I got.
Overall, this is an OK remote and if you only have a limited budget for a 360 remote, it might do the trick. However for me, the issue with having to aim the remote and try several times to get things done is too annoying and I'm returning mine (bought locally, fortunately). I suppose it's the old issue of "you get what you pay for" and perhaps spending another few bucks on the official Xbox 360 remote would fix these issues. | video-games_xbox |
It's Broken and Boring Bethesda. Let me preface by saying I love Bethesda and the Elder Scrolls! I am definitely a fan boy. Skyrim is the Best Game I have Ever Played--a masterpiece and a true work of art. Before that I loved Oblivion, and before that I loved Morrowind. Fallout 3? Awesome game; I have Game of the year and DLC for all of these games. I love the stories, the lore, the gameplay, the mechanics, and the quality that Bethesda is known for. So...naturally, I bought Elder Scrolls Online. It was a Mistake.
My first impressions of the game: It took me 9 hours over two days to download while physically connected to high speed internet. Once I got to play, the very first level was filled with tides of other players yelling and screaming and frantically running and hitting things... I was so confused, and couldn't figure out where to go so I had to google how to get out of the first level. Eventually I got into town where the missions were boring and repetitive and valueless, not to mention the fact that other players were always waiting to kill the objective I was after. And when I finally got the opportunity to pursue an objective, several enemies would spawn and kill me--One step forward and two steps back.
The following issues are the worst ones rendering the game broken and unplayable: Mission critical NPCs who I had to talk to were invisible and inaccessible. Other times, I would get attacked and killed by invisible and undefeatable enemies! I had to restart my Xbox to make the NPCs appear so I could continue playing-- Very frustrating and time consuming. Also, several times when I restarted my Xbox I'd be put in line to connect to a server. When I Finally get in, the game crashes and kicks me out (sometimes).
Playing with friends? I tried it. Sure enough when we completed a mission my NPC was invisible and inaccessible and so I had to restart my Xbox while my friends quested on.
This game lacks the "you're on your own in the majestic wilderness" that made the other games magical. Not to mention the underwhelming and cartoonish graphics. Whereas before you were a hero saving a beautiful open world, you are now just a number doing chores in a cartoon world.
Meanwhile the money system is broken; sell all your loot for 80 gold, and buy a generic dagger for 4000. Veteran players suggest making multiple accounts-- a blacksmith , and chemist, a weapon smith, a money farmer--all to support your main raiding account. I don't have time for that.
This whole game is an annoying and frustrating mess!! ESO has more 1 star ratings than 5 star ratings. That says it all right there!
Do yourself a favor and stick with Diablo III or Witcher III, or wait for Skyrim to be backwards compatible. | video-games_xbox |
2014 -- Seven Years Later and I'd Rather Play This. Owning an XBOX 360 exclusively, I'm pretty jealous of Playstation 3 owners who get to play the amazing MLB: The Show series. XBOX owners are stuck with Take 2's inferior 2K series.
I've played every iteration of this series starting with 2K6 to 2K12, skipping only 2K11. I've also played both "The Bigs," 2K Sports' other baseball series, which I enjoyed immensely. Of course, though, "The Bigs" is more of an arcade style game.
I'll make this short and sweet. I was playing 2K12 and starting to reminisce about the little features that I miss in a baseball game. Then I realized the last time I saw most of them was in 2K7. I went to my local video game store and bought a used copy of this game for $0.99
Here's what I like in this game that you don't see in the newer ones:
Pre-Game Show: They actually have a brief "pre-game show" that features commentary while showing exterior shots of the stadium and fans walking around buying concessions.
Season Mode: Don't want to do a full-blown GM mode or Franchise mode that lasts for years? Simple season mode here. Plus, in ANY of those aforementioned modes, they actually have a little ticker that runs on the bottom of the screen like most sports channels showing you the scores of the other games around the league. Nice little touch they took out in 2K8.
Trivia: Sometimes, between innings, you'll be treated to a trivia mini game about the team you're playing as.
Cool Season/GM/Franchise mode dashboard: This was before they tried to cram too much info into one screen with tiny print. The layout of the dashboard is nice, even including embellished "stories" about why a player may have been traded, contract negotiations, even including "quotes" from the player according to insider "sources."
Rippling jerseys: Player's jerseys actually ripple in the wind! Only iteration to have this, I think.
Manager arguments: Yes! The last game to feature the ability to argue with the ump. Unfortunately, unlike EA's awesome MVP series on the first XBOX, you can't activate it whenever you want, but the game will prompt you during a close play.
Setting Ticket Prices
Sure, 2K8 still did some of these things, but that game had game-crashing bugs.
Now, the cons (things I'm glad they changed):
Batting perspective: Something about the depth of the camera angle when you bat makes it really hard to gauge the speed of incoming pitches.
No true minor league: You have access to AAA and AA, but these are just place-holder roster spaces. They don't actually play any games or have a schedule.
No 40 man roster or September roster expansions.
No spring training.
Really, I guess, it comes down to what you want out of your game. If you want the most options and depth at your disposal, maybe you need to go 2K12. But if you're looking for a simple, fun, and engaging baseball game that has some cool little touches they haven't tried again, and you can get for pretty cheap, this is it. | video-games_xbox |
Yes, you can tell where players are finally. It took me week or two to learn how to filter out the important sounds, but now I actually can use these to tell where players are in the stage (for the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series without any radar). I put the rear speakers down an notch and the subwoofer down 2 notches. If the sound is soft, they are behind me, loud then they are out front. (The sound in World at War, isn't that good, a game issue, but COD4, BLOPS, MW3, & MW2 all have excellent sound, and they work great!)
The cables are a bit annoying but I'm already using a wired controller to reduce lag, and I'm definitely not willing accept slow responses and low sound quality just to go wireless, so wires are a necessary evil that I truly understand.
I'd have to say the best feature is the volume dial for the MIC OF ALL PLAYERS! This is a feature badly needed in all the Call of Duty games, the ability to MUTE ALL. I'm happy to say this headset gives you that option. (Whereas before I had to turn on my bluetooth and lay it on the chair to ignore all people with terrible mics, music, kids yelling, blah, then I couldn't hear the game at all for all the crazy mic noise whenever my bluetooth died. It was either that or get killed while you mute everyone at the start of every match. Putting them all on mute makes the game sounds much easier to hear and saves my K/D a few deaths right at the beginning.)
I've also received complements on my mic ("He's got a really good mic" "At least he's got a decent mic" etc.) So that's another plus. Another bonus is I can turn the volume up as loud as I like, and the muffs drown out the noise in my own house.
I haven't sweat any in these yet, and I hardcore, sometimes 10-12 hours on the weekends, but I'm not obese or anything, nor run the heat often, so those sweat complaints probably only apply to special people. I do have a huge surround system but the phones are so much easier to use, don't bother anyone else, and drown out everyone else in the room, so if you can afford to get these, even a nice pair of used ones then I'd go for it.
Before I used these I thought "What a waste of money, I could have bought a few more games instead..." But after using them for 2 weeks, I'd much rather have the headset. My private game time has so much less annoying interruptions that I can actually enjoy now rather than share it with everyone at my house (while not having to hear everyone else in the world at their house as well - mic volume down). My gaming time is finally mine once again! | video-games_xbox |
My favorite Suda 51 game, and an underrated gem. Lollipop Chainsaw plays like an old school beat 'em up from a bygone era. This feels like it would have fit right in with the types of arcade beat 'em ups that were still around during the Dreamcast era. Don't expect that modern, new school, Bayonetta style combat from this game. It's too retro for that.
The script is very entertaining. It's from James Gunn who is known for his work on movies like Super, Slither, and Dawn of the Dead. This may arguably make this game better than its Japanese original. There's plenty of funny dialog, clever references, and even a little fourth wall breaking. Some jokes are crude and juvenile, but they feel right in a game that isn't taking itself seriously and clearly doesn't expect you to take it seriously. The combat system is a bit rough around the edges, but gets more and more fun as you get more moves, upgrades, and abilities. Getting Sparkle Hunts is fun and addicting and will boost your stage rank. The game also finds lots of ways to break up the gameplay with fun mini-games and other surprises. This is a Suda game after all. Stage 4: Fulci Fun Center really stands out in particular. Some of the bosses are really hilarious and memorable as well. Again, what you'd expect from a Suda title.
Some have criticized the game for sexual exploitation. In actuality, I enjoyed the way the game plays around with gender roles in a subversive way and I was impressed by the number of strong and dominant female characters in the story as well. The script is clever, with a certain self awareness to it and more layers than you'd initially think. Destrutoid covered this in detail on their site.
The game's art style is bright, colorful, and original. Again, it brings to mind old school arcade games. The soundtrack is an excellent mix of great compositions from Mindless Self Indulgence's Jimmy Urine and Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame. It also includes of number of excellently used, licensed tracks from artists like Sleigh Bells, Toni Basil, Five Finger Death Punch, The Runaways and others. It's easily one of the best video game soundtracks I've ever heard and gives the game so much energy. Lastly, the game gets bonus points for referencing Evil Dead with the Ash Williams pre-order outfit, which many players will sadly never get to use if they buy the game now | video-games_xbox |
12 year old game and they cut it to pieces. You SUCK, Rockstar. They ruined our favorite game. Huge audio gaps & cut dialogue, glitched radio that skips good songs in the middle, but then will play the more irritating songs all the way through over and over. This is maddening. Tom Petty & Ozzy's songs are gone altogether. The damn game didn't have enough tracks as it was. Prostitutes have no audio at all now, the car just bounces soul-lessly in silence then she gets out & walks away. Lame, guys. Really, really lame. You have to adjust the ridiculous new control scheme to original on the menu, but even so movement and locking on feels floaty, awkward and nerfed. I have no lock-on with firearms at all and have to free aim. Hand to hand moves are missing also. Especially the moves you learn in the gym, the ground and pound? *gone* .. What pisses me off most is they callusly removed the bird's eye camera view that swept thru the landscape, so now hanging out at my favorite spots only has one angle, unless you manually move it yourself, and it remains up too close and won't pan back far enough. Dull. Characters look absolutely hideous for some reason, somehow everyone is 10x uglier than on the Ps2. Scenes where CJ starts cussing have the audio cut out abruptly, and you watch the characters animate in silence. Horrible. Also for those that got good at entering codes on the fly in the midst of fighting, *they often don't work, and you die* YOU CALL THIS AN UPGRADE? This is a chopped up, watered down overly-censored downgrade that goes backwards, no improvement whatsoever. yet another quick cheap cash-in for the video game industry. Rockstar, you are a damned disgrace, & you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Now I have to find another Ps2 online to buy. Thanks for ruining my favorite, you pathetic money-grubbing punks. I want my $20 back. This ain't worth two cents and should've never been released. A blatant rip off & slap in the face to long time fans. Proves once again how cheap and greedy the industry has become in the last decade. | video-games_xbox |
I like even with all it's flaws. Well Lost Planet 2 has been out for years now and I am slowly going back and doing reviews on each of em.
Lost planet 2 could have been so much better then this. It almost feels like the programmers just quit working on it before it was done.
The career mode is almost over half Nevec.
They have a femme Fatal class that is not used in the main story.
The achievements will drive you to the internet.
They went to all the trouble of building up hype for Marcus and dom being in lost planet 2 but they are just appearance edits so they are not really in the game.
OK I get it, tell you some thing good about the game.
The VS robots are amazing in the game and a blast to operate.
The controls still handle as good as the first Lost Planet the roll evade control could use some tweaking tho.
The AI team bot intelligence most of the time is pretty dang good.
So now let's talk about guns, explosives and rocket launchers.
This is where Lost Planet 2 falls tragically short over the first one and most of the other games on the 360 that has weapons in it.
Almost every gun in the game just seems off on damage in some way.
They need to add a larger revolver to the game and move the fire effect and stats to that one.
Then reduce the damage and muzzle flash to the one in the game.
The machine guns do far to little damage for the size of the muzzle flash in the game. They either need to reduce the muzzle flash or increase the damage.
Snipers feel kind of off to me a critical hit does the right amount of damage but Non critical hits feel off to me.
The Hand cannon is amazingly spot on and the Heavy plasma cannnon feels about right to me.
I could go on, Just how off most of the weapons look and feel.
How ever the news is not all bad grenades are all perfect.
So how does character creation stack?
I will give this some slack after all this is the first Lost Planet with that feature.
Well Character creation is a short straw your parts are limited based on character type.
Plus your Class choice has no effect on cut scenes or dialog. With this being done they should of had all the parts available and used a different save system all together.
I hope they keep the character creation system and change how it's handled and re do career to instead had it where you choose the group and follow that one through the story. Instead of the career style in Lost Planet 2.
Parts choices are also a short order in Lost Planet 2 because the parts are separated by class with palette options if you play online expect to see other look a likes even in game there is a good chance you will see bots that look like your character.
Now if you look at the character class screen at some point they where clearly going to allow you to select a created character for the 2nd player off line mode too. But that got left out too.
So in the end Lost Planet 2 is jem of a game even with it feeling incomplete.
Would've been nice if they finished it instead of releasing death-match match maps. | video-games_xbox |
Brilliant. I have just finished the game after spending about 25 hours on it. I didn't level my character all the way to 20 nor did I even come close to finishing all the side quests or finding all the areas on the map.
High points:
Game detail is stunning to say the least. The atmosphere, soundtrack, and overall experience is one of the best I have seen. The only drawback are some of the character / NPC animations that are not as smooth as I have seen elsewhere. Secondly, the wasteland, vaults, destroyed towns, subways, and the greater DC area are exceptional. The level of detail these guys put into this is simply amazing. Additionally, this for me is what clearly separates and places this above Oblivion. The graphics are a notch higher, and the feel of the game is so much more engrossing.
Quests. The main questline is excellent, however very short. The sub-quests and side quests I have played are also very interesting with some really interesting plot lines and goals. You also get some great rewards for completing many of them.
Combat is a huge step ahead of Oblivion and IMO is much better than the previous fallout games. Its similar to the old Tactics game where you can play in real time than switch over to turn based. However Fallout 3 is much more fluid. In addition, with VATS you can add a lot more strategy to what you do, versus the old swing madly and back up or side step like is the standard fare in Oblivion. One of the best aspects of the game.
Leveling system. If you are familiar with the fallout SPECIAL and perk system than you will be familiar with this. They did some tweaking (anyone miss the gifted trait??) however it does much more to balance the game out. After playing for awhile I am glad they ditched the traits and gave you a perk every level. Also capping skills at 100 was the best way to go with the level cap.
Re-playability is excellent. After I finished the game as a virtuous sharpshooter I started a new character that is a melee bad karma master. Its a lot different and I am still having a great time with it.
Low Points:
Buddy AI. Later in the game you start to get followers that will tail you around and help with combat. The AI they use, while 80% of the time is fine, can sometimes be a big pain in the neck. Example is that my aforementioned character was a sniper. So I stealthed around to pop critical headshots whenever possible. Even after telling my follower to use ranged weapons, often she would charge ahead with her super sledge and engage in melee. So I couldn't get a clear shot and have to maneuver around to find an angle.
Game difficulty. After you get your power armor and plasma rifle, you 1-2 shot just about everyone. I had to put the difficulty up just to make it more challenging. In addition, when you have your mini-gun wielding companion, the difficulty generally takes a turn to the easy side as well. You can put the game up to very hard difficulty which is challenging, however I think they should have tweaked it a bit more to level it out at the same difficulty level.
I also have a small gripe with some of the perks. It seems that as you level some of the perks you get higher up just aren't worth much and some make you very powerful. It would have been nicer to see more perks that opened up more quest lines or portions of the game that would have not been available otherwise to balance out some of the purely combat enhancement oriented perks.
Another petty complaint is that you pop heads off of baddies like a drunk popping caps off a free case of bud light. Pretty soon every critical hit is a head flying through the air. Cmon DEVS!! I wanna see... something different once in awhile....
Noted Complaints from some other reviews.
I have played both the PC and the XBOX 360 version. If you have the machine for it, then get the PC version. The graphics on the highest setting are unbelievable and much better than the XBOX version. Also, DOWNLOAD it. If you get it from Direct2Drive or a similar vendor you don't have the DRM / disk check hassle that everyone has been QQing about.
Crashes and bugs. Didn't notice any on the XBOX version and had 2 crashes on the PC version. Both occurred at transition load points and both occurred after an auto save (the game auto saves A LOT)so it was not a hassle at all. The game was much more stuttery and had sluggish load times on the XBOX while compared to the much more fluid experience on the PC (another reason why I recommend this version).
Ammo, automap, and other gameplay issues. It seems from some of the other reviews that some people have been having issues with having not enough ammo, weapons, etc. I didn't have much of an issue with this. If you run out of ammo, find a small town, and go raider hunting. Loot - sell - buy ammo from stores / traveling merchants and BAM! you have much more ammo than you can shoot. I was selling the stuff later on cause I had so much to spare.
The map can be a hassle because it is a linear, single level affair and often your subways/buildings/ruins you are questing through are multi-level and not projected in 3D on your map. Hey, it adds to the challenge. It lets you know the quest ends at the top NW corner of the map for instance, but doesn't lead you by the nose to get there. Only one quest had me really pissed off - a multi floor warren of half collapsed sky scraper in downtown DC. But other than that they were pretty much straight forward.
As far as not having a bed, nowhere to repair, blah blah blah these people didn't play the game very much or just didn't understand it. There are quests to get your own house, decorate it, your own room in a hotel, etc.. Also, you can repair your own items from like items you loot or pay vendors. I don't understand how anyone with half a brain who has played the game for more than 2 hours can really complain about any of that.
Overall, I don't think the negatives impact on the overall experience much. I enjoyed the experience and place the game right next to Planescape: Torment as one of my top 2 fav RPGs of all time. Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
XBOX 360 Holiday Bundle 2013. <div id="video-block-R2NJFCOIY7RH0W" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1Dy6VIua4S.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/01dvgGpIaSS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> I am new to the Xbox 360 system, but my first impression is good. The console was easy to setup right out of the box, and everything seems high quality and durable. I've spent about a week trying out various games and features, and overall I'm satisfied with my purchase. I think this bundle would be a good starter set for casual gamers new to Xbox; it would also make a nice gift this holiday season.
The bundle features two best-selling and critically acclaimed games: "Halo 4", which comes in disc format; and "Tomb Raider", which comes in the form of a download code and instructions to redeem on Xbox Live. The unit also includes the trial versions of 6 games already downloaded - my favorite is an arcade game called "Peggle", which was so much fun I spent the $9.99 and bought the full version.
For those wondering if original XBOX games will work on the 360, the answer is primarily yes - this console will play most (not all) prior generation XBOX games. For what it's worth, I have tested several of the best-selling XBOX games, and they've all worked on the 360 unit. [Amazon user "Power House" very kindly posted a link to a full game compatibility list in the comments section]. Even those old games that do work on the 360, keep in mind that since they are not HD they don't look/sound as good as the newer games.
Two accessories are included in the bundle: a Wireless Remote (which can apparently reach up to 20-30 ft. away from the console) and a Headset (very cheaply made). The bundle also includes all required cables to get the unit working right out of the box - this includes a power cord and composite A/V cables. Unfortunately, an HDMI cable is NOT included, so you'll want to buy one if you wish to play/watch content in HD.
Xbox Kinect is a motion-based feature that allows you to play controller-free. This console is Kinect compatible, although it does not include the required sensor bar (so you won't be able to play Kinect games until you purchase it). If you are interested in the Kinect, then this bundle might be better for you: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-E-250GB-Kinect-Holiday-Value-Bundle/dp/B00FATRKLI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 E 250GB Kinect Holiday Value Bundle</a>.
As a bonus, buyers get one month free of Xbox Live Gold membership. The Gold membership allows you to do online multiplayer and connect with your friends. You can also access video streaming services directly on the console - examples include Netflix and Hulu (in fact, you get a one month trial subscription to Hulu when you purchase this bundle). I should note that after your free trial ends, a 12-month membership (optional) to Xbox Live Gold is going to cost you approximately $60, depending on what type of deal you can get. | video-games_xbox |
Best NBA Live Ever. I really don't know what happened this year. Reports claim that a lead game designer for NBA 2K left the company and is now with EA. That may or may not be true, but it doesn't matter...what matters is that EA got it right this year. NBA Live 10 is easily the best Live in the series, and I personally think the on-court gameplay is smoother and more exciting than the NBA 2K series...and this is coming from a HUGE fan of 2K's basketball mechanics.
There are so many great looking dunks, steals, fadeaway jumpers, etc, etc...the animations in this game are just awesome. The game is super-fluid and feels like it's running at 60FPS (not 100% sure though). I've witnessed a couple of awkward transition animations and some slight clipping here and there, but I can't recall one single framerate drop (and I notice those types of things immediately in most games). The tempo of the game feels just right, all the players movements are EXTEREMELY detailed and lifelike, the graphics are amazing, the sounds...WOW. I promise you haven't heard arena noise like this in a basketball game before. The crowd goes absolutely nuts during key moments, they explode during clutch moments when you hit a major shot, they chant "MVP, MVP" when your superstar is on a roll, they boo loudly if you attempt an ugly shot and miss, or when you on the receiving end of an ugly foul.
NBA 2K might have more player-specific animations, but I think Live is catching up quickly, plus Live's animations LOOK better in my opinion. The presentation is great, too. The pre-game warmups are all there, the highlights are slick and they're presented at the right times, the crowd and sideline animations are nearly as good as 2K's, the arenas are incredibly detailed, the players (for the most part) look like their real-life counterparts, and they even included the TNT Playoffs/Finals music. The game keeps you immersed the entire time and makes you feel like you're truly watching an NBA broadcast. The soundtrack is decent, just typical EA basketball stuff with some random forgettable hip-hop tracks.
The AI is actually pretty smart IMO, I see my AI teammates consistently running good plays, setting up nice picks, getting open when they need to, passing to the open man, etc on both ends of the court. That was one of my biggest problems w/ 2K basketball; many times the AI would just stand there until you actually called a specific play, instead of rotating positions and/or trying to get open. My only gripe is that CPU-controlled players will still randomly step out of bounds, but it only happens occasionally and it effects your team and the CPU, so it doesn't necessarily put you at a disadvantage. I'm also not a huge fan of Live's free throw shooting, since you have to hold down X until a meter fills and release it at the right time. It's okay, just not as cool as 2K's "signature shot" mechanics.
The typical EA modes are included, like dynasty, season, etc. There's actually a mode called Dynamic Season this year where you can literally play along w/ the real NBA season and update scores, team stats, etc. Also the Dynamic DNA is back so the individual player stats and tendencies will be updated daily throughout the season. It's basically a virtual NBA that you are controlling, and it has me pretty stoked. NBA 2K10 still has Live beat as far as game modes and options are concerned, especially since Live doesn't have a mode similar to 2K's "My Player", where you can create a new baller, enter the draft, join the pros and continue your path to greatness. I haven't tried Live 10's online yet, so I can't comment on that.
I bought NBA 2K games exclusively from 2K6 to 2K9. I haven't bought Live since Live 05, because I thought 2K nailed the look and feel of real basketball. I'm not saying 2K's game is bad at all this year, because it's still brilliantly designed and well executed. I'm just growing tired of NBA 2K in general, it's starting to become the next "Madden"...basically the same game every year w/ a few more polygons, new menus, some new animations, maybe a new career mode or season mode, etc.
This year I played both demos numerous times, and only one of them was making me jump to my feet, scream out loud, and pump my fist in excitement... in other words, this year's edition of Live had me totally immersed. It looks and feels like a brand new hoops game, and 2K10 felt like more of the same, just slightly more polished and refined. Some people will be totally fine with that, but I was looking for something different after becoming bored w/ 2K9 last year. For me, Live 10 delivered in a big way, so I bought it on release day and have no regrets. The game isn't perfect and some hardcore fans might still prefer 2K's style, but Live definitely took major steps in the right direction this year and unless 2K does something amazing with NBA 2K11, then I might have found my new basketball franchise. | video-games_xbox |
A blast. First off, It's sad that some of these people are giving this a bad review because they were the first ones up to buy the console even though they knew the risk that the first editions were faulty. Just call Microsoft Support and have it replaced for free.
Second, the disc getting scratched is usually caused by bumping or moving the system during operation, or transporting the system with a disk inside it (disc can get displaced and stuck inside the console). So if you don't wan't scratched disks, then be careful.
Now for my little review, etc...
A few faults of the Xbox 360:
- some of the Xbox titles don't work. Microsoft decided to only allow some games to be backwards compatible instead of all of them.
- some downloads (themes, gamertag pictures, and arcade games only) require Microsoft Points. I can deal with it... not like I need some classic games and decorations when I bought this for next-gen gaming.
-=- Review -=-
I've owned a Xbox 360 for about 2 months now, and I must say, I'm quite pleased. The graphics look astounding on just a plain TV... I can imagine how good it would look on a HDTV. I think it's worth the $400, but not more than that.
The Xbox 360 has a Online Market Place where you can view video trailers, download demos of Xbox 360 games, download classic arcade games, and a variety of other things such as purchase themes and gamertag pictures.
When I first recieved the Xbox 360, I couldn't get away from it for hours... that's how fun it was... especially since they give you a 1 month trial of Xbox Gold (a online subscription that allows you to play against other players). It also offers the simplicity of renewing your subscription ON the console... instead of having to go out and buy a time card.
They are implementing a camera feature which would look pretty sweet on Ghost Recon : Advanced Warfighter, but also to keep in contact with friends through the Xbox 360 Dashboard.
Luckily I spent the extra few bucks to buy a Media Center and the Xbox 360 just happened to have a built in extender! All I had to do was download some software for my MCE computer and now I can watch movies, play music, and some other cool stuff from my computer... meaning I don't have to worry about using up the limited space on the Xbox 360 HD. If you also happened to purchase a TV tuner (like me) you will be able to watch TV on your Xbox 360.
Pros:
- Optional Ipod Support (after download of the free software on Market Place)
- Xbox Market Place
- Hi-Def gaming
- Built-in MCE extender
- Backwards Compatibility (some is better than none)
- Interchangable Faceplates
- USB Wired controllers, which after installing some software can be used on your Windows XP based PC (I haven't found use for it yet, except for the headset...)
- Optional battery packs and charger for Wireless controllers (no more costly batteries)
Cons:
- Limited Backwards Compatibility
- Included Wireless controller interferes with wireless routers, etc.
- Rather measly Hard Drive. (You get to use about 14GB out of 20GB, the rest is used by the Xbox System.) But Microsoft intends to fix that with a 100GB Hard Drive, due to come out soon.
- Costly accesories (better buy some 3rd part stuff eh?)
- Only two controller ports (well 3 if you count the back)
- Wireless controller burns out batteries in under 24hrs of use.
- Headset is horrible when using on backwards compatible games. It skips and mixes your message (only if sending a message from friends list, not while actually playing the game. Example: Halo 2; A Message [woullud sosu nnnd li ike th hhis] if you were to send it through the friends menu, but works perfectly in the lobby or in game.
- Bulky power supply
- Bound to call support.
- I had to call after my headset broke due to faulty wiring (el cheapo microphono! Lol), but it got replaced for free.
- I had to call to delete the account of my brother, which got child-linked to my account
- I had to call to ask about that microphone fault in backwards compatibile games. | video-games_xbox |
Multipurpose accessory that is a must-have for XB1 owners. I purchased one of these last week from a local retailer, as supplies were very limited everywhere. I was mostly curious about what it could actually do, as TB and MS hinted that this was the killer accessory for third-party headphone integration, but no one was explicit about what it was capable of. So, after playing with it for a week, I can tell you a couple things:
1) IT is sold and marketed as an adapter for the 2.5mm chat cable used by most aftermarket gaming headsets to support chat. The device actually contains a 2.5mm-3.5mm adapter for that purpose. You can plug this into your XB1 controller and plug your old headphones' chat cable in to support voice communication on the XB1. You can also use your existing 2.5mm headset.
2)It requires that your controller's firmware be updated through a simple process using a MicroUSB cable (included) Plug it in, plug something into it, and a prompt will appear to walk you through the process. Very easy, takes about 1-2 minutes per controller.
3)It DOES support game audio on certain non-gaming headphones. From what I can tell, it works on CTIA-compliant mobile-device-compatible headphones. Those are usually the ones with an inline mic, designed for cellphones, etc. I use my Turtle Beach M5Ti and they are perfect. Cable length is just right, mic for chat and game audio for everything else.
4)Audio is being pushed over the same communication channel as the controller and chat, and I have seen a couple times where audio stutters, drops out, and then the controller disconnects and reconnects, so I'm unsure as to whether it is an interference or battery issue.
I played a couple hours of Titanfall and watched some video. With the TV muted. Through the headphones plugged into the controller. Definitely recommend.
UPDATE: Was able to use regular stereo headphones for game audio with no issues. So... best accessory ever. | video-games_xbox |
A Pleasing Disappointment. Ok. i have been a fan of the driver series ever since it's first release many many years ago. The graphics, the physics, even the fact that they weren't liscenesed cars. Now that we have the good ole past out of our way, lets talk about driver 3.
I bought this game without reading any reviews. I never read reviews till i explore things for myself. I read the manual and less than halfway through it i came to the credits. Thinking this was weird, i set it down and put the disk in my xbox. bla bla bla, on to the game.
The graphics were standard issue, nothing special, nothing below par for me. the first time i drove a car, i felt like a nascar driver in the dirt, pulling 360's in the road, and i wasn't even going anywhere. Using a little more care, i took off. It's taken me 3 hours of practice to get good with the physics of the cars alone, and that was a disappointment. no sense of speed either.
Next theirs the onfoot missions. Stepping out of my car for the second mission i found myself shooting at the sky. then a moment later, dead. at the time of this review, i have completed 1/3 of the game, and have just gotten used to the onfoot targeting and control scheme. horrible.
The cutscenes further the plot and are pretty, so watch them. they are much better than the game play. however, i have found that it is a very deep challenge this game, so i have tried and tried and tried to get my 50 bucks out of it. after you somewhat master the controls, the game just tests how well you know them more and more with each level. it seems like this happens to fast, as there is only (to my knowledge) 27 missions. if there were a lot more, as in the GTA series, it would be more entertaining instead of an extremely dragged out training simulation. if you can tolerate bad controls, glitches, and a very disappointing 3rd try, you may want to rent this. if you buy it, either finish the game and use the disk as a coaster, or return it. Driv3r compared to the GTA series is like tylenol compared to morphine. | video-games_xbox |
The Xbox One has changed the face of gaming. So far, so good. The Xbox One is really a marvel of technology. Microsoft crammed about as much performance into this machine as possible and it really shows in the latest generation.
I have been a desktop gamer (someone who uses a computer, not a console system like this) for many years, but finally got tired of it when I realized that system upgrades were generally costing me $500-800 every time I wanted to play the newest games (which was every few years) and I could get a new console system for less than that. So, starting with the Xbox 360, I switched over to console gaming and never looked back. The controllers make life easier (some complain that there's not "as much" that you can do with a controller vs. a keyboard but I feel like a keyboard system is just way too complicated) while still giving you plenty of features (two top hats, directional controller, four buttons, two triggers and two bumpers - that's 13 ways to interact with the game (since the top hats can also be pressed as buttons too) and I think that's plenty).
So, fast forward to this purchase of the new Xbox One with Fallout 4. Wow. The graphics are amazing. Gone are the days of people/creatures looking like polygons, they look like people. Computer generated people, yes - we haven't quite hit the live action virtual reality level yet, but the level of detail and quality are stunning. So, from a gaming perspective, I'm thrilled with the Xbox One.
Then there's the features of the system itself. Gone are the days of a gaming console just being a gaming console. Now, with the Xbox One, I can play games, listen to music, watch movies, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, surf the web, chat on Skype and MORE! Did I mention it can integrate with your CABLE SERVICE?!?!?!? Being able to switch from a game to watching TV or Netflix or whatever, quickly and easily is amazing. Being able to leave a game, jump into something else and then come back to the game UNINTERRUPTED is mind blowing. I've never seen anything like this and it really has to be experienced to be believed.
So, after I got the Xbox One, I decided to grab a couple of games at GameStop as well as picking up a gently used Xbox One Kinect. Whole. New. World. So, now I can *talk* to my Xbox, tell it to turn on, turn off, switch to a new app, play, pause, change channels...if I could ask it to get me coffee in the morning, I'd be all set.
On top of that, the Kinect + Live Gold = Fitness apps. No joke, they have free ones. If you're a couch potato like me, these apps are amazing. Get your butt up off the couch and make sure you spend 30 minutes with Fitness. If you're a workout nut, I think you'll find something in there for you as well. P90X anyone? Insanity? Just amazing.
To sum up, the Xbox One has changed the face of gaming consoles to become entertainment companions. It's no longer "Where do you want to go today?" it's "What would you like to do with your time?" Gaming, education, TV, movies, fitness...what else do you need? | video-games_xbox |
Much better than I expected, especially for Co-Op. I tend to only write reviews of products which did not meet my expectations, but to balance out my karma I'd like to recommend products which exceeded my expectations. I'm recommending Splinter Cell: Conviction because I really enjoyed playing it, especially for Co-Op gameplay.
One of my major gripes with any shooter on a console is the difficulty of aiming a headshot. No matter how many shooters I play, it is never as easy as keyboard-and-mouse controls on a PC. Splinter Cell: Conviction is a rare shooter that overcomes the limitations of the control scheme. Many other reviews criticise how this version of Splinter Cell has been 'dumbed down' from prior versions. I have only played the old Xbox version of Splinter Cell, and this game is much more satisfying to play on every level. I do not mind being tricked into thinking I'm more badass than my hand-eye coordination suggests. The game simply works smoothly.
The 'mark and execute' feature may seem cheap, but you must use some strategy to earn the privilege with a stealth takedown. It can be satisfying to use mark and execute to clear a room quickly instead of facing an all-out brawl. I may not be able to headshot four guys in a few seconds with a joystick, but Sam Fisher should be able to. The move makes sense, and keeps the 'realism' of lining up every shot personally from ruining what should be a badass moment. Even if you don't execute enemies you have marked, the feature helps you track their movements as they patrol. Compared to the narrow peripheral vision in most games, I finally felt I had some reasonable awareness of my environment. In Co-Op play, you and a buddy can share mark and execute moves, and take out as many as eight enemies at once. Those moments end up being cool instead of cheap.
When it comes down to shooting your way out of a situation, I like the cover mechanism better than games like Gears of War. I'm not as disoriented as I pop out to shoot, and it is easier to control whether you'll hop over the cover or dash around the side to the next cover. I like the ability to enter zoom mode only as I lean out. About half the gadgets are nonlethal ways to escape a combat situation, get back to the shadows, and proceed forward with stealth. Since I like stealth better than shoot-em-ups, that's a great feature.
All the visual feedback in the game tends to work well. The visual feedback (a black and white display palette) does a good job of letting you know when you're hidden without an obtrusive HUD icon. Since you'll probably have time to line up a headshot with the clunky joystick control scheme, you can maintain your illusion of badassery while hidden. The cursor is red if the range is lethal, but white if you're probably out of lethal range. You'll at least know if you are attempting a risky shot. My only gripe is that while using the sonar goggles, you cannot tell whether marked enemies are open for a shot. In a combat rush sitation, you may be changing visor views quicker than in Metroid Prime.
I only play Co-Op modes with my brother via Xbox Live, but we've gotten a lot of replay out of this game. We don't like the competitive Faceoff mode. I don't like the Last Stand mode, because hordes of rushing enemies isn't the stealth combat situation you buy Splinter Cell for. However, the Co-Op story and Hunter modes are excellent. I rarely play games at the Realistic level, but this game is manageable. In the Co-Op story mode there are a few set pieces where stealth is not possible, but the rest of the level makes up for it. There are not many game modes I can play indefinitely for fun, but Hunter is one of them.
I'd recommend Splinter Cell: Conviction to gamers who have tried console shooters and been disappointed. This game works with you and is forgiving about typical control limitations. In co-op mode, even if you can't line up shots accurately, you can probably contribute significantly to the success of a mission. This is a rare game among shooters. | video-games_xbox |
What's Different. Being an avid Tekken fan, there isn't much that gets me more excited than another sequel in my favorite fighting franchise. I had been looking forward to this one for the past year or so when news was hitting about it's upcoming release and as usual, I put down my pre-order dollars and picked it up first day. After some time playing with it though, somethings bothering me.
For perspective, I fell in love with Tekken with the first in the arcade and it's by far, my favorite fighting franchise. I've played every Tekken to date, and played them to death. Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection is my favorite and I believe the absolute best the series has to offer. So what's wrong with Tekken 6? I'm still not quite sure and that's what's bothering me.
Graphically, it looks very good, in fact the best it's ever looked, but somehow different. The characters have that next gen look about them but may be a little too shiny and bumpy for their own good. I have to admit though, the animations look incredible and very natural and lifelike. The stages are pretty good but nothing spectacular but feature some new break away floors and walls which is pretty cool. The pig sty stage is a real puzzler and is easily my least favorite of the bunch. The soundtrack is also pretty good but I still like Tekken 5 DR's much better. On all fronts though I have a real problem with the the end boss, stage and music. It all just seems so out of place that I have to remind myself I'm playing Tekken. They've tried these type of bosses before and for me, they just don't work. They're much more at home in Soul Calibur than Tekken. After the awesome Jinpachi in Tekken 5, this is a big let down.
Almost every character from the series has returned with a handful of new ones that all play pretty well and aren't totally out of place. I really don't like Lars and Leo though, they look very generic and are the least fun for me to use. I found Zafina to be the most fun of the bunch and the most natural addition with Bob being a close second. All my favorites still play well with some new moves that were fun to discover. The difficulty seems a little ramped up here and I found myself struggling more on medium level than I had in recent memory.
There are a ton of modes including a campaign mode that's like a 3D beat em up, but I personally don't care for it much. It's not fun and doesn't play well, look good and I don't appreciate that I have to go through it to get the characters endings instead of Story Mode which is oddly missing. This is also reminicent of Tekken 3 when they had a similar mode. There's also the standard vs, online, time attack and practice modes.
Like Tekken 5, there's rank promotions and gold to be earned through the campaign and arcade modes that'll enable you to customize your character to your liking. I like this feature in fighting games and I feel it really extends their life.
The oddest thing here is that I should be thrilled to be playing a new Tekken but I'm not. It looks and plays the same but somehow different. I can't quite put my finger on it. The best I can liken it to is when your favorite band comes out with a new album that's just not what you were expecting and your not sure how to feel about it. Tekken 6 is kinda the same and kinda different at the same time but not necessarily in the best way. I'm reminded of Tekken 4, many were put off by it but I didn't have a problem with it and enjoyed it just fine, but like Tekken 6, it was the first on a next generation console. Coincidence? I'm sure the same will be true here as it was with Tekken 4, some will love it while others may feel more like me. Either way, it's still a good game though and I'm gonna play it for a long time and hope it grows on me a little more. I still do recommend it to long time Tekken fans and maybe a rent for newcomers. I invite you to leave any comments on how you feel about it and why.
11/01/09 Update: After considerable playtime with Tekken 6 I believe the problem is a number of small changes that add up to a big difference for longtime vets. Graphically, I think T6 should look alot better but many of the stages are either very dark or the colors have been cranked up so much that much of the detail is lost. Sound wise, the soundtrack is ok but not among the best in the series. A couple of the tracks just sound weird. The Scenario Campaign, which is the 3D beat-em-up mode, seems to have taken center stage and was probably the focus of way to much time and energy on the part of Namco. After all the effort on their part, it doesn't even play well enough to justify the sacrifice. It's just not fun and it's not why we play Tekken. The biggest omission is the Story Mode that rewarded us with a cool cinematic for each character. Their whole reason for being in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. After too many attempts to beat Azazel, the games disappointing final boss, I was rewarded with end credits. The cinematics are why we play through every character and now there isn't that motivation to do so anymore. The difficulty has been ramped up alot to the point of frustration on anything past "EASY", which isn't all that easy either. The last thing that stands out this year are the loading times. Even though they aren't that long, they've never shown up in previous Tekkens and I don't see the reason for it here. I found that installing the game to the hard drive helps but it takes up alot of memory and we shouldn't have to do it in the first place. We want our fighting games fast and ready to go. So that's it for me. It felt different from the first time I popped it in and played it but now I know why. I've accepted it and I'm gonna keep on playing it but I don't think it'll dethrone Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection as the true King of the Iron Fist. Here's to hoping Namco figures this out and gives us a better Tekken 7. | video-games_xbox |
Incredible....nothing more to say. Alright, if you've played Splinter Cell Pandora Tommorrow like I have, I think you can sympathize with me saying it wasn't so desirable. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory takes the steps at Splinter Cell Pandora Tommorrow and transforms its title from Ho-ho-horrible to ho-ho-holy ****!This game has SOOOOO many more add ons, and they've all been for the better.
PROs:
-You can walk backwards in this game with or without a meat-shield. Now I know that doesn't sound like much, but if you've played the previous games, and had to take the time for Sam to turn all the way around when a guard is coming.....gunshots, mission failure, etc. You get the point.
-Sound Monitor. Oh yeah, baby! If you want to walk loud or softly, this thing can tell you if it is safe or not to do so. It tells you your current sound level and ambient sounds (background) so you know if the background noises cancel out yours. Its nice! -Instant knockout system. This is what we have all been waiting for. Remember how Sam had to knock out a guard which was facing him in the face up close by elbowing him twice. You could be shot and killed in that time! Not anymore! From here on out, when the guard gets close, simply hit R (to kill him) or L (to knock him out. More points goes to knocking out ;) It takes one hit, and they are down. Easy as that.
-Three words: OCP. Wait, thats three letters.....nevermind! This thing can, get this, hack a computer from several feet away from the computer. That's right! No more up close and personal in the computer screen's face in the light... This think can even tell if something is jammable or not. Which leads us to number 5 (and sadly our last:()
-Jammer. Ever been caught at that light you knew could be shot out, but you JUUUUST couldn't get she shot right? (BOOM!) Miss. Well good job, Elmer Fudd. Now the alarms are raised and you gotta hide from the guards. This jammer knocks out the light without destroying it. Oh and get this, if you miss, no noise. NO NOISE! No alarms, no gunshots, no death. It's an electronic jammer, so no more pesky bullets missing their targets!(Stupid bullets!)
Absolutely recommended. So buy this game! Help Sam save the world once more! | video-games_xbox |
A solid game. For anyone who's never played the original star wars lego game - it's a tongue-in-cheek take on the star wars franchise. The characters never have spoken dialogue, and the re-created cut-scenes are "modified" to be a little more funny (like R2-D2 falling off the back of Luke's land speeder).
The game plays like a lot of other action/adventure games and follows the plot of the original star wars trilogy. There are two basic game modes: story mode where you play through as specified characters; and freeplay where you play as any one of multiple characters at your choice and can switch between anyone quickly. In regular story mode there can be up to 6 playable characters on the screen at any one time - which clutters up the view a bit.
In place of a main-screen, there's a "cantina" where you can select the level and buy extras, hints, and character models using "studs" collected during the course of the game. (e.g. buying invincibility or Greedo).
There is a co-op mode that allows friends to play as another on-screen character, but otherwise the multiplayer aspect is very shallow. There is no XBL support.
The camera angles will probably drive you mad at points. There are several stages where you must jump from one ledge to another and depth perception can be really skewed by the camera angles. The aim is rudimentary - simply point your character in the direction of the bad guy and you may, or may not, hit him.
My only remaining beef with this game is replayability. There's a ton of things to do before you have "done everything" there is to do. (e.g. there's an item in the cantina that costs 30 million studs to buy - an average mission probably only nets about 100,000 studs at best). But once everything is done - and there are plenty of walk-throughs on the internet - that's about it for the game.
Overall, this is a game that's fun to play through and see your favorite star wars characters as legos. Of course, if you don't like star wars, this game isn't for you at all - but what are you doing playing video games if you don't like star wars? At any rate, this game is a bit steep for $60 and chances are it'll be gathering dust after a month or so. This is a good game for anyone to rent, but only serious star wars fanatics should buy. | video-games_xbox |
The most realistic yet. First let me say this is NOT a first person shooter, the camera is placed in a third person view directly over whichever team you happen to be controlling at the time. If you can get past that, you're in for a good time.
With that said, I'll say this is the most tactically solid war game I've yet to play. Use buildings, couches, rubble, bushes, cars, everything in the environmet as cover to safely lay down fire with one team and sneak up on the target with the other and eliminate the threat. Don't get too close though, they'll realize you're there and adjust their fire accordingly. Can't flank the target? Lay down suppresing fire and use the other team to launch an M203 grenade right on top of him. Don't suppress too often though, you've only got a limited supply of ammo until you can get re-supplied. Got a wounded soldier? Can't leave him behind, tell your team to administer first aid and one soldier will pick him up, leaving you two weapons short of a full fire team in addition to slowing you down until you can get to an aid station.
Use your mind and not your trigger finger to do well on this game although there is definately no shortage of action. Just enough pauses to let you consult your GPS and draw up a plan of action on your next objective.
Graphics and sound are both great, as is the AI on both your soldiers and the enemy. Your team will seek cover if they should come under fire as will the enemy (unless you are in the middle of an open field, but you're smart enough not to do that...right?).
The only complaints I have (and they're not that bad, actually) is (1) no head to head multiplayer, I think they could have used the training environment with the "Laser-Tag" gear to pit squad vs. squad capture the flag style tournaments online. (2) It's difficult to keep an eye on one fire team while controlling the other, but you can learn how to keep them safe while you're away. (3) the squad (two four man fire teams) is comprised of your textbook, cliche squad-members; the hard-core Sgt who is your basic bad-a@#, the kid who has more fun playing soldier than doing anything else, the kid from the "hood" who likes to run his mouth, the kid who joined just to piss of his parents, etc. Not only have I seen these in every military movie made but I've been in the military for almost 7 years and I've seen all eight of these same personallities in every unit, platoon and squad I've been in as well (three separate units with countless separate squads and fire teams in each). And finally (4) the M203 is technically NOT a direct fire weapon like the game says. True, it IS mounted to an M16 or in this case the M4 and there are sights mounted to said weapons designed for the grenade launcher, but you still need to launch it with an arc otherwise it will not go very far. The way you see it fire in the game, it's a very flat trajectory like an RPG and that is not how it's actually fired.
I actually give this game 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 stars and I'd recommend this to any war game fan as long as the individual realizes it's not a first-person shooter. If you can get past that one fact, you should be extremely happy with it. Only time will tell on the replay value though. | video-games_xbox |
Gorgeous, generous, gratifying but also...heartbreakingly disappointing. I can't help but feel that this could have and should have been much more, especially on next gen. Yes, it is technically rather stunning, but perhaps not the generational leap I was expecting. Where was the dark, dangerous, desperate world we saw in the 'Killing Monsters' trailer? Where is the haunted protagonist whose eyes burned with regret and anger? The demonic army, the end of days, the desperation, the mysterious world you could lose yourself in.
Just look at this trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0i88t0Kacs
Does anything in the game ever remotely approach the tone, the writing or the atmosphere here?
Instead what we get, and don't take this the wrong way, is a highly polished and gritty Kingdoms of Amalur or Dragon's Dogma. Deep, addictive, enjoyable, sometimes funny, but nothing we haven't seen or played before.
I dare say it may even have been possible on last gen. Just look at Red Dead Redemption, a game so many have compared to this one. A game that even with outdated tech, sold you on its atmosphere, its world and its characters. Or what about The Last of Us, which managed to tell a much more powerful, mature and haunting story in a fraction of the 200+ hours it took me to complete Witcher 3? I still wonder about Joel and Ellen Page from time to time.
Tonally, I feel this game should have been similar to Dark Souls: mad monsters, bloodthirsty brigands, bloody barons, demonic elves that ride around in flying ships, insane kings, a lone warrior on a quest to find a mysterious white haired girl, a world on the brink of destruction.
Instead the world we get is cartoonish. Monsters can often be found mere feet from villages. In the city of Novigrad, you are chopping people's heads off in full view of everyone, only to return minutes later to a game of Gwent with Zoltan the dwarf (I do love his accent).
As big as it is, I felt like the majority of the game takes place in Velen/Novigrad, and both those areas felt samey. Skellige, on the other hand, had some of that mystery, that dreamlike sense of wonder, even if you are killing the same monsters. The desert area you see in the trailers is the only true surprise in the game, yet it is a wasted opportunity, and over far too soon.
The story, starts off intriguingly enough (lilac and gooseberries), but quickly becomes a jumble of exposition, with little of it making any sense. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but the meat of the plot seems to be: find Ciri here, you just missed her, now go look for her there, missed her again. Doh. Game of Thrones this is not.
Having said that, gotta love that Bloody Baron.
In all of this, in the world building, the story telling, the characters, and the overall conclusion, Witcher 3 felt like nearly next gen.
Perhaps, instead of going open world and stuffing the game with dozens of side missions, if CDPR had focused on a tighter more narrative led game along the lines of Witcher 2, this might have been one of those games of a lifetime. Instead, it winds up being merely excellent,
It will be a while before we see what this generation of consoles is truly capable of. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an outstanding warm up. I can't wait to see where we go next. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Game with a few issues. Generally speaking, this is a fun game. I purchased this much after the original release date after a friend recommended it. I had played the first Far Cry so that was what I expected. This game is much more than that - it's like having three games in one.
Story Mode - It's a solid story that I have yet to finish (probably have logged 15 or so hours). Some gamers could probably finish it quicker but I enjoy going on the side quests, hunting events, etc. The crafting and gun customizations are good additions. Generally speaking I have had very few technical issues when playing story mode.
Co-op - this is up to 4 players. I play split-screen with my girlfriend while playing simultaneously with 2 of my online friends. Usually we have no problems. Sometimes there are long load times. Sometimes the game does not display the split-screen player's (player 2) level correctly - it sets it as level 1. Usually the values will correct themselves if you back out and then re-join co-op. The gameplay itself is pretty fun. There are 10 or so episodes, each take about an hour to play. Usually an episode is broken into about 5 scenes and one of these scenes is a competition between the players (who can get the most kills with a certain weapon, or deliver bombs with a vehicle, etc). This mode is the least glitchy when it comes to interacting with other players online.
Multiplayer - this mode causes the most issues for me. The process to load games with friends is not very good - most games will let you set up a lobby with your friends, then look for games as a group. This game does NOT do that. Players must join a game and then try and invite their friends. A lot of times trying to get 2 or 3 friends on the game is next to impossible because of this process. The other issue I have happen time to time is that l am the only person on my team (or it is just me and a friend that has joined my party). The other team has the maximum players so the game becomes rather lopsided - say 2 against 6. If I had to guess I would say this happens 10% of the time I play. There are also the usual host migration and lag issues with most FPS multiplayer games. With all that said, I enjoy playing the multiplayer - I just wish they would fix the obvious glitches/issues.
Map making - honestly I have not played with this feature very much. From what I have quickly looked at it looks very robust. I wish they offered more instruction on map making in the booklet that comes with the game. The biggest issue I have with it is that it allows you to add NPC characters and animals but you cannot publish a map with them in the map (or at least I have not found any way to do it). I think it would be fun to create online custom co-op maps where you fight NPCs as a team. Unfortunately, it appears that you can only add these characters and play against them when in edit mode > test map. I have played on some user made maps in multiplayer - those are usually nice and usually are available in the standard game types.
Overall I feel like I got my money's worth ($20). I would recommend others play it but realize that there are issues that come with it. | video-games_xbox |
Great bundle. I love the Assassin Creed series. Great bundle. I love the Assassin Creed series, and was just going to pick it up at Best Buy originally. But they were out of stock, and so I looked here, and I ordered it Sunday July 12th, and it had a deal where Assassin's Creed Unity was free. Normally the game costs $40 new at Best Buy, (all new released games are $60 to start), but here on Amazon it was around $18. But it came free with the bundle when I ordered it, so I had to pull the trigger.
I'm also glad I got the 1TB option instead of the 500GB. I also picked up Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, since AC Unity was free, and it came with the Master Chief download (Halo 1, 2, 3, 4), which takes 80 GB. I downloaded AC Black Flag as it was a free Games with Gold, and that was 21 GB. I'm now down to 604 GB free after these "four" games. CoD AW and AC Unity are around 50 GB of space. I don't think I'll run out of space, but if I do, I'll get an external hard drive, since Xbox One allows that. I'm glad I got the 1 TB option, as if I got the 500 GB, I'd be down to around 100 GB space left.
The description in this version of the Master Chief 1TB version w/ AC Unity is wrong. It says the game is a standard edition, but is pictured with a limited edition box. When I received it in the mail yesterday, Tuesday, July 14th, it did come with the Limited Edition disc, which comes with a bonus mission - The Chemical Revolution.
Xbox One was easy to set up. Took maybe five to ten minutes after initial software update and loading, and playing around with all the settings.
It has the new matte black finish on the side of the disc tray, and the same gloss black on the side of the vent. i like the matte black finish, as it won't leave as many fingerprints then if it was all glossy like the Day One edition.
Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase, and glad I waited for this bundle. I'm looking forward to backwards compatibility release, when that comes out this fall. | video-games_xbox |
Worst Lego game, in my opinion. It's fine if you just want to pass the time. I love Lego games. I own them all. This is my least favorite for several reasons.
There are only about 14 levels. Most of those levels are ridiculously long. If you save halfway through, you are likely to lose some of your mini kits.
There are so many things crammed onto the levels that it can get annoying. I hate having to keep going back to change Batman or Robin suits. I hate that I can't just pick a suit in freeplay mode. I can only use a suit when it's there and needed.
My game only had a couple glitches, but it just added to the frustration I already felt. Google helped me fix the biggest problem....you finally defeat the Joker robot, Lex and Joker are together, and Robin comes to Batman's rescue. It would freeze right there so that I couldn't finish the level. I just pressed the big green xbox button on the controller over and over and over so that the game could "catch up". It worked, but there are other solutions online. The other glitch was in Lego World. If I used the batmobile to go up the ramp to collect studs, the car would crash over and over and over forever. I had to start over, losing my progress.
You can walk or fly around a really cool Gotham City. It's pretty cool, but it takes forever to get everything and it gets monotonous. The worst were the flying controls. I would be about to land perfectly, and the controls would stop me, turn me around, and leave me quite a distance away from where I was about to land. It was so frustrating, but I like to finish things so I just kept at it.
It took me forever to figure out the map, but once I did, it was easy to navigate and find the things I needed.
I'm at close to 100% on this game, but it has taken me forever. I only get a few hours to play every few days and I've been at it for weeks. With the other games, when I was almost finished, I'd just go through finding the mini-kits, then save/finish level. It shaved so much time off, but this one won't save the mini-kits unless you play all the way through. At least I hope they'll save that way. I haven't found out for sure. | video-games_xbox |
Halo Reach, From a Gamer. Before you start reading my review keep in mind I am highly knowledgeable on this topic. I love all the HALO Games, this one in particular, because like ODST and Halo Wars it brought a new hero, or heroes I should say,and not just any hero, a new spartan hero. Thats right, you play from the perspective of SPARTAN-B312, or Noble Six. A lone wolf brought into Noble Team by none other then the Spartan III programs founder, Colonel James Ackerson, (Catherine Hasley founded the Spartan II program, which is Master Chief's generation of Spartans). In the opening scene (SPOILER!) Carter is seen talking to who I presume is Colonel Jackson. And they talk then go into the Falcon(I'll explain in more detail later in the review. And fly away, now here is all the new features, weapons and vehicles etc.
New Features
--------------
Armor Abilities such as
-Jetpack, which gives you the ability to fly for approximately 10 seconds.
-Sprint, self explanatory.
-Active Camo, 10 seconds of invisibility.
-Armor Lock, Invincibility for 10 seconds.
-Drop Shield, It's like the bubble shield and regenerator in Halo 3 combined.
-Evade, It's well... evading.
-Hologram, Makes a hologram of yourself and it runs straight and doesn't make an effort to dodge stuff, but used correctly it can fool your enemy.
Fall Damage
-We now take fall damage.
New Vehicles
--------------
-Falcon, Basically a hornet without,the turret on it's front, but with 2 turrets on the side.
-Revenant, Mini Wraith thats red and shoots red plasma mortar, which is very ineffective against shields but is very effective against no shielded opponents.
-And briefly you can ride a Sabre.
New Weapons
-------------
-DMR (Designate Marksman Rifle), Basically a BR but it's semi-automatic.
-Focus Rifle, A covenant sniper that is 2x zoom and shoots a laser than "splashes" your face when it hits you making it difficult to see, which makes up for it's lack of power.
-Grenade Launcher, it launches grenades and when you hold the trigger button it doesn't blow up until you release and when you release any vehicles withing a close radius are "EMP".
-Needle Rifle, Needler with more accuracy and less power. But the bullets still explode if enough of them are shot.
Thank you for reading.
~Sami | video-games_xbox |
Great game. I believe that this game has been largely under-appreciated because many people got lost and confused in the beginning of the game. I'll admit, I was one of them - when I started playing Risen, I felt that there was a great game hidden there, but I couldn't get through to it because I wasn't sure what to do. I literally just explored the island fighting animals and monsters, enjoying it and thinking, "well, I guess that would be the game for me." It was only at the replay when I discovered the "door" into other three chapters of the game and how great it was.
GAMEPLAY
Game-wise, Risen has reminded me of the Two Worlds - same as there, you have a large "free-roaming" world to explore with the main quest and side missions that you get after talking to people. In Risen you are a traveler stranded on the island and, to get off it, you have to understand what is going on there. Through the game you learn to use various weapons of your choice, certain level of magic, ability to mine gold, make swords, open locks, cook, or steal. All of these allow you to either progress in the game or complete certain missions. Risen is an RPG where you receive experience points, which give you learning points, which in turn allow you to use them to learn certain skills or get strength points from various teachers.
ENVIRONMENT
In overall, the environment feels very realistic and beautiful. Day turns to night, sunny weather turns into rain or a thunderstorm, the sun and the moon rise and set, and the clouds realistically move across the sky. There are forests, lakes, rivers, swamps, mountains, caves - in overall, anything you want if you like to explore the "open-world" games. The map is very small and does not provide a great assistance - it only helps to realize you current location - so you have to rely on your memory and ability to orient yourself in space.
THINGS TO DO
The game offers you many interesting things to do inside and outside the quests. As part of the quests, you can fight in the arena, investigate crimes, solve problems for people or provide them with necessary ingredients for a price or some cool rewards. Outside the quests, you can explore the world, fight monsters, make health-improving jewelry, open treasure chests, or learn how to sneak, steal, or pick pockets. You can learn blacksmithing and then make great swords for yourself or for sale. Through the game you may come across some herbs or various foods that you can either cook to improve their healing qualities or combine them into powerful potions. You can also collect loot or steal things and then sell it to vendors (prices are the same, so whoever you sell it to doesn't matter).
COMBAT
Combat is a strong part of the game. Unlike many other games, in Risen your enemies are fordable opponents - they don't attack you one by one but all together and most of them try to trick you or flank you, so you always have to be on your toes. The basic weapons are: various swords, staffs, knives, or bows and crossbows. Like I mentioned, you can improve your fighting level and learn various sword or staff techniques. You can also use the shield and high sword levels allow you to carry a shield and a heavy sword in each hand.
TIPS
You would have to choose between joining the bandits or the inquisition. That's where the main confusion is. If you try to please both, you'd get stuck like I did. If you want to join the bandits, talk to the blacksmith in their camp and get the "golden sword" quest - collect the pieces, have it made, but don't give it to the smith and give it to Don yourself. If you want to join the Inquisition, just go to the Temple. Whichever faction you choose, the game stays almost the same (some quests might be different, though). In any way, the key is the Harbor Town - choose the side and do the Harbor Town quests ONLY for this side (minimum four); after that the game becomes clear to follow.
If you join the bandits, you end up getting a better armor and higher sword training.
If you join the bandits, getting out of the Harbor Town would be difficult. Just climb on top of the wall somewhere and find the spot where you can carefully slide down using the "matrix" of the wall (using locations around either on the gates is the easiest way).
Some enemies are really tough to fight. Just fight-push them into a wall - their fighting aggression drops in half.
Your character moves slowly - you can use the "speed" spell; however, you can also hold the "jump" button. He will move in a funny way, but much faster.
Don't waste the herbs and ingredients (the "hero's crown" is crucial), instead wait until you get the recipes so you can get better potions.
If you are low on health, or just don't like the time of the day or a particular weather, just find a bed, sleep for 12 to 24 hours until you get what you want. It's a good idea to have strategic "bed" locations in each area.
ENJOY | video-games_xbox |
What's Within Your Soul. What's within your soul? Do you have what it takes to defeat the deadliest warriors in the universe in order to possess the awesome power of the Soul Calibur? Are your mental and physical skills up to the challenge of facing other warrior-wannabes in online play?
If so, then I highly recommend that you purchase this game. One play-through and your soul will be changed forever. Complete the missions, and you will be on your way to becoming a TRUE WARRIOR!
Ok, enough of the corny stuff. Soul Calibur IV is an awesome game. For solitary players, it offers the following adventures. Story, Tower of Lost Souls, and Arcade. The Story mode is similar to what we've known over the years. Each fighter goes through his or her unique story, fight battles, and then reach their own unique story ending. Arcade should also be familiar to most soul calibur veterans. Basically, you pick your fighter and fight through stages until you battle The Apprentice. Upon beating The Apprentice, which is easier said than done, you get to fight this strange guy (strange, even by SC standards!) called Algol. Algol reminds me of Necrid from SC2. Tower of Lost Souls is an advanced stage. Basically, you want to be very comfortable with your chosen characters' move sets before you set out for the Tower. I suggest that you play through Story and Arcade modes with your favorite/created characters before going to the Tower. You want to be able to use helpful skills, as well as the best weapons, in order to play through the Tower. The weapons can be expensive to purchase. Hence, the need to play for cash first. Tower of Lost Souls is somewhat similar to Weapon Master from SC2. Basically, you play against the CPU.
Character Creation is back! This time, your model will look like one of the main characters in the game. You can outfit your model with armors, head gear, etc. You can even strip Sophitia and the other ladies down to their bikini, if you want! Bear in mind though that although that's eye candy, leaving your character without armor will lower their stats. In SC4, the armor affects the character stats.
Are the characters "balanced", in terms of fighting effectiveness in versus play? From what I have seen so far, they seem to be. My experience in Versus play is limited though. Does the CPU play fair in single player mode? Ofcourse not, this is Soul Calibur! Fight The Apprentice in Arcade and you will see how this works against you. Even a good Soul fighter will find themselves repeatedly off-axis. A lot of your moves, especially vertical ones, will miss. However, The Apprentice will usually be on-axis. And he can pull together a long string of moves that is very, very hard to interrupt. I found that a character like Amy, with her 4B is much better against this guy than say, Sophitia. But that's just my style of play, perhaps. Using a player with hard to pull combos, like Ivy, required me to use a lot of throws just to beat The Apprentice. But I lost many, many more battles against this guy than I won.
I have always been a fan of Namco-Bandai. They seem to release games that appeal to me. From Xenosaga, Baten Katos, Eternal Sonata, Tekken, and all the way to the Soul Calibur series. They have a way of making even the characters in a fighting game very endearing.
Yoda or Darth Vader? I have the XBox version of the game, so I get Yoda with my edition. Yoda is fun to play, however, I have read other reviews from people who have both PS3 and XB360 versions of the game that say they prefer Darth Vader on the PS3. I do not have the PS3 version, but let me just say that for fighting games, I prefer the playstation controller to the 360 controller. I have SC2 in PS2 and Xbox versions. I much prefer playing the PS2 version due to the design of the PS controller. But that's just a personal preferrence on my part.
To sum up, this is a great game. SC4 is more technical, and the move sets are a lot deeper than in previous versions of the game. I believe you could play this game for a year, and still find ways to improve your game during the second year. And maybe beyond. The replay value is endless. And if you are very technical and enjoy complication, you will just simply love Ivy. If you thought her move list was extensive in SC3, think again. Learning how to pull off Summon Suffering is a major hobby unto itself! Yeah, I love Soul Calibur! I believe you will also. | video-games_xbox |
Solid Charging Solution for XB1. I purchased this unit to replace a defective Energizer-branded PDP charging station. Sadly, with the popularity of the PDP solution, their quality has gone drastically downhill, for both their XB1 and PS4 chargers. My XB1 charger had an issue with the top dock, and the light being out of sync. It would still show red, when charging, then would turn off, instead of going green. The issue, though, was that removing the controller would result in the green light turning on, and practically blinding me.
The Nyko Modular Charge Station for XB1 is a simple and clean integrated solution. It includes two protective covers (think screen protectors) to protect the glossy surface where this device mounts. Considering that it mounts with suction cups, and no hard plastic is in contact with the console, I have omitted using them. Traditional suction cup rules apply, despite not being mentioned in the directions. Make sure to clean the surface where it will be mounted, and wet the suction cups prior to latching them down.
Functionally, the batteries and covers appear to be well made, although it will obviously take some time to ensure that they maintain a healthy charge life. Additional batteries are available separately, which did influence my decision to make this purchase, and I will likely purchase extra batteries to have as a contingency. The initial charge time was a little slow, at around five hours for a full charge. However, it was mostly expected, due to the charger being powered by USB. Placing the controllers into the cradle is simple, and requires no undue delicacy or fiddling to get it in the right position.
Aesthetically, it is low profile and the exposed plastic closely matches the appearance of the glossy black on the console itself. The logo and charging icons are only visible when one or both controllers are charging, otherwise, it will appear completely black. It blends in to the entertainment center nicely, and putting the controllers on top of the console saves space over other charging solutions.
If there is one minor quibble to be had, it is that because of the spacing and orientation of the controllers in the dock require me to remove my XB1 Stereo Headset adapter each time I have a gaming session. While it is easy enough to do, I am unsure of what the impact on the controller will be in continually attaching and removing it over time. | video-games_xbox |
Too much to pay for only 8MB. $21.95 for 8MB of memory??!! This is unacceptable. 8MB equates to around 500 blocks of space for the XBOX. 500 blocks would only hold one Splinter Cell save, there are some games (KOTOR) that you can't even save because the file is too big. Sure the XBOX has a massive hard drive, but what about those of us who want to back up our hours of game play in case the XBOX has problems and require service? You hard drive will more than likely lose all of your data after it returns from service. What if your hard drive just quits on you one day?
If you want to back up your XBOX data in case a catastrophe occurs, you have two options 1). Purchase anywhere from 50 - 100 of these little Memory Units at $22 a pop 2). Purchase a bigger memory card, like MegaXKey, or Max Drive for XBOX, that hold 4 times the space for only $10 more. On top of both of these cards also allow you to moves your XBOX saves to your PC's hard drive and even burn them to a CD. Because of the included USB to XBOX adapter you can connect these to both your PC and XBOX; this means you can back up all of your savable game files to your PC by only having to buy one memory card. Better yet, use of these items do not require your XBOX to be modded in anyway. After backing up all of my data to my PC, I restored them to my XBOX and had no problems with the files although the Max Drive is a little more user friendly and also can go up to 64MB!
XBOX's are composed of man-made mechanical items that will eventually fail or have problems. No one wants to lose all of their data just because they are unable to back up their stuff. It is too bad Microsoft forces their customer to depend on the hard drive only since they do not offer a cost-effective, efficient method of back up. To add insult to injury, they don't even offer bigger memory cards! 8MB is the largest and ONLY memory card option they have!
I love my XBOX, but Microsoft really needs to get with the program here and offer bigger memory cards and also an option to back up saved game files. If other companies can do it, why can't they? Unless you want to carry around a pocketful of these tiny memory cards, your best option for back up is something like MegaXKey or MaxDrive.
Unless you are just using the memory card for saving small game files like rosters or settings, then I don't think Microsoft's memory cards are worth the money. | video-games_xbox |
Star Ocean: Last Hope Review. Having never played a Star Ocean game before, I was a little iffy about picking this one up. I didn't know if it would be another Final Fantasy clone or really stand out amongst the masses of JRPG games that have been hitting the 360 lately. After checking out some pretty decent reviews, I decided to take the leap and pick up the game on a whim.
From the start of the game, I got the feeling that the combat would be a lot like Tales of Vesperia. This is a good thing, as I loved every minute of Tales and for a game to bring up memories of a favorite is definitely a plus. The combat is similar, but not exactly the same. Where Tales used a lot of one button (maybe 2 button) presses to take down most enemies, Star Ocean at least involves a little more strategy. You can whip yourself around bad guys when they least expect it (blindside move) and attack from their rear, issue orders, etc. There's a lot going on in combat, but it's not hard to manage. There are a lot of tools at your disposal, how (or if) you use them, are completely up to you. The combat through the first couple hours of the game remained fresh and exciting, and I actually looked forward to getting new skills and abilities. Where other games kind of throw them at you, I got the feeling SO eases you into them and gives them out a lot less often.
The story in this game is different that most RPGs I have played (remember, I never played the other Star Ocean games). The world suffered after World War 3 and sent explorers into the heavens to find a new home for Earthlings. You play Edge Maverick, one of the chosen explorers on the maiden voyage. That's about all you need to know to get started in the game. Like all games though, something has to go horribly wrong and it does, thus throwing you right into the action (if after a pretty long cutscene). There is a support character, named Reimi, who is your childhood bestfriend. The relationship between the two is definitely going to make for some interesting story elements. While they aren't "in love", they do have a very deep bond between the two of them. As time goes on, it looks like a love interest could form between the two given the right circumstances. And by circumstances, I mean user inputted actions. I didn't realize this was something the series does, but you control the feelings of people towards you (to a degree). For instance, in the first level, you stumble upon a flower patch. Reimi looks at the flowers and says they are beautiful. You are given 3 options to respond... "They are beautiful", "You are beautiful", "You are both beautiful". Obviously, being a chick, she want's to hear number 2 and if you choose that, you are going to increase the affinity between you and Reimi. If you chose the flowers are beautiful, Reimi may be insulted and the affinity between the two of you will decrease. With increased affinity comes increased cut scenes and pivotal moments between the characters (this doesn't just happen with Reimi, you can form bonds with all characters). When an affinity reaches a high enough level, guys and girls can share a room together...leaving the rest up to the imagination.
Graphics are a big thing for me. I love the direction current genre games are taking graphics. Tales of Vesperia was a great looking game, but I'm not too big into the anime scene. Last Remnant was a decent looking game, that had trouble performing/loading. Star Ocean on the other hand, looks great. It's nothing to write home about (a la Gears, MGS, or Killzone 2) but it's a very good looking game! Although the characters do show some anime sides to them (namely the eyes), it's easy to look past because they have normal sized features. But, anime might be your thing so that comment is just opinion. The worlds are varied and the colors are really pretty in some areas. You may not have many stop and smell the roses moments, but you will enjoy the ambiance.
Overall, I'm loving Star Ocean: The Last Hope. It's the perfect RPG to hold us fans over until FF13 comes out this year (or next). If you love collecting things, there's a ton of things for you to do. From enemy data, to battle trophies, room items, ship data, spells, it's all there. It's a collector's dream. Finishing this game is said to take around 40-60 hours, but if you want to complete it in it's entirety (all endings, all collectibles, etc.), chalk on another 30-40.
If you are a fan of games such as Tales of Vesperia, Last Remnant, and other JRPGs, you're going to love this game. If you are more of a western RPG fan (Mass Effect, Fallout 3) like myself, give this one a try. It's got the sci-fi thing going for it and the combat is very fresh. Battles are in real time and fun. Who knows, maybe it will reawaken your love for JRPGs. | video-games_xbox |
I was really, totally surprised. I'm somewhat picky when it comes to video games. I found it funny when one review said, "picky gamers: beware."
I was going to rent a simple-minded first-person-shooter this weekend. I was actually looking to rent Modern Warfare - a game that basically requires no creativity whatsoever and is nothing more than a simple "point and shoot" affair. I wanted MW because I was going to do some online gaming with a good friend and we generally enjoy different types of games (he's a zombie/anime fan, while I prefer sci-fi and racing titles.)
Anyways, MW was all checked-out. I almost walked away, when I saw several copies of Borderlands sitting on the shelf. I had heard a few good things, and thought, "hey, for 8 bucks, what have I got to lose?"
Five days later, I now own a copy of Borderlands.
This game is incredibly simple-minded. You pick your character from a list of four based on their emphasis in one or two particular skills and a specialty "trait" such as a deployable gun turret or temporary invisibility. You then get dropped off in a little shanty town that isn't hard to cope with if you've ever played Fallout 3. From there it's a simple affair of collecting and managing an inventory, killing baddies and spending skill points earned with a simple leveling system. Trust me - Borderlands isn't rewriting the books here.
But what Borderlands DOES do is effectively merge the best of a few played-out worlds. The first-person shooting aspects are on par with most recent FPS games, with the exception of any kind of cover system. I don't miss the cover system because it makes combat a bit more frantic. Still, there are often plenty of obstructions to put between you and enemies, giving you chance to recharge shields, grab ammo, reload weapons, and sometimes even flank enemies to gain an edge.
Merged in to the typical FPS fare is a role-playing-inspired leveling/skill system. Now, Star Ocean/Fallout3/Oblivion/Final Fantasy fans might balk here, and trust me - I agree. This is NOT a role-playing game. But leveling gives you a feeling of progression and obvious reward for your efforts. Experience is earned from nearly everything - even running folks over in a truck. With each new level, a skill point is awarded which can be spent on more damage, more health, or improving your character-specific ability (such as more damage from the gun turret, or shorter cool-down periods for using the ability.)
But above all, this game allows one thing that almost no other FPS does - the ability to call your own shots. At any time you can have multiple missions available - no different from a questing system with other RPG's. You can work them at your own pace, quit them mid-mission (by simply walking away, even) and in some cases, avoid them entirely. The ability to ask yourself, "What do I want to do next" is what makes ANY game great in my opinion.
And since - though unusual for me - I intended to play this game online, I can say that the coop aspects of this game are quite frankly a heckuva lotta fun. Missions completed in coop award experience, money and loot to all players who have not already completed the mission in single-player mode. Mixing characters provides diversity to combat - allowing players to stay within their comfort zone. Friendly fire is nixed since there's a LOT of fire taking place, and in general coop play is as frantic and fast-paced as the players want it to be. My buddies and I have already had countless hours of fun in coop play, and I find myself yearning for the experience.
Borderlands isn't without flaws. The biggest annoyance in my opinion is the respawning of enemies within various levels - fighting your way to a boss makes much more sense than fighting your way out afterwards. There's a comfort in knowing you've cleared an area of baddies that is lost in this game. If nothing else, it makes more sense in a traditional FPS game, but not so much when the RPG elements are factored in. Also, though the loot is abundant and exciting, it can also become a burden. There are SO many weapons in this game that you tend to get tired of managing it. Plus, no number of inventory slots can be enough, and I would encourage ponying up for the DLC that grants players a chest to store additional loot. Lastly, the game seems intent on forcing you to progress at it's own pace. Enemies that are more than one level above you are simply unkillable - entire clips of assault rifle ammo simply have no impact on their health. But walk away, kill some random enemies or do some side-missions to gain a level or two, and vanquish these recently-invincible opponents like the proverbial hot knife through butter. It's avoidable, however - check the difficulty rating through your "ECHO" mission screen. Anything rated as "hard" or "impossible" is a simple indication that you need another level or two beneath your belt. Likewise, you could team with a higher-level buddy, but this isn't as much fun.
In closing, it's certainly a simple game. The cartoonish graphics and blatant, slap-stick "nuclear holocaust" humor clearly emphasize the lack of maturity in this title. But in the end it's good, simple, childish fun. After hours of reading or watching dialogue in titles like Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2, you might welcome the chance to just cut loose, grab some guns and blow stuff up! | video-games_xbox |
Decent Game but Not revolutionary to the genre. Let me say first, my hats off to MS for the massive marketing campaign they did for this game. Never in my recent memory I have seen any game been marketing as much as this game, perhaps FF7 back in 1997 but I can't remember anything that has this much of impact as Halo 3 did.
Every major game media source had something to show in regards of Halo 3. Additionally, there were these special theme 360 consoles, special energy drinks from Mountain dew, and other **** to keep every gamer there was known to man informed and hyped about Halo 3 imminent lunch. Yes, 2007 was the year for Halo 3 and Xbox 360 which be remembered for years to come. Now on to the game, Halo 3. If it never was indicated in the first paragraph then let me say it now, this game hyped factor was massive, due to the amazing job done by MS marketing team and the many subsidiaries that were involved. The major question is, is this game Next Gen? Um, Bioshock still holds the award for the most amazing game in regards of graphics, theme, art, and a worthy length campaign but in that regard Halo 3 falls a little short. The campaign, though exciting in its own right, isn't as long as it should be - I beat it in less than 10hrs as opposed to Bioshock's almost 20 hr experience. Furthermore, though the art direction for Halo was superb with the environments, the character models left much to be desiredg. Compared to other games prior to Halo 3 and games that are about to release in the last quarter of this year, Halo 3 doesn't get the award for the most amazing game out there. In my regard, I blamed bungie for that since Halo was the most graphically impressive game on the previous Xbox. On the other hand, what Halo shines is it massively impressive multi player mode both online and co-op, which is impressively well done and is the game ultimate strenght. This is what Bungie does well and on that note this game well have a longevity that rivals any console FPS to date. Well, I don't know UT 3 has yet to come out and Warhawk is pretty addictive as well, but Halo 3 has a lot of content for tweaking maps like Forge. However, the forge gimmick has been done decades ago with PC shooters in the past, but this is first for consoles anyway.
So lets conclude, weak campaign - but fun - compared to other FPS out there like the amazing Bioshock, and amazing multiplayer and tons of content. Great game and probably the last great thing to come from this side of MS, that's until the new system is announce. If I must add, I am very disappointed with Halo's campaign. We were promised an epic game with much tragedy as mankind fight desperately for freedom. We were told time and time again through ads, but the actual game was seriously underwhelming. I felt nothing for the characters not the story...I felt cheated...I don't understand why Gamespot and those other game sites gave the game such high scores where there are other better games out there..My review is absolute and I believe this is the review it should have gotten instead of 9s and 10s. | video-games_xbox |
Great headset for a great price. Great headset for a great price. I've had it for months now, and it has served better than some Turtle Beach headsets I have owned. My only problem is that the adhesive that holds the head cushion in place does not seem to be very strong, and it comes loose. That being said, the cushion is in place right now, and I have not re-glued it. Don't listen to all of those people saying how fragile or poorly made this headset is. I have the green ones, and they work great. The sound quality is great, they have very deep bass and very crisp highs. The mic quality is great, it is very clear and very receptive, you could gently whisper into it and be heard clearly by other players. The ear cups are very comfortable, I have very sensitive ears, they get sore very easily unless I have headphones/headset with really nice cushioning, and this one has been great for me.
As far as durability goes, I think it is a reasonably durable product. This thing isn't made out of metal, it's plastic... So if you know how to treat your things, and you aren't a kid or perhaps a man child throwing a tantrum like so many gamers are, this headset should last you for a while. I noticed other reviewers saying that the plastic snapped easily, or that the wires became detached from one of the speakers so that they lost one sound channel. I have experienced none of this, and I have not been delicate on this headset by any means. Drops or rough cable pulls are bound to happen, but it has made it through all that fine for me. A little over two months of very frequent use now, and it still works like it did out of this box. I use these for games, movies, and music. They work great for all three, and I have used many high end headphones and headsets.
When it comes down to it, this is a great, affordable product. If or when it ever goes kaput, I would buy it again without hesitation. You just won't find many other headsets of this quality for anywhere near this price. | video-games_xbox |
More guns, more zombies, more health, more everything. I feel like this is what the creators thought when designing this game, "what is better than a zombie, MORE zombies of course! Hell lets add more of EVERYTHING people seemed to like of the series, more action, more shooting, more enemies!"
That sounds okay at first, but it feels so mediocre the way its implemented. I'm a long time RE fan, I've played the series since the first game, and one of my favorite parts of the game was the weapons. Ammo was for the most part in the games, sparse. Not that having lots of ammo is a bad thing, but you would always think about shooting enemies, and when you shot enemies, it felt good to see the reactions. However in this game, I swear the enemies barely nudge when shot.
You can shoot entire clips of a 'heavy' machine gun into a licker and it would barely flinch at you (all the while still attacking you). All you see is a little blood splash, and even the sound of the gunfire is pretty unimpressive. In this game you'll be blasting out clip after clip without really much effect, it felt incredibly, unsatisfying. And the game just keeps throwing you enemies one after the other. It'll tell you to 'go to this location', and when you arrive, enemies spawn, you shoot 5 clips, pick up some enemy's gun since yours ran out of ammo (guns you pick up come full of ammo, ~150 rounds for assault rifles, so yes, you shoot A LOT of bullets). Rinse, wash, repeat.
I felt absolutely nothing while playing this game, no tension, no desire to shoot the enemies (its really that bland), absolutely nothing. The story is also pretty boring, umbrella told us to do this, so go do it, blah blah.
I really wanted to like this game, I absolutely loved playing the Outbreak series, but this game, I can't even explain it, its so, meh, after playing a session, I don't even remember doing anything, the game is so repetitive and bland, absolutely nothing stands out to be remembered.
Also for the 'special edition', all it really is, is a metal case and 2 little patches. The downloadable content? You can already get it online, its not exclusive. | video-games_xbox |
Not a fan of UFC? Not a problem. I am not a follower of UFC by any means. I could recognize maybe 4 or 5 of the fighters on the UFC roster, tops. I could not tell you the difference between any of the martial arts styles that fighters use in MMA.
However, I can tell you that UFC 2009 Undisputed is one heck of a video game.
After reading all the hype surrounding this game, I thought I'd give it a try. I remember enjoying playing an old UFC game for Sega Dreamcast back in the day...that, combined with the positive reception to this game, helped me decide to pick UFC 2009 up.
Immediately, I felt overwhelmed by the number of moves and the complex controls. Sounds like a bad thing, right?
Wrong.
After playing through the Tutorial and getting a few exhibition fights in, becoming accustomed to the controls felt not like a chore, but more like training for an actual contest. You had to devote some time to learning the moves. Learning and mastering the controls was a rewarding process.
After getting the basics down, I ventured into the Career mode. While I enjoyed progressing through the career of my fighter (nicknamed 'Big Nasty'), it felt a little shallow. There were plenty of things to do, but training I thought should have been interactive more than it was. Sparring in a shortened fight and Camp work was fine, but for speed, strength and cardio training to be just a button press on a menu was disappointing.
Also, your fighter (or any other fighter, for that matter) never ages. I started with a 24-year-old character and ended, seven years later (after being forced to retire, which is another letdown), with a 24-year-old fighter. Odd, to say the least.
With that said, Career mode has plenty of positive aspects as well. Being able to increase your "CRED" by doing PR work, photo shoots, interview sessions, etc. is a neat idea. Also, customizable trunks are a cool addition, with plenty of real-life company logos to at your disposal.
Graphics are very accurate. Knocking your opponent's mouthpiece across the Octagon never gets old. Realistic bruising and cuts add to the authentic feel of the game. Collision detection is also spot-on.
Commentary is also near perfect. The announcers call the action accurately and little repetition ever appears.
One other gripe I have about the game is the menus. They are unappealing and can be cumbersome to navigate through. I recommend installing this game to your hard drive (I play on Xbox 360). This eliminates a bit of the menu lag and speeds loading times as well.
Finally, I have not played any matches online, so I cannot comment on that area of the game.
Overall, this game appeals to hardcore MMA/UFC fans and casual ones at the same time. I have only caught UFC fights sporadically and know little about the sport. Even with a limited knowledge of UFC and MMA in general, I find myself spending plenty of time with this game. Despite its (minor) flaws, UFC 2009 Undisputed is a great start for THQ and this franchise. | video-games_xbox |
A Step in the Right Direction. Let me start off by saying that with this Madden I switched over to next gen. I probably would not have gotten this game on the 360. With that said, this is the best Madden in YEARS!
After putting a connected franchise season into this game I feel that this is finally a step in the right direction for EA Sports. However, it is far from a perfect football game. I will just go ahead and give you the pros and cons of this game IMO, keep in mind that I did not play Madden 25 on the Xbox One so I don't know what exactly was in that game but these are certainly upgrades from current gen.
Pros:
-Graphics. They are better than ever on next gen.
-The crowd is finally upgraded from cardboard cut-outs to a living, breathing fan base.
-This also applies to the players and coaches on the sideline.
-Presentation is far better. Replay cameras actually keep up with the ball and the angles are far better.
-No more GameFlow, and the coach suggestions actually make sense.
-Better tackling, choice between an aggressive tackle, a conservative tackle, and still the famous hit stick.
-Overall, the game is just smoother, it plays well and also the players body language is more realistic.
-Better kicking trajectories.
-Addition of Gauntlet Mode, a fun new game mode where you try to do mini-game like plays to advance to a higher level. (I.e kick a 105 yard FG with the aid of hurricane force winds).
-An actual half-time show for the first time since Madden 10.
-You can now sim through the season once again without having to go week by week, which was annoying. Interestingly, there is also an option to sim the next 10 seasons as well.
-Addition of Game Prep to replace the meaningless practice. In Game Prep, you are given a certain number of hours to spend on activities to prepare your players for games by watching film, performing drills, going over the game plan, etc. The number of hours you get depends on how many days until your next game. Players either gain experience or confidence through Game Prep.
-You can upgrade a players ratings without having to go one rating by one rating and constantly clicking "yes" for "are you sure you want to upgrade this rating?".
-No more injury glitches where your player would be announced injured on the play but actually be just fine.
Cons:
- They did away with the unique draft stories each season, which were cool but oh well.
-The draft is still non exciting, and scouting still sucks.
-Still no surprise onside-kick, despite them adding it back in Madden 11 or 12 and getting rid of it and the fact that both college and professional teams frequently do it.
-DB's still have hands of stone.
-LB's can still jump 12 feet in the air to pick off passes.
-The cutting edge running they added in Madden 25 has been done away with, where your player can cut to the inside or outside just by you moving in that direction.
-Commentaries get even more stale each year. Phil Simms is still constantly whining if you don't get a first down or a touchdown. I imagine they will get new ones like they do every couple years.
-Resigning players is still a pain, as they will still turn down offers they say they desire or even better offers.
-The "new" defense camera is only efficient for playing as the Front Seven. If you are a DB this camera angle sucks, but at least it is optional. I say "new" because this is an old camera angle from Madden 09. Yep, they are still taking stuff out and adding them back and calling the "new".
-The new defensive tackling vision cone is cool but misleading. It is only useful if you are within the inner cone from an offensive player. Just because a ball carrier is within proximity of the vision cone does not mean your player is necessarily with tackling range, so what's the point?
-For the 3rd straight year, still no soundtrack. Just annoying, repetitive trumpets and drums like this is NCAA or something. This is increasingly annoying because you can still hear actual songs in the background of games and practices. Last year you could "Welcome to the Jungle" while practicing and also that Linkin Park tune. This means that EA must have the rights to play the song, yet refuse to play it in the rest of the game. This is even worse because if you are playing franchise and managing a team or doing something other than playing a game you have to listen to the same old beats from trumpets and drums. It can you crazy!!
Overall I feel this is a step in the right direction for Madden because they fixed a lot of things and seemed to actually put effort into this year's addition.
I haven't played MUT or online so it would be unfair to judge.
I also haven't played Superstar connected careers but honestly don't think they could've changed much. This sucks because it is the game mode that brought me to Madden. Back in Madden 06 when you could import your NCAA player, compete in individual workouts, the Combine, hire an agent, get and uprgade a crib, and have an actual background. This game mode has been darn near unplayable since Madden 10.
In conclusion, if you are a current gen owner wondering if you should go next gen with this game, I say do it. Madden 25 was not much on the 360 and I doubt Madden 15 is. EA has a long road to recovery for this franchise, but this is a step in the right direction.
***UPDATE***
Alright, after playing for some more days I have a little bit more to add on both sides.
Pros:
-If for some reason your game session is interrupted, like the power going out, Madden automatically saves the exact time and play you were playing, so you don't have to start the game all over, which is awesome.
- If you like to capture and share awesome TD plays, you can automatically record every TD with your Game DVR on Xbox One.
- While I do not love the commentating, they do show a better job of keeping up with players, like saying that a QB is in the top 10 in passing TD's or 1st in passer rating, or that a RB who is having a bad day is still one of the top rushers in the league that season.
- This is more of an Xbox pro, but I was able to play some Madden last Saturday and snap the Georgia v. Clemson game on the side, very nice feature.
Cons:
- There is a glitch or screwup where if your receiver is given a straight sideline route, he will sometimes stop and go sideways for half a second and then continue with his route. I can't tell you how many times my receiver beat the press coverage and was wide open down the field, only to stop and sidestep and let the corner catchup and ruin the play. Fix this EA.
- Returning kicks and punts is practically impossible. Blocking overall has been downgraded, but after about 100 attempts of each kind of return, I was only able to manage 1 (ONE!!!) kickoff return TD. Even though my returner has 98 speed, he cannot outrun special teamers on the outside and the blocking is terrible on the inside. I don't always have to score a TD, it would just be nice to go more than 10 yards without being swarmed by the other team or being blocked by your own blockers.
- This one is minor, but the commentators like to add an "s" at the end of some names. For example, my RB is Doug Martin, and whenever the commentators mention him, they will sometimes say something like "Mar-tins is having a good day on the ground today" or "He's got Mar-tins on the screen play". This goes for receivers as well. | video-games_xbox |
Great sound quality. Can hear yourself with mic attached, though. [UPDATE] Over at the Plantronics forums, a moderator did confirm that the headset mic does "have sidetone", meaning you can hear yourself slightly when gaming with the headset/mic attachment! Just wanted to confirm :)
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I was in the market for a universal gaming headset that could be used with my PC, Xbox360 and PS3. I also wanted to livestream my games and be able to comment while I owned a headset, too. I also wanted something new, under $150. 2-channel stereo was all I wanted, and didn't need a surround headset or one with a 5.1 or 7.1 DSP/digital signal processor.
I actually purchased the Turtle Beach PX22 Universal Gaming Headset and put it through its paces before settling on the Plantronics Rig, so I'd like to compare the two here at various points in the review.
TL;DR the Rig is better than the PX22 in regards to sound quality by far, but I have a specific issue with the Rig's headset mic because you can hear yourself through the headset when the mic is attached and unmuted. For more details, read on :)
The Rig comes with the Headset, mixer and cables. It was kind of scary trying to get the Rig headset out of the packaging. They have it packed such that you feel like you might break the earphones while trying to get it out of the enclosure!
At it's core, the Rig is hooked up like so:
Headset --> Mixer --> USB cable & 3.5mm (aka 1.8 inch) earphone jack (male)
The Headset comes with two different cables depending on how you're using the headset. One has an inline "answer call" button and mute switch. The second cable has a headset mic for pure headset gaming on your consoles. Both cables attach from the headphones to the mixer, and of course you only plug in one depending on your use.
Sound Quality:
I'm really happy with the sound quality of these headphones. The bass is deep and warm. It's not nearly as muddy as the Turtle Beach PX 22's - with the latter, maximum bass and treble settings were 'acceptable' at best. Please note, I'm biased and am used to sound coming from more expensive Sennheiser HD-280 headphones at work.
Via the Rig mixer, at the press of a button, you can switch between three sound presets: Pure, Intensify and Seismic. When you push the button on the mixer (it's a graphic of an EQ), you hear one, two or three beeps in the headset to let you know what you've chosen.
I compared sound between the headsets with some racing games, first person shooters and even a blu-ray (from the PS3). The Rig headphones sound way better than the PX22's in my opinion. The PX22 allows you to adjust bass and treble separately via an inline remote with dials, while the Rig has only three presets. I found the second preset to be pretty heavy on the bass and decent in gameplay. I've not really switched to the other presets since I've warmed up to the second (Intensify?) easily. Explosions and gunfire have the proper clarity and thumpy bass. With the PX22's, the bass wasn't very deep. When watching a blu ray (I used the opening scene of "007: Quantum of Solace" as reference), the music and sound of the car/action scene was very natural and solid with the Rig. With the PX22, the sound felt like a pile of muddy bass at the heaviest action moments.
Headset Comfort:
The earpads are cloth and soft. They naturally cup your ears. I don't feel any discomfort and it doesn't feel like they are smashing my head in or anything. The PX22's felt fine too, by the way, and I don't have a very big skull so I might be speaking for a smaller section of the gaming population :) These aren't noise-cancelling, by the way. I live in a very quiet apartment complex, so this isn't an issue for me.
Headset Mic Attachment:
The headset mic attachment is fairly stiff, unlike the PX22's mic which could be moved in any access. On my first trial run with it, I had to move the mic further away from my mouth because I was coming in too loud, according to my friends. That was easily remedied. Chat via Xbox Live was just fine and on PC it was good also. Clear and crisp.
The issue that keeps me from giving this five stars might seem petty, but it's the first thing I noticed that I didn't like. When gaming on PC or console, I can hear myself talking. Unless the mic is muted (there is a mute button toggle on the mixer), I can hear myself in the headset. I'm not used to this at all, and I wish there was some way to fix this. I don't hear myself loudly, but it's a little weird for me. The PX22's inline controls had a volume dial where I wouldn't have to hear myself. I don't see any function available on the Rig for this. It's not a total dealbreaker, but this set would have been perfect otherwise. I contacted Plantronics support in their forums, and other users noticed this - a moderator confirmed that the RIG headset carries "sidetone" and that you will hear yourself talking with others.
Headset "Answer Call/Mute" Attachment:
I haven't really used this very much, however this attachment comes in handy when I don't want to use the mic, or even if I just want to use the Rig headphones when I'm on the go. The headphones look good enough for me to use away from home if I want to.
Mixer Construction:
For the side/end facing your consoles/TV, the puck-like mixer device has two built-in, wired connections on the input side with an open optical audio/TOSLINK port. The two wired connections cannot be removed: one connection features the 10-foot USB cable + 3.5mm earphone jack. The other cable is a short, 1 foott cable to connect your cel phone, tablet or mobile device.
Again, the cable length from the mixer to your PC or console (USB cable + 3.5mm earphone jack) is 10 feet if you were wondering about reaching your consoles.
The other end of the mixer (the end that faces you) has two ports for detachable cables. One is for your headset. The port next to it is for the included 2.5mm Xbox360 talkback cable. Both cables are about 5 feet in length and are included in the package. It's a far decent length for my setup.
The mixer has THREE dials of sorts. Surrounding the puck (outer ring) is the master volume dial. On the face of the mixer, there is a Mobile-VS-Game volume slide on the left, and a Game-VS-Chat volume slide on the right. The center of the mixer has a switch that lets you switch between your mobile device only or game sound/chat only. There's a lot of flexibility here. For instance, I can pump out music from my attached iPhone or iPad while I'm gaming with friends. I can then adjust how much I want to hear one over the other whenever I'd like to.... all I have to do is adjust the sliders. If I want to hear just my device music and game chat only, I can achieve this with the volume sliders.
Mixer to Mobile Device Connection:
Plantronics is pushing this feature a bit, and I honestly haven't used it very much. I hooked up my iPhone and streamed some music from it through the mixer and it worked just fine.
Mixer to Console Hookup Note:
If you connect the mixer to your console via RCA audio cables (red/white), the Rig comes with a 6-inch RCA-splitter-to-3.5mm female cable that you attaches on (Mixer cable --> RCA Splitter --> console A/V cables).
The Xbox360 has an Optical/RCA audio adapter (I recommend a third-party one by Monoprice, it's less than $3 as of this writing and doesn't have "system reset" issues that other brands have) that is sold separately. Xbox360 typically outputs to both this adapter and HDMI simultaneously.
With the PS3, the console includes composite A/V cables in addition to having an Optical port built into the console. If your PS3 is hooked to your TV or receiver via HDMI, you hook up the A/V cables (or optical cable) as well and enable "Audio Multi Out" from the console's XMB under Audio Settings. Just an extra step.
Conclusion:
When I had both the PX22's and the Rig, I immediately warmed up to the Rig for it's much-better sound quality. The "I can hear myself during chat" mic is a mild turn off, but the complete package is pretty attractive. The sound is better and that's what really matters. Gamers who multitask (!) with gaming and mobile devices will like this as well thanks to the included mixer.
P.S. - Next Gen Consoles?
As of this writing.... The Xbox One will reportedly have a third-party headset adapter in "early 2014". Turtle Beach was quoted in releasing their next-gen console headsets with this adapter at that time, too. For the PS4, third party USB headsets will be supported "with a patch", but not at launch. | video-games_xbox |
A must have game. Crysis 2 is an amazing game. When I first saw the trailers for this game, I didn't think the graphics on console could look this good, but even running on the 5 year old Xbox 360, it looks unbelievable! Graphics aren't everything, though, and fortunately the gameplay is solid. Controls are very similar to CoD, but you can scan areas ahead for enemies and then create a plan of attack. Wether you prefer to attack head on or sneak around, the Nanosuit (that your character wears) has powers like invisibility and armor mode to accommodate your style of play. There is no time limit for completing levels, so you can take all the time you need to execute your plan, and if something goes wrong, you can go invisible and retreat so you can reevaluate the situation. This is a very welcome change of pace from most other shooters, and gives you a real sense of control on the battlefield.
The levels are huge, similar to Halo Reach's size, but this is not an open world game, and levels are linear. The developers left enough wiggle room so that you can choose how you want to proceed in each level, adding a lot of replay value. It's fun to play levels over again with different tactics and see how things play out. The AI is pretty smart, however there are some moments when enemies will walk into obstacles and get stuck instead of just walking around the obstacle. There also isn't a lot of variety of enemies. Mainly you'll fight "bad" humans who are all exactly the same, plus 3 types of aliens who are all almost exactly the same. A few battles against and/or in vehicles change things up from time to time, but mainly you fight on foot. By the game's end, it all starts to feel a little repetitive, but the game ends before it wears out it's welcome.
The sound design is well done, and weapons, vehicles, and aliens all sound appropriately lethal, with your Nanosuit's AI voice being a highlight of the game. The music is good, although it doesn't change based on your situation, but rather triggered by checkpoints in the levels. This leads to some moments where dramatic music plays while you're doing almost nothing. Voice acting is done well, and none of the characters come off as corny, although a lot of the curse words feel forced, both in the situation and by the actor.
As good as the graphic, gameplay, and sound are, the story is not. It's unfortunate that a game with this level of polish falls so flat in the story department. The setup for the plot is told in the first 10 minutes of the game, but the rest of the game is just other characters telling you to go here and there, and the story never goes anywhere. Questions like "Why are the bad guys trying to kill you" and "Why are these aliens invading" are answered with a lazy "because". For all your efforts over the course of a 15 hour campaign, hardly anything is accomplished aside from a pile of corpses in your wake.
The multiplayer is solid, featuring a level up system similar to CoD. The Nanosuit abilities change the pace of the matches, however, and that is where Crysis 2 sets itself apart. As for performance, the game runs smoothly without lag, and the graphics are just as amazing in multiplayer as offline single player. It should be noted, there is no spit screen mode of any kind, and the online multiplayer is competitive only, so no co-op missions or anything like that. On the plus side, this game does support 3D for those with 3D HDTVs.
Overall, the gameplay is solid enough to keep this game entertaining despite the writer's lack of imagination. The suit abilities put an interesting twist on a tried and true genre that's starting to homogenize, and if you're a sucker for graphics, you're not going to find a better looking game on consoles. Most importantly, this is a very fun game. | video-games_xbox |
Buyer beware: you get what you pay for. Three significant problems with this product that you need to be aware of.
First, I can confirm the flickering problem mentioned in another review. It causes my projector to lose the signal and start switching through inputs trying to reacquire it.
Second, there is a problem with either the Xbox 360 cable that comes with the switcher, or with the TOSLink (fiber optic digital audio) generator in the switch itself. Either way, the audio from my 360 pops in and out randomly, yet all my other TOSLink audio connections that pass through the switch (but don't originate from it) sound fine.
Third (and in my opinion most importantly), the Joytech box causes noticeable signal noise on my display. I know it's the switch causing the interference, because when I cut it out of the loop, everything looks great, but when it's connected there's a lot of obvious shimmer and noise in the picture.
Clearly if you're looking at this product, it's because you have several high def sources that you want to hookup with component video and digital (TOSLink or coax) audio. You want to do this to get better quality output than you would with cheap connections.
You won't get that using this product. (I can't really complain about the audio throughput, but then I'm not a big audio guy, so I don't have much frame of reference for what's good or bad. Sounds ok to me, but I'm no expert. I do know the video really suffers coming out of this box, but I imagine the digital audio is harder to hurt.)
If you need a component video switch, suggest you look somewhere else. I'm planning to replace this with an Audio Authority 1154B ($350). I've spent too much on hardware and high quality connections (all monster cable for any analog signal) to ruin it with a cheap switch. Going to sell mine to gamestop if they'll take it, toss it out if they won't.
One thing to consider here, before I let you go. If you're hooking up with the basic low quality component cables that came with your DVD, 360, etc., and you're happy with the picture, this may be ok for you. (though you'll still have the flicker problem and possibly the intermittent audio to deal with). Cable that cheap isn't putting through a great signal anyhow, so you may not notice a big difference passing through this switch.
If everything else in your setup is good quality, don't dumb it down with this product. Your picture will thank you. | video-games_xbox |
Halo 3 LE- game as good as expected, extras not so much. I'm going to make my game review quick, because we really want to move on to the extras included with Legendary Edition. Halo 3 as a game is pretty much as most players expected - good, but nothing revolutionary or great. A decent variety of maps (but not hardly enough, even after the expansion pack), solid gameplay, an okay single player campaign, and a few cool modes make it fairly enjoyable - for a month or two, at most. That's when you begin to understand that the game is just repetitive, more slow-paced than most other FPS games, and has very sluggish controls. Picture the physics playing Call of Duty 4 on the moon, in a spacesuit, and you've pretty much got Halo 3 in a nutshell.
Now, as for Legendary Edition...
I already owned the standard Halo 3, and only purchased LE because it was $60. Why? No idea. It comes with some interesting extras - an entire extra DVD of videos, making-of content, and an art book. It also comes with a Spartan helmet - which you might not know, but CANNOT be worn. It stupidly has a plastic bottom mold that can only fit on the display stand it comes with - and after attempted tries to unscrew/disassemble this interior of the helmet, I found the only way you could possibly do it would be to break out the insides, and subsequently destroy it. Now I'm sure not everyone is really interested in goofing around and wearing the helmet - but I mean, let's be realistic here: what else are you supposed to do with it? For the standard $140 or whatever the price tag originally was, these extras are laughable at best. You get the world's coolest-looking paperweight, but that's about it.
If you liked Halo 2, you'll obviously like Halo 3, but only the most avid of competitive FPS gamer will keep playing it for more than a month or two. And the extras in LE are NOT worth the hefty price tag. If you can find a deal like I did, jump on it, but otherwise just go for the standard edition. | video-games_xbox |
It's not perfect but it's still pretty good. The Pro's
It comes with a very nice faux leather cover similar to ones made for the ipad.
It is very slim and extremely light weight but feels sturdy and strong at the same time.
Fits very nicely into a 15inch labtop back pack that i got from amazon also.
It is USB powered so it is very convenient on the go especially if you buy separately a usb power bank. I was able to get 5 hours of use with this monitor with a 16000mah power bank and an android usb tv stick the mk808IV
The Con's
It's almost a great product but not quite there the viewing angles aren't very good on this screen. You can't be too close to the screen and you have to be dead centered or else it blurs and darkens if you move too far to the left or right. The finish on the screen is very reflective so when using this screen in a bright room there will be lots of reflections that could be annoying and ruin the experience of using the monitor.
There is also a minor HDMI problem with this monitor regarding the playstation 4 if you use the ps4's usb to power the m155 screen you have to power on the ps4 then the monitor with out the hdmi plugged into the screen and then once the screen is on then plug in the hdmi or else it won't work. The m155 does not receive a signal from the hdmi of a ps4 if its plugged in before the monitor has power.
The supplied usb to micro usb cable that was included is very short and pretty much unusable it also uses 2 usb ports but I bought a much better cable on amazon that supplied enough power for the gaems case with only one plug http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GF8TIK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2N41CM6UULHMF&coliid=I175044JBP49PN&psc=1
Also i found out the 3.5 mm jack doesn't work I have been using bluetooth speakers with my computer while using this monitor but today i finally tried the 3.5 mm jack and nothing no sound at all so i'm sending it back for a replacement and i guess we'll see what kind of quality they have if the replacement comes with working sound or not.... i hope they send me a new unit and not a refurbished one. So be sure to test your 3.5mm audio port right away when you recieve it don't just use bluetooth speakers.
Over all review it's not a bad monitor I like this monitor much more than the gaems sentry that i also have but yea if your planning to use this only for gaming its a good monitor especially on the go, but I wouldn't recommend this for watching movies. Overall i was pretty happy with it minus the 3.5mm jack not working the light weight but durable feel of the monitor is nice and the fact that it draws very little power through usb is very nice as well. It's not a perfect monitor but it's still pretty good I can't wait to see the next iteration of this type of monitor from gaems i'll probably upgrade to that one when they come out with another in this size.
I just got my replacement m155 since it came with a defective 3.5mm audio port now the replacement came with a dead pixel right in the center of the screen..... WTF gaems your quality control is garbage i'm done with gaems now I was a loyal customer i was pretty pleased with the sentry monitor case but after the m155 i will no longer be buying any gaems products and making sure no one i know buys your products again until you can prove you can make quality products again. | video-games_xbox |
Spectacular Performance. I'll preface this review by admitting that I don't enjoy First Person Shooters anymore; the video game world seems to be filled with Call of Duty knock-offs (and Call of Duty itself, actually) that are nothing but repetitive snorefests with lackluster stories, being sold entirely for the multiplayer. Frankly, I don't think multiplayer has any right to hold up a game: if your game doesn't have a solid leg to stand on with singleplayer, I'm not even going to touch it, which is why I haven't bought a Call of Duty since #2 (the last good one).
However, Medal of Honor exemplifies what shooters should be in this day and age; a captivating, compelling storyline, grounded heavily in reality but with just enough exaggerated fanfare to keep you playing through to the end. The single player campaign isn't excessively long, but it was long enough that without binging and playing perhaps two hours every couple of days, I ended up beating it just this morning (having bought it the day it came out). The military jargon and procedural tactics are authentic, as well as the weapons used and the missions of the Special Forces operators. Anybody that enjoys solid military procedural will love this game.
I haven't played multiplayer, and I don't particularly plan to - there's nothing fun to me about playing the same ten or twelve maps ad nauseum with a cluster of people that I don't know. I do, however, enjoy split-screen co-op and multiplayer -- which is where this game falls short. This is the only specific problem I had with the game, to be honest: no glitches for me, no problems with gameplay or the story. The one problem I had with the game is that there is absolutely no way to play the game with somebody in the same room as you. I don't even understand how you can market a FPS video game in this day and age with no split-screen. FPS games have had split-screen since Golden Eye on the N64.
Either way, if you're tired of the hackneyed, Hollywood crap storylines and campaigns of the CoD franchise, and don't need some repetitive, ridiculous multiplayer to get you through the day, buy the game. It's worth how much it costs for the several solid hours of single player goodness you'll get. | video-games_xbox |
Setting the record straight. I am writing this review to set the record straight. There are way too many reviews on this forum that make it seem like EA has just thrown some half-a** game together with no regard for their fans. People's reviews are claiming that the graphics and animations are nothing but well polished last gen graphics. This is simply and utterly false. Perhaps they are playing this game on a standard TV instead of Hi-Def or VGA higher resolution.
For starters, the graphics in this game are absurdly good, probably the best I've seen in a sports title for the 360. The player models are insanely detailed right down to the sweat running the down the player's skin to the reflections in the helmet to the pores and textures in their uniforms to the faces and body types that are personalized for each player. The game even renders close-ups of the huddles and line-ups that are just breath-taking. Surely, this effort did not come from EA just throwing a title together because they knew regardless of what they released, that their fans would take the bait. This is certainly not the case. Graphically, this game has set the bar for other sports titles and it has set it quite high and for future Madden titles.
Despite the lack of competition with other vendors now that EA has the monopoly on the NFL license, they still gave this game endless effort and attention in hopes to keep Madden fans around. Madden didn't become one of the most talked about sports titles out of random circumstance. It became so because these guys breathed football with collaboration with one of football's greatest heroes: Madden. Now that EA has the monopoly, they have not fostered the project like an unwanted step-child, they have embraced it fully with much love, respect and admiration. For those saying otherwise, are fabricating stories for `here here' purposes.
Now I do agree that there was great reasoning behind EA buying out the entire market and that is because the 2K was making headway and year after year was praised as being the better title. 2K soared because of its fluidness of animation and game play, despite Madden usually having, in my opinion, the one-up on graphics and features, 2K put their money down on areas that seemed more important to football fans and gamers - game play, fluidness, player-models, intuitive franchise and other gaming modes. I also agree that Madden also seemed to lack the fluidness and well-animated player models that 2K always seemed to capture so well. But Madden always carried its own signature and stayed with an accumulative formula. Either you stayed with Madden as a die-hard fan because your were accustomed to the formula or you went elsewhere (usually 2K).
Madden usually stuck to the same formula while each season the Madden team progressively added new modes, rosters and features (QB Vision, Hurt stick, Juke stick, etc etc) on top of what they already had- ie the graphics got better, the animations got better, game-modes and special features while the fluidness sometimes took a backseat to the first two. With 07 we see a few more features and some beloved ones taken away (namely multiplayer support) but for the most part retained. I also admit, once again the game-play fluidness takes a backseat to the intense graphics and animations. But it's hardly noticeable unless of course compared to 2K. In its own right, it works rather well.
Surprisingly however Madden has slightly pulled away from its signature game-play feel and this is not necessarily a bad thing. In a way it's slightly alien feel gives it a fresh and challenging essence that does not take away from the foundation of its founded formula. This just paves the way for next season as the graphics have nearly peaked leaves more time for the Madden to patch the fluidness and multiplayer cracks.
Graphics: Will blow your mind. By far the best I've seen. The details will blow you out of the water. The kind of the graphics that would make Madden say "BBooom!"
Gameplay: Suffers from stiffness and lag but for the most good considering its graphic renderings. Madden-esque with some new mojo even if it does feel alien at first.
Sound: The commentary has taken the Madden out of Madden and well, that sucks. The in-house radio voice does nothing to add any thrills to the game. In fact, besides informing you about plays - it adds nothing to the game. The effect I think EA was going for was from the player's perspective as you will hear a lot of field talk from the players. Which actually in itself is impressive however not having Madden calling the shots from up above is one of Madden's greatest disappointments. If they decided to have both the in-house voice and Madden or the option to turn either on or off would have fit perfectly. Instead `Madden and Al' have been taken out completely. Damn shame. Besides that, between the crowd noise, in-house voice and field talk, it truly does feel as you are "In the Game". | video-games_xbox |
Fun--bloody fun. Greetings!
Blood bowl is a lot of fun, folks. It's not a typical sports game, nor a typical game of any kind. It plays like a board game and demands a lot of planning and plotting, just like a strategic table-top game. If you prefer arcade, button-mashing, or other fast-paced activity in a game, then Blood Bowl is not for you.
The game has a ton of features. Not only can you create your own fantasy-themed "football" team and compete in tournaments, leagues, or exhibition games, but you can improve players by adding skills and equipment; teams can be complemented by cheerleading squads, training bonuses, and a lot of other little perks. Your team will earn gold each game which can be spent to add, improve, or tweak players, or to buy various improvements for your team.
Players will earn experience points and get better; players may also sustain injuries which will hamper their performance in the long run. During games, your players might get stunned, knocked out, or even killed! There is a LOT going on in this game and there is plenty of depth and customization to satisfy the pickiest gamer.
The game is not without some drawbacks. The interface is a little clunky; you'll need to move around and play with all the options and menus before you get the hang of finding everything you need. There really isn't a decent tutorial or in-game help system to speak of. For gamers unfamiliar with this sytle of game, or gamers lacking the patience to explore every option, the navigation can be frustrating.
Likewise, all the stats, results, skills, and dice modifiers in the game are poorly explained. It's difficult to understand what's going on during the game sometimes. If you have experience with table-top roleplaying games, you'll fare better than the average gamer. You really need to consider each player's abilities against the opposition before making a decision.
Also, the rules of Blood Bowl are not like traditional football. I highly recommend checking online for a quick review of the rules, or read the manual thoroughly, before trying to delve into a game. It's fairly complex. There's a lot of rules that will be frustrating to the first-time gamer.
REVIEW SUMMARY:
+ Graphics, sound, and presentation are great; game runs smooth, looks good, and sounds good
+ Commentary is fitting and funny; it can get repetitive sometimes, but it's still funny
+ Controls are easy to use once you grasp the basics
+ Customization for teams and players is top-notch and allows for a lot of variability
+ Thoughtful implementation of a table-top game; this game requires strategic and tactical thinking
+ The option to play turn-based mode or simultaneous "real time" mode
- The interface is not user-friendly; it's okay once you figure it out, but it can be frustrating
- The lack of a good in-game help / tutorial system; a weighty, poorly-organized manual
OVERALL: 4 stars; this game is original, fun, and thoughtful. If you've played a lot of fast-paced games or arcadey sports games, you might enjoy the change. The game takes time to learn and understand. Even after a few games, you won't be a master at it. Each game is truly different and challenging. All players have a unique identity and can develop very different skill sets. | video-games_xbox |
A return to the fun that has been missed since AC Brotherhood. O man, this is the closest you will get to play Pirates of the Caribbean without trampling all over the Disney license to do so! So, here is the kicker, the plot of the game isn't just about Edward Kenway, Connor's grandfather. The plot of the game really is how Abstergo is still digging into the memory DNA of Desmond Miles and using them to make an entertainment company as a front to hire people to dig through these memories as they try to find the Golden Apple. And the way its done in the opening of the game really made me laugh aloud as is was so slickly done. Truth be told if you have played this series from the very beginning, you will see numerous winks and nods throughout and you will see what kind of work Ubisoft really put into making this game. But asides from that, yes, you get to play as Edward and unlike ACIII where it seemingly took forever to see what made Connor into what he was, this game comes right out at you and shows how Edward nearly blunders his way into the shadow war between the Assassins and Templars. As far as i am into the game, it tells the story very well and it was very hard to pull myself away. As far as the controls, if you played one, then you have played them all and for some reason this time around it seems like the climbing mechanic is more fluid than it has been since ACII. For the few hours that I played last night, the game itself was a big joy because you really feel like you are rooting for Edward because at so many points you know that he got in over his head but its up to you to get him out and it's fun in doing so. Whether you are escorting governors, or breaking into prisons stealthily, you still sometimes feel like a spectator while simultaneously taking control of the action as you do all that is needed to 'save the day'. There are other distractions as well. You can gamble, go on contract kills to earn money and much more. This game is so far nearly as good in open world fun as Red Dead Redemption was. The only mixed feelings I have on the game are the graphics and partly because the PS4 / X box One is right around the corner. In some ways the game engine is really starting to show its age and while its one of the better looking games in its class, it makes me want to see how the next gen systems will take advantage of the graphics engine and better yet, what's in store for the next installment. However, if you are a fan of this series and can't wait until next month for the next gen, go on and play this now to tide yourself over until then. So far it's a great story and a fun way to play pirate without having to watch Johnny Depp steal the spotlight. | video-games_xbox |
Unbiased Review for an Unmatched Game. Despite what many think, Medal of Honor set the stage for the begining of the Call of Duty series. Those who only know COD for the Modern Warfare series will say that Medal of Honor copied Modern Warfare; however, MOH first came out in the 90s whereas COD began in 2003. I will break this game down piece by piece and compare it to Modern Warfare so you can see the difference.
First: the title. Why make two totally different games with the same title?
Answer: MOH fell off of the map after the first few installments. With their games not selling as well as they had been initially, COD took the stage. MOH needed something new, so they worked hard to produce something truly original. To restore the honor in the series' name with such an original game, they simply named it Medal of Honor. This isn't something that is usually done, but since the first MOH was such a hit and the October 2010 release was so unique, the name works.
But what makes this game so different from COD4 and MW2?
The first things you notice when playing the new MOH are the graphics. The game opens with an intense CG movie that is unbelievably realistic. The gameplay is not too much different. It is hard for me to describe the graphics, but if you spend 30 minutes playing this game, and the switch over to MW2, the difference is that between night and day. The graphics are much smoother and lifelike in MOH, and the graphics alone make it difficult for me to play MW2 now that I own this game.
The next thing I noticed were the sound effects. From loading your weapon to hearing a grenade explode, the sound effects are real. They are actually recorded from real weapons. None of the studio generated, clanging sounds like in most video games. Again, fire an AK-47 and throw a frag grenade in each game, MOH and MW2, and hear the difference for yourself. My favorite sound effect is the sound while reloading an RPG - the sliding of the RPG into the barrel makes a metal-on-metal sliding sound, and makes the RPG sound heavy. Personally, I haven't played many, if any, games that have pulled off using sound effects that can produce that sort of feeling.
The gameplay is remarkable. I feel as though I am actually running when I run in the game. The way the camera and gun move together is so much more realistic than anything I have experienced in video games. Being able to slide behind cover while you are running is an awesome feature that I can see being worked into future games. I am also glad to be rid of the distracting blood covering the entire screen when you are injured like in MW2. In MW2, the contrast in picture changes and blood is splattered over the screen, which was a sweet feature at the time, but after a while became a nuisance and made it difficult to see in some circumstances. There is still blood on the screen in MOH, but it is changed up so that the blood is on the top and bottom of the screen. No distracting change in the screen, and still plenty of visibility. Another thing that this game gives you is versatility. You get the chance to play from several POVs including a chopper gunner, which I found to be very fun. Painting targets for AC-130 strikes proves to be pretty entertaining as well.
The multiplayer games are great, but Modern Warfare 2 provides gamers with a much wider variety of entertainment in this area. Medal of Honor offers real-world games for you to play such as Sector Control (Domination), Objective Raid (Demolition), and Combat Mission. The general Death Match type game is there too, but there are no Free-for-All or Headquarters style games. This is something I can overlook though, since the makers were aiming to create a more realistic game. You don't see Al-Qaida and Army Rangers playing Capture the Flag in the desert, right?
What made it a 4 star game to me was the storyline. If you don't like to know what happens, skip to the conclusion after the asterisks.
******SPOILER CAUTION******
The storyline just wasn't quite there. In the end, two of the characters are captured which starts to make the game interesting, but as soon as you find them, one of them dies and the game ends abruptly. The characters are also hard to identify and "get close" with, which is really important in making a really solid game. This is something both of the Modern Warfare games did well (IMO).
***************************
CONCLUSION
Simply put, this game has set a new standard for future FPSs, but still leaves room for improvement (perhaps in a MOH sequel?). If you are like me and really like to get into the action of a game, the graphics and sound effects will make it incredibly easy for you to enjoy the ride; however, if you are also like me and like to get into the storyline of a game, you may be disappointed. Although the storyline falls a little short and the online multiplayer games are sparse, I still recommend this game to anyone who enjoys first person shooters, especially those who like the Modern Warfare games, because the rest of the gaming experience is nothing short of astounding. | video-games_xbox |
Fixed my 360. Recently my 360 Red Ringed on me and, having already opened it up to fix the DVD drive, I decided to go out and by myself one of the new Jasper Chip sets, so that I'd have a reliable 360. But, for about $12 and an hour or two fiddling with it, I thought it would be worth a shot to see if I could get it working again.
Having already had to open my 360 before, I can remember how much of a pain it was. The tool that this kit comes with made opening it up laughably easy. You will want to be careful with it, though. The pointed end can break if you're pushing down against a very solid surface, so make sure that you've chosen the correct hole with the clip behind it. With the two, and then five, punches on it, this tool made the hardest part of opening it with only a screwdriver (Had to have taken me at least an hour without this tool...) into something that only took half a minute, and maybe an extra pair of hands.
From there, the process of disassembling was just as easy. Just make sure you have ample table space to lay out all the parts.
The guide for this was a good help, overall. There was only one part where we needed to consult other material, and all that was needed was a better picture. Not too bad, but it was a pretty important step because if we had messed it up, it is possible to damage the motherboard. (The guide stresses this, that is why we looked up other material. Just to make sure we understood correctly.)
I would have liked some more pictures and descriptions of how to lay out the thermal paste, but I must have done that part right. My brother is playing Mercenaries 2, as we speak.
This kit here doesn't come with the premium Arctic Silver (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Arctic-Silver-5-Thermal-Compound-3-5-Grams/dp/B000BSLU2S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound 3.5 Grams</a>) (If you want that, this kit does: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-XCLAMP-Repair-Kit-3-Red-Light-X-Clamp-Fix-w-3-5g-Arctic-Silver-5-Opening-Unlock-Toolkit/dp/B001HVU8JO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 XCLAMP Repair Kit - 3 Red Light X-Clamp Fix w/ 3.5g Arctic Silver 5 & Opening Unlock Toolkit</a>), but that didn't seem to be an issue. The Star thermal paste seems to have done the job and comes with more than enough.
The only reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is that I feel the guide was pretty good, but could have been just a little bit better. If you have a Red Ringed 360, give this a shot. All you have to lose is $12 and a couple hours of work. Make sure you have an extra set of hands and read over the guide once before you start working.
Good luck! | video-games_xbox |
A slight leap for racing, but a big leap for racing games. This is the most realistic simulation game yet. Does it leave a bit to be desired, well yes. They are missing a series of cars that should have been in since day one. Well one was in the first Forza. But if you love cars or want to learn how to start to tune your car, well you're luck. This is a good outlet.
Unlike many of the other critic here, I accually have custom cars. Three of them and a newer V6 Camry. A Vette, mustang conv, and Camaro. So I have dibbled into alomst everything you can do in a car. So this game makes me realise how fast my cars are. But I also have expeirence in tuning, so this gives me an edge on the game. But it asks you in the begining how you treat the racing game. So even if you know nothing you can learn.
Not the graphics are amazing and the sound is awsome, but as impressive as the beging sequence of a race is, it gets old quick. Also, it keeps you from really getting you RPM in the spot for launch. This really kills the drag racing. But there are a ton of tracks, and cars. Also unlike the Turismo series the cars are cool, and usefull. Most of the GT cars are just different models of the same year. Forza keeps you with the choice stuff. The Hondas are even decent; well as they can get. The physics are spot on, and really nothing can touch it.
Now my beefs. No rallys, real stock cars, F1 cars, and sports/muscle/classic cars. Where is the 97 Camaro Z28(feature in every GT), 89-95 ZR1, GTR, 77 Trans Am, 62 Vette fuelie, Porsche 550 spyder(which was in the original), 69 Camaro SS(has gone missing), Ferrari GTB, and 442. But as a odd twist the fox body mustang has made a debut here. It took this many years, but the most popular car for racing in amaerica is finally in a game. Still I want 20s-30s-40s-50s sports cars/race cars/ and luxery cars. But still a good turn out of cars.
All in all this game is as good as we can get right now. Lets hope they improve on in these ways,or GT5 will be the best of the bunch period. | video-games_xbox |
Wow! I actually loved this game despite such negative reviews. I am so glad i took a chance on Inversion, especially after reading some rather unfavorable reviews on it. I will just cut to the chase and tell you the bad and the good. Judge for yourself whats important to you.
The bad.
Game starts off slow
Texture pop in is sort of frequent
Frame rate stutters sometimes in high intensity battles
Characters are bland
Voice work is B grade (though it doesnt bother me much)
Story is ok
Guns need just a little more "pow" sound to them.
Cover can be a little iffy at times
Now the good (which outweighs the bad by alot)
Graphics are fantastic, huge draw distances and vivid colors in some areas
Awesome particle effects and destructive cover
Game gets alot more fun once you get more gravity powers
Boss battles are old school arena fights, but are actually fun and challenging
Gun fights are really great and get my blood pumpin
Using the gravlink to hurl things at enemies; offers player creative ways to defeat enemies, rather than just shooting
Varied environments break up repetition
Shifting of gravity in some sections gives you a cool sense of vertigo
Zero G sections are great and don't last too long that you get tired of them
Character animations are great, i like the roadie run and the dodge rolls
Team mate AI seems to be really good, he calls out enemies and uses his gravity powers to help you out during fights
Story takes a huge twist that I did not see coming, really refreshing.
Guns later in the game are unique and fun
Game is decent length for a shooter 8 to 10 hours
Challenging without being frustrating
I love this game, it is my sleeper hit of the year right next to Binary Domain. I did rent this game, but when it gets down to at least $20 i will definitely buy it. Do yourself a favor and at least rent this underrated gem, its at least worth a rental for some of you im sure! | video-games_xbox |
the things people are crying about don't effect everyone. ive been playing madden sence 2000 and i have to say that personally everything people are talking about and crying about doesnt apply to me at all. i never edit my players or do a fantasy draft.so to me those aren't serious issues. i do however not like that i cant import ncaa 13 players. that was one of the main reasons i even bought the ncaa game. it was nice to play with them in college and then draft them in the nfl. the meat and potatoes of the franchise mode is still there. you can lead a team over multiple seasons you can sign free agents and make trades. the trade logic is alot better in the sence that its now harder to sign good talent. before if you had the money you could just keep adjusting the price and years and eventually get the player to sign. now they have to fit your scheme and have to have an intrest in your team. which makes the free agent market in the game way better in my opinion.
on to the gameplay. i have noticed that in my personal experience that you can tell alot of difference between a fast WR and a slow DB. if the DB gets beat he doesnt all of a sudden get a burst of speed to catch up to a reciver who has like 5 yards on him. i also noticed that the DB's play more like they do in real life. they don't intercept balls with magic magnetic powers. they jump routes and act like they would in real life. the passing game feels more fine tuned and feels like you have a bit more control. it actually matters now if you lob a pass or bullet it. running with the qb feels better too. running the ball is alot more streamlined this time around. ive noticed that if i have a head of steam with my back and i use the truck stick it takes more than one guy to take me down. and if you keep using the stick he will fight for the extra yards, that being said, i have noticed an increase in fumbles with this game. i don't know if its just my back but i have used 3 different backs and it seems like they fumble once a game.
on graphics. way better graphics then the previous years. the only gripe i have is when its zoomed on a player and there is like a lining of clear visuals around him where as everything else is blurry. just takes the realism out of it for me.
the new physics engine. i like the fact that tackling, blocking and hits in general act the way they would in real life. only gripe i have about it is that players will run into eachother after the play is over and fall over. it is kind of neat on the goal line when you jump onto the pile and you are actually on top of the pile and don't just fall to the ground. makes it seem more real
over all i like the game. for me the things people comnplain about arnt huge deals to me. the game plays well, looks good and is alot of fun to play. | video-games_xbox |
Realistic and thrilling. Splinter Cell is a blast to play. I don't know where to begin. First the game play is top notch. The camera is responsive, easily controlled and very rarily gets in the way. I don't think I've played a third person action game with this nice a camera. The controls are logical and you'll learn them in five minutes.
The story is convulted and confusing at times. There are times when I'm not sure what has happened with the Georgian president and captured US soldiers and computer hacking but at the same time I don't really care. To me the story is just some background noise that adds atmosphere.
The graphics are the best I've seen. The lighting effects are moody and make the game what it is. The designs of the scenery are gorgeous. Buildings look like they were designed by architects and really help to submerge in the Splinter Cell world. The outside scenes are set up so that they feel larger than they are. The designer's have very cleverly set up the scenery to lead you where you need to go while leaving a lot of freedom of movement.
The game play is wide open. The emphasis is on avoiding trouble. It sounds boring but it's very challenging. I like the change of pace from games like Devil May Cry. I think there's room for both game types. I bought the Prima guide but haven't used it. I check the guide after I complete a mission and hardly ever go through a level the way the book suggests.
There a enough gadgets to make James Bond envious. The effects are awe inspiring. You can go through a lot of the game without using the wall mines or diversion cameras but it's so much better to set up an ambush. When you decide to use your gun the violence is mild, but realistic. The pistol is difficult to get a one shot kill but that makes it all the more satisfying. The sniper rifle is similarly difficult (you have to hold the left trigger to steady your breath, a great touch) but is well worth the effort to use.
I've never played the Metal Gear games so I don't have that for comparison but this game stands by itself as a fun exciting time. | video-games_xbox |
An amazing, immersize game, if only for its combat system alone. There's a bit of amazement that comes with playing such an action-packed game like Bayonetta. Whether you experienced the demo when it originally appeared on the Xbox Live marketplace, rented or bought the game in store, it's more than obvious that this game rivals Devil May Cry in what its combat system can accomplish.
In a world where Heaven, Hell and Earth are at war, there's only one person who can set the balance right.
Bayonetta.
Introduced to our European world through a cutscene five-hundred years before the original storyline, we learn of the Umbran Witches and the Lumen sages and how, as the legions of Heaven and Hell, they are meant to keep the world's balance intact. We also learn how, because of a bastard child being born of both a witch and a sage, the Umbran Witches have been persecuted, hunted to near extinction in an event known as the witch hunts.
Five-hundred years later, we meet our heroine at the foot of her grave, when a woman of God prays for her salvation, then reveals her true self as one of the final Umbran Witches when angels come down to wreak havoc on the world.
With her past a shroud of mystery, and with angels threatening to destroy the world, Bayonetta must venture forward, searching for an object known as the Eye of the World.
Bayonetta is, without a doubt, an action game of the highest standards. With an engaging fighting system that involves button combos, a slow-mo mode known as Witch Time, and a variety of weapons both angelic and hellish, it's a game that immediately shoots to the top of the action charts with its combat alone. Any gamer can play a brief fraction of the game and realize how amazing its combat system is, which makes it fun to sit down and play it for hours at a time.
As a whole, Bayonetta is an amazing game, if only for its combat alone.
Sadly... it doesn't rise any higher than a three-star game.
PROS:
- As an action game, Bayonetta is truly something to behold. With its weapons, its combos, its almost-flawless animation and its amazing combat system, it's a game any fan of gaming--action or not--can sit down and immediately enjoy. Torture Attacks and Final Climaxes are amazing ways to give enemies that extra punch to send them back to the hell they should have come from, and the amazing variety of weaponry ensures that combat is at least fresh, if not always evolving.
- The enemies. The hellish angels that come from above to wreak havoc on our world are amazingly well-designed. The bosses are both awe-inspiring and frightening, their abilities are horrifying, and their calculated AI makes them for extremely challenging enemies.
- The graphics. While not the most amazing thing about the game, Bayonetta offers stunning visuals in regards to scenery, characters and enemies. Paradiso is amazingly illustrated as the ethereal, heaven-like world that it is, while the European setting quickly turns to dust as both the angels and hell try to break through. Have you ever wanted to see buildings explode in fiery and chaos? Bayonetta does that, and so much more. There are complete portions of levels where you're running for your life as the scenery around you explodes, jumping from falling buildings, evading lava, and even using debris to your advantage. It offers stunning visuals in regards to what's actually going on in the story, which makes the game an even greater experience.
- Our hero. Bayonetta is, without a doubt, a badass. Her character is well-developed in regards to backstory, her costumes are sexy, and though she isn't exactly the porn-star babe most might be looking for, her beehive and glasses give her unique, exotic look makes her even more enjoyable to play.
CONS:
- Story. As a story itself, Bayonetta falls short, if only because it's not as well developed as it could be. Throughout the game, I couldn't help but wonder how certain aspects fell into place. How did Bayonetta meet the shop owner from hell, or the human that can't see her? What about Jeanne? How did she become encapsulated in the mind games of the enemy if she's supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in the world? These questions and many others leave the more developed gamer scratching their heads in wonder at why the writers didn't flesh them out more, or at least answer them in a more concrete manner.
- The side characters. Other than Bayonetta, all the side characters are very poorly developed. Luka (or `Chesire,' as Bayonetta cleverly calls him) appears to be no more than a mission-driven, obsessive lunatic until the later parts of the story, then becomes infatuated with Bayoentta's chest; the shopkeeper and his human companion seem to be no more than filler; Jeanne is underdeveloped, despite her importance of the story; and Cereza, though important, isn't given the roll I felt she needed. Cereza plays an important role, yes, but I felt she could have been more present in the story.
- The difficulty. At times, Bayonetta was so difficult that I would die up to five times and more on one level. Being the only really-playable mode, Normal difficulty seemed harder than what the average gamer might have wanted. I found myself getting `Stone' awards on every level after the third one, a disappointing low to gamers who want to do well in their game. Easy mode strings combos together in inane, oftentimes-unfeasible ways, allowing enemies to hit you and kill you faster than they do on Normal mode, and Very Easy mode strings more advanced combos together in ways that make it seem like hitting alternate button combos seem useless. In a way, Normal difficulty is even easier than Easy and Very Easy mode, if only because of the control it gives you over the combat in regards to combo control.
- The repetitively. Oftentimes, be it in combat or location, I thought I was doing the same thing over and over again. This could be in part because I didn't find all the LPs (heavenly discs that the shop owner uses to create your weapons,) but it made for a disappointing game experience combat-wise. I couldn't play it for more than an hour or two without having to put it down and back away.
- The voice acting. It's not horrible, though it could've been done better. Cereza as a child voice could've been a little better done in regards to screaming; Luka could've had a little better anger issues in some parts, etc. They stand strong enough on their own to not be horrible, but they weren't flawless by any means.
Regardless of its few faults, Bayonetta is still a game worth playing, if only for its combat system alone. Its heroine is sexy, its creature designs are phenomenal, and its story--though undeveloped as it is--keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole game. It's a game I'll remember for a long time, if only for its unique storyline and characters. | video-games_xbox |
A Victim of the Success of its own Franchise. I like the Bioshock series, it has broken ground raising the bar for story and gameplay, but theres only so much ground you can break with a single franchise. In that sense Bioshock Infinite is a victim of its own success. Theres not a lot new here but thats only because its using a lot of Bioshocks previously excellent innovations.
Ive always liked the the powers (vigors and plasmids) that allow players to approach the game how they like: stealth, destruction, possession, environment manipulation, etc. The story has always been interesting too, with its thinly veiled critique of modern political thoughts and the dangers of extremism.
I was expecting something fantastic beyond the usual clever gameplay and wise criticism, given that so many people said this game was a candidate for Game of the Year 2013. Talk about extremism! I disagree. I will thumb-wrestle anyone who claims this deserved Game of the Year for 2013, the same year that produced huge open world beasts with campaigns and multiplayer options like Assassins Creed IV and GTA V. No. No. No. No. Bioshock Infinite was a good game, maybe even a great game, but not better than any other game and certainly not game of the year.
So while theres only so much ground to break, the Makers still managed one sweet addition here: the sky hook, a rotating blade that serves as a melee weapon and a way to ride the rails connecting the floating parts of Columbia. That made for interesting twists on battles. Enemies sweep in from all directions. Of course, that provides you with an escape in all directions as well, but then youll be exposed. You have to think strategically while taking fire. Mental challenges like that were the best part of the game: puzzles under pressure.
My criticism of the gameplay is that on the non-rails combat zones, it wasn't very challenging. I had the game on the hardest difficulty and was essentially unstoppable until I came to a couple boss fights. Now don't get me wrong, Im good, but I don't think Im THAT good.
The story was decent, but I had a hard time getting emotionally involved. I just cant get into infinitely alternate world tales. They all ultimately end up becoming as meaningful as stories that conclude with and it was all a dream. If I know that in this universe everything sucks, who cares if in another Im livin large? And vice versa? With infinite options and no home universe you are anchored in, why would any hold any value over another?
Bioshock is a great series of games, but it is probably time to put it to rest. Ill remember it fondly, and the fertile atmosphere the games created are due for some exploration in other media. I didn't care for this entry as much as the first, but this is a franchise that deserves to live on.
Larry Nocella
Author of the novel, The Katrina Contract, available on Amazon | video-games_xbox |
Wasted Wrestling Experience. Well ... after really wanting to enjoy this game, I can't really say I could recommend this game to just about anyone. There's a lot this game can offer a player and especially a fan, but for the price it asks, it's ultimately not worth it.
It does the "Clash of the Titans" aspect fairly well, but that is the only thing well-done in the game, and the novelty is definitely worth a look if you're a fan whose interests reach back far enough. Unfortunately, it doesn't even do this particularly well, as you are forced to unlock roughly one-third of the roster.
Winning with each wrestler unlocks moves and entrances for the Create-A-Wrestler section (you start off with about 5 generic openings and 5 finishers) as well as an "alternate color" for the wrestler in question. In some cases, these alternate colors represent a different era (like for Macho Man and Undertaker) while in others, it simply servers as a "P2" color (like the Ultimate Warrior.) Unfortunately, due to load times (provided you don't want to take the time to save this game to your HD) each unlocking run can last between half and hour to an hour, depending on skill and if you want to watch cinematics and openings. And that's assuming that your wrestler is unlocked already.
If you need to unlock your wrestler, you have to indulge in the "Fantasy Matchups" which have amazingly well put-together video packages. However, only one matchup is unlocked at the start, and you have to beat it in order to get the next set (barring cheat codes.) And you only get whomever you play (assuming neither is unlocked, that means you have to play the matchup twice.)
Create-A-Wrestler misses out on about half the fun of creation - the moveset. The appearance isn't awful, but it seems a little shallow given the character creation options in most other games. But with only a limited number of finishers and being forced to copy an existing wrestler's moveset, it lacks the fun of creating someone truly unique. Plus, it's impossible to tell what a wrestler's moveset includes unless you play him (not to mention if you want access to that character's finisher.) The game identifies wrestlers via specific classes (Acrobat, Big Man, Brawler, and Grappler) and does a good job of differentiating movesets of wrestlers within a specific class, but it would be nice if it identified the styles on the CAW screen rather than memorizing or having to have the manual open.
Gameplay itself is somewhat random and recalls not only the old-school N64 wrestling games but is more exaggerated. Play is simplistic and relies overmuch on an untrainable reversal mechanic (meaning you have to repeatedly experience the move so you can learn while you're getting beat on in an actual match rather than having, say, a training move and/or RPG-style stats which will give you bonuses to your counters.) Finishers are incredibly across-the-board in terms of ease of use and effectiveness. The specialty matches are anemic and barely noteworthy except for the Steel Cage, which I'll get to in a moment. Other than steel cage, you have Hardcore, Elimination, and Tornado Tag matches. why they bother with Hardcore is beyond me, though, since there are no rope breaks, it doesn't matter if you're outside or inside the ring. Tornado tag is another missed opportunity as the chaos offers little in the way of strategy and zero team maneuvers. The only positive in that kind of match is that your partner is (usually) competent and won't require constant rescue / attention.
The Steel Cage match is one of the best examples of this type of match, in my opinion, though not without its flaws. Unlike many games, it forces players to climb the cage to escape. Also unlike some games, the opponent's damage plays a role in your escape. Aside from knocking an opponent down to get time to climb, your opponent's damage level will factor in the time it takes to climb out.
In all, WWE All-Stars is a fun game, but vastly overpriced for a game that feels like I spend as much time loading and doing the drudge-work of unlocking. For the price they charge, they should've included more. A "season" mode would be out of place, but more match-types (battle royale, TLC, lumberjack), more storylines (like unifying the belts of past and present), more wrestlers (No Honkytonk Man? Jericho? Ric Flair?), and more CAW elements would be expected, and not as costly DLC! | video-games_xbox |
Doh. I really wanted to enjoy "The Simpson's: Road Rage" because I am to the point where I pity the "The Simpson's" license in the context of the incredibly competitive video game world. The last string of "Simpson's" games have been nothing but complete, almost unplayable disasters. It's not saying a whole lot when I hear people are raving that "Road Rage is THE best Simpson's game!" Yes, it is the most competent "Simpson's" game undoubtedly but still somehow manages to a sad, highly unoriginal bore.
"Hello. Am I speaking to the legal department of Electronic Arts? Yes, this is the legal team at Sega America and we are just calling to let you know that we are suing you breaking copyright." How that call never happened is beyond me. "Road Rage" rips EVERYTHING from the stellar Sega hit "Crazy Taxi" except the fun! Considering Sega's title is way over a year old so it's very peculiar that "Road Rage" in no way, shape or form decides to build on the "taxi" formula and make it into something of it's own. Yes, "Road Rage" has arguably better graphics (considering the hardware leap from Dreamcast to XBOX, it's nothing to write home about), many more vehicles and arenas, faster gameplay and the occasional hilarity of "The Simpson's" license but the gameplay surprisingly is nowhere as fun, challenging or deep as Sega's "Crazy Taxi."
There are 4 gameplay modes: Road Rage, Sunday Drive, Mission Mode and Head to Head. The premise of "Road Rage" is simple. You choose one of various Simpson's characters, drive around picking up various Simpson's characters and drop them off as quickly as possible while listening to audio excerpts of the characters dialog repeat. Depending on how quickly you delivered your passenger the higher the pay you receive. Sounds mighty familiar hey? This cycle is fun for about an hour then torturous soon after. "Road Rage's" in game clock is incredibly inconsistant and will sometimes give you less then 5 seconds to get your passenger to their destination a few blocks away when you still have a fair amount of time left of total game time or it'll give you 40 seconds to drive one block; it flat out kills the fun. Sunday Drive is exactly what the title implies; driving around town with no time limit or objectives exploring the arena's whatnots. Mission Mode is a pathetic, abundantly unfun exercise in running various objects over within a set amount of time. Head to Head is the only reason to play this game. The 2-player madness can be very entertaining but Head to Head has lame restrictions and doesn't flow as seemlessly (I mean this very loosely) as the 1-Player experience.
Cars or characters - which ever you want to call them - handle one of three ways. There are the fast cars are extremely touchy (Apu's Sports Car), balanced cars that have a satisfactory top speed and handle adequately but sound like they are stuck in second gear (Marge's 4x4 Canonaro) and the slow, borderline useless clunkers (Auto's School Bus). Most people will find themselves sticking to the unforgiving, speed orientated cars because once mastered (which doesn't take a whole lot of time) domination is inevitable.
The arenas range from o.k. to barely playable. "Evergreen Terrace" and the "Entertainment District" are the most balanced levels and the majority of gamers will find themselves playing those two most often. While their premise is novel arenas like "The Springfield Dam" and "Springfield Mountains" are too difficult to navigate due to their immensity and poor level design. "Downtown" suffers from sporadic slowdown and frame-rate dives that create a slightly nauseating experience. Roads in these are too narrow and hitting the side of the course can bring your cars to a complete stop. Not to mention Mr. Burns and his entirely spastic "atomic buses" blocking the road entirely and pushing your car into walls will leave an extremely bitter taste in your mouth.
Graphically "Road Rage" in really nothing to get excited over. The colorful, Simpson'esque atmosphere is suiting but visuals aren't as crisp as one should expect from the XBOX. There is a minor texture blur that reminds me a great deal - to a lesser degree - of the graphical style of the N64 title "South Park."
I am really happy the voice actors from the TV series recorded some new material for the game. I am really annoyed that they recorded so little. Phrases are very funny the first 10 or so times, but by the time the second or third game loads up using the same character you will have had it. Lisa, one of my favorite character on the show has very few things to say and soon becomes unmistakably irritating. Same can be said for the almost the entire cast of characters.
Lastly I have to touch on how unacceptably glitchy "Road Rage" is. I've had cars get stuck on walls, in the middle of the road and occasionally get stuck onto another car. Sometimes I had to quit the game because my car was wedged indefinitely. The collision detection needs a great deal of work. I can't tell you the last time I played a game where if you got enough air time you could fly through background scenery into gray, video game limbo and float there until your time eventually expires. Also the load times, which are nowhere near as horrible as the PS2 version's, are still noticeably bad. Consider how low tech this game appears and how powerful the XBOX is, the time spent at the "Now Loading..." screen is utterly unsatisfactory. "Road Rage" has "rushed" plastered all over it.
Don't waste your hard-earned cash on this uninspired rip-off. I heard Sega will eventually port "Crazy Taxi 2" to the XBOX. I recommend investing in the originator, not settling for a half-baked designer imposter. | video-games_xbox |
TRON Controller- FTW. For a while, i had stopped playing my xbox because i really didn't like the controller vs. the Playstation controller. (which i have always loved) But after receiving this TRON controller from my bf for Christmas; it seems this awesome controller has now rekindled my passion to start playing 360 again. While this may sound corny, i am absolutely serious. Despite a few cons i have, i would say the pros outweigh them. Here is what i think:
Pros:
-Lights up a brilliant blue and feels like a quality controller (unlike some really cheap feeling ones out there)
-feels very comfortable (despite having long fingers, i still think it feels very nice and doesn't make my hands sore)
-The Triggers feel "much much" better and they don't squeak like my other xbox controllers do (which can be an annoyance)
-The bumpers hold up well (I've had other xbox controllers with right bumper problems where the bumper just decided to get stuck and then not register anymore)
-Nice grips on the sides, an added plus
-Works great, no problems yet
-the D pad is much more responsive and just overall feels better (unlike the sloppy D pad on the other controllers)
Cons:
-The first thing i was disappointed in was the analog sticks have shown some premature wear slightly. It felt like the rubber was worn in a few spots. I assume i am just tough on them when i play, but on the other hand I've never had that problem with the normal 1st party xbox controllers i own.
-I was not happy about the headset hook up. I tried to hook up my xbox headset to it and it wouldn't fit in properly. It was a bummer because playing COD is great with this controller, but i couldn't get the headset to fit at all. So I'll have to buy a different headset that is compatible.
-I guess some would say the cord is a negative. While this is true, I wouldn't say it's much of a nuisance to me because i grew up on NES and Sega and i am just used to cords. But that's just me. It is a "10 foot" cord, which is a plus because short cords really SUCK! If it were cordless, that would be really cool, but i can deal with the cord.
-I highly agree with the people on here that don't like the center xbox button. It looks pretty cheap vs. the normal controllers. My logo is slightly crooked on my controller as well.
So If your shopping around for a new xbox controller, I would defiantly recommend purchasing this product. I am a big fan of TRON, but even if you aren't really a fan of the movie; i would still say you should give this controller a try. It's defiantly the best 3rd party controller I've ever used. (and that's saying a lot when it comes to third party controllers!) | video-games_xbox |
A world of destruction. I'll do this one level by level.
Lvl. 1: Starts out dull and boring. Enemies look dumb and their AI isn't any better. To progress through the level, you have to shoot brain-monsters, which allows you access deeper into the area. My first impression was, 'This is incredibly outdated gameplay.' Still, it was nice blowing things up. After a bit, you reach the enemy tank, and you're given a powerful lightning spell. From here on, I was all smiles. The major spells in Bullet Witch are ridiculously overpowered and it's great fun pushing flaming cars into enemies, or blowing up entire buildings.
Lvl. 2: City level. It's a bit too spacious- too many wide stretches with nothing going on. What makes it worse is that the main chacracter, Alicia, cannot run very fast. You can't hit 'A' for example and sprint. It's just click, click, click of her high heels, over and over again. I did have fun taking out the enemy soldiers as they collected in a big group underneath their helicopter, and for the first time, you face snipers. These guys can do one hit kills, so there's a lot of dodging going on. In actuality, I kind of appreciated the one hit kills. I like playing as a sniper in most games. Snipers don't get enough credit.
Lvl. 3: Down through the manditory sewer level. Every game has a sewer level. After the sewers, it's on to the airport terminal. More enemies, more snipers, you can shoot out the overhead glass, and you face these weird creatures that look like the exploding enemies in Halo, but with Asian Ghost Girl faces. From the terminal, you head on to the plane. There is a boss fight on the plane, and you're literally ON the plane. Not IN the plane. I thought this was incredibly inspired game design. Of course, the boss kicks your butt over and over again until you figure out how to cast your third Lightning spell. Hint: Jump to the tail to shoot it in the mouth, and go from there . . .
Lvl. 4: Now walking along train tracks, heading towards some mining-type facility. Big explosion here. Good fun. Just be careful where you are standing when it all gets blown to hell.
Lvl. 5. Arriving at the militia HQ. Lots of gunplay. Plus, you get the tornado spell. Cast it as much as you can. It's awesome. AWESOME.
Final Lvl. It's back to the city again, to finish off the boss. The boss fight is kind of tedious, especially because the boss' shields recharge over and over again. Why couldn't it be a one and done? You'll do a lot of dodging, healing of soldiers and tons of shooting. Personally, I enjoyed the boss fight. It was long and drawn out, but thankfully straightforward. I never got thrown a curve, like, NOW THE BOSS CAN DO THIS, DIDN'T WE WARN YOU? That kind of stuff feels cheap to me.
Once you beat this monster, it's game over. Still, you can replay the game and keep levelling up your spells / weapons.
Of course, there are some bad things-
-Alicia cannot sprint, and worse, she cannot dodge and shoot at the same time. The game SCREAMS for this simple ability. Also, the crouch feature is useless.
-Enemy AI is all over the place. Some enemies stand still, letting you blast them away, while others dance around like they're at a rave. There's very little middle ground.
-The game is incredibly short. A playthough, even with the endless final boss fight, takes all of 6 hours. If I had bought this game new and at full price, I'd probably feel cheated.
-Bonus content (new costumes / different playable scenarios) is LIVE download only.
But the destruction . . . that makes it all worthwile. | video-games_xbox |
I feel like a kid again, but in a good way. I was waiting for this game before I even knew they where going to make it, and I am very pleased.
When I was a kid I played with all the action figures and watched the movies like crazy, I also watched The Real Ghostbusters cartoon every Saturday. Ghostbusters was a highlight of my child hood, and now I feel like kid again! This is great!
I'm a Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 owner and I wasn't sure which to get it on, I heard the 360 graphics are better but only by a little, so I picked the 360 obviously, and I was not disappointed. Although I don't think the PS3 would have been a bad choice.
The Gameplay is great, it's smooth and the view is nice for a 3rd person, I'm not a fan of 3rd person (I prefer 1st person) but this was done very well and there was actually a point in seeing the guy in front of you, First it's neat to see the character, Second is the overheat meter, third is the proton pack changes a bit according to the pack mode your in for the Ghost you are busting.
The graphics are not bad, but I think could have been better, just look at other new games like KZ2 or Modern Warfare 2, But in this game to me graphics don't even matter.
The story is fantastic, Thanks Dan Aykroyd for being so awesome, and making sure everything was correct. The humor is so funny, or at least just as good as the Movies, heh the achievement points all have great names to reference the original movies.
The multiplayer is pretty fun, Team based ghostbusting, I'm liking it, a bit like a 3rd person Left for Dead but the ghosts instead of zombies and more area based 4 player co-op, But either way TEAM WORK is FUN!!! LOL
Anyway I love this game, I really hope there is some DLC for it weather is be new multiplayer maps or maybe new single player missions like the Red Faction Guerilla did.
It's super fun if you liked the movies, you will also like the game Enjoy!!! | video-games_xbox |
What a wonderful world. As a Skyrim fan, I'm surprised to find out that AC IV has a more appealing and vast world. With its fascinating ocean, colorful tropical islands and exotic cities, AC IV is such a visual feast. The world is really huge for you to explore, you can chase sea shanties, seek buried treasures, rob cargos to upgrade your ship, get materials for cool costumes, raid tombs for some Mayan mysteries, leap in a tropical jungle to hunt panthers or just abuse your mighty powers and gadgets over some poor guys, etc, roaming the AC IV world freely is pure fun.
Anybody disappointed by AC III should give it a try. The core mechanics of the game stays largely the same, however, improvements and modifications bring it a totally new feel. I, whom AC III's clumsy gameplay system gave a constant headache, could hardly believe that AC IV's gameplay gives me a satisfying experience. Combat is faster, so timing of counter/attack is more challenging. Enemies can do much more harm and can shoot you down if you're climbing up the wall trying to escape, making the combat much more intense. And you have all these new upgradeable gadgets to use, switching between different tools is much more convenient than in AC III. Besides, since the world is much more sandbox-y than ACIII with a much more diversified and open environment, the game really encourages different approaches. I love stealth approach a lot, which you can really do in nearly every task, and the it's incredibly fun and fulfilling.
The system is totally revamped, easy to understand and handy to use, which helps me recover from suffering of AC III's confusing system. I haven't gotten into the story too much yet but I think an average Hollywood plot will be enough for such a fun game. There are some bugs, but it's already pretty good for such a vast open world in which you can do a lot of difficult interactive movements.
And the naval world? Couldn't be better. This game has totally lived up to the hype around the pirate theme. The ocean itself is breathtaking. Dense fog with deadly ships rising from legend, monstrous waves and tornados coming at you in a scary storm, rosy sunset over the horizon with white sea gulls flying by, or just a tranquil ocean under a starry sky, Ubisoft has done a legendary job bringing all the beauty on high seas to your TV screen. The naval combat couldn't be more fun and has become my new hobby. Don't get it wrong because the original formula from old AC games has been polished to such a new height that the land part is already much better than older installments, it's just that Ubisoft has built a parallel naval world that is as appealing, if not more. Two worlds are integrated seamlessly together, making AC IV the best pirate game ever.
Overall, this is an amazing game with a fantastic world. For me, it's like playing a much more nimble, no-magic dragonborn(a Nord I guess) in a world similar to Skyrim, but much more colorful, light and diversified.
The only big problem might be that AC IV would keep you occupied and unwilling to quit for a long time. I'm writing this comment after a long night's exploration of Havana and some islands. Anybody who want a highly-disciplined life should NOT get this game because it can suck you many hours without you noticing it.
BTW, I really love the soundtrack. It has a really sweet Caribbean flavor and really fits in with the environment. This game is an auditory feast as well.
So what else to say? AC IV comes at a special time when the whole industry is ready to move onto next gen. This is a symbolic end of current gen and I'm not sure if I'll keep gaming like before. But AC IV comes along and for me it puts an glorious end of current gen. So...everything aside, just grab your pistols and sword, hop onto your ship and sail under the black flag to this wonderful world! | video-games_xbox |
Does not dissapoint. I enjoyed 2K7 very much and 2K8 was definitely on my short list of 360 games I would get. For the most part NBA 2K8 does not disappoint, but other than graphic improvements, I really don't a drastic improvement over 2K7. This is not to say 2K8 is a let down, because its not. NBA 2K7 was already a solid game, so 2K8 would be hard pressed to improve on it drastically given only a year to do so.
Graphically the game looks impressive and I do notice improvements over the 2K7 installment. I have also noticed that 2K has fixed some of the details, like the baseline of the Spurs' court now says "San Antonio Spurs Basketball" instead of "Spurs Basketball San Antonio". In addition I see that the Cavaliers' court is now has the correct colors and layout; however now the Blazers' court is wrong. I guess they will never be 100% accurate and while it doesn't affect game play I still find it annoying. I would think if a company is going to take all that time into making a game based off of real teams and players, the LEAST they could do is get the colors right. But oh well. In addition I have noticed that many player models have been redone, some for the better, others for the worse. Matt Harpring and Andre Kirelinko are two players off the top of my head that have taken a turn for the worse. Yao Ming on the other hand looks better than he did last year. There are also more alternate uniform choices this year and you don't have to enter annoying codes to get them.
The game play is still pretty solid, but you will almost immediately notice that the speed is a little toned down, and at times can feel downright sluggish until you get used to it. The dribbling moves (i.e., crossover, spin, etc) are much harder to do this time around and I think this was down purposely to prevent players from overusing it. This also takes some getting used to and you may find yourself looking in the manual to see how to do things. Other than these small complaints the game play is quite good, there are no unrealistic movements for the most part and the collision detection is pretty good. Shooting remains realistic and you can expect the SIM like shooting percentages like in 2K7. The game also won't allow you to just dunk or lay it up on every play and like the real NBA you have to work to find good looks.
A new addition to the 2K8 series is the dunk contest and 3 point shoot out. For the Dunk contest, it takes a lot of patience at work to get even the simplest dunk to go in. Basically there are lots of dunks you can perform based on how you move the thumb stick. It sounds easy but it's really not, your moves have to be surgically precise and the timing also has to be dead on. I started to get the hang of it, but honestly I haven't played the dunk contest for the past couple of months. The 3 point shoot out is very disappointing and I haven't played it at all since I first got the game. From what I remember there isn't even a crowd when you are competing and if there is, they don't see very enthusiastic about it. To be fair to both modes, I have not played these modes during an actual season (I'm not even sure if you can), so maybe the season version of the dunk contest and 3 point shoot out is more exciting. There is also still Practice mode and street mode just like 2K7, but since it's not much different this year, I won't go into it. In addition 24/7 is no longer in 2008 and it has been replaced with the "Association" which I haven't even played so I can't honestly tell you what its like.
As usual 2K drags their feet when it comes to roster updates. They claim they have downloadable updated rosters but as of the first part of February '08, the only roster update they have available for download is the first one from way back from November '07. You are better off going to a site like ESPN and manually doing all the NBA transactions from the November date yourself. It takes a while, but if you want updated rosters you have to do it yourself since you can't depend on 2K to be on top of this by any stretch of the imagination. Keep in mind however that because some players are not in the game, your rosters still won't be 100% accurate and in some instances you may have put players on a team that are really not on there just to satisfy the minimum 12 player roster restriction. This only occurs for two maybe 3 teams, so while annoying it's not that distracting. I usually just put the lowest rated player from the free agent list to take the missing player's place.
Overall I am satisfied with the game, but oddly enough I really don't find myself playing it very often. This is nothing against the game itself, its just that I have very little time to play games as much as I used to, and I must confess most of my game playing time is spent playing Guitar Hero 2 and 3. In comparing this game to 2K7, there is really not MUCH improvement other than a few graphical improvements, but still I'll say a worthwhile purchase especially if you didn't even play or own NBA2K7. Comparing to College hoops 2K8, NBA 2K8 is hands down a better game. Unlike CH2K8, you seem to be in good control of your players and game play never feels like it's scripted. Best of all you shouldn't find yourself having to adjust the sliders just to get a more realistic game. I just wish the game play in College Hoops 2K8 was as good as NBA 2K8's. | video-games_xbox |
Positively Brilliant - Lucas Arts' and Obidian Entertainments' Crowning Achievement. This game is quite unique, a refreshing breath of air from the bulk of rather monotonous and repetetive Xbox titles available on the market today. In focusing on gameplay, many production companies seemed to have been sidetracked from the driving force, or plot, that makes the game want to be played by a gamer, and NEED to be played. This also holds true in scenarios where it is vice-versa, leading to a slew of 'unfinished' games being released. Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic, seems to find the sweet spot in the delicate balance between these two elemnts, leading to a perfect combination of attractive, purely fun gameplay, and a drawing storyline that hooks you in from the first sentence spoken, and keeps you coming back for more. Initially, upon my first test run of this masterpiece, I was somewhat surprised by the inability to directly engage in fights. Even though it seemed somewhat strange, even in a Role playing game, that we were not given complete control over our character, and the ability to execute different attacks, I noticed that, as I continued to play, the rest of the games brilliant elements more than compensated for it, and in fact, added further richness and depth. (By means of using statistics to determine battle outcomes, and having you boost these statistics as you play, deciding which ones to focus on.)
The real shining element, though, in this epic, is the complete immersive experience that you are treated to as you play through it. The storyline becomes more engrossing with each passing hour, and the exquisitely detailed Star-Wars universe provides an irresistible delight of a package, be the gamer a hardened Star Wars fan or not.
If you have the privelige of owning an Xbox, this game is a must have for any gamer's palette. It serves as a testament to just how perfect a game experience can be, and sets an insurmountable standard for all games that follow. This is potentially the best game experience available on the Xbox - An instant, timeless classic that simply must be played. | video-games_xbox |
Shocked to be so Disappointed. I have been a Bioware fan since the good old days. This game is a severe disappointment. I don't think I will be investing much more time beyond the ten hours I have played so far. It is NOT an RPG. It is an action-arcade game with role-playing decorations.
Graphics and Gameplay. The backgrounds. which as other reviewers have pointed out are recycled over and over again, are static: they don't move or change. It seems like your characters are moving against a painted landscape. The game is bedeviled with interminable load times between sequences. The voice acting is credible, but bugs in the synch often cause the speech to be delayed until after a character's mouth stops moving. It is much worse than a bad japanese lip-synch job.
The World. There is no open world to explore. Worse yet, it *feels* small. Whenever you leave a small area, you get a menu of other locations to visit. There is no sense of travel or exploration. You just instantly move from place to place. Within any particular location, there is really just one pathway to travel. You really don't have to *find* anything. So, there are no secret locations to discover for yourself. The world itself seems like a set piece and not a living environment. For the most part, the NPCs do not move around. They just stand, sit, or lie in their places. And while the cutscenes are for the most part interesting, there are way too many of them. After a couple hours, you begin to dread passing by a new NPC (who wasn't there the last time you were in the same place), because another long cutscene is sure to interrupt what action there is. This makes it difficult to get any sense of momentum going.
Combat. Combat is *terrible*. While there are lots of interesting graphical effects, there is no need for strategy or figuring out what spells or abilities to use. I'm not kidding about this. What usually happens is that a bunch of monsters appear (as if from nowhere) when you cross a certain point in your path. Then, you just mash the "A" button as fast as you can. You character more or less auto-targets, and when one monster falls, keep mashing "A" and your character moves automatically to attack the next monster. As to abilities, you just watch the timers and mash "X" "Y" or "Z" whenever a particular ability is ready again. Combat is fast paced, TOO fast paced. Really, the combat reminds me of Diablo more than a Bioware RPG.
Questing. There are plenty of quests. The problem is, they don't seem to make much sense. The quest log fills up as you experience the endless cutscenes. Sometimes all it takes is for some NPC to mention a place, and a quest related to that place will appear in your quest log the next time you open it. You don't have to agree to take the quest, or even realize that a quest was in the offing. Whenever I opened the log I would be surprised to see a bunch more quests and have no recollection of who assigned them. Fortunately, you don't even have to think about the quests because huge arrows point you to exactly where to go. There is no sense of mystery or discovery, merely working off a long to-do list that somebody else wrote up for you.
The Story. Yawn. Dragon Age: Origins began with a bang: your entire civilization was teetering on the brink of destruction and being overrun with hellish monsters. The story just picked up from there. On the other hand, in Dragon Age 2, the story starts off with you fleeing (cowardly, no?) across the ocean to a new city where you are penniless and friendless. You then start from the bottom and work your way up. It takes too long for the story to get interesting. And what story there is in the first dozen hours of play is uninteresting, overly complicated and confusing. Why do we care about these characters? Why do we even care about the main character? These questions are unanswered for far too long.
Summary. Ugh. I was totally taken by this game, which I preordered as soon as it was available on Amazon. I wish I had two days and $60 back. I think it is not coincidental that as of this writing the major review sites have not published their reviews yet. My guess is they are holding the negative reviews to give Bioware a chance to sell the game for a few days before the bad reviews appear. At the very least, you should save your money until a consensus appears. I'm betting that this game is going to be listed as one of the (if not *the*) biggest disappointments of 2011. | video-games_xbox |
New and Improved! 10% More Awesomeness. I rented Gears 2 and played through the Single-Player Campaign in 3 days. It is a true sequel to the original game, so the story is a continuation and the gameplay doesn't really offer anything drastically new. With that said, Gears of War 2 slightly improves on all of the Campaign aspects of the original Gears of War.
The strength of Gears 2 is definitely the Campaign, whether you play single player or with a friend. Most of the levels are truly epic and now there's moving and destructible cover. The weaknesses are the multi-player. There's some lag and starting a game could take a while. Also, the chainsaw and mortars (explode in the air and release a cluster bomb) seem cheap ways to kill or be killed.
The Story 7/10
There is one, it's ok, and doesn't bog down the gameplay. There are a few dramatic scenes in the story, but not enough build up to make them truly memorable. However, the action never slows and the story does a good job at setting up the levels in the campaign. The story is an improvement over the first Gears, although that's not saying much.
Gameplay 8/10
The gameplay is very similar to the original Gears. Play single player or co-op. Duck, Flank, Shoot. But now there are more enemies and more weapons. The gun battles are really fun and the wide range of enemies keeps the action interesting. Battle enemies with mortars, flame throwers, gatling guns, lancers, rifles, machine pistols, grenades, shotguns, sniper rifles... etc. You can also take shields from enemies and plant them as portable cover and of course, you can grab a wounded enemy and use them as a meat shield. There are also finishing moves like the beat down, curb stomp, and the chainsaw up the a...
There are a few enemies that change the battles strategies like tickers. They're like jihad-watchdog-suicide-bombers. You need to shoot them before they get close to you and explode. They definitely get your attention in battles.
There are some vehicle levels where you get to mow down hundreds of enemies at a time with a tank. This is pretty satisfying.
There are 4 difficulty levels for the campaign and the checkpoints are very generous. Just about anyone can finish Gears and the harder levels offer a challenge for the hardcore gamers.
There's also a Horde Mode where you and some friends can battle wave after wave of enemies and accumulate a score. Horde mode is pretty addicting because the gameplay mechanics are fun and the pacing of the battles are intense.
Levels 8/10
The first Chapter of Gears 2 showcases some of the best looking battles of all time. You really get the feeling that you are in a war. Reavers fly into the battles from above, buildings collapse around you, armies of enemies rush onto the battlefield like a gruesome tide of terror. Gears 2 raises the bar as far as epic battles are concerned in the same way that Call of Duty 4 raised the bar on intensity. The battles are are something that everyone should experience, even if you just want to rent the game.
However, when the game decides to move away from the duck, cover, shoot gameplay, the levels are pretty awful. Whoever thought 'driving a tank with poor traction on cracking ice and insta-killing them if they fell through' was a fun idea, should be banished from the game industry. The great levels outnumber the bad 7 to 1.
Art 9/10
Gears 2 looks amazing. They've moved away from the grey enemies and grey backgrounds and added some color and some awe-inspiring views. The characters, enemies, and effects all look great as well. The presentation of Gears 2 is through the roof!
It's rated M for violence, gore, and language. The Game is about 12 hours long and 10 of those hours are really good. The Horde Mode and Online Versus Mode can add hundreds more hours of fun.
Avoid this game if you didn't like the first Gears, you don't like M Rated Games, you want great multiplayer, or you want vehicle combat like Halo. | video-games_xbox |
Looks good - sounds excellent, but problem with mic audio using xba. Update #3 - i received the new xba (bluetooth adapter) from Turtle Beach, and chat is still not that clear. Maybe my expectations from a bluetooth connection was too high. Kudos to turtle beach support for being so responsive and sending a new one. I guess this is not really a dealbreaker, since even if I have to use the talkback cable to get clear chat audio, it is still an excellent headset.
Update #2 - Turtle beach is sending a new bluetooth adapter that will hopefully fix the chat audio issue. I will update after I receive it and can see if it resolves the issue.
update - even after updating the firmware, I am having problems with the mic audio - others say it sounds like I am talking on a Kinect. The mic picks up a hum or something that appears to be caused by the bluetooth adapter. That is the only thing that stops this from being a 5 star product. Using a talkback cable with it produces excellent chat audio.
Original - As far as I can tell, this is basically the Turtle Beach Ear Force PX51 with Call of Duty Branding and colors (at an additonal cost). So if you want to save some money, and don't necessarily care about the Call of Duty Ghosts branding you might want to consider getting the Turtle Beach Ear Force PX51 instead. That being said, if you or your kid is a big Call of Duty fan, then this is absolutely the coolest Turtle Beach headset you can get. The headband is a nice padded leatherette material, and the earcups are nicely padded as well. Style-wise, it looks like all turtle beach's, just with a higher end feel. The base station has the blue LED's which I like, and the headset's LED's are blue as well. Another lovely touch is the voice that says "'powering on" when you turn it on - very cool. Using the various presets, you can easily set it for any audio source you are listening to. And the game sound on this is fantastic. Very crisp, accurate audio.
As a mom, I like that it is rechargeable, which is really a must have for these or you will be buying a ton of batteries. I also like that you can hook it up to a computer and program/update it. What my son loves, is that this is the must have headset among teen boys. It's cool factor is thru the roof.
Setup was simple and intuitive - I didn't really have to break down and read the directions - just plug in USB power, plug in Optical cord and attach the mic. Another nice touch is the bluetooth adapter for the xbox controller, so it is truly cable free use. All cables are included (even the optical cable), which is also a nice touch. What I also like, is that the headband to earpiece attachment on this seems to be re-enforced, and possibly even replacable, as there are screws on the top and bottom. With past headsets, the point where the headband meets the earpiece is always the most fragile point and usually ends up breaking. | video-games_xbox |
5 Stars For An All-Star Rumble - Kick Digi-Butt. With the release of season 6 and the highly anticipated Digimon Adventure Season 3 (season 2's much asked for sequel), Digimon All-Star Rumble brings back all the old favorites from seasons 1 and 2 plus some others from 3 and of course 6.
You get 12 playable characters that unlock later throughout the game as you go on a mini Digimon World 4-esque journey to find a mon who likely needs unlocking and you do this beating it in a rumble battle. Along the way, you will find BITS and Digimon Cards that will upgrade your character in a Rumble after choosing a slot in the pause menu. All these aspects make the game entertaining and a nice upgrade to its predecessors. You can play through this story-mode with each Digimon and see their take on the tournament journey as well, which makes it even more awesome since the story reflects each individual Digimon's goals and backstory. How can it get such bad reviews?
This isn't a perfect game by any means. Being third in the Digi Rumble series, you really don't have a huge selection of Digimon to choose from. I was hoping a couple from Season 4 even or playing the new characters from S6 like Cyberdramon or the even the new Greymon. Unfortunately, they aren't included and honestly is a bad move on the developers for fansake. There are dozens upon dozens of Digimon we love and want to play, but they give us characters from seasons 15 years ago. However, as mentioned, a new season is coming out so maybe it will encourage the gameplay.
Pros:
- Graphics are pretty rad for the most part (besides item power ups like missles sometimes look chunky)
- All-Star cast of 12 Digimon with Digivolutions including some from the latest Season 6
- Digimon World 4-style mini-story per character adds new depth to the fighting game.
- The story is about something dark emerging which is why we love Digimon and fighting it out!
- Local multiplayer havoc is fun for friends and more who may not even be a fan of Digimon.
- When you lose a boss battle, you start in front of the boss again so you never lose progress. (If you lose with a wild Digimon, you restart the level.)
Cons:
- You can't fall off platforms now like DRA2 so some of the smashing is limited.
- Story mode is short and becomes increasingly difficult as enemies attack you and that health reflects your final battle (hope for a capture the flag game if your health is low so you won't be penalized)
- Not enough characters to choose from for an All-Star game.
- Environments don't affect you and move as much like previous games. (Lava hardly hurts in this one.)
- Controls can be clunky and hard to use in battles forcing you to make your same moves multiple times for it to register (i.e. blocking has to be done super early before a hit)
- Agumon's voice?
All in all, I can't wait to continue beating it and challenging my roommate for some Rumble Arena fun! It's really pretty also. A must for fans who truly know the series and is fun for people who do not to play with unique monsters. | video-games_xbox |
Don't Waste Your Money On Battlefreeze 4. I enjoyed playing Battlefield 3, it is a much different type of combat shooter than the "run and gun" of Call of Duty gameplay. Battlefield 4 is a huge disappointment. Not only are the multiplayer maps smaller, the gameplay is more like COD; run around as fast as you can and shoot any enemies you run into. Even worse, this game is riddled with numerous technical problems that make the game virtually unplayable at times.
There are too many problems to list here and likely even more that I haven't encountered yet but here's a few:
The game freezes constantly, especially in Multiplayer mode; all progress and XP is lost and the Xbox console has to be rebooted. This is really frustrating and takes a lot of fun out of the multiplayer game. The loadout menus are hard to navigate and apparently you can only change weapons while you are in a game. Using the server browser can often be a "road to nowhere"; plenty of empty servers but you can't get into any of them. Getting into an online game is where the game seems to freeze the most. If you have a bunch of friends playing, you can't join as a squad. The launch weekend double XP wasn't working either; Dice's way of thanking customers who pre-ordered or bought the game on the release date.
There are significant issues with the gameplay as well. Players are hard to see at times, often you don't see who killed you until after you're dead. There are major issues with the netcode(the computer code used for online gameplay); you can be killed before an enemy even fires a shot, you empty a clip into him and are killed before he even fires his weapon. As far as weapons go, you can empty an assault rifle clip into an enemy a couple hundred yards away with no effect and he winds up shooting you with a couple shots from a pistol. This makes for a lot of snipers; since you can kill an enemy at the same distance with a sniper rifle or pistol, why not? Camperland; if you stop running, you usually are killed by one of the many snipers. Hard to tell how many hits it takes to kill somebody; I snuck up on a sniper, emptied a full clip from a SCAR-L assault rifle into his head from six inches away, he got up and killed me with a pistol.
OK, it's a new game, there's bound to be some glitches, right? Battlefield 4 does not have glitches, it has major problems; a game that crashes your system and does not work should have never been released. Dice will fix it with a client side patch, right? Don't hold your breath. With Xbox One coming out in a few weeks, most likely the Battlefield 4 for that console has big problems as well and Dice has every available employee working on that so the Xbox One version doesn't crash and burn like this Xbox 360 version did, Xbox 360 gamers are probably going to be in for a long wait until the problems with this game are fixed.
When you pre-order a game on Amazon, it can take a week to get it with standard shipping, never mind the free shipping. You might miss the bonus XP weekend they usually throw on a game's release. This game's double XP weekend was a big fail so I guess it didn't matter in this case. It was also supposed to come with an "exclusive Amazon pre-order battlepack" which I have not received. Thankfully, I was able to cancel the COD Ghosts Hardened Edition I pre-ordered from Amazon, I'll never pre-order another video game from them again, just not worth it.
Battlefield 4 is pretty much a loser all the way around. These game developers don't seem to have much respect for their customers, it's getting harder to keep shelling out $60 a game. I'm sure glad I did not pre-order the Xbox One. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome game, needs a sequel. This game, to me is a 4.5 star mark. Like my NFS: HP review, I am going to go about this the same way, but stating the pros and cons, and going on a little tangent about it.
But first thing's first, EA NEEDS to make a MMA2 game. It's really the only competiton to Dana and his UFC franchise that seems to be WWF'ing the MMA market (and we all know how "awsome" pro wrestling has been since Vince monoplized the Pro Wrestling scene, right?).
Plus, EA KNOWS how to make fight games, right?
Pros:
-Gameplay = awesome, to me the developers have done an almost PERFECT job of balancing between incredibly technical and very easy to play. I can honestly say that I LOVE the fact that the game has a great "pick up and play" vibe. No insanely, assininely, complicated movements with a thumbstick to do certian manuvers. Insetead, a button press and your fighting, a flick of a thumbstick and you're shooting, another thumbstick movement and you're dodging. While it still needs a little work, it it very much on point and while being easy, has little intricatness that doesn't make it too easy.
-In Ring Action, it's spot on as well. Unlike the UFC game, where it feels more like luck than a solid fight plan. In this game you can tell it's ALL about the tactical gameplan. And while it can be aggrivating at times, it also makes a heck of a lot of sense. This is a HUGE failing for the UFC games, in that you will have one guy CLEARLY in an advantage in the grappling game KO'ing a top-notch fighter. In this game, unless you're versed to throw shots, you could easily find yourself on your tail as your opponent starts throwing bomb-shots at your dome! This makes the game so true to life that it makes the UFC's "fighter mannerisms" seem like a waste. You could have a fighter that throws kicks and punches like his real-life counterparts, but if the fighter doesn't act REALISTICALLY during a fight, then what's the point.
-Different Rule Types, this is a nice little touch and something that makes the game venues, and enviornments so realistic. You have the Bushido Rules in Japan, the Vale Tudo Rules in Brazil, and the Unified/Strikeforce Rules in the US. Add this to the different ring types (RIP Pride FC!), and you have a hellova game. Each venue, each area, has it's own rule/ring type that it definately freshens up the game. Add into an actual ladder system, from bottom org to Strikeforce/Mystic and you have a pretty rewarding career experience.
-Training, and something MAJORLY overlooked in the UFC game, and something EA picked up PERFECTLY. Have a fighter who is strong at grappling, but weak in his stand-up? Train with Miletech or the Five Venoms camps. Have an excellent stand-up fighter, but is lacking in the grappling department? Send him to the various Grappling camps. And it doesn't end there, not only can you excel your fighter through these camps, but pick up a max of 16 special moves. This adds a lot of originality to your character, so that way he could have a 16 move-set that is diffent than his opponents and makes for a very interesting fight.
Now for the Cons:
-Graphics, they aren't great, but to me, the gameplay more thank makes up for it. And while I do mention this, please note that I haven't recieved my HD cables, so odds are that the graphics will probably be a lot better when I get that cable hooked up. And to be honest, I'm having too much fun with the game to really care about "awesome" graphics. Truthfully, if I had to choose between a game with awesome gameplay and good graphics (EA MMA), or a game with awesome graphics and crappy gameplay (UFC series), I'll go with the awesome gameplay every time.
-Skill progression, while I loved the fact that you could train in skill-specific places, it just feels like a grind. Now, I'm not talking about an insane amount of skill progressions, having it at a moderately faster pace than what it's currently at would be awesome.
-Weight classes, if EA makes a fighting game, the exodus from one weight class to another is a lock, right? Not really, and this is something that both sides dropped the ball on, and it's somewhat surprising that EA had dropped the ball on this. So hopefully, when MMA2 comes out, we can see this added to the game.
-The strafeing, it needs to be from a 70% go to a 90-100% go. I have read, and been a part of, where you do the flick of a thumbstick, for a strafe move to dodge your opponent's strikes, and nothing happens. This needs to be tightened up for the hopeful next MMA game, as it really was the only true knock on an otherwise sparkling gameplay experience.
-Venues, while the style is there, the pop isn't. And the MMA team needs to take a page out of the FN team, and make the crowd come alive. If there is a slugfest, then the crowd should be exploding, chants should be roaring, and your jaw should be on the floor! Likewise, if it's a boring fight, have the crowd boo. If it goes to a decision, and it's controversial, have the crowd do like what they do in real life (with fighter's "That's B.S." animations).
-No CPU vs CPU, while this might not be so important to some, and while I do love the Live Broadcasts. I was hopeing that EA would allow for the CPU to fight the CPU. Some people are "simmers", with their own sim leagues and all, but to me it's something to do once you start getting a little bored of the career mode (which can happen in any type of game that involves a career mode like this), you can just watch dream matches and enjoy a little of a break from having to always control a fighter. It's something missing from the MMA games, and it just makes the MMA game feel not so whole. Again, hopefully EA will add it into their sequel MMA game, and I would be extatic.
Fun: B
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B
Overall: B
Awesome game, HIGHLY recommended. I really, truely, hope that EA makes MMA2, as it's sorely needed. The game, while still needing a little fine-tuning, to me seems to be better than the UFC game and hopefully we'll see a sequel slated soon (after FN:Champions comes out, which I am MAJORLY PSHYCHED about). | video-games_xbox |
Over-hyped and antiquated. I seldom take the time do reviews but I was so misguided by the planted 5 star reviews that I went against my better judgement and purchased the game. I am an avid video game player and I am generally forgiving of minor problems if the game is enjoyable enough. However, this game should have its home somewhere back in the late 90's or early 2000's rather than 2011. It's gameplay is terribly clunky. You are encouraged to switch back and forth between a female archer and a male swordsman but, unfortunately, you can only switch at certain crystal stones placed after each major interval. You are often punished if you do not by being stuck with the wrong character at the wrong time as certain boards are balanced for a certain type of gameplay. You have the benefit of using certain powers to enhance your attack but they become redundant rather quickly. There is some variety in scenery but you are stuck in a linear path in most cases and it is set up so you cant return to certain sections. Some of the "puzzles" (of the find 3 keys sort) are laid out for you and some of the optional "secrets" can be abandoned if you walk to far trying to solve them. You cant jump so if you walk off a step you cant return to the area. About one in five weapons caches will give you something better than what you already have, randomly re-hashing old weapons. The AI on your partner seems to work on fits. Sometimes he/she will grab a nicer weapon or search a weapons cache automatically other times they won't sometimes they won't respond when prompted to shoot a certain necessary target. A couple of times I have had to reload to access a certain area because I was mysteriously blocked by an invisible wall. And just to rub it in, the game looks mature but seems designed for tweens. The banter between the characters is very kiddie and cartoonish and the story itself seems like a flimsy excuse to propel you down the narrow path. I would've given this only one star but I was bored enough to play through most of it despite the frequent clunky AI and generic redundant fights. I am two thirds of the way through the game with highly improved weapons and I don't feel much more powerful than I was when I started the game. | video-games_xbox |
A dying breed, but instantly a classic must have. Plot:
Let's start this off simple: This game is NOT for children. I won't spoil any plot points but it's safe to say that there is more murder, betrayal, violence, and wartime horror in this title than any other game I've played in my life. It's a tour de force filled with complex morality, the horrors of war, and the often selfish and bestial motivations of humanity. Still, they don't come better.
For those of us who've grown up with video games it's nice to see a company of Bioware's caliber take on decidedly adult themes. Ignore the death metal fueled ad campaign and claims that "adult" means to video games what juvenile Hollywood depictions of "boobs, bombs, and bank" means to movies; this game goes deeper than that. Yes there's the possibility of sex (and depending on your origin even the subject of rape), and yes there's definitely a massive amount of gore, but these are all used in context. This is a game filled with people besieged by an otherwordly horror and filled with a fair amount of it on their own. It's a dark time, and there are very few clear cut "good" choices to be made. You witness and participate in things that SHOULD make your skin crawl. If you don't develop a feeling of revulsion at what's happening, if you don't sit at a conversation tree and fret over your responses, you probably weren't the target audience.
This is a game for adults and makes no bones about it.
Length: What's there to say here? This game is LONG. As in, on my first playthrough, I spent nearly 7 hours playing before I made it out of the beginning of the game and gained access to the world map. In a time when most games average 6-8 hours of gameplay it's refreshing to see one that isn't afraid of the long-form story format. If you're like me and don't buy a game a week, but instead savor each purchase and explore them entirely, this is a game for you. Games such as this are a dying breed, but when they're done right nothing else can top them. So, in short, if you're looking for story this is a game for you. If not, look elsewhere. It really is that simple.
Graphics/Gamplay:
The graphics in Dragon Age are done well, if SLIGHTLY less advanced than those of the original Mass Effect. While the environments are top notch and a joy to watch, and while the spells are rendered perfectly, you can tell they've crammed and awful lot on this disk and, in places, it shows. Still, where it counts, they do things right. The voice-acting and lip syncing are perfect, the spells and character animations are flawless, and the lighting is superb. I HAVE ended up having an entire conversation with one of my party members while the other's head filled half the screen; everyone pauses in place during conversations it seems, so if one's standing in the way they'll stay there. But, truth be told, this is a minor fault.
The gameplay? If you play as intended and switch between all four of your party members on the fly things can get extremely hectic, but eventually you get the hang of things. You'll find yourself pausing the game to give commands in radial mode often, but rarely will you have problems figuring out what's going on. My only fault with the gameplay is that it's extremely easy to not notice when a party member is nearing low health, especially on a standard definition 27" TV. The graphic ring showing their life and stamina are simply too thin to be easily seen amidst the chaos.
Final thoughts:
If a long, dark, fantasy fueled game with complicated morality and hectic combat sounds like fun this is a must buy. You won't be disappointed. You may like yourself a little less by the end, but the journey will have been well worth it. | video-games_xbox |
New great shooter that actually requires team work to own the other teams. I will start off by saying that Siege is currently my favorite game at the moment. This game has taken all my time over Battle Front and Halo 5. As you can guess I am a huge FPS fan. my list below will first show things that I really liked about this game giving it four stars. After just a little on the cons, which are very little in my opinion.
* Level design in this game is amazing. Never once does a match feel similar to a previous match. There are so many different points each team can attack and defend from. They did a great job providing the option to strategize different plans of attack/defend.
* Not a run and gun type of game. Unlike COD and Halo, this game requires planning and patience. If you try to run into a room and spray bullets everywhere, you will get killed. Camping in a corner? Someone will shoot through the wall or blow through it killing you..
*Team work actually matters. Really every shooter has teamwork that helps win but Siege makes such a huge difference on if you have a team working together. When I roll solo with some random people, most won't have mics on so we lose more often. When I roll with four of my buddies we almost never lose. Planning on entry point and timing room breaches on attacking, or setting up traps and defences when on the defending side.
*Operators- I love the variety of operators they have provided. If you have a team talking with each other, you can plan on who to jump in as and plan out how to use them best. Each one should be played a certain way and if someone knows how to play their person right, great things can happen.
Modes* Almost all the modes provide some great fun. Hostage mode usually ends with one team killing all the others. Only once have we taken the hostage out and won that way. But the other modes usually include defending or defusing one of two bombs, or securing the area.
Graphics and sound* This game looks amazing to me. From the descruction that can happen and all visuals it includes. Sound is one of my favorite things in this game. Sound is key. Playing with a headset will be a great advantage in this game as hearing footsteps and things breaking reveal a lot and can change the tide of a match.
Now my only real con with this game is connection issues. I never have issues on Battle Front, Halo, and Destiny. Usually if I am riding solo I can get in a game fast. When I am with more than one other player in a party is seems to take longer to find a match, sometimes way too long.
Something other people may not like is the lack of a single player mode. Knowing ahead that this game was going to be multiplayer only, I am okay with it.
This is certainly a great game that they put a lot into. It is not everyones shooter though! If you are on the ropes about it I would try renting it out first. Give it a try and judge for yourself, may be a
Now my only real con with this game is connection issues. I never have issues on Battle Front, Halo, and Destiny. Usually if I am riding solo I can get in a game fast. When I am with more than one other player in a party is seems to take longer to find a match, sometimes way too long.
Something other people may not like is the lack of a single player mode. Knowing ahead that this game was going to be multiplayer only, I am okay with it.
This is certainly a great game that they put a lot into. It is not everyones shooter though new fave like myself or may not be your cup of tea. | video-games_xbox |
Very Interesting to Play. The game still needs work. If you read the reviews already, then you know how the gameplay is. It is very buggy in most cases. The fight mechanics are pretty bad. There is too much delay when I have to block or swing my sword. Most of time, it is frustrating going against the griffin or tough enemies. More likely, you have to use your potions. Other than that, the storyline is UNBELIEVABLE! I can never put down the controller because the story and how everything is going grabs my attention very quickly. The environment is just fantastic to be in. So much effects in the game like raining, storm, etc. I am happy that the developers look into the effects of the outdoors.
Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, and little bit Halo (music background) kind of fits into this game together, It is great that they made huge map where you can roam around and do quests just like Skyrim's open world. Red Dead Redemption kind of like fits in here because of the horse, Cantar is the term when you hold the 'A' button to let the horse run on the trail. More like, it is an autopilot feature but you don't sometimes, have to do that because they have a FAST TRAVEL feature in the game which is good because I don't feel like sometimes riding the horse all around the map. I think they have to fix the horse because it does not leap over fences. I thought horses do that stuff but not in this game, sadly. The music is great to hear while playing. It gives that warm vibe while riding your horse through the map and really like how it changes to that DARK sound when enemies are close by. Most of the games are now doing that which is awesome for me. Why I say Halo? Because of the music, it brings that feeling and that attention to move forward with the game or story.
The only things that needs work is the horse, fighting or combat mechanics, and needs more of that face expression. Most of these new games coming out are having great details of face movement. The Witcher 3 kind of like does not have that detail of getting mad or upset. There will be some moments when he will smirk or giggle by using his lip movement and cheek as well but other than that, it still looks great. Overall this game needs an update that fixes the issues. I really like this game and this is for people who likes to follow the story or roaming around the map to complete little missions. I have read some of the reviews that talked about not being like a witch. I sort of agree with that because most of time, you will be fighting with your sword or crossbow. Sometimes, you will forget that you had potions or other cast of spells to use. During the story, you kind of like being a detective to find leads or answers to find somebody or other type of objectives. When I first heard about the game, I thought there will be crazy magic stuff like lighting from the sky or anything that is relevant of being a witch, I guess not in this game. This was my first game of the series, and I don't think that I don't have to play the previous games just to keep up the story. I may be wrong for not playing the recent titles, but still kind of understand of how the story is going with the Witcher. I rented the game from Gamefly because somehow, it was available right of way. I was planning on getting it at least next month but I guess not. The reason I rented because it only has story mode and some side missions. I rather grab a copy from GameStop if the game had online mode. I hope you guys like my review. I tried my very best to give you guys my perspective of the game. For me, I say rent the game first so you can experience it and if you like it, get it. :D | video-games_xbox |
Let Down. Unfortunately this game was incredibly letdown; my friends and I had been waiting forever for it to come out and when it finally releases we were all immediately disappointed.
The single player storyline is on rails to an INCREDIBLE extent. I understand that story lines often require a little bit of leading us along to make sure the scripted events work, but this was just like playing Time Crisis in the arcade, we just moved from one area with some cover to the next. Objectives perpetually renew, along with constant badgering from your AI teammates telling you to "come on" or "get moving" if you dally for a second; this is coming from teammates which move incredibly slowly and cause you to have to wait at doors/ladders/openings/fences/turnstiles/etc. because you absolutely CANNOT operates any of these without your AI counterparts passing them first (also allowing maybe 5 seconds wait after they do) before you can press X to do the same. The graphics are also nothing special, and while the story may have been well written, there isn't exactly much surprise or intensity to it (especially considering the writer having also penned many screen adaptations and stories for other things).
The multi player aspect is only slightly less disappointing, with its two initial modes (and a third that cycles between the two) of team death match and 3-area zone control. There is absolutely no environmental destruction, and no bullet pass-through (hide behind anything opaque like a picket fence, and consider yourself safe). The vehicles are somewhat entertaining but basically make you a big target to everyone else, and the weapons on the vehicles aren't really more powerful than a standard weapon your infantry can carry (it takes multiple rounds to kill someone even from an APC). While the vehicles and little UAVs/drones/etc. are fun, they aren't really all that incredible and do little to disguise the fact that the guns in the game are extremely few and don't really handle any differently from one another.
To give you an idea about the entertainment value of the game; on the release day of the game several friends and I were in an xbox live party together and after playing through (the extremely short) story, we all tried a few matches of multi player and then we unanimously agreed to play Battlefield Bad Company 2, which did a much much better job of implement relatively large maps and vehicles (though not as well as the original Battlefield 2 for PC). We spent the rest of the evening on BF BC2 and those of us who bought the game promptly sought to try to get credit or trade in the game while the rest (who rented) simply thanked our good fortune that we didn't buy it. | video-games_xbox |
WOW. I recently played the PS2 version of Medal of Honor. It was awsome! Great sound (the best I've ever heard), graphics, missions, and realism. Here's why you have to get this game, and why the Xbox version will be soooooo much better.
1. ALL VERSIONS: Dozens of awsome missions, with wonderful graphics, crisp clear sound, and pure fun. Watch water spray up from the ocean when a bomb hits, see people react to how you shoot them. Hear sounds of true war, people yelling in pain and for cover, interacting with you. Bombs exploding right and left. Enemys who will stop at nothing (and speak in German *WOW* while doing it) to defeat you. You must turn the favor in this war to your country. Good luck soldier, your next mission is at 18 hundred hours.
2. Dozens of weapons to choose, dozens of missions to complete. The atmosphere of true war is brought into your living room. You can almost taste the dust settling over the ground after bombs hitting the beach. Cry with others as your men get shot down before your eyes. Cheer with your men as you destroy an enemy tank. Shoot soldiers with all sorts of awsome weapons. Anything from a handgun to a Sniper, it's all here!
3. Last, but not least, incredible replay value. Each mission is fun to play again and again and again. The CPU keeps your stats. Try to hit 80% of your targets, or beat the mission in less than 10 minutes. So many options, so little time! I can't wait for this. Can u?
XBOX VERSION: The PS2 version, as great as it is, is supposed to be nothing compared to the Xbox version. Multiplayer will be loads of fun. Better graphics will just increase the realistic atmosphere. This game will be incredible, and support what the PS2 couldn't. You have to get this game! Graphics, sound, gameplay, and incredible realism are just a few reasons. Play the missions over and over, and kick your friend's butt in multiplayer action. Keep your wallet ready, Medal of Honor: Frontline for Xbox hits stores in November! Until then, we'll just have to play our PS2 version. | video-games_xbox |
It has better graphics than the 360, but everything else is worse, and Microsoft doesn't want me to have any friends. Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that I am one of those bottom feeding (insert device) elitist that craps on everything else, let me explain my background.
I started in the NES era, but I'll skip to the point. I have owned the following in order: xbox, ps2, xbox 360, traded that broken 360 for a ps3, bought an xbox360 elite, sold my ps3, and bought an Xbox One, Currently own a 360 elite and a One. I have swapped from Xbox preference to Ps3, but have never had a strong argument against either. In my opinion, anyone that does is just immature and wants to argue. The 360 and PS3 are both excellent consoles, and there is nothing that makes one indisputably better than the other.
That said, I would have gotten a Ps4 if they were available based on price, hardware, controller preference, and Microsoft's original terms which were flat out disturbing. I'm aware they changed them, but that has caused problems of it's own and left a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway, here's my breakdown, cons first. (I am writing this review as a comparison between the 360 and One, not as the One as a stand alone device. This is because a company should only get credit for a new version if it is actually better than the previous)
-KINECT
Cons
We'll start with the obvious. The questionable decision to force the gimmicky kinect on consumers. When I made the decision to go with Xbox, I was under the impression that surely Microsoft had made vast improvements with the peripheral. With so much time to work on it, I figured the voice functionality would be extremely refined and maybe even a little intelligent. What I ended up with was Kinect that was indistinguishable from it's predecessor in terms of functionality. Frankly, it sucks. It sucked on the 360, and it sucks every bit as much on xb1. I still find myself yelling "Xbox play.. XBOX PLAY... XBOX PLA-oh, there it goes...". I usually end up yelling at it until I get frustrated and then picking up the controller that was sitting next to me the whole time. In need for speed, it comes in really handy when instructing your gps to route for you. If they had segregated it to this, maybe tie it into the story mentioning a voice operated gps, then it would have been excellent. Instead I end up getting 360 rotations of my view, or pulling up the map mid race, half of the time when I'm not even saying anything. It also just went dead for dead rising, which allows you to stomp and elbow zombies off you. Was a lot of fun, til one day it just stopped registering. No amount of trouble shooting could bring it back and I eventually traded the game.
Pros
You can pause and play movies, and go to the XB home without using a remote.. anything else is risky and will achieve mixed results and lots of frustration.
-XBOX DOESN'T WANT ME TO HAVE ANY FRIENDS
So I'm playing need for speed rivals, loving it, but I've already got OP cars and half a mil in the bank. I decide it's time to get into multiplayer. Little did I know the barriers that microsoft had put in place to prevent any social interaction from taking place. My first attempt to make contact was via message. Please excuse the PS3 harping, but that was my most recent console. On my last gen PS3, if I wanted to message someone or send a friend request I could simply pull up the players met list, select the player, and choose how I wanted to interact. If I'm not mistaken, the 360 was just as easy. You can imagine my amazement when my latest and greatest next gen console could not provide this simple service. I could not find any way to message or add a friend without exiting the game, jumping through some hoops, and manually entering their user name. You shouldn't need a pen and a pad to send a message to someone you are in a game with. I was able to find a method of adding them in game, by pulling up the dpad menu, selecting players, and viewing their gamer card. If this works, you can send a message from there. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. I suspect that Microsoft's default privacy settings prevent this, but it's hard to tell when the "error" message says something as stupid as "sorry, we don't know what went wrong!". As a last resort, I had to turn to what every introvert gamer hates, the Mic. I was actually excited just to make contact with someone and race around together. But no, Microsoft shafts me again. The controller tethered mic that comes with the system will not give me audio, will show that it pics up voice, but due to the Kinect mic I was unable to determine which one was actually picking me up. I tried it on two controllers, I troubleshot, I was able to mute and hear the volume increase from the headset, I tried party chats, nothing. On top of that, XB1 doesn't support my 200 dollar XB360 headset. Needless to say, voice chat was not an option as it was too difficult yelling at my tv and listening through my speakers. So now, I am literally left with one option.. keep a pen and paper next to me so that I can add friends on my "next gen" console. You can read someone else's review to hear about the awesome "party" system, I'm done with this.
-INTERFACE AND FUNCTIONALITY
Cons
So I never understood at any point how the XBox was supposed to be this one stop entertainment hub, connecting your entire household of devices to one smooth interface.. or whatever it was pitched as. I don't really see any improvement over either last gen console, in fact I liked both better. It's nice that the XBox will turn on my tv, but it's basically just activating the power button, so it has no idea if the TV is already on or off. It matters more than you think when you're laying in bed and realize the console is still running. You can't say "Xbox turn off TV" either. It flat out can't pick up my soundbar at all, even if I manually configure, and the remote just broke, so I have to get up to turn sound on and off. One of the worst things, my 200 dollar PS3/XB360 compatible headset will not work with XBoxOne and there is no adapter. Yeah, really tying all my devices together well Microsoft.. There is an app that lets you use tablets and smartphones in game, but I don't see why any console couldn't do that. I never end up using them because you have to stop playing the game in order to do so. All the multimedia stuff just doesn't do a lot for me.. I really just need my apps.
The interface is not very intuitive, there seems to be no "back" button, which has been the standard, and I just don't really like the way it's organized. There's something about how everything constantly changes that makes me feel I can't get my barrings. On the left, you've got all your pin stuff, which shifts when new items are added and can only be reorganized by individually "move to front" commands. Then in the center, you've got the centerpiece which shows an animation of whatever you are currently running, which is fine, but then the bottom 4 or 5 tiles constantly rotate our your recent apps. Then you have a thin bar to the right which is static. So basically, the vast majority of the interface home is constantly swapping out, changing, and moving. It's a little disorienting and annoying. I liked the 360 and PS3 interfaces much better, however not having to leave a game to change settings is a huge plus.
Pros
You can multitask easily. Game DVR is probably my single favorite improvement, that is pretty cool. Changing settings without exiting game. Lots of apps, including free Kinect Fitness with things like P90X, Insanity, and Jillian Michaels. That's a nice bonus. Other than that, I didn't see much difference between last gen other than less intuitive and more messy interface.
-Performance/Graphics
Pros/Cons
Not much to say here. They are better than last gen, but not mind blowing. I do have 2 complaints. One, that the load times seem long. Trying to spawn in front of a racer in need for speed is often a lost cause because they will be gone before you finish loading. Maybe they seem long just for that reason, hard to say. The other is the obvious, that PS4 is said to have 50% more graphics processing power. I actually haven't played a PS4, but the numbers don't sound good. I've heard there is little functional difference, but I will have to see for myself. The games do look really good, but that's expected, they still look great on last gen.
Conclusion
My big gripe with the XBox One is that aside from hardware, it just isn't any better than the 360. The 360 allows me to do a number of things that my Xb1 does not, and that is unacceptable. It's supposed to be this media hub power house, yet it fails with the most important things. My sound bar doesn't sync, my headset is incompatible, their headset is broken, I can't interact socially, and I'd have to buy my PS3 back if I wanted to watch a 3D movie. To add insult to injury, the Kinect is just as gimmicky, disfunctional, and intrusive as ever. Shame on you Microsoft, shame on you. | video-games_xbox |
Lot of hype. I came into the Xbox gaming a little later in its product cycle. I was always a PC gamer and play shooters on a controller with analog sticks seemed just weird to me. It took me a lot of getting used to as well. As of writing this review, I had completed the single player campaign on Hardcore difficulty (really no interest in getting into Insane mode) and a few multiplayer games. Most of my complaints about this game are about its shoddy single player campaign. Sure the graphics are brilliant for its time but there is only so much detail you can put in grays and blacks. The game is extremely linear. Each level progresses by going from point A to B. You find a bunch of walls/crates/doors to get to "cover" and kill a bunch of enemies, checkpoint, repeat. The moment you see objects that resemble anything like a place to cover, you are to expect some enemies ready to kill. It gets tiresome at times. Sure, there is a plot but its kind of an afterthought. I am probably in the minority when I say that the Single player campaign matters to the game. Most people would probably argue that you could get a lot of mileage from the multiplayer aspect of the game. There are still quite a few people playing this game. But some people like me want to experience the single player campaign and enjoy a little bit of story telling before we jump into the whole multiplayer thing.
Apart from a few rants about the single player campaign, I think it is a solid game. The controls work great and after a few niggles in the beginning, I got used to the controller very quick. This is the first game I bought when I got my Xbox. Don't buy it new, buy it used (you can get it for about $7 or less if you know where to look). Don't buy into the hype.. you will be disappointed. I would say it is worth playing once and getting all the achievements before people stop playing it online.
Note: The stuff on the 2nd disc in the 2-disc edition can be downloaded for free from your xbox. So don't fret if you can't find the 2 disc for a cheap price. Just buy the 1 disc version and download the free maps. | video-games_xbox |
Very Pleasantly Surprised. I wasn't originally planning on getting this game. The intial trailers and such made it seem almost too futuristic (if that's possible) and it turned me off. I realized later that that sentiment was probably due to a couple former games that looked futuristic and cool and ended up being flops for me (Like Lost Planet IIRC).
Anyway, I was a huge fan of the Original Black Ops so I was very skeptical of how this would turn out. After playing it at a friends house I quickly realized how similar it was (gameplay wise) to the first and how much fun it was!
I ended up purchasing it after trying it out and started out with Multiplayer just fighting Bots and getting a feel for the weapons. The game mode and equipment available were both awesome. Some very imaginative new technologies put into play in the game make it fresh and fun to play despite the familiar run and gun feel.
I moved onto the Campaign and although a little over the top and cliche it is incredibly fun and definitely keeps you invested. The game alternates from flashbacks of the good old days with Mason and Woods in Afghanistan, etc.with the vietnam era weaponry, to the new locations with the futuristic weaponry. The developers did a great job switching between characters and game modes maintaining great pacing and keeping you interested the entire time. There are also new missions in game called "Strike Force" missions I believe. You have the opportunity to command different troop classes on the ground from a satelite type overwatch and you can take control of the units at any time during the game play and fight it out on the ground first person shooter style.
These type of missions, honestly, were robust enough they could be made into an entire standalone game. They were incredibly fun and difficult at the same time which was nice. There were a few different missions, the most difficult for me being a "defend the castle" type mission controlling several different classes of units defending several different key locations on a base. Of the missions I have played so far like this (3) there have also been an assault type mission and even an assassination type mission (fighting through defenses in the streets to get to a high value target).
The online multiplayer seems very seemless at this point. There are a few new game modes that are really great, the first of which being a game mode online that you play with other human controlled players along with AI controlled Bots all mixed in together. For instance the game might allow for 16 people total in the level (not sure), the teams would be 4 humans, 4 bots vs 4 humans and 4 bots. I only played a few games of that but my friend told me that it is a good way to warm up to the game and get some points.
The kill steaks btw are now point streaks which present some interesting positives and negatives. In the last game it was easy for me to keep track of how many kills I needed vs. how many I was currently at to get to a certain streak. Now, after having played a few games online it is difficult for me to tell how close I am to getting certain point streaks. There is a meter on the side showing your progress but I would really need to sit and pay attention to tell what values I was looking at, how many kills that would take, what other ways can I get points. That being said, in the last game kills you earned with kills streak "perks" did not count towards further streak (if I remember correctly) but in this game they do help your point streak total. However, if a kill is worth 100 points regularly, a kill with a point streak weapon will only be worth 25-50 which is a good way of doing it I think.
All in all, this game is fantastic. I wasn't sure if I would like it before having played it but after trying it out I realized how great it was and knew I had to have it. It is a ton of fun and has multiple ways that you can interact with others and play the game together. If you are on the fence about getting it, I would say that you will not be disappointed. (Sorry for the long review!) | video-games_xbox |
In the market for a solid headset? Give this one a shot. It's interesting to note just how many offerings are available concerning gaming headsets that currently exist on the market to date. We've gone from a limited variety to a plethora (and yes...that is a very fitting use of that word) of choices in gaming headsets. When it comes to reviews for headsets, you the reader, must be very careful, considerate and mindful about what you're reading, because the likes and dislikes of a particular headset are COMPLETELY subjective. Why do I say that? I will tell you exactly why: Personal Preference. Why does it really come down to those two little words? I will tell you exactly why: The success or failure of a particular gaming headset is, largely, up to the individuals expectations and what that person has determined to be their comfort zone concerning 3 things: 1) Quality (sound and comfort), 2) Engineering (construction/build) and 3) Wireless or Wired.
Frankly, I'm surprised that we still have the huge amount of gaming headset offerings that we do, but it still comes down to those two little words: Personal Preference. And that, my friends, is why it is very difficult to write a considerate and constructive review for a gaming headset. On that note, let's make one more distinction. There is a difference between audio/music headphones and a gaming headset. Yes, yes! I know that many reading this already know that differentiating fact. That info is not for those in the know, but rather for those that are just getting into gaming and need to hear/read from those that are seasoned gamers. It's a part of sharing knowledge that we need to be willing to do for those that are new to gaming. Very, very rarely do we see an audio device that can "Cross" perform successfully between listening to music and playing a game and still deliver the listening experience that we desire. While it is true that, for the most part, audio devices can do this that is NOT the point. The point is that you'll noticeably lose that discernible something in the audio experience when you use a pair of music headphones for gaming and vice-versa. Furthermore, there is typically a physical distinction between a pair of music headphones and a gaming headset in the form of a microphone, be it a boom type or built in, which is included on 98% of gaming headsets on the market. Please allow me to make one final distinction. You're going to read reviews on gaming headsets that use language like beginner, intermediate and advanced. These good intentioned people are attempting to segregate what they feel to be differences in various gaming headset choices on the market. Dear gamers, I'm going to tell you that there is no such thing as beginner, intermediate and advanced gaming headsets. The reason I must make this final distinction is because what one headset does for one gamer, may simply NOT do for another. It still all comes full circle and right back to Personal Preference and THAT, dear gamers, is the ONLY true distinction that is to be made.
From one fellow gamer to you, let's discuss: The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headset
***WOW!!! That's a long product title isn't it?***
When this headset arrived, it was packed in a nicely decorated and colorful sturdy cardboard box. Complete with artwork of Disney Infinity Marvel Heroes characters and the typical product information printed on the back of the box. The headset was packaged in a molded plastic tray that was kind of cheesy and didn't seem to blend with what you might expect. But don't let that sway you too much. All pertinent cabling and documentation is found inside and is well presented and very easy to follow setup directions. First impressions do suggest that this particular gaming headset appear to be geared and marketed towards the younger gamers out there, but this one is just as good for us adult gamers too! Read on...
Let's talk about quality/engineering: The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headset is made with all plastic materials, mesh fabric and memory foam and metal screws for assembly. The boom mic is fully adjustable and swings out of the way as needed (this is accomplished by holding onto the plastic piece that attaches to the left ear cup and twisting the boom mic assembly up or down. Simply grabbing the boom mic armature will not accomplish this task.) The construction/build appears to be quite sturdy and actually deviates a bit from the normal Ear Force construction/build. I quite literally felt more at ease putting these on my head and not worry about something cracking or breaking loose. Another surprising and very welcome observation, is that this headset isn't tight and didn't clamp down on my average sized head. Thus, making a good impression that these may possibly be worn for extended periods of gaming time. The headband adjustment is good, but requires a little finesse in feeling those "clicks" we expect to feel when we adjust for proper fitting. The padding around the ear cups is very comfortable. The depth of the ear cups themselves is about average and may be a bit more than average in depth. My ears weren't compressed or distressed in any way. A welcome respite indeed. The padding for the headband is of typical Turtle Beach fashion with no aggravation or discomfort noted here either. Overall the build quality is surprisingly good and appears to be a step forward in the right direction for Turtle Beach gaming headsets.
Let's talk about wired/wireless setup: The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headset is a fully wired gaming headset. Once removed from its packaging, you'll find all necessary cabling, minus the required Xbox 360 audio adapter that you absolutely WILL need to complete your connection to any Xbox 360 gaming console. You'll immediately notice that the headset has a short cord with a 3.5mm audio connector. You'll also find a separate cable that has a combo USB and 2x3.5mm connectors on one end and an inline audio control unit on the other and this is where you'll plug in the headset to complete the cabling assembly in its entirety. This complete connection is what you use to connect straight to your Xbox 360 and completely bypasses having to have a separate chat cable connected to the Xbox 360 gamepad. You can also use the entire cabling assembly to connect to a computer, be it a Desktop or a Laptop. However, if you're wanting to connect to your PC, you don't HAVE to use the entire cabling assembly. Just simply use the shorter 3.5mm connection coming directly off the headset to connect to the PC (I do recommend you have a good software audio utility/equalizer or audio card). Granted, you may need an audio extension cable to connect to a desktop (this really depends on your setup). This headset will connect to the PS4 by using the shorter 3.5mm cable coming from the headset and connecting to the PS4 controller. This headset will also supposedly connect to the Wii U, but I don't own a Wii U and don't know that I want one. The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headset will also connect to any MP3 player, smartphone or tablet that utilizes a 3.5mm audio connection. If you're wondering, these cables are not wrapped in mesh fabric. They're just the typical plastic cabling, so be prepared for that. Overall, the cabling for this headset is pretty straightforward and the versatile connections are a definite positive for any gamer out there.
Now, let's talk about sound quality: The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headsets sound quality is very good. Even when you're not using the entire cabling assembly with the inline audio control unit, this headset sounds pretty dog-gone good. The headsets 50mm Neodymium speakers really do this product some justice and help make it a real winner in the audio gaming device market. I had zero sound quality issues with any of the aforementioned connection options. Be it Xbox 360, PC, PS4 or mobile device, I was truly impressed with well balanced sound being produced through this headset.
Summation: The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headset is a well constructed/built gaming headset that offers welcome comfort, impressive sound and an impressive set of connection options available to the user. I can guarantee that although it will not connect to everything, it will connect to something YOU have. In the market for a good and solid gaming headset offering? Give The Turtle Beach Ear Force Disney Infinity: Marvel Heroes 2.0 Edition Gaming Headset a shot at impressing you. | video-games_xbox |
A breath of fresh air to an otherwise stagnating franchise. I've played most of the Call of Duty games, and I must say Advanced Warfare is a breath of fresh air. CoD has been synonymous with "more of the same" for years now, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if "more of the same" is what you're looking for.
After a brief foray into Black Ops 2, I skipped Ghosts because I had become so bored with their formula. I needed a new "feel" to the game! Something that grabbed ahold an didn't let go. Advanced Warfare is that game! I absolutely could NOT put down the controller. I was memorized... drawn-in by every aspect of the game. The graphics are simply STUNNING. Sound effects are immersive (I wear headphones to add to the experience). I could feel the tension and sense of purpose in each campaign mission I played, and found myself speaking out loud to the NPCs I was fighting along side with! I played, on the first day, for 6 hours straight. Usually I put the controller down a couple hours into it, but I was so enthralled with the game I had lost all sense of time.
I can understand why multiplayer is getting such negative reviews, as the pace/gameplay is drastically different from previous titles due to the introduction of exo suits. But I don't view this as a bad thing, because the frenetic speed is a welcome change in my book. It's MUCH more challenging, because your feet are rarely planted on the ground. Instead of mostly "horizontal combat", you now must master hitting moving targets at every angle. FAST moving targets, that can change direction on the fly. That said, having played multiplayer long enough to actually write a review, I've noticed a disturbing trend with lag. It's very prevalent and, depending on the severity, can mean the difference between having a positive kill/death ratio or hitting nothing but air.
My only complaint with the game so far, lag aside, would be the weapon sounds. Having come from Halo 4, Battlefield 4, and Destiny, I've been spoiled by the throaty, aggressive-sounding arsenal that these games have to offer. None of the guns in Advanced Warfare are particularly intimidating... the shots sound weak and hollow, and to be honest sound virtually identical to the other CoD games. Other than that, AW is an incredible game worthy of praise and a welcome, long-overdue addition to the CoD family. | video-games_xbox |
I had to solder four wires. Be aware that you will have to take the circuit board off your old, defective DVD drive. Xbox 360 units come with three or four different drive brands inside - if you, like me, had a DVD drive stop reading and you cleaned the laser to no effect, then check your brand. For me, it was this Phillips Lite-on. You will need to go to one of the many sites that explain disassembly and reassembly of Xbox units. Google it - Amazon won't allow external links in reviews. If you don't have a Phillips you'll have one of these:
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Samsung-TS-H943A-Replacement-DVD-drive-for-XBox-360-MS28-Version/dp/B0012N1Z8A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Samsung TS-H943A Replacement DVD drive for XBox 360, MS28 Version</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/DVD-Drive-LITE-ON-DG-16D4S-HW-9504-For-XBox-360-Slim-Replacement/dp/B007FTH7E6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">DVD Drive LITE-ON DG-16D4S HW 9504 For XBox 360 Slim (Replacement)</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/DVD-Drive-Replacement-For-Xbox-360-BenQ-VAD6038-Plus-AGPtek-USB-2-0-All-in-one-Card-Reader/dp/B006UANRFY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">DVD Drive Replacement For Xbox 360 BenQ VAD6038 Plus AGPtek USB 2.0 All-in-one Card Reader</a>
In any case, you most likely will also need a soldering iron and some solder to remove and reattach the green circuit board on your DVD drive. These are encrypted and coded per XBOX. You can try flashing the encryption from one card to another, but I think it is much easier to just move the circuit board from one device to the other (assuming your circuit board is not the problem - usually it's the laser that is the problem).
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/J-L-60-Watts-Soldering-Iron-UL-listed/dp/B0006NGZK0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">J&L 60 Watts Soldering Iron, UL listed</a>
You can also try to replace just the laser unit, but I found the idea of replacing the entire DVD mechanism more palatable.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/HOP-141X-Type-Optical-Pickup-Laser-Head-for-XBOX-360-DVD-Drive/dp/B005OH8FUG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">HOP-141X Type Optical Pickup Laser Head for XBOX 360 DVD Drive</a> | video-games_xbox |
Great if you have the right controller. If you like playing classic games on your Xbox, then you definitely need the Xgaming X-Arcade joystick (ASIN B00008ELB0 or B00006I5ZX), preferably the 2-player version. I tried playing Midway's Joust, and the controller was really holding me back. These 80's games depend on "button smashing", and that's something the Xbox controller doesn't handle well.
Atari Anthology contains over 80 classic Atari games from the 80's. This makes it a better deal than the other classic game packs for the Xbox.
Classic arcade hits:
* Asteroids
* Asteroids Deluxe
* Battlezone
* Black Widow
* Centipede
* Crystal Castles
* Gravitar
* Liberator
* Lunar Lander
* Major Havoc
* Millipede
* Missile Command
* Pong
* Red Baron
* Super Breakout
* Space Duel
* Tempest
* Warlords
Atari 2600 titles:
* 3D Tic-Tac-Toe
* Adventure
* Air*Sea Battle
* Asteroids
* Atari Video Cube
* Backgammon
* Battlezone
* Blackjack
* Bowling
* Breakout
* Canyon Bomber
* Casino
* Centipede
* Circus Atari
* Combat
* Crystal Castles
* Demons to Diamonds
* Desert Falcon
* Dodge 'Em
* Double Dunk
* Flag Capture
* Football
* Fun With Numbers
* Golf
* Gravitar
* Hangman
* Haunted House
* Home Run
* Human Cannonball
* Math Gran Prix
* Maze Craze
* Millipede
* Miniature Golf
* Missile Command
* Night Driver
* Off the Wall
* Outlaw
* Quadrun
* Radar Lock
* Realsports Baseball
* Realsports Football
* Realsports Tennis
* Realsports Volleyball
* Sky Diver
* Slot Machine
* Slot Racers
* Space War
* Sprintmaster
* Star Raiders
* Star Ship
* Steeplechase
* Stellar Track
* Street Racer
* Submarine Commander
* Super Baseball
* Super Breakout
* Super Football
* Surround
* Swordquest: Earthworld
* Swordquest: Fireworld
* Swordquest: Waterworld
* Video Checkers
* Video Chess
* Video Olympics
* Video Pinball
* Warlords
* Yars' Revenge | video-games_xbox |
Amazing game. I adore this game. This is the one review that I will give a full-length complicated review on because I love it that much. (It's not at all because there are many aspects to comment on)
Technical -
This game is visually appealing for its time. Sometimes on the XBOX it will lag out, but I have it on the PC also and the visuals are amazing. Can't say enough about them. The sound is pretty good, too.
-Gameplay -
Item Creation-
The item creation is by far my favorite aspect of this game. Instead of putting the same upgrade in different things to give them different effects, you now create upgrades that have their own effects for whatever item you put them in. As your skills increase, the higher level your upgrades will be.
You can also create items in general. You can create anything from Life Support Packs to Vibroblades to armor to mines! Oh my goodness, it would be impossible to name all the items you can create.
Questing-
The thing about the quests in this game: there are a LOAD of them. There are so many that it is really tough to do them all without wanting to blow your brains out. However, I will say that the "main questline" is a lot of fun and contains many surprises. I enjoy it greatly. I do enjoy the side quests that I do end up doing. I am a big fan of big games that have a lot of quests, but it would be a lot more fun if it was online (TOR was not that great. I just want THIS game but as an MMO with some added features)
Character Relations- ( POSSIBLE LIMITED SPOILERS)
I love the character relations/dynamics of this game. You can influence your team members (even droids !!!) and affect their alignment. There is one character in particular who apparently hates you and will do the opposite of you no matter what you do. Your Charisma rating helps a ton in this department. However, I often prefer to just be a powerhouse and destroy everything in my path. This brings us to....
Combat-
The combat system is a personal preference thing. A lot of people don't like it, but it is my favorite type. I suck at FPSs because I have trouble with my vision. In this game, there is absolutely no aiming, as your combat depends on your stats and luck. You can make your stats so high that you can have only a 5% chance of missing no matter what you do. You can also create a weapon that does so much damage that you can kill anything with one or two hits. I had a lightsaber that dealt 45-95 damage with every hit. In this game, you can only reduce actual damage by a max of 5ish points, which is basically irrelevant. The main point in defense is to make it hard for people to hit you.
Attributes and Skills-
You can do whatever you want with your attributes. I mean, choosing your class only gives you a certain bonus to life points and force points, a few special feats and powers, and certain class skills. However, choosing your attributes depends on what KIND of character you will be. For instance, I made a Jedi Guardian (of course) with 18(max) Strength initially, and basically irrelevant other attributes. This is the same one with the ridiculous lightsaber. This meant that I would use little to no offensive Force powers, and would just destroy everything. As I said earlier, not only do your skills determine what you can do gameplay-wise, but you can also use them to create items.
I don't know what else to say about this wonderful game, and my fingers are getting tired. I would for sure recommend this to anybody who likes Star Wars and/or RPG games. | video-games_xbox |
Fun CoD Experience. It's been awhile since I honestly enjoyed playing CoD. The past few games I often found myself buying and playing the games for the sake of playing with other friends who will obsessively play the latest iteration for months.
CoD AW was a pleasant surprise. On Day Zero I decided to play it sans friends to really take a critical look at the overall feel and pacing of the game. The campaign was challenging and the story was fairly interesting, if not all that original. The graphics and lighting effects were amazing. It really feels like a true next-gen experience.
But for me the multiplayer was a nice surprise. The addition of the exosuits was a big shift in terms of multiplayer strategy. In some ways having skills like boost jumping really added a new dimension to the game. Also by keeping the weapons modern (and in some cases, futuristic) but relatively contemporary really keeps the game from slipping into Halo or Titanfall territory. The change was just enough to add a new spin on a (somewhat) tired formula, but not go completely off the reservation. Even the current MP maps are for the most part, well-designed to accommodate the new additions to the CoD formula.
My only gripe (so far) was how some of the maps seem a bit ill-suited to take advantage of the new gaming mechanics. Also, in a lot of cases, camping still remains a solid strategy. It's also nice to see subtle improvements to the perks and other tried and true parts of the CoD experience.
On day one I had some issues with logging on to the server. However, after rebooting the game a few times I was able to get on and never had a problem. During my 5 hours of play, I never experienced any lag and the servers seemed to be able to support the initial flood of players. We'll see how it holds up as more people in the first few weeks (and through the holidays) join the servers. I played primarily Ground War to test the limits and didn't run into any real issues.
I'm glad this game sort of rekindled my interest in the CoD franchise. For a few years I was really getting worried about how stagnant the gameplay, mechanics and even the maps were getting. | video-games_xbox |
This is NOT a console game. This is NOT your kids RPG. I'm a 40 yr old gamer with about 22 years of gaming under his belt. I've been a D&D table top gamer for almost 18 years. This is the first time those two worlds have come together.
Witcher 2 is THE single best game I've ever played in my life. Period. It ruins every medieval themed game I own or did own. It absolutely defines RPG for computer gaming because it is SO close to a real table top RPG with a real life DM. And best of all- Witcher 2 has the best, most rewarding combat I've ever played. The finesse of Soul Calibur, the severity of Dark/Demon Souls and the beauty of a novel dreamed of in your head. The plot, the acting (voice and animation) the script, the animation and texture work... they're all without peer on consoles. IF you have the ability to play this on high settings on your PC- naturally go for it there. I don't. I don't know anyone who does as a matter of fact. So for me and those like me- this is the only and best way to experience the masterpiece of this genre.
A word to the wary: This is NOT a hack and slash game. This is NOT a casual, pick it up every month or so for a day or two. This game demands skill, tactics and dedication. And for that, you're rewarded with the most satisfying game style and combat mechanics I've ever experienced, and I've played them all.
This game is also- VERY MUCH SO- not for kids. Parents who foolishly buy this for their kids without paying attention to the M rating will have their hair fall out when they see the realistic world of the Witcher.
I could go on and on about the amazing graphics and art direction, but save your time by visiting the official website or any game review page. The game is brilliantly executed and illustrated. I will say that if you can't install the game onto your drive (13.5 gigs) then be prepared for loading. Once you do have it in the HD though, those loads are often less than 2 seconds each. In other words- MAKE ROOM, you won't regret it. I'm only half way through the game- maybe- and I can't stress enough how this is without a doubt, my game of this generation. I can't wait to see how I feel when I'm done for the first time.
For those looking for the ultimate Western RPG- look no farther. You've undoubtedly purchased an Xbox for it's dedication and noted Western RPG reputation and this is the highest form I've seen of that style yet. If you're more into Japanese RPG's (the majority of what the PS3 is known for attracting), this will likely be of NO interest to you as it is a VERY mature plot and cast of characters. No kids looking to discover "love, friendship and true courage". Nor are there any cute talking animals or flying ships. I don't mean to offend anyone- just giving a warning for the system/player types that have created the stereotypes out there. | video-games_xbox |
Sorry Tom CLancy. With the everpopular Tom Clancy's games getting better and better in previous years, you have to ask yourself "what happened here?" Now i was a huge Tom Clancy fan ever since the very first rainbow six for Nintendo 64, and still to this day won't second guess a Tom Clancy game. However this game falls short in my expectations due to lack of Split-screen multiplayer, and missing single player experiences. Now I understand that with the internet now available for all major consoles, developers are really pushing for internet gaming, but for those of us that don't have DSL or Cable in order to play this game online, there is no split-screen multiplayer for us. No more good old days like the first Rainbow Six or even Ghost Reacon (2-players or more) where we could sit down with a friend and storm through a thrilling campaign. Not only is there no split-screen multiplayer, the single player game is clearly lacking. With the previous Clancy games based on stealth this one seems to forget that whole idea entirely. There is no sneaking around in this game. Enemies will see you through thick smoke or even across dark rooms without even moving. The sadest part about this game is that the game relys on scripted sequences. What I mean by that is everytime you play the same level the enemies will pop out through the same spots and blow up the same doors. In one level you will always be rushed in the meat packing plant and can't avoid the situation at all. Now it is still an ok game, with great visuals and sounds and at first play you will be blown away. However this is still not your typical clancy game, you can't be stealthy and you can't gather a bunch of friends and play unless you have online. It seems developers were so excited about getting this game out for Christmas they missed a few basic steps. So.... the question is do you really want a mediocre first person shooter! | video-games_xbox |
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