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Great bundle at a good price. I decided to try the Xbox 360 this time around after playing it with a friend of mine and my PS2, I had for 11 years, quit working a few months ago. I didn't purchase it through Amazon but thought I would review this product anyway. I purchased mine through my local Gamestop, a week and a half ago, and the only differences were it was $1.85 more and they were having a special at the time giving away a free copy of Call Of Duty: Ghost with purchase of the bundle.
The bundle itself is very nice with everything that is included: the console, one controller, a headset, 1 month free of Xbox Live's gold membership, a free month trial of Hulu Plus, Halo 4 game, a downloadable version, through Xbox Live, of the revamped Tomb Raider game. The only con for me is you would think, by now, they would include both audio/video and HMDI connections instead of just the audio/video connection. Lucky for me I had the an HMDI cable for my PS2 and didn't need to buy an extra one. The other thing is. not that it is truly a con, it is just out right funny in what you do to redeem the code for the Tomb Raider game. Cool the codes for the game and extra content in other games come on a card but I don't get the having to scratch the area off like a lottery ticket to get the code for Tomb Raider lol. All in all it is a great bundle with all you get in it.
The system itself is great. I bought this one because I wanted a lot of memory and the 250GB other than the 320GB was the best option for me. I do like the size of this system. It is a little taller than my PS2 and a little shorter than my PS2 was. Nicely compact for the area I have it in. The Software at the initial start up is very easy and very quick setting up. The set up for your Xbox Live account and your avatar is also quick and easy. Like that it has built in Wi-Fi. The machine is very quiet with just a slight difference in being a little bit louder when playing disc but still very quiet. Like any other game system after playing it a few hours it will get hot but it is very quick to cool down when you are done playing it. So far the games I have on disc and I downloaded on Xbox Live flow very smoothly with no problems. The graphics are just awesome very vibrant colors and crisp clear images with the games I have played.
The controller is solid to play with. About the same amount of buttons and triggers as the controller for the PS2. It is cool you can turn the system and controller on and off at the same time pressing the big X button. So far the battery life is great. I am a casual gamer and play for just a few hours a day. In the week and a half I have had this system I have only went through one bar of battery life. The headset works fine.
I do recommend taking advantage of the free month of Xbox Live gold membership, if you have good internet capabilities. It is cool not only for the extra content you get with some games and being able to play with people from around the world but it opens a door to have not one but two game libraries with the disc games and downloadable games. From what I have browsed so far, games are anywhere from free-$59.99. Some of those free games being just as good in graphics and content as the $59.99 games. From what I have seen on the extra game content, the extra content can range from free-$9.99 and I don't doubt there are extras higher priced but the highest I have seen so far were for $9.99. All in all it opens a new door of possibilities playing games.
All in all if you are thinking of getting an Xbox 360, rather it is from Amazon or your local gaming store, this is a great bundle to start off with. | video-games_xbox |
Not Meant For Seventh Generation. With the console wars about to be reignited, there are two games that will lead the battle on both sales and people playing: Call of Duty Ghosts and Battlefield 4. Fortunately for us, Battlefield 4 came out first as being one of my personal favorite shooting franchises, I'm happy to have that first. I got mine on the 360 while I patiently wait a few weeks for Playstation 4 to release. Until then, I'm left with simply a taste of what to expect from next generation.
Dice and EA do a great partnership with these games to make them as realistic and fun as possible. COD games typically have more cartoonish graphics and a video game feel to the weapons and equipment. Battlefield games tend to have more basis in reality with both the look of weapons and the sounds of them. In BF4, we're faced with some crazy weather, exploding buildings and gun battles that will make you think you're getting shot at in real life.
First off, the campaign. Most shooter games are not known for their campaign. In fact, you could probably count on your hand the number of people who buy these games just for the campaign. However, EA realized that for that handful of people, they'll make them happy. This campaign plays out like a big budget Hollywood war movie. It has better graphics than the online and more equipment and vehicles to use. My one friend hated the online so I had him play campaign and now he's a BF fan!
The online's first impression to me, and current impression, isn't the best. The gameplay itself is loads of fun and I can't Bf4 1wait to get it on PS4 and play it for more time than I'll admit to. However, there are little problems that they're yet to fix. First off, when you level up online say from level 4 to 5...the next match you'll still be a level 4. It's annoying as hell to have that progress erased in the 20 seconds between matches. Next up, the game freezes a lot. I can count on at least once a day my entire console locking requiring reboot because of this error. Thirdly, the graphics suck. The water in the 360 game looks like you're swimming through mercury. The textures take 23 seconds (yes I timed it) to properly load. Before that, your stairs are just ramps, everything is just mudded colors and your sights on your gun are not punched out yet. It's very sad to see such a great game look so bad. However, that's because this game shouldn't be on seventh generation. Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are not powerful enough to hold such a game. Seeing footage for it on Xbox One and PS4 make me not only very optimistic about the game, but I've already committed to getting Battlefield Premium for my copy on next gen.
Seventh generation hiccups aside, this is by far the best shooter on the marketplace and will take a miracle by COD to be better | video-games_xbox |
A great way to get back into guitar when you've been neglecting your skills. I began playing guitar about fifteen years ago, but my playing has been intermittent in recent years. I wanted a reason to play other than for myself because life has been really busy, sucking the creativity right out of me. I think that Rocksmith has done the trick!
I was always more of a "rhythm" guitarist than a "lead" playing tab-kid, so it was really great to choose between the two different types of playing to make the game more my own. Just keep in mind that you will need to learn the basics of picking in order to work up to chords and all of the information that they teach you in the game will be important eventually.
My favorite part of the game so far is the "Guitarcade" section. Games that work your ability to slide, switch between strings, switch between frets, recognize chords... it's so much fun! Everything that I used to know is coming back very quickly with the exercises.
The individual lessons are really great, too. It's making skills that I never had easy to learn, with pretty easy to understand instructions. Although, there are points where you're left to figure out what some of the icons mean through trial and error. They could tell you, but that takes the fun out of learning yourself!
Remember that is definitely isn't Rockband or Guitar Hero with the plastic buttons. This is a real way to learn a real instrument, with real metal (or nylon) strings, which takes some getting used to. I had absolutely no callouses on my chord fingers and played for six hours straight the day I received the game. I was just having so much fun I didn't want to stop! Going the work the next day, where I spend most of my time typing with said fingers, was a little difficult. Playing guitar will give you callouses and blisters and bruised fingertips, so play smart. I recommend playing this every other day until you build up the callouses needed to keep yourself from being in pain.
So far, I'm extremely impressed with this game. I'm really looking forward to reaching my previous playing level and learning more than knew in the past about this instrument. This is a skill that will only improve with time and practice and Rocksmith seems to be a great way to get a taste of playing and instill a desire to learn more.
Note: I am playing this game with my acoustic guitar, a pickup, a 1/4 female coupler, and the Real Tone cable. So far this set-up is working well and kept me from having to pick up a cheap electric guitar. The equipment that I'm using is the Planet Waves 1/4 Inch Female Stereo Coupler and the HDE Guitar Pickup Acoustic / Electric Transducer, which are both available on Amazon for under 25 bucks, total. There are times that the game tells me my volume is too low, but that's usually corrected by picking or strumming a little louder. I tend to play softly. | video-games_xbox |
The true successor to Hokuto Shinken. For people who hate the Dynasty Warriors games and what they offer, you should navigate away from this page now, this game is not for you. This review is from the perspective who is a fan of Hokuto no Ken but more importantly a fan of Dynasty Warriors. This game recycles assets and offers a similar experience to the first Hokuto Musou, but a host of improvements to the core gameplay and the game's structure make it a worthwhile purchase for those who enjoyed the first title to the fullest.
The familiar Dynasty Warriors gameplay is unchanged here. Legend Mode, like in the prior title, is a very linear and instanced affair. More like Ninety-Nine Nights than Dynasty Warriors, players move from one location to the next after defeating the requisite number of enemies. What's great about the updated Legend Mode is the accurate and detail with which it addresses the source material. Many more arcs and details from the original manga are preserved in this iteration of the game, making it a far more enjoyable experience for those who want to go through the story of Hokuto no Ken once again. Additionally, the frustrating post-boss battle all-or-nothing quicktime events are gone, replaced by far more simple button presses for cinematic purposes. I think it's a vast improvement that the game does punish players so harshly for missing a button press.
The game's Dream Mode offers the far more familiar Dynasty Warriors gameplay which allows players to strategies and approach the levels in a non-linear fashion. There's a lot of content in Dream Mode and all of it is in line with the expectations of Dynasty Warriors fans.
The core gameplay improvements are worth mentioning and make going through the game's huge amount of content a far better experience. The gameplay speed has been accelerated, making execution a little bit more important. The first Hokuto Musou empowered players with a more methodical and slow gameplay style that resembled games like God Hand, allowing for creativity in terms of combos. That feel remains intact, but at a higher speed.
The online play is a nice addition, but to this date I haven't been able to successfully use the matchmaking to get a game - so it's certainly not a selling point.
Ken's Rage 2 is a title for fans of the series who know what they are getting into. However, as a fan, I have trouble seeing how anyone who knows what to expect would walk away unsatisfied. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game, Worth buying. I took the time to look over what other people write before I write a review for something, I try and keep it short and tight so that you do not have to spend hours reading my little old opinion on a game. This game is really great, I noticed some small glitches but nothing that ruins the game experience, This game will keep you playing for hours, not only that but I played through the first one again just so I could import an interesting character.
This game and the previous ones are worth buying because of the multitude of options in playing, most of the choices that you make have implications and resonate through out the gaming experience, if you enjoy Fable or games where you actually get to make choices this game will be perfect for you. Some of the other reviews called this a shooter, and yes there are guns in this game, and you can focus on shooting but it is not a shooter game, the story expands from a single seed and each choice you make leads to a branching story line that is not any where in the same universe as a shooter or your average action game. This is not a linear story where you are forced to do what the game wants you too, you make choices which you do not get to make in shooters. If you choose not to upgrade a certain armor on your ship there are repercussions later in the game, If you saved someone in the first game they show up in this game.
This game is amazing, but the true genius is the vision of the people who created this game and how your actions stretch across the entire series, actions you take in the first game will effect the outcome of the last game. If you enjoy the idea of being able to control the path you take in a video game you will love this series, start with the first one, and remember that every choice you make has consequences, unlike shooter games where you have no choices your a train on tracks. In summary this is an amazing game the negative reviews all seem wildly off base to me. | video-games_xbox |
Nearly flawless. Halo is the game that set a standard for all other FPS games to follow. The graphics may be somewhat dated, but the gameplay still holds strong. The usual XBOX FPS controls that you are familiar with today most likely originated from Halo in some (if not most) ways. If there are any real flaws in this game, I'm still trying to find them (I might think of one near the end of this review, but the chances don't look too good). It is also hands down my favorate split-screen multiplayer game, in story co-op and death matches (aside from Halo 2 anyway).
The story takes place around an artificial, ring shaped world called Halo, where most of the game is played. Humanity is at war with an alliance of alien races called the Covenant who consider Halo to be holy. The story is very good for the most part, though a war between humans and aliens isn't exactly a completly original setting, but I was constantly pressed through the game to find out more about the mysterious ring world (aside from the game just being darn fun). In the levels that take place on Halo, you can look up at the sky and see the other side of Halo looming over your head, giving you a strange feeling at the thought of your standing on the inside of a giant ring.
You are Spartan 117- a super soldier with special armor allowing you to take more punishment than any other marine on the battlefield (you will be fighting alongside many human marines most of the time). You also have an energy shield rather than actual health in a sense. If you take a hit, the shield will lose power slightly. If your shield gets taken out completly, you can be killed with a few well placed shots, but if you can find cover and keep from being hit for about five seconds your shield will recharge. This keeps the action going without wasting time wandering about the map searching for a health kit or something like that, while at the same time not being too generous about the power of your shield, leaving the challange AND keeping things going. Because this breed of super soldiers is in short supply, your allies will always be thankful to see you coming to stop the Covenant forces. This doesn't mean that your allies will just hunker down and let you do all the work though; they really seem to fight harder when you show up, and they are very good at it too. They throw grenades, use cover, man vehicles, ect.
Level design is good, and the levels are each massive, though it would be nice if they didn't repeat a few of the levels for seperate missions, but that's still not enough to throw me off. Checkpoints placed throughout each mission keep you from having to start all over every time you die and there are usually multiple paths to victory in the more wide open missions (actually, they're all like that).
The controls are perfect and very easy to get used to. You will never find yourself constantly looking down at the controler trying to figure out why you just blew away your troops with a grenade when you were trying to jump (unless you play The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind anyway...) or having to hold combinations of different buttons. Vehicles control amazingly well too (better than in some racing games).
The graphics were better than any other game ever made when Halo was first released four years ago. Much of it is still good compared to other games that came long after it, but character models are a little chunky looking and some environments look bland, but it's still not nearly bad enough to make me like Halo any less. Explosions and gunfire still look nice.
Now for the things you'll experiance in-game.
The weapons are plentiful and there are no copys of other weapons, forcing you to actually choose the right weapons for the situation rather than just grabbing the one that looks coolest. You can pick up any weapon you find lying on the ground in game (including Covenant weapons), but you can only carry two weapons and four of both type of grenade at a time, so you must carefully choose which weapons will go and which will stay.
Human Weapons:
Pistol- The human pistol is a handy weapon to have around in situations where you need an accurate shot at medium range... because of it's cute little scope. It may not do too much damage, but I always seem happy with one when I get one and it seems very popular all around (one of my friends killed one of our own men just because he wanted his pistol in 2 player co-op...) And it has a cool melee attack to top it off.
Assault Rifle- This will be your best friend for much of the game. It holds a large amount of ammo and it is clearly displayed on a small screen on your rifle allowing you to keep your gun filled while keeping your eyes on the action. It is also accurate at medium range and packs a nice punch. Great weapon all around.
Shotgun- As typical with shotguns, it is very ineffective at long range but can take out just about anything with one good blast when you get right up to them.
Sniper Rifle- Deadly at long range with a double-zoom scope and can take out most units with one head shot or two shots to any other area on the body. However it only carrys 4 shots at a time, so you'll have to make your shots count or else your target may hide while you reload.
Rocket Launcher- Umm... well, it's a rocket launcher... annnd it launches rockets. Yeah. They make big explosions and send enemys and vehicles flying in all directions, as rocket launchers tend to do. Unlike rocket launchers in most other FPS games however, this rocket launcher holds TWO rockets rather than one, giving you a second chance if you miss the target, which you'll be doing a lot, as it doesn't have any homing capabilities, forcing you to time the shot very well and estimate the range of the target and where it'll be when the rocket hits. Challanging, but it is all the more satisfying when you tag a speeding enemy vehicle with a missile.
Fragmentation Grenade- The human grenade is just like the ones used today; pull pin, throw, explodes about 2 seconds after it hits something. Thus, this is a weapon that you will hold sacred, as this little pineapple 'o doom will save you many, many times from swarms of alien foes. And grenades aren't something that you have to cycle over to; the grenade button in Halo makes games that do not have one seem horridly slow and painful.
Covonent Weapons-
Plasma Pistol- A small pistol that fires ultra heated plasma bolts used by the Covenant. It can fire rapidly (only a quick trigger finger requiered) or you can charge up a powerful shot that will cause a good amount of damage, but will also cause it to overheat and be unable to fire for a few seconds.
Plasma Rifle- Rapidly fires plasma bolts and mildly stuns the target if it takes multiple hits. It is also fairly accurate at a range if fired in short controled bursts.
Needler- You'll either love this weapon more than any other or hate it more than your actual enemies. The needeler is the only Covonent gun that doesn't overheat. It fires pink, glass like spikes that move very slowly, but home in on any enemies that they come near. On impact with a target, they stick into it (think getting shot with a little pink, transparent arrow) and explode after a few seconds. One shot doesn't do much damage, but if you pile them up onto a target they will all explode at once and send the target flying through the air.
Plasma Grenade- The Covenant plasma grenade is very different from the human frag grenade. The frag grenade is just thrown into groups of enemies, while the plasma grenade is aimed. When it lands on a target, it sticks and garuntees a kill (save for Hunters). It doesn't do much nearly as much damage if it just lands on the ground however.
The AI is very good, finding and using cover when necessary and react realisticly to the constantly evolving situations in combat. As the Covenant is an alliance of multiple alien races, you will be fighting four very different varients of Covenent forces (actually, you will also encounter another race of alien adversaries later in the game, but trying to explain that would spoil the story! ;) and each one plays a key role in combat. They are listed below:
Grunt- As the name says, these guys are not very powerful, just grunts. They are short, bulkey little guys with a strange pointed hump for a back that rises above the back of their heads (I can't decide if this is actually part of their bodies or just a piece of their suites) and are really more of annoyances than actual threats (although if they stick you with a plasma grenade, you can kiss your butt goodbye). They are normally in small groups of three or more grunts, or led by an Elite. But if their forces are thinned or if the Elite they're being led by gets killed, they will panic and start running around screaming at the top of their little lungs. When this happens, just track 'em down and whack them with your gun a few times.
Elite- Elites are the backbone of the Covenant forces. They have energy shields that work just like yours and have very powerful melee attacks. They can often be seen leading grunts into battle. In combat they are generally hunched over some, but standing at full height an Elite is defenatly 7 feet tall.
Jackals- These aliens go into battle with a shield and plasma pistol. The shield is held in front of them, like conventional ancient shields, though it is an energy shield. They will usually hold their ground and getting through their shields can be a challange.
Hunter- These are massive enemies that can only be killed by shooting their small weak spots in their armor many times. They have a deadly fule rod cannon attached to their armor (the only weapon you cannot use) and will use a melee attack that will send you flying if you get too close.
The vehicles include:
Human:
Warthog- a three passanger buggy (driver, passanger, main
gunner)
Scorpion Tank- A large... tank. Has big gun and machinegun.
Covenant:
Ghost- A small hover-bike of sorts. Has rapid firing laser cannons.
Banshee- The games only usable aircraft. One passanger, armed with fule rod cannon and lasers similar to those on the ghost.
Overall, Halo is a wonderful FPS that is polished to prefection (nope, I still haven't thought of a problem with it). If you're looking for better graphics, try Halo 2 (I like multiplayer better in Halo 2 better anyway, though I like the single player story in Halo better than that of the second)! Even If that's the case, you still will probibly want to play through Halo to better understand the story elements. A very, very good game. | video-games_xbox |
A chain is as strong as its weakest link, in this case, graphics. I really, really, wanted this game to succeed. For me. I prefer driving cars that behave realistically rather than "arcade racers", so I had expectations that this would be a great next step from Forza 2.
The major disappointment for me was that if this is a "sim" then it is a very limited sim. It may simulate the car physics quite well or even very well, but I expect a sim to do more than just physics. I expect it to stimulate as many of my senses as possible to recreate as close an approximation to reality as is feasible. Taste and smell may be taking expectations too far, but I expect good sound, good graphics and a good tactile feel. If any one or more of these fail, the sim has failed in my opinion.
The Xbox website states that Forza 2 is rendered in 720P and RACE Pro in 1080p, which sounds really good. Sadly, I found RACE Pro to look markedly inferior to Forza 2. I set up two Xboxes side by side on identical hi-def screens on the same track (Road America), at the same place in both Forza 2 and RACE Pro, and the difference was obvious. The track detail is just not there in RACE Pro, and the track surroundings are much reduced. A similar, but less rigorous comparison with Forza 1 said that RACE Pro is the better of the two, but that's to be expected in 2009
What I feel I lose with this lack of fidelity is not just a reduced feeling of immersion, but the ability to judge my cornering lines, or even know where the track is going. Too often I found myself off the track and not sure what I did wrong. I promise you that in the real world, I'm just not that dangerous!
This may also be in part a consequence of the lower frame rate because at 150 mph, your car is covering over 7 feet every 30th of a second. Forza's 60 fps halves that interval.
The game is probably optimized for driving with a controller since the manual does not even describe wheel setup. I find that decision strange for a "sim". While it is true that there is some force feedback on the Xbox racing wheel, it is very weak and generic. To me it feels like a somewhat constant self-centering pushback. By contrast, Forza 2's force feedback "tells" me lot of what is happening at the front wheels. I can feel bumps, and changes in traction. I can feel torque steering in high powered front wheel drive cars.
There are good things about this game, that many love. I just can't get past the graphics that make the world seem very indistinct and vague as I drive. I like the in-cockpit view, but that compounds my inability to see where I am on the track by reducing the area of visual information that I am getting about the track.
If you have Forza 2, drive a car very slowly in 3rd person view under a bridge and look at what happens to shadows and reflections, and then realize that when you are racing, you see these shadows and reflections on other cars on the track. They contribute to your understanding of relative positioning and feeling of immersion.
In RACE Pro, the shadows are generic. Cars continue to cast a shadow even when they are in total shade (such as under a bridge). RACE Pro cars do have reflections. But they are generic moving checker-board patterns that bear no relationship to the objects at the side of, or above, the track. You will see moving reflections even if there is nothing to reflect.
The game is also rather buggy, but I'm hoping they can fix that. | video-games_xbox |
9.5 out of 10 for a childhood favorite turned game. Transformers Devastation is basically thee Transformers game I have been dreaming about for many, many years! It is based on the 80's/G1 Transformers animated series (and toyline). The sounds are amazing! Almost all of the original voice actors have came together to replay the roles of this iconic franchise. Obviously Chris Latta had passed away years back. But the voice actor replacing him as Starscream is nearly perfect to what Chris did for the character. The musical score is great too. And of course the sound effects are perfect! The graphics are a awesome and well fit for the game. Cell shaded style graphics give it a cartoony feel which resembles the animated series well. Controls are pretty simple and easy to remember. Devastation is a 1 player game with no online play. Which is actually nice in this day and age. Gives it a old school feel too, lol. Many classic characters are present in Devastation. The only few things I dislike about this game is that it so far from what I see and have read, you're not able to play as Decepticons too! Another bummer is that Megatron is still being denied the ability to transform into his natural Walter P38 (pistol/gun) mode. Instead, they have went with the transforming of a tank. Megatron does look like G1 Megatron in robot mode. But yeah.....Not G1 in transform mode. Really wish they would've at least made Megatron transform into a cannon like he did after becoming Galvatron. The cannon is closer to being his true transform mode than the tank, SMH.....Anyways.....Is this game great?! YES! Worth buying.......YES! It is also priced at just $49.99. You do get to play as 5 different Autobots. The story and gameplay are cool. It overall brings back that original Transformers of the 80's feel back into your living room! Plus there should be DLC for it. At least there was some with my pre order @ GameStop. If you are a Transformers fan (especially G1) don't sleep on this game! My son is 12 and favors the original series that I grew up with. He has been really loving this game too, lol!!! Made him wanna bring down his G1 figures from his room, hahaha... | video-games_xbox |
Seems like using a toaster for a server could have been . Skip this game. After playing beta and since launch, not worth the money. As usual Ubisoft releases a game before it is ready to be released. Serious issues with connection and dropping during matches. Since launch and Beta, there has been no resolution to dropping mid game. I have to continuously restart my game which seems to resolve the issues for a game or two but then fails. For some reason they elected to use a single player in the game as host, which when they have an issue seems to drop the entire game. Seems like using a toaster for a server could have been more beneficial.
Moreover, the gap of gear between purple gear (that can be attained at a easy rep 3) and anything lower is so significant that if someone has the better gear with less skill can simply overpower you with a few hits. There is supposedly some sort of matchmaking to put people with same skill level together. From what I have seen, I have been matched to a rep 12 when my highest is 3. Seems legit...
Another issue is with the block breaks and their counters. From what I have seen you cannot counter a block break unless you have attained the ability to see into the future to press the button before the other person, unless you have been blessed to be the host. It seems latency issues play a big role here.
In the end, sometimes you enjoy the game when it works right. Until 90% of the time you ask yourself why I play the game for the beautiful executions only to get the constant 4v1 due to the lack of the title. By this, there is no honor. All multiplayer is based on outnumbering the opponent. Originally, in a 2v2 I saw people give honor in finishing the fight and then fight each victor. Too easily it has turned to who can throw someone off a ledge to win the match.
Game came out swinging. Hit 10% of the time. Instead of buying this game, buy a toaster to host a game. | video-games_xbox |
Smart gameplay, excelent setting. I know that this game has been out for sometime and its sequel already released but I have plenty of time on my hands and I feel that I owe this game a review to maybe help sway one more person into giving it a shot. Bioshock is a first person shooter with a very cleaver twist thrown in. You can upgrade yourself with "plasmids" which are gene altering tonics that grant you powers such as electricity you can shoot out of your hands or you can freeze people too while you whack away with your trusty wrench, but there are also tonics that enhance your defense and your ability to hack robots and vending machines and so on.
The gameplay itself is very genius as you can use combinations of the powers you earn to take out your enemies. For example you can set someone on fire and watch them jump into a pool of water and you can finish them off by sending a jolt of electricity into the water, you can also set someone on fire and shoot a heat seeking missile after them or set a spring trap and launch them into a proximity mine or set a mine and place a decoy image of yourself over it and watch them try to attack it. There are many combinations you can use to take out all your enemies. You replenish your health using med packs that you find or you can buy them from vending machines same with your "eve" which is what you use to execute your powers. You can also hack turrets, robots to help fight by your side or you can hack a camera and send out sentry bots when it spots and enemy. You can also hack vending machines to give you discounts on items and make some items availabe that you couldn't normally buy there, and there is nothing more satisfying than hacking a health station and watching your enemies get blasted by a poison cloud when they try to heal. You can loot dead bodies for money and items as well. Later on in the game you find a photo camera that you use to take pictures of enemies that eventually show weak points, the more you do it the better the rewards such as damage boosts and unique plasmids not found anywhere else in the game. The difficulty ranges from very easy to very hard as you spawn at "vita chambers" after you die and you can go back and finish off your enemies because they don't heal, but thanks to an update released you have the option to turn them off which adds a whole new level of strategy to the game. As the story progresses the enemies become more powerful and your plasmids start to have less of an effect and you must upgrade at the "gatherers garden" to more powerful versions. Which leads into my next point of how you upgrade. You yourself do not gain levels but you upgrade your weapons at things called "power to the people" or something like that, they are free but you can only get one upgrade at a time per machine and once that machine is used its rendered unusable permanently. You upgrade your powers with something called "Adam" which you get from "Little Sisters" which are little girls who go around collecting it from corpses, but they are protected by "Big Daddies" which are the toughest enemies in the game but once you manage to take them down you get to the little sister which is what you need to survive, but once you have her you're faced with a choice which I won't spoil for you. And finally the story. This is what made Bioshock so amazing. The story is very touching and can pull you in and never let go and it offers one of the biggest plot twists I've ever experienced. The world it self is probably the biggest character in the game but you have to play it for yourself to really appreciate it.
Sorry to ramble on like that but I feel that you deserve some kind of advice on where and what to spend your hard earned money on, and Bioshock is one great thing to do it on so would you kindly try this game? | video-games_xbox |
Great Game Mechanics, Epic Battles. Titanfall is probably the most fun I've had with a video game in the last few years. What really makes it shine for me are the excellently paced rewards and the incredibly fun freerunning mechanic.
The game unlocks features that really add to the experience as you level up, but I never felt outgunned by players with more experience. I may have been outclassed skill-wise, but even then the game is fun. Part of this probably lies with the fact that there are quite a few computer controlled bots running around in addition to the 12 human controlled characters in each round. So even if you aren't as good as some other players, you still get a chance to snipe or blow-up bots.
Luckily, you still gain experience and rewards for killing bots. The rewards can range from new game features as you level up to weapon upgrades to 'burn cards' which are single-round upgrades applied to your character to give you a temporary edge. You are almost always getting something new, which makes you want to keep playing.
Fortunately, so far the game has not felt like a grind at all. Nor have I ever not had fun in a match. Even without doing very well on the combat side of things, you still have the opportunity to sprint, double-jump, and wall-run your way around each level. All of the maps I've played have been designed to allow a ton of freedom in all three dimensions. I compare it to the fun of web-swinging around New York in Spiderman from 2002.
The titans are also a lot of fun and can really hold their ground if you get a couple of them working together. They are slightly customizable with different weapons and abilities, but you are limited to three actual types of titan.
The only things I don't like about the game are the fact that the servers kick me off somewhat regularly, which for an online only game is a big deal, and all of the matches I've been in have been pretty one-sided. I haven't really seen any matches that have come down to the wire like I often would in Battlefield or Halo. That said, I am not always on the losing team, so at least it doesn't get too frustrating.
Overall, this is probably my favorite fps for 360. The only thing I would like more would be more customization and more weapons/titans. That's just a personal preference though. The titan vs human battles can feel pretty epic and a friend described it well when he said this was one of the only games that makes him want to tell people about his crazy battles. I agree, it really is exciting and you want to tell people stories about what you did in the game, which isn't something I get out of many games. | video-games_xbox |
They Were Clearly Rushed At the End. I will write this review from the perspective of someone who played--and loved--the original KOTOR, because if you don't have that point of comparison you will simply find this game stupendous in comparison to the large body of re-hashed garbage that forms the bulk of the videogame universe.
In comparison to KOTOR I, the story is in some ways better and in some ways not as good. The original KOTOR always had, to me, an episodic feel. It always seemed as though the game was simply stacking mission upon mission onto the main character in order to pass the time. In KOTOR II, the writers have done a better job of integrating the missions into the main story arc. Also, the worlds are bigger and more populated, giving them the game play a more open and unstructured feel. Also, a lot of the minor NPCs act more rationally and make more sense than in the original KOTOR.
That said, however, the main story arc is cryptic to put it kindly. Without giving anything away, a number of the main NPCs reverse their statements and strategies throughout the game in ways that I think were intended to be "plot twists" but that in the final analysis just don't make sense. These problems blossom into flat-out inconsistencies in the finale of the game, where a number of events occur for no apparent reason and with no apparent resolution, making me think that they were rushed to meet a Christmas release date and so just dropped some plot conclusions at the end that they didn't have time to finish. Also, I agree with any reviewers who found the final battles anti-climactic; in terms of difficulty and suspense, none of them matches up to Malak. Again, I am tempted to credit this to a rushed finish. Regrettable to say the least.
In terms of character development, the game is a big improvement over KOTOR I. There is no cap on progression. Let me say it again: there is no cap on progression. You can keep gaining experience and adding force powers until the cows come home. Also, they have added new prestige classes and powers that keep the progression interesting toward the end of the game; it wasn't until the very end that I felt I was just adding powers to add them.
In terms of difficulty, if you are an experienced KOTOR player, the "normal" difficulty level will be disappointingly easy.
In terms of game play, KOTOR II uses the same engine--hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
But these complaints, such as they are, reflect merely the predictable gripes of someone who viewed KOTOR I as one of the best videogames of all time (in the pantheon with M.U.L.E., Wizardry, Civilization, the Ultima franchise and...Halo I). No sequel could have matched up. Buy this game. | video-games_xbox |
Great Cobb with even better presentation. Since there are two games, I'll start with NBA 2k12
The spirit of the NBA is evident throughout the game. The menu is easy to use and if you use the play now mode, the announcing and actual game date will change to the current date. Of course this can't be said for the association mode. The association mode is my personal favorite wilth multiple options and features. When it comes to gameplay, this award winning series delivers. With the ability to shoot using the X button as well as the challenging toggle shooting controls, I found myself using the right stick toggle controls for the added challenge. Both ways of shooting require you to pull (or press) and release accurately and on time. Players have different sweet spots so it will take some time to get used to. I am not exactly good at the game, losing 3 straight in association mode before finally winning in overtime, but it is still a fun game to play and even hear the commentating as you play. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 due to its overall fun. Minus half only because I suck at it.
I had high hopes for MLB2k12, considering my last outing with 2k sports was MLB 2k9, which was an atrocity of glitches and repetitive commentators. I will say that for the most part, 2k delivered. Game modes are fantastic and are headed by the career mode. You start from nothing to something in an experience that seems like the American Dream. Like the NBA game, I prefer the franchise mode, solely because I get complete control of the team. The batting got an upgrade with a shorter reaction time to pitches and the new different kinds of batting that make the experience come to life even more. The ONE thing I was disappointed about was the pitching. Although it has nice new features including a color coded arsenal of pieces that changes colors due to overuse, the toggle pitching is extremely difficult. Your thumb movements with the toggle have to be as PERFECT as possible. Slip up, and you'll be walking guys with four straight balls. (Yes I did it multiple times) the pitching takes time to get used to but until then, you will be punished for the slip ups. I give it a 4 out of 5
Just b ready to wear out your toggles. But for the most part, you will have a great time. The price is too high for me since I found it online for $15 used somewhere else. The ratings average out to 4.25 but I will round up due to the AMAZING presentation in both games. This has been a JP Review. That for reading. | video-games_xbox |
The most overlooked, underrated Medal of Honor. I didn't have huge expectations for Medal of Honor: European Assault. Based on the flawed Pacific Assault gameplay, which was itself a variation of the Rising Sun formula, European Assault seemed at first like too bland too late. But after completion, I realize what a gem this one is.
European Assault puts the player in command of a four-man squad, able to issue very basic move and attack commands. Missions play out similar to the first Call of Duty scenarios, mixing Russian, British, and American campaigns. Although treading old territory, the varied and somewhat inspired architecture of the levels keeps the game interesting and unique. Throw in sharp 480p widescreen graphics, nifty lighting technology, and a few bonus areas and objectives, and this is probably one of the best WWII games on previous generation consoles.
The squad AI is surprisingly good; they generally make the right moves in terms of cover and targeting. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep my entire crew alive throughout each mission, as they're actually quite helpful in tough spots. I miss Pacific Assault's innovative corpsman approach to health management, as E.A. falls back on the health canteen standard here. What is somewhat innovative is the rapid disappearance of dropped health and ammo pickups. This forces you to advance the squad in a timely, systematic manner to gain territory. Playing passively actually will get you killed in E.A. It's an enjoyable challenge once you understand it.
Controller setup is slightly more complex than old MoH games, but once mastered, the control scheme is nearly perfect on the Xbox gamepad. All of the weapons look and sound as great as we've come to expect in Medal of Honor games, and the analog movements are perfectly tailored to strafing and sighting. European Assault is perhaps the most open-world structured MoH game to date, with quite a few large maps allowing flexibility of attack. I don't think I've ever enjoyed replaying Medal of Honor levels just to try new attack methods, so that's quite a compliment here. There are even sub-objectives and bonus areas in each mission that reward the player with revives (essentially extra lives). Enough effort was put into level design here to make me forget about the truly awful Rising Sun.
A few flaws with European Assault prevent it from being the definitive best-ever MoH game. First is the somewhat repetitive mission structure. Each features a fairly predictable request for documents hidden somewhere around a rather arcade-like boss fight. While still fun, these Germanic supervillains detract a bit from the realism. And the squadmate AI, while very good, sometimes suicidally refuses to run from grenades or take cover from enemy gunfire. And there is no long-distance "stay" command for the group, meaning you can't flank an enemy while they supress.
If you haven't had the pleasure of this well-rounded game, dust off the old box and try it out. European Assault will surprise you with a few new tricks while still retaining that classic Medal of Honor series feel. | video-games_xbox |
Oh the hype. Halo Combat Evolved is the most overhyped game I've ever encountered. I've heard for years how great this game is so I finally bought it on sale for $15, even that was too much.
I am a veteran PC player of first person shooters who started with the original Wolfenstein 3D and have played almost everything since including all the Dooms, Quakes, Jedi Knight, Half-life and Unreal Tournament. There is nothing in Halo that hasn't been done before! In fact it's the easiest most linear FPS I've ever played. I finished the single player game in a little more then two days.
There are only 10 levels in the game, each of which is broken down into 3 to 4 sub chapters. The game play lacks any puzzle elements, switch hunts or boss battles so all you do is move down a path shooting everything that moves, which is fun for about 5 min then it gets old. you are outfitted with a motion sensor, right out of the movie Aliens, so it's no mystery where the bad guys are. There are a few times in the game where you are required to locate specific areas but that is aided by your onboard computer assistant who kindly gives you nav points to locate them, so you just follow the dots leaving piles of bodies in your wake.
As other reviewers have noted you can drive vehicles but the human vehicles take no damage at all and you can't get one of the other marines to drive the vehicle if you want to take the gunners position so you are left to driving, but then you can't shoot from the drivers position. This leaves you stopping and dismounting everytime you want to engage the enemy. Alien vehicles are one man vehicles so you can shoot as well as drive and they do take damage.
Most FPS games let your character carry far too many weapons. Halo has the opposite extreme. Your character is limited to carrying two weapons and granades so the majority of your post combat time is spent looking through the piles of bodies for the best two weapons you can find. All the standard FPS guns are here the pistol, machine gun, sniper rifle, alien plasma rifle, needler [direct half-life rip off], shot gun and of course the rocket launcher.
Enemy AI is also vastly over hyped. Its obvious after a few minutes they run a standard pattern that is easily overcome with a quick trigger finger and a strafe.
Halo's graphics are very pretty and the frame rate is smooth throughout the game but combined with the unispired story and game play and linear design it not a big a plus.
Multiplayer play is limited to the usual styles but lacks any online capability at all. To use it you have to all be local then you can share the console or connect several together.
If you're a veteran FPS player Halo is likely to disappoint. If you're a newbie to FPS's then you will get some enjoyment from this game till you discover the vastly superior PC FPS games, which you have been able to play online or over a network with your friends since the mid 90's! | video-games_xbox |
Proving that Ninjas are indeed cooler than Pirates once again. Who doesn't love Ninjas?
Those slicing, dicing, pirate-slaughtering stealth assassins at the peak of all things cool are featured in full force for Itagaki's follow up to the original Xbox title, and taken to a whole new level. Now, there's ninja-on-ninja action (that's FIGHTING - you dirty minded fools :-P ).
After all the hype and anticipation for what was promising to be one of the most difficult games of the year, how did it all turn out?
Wonderfully.
This game has a special quality that is difficult to describe, something that I don't see very often in modern games.. "character". Each enemy, level, and ally is absolutely dripping with personality.
Although most people would argue that the storyline has more holes than swiss cheese, the villains are memorable and the levels themselves are unforgettable. If these characters were fleshed out just a bit more (even just to answer these two simple questions: how Elizabet is running around waking up other Greater Fiends when all four were supposedly asleep for centuries, and why the Black Spider Clan agreed to help her in the first place), it would have added a great deal of significance to some already very memorable personalities. Devil May Cry 4 had similar story issues, but its characters were nowhere near as memorable (with the possible exception of Nero, who made an excellent counter to Dante). Though the principal characters in NGII don't say much, the combination of their look, movement, voice, and (in the case of bosses) attack patterns is exceptionally polished and it shows. The story isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be, although it does play out more like an "epic" summer blockbuster movie than anything else.
The combat itself is solid, and the feature updates (such as the fatalit...err... obliteration techniques and enemy limb removal) allow for additional strategy in what used to be a block-block-dodge-attack-block-block-dodge-attack combo system. In fact, these changes tend to make the game feel more action-oriented than defense oriented. The "run of the mill" enemies can still kill you - that's a Ninja Gaiden trademark - but rather than taking on fewer, more powerful enemies, you'll oftentimes end up facing swarms of weaker enemies. And make no mistake - swarms can kick your butt.
The music, usually taking a backseat to action in games such as this, manages to draw the player further in, and combines gothic voices and rock for a haunting yet familiar sound that accents the gameplay and visuals of the title (of special mention are Chapter 3 and 5's music - absolutely amazing, so much so I'd probably get the soundtrack). This is also one of the few games where I can say with confidence that I prefer the English voice acting over Japanese. Visually speaking - it's superior to NG: Sigma and is about average for a 360 title. Still very good, as should be expected for a Team Ninja game - everything's very colorful and sharp. One slight issue is an occasional framerate hiccup, but nothing major.
I managed to complete the game on "Easy" - a.k.a. Path of the Acolyte - but just barely, and intend to play on Normal soon. Overall I was very impressed with the way this game turned out. Sadly with the Itagaki and Team Ninja lawsuits coming into the spotlight over at Tecmo, this may be the last Ninja Gaiden game we get for some time...
More rants at:
[...] | video-games_xbox |
Nice Idea but Poor Implementation. Bullet Witch for the XBox 360 is a goth shooter. You're Alicia, a black-wearing witch of the future who is humanity's only hope for survival. The city landscape has been overrun with gigantic demons.
I'm always thrilled when they have females as main characters, especially in traditionally male-dominated areas such as shooters. You do have to deal with the fact that these females are usually busty and very skimpily clad, but progress doesn't always come quickly. In this case, the belly-dancer-garbed witch carries gigantic swords and uses magic. She's up against nasty looking, gigantic demons which stomp around a dark, grafitti-filled city. Think the future of Terminator, but with demons instead of robots.
These maps are very large, dark, and nicely detailed. On the other hand, there often is no directional indicator - so you're wandering for long periods of time around a huge map, with no idea of where to go next. It can get frustrating. Now, while I thought for example that the brickwork and detail of the sewers was of good quality, my boyfriend's comment at this point was "the game starts stupid-looking, and slowly advances to mediocre".
The enemy demons are a mixed bag. Sometimes they show reasonable AI, hiding from your shots, strafing you and so on. At other times, you can just sit behind a wall while they come at you one by one, getting "stuck" on the corner and letting you plink at them like a shooting gallery.
The sound is reasonably nice, changing from throbbing battle-music to more low key skulking-through-the-sewers songs. Voice acting isn't high end, but it's not awful either.
My main complaint with the game is that it is rather short. I suppose you could say it takes a while because of the lack of a map, but once you actually know where you're going, the game has little gameplay. Games on the XBox 360 often stretch on for weeks and weeks, providing very enjoyable gameplay all along. With Bullet Witch, you can probably end the game in a day of playing without all that much effort. That's just not enough enjoyment for the price of a game - or for the investment of your energy to learn the button scheme and connect with the characters. It's like getting fond of a new TV series, and learning who all the individuals are - and then having it get cancelled only a few shows in. You were expecting much more.
A great idea, but I think the game needed a few more months in development to flesh out the AI and add on more storyline / maps to fully complete it. | video-games_xbox |
The Bottom Line. Ok first of all let me give my credentials to better help you understand my review. i have been playing both video game and table top RPG's for about 12 years now. I have owned every major system and currently own the cube, xbox, and ps2. I have been playing morrowind for well over 100hrs...nuff said.
First let me say that Morrowind is not a standard linear RPG (ex. Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana); you have only one char. the entire game. You chose from several different races and basically unlimited classes (ex. thief, warrior, wizard, ect.). You possess every skill in the game but must choose 5 major and 5 minor skills that will serve as the basis for your char. class and the rest of the skills fall into you secondary skills. All skills increase with use or can be increased by reading books or training from an npc. the major skills go up fastest, minor second fastest and secondary slowest. In addition to the 3 sections of skills you also must choose from the 3 Major areas of skill: combat, magic, or thief. the skills that fall under the one you choose will also go up faster.
Now on to gameplay. the combat system is your typical hack slash when using weapons and aim and fire with magic (if you've ever played EverQuest for pc it is very similar, only no target lock). The world is simply giant! i have played for 100+ hrs and still not seen it all. The enimies are very tough at first and come in a limited variety. You are cabable of killing anything you see! I mean any creature, vendor, guard, anything can be killed! You can also steal anything not bolted to the ground! You can choose to follow the main quest or do one of the millions of sidequests, or just run around the world killing and exploring. There is literally no end to this game!
THE GOOD: Beautiful graphics
Unlimited gameplay
Near total freedom of char.
Near total freedom of play
Unlimited types of spells(you can actually make yer own spells)!
Each item has its own look and actually appears on yer char.
You can have your own house!
The world changes w/even the smallest thing you do.
THE BAD:
Enimies become extremely easy after a short time.
Variety of enimies is extremley small.
Super powerfull items are waaaaay to easy to acquire.
Computer AI leaves alot to be desired.
Quests become very repetitive (go do this and come back, now go do this and come back, ok thanks now go here and come back) this can be very annoying when my next gripe is factored in.
After a few hrs of game play your game will get DIRTY DISC ERRORS and freeze.
After you have played for even more hrs the game will just freeze when you switch between menu screens. This can happen 20+ times in a row.
Selling high dollar items becomes so time consuming it becomes a game in itself!
The game has more bugs than ...a night hotel room.
All in all i'd have to say had the developers taken a little more time before releasing it, this game could have easliy been the greatest consol RPG of all time. If you can get past the bad things i mentioned then buying this game will be like buying life #2. | video-games_xbox |
Black Ops 2 Is pretty awesome. The action packed war game called Black Ops 2 made by Treyarch is overall a pretty decent game. The Call of Duty series of games has always been top selling Xbox and Playstation games. I originally bought these Call of Duty games to play multiplayer with my friends. I bought Modern Warfare 2 as my first game, and then I bought Black Ops 2. The difference in these games is huge, showing that the developers have completely different styles of video game crafting. I am such a fan of Modern Warfare 2 that its hard to find a new Call of Duty game that i like. However, My girlfriend is the one who got me hooked on playing Black Ops 2. The multiplayer is awesome with some of the greatest maps I have ever played on. The graphics are also well crafted and fairly smooth when playing. There is only one problem that occurs in Black Ops 2 more than it does in Modern Warfare 2: Server lag. For all of you beginning video game players, lag is where a game does not run as smooth and has spots were the game starts to skip like a music track on a CD. Lag is also where the game is running slower on your connection to the server and is running faster on the guys who just killed you in multiplayer. Now back when Infinity Ward, the developers of Modern Warfare 2, were maintaining the server of their game, the multiplayer was spectacular and didn't have too much lag in it. I feel that Black Ops 2 has some of the worst lag i have ever played on compared to Modern Warfare 2. The server connection is not that great and its not my internet because I'm running high speed Comcast internet with a 250gb Xbox. I feel as if Treyarch would have worked a little harder on building some good servers for this Black Ops 2, then the multiplayer section probably would have been my favorite multiplayer in Call of Duty. The maps and gun selection are pretty awesome as well which makes the game extremely fun to play if there were no lag. There is another great thing about Black Ops 2, this game has the best non multiplayer game of all times: Zombies. Killing Zombies can be one of the funnest and best stress relievers of all times. Its also hilarious to listen to them running around grunting at you trying to eat your brains. Good job Treyarch because Zombies is way better than Infinity Wards Survivor Mode and Extinction. Overall, after playing this game for several hours I have come to the conclusion that it deserve about a 4.5 out of 5. It is an awesome game and would be, in my opinion, the best Call of Duty game out on the market right now if it didn't have all of that server lag. | video-games_xbox |
Love my Xbox One. Update: April 11th, 2014. I now fully love and enjoy my xbox one and am very glad i didn't buy PS4. Anybody who bought PS4 will soon regret their choice because the XBOX one will only get better with time. It's already a far better system than it was at launch and it's been less than a year. Give it a year and the PS4 will be very outdated compared to xb1.
The system itself is excellent. But the available games are mediocure so far. There's really only 3 good games out and Gran Turismo is a far better series than Forza. Turn 10 seems to really be taking advantage of it's loyal consumers with microtransations while with Gran Turismo it's a fun non frustrating experience. Honestly though there aren't many reasons why you shouldn't buy this console. Yes you have to have XB live gold to use apps but it's only $10 a month which your gonna be paying for anyway for online gameing.
The XB1 really improves television. The voice commands don't work well at all though. You can still use your regular cable box remote with the TV. So it's just like the regular tv but just on your xbox, which means you never miss anything. You can say xbox go home and see whos online, watch netflic, etc then say "xbox go to tv" and there you go your watching tv again. Also you can change channels with your voice! For example you can say "Xbox watch cnn..and it changes to Cnn" You can say "XBOX watch bbc america" and it changes to bbc america! It's the coolest thing ever. This thing really does feel like the future. It makes your life a little easier.
The console itself is huge but who cares? It's not like your gonna be carying it around. I love the way the system looks. It has this beutiful, simple, professional, high class look. Some how the glossy finish doesn't attract much dust and the system is always silent, even when you put a disc in it. It makes your living room look better as well. The desighn is excellent. Miles better than the ancient low tech 360.
Now the controller. It feels great in your hands and looks way better than 360. It's great. The texture on it is really nice and the thumbsticks are very precise. The bumpers and triggers are better than 360.
I will still be getting PS4 as well though but only when the next Gran Turismo comes out. Being that i'm a huge gearhead and Gran turismo is ultimately too much to miss out on. So much so that im willing to buy a $400 console just for the next gen Gran Turismo (PS4 might be cheaper by then). So to all you Forza fans and players FORZA MOTORSPORTS IS NOT REALISTIC. Trust me i was a huge Forza fan myself. I played forza 3, 4, and 5. I now own Gran Turismo 6 and the first time i played GT6 i was absoloutly amazed at the realism of the driving. It really is a challenge to even get around a course in a fast car (just like in real life). The driving in forza 5 is FAR to easy! Before GT i used to think forza was amazingly realistic but after having played GT6 for 2 months Forza ultimatley feels like some cheap arcade game. Yes the sounds are better but the driving is far to easy to even be a challenge or rewarding at all. So for now if you want the ultimate most realistic driving experience, skip forza 5 and get a PS3 and GT6. If you already have a PS3 then your in luck! You won't learn anything from forza, it doesn't make you a better driver it makes driving easier for you. So for you sim racers right now PS4 and Xbox one don't really offer anything (at least PS4 will in the future) but i guess for now you could toy with forza 5 for a bit or if you have PS3 just get GT6!
Overall the XBOX one is a must buy. Honestly you might as well by it now because the price isn't going down anytime soon and when it does it'll probably be by only $50 (2 years from now). The XBOX ONE is the future, the PS4 is good for now but has no future or real potential. The xbox one does everything and videogames the PS4 does just videogames. I'm not hating on the PS4 at all, it's a nice system but the XB1 is the better choice. You get far more for your money. You get kinect, a awesome controller, a headseat, a pair of batteries, and of course a full on entertainment system in the xbox one. I now watch TV through my xbox and it's a great experience. You can littereally leave it on ALL day and never worry about it over heating at all. It's a very realiable system.
When you purchase a XBOX ONE you are making a investment. For now you might not enjoy it as much as you wish but better and more games and apps will be coming out soon. | video-games_xbox |
Almost perfect. I purchased this headset "Used" through Amazon's Warehouse. What a great program. It's like a scratch and dent sale and with Prime, I was offered next day delivery for like $3!!! The product arrived in great shape exactly as described as a "repackage" which in my case was an original box with the seals broken and then taped with a circular Amazon Warehouse sticker to reseal the box. All the parts and the literature were included even the sticker!
As for the headset itself, this is my first Turtle Beach product and having come from a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Arena which at the two year mark decided to break off at the ear cup, I am not at all unhappy. The first thing that I noticed is the feel of the unit in your hands. It has a solid feel, like it's built well. The teaser graphics you will see that make the unit look like it is glowing green. This is not the case the knife "logo" from CODMW3 is in green but its real thin lined and almost not visible. On the other side is a small Turtle Beach graphic where the microphone attaches that is also in the same green and that's about it for the "green" *Bummer. The padding for the ears is unique. The material is not unlike the upholstery in my truck. Half rugged but smooth. I have a small, bald head and it is not irritating to me in the least. The shape of the cups is like a long oval. The top band is padded with just enough padding and embossed with "Call Of Duty" on the top. The microphone is also unique. It looks a bit like a fat bendy straw that's grey only with more rigidity than a straw even. It picks up my voice even with a box fan and a ceiling fan in the room. *Nice
The cord looks professional, and durable, having a mesh fabric feel not unlike old fashion wiring. The cord from the headset transitions into what resembles an "S-Video" male to female connection that transitions into the dongle. The dongle is branded with the Call Of Duty logo and looks somewhat "Military" but the plastic used doesn't feel like that at all unfortunately. It has a cheap, rattle when you shake it quality. The function of it is an on/off switch for the entire headset with total volume control, then rotary dials for each of the channels volume control. There is also a X-Box adapter port (don't know, don't care as I am a PC gamer) and a microphone mute slide button. The cord continues and ends to a set that has the 3 speaker cables (Green, Black, Orange) and 1 Mic Cable (pink). There is also a USB connection that is for power for the dongle/headset. Next we come to the interesting part. The unit ships with a splitter that allows you to plug both the headset AND your existing speakers into your sound card which in my case is a Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music paired with a Creative Labs P7800 7.1 Speaker set. The good part is, because you are using your existing sound card no drivers are required.
The bad part is... The splitter they give you will not pass 7.1 only 5.1 so you lose your surround speakers. Not a huge deal but worthy of a note as I pulled my hair out for about 3 hours uninstalling and reinstalling the Creative Labs drivers thinking something got corrupted or I had a plug in the wrong port of something.
In the box they also include a small get started guide containing install diagrams for different setups in 8 languages. They also include a single sheet marketing thing with a CODMW3 Logo on one side and a download code to go to a special Turtle Beach Download site. The link then redirects you to another link where you register. Registering is easy. Email address and password then next page for download code, birth date and what headset you purchased with a captcha code to submit. All of the software listed is for Delta or Bravo headsets and of no use to us. *Bummer? There is a section for a 40% off code for Turtle Beach clothing and some wallpaper and screensavers for phone, pc and tablet. And that's about it.
So to summarize this is a pretty rockin headset for the money. A couple of not so great things such as the lack of some cool software, a better, more rugged dongle and the issue with the splitter but all in all I would highly recommend this product. | video-games_xbox |
A great concept plagued by reserved design. The Good: Fun weapons to shoot, time manipulation is very interesting, good story, nice atmosphere
The Bad: Story is very confusing, time manipulation isn't as fleshed out as it could have been, looks very dated
A lot of developers with risky ideas tend to get low funding, and in some rare cases, the game turns out well. Singularity is one of the those games with a low budget feel, but with AAA ideas. You play as a special ops agent named Nate Renko who is sent to an island called Katorga-12 and must stop the singularity. In 1955 Russians found a new element called E99 and tried using it as a new weapon to wipe out America. The experiments went wrong due to an evil and greedy man and a scientist who created it all. The story is pretty decent, but very hard to follow, and feels like something from a sci-fi TV series.
The game starts out kind of like BioShock or Half-Life, and even Fallout 3 with an introduction of excellent atmosphere and first person real-time narrative with movie reels, and the whole destroyed apocalypse feeling. It never really strays from this, but it does wear off fairly quickly and the game's atmosphere loses it's touch after you get further into the game.
The game has very fun gun play, but the weapons are what draw your attention and make you want to actually shoot stuff. You get your typical pistol, shotgun, assault rifle entourage, but there are other unique weapons like a grenade launcher that let's you control the grenade on the ground, so when you let go of the alt fire button it will blow up where you want. My favorite weapon is a mix of a sniper rifle and grenade launcher that let's you control the bullet and steer it. Watching enemies heads blow up or legs coming off is very satisfying and never gets boring.
While the guns are fun to shoot and feel powerful and satisfying it's the time manipulation that pulls the game's fun factor up. You find the TMD about 20% into the game and it lets you do a slew of things. Aging enemies into a corpse, bringing back stuff from time such as destroyed ammo crates, electrical boxes, aging safes to get inside, renewing crumpled stair cases etc. Another ability allows you to create a bubble and everything inside is slowed down, you can also use a telekinetic power to throw objects around as well as an impulse ability that pushes enemies away. The game allows you to use the TMD in large epic ways such as restoring a broken down train, but you always feel the TMD isn't used to it's full capacity.
You can upgrade the TMD with perks such as longer durations for powers, allowing extra energy when killing enemies, as well as upgrading weapons with more firepower, faster reloading, and bigger clips. While the upgrades are a nice touch they don't really make a huge impact like you would think and the game adapts to these upgrades too fast so you always feel like you're not quite powerful enough.
While it's neat to reverse time, and go back in time to stop things from happening then come back you always feel the TMD and the whole time manipulation thing isn't fleshed out enough. For example: There is a door in front of you that isn't quite open enough to crouch under so you age a metal crate, slide it under, the bring it back and it pushed the door open. Not very creative and I feel that all of these time elements could have been fleshed out more. This isn't the only game's problem, but the biggest one is it's looks. It uses the Unreal Engine 3, but looks kind of ugly wish flat muddy textures, and the only real thing going for it is the lighting.
The creature design is pretty neat, but there's not much variety and the story is very confusing. The game just loses it's strong appeal that you get in the beginning towards the end. Singularity is a bunch of gory fun, but it feels like it could have been a lot more if Raven had gotten a bigger budget. If you like FPS games and are a fan of BioShock, Fallout, or Half-Life then you'll appreciate what Singularity brings to the table, and can forgive its short comings. | video-games_xbox |
Brutal, But Oh So Rewarding. Most people know that Dark Souls is not for the faint of heart. In case your new to gaming and have no expereince with Dark Souls, let me make this really simple. If you enjoy games that are super hard and challenging, this game was made for people like you. If you get easily frustrated and enjoy games that are more along the moderately dififcult level....well, you should stay as far away from Dark Souls as you can. Gamers of this sort that decide giving Dark Souls a go will likley end up with broken controllers and dents in thier wall (from the controller being thrown at the wall with a lot of velocity).
Dark Souls is really the epitome of hard gaming and that is exactly why so many people are drawn to it. Its a great way of seeing just how good your gaming skills really are and its also a great way of improving upon your gaming skills, but again (and I really can't stress this enough), these are not games for people that get easily frustarted or don't enjoy the challenge of a really hard game. If your one of those gamers, save yourself the pain, anguish, and money and buy something that is more in tune with the kind of games you enjoy. For gamers that do enjoy really hard gaming....well, this is one of the best games ever released that fits into that category. Personally, I have always enjoyed putting my gaming skills to the test. It took me over 3 months to finally beat Ninja Gaiden at the Master Ninja difficulty setting, but when I finally did....well, it was one of the most memorable moments in over 40 years of gaming.
Personally, I consider this the best Dark Souls game to date. It wasn't perfect as the graphics and frame rate definitely struggled at times and a couple of the bosses were kinda underwhelming, but beyond those minor complaints, this game is just pure gold!! The locations were absolutely breathtaking. Every single level is packed with beautiful architecture and just tons of detail. One of my favorite aspects of the game is the sheer amount of secrets that are put into the game. One of my favorite aspects of Elder Scrolls games is the exploration and sense of discovery. You get that same sense of discovery with Dark Souls 3 and those that take the time to investigate every nook and cranny will be rewarded for thier efforts. Everything from gear to mini bosses, to entire secret area's. Its definitely not a game you just want to blitz through as fast as possible, although you can certainly do that if that is what you want to do. At least for me, taking that approach to this game would take away some of my favorite aspects of the game.
The best part of Dark Souls 3 is definitely its combat system. They added something called weapon arts this time around, which are basically special moves for your character and they really raise the combat system up a notch. Using these skills uses something called focus points and there is a new blue bar that lets you track your level of focus points. Another aspect of the combat that I really enjoyed was the dual wielding weapon sets. It allows a completely different approach for combat and not having a shield makes it a very touch choice whether to go with dual wielding or not. It just adds a level of depth to the combat that wasn't there in previous Dark Souls games. And the weapons and enemies in the game are both amazing and brutal.
Bottom line - if your a Dark Souls fan then this game should be a no brainer. In my opinion, this was the best game in the series and I look forward to replaying it many times over. The upgrades to the combat system make for some amazing builds and they don't negativey effect what we love about Dark Souls combat in the first place. To say this is a worthy sequel to the series is a massive understatement in my book. This game takes everything that makes Dark Souls so great and turns it up a notch. Again, the only real downside was the graphics and level of detail is so high, that is causes the frame rate to dip on many occassions. There were points where it felt like I was only getting 20-25 fps. Still, this game is so amazing in every other regard that you quickly forgive the games graphical shortcomings. I have heard rumors that this might be the final Dark Souls game. That would be a real shame if that were the case, but if that is true then this was a fantastic way to put the series to rest. All in all, just a brilliant game, one that I will continue to play for a long time to come.
5 Stars!! | video-games_xbox |
Great but feels rushed. If you are a fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise than there is no reason why you wouldn't like Assassin's Creed III. This game is longer than the previous installments and much bigger. There are many side missions and areas to roam that it may be overwhelming at first for some.
However, this game is not perfect. While playing it, you get the sense that Ubisoft ran out of time while developing the title. They were so ambitious creating a huge map to roam around and so many side missions to keep the player occupied that polish and perfection were sacrificed. There are plenty of glitches. I've had Connor freeze while walking, guards twitching, arms through walls, difficulty climbing buildings/trees, bad textures, and some missions don't show up on the map to name a few. All of these glitches can be overlooked and it doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the game for the most part.
My biggest complaint of Assassin's Creed III is the lack of viewpoints to reveal the maps. The Frontier only has a few viewpoints that revealed maybe 15% of the entire map when synchronized. You need to walk the other 85% of the map in order for it to be revealed. For argument's sake, it does make you explore the frontier for yourself. However, Boston has its various viewpoints that reveals about 90% of the map. For a while, I thought I was looking at the entire map until I couldn't liberate the northern district 100%. I completed all the liberation missions that showed on the map but was still stuck at 71% liberated. It wasn't until I accidentally found a liberation mission while roaming around the northern section of Boston when an icon popped up out of nowhere in a section that was blurred on the map. This I find inexcusable and terrible misjudgment by the Ubisoft team.
Overall, Assassin's Creed III is a very good game. It's not amazing and has some issues but not enough to ruin the game play and overall experience. Ubisoft probably could have used another 6 months or so to perfect the experience.
8.6 out of 10. | video-games_xbox |
This game sucks. I bought a copy of RE5 at a local Gamestop for $20 used; I returned it the following day.
Here is why:
Controls: When aiming with your gun, you cannot move. You have to lower your weapon in order to move and it takes a second to raise your weapon again. This is a REAL problem when needing to be on the move and fight at the same time. This is not possible in the game. So, forget strafing your enemy as you shoot him (which is a pretty standard feature in all shooters like these.) Also, when switching weapons or using an item in your inventory, I had to open the inventory, navigate to the item and choose "use" or "equip". When a boss zombie is chasing you, you don't have time to make selections. Come on Capcom, this isn't a turn based game. Then when you do get grenades or mines equipped, you have to go through the same BS to select your pistol again. Additionally, you can only run forward, and not to the side. Good luck dodging that swinging hammer without turning your back.
Gameplay: The game has such tight spaces, that it felt like I was in a maze instead of the place presented. For instance, a village, instead of having all the access to the alleyways, everything is blocked off or gated; so your forced to go in a certain direction. I am used to this in linear games, it just felt like RE5 made very little effort to cover this up. So there was no emmersion for me into this game. When shooting enemies, there were only two effects it had on them: head blows off or they die. So if you shot limbs you see a little splash of blood and the enemy shakes a little. If you hit them enough, they go into their death scene. So weather you throw a granade or slash them with a knife, it has the same effect on their body. The interaction with the environment and stage was the same. You could only shoot piles of fruit or barrels that provided supplies. Except for Tvs, you can shoot those, that's it. So forget body parts flying or debris falling from bullets. It hardly feels like your character is even in the environment, so how am I suppose to feel it? The cut scenes were inconsistant. In one cut scene, your just spectating; then all the sudden in the next cut scene something flashes that's telling me to press X so I don't die. Its senseless and didn't make the game any more fun.
I had no issue with the sound or graphics: neither was great but good.
All in all, this game was way behind in the times. Something I would more expect to have been playable in the 1990s. Now, in the 21st century, as far as gaming has come, absolutely dissapointing. | video-games_xbox |
We Finished the Game - Amazingly Fun, Great Graphics. Saints Row 2 is a huge multi-game day in the style of Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto. You are the leader of a growing gang, fighting rival gangs, buying real estate, stealing cars, boats, helicopters and more. We have beaten the game - but it took a solid week of playing to do so.
If you have not played this style of game before, the first thing to know is it is solidly mature rated. There is a steady stream of swearing and violence. You are shooting cops, bashing in heads, stealing whores from rival gangs, driving around vehicles while "escorts" go to work in the back seat, and much more. This isn't just an R rating. It is solidly for mature audiences only.
That being said, the game is amazingly fun for that audience, if you enjoy movies like The Godfather and TV shows like The Sopranos. Even better - the experience is fully interactive and customizable. You start with your character - which can be male OR female! You can be a variety of ethnic types, customize yourself down to your eyebrow shape and cheekbones. There are a variety of hair styles, tattoo options, and a plethora of clothing styles. Your character can be EXACTLY who you want him or her to be.
Now you're launched into the world. You break out of jail and have to rebuild your gang from the ground up. There are a number of rival gangs to take on. On one hand the game is linear in the sense that there are scripted sets of events to go through. As you're taking on gang X, you first have to do mission 1, then mission 2, then mission 3. That being said, you can do each mission in any way you wish. If your target is to blow up a limo, you can use a rocket launcher, or chase it on a motorcycle while carrying a machine gun, or any other combination of techniques. It is completely up to you how stealthy or Rambo you choose to go.
They did an AWESOME job with the involvement of these storylines. The character movement and "acting" (motion and voice) are really great. You start to get emotions for these characters - either for or against. Some of the scenes are pure poetry in motion. It really is like being in a well done movie.
In addition to these main storylines there are also a wide variety of side missions. Steal whores from enemy gangs. Repo random cars from delinquent owners. Take on hitman assignments. Do timed boat races. Some of these tasks are rather challenging.
I love the plethora of "in jokes" all over this game. There are numerous references to other games, to movies, to TV shows. Many of them are laugh out loud funny. It's well worth it to read a walkthrough after each mission to see what things you might have missed about it.
Down sides? I was let down by the ending, but of course I won't say why. The rag doll physics were a BIT extreme. I suppose it's better than having stiff-as-board characters but they went a little too much on the wet-noodle effect. The game froze on us several times during playing, and we're rather sure it's not our XBox as we use this thing non stop all the time for our reviewing and haven't had issues with it before.
There's the usual continuity problems. You'll be looking at a vehicle, turn your head, turn back and it's vanished. A plane will be landing, you'll drive to get ahead of it and BLINK it'll be gone.
Up sides? I love the get-injured mini-missions where you try to get yourself tossed in the air by car crashes. The fact that you can customize your bodyguards to all wear SWAT uniforms or ninja outfits is a lot of fun. They did a great job with the extras in here. I love that you can go walking down the street and randomly run across singing barbershop quartets (who sing lovely harmony!) or tai-chi enthusiasts. Plus the music track is awesome!
All in all the game is incredibly engaging, should last most gamers weeks if not months of fun gameplay and has a wealth of tiny details in every corner. The fact that they can have an enormous map like this, with waving leaves on trees, buildings you can go running around inside, no loading screens during normal map travel, fading shadows, rain, sun, steam drifting up from manhole covers, an overhead train, people hailing taxis - it really does feel like an active, living, moving city. It is awe inspiring to me, having seen computer games "grow up" from the Pong level, that we could even look at a game of this complexity and consider it to have flaws because the people are a little wiggly boned. It is in many ways a gritty, urban, hard core work of art.
Our full walkthrough goes into the details of actual missions and playability but feel free to ask questions here and I'll try to check in to answer them.
Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Loving the new Xbox and you will too. Definitely loving this new console, which I purchased since my old one died.
Here's what I LIKE vs the old one.
1. No mega power brick. Thank the heavens Microsoft got rid of that monstrosity. Now it's just a standard power connector.
2. New controller. Most people probably don't care about this, but I'm definitely loving the new feel of the controller. Don't ask me why, but I just do. As a bonus I have also noticed the sticks are a little more accurate vs the old ones, and the controller now has extended range.
3. 4K support for movies. For many people this is probably the #1 reason for buying the console. After all, why buy a $300 Sony player when you can get an Xbox one a little more? Answer you wouldn't, unless you care about the lack of support for some codecs; cough, cough, Dolby Vision.
4. Design. Not only is this console smaller, but it is not a fingerprint magnet anymore, stays very quiet and cool to a greater effect now. As a plus you can put the console vertical, which is a nice addition depending on your entertainment center. Not to mention they got rid of that pesky capacitive power button for a physical one.
5. HDR for games. Ok right now no games support this feature, but upcoming games like Gears of War and Forza should support it. Just make sure your TV is comparable with this feature. Overall can't wait for colors to pop even more in the future.
6. Smoother FPS during intense game moments. If you are playing a game that has some crazy graphics and intense scenes gone are the days of stuttering and the console struggling to keep up.
Some things I don't like ->
1. Still uses old slow 5400 rpm spin hard drives. Load times still take forever, especially in games like fall out 4. Sure load times could be optimized by the developer, but still a faster 7200 rpm HD wouldn't hurt, and would have been a nice addition.
2. Only 1.4 TB of available space for games; what the heck happened to the other 600gb of space? As a comparison, that's more space then my last Xbox available or not. Seriously, why does the reserved space seemingly scale with HD size? Microsoft Fix This please.
3. No Kinect port. Sure I can call Microsoft for a free adapter and the Kinect has been minimized more then ever in recent times, but really? Why can't I just plug in my old Kinect, without have to call customer support, wait around for a package, and then used an adapter with its own power cable. This is just an unwanted hassle for me.
Alright real talk ->
By now you must be asking yourself should you buy this thing? My two cents are, if you already have an Xbox One, I doubt theres enough here to justify the upgrade. You can probably just hang on to your current big, black box until at least next year, because Microsoft will be releasing another Xbox next year that will support 4K gaming and virtual reality. BUT if you need a new console today for whatever reason, or just want a 4K blu-ray player buy this new system, you won't be disappointed. At the end of the day, this is the console Microsoft should have released in the first place over the original. | video-games_xbox |
Rhythm Game Overhaul. First let me start by saying that I have been playing rhythm games starting with Guitar Hero 2. When the original Rock Band was announced, I was sold on the idea, and thought the execution on the first game was solid, and the Rock Band 2 raised the bar significantly with the addition to extra career modes and online play.
Now with the release of Rock Band 3, the bar has been raised again. While you play in many of the same venues as Rock Band 2, they have all been cleaned up and even the crappy dive bars you play in at the begining of the game look like somewhere I would grab a beer, or attempt to bowl a perfect game.
The new Character Creator has been overhauled as well, giving you more options than Rock Band 2. Instead of being confined by the 8-10 face styles, you can adjust the chin, face structure, eye shape, nose type, and location of many of these features, giving you the ability to put your stamp on the game a little more than the previous two games.
The Music Library has taken a well needed update. Instead of being able to sort by one criteria, you can choose to sort on a plethera of options. For instance, you can choose to display only songs that are available to play on the new PRO KEYS, then you can take it one step further and add a second sort for songs that you have not played yet. For someone that has DLC from Rock Band 1, Rock Band 2, Lego Rock Band, Green Day: Rock Band, and hundreds of songs of regular downloadable content, this is awesome.
Finally, the songs on disk are fun to play. I love that there are some really guilty pleasures on the song selection. Centerfold by J. Geils Band, Foolin' by Def Leppard, The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News are fun to play. If you want something a bit more current, Combat Baby by Metric and In The Meantime by Spacehog are going to become standards for my online playlist. Speaking of playlists, you can create and save playlists to play later or share with friends. This is a cool new addition, with the best part being the ability to create them outside of the game from the new updated ROCKBAND.COM website.
If you are curious about the genre, this is about as perfect a game as you are going to find to jump into. If you are already a fan of the genre, what are you doing reading this, go buy and play this bad boy.
I did not include reviews of the PRO DRUMS or PRO GUITAR features only because I do not own the peripherals to access these features. I can tell you that the training for the PRO KEYS is awesome, guiding someone with no experience playing a keyboard to at least play the right hand portion of a song, and learn basic scales and chords. I like the being able to play at least a portion of an actual song on a real instrument. For someone with no experience with a keyboard, I was surprised by how this game made the instrument accessable to a complete beginner. | video-games_xbox |
Retail RA3? Not a good idea. Pros: A decently fun addition to the Red Alert series with some fun new units and a major graphics update. Lots of cute new characters for those who liked the women of the RA series. Supports high resolution gaming :). Fun to run it at 1920 by 1200 with all effects set to maximum. Good graphics compared to many other RTS games I have played.
That all sounds fantastic, but don't lose sight of the short (but VERY SIGNIFICANT) list of CONS:
--------------------------
*Limited Installations mean you don't really 'own' the game, you're just renting it at full price. (if you're buying a retail copy, and not a copy from Steam)
*SecuROM (again, assuming you're getting retail and not Steam) This SecuROM stuff that RA3 will install on your computer before you're able to play is BAD NEWS. Many people have had serious difficulties with their computers after SecuROM has infested them, and apparently it is not very easy to get rid of once it has infested your computer.
*The RA3 Tanya just wasn't as good as RA2 Tanya. Kari Wuhrer did a much better job, and the actual Tanya UNIT is not as fun to play with either. Tanya's range has been reduced to a point where enemy infantry (yes, even conscripts) can now shoot Tanya before she can shoot them. Tanya is no longer the sort of "hero" unit that, with a small amount of support and a good deal of micromanagement can wipe out whole platoons of enemy infantry and bases with style. This was a huge negative, as Tanya has played a very central role to the Red Alert universe for several of the Red Alert games now. Going back to the Kari Wuhrer point though.. Kari was much more "tough" whereas the new Tanya is basically a cheerleader dressed up as Tanya, and she really just doesn't fit the role as well.
*Tanya's guns just aren't as good (or cool) as they used to be. Looks like she's got some Desert Eagles now or something instead of the classic old .45 colts, and her range has been reduced to a point where she is basically neutered as a unit. Not cool. I don't even use her anymore to speak of because of this.
To sum things up, you'll probably enjoy the game, but it just lacked some essential things Red Alert 2 had. However, I strongly, STRONGLY recommend you purchase the game on STEAM instead of in boxed retail form, since STEAM will not include any of the activation limits or SecuROM malware/trojans/spyware type of crap that will infest your computer if you install the retail version. I might have given the game 4 stars or so if not for the negatives I listed. Due to SecuROM in particular, I'm gonna have to give this a measly one star. If you're considering getting the game on STEAM though, no worries about the DRM concerns I listed as far as I know, so this review in large part wouldn't apply. | video-games_xbox |
Fun and the price finally dropped. I love hackem up games. This one combines Baulders gate style RPG with your standard hack and slash style arcade game. (ya Gauntlet is probably the best other comparison)
one thing i find rather odd are the constant reappearance of monsters. You can never clean out a section of any given area without it becomming reinhabited by the monsters. This seems to be particularly true after finishing the sub quest for that area. For example if you have to go get a sceptor from some part of the castle, you fight all the monsters on the way into that section, claim the sceptor, and the majority of those monsters have come back to life. This is great for experience, but not a likely scenario in the D&D realm.
The game camera is pretty good and is easily adjusted durring combat to give you the best vantage point. I would have liked to see it go lower giving a more character eyesight perspctive, as it is now I mostly use birds eye view to see where the combat is comming from.
One thing I would have liked to see more is the design of the character. You choose 1 of 4 heroes at the start. Essentially you are either choosing class and get stuck with whatever race they assigned it, or you choose race, and get stuck with what ever class they assigned it.
The graphics are well done. The play is smooth even with large numbers of monsters shooting and hacking at you.
Auto mapping is a very helpful feature and is quickly dismissed durring combat. one feature the designers put in on the auto map which seems rather odd is the location of special objects. This could be what you are questing for, or the person you are supposed to go talk with. Its like having an oracle at your finger tips.
Replay value, well thats rather difficult as it is an RPG, and thus once you know the story, you know the story and location of items. This is the same with most RPGs. (but most folks know that before purchasing a quest adventure)
In short, the game is fun, the graphics are great, and if you are looking for a quest adventure this could fulfill your needs. Its worth buying if you like this style of game and want to support the developers who made it so they'll make more, otherwise rent it, play it, return it and be done. :) | video-games_xbox |
The Real Gothic 3. I'm late to the game with Two Worlds, but I was so disappointed with Dragon Age: Origins that I found myself looking anywhere for a real RPG that is both playable and actually fun. I took a chance on Two Worlds despite the poor reviews, and I am extremely happy that I did.
For the longest time while playing, I couldn't figure out what the game reminded me of. And then it hit me: Gothic/Gothic 2. Two Worlds is extremely similar to both games, in everything from the way your character moves, to the equipment, to the magic items and spells, to the layout of the world itself. This is a very good thing, as anyone who has played Gothic or Gothic 2 will tell you. Some specifics:
Difficulty. The game is indeed quite difficult. Just like Gothic/Gothic 2, you can't simply run off into the woods and hope to survive. You have to slowly work your way up by first picking off weaker creatures near the main roads, and build up both your levels and your equipment to survive the bigger encounters. I recommend starting on "Easy" which is at least the equivalent to "Normal" in most games. But one key consideration is missing from most other reviews: dying is not really a punishment in this game. If (and when) you die, you simple reincarnate at a nearby health shrine. You don't lose experience, stats, or even any gold. Moreover, you reincarnate at the nearest health shrine even if you haven't found it yet -- I've accidentally teleported onto the other side of a mountain range by dying and coming back at an undiscovered health shrine. So the difficulty is not nearly as frustrating as it sounds because you can, if you have to, just die a lot to whittle down a tough monster. Or lure them close to a mana or health shrine that will constantly power you up as you get hurt. And when you eventually have that awesome platemail or greatsword and can start 1-shoting monsters that have been killing you for hours, the gratification level is HUGE.
Graphics. The graphics are a little dated, but not nearly as bad as people say. Some of the atmospheric effects, particularly fog, are very cool, and there are lots of pretty looking rivers and streams and sunsets to keep up the eyecandy level. I'm running on 1080p HD and the graphics are as least as good as Dragon Age: Origins -- despite being 2+ years older.
Gameplay. This one of the places the game really shines. There are lots of different ways to play this game. You can be a warrior with a huge axe, an archer, a mage (with many different sub-types like Earth mage or Water mage to specialize in), an assassin, a hunter, a booby trap specialist, or some combination therein. Combat is actually a lot of fun, and there's even a backstep/dodge button that works quickly and lets you avoid big hits from other monsters. My preferred playstyle is to set a few explosive traps, pepper foes with arrows so they charge into those traps, and then smash them with a halberd or greatsword. But you can also summon hell knights, cast lightning storms, trap foes in magical tentacles, or do almost anything else you want.
Loot. There are tons and tons of items in this game. You can customize your character with everything from rings (4 of them!) to armor to boots, to even an assassin knife you use only in backstabbing, or perhaps magic robes and a wizard's staff. Items have a wide range of powers, but you can improve an item by combining it with an identical item. This has many subtle effects, like letting you make mediocre equipment really powerful if it is common and you find it a lot, or letting you use something that looks awesome by ranking it up so it's better than the more powerful -- but uglier -- base item. For example, I found a suit of white mirrored half-platemail that looks fantastic, but is a bit weaker than some other heavy plate. By combining multiple sets of the white platemail, I both look good and have great armor protection. Like Gothic 2, there are also tons of alchemy items you can find out in the woods, like mushrooms, flowers, gemstones, and the like. Some have permanent effects, so you can quickly learn to make potions that give you permanent boosts to all your stats, or even your resistances or physical armor. This is another great way to toughen up early in the game.
Plot. The storyline is also entirely adequate. The voice acting in most (but not all!) places is a little amateurish, but you can skip right through it with the press of a button. The world map is gigantic and filled with villages, towns, castles, necromancer towers, crypts, graveyards, and everything else you'd want in a fantasy world. There are tons of side quests, and you will always have something else to do.
Foes. Another great thing about this game is the huge range of enemies. You will face all the standard enemies from skeletons to zombies to wolves, but how about death knights, wyverns, dragons, giant scorpions, and even huge preying mantises? Or perhaps a cave full of enraged dwarves, or huge half-demon half-snake monsters? Enormous flesh, stone, or wood golems? Huge orc encampments? The possibilities are nearly endless, and there are always treasure chests and loot to be found. Your enemies don't scale much as you level so you can go back and punish them later, but some of their inventory does scale so it is always worth checking to see what they carried.
There is a lot more that can be said about this game (both archery and booby trap setting deserve their own entries) but some things should be experienced directly. In my opinion as a long-time gamer, this game has been unfairly maligned and should be given another close look. If you have ever played Gothic or Gothic 2, you will find this game very similar -- and a heck of a lot of fun. I highly recommend it, and am looking forward to the sequel. | video-games_xbox |
As games get more complex, so reviewing them does too. Caught in the wave of how amazing I thought the ending was in this game, it would be easy for me to give this game five stars.
However, taking a couple steps back I remember the things that really had me taking breaks in between starting and finishing this game. So let's get it out of the way, the bad first: The story. Really I can't point to a game and say well there is a game that handled it really well, because games with concise storytelling are pretty short, and games with a lot of gameplay have overcomplicated plots and many useless missions. This game suffers from the latter. In my mind, a good game should blend getting into the mind of a character with cutting through the BS of pointless filler missions, so you can understand the motives behind why you're doing something without spending hours watching cutscenes (Metal Gear Solid 4).
In Red Dead Redemption at least, the story is fairly clear. You are former outlaw John Marston, sent by the government to track down three criminals you used to run with, and if you don't, the "government" will make sure you never see your wife and son again. The first real problem I had with this scenario is that the gamer is expected to care about saving the lives of a family you don't see. Without spoiling anything, it would have been nice to see the family interaction at the BEGINNING of the game, so we know what it is we're murdering all these people for.
Really the only other complaint I can make is about the NPC's in the game world. They are, most definitely, Rockstar NPC's. And by that I mean they are very quirky and eccentric. I have never really understood this, but after a while of hanging out with cocaine addicts, deputies who are dumb as a brick, and a revolutionary out to bed every woman in a thousand miles, you will yearn for some normalcy to latch on to. The writing is quite good in the game, as in the previous Grand Theft Auto IV, so I would think they can write interesting characters without resorting to making them the extreme ends of the spectrum.
So what we are left with is a very good sandbox third person shooting game. Minor annoyances such as having to ride horses long distances to reach objectives or complete missions can get tedious, but this game makes it worth it. Most other games suffer from what I like to call, um, stupidness (Mass Effect 2). Where we meet characters, and witness their death and it is supposed to provide some sort of emotional attachment. And it lacks it for whatever reason. Bad writing (Avatar), bad acting (Avatar), or poor storytelling (See also: Avatar). However, this game does this very well. People whose lives you care about are put in the crosshairs, and you HOPE you are given the chance to save them, because they matter to you. That's one of the most important parts of any storytelling medium, because if the audience can't connect with something, they aren't going to like it very much (Avatar).
The weapons system is also a plus for me in this game. I haven't read any other reviews, but I imagine one of the things being complained about is the ability to carry every single weapon you possess at the same time. I'm of the have your cake and eat it too school of thinking (Mass Effect 1), where you can stockpile your weapons and carry as many as you want. It is much simpler (if not realistic), and you don't have to do something annoying like going back to a safehouse just to change your weapon scheme. It was something I didn't expect and was very pleasantly surprised at. The weapons are also varied. As you progress you are given, or given the opportunity to purchase a diverse array of firepower.
I could go on and on, but others have and will continue to do so. Games are and always have been overpriced, so if you want to wait for the price to drop, by all means, go for it. But if you are looking for a very good game to occupy about thirty hours of your life, then do not go without playing through this game at least once. The emotions are real, the voice acting is quite good (mostly), and even if there are some character cliches and overt messages in the game (a la western expansionism and the mistreatment of the "savage" Native Americans [Avatar]), Red Dead Redemption does a hell of a lot right. And unlike many other stories (Avatar), if you are looking for a happy ending, look elsewhere. Rockstar has started setting the bar high in regards to realism in their story telling and this one is no exception.
Use the Mauser at the end. When you get there, you'll know why. You've never wanted to put 16 bullets into one person more. | video-games_xbox |
Isaac Clarke is back. Isaac Clarke has returned as the star of the third game in the Dead Space series and without a doubt it's an extremely solid game.
The series as a whole is known for it's scare factor and for Dead Space 3, this hasn't changed. There are moments when you will jump...no doubt about it.
Over all it's more tense than frightening though.
If you have played the other games in the series then you know that Dead Space is a third-person survival horror title and for the third installment, the over all experience has been built upon and enhanced. The game's biggest improvement is the new weapon crafting system, which can be used at any workbench in the game's 19 chapters. With this crafting system you can piece together different weapons combinations including different frames, engines and tips. You can go further by enhancing your weapons with acid coated or electrical projectiles.
Kinesis is still at play in this title and this allows you the ability to pick up objects and toss them towards the necromorphs.
Dead Space 3 has been developed for consoles and then ported directly to PC. Although it is possible to turn some settings up a little higher on the PC, modern features that are part of DirectX 11 or high-resolution textures are not supported out of the box. Read below for some tips on how to get a bit more out of this game graphically.
The music and sound design are top-notch just as with the other titles.
The addition of co-op allows the series to go from the fringes of core survival horror onto the mainstream stage of action gaming. Playing in co-op erase the sense of isolation though, but the scares and the persistent sense of dread the series is known for remains intact.
The amount of time needed to beat this title will depend on you and how you play. If you search for every hidden item and artifact then it can take up to 20 hours. If you race through the game it can be done in about 12 hours.
For me playing a game is like drinking a glass of wine you need to take the time and enjoy it :)
NOTE OF INTEREST: For those angry about the 30FPS lock on PC; turn vsync off in game, then with Nvidia control panel hit 3D options, select DS3, go down and force Vsync on - me having a 120 refresh rate monitor; doing this enabled SLI of my two 580 GTX's and gave me a constant 120 frames per second lock at 1920x1080@120hz refresh. the difference was ok to gorgeous! Enjoy!
Overall my friend, this is a great title. Turn the lights off, turn the sound up. Prepare to get frightened.
..........
-Why only Four Stars?-
While I have enjoyed this game greatly, it is missing that high level of scare factor. It's there but it's not as rampant as with the other titles. Other than that; terrific game.
Highlights:
-Excellent weapon crafting system adds flexibility to combat
-Outstanding sense of atmosphere
-The Sound effects......
-Great amount of environmental variety
-Co-op makes for a fun alternate approach to the campaign. | video-games_xbox |
barking up the food chain. this game answers the question,"what would happen if cheech and chong made a video game with better homes and gardens?".well,you'd get a psycadelic brazilian influenced game all about pinatas in a garden.now i know what you're thinking."how much fun could a game based on a garden be?"i am here to say this game rivals nicotine addiction.if you put it down its because you are asleep.i know it also looks like a goofy tele tubbie kids game.but no its actualy great fun.remember,never judge a video game by its cover.so here are some things that have gone on so far.attacks by evil pinatas are frequent.but you get to beat them to death with a shovel if they try to kill your good pinatas.what i am saying is its not all kid stuff.at one point a bum keeps coming around and you are encouraged to beat him with the trusty shovel until he goes away.i even had to firey colored squirrels named ember and amber.amber was murdered by local bad boy"dastorado"[or something like that}.ember cried non stop for days.he had a heart broken.he just laid outside the fence and balled his eyes out.after this breakdown,he lost the will to live and disappeared.it was the most horribly depressing thing ive seen on a kid show since "snoopy come home".i couldve cried.maybe its me but my pinatas seem to have a pretty short life span.there are bigger pinatas who cause trouble .like my chicken and rabbit got eaten by a fox.well not so much eaten as ripped apart.so don't get too attatched to your pinatas or you may be in for some sorrow.now,say 2 pinatas have all the right charisma.like for instance 2 worms share a home and both ate candy.they will get a heart above them.this means they are ready for love.they will do a little dance for eachother.then they must go through a maze to get to the other one.[lucky pinatas only have to do a stinkin maze..........].then they wrestle and dance on a bed while rocking out to dance music.then all goes dark and they do the romance dance.yes its really called that.then the stork comes around..........this game is no super great milestone in the history of video games.it is however highly addictive.i guess someones gonna have to grow some methadone in the pinata garden so everyone can get back to thier regular lives. | video-games_xbox |
AAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!! ALMOST perfect, but. I'm going to get straight to the point. This game rocks, but has a few SEVERE flaws. Really dissapointing becuase this COULD have been the greatest game ever made. Unfortunately, it falls short, yet i still recomend it. I'm sure you are reading a lot of negative press, maybe even a lot of positive too. So if you are trying to decide what to do, my opinion is despite all the problems, this is a must have game if...
You like zombies (games, movies, etc)
you like the resident evil series
you want a fun game that will last you a long time
Really, there is a lot of good, but i will actually cover the bad, i'm sure none of this will be new judging by other reviews but here we go!
The VERY bad....
1) Saves...???? what were they thinking? ONE spot? Come on, it's not a cartridge game for crying out loud! I don't want to start over and over and OVER again because the bosses are insanely hard.
2) THAT STUPID CELL PHONE DOESN"T STOP RINGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and it won't either until you answer it, THEIR IS NO HOPE SO JUST GIVE IN AND DO IT OR ELSE IT NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER stops ringing. I wish you could just kill otis and feed him to the zombies and keep ringing his phone while they eat him, see how he likes it. That is BY FAR the MOST ANNOYING aspect of the game, BY FAR
3) The people you have to rescue are RETARDED! They DO NOT follow commands and it is EXTREMELY frustrating having to continuosly backtrack to rescure them from a swarm of zombies only to have the other person you are trying to rescue die because of it. AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!
Why are they so stupid? Take my advice, never try to rescue more than 2 people at once. Forget it, just leave them to be zombie food. It's not worth it!
4) I'm not wearing a telescope on my head, I am not a human magnifying lens, and I don't own a TV as big as a house so WHAT GIVES WITH THE SMALL SUBTITLES? Would it have killed you to spend five extra seconds working on it? This is a 360 not a NES, why not just have the characters voice it out? It's SUPPOSED to be a next generation game isn't it?
5)Aiming with a handgun, or any gun for that matter...UNFORGIVABLE. What happened to the resdient evil auto aim?
Despite these MAJOR flaws, which I guarantee will SEVERLY upset you and bring the overall experience down, I still highly recomend this game. It was my first 360 game and even though it needs work I love it.
I'm sure with capcom this game was a "test run" for a new resident evil, but if you make a sequal PLEASE GET RID OF THAT STUPID PHONE, and be kind enough to fix the flaws. Remember, the consumer who buys this pays YOUR salary, so have a little consideration
Now go out and get this game, don't be scared because of the flaws. You may end up liking it after all, I did. Still makes me mad though. ALMOST PERFECT! | video-games_xbox |
Reinventing the Suvival Horror genre. I been playing video games on all platforms since the nes days. I played tons of suvival horror games when the genre started with some horror PC games it was really cheesy and they wern't really scary at all. Then came resident evil the cut scenes were still really cheesy and so were the actors but it did provide quite bit tense momonts then other survival horror games came out silent hill, dino crisis etc but pretty much after those first entries in those series it more of a suvival game less of a horror game. I'd say most the sequeals been more along the line of suvival action games and most the main characters are police or military of some sort except silent hill that is and you get so much weapons and and ammo that you really not on edge to suvive anymore then along comes Alan Wake from it's 6 year production period. You play this game alone in the dark be prepared for scares at every turn where light becomes an important part of dispaching whats chasing you. never have i felt scared to travel alone in the dark in the woods in a game until this game came out and he's no cop or special forces op he's a writer so he has no special hand to hand combat skills and your not lodded to the bear with weapons when you think you have the ammo for a weapon to dispatch the next scare they take them away from you. At 1st i didn't like that but then i thought about it a bit thats to keep the player on edge so it makes the next scare more intense and the story is verry griping it plays out like an horror tv series. They even make some funny references of old tv horror serirs in the game like twlight zone this is deffentily a suvival horror ride i'd like to take again and again so if you have an Xbox360 deffentily pick this one up just make sure you play in the right setting alone at night with lights out to get full effect and if you purchase this game new you get the 1st DLC free which just came out. I hope you guys deffently take the plunge with this game you won't be disapointed. | video-games_xbox |
Great Exercise with a Few Issues. The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout Kinect lets you do a full body workout without balancing on boards or holding any controllers. You simply do the workout - and the camera knows how well you're doing.
We have the PS3, XBox 360 and Wii, and we have fitness games for all of them. I was a big fan of WiiFit when it first came out. I loved the activities and saw the potential. But holding the controllers or trying to balance on the board wasn't always the best way to do an exercise.
Now, with the Kinect, being active has become completely natural! You're not pushing buttons or keeping track of where your foot is. You simply follow the commands. Jumping jacks. Lunges. Yoga poses. Punching bags. You can choose Bob or Jillian to guide you, and you are in different locations for your activities.
It's fairly clear that this was their first try at a Kinect game. The controls are *awful*. You have to choose your weight one pound at a time. Multiple people here tried their auto-sizer and came up with 200 inch necks. Changing values is simply not up to par compared with any other game on the market. You shouldn't be moving a tenth of a pound at a time - give us a spinner for each digit!
When you input your "additional calories" you did (for example if you went for a 2 hour walk and want to add that into your account for tracking purposes) you have to scroll a digit at a time. So these issues aren't a one-time-only setup issue. You'll hit them every day as you try to keep your account up to date. Also, they seem to cap out at 2 hours of exercise! What if you go play golf for 4 hours? Or go hiking for an afternoon?
Many of the areas are laid out with empty mats. This is so, if you have online friends, you can play with them. However, if you're playing alone it just makes the area look barren and empty. They should reduce it to just the number of players' mats. Also, despite the fact that the camera could see our feet fine for the various exercises, when we did planks in the exact same area, it couldn't handle the plank visuals well and gave us not-perfect scores there. So there are some issues with the sensitivity.
My biggest issue, though, is with the gameplay when you choose Jillian. My boyfriend likes Bob and went through his workthroughs just fine, with Bob cheering him on and explaining the moves. Then it was my turn. I chose Jillian as my trainer - and Bob's voice started talking! The most I got out of Jillian was an occasional "good job" - but it was Bob doing all the commentary. If I had wanted Bob, I would have chosen him. If this was going to be a Bob-centric game, they should have let us know that. Would it really have been that hard to record some more dialogue?
Still, it's important to keep in mind that this is a release title for the new Kinect system. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of kinks for game makers to work out as they figure out how to best utilize this new camera software. They'll have to tweak the way sensors work, the way you manipulate the settings and so on. Once you get into an actual workout, it is fun, and they are good about offering you water breaks and asking for audio status updates. You yell out if you're doing well or need a break, so it doesn't interrupt the gameplay.
But that brings up another issue. With the Kinect, if you stand with your left hand down and out at a 45 degree angle, this is a sign to pause the Kinect. However, several of the exercises require you to put your hands into this position, and you have to wiggle to keep the Kinect from pausing! So again, a sign that this is a new-release game where they didn't think of some of those types of issues.
Still, if you mentally gear yourself up to deal with some annoyances in inputting numbers and handling on-the-floor poses, there's a great deal of potential with this game. I think when they come out with the second version that they'll have fixed many of these niggling issues and have a superb game that will be great fun for years!
Rating: 8/10
We purchased this game with our own money from a gaming store. | video-games_xbox |
The simplified, integrated living room is here. This is a great console. The launch titles are pretty good for a new console and there are lots of reviews out there so I won't go into it in much depth other than to say that in my opinion, Forza, NBA2k14 and Marvel are the most fun gameplay-wise while Ryse (and Forza) showcases the graphics capabilities of the console best.
The new stuff:
The speech interface works much better than I anticipated, but you should print out the commands and keep them on your coffee table until you memorize them, they need to be spoken pretty much exactly and a short pause is necessary after saying "xbox". For example: "Xbox (pause) show my stuff" works 100% of the time while "Xbox show 'me' my stuff" won't. These commands save time (after you've learned them the right way) and work great for opening games, apps and going "home", but for volume and navigating more intricate menus like the oneguide, the video rental app or the music app (for example) are better done with a controller.
I am currently at 100% with speech recognition after two days and getting up in the morning, walking into the room and saying "Xbox on" followed by "Watch MSNBC" while I make coffee is pretty cool.
Setup was a breeze, no hardware issues and my Uverse box and Panasonic TV were setup really easily. Everything just works. As a long time Apple user, I'm quite surprised that there are no weird interface issues or buggy crashes or restarts.
The "fitness" app works well and I think once people see it in action it will become a system seller.
I haven't "Skyped" yet, but if it works as advertised should be a big plus - not having to go to your PC to make a call or just knowing if a friend is in front of the tv if you want to call them is a big plus versus having to call someone on a landline and then tell them to get online because you are going to Skype them in a few minutes.
This console has Kinect baked in so deeply in its DNA there is really no way it can be sold without it. Pony up the extra $100 - it is the future and will only get more mature as time goes by.
Cable box pass thru is great, even if you will still need to use your cable box remote to watch recorded tv - if you are downloading a game you can watch tv and will be notified when it is ready (all notifications show up while you are on the tv app - so Skype calls will come in as well).
And you don't have to change inputs on the tv ever again: One input will hold your games (xbox one), tv app (Cable box), Blueray player (BD app), Video rental appliance like AppleTV (Microsoft video app), Netflix, Hulu, etc.
All in all this is a leap forward not just in game quality (which in both PS4 and XBONE is really incremental until devs begin to take full advantage of the new hardware), but, and I think this is where XBONE differentiates itself in a positive way from the competition, in the whole living room experience. | video-games_xbox |
Greatest game ever. I can't think of a way to describe how much I've enjoyed COD4. The single player is so realistic at times you'll think you actually were a Brittish SAS or U.S. Marine. The environments are very believable and the story is entertaining.
COD4 is not like Halo. It is not repetitive shooting over and over again. COD4 has the traditional first person shooting, but it also mixes in shooting-on-rails, like from a helicopter, an AC-130 10,000 feet above a battle, and from an escaping jeep. This change in perspective happens several times throughout the story and it is quite enjoyable.
The multiplayer is even better. The ranking system is akin to halo's social ranking - the more matches you play, the more XP you'll get. I find this much more enjoyable than Halo's normal ranking system. The only problem is that sometimes you'll find yourself in a match where you get destroyed by the other team, but it doesn't happen often.
Another thing I love about multiplayer is the challenges system. As you gain rank, you'll unlock new challenges that, when you complete them, give you lots and lots of XP. Some challenges are simple, like kill 25 people with a certain gun. Other ones are more difficult, requiring you to shoot down a helicopter or get 100 headshots.
And no review of COD4's multiplayer would be complete without talking about calling in airstrikes. If you get 3 kills in a row, you can call in a drone that will mark enemy's positions on your minimap for 30 seconds. If you get 5 kills in a row, you can call in a 3-plane airstrike that will bomb a portion of the map. And by far the coolest is when you get 7 kills in a rows and call in a helicopter that will terrorize the other team until it is shot down.
Overall, COD4 is an great buy. If you have played any of the other games in the series and got turned off by COD3, there is no better time to get back in than now. | video-games_xbox |
Most addictive racing game I ever played. Over the years I have been a big fan of racing games. I played anything from original Need For Speed on Playstation to DIRT 3 on xbox 360. So fart DIRT was my favorite. I wasn't a big fan of the original Forza games but this one is amazing. Very well done sandbox type of a game with free roaming (sort of like GTA). The racing events are a lot of FUN and are made for every class you can think of - supercars, rally, off-road trucks, etc.
You can buy and upgrade cars which in itself is satisfying. There are many other challenges such as bucket lists, hidden cars, etc. MOREOVER you can just drive around, pull up to another race and just race someone you ran in to.... damn game never gets old.
I love the physics of the game, it is a compelling simulation but not too hard or frustrating like previous Forza games. There is a rewind button if you make a mistake. Going off road or cutting corners is not heavily penalized like some other games! (In DIRT there were always some rocks put at every turn so if you try to cut the corner, you car would get stuck)
The upgrades and different car handling/power are well represented. So if you go crazy on engine upgrades for power and don't address the handling - the car becomes very unstable and you better go easy on the the throttle. This is not one of the game where you just max the gas pedal and scream thru every turn. You have to use your brake, hand brake and throttle judiciously depending on the car and surface you are driving on.
Some missions are actually very hard but there are so fan to do I don't mind replying them until I get it right. I rarely do in other games where things become mundane and frustrating. Also everyvery time you switch or upgrade a car you have adjust your driving skill- which makes more realistic.
The soundtrack on this game is also amazing. Chromeo, Royal Blood, etc - all the hottest and underground music is on there!
If you have any interest in racing - YOU GOT TO GET THIS GAME ! You won't regret it. | video-games_xbox |
A Plethora of Content You'll Never Need to Use. Ghost Recon follows a format not seen since the 2006 & 2008 Mercenaries titles - hop from site to site, gathering intel until you hone in on the location of a higher-ranked target, attack & kill. Clear, simple, and fun...
Well, sorta...
Ghost Recon Wildlands gives us a rather large environment, filled with a variety of locales, with a somewhat-varied list of objectives, and then does nothing to make tackling those objectives even the slightest bit entertaining.
Nearly every gun fight involves scoping out your targets, sneaking around to pop off a few until the AI "realizes" you're there (either seeing a body which you can't hide or observing an errant shot since you can't hold your breath to steady your aim) and then you simply run around and kill whoever's left. Or if you're feeling exceptionally "Hey you handle this for me," you can tag up to three enemies, wait until your AI squad mates "acquire" those targets, and then order them to fire in sync, (or make the first shot yourself,) killing all three simultaneously. This is very useful when there are three-or-four enemies standing in a group and you don't really feel like figuring out a more strategic way to take them out. It's also very useful when enemies are thoroughly entrenched or too far away, since your AI seems to have total disregard for the distance to or obstacles in the way of said target. Coupled with the remote drone - which feels a bit like a built-in cheat code - this means you can scout the entire area from a safe spot, tag your targets, have your squad kill them with magic, and loot. Voila. Now, to up the challenge a bit, both the drone and the sync-fire trick have cool-down timers - a whopping 30 seconds or less. So, ya know, there's that...
What's so amusing is the sheer number of tools the game provides to help you should the incredibly-easy method just laid out not work. You can order your squadmates around a bit (though the few times I've told them to hold an area, they've never actually all gotten there...) You can call in support from Rebels, which I must admit after several hours of gameplay I never used, because I never had any need to. You can tweak your weapons with a variety of upgrade parts, and there appears to be a huge variety of weapons, though I never got any more than 3 or so unlocked after a few hours of playing. There are also vehicles all over the place - many that have either gun turrets, though it appears only your squad mates can ever use them (I was never able to take the turret in an armed vehicle, though I'll admit I never tried very hard since I never had a need to actually use one.) There are even armed helicopters in the game, but good LUCK trying to figure out how to fly the things... The "throttle" controls appear to control both lift AND forward speed, as I flew faster when I didn't pitch the helicopter forward and simply held down the "throttle up" button. I can only assume that the Dev's responsible for this title have never, ever flown a helicopter sim, and in that list I'd have to include Grand Theft Auto, as even those helicopters flew better and with more realism than the atrocities in Wildlands.
And so, maybe 10-15 hours later, I returned it to the big red box in the sky...
While I had enjoyed the usual sandbox-style freedom of deciding what I wanted to tackle next, I had realized that the entire game essentially boiled down to pointing and telling someone else to shoot, followed by boring travel in vehicles that handled worse than the days before controllers had analog sticks.
Truth be told, I'll probably pick the game up from a bargain bin in a few months - I see this one dropping to $19.99 remarkably quick, and I think at that price, I could get my money's worth out of some mindless, monotonous entertainment. | video-games_xbox |
Yes, considerably. A little over two years ago, we were treated to Bioware's first step into the next generation of video gaming: a little science fiction epic known as <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mass-Effect/dp/B000OLXX86/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mass Effect</a>. It had its downfalls (the MAKO and pretty much anything outside the main quest) but it provided a deep and engaging story, set in a universe that felt like STAR WARS mashed up with GEARS OF WAR. For everything it was, it was also just the first chapter.
Was the aptly-named MASS EFFECT 2 the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK that Bioware constantly made it out to be?
Short answer: Yes, go play this game.
PROS:
--Once again, if you play a Bioware game, then you play for the STORY. This time around, lead writers Mac Walters and Drew Karpyshyn have outdone themselves. This story is darker than the first, more complex, and actually had a better sense of humor about it. In conjunction to a group of party-members which, in my opinion, rivals the first (thank goodness Garrus made the leap), you've got one of the best video game stories since Bioware's own <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dragon-Age-Origins/dp/B001IK1BJ0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dragon Age: Origins</a>.
--Almost EVERY GAMEPLAY hang-up that you might have had with the previous game has been wiped out as effectively as the Citadel Council.
--Bioware has decided to tear out all of those stereotypical RPG elements that really had no place in this series. There will be no inventory management, as the armor, weapons, and upgrades have been minimized to an ASSASSIN'S CREED II-like load-out back on the Normandy. I was hesitant about this, but I came to enjoy not freaking over a small, overloaded inventory.
--All of those pointless and dismal sidequests on those ill-inspired planets from the first game are gone. Mineral discoveries are reduced to a fun little mini-game, and the minerals themselves actually serve a purpose: they pay for your weapon, armor, and party-member upgrades. And should you accept a sidequest (or randomly fall into one) you will be treated to a unique experience every time. One mission involving an ancient spaceship teetering on the edge of a mountain was a high point for me.
--The combat is more refined and much easier to use, thanks to an upgraded graphics engine and less emphasis on talent management.
--The GRAPHICS are amazing. If you thought those of the first game were nice, prepared to be overwhelmed. Movements are fluid. Facial expressions are very dynamic. Each world you visit is unique and brilliantly realized. The bar has definitely been raised.
--The VOICE-ACTING is stellar. Martin Sheen is surprisingly brilliant here, and I dearly hope that he's a recurring character in the future, or in other Bioware games. (Also, it was crazy having Trinity, Jayne, Worf, Six, and Colonel Tigh in the same game >=)
--I've been waiting a long time for this. MASS EFFECT 2 is the first game that you can keep playing after you beat it. That means you can go back and finish working on those achievements or sidequests or explore at your leisure.
--Again, NO MAKO!
CONS:
--The ending. If you're not prepared for it, then it could suck. I found the whole building concept of this dangerous end-game mission so intriguing, but even if you make all the necessary precautions like I did, some things might happen (won't say what) that could seriously tarnish the entire experience. Exhilarating as it was, I'm not sure I should be punished like I was for making a small mistake at the end of a 26-hour experience.
--The ending was also too abrupt for me. It was like a big middle finger to the gamer that said, "See you in two years for the resolution." Harumph.
--For having such great writers for this game, I was astounded at how many family problems I had to resolve for my party-members. Almost every one of them. Whether it was their father, son, daughter, father again, or sister. You go from Commander Shepard, Savior of the Citadel, to family space-counselor.
--A large percentage of the sidequests were little loyalty quests, where you run from planet to planet to appease your party-members. Combined with the fact that these often involved settling family disputes, these got repetitive really fast. I only found a few sidequests outside of these. I'm sure there are more, but if there are, they are very hard to find.
--I ran out of conversation options for all of my party-members really, really fast. It became annoying to keep getting fed these really pathetic excuses to avoid talking to me. They didn't even have the courtesy to change their excuses. Garrus was making calibrations and Thane was meditating throughout the entire dang game!
--The hacking mini-games were inventive at first, but they, too, got repetitive and almost annoying as the hours wore on. I started passing up chances at free credits just so I wouldn't have to open anymore.
--Working Drew Karpyshyn into the games official canon was just shameless, lol.
CONCLUSION:
This game was well worth the two year wait. It showed that Bioware aren't afraid to change up their own formula dramatically, and they did it without making compromises to the story. This really is the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of the series, and it has made me very excited about the final chapter in this saga.
What's disappointing is that we've seen both DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS and MASS EFFECT 2 within months of each other. This means we could be waiting a couple more years to play the next installment of either series. Let us hope this isn't so. | video-games_xbox |
A great game with a TON of bugs. I struggled over giving this game two stars or three, but I settled on two. I don't normally take the time to write reviews, but I thought I needed to for this game.
I really loved the original Dragon's Age, and Origins had its moments. The game, at it's core, is very good. The first few hours are a little rough while you find your footing, but once you get going it really shines. There is a huge amount of stuff to do and places to explore. It can actually be a little overwhelming at times trying to get everything done. Once you figure out the crafting, War Room, and combat (more on that later) it really becomes a lot of fun. I have put 33 hours in so far and I haven't come close to finishing it.
The quests are standard fare, go there, find this, bring it back here. Nothing really groundbreaking, but it serves its purpose. You can also close rifts (portal where demons come through) for EXP and loot. It's a lot like Oblivion in that regard, but the rifts are fairly easy to close. That is, of course, unless you run into some that are far beyond your level. The problem with the semi open world design (open areas but not connected to each other) is that you can run across rifts and enemies far beyond what you can handle. I closed a rift in one of the beginning areas and ran about two minutes another direction to close another rift on my mini map. When I got to this next rift, I got completely stomped. Apparently, this one was way above my level. I later learned to look for a red skull above the monsters heads before attempting the rift. Still, closing rifts isn't necessary and I usually just close them if I run across them rather than seeking them out.
I think the story has been getting some unnecessary flak. While it does crawl in the beginning, if you take the time to speak with everyone and read the lore, you can get a lot out of it. If you like to rush through the game and not complete any of the side quests and skip through every piece of lore or dialogue your not going to get much out of the story.
I usually ignore crafting to be honest, but I have done quite a bit of it in this game. You can create some powerful armor and weapons with the stuff you find closing rifts and exploring around. The runes later on let you create some weapons beyond what I am able to find as loot. The looted ones can also usually be upgraded by crafting.
The combat is....ok. It took some getting used to. There is two ways to go about it. You can either go into tactical view mode (ala the first DA game) or use a Diablo 3 style hack and slash method. To be honest, the tactical view is not very well done. The camera angles can get wonky and the commands were hard to get just right. I play on normal and have no problem going through in hack and slash modes, but I have a feeling the harder difficulty would make me have to become more familiar with the tactical system. The combat isn't bad, it just isn't particularly good. It's acceptable in the fact that it never became annoying and the AI seemed fairly competent.
After all this why do I give the game two stars?
The BUGS....
I can't believe this hasn't garnered more attention. After all the crap Ubisoft got after AC: Unity I figured people would be all over this game. This is by far the buggiest game I have ever played. Here are just a few:
1.) Cut scenes freeze constantly. The characters just freeze after speaking and then nothing happens. Holding X to skip through usually helps, but I have had to restart my console on at least 5 occasions.
2.) The music, voices, everything will just cut out for long periods of time. I know the characters are talking (they have little speaking bubbles beside their portrait. I can be fighting and hear nothing. The way I found to fix this was hitting the potion button and it seemed to work for the most part. But this has happened at least 20-25 times so far.
3.) The main menu screen (where the soldiers are marching with their shield) has frozen on me about five times. This morning it took five restarts before I could start playing. It would completely freeze and there was no combination of buttons that would help.
These are the main three, but there are other bugs. I normally could care less about minor bugs or glitches. Any enemy drops through a floor? Who cares? Occasional clipping through buildings and objects? Doesn't bother me. The glitches above have absolutely affected my gameplay experience. It is sad that the bugs have caused an otherwise 4 star game to be unplayable at certain points. I have missed a lot of dialogue because of the cut scene freezing bug.
Ultimately the game is worth playing, but I would wait for a few patches to fix the glitches so it doesn't dilute the experience like it has for me. | video-games_xbox |
Let down for zombie fans. Okay where do I begin... For zombie fans, this game has massive potential but fails to deliver. The way the game begins is better than any zombie game I have ever played. I love the custom weapons factor, the skill system, even the reality in how your character gets wore out. The game has beautiful surroundings (as would any game set on an island, so don't take that to heart) it's worth playing once. The sound effects are creepy and the online play is fun.
And now for the cons....and these are BIG ones, I mean THE deciding factor in the purchase. Okay 1. you lose money when you get killed, and I suppose that keeps the game from being too easy, so its a good thought, but the more money you have the more you lose, 1,300 at a time??? - and you NEED money to fix weapons that damage WAY too quickly....I mean when is the last time anyone hit someone else with a meat cleaver that bent after 2 swings.
So you get killed, you lose money only to be re-spawned RIGHT among the group of flesh eaters or looters or huge straightjacket wearing zombies that killed you in the first place....only to kill you again losing you MORE money...it sucks.
Yes you CAN throw your weapons...but what's the point...it bounces off of the zombie only long enough for the zombie to look down and be like "wtf was that?" If it were a meat cleaver you would think it would stick inside of him, or do more damage. Sometimes when you hit a zombie the right way, the zombie will be frozen in place only to be able to have the crap beat out of him or her, that's not real at all..... Sometimes when a zombies head pops, it spills an infinite amount of blood...just another glitch. And here is the worst glitch of all- which is why I recommend against buying it.... SOMETIMES MISSIONS VANISH FROM YOUR OBJECTIVES LIST- IN MID MISSION....that's right, you can be working on a sidequest when all of a sudden poof....it's gone, in the middle of the mission.
Which leaves you thinking, what do i do now. This happened to me on 2 separate sidequests, and on the 2nd one I selected load last check point, I tried to activate a speaker in this town and had to "race the glitch" to get to it...when I finally did (THAT far in the game), I had to activate yet another speaker, so upon arrival, there was nothing I could do (it was no longer a red flag on the map, it wasn't highlighted, and the sidequest vanished yet again)....so I loaded the last checkpoint AGAIN only to find the mob of humans that I had to kill- to get the first speaker ON, had re-spawned and I was smack in the middle of them, after being shot very quickly I died, and lost more money.
As I said the game does have potential....but i recommend highly against wasting your money. It will only make you mad, Id wait on the next resident evil game to come out. And for those that had already purchased this game, who know what Im talking about, I apologize. | video-games_xbox |
This is a waste of time money and effort. I am a big fan of the two towers xbox game which had acceptable graphics acceptable cheats such as restore health and acceptable short cutscenes.
This game has many faults here are some
*The cutscenes are to long if I wanted to see that long of cutscenes i would just watch the movie. i bought the game to play not to spectate.
*lack of cheats.. im not saying all of them but at least have the restore health cheat. what they have now is crappy to say the least you'd think they could make just one standard code for all the characters and not a whole book full like for instance the combo code for gandalf is diffrent from the one for frodo, and they don't let you have invicibillity or stuff like that till after you've beaten the game i mean why would you need cheats if not to beat the game , in mean why would u even bother replaying those frusterating levels. they are all summed up like this one: start game, two:load level 30 minutes of waiting for cutscene to play through no way around it, second frusterating levels combined with bad camera angles make this game crap!! I would give it 0 stars if i could my freind an me both hate it and eventually just gave up and throught it away i just wouldn't feel right donating a game gthat sucked so bad to charity i mean come on the easy setting is really hard and the cheats don't help u . so in recap dint buy this game it brings shame on the name lord of the rings. do the programers play this game or take into consideration the difficulty's and frusteration that comes with playing it! two thumbs way down......
All in all buy this game if u like the lord of the rings but this is one of those games you play just to say you beat it and then don't play again because the levels are so outrageously hard and frusterating, such as one that has you run back and forth much like the helms deep battle in the two towers. | video-games_xbox |
Looks good acts bad. I always rent a game before I decide to purchase it. Last night I rented Medal of Honor; I was excited to see if they stepped it up to compete with Call of Duty, COD is safe. If you like the Battlefield series you might like this game. The campaign mode was great, it was visually stunning and fun to play. They had elements of play that were real fun, e.g. calling in various air strikes, kicking in doors, weapon choices and stabbing the enemy. After a couple of hours of campaign mode I switched over to online play, mistake! There are many complaints I have with this game when it comes to multi-player, so here are a few.
1. EA Games, their games sell at the competitive market price of $59.99+ but then they have the nerve to want to charge an extra amount so you can enjoy online multi-player action. I think they started doing this with Madden. This must be their to generate revenue from the people that don't buy the games but rent them. For the people that dropped the cash for the game, is it not enough we have to spend a fortune on a game and pay for an Microsoft Live account? I am afraid they are going to go the way of Prodigy in the early 90's, for those of you that don't remember Prodigy, they were an online provider that charged $.50 per e-mail once you went over an alloted amount. Is EA Games or Microsoft going to charge us $.25 for every game we play?
2. Interaction, the maps are visually stunning, the camo on the players is spot on, but the size of the battlefields is so large that you can barely see your enemy. There is no kill cam like on COD so it is very possible for a player to camp for an entire game and rack up the kills. Don't get me wrong I know there is no kill cam in real life but then again there is no designated spawn spots either. When a player camps and spawn kills the whole game it makes the game SUCK! The gun controls were jacked up as well, when turning to shoot an enemy my gun would at times fire one burst, which is not enough to kill, then my character would do a knife attack. If the enemy was in range of a knife attack that would be awesome but they aren't so I get killed.
3. After death, once you are killed it takes you to a screen to wait to be spawned back in. This screen is confusing, it asks if you want to change your class, exit, go back to the battlefield, and there is a countdown clock. It gives you options you don't want so you end up switching out a class without knowing it or even exiting the game.
4. Lastly, when you start the game, either campaign or multi-player you have to wait for an unreasonable time for the EA, Dice, and Frostbite screen shots to leave the screen and get to the game. I know who made the game, you don't need to advertise to me anymore.
Wrap up, rent the game, make your own decision, and save yourself or your parents $60+. | video-games_xbox |
Hard game, Great joystick. I'm a huge WWII buff and per-ordered this the day it went up.
I've been playing it since release, it's a good game, but very hard.
The Game - 70 out of 100
You can play in arcade (3rd person view only) or simulation (3rd person, cockpit or wingtip)
It looks and sounds a lot like the real thing. When you max your speed (what they call warspeed) and aim towards the ground you get that roaring sound.
Bullets have drop and you have to lead the enemy, and you really really need to learn when to use yaw and when to bank.
The ground is ok, not terribly detailed even when you crash into it. They planes are very good, however the controls inside the cockpit don't work.
The biggest problem is with the scale of the planes. In cockpit view I head toward a line of zero head on. Since I am attacking from height they I should be able to see a nice view of the plane. Instead all I can see is a big yellow arrow pointing toward where they are.
I circle around behind and pick them off, but even getting up fairly close they are not more than an inch on a 50 inch screen.
I wish it was more like Secret weapons of the Luftwaffe (1990 game by lucas arts)
The Joystick (95)
First its big, real big. Put it on a table and it will not move. Yaw, pitch, bank. Three buttons on top, plus a rocker. The trigger is about the size of a mouse button, but oddly doesn't click all the way in. It rest on a giant spring.
The throttle has two parts that you can keep linked together, very smooth and quiet sliding action.
While using the yaw (rotating the stick around) I actually felt my wrist start to get sore (insert joke here). The spring does want to return the stick to a neutral position.
On note. The stick comes in two piece. You put the stick on the base and use the grey locknut to screw it all the way up. Make sure the pins are clean, then tighten it up all the way. If you don't the green (trigger) button will not work. | video-games_xbox |
delivers what it promises. Ok, this game definitely has a target demographic. For you to find this review helpful, you probably should fall into most of these categories:
-You like LONG games (50 hrs minimum)
-You like STRATEGY RPGs (moving around on squares, turn-based)
-You like JAPANESE RPGs (anime style)
-You like JAPANESE styled stories (sometimes corny, slighty perverted romance-type)
-You DONT ABSOLUTELY NEED English dialogue (its all japanese, subtitled)
-You like VARYING ENDINGS based on your decisions throughout the game
Alright. So if you satisfy 4 of those traits, you don't want to miss this game.
Before getting into the specifics of the game, I'll say that Xbox360 doesnt have enough RPGs in the first place, so if you are like me, you will feel like you HAVE to at least try it. I don't think you will be dissappointed in most cases.
GRAPHICS/AUDIO/ETC
It's all anime style drawings. The graphics aren't impressive. The audio isn't impressive. It's all gameplay focused, and looks like you are basically playing Final Fantasy Tactics on a nintendo DS. The 'cutscences' are basically just a visual novel. You have to read a bunch to get the story.
THE STORY
It is what you expect from a Japanese RPG. One defining factor, though, is that you aren't the same hero the entire game. The story spans over several generations. Each new generation present a new hero. He is NOT the same guy as the previous one. You will like some of them and you won't like others. The story is DEFINITELY good enough for most people to get over the fact that its all text instead of cutscenes.
I am the kind of guy who hates the play through a game twice. I pretty much lose enough interest to play another 40 hours if I already know the story. But there is even enough variety in this game's story for me to play again. Thats saying alot for me.
Overall, you have to like the Japanese tyle of storytelling to really get into it. As long as you aren't taking it too seriously, you will love it.
THE BATTLE SYSTEM
With enemies constantly changing from area to area, the battle system delivers the diversity necessary to play a game for 100 hours. STRATEGY is extremely important, more so than brute strength. This is a very good thing, as it eliminates the necessity to grind levels before moving on. You can grind if you want to, and end up powering through your next few enemies, but it isn't at all necessary on easy or normal difficulty. That is even more important, for reasons I will get to later.
Basically, you are on a big field of squares, where you use action points(AP) to move and attack. Each turn is divided into a movement stage and an action stage. You have to use AP to move, and to perform attack skills. The amount of AP a character has is determined by their agility, weapons, armor, *and* the location of their teammates. Each character has a unique set of "extended areas," which give them more AP if one of their teammates is located in them. It is the main reason you must strateically think out every movement you make. In addition, you can do combination attacks with the teammates that are in your extended area. These are the most important attacks, and are absolutely necessary to defeat powerful enemies. In some cases, you will have to risk recieving greater damage by turning your back on the enemy in order to link up with your teammates. All things must be considered.
Throughout the game, you will even uncover new battle formations and fields, allowing you to choose a differently-shaped 'field of squares' that best compliments your battle style.
Overall, if you appreciate the strategic elements of the battle system, and don't mind that it looks so old-school, you will never get bored with the fighting.
THE OVERALL GAME SYSTEM
Your decisions are important. Some decisions that don't seem important end up affecting you later in the game in ways you didn't expect. You can make decisions that move you between the "dark" and "light" side of the guage. Unfortunately, sometimes you cant really tell which way a decision will send you. There are even some decisions that you must make during actual battles, such as not attacking a certain person. I did not fully comprehend the consequences of alot of actions until it was too late, but that is a good sign that you have to be thinking about more than battles to get the results you want.
Your actions affect how the female characters in the game like you. This is important because at the end of every generation, you have to choose a bride to make the hero of the next generation! You will choose your bride based on her strengths and yours, and that will determin the strength of the next hero. So if you like to use physical attacks, it is better for you to do the things the more physical heroine likes. If you want a magic user, then you need to get on the good side of the more mage-like females. It is more in-depth than it seems: That bride's level of affection for you also determines how strong the next hero will be, so you can't just ride the middle fence the whole time, or your son will not be as powerful.
Each generation, you have 3 brides to choose from, leading to 3 different next-generation heroes. The bride from the 1st generation, though, also affects your options for EVERY generation after that. The variety of possible end-game heroes, therefore, is unprecedented.
Throughout the game, you collect items, weapons, armor, and even monsters that can be upgraded, augmented, and converted into new items, with which you can create more powerful ones. The amount of customization in this game is impressive.
Back to the grinding issue. Every battle and even in the story consumes "1 turn." The game keeps track of how many turns you use. If you spend a bunch of turns grinding levels, you will miss some big events, and eventually change the ending of the entire game! Getting to a certain point in the game too late may cause you to miss a new partner, or a variety of other events. If you skip too many optional battles, you will find yourself underpowered in the next boss battle, or you may miss some powerful items. You have to consider all of these things with every move you make.
The story is not presented in a very interesting way. Basically, you just move from battle to battle, with various events mixed in between.
It's a stragy game, and RPG, a great story, and partially a dating sim. None of these elements are ground-breaking in themselves. But when you combine all of them in this manner, you have something that hasn't quite been achieved before.
THE GOOD
-Strategy based battles emphasize your decision-making instead of brute strength. (no grinding required)
-Decision system makes your decisions from every generation important for the entire game
-Immersive storyline holds the player's interest for the duration, and is interesting enough to play through multiple times
-HP is restored after battles, preventing the need to use recovery items outside of battle
-Plenty of different characters to team up with, allowing you to choose how to fight your battles
THE BAD
-All japanese dialogue, and no subtitles during battles. Archaic system of story-telling that you expect more on a handheld game without cutscenes.
-Sometimes hard to figure out whether your choice is going to be considered 'dark' or 'light'
-Characters have limited amount of slots to assign skills to, causing you to use the same attacks over and over again.
-Graphics and audio quality are mediocre compared to the console games of this era
-Relatively limited selection of the most powerful move combinations in battle
CONCLUSION
This is a game that requires alot of strategic thought and patience. And there is no focus on impressive visual/audio effects. You definitely have to really commit to playing it, but if you do, you WILL NOT be dissapointed. You will be immersed, challeged, and satisfied. | video-games_xbox |
It was good, but could have been much more... . Story 3.5/5
Halo 4 takes place right after the end of Halo 3 that we all know and love where chief destroys The Ark, escapes, but doesn't make it back to earth. You start out on the Forward Unto Dawn and the story begins. Now, according to my friends that have played through the campaign say, "it was AMAZING", or, "343 is SOOOOO better than Bungie". I'm gonna try to be unbiased but let me say that I do not agree with my friends. Now, they are more supportive to CoD and in turn, haven't played much Halo in their days, so their opinion is more "Casual Gamer" based. I am a HARDCORE Halo fan. I have been playing Halo since about '05 ish when my stepfather brought over his Xbox and I played Halo 2 for the first time. I fell in love almost instantly with that game and have been playing it since, all the way through 2, 3, ODST, (Didn't play Wars), Reach, and finally 4. So from a nerdy fanboy's point of view, the campaign was a little weird. I seems over-dramatized, and EXTREMELY exaggerated, rather than the semi-realistic, military-like feel of previous titles. It seems like 343 went WAY too far out of their way to make it action-packed and cinematic ( CoD *cough cough). It doesn't flow naturally like it did in the past. Although, they did keep the game-play relatively intact. Overall, I want to give the story a 2.5/5, but the less personal, unbiased side of me says 4/5.
Multiplayer/Matchmaking 3/5
The multiplayer was pretty fun. But it's not as fun as before. Halo 4's multiplayer somewhat suffers from the "Call of Duty Effect". What I mean by that is it's fast paced, chaotic gameplay controlled by not the players' skill, but the players' decision in what upgrades (Perks) and ordinance drops (Kill streaks) to use. I'm a little disappointed in this because Halo is known for being new and innovative. Halo made XBL popular and essentially revolutionized gaming, Halo came up with multiple player-drivable vehicles put into a FPS. Halo came up with Theatre to watch your past games. Halo came up with forge so you can tweak or re-create multiplayer maps while still playing a FPS on a consol (getting a little sentimental *sniffles*). These are things that many games, including CoD have copied. And with all these innovations and differences from other games, THEY copied off of a competitor. But thank GOD they kept some of Halo's best multiplayer qualities like balanced maps and weapons. For example, map-wise, Haven is symmetrical, has different areas for different play styles whether you prefer picking off your enemies across the map with a BR or aggressively getting in your enemy's face with an energy sword. Weapons are also balanced. The Binary Rifle is pinpoint accurate and almost always kills in one shot but also has a targeting laser which gives away your position, limited ammo ( 2 shots per clip), and poor hipfire. The Energy Sword is a guaranteed one hit kill but you have to be very close to your enemy. The Spartan Laser has devastating accuracy and damage but has only 4 shots and needs to be charged before firing. See what I'm saying. It also has a variety of unlockable armor to customize your character and a vast amount of ranks to keep you occupied (I've been playing since November and I'm only SR 46) along with a variety of daily, weekly, and now monthly challenges to help you level up. Overall, it's a bit of a letdown for us veteran Halo players but once you oversee it's flaws, it's an incredible experience.
Spartan Ops 4.5/5
The story just keeps on going with Spartan Ops. It's basicly episodic missions to keep you playing long after you finish the story. I love Spartan Ops, I have gotten into the story of Crimson team and I greatly enjoy it, plus it help out with your level in multiplayer. A great little bonus mode. The only things I don't like about Spartan Ops are 1: It replaces the old Firefight that I loved so so much in ODST and Reach. As a matter of fact, it's the biggest thing that makes me dust off Reach and occasionally ODST and relive the good 'ol days. 2: it copies off of Spec Ops from MW2 and MW3, the only difference being that it has a true story to it rather than random, meaningless missions with no known purpose. Overall, it's your basic bonus mode, more for fun than accomplishment, but still help you unlock that one helmet you always dreamed of having with the help of xp.
Forge 4.5/5
Forge is incredible as always. It has many more objects as well as magnets and the "Duplicate" button that make forge faster, smoother, and easier. The magnets allow my maps to be as smooth as glass, unlike Reach where I couldn't have 2 objects be perfectly aligned to save my life. And the duplicate button allows me to look at an object and duplicate it rather than going back to the object menu every ten seconds. The only thing I don't like are the maps. Impact is okay, but Ravine and Erosion are small and crowded and the new Forge Island from the free DLC is boring and doesn't inspire creativity. I wish they would've just kept the old Forge World from Reach, it was vast, beautiful, and inspired so much creativity that I could spend hours on end building on Forge, my favorite things to build being obstacle courses, race tracks, and fourrunner structures. I also prefer the fourruner themed objects of Reach to the UNSC themed objects of Halo 4 but that's just my aesthetic opinion so I won't mark it down for that.
Graphics, General 5/5, visual appearance 2/5
Graphics. I got a lot to say about this. The actual graphics are spectacular. I haven't seen anything better. There is so much detail and texture that it makes me wonder how long 343 spent creating that tiny little spec on the ground that's loaded with realistic detail. They did that with everything, guns, vehicles, armor, tiny specs on the ground, you name it. But, those incredible graphics didn't really look visually appealing. The vehicles didn't really change besides the Warthog which I think looks worse and the Banshee which I think looks better. The Covies look AWFUL!!! There's just so much detail added to them but it's just so bad. The grunts looked looked pathetic but still pretty cool in Halos 1, 2, 3, and ODST, then in Reach, they actually looked pretty intimidating but still pretty cool. Now they look completely worthless and just downright UGLY! Now, you can see their hideous faces and necks which used to be covered up by awesome looking masks and neck guards. Heck, if you look closely, you can even see it's ass, GROSS. The Jackals look like disgusting reptilian creatures rather than those cool bird guys with the shields. The elites used to look incredible with their intimidating, shark-like appearance but now look like half-nude savages. It's a shame that all that work turned out so bad. The Prometheans could have been SOOOOO much better. In previous titles, I look at the structures, weapons, and machines, that the fourruners left behind and imagine a graceful, honorable, highly intelligent species that unfortunately went up against an impossible enemy, not evil, savige-like, mechanical monsters. It has completely ruined the image of the fourruners that I had in my head since '05. The fourruner structures used to be Triangular, plain, and firmly on the ground; not rounded, highly textured, and floating in air for no logical purpose whatsoever. It looked plain, but had this beauty that nothing else had. It had the grand and majestic feel mixed in with a sense of age and mystery. It looked like these structures had endured the harsh conditions of an unstoppable enemy that wiped out an entire race. Now it looks like it was built yesterday with no reason to build it. It also takes away that sense of logic that something ancient looks so new. Lastly, the Spartan Armor, OMFG!!! It looks hideous. out of the approximately 39 helmets only about 4 look good. They have a very organic, UFO appearance. In the past, armor had a mechanical, machine-like, military appearance that looked incredible. Now the armor just looks so bad. The visors are in such strange places, the torsos are extremely skinny with massive spires on your back, and the shoulder plates are boring and aren't worth it. The new armor is horrible, and the old armor like EOD, Recon, and Scout were completely ruined. In my honest to god personal opinion, I like Orbital and Recruit, I like the Commando shoulders and torso but hate the helmet, and the Hazop helmet and Torso are "meh..." and the shoulders are terrible. The armor purmutations used to be so much better and it's sad that 343 just threw away all of that potential to create the ultimate spartan. Back in Halo 3 and Reach, it was hard to come up with my spartan because there where 5 different helmets, chest plates, and shoulders that I couldn't decide which would make my spartan the best one on XBL. Now, I decide which armor is best within about ten seconds because I hate the rest.
Overall 3.5/5
Overall, this is a decent game. It has incredible gameplay mixed with horrible visual appearance. There is no other way I could put it. It's better than some other games I have played but it did not reach the incredibly high standard of Halo that every other Halo title has gone above and beyond. It was fun, but could have, no, should have been so much better. | video-games_xbox |
Boom! Headshot. It's almost scary how much I love this headset! Especially considering that I got it for a 100 bucks due to a special offer by the manufacturer. It's now selling for 159.99 on Amazon, but knowing what I know now about this superb surround sound headset by Turtle beach, I would say even that price is a steal. Even more so for use with the xbox one since everything else approaching the kind of performance this baby delivers costs twice as much or more.
First Impressions
Pros:
Right off the bat, i could tell it's a quality product. The fit and finish is Audi level good. There isn't a single millimeter on the entire surface that is out of place or shape or in any way short of perfect. The Head band is faux leather but feels like the real thing and the cross stitch design makes it look classier than a gaming headset has any right to.
Cons:
The sound quality out of the box was a massive disappointment because the bass was hollow, weak and underwhelming, like cheap computer speakers that are only good for skype sessions. Luckily, its an easy fix. Just install the Sound editor, available for free from the manufacturer's website, and you will have this baby leveled up in no time . Be wary though, the editor is a rabbit hole of options and tweaks that can eat up a lot of time that could be spend gaming. But I enjoyed that process so much that i didn't really mind spending the time and the pay off was worth every second spent.
Performance(output)
Pros:
All that tweaking time paid off big time. Not only was the bass now booming like a subwoofer, the surround sound was crispy clean and giving me much needed assistance in predicting which direction someone was sneaking up on me from. This set improved my Destiny PvP scores almost instantaneously! I hadn't even expected that, all I wanted was for my gun shots to sound like gun shots instead of like cracking eggs but, not content to simply improve my sound, this headset actually improved my game.
For Destiny PvE and other single player campaigns like the Witcher 3: the wild hunt, Far Cry 4, Halo 4: Master chief collection etc, there isn't much help in terms of player performance but there is more than enough improvement to the overall experience. I still miss being able to play with my Sony 5.1 Home Theatre cranked up loud enough to make my couch rumble, but now that I live in an apartment instead of a house I have to show some consideration for my neighbors and curtail my enthusiasm. For this purpose, this surround sound wireless headset definitely punches above its weight. Seriously, for a 100 dollars I really did not expect this much awesomeness.
Movies/Tv etc also, predictably, sound great when viewed through the console. This is a massive boon for Xbox One owners, as you can route your cable box through you console and do your game of thrones marathons directly from your Xbox. Although, the 'Movie' setting on headset is a mess. I found I was better off using the Bass amplification setting in the Game Mode as the best fit for each and every situation.
Cons:
It also offers seamless blue tooth connectivity but this is where the fact that this set is sort of a senior citizen comes into play. I was unable to use this Bluetooth connectivity to route my music to the headset from my Windows phone or my Android Tablet. I did manage to pair both devices with the headset seamlessly to receive calls and notifications etc and maybe with future firmware updates etc it may even be possible to use the same connectivity for music, but for now it does not really provide that functionality. Another dra back is that once you plug it in directly to your phone or tablet's headphone jack with the included audio cable, the resulting sound quality is atrocious. This is because the amplification comes from the wireless router that you connect directly to your console through the digital optical connector (included). So the sound you get directly through the audio cable is unamplified and really sketchy. Like an AM radio at best. This is that much more upsetting because when listening to music through the optical connection from your console, it sounds brilliant! whether you listen to German house music with the mix of high and low frequencies which could give the best drivers in the business a run for their money or the Moon Light Sonata in G minor, it sounds just fabulous. It would have been great if I could stream music directly to the headset without going through the RF transmitter but alas no such luck.
Performance(input):
Pros/Cons:
Being a Headset and not a set of headphones, there's a detachable mic as well. This too is beautifully crafter and fits in incredibly well with the overall look of the headset. The only caveat is that once you have it attached it is difficult to reach the power button as it rests directly beneath the stem of the mike. This would not be a problem if the jack to plug the mic in was more discretely located and you could perhaps leave the mic unplugged until needed (which is rarely, in my case). But unfortunately, the headset looks incomplete without the mic plugged in although the mic is not a bother while wearing the headset, it is a bit of a pain to turn it on and off.
I really only tried the mic a couple of times during Destiny PvP. It works seamlessly with the Xbox One audio attachment (not included) for the controller which you need to use the voice feature on an xbox one. The attachment that comes with it is for the Xbox 360 onl. But the fact that using this feature effectively tethers your wireless headset to your controller and makes the controller itself bulkier than normal creates a situation which is less than savory if one indulges primarily in shouting matches with fellow players over PvP or MMORPGs etc. For players like me, who like to play in solitude even when playing multiplayer games, the mic is essentially a needless add on.
Battery Life:
Pros:
Another impressive feature of this headset is that it seemingly lasts as long as the energizer bunny does! It is good idea to charge it fully immediately after opening the package. Once fully powered, it goes on for a good week to 10 days, which probably comes out to around the 15 hour mark that the manufacturer promises. This duty is performed through a standard mini USB cable (included) that can be plugged into a computer, a wall mounted USB socket, or an adapter (not included). A full charge from a full drain can take up to 6 -7 hours and the headset will remain on as long as it is plugged in, although there is a indicator light on the headset that goes off once the unit is fully charged. I have left the poor thing charging over night on a couple of occasions, but almost an year of use later i have seen no discernible damage caused by this carelessness.
Cons:
The only problem here is that with 2-3 hours of battery life remaining, the sound tends to crackle once in a while and will cut out sporadically as power is further drained. It is best to close up a session quickly and charge the headset or you will find yourself being assaulted by the disembodied voice (of your choice through the Sound Editor software mentioned above) reminding you every five seconds that the battery is low. This can be super annoying but luckily you can charge and play at the same time
Extended Use (eight month) Summary:
This is a remarkable headset possessing the following pros and cons:
Pros:
1. Great Sound with booming lows and crystal clear Highs (after tweaking through the free sound editor)
2. Great Quality. Looks awesome, built with such precision and finesse that it feels German engineered.
3. Sturdy. Eight months on, it going strong with no need for me to update to a newer headset and no issues with the quality at all.
4. For Wireless Surround sound with the new consoles there is still nothing out there that can give this kind of awesome performance anywhere near the price point.
5. Looks Bad ass with the COD: Ghosts Decal on the earpieces and white cross-stitching on the black head band.
6. Can't-even-feel-it comfort for long sessions of play.
Cons:
1. Poor sound quality right out of the box. Easily fixed through a free sound editor from the manufacturer, but for people who are not comfortable with fooling around with software, this is probably a deal breaker. For everyone else, this is not even an issue.
2. Not fully wireless since using the chat function requires tethering to the controller. Could be a deal breaker for people who play a lot of team based multiplayer games that require communication. It works fine, only not wirelessly.
3. The design of the mic is not ergonomically sound as it impedes usage of the power button when angled away. A small issue but an issue nonetheless
In summation, how good this headset is comes down, like most things, to how you plan on using it. For a player like me this is damn near perfect and so ill give it 5/5 stars. Therefore, if wireless sound quality with awesome build quality and great battery life on a budget are your top picks, you can not go wrong with this purchase. | video-games_xbox |
Squad-Based Heaven. is a sqaud-based shooter/wargame. If you played any of the
Desert Storm games before you kind of know what to expect
already. The big difference with this installment of the
series is that the game has made some dramatic improvements
which were needed in the other "Desert Storm" games.
Once again The U.S. Delta Force team is sent on
dangerouse missions to fight global terrorism. The team
consisting of four kick-butt soldiers: Bradley (infantry
soldier), Jones (stealthy) Conner (heavy weapons) and Foley
(the sniper). You'll be sent to a variety of countries and
diffrent terrain types. In the first level, you start in
a P.O.W. camp trying to make your escape, other levels you
fight through jungles, urban (city), deserts, snow fortress,
nuclear reactors and chemicle plants. You can order your
squad to follow, hold position, go to point, attack target,
stealth to point, fire at will, hold fire, heal teammates
and themselves if wounded and to gaurd an assigned target
<which is good for escort missions>. The controlling is
excellent, and your soldiers are now able to jump over
small walls, your firing accuracy is more dependant on
your skills instead of auto-aim, your team's A.I. and
enemies are intelligent, now they try to out-flank you,
flush you out with a grenade if you hide too much, charge
in panic or even retreat. So it basically comes down to
your shooting skills and how well you manage your teams
and issue orders in the midst of heavy fire fights. The
levels are fun to play as you try to figure out what's
the best approach to the different areas of the map, in
a way it has a bit of a free-form gameplay to it, which
adds to the replay value. You can sneak up behind
unsuspecting enemies and cut their throats with a knife!
Out of ammo? No problem; just smack them with the butt
of your gun! There's a total of 14 levels and I enjoyed
every single one of them! If you enjoy squad based shooter,
buy this game. I also recommend the, "Rainbow Six",
"Ghost Recon" and "Brute Force". Don't want squad-based
shooter? Want pure action: get the game, "Mercenaries"
Pro:
+excellent controls
+excellent action
+excellent A.I.
+excellent game tutorial
+excellent level designs
+excellent sound effects
+excellent weaponry
+excellent characters
+play co-op with a friend
+play on XBOX LIVE
+adjustable difficulty
+blood splatters
+rag-doll physics
+stealth elements
+characters can peak around corners
+smack enemies with your gun
+a bit of freeform gameplay
Cons:
-weak unlockable stuff
-needs to be more freeform. | video-games_xbox |
A Day in the Life of Me(Carl Johnson a.k.a. CJ. As I walked out my house, I only had one thing on my mind. Sheer destruction. I looked around and saw a few drug dealers on my block. I walked up to one and he asked me if I wanted any. My being the good citizen that I was could have just walked away. Instead, I pulled out my knife and shanked him a couple times and collected the $2000 he had dropped in a puddle of blood. His buddy, just a few feet away, saw what I had done and pulled out his 9mm to cap me a few times.
I could have just avoided the situation and ran away. But I ain't no punk, so I whipped out my Silenced 9mm and shot him dead. Stand-byers that had not ran away after the killings ran away as I took aim on them.
As the ambulance came, I noticed I had a few gunshot wounds so as soon as the medics jumped out I hopped in a drove away. I drove the ambulance down the street to the gym. There I did a few minutes on the treadmill and exercise bike to work off the pizza I had eaten last night.
As I left the gym I saw a few members of a rival gang(The Ballas) dressed in purple walking on the opposite side of the street. They saw me and I jumped in the ambulance and start shooting me with Tec-9s. I slammed the pedal to the metal and drove straight toward them. Two of their dodged me and the other two weren't so lucky. I whipped the car around and tried to hit the other two. They dodged again and continued shooting as I ran into a telephone pole. Now with the ambulance smoking black, I got out and started returning fire with my Tec-9. I killed one but the other hide for cover behind the ambulance. I knew I that I didn't have much health left but could easily dispose of a single Balla with a gun. I wanted to make a statement so I carefully placed a remote explosive in front of the banged up hood of the ambulance. I ran across the street and detonated it. The car exploded with such force that the whole neighborhood shook! After all that killing, I was starving.
Since I had just exploded my only mode of transportation, I had to find another option. Luckily for me some dumb fool came riding a pretty nice BMX bike up the street. Before he had time to react, I capped him with a single shot from my Silenced 9mm. I got on the bike and pedaled quickly as up the street to the local chicken joint in East Los Santos. After a good meal, I decided I was going to go to see my girlfriend up in San Fierro. But I wasn't going to drive...
I walked out of Cluckin' Bell and jumped back on my BMX bike. I rode it down the street to the Los Santos International Airport. I had already gotten my pilot license so boarding the plane was a breeze. As soon as I got over Red County I realized I didn't change my clothes for the date. I didn't want to go in my gang (Grove Street Families) colors so I decided to fly to my safehouse at the Verdant Meadow Aircraft Graveyard. I didn't realized the mistake I had made till I had flown over the No Fly Zone and saw two heat-seeking missiles headed my way!!! I didn't have enough time to dodge the missiles so I jumped out the plane with a prayer and my parachute strapped on. The missiles hit my plane and it exploded on contact. I was now alone in the big open sky.
I safely landed a few miles south of the safehouse and hiked through the scorching desert. I landed too far from the nearest highway so I decided to suck it up and just run the rest of the way.
Once I got there, I changed clothes and decided to pull out something memorable for our date. I ran to the back of the garage and strapped on my jetpack, courtesy of my hippie friend The Truth. I soared through the sky at breckneck speeds. There was no way I was going to miss this date. I laughed as I saw a traffic jam on the Garver Bridge. That could have been me I thought. Once I got to Michelle's house I was ready for our date. But I forgot to bring a car. So I rode the jetpack to my safehouse in Doherty. I hopped in my hot pink Cheetah I had stolen from a wealthy patron of the city and sped off to Michelle's house.
The list of things you can do in this game is unbelievable. Well worth getting. Hope you enjoyed my story. | video-games_xbox |
A Must Buy for Combat Fans. Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is the sequel to the award-winning XBox hit Splinter Cell. Once again the graphics are incredible, the storyline is immersive and the stealth is great.
If you haven't played the original Splinter Cell, I highly recommend you get it and play it first. The graphics were just jaw-dropping, with the way light played across active characters, and the use of night vision and thermal vision was crucial to completing missions.
This "Splinter Cell 2" builds on that previous knowledge. While the initial message begins with some tutorial-like messages, they really expect you to have familiarity with stealth behavior and what to watch for. It's not very far into mission 1 where things get tricky and you're interrogating enemies for knowledge, while skulking in shadows to avoid being seen.
The game is a wonderful change from all the shoot-em-up blasters out there. You are told to avoid confrontation, to get your mission done with a minimum of life loss. There are missions in buildings, missions by the water, mission with sunsets painting the sky. The range of worlds you work through is impressive. You truly feel like you are part of modern-day problems, finding solutions that really make a difference.
The sounds add to the quality of the game, with the water dripping, the footsteps and other subtle noises that can spell the difference between survival and failure. I do have to say that the stock "You stupid jerk, you've failed" messages get REALLY annoying if you've gotten stuck at a certain point and have to listen to them 10 or 15 times in a row ...
It can get frustrating sometimes for beginners to get the hang of stealth - but it's well worth it. You really feel a part of the game, watching for the shadows, listening intensely for the slightest sound. This isn't a game that you play with screaming kids in the other room and friends throwing popcorn across the table. It's a game that rightfully demands all of your attention, and rewards you well.
There's also a multiplayer component, which is great fun. Get together with your friends, or meet new friends from across the globe, and slink through the quiet shadows together. While the game itself is fun, it's always FAR more challenging and enjoyable to face off against other human targets. AI has come a long way in the past few years, but if you want a real challenge, it's the humans you want to pit yourself against.
Highly recommended for any combat fan! | video-games_xbox |
Another positive step forward for Turn 10. 10 Mar Update. The third TM TX wheel is working well and Forza 5 is proving to be an impressive product. More tracks would raise the rating to 5.
12 Jan Update - I have revised my rating downward. This is for players like me who will only play Forza with a wheel or pedals. Yes the lack of cars and tracks starting out is a negative just barely offset by the improved physics and graphics. But the real bummer is that the only wheel/pedal available at launch and until 28 Feb is the Thrustmaster TX which has had serious quality problems. Almost 2/3 of the verified purchased wheels have died based on customer reviews. I have had two wheels die in less that an hour. The XB1 and Forza 5 sit collecting dust while I play Forza 4 on my XB360. For me, Microsoft has done a real disservice to some of its customers by not ensuring an adequate number of viable wheel suppliers at launch. I realize MS wants to maximize it's licensing profits but this situation has caused me to recommend delaying purchase of XB1 and Forza 5 until good wheel options are available.
Original post - I have every Forza and this one does appear to be another leap in graphics. I have only played about 30 mins since I don't like (am not that good at) playing with a controller. Have wheel on order.
I did have some frustration loading Forza 5. I put the DVD in the console and the screen showed that it was installing but after 10 minutes it was still zero percent complete. I ejected and reinserted the DVD several times with the same result. At about the fifth attempt, it loaded. The game seems to be playing fine although it did take some time to find my way to free play.
Forza 5 also seems to spend a lot of time connecting to the cloud. It appears to be downloading cars which I assumed were part of the 32 GB DVD. (the number of included cars and tracks is a bit of a disappointment) This is a problem for anyone out in the country like me who relies on cell phone service for broadband. The unit has downloaded about 2.5 GB of data since I installed a unit, 0.5 of which was for the first day update, the rest I assume is for F5 since that is the only thing I am running. At $10.00 a gigabyte, it can become very expensive.
Once I get my new wheel and paddles I think I would be fairly happy with F5. I'll add to this review if anything else significant happens. | video-games_xbox |
Best Rockstar Game to Date. I am going to start off this review saying that I was not a huge fan of GTA IV. I played it, but I didn't get to far into the game and I stopped playing it. That being said, this game is off the charts in all aspects of console gaming today. I will break down this review into 4 catagories: Gameplay, Fun Factor, Graphics, Continued Playability... mainly the 4 things people look for in a video game.
Gameplay: I am not an expert on the wild west, nor am I a history buff but I would say that this game is pretty accurate regarding the history of the wild west. Granted you are not reenacting history, but the environments around you seem like they would be an accurate representation of what it would be like to be in that time period in the west. Voice acting is superb and all the characters display the styles, accents, and actions that I would think would be accurate to the times. The story is very easy to follow... You are on revenge to kill your old gang member. It is a little cliche but in the end, it is unique the time periods and the environment you are playing in. I believe that the best representation of life in the west is the horse machanic. Now I never rode or horse, seen someone ride a horse but the controls of the horse feel like they would be accurate and they feel like you are controlling a living breathing animal. Remember this will be clumsy, you are not driving a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
Fun Factor: I will say that if you did not like GTA IV you will be gambling you money if you buy this game. There is a pretty decent chance that if you did not like GTA IV you will not like this game but in my case, I love this game even though I wasn't too much into GTA IV. If you liked GTA IV jump right in and you will have a grand ol' time with this game. You will go on quests for people around towns, strangers all over the map and run errands for anyone that you may meet on the side of trail. The open world environment adds to the fun factor since you can almost anything you can think of to do in the wild west. You can gather flowers, hunt animals, or even rob a stage coach.
Graphics: To date I would say that this has best graphics overall on consoles. There are some minor glitches here and there but that is something that I willing to take since everything else in the game is absolutely gorgeous. My only complaint with the graphics is that occasionally the frame rate will slow but it only lasts for a few seconds. This may be due to the hardware of the consoles rendering, or it could be the game itself either way it only lasts a second or two and your back into the amazing realism.
Continued Playability: The multiplayer will keep people playing this game for a while but it is no Modern Warfare 2 or Bad Company 2. It is fun with friends online but in the end I believe that it will be a short lived multiplayer experience that you will end up putting down soon after playing to go back to your MW2. That doesn't mean to say it isn't worth experiencing.. it is very fun and will keep interests for a while but it cannot go toe to toe with the multiplayer juggernauts. If Rockstar will do the same thing that they did with GTA IV and release DLC for extra missions, or added gameplay to the campaign I would be one of the first in line to download and jump back into the west. Until known for sure, the multiplayer in my eyes is the only thing that is keeping the game from being traded in after you complete the full game. If you are going for every achievement and outfit it will extend your time a lot greater but in order to keep people playing this game I do believe that Rockstar will need to release DLC in order for people to jump back into playing.
My overall score of this game: 9.0/10
Reasoning: While it is a very fun game to play and it is a gorgeous game to just look at I don't see it lasting much past the campaign and a couple hours into the multiplayer. Rockstar did an incredible job with this game and anyone a fan or Rockstar games, open world games, or even wild west type games, don't hesitate to pick this up... you won't regret it. | video-games_xbox |
EA is a disgrace to Madden Football, They Should Be Banned. FIX THE ONLINE LAG YOU INCOMPETENT TROLLS!!!
What a joke.. They got rid of fantasy draft which was one of my favorite parts. Wouldnt it be fun to play a league with a few friends and all be able to draft your own team? I used to do this with a few buddies and it was a ton kof fun.
They added Connected Careers and next to impossible achievements to go with them, WOO HOO!
Another thing that drives me up a wall is the engine. They just keep switching it. One year its impossible to run the ball, or run up the middle. Thorwing anything over 15 yards is intercepted. The follwoing year its reversed. Its like every year you have to find the holes and try to exploit them.
Would it kill you to add pass ineterference? I get flat out tackled before I catch and nothing.
They know they have everyone ropped in and suckered into buying this game. I think in the next few years you will see them try to capitalize even more and try and whack us with DLC for $20. They have the NFL players who tweet and all this jazz about playing Madden so they have their little following but enough is enough. I am done with EA Madden. They lost my $60. I will buy the game used a year after release date to ensure they don't get another dime from me.
Go play Fifa and NHL...hmmh, how come their online games are flawless? ohh yeah it is because they actually care about the consumer.
The geeks who make Madden also need to watch some football because these ratings that they throw out there are absurd. Mario Williams is a 96? why beccause the idiot Bills signed him to a monster contract? look up his stats the last few years. 37 tackles and hes a 96..cmon man. Vernon Davis had 6tds in 2011 which you figure is the stats they go on..witten had 5 tds. Witten is a 96 and Davis is a 92. I guess the kids who decide this just like Witten more or are Cowboys fans.
Madden has been getting worse and worse and this is the final straw for me. | video-games_xbox |
Don't bother with Blockbuster on this one...order now. Words cannot describe how enjoyable this game is but...I'll give it a shot.
Usually I'm a walking, talking advertisement for Blockbuster. A majority of games out there are all hype and lack any sort of long-term playability (new word...don't try to look it up), thus require rental prior to ownership. Vivendi Universal has created a game that needs no trial period. Save your rental money for Hunter the Reckoning and just buy Outlaw Golf.
First of all, throughout my gaming history I've had a tendency to toss instruction booklets (turns out you have to equip the abilities to use them in Final Fantay IX) and skip past any sort of intro scences. With Outlaw Golf my "instruction booklet tossing" streak remains intact but I have yet to skip past anything in the game. I would strongly suggest that you don't either. The tutorials, the intros, the hole flybys are all hilarious. Each character gives you a rundown on the holes and the tutorials are definitely helpful.
The graphics and gameplay are both outstanding. And, much like golf in reality, the game can become extremely frustrating...but not in the sense that the game is going to be punted from a very tall building...more in the sense that you're going to work harder and get better.
A couple of quick tips:
1. If you have a shot that requires you to hit at something like 22%, it is easier to let the meter run all the way up and then time your swing as it's coming back down then to try to get it right at 22% on the way up and then swing.
2. Listen to the flyby commentary...it's hilarious (did I already mention that?)
3. Go to the driving range to improve your skills (it's the last golf ball icon on the tournament select screen). That's problaby mentioned in the instruction booklet so it took me a week or so of playing to figure it out.
4. Beat the hell out of your caddy to start any tournaments. Not only is it pretty funny, it improves your gameplay immediately.
One final note: I've always been a fan of golf games...Hot Shots Golf, Tiger Woods Somethingorother, PGA Tour on the PC. So this game is a "must buy" if you fall into that category. If not, go rent it, see what you think, and then buy it. | video-games_xbox |
The maturation of the GTA series. I did several side tasks and achievements along the way and my time played was somewhere between 35 and 40 hours. You will definitely get your money's worth for this game. There are plenty of reviews out there so you don't need me to tell me how great the game is. Instead I will just list the things I loved and a few gripes I had:
Liked So Much
* There are yellow cabs all over Liberty City. You can hail a cab and hop in. The driver will take you to any point of interest or waypoint that you have marked on your map. You can watch the ride or be instantly transported there (well, after a loading screen). This is so awesome. There are many times I want to drive around, but sometimes I just want to get there.
* You can set waypoints on your map. If you are in a car it will show you a GPS-style route on your mini-map that you can follow to reach your destination. This is a massive help to getting around this large city.
* The city is very much alive. GTA has always been known for having an active environment but this latest installment really takes the cake. There are tons of little details that you will notice and be amazed by. An example: I was standing in the road and a car stopped so it would not hit me. The car behind it ran into its bumper, and the driver hit his head on the steering wheel and was knocked out. His head was on the steering wheel sounding his horn. It was just a cool non-scripted event.
* As it is often mentioned, the plot and characters are excellent. I was reallly drawn into the world and the plot.
* The graphics are excellent.
* The difficulty is pretty good. The missions do ramp up in difficulty, but I seldom had to repeat a mission more than once. There were a few tough ones, but nothing that just made me despair.
Liked Not So Much
* Previous GTA games had hidden packages. If you found them, you would get weapons to spawn at your safehouses. GTA 4 has pigeons that you kill instead of packages, but there is no reward for finding them. There's no way I'm going to hunt down all of them for no game benefit.
* I would have enjoyed a little more control over the camera's default position when you are driving. It tends to be a little too low for my preference.
If you want to play GTA 4, here are a few tips that might help you out:
* Take some time and learn the driving mechanics. The brake and emergency brake work very differently from other GTA games. You have to use a combination of them to skid around a corner and that combination differs based on the car type you are driving. Learning how to handle them will serve you well in the later missions.
* You will meet people over the course of the game that want to be friends with you. They will call you on the phone and ask if you want to do stuff. Saying "no" will decrease their Like score. To avoid this, say "yes" and call them back to cancel immediately after they hang up. This will keep their Like score from going down.
* When the missions start getting harder, keep your body armor maxed out. There's nothing to spend money on besides armor and weapons, so don't worry about that. Get Lil Jacob's Like score up and he will offer you discounted armor and ammo.
Obviously I really liked the game and I'm giving it 5 stars. It's is very, very good and an excellent value for the money. | video-games_xbox |
Great selection of games, sub par console. The first time I wanted to buy a 360 was because of the best bundle being the Elite console was the best one with the best black matte finish and all of the accessories. Eventually i waited and got the 360s version with wireless 4gb. i saved some money because I bought a Like new hard drive. about 30 bucks of savings.
The pros is the number of games they have on this console. they have a vast selection with even indie games.( even though they are just cheap knock offs of other games. They started to recently make more new games "On Demand" with means you can buy the digital version for maybe a discounted price. Which is great because....
My xbox cracks discs. I tried sitting it vertical and horizontal and all of my games i have purchased (Used and new.) have cracked. I tried looking up forums on it but no avail. But probably cause its a cheap disc reader.
Another con is Updates for the xbox games. If i need an update for a game it will not tell me till i pop the game in and it shows me. If i do not remember this step before I go to my parents house with my brothers. It will NOT let me use any of the Down loadable content that I purchased for the game. Since they have no internet i was left with Resident Evil 5 and reverted to its original edition rather than "Gold Edition" (Which means 15 dollars worth of content is withheld from you until you update, even though you are not online.
The best fix for this is alerting you on start up about the update, then asking to download them automatically, or a download list so you can insert your discs and update them manually.
This have happens o me so many times because of some terms that make no sense.
The hard drive that i bought was nice but the lack of usb insert so then i can upload music to it is a minus since they overcharge it by 30 bucks. I believe you can use your own hard drive but you can not have back wards compatibility.
The S Console was great but Microsoft spend too many time and wasted efforts to not having wireless connectivity and better components to let it run cooler and better.
Oh yeah and the sensor buttons only make things worse because of the fact you can reach over the Xbox and accidentally touch the eject or power button.
It would be great if they made it like the Ps3 previous buttons and you would have to hold your finger there for 2 seconds, in case of accidents.
The games are a bit overprice but they are making more sales on dlc and "Gold Exclusive" Sales to keep on racking in the money even though they started to put advertisements on Gold Members that pay 60 whole dollars a year for Netflix and online gaming. (Also various other apps)
Instead giving it second chances but the One year warranty is ridiculous for a system of covered fixes.
I think I'm going to buy a WiiU and never give Microsoft money for their sub par product and lame franchises. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic Game, My Favorite of the Trilogy. I would just like to start this off by saying it seems that franchises that started at the beggning of the console generation tend to have very good sequels. Assasins Creed 2 and Mass Effect 2 are similar. Both had games that came out before them that were good but not great. Both of these games came out and were fantastic. Let me start off with the pros here.
The first pro I would say is that the gameplay is a lot more fluid and easy to use compared to the last game. Firefights weren't long annoying battles every 3 seconds and the guns are a lot easier to shoot in this one compared to the first. My next pro is that the presentation of this game is incredible compared to the first game. Granted Bioware learned some tricks from the first game, so that would partially explain why this one looks so much better. Another great pro is that you can import any of your characters from the first game (if you did more then one) and continue on with those choices. The next pro is that thank god there are no long elevator rides aka loading times. They were such a nuisance and took forever to get anywhere, the first game was making me plan out where I had to go so I didn't have to deal with more loading screens. Another good thing is that there is more character customisation in this one and armor too. It's also easier to get resoruces in this game comapred to the first.
Anyway I could go on and on how much better this game is compared to the first because it is, but I won't go into every little detail. Now its time for me to tell you the cons.
My first con contradicts one of my pros which is that gathering resources is easier. But i'm mainly saying this from my lazy viewpoint.. In this game you get resources by sending probes into planets, unfortuanly 50% of the time these planets are bare and hvae barely any. But like I said thats my lazy viewpoint. The next con is that some of the firefights in this game are like Call of Duty. They just keep infinity respawing enemies untill you move up. But thankfully these are few and far in between so they aren't that much of a problem. Besides that I honestly can't really think of any other cons to this game, it's really that good.
So ya overall this game is a very well done sequel to a good game, but nothing compared to this one. So if for some reason you have not bought this game yet or the first one. Buy both now, you won't regreat, these games give you hours of enterainment. I'm working on the 3'rd one right now, and i'm enjoying very much. Buy this game. | video-games_xbox |
Dragon Age 2. I've read a lot of the reviews on this site and I'm surprised by the venom with which some people approach their reviews or the reviews of others. I'm not sure why people feel the desperate need to be so critical of each other when the game is supposed to be the primary focus. Meaning, arguing opinions that essentially amount to something along the lines of 'I liked it' or 'I didn't like it' seems foolish and counterproductive. It's probably a good idea to direct any anger or frustration you have towards the game and its developer as opposed to what other people have to write about it.
With that being written, I thought that this game was terrible. It felt too much like an arcade style RPG to me and nothing at all like the original. I unwisely pre-ordered the game, so I blame myself for the purchase. I've stayed away from pre-ordering EA games in the past - I feel like they're one of the worst developers/publishers in the industry - but I liked the original Dragon Age so much that I went ahead and pre-ordered the sequel despite my reservations.
I didn't care at all for the characters. I thought the writing was silly and not at all engrossing. The repetitiveness of the game was downright painful and impossible to ignore. The glitches are inexcusable and I have no idea if they were ever addressed. It never felt like a sequel to me; it lacked all of the charm and depth of the first game. The world didn't just seem small, it was downright claustrophobic.
There is nothing that you can read in this review that you can't find elsewhere. The game came up in an unrelated search, so I figured I'd review it like I should have done earlier. The bottom line is that this is the first game that I've ever resold. I've been collecting games for many years and I never felt so cheated. But, then, I usually do a lot of research before purchasing a game. That's nearly irrelevant, though, once you actually sit down to play the game. My expectation was that it would be great and I gave it until the very end to win me over - it did the opposite.
Anyway, my advice to anyone is to read the reviews on this site and preferably others before purchasing this game. Most people either loved it or hated it for seemingly very valid reasons. Some people loved the new direction of the series while others, like me, felt the game should have been released with a different title. Also, be very wary of anything released by EA. They're the dregs of the development world and exist solely to turn a profit. Whether a game of theirs is good or not appears to be incidental as is evidenced by the Madden series. | video-games_xbox |
Great Skylanders action plus good racing. The Skylanders gang returns to deal with yet-another typical Kaos plot -- be evil and make things miserable for the Skylanders (not to mention Glumshanks).
I'll state the obvious up front - this is another Skylanders game as we know it, but now with vehicles to play with. This concept mixes things up in a mostly good way (more later). This game is not only about racing -- all the platforming action, combat, and wonderful characters from the previous Skylanders games continues into Superchargers. And yes - you can bring the toys from previous games into this one. But now, developer Vicarious Visions introduces land, sea, and sky vehicle toys for your characters to race and ride, float, and fly through sections of each of the game levels.
This is how it works - the new portal has room for a character plus a car, sub, or plane. The game plays like any of the previous Skylanders games, except during a level you will reach sections that can only be traversed by one of these vehicles. All versions of the game come with a land vehicle (a race-car). These sections will switch the gameplay into racing, ala MarioKart, where the player is speeding forward avoiding obstacles and shooting enemies, OR free-form piloting around the level collecting treasure and powerups, ultimately completing a task (think MicroMachines games).
There are three different ways to purchase the console version of the game - the digital Portal Owners version, for those that already own a portal from previous Skylanders game for their specific console, or purchasing one of the two Starter Pack editions. The digital version is purchased via your game console's store, and the physical Starter Pack or Dark Edition Starter pack that come with the toys can be purchased in stores or here on Amazon. The digital version comes with a digital character and vehicle (no physical toy, obviously) for $50. The Starter Pack comes with a new portal, two character toys and one land vehicle toy for $75. The Dark Edition comes with a new portal, two dark character toys, TWO VEHICLE TOYS, and a Kaos trophy to unlock racing as that character for $100.
To complete the game you only need the default car all editions come with, but BE ADVISED - you will also come across sections on each level that require a sub and a plane. These water and air sections can be skipped, but you won't want to. To see everything in the game, MAKE SURE you have a sub and a plane handy (sold separately for around $15 each). This makes the extra money toward a Dark Starter pack worth considering because it comes with a sub, only requiring a purchase of the plane.
Fortunately, unlike previous Skylanders games, there's no sections of the game that locks the players out if they don't have that element type of character, with the exception of the aforementioned vehicle sections. So if you enter this game with the default car (all editions) plus purchase a sub (sold separately OR comes with the Dark Edition) and a plane, YOU CAN PLAY THE WHOLE GAME and see everything.
Also worthy to note that certain character and vehicle combinations create a "Supercharged" (powered up) version of the vehicle, so each vehicle has it's preferred character. So some players might want to buy the character that matches each vehicle. But any character, old or new, can pilot any of the vehicles. Also, the game's default starting character is Spitfire, and he matches the default Hot Streak car to Supercharge it, so the game can be finished with this combo.
Is the game any good..? Mostly, yes. Developer Vicarious Visions also created Skylanders Swap Force, which was the best game in the series in my opinion. The previous game, Trap Team, by original developer Toys For Bob, was good, but the combat and level design wasn't nearly as good as Swap Force. Superchargers has the great levels and combat similar to what we played in Swap Force, and now adds mostly fun racing and driving. I say "mostly" because the driving/flying action is good, but compared to games like MarioKart or Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed, it falls short. I like the sub sections, which, when not racing or fighting, play as a side-scrolling vehicle level. However, the Air levels fall very short, and while they don't ruin the game, brings it down a notch - 4 stars out of 5.
So if you are looking for a great racing game, the other mascot Kart games (Mario or Sonic) are much better choices. But the racing in this game is fun, and the vehicles do a very nice job of mixing up the action platforming and combat of a standard Skylanders game.
Skylanders fans should really enjoy Superchargers! | video-games_xbox |
Updated 11/8/15*** Beautiful console, decent game, but disappointing Halo extras. I'm going to review this one divided up by its individual parts and take an average. For people curious about the digital/physical swap scroll to the bottom of my review and read the updates.
***11/8/15 UPDATE 3: I've reviewed the game and digital content below. Overall I don't feel like I got an extra $100 dollars worth of value out of this over other similar bundles but hindsight is 20/20. If you're a die-hard Halo fan then the console alone is worth it but also if you're a die-hard Halo fan you'll either love the game because its Halo or hate it because of what 343 did to it. I believe I fall into the second category, see my review below for why. This is will be my final update unless the online gets an overhaul, new modes, etc. or the single player gets added story content.
***11/3/15 UPDATE 2: Just popping in to let everyone know that I received the game last Friday (10/30) and actually beat the campaign on Heroic last night. I'm going to give Legendary a try, collect some skulls and intel (on normal), and play some multiplayer before giving my final review so expect at least one more update next Monday or earlier depending on how much free time I have this week. I received the game faster than I expected after my 3rd attempt at confirming my order with Microsoft so I hesitantly gave back the .5 I took off in my last update.
***10/29/15 UPDATE 1: I talked to Microsoft support for the 3rd time since receiving the console yesterday to find out that my order for a physical disc was never entered the first two times I talked to them. This time they e-mailed my download code for the digital extras and said I'd get the disc in 3-5 business days. Hugely disappointed by this long wait. So I've knocked off .5 from the support portion of my review below. I'll be updating again if I either don't get the disc or when I do I'll update with my impressions on the game.
Halo 5 game 3.5/5: Halo 5 is a good game. Halo 5 is fast, action packed, and well polished. The graphics look great, the dialogue is believably delivered, and the weapons feel satisfying. However this game isn't at all structured like a Halo game. The gameplay and weapons, while good, do not give me a Halo vibe and here is why, the speed, sounds, and style are all uncharacteristically foreign in the Halo world. Halo 4, for the most part, still captured the Halo feel and speed but Halo 5 seems to draw more inspiration from other games such as Titanfall or Crysis. A lot of people are screaming its too much like COD but I'd disagree with that, it doesn't have a COD feel even though a lot of the automatic weapon gun fights in multiplayer are just as fast and reliant on twitchy reflexes the game itself doesn't feel like a COD title. I'll break it down and take a average.
Campaign 3.5/5: The story was all build up to a cliffhanger ending and the whole game felt like an introduction to something bigger. Obviously this isn't good when one would expect a story to have a beginning, middle, and end. That and the whole ad campaign was about Locke hunting Chief in almost this personal way.... well its not. Locke gets orders to bring Blue Team in, Locke and Chief have a forced hand to hand fist fight, and then Locke spends the rest of the game trying to catch up to Blue team to assist/save Blue team. There is no personal agenda here besides The Master Chief's motivation for why he's disobeyed orders. And you spend about 75% of the game as Locke which isn't what I wanted even though the 2 characters play the same. The only Spartan teammates who got any decent character dialogue were Buck and Tanaka. Vale and the entire Blue team could have gotten some more development. Speaking of the squad mates at times it was frustrating to be down but not out and watch them either A) get stuck on geometry and I die or B) they don't try to clear the area first and commit suicide trying to save me and we all die. I'd rather the down but not out system have been just for co-op and single player you just got a slight shield boost over co-op (or some other way to balance it). Overall its short but fun, the skulls are pretty well placed and were fun to try to find on my own (I ended up using a guide on all but 2 of them lol), the intel can be interesting, and the new spartan abilities were pretty cool in the campaign. The single player gets a 3.5/5 from me since it was still a blast to play even if it didn't feel like Halo and had some flaws and questionable decisions.
Multiplayer: 3.25/5 Oh boy the multiplayer. This is a rough ride from my personal experience. Due to the fast paced non-Halo like action and lag plaguing about 80% of my matches I can't even recommend this to classic Halo fans. The maps are okay, none of them really stand out but most of them aren't terrible. My overall complaint is that this style of action is already available from other games so I don't understand the shift towards this style. Automatic weapons rip through you like you're a wet paper towel at close-medium range. Missed a shot on your BR? Too bad, their volley of spray and pray death machine will overwhelm you in seconds. Halo was about being able to tactically out play your opponent even if they got the first shot, now there's a medal for it (reversal) if you pull that feat off because its so rare now. This is down to who sees who first. But the lag makes it impossible to even adapt to this style of play. I've tried running a hard line vs. wifi and making sure I'm the only one in the house using the internet. My internet connection is sitting at a 57.14 Mbps download and 6.25 upload which is more than enough but I'll still run into game breaking lag. The timer freezes and everyone will start walking in straight lines into walls as I free roam the map unable to kill anyone for upwards of a solid minute then BAM I'll appear across the map as regular play continues on. The worst is when I drop dead or see I have 2 or more deaths suddenly upon rejoining the match as if everyone else didn't experience what I just did and to them I was walking into a wall. A lot of online forums lets me know I'm not alone here so I hope there's a way for 343 to smooth this out or maybe its just my ISP? Hard telling but other games don't suffer from this. Fair warning to Swat lovers, this game has gotten me spawn killed more in the first 3 matches then what feels like my whole Halo career. One match on the midship inspired outdoor map I got spawned THREE times in the SAME spot with an enemy player standing 30 feet away blowing my head off with each instant spawn (there's no spawn penalty, you just instantly respawn upon death in Swat) Warzone has the same lag but its a lot less competitive and easier to just do whatever you want in so its less frustrating. I didn't have the chance to play with friends but playing solo was okay. It makes it hard to feel like you're contributing when bosses are often times too much to take on alone so I focused on the weaker AI and enemy players. Its a great mode but I expected more enemy AI and more of them to be weaker (but worth less points of course) Also it seems pretty common for people to win in landslides. Warzone is the saving factor for the multiplayer honestly because right now I was prepared to give it 1.5/5 stars based on solely the Arena. 3.25+3.5=6.75/2=3.375 round up 3.5 game score.
Digital Extras: 2.25/5 LOL..... you get some reqs for Warzone, which I have a crap ton from just playing that I don't really use anyway, the unicorn styled FOTUS armor, and you get access to watch a somewhat bad Halo animated movie about Blue Team on their crappy streaming service on the Halo Channel. They need to get some pointers from Netflix but that stuff had to buffer like every five minutes or just let us download the movie. The movie's animations work well with backgrounds and armor but human expressions are just empty. Voice acting was overall just pretty bad from everyone but Halsey and a few lines from others. Overall the digital extras were just meaningless and shouldn't be considered a real addition to this set. Very disappointed.
1TB Halo 5 themed console and controller: 4.5/5
This console looks and sounds great. I'm very pleased with its look and design sitting with my other consoles. The controller is equally beautiful with its etchings, colors and symbols. I will say I don't like the console as much as the Halo 4 360 but its the best looking One available to date. Obviously if you love Halo you'll love the this and even if you don't love Halo you'll have to at least acknowledge the design appeal. With a refined UI and backwards compatibility on the way I am more excited than ever to be a Xbox gamer. My only complaint, and while I understand how hard drives work, is that they reserve roughly 220GB of your 1000GB for their use. My logic for this complaint is this: I previously had the 500GB Xbox One and they used roughly 140GB of that. I accepted it knowing that's how drives work so when I bought the 1TB version I expected them to only hold 140GB, but for some reason on bigger hard drives they reserve more space? For what? How is it my Xbox One requires more space for their functions than someone with a 500GB version? Makes zero sense to me. But fine I'll only dock it .5 for this since I'm still more than doubling my pre-existing limits.
Physical Extras: 2/5
As you may know this includes the Halo 5 limited edition materials along with a digital code for the game. This stuff right here is a little underwhelming to say the least. The steel case book looks nice however it's not at all designed to hold a disc. In fact the inside of it is bare from any clips, dividers, or disc holders. All the paper content is freely sitting in this case. This is worth -.5 for me.
Then there's the cards with background info on each Spartan and an official order dossier from the UNSC to Locke. This I enjoy a lot actually however like the Halo 4 paper extras it'll sit in the case to never be seen again. Displaying this stuff isn't practical and if you do it just doesn't look interesting. -.5 for something I see as a replacement to the old instruction books. Those things had art, jokes, game info etc and came FREE as part of the standard game back in the glory days of gaming.
Last there is that complete POS Metal Earth statue. All I can say is good luck, Spartan. I have no experience with these models and was actually excited to dig into it and build it. So I grabbed some needle nose pliers per their recommendation, sat down at my desk and spent 10 minutes carefully dissecting the first piece out of the thin sheet of metal. Thinking maybe that one was just cut funny and its not suppose to be that hard I dug into the next piece and I ended up destroying it before it'd remove itself from the sheet. The process also left other pieces bent and smudged up. I threw it all back into its sleeve and that's where it'll sit now and for the rest of time. I don't mind assembling items, but at least provide better instructions or use a different material. The whole concept is just a misstep. If I were to guess it'd be best to cut the pieces free using some wire cutters or something tiny and precise, idk. -2 for something that defines the limited edition version of the game that's utter crap to build. A Halo Mega Bloks set would have made more sense if they wanted something with user assembly. Considering these go for under 10 bucks at retail I'm disappointed they even went with this cheap of a route for a collectible version of a game. The $100 version of the Elder Scrolls Online and Batman Akham Knight BLOW this out of the water. If you have experience and enjoy these Metal Earth kits then you'll probably be fine with it but the general Halo audience will see it as scrap metal.
Digital for Physical Halo 5 Exchange/ Xbox Live Customer Support: 3/5
For those of you curious if you can exchange your digital version of the game for the physical from the console bundle the answer is YES based on my experience. The Xbox Live support group was overall pretty forward about it and easy to talk to but there are obviously some set backs. For reference see this Gameinformer article describing how this works.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/10/05/heres-how-to-redeem-your-halo-5-guardians-collectors-edition-code-for-a-physical-disc.aspx
2 things they don't mention, first not being a big deal is that you have to register your Xbox first. They asked me to, not sure if its standard procedure or not but you have to take the code off the bottom of the Xbox and punch it online. No big deal but was a little inconvenient. The other thing is that it takes 3-5 business days for the game to SHIP, not arrive per the GI article. I was told to expect a confirmation e-mail, but never got it almost 2 days later so I contacted them again and they told me that it takes 3-5 business days for it to ship, and when it does thats when I'll get the confirmation e-mail. So if you're doing this exchange expecting to have it on or before the 27th think again. I'm not sure if this is a GI mistake or Microsoft either way I'm upset about the wait.
Update 3 Average score: 4.5 console + 3 support + 2 physical + 3.5 game + 2.25 digital = 15.25/5 = 3.05
Final verdict: 3 stars. | video-games_xbox |
Xbox Kinnet, Microsoft new WMC. Please note this review is going to focus on the media center / entertainment aspects of the Xbox Kinect rather than the gaming experience.
I never really got this to play games, I got this as an addition to my home automation setup which includes smart lights and a certain Amazon products which insists on calling itself Alexa :P
Pros:
It can be used to control aspects of your PC which combined with the Xbox and Microsoft's Media Center almost makes this the "One" media solution.
Give your Xbox voice control, even for your connected HDMI devices / Media Center PC which is great! I was able to pair the Xbox with my WMC remote using remote code N1272. I have my Xbox setup so when I say the magic "Xbox on" command, it auto-magically turns on my Projector and Sound System. Now I can use my media center almost completely by voice!
Microsoft announced the ability to connect a TV turner to this and will be adding DVR. However, you can get both those features by connecting your Microsoft PC with WMC now! Connecting your PC to the Xbox one also give the Xbox a better web experience.
Cons:
Note this connects to the Xbox via a proprietary USB 3 connection. What does this mean for you? Cable length is an issue, at only 9ft (Which is the max distance for USB type connections)
The workaround for this are NOT cheep. Microsoft does make an adapter for the Kinect which allows you to attached to your PC.
1. You could buy the PC adapter for this ~$50 and use a standard USB to connect to your Xbox but keep in mind your still have a 9ft USB cable length. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Kinect-Adapter-for-Windows/dp/B00NMSHT7E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Kinect Adapter for Windows</a>
2. The other workaround for longer distances requires both the converted as mentioned above and a USB to Ethernet ( RJ45) adapter which can cost upward of $$$.
While you can use the Xbox to control one guide channel changing, it will not work with other aspects of a connect PC. Steaming on Windows 10 from the Xbox is nice...but a bit of a novelty at this point as you can only steam the video, no mouse or keyboard controls...yet | video-games_xbox |
Just Perfect. I already own the first XBOX 360 (the white one) and the XBOX 360 Elite (the black one). The Elite started giving me the one red light and I brought it in to a local shop to get it fixed. Now it happens every two months or so and I'm getting tired of it. Plus, it is loud...no joke.
As a big fan of Gears, I needed a new console and the game and this was a perfect buy. Checked with the commander (wife) and funds were available for my new toy. Ordered this bad boy on the 19th of September and was at my doorstep the next day right when I came home from work - I was so excited. But, as life would have it, the console was never installed until that Friday night and the game played until Saturday afternoon. Priorities...
REVIEW on the CONSOLE:
This console is much smaller than my XBOX 360 Elite and now fits perfectly in my home theater shelf. It is also quiet...finally. Oh, it looks freakin' awesome. My purchase came with the game, 320Gb hard drive, two GOW controllers, $40 amazon credit and a bonus GOW skin. All in all, great bang for the buck when you consider the controllers are $65ea at Target.
The negatives...the sound effects are cool, but the sound quality is an epic fail. Maybe they saved money by using old laptop speakers from the 90s. The lack of HD cables and the controllers DO NOT come with a rechargeable battery pack or cable. BTW, I bought the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Charge-Base-Black/dp/B00273Z9WM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Charge Base - Black</a> so I don't have to keep replacing the supplied AA Duracell batteries.
REVIEW on the GAME:
Gears of War...love it. I've played GOW1 and GOW2 and still play them to this day. My home is networked, so my boys and I system link and GAME ON. Game play is good as 1 and 2 with more goodies. There are new weapons like a sawed off shotgun, digger (rolling underground grenade launcher) and retro lancer (it stabs not saw, great melee effect but accuracy when firing SUCKS big time). Oh, and incendiary grenades?? Yup, watch those aliens burn...burn baby burn. One more thing: the lancers seem stronger and more accurate now - well, it feels that way to me.
There are some changes that make the game a little harder. If you pick up a sniper rifle, or boltok pistol or any other non-COG weapon, refilling ammo is a PITA. When you find an ammo refill pack, it DOES NOT replenish these weapons! To get more bullets for your sniper, for example, you'll need to grab it from an enemy that you killed as it lays on the ground.
CONCLUSION:
Console is perfect, definitely worth the purchase. If you're looking for new or to replace your old one, this this is the way to go even if you're not a Gears fan. The box itself is cool looking.
The game, yup it still rocks. If you haven't played Gears 1 or 2 yet, do it....you won't be dissapointed.
AMAZON.com rocks! | video-games_xbox |
Will constantly blare your own voice and ambient sound through headphones, cannot be disabled without completely disabling mic. Completely unusable, by design.
Directly from turtle beach website:
"Most of our current headsets have a Mic Monitor feature that allows you to hear your own voice from within the headset. This feature cannot be turned off, with the exception of the following Headsets:The PX5, XP500, and MW3 Delta, "
"XP300 and XP400 headsets feature a Mic Monitor volume control built into the left earcup."
This is horrific for me. It plays your voice into your headset when you talk, at the same volume as others in the chat. It also picks up ambient noise and breathing and makes sound quality much worse, unless you mute the mic. I have tried all combinations of volumes for game, chat, and bass, and distance of mic from my face. Nothing is good, and it is stressful to play video games with the mic on because of this "feature."
I spend a long time reading through the turtle beach side and trying all kidns of things to make these usable, without success.
The headphones sound good if the mic is muted as that is the only way to turn off mic monitor. But then you cant talk, so in that case just better buy headpohones without a mic for same price.
Another problem, the volume wheel sliders for bass, game volume, chat volume (which are all on the controller on the headphone wire) have no notch or indicator of 50%. Even worse, they are EXTREMELY sensitive, and moving them even 1mm has a drastic effect on volume. Playing for about 3 hours with these i accidentally bumped them multiple times, and it requires stopping playing to get the back to the correct settings. The bass adjust feature is pretty pointless for video games b/c if its not at 50% everything sounds ridiculous.
I have no idea how so many people gave these 5 stars, maybe I'm just way more sensitive to hearing my own voice, or got a faulty pair or new version or something, but I'm definitely returning these. If they got rid of "mic monitor" or at least let you turn it off, and improved the volume knobs, these would be5 star. But those are devastating flaws. I was going to give 1 star but gave 2 because for $50 they do sound good if mic is muted. | video-games_xbox |
Reaching for the Brass Ring. I had recently gotten an XBox 360 primarily for Gears of War Two due to the fact that the game looks as though it will not be hitting the P.C.
Well, there is obviously the decision pertaining to other platformers like Halo and with that being said I had purchased Halo 3 lost in the moment not being bothered with Halo, H2 or ODST. The game play was a bit run of the mill with H3 but, being a converted fan of FPS games I stuck to it for a good while.
Reach hit the shelves at a local retailer where I work and the deal was too sweet with a gift card and employee discount so I got the Special Edition. I like the novelty that the extras brought to the game -- I really only wanted the bonus DLC and Unit Patch never the less the diary is a story like read and I suspect that some of the maps and pictures included in the Special Edition and above actually hint at fighting styles and best practices for engaging the Covenant. Those little cuties articles might have a hidden utilitarian function as Bungie is known for hanging out with Peter Cotton Tail -- easter eggs and bacon...
Playing Halo 3 for as long as I have and with many other FPS' under my belt I can most assertively state that Halo is all about the Reach. It is the best of them all. I've played Halo with my nephews many times in addition to H3 and this is the one baby. This game fleshes out the dedication and conviction of Bungie as they desired H4 to be the best. It's their professional progression in quality as opposed to pumping out the crap on a regular basis for a weekly paycheck but they also wanted quantity in vastness and action. I say they made good on an old promise and spent many attentive years doing it. Some say it is Halo with nothing more or it will not win new-bees or convert someone to the Halo Waypoint; I disagree with the nay sayers and bipartisan. This title actually demands a fair level of strategic thinking and common sense and you had better have it or you will enjoy endlessly re-spawning.
This game was done with foresight and wisdom and the fact that it is a system that isn't Crytek or Unreal screams that there are real men and women working on these titles as they shot up so quickly to become comparable in quality to such an elite competition. I like allot of FPS titles but, there are only really about four engines that you can sincerely count on for realistic and immersive game-play and Bungie has definitely got them one. H4 has more accurate, responsive and smoother control than its predecessors hands down. The cinematics are well done without getting to dramatic or overdoing it and staying out of the way of game play; game videos really do not need so much face time that they mess with the rhythm of game while the player is trying to connect to it. The graphics are very nice with much depth for an XBox title. As a matter of fact the game's visual quality is right there. I am picky with this lot as I have a P.C. system with an after market graphics card that has me foaming at the mouth with eye candy at times and I cannot say anything bad about the game's visual appeal.
I want this for P.C. now as I can't imagine how breathtaking this bad boy would be getting some large GPU and major VRAM under it.
Excellent game - I give it a five star salute. Makes me want to go back into service. This game might actually be therapy for me without me even knowing it.
Anyway, I said way too much and hope this helps to debunk some bull that others might sling about the game. Some people live to be miserable I guess. It's an awesome game and has a slew of online team ups and matches so you could easily kill a weekend with the family and some friends. Too easy soldier, too easy. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, but forgettable. I'm going to keep this short and sweet, and will give you kind of a spoiler about the gamepay.
The game is absolutely amazing in 3D. Even without 3D, it will blow you away with its amazing graphics and levels. But 3D is where it's at. I own the newer LG passive 3D tv (you can use those IMAX theater glasses, get them cheap online), and it is quite a sight to behold. Nothing ever really pops out at you, but the depth perception is quite amazing. Sniping in 3D is truly something else, depending on how far away your target is, it may seem like you're trying to shoot the eye of a needle. It adds to the difficulty of the game, sure, but it makes it so much more challenging and fun, and rewarding as well.
Speaking of things popping out of the screen, browsing through the suit gallery is absolutely stunning in 3D, especially when you hit the flip eyes option, it makes the suits come out of the screen and seem like a hologram. It's very hard to describe, but the effect is out of this world.
Now, having ranted and raved about the 3D aspect of this game.... I would have only rented this game had I not owned a 3D tv. The firefights are challenging and fun, but sometimes get out of hand. When this happens, guess what you can do? *SPOILER ALERT* You can simply RUN to your destination and win! I actually discovered this much later in the game, and it helped me beat the game very easily. The AI is always either excellent or downright dumb. There is no in-between here. I didn't really find the story to be enthralling here. Haven't played online yet neither.
Pros:
-Some crazy sniping action
-Probably the best graphics to date
-At times, some excellent AI
-The must-own game if you have a 3D tv set (especially passive), your friends will be uber-jealous
Cons:
-If you don't own a 3D tv, you're missing out on the best part
-Incredibly stupid AI at times
-Run and Win strategy
-Better off as a rental | video-games_xbox |
What A Good Sequel Should Be. The original Borderlands was a good, if flawed, game that combined full on first person shooter action with RPG elements. While Fallout III (another first person RPG) focused more on the RPG aspect (the VATS mode, where combat is temporarily taken out of the arena of reflexes, and instead depends entirely on stats, was ample evidence that Bethesda knew the limits of the game's FPS mechanics), Borderlands put twitchy action first, with the RPG elements there to essentially keep the player engaged beyond the mechanics. As unique as the game's cel-shaded look, pick up and play online co-op questing, and overall quirky feel were, the game did suffer from a few flaws. Namely, the game's characters and storyline progression were muddled and sort of buried, Pandora's desolate environments tended to blend together, and extended play sessions could become extremely tedious. The promise was definitely there, but the execution was just a bit short of the game's ambitions.
Borderlands 2, fortunately, delivers on that promise extensively. This review is for the Game of the Year Edition, which takes the already impressive "vanilla" Borderlands 2 game, and packages it with a second disc to install the 4 major downloadable campaigns, 2 additional characters, and a couple odds and ends. That's right; Gearbox wisely learned that we don't want that voucher @#$#@$!, and want something that will work if we fire up the old Xbox 360/PS3 a decade later, after the servers no longer have that DLC up. So a word of warning- make sure you have enough hard drive space (probably at least 7-8 gigs). Unfortunately, the GOTY Edition does not include the "Headhunter" mini-expansions that just came out, nor does it include the latest level cap increase. That being said, this edition of the game has a lot of gameplay packed in there. On my single playthrough as a Gunzerker, I've clocked around 95 hours after completing all the campaigns, and most, but not all, of the sidequests.
While the original Borderlands essentially threw you onto an alien planet with the vague goal of "find and open the hidden alien vault", Borderlands 2 has a much more out-front story, involving a corporate villain named Handsome Jack, who has somehow taken credit for the original Vault Hunters' deeds from the first game. The game begins with him double-crossing a new team of Vault Hunters, thus setting the conflict up from the get-go. During the course of the game, you run into the now-discredited old Vault Hunters, who are trying to fight the tyranny of Jack (who has essentially declared his intent to rule Pandora), as well as other characters old (Scooter, Tannis, Marcus) and new (Tiny Tina, and a host of other NPCs). The humor is much more pronounced, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Fighting "shirtless men" volleyball players at a bandit airbase in an obvious reference to Top Gun is pretty entertaining, as are the violent verbal outbursts of Randy Savage-wannabe Mr. Torgue, but by the same token, the constant sardonic, pop-culture/internet meme savvy, relentlessly self-aware, almost hipsterish "Really? Seriously?" tone is bound to annoy at some point. The game's unmistakeably prominent personality is a double-edged sword, but it does certainly keep it from being another grim po-faced military shooter.
It's much harder to find fault with the rest of the game, though. Borderlands 2 manages to be modern and old-school at the same time. The character ability progression, constant allure of finding new cool weapons, vehicular combat, and slick controls all fit in perfectly with current gaming, as do the vast, open environments. By the same token, however, you'll find the kind of elaborate area layouts (complete with dead ends, and all manner of nooks and crannies) you'd find back in the days of Doom II, as opposed to the linear, simplified level design many shooters use currently. On a similar note, when many shooters seem content to have a limited selection of enemies, Borderlands 2 is bursting with variety, and even more so in the GOTY Edition. Mutated madmen, enraged nomads, corporate soldiers, armed bandits in jeeps and hover-gunships, robot walkers, flying drones, transforming fliers, killer arachnids, multi-armed giant primates, burrowing underground monsters, wolf-beasts, crystalline hulks, chameleon-like deadly lizards, monstrous flying insects, pirates, ghosts, biker gangs, unbalanced corporate goons, titanic insectoid walkers, deadly flying spoors, alien scorpions, savage cultists..........oh, and orcs, skeletons, dragons, knights, wizards, and dwarves. I've managed to miss more than a few enemy types in my list, so as you can tell, there's a lot of variety. The environments also have more variety this time around, even if there's some blatant resource recycling. Icy wastelands, temperate highlands, deserts, irradiated volcanic fields, frontier towns, swamps, and even some more developed areas await you. Places like Hayter's Folly (an oasis hidden in a cave system), the vast scale of the Caustic Caverns, which only appear after a major story event, and "The Beatdown", a Detroit-like urban area taken over by psychotic gangs, are just a couple of many well-designed environments. Like many western RPGs, to get the full experience of the game, you need to tackle side quests constantly, as they not only provide experience points, they also expose you to characters and areas outside the main questline. Oh, and they are often quite amusing.
The expansions are all surprisingly meaty, and together provide a huge amount of bang for the buck (enough to easily make it worth the purchase even if you have the non-GOTY version). What's more impressive is the fact that the core game itself never felt compromised in favor of cutting content for it to only be resold later as DLC. The expansions all feel connected as part of the whole experience, but are still separate enough to avoid feeling like just cut content. All 4 expansions are high quality, but the last one, "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep" is particularly noteworthy, as it takes the game in a fairly different direction, turning the game into a loving parody of the fantasy genre, set in a set of fantasy-themed zones that you can still jump back and forth from with the rest of the game areas.
If there's a weakness, aside from the occasionally overbearing "this is teh LOLZ!!!!" humor, it's that, as before, extended play sessions can become tedious after a while. While this game has definitely improved on keeping the environments from blending together as much as the first game's did, Pandora is still a relatively desolate place, and the game's heavy reliance on, well, shooting stuff can make it hard to play more than a few hours in a row. But this is something that most games with a lot of content unavoidably suffer from, and it's nothing that taking a day off in between sessions won't easily fix. All things considered, this game is one of the better ones to emerge from its generation. For people who never played the base version of Borderlands 2, and for those who did, but didn't bother with the DLC, this one is a no brainer. | video-games_xbox |
Its worth it. L.A. Noire is an open world detective game. There are no side quests apart from taking random dispatch calls that require some regular gta police work. This game is nothing like GTA, that is why I picked it up. Although it is a sandbox game, LA Noire is story driven, similar to Mafia 2. You do not have a safe house, you can't go shopping for clothes, guns, cars, ect. It saves automatically. The graphics are decent, can't complain there, it kind of reminds you of Mafia 2 mixed with Saboteur. The first few cases you take are very exciting, I had a hard time putting the game down for the first 5 hours.
You basically go to a crime scene, search for clues and then question witnesses or suspects. Although it easy to see when someone is lying (nervous twitching, random eye contact etc) you cannot call someone a liar without proof. A bad detective accuses a suspect when he knows he is guilty, a good detective accuses a suspect when he can prove they are guilty. This game is one of the best cop/investigator games thus far. You are rewarded for your diligence and punished for lazy police work.
I won't get into the story, but it is kind of cliche. The main protagonist Phelps is kind of a one dimensional good guy boy scout who has little personality. He is kind of wooden or dull. You learn about his past through flashbacks but he's not a very interesting guy. There is little character development, i didn't feel attached to any of the characters. The city is also kind of dead, you really never get a feel for the city, for the most part it looks the same, and has no swagger.
Like I said, the first 5 hours I played pretty heavy but then I had five cases in a row which dealt with the deaths of 5 drunk women. Although a suspect was apprehended you KNOw that the real serial killer is still out there, but I won't give much away. But it got pretty boring, pretty fast. Got quite redundant.
Overall I give this game good ratings for taking a game to new territory. But in doing so Bundi games neglected character development, immersion to environments, redundancies.
8/10 | video-games_xbox |
New life for a fading legend. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit playing Halo titles over the years, but I felt that the most recent installations were falling short of the curve in terms of innovation. I enjoyed Halo Reach, but it didn't make me want to run out and buy Halo 4 when it hit the shelves. When I finally got around to playing this I was just blown away by it's graphical capabilities. The graphics, game play and music in this game are absolutely incredible (and make up for it's few short-comings)! I spent a fair amount of time in the campaign just examining the transforming structures, lush terrain, etc. So, there is a lot of re-playability just in the fact that it's like playing Halo with enhanced ambiance.
I've played the campaign through and just started some of the multiplayer games. I'm loving it so far, but there are a few things that I found disappointing. There is a new race to fight and they are interesting and provide some new weapons, but there really should've been more uniqueness added to them. The 3 different races provide their own versions of most weapons, so a lot of the weapons you use hold few notable changes other than looks and ammo capacity.
The Prometheon race itself could've used a few more variations too (essentially hounds, knights, turrets, and drones). It would've been nice if they added a hunter-like creature that required some unique tactics to dispatch, for example.
There was also no real boss fights. The game amps up your confrontation with the Didact, a superior forerunner being, throughout the campaign. I won't go into any details, but that "boss fight" is VERY short.
There is also a point in the game where you receive a biological enhancement from the forerunners. I was really excited to see if it would enable me to jump higher, run faster, punch harder etc. But, it ended up being an advancement important only to the story and doesn't effect game play at all.
Overall, I'd say 343 has definitely earned their place in the Halo franchise. Aside from a few places where the game could've been a little better, it's a large step forward and one of the best games available right now, in my opinion. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that 343 held back a little intentionally with some ideas to make an even bigger impact with the next release (new console?). | video-games_xbox |
Definitely Getting a Bad Rap. So, let me first address the "same ol' thing" reviews:
1. In Borderlands 1 and 2, the characters and powers you chose were almost identical, and I didn't see anyone up in arms. The 2 dlc characters were not interesting enough at all for me to purchase. This game has 4 all new characters with completely new powers and wild skill trees.
2. It was 4 years between BL 1 and 2, and only 2 years between BL2 and the Pre Sequel. So, it was obvious there was not going to be a brand new game engine, especially if this game was only for the 360 and PS3. There were plenty of previews and interviews to make this determination. It shouldn't have come as such a shock.
Now with that out of the way, I'm really happy with what I'm seeing so far. If you're familiar with the series, then there's practically no learning curve. Same types of weapons (with the addition of lasers and cryro weapons), class mods, grenade mods, etc. Managing oxygen is not very hard at all, although I did have to retreat to find an air pocket at times, and almost impossible to die from asphyxiation. The low gravity and butt-slams do add another dimension to the game, but I could see how some might think it slows down the pace of the game.
One small disappointment I had was that the weapon manufacturers are exactly the same as in BL2, and they just changed the Bandit name to Scav. I'm not too far into the game, but I don't see anything new in terms of new manufacturers.
What's awesome is all the humor is still there! A bit more raunchy so far than BL2, though. I guess I'll expect a lot of Australian accents, since 2K Australia worked on this one. I really hope to see Marcus!
And no one has mentioned this: SYSTEM LINK! I bought a 2nd Xbox just to do this with BL2, and I'm so glad they kept it in. Probably the last system link game ever.
It they keep with the same formula (new levels, ultra vault hunter modes, Handsome Jack character!), this will surely be another great game in the series.
So, overall, if you're a fan, you really can't skip this one. New physics, types of guns, and the characters' skill trees and powers are much more complex and varied than BL2. If you're new, I would start with BL2 first. BL1 is still a great game, but the graphics might be a little dated in 2014.
Don't listen to the hate. Get it! | video-games_xbox |
Love The Elder Scrolls and Skyrim is another great addition. Don't know why I waited so long to play this and maybe I should wait to give my review until I am further into the game but so far I am not disappointed. While I have to agree with the fact that they simplified the game especially if you compare it to Morrowind, there are times I become a little too comfortable in the midst of a battle and get my behind handed to me. Plus you have the choice to change the difficulty at any time. I like to think each game has it's own personality. Skyrim seems a bit of a mix of Morrowind and Oblivion with updated and improved graphics and game engine. I can't really compare it further back than Morrowind because I did not play Daggerfall or other previous games. Morrowind definitely has a steeper learning curve and it does not seem to have the hand holding which I think there is to some extend in Skyrim. I appreciate each game though for its differences and that's why I still love this game. I also love that they incorporated a lot of the music from Morrowind and I think it suits the atmosphere perfectly. Well, I am off to my own little world in Skyrim and will post an update when I get through more of the game but that could be a while as I usually play several other games around the same time...... :)
UPDATE-5/11/14: Just got en email that someone thought my review was helpful. After a quick read-through I noticed I made an error when talking about the simplification of the game which has nothing to do with the difficulty slider. Some people think the games ten or so years ago made you "think" more in terms of what you had to do to solve quests. Now it seems to be a bit more automatic with journal notes, map markers, or markers sometimes placed directly by a person, place, or thing. I have not played that many of the older games but in Morrowind you did have to dig around in your journal a bit more and finding your way around was not so easy. Maybe the people who compare the games are just looking for nostalgia but games have evolved and I still enjoyed Skyrim just as much as Morrowind. There are many hours of my life in that game and I have not even played the DLC's yet. But my game list is huge so I will return to play those shortly. So yes it is a bit more simplified but not game- breaking and none-the-less still very enjoyable! Go for it! Be a Dragonborn! I dare you! :) | video-games_xbox |
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAA. The title for my review comes from a Far Side cartoon that showed two aliens in their UFO skimming the skyscrapers of some earthly city at high speed.
That's pretty much the sort of feeling I get from these Ace Combat games.
The last one (and first one) I played was Ace Combat 4 on the PS2, and boy, was that a treat! So here is how I think Ace Combat 6 stacks up . . .
GAMEPLAY: The aircraft fly and handle perfectly. Very responsive and you can tell the differences when you fly different ones. The newest feature is that missions are broken down into different sub-objectives and you can have only the current objective targets show up on your radar. Very handy for reducing radar clutter as there are ALOT of dots and lines and waypoints scattered throughout. The battlefield is very busy!
You can also land your aircraft mid-mission and also refuel in-flight, which help break up the monotony.
SOUND: The sound effects are great, from the radio chatter to the sounds of explosions and your guns firing.
MUSIC: Not that the music is why I'd play an Ace Combat game, but the music was merely average this time around, to include the last mission. I remember how shocked I was at the epic Agnus Dei playing for the last mission in Ace Combat 4.
BATTLES: Ace Combat 6 has a mission where you're attacking these flying Manta Ray-like aircraft carriers and there are so many trails of smoke from missiles that you sometimes feel like you're in a hedge maze in the clouds! Very surreal feeling and extremely fun! That mission in particular reminded me of the NES top-down airplane shooters of old (Tiger Shark, 1942, 1943, etc).
Another nice touch is that when you fly low to the ground, you can see your troops advancing and firing their weapons at the enemy positions, giving you the feeling that this is truly a team effort and that you are not an Air Force of One, so to speak. The ability to call for Allied attacks and cover are good for the times you need a little extra help.
STORY and MULTIPLAYER: I skipped all the cutscenes, but from what little I saw of them they looked graphically impressive. I have not played this game multiplayer either, so I am not scoring these two in my overall assessment of the game.
REPLAY VALUE: You can unlock different aircraft, medals, aircraft paint-jobs, soundtrack-player, cut-scene viewer, replay-mode, difficulty levels and a few other things which give this game great replay value. Most importantly is the inclusion of a New Game SP mode, where you can play the game again but with all the aircraft and weapons you purchased from your last play-through.
GRAPHICS: I recently played a HAWX demo and it struck me how cartoony their aircraft looked--and that is a more recent game! The aircraft in AC6 are about as close as you're going to get, short of joining the Air Force yourself and going for the real thing.
OVERALL: If you don't mind the fact that this game is a cross between a flight simulator and an arcade shooter, you'll have a great time with this one. Sure, other games might be more realistic, but there is a reason why there is an Ace Combat 6--the series wouldn't have made it this far if it didn't deliver the goods! | video-games_xbox |
Don't listen to the silly nit-pickers, this game is AMAZING. First, don't listen to the crazy nitpickers who are dropping this game to 1-2 stars because it's not exactly the same as the original. They probably only put a few hours into the game and didn't get to realize its full potential because they ended up running away. I've put over 60 hours into this game and have scratched more than just the surface. Even though some of these nitpicks are warranted, this game is still far better than most others out there and thus doesn't deserve a 1-2 star review. That being said,
The Dark Souls games have me hook, line, sinker, pole and fisherman. For once I feel like I'm playing a true RPG. I'm tired of all the hand-holding more modern games tend to employ. In Dark Souls (both 1 and 2) you have a vague idea of what you need to do, but the direction you choose is all your own. Finding awesome loot and destroying seemingly impossible bosses feels SO REWARDING! No maps, no cursors, no piles upon piles of loot ala games like Diablo 2 and 3.
The original Dark Souls (DaS) completely blew me away with the raw challenge, the few cheap deaths (it happens, but it's rare) and the environment. It sort of reminded me of Ico, but in hell.
Dark Souls 2 changes things up a bit, mostly for the better, but some aspects don't quite live up to the original.
The biggest improvement in my opinion is the combat and enemy AI. Two-handing weapons are a real viable option here. Also, being able to move while aiming with a crossbow, the ability to cancel spells, strong attack combos and grealy improved animations really keep the combat feeling fresh. Each weapon feels very unique. Also, foes are much more challenging this time around, no more backstab-fests like DaS1.
The online components for DaS games are great. It feels and plays mostly like a single player game, but on the ground are littered helpful (or humorous, or misleading) messages, bloodstains which allow you to watch the final seconds of a fellow player's demise and if you're human (as opposed to hollow, which I'll touch on) then you'll see summon signs which will allow you to summon other players so you can co-op against a tough boss or a difficult stretch. Red summon signs allow you to PVP with other players. Also, you can invade other people's game or have your game invaded. One difference between Das2 and the original is that you can still be invaded while hollow. The way player worlds bleed into each other is genius.
The way humanity is handled in DaS2 is significantly different. Now to become human you have to consume a (fairly rare) consumable called an effigy. Death will make you hollow and cut a small percentage of your maximum health. Each subsequent death continues to chip away at your max health until it reaches 50% In order to get your max health back to 100% you need to consume an effigy.
I'm really not sure how I feel about my health meter being chipped away with each death. On one hand it adds a new dimension to the game and it really plays into the idea that you are becoming more hollow, but on the other hand it makes an already difficult game much more difficult. The more you stink at the game the harder it becomes. I can see this putting off new players. There are ways to mitigate this, but for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free I'll avoid diving into that.
One other big change is that in DaS2 enemies will quit re-spawning after you kill them a number of times (I believe it's 10 or 15). This makes farming for goodies much more limited, which I happen to like but other people may disagree. One benefit is that if you are having a tough time in an area then sheer persistence will eventually pay off because enemies you do kill will eventually fade away, making level progression easier.
Healing items are handled a bit differently as well. Estus flasks are the healing item of choice in DaS games and in DaS2 you start with zero. Instead you'll start with a few lifegems which regenerate your life significantly slower than estus, but you are able to consume on the move and they are a consumable item which you can purchase from a merchant. Soon after the tutorial level you'll get your first estus flask, but only one. You'll need to find estus shards to get more than one swig off that sweet nectar!
Here are some of the negatives:
The biggest disappointment for me is that the world doesn't feel as nearly cohesive as the first. The world design in the first game is absolutely breathtaking, everything flows together so perfectly and the shortcuts that you unlock are just brilliant. DaS2 has some of this but it just doesn't feel quite as "organic". DaS1 reminds me of Ico in the way that exploration works, Das2 is more conventional. However, the world in DaS2 seems to be far bigger and more varied, so there is a plus to this.
Textures do seem to be a step back from the original, however, the framerate is buttery smooth. 60+ hours in and I still have yet to experience any sort of framerate issue. In my opinion this tradeoff is worth it, but this may be considered a negative for some.
One other flaw in my opinion is that instead of leveling up a bonfires, you have to travel back to the main hub town (Majula) and talk to somebody. This is annoying because it requires two (fairly long) loading screens as well has having to click through the same 4 lines of dialog. This doesn't seem like a big deal at first, but after a while it becomes a bit grating.
There are a few other nitpicks I have but they are mostly minor compared to the above. DaS2 does have its share of flaws, but they are greatly overshadowed by how awesome everything else is.
As verbose as this review is, I still haven't touched on so many of the awesome features of this game. I'll leave that for you to discover. I will end with this though:
I have no idea why some people (especially published reviewers) are saying DaS2 eases new players better than DaS1. DaS2 is SIGNIFICANTLY harder even right at the beginning. Death means lower max health, only one estus flask to start early game as opposed to five, way more enemy mobs than the first, enemies hit harder, are smarter and chase you down with a vengeance should you try to run away! Also, rolling through attacks and parrying is significantly harder. Furthermore it's harder to farm, fall deaths are much more frequent, and more. I think new players should start with the original Dark Souls, I find it to be much more forgiving, besides it's a masterpiece! The extreme difficulty is certainly not a bad thing, I was worried that this game might be too easy after having played so many hours of the original.
If you're a new player then just be prepared to die. Over and over and over again, but also be prepared for some of the most rewarding gaming experiences possible. I've played many great RPGs, including Chrono Trigger, many Final Fantasy games, Baldur's Gate (both console and PC), Planescape and much more. The Dark Souls games are now my favorite RPGs of all-time. They're that good. | video-games_xbox |
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen-An RPG with Great Value. Dark Arisen follows the course set by Dragon's Dogma-a great, atmospheric RPG with a few flaws. If you haven't played the original, the fact that Dark Arisen comes with the original Dragon's Dogma, all its DLC, and a moderately lengthy expansion (in a market otherwise saturated with low-quality DLC) at a discount price makes it a solid purchasing option. If you loved the original... the new content is well worth the investment.
Value: (5/5)
Before I get into the game, I'll talk a bit about the packaging and changes made to the original. First, Dark Arisen comes with two discs-one installs new high resolution textures and a Japanese voice track. The new textures are hardly noticeable on my 1080p 42" HDTV, but cause sometimes significant issues loading NPCs (especially in Gran Soren's busy market.) I have not tried the Japanese voice acting out yet, nor do I really care to... not in a world based so firmly off of medieval Europe (with monsters from Greek mythology thrown in, but in both cases, it's strictly western-looking.)
If you owned the original game, you can import your old save. This creates a copy of the save-but doesn't touch the original. If you put in your old Dragon's Dogma disk, you can still play with your old character. The new character, however, has access to all the new Dark Arisen content, which features the new Bitterblack Isle-the subject of most of this review, but no more of this paragraph. The new DLC content can either be purchased at the Black Cat in Gran Soren... but it's not cheap. To get two of every new piece of equipment it cost me over 20,000,000 gold. Other content comes in the form of quests, on various boards. Even if you had the original game, the new DLC content cost more than twice as much as Dark Arisen, purchased individually. If you bought the old DLC gear... well, then this expansion is something of a slap in the face. Other new stuff has been well publicized-an Eternal Ferrystone (which allows you to fast-travel around the world for free, but only to customized Portcrystal spots) and 100,000 Rift Currency, which allows one to purchase custom gear... which is far less rewarding in Dark Arisen than in the original game. You also get some DLC NPC-based armor for free (Madeline, Julien, Aelinore, Festus, and Nun apparel.)
Gameplay (4/5)
Going into Dark Arisen, I had a pure-offense level 200 Assassin build (10 levels of Fighter, 190 of Assassin.) I thought I was ready for anything... but, without getting too deep into the mechanics, many power-gamer skills were nerfed. Still, my character was rather potent, so I figured Bitterblack Isle wouldn't be too rough. I felt that way until I ran into my first Elder Ogre, which was able to smack me around for 1800 damage a hit, and took me several minutes to kill. Even if you're fully leveled, Bitterblack Isle is a stiff challenge. Many of the new monsters are palette-swaps of original monsters, or larger versions. Despite they, their ominous surroundings, feral power, aggressive AI, and sinister appearance work well. Some of the redesigns are so drastic, they hardly even feel like the old monsters you're used to fighting. Living Armor, Golden Knights, and Silver Knights hardly even feel like the old Skeleton Lords on which they're based, and the Gazer and Gorecyclops have increased in proportion over their originals so much they can't help but impress. If the game felt like Shadow of the Colossus before, these newer, even more immense foes can't help but heighten the connection. Some foes, however, are just shameless copies with special auras or lighting-Dire Drakes, Dire Wyverns, Dire Wyrms, Dark Bishops, etc.
Bitterblack Isle's content all takes place in a subterranean dungeon, divided into three strata, after the first two of which you'll find a shortcut to the surface. Minor stops exist along the way, where a former Arisen will help you out by providing Inn/Merchant services, such as storing your loot, changing your Vocation, and enhancing your gear. Inventory management has been improved with some better navigation options (the ability to try out gear right from your stash without having to take it into your inventory is a welcome addition.) All in all, you shouldn't ever feel like you're doing a serious grind. Unlike Dark Souls, safety is never too far away. Lifestones exist in great quantity to take you back to the surface should you need respite. If you're going to die, you'll do so in one encounter, not over several. On the other hand, monsters and treasure respawns much more quickly, so back-tracking to get to the surface is likely to be just as perilous (and less rewarding) than soldiering ahead until you reach a shortcut out or your friendly fellow Arisen.
The game starts out fairly easy-Hobgoblins and Wargs (a new wolf creature in between a Direwolf and Hellhound in power) aren't much of a threat. The difficulty picks up satisfyingly a short distance into the dungeon, however. Individually powerful new foes like the Elder Ogre, Living Armor, Cursed Dragon, and Gorecyclops provide thrilling encounters, and Death-cast as the typical tattered-robe wearing wraith with a huge scythe-shows up randomly throughout, adding to the suspense. Death is a multi-stage boss, he kills in one hit, and can put you to sleep with his lantern, but can be driven off with enough damage. He is not invincible, like many reviews have said.
By the time you reach the third strata, however, the difficulty spikes immensely, and unjustifiably. I had my head smashed in by an Eliminator (more as a result of bad play than the difficulty, but it set the stage for what was coming.) In another part of the third strata, I had to fight a huge Elder Ogre and an Eliminator in a cramped dungeon filled with water. Since I play a Ranger (formerly an Assassin, but since the Assassin's skills have been nerfed, the bow power of a Ranger is a welcome improvement) I need to dodge often-I can't block or weather blows. This forces me to drench myself in water, putting out my lantern. Stuck in a cramped, dark tunnel, with two huge, powerful foes capable of killing me in two or three hits was not fun. The next level wasn't any better-in the midst of fighting some undead, three Garm appeared out of nowhere, forcing me to scamper up some rocks and laboriously shoot them to death. It wasn't fun, it just felt cheap. Shortly thereafter a Sorcerer Pawn cast a Maelstrom spell that annihilated my entire party-my Arisen included-in one hit. By comparison, the end boss was fairly easy, but the massive ramp in difficulty was unexpected, not fun, and out of balance with the moderate increase in difficulty from the first to second stratum.
The worst part of Dark Arisen is-as it was with Dragon's Dogma, the AI. Your main character is called an Arisen, which-without going into the story-grants you the loyalty of the Pawn legion, or Myrmidons. They're essentially violent, kleptomaniacal, wonder-struck children who comment on everything you do and everything they see. They also are your partners in adventuring, and the steep difficulty of Dark Arisen (with the nerfing of skills like Autonomy) requires Pawns-at least initially. The confined spaces and ultra-challenging enemies conspire to make your Pawns more annoying than ever. Getting your Pawn to cast an offensive spell on a half-dead suit of Living Armor (at which point being immune to physical damage) is a nightmare. Having your Pawns mindlessly jump off ledges when you run over to loot a chest is aggravating to no end. When Death shows up, you can count on your Pawns to walk casually into his scythe attacks. If you find yourself prey to a monster in a chest (Maneaters), you're better off wiggling the analog stick like crazy and healing with inventory items... your Pawns would rather allow you to get devoured rather than walk over and whack the beast to free you. My greatest joy in Dark Arisen came from becoming so powerful that I could ditch my Pawns again, and rid myself of their incompetence.
There are only a few new augments, most of which are worthless (increasing ballistae reload speed, stamina drain when running, speed walking through water, lantern oil consumption rate, etc.) There are no new Vocations, the level cap hasn't been expanded, which is kind of a downer, if you power-leveled during the first game (like me.) Still, the original Dragon's Dogma was immensely fun, boasting the best combat in any RPG I've played in a long time. Whether you want to play a full archer, a robed mage, a platemail-clad sword-and-shield bearing fighter, a war-hammer wielding warrior, a foe-climbing, weakness exploiting rogue... you can do it, and in most cases, do it well. The variation between the fast-paced, dodge-happy Assassin, the massively powerful Sorcerer, the well-defended Fighter, and the ponderous, slow-swinging, weapon-charging Warrior, or the nimble archer is amazing, and it allows for many viable play styles.
You can level up to level 200, and your stats (Hit Points, Stamina, Magick, Strength, Defense, Magick Defense) raise as you level up-varying depending what your Vocation is each level. This encourages builds that focus on various strengths-Mages will end the game with more Magick, Warriors with more Strength, etc. And mixing Vocations will allow you to create specially-tailored characters to suit whatever your playstyle. Despite the obvious similarity to Final Fantasy Tactics, however, you cannot uber-grind godly jacks-of-all-trades. You cannot reverse the leveling process, so whatever character you make is bound to be locked into a certain role.
Almost as great are the character-customization options. Most RPGers by now are used to the fact that most RPGs only provide you with one body-and allow you to customize the face. Not so in Dragon's Dogma. Whether you want to play a young child, a buxom female, or a massive brute... you can do it. Your height and weight (variable from about four feet tall to seven feet tall, and over 100 kilograms) effect how your get about the world. Taller characters walk faster, use up less Stamina, but regenerate it slower, too. Smaller characters walk slower, use up more Stamina, regenerate it faster, and can fit into small spaces. Your weight also influences how you encumber foes you grapple. The custom options in Dark Arisen include many more hairstyles and colors than found in the vanilla Dragon's Dogma.
The new weapons are satisfyingly powerful, and look fairly cool (subjective, I know.) Improving all your resistances to 100% and becoming 50% resistant in all the elements is great fun, and it's provided me with hours of grinding to score all this new loot. The loot, however, doesn't just come usable out of chests and from the bodies of the slain-most of it has been cursed, which is a just a gimmick to limit the save/load farming that was so useful in the original game. Now you'll instead find 'Bitterblack Armor', 'Bitterblack Weapon', 'Bitterblack Novelty' or Bitterblack Gear', leveled one-to-to three, to denote it's basic quality. To make this new gear usable, you must take it to an NPC outside the dungeon and have her 'purify' it, lifting the curse and allowing you to identify and use said item. This isn't free, however, costing anywhere from a few hundred to nearly 30,000 Rift Currency... which thankfully drops in great quantities throughout the interior of Bitterblack Isle (expect over 100,000 or so for clearing one strata.)
Despite being an excellent RPG with great gameplay, leveling, and customization, it falters in one major area-the story. From the beginning, the game focuses on the Dragon, your antagonist. After a brief but fateful encounter at the beginning of the game, however, you won't see much of the critter. The entirety of Gransys is concerned over the return of the Dragon, and its presence permeates most quests, but the presence of the wyrm itself is strictly limited only to the beginning and end of the game. NPCs are bland, and establish little character. Despite this you'll be forced into a romance, deal with political intrigue, combat a cult, and help out a great deal of characters on various errands. The NPCs that ask you to do these things, however, have very little long-lasting impact, and fail to endear. The romance, however, is the biggest failure for this game. Without spoiling too much, you don't get to choose your partner-but you will have one. This romantic interest isn't chosen by conversations, quests, or design-just an invisible affinity rating. You can give gifts to improve this rating, and some interactions do help (saving the duchess from imprisonment is bound to win her affection, for instance, or letting a she-knight eager to prove herself defend her own honor will increase her disposition), and a rare, one-time gift of a ring will provide a massive boost, but nothing is set in stone. You could easily go through the entire game flirting (and financing) a busty burgeoning merchant, only to end up dating a bland, overly talkative innkeeper or an elitist, shrewish child. Capcom has no mercy.
Graphics/Sound (4/5)
The first game looked pretty good already, even without the texture pack adding much. Despite this, the game was ridiculed as being fairly bland... or rather, cliche. Personally, I enjoyed the creature design, and the contained area of Gransys made more sense than the unjustifiably rapid climate changes round in Skyrim. The palette employed through most of Dragon's Dogma is green-rather than the typical brown and grey seen in many RPGs and shooters as of late. The verdant meadows and forests are broken up only rarely by dark catacombs, water-filled caves, and mountain rifts. The monsters all look fairly traditional-but in my mind, a well-designed staple beats a crappy novelty any day. The Goblins, Hobgoblins, Saurians (lizardmen), Drakes, undead, Chimeras, Griffins, and Evil Eyes (Beholders) all look spot-on, and if you're like me, you'll appreciate the attention given to cherished monsters. The world is, however, somewhat on the small side, for what aspires to be an open-world game, and there is a fair amount of dead-space. Some of the western areas of the game are never referenced in the story at all, and unless you wander off the beaten path, you'll never bother to see much of Gransys.
The atmosphere of Dark Arisen's Bitterblack Isle, however, is far darker than anything found in the original game, save the Everfall. Green meadows are now joined by dank dungeons, crawling with beasts, and the sometimes gruesome remains of Arisen to dared to tread into the depths before. Unlike previous dungeons, which tended to look incidentally dangerous, Bitterblack's depths aren't just decrepit-some areas look purposefully hostile to explorers. A multi-level cylindrical area connects elevated ramps with rickety wooden bridges, occupied by mages that love to pelt you from the safety of height. Piles of corpses and bones lie stacked nearby, a flowing river of blood drains into the abyss, and wrapped corpses swing at the end of chains. Darkness permeates the entire game, from the abandoned ruins near the entrance to the remains of the city near the end. The mood contrasts well with the lush countryside of the original game, and gives you no false impressions-you're on hostile territory.
The dungeon's appearance is fortified by its design. At any moment Death can pop up (with the somewhat annoying choir that picks up when you encounter him adding to the tension.) Any treasure chest could contain a Maneater-a tentacle monster that dwells in containers, waiting a foolish adventurer. Slay your way through a level, and the festering meat of your slain foes might attract scavengers-who aren't afraid to add you to the menu. The unpredictability of Bitterblack keeps you on your toes-especially when one or two hits can prove fatal.
The sound is also fantastic-particularly the music that plays when you injure one of the game's many gigantic foes. You've never fought a Chimera, Griffin, Cyclops, or Ettin like the ones in Dragon's Dogma. Sound effects are appropriate, and the voices are well-done, even though the NPCs rarely have anything important to say. Even more than the heraldry, the crumbling-yet majestic-stonework around Gran Soren (the capital and one real city in Gransys), the heavily-accented voice overs sell the world you're in, which aspires to medieval Europe. I'd be tempted to rate this category 5/5 for Dark Arisen simply for removing the awful title music that plagued Dragon's Dogma... but I'll practice some restraint.
Reviewer Bias (5/5)
Dragon's Dogma is much of what I had been waiting for in an RPG. A game with good character customization, great action-packed combat that allows for great variability in play-style, and that isn't shy about adding some statistics. We're not that dumb, Bethesda, most gamers won't get scared away by attributes and numbers. The story is a letdown, but the game is just so fun to play, I've been stuck on it for almost a year now. Shadow of Colossus-style boss fights, the gear and stat grinding, the Dark Souls atmosphere of Bitterblack, the beautiful (and sometimes misleading) tranquility of Gransys... I love it all. Dark Arisen adds to the challenge and content of the original game in a meaningful way. If you loved Dragon's Dogma, don't be shy about upgrading to Dark Arisen. If you haven't purchased the original yet... what have you got to wait for? It's easily the best RPG experience of the past year, and at $40, Dark Arisen provides an awful lot of great content.
Overall Score: 4/5
Review By: Nathan Garvin (Haeravon)
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Fantastic device but not too easy installation. Well the first 30 minutes with this product was quite hectic. I obviously like many others here was having problems upon installation and I eventually gave some of the most helpful reviews a read. None of them worked for only one reason, a missing detail. So I'll help out and see if maybe I can get anyone who's having trouble back on track.
So here we go.
Step 1: Go to this link if you haven't already and download this. When it's finished, open it and go through the process of installing it (http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/9/4/69446ACF-E625-4CCF-8F56-58B589934CD3/Xbox360_64Eng.exe) Once you installed this, go to Device manager. For windows 7 there's various ways to do this but the easiest is to hit the windows key then click the control panel option, then click hardware and sound and then under Devices and Printers click Device Manager. For windows 8 just hold both the windows key and S then type in the search bar "Device Manager" and click it.
Step 2: It will then show a lick of installed devices on your computer. Sort through the list until you see an option for "Other Devices." When you locate it, there will be an option under called "Unknown Device". You want to right click that then click properties.
Step 3: When you click on properties it brings up a list with he option to update the driver. You then click that.
Step 4: When you click update the driver, it'll give you a few options but you'll want to click "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"
Step 5: Now this is where I got confused by the reviews, but what you're gonna wanna do since there most likely won't be an option for "Microsoft Common Controller for Window Class" you instead want to scroll to the bottom of the list you're on and click on Xbox 360 peripherals. This will then bring up a new list of things you can apply the driver too.
Step 6: Now scroll to the bottom of this list and click on the option that says "Xbox 360 Controller for Windows Version blah blah blah 2014" (can't remember what it said at the moment :P) when you click that it'll then prompt an option that basically asks if you're sure you want to apply this driver and that it could screw up your hardware yadda yadda it doesn't though so just click yes.
Step 7: Now all's you gotta do is sync the controller to the reciever which you just hit the button on the receiver and the button on the top of the controller which looks like a circle with 3 of these marks >>> and there ya go you can now game from wherever you're comfortable sitting at :) | video-games_xbox |
Could you give this anything other than five stars. The answer is no, you could not. These are some of the reasons why this game is so addictive, so fun, and so brilliant:
Payneful Wait Pays Off
Finnish game development company Remedy Entertainment has been working on their Max-FX game engine and the Max Payne game title since late 1996, following the success of their Apogee published 2D Racer, Death Rally. From fall 1996 to fall 2001 is a long road to take from concept to finished product, and despite a seemingly endless development cycle, Max Payne has weathered the long winters and burst onto the PC gaming scene with both guns blazing.
Noir to the Max
One thing you don't find much of in today's action games is story. Usually the developers just give you a gentle push toward the enemy and substitute state-of-the-art graphics and level designs for things like plot and characters. In Max Payne you play Max Payne, a New York City cop whose life is torn asunder when his wife and baby are killed by psychos drugged out on a new designer drug called Valkyr. Max joins the DEA and goes undercover with the Mob hoping to discover the source of this new killer drug. Just when all the clues are starting to fall into place, Max is betrayed -- framed for killing his contact at the DEA. Now both the police and the Mob are after Max. With no place left to go and nothing left to lose, Max wages a personal war on crime, along the way uncovering a tangled web of street thugs, Mafia crime bosses, and secret government cover ups in the dank underworld of a city clutched in the grip of the century's worst blizzard.
At first glance the story may seem a little trite, even clich -- framed cop seeks vengeance on the Mafia underworld only to uncover secret government conspiracy -- however, Remedy Entertainment brings it to life using comic book style story boards for the bulk of the tale. These detailed Photoshop-modified images give the story in Max Payne a gritty stylistic feel that matches the dark mood and stark realism of the game's levels. Blending these story boards more seamlessly into the game, these sequences are often triggered by a television broadcast, a clutter of loose paperwork found on a desk, or even a radio left playing in an empty office cubicle. They help bring the game's environments to life while moving the plot along at the same time. The voice acting in these sequences is top-notch, matching the noir mood of the game perfectly.
Payneful Dreams
Satan was here.
Moving the storyline along with comic book style cut-scenes is one thing, but Max Payne takes storytelling to a new level weaving together scripted events and storyline themed levels. First you play out the opening sequence where Max's wife and baby are murdered by Valkyr-addicted drug fiends, and later in the game Max experiences two hallucinatory dream sequences. These dreams bring Max's torment to life and let the player "live" the painful memories and horrific moments that have driven him to the edge. While a few players may be put off by the mazelike quality to these levels (and that fact that you can still die -- even in a dream) they add recurring themes to the game and add depth to a character who would normally be nothing more than a gun-toting, one-liner spewing clich -- like in most 3D action games.
Maximum Graphics
Max Payne uses the 3rd person point-of-view perspective. This allowed the developers to pull off two shrewd special effects: the Matrix styled slow-mo "Bullet Time," and the John Woo style jumping effect known as "Shootdodge." These two effects can also be used together in one action-movie slow-motion acrobatic "Bullet Dodge Combo." Max can run into a room full of thugs and deftly dodge incoming fire by flying through the air and shooting in slow motion. While Bullet Time slows the game down -- to the point where you can see individual bullets and shotgun pellets whizzing by -- it doesn't slow down your mouse pointer -- giving Max superhuman reflexes and pinpoint accuracy. These effects have to be seen to be appreciated as they take the game to a whole new level. It really is like a John Woo movie on your PC screen.
Max Payne lacks nothing in the graphics department. Levels are highly detailed and full of interactive objects that can be shot or blown up. Toilets flush, bar taps spit beer, and you can even find running water in a [cheap] flophouse. With photo realistic textures the game looks run down and gritty -- like a seedy corner bar on the bad side of town. Adding to the realism, guns have the proper bolt actions and spit out shell casings when fired. Enemy characters will react to the environment when killed, slumping over chairs or falling over tables without clipping through walls like in most games. Corpses, bullet holes, and shell casings stay in the environment for the duration of the level. No ghostlike fading away for enemies in Max Payne. The dead stay dead.
Paynefully Short
Max Payne does fall short in a couple of spots. The game is almost criminally short and will take the average gamer only 10 hours to solve from beginning cut-scene to ending storyboards. At a retail price of [not too expensive] Max Payne might not offer enough gaming bang for your gaming buck. When you complete the game, the extra tough "Hard Boiled" mode and the time-limited "New York Minute" gameplay mods are unlocked. However, the game plays through the same levels again with the added frustrations of not being able to skip the in-game cut-scenes.
Maximum Conclusion
Even if Max Payne is a little short, it is still one of the best PC games released this year. When you stack up the excellent storyline, awesome visuals, stellar special effects, and pulse-pounding gunfights, Max Payne is simply one of the most fun action games on the market today. You owe it to yourself to enter the gritty noir world of Max Payne. Just be sure you take an extra clip!
[BIG DANIEL McFOOT] | video-games_xbox |
Game Review - Sniper: Ghost Warrior. In an economy that's sorely lacking, quality discount games are always a welcome sight. Especially when they are of the First Person Shooter variety! To that end, 'Sniper: Ghost Warrior' will be a welcome addition to most gamers' collections. On to the details...
The Story
The story for this game is pretty straight forward. Gamers play as special operations sniper Sergeant Tyler Wells who has been dropped into the middle of hostile territory. The action takes place on the fictional island of Isla Trueno, located somewhere in South America. An enemy faction is attempting to conquer the territory and nothing stands between them and victory but a lone sniper and a small squad of Delta Force soldiers.
Though there isn't much in the way of a back story provided concerning Tyler Wells, it isn't really needed. This isn't a game about inner demons, government conspiracies or false bravado. It's about being soldier and doing your job. For most FPS fans, this is enough.
The plot is pretty straight forward as well: Some bad guys have invaded and you have to stop them. Ultimately, this means assassinating the leader of the invading force. Of course, a series of getaways and delays will make the vast majority of the game revolve around taking out enemy positions and infiltrating bases.
Sights and Sounds
City Interactive did a great job of creating lush environments for this game despite the fact that they were clearly working with a tight budget. In addition to the brilliant landscapes, the locales within the game are varied and detailed as well. Unfortunately, there are a few issues with the environments, though...
Water is particularly screwy; objects next to water will often ripple with waves and bleed into the surroundings. You will also find yourself occasionally looking through solid objects, such as rocks when you are low crawling through an area. Also, frame rates tend to lag a bit when the action ramps up. But all of this is negligible and doesn't really interfere with the fun or game play.
The sound design for this game was also deftly executed; bugs chatter in the background, weapons sound realistic and the voice acting is top notch (though the lines can be a bit cliched at times). I do wish City Interactive had put a little more into the music of the game, though. At times the looping background music can be a bit annoying as it drones on for some time, but this is easily ignored as you concentrate on the tasks at hand.
The Game Play
Rather than throwing a massive amount of firepower at the gamer, 'Sniper: Ghost Warrior' is more about mastering your one weapon. Ballistics are extremely realistic in the game: Breath, wind, stance and distance all have an effect on your shot. On the easier difficulty settings, players are assisted by a magical red dot that indicates where your shot will land, but on the hardest setting it is all up to you. And it can be quite challenging. It's all rewarded, though, with a nice 'bullet cam' cut-scene when that perfect shot blasts through an enemy noggin.
To vary up the play a bit, there are a few missions within the game that pit you as a gunner in the Delta Force squad. Though these are pretty straight forward moments, they do illustrate the importance of the sniper in the game (and in real life) as you will find yourself relying on Sgt. Wells to guide your team through an area and to often clear your way of enemy soldiers. The vast majority of the game, though, is about sniping (much like the sniper missions in the newest 'Call of Duty' games) and being unseen.
There are also a couple missions that also revolve entirely around stealth--though these tend to be the weakest levels in the game. This is mostly because of the shaky enemy A.I. At times, you will take out an enemy with a silenced weapon and all is well; at other times, in the exact same situation, you will set off alarms and the mission is ended. Sneaking is also inconsistent. As you crawl through the brush, the barest of weeds will disguise you from enemy eyes in some instances--and then you'll find that you can hide in the thickest of foliage to no avail. This can be particularly frustrating when a checkpoint is few and far between!
Another issue that came up several times during the game involved the use of ladders; climbing them was no problem, but coming back down often meant hurtling to my death. It took a while to figure out that the climbing function is designed much like games for the older Xbox/PS2: You have to back up to the ladder, hope the character grabs onto it and then head down. Again, though, these weaknesses rarely intrude on the overall fun of the game.
Summation
'Sniper: Ghost Warrior' is, for the most part, an enjoyable gaming experience. With an update to the game, it can become even better. On my first play-through, I managed to complete the game's 16 missions in 8 hours and 26 minutes. And this was on one of the easier settings. On the hardest setting, game play should increase a bit (allowing for more enemies, more stealth, etc.).
This title is comparable to such games as 'Far Cry Instincts Predator' and 'Frontlines: Fuel of War' and will provide you with hours of quality entertainment. The game is available now for a mere $40 for the Xbox 360 console and PC.
Amazon Review Score: 3.5 out of 5. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best so far for the 360. I don't have much time to write this, so this will be short...
I heard about this game some months ago and was immmediately put off when it was compared to Pikmin. While Overlord does have a Pikmin influence in that you have minions you can control to do various tasks, the similarities pretty much stop there.
First off, this game isn't "cutesy" like Pikmin is. This game is a full-on dark fantasy game full of demons, dark magic and a medieval setting. It definitely borrows a bit from The Lord Of The Rings when it comes to style, right down to "halflings" that live in little holes in the side of hills.
The gameplay takes the Pikmin style of gameplay and builds on it. You can control numerous types of minions, and they themselves can be upgraded with sworda and armor they find themselves when you send them out to smash crates, treasure chests, pots and other things. They auto-equip them too, so you don't have to waste time maintaining each minion. I'm still early in the game, but if you use a bit of strategy, at least early on you can let your minions do almost all of the fighting. I'm sure that'll change as I get farther and the game gets harder. Where the game really starts to stray from Pikmin is that Overlord is just as much a true RPG and dungeon crawler as it is a "god game". You'll traverse lush forests, meet many characters, and battle your way through dungeons as you become more powerful and your minions become more numerous.
The game also takes into account how evil your deeds are. If you kill innocents and bust up their houses and towns, they will act differently towards you. I have heard the mroe evil you play the better the game is, but I cannot confirm that.
The game has a humor element too, and if you're into the dry British humor, you'll love the storyline and voice acting in this game. If you've played through the newer version of The Bard's Tale on PS2 or X Box, you'll sort of know the style of humor you'll find in Overlord.
I have heard complaints in TV and magazine reviews that people wish the developers would have put a map in the game. You know what? I do too, but the graphics are so gorgeous that I don't mind wandering around,s laying sheep for the souls trying to find out where to go next. So far I've not had a single problem knwing where I should go next because another aspect of the game is that you, as an overlord, must build a destroyed castle that you are now calling your own. While out finding, you uncover waypoints that warp you to and from the castle. With this feature, it's hard to get too lost as you can always warp to the different waypoints from the castle.
The castle is a whole other portion of the game too. As you build it up, other rooms become unlocked. In the beginning of the game you unlock a dungeon where you and your minions can practive fighting against all of the creatures you have fought so far. You get to keep the items and "souls" you find in there as well.
I'm a bit shocked that this game ranks number 500 something on Amazon's top selling video game list. This game is THE funnest game I've played on the 360 so far. There's something inheritantly fun about sending off ultra-loyal creatures to loot, pillage, plunder and even kill themselves for you! | video-games_xbox |
4 and a Half Stars - Fun Game. Let me start out by saying a couple of things that genuinely need to be said about this game. First: It is clearly targeted towards the early-to-mid-teen male audience. Second: There was a lot of contorversy when this game came out when it recieved the "Mature" rating from the ESRB, becuase the Dead or Alive games had all been rated "Teen" and Tecmo wanted it to recieve a "Teen" rating as well so its target audience would have an easier time purchasing it. The the ERRB tagged it with the 'Nudity' mark for its reason on giving it the "M" rating. Well, whether there is nudity or not - (there isn't except for very briefly in the intro) - this game more than deserves it's "Mature" rating. Dress up one of a number of young, virtual women, (the womed from the DOA fighting series) in a nukber of ultra-revealing swimsuits and then you are free to do whatever you'd like with them. You don't HAVE to play volleyball. Wanna get them tanned? Send 'em to the pool, and rotate the camera, zooming it in and out on any part of their bodies as the lay in the afternoon sun. Buy them accessories like visors, sunglasses, and suntan oil. Have them ride their bike along the beach, or just feel free to stare at them as they swing around on a large tree branch, strectching, flexing, etc, etc.
Still, it's actually a lot of fun. The volleyball system isn't half bad considering it's not the only focus of the game. Sure, the swinging camera takes a lot of getting used - (Your character will spend an awful lot of time off of the screen if you're not careful) - but it's not a hard to deal with. Also, the game includes a virtual casino, where you can bet away your winnings from the volleyabll matches. PLay a number of different slot machines, roulette, poker, or blackjack. Then head back to you hotel room, get some sleep, and start it all over again.
Fun, Funny, enjoyable. | video-games_xbox |
IF you have the money, definitely worth it. If you have the money and want to invest in a nearly flawless gaming headset, look no further.
(Note: My review is based primarily on my experience with my PS4)
Pros:
- VERY stylish headset; could almost pass as some high-end non-gaming headphones (but the bulkiness of the earmuffs gives it away)
- High quality and feels very durable. Flexible metal, strong plastic, and cushiony leather. All in all, it screams LUXURY.
- The convenience of being able to mute either game volume and/or chat volume by simply pressing on the earmuff buttons
- The dials on each earcuff allows for precise changing of chat volume and/or game volume. This feature is great because you don't need to search the length of a cord to find a volume dial. Plus, it just feels cool turning the dial and hearing the game volume ramp up.
- Speaking of cord, there is none needed -- COMPLETELY WIRELESS. No longer have to worry about tripping over cords as I move about the room. Need to go grab that Hot Pocket out of the microwave but don't want to put in the effort of taking off/putting back on your headphones? Here's your answer.
- Assuming you find the right equalizer settings, music and gaming sounds beautiful and atmospheric.
- Gives you that competitive edge for games like Call of Duty (multiplayer)
- Plugged everything in, and was ready to go within minutes of opening (using primarily with my PS4)
Con:
- The Price (but it was worth it in my opinion)
- No way to tell what type of sound/music the equalizer settings are for; you must cycle through them and just listen to what "sounds" best
VERDICT: If you have the money and want to treat yourself or a friend, it is definitely worth it.
***EDIT FROM ORIGINAL REVIEW***
I have had the headphones for about 6 months now, and after about 4 months the headphones started connecting and disconnecting again and again from my PS4 -- making gameplay less immersive and more annoying than anything. I spent the last two months tolerating this issue. Finally, I have contacted LucidSound about this and am hoping to receive a replacement, repair, or refund -- but I will have to wait and hear back from them. I really liked these headphones while they worked, but now I would rather use other headphones for gaming. | video-games_xbox |
Namco Museum Virtual Arcade for Xbox 360 Review. Before I go further let's get the list of the titles present in the Namco Museum Virtual Arcade out of the way....
Xbox Live Arcade Games:
Dig Dug
Galaga
Galaga Legions
Mr. Driller Online
Ms. Pac-Man
New Rally-X
Pac-Man
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Xevious
Museum Games:
Baraduke
Bosconian
Dig Dug II
Dragon Buster
Dragon Spirit
Galaga '88
Galaxian
Grobda
Mappy
Metro-Cross
Motos
Pac-Pal
Pac-Mania
Pole Position
Pole Position II
Rally-X
Rolling Thunder
Sky Kid
Sky Kid Deluxe
Super Pac-Man
Tower of Druaga
Arrangement Games:
Dig Dug Arrangement
Galaga Arrangement
Pac-Man Arrangement
Coming back to review the Namco Museum Virtual Arcade after all these I'm surprised no one's conjured up the list for archival reasons...but here it is. I really like this collection though and my usual childhood classics are all here-Galaga,Xevious,Pac-Man,Dig-Dug as most of us born in the late 70's to early 80's so lovingly remember that were common in department,retail stores,restaurant/roadside diner lobbies,and arcades. Some real gems though you might not have heard of as much unless you strolled through the arcade and popped in a quarter or renting it for your home console. Bosconian was a pretty cool shooter guiding your ship that fired shot from the front and rear simultaneously. You had to...enemies came at all directions at your attempt to destroy all the space stations. Rolling Thunder was a personal favorite of mine-gunning down lots of bad guys and dodging gunfire to make a well-placed shot was crucial. Galaxian actually came before Galaga but you could see re-designing had improved the aspect that made Galaga more well known....still fun though. Motos being on this collection is a gem indeed. Your character's goal is to bump all enemies and obstacles(which reduce your freedom of movement) off the board and into a bottomless pit that surrounds the board to advance to the next level. Different enemy types with speeds faster than your character can make this challenging. Dragon Buster is another cool vertical scrolling shooter similar to Xevious. Pac-Mania I never played in the arcade in my youth but had it on my Sega Genesis. I liked the 3/4 angled 3D perspective it had and that Pac-Man could jump. Pole Position and RoadBlasters by Midway were probably the most popular racing games of the 80's. Not much to praise about the Arrangement titles other than a refreshed version of the original games which isn't bad...I'm just smiling on Galaga '88 more.
Conclusion:
Plenty of good games by Namco on this collection and the most generous/up to date so far. It's very hard to say which set is better this or Midway Arcade Origins. Both collections invoke fond memories,a plethora of enjoyment,and games have changed drastically. Ultra hi-res graphics sacrificing gameplay time and being easier to beat (on my end) really makes the old-school games have something to say in challenge. Plus all the numerous quarters you pumped into these games trying to beat...you're getting them back. We've all been down that road (regardless of system) dropping $50-$60 on a game,these games are more true to a conquest to beat than games of today. 5-stars! | video-games_xbox |
think twice about this game before getting it. i bought this game on x box live games on demand which i would suggest because its half the price. i thought this game would be fun which it was some what but not as good as i thought it would be. what made me mad about the game was the aiming i spent so many rounds on solid head shots but it was as if they were going 5 feet over their head and another thing about the game is you could spend half a clip putting the rounds center mass and the guys still shooting at you. the grenades had no damage range what so ever they could be with in 4 feet of it with no cover and not take any damage what so ever. also with the melee attcaks the guys hitting you as if its a marvel vs capcom game as in the guys hitting you with non stop combos.now my last bad thing about this game is no story line or character reprensentation what so ever you don't get to know the other soilders at all its as if everytime your fighting its with a diffrent platoon everytime. so thats my thought on the game bad wise heres the good. i liked the thought of jumping into every mission i thought the fact of you landing in diffrent spots in a mission could help you or hurt you and it was all up to you where you landed and the olny other good thing was the missions were pretty long and thats about it and the weapons upgrades were kinda cool to deal with. i forgot to add this to the bad as someone who has been in the military and know the ranks why is a colonol wearing a private stripe on his shoulder just a thought to the medal of honor games creaters you may want to check stuff like that before you start selling the game.
CONS:
aiming is terrible
computer enemy could take to much damage
you don't get to know the characters as in attitude or anything
and th ecomputer enemy has a crazy *** melee attack
these creaters don't know their ranks
PROS:
long missions
the concept of landing anywhere is pretty nice
weapons up grade weren't as bad as i thought
and i wanted to add this part here i will never buy another WWII game again from the medal of honor series in fact if the new one that set in future time isn't rated M and goods a good review i will never buy another medal of honor game ever ill just stick to the good old call of duty games which seem to actually know how to make a good FPS game. | video-games_xbox |
The Bond is sort of Broken. Given how totally awesome Rise of a Ninja was, I was eagerly anticipating this game. There are some changes in this here sequel tho'...and I gotta say, not all of them are good. However like it's predecessor, for Naruto fans it's still a big slice of ninja heaven.
Honestly this one is not as well thought out as the last one was. While Rise of Ninja was literally the "Best Way to Make a Game Out of the First 80 episodes of Naruto"... there are some things about Broken Bond that I could have lived without. This still falls into the category of a "Must Own for Any Self-Respecting Naruto Fan," but it's not as flawless as the pervious offering.
But there is some new stuff that's good. For instance you are given the opportunity of using more characters for the main quest instead of just Naruto. Which makes sense given the story, and makes things more interesting in both the quest and fighting gameplay. The fighting controls also seem to feel a bit less stiff. Also, they straight up give you the option of playing the game with the Japanese voice cast, which apparently for some people higher up on the Otaku Nerd food chain than myself is an absolute necessity. The basic mechanics of utilizing Jutsu to progress through the game, etc are still the same (which is good).
My main beef with this game is this:
In Rise of a Ninja each mission was different and was planned to help advance the story. With Broken Bond each mission is just a fetch quest with some fighting. And it's crazy repetitive. And after a while it gets kind of annoying. Like to the point where the word "insipid" isn't too far off. The context of earning the respect of the Hidden Leaf villagers helped to answer the question of "Why Am I Doing This Again?" in Rise of a Ninja. You're going to be asking yourself that question a lot more in Broken Bond...and most of the time your just not going to get an answer.
Additionally, they broke from using the actual series animation in some of the cut scenes. Some folks might like that better. I didn't. While the graphics engine makes for a great visual representation of the series animation - I wasn't feeling it cut scene wise. That's just me.
That aside, this is still a great game. All of the goodness from the 60 or so episodes from the second part of the series is in there. The epic battles are still awesome, graphics are still great, and when the game isn't making you backtrack for some inane fetch quest - it's fun-as-all-git-out.
While I recommended buying an Xbox 360 just to play Rise of the Ninja, or playing it even if you aren't a Naruto fan - I wouldn't make the same suggestions with this game. If you own an Xbox 360 and are a Naruto fan, then yes, you should totally own this.
All and all this is still a great Naruto game. | video-games_xbox |
Both Terrible and Amazing. One of the best and worst parts of Witcher 2 is the story. I, like many others, felt completely lost throughout the entire game until the very last chapter. Once I saw how things tied together and how my various decisions impacted the story it made me want to go back and see how things could have been different. This is where I think all the 4 and 5 star reviews are coming from. If you get into the story and invest in going through it a second (third, forth, etc.) time I can see it only getting better and better.
The problem is before it gets better and better it stays pretty terrible. The map is terrible. The layout of one town is terrible. Combat seems like it would be terrible but I really don't know, I went through the game on easy to try to figure out the story as quickly as possible (plus I got totally owned by the tutorial and it recommended an easy setting). The decisions you make greatly impact the flow of the game (the whole second chapter will be different depending on choices from the first) but I don't think one can really appreciate the choices made until you've beaten the game and see how everything is connected.
It seems like this game really can't be appreciated until a second play through or if you're really familiar with the story from the previous game (I was not). I really only wanted to leave a review to let other hardcore RPG loving gamers know that it's OK to not like this game so much even though so many other people do. I was really confused for a while, thought I was playing it wrong or something... lol If you're into RPG's it's worth checking out incase you end up being a part of "the best RPG ever" club. Part of the problem is all of the comments about this being the best RPG since ever. It certainly had the potential to be that and in a way I can see how some would say that (it has A LOT of replay value because of all of the possible choices). That said there are also a lot of things that could be improved. I think the more a person plays it the more they become blind to all of the flaws and the more they enjoy the story and decisions you get to make along the way.
To end on a positive, you bang just about every chick you meet and you don't have to take her out on dates or buy flowers. :)
tl;dr
Complex story. Lots of quirks. Gets better with time. Tits. | video-games_xbox |
In an attempt to bring in new fans, they may have alienated the old ones. The biggest flaw in this game is the relentless use of cinematic button mashing in order to survive an ordeal. THese button mashing sequences can seriously damage your controller. There's this one scene where you have to rapidly slam your left analog stick side-to-side, and it keeps resetting itself. In one sitting I was flipping it so fast for 5 minutes straight before it let me continue on. No way is that good for a controller! Because of the cinematics constantly disrupting your game, the game starts to play more like the Indigo Prophecy or Heavy Rain. You have zombies that can "superman" you, which puts you in a cinematic button mash, and they constantly over-run you, with ammo being very scarce; and so is stamina which is what you need to beat them back when you are out of bullets. That's what you expect from a survival-horror game; yet it made the game's difficulty feel cheap. Because of how fast the enemies move, and how they can attack you, you can't just line up head shots. With some weapons, you'll find you can easily use up a clip or two on one enemy; and you can be surrounded by 10 or more enemies at the same time. They also don't really reward you for big boss fights. You'll waste the boss, get the stroy to progress, but no skill points for your effort. You sue skill points to purchase skills, which you can only purchase after completing a chapter, or from the campaign main menu. You can only have 3 equipped at a time. These skills are expensive compared to the amount of skill points you get, and there is at least one or two skills you need equipped at all times. One keeps your aim steady, the other is for defense. They made a mistake with getting rid of the old inventory system, and the weapon upgrades. Now, essentially you have more space, but it's alloted for weapons you will pick up on the course of the campaign, and you usually have no room for health restoring items.
I do like the voice acting and the story was good; but the game felt more like a chore than an activity. It's not nearly as difficult as Dark Souls, but it's definitely cheaper in the ways that you find your self getting killed. | video-games_xbox |
Telltale revives the story-driven adventure genre. I'm not a fan of "The Walking Dead" TV show (only saw it once), of zombies (seen way too many of them over the past 15 years), or horror movies (they simply don't entertain me). Yet, this game is so well done, I rate it five stars- and this coming from a gamer who is fairly biased against its subject matter. Why? Because of the following:
The beauty of Telltale's episodic game is in its powerful narrative, its compelling use of emotion, and its unique (by modern standards) gameplay. In terms of the gameplay, it largely reminds me of the wonderful "point and click" adventures that I played on my computer as a child, where story was paramount. However, Telltale has refined the formula so that this "point and click" style works well even with console controllers, and there is a wonderful level of tension created at times, when you must quickly perform an action or choose how to respond to another character's inquiry.
The visual approach works wonders, creating a unique, comic book style that can quickly turn from colorful to frightening. Atmosphere is huge in this game, and the world is engrossing and it becomes "realistic" as you're drawn into the story and the perils that the characters face.
The story can at times have ludicrous elements (this is my lone criticism), such as when adults don't know how batteries work (or that portable radios run on them). But this is a minor gripe, and it is vastly overshadowed by a tremendous narrative that is coupled with moving music and some of the very best voice acting I've ever heard in a game. Rarely have I ever felt more connected to a character than the lovable Clementine, who even the coldest of gamers will grow affectionate of.
Combine this with many branches in storytelling that are available as a direct result of your decisions (oftentimes made under extreme duress with limited time), and episodes of perfect length (about two hours a piece for me), and "The Walking Dead" is a true winner- and a revival of the old PC adventure genre! | video-games_xbox |
Slowly getting improvements and I absolutely love it. The choice however, is purely yours. It was my personal preference to pick up the Xbox One and I am happy with my choice. In the end, if you are happy with the product, that's what truly matters.
I had both an Xbox 360 and a PS3 for quite some time and I enjoyed both of them. Now why did I get an Xbox One? I have been with Xbox since the beginning and since my Xbox 360 gamertag would move with me along with the gamerscore and what not, I thought it would make a smooth transition. (This may apply to PS as well, but I didn't have much achieved on my PS3 that would make a difference.)
Now anyway, on to the review.
The setup is a breeze and should take less than 20 minutes at most. I chose to get the Kinect Bundle because I am always on Skype and I also wanted to take advantage of the voice commands. And good news to Skype users! You get 6 months of Skype Premium for free and on top of that, as long as you have Xbox Gold membership, you can have unlimited group video chats! (unless this has changed by the time I wrote this review). I also got a 2-week Xbox Live membership with my Xbox One and it was pretty cool how the Kinect automatically registers the QR code. I found that really awesome and convenient.
I have only played TitanFall and the Destiny Beta on my Xbox One and I just loved how it looked! I also compared it to my Xbox 360 and you could tell there is a great difference. I cannot wait until more games come out for me to try on this console. (such as Halo MCC and Advanced Warfare).
Now somethings you should know:
1. You can buy the Xbox One without the Kinect for $400
2. Xbox OS may take some time to adjust to (it was simple for me because it reminded me of Windows 8)
3. If you are on the border between a PS4 and an Xbox One, I can only say my opinion and suggest the Xbox One. Unless you love the PS4 exclusives and are purely a Sony person, then by all means don't let this review stop you. Follow your dreams!
4. I can recommend this item to anyone who would like to give this console a try, but I would also suggest waiting a bit because a 1tb model is coming out fairly soon.
5. The Xbox One works more as an Entertainment system, rather than just a console. That doesn't bother me at all because I use all those extra features and I find them very convenient in my case.
In the long run, I am loving my Xbox One, regardless of the disagreements of others. It also makes a great edition to my room since I have some glossy black objects in their as well. (but that is just personal preference).
One last thing. The Xbox One will improve over time. It has had an awful crash landing but I have some hope that it will repair itself to some extent. Microsoft already confirmed some amazing performance and aesthetic updates that will roll out fairly soon so keep a lookout for those!
I tried my best to make this review for both parties (Microsoft and PlayStation supporters) and I hope you decide on what console you would like more and what would suite you best. We are all gamers in the end after all. | video-games_xbox |
A Little on the Short Side. When Quantum Break was first announced (I think as part of the Xbox Launch announcement), the concept sounded ground breaking. Not the time manipulation aspect, that's been done many times before, but the concept of connecting a video game with a live action series. Three years later and it looks like the concept lived up to its potential.
Remedy had already experimented with the idea of "episodic" games that take on the trappings of a tv series (cf. Alan Wake). But Quantum break takes it to another level. The game is broken into acts where the majority of the action as Jack occurs. After each act is a junction where you play a short sequence in the shoes of the protagonist. At the end of the Junction, you make a decision that impacts how the story plays out including the episode at the end of the act. This gives the game instant replay value because of the collectibles that unlock special sequences in the episodes and the idea of going back to see how different choices impact the game differently.
The battle sequences are passable, but not as challenging as they could have been. I frequently found myself just ducking behind cover waiting for my time powers to recharge. Sometimes there are opportunities to chain your time powers together in a way that just sings in harmony. The frustration kicks in when you see the peak of what the game can do, only to fall back into the valley of repetition. Perhaps it's my fault for playing the game that way, but the overwhelming numbers the game sends at you sometimes forces your hand. Now in a three or even four on one battle, Jack can mow through most of your standard fare opponents. And just when you're at that point, they send upgraded goons with suits that give them time manipulation powers. This is a game of escalation from the start, you freeze time, they get anti-time freeze suits, you run like the flash, they get tools that depower you if you get too close. And then there are the goliaths who you can't take head on.
In between battles there are a few environmental puzzles that require your time powers to solve. And of course there is the kick ass story which once you think you've accepted the idea of manipulating time, will still blow your mind.
All in all its a fun game. If like I said a little short (maybe that's just them leaving me wanting more...naw it's short). The story is excellent. The production value on the episodes are top notch (perhaps that explains the brevity, I remember that Microsoft originally planned to launch a film studio a la Netflix and Amazon around this title, when Microsoft backed down on the concept, it left Remedy a little short handed. Hopefully this will be a commercial success and prompt Microsoft to publish a "second season" if you will. | video-games_xbox |
Enjoyable game with replay power. if you don't want to read a long review, skip to PROs and CONs at the end. This game has it's pro's and con's, but there are few cons. the pros first. You start the game with some cash and a few shops to buy parts at. You go around and use your money to make a meager mech (or scoot vehicle as the game calls them). you can pick from three different classes, Photon (light), Holy(medium), and Aeron(heavy). They all have there strengths and weakness and are well balanced. When you make a mech, you decide what type you want and can buy parts for that type because all parts (except optional equipment) are designed for a specific type of mech. You can customize the body type, the legs(which are highly customizable because you can have two-legged, four legged, and in the case of the photon, six-legged spider-like legs as well as wheeled mechs. some are like inline skates and others are like tanks.) You also buy two arms, which can be any number of ranged or melee weapons and you can also buy back weapons, which are heavier, like missiles and lasers. (the lasers rock, by the way because ammo is a great consideration in building a mech and lasers never run out of ammo, you only have to wait like 3 seconds to charge your lasers and one stream can decimate almost any opponent in less than 2 seconds. they are, however, the most expensive and heavy weapon in the game, but for good reasons) there is optional equipment, which uses up socket holes on your main body (2-8 depending on the body type and heavy/light level of it). I'll explain that in a sec....
Anyway, you can get optic camoflauge, which makes you virtually invisible for 5-20 secs depending on what kind you buy and then they recharge for a few secs and you can re-activate them. no one can lock any weapons on you while you are cloaked. they must use weapons like machine guns and lasers to hit you. there is also armor modules you can buy to make you tougher, but they use up socket holes too. you can also buy dozens of paint jobs and decals to spruce up your mech. and you also buy a targeting and pilot assist chip, which you can upgrade as you play, making your mech even more deadly.
As you play the game, you make money depending on how many mechs you destroy without getting destroyed yourself. it's basically an arena based game where you go in, shoot 'em up, and leave when you are about to die. if you get shot down before you leave, you have to pay repair costs, which reduce your profits greatly. With the money, you can buy new parts, or even make a whole new mech. there are 10 hangars in your garage, so you can have up to 10 mechs to choose from in the game. Also with the money you can upgrade your parts. You can either make them a higher level heavy part, which will usually increase durablitiy/damage done while reducing ammo, or make them lighter, and get more ammo and a lighter piece( because all the leg parts have different weight capacities) but do less damage. you can also upgrade legs to increase their weight capacity.
the only real cons to this game are that there aren't as many parts to choose from as one would hope and there are only a few arenas to rumble in (I think only 3 arenas) and there is no mission mode except that as you play and defeat certain players you get awards and go up in rank. the object of the game is to beat the area rankers and achieve the highest ranking and own the toughest mech. You can also play 2-4 multiplayer, and even load your personal mechs from story mode to decimate your friends with ;) that's my favorite part. If you like games that have long-lasting play value and endless customizabiltiy, get this game. Hope this review helped you make a decision about Phantom Crash.
Review
PROs
1) almost endless customizability options
2) smooth gameplay
3) great graphics
4) easy yet sophisticatingly complex controls
5) fun multi-player mode with the abilty to use your custom mechs against your friends
6) Nice sound effects that don't get annoying after time.
7) cool music, with a music shop to buy tons of songs for your background music
CONS
1) only 3 different arenas to fight in within story mode, and 4 for multiplayer
2) not LIVE enabled (bummer)
3) NO CHEAT CODES!!
4) multi-player matches are quick and painful for the losers as damage is dealt quickly. (but is that really a CON? I'm not so sure). | video-games_xbox |
Short, But Sweet. This game isn't the most complex. It doesn't have the most new innovations. It isn't going to change your life. But what it is is high quality entertainment in a neat little package.
I'll just glance over a few individual topics since they've already been covered to death by everyone with a computer and an opinion already.
[Graphics]: Amazing. Best I've ever seen on a console.
[Sound]: Incredible. Turn up the volume on this one, it makes the experience much more immersive.
[Controls]: Perfect. After awhile you practically forget you're holding a controller.
[Story]: Entertaining. Not incredibly deep, but the characters are interesting and the plot moves along at a satisfying pace.
Now for the 2 biggest components people seem to disagree on.
[Gameplay]: The gameplay is Ryse is simple. There's really no way of getting around that fact. It's pretty close to Dynasty Warriors in terms of action variety. You end up using most of the same moves over and over again, but like God of War you can also purchase a few new ones from an upgrade selection menu. Some people complain about this fact which is very hypocritical when put in perspective.
In games like COD or NFS you repeat the same actions over and over again and no one seems to be complaining about that. In most cases if something is fun the first time it will likely still be fun the 500th time as well. Most people will probably still enjoy the combat in Ryse throughout the game. "Most", not all. If you're looking for something meatier with more variety in gamplay pick up an RPG and invest 100+ hours in it, cause this title may not do the trick for you.
[Content]: Some people don't seem to see eye to eye in regards to their satisfaction with Ryse's length. The campaign itself is somewhere between 5-6 hours depending on difficulty and play style. It's divided into 8 chapters, each usually beatable in one sitting. Though it may seem on paper to come up a bit short lengthwise, it feels very full during the entirety of it's story. Like the difference between a movie and a television show. TV shows are lengthy and draw attention to smaller details to fill their larger runtimes, while movies are short and sweet, usually concluding an entire story in less then 2 hours. In that regard Ryse is very much like a movie. It moves along quickly, but tells a complete story without being drawn out or focusing too much on less significant aspects of it's world. And if you do still want more after you beat the campaign you can always play through it again or try the co-op survival mode, which pits you as a gladiator fighting in the arena.
Overall I loved Ryse, even if it wasn't the longest experience it was still pretty damn entertaining! | video-games_xbox |
Excellent audio quality and comfortable; Really only for XBox One. This is definitely an XBox One accessory. You can use it with your computer or other device, but you may need an adaptor and can't really get all the features without using it with an XBox. So, if you want a general purpose headset, it's best to move on.
This is really, really for the XBox One only, and not great with other device or computer. The Ear Force comes with a microphone, but it's kind of a strange set up. The microphone is a separate detachable piece that plugs into a microphone jack in the headphones, then you plug the headphone microphone combo in with a single cable. If your computer has one single connection for audio and mic, then you can plug this directly into your computer. If your computer has separate connections for microphone and headphone, then you will need an adaptor to go between RCA and headphone jack. You can also just use this as a headphone only, and keep the microphone detached and in the box, in which case you can plug directly into any 3.5mm audio jack. This comes with a volume control box that you plug into the XBox. That lets you separately adjust game volume, chat volume, and the volume of your voice on the mic. There isn't any way to control volume other than the XBox compatible box - no turn wheel or slider on the headphone cable, nothing like that. So, to use with a computer for Skype or whatever, you will have to adjust all volumes on screen or in a control panel on the computer. That's a big loss. Because you are paying extra for the XBox compatible volume control box, and because the cabling to plug and play with an XBox, this really is best as a dedicated XBox headset.
The headphones have excellent sound quality. The padding cuts out background noise from the room you are in, and I plan to use these primarily in my office at work (not with an XBox lol) which is in a busy location just because of this - the background noise is so reduced and the sound quality is so good. The headphones are also a good comfortable fit. I do lots of Skype, online classes, and screencasting and have used a variety of headphone microphones combos. These are pretty comfortable. The padding on top did not pull my hair (I have long hair), and my hair didn't catch in any parts of this. I also didn't have problems with it sliding around. So, they struck a nice balance between staying in place and not pulling my hair.
Overall, this is a very nice headphone microphone combo. It's best when used with an XBox One, because it's optimized for that and you loose the great volume control features when you use with anything else. If you are looking for a dedicated XBox headset, this will not disappoint. If you are looking for a general purpose headset, these are nice enough for audio and comfortable fit that it's worth looking at similar styles by Turtle Beach. | video-games_xbox |
Bottom Line: Don't Waste Your Money. I think the fact that only about two months after it's release, the game was being discounted by $20 is a good indication of the problems with this game. In spite of some frustrations, the kids decided they wanted this game since "it's probably the last one since they are all going to the new platform, so it will be the best. Wrong.
First: There are glitches, and then there are programming errors. If a game does something a bit off when the kids go into a button mashing frenzy, it is understandable that games might go into a loop, or characters might get suspended in mid-air. However, if you are simply trying to edit while in the Universe mode (not in gameplay), this game periodically freezes requiring a complete reboot of the game console. About 4 months after release and no attempt at all to create a patch to fix this. If you bought a word processing program that crashed and required a computer reboot when you tried to edit a document, most would be screaming bloody murder. Cut scenes in the Universe mode are mis-programed so that in the scene, character A attacks character B, but after the scene, the characters are reversed, with B being down after the attack, and the characters misidentified (including in commentary). After the match is over, the correct winner and loser get ID'ed in the results, but these are cut scenes that actually worked properly in the previous edition, so the game developers actually went backwards. There are other programming errors, but I won't waste space listing them all, because it would take too long.
Second, and probably not the programmers fault but a WWE requirement, it seems 90% of the programming effort went toward the annual "WWE DVD release promotional module". The company is desperately trying to monetize all the old video it has in the vaults, so let's do 30 years of Wrestlemania. For those who are complete wrestling marks, this is no doubt wonderful, but many kids interested in wrestling and the game weren't even born for over half of these shows. Heck, I don't even remember some of the characters in this game. The boys inactivated over 50 of the in-game characters. Where I'm most familiar with the game is the creative area where you create new characters, since this is my "assignment" in order for them to fill their rosters. This part of the game is sadly neglected.
There was some effort to improve gameplay, and that is one bright spot in the game. There are new moves, and for the most part the characters movements are smoother and more in sync. Unfortunately, the new licensee replacing the bankrupt THQ is 2K Sports and they treat the game the same way apparently that THQ did: as a cash cow. Rather than invest in-house talent, they continue to outsource, undoubtedly budgeting a certain amount toward development, and once those hours are used up, no effort to update or correct all the problems in the game. At least they did cut the price, probably out of desperation to hit the budgeted unit sales figures. Probably in order to meet both monetary and time budgets, the company released what is in essence a defective product, and they have made little effort to correct the defects.
This review is being written after about 4 months of experience with the game, not a couple of weeks after release. Unfortunately, early reviews tend to concentrate on new features, and get written before using the product over a long enough period of time to develop a good feel for the positives and negatives associated with the product. Trust me, odds are this game will be in the back of the closet collecting dust a few months after purchase. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game. I will start by saying that Fable 2 is a great game and is worth the money. It is truly addictive and just a great time to play. Don't expect to be challenged too much though. This is one of those that you play to relax after a long day.
What I loved:
The Dog!!! - Easily my favorite addition to the game. He helps you find treasure and even fights with you. He is also adorable. You can punish him but honestly I couldn't bring myself to do it except for a few times by accident.
Keeps many of the good things from the original Fable. The music, art, and characters are wonderful and the game really sucks you in! The game looks fantastic!
You can buy anything. Economy system has been drastically expanded. Also, the mini games are awesome.
What's not so great:
The storyline feels short. This might be because you will play it all the time but at the same time there is a lot to do even after the you beat the storyline. You can complete any quests at the end of the game. The ending to the storyline feels abrupt in the sense that just when you feel like you are getting good at it it ends.
The Weapons - I have to say that the ranged weapons have been vastly improved and you will actually want to use them. However, the magic while it looks great is difficult to use especially in the heat of battle. Melee will still be the top choice but it is actually easier to use ranged weapons then magic. Also somewhat disappointing is the lack of cool weapons. I was expecting to find crazy ancient weapons in dark corners like in the original Fable. This is not the case in Fable 2. Weapons along with armor and clothing have been de-emphasized. Its easily possible to make it through the story line without augmenting your weapons and with simple weapons that you can get from any shop. Also, clothing no longer provides protection which I thought was cool in Fable. The worst thing is that you expect throughout the entire game to find these things but you never really do.
Free Roam - You can see the changes but you can't feel them! So yes, you can explore the regions a little more and hop over fences but there is not much motivation to do so and you definitely find yourself frustrated when your hero can't climb a knee high ledge. Don't expect anything like Assassins Creed!
Overall: Well worth it since its highly entertaining. You can definitely play through it multiple times since you can be both evil or good BUT the story line, just like in the original Fable, is linear. There is no alternate ending. In the end, this is evolution not revolution. | video-games_xbox |
The First 3D Online Fighter EVER. From the same people that brought you Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive 3 and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball comes Dead or Alive Ultimate, packaging the original Saturn version of Dead or Alive with a completely redesigned Dead or Alive 2.
What Makes DOA Ultimate Special??
For first the first time ever on any console-gamers can enjoy 3-D fighting online! Both games are Xbox Live-enabled, giving players the chance to test their fighting skills against a vast community of highly competitive gamers across the globe.
Why should I care about the 1st DOA???
In 1997, the original Dead or Alive was released on the SEGA Saturn, pushing its processing power to the limits. The original Dead or Alive has long been considered one of the greatest masterpieces in the series, but it was never released in the North American Territory. Now, the graphics of the SEGA Saturn version, make their first appearance on the Xbox-perfectly rendered.
But I've Already Played DOA 2.
Not this DOA 2. Redesigned on a brand new engine, the new DOA 2 boasts amazing new interactive environments that are made possible by the incredible power of the Xbox. Gorgeous new graphics, hard-hitting new fighting moves, and never-before-seen costumes were added to create the "ultimate" fighting game.
What else is there???
The new Dead or Alive Ultimate features never-before-seen episodes from the characters' pasts, revealing new details about each character. These new movies feature unbelievable graphics that will you breathless. These movies will finally answer questions such as the reasons for Ayane's birth and the meaning of the flower in Kasumi's ending. Dead or Alive Ultimate also features a bunch of brand-new costumes.
I would say if you are a fighting game fan, pick this one up. And if you are not one, this could be the game to change your mind. The online feature will now add hours and hours of gameplay. I hope to see you on XBOX LIVE!!!! | video-games_xbox |
I gave it an honest attempt. This is my first time ever writting a review, but I think people should know that this game is not what everyone says it is.
1. When I first got the game, it was frustrating trying to play when you are so used to the controls from other football games, but I fought through this learning experience and now I actually like the controls. It does take some time to get used to them though.
2. It seems that everyone is claming that this is "real football" and unless you know real football you will not appreciate it... Well, that is true to some extent. The camera angle does make it much more like real football in that you can not see the whole field all the time, but to me that is where the "real football" experience ends. The gameplay is nothing like real football. While playing games, I notice that there are WAY TO MANY SACKS AND INTERCEPTIONS! It happens all the time, not just to me (I could understand that because it takes time to learn the game), but the computer throws interceptions all the time also. You will probably get at least 3 interceptions per game (5 min quarters), and possibly many more... Now, in "real football" it is rare for 3 or more interceptions, but not in this game. Also, you will probably get at least 10 sacks in a game, and get sacked many more depending on your skills. How many games of "real football" do you see a team get 10 sacks in? And that is not from me, I play the safety position, so those are coming from the computer vs computer on the line.
3. I have run into several issues with returning a punt. For 1, I am probably not exagerating when I say 25% of the punts result in a roughing the kicker penalty from my guy running into the kicker (and I'm way back controling the returner) This happens way too much and I end up having to take control of the ends to keep them from running into the kicker for a 15 yard penalty. Not much like "real football" to me.
4. The computer AI is terrible. I was in a game where I was trailing by 2 touchdowns with 3 minutes to go... The computer did not try to run the clock down to win the game... The computer repeatedly threw passes and did not let the play clock run down... I was able to stop them and score, then stop them again inside of 2 minutes and tie the game. I didn't even have to use my timeouts because the computer was throwing the ball and not letting the play clock run down. This isn't "real football"
5. One final point. Your player falls down way too easy. If you run into the back of your lineman you will most likely fall down backwards. I haven't seen (that I can recall) my player bounce off the back of my own man to hit the hole once.
Summary: There are several GREAT things about this game, but after giving it an honest try I would not recommend it and would not buy it again if given the choice. The physics are great, the new controls are actually good once you get used to them, and I even have grown to appreciate the camera angle. BUT, there are way to many BAD things about this game to make it a "real football" game. I have come to the conclusion that people are just saying that to make themselves feel like they know football more than others. | video-games_xbox |
NFL Fever. I've been playing this game for awhile and I've decided that it's pretty good. I haven't tried the 2003 version yet, but from what I hear it has it's improvements. NFL Fever 2002 consists of several game modes. Single Games, Dynasty (basically like franchise mode), Fantasy Challenge (you play created super teams), and others.
There are some tools included in the game, such as the player editor/creator, stadium and uniform editor which allows you to edit the name, city, uniform, and stadium of an NFL team. I've been told there's a play maker in 2002, but i can't seem to find it. If you're a newbie and need help with the controls there is also a practice and tutorial mode, but many veterans will end up playing this as well because completing the practice objectives will unlock certain super teams to use in single game mode. The fantasy challenge provides a relief from the sometimes tedious constant regular football. You choose a team and play through a ladder of created 'super teams'. All of them have 99 overall ratings, but they get increasingly harder as you go along. The teams you beat in Fantasy Challenge can be used in Single Game mode.
Playing the game is really fun. The graphics are great (though helmets can't pop off from being hit really hard like in Madden) and the audio is reasonably good. Although the announcers can get pretty annoying, but what sports video game announcers can't? There are some options in the game settings which include setting the frequency of penalties, turning pass interference on/off, and turning player taunting on/off among other things. If you're bored of games where turnovers on either side of the ball don't seem a factor and the game really isn't very realistic (ummmmm, NFL Gameday maybe?) this is the game for you. You can actually intercept in this game and sometimes there will be fumbles and blocked kicks as well. Juking and spinning make a lot bigger of a difference in this game than in those past. Another cool feature I found was that if you're playing as visitor and you're beating the home team really badly, the stands will start to empty as home team fans leave. It's pretty funny.
There seemed to be a big problem though in single player game mode. If you're playing rookie and beating everyone and you decide to move up to the veteran difficulty level, prepare for a bad surprise. It seems there is a big difficulty gap between rookie and veteran. And until you get used to playing on veteran, it can be very hard to win on that level which can get quite frustrating. The dynasty mode was fun for me and if you play them long enough you can unlock hidden stadiums. However, there are some quirks needing to be fixed. It can be pretty difficult at times to manage your team's salary cap. Also, there didn't seem to be enough good players in the NFL draft each offseason, besides kickers and punters.
The trade system also had big problems. It is very difficult to get the computer to agree to a trade that you're proposing to them. For instance I decided to try my own trading experience. I went into trade proposals and declined the one in the list. Then I made my own trade. I took the same player from the team I had just declined the trade from and offered the same player from my team that they had wanted in their trade. However the acceptability bar at the bottom of the screen didn't move and still said "Unacceptable". There are still highlights in dynasty mode though. There are a variety of awards at the end of each season and the superbowl is played in a different city each year which I thought was cool even if it was sometimes unrealistic (such as having the Superbowl in Cleveland lol). There is also a good player tracking system which also displays their awards they have won along with their stats(you know 2005 Superbowl MVP, has been to 3 prowbols, 2000 Offensive rooke of the year, etc. etc.)
All in all NFL Fever 2002 is a good game that's well worth your money and will have you hooked, playing video game football for hours at a time. | video-games_xbox |
so will the real ada wong please stand up, please stand up. i hate to say it but this game is just not that good. i suffered through the whole game for the story as im a huge RE fan but even that for the most part was kinda lame. with the game overall its like they were trying to put a little something for everybody, but didn't do any one thing good.
first the combat- this area of the game was bad. it reminds of a mediocre shooter from the 90s- like passable back then but not acceptable now. the duck and cover system(if u can call it that)is just way too clunky to use all the time and i find you usually just end up shooting out in the open or running up and using melee. you have to hold down a trigger to stay in cover and then when you want to shoot over crates or around walls you have constantly fight the camera views. and for some reason when u pop up or out from cover to shoot, instead of the reticle being in the general vicinity of where you were looking at, its off all the way in the opposite direction. you can run and shoot finally in RE, but i would actually give that up and take the combat system from re5 rather than this. theres full time melee in this and you can use it whenever you want and not just knife slashes like in the old ones. that can be fun at times but it has a power gauge thats runs out and you have wait for it to power back up to use it again. and u may have seen some reviews comparing it to gears of war- ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE! so u have fair warning, don't buy this looking for a shooter of gears caliber.
the cut scenes- this game has ALOT of them and not just regular cut scenes which i don't really mind, if they are advancing the story. no they have the dopey cut scenes w/ the press this button or worse shake the control stick before the meter runs down, if not your dead. i either want to play the game my way and have full control or sit back and just enjoy a cut scene. not have these lame semi-interactive scenes that are reminiscent of rail shooters.
inventory/ upgrade system- the other things are bad but this for me, was the final stake in the coffin for this game. you have a skill set of 3 slots, and u can only equip 3 skills at a time. now u can have multiple skill set blocks of 3 but u still can only equip 1 block at a time. so u are kind of pigeon holed in mostly taking the best 3 all the time even though theres like probley 50 different skills. which include infinite ammo for each weapon type and since theres no upgrading individual weapons to make them stronger. you buy a skill to make all weapons stronger, but it has to be equipped all the time or your weapons just go back to square 1. i had alot of fun upgrading my weapons in previous RE games and opening new weapons. going back through w/ just a magnum on unlimited ammo to see if i could do the whole game bosses and all. it added alot of replayability. this new system gives me no desire to "upgrade", if you can call it that. or any reason to continue playing
spoiler alert:
story/campaign- the game is split into 4 character storys that intersect mostly in china. chris for some reason saw a few team members die and now hes a drunk who has to be dragged outta the bar by piers a new character. um chris lost jill for dead, he lost most of his crew in RE1, but now he loses it because 4 guys die??? anyway his campaign leads a team of bsaa men w/ piers as his sidekick. and btw wheres jill??
leon's campaign is very reminiscent of re4 and in some places almost a rehash of it. and for some reason leon and Helaina are immune to the c-virus gas, a whole plane is infected but they walking around like its a cloud of cigarette smoke. both end bosses in chris and leon campaigns are kinds lame theres no rhyme or reason to how to beat them, or story cannon in the campaign that would give you clues. i just found out by accident. but early into leons campaign, helaina's sister was interesting though
jakes campaign is in my opinion the most fun in the game, although the second mission in his campaign is the worst in the game(bad graphics) and they screw that up good. his end boss is one of the few times i had fun in the whole game.
ada's campaign is puzzle heavy specially in the beginning and hers is where the story starts to fall apart. who the hell is clara? and really the whole world is going to end because of a twisted love story? wtf???
anyway if you are a RE fan wait till it comes down to $20 or rent it, if not id say pass. there is nothing really here for you. | video-games_xbox |
Great Graphics AND Gameplay: Finally. First, let me say this game is not for everyone. The pace is slower than, say, Call of Duty, but the amazing graphics and replay ability make this an RTS lover's dream. The maps ( over 25 of them) are gorgeous and zooming in doesn't make them grainy at all and the units have wonderful detail. The refresh rate is fast and makes for a smooth game. Iv'e been replaying this game in the battle mode (ie- not the campaign) for four months now and it just doesnt get old.
The reviewer that likened the gameplay to rock paper scissors is only correct in the basest sense. One on one (like anti-tank vs. tank) one type of unit does win, but rarely, if ever, does that occur on the battlefield. It is always a combination of unit types used together to accomplish objectives. For example: a grouping of five infantry, two medium artillery pieces and four light tanks VS. An anti-tank pillbox 3 infantry and 2 machine gun nests. In addition, every nationality has very different types of units to produce with different prices. Combine these two aspects and you have a complex and engaging game.
So, the campaign is a bit weak and the cutscenes are really pitiful with awful voice acting. The main issue with the campaign is that it's so linear. If you lose, you must replay the same map. If you win you go onto the next one. That said. The campaign is a great tutorial that should be played fully and this can be done in one day if you like.
The community for this game is small and it can be difficult to find games during day and night. This is not so much the game's fault as it is the gamers. Once you do connect with a ranked match be prepared to have some serious fun and get beat early and often: the ones that do play alot have their strategies and they are good.
RTS games have suffered for years from poor graphics or poor gameplay. If you had a fun playing game the graphics would let you down or vice versa. Now we have a game for the console that gets both features right. Thanks Ubisoft!!!
This game will stand the test of time. Please buy it if you like RTS or even turn based strategy so developers with make more of these for the consoles. | video-games_xbox |
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