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Counter-intuitive, inconvenient, & wastes an absurd amount of your life. There are a lot of things done right with this game. However, there are a LOT of little annoying things that just make me so frustrated I have to quit playing. It'll be easier if I just list the pros & cons.
Pros: Graphics are great. Multiplayer feature is awesome, especially since Xbox One seems to have all but eliminated couch co-op games. The way it switches from full screen to split screen depending on where the characters are is nice. The customization is cool. Good amount of quests & the ability to make the game really long (we've spent 4 hours in the same city). Cool story line so far.
Now brace yourself because there are a LOT of cons.
CONS: Extremely easy to accidentally "steal" something which can ruin your ability to have certain interactions with the people you accidentally stole from. So if you want to get full functionality back you have to reload from your save point.
You can walk through a random door (even if it's open) with no signs or warnings and suddenly guards rush out of nowhere trying to kill you because you "trespassed."
Once you accept a quest or complete a checkpoint area marked on the map for a quest, most of the time the checkpoint marker DOESN'T GO AWAY. So your map is littered with completed checkpoints that look exactly the same as uncompleted checkpoints. You can supposedly toggle completed quests on & off in your quest list, but this feature is also poorly designed.
Now some of you may like wandering around aimlessly exploring a city over and over trying to figure out where the heck you're supposed to go next to finish the next part of the quest, but for a game that is already so long & has 100 side quests in every city, I'd at least like the OPTION to see the next checkpoint on the map or clear directions in a quest log that say what you are supposed to do next.
Your "quest log" is an actual text record of EVERYTHING you said in your previous conversations. No summary. So you have to read through the entire conversation just to find out what it was you were supposed to do. Particularly if you're coming back from a saved game.
I could keep going on and on (yes, there's more), but what it comes down to is the people making this game got so carried away with making stuff "pretty" and jerking around that they turned what could have been an awesome game into a counter-intuitive game filled with annoying little quirks that will make you want to quit playing in frustration unless you really enjoy wasting your time.
Side note: My boyfriend likes this game & those little things don't really bother him. He's not a Type A personality, so he doesn't mind wasting his time. So even with all of that, there is still hope that you might like it. | video-games_xbox |
An immersive experience (spoilers. Lost Odyssey was everything I had heard it would be. More than just the average RPG, Lost Odyssey gives you a intricate storyline, dazzling cinematics and above average voice acting. At times the struggles and heartaches that the characters were experiencing gave me goose bumps and made me teary-eyed. :P The skill link system of upgrading your "skilless" immortal members was unique and made the game more interesting since it forced you to keep at least one "mortal" member in your group at all times to continue expanding your immortal's abililties to make the best party combination possible. I won't say the melee combat animation was dull but compared to some of the awesome spell animations (including one called "Annihilation" where in the middle of the fight the game takes on a cinematic view as you call a giant meteor crashing onto the field, instant killing anything capable of it) the melee just couldn't measure up. The free-roam portion was very fun to me. Fully unlocked you have a large "cruise" ship that can go just about anywhere and also houses your smaller "jetboat" type ship that is submersible and can also take to the air for an unlimited amount of time. I forget the number, but there are several optional bosses (each having to do with a certain character's past or just focusing on them in general) and results in some very nice upgrades to prepare you for the final confrontation. The most challenging part of the entire game, in my opinion, was where you had to protect the ocean city of Numara from 4 rampaging Arthrosaurus' (giant, bipedal, fire-spewing, dinosaur-like monsters). It's set up like a type of minigame. The point is to keep the 4 Arthrosaurus' from reaching the walls of Numara. They each steadily progress shoreward from a decent distance out in the ocean. Even while you are engaged with one in a fight the others are still progressing. It took me 3 tries to figure out a method to kill them fast enough, and I was still only barely able to catch the last one before it reached the border. The most fun part of the game, in my opinion, was the spells ... so many awesome spell animations with great sound effects to go along with them, made it really feel like you were dishing out some monumental damage. All in all I give Lost Odyssey a 5 out of 5 and recommend it to anyone that loves RPGs, a good story and some awesome action. | video-games_xbox |
Inviting, great atmosphere,above average gameplay 8/10. I've always wanted to play this game ever since i saw in on xbox live back in 07' or so.
I played the demo countless of times i was immediately hooked into buying it.
Since i had played Kingdom Hearts, this game caught my attention with it's style,characters, & gameplay when i was younger. Sadly i never bought it, and when i did have money this game wasn't ever on my mind.
Alot of time had passed, 6 years or so, and this game's style, art design, and gameplay still stands. I truly would've been amazed if i had played this earlier.
The game's gameplay is like a timed chess or checkers board game,as in you & the enemies take turn wailing on each other but with a time limit per turn, there's not alot of difficulty in the enemies in the beginning but it ramps on the enemies quite fast. There's tons of specials and customizable(i prefer to call it changeable) weapons and clothes,potions, collectables and items. You fight, you level up, you collect stuff and if you have trouble with bosses you grind.
The story is about a bunch of cute-looking group of fighters named after musical puns. :P it's very fun for me as i'm a musician, i had recently learned alot about chopin so seeing his story portrayed so accurately was an unneeded but very welcomed addition, seeing as how one of the themes of this game is "escapism" it surprises me how accurate & real life the chopin short cuts felt.
I digress, the story further encases you to become so caring about all of these characters explaining all of there back-stories so carefully, and giving you each a moment for them. In a sort of weird wizard of oz way you start gathering teammates into your squad to try to make their own "wish" become true.
What i liked about this game where definitely the beautiful cut-scenes & art,some of the gameplay and most of the story.
What i disliked about this game was sort of the same... sadly this game shows alot of symptons of being it's own worst enemy. For example the gameplay was great, but it was very clunky, the fighters would sometimes miss and i would run out of time doing a special and then having to walk close to the enemy having no-damage to show for it (except the damage i'm about to receive),all the collectibles are basically given to you, there's no real sense of "great! i found this", it's just all there. Same for the clothes & weapons. The cutscenes drag on in battle ( i don't mind the story cutscenes), the beginning battle and ending battle cutscenes do repeat alot, so does the gameplay.
Probably the hugest problem for me is the lack of a run button, there are HUGE rooms in this game, and all your ever doing is running to all of them, so to run to a HUGE level EVERY.SINGLE.TIME you have to backtrack to solve a puzzle is EXTREMELY annoying. So is the lack of an objective button, if you don't know what you are doing, you will be extremely lost, i thought about looking through FAQs or Walkthroughs several times just because i would forget what i'm doing.
Overall, the game is pretty decent, i bought it for 40 bucks so it was absolutely worth it. Be careful though,only buy this game if you have alot of time because it consumes alot of it. And you will be escaping into another world, the game was beautifully executed, the soundtrack is great although not for everyone, the game-play is flawed but enjoyable.
I'm an action/FPS guy, so if i enjoyed this game you should atleast give it a try.
Truly worthy of an 8/10. | video-games_xbox |
Don`t Try This At Home. Burnout Revenge for XBOX 360 is nothing much more than a prettier remake version of the same game for PS2 and XBOX,yet its still a really entertaining car destruction game. This the fifth installement in the Burnout series and its just as good as the other titles in the serie,it ain`t the best but its pretty good,especially if you have an XBOX 360 you will be able to experience better graphics. Other than that Revenge is a pretty good game that will last for a good time. As you probably know by now Burnout ain`t unlike any other racer,you have to make takedowns wich means taking down the other cars around you by doing that you will get nitro or boost that will make you go faster. That is the essense of Burnout but its a fast high impact destruction and crashing game that everyone should love instantly. If you don`t like racing games,its just fine as I ain`t a fan of racers myself,this is all about killing every one and getting a good laugh about it.
Burnout is really a multiplayer game as its just way more fun playing with friends in all the types of races the game has to offer wich is a lot! There are races,crashes objectives,road rage,world crash tour and just so much,i don`t remember all but I can assure you there lots of different things that you can do and a great variety of races types.
The XBOX achievements are incredibly tough to get in this game! Most of them are to be done online and are things like win 50 races in a row,really hard things. I think the publisher made them a little too hard to achieve! The ones in the game will take some effort too as none of those achievements comes easy. Also there are a lot of unlockables as there is more than 79 unlockable cars,a bunch of trophies,levels,maps and the achievements are also really tought to get. Along with the online play this game will keep you entertained for a long time as there is just so much to do! On that department its very good,it has great replay value.
Even if this addition to the Burnout series doesn`t have much new things it still has better graphics and a great online play on the XBOX 360. Online the game allows you to download videos and make videos also and challenge opponents to be the best on the XBOX Live board. In overral online is pretty solid and worthy of playing. The next Burnout game is coming around 2008 and will be a revolution in the world of Burnout,for now you can still enjoy this excellent game that is Burnout Revenge. Nothing bad about the game except that it starts to get old after 5 games but still a great Burnout game that will keep you playing for a good while. Recommended to Burnout fans,4 stars. | video-games_xbox |
More Gears Of War. Aside from the graphics, the dodge-ball game mode, and story; there are no new gameplay mechanic that makes this game stand out from the rest of the series
Visuals are top notch, and best of the series especially with the weather effects.
Voice acting is good, although the plot and story is pretty generic. The man protagonist you play as, JD, is essentially Nathan Drake from the Uncharted Series in terms of personality. He even someone looks like Nathan with a little added weight (in facial features)/pumped with steroids with armor and better weapon loadout.
Gameplay, as mentioned before is the same. It's your typical 3rd person covered based shooter, but more refined as the cover mechanic it's much snappier than previous titles in the series. They play it real safe, as they even brought in the main protagonist, Marcus from the original trilogy to chaperone the team for 30-45% of the game.
The main campaign will last you around 8-10 hours depending on the difficulty level you play in, how many times you get a game over screen and how much you explore for collectables. Story is decent, there are some nice banter between teammates from time to time, but it's pretty forgettable after a week or so. Levels design is top notch and is what keeps you playing till the end. The 8 or so hours tend to breeze through really quickly though as the gameplay is very enjoyable. Game ends in a cliff hanger of sorts and has some loose ends in terms of plot progression, which hints at a new trilogy
There is cross play with PC with co-op, but not competitive multiplier. Guess the devs figured that the PC master race is too OP with mouse and keyboard and will screw up the balance. Co-op has optional coach split screen where 2 players can play on the same TV screen. Very good if you live with siblings or roommates so you don't have to purchase another copy of the game/XboxOne system to play together
Horde Mode is essentially the same, but with new enemy units. Very fun to play with friends.
New Dodgeball mode is very intense and exciting. Everyone gets one life, and you respawn if your teammates get a kill instead of infinite spawns that's dependent on a timer.
Micro transactions in this game is awful, as they encourage you purchase packs instead of earning them in-game (unless you like to grind). Card packs are randomized items which can net you cosmetic, class skills, and weapon upgrades. The ratio of in-game current earnings to purchasing with real world money for card packs is ridiculous. For example:
-It costs 3,500 coins ($5) to purchase a single elite pack
-A signal quick versus match nets you maybe 8 coins per match, 12-15 if you're winning and a Gears of War Vet
-You get a big bonus if you beat all 50 levels in horde mode (1000 coins), but you have to have a good team/you carry your team through most of it which last around maybe an hour and a half to complete. Beating all 50 levels is not easy task as you have to be very coordinated and is best with people you know in-real life on your team
-All packs are randomized like trading cards, so they don't guarantee you get an item you want
Game Installs:
43.18GB on disc
42.20GB Network
If you have the original Xbox One(not Xbox One S) and have high speed wireless connection, it may take you a while before you can even play the game
Overall if you want your Gears of War fix on the Xbox One, this is a good purchase. Just that the micro-transactions are a real disappointment, especially form a first party developer which may have high influence on the rest of the industry. | video-games_xbox |
Fun but the worst in the series. The game is still fun but there is no challenge at all. In all the others in the series the zombies are threatening and big crowds are difficult to deal with especially early on. With the new health system and immediate combo weapons in conjunction with how quickly you level up (Just going from point to point and fighting along the way I was at level 50 by the end of the first real case at the mall). You really don't have anything to fear and only died once because Frank got stuck and was shot to death. Zombies also tend to not interrupt your actions such as making a combo weapon, opening a object, etc. Psychopaths and humans are pretty easy to kill too and don't take much life off. Most weapons kill humans in 1 to 3 hits and their bullets hardly hurt you.
You also get thrown health and weapons to the point of having an inventory not being very meaningful. Unless it's a per-use item (ex. bullets) the durability of weapons is way high.
Inventory too is not an issue which was part of the challenge. Magazines are a read once power up so you don't have to hold on to them. It's nice that you don't accidentally cycle through your inventory to a power up mid fight. But you get distinct slots for health, melee, thrown, and ranged weapons as well as health items. It's nice to easily select the right weapon finally. Just the amount of inventory you can hold removes the scarcity of a "good" item especially given the abundance of items further reducing difficulty.
The other part is there is no time limit. Some people may like it, but it does reduce the challenge. Especially since when you rescue survivors they just run back (somtimes) to a shelter.
The game is super buggy as well:
* Crashes semi-frequently
* Some missions don't complete when you finish them (ex. After being Crazy Santa and the end dialogue happens, the game still asks you to investigate)
* Some side missions repeat indefinitely in the same play session (the same military truck keeps coming back)
* Returning from stand by mode the game infinitely asks you to login unless you restart the game
* Zombies commonly in walls
* NPCs get stuck
* Frank gets stuck on the environment
In the end, yeah, it's a Dead Rising game, but all the changes to the game left it very very easy. There's no real point to the psychopaths anymore as they are not challenging at all and don't require any strategy. They take maybe 10 hits to kill? There's also no weird nonsense psycho drama to most of them and no cut scene. It's just "Hey I'm podcast girl! I heard about a disturbance check it out.". A lot of changes were made to the series to free up the player, but it is not balanced at all with any level of difficulty. | video-games_xbox |
Irrational Games returns, and with them an unforgettable adventure. Pros:
+ Phenomenal story
+ Fantastically realized new "Bioshockian" world
+ Deep Characters
+ Tight, polished gameplay and absurdly fun (if limited) skyline combat
+ Gorgeous, creative visuals and incredible art style
+ Finally a game that knows how to end its story with style and substance
+ Paced just right
Cons:
- Low Res textures are a bummer
- Elizabeth can feel "artificial" at times
- Some frame rate loss (surprisingly not as much as I was expecting)
- That it ends, and the fact that we have to wait a good long time until the next Bioshock mind trip
I start with a conclusion.
As I sit here, writing this review, my head is spinning from the ending. It will leave you enthralled, enthused, emotional, and shaking. Bioshock Infinite, despite its lofty expectations and undeniably "sky high" promises from creative powerhouse Irrational Games (formerly known as 2K Boston), is an incredible achievement in interactive entertainment. From the incredible art style to the story, the well written script to Columbia itself, Bioshock Infinite is more than just a game on disc; it's an incredibly and thoughtfully created world quite unlike most games of today, and it's just waiting to be explored. Being a Bioshock mega fan (I've gotten my brass balls twice and just completed my 5th run), I also was worried that it just wouldn't deliver. But by the time the credits roll, my jaw hit the floor.
First and foremost, Bioshock Infinite must be applauded for its incredible story. From mysterious start to its whirlwind finale, Bioshock will "enrapture" you right away with its unique themes and stellar characters. From the zealot and main antagonist Zachary Hale Comstock to revolutionist Daisy Fitzroy, the old war dog Slate to the Lutece siblings and Alexander Fink, the story has plenty of catalysts to tell a deep and engaging story which Infinite does without a hitch. At points, it may seem like too much to process, and that is why Bioshock is so great. It warrants multiple play-throughs simply to catch everything the story is telling. There are small subtleties and twists along the way, tugging at your mind. It's a story that is heavily laced with themes as well, which transcend simple dialogue and enter the realm of art. Infinite, at points, doesn't even tell a story with words but through its remarkable visuals. Not photo-realistic graphics or dramatic over the top violence, but through its striking art style. You'll feel the oppression of this seemingly tranquil haven, the disturbing discourse of its inhabitants and the feelings towards certain concepts such as racism. By the time you reach the end of your journey, everything and I mean EVERYTHING hits the fan. (A side note: I am a Christian, and for those worrying the religious content is attacking and taking cheap punches, see through it that you reach the end. If anything it's a profound and important ending.)
And speaking of visuals, Columbia is nothing short of a looker. The world feels alive, from the propaganda-covered buildings to the way Elizabeth reacts to certain discoveries while you both slowly crawl around Columbia's cityscape. It's a game that doesn't hold your hand, freely allowing you to explore this fascinating and fantastical world at your own pace. There's plenty off the beaten path, but it never forces the player to find it. You have to be invested, curious, and interested. Playing Bioshock just to get to the next shootout is not playing Bioshock Infinite at all. Sure, you can blast through Infinite in less than 10 hours but that would be a horrendous mistake. Similar to the original Bioshock, Infinite places a major emphasis on world building and exploration as much as its story and gameplay. Voxophones lay hidden throughout Columbia, providing little snippets of lore and exposition from main characters, while propaganda and period art brings the world to life. Columbia feels a little more linear as compared to the original, but it no doubt pays off when trying to tell an engaging story. When it comes to creating a fascinating and ingenious world, Bioshock still is the reigning champion.
It wouldn't be a masterpiece without some innovations in the gameplay department, which Bioshock brings in spades. The classic Power/Weapon combo is back, but this time ups the pace of play and intensity up to 11. From your first "shocking" introduction into the brutal combat all the way up to the later battles, Bioshock's combat never dulls and is fairly challenging to boot. That being said, the combat deviates from the "think preemptively and plan" style that was so very entertaining in the original. I do miss the mechanics of that, but the trade off is a much tighter and intense combat system that finds a good balance of trap setting and all out gunfighting. The big addition is undoubtedly the skylines and skyline combat. Spectacular, visceral, and absurdly fun, the skyhook battles are some of the coolest and most entertaining moments of Bioshock Infinite, and the miracle here is that it actually works. Many were the promises of these epic and wildly fast paced battles in previous interviews and demos, and when something like this is actually made reality and it just plain works, it's an achievement in itself. Enemies will fly in on barges, utilize skylines to get the advantage on you, and you must zoom around on these rollercoaster-like rails and dispatch of your foes in some of the most memorable fights in the game. The AI is smart and deadly too, so watch out. It really is too bad that there weren't more of these moments. Hopefully DLC will add some new battle scenarios or areas that didn't fit into the game's narrative but will no doubt fit into a challenge arena type zone.
So, Infinite's story strikes the profound notes it promised, its world is incredibly well realized and stands along side of FPS greats such as City 17 and Rapture, and its gameplay is fresh and invigorating. What else is there to talk about?
Well, how about Gary Schyman's incredible original score? Just like Bioshock, Infinite's score is just as creepy, brooding and anarchist as the original but is gladly more present, featuring a combination of folk tunes and light orchestrated ambience to truly bring Columbia to life, but not without hinting at its darker secretes lying within. Contrasting the almost ethereal exploration music, Schyman's score becomes belligerent and terrifying during battles. It also adapts depending on the action on screen as well. The sound design is also incredibly fantastic, boasting and incredible array of sound effects that really bring Columbia alive with mechanic growls from megaphones alerting enemies to your presence to the "chick chick chick" as you slowly climb to the roller coaster-like skylines. Spot on audio editing rounds out the auditory experience. Voice acting peerless across the board, with a seemingly "dude-bro" performance from Troy Baker (as Booker DeWitt) at first but transforms into something unique by the end. Courtney Baker is also fantastic as Elizabeth, inflecting emotion and intensity in a performance that needed to be 100% spot on.
And speaking of Elizabeth, you won't look at an FPS NPC the same way again after having journeyed through Columbia. Living and breathing in this incredible world, Elizabeth reacts to the surroundings, is pivotal to the story and gameplay, and truly becomes a companion. Her animations are so well done that she really feels like a living character instead of a hollow and soulless character, and along with the brilliant performance from Baker, Elizabeth is the culmination of many years of work and creation, and it shows. Her unique AI does tears at the seams only slightly, but despite that tiny shortcoming Elizabeth will no doubt be a character remembered for decades to come.
Despite all of the praise, I have some gripes. Small ones to be sure, but things that shouldn't be looked over, no matter how glazed over you become while playing through Infinite. Flat textures rears its ugly head throughout the game on consoles, and while vistas and detail is profound, the same can't be said as you approach an object or sign super close. As mentioned before, Elizabeth does have a few hiccups here and there. She sometimes moves around way too much (I assume she is attempting to focus on the player's location, and the AI engine can't decide what to do), giving her a sense of a hyper curious person. It doesn't ruin the experience, but it is a little jarring as at certain points she is incredibly life like, and others feels like a NPC deciding where to stand. Elizabeth is still absolutely impressive and lovable though. A couple (and I mean only 3, maybe 4 instnaces max) bugs also pop up, such as an enemy standing still not recognizing your presence or a weird invisible wall where one shouldn't be. Despite the length of this paragraph, the flaws of Bioshock Infinite are mere scratches on its shining golden surface, and none ruined the experience, but rather sucked me out of an otherwise completely mesmerizing experience.
IN CONCLUSION:
It's especially weird to be playing this game. When a game promises so much, even more so than most developers and publishers would hope to dream of, and comes through on all of them you just know a game is good. I have come away from my play through feeling one thing specifically: satisfaction. All the time spent waiting, watching, wondering, worrying: "Will Infinite come through?" "How can Irrational top the first one?" Well, one thing is for certain...Irrational Games now has one of the toughest acts to follow in gaming. The wait has been worth it, and I can't wait for the next adventure, wherever Ken Levine and the brilliant minds at Irrational take us next.
10/10 | video-games_xbox |
It's Only Business. First off, this review is for the XB Godfather Collector's Edition which I own.
Second, for many hard-core GTA fans, they might see this as a rip-off. It's not. If anything, it's a testament to how well GTA has done its work for a game based on one of the all-time mobster genre movies.
The Godfather allows you to step into the role of a small-time crook that has ties to the Corleone family. Until his mother begs Don Corleone to help "save" him, this gangster has been running around with the "wrong" crowd. Luca Brasi is asked by the Don to help and rescue him.
From there, you begin your rise in the Corleone family. Like GTA, this game allows you to do the main missions and also pick up numerous side missions, giving you that "freedom" to run around and do what you want.
However, unlike GTA, what you do on the streets in the side missions can affect your standing in the family. You have to earn respect in this game, and that comes with experience. Your clothes can either make or break how people react to you, especially when you need to go collect "protection" money from the many businesses and rackets that are abound in the city.
Combat in The Godfather is MUCH improved over GTA. In fact, you can just go and knock people off if you want from a distance to protect yourself from bullets and damage, but your respect level won't really get anywhere if you do that. Also, rather than just targeting and pressing a button on the controller (which results in digital-button mashing), EA has come up with an innovative way of "fighting".
First, the left trigger is used to target. Next, you can pull the right trigger to fire. Nothing new there. But, when you need to use your fists, things get a little more interesting. Instead of using the right trigger to punch, you instead use the right analog stick to punch or swing a weapon at your opponent. But, it's not just flicking the stick that makes it great. Flicking it NW, N or NE results in quick hits and shots to your opponent and each makes a shot to a different part of the body. Pull back on the stick and then flick it forward results in a much harder "punch", just like if you were pulling back to hit someone.
You can also grab the opponent when you are near him by pulling on both triggers. Hold onto them to keep a hold of your enemy and use the right stick to really lay some punches on him. Or, use the left stick to bash him into a wall or whatever obstacle is right next to you. If you push down on both analog sticks, you begin to choke your victim. When you do this, you'll feel the pad beat as his heartbeat begins to slow down. The entire way you grip the pad can almost make you feel like you are in the action.
This alone makes the combat system MUCH better than GTAs and makes you feel like you are in the middle of the action. But, it's not just the combat system that makes this game work. It's the entire Godfather saga (or at least, what is in the book and the first movie) that also help elevate this game into being more than just a GTA clone.
Yes, GTA 3 was inspired by the Godfather movies, but The Godfather Game itself actually makes you a part of the crime family. Instead of using a programmer's "character", you use MobFace to make your character look how you want him to look. And, unlike GTA 3's main bad dude, your character speaks. The addition of using James Caan, Robert Duvall and Abe Vigoda immerses you even more into the game, especially when you get to partake in such pivotal scenes from the movie, including when Vito is gunned down in the streets, as well as helping Michael out when he switches his father's room. There's so much more and the play time of this game is as immense as the GTA games.
With the Collector's Edition, you get a second DVD with a number of special features. One is a video describing some tips and strategies to help you make your way to being the Don. Also are "Behind the Scenes" videos with James Caan and Robert Duvall, as well as other shorts on how the game was made.
There's also a 22-minute video with a bunch of "Hip Hop" people and how the Godfather influenced them. I was not that interested in the video and found it scary how these guys "looked up" to the gangsters and how the "Godfather" was a perfect example for them of how families should stick together. For me, the Godfather is a fictional movie that was NOT made to stress family values. But, for some, this may be an interesting video to watch.
Overall, the Collector's Edition is a nice package. But, if you're not interested in the extra DVD and want to save some cash, then getting the regular version takes nothing away from the game.
Definitely worth getting, especially if you're a GTA fan. If you're not a GTA fan, but love the Godfather, you can't go wrong with this game. Just remember; never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent for the price. This is my first pair of turtle beaches, but not my first pair of expensive headphones. While testing, I listened to game play and music. I was impressed. You may notice that I didn't buy this on Amazon and it's because I received it as a Christmas gift (an early Christmas gift)
Pros
1. Velour/mesh ear cups are comfortable and keep your ears comparatively cooler than leather pads would. Essential for long gaming sessions. I'm also a huge velour fan boy, my Sennheiser 558s have them as well. There is also some decent padding on top to keep the plastic from digging into your skull which is a must.
2. The sound is excellent. Things are crisp and clear unless one of my party has a bad connection. The highs are high but don't crackle, the mids are a bit heavy but still very clear, and the bass is predictable strong. For Gane play and even movie viewing, these sound great, but music loves may need to shallow out the mids a little bit using an equalizer before it sounds really good. They sound like I'd expect $70, closed ear headphones to sound.
3. The mic works well and I'm glad it's detachable. You can also play with the headphones without a mic connected if you just wanna listen, which is great when I'm gaming down while my roommate is trying to sleep. People playing with me say I sound crisp and strong. Definitely a quality gaming mic.
4. It's easy to use. Plug it in, update your controllers (it's essential to do all of them if you have more than one), and it's ready to use. Almost like an old school Windows driver download.
5. There is an adapter in case your controller doesn't have the new 3.5mm headphone jack. Coincidentally, my Sennheiser 558s also work when plugged into the jack, a practice I don't do often since my headphones have no mic, but it's fun to know you can plug other stuff in there.
6. In case my last paragraph wasn't obvious enough, the headphones detach from the adapter which can be left in your controller. Hell of a lot easier to detach just the 3.5mm jack instead of the whole adapter for easier storage (especially if you have cable chewing pets)
7. The cable is more or less long enough. I wouldn't use them for watching Netflix but while gaming, it's ample length.
8. They're light on your head which I liked. Just enough squeeze to keep them there without giving you a headache.
9. The various options are great. You can increase and decrease the overall volume and you can balance the game/chat volume independently so you can turn up the game (and turn down the chat) during story moments if need be and then turn the chat up during actual game play.
10. Mic monitoring (where you can hear yourself talk) is awesome. I also like that you can shut it off.
11. The headphones and adapter feel well made. They won't break unless you abuse them or if you get a faulty unit.
Cons
1. The game and chat volume requires a bit of tinkering to get right. While playing Destiny, it seems like it goes from "the game is a bit too loud" to "the chat is a bit too loud" on one single adjustment. Prepare to mess with it a bit to get it right depending on your game.
2. The padding on the top of the headband could've been a bit thicker. After a couple of hours, you can start to feel it up there. A bit more padding and maybe a wider headband could've made it a bit more comfortable.
3. I wish the ear cups were a bit bigger. Another half inch and they could be true over ear headphones. They're technically "on ear" which isn't bad, and, personally, they're the least comfortable type of headphone. Luckily the padding is ample so there's no real discomfort so no stars off. It's a personal preference.
4. It would have been nice if the cable was detachable from the headphones. As it stands, you can disconnect it from the adapter, but they remain locked into the headphones. Again, a personal preference so no stars off.
Overall, this is a great experience to have while gaming. It beats that nasty little headset that comes with the Xbox One and the game sounds phenomenal. My nitpicks are just that, nitpicks and really there's nothing wrong with these that would give me cause for concern. These are great and I'm excited to use them more while gaming. I know they're a midrange offering and that there are more expensive options, but these are relatively inexpensive and get the job done. I would recommend them.
**Troubleshooting tips**
I've seen a lot of problems here and many of them are the result of user error. It's okay, it happens. Screwing up makes you human, not stupid...here's how to fix *most* problems I've seen in the negative reviews.
Problem 1: Intermittent sound drops / not working / static / crackling sound
Solution: Make sure you update your controller software. Double tap the Xbox button, go to settings > All Settings > Kinect and Devices and update your controller software. I had sound cackling and dropouts that stopped after the controller was properly updated (yes, you have to do this for each controller if you have more than one). Xbox One runs on a variant of Windows 10 now, which means peripherals almost always require driver installs. You have to update your controller to install the "driver" (I don't think it's a legit driver but the update process acts like it) in order for the headset to work properly and your controller software to work properly with it.
Problem 2: Sound on the wrong side
Solution: Unlike most headphones/mics I've used, the mic unplugs. This means there's a chance you plugged them in the wrong way. Unplug them and re-plug them back in so that it goes the other way. Here's an easy way to tell. Look where the mic is plugged into the headphones. If the stem of the microphone intersects the cable, you have it plugged in the wrong way. The mic on this is NOT reversible. It comes out the left side and the left side only. You CAN reverse it, but then you'll have "right side" sounds coming out of the left side and vice versa.
Problem 3: Loud breathing
Solution: The mic is sensitive enough, move it out from in front of your mouth. The optimum position is having the mic either under your mouth (near your chin) or literally jutted straight out. Higher end, more sensitive microphones pick up a LOT of noise and you don't need it directly in front of your mouth to get good volume. Move it away from your mouth (again, near the chin or jutted straight out) and that should alleviate the breathing problem. My girlfriend and I both have a pair of these and neither of us have "heavy breathing sounds". You can also turn the actual, tiny mic portion at the end of the stem. Turn that away from your face. That may make your voice a little softer, but it'll further alleviate heavy breathing. Worst case, grab some foam (from anything really), a little bit of electrical tape, and rig up a DIY wind filter. Not that hard and electrical tape should come off if need be without damaging the mic stem.
That should help most people enjoy this a little more. It's not perfect but for $70, it's pretty darn good. | video-games_xbox |
Doom with a View. What's good about it?
This is simple, old school gaming where you deal out death to the forces of hell with various weapons and even a chainsaw. You can play online with a buddy in co-op mode which is really the only reason you need to buy this. The graphics are absolutely stunning. The surround sound is awesome. You'll hear activity coming from every speaker at almost every second of the game, wheteher it be hissing pipes, computerized tour guide voices, growling monsters or gunfire hitting the wall behind you. And trust me, when you're making your way through the base and all of a sudden you hear this deep laugh that makes your subwoofer rattle and the lights start to go out one by one leaving you in utter darkness, you'll realize that you may be in for more than you can handle. This is a great game to play at night by yourself.
What's bad about it?
The sounds of the weapons themselves are kind of weak. When I blast something with a shotgun, I wanna hear that sonic oomph. The weapons sound really lame for the most part (not bad, they just don't give you that bang that you'd like). Speaking of weapons, it seems to me like some of them are more dangerous to you than they are to your enemies. The grenades have a tendency to come right back to your position for some strange reason, usually if it doesn't hit your target. It's minor but noticeable. The whole idea of not being able to use your flashlight at the same time that you have a weapon equipped. It is really annoying to have to constantly switch back and forth between the light and a gun. Now, I can understand why they did it this way as the darkness in the game plays an important part in the overall effect the developers were trying go for with the game. It actually works better in the online co-op part of the game, as one of the two players usually has to be the one to hold the flashlight for the other half of the team to be able to see where he's shooting at. In the single player campaign though, it is really just annoying. Also, while the online co-op is a blast, the deathmatch portion is a little bland for my tastes. It's really just kill or be killed. It would have been nice to get some objective based gameplay but it could be that we've just been spoiled by Halo 2.
Regular or Collector's Edition, which one do I go with?
Collector's all the way. Forget the G4 icon videos, as most of us already know that id Software were pretty much responsible for the first person shooter genre. The Collector's Edition comes bundled with the original Ultimate Doom and Doom II, both of which you can play with up to four players on split screen (sorry no Xbox Live for the classics) in Deathmatch and Co-Op modes. This alone, with the addition of a nicely designed metal case similar to Halo 2's, makes this a clear cut winner.
Is this the scariest videogame ever?
Certain parts of the game are unsettling, that's for sure. The surround sound coupled with the awesome graphics really make you feel uncomfortable, especially if you're playing at night with the lights down low. The game is really dark (pitch black at some points...) and it really gives you the feeling that something is waiting around the next corner to jump out at you. The whole Hell thing in itself always makes for good atmosphere. The monsters look pretty good and when they're chasing you through the darkness and all you can see is their glowing eyes, it might even make you scream out loud, being that you aren't able to have your flashlight equipped while shooting. As for this being the scariest videogame ever, I'd have to say no. It is creepy as hell but personally, I think both Fatal Frame and its sequel, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, have this game beat hands down in terms of scares. Even the Silent Hill games are creepier than this.
Should you buy this game?
Absolutely. Great graphics, great sound and a good amount of old school style gaming with online capability make this one worth waiting for through all those delays (this was supposed to have been released back in November!). | video-games_xbox |
This is a older repaste of a very thourough ebay review I wrote. One of my firwst online reviews, my 7 year old is now 15. OK, I am just over the edge of 40 yrs old, and mostly get a kick out of trying different Xbox games to see 'what they are like'. I love trying out games when they have gone below the price of $10, which a vast majority of Xbox games have. I got an Xbox 3 years ago, and really 'let' my wife buy it (Birthday) because I knew my Son and I would have fun playing together. He is 7 now, and my regular 'visiting' of EBgames and other stores looking at the preplayed and sale games has resulted in a library of about 60 games. I have gotten pretty darn good at picking fun games for him and me during these 3 years. After having gotten BURNT by many game selections that looked great, but absolutely stunk, I am now very careful. Three examples of horrid games are: Sneakers, Turok and Dakar2. OK, I am rambling and you want to know about Freaky Flyers! Freaky Flyers reminds me a little of Crash Nitro, except you are flying various planes with different 'zany' characters. You start with about 35% of the characters being able to be chosen, and then unlock more characters as you win or proceed in the game. If you simply Google the game for reviews, you will get plenty of 'pros' giving decent reviews of the game. What I really want to offer, by giving up 20 minutes of my time to strangers I will never know, is to add that my fairly mature 7 year old really likes this game. Most reviewers don't have their kids play the games, and can only comment on what they THINK a kid will think of it. Well, I get to see not only what my kid thinks, but also what his friends think when they come over. Of the 2 recent kids that came over, both also liked it, and much time was spent playing it together and laughing. I like that there was no foul language even hinted at, and the only thing that was kind of suggestive was several female characters that were 'quite' top heavy, if you get my drift. This design 'trait' of these female characters was luckily lost on the 7 year old crowd. OK, so if my son plays this game, he will play till he is told to turn off the Xbox. This is with a friend, or playing single player. This is not the case with other games, which after a while, get changed to something else. How do I like this game, being 40+? I think its funny, and get a kick out of playing it with him. I get kind of bored of it (but not as quickly bored as I do with crash nitro), after about 20 minutes, and usually try to talk him into changing to a burnout (revenge) game, which I really have fun playing. Usually He does not bite, and ends up playing without me. I have (every 6 months or so) read through every game review on the [...] website. I don't remember seeing this game. I have no idea how I stumbled onto the seller I got it from, but I did find it. Although the reviews I read sounded decent, there really is no guarantee. I again lucked out, as my son loves the game. Do I play the game if I have time on my own? No. I did play it initially, as I play every game for a little while when I first get them. I will admit that after 3 years I have a very short attention span for Xbox games, and get a continuing 'kick' out of playing the demo games I get every month from Official Xbox Magazine. 10-20 minutes is all I need to get some fun out of a game. This is also why I really like to keep the price of a game below $10. This game delivers nice graphics. Sound & voices are great. Hope this helps! | video-games_xbox |
Dead Space 2 GOTY Anyone. Having played Dead Space 1 (DS1) I was looking forward to Dead Space 2(DS2), i was disappointed when the game was delayed beyond a Halloween release but the wait was so worth it. I played DS1 multiple times though just for the fun of it, true at times it got a little repetitive but it was still a fun game. DS2 improved on DS1 by adding new enemies plus the fact that you can use your enemies limbs as a weapon with kenisis it a welcomed addition. DS2 also improves on the DS1 storyline, it ads more characters and it ads more body than the simple get me out of here premise of the game. The mechanics of the game are pretty simple and easy to understand, mastering is a different story it takes practice and believe me through the game you will get plenty of it. The new weapons of the game are kind of gimmicky however, some are pretty fun personally I enjoyed the javelin gun, however my first round through I played using only the plasma cutter, why? Because even though there is no one gun achievement I was up for the challenge, besides it does make the game easier if you have just one weapon upgrade path to worry about and ammo drops are 90% for what you need instead of having to distribute your inventory slots and item drops between multiple weapons. Im playing through zealot right now and decided to try the other weapons and like I said some are fun but others are pointless, find the ones you like and stick with them. Dont play this like you would play a regular shooter, you cant force yourself through situations if you try that you are going to die 20 times in one checkpoint and find the game more frustrating than what it really is. If you are a run and gun type of person keep looking however if you like to strategise and be challenged by your enemies this game is for you. In general I haven't played a game this fun, with this much depth and with an environment that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on ends since Bioshock 2. | video-games_xbox |
No Sports Resort, But Closest I've Found. Lightning only strikes once, and where it comes to video games, that lightning was Wii Sports Resort. No matter how many other games I bought for the Wii, a gaming session wasn't complete without Sports Resort (and based on multiple other consumers who agree with me, I'll never understand why Nintendo didn't pursue a sequel).
I've been searching ever since for something equally as fun. Didn't find it in Kinect Sports 1, which was mildly amusing but failed to really hold my interest. But I wanted Season 2 for the basketball add-on because I LOVE basketball (specifically, free throwing, not playing an actual game so much).
Season Two has proved to be so much better, in my opinion, than One, but there's a qualifier -- I hated it until I dug out my Nyko Zoom for the Kinect. Surprise, surprise, here's a title that's actually noticeably improved with the Zoom (which I had given up on). Without the Zoom, baseball and tennis seemed unplayable because I couldn't judge when the ball was within hitting range. The Zoom fixed those issues for me, hallelujah.
Okay, breakdown by sport:
Skiing: First thing I tried. Basically shooting straight downhill, only able to shimmy left or right to go through gates. I really thought video games had come farther than this by now. It's not terrible, but won't replace my Shaun White Snowboarding titles on the Wii balance board, or the skiing on Motion Sports Adrenaline for Kinect which is far, far more entertaining.
Golf: Ugh, hated this. I played the best game of my life (-3 under par), which makes the game feel very, very dishonest and artificial because I am not good at golf. I was making shots I felt I didn't deserve, and the strength of my swing seemed to have very little to do with how much effort I was actually putting into it. Again, no competition with golf in Sports Resort.
Darts: This takes some fiddling to get used to the aiming system. Basically when the reticle is where you want it, you have to pull back and throw very quickly or it will shift again on you. But it is nice for a break between more aerobic activities.
Tennis: This is a good workout, even if it's mostly arms (doesn't seem possible to shift your avatar's position on the court, which is a drawback when playing champion level and your opponent gets you every time with a ball far opposite you that you can't get to). This was the only one I've played all three levels of difficulty so far, and I'm pleased that they do become noticeably harder.
Football: I gave this a try despite knowing nothing about how it's played in real life, and was actually pleasantly surprised. You start as the quarterback and pass to a runner, whereupon you become the runner and try to gain yards. You also get to be the kicker if you get close enough for a field goal. The game thoughtfully skips over your opponent's turn (although you never get to tackle anyone). Only bad about it is long annoying pauses while the coach hogs the screen and shows you the upcoming play, which is pointless since it's obvious who you should pass to when the green dot appears over their head. Maybe to mimic the actual pace of football games which seem to involve a lot of standing around in between flurries of action.
Baseball: This surprised me by being my favorite (once the Zoom made it possible for me to hit the ball). You get to bat, run for first (the game deprives you of sliding into home, unfortunately), then switch and become pitcher and outfielder to catch fly balls. All these activities provide nearly a full body workout, and I find myself sweating and waking the next morning with sore muscles everywhere -- this is why I bought a Kinect, to get some exercise without noticing I'm really exercising.
Basketball: Guess I should mention this since it was the reason I bought the thing. It's not terrible -- you have the same 3-point game of horse that came on Sports Resort, and a fun variation called Alley Oop where you pass balls to your teammates while avoiding passing to the opposite team (not as complicated as it sounds), but it's pretty much exactly what I had on Sports Resort minus the ability to play a game like Wii provides. I despair of anyone making a basketball game that just lets you make free throws, which I used to do at my gym until it became a life-or-death struggle with guys taking over the court and muscling me out constantly.
Add-on packs: There are 4 available. Challenge pack 1 and 2 are free, and (in my opinion) include plenty of goodies for the price. Then there's the basketball pack which you can get for $4.99, or the All Access Pass for $9.99, which includes all of the above plus I think one extra ski and golf course (not worth it, since those are my two least favorite anyway). Let me add I think it's pretty petty of Microsoft to sell parts of a game piecemeal like this, nickel and diming us when they're already richer than god, but guess they've got us where they want us.
In general, the game suffers when compared to Sports Resort -- controls aren't nearly as precise and translation to avatar movement just feels...mushy (don't know how else to describe it). As I stated in golf, the Kinect is hopeless at detecting force exerted, so everything you do shows up as full strength. But this is a real nitpick and it's a fair trade-off to not have to hold a controller all the time. I did get a whiffle bat at the dollar store to use for baseball, golf and tennis, because it still feels more natural than holding air (good thing -- I walloped the furniture once or twice at full strength, which would have been disastrous if I'd used my actual wooden bat). But I think I'm going to give Season One another try with the Zoom, might be more enjoyable.
Two other quibbles: It would be great if it would bring you back to the game selection screen and not the home screen after every single play. Also would be cool if there was a way to integrate the two seasons together instead of having to back out to the Xbox menu to change games.
I guess I'll hold onto my Wii, these aren't game-changers, but if you can get them used at a good price they're still worth your while. | video-games_xbox |
Not a single step forward from earlier versions. I can't say enough bad about this game. My son and I played 2K10 quite a lot. Head to head and taking players through the minors. We finally thought that it was time to update - get new rookies in the rosters and update uniforms. We also expected some gameplay and graphical improvements as well. Nothing.
The animations are worse than 2k10. The different animation sequences - batter leaving the box and running full steam - do not connect well at all. There's a huge jerk between the two. This seems like just a visual problem, however if you tell a batter to go to the next base and then immediately tell him to go back, the jerky animations mean you could probably go and get something from the fridge before he actually goes back (and usually gets tagged out). Fielders suffer the same problem. An infielder running to get a grounder will come to a complete stop and hesitates before he starts his throwing motion - costs double-plays half the time.
The batting interface seems worse for some reason over 2k10. After a week I still can get the timing - I cannot tell the difference between a foul to the left, to the right, or a base hit up the middle. I cannot try to hit to the right side (behind the runner) or try to pull a fly ball like I was able in 2k10.
A real waste of time and cause of aggravation.
Even the graphics aren't updated. While other games are going to photo faces, you can't make the faces of players look like anyone you know and the models don't look any better than 2K10.
Don't waste your money on this game. Buy 2k10 or maybe 11 - or else find a different game altogether.
>>>After a couple of months playing the game I remain unimpressed. I have figured out the hitting interface - but only on rookie level. The game is obviously made by people who have never played baseball. The computer continually bunts with 2 strikes, tells me to steal third with 2 outs, and other baseball foolishness. The commentary is good - however they repeat themselves over and over. For example, "He hit a homer the last time up. Last time up he hit a home run to left." They also can get behind the play and be talking about your at bat when you're already back in the field. I turned them off rather quickly. I am very upset to know that if you have an Xbox, this is the only option for a baseball game. It's a very poor excuse. | video-games_xbox |
Better than advertised, dont' sweat the small stuff. First off, I want to say for the silly goofs who think franchise is gone? It is still there, in connected careers just play as a coach...voila. I feel people don't even THINK let alone READ the prompts right inside the game itself that take the time to explain this to you. In fact, it is not only in the main screen, initial prompt when you load up the game, but also constantly at the ticker, oh and it mentions it occasionally in loading times.
So that said, Connected Careers is superb. Far far better than even I anticipated. It more than lives up to the hype. They worked on CPU logic and seemed to have got it right. For the most part it is pretty near impossible to rip off the computer and stack your team, thus forcing you to actually build a team the real way. The news hub I thought was a throw away feature, but it actually makes it very easy to see whats going on in your league either offline or online. Its just a quick check, read some fake tweets and you get the jist of what happened that week. Teams seem to build their teams a little bit more realistically. There are some drawbacks such as not being able to edit players positions or numbers....but these are minor. Players still play the same no matter what. So if you want to put a DE at OLB or vice versa. Just do it. Their ratings adjust based on what scheme. (4-3 DE's still make great 3-4 Pass Rushers) Scheme is pretty awesome, since it allows you to quickly look over what players would be good for your team and which ones aren't what you want. Scouting is phenomenal and actually a challenge. Generally if you play fair you only know if a few first rounders are true gems and you hope one falls to your pick. The rest you pick based on a handful of ratings that are important to you and hope they have quick development traits and/or high overall. This brings a sense of realism to the game unseen before. The only problem I have seen so far in the depth of Connected Careers is the ability to resign your players. This is an EXCELLENT feature added on. Rather than just resign anyone at any time, you get one or two shots and if you fail they are gone. Gone are the days as well of signing guys to cheap cheap deals at their early stages of their career. BUT, the downside? The computer seems to just resign anyone and everyone. I see aging running backs declining at 33 being resigned to massive 5 year deals. Another major problem is progression. Mainly for the computer. For the user....it is a teensy bit slow. You basically have to have your player repeatedly have iconic huge games to get anywhere. but for the computer...no players develop. I simmed 4 or 5 seasons in and Robert Griffin busted and Andrew Luck barely got any better just for a few examples. Players develop much slower. Maybe this is much more realistic, but I feel at times no one is developing so they need to almost find a way to create anomalies.
Also, you can play this all...online which is a MASSIVE upgrade to online franchise in madden 12. online franchise in madden 12 was horrendous with no salary cap, a lackluster draft, and pretty much zero depth. Well, they made good on their promise after 3 years and delivered with this. I promise if you want to play franchise online with other competitive people this game will do it for you. It meets and then exceeds online franchise kids expectations.
Gameplay wise, its still Madden. The Physics engine is much improved, but the animations still somewhat leave things to be desired. Defensive logic is great in zone still and they really improved linebacker/safety angles. Running is harder, but not too hard as you can trip over lineman. Passing actually makes you think more. Most madden users rely on slants and deep balls. Keep doing this and the physics engine will get your receivers killed. Just like they would in real life. You cant just have small fast guys in slants over the middle getting blown up by two guys anymore. they either fumble, drop the ball(most often) or get hurt. Not every time, but much more frequently than not. CPU quarterback logic is still not quite there, but they spent a lot of time putting in connected careers and I feel they had to cut time anywhere. Keep in mind, they only had one year to make this game.
In summary, from what I've played so far, this is THE best madden yet. It will definitely take some getting used to and it definitely still needs work. But take it with a grain of salt. Anytime you have a massive overhaul such as this, new bugs will arise and I believe that if they don't patch the game, next year's madden will just take the next step with this and better it. If people quit whining maybe they will get a chance to do that rather than reboot the whole damn thing every year.
On a side note, the commentary is absolutely horrendous. Turn it off or mute your television. They have about 3 phrases for every situation, use them over and over. And even reveal online to your opponent what your doing just in case they didn't notice (dline shifts, linebacker shifts, press coverage....is a big one) | video-games_xbox |
A Five Star game BUT. It can be honestly said that GunValkyrie is visually stunning. It's anime style graphics will please all. It is definately an XBOX only game (too graphically intense for PS2 and the controls were obviously designed with the XBOX controller in mind only).
The game centers around an alternate reality, where the British Empire controls much of Earth, thanks to a British scientist discovering how to harness the energy residue from Haley's Comet in the 1900s. After the scientist (his name escapes me at the moment) and the inhabitants of a colonized planet disappear, two GunValkyrie are sent to investigate.
The game itself plays out like Halo meets Starship Troopers, where you battle it out with a variety of giant insect swarms in 20 or so missions.
And now for the "BUT"
This game is NOT for everyone. It has a very high learning curve in respect to player movement - and I mean a HIGH LEARNING CURVE. All 6 buttons, both thumb sticks, and both triggers are used heavily. Once you get the hang of it, a lot of the game will remind you of classic NES games, where you have to make a long series of timed jumps (actually, they're jet-pack boosts). This wouldn't be so bad, if you did not have to start the mission over again - from the beginning - if you die (try jumping from small platform to small platform in a 3D environment while giant mosquitos are dropping bombs on you in one life!). Another way it will remind you of old NES games is that after every mission, you can "buy" power-ups.
Another intersting aspect of the game is how unforgiving it is if you don't walk, fly, and fight in the manner the game expects you to do. You will find yourself boosting all over the place to avoid swarms of giant insects to survive - mess up, and it's back to the beginning.
As I stated, this game is not for everyone. If you thought moving your character in other games was finicky, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Once you learn how to navigate, the game is incredibly fun and fluid. I think it is one of the best games ever made, but there will be a lot of people who will disagree because of the difficulty in learning how to play. | video-games_xbox |
Not as good as the PC version. Well, I'm not going to say all of the same stuff as the other reviewers, most of which I agreed with.
I did want to add a few comments, tho.
I did not agree the the game was horribly slow. The speed was just fine for me while maneuvering around the screen and I felt that if the panning across the screen had gotten any faster, I would have lost track of where I was. Occassionally, as it was going from the map view to another view, it would hang up a little bit, and that was mildly irritating, but it wasn't bad enough to say the game speed was horrendous. It just wasn't up to expectations.
I didn't think the graphics were that bad. They weren't high end, tho. What I was most disappointed by was how close I could zoom in. The controller lets you pull up a little higher, but no zooming in really close.
I wasn't a big fan of the navigation in the civilopedia. It wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't the fastest experience trying to find information.
I kind of missed the little workers. That surprised me.
And I REALLY missed the musical score I am used to hearing in the background. I turned down the volume on the advisors since the gibberish they talk got to be ridiculous, but all I heard after that was some of the sounds from the cities (production noises). I wondered at the lack of music. It really lowered the fun value to not have it there.
The navigation took a little while to get used to. Once I got it, it flowed fine.
What I really missed was the little cheater blue circles that showed the ideal place to put your cities. It makes it a little harder to decide where to put them. Kind of a bummer.
And near the end, the advisors showed up every two seconds to tell me how I could win the game (by doing this or that) and if I didn't do what they asked, they wouldn't stop showing up. That got to be a bit ridiculous.
Anyway, if you are a hardcore fan of civ, you probably won't be very excited by this version. It is REALLY pared down. There were little differences everywhere, but not big enough to warrant a $60 purchase. I think this is a good game if you want to play a quick civ game. But you might want to reconsider if not. I'll still play it, tho, since my pc version always freezes up on me. I just hope that they make some serious improvements in future versions. | video-games_xbox |
More than EATS the eye. Great potential that goes to the dump. Out of the big titles that were coming out this summer, I think I was most excited for this to come. To start off the (online) feature shouldn't count because all it is a meter to gauge who wasted the most time on this game. Good job #1 it just shows that you have no life. For playing there are not too many options. Uh well there are no options. You tasked yourself to seeking the truth about a town that becomes a town populated with zombies (oh sorry that was a spoiler). It does have an interesting plot, but if you seen a zombie movie you might as well seen them all, and this game has no difference. It's a resident evil meets pokemon snap. The game is fun for the first hour as you ignore the helpless idiots that can't help themselves to safety. There are several items to use against the zombies and you will eventually find what works for you. There is going to be several times that you are going to be tempted to throw the controller but you remember that the controllers are not cheap. One of the most annoying things that I found about the game is your inventory. At the top of the screen you have items such as a pistol, baseball bat, and an apple. When you are swinging away at the zombies with your bat you have a limited amount of times you can use an item, but if you are swinging fanatically you might use your health, and shoot your gun unwantingly. Also the people that you save are about retarded, you call for them and kill the surrounding zombies so they are not harmed but you have to indulge in a conversation first for them to go anywhere with you. The villians are about as stupid as the zombies. I also hate some of the weapon comparisons. I gave 3 direct hits to a bad guy with a sledge hammer and he buttstrocked me and I died. Oh well, I would say rent this game, don't buy like I did. I lost intrest in the game really fast, more frustration then pleasure. You might think the game is as corny as my title. | video-games_xbox |
Great for Recovery from illness. I bought this game when I bought my Xbox Christmas 2011. I am 52 years old and have an illness known as CFS aka CFIDS aka ME/CFS and also Fibromyalgia. Because of this, regular exercise would be a no no. Very slow graduated exercise is encouraged. So in my case, I have it set on Couch Potato settings and still have to walk away from it but it has me moving! The Zen Energy part is the best for my condition but it encourages me to try other things as well with the safety that I can always walk away from it and take a break!
Pros: It has different level settings for your fitness level
Fun things to do as well as straight forward exercise programs
Keeps up with calories burned if that's important to you
Cons: I would like it better if this game had a quick load and would load without you standing in front of the kinect.
For those who are energy challenged or time challenged that loading takes away from your exercise time and as you must stand in front of the Xbox to get it to load, it's the one thing that I find not "recovery" friendly.
It does have some tracking issues and scores you incorrectly in a few of the exercises.. i.e. Zen Energy-breathing
exercise
A real worthy improvement would be alternate exercises that would work same muscle groups. I am unable to do the mountain climber exercise at this time, and unfortunately your score and advancement are based on this exercise. This exercise is listed in the core workout as well as the leg workout. It is a very cardio exercise and not something that is "recovery" or "couch potato" friendly. So a choice of exercise here would be conducive to bring this game up from a 4.5 star to a 5+
I would also like to see more quotes or be able to bypass the quotes after reading them the first 10 times or so.
All in all, this game/exercise program is an excellent choice for someone trying to get in shape. I do not use the
social aspects of the game..competing with others etc because of my special circumstances but can only imagine that the support and challenge offered from others would only enhance the experience.
Thanks for reading, hope it helps. Sorry for the formatting errors...couldn't get some things to print on the same line. | video-games_xbox |
No regrets so far. I really am glad with my purchase. Took me a total of 10 minutes to get started. I've accepted the limited library at launch is iffy but with Ryse, Peggle 2, Dead Rising, PowerGolf, and that Max game that you can download from the store, I think I'll have plenty of play till the Spring and so will you. Games will pop up weekly in the store, so consider that too if you think there truly is nothing to play.
I'm liking the launch apps that you can download with XBOX1 already. My favorite download so far is Peggle 2. One of the most addicting games I've ever played, and it's only on XBOX One! The golf game you can download is a tribute or shall I say reminiscent of Hot Shots Golf and was actually very impressed how fun it was. So don't think there aren't nice exclusives on this thing! Ryse and Dead Rising IMO are must have buys too. Was very nice to see my youtube there and interested in the things that can be done with the kinect video and skype. Netflix, a nice music app and the movie app that was on the 360 is also intact. I have not tried these yet.
Doesn't seem to just be a focus on games like the PS4 clearly wants, but it's a good 2nd system for me for sure. I really like the controllers and Microsoft has PS4's dual shock # for comfort, I could go to bed with these things! haha. I recommend getting the rechargable battery for 24 bucks or so and you'll save money on batteries over the years. I love the XBOX1 dashboard. It's streamlined, and I love the things you can do with your voice. The ease of navigation is streamlined so much too, I like what they did. I'm interested in what the next wave of games can do, both in gameplay, depth and of course graphics. I think both systems probably haven't been pushed even close to their limits yet. My only downer as with the ps4, I can't play my old games on the XBOX1. I got 8 years of a library from my 360 built up and I can't play a single game on it. Not to mention all my games I downloaded on XBOX Live. That would had been the supreme icing on the cake, and would have def had this system on launch. But if you're like me and need your old games, just hold on to your 360 a bit longer. Spring looks to have a very nice lineup games coming if you're wanting to wait a bit.
Nonetheless, looking forward to the future of this system's offerings.
Beloved franchises I want to see pushed are games from the Elder Scrolls, maybe a new next gen Red Dead redemption and a truly deep exclusive first person shooter that really is out to really show us true next gen gameplay. Halo anyone? Not ready to show off the system yet to my friends until we see something like that... | video-games_xbox |
Internet system with games as a side note. I purchased the X-Box One Master Chief collection about a week ago. It was so exciting to open the X-Box One and to hook it up to the TV. That was the end of the excitement for awhile and the beginning of the horror.
1st - "Must" connect to the Internet for the initial installation of the system. No problem right! Wrong! Unable to connect to the Internet at my house. I live in the country and have satellite wifi. I had to take the Xbox One 30 miles away to my brother's house to do the setup. After connecting to DSL the Initial setup went well.
2nd- "Attempted" to download the Master Chief collection. Two days later still not downloaded. What happened? Apparently after one hour of non use during the download of the Master Chief collection, the Xbox One shut down. If the unit shuts off... No download is happening. That was the first day. Second day was spent trying to find out why the Xbox One shut down every hour. Turns out that there's a setting that shuts the unit off after one hour. You can change that setting to 6 hours or never.
On the third day the download was completed. Total time to download was 13 hours not including the time wasted when the X-Box One was off.
So I signed into X-Box live (required when you first play Halo and finally I could play for a few minutes. After boxing up the X-Box One I went home from my brothers house.
3rd- "Must" sign into the Xbox live. Again!!! It turns out that you must sign into X-Box live before playing the downloaded Halo game...unless you change the setting (while on x-box live) to offline. Who would have thought? So guess what....back to square one. So after getting The X-box online again (guess how) I switched the settings to offline. And finally me and my boys could play halo. So we thought. For some reason it didn't work. Once we signed out of X-Box live it happened again. We eventually figured it out and the "offline" setting took and we played Halo for hours. Excitement returned! I really love Halo! It is awesome! Almost got the sour taste out of my mouth from all those trips back and forth from my brothers house.
4th- final straw. My boys and I rented a DVD and went home to watch it on the XBox One. Yay! Not!!! After we put the disc in, it said that we Must, and I say again MUST, connect to XBox live to ..... Download an app....so we can ....watch a movie on the X-Box One. I write it that way because I...we were in disbelief. So that is where we stand now. Able to play Halo but not watch movies on the X-box One.
The X-box One is an internet based system that also allows gaming. The X box One is for Internet connecting first and gaming second. If you look at the X-Box One in that light (Internet first) then I would have given it 5 stars. Instead I thought the X-box One was Gaming first with connectivity to the Internet. My mistake. We brought a PS4 and we connected to the internet once. We even got to watch that movie on the PS4.
Final analysis- X-box One and the PS 4 are totally different systems. The PS4 is for gaming first with Internet if you want. and the X-box One is for internet first with gaming second. Would I recommend someone buying the X-box One? Surprisingly, yes. But, only if they understand that the X-Box One was built around internet first gaming second. I guess that's why Microsoft went with X-box One (one system for everything) instead of X-Box 720.
Maybe I'll come back and change my rating in the future. After the memories of the Internet requirements, long drives to get internet, down load times and the lack of a pre-installed app for DVD playing fades.............till then it's Halo time.
*this is an update to my original review*
After having the X-box One for awhile I felt that I had to come back and update my review. Originally I gave this game system 1 star. But, now after using it for awhile I admit it's a great system. I just need better internet to be able to enjoy more of the features. | video-games_xbox |
Better than the S Model IMO. The reason I say it's better than the S Model is that I've had 3 of the new Slim. The first one refused to read many UHD discs and the fan made a loud clicking sound. The second had the same fan issue and also even with a hardline (CAT6) cable the downloads where horribly slow. The 3rd quit working all together after about 2 weeks, luckily I had a 90 day return policy on all of them. So i just got this at Wal-Mart on clearance for 199$, yes it's the old original, but everything about it just seems to feel better to me. For one i was never a big fan of the white. The USB on the side is a lot more convenient than having it on the front, of the S model. The HDD seems faster on the original, especially when transferring games to an External HDD, which also seems to improve performance of games overall better than it did on the S. I highly recommend the Western Digital 3TB Portable (Ultra). Great drive. So yea I went back (old school) so to speak. The slightly overclocked GPU (for 4k), doesn't really improve anything, that I've seen. They say 3 to 5 framerate increase in certain games, big deal! Also the HDR just is not that impressive, and 4K content is still very scarce, mainly when streaming. And not worth it to me. I have an 8 year old TV that has as good of a picture (if not better ) then many new LED tvs.
And honestly I can't tell that much difference in 4K compared to 1080p. And I'm not spending over 1000$ to get the full benefits of it, since I'm not a hardcore gamer anyway. So as I said, i'd go back with the old model. I did and I'm very happy. For one I really still prefer the touch sensitive power button over the cheap feeling phsycial one. Also the sound when watching movies from what i've noticed far surpassed the 7.1 surround in the S. Although I think this model has that as well, but the sound quality just seems louder/better overall . Also with the orignal I get the good fast downloads i remember, up to 150/ to 200mbps download speeds...compared to the S that fluctuated all over the place. Whch I'm not sure why? So it's great for games and all your multimedia needs. Also just something about the S is very toyish, and looks like a white lego. Maybe it's just me, but I like the big black design. it's much more befitting for my entertainment center. Also it's TOTALLY whisper quiet, and runs very cool | video-games_xbox |
Smolderdash - Best of the Firelanders. I have all of the main Skylanders from each game (with the exception of a few super rare variants), and I can say that this is in the top 3 of my all time favorites, and probably tied with "Sunburn" for best of the "Firelanders".
Looks: Smolderdash looks a little dull at first in her package, but the lightcore version really adds some cool aesthetics when placed on the PoP. In game, she has a soft glow at normal, and when she powers up she looks like a blazing fire. The almost "silhouette" look of the character is bold and really stands out in the collection. Her main weapon is a firewhip which is well animated. Gotta love the hairdo!
Abilities: Smolderdash takes some getting used to at first, but once powered up has the potential to deal some major damage. At first, she seems a bit unarmored and vulnerable. She is a mid-range brawler type and has a slow projectile, so ranged attacks must be well planned and aimed. She isn't the fastest on her feet. But later she gets an ability to "jump like a dragoon" and land like a meteor dealing massive area damage, gets some upgraded armor, and gets upgraded speed. She also gets an ability to "whip" one of her projectiles and create a fire barrier that damages enemies on contact, and her ultimate attack is a flame dashing attack that deals major damage.
Value: Although the only version you can get now is the $12-$14 lightcore version, I still feel that for the money this is a worth while purchase. In fact, due to the limited amount of color on the actual model, the lightcore version really adds something for this particular Skylander. Most of the lightcore Skylanders are really only worth getting for the serious collectors, or if it is one of your favorites; but if you are going to get any of the lightcore variants, this is the one to get.
*These are not the actual values, but my own personal "out of ten" ratings*
Overall HP: 6/10
Speed: 6/10
Attack: 10/10
Armor: 7/10
Ability List: 10/10
Uniqueness: 9/10 | video-games_xbox |
One of the Few Next Gen Games that Started Out Right. I haven't played a basketball game since NBA Live 10 and I have to say I can finally see what everyone loves about the 2k games. I started out last gen with NBA Live 07-08 and I was one of the few that really liked them for the arcade feel and how easy they were to play and get though quickly so you could get through a season quickly. I did have NBA 2k7 and 2k9 but found them too clunky and hard to score in however NBA 2k14 changes everything. I know the 2k games have been well liked for many years now and they definitely did not disappoint on their next gen debut. The graphics out of the gate are nearly easily confused with the real life players and courts and also the crowd and benches and coaches look great too, especially compared to other sports games on the Xbox One which don't look as good nor are as all around detailed.
I don't care for the menus much at all or how you have to be in the game modes to access most of the features you'd normally be able to access form the front menu but it's not much of a con considering the game looks and plays great. I don't know everything about running plays in basketball but it is much easier to pick up and play compared to those older 2k games I had. It reminds me of MLB The Show in the way that I find the normal (or whatever the average difficulty is) very challenging and the higher up ones nearly impossible to be competitive in. I am getting better on whatever difficulty I'm playing on and I do like the challenge as it seems it's not one of those games that are super easy to master even on the hardest level.
The only mode I've tried is the Season mode but I've only heard good things about My Career and I'm sure it will be even better next year and more features will be added back in. I'd like to see a bit more lines added in the commentary so I don't hear the same ones over when I'm playing as the same team but compared to other sports games this commentary is on a totally different level and sounds much more authentic, flows better, and has more emotion than other games. Again I'm sure in future releases it will get even better.
NBA 2k14 started out great with the stellar graphics, gameplay, and realism so I'm sure all the future editions will be among the best experiences in sports simulation games. However I don't buy most sports games every year and since this one is so good I might not be interested in NBA 2k15 or might buy it used a lot cheaper. If you love NBA though this game is worth it and from what 2k has shown so far NBA 2k15 and all the future ones will all be worth getting as well. | video-games_xbox |
Pretty good with one complaint. This is my first new hockey game since NHL 06 for the PC (which was horrible) so my rating might be a little higher than the game deserved due to how long it's been since I played a good hockey game.
AI
As others have stated the AI isn't the best ever but it can be surprisingly good at times. For my team my only frustration was expressed before which is teammates are not very willing to crash the net or set up a screen for a point shot. I was disappointed by how bad the opposing AI was on the break away. I had them score more often from bad angle shots than they did on 1 on 0 or 3 on 1 breakaways. This let me artificially increase my pressure on the forecheck since I knew I probably was not going to pay for over committing.
Penalties
As in every NHL game I've ever owned I am always the least penalized team in the league and get the fewest power plays even with the sliders maxed.
Season Mode
Computer will make really bad trades without cap limitations and make a lot of them. I wish that there was a slider for trading frequency instead of just on / off.
Franchise Mode
I'd like the option to set the cap. I'd also like to see the different levels of restricted free agents with offer sheets etc.
Be a Pro Mode
It takes way to long to build up attributes. I suppose that is realistic but I don't want to wait 3 seasons before my player is good. Also, since the game pushes your line it gets kind of silly. I'm on the 3rd line and getting more time than the first line ....
Buying stats
Since I play offline this doesn't bother me but I'm guessing it is part of the reason that player progression is so slow in Be a Pro.
Gameplay
With all of the different sliders you should be able to find a combination that feels like hockey to you. I in no way use a set up close to the defaults but I found what I liked by noticing things I didn't and adjusting the slider before the next game.
Conclusion
If you are someone who is a hockey fan and hasn't gotten a dose lately this is worth checking out. Since I didn't play NHL 09 I can't make recommendations to people who own it because I don't have the comparison. | video-games_xbox |
DISAPOINTING. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Resident-Evil-5-for-Xbox-360/dp/B0022SSB0O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360</a>
I guess, I am the only one who was disapointed in this game....yeah, in "gamer" population,"old lady here," just barely got hooked on the "Slayer" series a couple of years ago, so a little behind the times. I don't play too many games, to be honest,I am hooked on Resident Evil series BUT... after the long wait what happened to all the friendship and spooky, spooky stuff going on???
In otherwords lots of action and great graphics with little thought given to the creativity and personality which is what hooked me to the series, especially 4. Couldn't put it down. With lines like, " One very important question,got a smoke?" "Got gum." and "Hang on Ashley I'm comin for you." etc... made me like these guys right off and groan when they were killed. Loved Luis, Leon and Ada. Hate to say it but when one of our heroes dies in 5 it's, "Ah well, what's on the tellie?"
The weapons in 4 were much clearer and easier to see and easier to purchase and I miss the dealer too. The bad guys have no personality like they did in 4 remember the villagers? Remember the bugs and how dramatically they died, or the blind guys with blades on their fingers...I used to even feel sorry for them and the giants because they were given a character, not just thrown out there, the stone dragons in the blaze, everything thought out, clearly presented with it's own personality...what happened? We loved to hate the Elf and Krauzer, they had personality enough to get into their characters. Now we are given black wormy things over and over that become boring. Even though the graphics are good I'd rather play 1 as opposed to 5 at least it has the personality and feel of the Resident Evil series which, in my opinion, is lost in 5....what happened guys? If you fired someone get them back...and bring back Leon and the arms dealer and you could always put a twist on it and bring back Luis as a zonbie.... good, bad guy like Spikie..... it's an idea...anyway 5 compared to 4, in my opinion, just doesn't get it. | video-games_xbox |
HALO: Redefined 1st Person Shooters and the Future of Gaming. HALO
Before the Xbox if you mentioned the company Bungie, unless you were a mac user and an avid gamer, pretty much nobody would know who you were talking about. Now, with the release of the Xbox and Halo, Bungie is a household name.
One of the first games to be released on the Xbox, Halo has set a new standard in the worlds of both 1st person shooters as well gaming in general. No longer will we be happy with console game that have pathetic AI, poor lo-res graphics, and no replay value. Halo is a game that overstepped all the bounds that used to be considered the 'norm' of console gaming.
It's been suggested many times by many people, including myself, that you could buy an Xbox, just to play Halo. It's that good. The single-player campaign is exceptional and multiplayer will keep you coming back for more, along with 15 of your friends.
The single player campaign does have a few issues, one of the biggest and most commonly brought up is level design. What one has to realize is that Bungie was under enormous pressure to get Halo released very soon after the Xbox was that they literally ran out of time, and because of this they were forced to reuse previous levels. This really doesn't take away from the overall greatness of the game, it's simply another reason to look forward for the anticipated release of HALO 2. This time Bungie has been given all the time they need. The release date is "when it's done" (though it's believed it should be out by April 2004).
Multiplayer Halo, as I said above, will keep you coming back for more. There are so many gametypes and game settings that you can have literally hundreds of different game schemes. Supporting up to 16 players using four Xboxes and TVs, this can lead to some very good games. Be warned though... the better you get the longer your games will go. Don't be surprised one day if you realize that you just played a 3-capture 'Capture the Flag' game... for 5 hours.
With Halo as good as it is and Halo 2 just around the corner, if you are going to buy an Xbox, just buy Halo, you will NOT regret it. | video-games_xbox |
Disappointed. I'm generally very happy with any online purchases I make. I always make a habit of researching the products I'm interested in before I buy. It works pretty well for me.
Before I go any further, I'd like to clarify that my issue is with the product, and not any form of customer service from Amazon.com. That having been said...
I expected more for my money. I purchased the Z6a headset back in February. During the first two weeks, they were FANTASTIC. Crystal clear audio, excellent microphone, and the most comfortable headset I've ever used. On week three, I was in the middle of playing a rather intense game of League of Legends when I heard a sharp crack near my right ear. I took the headset off to inspect it, and the right earpiece had snapped in half while it was sitting on my head. It was not dropped, kicked, thrown against a wall, or worn during a bar fight. Dismayed, I contacted Amazon to have the item replaced. "No big deal," I thought. "Things happen. Maybe it was damaged in shipping or something." My headset was purchased from PCrush Outlet. Many sincere thanks to them. They told me it wasn't a problem, and to ship them back to be replaced. Two weeks later I was the proud owner of a new headset. PCrush didn't send me a refurbished item or tell me that I needed to contact the manufacturer. They sent me a new headset. Awesome.
Two months later, the same thing happened. Playing a game and hear a crack. Once again, I inspect the headset. This time, BOTH earpieces have cracked and are dangling by the cords. This time I contacted Turtle Beach. They said to send them in for repair.
Let's stop there. PCrush sent me a NEW headset, and the manufacturer wants to repair the current headset and send it back to me. Turtle Beach's policy also states that any repairs will be completed using refurbished parts. WHAT?
I'll continue...
Turtle Beach also told me that once they receive my headset, that I can expect to wait about one month before the repairs are finished and my headset is sent back to me. This is because of the ESTIMATED WAIT TIME. Am I to understand that their repair department is so backed up that it is going to take them one month to repair my headset? How many people are having this problem, anyway? The Amazon vender sent me a NEW headset and I had it in less than two weeks, but Turtle Beach takes a month to install refurbished parts? That doesn't sit well with me.
This is one dead hero short of a Greek tragedy. The actual sound hardware is unparalleled. I want SO BADLY to like these headphones. They sound so good that I can't warrant giving this product one star. But the cheap plastic holding the earpieces to the headset prevents me from giving them more than two stars. A shame, really. A small piece of metal as the support bar instead of cheap plastic would improve these headsets dramatically. | video-games_xbox |
Wow. My god this game was crazy. I got it the Monday after it came out, and I haven't stopped playing it since. It's definitely an improvement on the first, and the first is STILL one of the best First Person Shooters out there. There are very few things I disliked about the game, and them so minor that I didn't even notice them until after I was done playing for the day. I'm gonna seperate this for everyone, just to make things easier to read...
Overall:
Sweetness. Pure sweetness. The new weapons are some of the coolest weapons I have ever seen. The plasma sword is the ultimate of melee weapons, and is so fun to use. Walk up to someone... Whack! And it's all over. Then the SMGs are just fun as anything. One gun spits out 60 bullets in less than 4 seconds. And dual weilded thats 120 bullets in your enemies face before they can even see whats shooting at them. The physics are more realistic than the first, and probably any game I've ever seen. The SMGs recoil keeps making you adjust for them, the Battle Rifle reacts exactly like a real rifle would, trust me, I've shot many of them. The one thing that probably impressed me most was that the Warthog respond EXACTLY like a real car would while it was spinning, or flipping, etc. Every time one wheel touched the gound, the spin would change accordingly. You could pull out of what would normally cause you to fall out by controlling the wheels right while flipping. That just impressed me a lot. Being able to drive the Wraith now, and having the new Covenant Spectre are just two bonuses. Having four people riding in a Spectre, one driving, on on gun, and two riding on the side, those two people with a rocket and a shotgun, while assaulting Blue base in the middle of a 16 player CTF game was probably the best time I've had in any multiplayer game. And the graphics are beyond anything I've ever seen. Destructible environments, boarding vehicles (REALLY fun if done right) are just awesome additions. Overall, this game is awesome.
Campaign:
The storyline is awesome. And the cliffhanger at the end made it a perfect set up for the next Halo. I'm not gonna reveal any more about that for everyone who hasn't played the game yet. Anyway, it's a 15 level campaign, even if its more like 13 levels, because the first two aren't really levels, more like tutorials... But from the start of the third level the action begins. The Covenant fleet finally arrives, and they're boarding your station. while playing, you can interact with your allies more than ever. You're able to swap weapons with them, giving them your rocket launcher, or plasma sword. But it's realistic- you can't give a grunt a plasma sword, or a rocket launcher. The enemy AI is some of the best I've seen, moving at the right times, taking cover, giving out orders to eachother. And the chatter between people during battles is a very nice addition. You'll hear them screaming out warnings and insulting the Elites right to their faces. And the levels aren't repetitive AT ALL. You'll encounter the same things once or twice, like a barge, but it's a different situation, with different people and different guns. And its not near enough to have a repetitive feel. And co-op is fun as anything. During Co-op there are more enemies, and more vehicles, all suited to match the extra player in the game. The campaign mode is one of, if not the, best I've ever seen.
Multiplayer:
Wow. This just blew me away when I saw it. The levels are extremely detailed, and you can set up traps for the other team. You can roll and explosive barrel in front of a door, and when an enemy walks through it just blow it up, damaging or killing him. Or you can push that same barrel off a ledge onto an enemies head as he walks by. The vehicles have weak spots that make them all fairly even to use. And the levels themselves... Wow (again). They are never exactly alike, one base to the next. But they are always very fair, or built to suit the map. On Zanzibar, one team attacks from the beaches, while the other defends a base. We had some really cool D-day simulations on that. And with four teams going its a real deathmatch. We had a 4v4v4v4 slayer match going, and it was like having small squads working together. Two teams would gang up against one, then procede to destroy eachother. And on FFA slayer, one person can get into the side seat of another's warthog, even if they're on seperate teams. And once in there he can help the person, or turn to the side and whack the heck out of the driver. And boarding your friend's vehicle, then proceding to run him over with it, is one of the funnest things I've ever done.
This game is DEFINITELY worth your time buying. It's the best FPS game EVER to come out, and it probably won't be topped for a while. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent action game. Dead Space was a very good 3rd-person action title. The graphics and controls were top-notch and very slick and really drew you into the experience. This is very much carried over to it's sequel with even more impressive gameplay and action but unfortunately, like the first Dead Space doesn't quite feel like the survival-horror game it's trying to be.
The story of Dead Space 2 picks up three years after the events of Dead Space 1 with now fully-voiced Isaac Clarke on a space station breaking out of a mental institution and fighting through waves of monsters on his way to finding out the truth about his condition as well as the outbreak. Making Isaac a talking hero was a wise choice on the developers part as not only is the voice-actor giving a top-notch performance but it gives us a personal connection with the hero. The overall story itself is good sci-fi thriller with some great (and psychological) twists and turns but somewhat lacking the personal connection to events we had in the first Dead Space. It's really the story of Isaac losing his sanity that keeps us engaged.
Like I said before, the gameplay was already rock-solid in the first Dead Space but it's even more refined in this sequel! Isaac is even more responsive as you shoot, dismember, punch and stomp your way through hordes of monsters! The gameplay flows so naturally and even the zero-gravity moments feels easy to control. There's stasis and telekinesis you can use in combat too, but I only found myself using them in puzzles. While stores and workbenches make their return you have to hunt-down schematics of weapons and armor before you can buy them, so always keep an eye out.
Also, with the gameplay taking place on a space station we see some pretty varied level designs and some great action set-pieces (a particularly memorable one early on on a train). The graphics in these levels, as with the gameplay carry a polish that we rarely see in games today (with zero slowdown!). I doubt there will be a patch for this game anytime soon as there doesn't need to be one.
As I mentioned in my opening Dead Space 2 like Dead Space 1 is a terrific action game, but doesn't quite live up to the survival-horror genre it's going for, mainly in that these games really aren't that scary. While there's definitely a sense of unease in the game filled with some moments that might make you jump (along with some disturbing hallucinations) it's never what I'd actually call SCARY. While I died plenty of times I never once was afraid to press on, in fact I even found myself chasing monsters into unlit hallways and secluded rooms.
While the horror elements of Dead Space 2 fail to live up to the scares it promised the gameplay elements and polished graphics make it a terrific 3rd-person action game! It's a good twelve hours of gameplay (spread across two discs) and I was more than happy to start another play through unlocking better armor and weapons. Dead Space 2 is a must-play for any Dead Space fan and anyone looking for a great action-experience! | video-games_xbox |
Solid, Affordable Headset. PDP has been making headlines for a few years now for making solid, affordable headsets. This was the primary reason I got excited when the opportunity came up to review one. I certainly was not disappointed.
The Afterglow 5.1 headset is, at first glance, solidly built. It accommodates even my rather-large head, and is extremely well-padded. I could see how this thing might feel bulky to someone with a more reasonably-sized cranium, but I really appreciated the fit and feel.
It's worth noting, at this point, that I am using this with my PC. Afterglow is kind enough to provide all the cabling you're likely to ever need, but the provided instructions are unfortunately sparse for PC users. PDP assumes PC fans are likely to grasp how to configure their own audio, it seems. It's a shame, given how detailed the other instructions are. Sadly, the PC section even redirects readers to the PS3/Xbox 360 sections of the instruction booklet, despite the fact that only two steps in either procedure actually apply. It's definitely an oversight, in my opinion.
The instructions harbor another gap in information - how exactly to pair the headset with its wireless dock. I was able to figure this out through trial and error, but some, less experienced (or perhaps less stubborn!) users are likely to be left in the dark. Nevertheless, after some playing with Windows' sound mixer, I got the unit up and running.
The audio is spectacular. Honestly, the sound is probably worth the cost of admission alone. This headset, if it's not providing true 5.1 surround sound, does an extremely good job of convincing you it does. While I am not convinced this headset will completely please die-hard audiophiles, it certainly impressed me. Regular users, like myself, looking for something to play immersive games (I tested it with Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and found myself physically stressed by how realistic this headset manages to make tank shell explosions sound), or listen to music are likely to come away extremely impressed.
The mic, sadly, does not fare as well. The sound comes off as barely above the quality of a cell phone. While it's far from the worst mic I've ever used, a purchaser might expect a little more.
Other strange glitches occurred with the hardware. I found myself unable to change the color of the LEDs on the sides of the unit until I performed a full reset of the device. I suspect these are fringe cases, however; I've had no issues with the unit since.
Let's recap, shall we? It's a solidly-built, beautiful-sounding headset with excellent noise reduction and neat, gimmicky LEDs. Those looking for the best mic in the headset world may want to think twice, but if what you're hunting for is great audio at a competitive rate, look no further. | video-games_xbox |
A glitchy Masterpiece. Every single time I played this game, I experienced some sort of game halting glitch, whether it be the game freezing, an endless loading screen, or falling through the ground. And after every glitch, I would haul myself off the couch, restart my console, and enjoy another 3-4 hours of gaming nirvana. That's right, I don't care in the least that this game glitches more than any game I have ever owned. It doesn't matter that the graphics may actually look worse than Fallout 3's. It is irrelevant to me that on two separate occasions my auto save file was corrupted, forcing me to replay as much as 5 hours of gameplay. Fallout New Vegas is that much fun.
For all of this games many technical faults, it is still one of my favorite gaming experiences, ever. The story is excellent and engaging. I found myself playing hours more than I had originally intended just so I could learn more about one of my many interesting companions. I lost even more hours promising myself that the hill that I was cresting in pursuit of the unknown was the last one for the day, knowing that I had to know what was beyond the next hill.
There are hundreds of hours worth of gameplay in this game, and that is before you even get to the DLC. You will feel a connection to the character you make in this game that is hard to match because it isn't what you say that defines your experience in this game as much as it is what you do. Your gameplay experience will be unique to you, and the way the Mojave Wasteland reacts to your presence is up to you to decide. The freedom the game offers is staggering, and early on, almost overwhelming. The amount of replay value is almost frightening.
If you can look past the dated graphics, constant glitches, and considerable load times, you will find one of the deepest and most rewarding gaming experiences you can find anywhere. An instant classic and a must buy. | video-games_xbox |
Arguably the best co-op game to date. Here's why. Overall, if you love co-op games, you'll enjoy this. If you like co-op military shooters, this is a must have in your collection. I haven't completed the single player campaign yet, but so far, it's enjoyable. Intense firefights mixed with visceral military story telling make for a fun romp. Otherwise, it's pretty much what you'd expect. I do LOVE the ability to customize loadouts prior to each campaign. That's a nice twist. This review is more about the MP. First...
THE CONS:
Graphics are weak. Character movement and the environment are amazing, but look weak. I'm a huge BF3 fan, so graphics are hard to compare (nobody does warfare outside like DICE). Graphics can ruin a game for me, but this falls WAY short of that. Think Homfront. Visually, that's where I put GR:FS. But that's where the similarity ends.
The servers haven't been the most stable. Many games can have 15 second lag. Yes, 15 seconds! You can get kicked out of games randomly (due to "server unavailable"), and Host migrations are common. That said, I was told the developers are working to improve the servers and decrease the drops. Not shocking, but still frustrating.
Weapon leveling is a little slow. This can be argued as a good thing, though. Sometimes it's nice to master one weapon before moving to another. But, if you love your choices, this won't be for you, especially initially. Individual weapon customization, on the other hand, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. You can customize EVERY aspect of the weapon (e.g. trigger, gas system, muzzle, etc). I haven't messed around with it enough but it seems good.
Kinect features STINK!!! Personally, I think Kinect is the most over-hyped, under-performing piece of technology of the new century. You can customize your weapon 10 times faster with the controller than with the Kinect. You'll probably turn it off like I did. Only Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 have effectively integrated Kinect and that only due to voice commands!
There are other petty annoyances, but these outline what I consider to be the most irritating.
THE GOOD:
Co-op, co-op, co-op! Play the lone wolf and you will die. Try to be the one-man army and your team WILL lose. And to encourage co-op play, GR rewards you like no other game to date (that I'm aware of). Comparison: in BF3, if you spot an enemy and he dies, you get 10 points and the guy killing him gets 100. Hardly fair since he probably wouldn't have killed the enemy without your help in the first place. In GR:FS, if you spot an enemy and he dies, you get 200-300 points and the teammate actually killing the enemy gets 50-75 (plus potential bonuses for headshots, stopping streaks, killing from cover, etc)! I've completed many a round with the top score having hardly shot a single bullet. This may sound boring to some, but surprisingly it isn't, especially when you hear in your ear "I see him," from a teammate then watch the enemy take a bullet and stagger to his death while your teammate closes with "got'em." The occassional "thanks" is nice but redundant.
Play is very tactical. This is a negative for some, because many (if not most) FPS gamers just want to drop in, run around like a chicken with its head chopped off, firing round after round, getting kills, getting killed, hizzah! That's COD or Halo. And that's fine! Those are 2 incredibly fun franchises to play. BF3 introduced a greater level of tactical/strategic play, but GR takes it to a "whole 'nother" level. The cover to cover dash feather is spot on; definitely reminiscent of Gears of War, but more valuable and deadly. The ability to see incoming enemies while in third person cover then ambush them is intense (and frightening when you're the "enemy" making that mad dash). So you take your time and plot your next move, waiting for engineers to throw sensors or pilot their UAV into the battle zone. What if the enemy throws a sensor in your area? Never fear, your teammate tosses an EMP grenade to take it out. MOVE OUT!
CONCLUSION:
Don't get this game if you're the kind of gamer where frustration leads to "rage quit." Don't get this expecting to dominate like you do in the umpteenth installment of COD. And please... PLEASE... don't get this if you don't plan to "play nice with others." Use your mic. Party-up with people using their mics and you will dominate as a team. AS A TEAM! I've already met many wonderful gamers and shared many wonderful victories and wallowed in self-pity after many defeats only to strategize our next approach.
There is so much I have surely forgotten to mention, but one thing is for sure: this is a must have for any serious gamer who loves the enjoyment of cooperative play.
I'll see you on the battlefield... but you may not see me.
"BOOGERWOOD" | video-games_xbox |
A mixed bag. This was my first Tales game, and after completing it, I am not sure about wanting to pick up another one. I did not hate it, and was able to enjoy some of the redeeming qualities of this title, but as soon I started to enjoy myself, the game would interrupt that with something annoying. Here are my thoughts on the overall quality of this game.
Graphics: This is the first thing that anyone will notice. Simply put, this game is an Anime come to life. Almost every scene when inside a town or a dungeon looks likely a beautiful cell shaded work of art. The main characters, NPCs, monsters, and the background scenery is so well modeled and perfectly lit, when the actually hand animated cut scene movies kick in, the graphic quality actually goes down. The over world is not drawn quite as well as the scenes in the town or in a dungeon, but it's still quite pretty. The only complain about the graphics is the battle scenes. The get to be a little too hectic and effect heavy in my opinion.
Sound: The sound design is passable, the music seems soothing but generic, and not too many sound effects to hear. The voice acting is pretty good for Yuri, not bad for Rita, Raven, and Estell, and pretty annoying for Karol, and sometimes Judith. The NPCs are a hit and miss. I also notice that some scenes were silent with just text, while others were fully voice acted. No idea why that would be.
Gameplay: The battle system is very deep, but in the end I ended up using only 10% of the functionality. All of the different types attacks, moves, and skills were rather much to learn, with new things being thrown at you every few minutes the entire first third of the game. If they had streamlined this to half as complex as it was, we would have lost nothing. The game was also quite easy at most times, with no need for anything to do but spam physical attacks with Yuri. A lot of the dungeons near the end also got very repetitive, with unnecessarily maze like construction, not much variety in enemy types, and just constant grind to get to the main boss. The more interesting ideas were used in the first part of the game rather than the last. I clocked in about 70 hours by the end of the game.
Story: This is where the game was the weakest for me. I felt that there was very little motivation to keep going forward at times, other than the fact that I wanted get my money's worth out of the game. The story started out well, but a real menacing villain never emerged. The cut scenes also felt very pointless at times with no development. How many times do you have to ask the princess what do you want to do, we know she is always going to chose coming with us and not stay behind. How many time do I have to seek out party members all around town to have them rejoin. How many times do I have to hear the same nonsense about aer, blastia, adephagos, and whatever else they were babbling on and on about. How many skits without any substance do I have to endure (i know that they were optional, but I kept pressing the back button, hoping a good one will come along). The story did not get interesting except during a handful of moments, and then it fell into a rut again.
Overall: Interesting artwork, and decent characters, but nothing else to set itself apart from any other JRPG out so far. Not compelling enough to go back and play a second time through. If they had thrown out all conventions and gone out on a limb, it would have been a much more intersting choice. | video-games_xbox |
Great game. This is a cool game, and when it's set on Easy, our 4 year old has loads of fun playing it on a rainy day.
Even though it's NTSC, it plays absolutely perfectly on our Xbox in NZ, (where PAL games are sold). All you need is a NTSC capable tv, which I'm pretty sure they all are these days anyway.
Although you can clock the game with the 3 characters supplied, you can't open lots of the gates for the extra minigames etc, so one downside is the extra cost of buying more element/ability characters. The good thing is though, that you can use all your older characters from Spyro's & Giants (but only some of the SwapForce characters work on the older games). So if you want to get into every area of the game, you really need one character from each element (magic, fire, water, undead, tech, life, earth, air) and swapforce characters with each ability (sneak, teleport, rocket, bounce, speed, climb, dig, spin), you can get these by buying 8 swappable characters from each element making sure they all have different abilities, or if you already have older Skylanders with each element, then just buy whatever swappable characters you need, but there are still 8 abilities to get! what a way to make money Activision!! We bought most of our characters second-hand.
In the game, there are some gates that require dual-elements to open. You can either use the swappable characters to make up the dual-elements, or just connect your second controller & play as 2 players with the right elements to open the door, then the 2nd player can just drop out at any stage :D
We have come across one bug, in SharkTown where you have to defeat all enemies to get the battle gate to open, DON'T let them fall into the ooze to die or the gate will not open, just defeat 'em all yourself lol.
Anyway, allround it's a cool game, probably more for the young, but I'm in my 30's & it's def my kind of game lol :D | video-games_xbox |
The complete package. As technology advances, the expectations for video games has risen to outlandish heights. If a game is to be a single player, offline experience only, then it had better be huge, with plenty of replay value. If a game is designed for online play, then it must feature a ton of modes, maps, and incentives to keep the online community coming back for more months (and sometimes even years) after release. The amazing thing about Halo: Reach is that it has both!
The single player game is solid. The story is well crafted, and really hits great heights in the latter half. For Halo fans who enjoy the mythology of the Halo series, this story will not dissapoint. The gameplay is tight, and really hasn't changed since the first Halo game. New weapons, vehicles, and armor abilities have been added (although duel wielding has been removed), but the core gameplay is still as sharp as when the first Halo wowed the world. One new concept is teamwork, where in previous Halo games Master Chief was a lone wolf hero, in Halo: Reach you play as Noble 6, the sixth and newest member to Noble Team, an elite team of Spartan super soldiers whose job it is to protect planet Reach. Noble 6 is your character, and you can customize everything from armor, color, emblem, and even gender. Throughout the 15 hour campaign, you'll encounter all types of friends and foes, from the citizens who need your help evacuating from a burning city, to the fearsome Elite Covenant soldiers who are hell-bent on your demise. The most fleshed out off all is Noble Team, all of whome have unique personalities and are brought to life with amazing facial animation and voice acting. In addition to a fully realized world filled with believeable characters and an engaging story, the level design is the best in the series. Halo is known for massive battlefields, and indeed that is what Halo: Reach does best. The game also features some welcome new vehicle levels; one in particular that has you dogfighting in outer space is especially fun. Multiple difficulty levels ensure that no matter what kind of gamer you are, you will have a good time. Legendary mode is now harder than ever, and provides a real challange for anyone who considers themselves hardcore. My only gripe with the campaign is that checkpoints will activate even if you're dying, and I've already had to start a level over several times because a checkpoint kept respawing me the moment as I died, making progression impossible. Besides that little nitpick, the campaign is fantastic.
Firefight, if you're not familliar with it, is Halo's survival mode, where you are placed in a single map and are tasked with fighting wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies in an effort to rack up a high score. It is a supliment to the single player mode that will keep you playing long after the credits have rolled. The icing on the cake is that Firefight is fully customizable, allowing you to set every detail of a game, from what enemies appear, how much health they have, how accurate they are, to fun stuff like invincibility, invisibility, and infinite ammo.
Multiplayer in Halo: Reach is the most robust I've seen in a console game yet. Two players can play split screen through the camapign and in Firefight, and up to four players can play co-op online. Playing 4 player co-op makes the already amazing campaign even better, and Firefight was built with 4 player in mind. If co-op isn't your thing, and you prefer human competition to artifical intelligence, Multiplayer Matchmaking is more your speed. Jump online and battle it out with up to 16 players in all kinds of modes ranging from simple Slayer deathmatch to Invasion, an objective based big team battle. There are plenty of maps to play with, and even an improved Forge map editor that lets you design and edit objects on top of existing maps for an endless number of varaitions. The best new addition to Multiplayer is the Psych Profile, that helps to match you up with like-minded players. Like talking trash and running around lone wolf style? You can set your prefrences up for that style. Like polite conversation with your teammates who play to win? Also possible. I have found my experience online to be more enjoyable than any other online game thanks to the type of players Halo: Reach's matchmaking sets me up with. It is the way all matchmaking should be done.
Halo is the most complete package I've ever played. An engaging single player campaign that's worth the price of admission on it's own, a robust multiplayer suite that will satisify every type of gamer, 4 player co-op support for campaign and firefight, and the ability to customize your character, firefight, multiplayer maps, and game types all work to ensure you won't get bored anytime soon. Truly, Halo: Reach has it all. | video-games_xbox |
An Amazing Game. A Beautiful Presentation Of A Special Edition (Dark. Let me start by saying that my version of the dark edition is from gamestop; the only difference is the keychain. The rest is exactly the same.
First, the Dark Edition review as a package and goodies...
Wow, I haven't seen such a beautiful package in a long time and I can tell CDPROJEKT put some thought into it, because it shows even before you open the box. The outer shell is 12.5" long, 6" tall and 4.25" wide, so it is a big box. It has a clear sleeve and that's where the "ART"starts, behind the clear sleeve, you have a 3D sculpture, of the unmistakeable witcher Wolf , carefuly painted. The outer shell, just like the sleeve, is seethrough, with the Wolf behind it, with a touch of colour to make it look like a foggy window. Simply beautiful.
That's just the box. Once you open it, the second surprise; the ART BOOK, hard cover with 231 pages of both in game and concept art. A true piece of art. Next, the making of DVD (interviews, etc) a good source of info and a good way to get to know the dudes at CDProjekt. Also included, a soft cover Quest Handbook, which should be good starter guide for those who have not played the PC version, to get to know the main character, Geralt. Next, the awesome looking medallion, made of heavy metal (probably iron), with a very long chain, very detailed. Inside the game case, there's 3 discs; one is the original game soundtrack and the other two are for the game. There's also a game manual and a map...btw, for the gamestop version, there's also a witcher wolf keychain.
Now, the game. I won't spoil it for anybody, because I truly believe this is such a gem of a game, that every single 360 owner should experience on his/her own. A work of art in graphics, sound and story. The graphics can't be maxed out as the PC version, but CDProjekt has done an outstading job, a beautiful looking game; the voice work is outstanding and the controls have been built from the ground up to fit the needs of the 360 pad, this IS NOT A CHEAP/LAZY PORT.... The story, as many of you already know, and without going any deeper into it, again, no spoilers, has you in the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, whom posseses both sword and magic skills. The story begins with Geralt inside a prison cell, from where he will tell the story of past events....a great journey awaits, choices are followed by consequences, so think about your decisions.... I won't spoilt it, but I will tell you this... if you are still on the fence about this game. GET IT. You won't regret it. A true master piece. You will get endless hours of play time out of your purchase. Be warned however, this game deserves its M rating. So children should not be playing this. Also, if you played the PC version, like I did, do yourself a favor, do not compare graphics, the PC outshines the 360, but rightfuly so. The 360 does not have the horse power that dual or triple SLI/CrossFire high end PCS have. Still, the game looks amazing, given the limitations of the present console generation.
In conclusion, if you want a game that will challenge your mind, punish/reward your decisions, a great story with plenty of politics, sensuality and countless hours of play time, then this is the game for you.
A final note. KUDOS to CDPROJEKT, they have done an outstanding, beautiful job. Bravo. Simply.....Bravo.
P.S. If you want an opinion about the Dark Edition and its price...I can tell you, it is worth every penny. BUT, seeing how this edition was sold out and now is available through third party vendors, I would only pay and extra $40 for it tops. | video-games_xbox |
Exceeded my expectaions. I've been playing Halo since Halo:CE on the original Xbox. The story had me hooked and the multiplayer kept me busy for many-a-weekend growing up. I wasn't going to buy this at first since Battlefield 3 has been eating what little free time I have. But after the reviews came out I had an impulse buy moment and longed for my beloved Halo to take the spotlight again.
First off all I can say about the cut scenes is "WOW". 343i did an excellent job. Jaw dropping detail.
I would say this game is more true to Halo:CE with some noticeable differences. First thing any long time Halo fan will notice is the sound effects. All the guns sound a little funny. Especially the pistol. Not really a minus but just kinda weird. The Warthog sounds like it's about to blow a gasket and constantly stuck in second gear. Second is that grenades seem pretty weak. The blast radius seems to be reduced significantly, which takes a little getting used to if you use them a lot in your play style.
I'm enjoying the campaign and the focus on the Chief this time around. The new guns are pretty fun and I'm enjoying the new outlook on multiplayer. That's what will keep me playing in the long term anyway. There seems to be a lot to explore. The sense of wonder and discovery is back. The only minor annoyance I have had with this series as a whole is that there's no way to customize the button layout other than what they've already provided.
So far I'm pretty impressed. But I'm not sure if it's due to the low standards I had for the game or if it's as good as people say it is. I do know that I'm having fun and that's really what matters to me.
Update 11/13/12: After the initial excitement has worn off here's where I stand on this game.
Single Player:
Finished the campaign. It was alright. It ended rather abruptly IMO. I'm planning on playing through it again to make sure I get all the terminals but there wasn't a whole lot of explaining going on. Hopefully the terminals and spartan ops fill in the gaps. I guess they need some reason to make 2 more games.
Spartan Ops:
I found this this to be enjoyable and again the cut scenes are amazing. I can't believe we're getting this for free. It's great if you want to play with friends and only have an hour or so. You can also rack up the points faster to level up your spartan. Firefight was more fun IMO but I think this could evolve into something really fun too.
Multiplayer:
I've always enjoyed Halo's multiplayer and it's always been a lot of fun. Reach was fun, but I lost interest after about a year. I got sick of playing the same maps over and over again (seriously the voting system was cool at first in Halo 3 but I'd rather be forced to play different maps than have to play Ragnarok 5 out of 6 games) One of my biggest pet peeves with the Halo series is that, with the exception of Halo 2, map packs have been pretty much worthless. I bought them for 3 and for Reach and I think those maps ever got voted for like a handfull of times. Waste of money if you ask me. The maps on Halo 4 have been pretty fun and seem to be balanced well. So far there isn't a map that really stands out as being the "Classic" Halo 4 map. Ragnarok is fun, and believe me you'll get to play on it. But that's a remake so it's nothing new. I feel like they are missing a Blood Gulch or Sidewinder type map. And the guns...the UNSC guns sound soooo bad. WTF is up with the BR? Did 4 years in Halo time drastically change how the gun works? It's almost painful to listen to.
It's nice to control my load out and It adds a bit more strategy to the mix, which this series has been lacking of late. But seriously, I can't pick up grenades unless I equip that ability? So lame. I love the ability to sprint at all times. It makes all the difference. I have found though that I pick a load out that works for me and then just stick to that like 90% of the time. No real need for experimenting. The random weapon drops are a nice touch to help reduce the sniper spawn camping. Also no big team battle? There's big team slayer, but that's not the same. Where's the big team capture the flag? Big team assault? etc? It seems like everything is pretty small scale at the moment, which can be nice but gets old kinda quick. Grenades are still pretty weak, unless you equip a certain ability...I wish there was more visual feed back as to the points you're earning when you get kills or an assist or whatever. When stuff does appear on the screen it's a little small and gets lost in the mix. It's a small nitpick but since they are pushing this points system it would be nice to see how I'm contributing a little better. Glad to see they still have the announcer guys voice though.
Overall I'm enjoying it. But maybe because I'm "maturing" or whatever but it doesn't seem to have the same pull that Halo 2 had for me. I find myself wanting to play something else after a little while. The UI is a lot clunkier than other Halo games. I think Reach had the best UI. Is it fun? Yes. Should you buy it? Well, If you've enjoyed any of the Halo's of the past then you'll like it. It's an easy "pick up and play" game and right now is a good time to jump in while people are at more of an even starting point. If not then there's nothing here that will change your mind. Hopefully soon they will start adding more game types and some community driven maps. And the sound effects...oh, dear. Right now it's a little bare bones. It's a good game but nothing to really make it stand out from the crowd. | video-games_xbox |
step back from other ac games. ok so let me first say that i'm a big fan of the assassins creed games. Ac2 probably the best, Ac1 probably the worst. but they are all good is just based on which is better with this series. So when this game was about to come out it looked just amazing. the trailers were some of the best i've ever seen. It made it look like you would be in these awesome battles and so on. well lets start with Missions: just boring really, like i said it looked before the game came out that you would be in these awesome battles, not really, more on the side of the battles. a lot of running to certain places and yea nothing much to say just no good missions that are fun maybe a hand full, maybe. Characters: no good ones i would say, no good dialogue. they aren't important to you as the player, there is just nothing here. And when you have bad characters and bad dialogue then the cutscenes become completely annoying, and there are alot of cutscenes in this game. Loading times/screens: just wow, everything you do is a loading screen i swear. go into a store there is loading, when hunting then skinning,loading, before and after every cutscene,loading. so yea a ton of loading and like stop times, like when you wanna change your weapons. Now those are like the biggest problems to me. here are just some other issues: the way they made the map is very weird i don't know what it is but it just doesn't look right to me. the navigation is pretty bad, horses suck in this game, you can't go to a city from your ship, you have to go the certain place to fast travel which makes no sence cause you have your own ship. you can't put your hood down when ever you want, just at certain places conner just puts it down.there is a very complicating way to make money that i gave up on doing. and of course bugs but usually there is that in games but a little to much in this. Now there are some good things like the controls and gameplay are pretty good, the moves conner does are awesome. the graphics are pretty good. so yea really those are the only real good things about this game. so yea this isn't like the worst game i've ever played or something, its just not that good of a game. its worth 20 bucks but thats it, not the 60 bucks i spent back when it came out. oh and multiplayer is ok fun at times but gets repetitive. just got the forth game its awesome. | video-games_xbox |
More of the same?! I'LL TAKE IT. Ahhhh, back to the wonderful world of Borderlands! I LOVE this franchise and can't wait to continue playing throughout my remaining years (hopefully a LONG time?!). I started with the original, and while I really enjoyed that game, Borderlands 2 took it to the next level with Handsome Jack! What a phenomenal character that guy is! Well, he's BACK! This time we see the story that took place BEFORE Borderlands 2. Hence the title, "Pre" Sequel.... We see Jack as a low level Hyperion employee that just wants to be a big shot and how he transforms from that cowardly guy to the maniacal genius we grew to love in the 2nd installment! It's almost like watching Walter White's transformation to "Hisenburg". Man, I love Breaking Bad! Anyway,.....
The game is basically the same as before. We have four new characters to play as, each having their own skill trees (as before). We also keep the "Badass" ranking system from the previous installment. This time, however, we have the added "bonus" of an O2 Kit, or as it's called in game, an "OZ" kit. This add on distinguishes how much air you can breath while out in the open world and not inside a "breathable atmosphere". Which brings me to the physics of the character's movement. This is where the game differs from the previous versions. You move around the world just as you would imagine someone in a space outfit might move. Well, maybe a bit easier/quicker, but none the less. While this IS technically something that you'd expect (being on a moon and in space) it's not something that I particularly enjoyed. I felt that at times, it slowed the game down a bit. However, at other times, the jumping mechanics helps out. It's a catch 22, in my opinion. That being said,..it's NOT a deal breaker by ANY means!
I've finished the game once and found it to be just about the same difficulty as the previous installments. Now, starting True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM), it seems to REALLY bump up the difficulty! It doesn't feel like I'm simply going to the game with a higher level character and battling equally leveled enemies. It actually seems REALLY difficult compared to the first playthrough. That is a good thing (in my opinion), as I did enjoy the difference in the two.
This game has been my least favorite of the three titles, simply because there's really nothing new to excite me. The new that IS there didn't bring anything particularly "fun" to the game. That being said, the Raid bosses AND shift keys/gold chests remain as well and those ARE fun!
Final Verdict: This is a MUST HAVE for any fan of the series. There's also a Season Pass available that promises all continent by September 2015. So there's DEFINITELY lots of replayability! | video-games_xbox |
A terrific blend of action and stealth. Splinter Cell : Pandora Tomorrow is my first real time stealth experience in gaming. And the experience is truly satisfying. Ubisoft has maintained its high game quality over the years and Pandora Tomorrow is no less than a remarkable achievement. If you are new to this sort of gameplay like I am, then read on...
You start out as Sam Fisher, an uber elite hi-tech soldier cum spy, working for a top secret organization called Third Echelon. Within that, you are a secret entity known by the code Splinter Cell. Together with a few covert allies, you infiltrate, search, gather intelligence and if need be, 'dispose' off your enemies who could adversely affect the United States. In short, you are one silent bad-ass....
The story is fairly coherent in concept but disjoint in terms of character-building. You are after a shadowy Indonesian guerilla group headed by an enigmatic terrorist called Suhadi Sadono. Your task is to find out what he is intentions are and how his actions it could impact the free world. And if his plans bear fruit, you actions would proceed accordingly from infiltrating to liquidating and protecting some vital 'assets'.
It is not so much the story as the gameplay that keeps the game moving forward. Splinter Cell falls neither into pure action genre games like Serious Sam or Quake, nor does it fall into the RPG genre like Morrowind or Neverwinter Nights. It lies somewhere in-between. If you have played No One Lives Forever, where you are required to be stealthy in certain levels, then think of Splinter Cell as a game encompassing all the characterisitcs of those levels, but with greater attention to detail and flexibility. What you get is a magnifcent blend of pure action ,subtlety and tension. Absolute, rivetting tension.
Graphics, Gameplay & Sound
At almost every stage you are required to perform actions by being in the shadows. Darkness is your best friend. And to help you acheive your objectives, Splinter Cell has the most advanced lighting system in any game to date. You have a visibility meter which indicates just how much you are exposed to light and if you are careless enough, you would attract unwanted folks to your presence. The secret to Splinter Cell looking so good is that the shadow lighting effects are all real time and every object casts its won image on other objects in the environment. And any change in the environment will invariably change the objects of that environment. For instance Sam would alert his foe to his presence if he say, blew off a lamp. The guard would patrol the area for sometime and then resume his duty. If Sam does the same thing over and over, the guard could eventually sound the alarm because too many lamps are were blown off for no reason. Hence the true tension comes when Sam has to understand and make use of his surroundings. The graphics is magnificent, showcasing the real power of the Unreal engine that drives it. Sam himself looks great and has different costumes to suit different locales. All look really cool with the all black costume looking especially awesome. But the best part of the game is when Sam stomps onto bushes in the dense foliage, they make way for him and then spring back and sway about just like in real life. That effect is worth every penny I put into buying this game. It is brilliant, to say the least.
The gameplay has a cinematic feel to it. Really. Sam is utterly believable in action and his movements are jaw-dropping. He can run, stroll, roll, jump, flank or sneak upon an enemy with a cat like grace that is unseen in other games. And add to that, the various sounds of the game are executed with extreme care. All lush locales have ambient natural sounds while the indoors have that clautrophobic roomy atmosphere. Very authentic.
The game does not have a replay value though, but you'd love to handle Sam once in a while to re-live the tense moments. But put your efforts into the multiplayer mode which is superb in concept and has the same characteristics that made the single player so enriching.
Some cons: Since Sam moves around from region to region, you'd expect his foes to speak native language. It ain't so, and that takes away a lot of authenticity. Also your enemy is rather blocky and less detailed than you. The story is a bit dull in the middle. The game could be really frustrating at times owing to the limited save option in the XBOX.
Overall:
Barring aside the cons that shouldn't stop you from enjoying Splinter Cell, I suggest you buy this game. It should be in your collection of game classics. On an XBOX, Splinter Cell looks fantastic, achieving photo-realistic levels. Add to that, you are part of a community that has pushed the stealth franchise to a new standard of gameplay. Splinter Cell: PT isn't ground breaking per se, but it takes in all the vital elements that makes this genre so good and adds unmatched lustre to it. Enjoy | video-games_xbox |
Driving missions are aggrivating, but overall a great game. When Driv3r came out, people were expecting flawless driving physics, and 'Dukes of Hazard'-esque gameplay. What the game turned out to be, in my opinion, is much better than what I expected, although it is far less realistic than I had anticipated.
It's almost as if video game magazines and websites have been paid-off by Rockstar Games to say as many terrible, generalizing things about Driv3r as they can. I'm going to clarify the untrustworthy comments by these publishers by saying this; Driv3r is mediocre in its mission mode, but kicks ass otherwise.
Driv3r could be considered better than GTA just because of the many outstanding features it boasts. The mission mode is pretty standard; run through levels shooting moderately intelligent enemies, and chase after those enemies in cars. I think the mission mode is the lousiest part of the game, but what makes this game one of my favorites are its free-roaming and replay editing modes. In the free-roaming mode, your character is allowed to explore 3 vast, extremely detailed cities down to the very last street corner. The player can hijack any vehicle he/she wants to (as opposed to a handful of boats floating in piers) enter tons of buildings, and cause the expected GTA-like havoc players crave. What impresses me the most about the free-roaming mode is it allows the player the ability to swim in the ocean and in swimming pools; not only that, but the player does not immediately die when he/she drives his/her car into water... he/she can simply get out of the car before it sinks and swim to safety. The physics are unrealistic, but nonetheless some of the best I've seen; the cars and environments are extremely interactive, and this interaction is as tweaked to perfection as a person could expect in this day and age. The graphics are ASTOUNDING as well, but what completes the free-roaming mode is the player's ability to edit the replay to whatever specifications desired.
The replay editor, which lets the player clip apart and redo their entire run, allows players to put certain parts into slow motion, add motion blurs, and place the cameras wherever they want at any given time in the replay. One can then share their replays with other players via Xbox live. The replay editor is a valuable innovation in the video game industry that other companies need to pay strong attention to.
To simplify my review, I'm going to list the goods and bads of Driv3r, so as to make it easier for people to get a clear idea of what kind of game Driv3r is.
The good:
-Impressive graphics
-Complicated yet arcade-style physics
-Massive, detailed environments
-Fast cars
-Fun weapons
-The ability to swim
-Real-time lighting
-Tons of indoor and outdoor locales
The Bad:
-Annoying Mission mode
-Aliasing is bad at times (though rarely)
-Plenty of cars, but not nearly as many as GTA
-Cars don't go through street lights
The Ugly:
-Driv3r is a game far too many people have been misinformed about
As long as one can look past the lousy mission mode, I guarantee any gamer will be satisfied with driv3r. It's the open-ended, versatile and solid gameplay that gamers look for nowadays. Buy a copy of Driv3r, and help Atari and Reflections know they've made an excellent game, so they'll continue to do so. Oh yeah, and buy it on Xbox. The Xbox version is the best of all 3. | video-games_xbox |
Comic Book Hack and Slash. Spawn Armageddon is a mature title for the XBox, based on the comic book character. Regret and hatred is all he is made of now.
If you're not familiar with Spawn, he was originally a CIA agent who was slain when he tried to quit. He went to Hell, and made a deal with the Devil to lead their forces in exchange for seeing his loved wife again. Unfortunately for Spawn, he's sent back disfigured and without a memory, so he wears a full body outfit and only slowly remembers his past.
In the game, you start out barely remembering your wife and a burning pain. You're in New York City and an unknown attacker is causing trouble, and you decide to take it on. Soon there are legions of demons jumping through the streets for you to slay in bloody gore.
You've got a fascinating array of Hell-powers including time slowdown and chain weapons. Those familiar with the comic book tale will enjoy submersing in an atmosphere very like that world.
The gameplay is very linear and directed. You have to clear all enemies in an area before, miraculously, the way becomes clear to move on. You destroy objects near you to find health. There isn't much stealth or thought involved here. You kill, kill, destroy, and move on. Each mission gives you a rating which you can go back to try to improve. You can't save within missions - either you finish it or you have to start from the beginning again.
In between missions, you can buy ammo, upgrade weapons or in other ways enhance your character. So it really does matter to do the very best you can on a level to make sure you're ready for the next challenge.
We liked the warping effect caused by your weapons as they intersected with walls. On the other hand, we didn't like the sense of Deja Vu - that we were doing in essence the same thing over and over again. Yes, it's an interesting world - but there could have been much more variety in the levels and challenges presented.
Well worth it if you're a comic book or hack-and-slash fan, but otherwise rent rent it first to see how it appeals to you. | video-games_xbox |
Try To Get Your Combat Multiplier Even Higher. This isn't too bad of a game to rent, but I would never buy it.
Yes, it's overhyped. It wants to be Morrowind, but it fails to live up to that standard. Still, there's a fairly decent adventure game behind all the bells and whistles. However, unlike other games who's bells and whistles support it, the bells and whistles of this game are annoying.
Most annoying is the constant mental presence of the Guildmaster. For example, there's a side-quest where you have to eavesdrop on a pair of people. Right in the middle of listening to them, the Guildmaster will say in his booming schizophrenic-hallucination of a voice, "THERE IS AN IMPORTANT QUEST CARD AT THE GUILD FOR YOU." Almost every time you fight anything, or even attempt to aim you bow at something, he will say in his booming schizophrenic-hallucination of a voice, "TRY TO GET YOUR COMBAT MULTIPLIER EVEN HIGHER." I suppose his advice to watch for low health is almost, but not quite, useful... but he's very annoying. Also, you can't kill him.
The stealth and guile bells and whistles are the worse. If you spend the tens of thousands of experience points needed to be able to pick locks... you won't be able to close the doors behind you... the guards will be very curious about those open doors and will arrest you for trespassing and throw you out of town, every time, without fail. Even worse is the shoplifting option. The only place this works with any level of success is the open bags of apples in Orchard Farms. Otherwise, you will be caught. It's not a quick pocket-it-and-leave, no matter how small the item. Rather, it's a progress bar that has to go all the way. The good thing is there's an awareness-eye to let you know how many people see you before you start. The bad thing is, once you start, you go into a cinematic mode where you no longer have access to this feature. Maybe that's a realistic description of the total focus and intensity of shoplifting, maybe not. I've never done it, so I don't know.
The worst thing is fishing. It starts off OK, but it quickly becomes too hard. If you press A at the wrong time, the line will snap. If you are conservative and cautious, the fish will get away. If this was just an optional feature, like the bar games or the very creepy Cockney moaning that passes for sex in the game, it wouldn't be so bad. It's not just an optional feature. You CANNOT open Nostro's gate unless you go fishing for his shield, and you CANNOT complete the quest without finding his shield. So, if you want to play this game, just rent it. If you do the side quests, you'll get to about that point before you need to return the game. Personally, though, I would never purchase a game unless I believed that I could finish it at least once.
One side note, not too important to the game but slightly annoying, is the way the character ages. You're 18. You go to a bar and talk to Maze, the Hero-Mentor of the Hero's Guild. It seems like you've only talked for a few minutes... but in reality you've just aged nine years. I guess that's why they call him Maze. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome game to Unwind to, but Counting Bodies is about it. Hey, Gang! Tellurye here with another review. Fedora Tech delves into the 3D world with a review of BODYCOUNT.
STORY: In Bodycount, you are a merc-for-hire of sorts who takes a job to eliminate a maniac who wants to control all resources, have certain strategic lands, and dominate the world.
Uh, OK. I pretty much described plot points of most 80's movies :)
The reason for my vagueness, is the story is basic and not wanting to give too many details as to ruin it for some. From the former team who brought you Black several years ago, Bodycount was supposed to be its sequel. However, the lead from the team did not like where it was going, so he dropped out of the project. Bodycount is a completely different game, not a continuation on Black's story. In fact, the story is not strong at all. There's a purpose, objectives, and voice acting - but Bodycount's focus is blowing stuff up - and it succeeds at that. Do not expect a COD or MOH like narrative - it's not that deep. Nor is it in the same class.
GAMEPLAY: Repetitive like most games - travel, kill everything that moves, destroy everything in your path to obliterate and move on. It was designed as an arcade shooter. As you kill guys, various killpoints to pick up abound the battlefield to add to your score and allow for further weapon upgrades. It even sounds like an arcade with little `pings' as you pick them up. This takes you out of the experience a bit, I thought, as the pickups float to you after each kill. Not that a pastel bright colored village is realistic anyway, but you know what I mean.
The weapon choice is phenomenal and they all feel and sound awesome. What is off-putting to some is there are no iron sights. So when you left-trigger to zoom, it's still from the hip, yet more focused. The reason for this is you are able to take cover, lean or peek, and pull off accurate shots without using 3 buttons like you would in Killzone 2 and 3. At first I thought I was going to hate it, but after only a few minutes, I found my niche on how to use it and was laying destruction in no time. I then learned if you wanted to zoom and move without taking cover, simply depress the left trigger only halfway.
GRAPHICS and SOUND: The game looks really nice but VERY arcade-ish (yes, that's a word :) ) The models look detailed, but the color palette is very vibrant - sort of like Brink. The explosion, effects, and animations all look smooth and it's obvious they focused on this rather than story. It is insanely fun! The sound is very realistic, pleasant music, but nothing to write home about. Various audio is adjustable so you can tailor your destruction experience.
OVERALL: Bodycount is just as it sounds - if you want a mindless, blow stuff up, kill people, explosions galore to unwind, then you've come to the right place. I had a blast with this and I hardly heard any gratuitous language and there was no over the top carnage of blood like Soldier of Fortune. But destroying everything on the screen and seeing the fruits of my destructive labor as the smoke clears was very satisfying.
I did not get a chance to try out Multi-player, but I would imagine it would be a generous free-for-all with destruction similar to the Bad Company games.
With its Arcade-like feel, pick-ups, zoom-style, and generic, fohgettaboutit story, this certainly is not worth $60. I would wait until it drops. But if you want a mindless, addictively fun, high-octane shooter with more destruction, weapon, and killpoint choices than a Webster's dictionary can fill, then add Bodycount to your kill list. | video-games_xbox |
Played it but I felt some parts were rough. Max Payne 3 is pretty cool. The game is played like any other third person shooter with the added ability to use "bullet time" which causes time to match a bullet's speed and you can take the time to aim and take out a large group of people.
I would say the story of this game is pretty awesome. Max Payne is hired out as a bodyguard for a upper class, super rich / elite group of people. Eventually the main girl you're protecting, Fabiana gets kidnapped and the game plays around this as you reveal a large story.
With that said, not much can be discussed about the story without spoiling. The game is story heavy so while the game spans 13 chapters, once you play it, very little reason to go back and replay it as there aren't choices in the game.
The story itself is presented rather uniquely. Max is stuck in grief over the loss of his daughter and wife years ago. So as redemption, he sees that protecting Fabiana is like redeeming himself of saving his wife and child. With that said, the story is presented rather uniquely as you see many times the game plays side panels and many flashes of word. I think this is a big fault of the game as well. Many times I get motion sickness from viewing so many scrolling and flashing of the screen. Sometimes the game even flashes text that the person is saying across the screen like it's a keyword to remember. This is rather annoying as it flashes and and all that. It in many cases lose focus of the story as the flashes sort of blinds you but I suppose on the flip side this is how the developers wanted to present their story of Max since he's an alcoholic and his life is rather chaotic and drifting between sanity.
As far as the game play, it's awesome. You use real guns against people. There's no aliens or anything of the like. The gun play is rather realistic and as you go into bullet time, you can easily pick off large groups of people. However, there are several annoying things which I'll list out:
1) You can carry three weapons. Two pistols/machine guns which you can also combo to dual wield. You get a rifle as well. Now here's the annoying bit number one for me when you're playing a chapter, sometimes it goes into cutscenes which then goes into a shootout. Now this is fine but the rifle that you were holding earlier is switched out to a pistol so you have to reselect the rifle from the radial menu. This might seem minor but in some cases you might be low on pistol ammo, or a rifle might be better. It's minor but it's still a rather annoying thing to have to do.
2) Next issue follows the first problem. In many cases in a chapters there are cutscenes. Now in the level you might collect various weapons or items which of course you'd expect to use. Now given the story it makes sense that sometimes you would switch to a different weapon, but in the case of this game, many times between cutscenes you change to a completely different set of weapons or pistols. In some cases I'm carrying a six shooter then the next I'm carrying a desert eagle without any reason or clue from the cut scene that he changed weapons. Overall rather annoying.
3) Next issue has to do with enemies. The game seems to glorify headshots and headshots only. What I mean is that in later levels, many time you can be shooting an enemy and he'll stand back up. Now this is expected because enemies are wearing bullet proof vests. Max isn't wearing one and the game is sort of distracting that you shoot someone seemingly 10 times and they're still back up for no reason. Many times the hit detection seems to be off that you shoot someone in bullet time in the head and for no reason they get back up afterwards and then you have to waste a lot of ammunition. In many cases I have to replay a part of the game so many times because enemies keep getting back up and it's rather annoying that bullet proof vests are protecting people this much.
4) The bullet damage is inconsistent with point three. For example, these people wearing the bullet proof vest, remember how I said it takes multiple shots to put one down? Now in some parts of the game, it appears that you can hit someone anywhere, in the foot, chest, or anywhere and they'll die from it. For example, in one level a car was coming at me. So the game goes into super slow motion and I remember shooting him in the shoulders and he died. Now if the game was playing normally, the soldier would have barely been hurt. Other examples of this is how the game heals. You heal by taking painkillers. You can manually do this when you're hurt or you can wait for the game to automatically do it for you. When you're badly hurt, and you have more painkillers, the game goes into super slow motion allowing you to take the enemy out and apply the painkiller to continue the game which in normal cases would kill you. Now here's the issue, you can shoot them anywhere and they'll die! This is loony as many times in the game I shoot someone twice in the chest, they go down, and I think, "Okay they're down" then they get back up, shoot me, and I go into super slow motion only to hit them in the pinky finger and they die. This gets me rather upset many times.
5) Next issue with the game is the pain killer. Now this is fine. You nearly die, you go into slow motion, kill and you use one pain killer. Of course this sounds easy but sometimes the game just goes into this slow motion, you wait 1 minutes for it to complete, then you get a game over. I found the reason why is that your gun is pointed to the floor so you aim at the person but you're shooting at the floor. This is extremely annoying and many times I might have 5 pain killers on me, get into this super slow motion, aim at the person, shoot at the floor, wait for the game over screen.
Overall there are many issues with this game. I would say it's just short of being perfect but I had enjoyed the Max Payne story so much that I'm rating this game a four star because it's just awesome. From start to finish the game is brutal and nonstop. You feel great getting back at the evil doers of this game but with some of the problems I had with the game, I really can't see myself playing it again. However I would recommend this game to anyone out there wanting something to play. The game isn't a replay unless you like the story, but the story is simply awesome enough to see. | video-games_xbox |
343 Comes Through. Being a huge fan of Bungie's work on the Halo franchise, and being somewhat disappointed with 343's work on CE: Anniversary, I was prepared to be let down by this game. But I was, thankfully, wrong. 343 has done an excellent job of setting up the foundation to take Halo forward. The game is visually stunning in all modes, and the sound is incredible.
The campaign is challenging, and recalls the best moments of past campaigns, while also adding new elements. The Prometheans are wonderful new enemies - much better than the annoying Flood. There is a nice variety to the gameplay, and to the types of combat, weapons, and environments. I felt that the story was a bit disjointed at times, and was disappointed to see actual Forerunners - the design of the Librarian and Didact are the only real weak points, in my opinion. Voice acting is top notch, and the cut scenes are some of the best I've ever seen. I am disappointed that there is no scoring available, and also disappointed that there is no theater mode available for campaign. I am hopeful that 343 will add these in later updates, as they've hinted.
Spartan Ops mode isn't quite as good, but it's an interesting alternative to ODST and Reach's firefight modes. The dialogue and voice acting are definitely not as good as the regular campaign, and so far the levels seem to simply be recycled from the solo campaign. Time will tell if this mode has much replayability.
Infinity/War Games mode is, in my opinion, where 343 have risen above the last few Halo installments. The new custom loadout system is fantastic, and the maps are absolutely stellar. The new Regicide game type is terrifically fun, and the new Flood game type is even better than Reach's Infection game. I preferred the armor abilities in Reach to those offered here, but they are not enough to make me enjoy the game less. (Does anyone else find it odd that the UNSC would DOWNGRADE the Spartans over time? Why are the Spartans in the past, in Reach, more powerful than the new Spartans?) Despite the fact that this is not my preferred game type (I enjoy campaign), I'm looking forward to months, if not years, of replayability.
Forge mode has also seen some improvements over Reach, and I especially look forward to new forge-based community maps becoming available.
All in all, this is a triumph for 343, and after the disappointment of CE: Anniversary, it restores my faith in Halo as a franchise. | video-games_xbox |
A perfect game for 6 to 8 year olds. And Joe Cool. This game is perfect for the 6 to 8 year-old range. Of course, Snoopy and all of his personas as well as the rest of the Peanuts game make it lovable, but the real treat is the gameplay for young gamers.
The premise is a much simpler version of a Mario game. While the levels are sometimes more intricate, the game allows for more of an exploration of each level than just trying to beat a level and avoid dying. In fact, its very, very hard to lose all of Snoopy's hearts and very easy to recover them, which makes the experience so much less frustrating than most games, especially for the younger age group.
The levels are no push-overs, though. They challenge the player's sense of direction, timing, coordination, and puzzle solving. The game continues to evolve such that rewards at later levels can unlock more areas in previous levels, a nuance my young gamer immediately and excitedly grasped.
The level designs are ingenious, presenting various challenges but each one has an alternative easier path to the challenge if the player struggles too much with it. Each "world" has new nuances and unique gameplay and each secret area is easy to find one the appropriate Snoopy costume has been unlocked, presenting many opportunities to replay levels and find more jelly beans or Beagle Scouts.
Lastly, there's the cooperative feature, where a second player plays as Woodstock and flies around helping Snoopy. It definitely adds to the game, adding convenient paths, helping to stun enemies, and in general being helpful. Its a bit quirky, but it makes sense. But be aware: as an adult or an older gamer, its boring. You'll get most of your joy from helping your child succeed. However, the younger kids love playing as Woodstock, so from time to time we just switch. I'll play a level as Snoopy and my child will be Woodstock. The cooperative play may be a minor add-on feature, but the kids love it. It enhances the teamwork aspect of playing a video game and provides some great bonding moments with your child.
To the critics: while this may not be the best video game of all time (and I've been playing for 33 years so I can judge) it is one of the best video games for younger and newer gamers (and I've been playing video games with my kids for 5 years). And its not just a dumb, simple game. It has complexity. Enough to intrigue and captivate the youngster without frustrating them.
And of course: Joe Cool! | video-games_xbox |
If you ignore that fact that 50 Cent is in the game this is a decent shooter. The Good: Lot's of 50 Cent for fans, solid shooting mechanics, fun vehicle sections, lots of weapons
The Bad: Retarded story, spotty voice acting, semi-broken mechanics, maybe too much 50 Cent
50 Cent is one of those celebrities who thinks he can dominate any market, any industry, especially ones he knows nothing about, just by flexing his abs, flaunting his fake money, cars, and jewelry. That's all Blood on the Sand in a nutshell, but if you look past 50's over the top thug persona you have a pretty decent weekend rental.
The game's story is complete nonsense since 50 and his crew are fighting middle eastern terrorists for a priceless skull. What is 50 doing in the middle east? Probably not singing for charity causes. What makes the story even more ridiculous is that it's just lame. You never know WHY this (insert unpronounceable middle eastern name here) owes him this money, and the game just has a lot of loopholes story wise. Thankfully its easily forgettable and you really just concentrate on the action.
Blood on the Sand has a lot of action and its not too bad really. You run around in a third person POV ducking behind cover and shooting to your heart's content. Unfortunately, the game has a slightly broken cover mechanic since it's too sticky. When you pull away from the cover some times 50 won't move away and you usually have to use the roll button to get off. This makes it hard if someone is running up to you and you need to get away quickly.
There are a plethora of weapons in the game and they can be bought via placed phone booths, or picked up off downed enemies. The down side to this is the better weapons can't be bought till the last level of the game because you can never earn enough money to buy them. Money is earned by killing enemies or smashing crates. Not only can you buy weapons, but you can buy taunts, and takedowns as well.
Takedowns, are timed melee attacks that show 50 using martial arts he really doesn't know in real life (everything in the game he can't do in real life yet raps that he can). The problem with buying more takedowns is you never see the animations. The same takedown is repeated over and over again until the engine decides to let you see one that you spent 50K on. The taunt thing is just ridiculous and really earns the game's M rating. The M rating is mainly for all the swearing which is in every other word. While this is fine I just think it's ridiculous and unnecessary and doesn't make the game any better. Besides taunting does nothing for game play and just seemed like something that was thrown in there so 50 can curse more.
My favorite parts of the game are the vehicle sections which vary from turrets on helicopters to driving jeeps. These parts tend to be pretty easy, but I have to admit the game is unnecessarily hard. The game throws too many enemies at you at times and it is completely retarded. I've never played a shooter with so many enemies in my life. Its hard to really strategize what your going to do when there's an enemy around every corner and they can even hit you through your cover some times.
-Sigh- if you really love 50 you can find posters and targets around the game that let you unlock all of his music videos. I am also disappointed Eminem and the other Shady crew don't make an appearance in this game. Hell, even his G-Unit buddies take a back seat as poorly controlled AI opponents, but that's what co-op is for.
The game has pretty decent graphics since it uses the Unreal Engine 3, but it doesn't use the engine like we've seen it before. The game is very brown since the whole thing takes place in a desert which leaves little for an artistic art style. The audio is pretty good with voice over from 50 Cent, but they tend to be over done some times or spotty. If you really love 50 Cent you must own this game, but if you just like you shooters then give this a spin. | video-games_xbox |
Performs and looks just like new! Some games would have been nice. *Update Below*
[Original] What can be said that hasn't been said already? All I can tell you is that I was a huge Xbox fan through to the 360. I had it all (way too much if you ask my wife). But then, that dreaded red ring of death plagued me for months. I repaired it multiple times, only to have it fail weeks later. I made a final repair, sold it all off and went strictly master...er, PC gamer. This went on for 4 years. I built myself a respectable library on Steam, and a decent reputation as well.
For the most part, I saw no need to go back until my children started to get older. They played Just Dance at a family member's home using the kinect and that was it, game over, hasta la vista. For months I researched the pros and cons of the available consoles on the market. Everything pointed back to the Xbox. I gave in and here we are. Two weeks later, Newegg Flash throws up an Xbox refurb with Kinect for $20 less AND it included games. Grrrr. I hope this is not a bad omen.
So far, my kids have fully taken advantage of the kinect and it has been an absolute joy playing along side them. I have also been quite pleased with the direction microsoft has taken with Gold. Offering new games each month, as well as allowing apps to function outside of a subscription, adding guest users, and the Gold Home feature... awesome to say the least.
Buying refurb had me a bit worried since the coverage was only 90 days. I did find, however, a 3 year coverage by Canopy which has given me peace of mind. All the smaller transactions here and there to get me up and running have put me in the ballpark of a new system, but still with the Kinect it's been a money saver. Everything has worked perfectly to this point.
I've been able to connect a 2TB external drive to manage games and apps, and a 64GB flash drive on the left side which I have all of my P90x videos stored. I probably use my the Xbox to exercise more than anything. I am very pleasantly surprised at how well it's fit into our lifestyle. As a side note, an external drive is almost necessary as loading times are abysmal on the internal drive.
[Update - 2/2/17] - It's still going strong, in fact, I purchased the newly released Xbox One S to take full advantage of the 4K features offered by the new console. Additionally, Mygrowsoft sent me a free adapter to connect my original Kinect to the One S. Very very happy with how this has all worked out. Still have just over 2 years left on my warranty with no indication of failing whatsoever. Getting this refurb unit was a great decision considering the savings. I ended up skinning it to protect the finish, it looks so hot now. Should I end up selling it, they will be in for a treat as it was babied for sure. | video-games_xbox |
An awesome game for fans of Robotech. If you've never heard of Robotech, this game will seem average at best. You'll be intrigued by the whole transformations thing, but you won't get it. You won't be amazed by the music or the new planes or the abilities of each new veritech, and you definintely won't get the paint schemes. Overall, you'll be like... decent plot, okay graphics, and okay gameplay. You just won't understand.
But...
If you are a robotech fan, this is a must have! Though you do not follow the Macross Saga timeline, they allow you to follow it enough to get you attached and then go off on a believable and interesting story. It does help account for the many Zentradi that survived the battle, since you fight so many in the game. The ability to switch modes on command is amazing. The cut scenes are not the best and some of the machinema, just plain sucks, but it doesn't matter, it's robotech. Every vertitech is in the game, and sometimes, you'll get surprised with a new one you didn't think was coming. All the paint schemes are there, from Rick's to Max's, to the infamous SKULL ONE!!! The Boss battles, seem like they would be monotonous, since there is a pattern to beating the enemy, but for some reason, it's more of an adrenaline rush. Everything about this game is fun... except the protection missions. These get old FAST. I viewed them as a challenege, but it really kinda sucks, protecting something that cannot protect itself. Multiplayer is also lacking in this game. There is only one on one, which can get boring pretty fast. And a flight ceiling in some levels sucks, but makes sense for the point of the level. With such a low flight ceiling, you'd be surprised by how big the space missions are. You can literally fly anywhere, practically. The graphics are perfect for the game, as it emulated the animation from the series. The music is good, and although the sound effects are repetative, they are the same sound from the series, so it works for a fan. You will love launching salvo after salvo of missles and targetting five guys at once and unleashing your payload. They created a realistic balance between the three different modes, giving each its own individual strength. The main point of the game is to play through and beat it, but striving for the different medals and promotions adds a new level of gameplay and causes you to increase your skill and proficiency in new and old areas.
For the Robotech fan, this game is a must. It has all that you could ever want in a robotech game, minus the better multiplayer.
I own it and love it. | video-games_xbox |
Great fun and lots of depth. Long story short: This is a great game!
I have been a fan of EA's NHL Hockey for a long time, but have been a bit disapointed with that series lately, so I switched over to ESPN Hockey. And I do not regret doing so.
This game has great graphics, and (more importantly), it plays well. The controls are intuitive and allow for great plays. At the same time, it is relatively easy to get into the game.
The presentation of the game is very good. The announcers are doing a pretty good job, and the visuals are stunning. Everything off the ice is straight out of Sportscenter. The in-game visuals are great as well. I only wish I could adjust the number of times replays are shown, because I would actually like to see more of them. (One can always manually replay a scene, but still...)
Compared to EA's game, this game has one more thing going for itself: Xbox Live! This game plays very well online. I especially like that more than one player (per xbox) can part take in a game. So you can invite a friend over, and both of you can log on and play a bunch of guys somewhere else on the planet.
I found live gaming to be very lag-free with this game, even when a warning about the connection speed is shown. This is very important for a game that moves as fast as hockey.
PS: If you play this game on a higer difficulty level, things can get frustratingly difficult! The game itself is not that hard, but it is next to impossible to score more than one goal per game, since the keepers seem to catch almost everything. I mean, c'mon! Hockey simply is a game where more than one goal per game should be scored. And if you are on the receiving end of that single goal, you might as well throw the controller in a corner right away, because the best you will probably do is tie the game. If you want to play on a high difficulty level, pick the high level and tune the golie skills down just a tad (which should affect both sides), and you will see more realistic results (you will probably both score and receive more goals), and you will probably have more fun. | video-games_xbox |
Falcon or Jasper. Having a 360 is something I thought I would never have. I was a PC gamer, but I lost interest in the constant battle against advancing technology, so I decided that console gaming would be my next place to go. My original Xbox kept my entertained for a while, but seeing cool and NEW games being advertised on TV for the 360, it was time...
As everyone knows, 360s are not cheap, unless you are making decent money, but if you are like me, working for a joke wage it's a big investment. I wanted to make sure this was the right way to go, so I did a little research, and as like any other person looking up 360 info, I read all the horror stories of them overheating, disc readers failing, and the "Red Rings of Death". I looked on forums and heard about this new motherboard that was made to help prevent such happenings that were occurring, it was called the "Jasper" chip set. Meaning the older chip set "Falcon" were the older and supposedly worse. I read buyer's remarks about buying a 360 from Best Buy to realize that they had a Falcon chip set by looking at the serial number and they took it back saying "I don't want this piece of crap chip set," Another said that if you are a heavy gamer, you have a 100% chance of your 360 taking a crap with its RRoD.
After reading up, I was super worried I was gonna burn 300 dollars and it would quit working right away, but I went ahead and bought one. It has been one month since receiving the 360 in the mail, and it has continue to operate with confidence and the gaming experience is some of the best I have had in a LONG time. And you know what? I have a Falcon chip set, and it runs relatively cool, even at times when it was operating for over five hours. While the 360 does have 33% failure rate and that is way too high for any console, there still is that 67% chance that you will buy a 360 and nothing will be wrong with it. Meaning that the odds are in your favor that it will operate just fine.
I am extremely pleased with my 360 and I would gladly buy it all over again. Plus to get some of the exclusive titles that come out for PC is a big plus being a PC gamer at the roots. In the end, buying a 360 is a bit of gamble, I won't sugar coat it, but its the buyers choice to except the 360 for what is and lay down two or three hundred dollars for one, if you do, you might find yourself with a great console. | video-games_xbox |
Plain all around fun, innovative, engaging, and robust. At this point, 466 reviews later, I can't really add too much that hasn't been already covered.
I'll just keep it simple: If you are into shooters, this may be a good game for you. It's got a unique take on a cover system -- arcadey but still useful. You certainly traverse a battlefield in a completely different manner than most games. You go from cover to cover, you try to get to the flanks whenever possible -- it really makes the battlefield environment feel three dimensional and real.
The graphics are pretty good, but there isn't alot of variety within a level. Honestly, that isn't too big of a deal as you'll be trying to spot cover and taking down enemies. There is a fair mix of cinematics and action, and while the story writing (dialog, voice acting, etc) isn't of the highest quality I didn't find that it detracted from the game.
I didn't really like the multi-player stuff, but many people did. I found the maps too small, for starters, and I found that the cover system hindered my ability to succeed. The roadie-run-shotgun-melee-smash was pretty much the prevailing tactic. I didn't really factor this into my rating because I didn't buy it for the multi-player action _at all_. For me, single player and co-op (and co-op is where it really shines) is what I was after. The co-op stuff, both split screen and online, are absolutely the way to play the game. If you are buying the game solely for multi-player then my review may not be helpful.
The only major detractor I can come up with is the checkpoint system is a bit brutal, and having to sit through the "lead-in cinematics" without being able to skip through them, reload after reload, is a bit obnoxious.
Overall I thought the game was well worth the money spent. It has a bit of everything, and does a bit of everything. It's a very pulpy actiony arcade third person shooter -- and while not perfect, it certainly delivers on the entertainment front. If you buy video games to have a good time, and to be entertained then I don't see how you could miss with this title. | video-games_xbox |
Wow... Just Wow. If you've been alive for more than four years, you've heard of the game "Halo" at least one time. If not, you need to talk to go outside and get a life. Anyway, I have decided to make an in depth review amid all these spam reviews (i.e. "THIS GAME ******ing ROCKS!!!"). Read on.
Pros:
-Intense, amazing gameplay
-Deep and realistic story
-Great graphics
-Ouststanding AI
-Fun vehicles
-A good array of weapons, easy to establish favorite
-Awesome music and sound
-Great physics
-Easy controls
-Different difficulty levels
Cons:
-Runs at 30 fps instead of 60 (I honestly don't care, though.)
If you were paying attention to what you just read, you will understand that I like this game. A lot. Honestly, most people do.
For the people who need an in depth review, read on:
Gameplay- 99/100
Gameplay is where this game really shines. Minor redundancy, but enjoyable nevertheless. For some reason, the addictiveness of this game is unmatched, well at least to me. Nothing compares to Halo when it comes to gameplay. Easy controls, addicting missions, and great AI sell this game.
Graphics- 96/100
To say the least, not too shabby. In fact, incredibly good. I love the covenant (aliens) especially. They aren't like any aliens I've ever seen. Anyway, they're good. Trust me.
Sound- 100/100
I love the soundtrack for Halo. Chilling spiritual choral arrangements mixed with fast paced action stings create the perfect mood for the game. Sometimes I feel urged to get out very quickly, and sometimes I feel as if something creepy is about to happen. As far as voices and sounds go, they're great. The people taunt you or the covenant, scream, yell, gasp, and do everything to make you feel like you are in the game. Overall, the sound is amazing.
Plot- 99.9/100
Once you get past the initial, "Big whoop. Aliens," thing, the plot is nothing less than spectacular. You find twists at every corner, you grow to know your crew, and you feel the urge to save Earth. The bad people I've grown to hate with a passion. I can't go on long enough about the plot. Wow, just, wow.
Difficulty- 99/100
What can I say? You can chose whether you want to have your enemies run away, resist weakly, challenge you, or be the toughest thing to ever walk the face of the earth. So, in short, this game rocks for everyone.
OK. THE VERDICT. Average everything out, you should get 98.78. Yeah, that's good. But add my (1-10) fun factor of 5, and you should have 103.78. Above 100 hundred. Wow... Just wow... | video-games_xbox |
A Great Value for the Money. Before I begin, let me be clear. I'm not a Microsoft fan. If anything, I'm a Microsoft hater. I use a Macintosh for my personal computing, and I've never had much love for Bill Gates or his corporation. That said, I'm having more fun with the Xbox 360 than I have with any other console. I'll divide the rest of the review into categories for clarity.
GRAPHICS
The graphics on the Xbox 360 are, to put it simply, gorgeous. I've played games from every genre, be it shooter, RPG, action, etc. and I can honestly say that pretty much every one of them has been beautiful to watch and play. That said, the best way to play the Xbox 360 is on a high definition television. But even if you don't have one, the graphics are still very nice.
CONTROLLER
One thing you may not think of when purchasing a console is the controller. The Xbox 360 controller is incredibly comfortable, and it simply doesn't get uncomfortable, even after hours of playing. I much prefer it to the Wiimote and PS3 Dual Shock controllers. Then again, this is just personal preference, so your mileage may vary.
GAMES
This is the area where the Wii faltered. Sure, it had tons of multiplayer party games, but I just couldn't satisfy my appetite for a good singleplayer experience. The Xbox 360 has been out for over three years now, and has an extensive library of games from every genre. Most of the games I've purchased are months, if not years, old. And I've still got several more that appeal to me that I'll purchase after I finish with the ones I've got.
XBOX LIVE/MULTIMEDIA CAPABILITIES
This is the area where the Xbox won me over completely. Once you make the jump to a Gold membership on Xbox Live, you'll never go back. Sure, you have to pay for it, but it's currently around $40 for a year here on Amazon. And it's worth every penny. I've spent hours browsing through the Arcade, playing Halo 3, and even watching streaming movies and TV shows with Netflix (I took the free trial and immediately purchased a membership), all from my Xbox 360. And the New Xbox Experience, with its avatars and streamlined user interface, makes browsing around and navigating the Xbox really easy. And with 60 gigabytes of storage space, I can download all the demos, trailers, and themes I want. The new interface also allows you to install games to the hard drive, making the Xbox whisper quiet while playing and cutting down on load times. A very nice feature. Also, the Xbox incorporates friends lists and lets users communicate very easily through text, voice, or even video messages. The only downside to Xbox Live is that you need a decently fast internet connection, and this isn't available to everyone. Also, the Xbox needs a wired connection unlike the Wii. These things may potentially be deal breakers for some, especially those who don't have an adequate internet connection, as I would get a lot less use out of my Xbox if it wasn't internet enabled.
INCLUDED GAMES
Not much to say here. Kung Fu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones are merely average. My girlfriend has played them some, but they probably won't appeal to the more "hard-core" gamer demographic.
OVERALL
The Xbox 360 is a great gaming and multimedia console. If you're considering getting one, I encourage you to not only read reviews here on Amazon, but look at lists of features, as it has many other capabilities that I simply don't use, like being able to connect to a media-center capable PC. For $300, this piece of technology is a great value, and I highly recommend it.
THE BOTTOM LINE
+ Has a multitude of features that will appeal to a great many people
+ Has accumulated a huge library of games
+ Xbox Live is the best online gaming service available
+ Only $50 more than the Wii, and a great value for the money
- Pretty much demands an HD TV and high speed internet connection
- Must pay to use the online features | video-games_xbox |
Improvement from the x12, a super-beast as a entry level headset. I recently had the X12 version(which are nearly the same but x12's are wired) and I accidently broke one of the ear cups so it was time to go shopping for another. As a person who lives in a smaller house with light sleepers its essential to have a headset like this. Also in my opinion these are great to use over regular tv sound and definetly help me play better as a hardcore FPS player. I also experimented with other games to see how they sound and all i can say is don't worry, These will thrive on any game that you have for the xbox 360, and if you are technically savvy these can hook up to any game console that you wish, however the mic won't work. I decided to give these a try after I bought the afterglow wireless headset and returned them ( stay away they are the worst headset ive experianced.) and I have to say as my first wireless gaming headset its really good for the price. Il break it down with pros and cons =)
Pros:
1. Earcups are PERFECT for people with larger hears like me. These will cover your ears. Not sit on top of them. That is why turtle beach is a good name.
2. Good sturdy buid. ( plastic and fabric, yes, but it works)
3. Wireless that works. Frequency always remains interrupted and your always hearing the game or music or movie etc.
4. Customizable sound presets.
5. Sleek black and green finish
6. Easy pairing. ( I had absolutely ZERO problems with pairing unlike some others that say that it won't work.)
7. Extrememly comfortable, especially during long sessions and compared to triton and afterglow headsets.
8. Will shut off after 5 minutes without use, which is good if you forget to shut things off like me.
9. GREAT SOUND. 50mm speakers, tied in with the fact that the earcups "cover" your ear and you are looking at great audio for games, movies, and music.
Cons:
1. uses AAA batteries. I reccomend chargeable ones because it will save money. This doenst affect me because im all good to go but i can see how it could affect others.
2.will beep in your ear repeatedly if it needs new batteries. It happens so frequent and id like to squeeze every last drop out without the BEEP...BEEP...
3. If you are using an hdmi cable you better have GOOD inputs on your tv. Like and audio out/headphone jack. Otherwise you will need to buy an adapter, so this is more geared toward those with hdtv's. REMEMBER THAT. IF YOU USE COMPONENT YOU ARE GOOD TO GO SO IGNORE THIS.
4. Its not TRUE WIRELESS because the chat cable goes from the headset to the controller. which isn't that big of a deal to me. If you don't use the mic much it becomes completely wireless. Which is niiiice.
All in all its a great pickup and a lot better than wired. I used wired all the time and loved it but its so nice now that I have this, my setup is a lot cleaner, which makes me get very comfortable and immersed in the great audio. Pick it up and you SHOULD be happy with it as much as me. I only stick with turtle beach and this is my 4th headset. The best so far. IF you are a C.O.D. player like me my k.d. went from 1.42 to 1.64 going from tv sound to X32 headphones, essentially making this headset my deadliest weapon. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Action - Adventure with Morphing Abilities. I really wanted to like Kameo - Elements of Power. Compared to the other release titles for the XBox 360, this one seemed relatively light and friendly.
The game is a traditional action-adventure game. In this case, there is hardly any plot line. You're a female shape-shifter whose family is held hostage by your jealous older sister. You have to work your way through level after level of enemies to save them.
In essence it's the classic problem of which shape fits best to which situation. Sometimes you need the ice crystal powers of Chilla, a big Yeti creature. Sometimes you need the sneak-underground powers of Pummel Weed, a plant creature. Maybe it's the rolling ball type abilities of Major Ruin that fit the need. The further you go in the game, the more creatures you can turn into.
This ends up being a complex set of puzzles. You have to roll and launch yourself into the air, but then turn into a Yeti mid-air to grab onto the wall. You have to flip up the enemies as the plant, but you do better pummelling them as something more powerful.
The game is cartooney, but the graphics are rather quite nice. The little flaming guys are much different in texture from the rock monsters, and the world around you has a different appearance depending on what realm you're in. We're not talking high quality modern photo-realism here, but the world is nicely rendered in its kid-like fantasy way.
The game is teen rated, so this is one of the few games that you can really feel comfortable buying for a younger gamer on the XBox 360. Most of the other games invole lots of blood, lots of swearing, or both. I honestly am not sure why they called this a Teen. Yes, you're killing enemies, but heck, they're all trolls. The elves clearly should win :)
The soundtrack is pretty nice, a smooth, classic style track that sings along in the background. It doesn't stand out, but it doesn't get in the way either.
I'm normally a fantasy / puzzle fan, but this one seemed just a little too "standard" to really catch my attention. No plot, no real connection with the characters and no real development. I didn't feel a great need to "keep playing" any time that I put the game down. That's the only reason I gave it only 4/5.
Recommended if you're into action puzzlers or have a younger gamer in the house that isn't quite ready for the raw gore of a mature title. | video-games_xbox |
Harmonix still the king. Rhythm games are kind of going out of style, but I still enjoy them. Harmonix raised the bar pretty high with Rock Band 3 and I think sealed the fate of Guitar Hero in the process (Harmonix actually invented Guitar Hero if you didn't know, and it's now developed by Neversoft). There are many great improvements to the gameplay in RB3 as well as a more efficient interface, and the Keyboard is a fun new addition to the band.
Among my favorite new interface changes is the ability for band members to drop in and out of the band at any time -- including mid-song. No longer do you have to drop back to the character selection menu. Each player has their own mini options menu that can be used while another player is browsing the song list. It's quite clever and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.
The story mode is all but gone. You increase your fanbase by playing songs in Quickplay and going through the Road Challenges. Quickplay is pretty much the same. It's now quicker to get to and the filtering options are greatly improved. The songlist in quickplay also lists recommended songs from the rock band music store, which I like.
Road Challenges are sets of pre-chose, random and custom setlists where your band has to perform various challenges to acquire Spades in addition to Stars. Challenges are like "Maintain the target streak" and "Maintain Overdrive for as long as you can" kind of things. It's fun and sometimes quite difficult.
The most innovative new addition to the game is obviously the Keyboard as well as the new Pro mode for Pro-Keys, Pro-Drums and Pro-Guitar. My wife is actually a classically trained pianist so she naturally gravitated to Pro Keys. She says that it would be better for her if they just streamed the actual musical notes in Pro-Keys rather than the complex button stream that they use. So she's not a fan. Me? I don't even try because I find Medium and Hard keys in regular mode to be quite a challenge (and fun).
For Pro Drums, you need a drumkit with 3 cymbals and I believe 2 pedals. I actually use the Logitech premium Guitar Hero kit, which only has 2 cymbals and 1 pedal. So I wasn't able to try out the Pro Drums mode. It's disabled if you don't have a pro drumkit.
For Pro Guitar, you need the 100+ button guitar controller, which I don't think has been released yet at the time of this review.
But aside from the Pro mode, I find the keyboard actually really fun. My wife does too. It's a very welcome new addition to the band. It sounds corny, but it feels real to me.
Now for the things I don't like about the game. First is the leaderboard. In order to see your friends scores on the leaderboard, you either have to wait 5 seconds for each song and it'll display in the little info pane or you have press Y to go to a leaderboard menu and then filter by your friends. It makes competition with your friends actually kind of tedious and I think they should change it to be closer to what it was like in Beatles Rock Band.
The character customization is confusing and tedious as well. Instead of listing all of your clothing in one long menu, there are various submenus. So if you want to find a particular article of clothing you liked, you have to take a guess as to which odd category it will be in. They should have just made filtering options like in the song list. Or they should have just let you import your RB2 character.
I feel like some of the songs did not go through the best quality control process. I've seen some songs list 0-stars for drum difficulty only to play the song and find out that it's actually really difficult on drums. I find the difficulty ratings actually kind of arbitrary anyway -- especially for drums.
There are also some bugs when signing in and changing instruments.
In all, the game is really solid and easily the best in the series. I would recommend it and the Keyboard to anyone who is a fan of these games. | video-games_xbox |
Suprisingly fun with two major flaws. When it comes to movie games, I don't have much confidence in them being any good based on past experiences. However I downloaded the Ghostbusters demo from Xbox Live and I was entertained enough to rent it a few days later. While the game itself is pretty good, there are two major flaws that caused me to lose interest and turn the game off.
I have no issues with the visuals and sound, while it isn't anything that will win any awards, they are quite good. These days, I feel too much emphasis is put on visuals anyway and not enough in more important areas like game play. The controls themselves are smooth it is a bit complicated and since the rental did not come with a user's manual, I had to rely on the on screen instructions which don't do a very good job in fully explain EXACTLY what you are doing and why you are doing it. Of course if I actually had a manual to read from, then this probably wouldn't even be an issue.
From what I've seen so far, the storyline is done pretty well. You don't play as one of the original Ghost Busters, instead you play as a new recruit and you join the other four as you hunt down ghosts in various areas of the city. The voice acting is authentic and sounds like their real life counterparts, but for some inexplicable reason your character doesn't seem to have the ability to speak so I suppose he communicates with the others psychopathically. As you are playing, the game tells you how to do certain things, however as I stated before it does not fully explain why you are doing it as a manual would but eventually you should be able to catch on.
Even during the first level, the game started getting a little repetitive which is what I expected eventually, but this is not the main problem I have with this game. It didn't take long to realize that there are two major flaws in the game that just often times end up with me turning the game off. First of all there is so much going on with flying ghosts as well as ground monsters that appear behind you so it's hard to avoid damage; take too much damage and you will fall to ground hoping your teammates will revive you before you die. Most of the time they revive you quickly but sometime they will walk right by you and do nothing. You also will spend a lot of time reviving them, putting your self in danger due to the fact that most monsters attack from all directions.
Once you do die, you have the option of restarting from the previous checkpoint. Choose this option and you are forced to sit, wait, and wait some more through an extremely long loading screen. When the game finally does load, you will be more than likely disappointed to find out that you didn't apparently didn't kill enough ghosts or get far enough to start later in the level and you have to do everything all over again. This happens constantly during game play and it is extremely frustrating having to start all over again.
I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate having to something over and over and over again, and for games that use checkpoint systems, this is exactly what will eventually happen. I haven't gotten a gauge of how far the checkpoints are from each other, but even if they are relatively close, the long loading times cancel that out. After dying for the 5th or 6th time, I honestly got tired of having to start over from the beginning so I just turned the game off and watched TV. I came back to it later on and progressed more into the game, but the checkpoint/loading problems will be a recurring problem in the game.
However that being said, the game is extremely fun to play its just too bad that the poor implementation in handling game saves and loading times take away from it. It's definitely worth a rental, but until you can gauge your tolerance for the load times and incredibly stupid check point system, I can not recommend a purchase right out and certainly not for regular price that most all video games are going for these days. | video-games_xbox |
Great fun! Won't be popular with critics. I have been keeping my eye on this game basically every since it was announced. However it did not really get much press coverage and little hype (short of a few random trailers here and there). The day it was released it had alot of marketing on the major gaming sites. But no reviews? A few days later still no reviews? That will generally concern most hardcore gamers. Since I and a friend were really anticipating the game we just bought it and went for it. Started playing 6pm and beat the game at 2am (on Hard mode). The game was great fun and the combat is much better than I initially thought! There is a lot of replayability here and you unlock the 3 original versions of the game throughout the main playthru.
There is certainly nothing Hollywood has to be worried about with regard to the story, and to be honest my friend and I checked out about an hour in because it was just total nonsense and hard to follow (not for complexities but just silliness). However, thats not a problem. The ONLY reason people should play this game is for the gameplay itself and the gore!! Yes the game is EXTREMELY bloody - to the point that it splatters on your screen alot and sometimes almost completely covers the screen. There are "finishing" moves for all enemies that will generate a short quicktime even and usually winds up in the enemies arms/head/toros being ripped off and gallons of blood flowing! It never gets old and even towards the end of the game you might still miss one as you weren't quick enough for the QTEs.
Graphically the game is fine, nothing spectacular. There are a few areas throughout the game that switch to a sidescrolling 2d feel very similar to the original games (and paying homage I'm sure). These sections make for a nice change of pace/dynamic to the game and keep it interesting (although some of the platforming elements of these sections can be somewhat lame and the enemies are generally much weaker in this mode taking only 1 hit to kill).
Also, it could have been a factor that we had been playing 8 hours straight and loosing steam, but the game seemed to fall apart somewhat towards the end. The areas started to get weirder and weirder, and the game itself started falling into the habit of using the same old gaming cliches.
After beating the game on Hard you unlock Brutal mode and all of your character stats remain when you play again on the newer/harder mode. These stats include special moves, combos, health, rage meter, weapon stats, etc. As far as difficulty goes, we started the game on Hard and it was fun without being too challenging. There were a few parts that really got us stuck and were hard but to the point of cheap. A perfect example is a section where you are on a thin bridge/platform that slowing has chunks fall away while making you get closer and closer to a stack of 6 "bosses" (from previous chapters) that are made invincible by another creature that protects them. The problem is that you run out of room to do any form of combat - the creature making them invincible is hard to hit because she morphs away constantly, and you eventually run out of room. Our only chance at getting past was to finagle the enemies into falling off the edge and finally lucked our way through. It was frustrating and a little cheap, but maybe that was the point - but i digress.
I hardly EVER post reviews for any products, so take it as a rarity that i posted one for this game. Also consider that my friend bought the game, we played it together and beat it in 1 night, but now 2 days later I'm ordering my own copy because I want to keep playing it. | video-games_xbox |
Great Idea, terrible product. I've been looking for a solution to my problems with using the PS3 controller. I dislike the way the controller feels in my hands, so when I found the Cronus I thought my problem would soon be resolved. The Cronus Adapter arrived on time as expected and was in normal clam shell packaging.
However, when I plugged the adapter into my PS3 and my wired Xbox 360 controller into the adapter I was greeting with absolutely nothing. No connectivity, no indication that the device was even working. After pouring over the poorly thrown together instructions included with the product I decided to take my search for answers online. first looking at the companies website. After tinkering with the included cable and the software that is not included (must be downloaded from their website) I managed to get the adapter to light up, with the display showing that it was ready to be loaded with a profile from the program.
After setting everything up I plugged the adapter into my PC to test the setting to make sure everything was in working order. about four to five seconds after plugging the adapter into my computer, it blue screens and shuts off. Something my computer never does. So I thought that it was just a fluke. maybe my computer is just getting old. I shrugged off the looming thought of having to buy a new laptop and restarted the testing process and wouldn't you know it. The little adapter that wasn't doing squat just a couple hours ago was now an instant blue screen key of death. neato.
So After this adventure in destroying my computer I unplug the device and put it up till the next day, when I can talk to their tech support to see if I can sort out the matter and get the little bugger working. But much to my dismay, although not surprising after seeing the quality of their product, their tech support is magically unreachable. Neither by phone or internet. So here I sit with a 70 dollar blue screen dongle.
to cut it short; It's a junk product, that doesn't work, is over priced for not working, and has absolutely zero customer service to back it up. Save your money folks. it just isn't worth it. | video-games_xbox |
Not anything special. First, I am a big Halo fan. Or I was, at least. I loved Halos 1, 2 and 3. I felt that ODST was ok, but that the Halo series was in danger of going downhill. Reach has, unfortunately, solidified this belief.
It seems as if Bungie ran out of ideas for Reach. The weapons aren't all that imaginative and exciting, for starters. New covenant weapons are: needle rifle (basically a DMR but with needler needles), plasma repeater, focus rifle, concussion rifle, and a plasma grenade launcher. It doesn't make sense that the covenant have all these new weapons but then don't for the rest of the series, this being a prequel and all. The focus rifle, I think, is the most useless weapon in the game next to the assault rifle. It doesn't do much damage to begin with but then when you think you're getting somewhere, the thing overheats and/or runs out of charge too easily. New human weapons include a scoped pistol (not really new), the DMR which is basically a single-shot battle rifle, the grenade launcher, and the target locator which is seldom used during the campaign and never used in multiplayer (to my knowledge). The new weapons just don't seem that interesting and fun to use.
I've been playing on Heroic and have almost finished the game, along with playing a significant amount of time in multiplayer. I'll start with my opinion of multiplayer first.
Multiplayer has always been a huge draw of the Halo franchise. That being said, if you aren't interested at all in multiplayer, I would avoid this game until the price drops to about thirty bucks because the main campaign is only about 10 hours long. I am very disappointed in the maps. I don't have all of them memorized, but I do remember that about 75% of them are just levels copied from the campaign, a good 4-5 are just forge maps, and there are only a couple of genuinely new maps (not counting firefight). To make matters worse, at the beginning of every game the players all vote on a map to play. There are a couple of maps that get picked 90% of the time, which makes multiplayer a very repetitive experience. Then, it seems, just to rub it in Bungie released a new map pack for 800 microsoft points (ten dollars) that has a whopping 3 maps!
Some good new features implemented by Bungie for multiplayer include the inclusion of experience and perks. You get xp for every action you do in multiplayer, and this xp unlocks armor choices. XP in no way is tied to an unlocking of better equipment, it is simply cosmetic changes, which is probably better because that way even new players won't get mauled repeatedly by veterans. They have also added perks (also useable in single player) to the game. These are abilities such as a protective shield, jetpack, or sprinting (oh boy!) that can be used but have a cooldown period. Some are neat, others are kinda useless or unexciting, such as sprinting.
On to the single player campaign. Being a Halo fan, I had already read the Fall of Reach novel, so I know what happens well ahead of time. That being said I think the story could've been so much better. Everybody is raving about all the character development and how Bungie made it so epic this time around. I must disagree. The other members of your squad's personalities are so one-dimensional. Kat is smart. Jorge is a nice guy on the inside but is huge and menacing on the outside. Emile wants to kill covenant. Carter really has no standout personality traits, as does Noble Six (the one you play as). Jun barely talks and is easily the most uninteresting one of the bunch. Honestly the only character who seemed to have any amount of effort put into him was Jorge. I was actually relieved when -SPOILER- Kat died while she was in the middle of complaining to Carter for what seemed like the fiftieth time. -END SPOILER- I just felt that the story didn't make as much of an emotional impact and was as intricate as others have claimed.
The other main facet of single player I want to discuss is the gameplay. Overall, I was very disappointed in the gameplay, even though I knew going in it was a FPS I still found myself getting bored and tired of playing, ready for it to end. This is just your typical Halo gameplay, shoot aliens, move on. They tried to throw in some vehicle sections for good measure to break it up, but it almost did more harm than good. I found the space combat section very gimmicky and shallow. There are no new aliens (you may say the skirmisher, but weren't they in the other halos? All they are is unshielded jackals, and there were those in Halo 3 sniping in the trees). Overall I found the gameplay repetitive and ultimately boring. Maybe I'm just finally tired of the Halo formula that has seemed to work for so long. It seems like Bungie just combined gameplay of Halo 1 and ODST and thought it would work, without any real new features for incentive to continue. You know what happens, you know for the next level and the one after that you just slog through wave after wave of covenant to reach the end of a story you have already heard.
As for the sound, I found the sound effects well done but the music terrible relative to the other Halo games which had great, memorable scores. It seemed all the music consisted of was a bunch of drums. A lot of the time, there wasn't any at all, and when there was it was just ambience-not the epic, hard-to-ignore stuff in the past.
Graphics are great, and some of the best I've seen on the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of the Xbox barely being able to handle it-framerate issues are present and some graphic hiccups are noticeable. Overall well done though.
Bottom line is this isn't a terrible purchase if you're a Halo fan. Chances are if you are you've bought this already. But if you are interested in the series, I would say start with combat evolved. That is a much better representation of the Halo formula. I say pick this up when it's cheaper. I hope Microsoft doesn't forsake the franchise by trying to milk it just for more money, but I have a feeling that is exactly what they plan to do. But with this being Bungie's last Halo game, I doubt they can or will be as good. When people know the story before the game even starts, it had better be a blast to play. I just don't think that the gameplay was good enough to overcome this. I don't feel that the quality of the game lives up to the standards set by the other Halo games. | video-games_xbox |
Good rental if you never played an RPG. This game is definitely a mixed bag. Nothing is consistent. The characterizations are trite and stereotypical. You will find no memorable moments or feel attached to any of the little puppets you control. Interactions between your characters are limited to barely disguised sexual jokes or useless questions and comments. Oh, and the game is so short you will curse yourself if you bought it.
The graphics for example, are excellent: bright, detailed, and pleasing to the eye. However, the friendly non-player characters look terrible. The playable females are all dressed like harlots with tight, uncomfortable looking bikinis on. Actually, the player character designs are not great, with the exception of Buki, I would say they are horrible, but definitely fitting with the style of the Japanese games Sudeki tries to be.
Sound is also a mixed bag. While most people trash the soundtrack, I thought that it was one of the game's saving points. Acoustic guitars and heavy synths rise in and out on your journey in what seems to be an intentionally forgettable sound. It's like the developers didn't want the music to be distracting. That's cool, but that doesn't explain the uneven voice acting. Faked accents rise and fall throughout the game. The accents in the `light' kingdom are so horrible that you will mash buttons to stop the awful interpretations of Irish/Scottish/British/German/Jamaican/Southern American accents. The exception is Buki, whose voice is actually beautiful to hear and excitingly warrior-like. Her lines really come alive. Another notable voice is Elko's (sometimes broken) German accent only because his lines are fun with that funny voice.
Another problem with the game is the battle system. It is fun, but the lack of a pause function (like Baldur's Gate, where you plan your attacks) makes the combat a simple, stupid, free-for-all, that defies logic. This is not RPG gameplay. It is crappy action. The developers could have learned a lesson from Baldur's Gate or any of the other real-time RPGs out there.
Questions for the developers-> Why do I spend HOURS (very few though... game is too short) developing FOUR CHARACTERS only to be denied use of those characters in the END GAME? And... WHY DOES THE GAME END RIGHT BEFORE IT STARTS?!? Seriously, right when it gets 'good' it stops. Wtf?
Rent it. Mediocre RPG, Good for a couple of hours of play. If you play RPGs and are an RPG starved Xbox owner, this will not satisy you. | video-games_xbox |
Plug for my Morrowind Tips and Hints Website, plus a review. Morrowind is an amazing game for any rpg-er, better than any ff,
Arc the Lad, D&D or Zelda out there. Now before you stop reading because "you just dissed my favorite game", hear me out.
Morrowind is more than an RPG, Adventure, or pretty much any game you've ever played. It's an experience.
A word of warning: If you have a life, it will be very difficult to play his game all the way through and really be able to enjoy it.
You have an amazing range of character parameters, customizable classes, the ability to change the look and gender of each race, the list goes on.
The weapons are awesome, and if you don't like the enchantment on a particular weapon, all you have to do is sell the weapon, buy a new one, and you can enchant it any way you please.
The same is true for armor. Armor in this game is unlike any other; you can mix & match, switch enchantments, steal or buy armor that will blow your mind, and there is even a very rare, very cool daedric armor that only high-level characters can wear because of the immense wieght of it. There are also summoned armor types called bound armor, and they are basically the daedric armor, but they can be worn by beginner characters because they are so light.
As to the graphics of the game: Wow. You can see for miles, and the buildings and general landscape are so clear that at times you think you're really standing there, right inside the game.
There are weather patterns, it rains and gets foggy, the sun rises and sets, at night there is even a realistic skyscape.
The AI in the game is spectacular, NPC's act and react to you according to the life you've lived in the game. If you were a perfect savior, they seem to all bow and wroship, groveling before you. If you were a murderer and a theif, they all shun you, some will deny you their services, guards will chase you down and try to kill you. If there's a bounty on your head, EVERYBODY knows about it. They make verbal comments like: "I've heard of your crimes. You should watch your step."
On the negative side, while quests are an excellent way to gain loot and experience and learn your way around, quests are fairly often tedious and patience-testing, but are usually, upon completion, very rewarding. Usually either money or enchanted artifacts are awarded for a job well done.
If you can't travel to a place by either Mage Guild Teleporter, Silt Srider, or boat, and you have to walk or swim, why not buy the Levitate spell and fly there? You can also simply increase your speed or cast a Water Breathing spell(Which you can find out how to cast permanently on my website), and still be there in no time.
Thee simply is no end to the scope of this game. There are all kinds of hidden passageways, dungeons and monsters to see and explore.
I give this game a 10/10 rating for simple perfection.
(Tip: If you get lost, there is a map included in the game package that you can use to reference with the in-game map to find your current location.)
E-mail me for my website address please, as I cannot post it here.
Thanks! | video-games_xbox |
Too many demands...not enough perks. Update: The only reason I bought this was to play a new version of a game I own several installments of. It wasn't supposed to be available on the Standard Xbox...Guess what...Now it is and just about every game coming out has a Standard Edition. This box now has more editions with Bundled software than I have ever seen on a machine, why? Because there is no reason to shell out the bucks for this annoying website hard drive that needs to update every time you turn it one...which I no longer do. I have no interesting in purchasing more games for this unit as it is a pain for all the reasons listed below..
.Note: Before you think these poor reviews have to be wrong because it is rated so highly...note that Amazons rating is NOT based solely on the number of stars a product recieved...I bought this for one reason only, because the next installment of a game I like demanded it. Since it was the newest version of xbox one I bought the s. I actually wanted to boot microsoft for playstation four but would have lost all the data for my game. So as I sit here going on 20 minutes waiting for a new game I bought on disk to load "updates" and then crawl to 39% loaded....I write this to hopefully spare someone else the misery..
I found the signin process both intrusive, long and unnecessary since I only wanted to play disc based games I own. I know some very nice 14 year old kids but I don't need lots of online teenaged friends and have enough people in my life to chat with. Thanks but no thanks.... I also don't want it intruding on my Facebook or any other friend lists. Once I finally got to the main screen...I wanted to turn off 90% of it. The constant adware is obnoxious and the process of having to load updates to games I don't want updates too, like the addition of several gigabytes more on ""Life is Strange...directors commentary" is tedious. Did some ego maniac pay extra to make their game updates neverending??? BTW those updates wouldn't update leading me to again delay game play to research an error code..THAT DID NOT EXIST.
Next annoyance was having to sign into the internet to use my disc games. We have a lot of storms here and it is nice to be able to play my old 360 when cable and internet go out. Note to Microsoft: When I pay for a game I want to be able to play it when I want to play it..not when your online sign in is available. I'm sure your agreement says somewhere in the fine print that you don't promise I can play it at all but its a personal preference of mine that I can use what I paid for..
SO.. two days after starting this ordeal I actually played a game. I figured the only perk for my money would be less loading time between scenes since the games are pre-loaded...well..it does appear to be shorter...but certainly NOT short enough for what I have paid for and gone through to get this up and running. The black screens are still there and with all the added online garbage, everything you might want to do, like add game data is harder to find and can cause more ads to popup for things you may want because of what you own (and are having one hell of a time playing). I would have been better of purchasing the PS4 and repurchasing my old game. | video-games_xbox |
A Fun Game,But Do Not Compare to F.S.W. When I read the mixed reviews for this game I was a bit reluctant to try this game out ,so I rented it. First off I don't think this game is simular to Full Spectrum Warrior ,First To Fight is more of an arcade style First Person Command shooter. But I gotta say I loved this game. With the richly detailed graphics & the tough fighters that seem to hide in every corner. You are a squad leader with a 3 man team ,4 including you. The squad A.I. isn't to great they often would not be able to see a guy standing right in front of them ,But at other times they would be able to kill a sniper about 300 yards away. The good thing about this game is you can order each man individually to any position you want ,but the downside to your squad A.I. is alot of times they will turn and face directly into a wall or they will be completly oblivious to the enemy firing at them. But at other times they will be very good shots. You can also direct then to fire at a certain area ,by issuing a 'COVER' command and they will cover that exact spot,but unfortunatly they won't see an enemy thats even 5ft from that spot. Meaning that its not a wide cover area .I found it was better just to issue a general 'GO TOO'command then they would have a wider cover area. But it is good when you want them to cover a Doorway which is effective given that its a small opening. I think the developers shouldve spent a little more time on polishing up on the squad A.I. There's 4 difficulty settings Recruit,Marine,Gunny,Realistic. I beat the game on Marine 2 days, then On Gunny 3 days, Then I was about half way through Realistic mode before my return date was due on the rental. I didn't notice a big difference from the difficulty settings ,Its not a too hard of a game,but it does get very intense towards the middle of the game alot of fighters firing from all sides top & bottom. Realistic felt like a decent challenge,but not even close to HALO'S hardest setting Legendary mode. Sometimes by the time you get your squad lined up perfectly the firefight is almost over. Its not like Full Spectrum where they will line up on a corner easily .In First To Fight your given a gun also and you can at times take out 80% of the enemies or all if you choose. But towards the later stages it severely intense with tons of fighters coming at you from all sides and you need your squads help. You go into Beruit to defend from Syrian fighters. You have you take down,HVT,High Valued Targets ,ACE CARDS , sound familular,either alive or dead. There are different routes towards the later stages its not all Linear .There's usually two routes and there's alot of flanking opportunities. The fighters will also flank you on the harder difficulties. Its plays more like a arcade shooter not a semi-realistic training type game likeF.S.W. But it is very realistic with well designed streets and buildings .Its more of a free form shooter, you can be point man or 2nd,3rd,or 4th man which ever you choose. You have the ability to call in morter strikes on machine gun nests & truck bed mounted machine gunners. You can call airstrikes on tanks. You can also use the macine gun nests or truck bed mounted Machine gun or the tanks machine gun mount if you neutrulize them by not destroying them. Also you can call in sniper support to cover certain areas & they can be effective. You can pick up enemies dropped AK47'S ,The RPK ,and the Russian SVT sniper,& Russian RPG. I liked the RPK cause it has a huge clip of 75,but it doesnt show up until later in the game. The detail in this games graphics is realy good ,especialy when you get further in the game. But I do have an 'S' cable so keep that in mind. The gameplay could be a little smoother its a little herky jerky .They couldve made the sprint button better by letting you hold the left trigger. But instead you have to double tap forward on the left stick ,not click but double tap. Because it does feel a little un-naturaly slow when your walking , crouched, or prone postion. Although its always best to go slow instead of rushing in. Also when you kill an enemy ,instead of instantly dissapearing or lying there dead ,sometimes they would jiggle ,it sounds like footsteps ,it took me awhile to figure it out where the heck is that footseps sound is coming from, but its the games ragdoll physics engine that couldve been polished up alittle more in the games production. Adversly when new enemies spawn in you here footsteps too. The sound is pretty good and ambient,except for the footstep thing and the last level ,ace of spades boss ,there's an incesent buzz like sound .You can issue a frag & clear room or a clear no frag. There's no flash clears in this game, its 99% Assault. With a little more polish this couldve been a stellar game. Its not as smooth game controls as Ghost Recon ,but I think First To Fight is tougher & has better graphics. Its fun and I loved it ,even though my squad is a little dumb. The rich graphics and the tough enemies made it exciting ,but I don't know if this game would be good for the casual gamer, it might be to hard on the later stages. But it does start out almost too easy probably because there's no training levels ,they throw you right in ,but once I got familar with controls it was easy as pie. Most of the commands are simple one button anyway. Its more of an arcade style,with exception to the realistic difficulty, shooter based very loosly on MARINE type street to street, house to house fighting. Which I found from playing this game is very tough and deadly job. Just in the real world we don't have a restart button. Thanks to all who serve in the armed services. | video-games_xbox |
I wasn't a Halo fan before. I am now. Before I got this, I wasn't as into Halo because my older brother played it and well he always beat me in multiplayer so it was a real killjoy. Fast forward 5-7 years(or whenever halo came out), I'm in Afghanistan looking for a good shooter that isn't just a simulation of me (i.e. CoD or battlefield series), and so I see this game. It's tons of fun now that I've grown up and well can borrow my training to augment my skill with shooters. As for the game:
Graphics: 9/10
It's not like the later Mass Effects, but that's mostly because it's not as "shiny". Not a big deal to me. It's definitely a step forward technologically, and it probably gives the devs an idea on the graphics engine they want to employ in Halo 4. If you don't like the new glossy stuff and want to go back to old school halo graphics, the back button does such. I kinda stumbled on that option lol.
Audio: 10/10
This is what really got me into it. The background music always suited the environment and gave you the feeling it wanted you to have. Whether it's open battle against the covenant, something sort of close to a special ops mission, or even when you got swarmed by waves of flood in the first two missions in which they appear, it always kept you attentive. I could even hear who was around the corner or behind the door based off of the sounds they made, whether it was covenant, flood, or human. I could even distinguish who was left in my immediate area if I was caught in between the covenant and the flood fighting.
Gameplay: 10/10
You had better be situationally aware or you will die. I've just beaten the campaign on easy (I know, I know, but I'm more of an RPG guy than a FPS guy, so give me a break), and I might consider trying normal after I play the halo reach stuff some first. Provided I am unable to connect my xbox 360 to my internet here in Afghanistan, so I can't rate the multiplayer. Then again it's hard to rate multiplayer without interactions with other players influencing the rating. Single player is solid though.
Vehicle controls: 6/10
The scorpion tank is good, the ghost is good, but the banshee is a little hard to actually keep in the air and fire down at the ground at the same time. The warthog, however, is something I dread, and mostly because it slid around a LOT, even on grassy terrain (which I imagine it is intended to handle). I flipped my warthog at least 5 times trying to escape the wreckage of the Pillar of Autumn on the last mission. I couldn't even go full speed over any terrain without the slightest concern of flipping it or spinning/sliding out of control. The warthog is the only vehicle I truly hated driving.
I have only two instances of encountering a glitch in-game. The first was on the last mission "The Maw". The point at which you hop on the elevator on your way to escape, I actually fell through the elevator and was just floating there, trapped. I just reloaded from the last check point (before the elevator) and got through. The second is sometimes when enemies die around walls or corners, the weapons get stuck on the wall trying to fall but can't and instead they'll spin around all crazy. I tossed a plasma grenade on a plasma rifle stuck on a wall and it didn't budge. It's not a problem, just entertaining.
All in all, it's a great game, and I plan to get Halo 2, Halo 3, Reach, Wars, and Halo 4 preordered because well...Now I've had my chance to get in the game without big bro pushing me around on multiplayer hahaha. Worth every star. | video-games_xbox |
I'm happy with my 4GB Holiday Bundle, but evaluate what you're going to use your system for before deciding on hard drive size. I picked up my Xbox 4GB bundle for $199 on a black Friday deal. There's a lot to think about when making a big purchase and with the Xbox there were a few options. I'm very happy I bought what I did, but here's a quick outline of what I was thinking about.
Memory: I spent a lot of time debating between the 4GB and the 250GB consoles. I did some research on the internet and everyone has an opinion on which is better. Why can't that have something in-between the two? Like 100GB? I thought about what I was going to be using it for and decided on a 4GB. I have a PS3 and use that for my COD, Need for Speed and Halo games, so I figured we could just strictly use this for Kinect games. I don't plan on downloading any games or extra content, so I think this is going to work fine for us. Plus, you can easily add 32GB of memory using two 16 GB flash drives, so worst case scenario I resort to that. I also manage my memory by deleting the game trials and extra content. If this is your only gaming system and you're going to be downloading extra maps and content and using some of the Xbox Live features, I would definitely say go with the 250GB.
-What's included: I choose this bundle because it had everything we needed to get started. I was happy to have 2 games to start out with and the Kinect sensor. It even included batteries for the controller.
-Games: I bought this as a Christmas present for my 8 year old daughter, so the games included were perfect for her age and she has been thrilled with both of them. The Kinect Adventures game is fun for the whole family and gets us up and moving around. The Disneyland game is fun, but a little more tedious to use, but she still enjoys it.
-Features: I don't even come close to using all the Xbox Live features available. I only want this system for Kinect games. But, the system has a lot to offer! There's a lot in the way of music, movies and sports. It's worth looking at all the extras to get the most out of your system.
I heard that Xbox and Playstation are possible releasing new consoles soon, possibly by Christmas 2013. This development made me hesitant to go out and buy the biggest, best, most expensive Xbox 360 because there's a chance I might be upgrading soon. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and can't believe I didn't buy one earlier. It's a fun system for the family and gets us all up exercising and having fun. Think about what you're going to be using your system for before buying yours system so you're not disappointed with the hard drive size. Also be aware the Xbox Live costs money. I am used to not having to pay with my PS3 to be online, now I'm stuck with a monthly fee. | video-games_xbox |
Great graphics and amazing attention to detail, although game play can be a little repetitive. In many ways, Kinect Disneyland reminds me of the game Epic Mickey that came out for the Wii last year. It's a fantastic concept and the attention to detail will absolutely delight die-hard Disney fans, but gameplay itself can be a little shaky at times. But overall, it's a winner, especially if you have younger kids in the house who are always begging you to go to Disneyland or Disney World.
The concept and the graphics of this game are amazing. You start the game out at the Train Station and the scene swoops onto Main Street USA, which should be familiar to anyone who's been to the parks. You define your character by choosing a boy or a girl, and give him or her a face (you basically can choose one by race), and then a hair style, hair color, shirt, and pants. There's only limited customization you can do (I'm guessing you can't use the Xbox avatar because it's just too cartoony for this world).
You meet a "magic ticket" that tells you how to move around. You point your arm straight ahead to walk, and you can point your arm to the left or right to pivot. I've heard complaints about this, but you do get used to it eventually. Still, I probably would have liked to see the option to use the old Xbox controller for walking around, as walking by pointing isn't all that intuitive.
The ticket will lead you around to meet different characters. Of course, the first character you meet is Mickey, who gives you an autograph book. You're basically given different tasks to do around Disneyland. You need to find Donald to sign to book, and then return it to Mickey. Then you need to get Goofy's autograph. And so on. It's not really challenging, as the golden ticket will lead you straight to the right character and there's also a map you can use to see where any character is at any given time. Once you encounter a character there's a fair amount of interaction you can do with it--you can shout "Hey there!", get their autograph, dance a jig with them, high five them, hug them, and take their picture with a magical camera that Mickey gives you.
And so this is basically the first way to play Disneyland Adventures: walk around the park, interact with the characters, and solve different quests that they give you. You can collect coins throughout the park which you can eventually use to purchase virtual souvenirs in the stores. There are also "magic items" you can collect which will unlock secrets throughout the park.
You can just walk around and explore the park if you like. In some cases you'll bump across different rides you can take just for fun, for example, riding the roller coaster in Mickey's Toontown or the Dumbo Ride in Fantasyland. The attention to detail is spectacular, right down to the first-person view you see while sitting on the rides, to the storefronts along Main Street, to the views you get walking from land to land, right down to the location of the Fastpass ticket machines and the crowds (whom you can eavesdrop on).
Of course, as you walk from land to land, you'll come across the "attractions" (if you don't feel like walking around, you can "fly" from land to land by pulling up a park map). These are basically mini-games, and there are a staggering number of them. Each attraction is broken into different parts. The best way to describe each mini-game is that they're idealized version of the Disneyland rides; for example, on Space Mountain, you're really flying through space and on Thunder Mountain Railroad you're really in a mine shaft. You can collect coins in all the rides are well.
Here are the attractions:
FRONTIERLAND:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: there are two parts to this one; in the first one, you're pumping a mine cart to try to get in front of a runaway train, and in the process you can reach out and grab coins (which will be a recurring theme through all the games). In the second one, you're running on the top of the train trying to get to the front to stop it. There's actually no running involved; your character runs on his own and you basically need to lean left and right and duck to avoid obstacles.
ADVENTURELAND:
- Jungle Cruise: there are three parts to this one. The first part was very much like the ride, complete with smart-alecky boat captain and rhino-infested waters. Here, you man a water cannon as your jungle cruise floats down the river, shooting barrels (which release coins) and the occasional rhino or elephant. The second part of this game is a blast--you need to mimic a guard ape's motions to disarm the ape, and then get into a fruit fight trying to hit a bunch of apes by throwing bananas. In the third part of this game, you're kayaking down some rapids, trying to steer out of danger by leaning left and right.
CRITTER COUNTRY:
- Splash Mountain: There are two parts to this one. In the first, you run after Br'er Rabbit (you'll run automatically but you can in run place to go faster). Eventually you get to Splash Mountain, where you jump into a boat and steer by leaning left and right. In the second part, you're in a barrel going down the familiar waterfall, again leaning left and right to steer and swinging at mushrooms and items thrown at you for more points.
- Winnie the Pooh: The graphics of this one were phenomenal as you're transported to Pooh Corner, drawn in the exact style of the movies. For the first part of this, you fly through the air holding onto balloons, following Winnie the Pooh on his baloon. You can flap your arms to move higher and duck to go closer to the ground. You need to collect coins and honey. In the second part, you're bouncing along with Tigger by bouncing up and down as if on a pogo stick, giving an extra bounce to avoid obstacles and to collect honey. In the third part, you're essentially playing a game of "catch" (a lot like baseball in Kinect Sports 2) where Piglet and Roo are chucking presents at you from a bush.
NEW ORLEANS SQUARE:
- Haunted Mansion: In the first part of this game you're flying through the Haunted Mansion, steering to move left and right to avoid obstacles like chairs, cabinets and paintings. Occasionally you have to match the poses of paintings to fly through them. In the second part of the game you need to escape the mansion by leaning left and right to run and pointing a flashlight at ghosts to make them explode into a pile of coins.
- Pirates of the Carribbean: The first game here is a very realistic game where you paddle a boat with two oars, but then the game turns into one very much like the kayaking game above..
TOMORROWLAND:
- Astro Blasters: This was a rail shooter game where you fight alongside Buzz Lightyear. As before, you fly by leaning left and right. You shoot by pointing your arm straight out at what you want to shoot (the blaster will fire automatically when you point at a target). As levels progress, you get into a spaceship flying through tunnels, battle Zerg by taking out shield generators, and escape by flying. This was definitely one of the more fun ones, which should appeal to young boys.
- Space Mountain: Here you get in your space ship and fly through space graphics inspired by the ride. To steer, you basically hold your hands out like they're holding a steering wheel, and navigate up, down, left, and right. From time to time you'll have to shoot things with a blaster.
- Finding Nemo: There are three parts to this game: Coral Reef, Bruce and the Sunken Ships, and East Australian current. The first game is a game of "hide and seek" where you need to hide behind certain objects so Nemo can't find you (easier than it sounds as there's a current you need to swim against and objects bumping into you). In the second and third games you're swimming and collecting coins (which feels pretty much the same as the flying games)
FANTASYLAND:
- Peter Pan's Flight: Again, this is a flying game where you're leaning left and right to steer and collect coins. What makes this one special is the stunningly beautiful graphics that come right out of the movie. In later levels of this game, you're battling the Jolly Roger (basically dodging and swinging at debris and cannonballs being fired at you), flying through Neverland, and having a sword fight with Captain Hook..
- Matterhorn: Here, you start out on a bobsled following Goofy down the Matterhorn. It's definitely cool, but on the other hand, it feels a lot like the other flying games (lean left and right to steer, avoid obstacles, and pick up coins). The second part of the game is a snowball fight, very much like the banana fight in Jungle Cruise. The third part of the game is skiing, again, a lot like the flying games.
- Pixie Hollow: This is one of those rare games that don't involve flying. In it, the fairies of "Tinkerbell The Movie" sit around and tell stories, and you need to strike the correct pose to get them to continue. This is definitely one for younger girls.
- Princess Faire: Think "Just Dance", but with Belle, Ariel, Tiana, Cinderella, or Aurora acting as your trainer as they dance to their signature Disney song. It's not as sophisticated as Just Dance (if you strike the right pose at the right time, you basically get the points), but I think a lot of young girls will get a thrill out of this one.
- It's a Small World: The graphics and music in this one are very reminiscent of the ride, if not the content. In it, you crank a boat to "sail through the world", stopping at various lands such as Africa, the South Pacific, and the American Old West. Each time you stop, you'll need to mimic the moves of a dancer to get points and coins.
- Alice in Wonderland: Another game which has fantastic graphics that are reminiscent of the Disney movie, but with gameplay much the same as above (for example, as you're falling through the rabbit hole you need to lean to your left and right to avoid obstacles and collect coins)..
First, the good. I found the graphics and animation to be amazingly detailed and accurate. For example, when playing Winnie the Pooh, the graphics, with all the scenes, the characters, and even your avatar drawn in the familiar style of the movies. Similarly, in the Finding Nemo games, the graphics take on a computer-generated Pixar feel. In the Peter Pan game, the graphics of flying through London are stunning just like in the movie. And so on. The designers and illustrators of all the mini-games definitely kept true to the originals, and Disney fanatics will be thrilled to spot a lot of little details.
The same can be said for the voice talent and music. Everything from the narrator of the Haunted Mansion to the voice of Buzz Lightyear to the sound effects of Space Mountain to the music in Splash Mountain are completely accurate to what you find in the park and in the movies and cartoons that inspired them. There were some cases where hearing a particular ride's music brought back memories for me from years ago at Disney World.
I was also pleasantly surprised at how physical many of the games are. In some of them I definitely had an elevated heart rate and felt I got a little exercise out of them.
The one gripe I do have about the game concerns the gameplay itself. As you might be able to tell from my descriptions above, there are a staggering number of games but a lot of them feel very redundant and repetitive. Despite the dizzying number of different milieus, there seem to only a small handful of games at the core: namely flying games (where you lean to the left and right to avoid obstacles), rail shooters, snowball fights, and follow-the-leader games.
After the fifth or sixth flying game, you can't help but think to yourself, "this again?" I think out of the 50 or so games, there were only a handful that I really felt "this is really something new and original" with regards to the gameplay. I would have loved to see as much creativity and originality in designing the games as there was in designing the game audio and visuals. Although one last thing that should also be noted is that the games do support two players, which of course adds a whole new dimension--what may otherwise be an exercise in tedium as one player can become a thrilling competitive battle for two.
Overall, this is a very fun title which should definitely appeal to fans of the Disney theme parks and the cartoons (which is basically 99% of us). I'd say that young players will definitely appreciate the game more; ironically, the very repetition that may make the game a little tiring for adults may be welcome for kids, as they can master the moves easily and play essentially the same games in different environments.
Kids will also love exploring the virtual park and interacting with all the characters, and certain parents will love that this game can keep their kids busy for a long, long time. If your child loves collection those blinging coins in Lego games, they'll appreciate collection coins throughout this world--and spending them. It's still not a substitute for actually going to the parks, but it's the next best thing. | video-games_xbox |
Different and refreshing. I purchased this game because the idea of it is interesting. It is set in 10,000 BC and there aren't any games (if any) that I can think of that are set in this time period. To start off with this review I'd like to say that the story isn't the best from what I've played so far (15 hours). Most of the time I have spent playing this game has been exploring the massive and beautiful world, capturing outposts and bonfires, taming all of the beasts and shooting people in the face with my bow. You know that satisfying feeling you get when you hit a nice shot in an FPS game? When you launch an arrow into the head of whoever you're about to kill you get that same feeling.. This makes the game worth buying for me, personally. I have also always enjoyed using a bow and arrow in video games. There is a ton to explore and find in the world. You will spend a lot of time looking for collectibles, resources to craft weapons, utilities and to upgrade them, your home and the homes of your people. That is a very fun component of the Far Cry series and it doesn't disappoint. I skipped Far Cry 4 because it seemed like the same thing as Far Cry 3 but with a story and characters that weren't nearly as memorable. I have played the Far Cry series since Far Cry 2 and this is one of the most refreshing installments. It finally feels like they're doing something different and taking their franchise in a new direction. The reason I give this game 4 stars instead of 5 is because the beasts are far too easy to tame, you just throw down a piece of bait and hold X. I also didn't like how the stealth system worked. There are a lot of things they could have refined and made better but all in all this game is still great, especially if you like games that use a bow and arrow. I'd recommend it to fans of the Far Cry series whether you liked 4 or not, to anyone who is looking to get into the Far Cry games for the first time or to people who are intrigued by the time period the game is set in and want to try something different. | video-games_xbox |
Amazing for PC gaming, playing overwatch. Fair battery life/limited battery level indicator. UPDATE2: Back to 5 stars after receiving amazing customer support from LucidSound. It was discovered that my headset and dongle were running an older firmware that had some bugs with battery level indication, where it would give no indications until the battery hit a critically low level of 10%. There is also an issue where the driver/coil can become stuck to the magnet if you press the headphones against your head. this is due to air pressure trapped between your ear and the driver. This new firmware adds additional support for PC's now creating 2 playback devices. one for stereo audio/music/game audio and one for mono audio/communications. in windows you can set this secondary playback device as your default communication device and then take advantage of having separate volume controls (control rings on the earcups) for voice and game audio in games (like overwatch) that support using a secondary audio device for comms. Overall, it's very liberating not to have to worry about getting my headphone cables tangled on the armrests of my chair and ripping out my audio jack on my PC. I love that it automatically switches between my PC speakers and the headset when I power on the headset.
UPDATE: I knocked this back from 5 to 2 stars because of inferior battery life, a very annoying and incessant beep when the battery hits 15% and lack of a good battery level indicator. my comparison? the sony MDR1-RBT which has very close to 30 hour battery life and indicates charge level in three increments. As for actual battery life I'd say roughly 8 hours in the real world, you must charge these after every gaming session or risk being tethered via a charging cable while you're gaming. I didn't charge them last night and only an hour into my gaming session today, they started beeping non-stop. My sonys can handle 3 days of normal use without charging, the problem with them is latency because they are bluetooth. in addition to better battery life, the sony's are also lighter and more comfortable, these clamp your head rather tight like an aviation headset.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I use this on my windows 10 PC and it has been amazing for playing overwatch competitive mode, even though only consoles are officially supported, it works like it was made for PC.
Some gritty details that took me a while to figure out before I purchased these are listed below and hopefully can save someone a bit of time.
-on pc you only need the USB connection, no funky optical audio cables required.
-on windows 10 the drivers install automatically. no funky hacks or software to download, it just works.
-when you power off the headset, it will disappear from the playback device list (and recording device list) and windows will automatically switch to your speakers. it does this instantaneously, there's no waiting for the headset to connect when you power it on.
-latency, there is none. at least not enough to be perceptible. I did an unscientific test with 20 rounds of an auditory reaction time test and the average of those tests actually put me at 10ms faster with these headphones vs. my onboard audio. 10ms is easily human error. for comparison, I have to delay audio to these headphones by 150ms just to watch movies on my 4k tv and have proper lip sync (compensating for input lag on the tv).
-recording format maximum quality is mono, 16-bit, 48,000Hz
-playback format maximum quality is stereo, 16-bit, 48,000Hz
As for the controls:
-the ring on the left ear controls microphone monitoring/feedback gain (not the final output to the PC, that can only be adjusted in software).
-the button on the left ear mutes your PC audio
-the ring on the right ear controls the audio level from your PC and is the only way to control the audio level (changing the output volume or muting in windows will not effect it at all, sort of like when bitstreaming audio in a home theater).
-the button on the right ear mutes your mic (the feed to the PC and the self-monitoring are both muted).
other notes:
-in the windows audio enhancements I use a 6db bass boost with a 60Hz low-pass and leave the headphones in normal EQ mode, they sound amazing.
-they clamp my head a little harder than my sony MDR1-RBT bluetooth headphones, but not bad. My sony's are by far the most comfortable headphones I've ever owned.
-my only gripe is that the headband could use more padding. maybe a bit of memory foam.
-I can also use these seamlessly with my LG 4k tv (65UH8500) because the TV has USB and optical audio output built right in. Great when you live in an apartment, but want to equally enjoy the quiet and lound parts of an action movie. the optical audio cable is included with the headset.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I was so put off by all the 7.1 surround, programmable button and LED lighting non-sense of most gaming headsets that I held off buying a wireless headset until I found these. 7.1 surround in a headphone is a total gimmick, you ears don't work that way, I wanted 1 decent quality driver in each ear and these headphones give you just that.
If you want a good-looking gimmick-free wireless headset for serious PC gaming and decent music listening, get this headset!
Just make sure you are willing to charge them every night religiously. | video-games_xbox |
What Was Already Awesome... Is Now Even Better. I loved the first Halo, and I'm sure most of you also did. While I was playing the first one, I never thought any FPS could be any better - and that was, obviously, before I put my hands on Halo 2.
Halo 2 was hyped as hell, if it wasn't the best game ever it would disappoint gamers, so Bungie worked on it really hard for nearly three years. I was kind of let down at first when I saw that the most complex textures and details in the CG-like movies appeared moments after the basic ones. It's not a big thing, but it's still something. But when the intro was over, I got shocked... Could those be the graphics? Oh my God! The most incredible graphics I've ever seen in my entire life... It began a little bit like Half-Life, and when I found out I could shoot with two weapons at once, I said to myself: this is going to be the best game ever. Soundtrack and sound effects are far superior than usual even in a normal TV. I wasn't able to plug my Xbox into my home theater, but as far as I know, the result can't be compared to any other games avaliable. One thing I liked about the soundtrack is that the classical soundtrack from the first one has been changed and now there's a lot of rock'n'roll tunes - I like both classical and rock music, but guitars fit the world of Halo way more than pianos and violins, and you've got to agree. Voice acting is also top notch.
Now there are new enemies in the game. The variety of enemies still isn't the best thing ever, but it never gets repetitive. New weapons (I love the energy sword, it's the most powerful weapon), new vehicles... Halo 2 has improved the first one in every way possible. I loved the controls in the first one, and this time they're even better. AI is great... Enemies and allies are really smart - not smarter than me, though (hahaha) - in 99% of the gameplay. I have witnessed some parts of the game where the AI kind of failed - allies stopped shooting due to nothing while in a vehicle, allies refused to get into the Warthlog for no reason... Other interesting thing in this game is that you play with two characters: Master Chief and an alien, so it's two different views of the story.
Let's talk about the Xbox Live gameplay... Holy Spartans! I don't have much experience in online gameplay (it was the second time I've played anything online), but I must warn you: it's highly addictive. If you're tired about the single player game, ok, it's possible, but you can't get tired of this. It's different every time you play. There are many game modes, scenarios and there's still more to come - Bungie is always planning some new download contents. And Halo 2 includes a special code so you can play the game online with absolutely no charge for two full months. C'mon, play Halo 2 free, online for two months, you can't miss it. All you need is a high-speed internet connection and a credit card, nothing else. If you want to continue playing, no problem: pay a US$50 tax to play for another year or buy a Xbox Live Starter Kit so you get new games to play online and you don't pay anything else for a year. If you want to cancel, you can also do so and you won't be charged. Such things like playing Halo 2 online can't be written, you must play it, simple as that.
Overall, we're talking about the best game of 2004. I'm not a big fan of first person shooters, but this one absolutely rocks. Since it has no bosses and no puzzles - two things I don't like in games -, it's extra fun. If you think a game with no bosses and no puzzles is basically a very easy game, try to beat it on Legendary mode, dear gamer... Buy it right now! If you don't own an Xbox, it's worthy to buy one only to play this single game, which is, by the way... The best game ever. | video-games_xbox |
Me Too Shooter. Medal of Honor Airborne for the Xbox 360 is a WWII First Person Shooter (FPS). I have been a long time fan of the Medal of Honor series ever since I played the first one on the old Playstation system. I even enjoyed the European Assualt title and thought that the fire fights were a lot more intense than the ones in Airborne. Don't get me wrong this is a next gen game, but the matter of fact is that WWII games have been done to death. With so many great titles out there within the same genre, Airborne does not push the concept far enough to win over the competition. You are still fighting on with the same assortment of weapons (pistols, submachine guns, assualt rifles, sniper, bazzooka and a few others) you are still fighting the nazi regime, you are still running through houses for close combat and fighting outdoors in the countryside for long range combat. You are still fighting inside trenches and on top of bridges.
In order to bring something new into gameplay the creators of Airborne made the game into "open world" level maps. You begin each mission with a briefing of objectives, weapons selection followed by you jumping off a plane with a parachute. And this is where the open world concept is used; you can land anywhere on the battlefield map and engage the enemy in close combat or snipe them from afar. It is not linear like most FPS that force you to go along path to advance through the level. The way to advance in Airborne is to kill enemy germans in any of the battles taking place at the same time. If you leave an area of battle and head to a different part of the map, you will encounter more enemies and alllied bots engaging in battle.
Since there are mini battles taking place all over the map, this lets you devise a strategy for flanking enemy positions and sometimes even coming up behind them to gun them down. You can also land on roofs of houses and go jumping from one roof to the next while shooting down at the enemy positions on the ground levels. You can pick up ammo and switch to weapons dropped by dead enemies. Although you use the same basic WWII weapons found in most FPS, Airborn lets you upgrade your weapons the more you use it by killing enemies. You can get faster reloads, steady aim, bigger ammo clip and a few surprise attachements.
I know that I will get a lot of flak for this (pun intended), but even with its open world design and upgradeable weapons, MOH Airborne, did not meet my expectations for a next gen title. There are no destructible objects, multiplayer is boring, and the missions do not get my adrenaline pumping up. There is just nothing remarkable about it to justify me purchasing yet another WWII shooter when, Call of Duty is still more intense and immersive than Airborne. And consider the fact the COD is an older title.
Pros:
+open world maps
+excellent controls
+excellent music
+cool weapon upgrades
+ragdoll physics
+detailed statistics and leaderboards
Cons:
-Not as intense as COD
-another WWII shooter
-no vehicles to drive
-boring multiplayer
-weak missions in single player | video-games_xbox |
Excellent campaign, frustrating multiplayer. Excellent campaign, but the multiplayer has all the worst attributes of COD. First I'll address the campaign. It's fantastic, especially if you like hard-ish scifi. The characters are all pretty likable, and there are large awe inspiring set piece moments COD is known for. The only down side is that the climax and follow through were not perfectly executed, and a main adversary gets taken off the board at an odd time and in a anti-climactic way. However, for 90% of the campaign the pace is great, the spectacle of warfare is better than ever, and it even manages to have heart! I recommend renting if nothing else than for a good popcorn flick style campaign.
I will not comment on zombies or MW:Remastered, as I have not played them yet. Although COD4:MW was excellent when I played it 9 years ago, so I'm sure I'll still love it. Now we get to the turd in the punchbowl: multiplayer. Yes, the controls are still good and tight, yes the weapons feel nice and punchy, but I feel like everything I hate about recent COD multiplayer was amplified in the 5 or so hours I've spent with it so far. Bunny hopping, quick scoping, dolphin diving, it's all here in abundance. My brother says it ought to be called Annually Released Preteen Distraction, not COD, and perhaps he is correct, as I have liked COD less and less since MW3. Sure, I'm over 30 now and my reflexes kinda suck, but I still immensely enjoy other shooters like Titanfall, BF1, and Overwatch.
However, I think COD's multiplayer problems are deeper than my lack of twitch shooting ability. For one the maps suck, not one particularly fun or memorable map in my play time thus far. Second, there is now pay to play, as you can spend real money for supply drops to unlock weapons/camos, in addition to paying for the inevitable DLC. Third, I feel that it's gotten too "twitchy", personally I think MW3 and BLOPS1 were the sweet spots. | video-games_xbox |
Finally I had the chance to play this classic. Yes, it's 2005 and my wait is over. I had this game sitting on a shelf for almost a year, and finally I took the time to fully enjoy it.
Usually, the first games that come out with the launch of a new game console are there to show off it's capabilities, but they fade away into obscurity very quickly. Halo is one of the very few exceptions to the rule, and this is without a doubt, the game that built Xbox's reputation into what it is today, hands down.
In my opinion, the main factor in keeping me coming back to this game was pure playability. I didn't admire so much the landscapes, the weapons, the AI or even the great vehicles available for combat. What I really admired was the ease of playing (and I mean playing, not actually winning). The controls are comfortable, the movements are smooth, the feel is just perfect.
All games have room for improvement, for me Halo has its major flaw with the automatic checkpoint saves - The program automatically saves your progress at specific (I call arbitrary) spots during the game. I found myself going way back to a previous checkpoint after spending almost an hour of tough combat. This situation also brought another gripe, sometimes I felt that certain parts were supposed to be completed in a seemingly "specific" way, with no room for improvisation. A slight deviation in tactics and you ended up flying in the air and back to the last checkpoint. Also, if you did something wrong, such as wasting ammo or grenades, you had no way to backtrack into a more comfortable position. A couple of times I had to restart a level after finding myself in an exceedingly frustrating impossible checkpoint because of the lack of weapons and ammo.
Sound settings would've been a nice addition to the game. I often noticed that the music and sound effects volume didn't allow you to listen the game dialog clearly enough. Dialog is important to succedd in more than a few missions.
After several days I was able to complete all the Campaign missions in Normal mode. I recommend a new player to start with Easy. I believe Normal mode is still a bit difficult for the average player.
In the end, Halo for Xbox is a truly exciting action game, with many different combat options that will keep you hooked until the end. A must have. | video-games_xbox |
Next Generation? Next year. When I got home and opened my copy of Madden, I was terribly disappointed. I'll list Pros and Cons to make this quick and easier.
Pros:
-the graphics on HDTV are pretty good (more detail could be added, especially player specific stuff). tackling animations could be alot better (more realistic wise). otherwise the running and passing animations are good.
-gameplay is pretty good for the most part. defense is a little too easy for me but I just bump up the difficulty. the lead blocking control is an interesting addition and takes time to get used to.
and that's about it for the Pros...
Cons:
- the modes included in the game seem watered down or almost "half baked" at sometimes. franchise mode is nowhere near as good as it was back in 2003, 2004, or 2005. a lack of fantasy drafting, salary cap strategizing, the trading screen is nearly unusable, also the lack of minigames to improve your players in the offseason, all contribute to a terrible experience in franchise mode. superstar mode is still in its infancy and needs to be tweaked to make it better. a couple of things are glaring to me in superstar mode; the "accelerated clock" against the computer isn't accelerated, the players are faster not the clock... the computer can score on a 9 play drive in 25 seconds during the middle of the second quarter! unacceptable. I also don't like the fact that you have no control of the plays going on while you're on the field. another big oversight.
-the commentary in the game is AWFUL! the "radio" announcer that replaced John Madden and Al Michaels adds absolutely nothing to the game and I often find myself annoyed when listening to him.
-the ingame intangibles just aren't there. there is no presence of referees or the "chain gang" on the field. the field doesn't tear up like it should especially during weather doused fields. players uniforms don't show wear after a whole game of play. the stadiums look fair, but the crowd and the scoreboards are very weak. i am especially upset with the scoreboards in ability to show "live" game action, or ingame replays, something I think has been missing always. sideline player animations are very rigid, mostly they all do the same thing, which is usually clap. FOR NEXT GENERATION I FEEL THAT MANY OF THESE PROBLEMS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED! this is not sega dreamcast or nintendo's virtuaboy.
-one of the biggest omissions is the inability to edit the players in the game. a large oversight that many users relied on to make the game more real for them.
Sadly overall this release is only marginally better than the HUGE step back we took with Madden 2006 for Xbox 360. Personally, I will not settle for a mediocre product from EA because they have bought the exclusive rights from the NFL. So much for the great American system of capitalism in video games. | video-games_xbox |
I Am Not Disappointed with My Pre-Order. Fresh out of the case, Assassin's Creed III admittedly feels a little cumbersome and glitchy. I assumed this was due to the revised controls and game engine, which is probably correct, but it is something that must be addressed if this is to be an honest review. Nevertheless, I am still left extremely satisfied with having pre-ordered this gaming epic months ago.
The storyline is certainly of AC caliber with the usual plot twists and well thought out narrative, despite taking way too long to get to the juicy part(s) gamers care about most. As another reviewer said, the 5-6ish hour tutorial levels/missions are highly unnecessary and hinder the overall flow of what is an otherwise great story.
Graphically, I think this is a spectacular homage to the wild frontier of young America. The wildlife, cities, wilderness, and people are all rendered much more aesthetically pleasing and "alive" than in previous iteration in this series. That said, I still doubt that I will ever feel the same adoration or sense of breathtaking awe for Boston, New York, or the Frontier that I felt when I first looked around Florence as Ezio in AC:II.
Overall, the gameplay aspect is still as fun as ever. Not much has changed in this regard from previous AC games. Overlooking the graphic glitches and other minor detractors, I have already poured quite a few hours into running around the treetops of the Frontier and hunting wildlife. By creating an entire wilderness to explore without the hindrances of rooftop chases, haystacks, etc. Ubisoft has definitely upped the quality of this game's "extracurricular" activities, not to mention the trade-based economic system.
Like I said, I am extremely pleased that I pre-ordered this game and anxiously awaited its release. Sure, there are some relatively important issues that could have been polished (and I apologize if those are what stand out in this review), but in the grand scheme of things, this is yet another successful Assassin's Creed release that I am sure my wife and I will spend hours playing through completing every side objective. Nobody will regret buying this, even if it's for one play through. | video-games_xbox |
So Close. Really a cool game, incredibly unique. The facial animations are incredible, and they play such a crucial role in the game. I've never played anything like this, and it really is well-done. If you're a fan of detective fiction, you'll get into this game. For the first third of the game or so (the first disc) I was thinking this might turn into the best game I've ever played. It ended up as a very good game, and something I'm very glad I played...
It does fall short of great, though. Most games are lots of action with some cut scenes in between--this one is more like lots of cutscenes with action in between. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it really does make you feel like you're playing a role in a detective movie. The problems arise when the story starts to sag. It kind of meanders in the middle... and I'll leave it to each player to evaluate the ending. I wasn't thrilled with it.
The other problem is that there's not a ton of freedom... sure, it's an open world, and you have to make your own decisions which affect the story, but that only goes so far. You don't have much real control. You're just playing along within the story arc. Again, that wouldn't be too much of a problem if the story arc held up throughought... it would just have been nice to get the feeling that there were multiple ultimate outcomes--or even two possible outcomes; maybe a "good cop" or "bad cop" ending or something. As you're playing through, you get the feeling like it doesn't really matter what you do, you'll end up in the same place, you're just playing for a high score along the way.
All in all, though, it's an enjoyable game. Totally unique and entertaining throughout. I really hope they make a sequel... add a little more freedom to the story, keep the narrative a little tighter, and this game would rank 6 stars out of 5. But, based on what I've read about the problems between Bondi and Rockstar (and the fact that it apparently took 7 years for them to make this one) I'm not holding my breath for a follow-up. | video-games_xbox |
An Improved Formula Plus More. Probably The Best So Far. Let's be honest, if you're not 12 and under, some of the Lego titles before this one, got old real soon, plus the constant "grunts" that replaced actual voices in previous Lego games, had started to wear thin on many of us...
But, in comes Batman 2: DC Super Heroes....the first thing I was shocked to see..or hear I should say....human voices!!! and good ones for tha matter. That's right, we now get to hear the joker, harley, batmant, etc the entire cast. And I'm glad to report that the voice work is outstanding. I'll be honest, the entire time I played the game, I had a smile on my face; Batman 2 managed to squeeze in beautiful voice work and just the right amount of humor that will lighten up any bad day you could possible have.
The mechanis of the game remain untouched, go through levels, fill the lego meter, find golden and kit parts, and unlock the map for free play. If you've played Lego games before, you will feel right at home.
The controls are responsive and on spot. I did not experience a single signal drop from control inputs. I played through with ease and I can't see anybody having any problems; the game is well balanced.
Great details,
I was quite surprised, in a very good way, that players are able to fly and drive vehicles, that's right, the batmobile is here! and others.... ;)~ Plus the entire cast of villans and heroes that most of us have known from years, are here, lego style. I won't spoil it, but trust me, "you will love it".
The story starts at an event taking place where the "man of the year" award is being given, but as always, I NEVER SPOIL the story of any game in any of my reviews, and this being a Lego game, is no different. I will let you enjoy every bit of the story as you go. But I will tell you this though...you will not be disappointed. You will enjoy a fun ride from Start to Credits. You will laugh, you will have a permanent smile on your face.
Graphics....it maybe hard to believe, but graphics have been polished. don't get me wrong, all the Lego tittles, at least for the new console generation, have always been good looking, but this latest installation, looks very good; water effects are detailed. At times I forgot that all and most structures and items are made of Legos. I won't say this is Gears of Wars or Uncharted material, but I can say this, it can hold its own against any other titles out there.
Some will argue this game is "for kids". I'm not a kid. I won't say my age, but let's just say I'm not 12, that's all I will say lol, but in all seriousness, this is game is for all ages, from young to old. This game has features that other titles lacked and has all the elements of a true gaming experience, where the player is given "what he expects", so you won't longer say, "I wish I could do or drive that".
A point worth mentioning, during "many" parts of the game, I kept thinking "this would've been so cool in Batman Arkham Asylum and City", and to be honest, I'm surprised it wasn't. Lego Batman 2, has in a lot of ways set a standard for what Batman games should be like and make players feel like. I know it's a Lego game and a sense of lightness has to be kept, but some of the aspects of this game, could very easily be or have been applied to other Batman games and that would've and could make them that much better.
In conclusion, if you are a fan of Lego games, this will be everything you've always liked, plus more. If you are a fan of Batman, you definitely have to get this game. Do not skip it. Trust me, you will regret not buying or at least renting this game. It is fun in every single aspect. True fans will appreciate the many perks and additions of this tittle. New comers will be hooked and possibly start looking into other Lego titles and Batman games. Regardless of who or what level gamer you are, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes IS FOR YOU. You will get your money's worth from the second you hear those Legos talk. | video-games_xbox |
A fantastical game for classic JRPG and Final Fantasy fans. Short review: Wonderful game.
A little more: it's like many of the great JRPG's of yore, but with a little breath of fresh air. The hero isn't the stereotypical prettyboy spiky-haired kid we're so used to. Kaim is as moody as they come, but this time for a very good reason. When you're a millennia-old mercenary, you have every right to be cranky.
Story: Halfway through, and so far it's pretty good. The main story is told through a mix of gameplay and animated sequences (both pre-rendered shorts, and the majority remainder real-time graphics). The "dreams" you uncover throughout the game are each literary masterpieces within themselves, 10-page miniature novels penned by a famous Japanese writer Kiyoshi Shigematsu. Also, the story overall can be very emotional and touching - I shed tears during many parts along the way.
Gameplay: A bit run-of-the-mill JRPG, which isn't bad. If you want a tied-and-true JRPG with random battles, HP and MP meters, turn-based menu-driven battles, and talking to lots of townsfolk and hunting dungeons for treasure chests, this is your bag. I love it, but if you wanted something more 21st century, you may be disappointed.
Music: Wonderful. By legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy fame, he does not disappoint. It's not quite as memorable as FF7 so far, but everything is appropriate. Battle theme doesn't become monotonous after your 200th battle, or your 1000th one. Strings, percussion, and brass all mix well.
Characters: Here's where I'm really liking it. The characters so far are lovely. They seem very human and well thought out. While Kaim may be a humbug at the start, he mellows out. The surrounding characters that join your party definitely help fill the void, especially Jansen.
Art/graphics: The art department really went overboard in this game. Graphics are pretty and all, but I'll focus on the art side. Architecture is amazing, and there's great attention to detail. The worlds and interior rooms feel very lush and lively. Not everything is perfect - water fountains seem fake with poor water flow effects, and some textures are jaggy. But overall, it's well-designed.
Voice: Some of you are picky on voice actors. Well, good news, you can switch to other voices, and not just original Japanese. German, French and Italian are also available. Why not Spanish? I don't know... And in my opinion, the English voice actors are pretty damn good, so I felt no need to switch. But someday I'll replay with original Japanese voices.
Overall, I love this game. BUT that's because I love classic JRPG's. If you want something new, try something like Mass Effect or perhaps Fallout 3. But for the Final Fantasy goons out there, try this and see why I'm quickly considering this the "real" FFXII. Or at least my FFXI replacement. | video-games_xbox |
Gears of War: A Remake for the Next Generation Consoles. The Gears of War franchise has finally made its way to the Xbox One. With promises of revamped high definition graphics and a powerful boost to the sound quality, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition was poised from the beginning to be the defining experience that fans of the original Gears of War had craved for years.
From the time that you first load up a game, whether it is multiplayer or campaign, youll be greeted by a stunning portrayal of visuals. The sound is in fact much more defined and offers a much higher sense of realism.
However, for fans of the original Gears of War on the Xbox 360, you may be wondering how this game stacks up in comparison. It is an HD remake of the original classic, but it is labeled as the Ultimate Edition, meaning that it comes with some changes that the developers deemed to be for the better.
So, the following is my pros and cons of the game, when being directly compared with the original on the 360.
Pros:
-Improved graphics.
-Improved sound.
-Dedicated servers.
-Includes maps that were previously only available on the PC version (Gold Rush, Courtyard, and Sanctuary), as well as five campaign chapters that were previously only available on PC, and a brand new map called Boxes which is only playable on the 2v2 game type.
-Removal of glitches that previously ran rampant in the original Gears. (Weapon slide, however, still exists).
-New game modes (blitz, king of the hill, team death match, and 2v2 battles).
-New characters to use in multiplayer.
Cons:
-Movement is a bit slower and clunky. Youre also required to completely stop out of a run before shooting or doing a melee.
-Current inconsistencies with the damage distribution with weapons. (However, the developers have stated that this should be addressed in a future patch).
-When not playing in a full party of people, the players on each team don't switch up in between matches. This means that if you get stuck with a couple players who don't know how to play the game too well and are against players who do know how, you're stuck with the same players until you decide to leave and find a new lobby.
-Sound inconsistencies for narrowing down which way an enemy is coming.
Neutral Changes (up to you to decide if they're good or bad):
-Inclusion of various weapon skins to choose from.
-Inclusion of the ability to spot enemy players.
-Inability to manually select your map and settings (unless playing in private match).
-A ranking system (to level 100) and the ability to re-up (to return to level one after reaching the max level). However, for anyone wondering, your rank has no bearing on your gameplay and doesnt unlock you any special weapons or gear. However, you do unlock new playable characters as you rank up.
-The sniper rifle has a glowing piece on the end of it when you're looking down the scope that enemies can easily see.
-The maps are all the same in terms of the layout, but the scenery and look of them has been changed on many maps.
Conclusion:
For fans of the original 360 version that are looking to recapture the nostalgia from the golden days of the Gears of War franchise, this version offers a satisfactory remake. However, it does come with changes, for both good and bad that leave it with a new face when compared to the original. In the general sense, the game is still your same old friend just one that has been made over.
For players who may not have played the original very much (or at all) and only got into Gears with the sequels, youll see a lot differences when comparing the game to Gears 2, 3, or Judgement. You won't be able to stick frags on walls, there is no horde or beast mode, and your beloved scorcher weapon or digger will be nowhere to be found. However, in terms of general gameplay, it is still the same.
For people completely brand new to the franchise, this game offers one of the best third person shooter experiences available in video game history. The grit of the game and the rush of one vs one shotgun encounters will leave you coming back for more.
Should you buy this game? Yes, but remember that it is new and still being patched by the developers. | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing for fans of Ghost Recon series. Here's the problem with GRFS compared to GRAW. In GRAW your mission was to go and do things; in GRFS, your mission is to respond to things being done to you. This, thematically, is a huge change in gameplay. Instead of making tactical decisions given an enormous set of AI, geographic and class variables, you're simply sitting in a shooting gallery with targets popping up. "Shoot this one...now shoot this one...don't forget this one...here's two at the same time...Shoot them!"
You start out as a member of a team attacking a hillside caravan. After about five minutes, you get killed. That's right. You die. Not because of any choice you made but because that's what Ubisoft wanted to happen to you. You don't come back as a zombie or ghost soldier to play the remainder of the game. You just inhabit a new character. The message? Don't get too attached to your character, it can be destroyed at the ambivalent whim of the game writer. But it doesn't matter because they're all interchangeable. Ubisoft has deftly set the stage for a game in which you don't control anything, you simply get controlled by things around you.
At one point, all players must trade out their weapons for the same gun. But hey, wait a minute, I'm a sniper! Too bad, fella, here's your submachine gun to finish this mission. In GRAW, you were penalized for picking up a non-class weapon. Here? You're forced to take a non-class weapon. You want to know what the truly sad thing is? The "sniper rifle" that was my weapon for my "scout" class was an automatic machine gun. It didn't feel any different from the submachine gun.
But that's actually a good thing because you can't shoot targets from a distance. You can only shoot targets that are identified by a little...target identifying globe...that you throw like a grenade. So I can't snipe anyone outside of a ball-toss distance or I risk killing a civilian. So it was actually a benefit that my sniper rifle was set to full auto...but with a 20 round clip.
You know the wide open areas in GRAW where you'd need to slowly make your way to a window or wait for the perfect time to pick off the enemy from a distance? Not in GRFS. My team and I crawled up to a window, called out our targets and picked them off in perfect synchronization. FAIL! What? Okay try again. FAIL! Try again...oh wait what are these circles on the ground? Five seconds after we all stand in the circles, we enter bullet time, have our crosshairs set perfectly on our targets and easily take them out. What fun! Like I said: you don't play this game; this game plays you.
Then we were forced into the back of a truck and rode the rails through town shooting at targets that pop up around us. Classic (by which I mean lazy and tiresome) FPS design. Even worse, this ride through town is frequently interrupted by cutscenes that are indistinguishable from gameplay. Why can't I shoot??? It's a cutscene! When can I shoot again??? Dunno. Just keep the trigger pulled until bullets start coming out again. Like I said: you don't play this game; this game plays you.
Why is it called Ghost Recon? I couldn't tell you. It bears no resemblance to that unique, engaging world. Even to the point where coop gameplay is now limited to four people. I waited years to get MW with gimmicks. I've only played the first mission and its clear that Ubisoft has decided to remove everything I love and include everything I hate in this game. Anyone want a used disk (that they can't play unless they subscribe to Ubisoft's service)? Like I said: this game played me. | video-games_xbox |
It has cup o' soup and a mullet in it. 'Bout sums it up. I do not understand the overwhelming positive response to this game. In my opinion, it is the worst RPG I've ever played, at least in my memory. I've been at this since the NES was a new console. I bought the Royal edition, but felt that this review would be valuable here as well.
For the first few hours, I was impressed. I have played most previous FF titles. Some are better than others, but even with the weaker ones I've always enjoyed myself. Here's what the game offered at first: decent graphics, fun (if chaotic) combat, and the open world I was wandering around in seemed to have a compelling story behind it. Rusted out tanks everywhere, abandoned buildings, the trappings of a fallen empire perhaps? Sadly, this game is so incredibly shallow, you'll never really know.
Let's start with what is supposedly this game's strong point: the combat. At first I was enjoying the switch from the turn-based history of the franchise to something that resembled The Witcher. Unfortunately, the similarities are only superficial. There is no depth to this combat system. What you get in the first hour of play is what you get for the entire game. Yes, your skill tree can add some options, but they are impossible to control, and the impact of them isn't really felt. The combat felt the same to me at level 40 as it did at level 1. There is no strategy or variety to it. It's highly repetitive mashing of two buttons in melees so poorly captured that you cannot tell what you're doing. Ever. Just mash buttons and drink potions and win. I have yet to even once die in a fight during the day, and incidentally I have yet to even really know what is going on in a fight with enough clarity to even attempt to direct the action. Not that doing so is possible with the limited control you have over the other characters. You can issue single commands to individual party to use a single skill, or you can have them us an item. You have no control over their attacks, and cannot assume control of them, so you cannot in any way execute any kind of battle strategy. After hours of this game, I've come to the conclusion that what I have been presented with is a shell of a combat system. An outline. A broad idea desperately in need of details to make it interesting.
How about the story? How should I know? Square Enix doesn't really bother to tell it. Your dad, the king ,is killed by some rival monarch. Who this baddie is, why he is doing what he is doing, isn't explained at all until much later in the story. As a result, I have no reason to care about what he is doing. You'd be surprised at how such an event as an assassination of a head of state and an ensuing war affects the world. No, really you would be. Because it doesn't, not even in the slightest way. The characters you encounter in the world are utterly disjunct from the world and story they inhabit. None of them talk of the war, the assassination, or anything else that matters, unless it's a character specifically put in the game to advance the main storyline. Instead they all talk about food, or of looking for frogs, or of fishing, or "fetch me this item." Every other character in the game, to a one, is irrelevant to the world they inhabit and the story. Instead of fleshing out the world, they just serve as a glaring reminder of how poorly developed it is. This story is the opposite of world-building. Once again, we offered an outline. Here is the world we want, but the why and how never got done.
Let's talk about the world for a minute. The open world was this huge selling point. But what good is it if there is nothing worthwhile in it? The only things out in the world are random mobs, mundane items you can mostly buy at a vendor, and nodes for you to charge up to use the worst spell system ever. There is no reason to explore, because there is nothing in the world to see. Yes, it is attractive, but there has to be more of a reason to explore than to simply go look at this or that landmark. Finding a new town should provide one with a sense of accomplishment and excitement at being able to find something new. Instead, every outpost in the game is a cardboard cutout. Each one will have a Crow's Nest diner, a couple shops, a guy who sells food, and a 5th wheel for resting in. Some have a motel you can buy a room at but there really isn't much point in bothering with it. There are very few things to actually do at each outpost or town. You'll have between one and 5 quests to do. To make it worse, the same quests are found at every town. Go hunt x of this monster. Go fetch me this dog dog tag from over there. And that, my friends, is it.
Which brings me to the side quests. Not a single one in the entire game fleshed out the story in even the slightest way. They are either fetch quests, kill x of the monster quests, have Ignis take some stupid picture, or chocobo related. Of them, only the chocobo ones are in any way worth bothering with. It is an enormous missed opportunity. Even Mass Effect Andromeda, with problems somewhat similar to this title, managed to have meaningful side quests that somewhat expanded on the world and added needed detail to the story. Not in this game. They could have been used to explain the war, give a sense of urgency to the situation, explore the aftermath of the assassination, describe this history of the world. Instead, you need to fetch things like car wax for Cindy. You need to go take a picture of this landmark. You need to go catch frogs for this lady. You need to go get food for this recipe. You need to fetch this or that thing that has absolutely nothing to do with anything going on.
The characters. Oh, how I hate them so. The group of bros you are stuck with is the least likable ensemble ever. You spend much of the game watching your car auto-drive around the empty world. One of these guys has a mullet. Yes, a mullet. So you spend probably upwards of 50% of the game staring at the back of this guy's head, and thus his ridiculous mullet. I feel like that is a perfect metaphor for this whole mess of a title. However, it doesn't end there. Female characters are sparse, and none can join your party. The NPC female characters are absolute caricatures, to the extent that even as a man I found them to be uncomfortable or downright insulting. There is Cindy, who wears basically no clothes. At least she as a job in a traditionally male field - auto mechanic. But she wears no clothes and her voice acting is this almost unendurable faux-southern accent. Other female characters I cannot even remember their names. There's frog-fetch quest lady who has no qualities worth remembering. There are other major female NPCs, also caricatures, usually. Shy, demure female schoolgirl (disturbing, and the connotations of this are not OK with me). One female NPC later on who at least has an aura of power. Outside of these characters, the only other one worth mentioning is an actual literal overweight neck beard. I only mention him because he is in fact a neck beard, which I found funny. His lack of fitness I assume leads him to asking you to take pictures of the scenery for him, which is his entire purpose in the game: to give you these pointless photo quests.
I'll just stop here, any more time spent on this gives time to a title that isn't worth devoting any more minutes from my life to.
This is the first title in this series that I hated. In fact, I think it may be the first in the RPG genre that I hated. But hate it I do. I am angry at Square Enix for unloading this steaming heap on us and hyping it up like it was something worth while. It is barely a game. It is so horrible that I feel that it should be reviewed by the Angry Video Game Nerd. Avoid it. I'm trading mine in. The first time I've ever done so with a game in my entire life. | video-games_xbox |
Here is what we do know. Tony Hawk 3 is one of the greatest games for the Xbox, and Tony Hawk 4 looks just as promising. Since Amazon really doesn't have any information about TH4 up yet, I thought I would offer some info courtesy of Gamespot.com:
The game features a totally redesigned career mode, one that takes away the standard two-minute time limit and instead applies time limits as you discover and start goals. Level goals are hidden in the new game, and some goals appear on the level only after certain previous goals have been completed. Also, the game will have multiple tiers of goals. Completing all of a level's amateur goals will unlock a pro challenge. Each skater will have a different pro challenge that is suited to fit that skater's career. The pro challenge is designed to be much more difficult than the standard goals. One of them will have a skater moving around to different parts of the level, doing a specific trick on a piece of scenery, all within a certain time limit. Once this challenge has been completed, a new set of pro goals will open up on the level.
The twist in Tony Hawk 4 is that you won't have to complete every goal with every single skater. Outside of the pro challenge, completed goals are counted so you could conceivably go through the game once with one skater, then go back and complete the pro challenges with every other skater to complete everything the game has to offer.
The San Francisco level featured the same type of goal structure as the rest of the game, though it didn't seem to be as beginner-focused as the first set of goals in the college level seemed to be. In San Francisco, you'll have to skate around and find five packages, save a man from four hungry seals, manual all the way down a pier, and of course, accomplish the standard score and spelling goals. Portions of the level's look and design are inspired by Fisherman's Wharf. | video-games_xbox |
Huge Learning Curve, But Worth It. [EDIT]: I'm revising my rating from two stars to four. Despite its flaws and how uncomfortable it makes me when I play it (I guess that's the point when I think about it), I still keep coming back to the game, and at the end of the day that is what matters. Re: The issue with being given too many tasks at once: that DOES even out after a little while and eventually you learn to cope, but I think that particular stint in the game needs to be ironed out a little and the tasks need to be staggered. Like I said, very big learning curve, but as humans tend to do, you eventually adapt.[/EDIT]
The first 15 hours or so were very fun - I quickly fell into the story and developed routines for navigating the map and getting things done. I like that your actions require some forethought and strategizing, and if you don't play smart there's probably going to be consequences for that. Fair enough.
But at some point after those 15 hours or so, when I started to get missions and whatnot for the rest of the map outside of the church, things went downhill from there. First of all, there are way too many missions being thrown on top of me at once, to the point where I simply do not have time to complete them all and will lose access to at least a few of them. Within the span of a very short time period, I got 3 infestations, two Eye in the Sky missions, 3 "Aid Survivor" missions, Save Jacob, two feral hunts, get Doc, build sleeping quarters, and a few others I'm forgetting. On top of all that, I still have to hunt for resources and keep zombie population in check. Outposts help a lot with the hordes, but when you're venturing off the beaten path and suddenly surrounded by 2-3 hordes that keep circling around you because they KNOW you're there, there's nothing for it. Hide in a bush and wait for an escape route to open, but while you're waiting, even more things are being piled on top of you and you're losing time to get to other missions.
The difficulty of each individual mission, taking care of hordes/infestations, etc. is fine - there just isn't enough time to do it all. And if you don't get to some things fast enough, they're gone, and you can never complete them on that play-through. Meanwhile, things like trade opportunities are constantly popping up, even those I've declined over and over again because they're garbage trades. If I've declined the same trade twice, why am I still being asked about it? And every single time I decline these ridiculous trades (because I have no trouble getting my own ammo and no I won't give you 15 cases of food for 1 case of ammo), I lose 25 influence. Stupid.
Character DEATHS are ridiculous. If I go out and get myself hemmed up because of being too loud or dallying too long, fair enough. But when the game kills my characters just because it feels like it, that's BS. On my first play-through, I lost Marcus: I was playing with Maya, doing some scavenging, and I come across NPC Marcus in a house. I go in to watch his back, and I get a message that says Marcus can handle it on his own and is okay. Fine, I leave him be and continue on my way. What happens? He's dead a few minutes later. Luckily I was able to turn off the Xbox before it saved, but I shouldn't have to resort to that crap.
The cost/benefit element is too skewed - too much cost and not enough benefit. If you want to throw a bunch of responsibility on someone - great! But in order to keep a person interested, you have to stimulate the reward centers of the brain adequately, and this game fails that. There just isn't enough reward/incentive to continue playing. That is, I'm seeing very little reward for my efforts. It's like Oregon Trail - people get typhoid, axles break . . . but then you come across a town and you can recover and feel ready to tackle more of the journey. In SoD, there is no town - you just get broken axles and typhoid CONSTANTLY. There is no small reprieve that makes you feel like you're accomplishing something, there is no reward for all the work you've put in - just more bad.
You're essentially being punished for playing, and that's not how you keep players interested in a game, unless they're masochists. The dog-pile takes away all of the fun, and just leaves me frustrated and feeling like I'll never be able to at least keep up. | video-games_xbox |
Good idea, but bad execution. Pun intended. A buddy picked this up saying it had co-op play on it, which it doesn't, so I picked it up. That's not the only reason I picked it up, though. It's a sniper game for the 360. It's probably good, right? Well, it can be fun, but the irritating and downright bad aspects outweigh the good.
----The thing anybody will notice right away is the graphics. Think of Ghost Recon for the original Xbox. Slightly better than those graphics. More on par with the follow up, Ghost Recon: Island Thunder. The graphics aren't anything great at all and don't look like they belong on a game on the PC or 360 console, especially after the 360 has been out this long. The time where the graphics shine is during the focus changes while looking through the scope. There's not just the circle scope view like in many other games. What is focused on depends on where the cross hairs are. You could look a few yards past a vehicle, but the vehicle in the forefront would be a bit blurry, giving you a sense of distance in relation between the vehicle and your target. Kudos for that detail.
----The text has some typos and out right spelling errors. Not a big deal that hurts the gameplay, but it's like some just didn't care to proof read this stuff.
----The AI is borderline coma patient. You snipe someone in the head right next to his buddies. Do they take cover? No. Do they return fire in your direction? No. Do they even drop to the ground presenting a smaller target? No. They crouch in place where they were standing moments before and look back and forth waiting for their own headshots. Sometimes, they will move to another area or a group will spread out, but it seems rare.
----What the braindead AI lacks in intelligence, they make up for with uncanny vision. The enemy can spot a perfectly still man in a ghillie suit laying or crouching in a huge patch of tall grass or shrubs with no problem. I'm amazed by the number of times that I've been seen while in complete cover by some idiot that I can't see at all who turns out to be standing in the open. Unless they concentrate their fire on every little movement in the bushes, it's ridiculous. At one point, I got pretty reckless, just running around using throwing knives, my pistol, and grenades, but they never formed up and came after me. Just the usual half crouch and look around a bit until you run up and toss a frag at their heads.
----Ah, the gameplay. This part IS fun. For everything that is wrong with the game, it is still satisfying to make a nice headshot, especially without using concentration mode. Concentration mode is a fancy way of saying, you hold your breath to steady the shot. That idea is nothing new, but what is new about it, is that it slows down everything for a second or two, allowing you to make that sweet shot you desire. When the scope is brought up, you will notice a small red circle. That is where the shot will hit, due to wind direction and speed, your stability from your stance (standing, crouching, or prone), and I guess, velocity and distance. That aspect is pretty cool, but it's a bit counter intuitive than past games. Usually you fire as soon as some shmoe is lined up with your cross hairs or will be as you lead the target. In this, you ignore the cross hairs, focusing on that little red circle. If it's lined up with the cross hairs, great, but often times it's not. There are throwing knives, which aren't too practical since you do have a silenced pistol, but they're fun to use at short distances. I haven't messed with claymores, yet, but those could be fun. Remember, Front Towards Enemy. I've used half of the rifles, which isn't impressive at all. There are only four, but hey, if it ain't broke...
Overall, the game is fun to play for all of it's flaws, but it's fun like Dynasty Warriors is. You are a badass who cannot be defeated by the idiots you face unless you really mess up or encounter that one enemy or two that have fully functioning brains. Not bad. Not sure it's worth 40 bucks. I got mine for half that at gamestop with store credit, but it's going to be recycled here soon enough, I'm sure. Why play this when Crackdown 2 and Halo: Reach will be out? | video-games_xbox |
Underrated masterpiece that's a gory good time. This game is the definition of underrated. It's amazing how some bad reviews can make or break a game and in this game's case, its the latter. This game has been full of bad press, most notably because it "copies" Gears of War's cover/combat system. Make no mistake, this game is very, very similar to Gears... However, it changes so much to make its own unique experience that in my opinion, is even more fun the Gears. In the same way Uncharted Drakes Fortune(another Gears "clone") changed things up with platforming and combos... This game has a throwing weapon called the glaive and brutal finishing moves that never disappoint and never get old.
The glaive is given to you in the second level and is probably your most devastating weapon. It can be thrown powerful enough to decapitate, dismember and maim enemies. You can also control it with pinpoint precision, slowing time down to really hit those dismember points. The only word to describe this is AWESOME. Once you get the hang of using the glaive in combination with your pistol or shotgun... its like gory poetry in motion.
Also, like Gears 2... This game has finishing moves when your close to your enemy. They vary between enemy and what side you attack from... But let me tell you that they are simply described as AMAZING. The game sorta slows down ala the Matrix while you shred the enemies up with the glaive in multiple ways. Its epic, seriously.
But what completely separates this game from the pack is the way you change(you're infected with some "disease") over time, allowing you new abilities and way to annihilate your enemies. Most notably is the energy pulse, which for a short time, will deflect all bullets/projectiles/etc, shot at you. And even better, the "Shift" which allows you to become invisible for a short period of time, allowing you to get the drop on your enemies and go for those finishing moves! Not only that... throughout the game, you collect upgrades. Upgrades which can be applied to your weapons you buy and sell which also changes the game dramatically. It's great because... you can play the game differently in so many ways and always change it up. Makes for great re-playability.
Like I said before... if you like Gears and other 3rd person shooters... You will absolutely love this game. The graphics are top notch and the gameplay is fluid and slick. Do yourself a favor and buy it... Especially now, seeing as its under $10 brand new!!! I'm sad that this game fell upon deaf ears and never really got the accolades it deserves. But I'm hopeful it will become a cult classic and one day will receive a sequel... cause it most certainly deserves one! | video-games_xbox |
An objective opinion on Gears of War (for once. This is quite possibly the most over-hyped game of all time. As a cross between Killswitch, Black, and Halo, this 3rd-person shooter doesn't attempt to be anything new or revolutionary. The story is passable, but certainly not original. The characters are unintelligible, emotionless cavemen with huge guns and a penchant for unnecessary swearing. Finally, the gameplay is completely unoriginal and uninspired. Granted, there are some interesting diversions from the standard (albeit mind-numbing) point-and-shoot gameplay, but be prepared for about a dozen hours of unloading thousands upon thousands of rounds into sameish, unremarkable enemy monsters through various cliched industrial, metropolitan, and gothic environments.
The aesthetic aspects of this game are actually quite impressive...as long as you're standing still. There's an almost obtrusive amount of painstaking detail that went into crafting the amazing environments, yet sadly none of it is interactive. Sure, little chunks of texture appear when you shoot buildings and pavement, but all the windows, light bulbs, and street lamps in the game are all completly bulletproof. And has anybody actually played this game before reviewing it? Not a single reviewer has mentioned how disjointed and jerky the animations are. When your character goes to leap over the blockade he was hiding behind, the animation should flow in such a way that gives the impression that the character does, in fact, actually have some mass. Instead, the character moves like a beleaguered dinosaur while on foot, but he looks more akin to a chipmunk on crack during reloading or transitioning to and from cover. Little things like terrain-mapping a character's feet and motion-captured animation go a long way towards player immersion in a 3rd-person action game.
The sound is excellent - there's no arguing that. The gunfire isn't at all realistic, but it definitely suits the style of the game. Sound effects are mixed perfectly and nothing is too loud or too quiet. However, the quality of the voice acting is to be expected (i.e. not good), and the dialogue is extremely juvenile...but I guess that should just be assumed given the subject matter.
Lastly, the cooperative modes are a nice addition, and do add to the replayability of the game. The addition of another player makes for some fun moments, but the gameplay essentially remains unchanged. In Gears of War, adding a second player does as much to augment the gameplay as it did in 8-bit Contra, which is to say it makes it easier and not much else. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory made tremendous strides in cooperative gameplay -- a co-op level in that game would be nearly unplayable with a single player simply because that game allows you to do so much more with a friend aside from telling him where to aim. Ironically, a game like Gears of War that has been toted as being completely cooperative doesn't really provide much in the way of gameplay options by adding a friend.
This is certainly not a bad game, not by a long shot. But its flaws do bear mentioning, especially since professional and amateur reviewers alike seem to be blinded by the immense hype surrounding this better-than-average title. Buy this game if you enjoy senseless sci-fi violence and don't require a lot of depth to your gaming experiences. Otherwise you're better off renting. | video-games_xbox |
Great hack and slash game. Edit: Well, I finished the game on easy, and this has become one of my favorite games. Dante adds a lot of replay value as he has 4 diff fighting styles and 3-4 diff swords. I can't wait to replay this on a higher difficulty and try different combos out. The boss battles are the funnest part of the game. Regarding the backtracking you experience with Dante, it's not that bad as it goes pretty quickly, but it would've been nice to see new settings.
This is my first DMC game and I'm halfway through it. I saw the commercial for this a couple months ago and thought it was more of the same old same old so I passed it up. Well, I wound up picking up a used copy now that they've come down in price and am I ever glad I did. I've finished the original Ninja Gaiden on Xbox and really enjoyed that, but never replayed it because the environments were too eclectic for me--nothing was cohesive or made sense. The environments in this game are really nice as you fight in castles, forest, snow...some parts even seem ethereal. But what gives this game replay value is the combo system. It mainly revolves around hitting your opponent in the air, further flailing away at him before pulverizing him into the ground. It's a familiar formula but what's innovative in this game, is that you have a gun that helps keep you aloft, and a devil hand that just punishes your enemies. The devil hand is really innovative as you can pull enemies towards you or pull yourself to them, and it unleashes wicked attacks on different enemies and bosses, which never get old.
The graphics are definitely HD, but not photo-realistic. It's what you would expect from a Capcom game as are the menu interfaces. Some may find the puzzles a little challenging but they are not too too difficult (I'm still playing on easy). I still haven't played the 2nd character yet so that should add more variety in terms of gameplay, but I'm already impressed and look forward to playing the game, which is what it's all about. So if you like games like Ninja Gaiden and God of War, you should like this.
notes: There are a lot of cutscenes which you can bypass, but they are really well done. The camera sucks at times but aren't a dealbreaker. Skills and abilities need to be bought and it seems you'll never accumulate enough for everything. You can also rev your sword like a motorcycle (aside: I have an '07 R1, which is the most reliable/best looking bike ever, imho) making it glow red hot and when attacking will emit flames. You can only save after you finish a level, but when you die fighting a boss, you continue right there; I was initially concerned about having to replay the entire level, but that's not the case. Definitely a buy if you can get it for around $20. | video-games_xbox |
2.5 Stars. Fun with major problems. Rating: 2.5 Stars
Let's go over the good first: The game play is pretty good. I have over 12 hours in the game so far. The story is engaging, the game play requires players to think outside of the box. The nemesis system included is fun as well. Combat is enjoyable as well.
I like the different layers involved in engaging the different Captains. In the game I was playing just today I had was doing a war chief quest. Well, the war chief had a gang and one of those gang members was a captain. Both of them where 'Sniffers', meaning they could smell me out and find me. One was resistant to range but weak against explosions. The war chief wasn't resistant to range, but had a plethora of other strengths that made me want to stay out of melee.
I had a blast with the above scenario, using their sniffer ability against them by leading them to grog and blowing up the grog to take out the captain. Then, I shot the war chief in the foot and wraith stunned him so I could get a ton of melee hits on him. It took awhile, but I did win. Also, fun to note, two other captains where in the area and I did NOT want their attention.
This game doesn't lack in fun factor. At least a 9.8 of 10 for fun factor. The controls are a bit sticky, and the combat takes time to remember to hit the right button combinations. Still, the 360 version of this game delivers on the fun.
This game has major problems though, at least on the Xbox 360. MAJOR problems!
I did not have the installation problems others did. No problem for me there, but for others that was a problem.
This game is terribly optimized for the 360. When I think of all the great games that exist out there for the XBox 360, I can only think this game wasn't in any way optimized for the previous generation consoles. The cut scenes for missions are atrocious, showing a glimpse of the scene, then a black loading screen, then another glimpse of animation, then another loading scene. Jesus, WB, no one believes this issue is related to the hardware limitation of the 360.
The textures do not load in a good time, some portions of the game are horribly pixelated ... the game at times becomes gross to look at. I know, graphics do not make the game. However, poor loading times, and seizure inducing cut scenes really degrade the experience.
This game would need a massive update. I cannot believe they don't have asynchronous loading in their cut scenes. I suppose their engine wasn't redesigned for the 360, rather the resolution was reduced and they hoped people would just blame the 360. There is just no way the 360 is to blame for the poor loading times in cut scenes and textures.
Oh yeah ... and none of the DLC codes work right now.
All in all ... this game is fun, if you can look past the horrible graphics issues. | video-games_xbox |
Game is a 5/5, Controller is a 2/5. UPDATED - I still can't give this a full 5 stars because the guitar peripheral issues seem to still be prevalent and even if you get a guitar that works, it requires some maintenance. I got a replacement guitar about a month after this review. I have since played, on expert, over 100 hours. It works now. No issues. Issue is, every few weeks I have to take the buttons off and clean them, wipe them down with rubbing alcohol, and do the same with the strum bar and a qtip. The buttons get gunked up really easy, and the strum bar occasionally squeaks like you're breaking something. A little bit of rubbing alcohol on a qtip fixes that for a few weeks. It's just frustrating to have such a fun game and so much variety with the free channels, and the addition of a very engaging RIVALS mode. Overall, I still can't recommend this for anyone but a die-hard rhythm game aficionado. But, it works now. So that's a start.
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This game is a great evolution from the original Guitar Hero formula that has become relatively stale. I was an expert level guitar hero and rockband player, and I had to start this game out on normal (or the equivalent of medium difficulty.) It took me about the entire story mode, 4 hours or so, to get my brain to wrap around the chord combinations, and then I started guitar hero tv on advanced (hard) and ended up about 20 hours into the game at expert on most songs.
This game is fun! the Live mode is only about 4 hours and really has very little replay incentive other than a few achievements, but Guitar Hero TV is where it's at. You play on channels, very similar to classic MTV where you play to music videos. It's a blast, and at the time of this review I was level 17.
Here is where the problems come in. On normal mode, you rarely have to up strum/down strum for long strings of notes so I don't know if my guitar developed this problem or if it was there from the get-go as I was missing a lot of notes regardless of hardware in the beginning. Calibration seemed to be right on out of the box, and I messed with calibration quite a bit, changed batteries, restarted system and routers, re-synced and even changed the placement of the dongle from the back USB to the side USB. The strum bar worked flawlessly on the down strum but on the up strum it was very inconsistent. It would sometimes register 1, 2, even 3 presses with just one press. Sometimes it doesn't read at all. It actually makes Expert level almost unplayable if you ever want to get above 3 stars (it breaks your streaks but doesn't make you miss many notes).
I was having so much fun that I just powered through and bumped the difficulty down to Advanced. It wasn't the full experience, but I can't do a lot of the metal songs on Expert anyway so I just chilled in the Indie channel. However, about 4 hours into this, now my buttons aren't registering correctly and my down strum is messing up occasionally. I went through all the troubleshooting tests and had the same results. My guitar is crapping out on me!
A quick google search shows pages upon pages of this same issue. The game is great. It's the most fun I've had with a rhythm game since Rock Band 2. The peripheral is shoddy though. It feels great. Was a little squeaky out of the box but loosened up nicely. But, I decided against exchanging it and am just returning it. Hopefully, ACtivision works this out and I can rebuy it in the future. I'm really glad I didn't splurge for the 2 guitar pack, but probably will in the future if they work out the quality control.
This game is REALLY fun. | video-games_xbox |
Likely the best since DMC 1 in my opinion. I own EVERY DMC game. I do not know whether or not I should feel embarrassed about that. Yes I have both versions of DMC 3 (Standard and special edition) as well as DMC 2 and DMC 1.
A lot of my friends love this series. Well there is good reason to. "Dante" was introduced as a fresh new hero that could effortlessly switch between blazing pistols and an assortment of demon crafted melee weapons ranging from swords to powerful gauntlets.
However not all has been peachy in the DMC saga. DMC 2 was a step in the wrong direction. It limited Dante to using only swords and the story was so lack-luster it might as well have been written by someone who never played the first game. Sure it was fun to be Lucia but when a game suffers from boring level design and uninspired enemies the whole experience lags to a crawl.
DMC 3 was also hit and miss . Challenging is good but some parts in DMC 3 felt impossible + the environments were confusing to navigate once you made it into the tower. DMC 3 was much better than DMC 2 but it dragged on certain levels and events way too long.
With such a checkered history it was odd I felt compelled to get DMC 4 but I did. All I can say is I'm glad I swallowed my lump of fear and took a chance. This is likely the best DMC I've played ever since DMC 1!
As hard as it is for "fans" to let go they should mellow out in this case. It is true DMC 4 focuses around Nero more than Dante. Not much more but enough to let you know he is the story's lead protagonist. It seems like this time capcom gave the plot a lot more consideration. While it is not Shakespeare it has lovable new characters and a conspiracy wrapped around a religious cult that seems to worship Sparda and yet that have their own sinister ulterior motives. So as to not spoil anything I will not elaborate further than that.
Honestly I was miffed Nero looked just like Dante in many ways. How many times are they going to use the "platinum haired pretty boy" mold? However Nero has his own personality and his own unique fighting style.
There are many things that set Nero apart from Dante. For one he does not dual wield and only pulls out one pistol. However he makes up for that with his "Devil arm" which creates a spectral appendage that slams and throws enemies around. Once it gets more powered up it can even grab onto objects to help Nero swing across ravines or activate certain devices which otherwise cannot be moved. Beyond that Nero's first blade is beast! You have to rev it up like a chainsaw or car engine to increase its' power. Luckily charging it up is not hard. Simply lightly tap on the left trigger button at a steady non frantic pace.
While Nero is not fortunate enough to start with a "devil trigger" he does earn it after a confrontation with the creepy alchemist/inventor Agnus (one of DMC 4's lead villains). The katana "Yamato" awakens Nero's inner devil. It should be noted there has been a bit of a change. For example a blue spectral demon appears above and around Nero when the devil trigger is unleashed but in theory he does not become a demon himself. To me it resembled the newer "Persona" games a bit. More or less Nero's "inner self" emerges from him instead of him morphing into his inner self. (I hope that makes sense)
So what of the bosses? They are much better done. For example imagine you see two sultry and sexy ice succubi making out. You are so entranced by their girl on girl loving you do not see a large sharp toothed grin in the darkness. Suddenly to your horror a gigantic blue artic toad barrels down on you and you realize the two ice vixens are actually attached to the abomination's twin whip like feelers. That is only one example. The designers gave 100%. However praise aside you will fight each of these baddies twice, once as Nero and once as Dante. I know that will miff certain gamers but when you think about all the articulate work that went into each boss you have to forgive them somewhat. Programmers and artists have dead lines and to create a whole new boss roster for Dante would have been an exhausting near impossible under-taking.
Now before you worry about the basic enemies fret not. They are just as odd, creepy, and innovative as the big baddies. There are flying bugs with sword like retractable tails that hide within black cloaks. You can use your devil arm to grab them and rip them out of their cloaks thereby making them more vulnerable. A jester-like cackling enemy returns only this time they are scare crows being puppeteer-ed by many smaller insects that are crawling around inside them. In one level these scarecrows get entangled by living plant enemies and fused together they are much more lethal. A variant of the "lizard man reptile brute" monster can now encase itself in ice to defend itself and hurl icicle projectiles. You will see more variants than what I have described but once again it is apparent the designers put thought and care into their creations.
Lastly there are the environments. For me I felt as if some of the areas in DMC 3 stretched out way too long or you had to back track through them too much. I hate to be blunt but all I can say about the levels in DMC 2 is on average they plain sucked. Well in DMC 4 a lot of these issues are remedied. First off you have a variety of places that include a cathedral influenced palace, a dock area, an arctic blizzard mountain side, subterranean caves, and a lush yet dangerous jungle. While there are times you have to get a power to clear something that obstructed your path earlier most of the time everything is in close proximity so you do not feel lost or discouraged. Secondly the puzzles may prove to be challenging but it is rare when these tests of intellect go beyond the realm of common sense. The most entertaining puzzle for me was hitting a giant dye around to move Nero's hologram self to the other side of a multi colored lit up floor to unlock a barred door.
If you want to know about the characters they have many layers. This surprised me for a game that normally has a shallow supporting cast. Kyrie is a songstress that sings for the holy order of sparda. She is nero's main love interest. Gentle and demure she may seem to be the helpless damsel clich but I took a liking to her after she rushed some enemies in order to escort a child to safety. Sure it was Nero that slew the swarming monsters but you have to admire "courage" from someone who has absolutely no super-human powers.
Credo is what Vergil was to Dante for Nero only minus the hatred. They seem to be friendly rivals and Credo cares about Nero just as much as he does for his sister Kyrie. Though he is manipulated by the order once his sister is taken as prisoner he starts to question things. Credo is that antagonist you root for. He has good intentions but is misled. This shows us how easy it is for even good people to pick up the wrong cause or be brainwashed by religious propaganda.
Gloria is put in there just because she looks hot I guess. She is deliberately made out to be enigmatic but apparently she kills demons with finesse and even gets off on it. She works for the order yet is not trusted by the order. Regardless her boobs bounce, her cocoa skin glistens, and she has a butt strut that would make most call girls jealous. Being a hot blooded guy I do not mind seeing her jiggle and giggle. If you are a female gamer fret not. At least in DMC the impossibly good looking men in the series balance out their womanly cohorts. Actually I know Gloria's identity and motifs but spoiling that for you my dear readers would be foul play!
Lastly there is Agnus and this is where I have to reprimand capcom for tastelessness. Apparently someone thought it would be funny to give the mad scientist type a speech impediment. Agnus stutters a lot and worse Nero acts like a typical "frat boy bully" and makes fun of him for it. This is not a good message to send out to children or adolescents. "Heroes" are not always the beautiful people and sometimes it might be the "good guy" with a disability. The ball was really dropped on this issue and I hope capcom "thinks harder" on this in the future. Capcom did not mean any harm by this but I can see how it would breed a type of superficial elitism into more impressionable minds.
Finally I'll put misgivings aside. Yes, you can be Dante too. Is he amped up as much as he used to be? No, because Nero is the main character. However Dante IS apart of the story unlike Vergil who was playable yet detached from everything in DMC 3 special edition. The best thing about Dante is he retains his "styles" from DMC 3 and can switch between trickster, royal guard, gun slinger, and blade master with the mere press of a button. To me dispatching enemies was just as easy with Dante as when I was Nero though certain people might feel differently.
In closing DMC 4 does almost EVERYTHING right. If you are worried rent it before buying but in my opinion this game exceeded my expectations and made me love the DMC franchise all over again!
Pros
+Familiar faces make a return.
+ Nero is very fun to use
+Dante is important to the story and playable
+A good plot which was lacking in other installments.
+Lovable new characters which are more 3 dimensional than certain supporting cast members in the past.
+Wonderful environment design with much variety.
+Bosses and enemies are a guilty pleasure to fight and very creatively portrayed.
+Area puzzles are a bit challenging but can easily be surpassed by the use of common sense.
+Good voice acting and great sound track!
Cons
-While the back tracking no longer feels as monotonous is still exists.
-Most bosses have to be fought twice, once as Nero and once as Dante
-Making fun out of disabilities is not cool capcom. I know you meant no harm by giving Agnus a stuttering problem but remember some younger players are very impressionable. As I said before it is not always "the beautiful people" that are the good guys. Try mixing it up in the future. | video-games_xbox |
Beautifully Chaotic. I've never played any of the Splinter Cell series, but as I await for the release of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, I wanted to prep myself for it. Fortunately, with Xbox 360 backward compatibility, I bought Chaos Theory. This is, by far, one of the most mind-blowing and suspenseful game I've ever played! It delivers in intensity, immersive, and innovative levels. Since I'm familiar with the Hitman franchise, I thought I could get into another stealth-driven game where skills and patience are highly required.
If you want to go through this game in complete stealth mode, the experience is truly compelling and satisfying. Gameplay and environment is completely open-ended, leaving you to go about your objectives any way your heart desires. Be sure to put your night vision to good use because you'll most likely miss a useful crawling space as a shortcut from point A to point B. And shadows will be your best friend throughout the game. The slightest noise of your footsteps or movements exposed to an inch of light will make the AI's very suspicious. They are that advance.
The environment is unreal! Each area and rooms are all unique and non-repetive. The levels are very complex and realistic, and makes you feel like you're actually in the game. Sound effects are just as awesome. You can hear AI's conversing with each other, electricals going haywire, birds chirping, water dripping... Made me wish I had a 5.1 stereo surround sound hooked up.
The only thing that kept the fun factor from getting full 5 stars is that I often got lost. Although the map is helpful and well designed, at times I find it hard to see exactly where I was and not knowing how to get to the next objective. And one false move (getting caught, accidently bashing a door open, etc.) had me reloading the game countless times. This game is very challenging if you want to keep yourself undetected.
If you appreciate games that encourage stealth, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is an amazing title to add to your library. I didn't care much for the multiplayer or co-op modes, but I'm sure is just as exciting. | video-games_xbox |
Come on people, stop with the low ratings. OK, I have to vent first, everyone giving these things a 1 or 2 star rating because of the mic is out of their minds! It isn't Polk's fault that Microsoft messed up, Polk did their job and WAS ready to launch WITH the Xbox One in November but Microsoft messed up AGAIN and didn't make enough of their puck adapters (which totally cheapen every headset by the look and quality).
Polk already called Microsoft out on their shotty handwork on this Xbox One disaster of a launch (NEVER had so many problems with joining a stupid party! You had a winning setup with the Xbox 360, why change it? Did they hire the guy who came up with New Coke?)
Ok, now back to the headset, these things are HIGH QUALITY!!!! The sound is OUTSTANDING, I have had a TON of different and expensive headsets over the years and for the price NOTHING beats the sound quality on these. Yeah you can buy a $350 pair of Astro's with their "7.1 Surround sound"...OK, just to be clear NO HEADSET HAS ACTUAL SURROUND SOUND, to have 7.1 Surround Sound they would have to put 14 speakers in the headset and there is no way they are doing that. They use what is called "Dolby Headphone" which is a SIMULATED 7.1 Surround Sound and I think Polk and the game makers did an AWESOME job with these because I can hear every little sound you could imagine in a simulated surround sound because that is all they can do with 2 speakers.
Onto the mic, yeah I get it, your friends cant hear you in chat lobby's which is a HUGE deal but you have to remember it IS NOT POLKS FAULT! I am sure they reached out to Microsoft MULTIPLE times about the software and were probably told MULTIPLE times "Yeah, all set". Try making a phone call with these, they work AWESOME, you know why? Because Microsoft didn't have a hand in it.
End game here guys, they are going to fix the chat problem, just simmer down and when they do this will be the hottest headset out there. | video-games_xbox |
Another snowboard game that just doesn't quite meet the "Skate" Bar. Everyone knows it, the Skate series has set the bar for board sports games. Stoked is like the fat guy at the limbo, just barely makes it under the bar then scratches his belly on the stick and looses. I've been playing Stoked for a few weeks now and I'm enjoying it, but it's hella slow, reward system, and challenges are kinda weak. It's definitely not motivating me to rush home and play every day, much like the before mentioned Skate series.
What is good:
- Open mountains. Pretty sick how you can go anywhere, once you get the trick system down you can really throw down, especially on some of the bigger mountains. Once you get the heli it's on. Just drop yourself off wherever and rip it. I heard they are GPS mapped. Pretty sick to ride Mount Shuksan being that I grew up at Baker, but err, not sure how accurate it is.
- Free riding. Screw points, cheevo's, and all that hoopla. If you're a snowboarder, you'll probably just dig trying to trick off big hits, changing up the cam and watching yourself rip. Weather system is kinda cool. First day I got a 4ft powder dump I went mad just slashing up the pow and checking out the helicopter view.
- Multi player with your buddies. First night my friends and I synced up we found a nice keekor and had a session, taking turns snapping photos. Everyone was having a great time and laughing our butts off. Pretty much what we do when we go ride BC kickers for real. A couple nights later we just got together and started following each others favorite lines. Kinda rad to have a game which you actually go discover favorite lines, much like you'd do on a real hill.
Bad:
-Feedback system. There's no clue when you are advancing to the next "level" really. I must have beat challenges for hours until I finally got into the sponsor challenges. By that point I was kinda annoyed.
-Lack of good challenges. Just kinda repeats itself. I really hate the whole "do this specific trick" kinda challenges too. Some of them are so hard it's not even funny. 1990 called, Damian Sanders wants his Iguana backflip back, this game's not worthy. That and the whole lame rail stuff could've just been left out instead of being a major challenge factor. This game is really going for a whole freeride snowboarding perspective but then you gotta go slide logs to beat challenges. They could've just put park levels in if they really felt the need to put in rails.
-Sloo[...] Did I mention that this game is slow? Seriously ridiculously slow. When is something gonna happen already.
Overall, this game is fun, but isn't going floor you with it's spectacular raddness. It tries to adopt the Skate controls system, but kinda falls flat.
If you dedicate a few hours and get through the slow beginning, the fun will kick in. I probably like it more than most just cause I've been snowboarding for 25 years. That and since I only paid $35 for the game, I didn't feel like I got robbed for not getting the most epic game ever.
What do I know though, I was impressed when HEAVY SHREDDIN' hit the NES, I played that POS till my thumbs went numb. | video-games_xbox |
Met my expectations. Well I just completed Crysis 2 on Supersoldier and I didn't experience any of the problems that I've seen people report about not getting the achievements points for completing the campaign on Supersoldier. BUT I did have a problem where after beating the mission "Power Out" my whole screen went black. I called GameStop just to make sure it didn't have anything to do with my console (Xbox 360) or the game. They told me that they have gotten several reports about this problem. Then I had to go call EA Sports etc and all that but bottom line if you run across this problem just go to replay mission and the next available mission should be shown and just start there. Don't worry none of your previous progress won't be deleted, I still had all my upgrades and attachments.
Now on to the actual game, I actually enjoyed Crysis 2 a lot. I did a lot of research on the game before I bought it, just like I do all my games and I was shocked from all the good reviews so I decided to give it a try.
The campaign was good, the story could have been better but hey you can't complain about everything. Super Soldier difficulty was a little bit of a challenge, I don't believe in the whole cloak through the whole missions because then what's the purpose of spending your money on a game when you ain't really doing anything haha. But I do recommend playing it on normal or veteran first so you can get your upgrades and all that then put it on Super Soldier it will help out a lot. Not trying to spoil the game for anyone that is deciding on playing the game but from the way the game ended and the story of the game doesn't seem like there will be another Crysis game but I wouldn't mind seeing another one.
The controls are basic just like every other shooter game, with the addition of cloak and max armor being on the right and left top buttons, but other then that the controls aren't difficult.
The graphics are everything people made them out to be, without a doubt the best looking game up to date on ANY platform but I have heard from a friend that it looks a little faded on the PS3 console but I haven't seen it first hand. But if your looking to purchase this game on the xbox 360 model and graphics are a huge part of deciding on purchasing a game then you won't be disappointed at all.
The multiplayer seems like a unfinished product, but it had the potential to be very good if they do repair and decide to make a new Crysis game.
In conclusion the game is very fun if you decide to actually play it and not cloak through it and it's well worth the money, I've found it cheaper at Hastings then online or at gamestop. So yeah haha don't second guess yourself if your on the borderline of deciding to pick up the game or not. But on another note I HIGHLY recommend VANQUISH to ANYONE, it's currently my favorite game. | video-games_xbox |
X-cellent. Best X-men game ever. All your favorites are here and then some. This is a brilliant action/RPG that plays like Sudeki if Sudeki was made up of hour-long battles and featured 15 playable characters that you can switch in and out of the action as the situation dictates. You get to assemble teams of four x-men at a time and tackle such notable villains as the Morlocks, Pyro, Blob, Mystique, Shadow King (yes, you do get to travel to the astral plane), Sabretooth, Havok, Juggernaut, and many, many more. Your four x-men of choice are highly upgradeable and each have at least four immediately helpful uses for their unique powers. Flyers can fly (and can be upgraded to carry teammates over gaps), powerhouses (Rogue and Collossus for example) send enemies flying offscreen and even toss Wolverine into enemies, Emma Frost can turn enemies against each other, Magma and Iceman can build bridges, Wolverine heals himself, Storm's whirlwinds suck up enemies and debris, Gambit and Jubilee can charge outside objects with energy and chuck them to explode in the midst of your foes, the possibilities are awesome. You can also pull some wicked power combos by combining any two special attacks by any two X-men. For example: Cyclops' optic blast + Wolverine's claw flurry = optic assault. This is everything an X-fan could ever hope for. In between levels, you get to explore the X-mansion as newcomer Magma and learn about your fellow heroes through conversation with them and by snooping about their rooms for cool stuff about their personal lives. You can also access the Danger Room and unlock all kinds of other cool features as you progress through the game. The only possible problems with the game is the graphics, which are appropriately comic-like,but not terribly detailed and the fact that not all of the dialogue is spoken. Some of it is and some isn't. It kind of takes you out of the game when a line of dialogue pops up and you don't hear the character's voice; but that's a pretty minor complaint. Other then these gripes, the game is utterly perfect and I can easily recommend this as another in a growing collection of nearly flawless xbox RPG's. | video-games_xbox |
Bigger and Badder then Before. With each new Tony Hawk release comes higher expectations. Tony Hawk 3 met and exceeded those expectations. More eye-boggling special tricks were added as well as the essential Revert trick, which, like the all powerful Manuel, allows players to link tricks together and create HUGE comboes for maximum points. Bigger, more realistic looking levels are just BEGGING to be tricked on. The variety of multiplayer modes will give you and your buds hours and hours of entertainment. Create-a-Park and Create-a-Skater are included again, and have been much improved. Not having to buy tricks or stats (stats have to be FOUND instead), and also being able to outfit your character a LOT more thoroughly makes for a much more innovative gaming experience. Being able to listen to your own music instead of being forced to listen to the game's music can make playing more enjoyable. Ollie, the Magic Bum from THPS2 is a playable character!
There were only a few aspects of the game that I didn't particularily like. The first one is the fact that most of the soundtrack for the game wasn't very good. It was just too mainstream. The other thing I didn't like was that on Create-a-Park, there was a limit to the number of gaps you could make. Something that other people may not like is the control sceme. If you think about it, it's VERY similar to how the N64 controller worked with the Tony Hawk games. It might take a little getting used to, but the controls are fine. If you still don't like the controller, I suggest for you to consider buying the new, smaller, easier button pressing controller made by Microsoft. It's called CONTROLLER S.
Avoiding ending on some bad notes I will simply say this: If you are an Xbox owner or are thinking of being one, then you NEED to get this game.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 stands tall as one of the best console games out there. Expect to see Tony Hawk 4 on all three "next-gen" platforms this holiday season!!! | video-games_xbox |
Why So Serious. When I play a GTA game I expect action, over the top violence, and glorious satire. What I don't look for is a morality play. GTA IV, though it carries over many of the elements from prior iterations, has finally acquired one thing it never needed: a conscience. Now I'm not sure if this "evolution" came about via the maturation of the game designers or because of pressure from conservative groups, but if there is one thing I absolutely loathe is any form of media trying to instill some moral compass in my soul. Whether it's Niko rambling about the "horrors of his prior life", receiving touching e-mails from his mum, or complaining aloud at how pathetic it is that he is paying a prostitute for sex, this sequel feels strangely separate from the rest of the GTA franchise. Don't even get me started on the need to show the evils of alcohol or helping a junkie go home. It is ironic that a series based on excessive sex and violence suddenly decides it needs to deride what made it popular in the first place.
The missions are still fun as ever with some creative twists along the way. Adding a cover system was well past due as well as creating a bit of depth in hand to hand fighting with the ability to block.
The firendship and dating segments I could have done without. The entire point to preserving relationships are the advantages these relationships give you whether it is reducing a three star wanted level, a free taxi ride, healing, etc. The only problem is that you cannot use these advantages during missions so why bother cultivating them in the first place? The dates are boring and the pay offs nil.
One feature I miss from San Andreas was the ability to either fatten up or improve your physique. That and other customizable possibilities, ranging from hair cuts to tattoos, are sorely lacking here. The best you can do is buy a limited number of outfits and even then the range doesn't really mean much.
The worst point for me was the in-game radio stations. One thing I loved about GTA III to San Andreas were the hilarious talk shows and the awesome soundtracks. With the budget behind this game, the soundtrack is noticeably light on anything of value and the talk shows are nowhere near as creative. I largely turned the radio off during play because of how boring I felt though I did acquire a taste for Radio Vladivostok.
I hate to say it, but I had to force myself to finish this game. I never thought I'd ever say that about a GTA game. Though the missions are varied and exciting at times, the story is dull and plodding. The ability to "make choices" really doesn't amount to much and makes me wonder why they included it. Sure, you can refuse to kill certain characters at times but they only pop up later to offer a mission or two and don't effect the overall plot.
Saints Row, what many have called a GTA knockoff, kept my attention better than this game. Saints Row is wild, rebellious, and over the top; something GTA used to be. If Rockstar wants to go all melodramatic, that is their choice. Me, I'd rather have a game with more customizable features, outrageous moments, and less of a moral message. It's a game, not a sermon. For that I'd go to church. | video-games_xbox |
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