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The Prince Returns. Lest you think that I have a negative view of this game, I will state up front that this game (in my opinion) could easily be in contention for game of the year. However, it seems that Ubisoft decided not to upgrade the graphics for the Xbox. While they are good, they come no where near to the capabilities of the Xbox. Also, there are times that the game can freeze up which is rather frustrating. (I had this occur three times during the game.)
For those gamers that were expecting a continuation of the gameplay presented in PoP: Sands of Time; this game may let you down. Also, the music track will be a positive or negative depending on the style of music you like. Godsmack does a couple of the lyrics based songs and the entire game has a definite rock flavor to it. Whether or not the instrumental tracks are all done by Godsmack, I do not know; but the soundtrack is definitely in that vein. I, personally loved the music; but I am sure that there are a lot of people that may not.
The game is definitely harder than the first and if you just can't stand seeing: "Game Over" then you should probably try something else. I think the fighting is vastly improved over the first game. While it doesn't quite become the free form fighting that Ubisoft claims; it does come close. Every once in a while after I thought I had performed all the moves that I could, I pressed an extra button or two and the results were spectacular. Different enemies will require different combinations which adds to the variety and enjoyment of the game. There is a menu of the combinations and acrobatic moves as well as some time based effects that you will need to know. This can be somewhat confusing at first because you will not be able to use all the moves that are listed, but they will become available at some point as the game continues.
I think the story is compelling enough to keep you playing, but it is not a deep and twisted plot. The ending I played to, left room for a continuing story in PoP III (I sure hope they make one!). I completed all the life upgrades. I can't say that they were easy to find, but there are enough clues to find them all without a strategy guide. There are also times when the camera will not quite cooperate, but these times are generally few and far between.
In short: If you like a challenging action and puzzle game: This title is hard to beat. I don't like the limitations that are inherent in a 1-5 star system so to be a bit more precise, I would give this game about a 9.2/10 even though I definitely have to give it a 5 instead of 4.
The harder edge to this game will limit the popularity of the game, but this is a game you should defintely play. As far as the "M" rating...I have seen more television shows in prime time that were much more graphic as far as blood and gore goes. The language is fairly tame for the most part. It's not even close to what you hear in "Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay". For that matter the Playstation 2 game: "Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne" has many more "cuss words" than does PoP: WW.
This is one of the better games on any platform that has been released in 2004. You may want to rent it before buying; but I like the changes from the first game. It will appeal to a far less diverse group of people than did PoP: Sands of Time. Despite the bugs and other minor flaws in the game, if you fall into the group of people that are described above: Buy it!! If not, at least: Try it! I recommend it highly. | video-games_xbox |
Oh the shattered dreams of what could have been a great game. Let me quantify the situation this game came into: My friends and I (any where from 3 to 16 people sometimes, most times there are 8 of us) get together at least once a week to play Halo, Halo 2 and Ghost Recon 2 (mostly Summit Strike). This week, two of our friends had copies of Ghost Recon 3, and we were prepared to be amazed.
Well, we were. By the absolute lack of any good multiplayer. There is no split screen Missions beyond the 2 player cooperative missions (which I'll get to later). When we tried to create an adversarial game, the primary Xbox allowed only one player to join and the other stayed at the loading screen for about 8 minutes. Unless we did something wrong, it seems like the only way to do a 7 player multiplayer game is to have 7 xboxes, 7 tvs, and 7 copies of the game. So we went back to GR2, and it was good.
Later, after everyone had left "Oh, it's 3 am, we need sleep", two of us stayed up and played an hour and a half of the co-op game.
First off, the game looks great. They have really gotten a lot out of the Xbox and I bet its amazing on the 360. The "HUD" style display is easily read, and makes it easy to react to enemies. The voices and ambient sounds are good as well.
Controls, while slightly different from previous versions and clunky at first, soon were easily learned. One realistic addition is the shake. As in real life, no one can hold their gun perfectly still, espcially while firing. But with the sniper rifle, just hold L3 and you will hold your breath, steadying your hand for a stealthy kill or two.
Unfortunately, you cannot choose your weapons, at least on Co-op mode. But, you do have two primary weapons to choose from, a gunner and a sharpshooter. Also, you have grenades and the oft under-utilized pistol.
So in conclusion, will I play this game again? Maybe. Definately maybe. Will I BUY it? No. Not at all.
Oh, and for all of you aspiring demolitionists out there, here's a hint: When you have to (or want to) blow up a vehicle, you will usually need 2 frag grenades. And once the 2nd explosion goes off, don't stand too close to admire the fire... the vehicles don't explode until roughly 15-20 seconds go by. | video-games_xbox |
An Honest Review of Halo 3. I purchased the Limited Edition of Halo 3, as I always purchase these versions of my favorite games, and it is only $50 here at Amazon (thanks!). Some of these have had some defect with the hub being out of place; this new batch Amazon has is completely fine, to th extent of my knowledge. But on to the review of the game.
The bad will come first: You cannot fly Pelicans or dual-wield swords, and certain weapons have a lower ammo count (this might be a plus as I will tell you later). Also, the campaign is very short and the Easy and Normal modes are a little too easy for many peoples' liking. The story is also not nearly as in-depth as the one from Halo 1, but is a hundredfold better than Halo 2. Looking back on the campaign, I can honestly say that it accomplishes something, and arrives somewhere: a possible closing point, though I doubt it from the after-the-credits ending (sshhhh).
Now for the good: This game is mind-blowingly awesome in multi-player. Maps like High Ground and The Pit are what make this game worth every penny spent. There are dozens of different play modes ranging from Infection to Ninja Juggernaut and the classic Neutral Assault. There are more weapons and vehicles, which is always a good thing, and weapons seem more balanced. The shotgun now comes with a total of 18 slugs, not 36, which was too much in Halo 2, but it now has more of a punch behind it. Then there are firebomb grenades, which explode on impact and catch opponents on fire, killing them. There are also massively powerful "support weapons" such as a turret resembling the one on a Warthog, a similar Covenant variant, and a Flamethrower. The rocket launcher has lost its homing, to be replaced by the Missile Pod; this is a massive support weapon with 8 automatically homing shots, capable of firing in quick succession; only 2 are required to kill a light to medium vehicle, at most. One of my favorite weapons that is a new addition is the Spartan Laser, Splaser for short. It destroys anything in one shot, and rips through it with ease, penetrating and automatically killing anything in its path. The catch is that it takes just shy of 3 seconds to charge, has only 5 shots, and has only a 2x scope.
There are also Achievements in Halo 3, which give you Gamerscore for, say, killing 3 opponents in a Warthog with a Splaser, or doing a Triple Kill with a Sword. These are fun to get, and they give you new armor permutations, which brigs me to another aspect: being able to change the look of the player. You are no longer confined to being in MJOLNIR Mark VI; there are ten types of Spartan heads and 5 types of shoulders and bodies, five of everything for Elites.
Perhaps one of the more intriguing aspects of Halo 3 is Forge. Forge is a new addition which allows you to entirely delete all weapons and vehicles on a map, and place new ones wherever you want. On any level you want. At any time you want, while using the Forge system. You can even put yourself in the level to test its level of fun, and place gametype-specific objects such as Flags or Territories, and test out those modes. With Forge, the possibilities are limitless. You can also create you own custom gametypes, such as a Covenant vs. Human variety I made up, or a special type of Oddball or VIP.
The last new thing I can think of for Halo 3 is equipment. You can now carry objects used with X that perform specific functions, whether they be helpful to you or harmful to your enemies. These include, but are not limited to: the Bubble Shield (makes a stationary bubble round you that cannot be penetrated by weapons or grenades) the Trip Mine (just what it says, also destroys vehicles in one shot) and Invincibility (explains itself, but luckily not found in multi-player for balance reasons).
Oh, and one more thing, as Steve Jobs would say. Let's say you are dual-wielding an SMG in you right hand and a Spiker (new weapon) in your left. You spy a Mauler (new weapon) and want to pick it up. You can now choose which hand to use it in, rather than dropping one, switching it, then dual-wielding. Hardly a breakthrough, but it is appreciated.
The Limited Edition comes in a metal case, and has a hardback book called "Beastarium" which has all the info on all races in Halo 3, including Forerunner and Hunter. It also has a disc of extras. A nice touch.
Good job Bungie, I will be getting both of your Map Packs on December 11th and in Spring, you deserve a pat on the back.
Buy this game, but beware of being addicted and playing for days on end to get that last skull or that one acheivement. | video-games_xbox |
The Hardcore RPG We Desired After Its Magnificent Predecessor. Dark Souls offers one of those gaming experiences that are hard to come by during the life-cycle of a console. For RPG lovers willing to make an effort and strive to adapt to the game's relentless enemy mechanics, Dark Souls will have an spectacularly well crafted ride that will keep you asking for more and more!
Have in mind this is not a game for everyone, mainly for people who cannot invest more than a few hours in a game and will not commit a 100% of their concentration to the game. If you're undecided I suggest to rent it first, but be warned you might end up addicted to it, if you are someone who enjoys RPGs thoroughly, and can actually bear with dying a lot more than in the average RPG/JRPG.
As a worthy spiritual followup to the highly praised and awarded <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Demon-s-Souls-Greatest-Hits/dp/B002AB7TX8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Demon's Souls Greatest Hits</a>, you are in for a special treat, due to the magically addictive vibe Dark Souls holds, in some cases you might even count the hours until you get to play again.
As a closing comment, this excellent title will remind everyone who started to play Video Games 15 or 20 years ago and considers to be a hardcore player, why we were enchanted since day one while playing games, and kept coming back for all these years. In the current Gaming market saturated with short single player experiences, Dark Souls is tremendously valuable for every single dollar you're paying.
Huge Congrats to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team at From Software, I cannot wait to know what your creative minds will craft in the future.
By making Dark Souls a multiplatform title you're ensuring and motivating the growth of a greatly dedicated and passionate community!
Collector's Edition Notes:
For $60 you really cannot ask for more, as you're free receiving extra items, which for the price are of an acceptable quality, both the tin box and art book are durable, in the end all depends on how careful you're while handling these.
The D4rth Man7iz Score is: 9.7/10
GT: D4rth T Man7iz
PSN: D4rthM4n7iz64 | video-games_xbox |
Got a bad one, but the second has been completely awesome - UPDATED. My first one:
I had a horrible experience with this product. Upon opening the package all was well (no sign of damage to packaging or to product itself), I tried to use it immediately out of excitement. The controller I put it in wouldn't power on, so I tried it in two others and they didn't work either. I then tried to charge the battery and play at the same time (which should be totally within normal practices). I immediately was greeted with a loud high-pitch squealing noise and the controller powered up as it should've so I decided to see if the noise would just go away. To my surprise it did NOT!! In fact the pack started to then make a ticking noise (very low but audible) and then it started to get really hot (hot to the point of discomfort but not to the point of burning/melting anything). I started to fear for the controller so I pulled the charging cable from the pack and then pulled the pack from the controller...... but the ticking and squealing continued as before. At this point I got concerned about battery issues and perhaps a cell or two rupturing. I placed it in safe spot in my back yard far from the house and any shrubbery/etc. The battery took about 30 minutes to quit squealing and overheating, at that point I e-wasted it and have washed my hands of this product as a whole. I liked the cable, but literally nothing else (including the packaging which was a bit weird). I'm very dissatisfied but I will take the loss on this just to protect my home and family.
My second one:
At the sellers own expense they sent me a new one (I couldn't send the first one back obviously), and it's been remarkable. The batter last a super long time and charging and playing is not a problem at all. I'm really enjoying the battery pack quite a bit and a previously mentioned the charging cable is a nice one. I'm updating the review to 4 stars as I really had a bad experience with the first one, but the customer service and the enjoyment from the second one have salvaged this and will keep me as a customer. | video-games_xbox |
Warning: Do Not Waste Ur Money. Let's just get to the problems with this game. The EA servers are BAD....real bad. I have several friends who have problems even connecting to the EA server, and when they do it lasts about 5 minutes before being randomly disconnected. I have had problems staying with a connection for more than about 30 minutes. I have been both host and client, so it is not the other persons connection, it is not my connection....it is EA. Next there is the fact you need a special code to engage in Extraction mode, which is similiar to Horde mode in Gears. Nice job EA, take a lousy game and exclude some people from engaging in what may be the only decent mode in the game. Next there is the Campaign Continue. It is already difficult to find people to play with, but if you try to continue where you left off, and want to play with a random (non friends list) player....good luck. The only way for someone to find you is for them to choose to start at the exact same checkpoint that you are attempting to start from. Oh, and another thing (maybe some people would not care), the achievements are BUNK. Example 1, a 50 pt achievement for playing all 16 rounds of Extraction Mode (which is extremely time consuming, but worse yet EXTRACTION IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR ALL PLAYERS!), there is also the case (which has just affected me), where you complete the entire game on the hardest difficulty (contractor) and do not get the achievment for it. I can only assume I did not get it because at one point someone did join my game at Normal Difficulty for 2 chapters (while I stayed on Contractor). I will go back and play chapters 4/5 and see if that gives it to me, but nonetheless, what a pain.
All this and I have not even gotten to the clunky controls, the fact that you try to revive your partner and end up rolling past him, or sprinting past him. The fact enemies often Phantom Spawm from places you cleared out or checked is also great. Better yet, you try and spring up to cover and end up flying over it completely exposed and dead in less than 5 seconds.
One last thing is the other Multiplayer modes. They really are not terrible, they actually grow on you a bit, but again you have roughly a 40% chance of getting in a game with ridiculous, uncontrollable, unplayable lag. I was lucky enough to rent this game as I have several friends that are pissed off about spending their money on this garbage, I recommend you do not make the same mistake. | video-games_xbox |
Biggest disapointment since Rage. Dishonored starts of slow but really picks up after the first hour, that is to say the first ten percent of the game, combat is incredibly fun and the powers are as well, if lacking in originality or innovation, but other than that the game falls flat on other accounts. Stealth is poorly executed, is hampered context sensitive non-lethal takedowns, and is just plain boring and redundant when trying to go through the game being nonlethal. You only have one close quarter atack (Corvo chokes people; it takes a while and can result in a cheap death if that person falls somewhere and breaks his neck or mysteriously gets eaten by rats) that is nonlethal and one ranged attack (The crossbow works well and is accurate especially with upgrades). True lethal combat is where this game shines shooting an enemy's leg of with your pistol, or stabbing Tall Boys in the neck you won't be bored
if combat is your niche. I had a blast with the powers and felt unstoppable towards the end of the game. Overall I was quite impressed with the gameplay other than the stealthy and the nonlethal approach.
For gameplay I give it a 9/10
The story is horrible, complete with cookie cutter plot twists you'll see a miles away and horrible voice acting and dialogue. Mix that in with the most unsatisfying ending since Rage came out and it was terrible. Just awful. I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers if you care at all... Don't read if you care about this game's story (lol?)
The most major plot twist revolves around the betrayal of Corvo by his comrades that did nothing but stand around the whole game. You will never get attached to anyone in the story enough to make you care if they live or die. Not even Corvo. He is perhaps the dullest of the bunch. You'd liberally have to be deaf and blind to have a slight chance of missing the twist. Awful.
Story 0/10
The graphics in this game vary. Water and foliage look great and are executed flawlessly. Very rarely did I ever say, "Ewwwww that is ugly water...". Buidings look terrible and constantly and consistently don't have textures on them. And character models look good, I enjoyed the steampunk look.
Over all graphics were good: 7/10
Now here is something that critics and developers alike miss. Quality assurance. The game is buggier than a bed in a brothel. Most notably with achievements and framerate. The game can get really tedious if there is more than five enemies attack you it drops to almost ten frames per second. It's sad, really.
Quality assurance: 5/1
I guess my hopes were too high for this game. I really hated it. I beat it twice in three days and never want to touch it again. My advice. At least try it before spending sixty dollars on it. That's a lot of money for people who actually for a living. And if you do like it buy it new so you can support it. But try it first. Ten hours of varied fun is not worth sixty bucks. Sixty bucks I could have used towards something, anything else. Don't believe the hype, don't believe me. Find out for yourself; be patient and smart about it!
Over all score for Dishonored
9 + 7 + 5 + 0 = 21
21/4 = 5.25
Final score 5.25/10
Published score 3/5
Thank you for reading! | video-games_xbox |
NEED MORE BIG TEAM SLAYER MAPS, COME ON. Seriously! More BIG TEAM SLAYER MAPS! Never get to play Shatter which I love, or Wreckage anymore, which is also great. Vortex is excellent, but it's getting old. And whenever anyone picks Ragnarok (which is everyone all the time) I just quit. Ragnarok is horribly unbalanced, if you don't get the shoreline side you're usually pretty much screwed. 343 Studios has to do better. They even took away stuff like DLC MIXED GAMES on the playlist, like the Crimson Pack or maps people had invented, which was tons of fun. They even messed up Infinity Slayer, no one even plays it anymore because it's all different game types and they've limited it to having, like, the most recent map pack or you can't play. Now NO ONE plays because of that. 343, you should have bitten the bullet and released some of these earlier map packs for free so everyone could enjoy them. Now I don't have anyone to play with because you kicked out anyone who hasn't bought like, all the map packs. You've ruined the experience for me somewhat, and I bought every map pack.
Of course I don't know why I did buy every map pack because you NEVER ADDED A SINGLE BIG TEAM SLAYER MAP, WHICH IS BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR THING TO PLAY ON THE PLAYLIST!!! Heh, I probably sound like such a tool and a nerd right now, but so be it. These guys have destroyed their own game. The only reason I ever bought a map pack was for BIG TEAM SLAYER, and instead you were adding maps to stuff I never play. And you guys seriously need to just edit out Ragnarok. Ragnarok hasn't been fun since Halo 3, it's horribly faulted.
343 studios is going to have to work EXTREMELY HARD to compete for my attention when COD: GHOSTS comes out. I'll probably just ignore them because I know there will only be like a couple of BIG TEAM MAPS and the game will get extremely boring extremely quickly. HALO 5 should have at least TEN BIG TEAM SLAYER MAPS when it is in fact released. Old School maps are okay too, but I mean when I spend money on a map pack I want to PLAY those maps. They've cut out all the maps I like except Vortex, but even that's getting tired at this point.
All in all I'd say 343's online game management has been lax if not now completely incompetent. Thanks for your time.
AKA I thought this game was great until the online population dwindled from a sizeable ten to 13/14 grand to around six. And PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MORE BIG TEAM MAPS! Are there any other online FPS games that I can play that are better than this? I'd like to know! | video-games_xbox |
It's a pleasure doing business with you, Capcom. I just wanted to address some of the main complaints I see with regards to this game.
Apparently, some folks out there who purchased the original Street Fighter 4 have a problem with "paying for the same game twice".
Some folks think that they "wasted their money" on the original SF4, because Super SF4 is better.
Others think that this is nothing more than "Capcom's attempt to milk a franchise and rip off its customers."
I can understand the cynicism n this day and age, but it's unwarranted here,
-You aren't "paying for the same game twice", because of the ridiculous amount of additional content they've added. 10 brand new characters is major. Most franchises don't even add 10 new characters in a SEQUEL, let alone an update. PLUS gameplay revisions and all new ultras for the existing cast that can completely change the way the old characters are played. PLUS a more social online atmosphere thanks to lobbies, team battle, and the upcoming free DLC tournament mode. There's a lot of stuff here that wasn't here before...
-You didn't "waste your money" on the original SF4 because IT WAS A GREAT GAME, AND YOU ENJOYED IT. The original SF4 was a fantastic, genre-reviving game with infinite replay value and appeal. The past 14 months of intense beat downs, tournaments, hype, and discovery were well worth the $60 we paid for it. Purchasing Super SF4 won't change that. Especially since the knowledge you earned over the past year will serve you very well in this new game.
-This isn't "Capcom's attempt to milk a franchise and rip off its customers", because so much of the ingredients to this feast were based on fan requests. Online lobbies? Fans demanded it. Better balance? Fans demanded it. Street Fighter 3 characters? Fans demanded it. Listening to classic character themes during regular battles? Fans demanded it. The list goes on. Capcom simply saw the demand, and provided the supply. Sure, it would have been great if this massive cornucopia of fighting were available in the original SF4, but unfortunately Capcom doesn't have a magic wand that creates fighting games out of thin air. Limited time and resources forced them to split the costs and risks over two separate releases (remember, the original SF4 was a huge gamble that Capcom wasn't sure would be a success.)
In the end, it's all just business. In February 2009, Capcom released a game called Street Fighter 4. I paid 60 bucks, and in return got way more than 60 bucks worth of value for it. Both sides profited.
Fast forward to April 2010 as Capcom now approaches me with the similar proposition. Pay them 60 bucks in exchange for more than 60 bucks worth of enjoyment. I see no reason why I shouldn't pull the trigger again.
Oh wait...you mean to tell me, it's not 60 bucks? It's even CHEAPER?
Well, maybe we need to reconsider who exactly is ripping off whom here... | video-games_xbox |
gta vs red dead redemption THE REAL DEAL. everyone else is talking about the differences between gta 4 and red dead redemption so i will put in my two cents.
who
gta 4 :a slavic soldier with deep insights into people[niko bellic]
red dead:a good ol american cowboy[john marsten]
likeness:near zero
what they do
gta 4:get into epic shoot outs with gang members
red dead:get into epic shoot outs with gang members,mexican revolutionaries and enemies of the government
likeness:they both shoot a lot but john marsten is being forced to by the feds.niko bellic is in a lot of trouble with gangsters
where:
gta 4:big city resembling new york
red dead:texas and mexico in the desert
likeness:not really
why
gta 4:niko has to continualy save his cousin
red dead:john is keeping the feds from killing his wife and son
likeness:good
when
gta 4:modern times
red dead:1911[99 years ago]
likeness:not much
how
gta 4:he often shoots and kills people
red dead:john has the option to bring in people alive but thats really no fun
likeness:same
but heres the nitty gritty.theres only one car in read dead redemption and no you cant steal it.there are working women everywhere in both games.in gta you can do it to your hearts content.john won't do it because he's married.nor will others who could.the horses have short life spans just like the cars in gta.you can blow stuff up in both.you can do drive bys only your on a horse.the stage coaches suck in comparison to a car.the every day regular people are generaly evil in both.crude humor and drugs are around in both places.in red dead redemption you can hunt animals a lot.in gta 4 you hunt humans a lot.they both rock!
well heres how they rate on my scale
with 1 being "i'd rather you put a bullet in my brains than to play this game"
2-i'd rather get my butt kicked
3-just kick me in the ?&%* please
4-below average,failing
5 is average
6-really good
7-stellar
8-an all time classic
9-one of the best video games ever
10-near perfect
i would give red dead redemption a 7.4 [my 23rd favorite video game ever]
i would rate gta 4 with a 10 [my second favorite game ever]
red dead redemption is easily my favorite cowboy game ever.
gta 4 is my favorite driver game and my favorite gta game
but as far as rockstar goes,i'd put it like this
6-red dead revolver[6.3]
5-gta 3 [6.4]
4-red dead redemption [7.4] 3-gta vice city [8.4]
2-gta san andreas [9.8]
1-gta 4[10]
i say gta 4 is way better but i've done nothing but play red dead redemption for the last month. so its awesome and you should buy it too. | video-games_xbox |
Smackdown vs Raw 1990. Usually THQ waits a whole year before re-releasing the same game with a different roster and some new features. But the excuse this year is that the roster included is "legends" from the old days of WWF (yes, WWF, not WWE, children).
The only really questionable "legends" additions are Hunter Hearst Helmsley, though his inclusion would likely be due to boning the boss's daughter. Using the name "Legends of WRESTLEMANIA" allows the game to stay WWF focused and not go all-out in offering us WCW talent and ECW talent.
Instead we get the well-known likes of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jake the Snake Roberts, Junk Yard Dog, Iron Sheik, Ric Flair, Rick Rude, Michael Hayes, Mr Perfect, Ted DiBiase, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart.
People can argue and complain all they want about who made the roster and who didn't; ultimately it doesn't matter because the game is terrible.
For some inexplicable reason, the sticks on the Xbox360 controller are done away with, and all the controls for punching and grappling are now centered just on the buttons. Even to buttom-mash to get up involves hitting just these buttons.
If this was designed to make the game more "approachable" to more "casual fans" who may have played old wrestling games on the N64, then it implies that they think the "casual fan" is too old (or re; stupid) to learn the Smackdown vs Raw controls, and need something familiar to their old days.
The problem is that these controls do not even mirror the control scheme of N64 wrestling games.
But worst of all comes QUICK TIME EVENTS! Now it's less of a wrestling game and more of a PPV with added Simon Says feature (just like Indigo Prophecy). The quick-time event completely ruins the fluidity of play, and the shame of that is that it includes chain wrestling and multi-step events in wrestling that are very much impossible in Smackdown vs Raw 2009.
Collision detection is terrible in this game, arguably worse than even in Smackdown vs Raw. I've had to deal with playing as Steve Austin vs The Rock, and trying to punch The Rock only for him to lightly fidget, moving his shoulder near me, or taking a half-step back, and so despite my fist clipping through his body, it doesn't register as a hit because the Rock moved too much.
Then there's a slight bit of historical re-writing. Keeping true to McMahon's love for muscly men, most of the legends here have been "embellished" in their physical build.
For example one comes the Iron Sheik. Viewing pictures of him in his old days, he's rather thick, but with some smooth natural musculature to his chest, but still thick around the center, like a fat/muscular guy. The Iron Sheik in-game has an upper body build of someone like Dave Batista.
And then comes the end-game mechanics! Reminiscent of TNA's abortion video game, this game seems to favor finishing moves over anything else, really. You have to work hard to fill a series of momentum bars, which increase your attack and damage and overall endurance. You become more powerful and stronger. Making a taunt causes some loss in momentum though.
HOWEVER, once you pull your finisher, your momentum is completely gone. Back down to zero. So you go from being THE IMMORTAL HULK HOGAN to the BROOKLYN BRAWLER counting the lights.
Kicking out of pins is equally a pain from TNA iMPACT!, and yet the computer doesn't seem to have the same troubles you do.
Basically, the game becomes an easy rental once you conclude that you can pretty much beat everyone with punches and kicks, a finisher, and a hard pin.
Nostalgia is a nice factor, but you cannot play nostalgia. You cannot eat nostalgia. You cannot spend 50 dollars for nostalgia baked in crap. | video-games_xbox |
Good out of the box, lots of potential. I'm primarily reviewing this as a multimedia device, not as a game console. I tend not to pay $60 for games so it will be a while before I play any launch titles.
Out of the box this requires a 500 MB update before you even get any functionality at all, so if you're buying it as a gift, do the person a favor and run the update so they can just plug in and go on Christmas morning.
I've been playing around with the TV stuff quite a bit and it's kind of amazing, when it works. Just like the commercial shows, you say "XBox On" and it fires up my TV, XBox, Cable Box and my audio receiver. "XBox Watch TV" and away we go. "XBox Watch ESPN" and it changes the channel. "XBox Mute" and it cuts the audio. I'm not sure how it works but there is an IR blaster on the Kinect which is facing away from all my devices and yet it seems to transmit the IR signals successfully more times than not.
Here's the problem - it doesn't always work. I'd say the console is about 50-50 at recognizing when I say "XBox" and it really helps if you yell at it. I hate that. I should be able to tell it what to do in a conversational tone but that doesn't work well at all. Also, the IR blaster on the front of the Kinect is using very specific scripts. It doesn't know if your TV, Cable Box or receiver is on or off so it's simply flashing a power toggle command. If any of those devices are not in the power state that XBox is expecting, it fails and you have to fix it manually.
Skype is also really neat - the Kinect will digitally zoom into whoever is talking which is a really killer feature. Again, I've had issues getting voice recognition to work here. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, NFL, ESPN are all present and accounted for and seem to function well in my limited time with them. The possibility for third party app support is really exciting. Think about how many apps the iOS Store has and then extrapolate that to the XBox One - it could get really really interesting.
One area where the Xbox really falls short is DLNA. There's no way to natively play movies or music that is on your network from the XBox One. In 2013, that's just unacceptable. My TV can do a better job with music and movies than the XBox can. I am hopeful that apps will be added to the store to support this, but right now you are confined to their Video Store and their Music service, neither of which I want anything to do with. There is supposedly an iPhone app which will act as a bridge to play movies from your network onto your XBox One but I have not had any success getting that to work.
I am excited for the ecosystem that MS is setting up but only if they really let it breathe. If they intend to hold entertainment options inside paid walled gardens for the duration of the life of the system, this system will never reach its stated potential of being an "all in one entertainment device". | video-games_xbox |
Not Morrowind, not trying to be. D&D-style 3rd person RPG for xbox only, like Morrowind, but without the length, openness, complexity and GLITCHES of Morrowind. This is both its strength and weakness. Dumbing down and simplifying a game like Morrowind would probably cure its glitchy ails, but this is a double-edged sword.
PROS
- Amazing top-notch score (as with Morrowind's Jeremy Soule) by Russell Shaw and Danny Elfman (does mainly stylish fantasy and horror soundtracks such as Tim Burton films, Simpsons stuff, etc). This is infinitely more important than you think.
- excellent variety of enemies and bosses with their own unique abilities and challenges.
- excellent variety of items, weapons, armor, etc but simple enough that you can remember everything.
- experience and level-up system works fine.
- good story narrative (and thankfully you can bypass any cut-scene at any time)
- game length is fine, despite what critics have said. The game should not be compared to Morrowind (the longest game ever next to Oblivion) or GTA. There are tons of missions (quests). People that say you can complete this thing in 12 hours are either lying or have no life.
- hair, tattoo, etc customization (as in GTA San Andreas).
- fun to kick chickens
- good voice-acting, various british isles accents, english, irish, cockney, etc...the style and feel are a bit british (developed by Lionhead UK, now owned by MS). It's good to have an actual british game developer in the mix with US and Japanese dominated game design.
CONS
- main melee attack is mapped permanently to a button not the trigger (like every other game in the world). Can't map it to what you want. Counter-intuitive.
- uber-hype marketing nonsense; I think this is what everyone got upset about.
- some (not all) combat is button mashing
- while the graphics are nice, they are just a tinge cartoonish.
- ebony weapons. Uh, did they just rip this off from Elder Scrolls?
- save system is mean (cannot save during missions) - just save the damn thing where the hell I want it to!
- IMPOSSIBLE missions (quests) - there are a couple. Nowhere near the problems of Morrowind, but extremely annoying. One for example has you freeing 2 hostages in 2 locations. You are able to free one, but as soon as you appear in location #2, the hostage dies IMMEDIATELY with no way to even remotely save her...
- End quest is impossible unless you lucked out like I did and happened to have hundreds of health and magic supplies with you because they DON'T let you go back and prepare for it first. The end quest occurs immediatly after the preceeding quest. Don't have these supplies? hope you saved recently (before the preceeding quest).
- Cannot go back to side quests after main quest is completed? Why the hell not? That's a pretty moronic game design choice. Morrowind let's you play on forever....It extends the longevity of the title.
- Long recovery time when you get hit. Why does every single hit have to knock me down? Even if my "toughness" is maxed out.
Morrowind is overall clearly a better title, but due to its massive amount of glitches, it's also more annoying. If you want a lighter, more contained, briefer version of Morrowind with simpler gameplay, Fable is an excellent choice for xbox, also playable on 360. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best ever, for ANY system. Having read about Halo when it was being developed for the PC, I was excited to see screenshots and information about the game, and eventually a really cool trailer. When Microsoft bought the developer, Bungie, I figured that the Xbox version of the game would suck, based on my estimation of other console shooters. My friend splurged on a Xbox when it came out and wouldn't stop talking about how cool Halo was, so I had to see for myself. I bought the Xbox and Halo. Once the startup screen came up I didn't stop playing until 18 hours later when my roommate and I beat the game.
In a word? Astounding. The controls took a little time to master, but once I spent a little time (like maybe an hour) they became second nature. Driving was similarly difficult, but once acustomed to the style of driving it was simple, and great fun, wedging the Warthog into buildings to help deliver some extra firepower to the enemies inside. The graphics are outstanding, the water effects being particularly cool, as well as the real feel of the world as a whole. You and vehicles slide on ice, the green lushness of the grass, the white of the falling snow, the raining bodies and debris kicked up by explosions (the sticky grenade effect is hilarious when the grenade sticks to the bad guy's head) all serve to imerse the player into the ringworld of Halo.
The AI is deadly, diving out of the way of grenades and warning comrades of danger as they duck behind cover. One particularly harrowing fight was with the invisible Covenant soldier with his very visible sword cutting down your marines. Difficult doesn't even begin to describe some of the scenes, but as frustrating as it was to die over and over again, I always came back with the determination to lick the baddies one way or another.
Overall this game will be the crown jewel of the Xbox for a long time, and when finally released for the PC I hope it will be every bit as good as it's Xbox counterpart (with a bigger multiplayer component, of course). I equate this game to some of the other games I consider to be definitive examples of computer/video game entertainment. Metal Gear Solid, Half-Life, Fallout 2, Civilization (2 and 3) and X-Com are all examples of excellent design and execution, and now Halo will proudly reside on that short short list.
I never thought I'd say this, but Microsoft's got a real good thing on their hands. Keep it up, Bill. | video-games_xbox |
Not perfect but not absolutely horrible. If you're like me and are trying to squeeze every last bit of gaming out of your 360 before you move on to the next console, this game isn't a bad purchase if you can get it for $20 or less. I wouldn't pay a dime over that though. It has a lot going for it and could've been an excellent game, but somewhere along the line somebody screwed up and didn't fine-tune it.
The story isn't horrible but there's way too many cinematic parts. I mean WAY too many. In battle, the graphics are pretty decent and what you're doing on-screen is cool enough but the controls mess it all up. Whoever decided that the right analog stick should be used for melee motion, instead of viewing/looking around, should never get another job in gaming design. That got me killed more than anything else in the game. When the camera is at a good angle, the view isn't bad. The problem is that you have to constantly center the view. If you don't, you'll be looking right back at the screen or some other random place. If you fixed the controls and camera issue, the action would be great instead of an annoying chore.
As far as dying, it doesn't set you back at all, as far as I could tell. It just takes forever to get back to the action. There's, once again, another cinematic part that takes longer than even your normal loading screen. That gets quite annoying, considering that you will probably die a lot in some spots.
What the game does well is the upgrade/skills section. This is no RPG, so don't get that impression. At the beginning of the game, you get to choose your class and you can upgrade your equipment and add skill points. That's about it but it still works for an action game.
Overall, it's a mediocre action game with very slight RPG elements and a lot of short comings, but it's worth a shot if you're in the position for giving 'less-than-perfect' games a chance. | video-games_xbox |
The Worst of Dragon Age: Origins for xbox 360. *Spoilers*
The combat is something alike WoW or really Dungeon Siege.
There are exciting moments when say a mabari, spider, or werewolf decides to tackle you and eat your face.
As well as some ogre fights when they decide grabbing you is better than trying to hit you, the ogre deaths can be fantastic, the best moments of the game by far.
But you see the bland side of the game while in the majority of the fights. Fighting the ents, dragons, and the brood mother were all huge disappointments.
The dragons especially! You're telling me something intelligent enough to command armies doesnt realize that maybe flying and using strafing attacks might be better than slowly being poked to death? If I somehow had to break and tear up one wing so flight would not be possible then yes I would find the dragon fights acceptable.
The DLC content is subpar.
Wardens keep had a pretty terrible story which goes against the rest of the game's lore and 15 dollars for Shale gave me probably the worst case of buyer's remorse I've ever had. From what I read about it RTO is probably the best DLC for the game but I won't buy it because of the bad experience I've had with the others. Its not about money, I got extra to burn. I want value from the things I buy. They might as well have taken my 15 dollars and sent me a little plaque that said, "Hey thanks for being a customer of Bioware, Sucker."
The game is lacking.
I just feel like this game had the opportunity to offer so much more, its just a real let down. Multiple play throughs are there but only because there are multiple classes. You have no real affect on the story, the only difference is some small changes in dialogue and which allies you can summon at the end.
There are so many roads that could have been traversed to offered cool moments but for some reason you have a single path to walk. Its sort of this cookie cutter feel of a cliche story. This can be easily solved with quality DLC but I doubt that would happen. Some parts seem down right unfinished, when in dialogue as any character your helm is off but all your affects are still visible. Sometimes you will have a bear attached to your hand if you're a ranger. If you're a mage you will likely have mud falling off you and possibly pale white see through if you went arcane. Theres also a mass of glitches available to ruin your time in ferelden.
The Ending
There were so many things I wanted to do over my first run through I knew I had to play again just to fix the injustices. I had no idea morrigan would leave my party so quickly at the end. I too thought I could get her to stay. She's got that snotty sexy thing going for her and I wanted to find out what would happen with the soul of the god I was about to kill. Needless to say it didn't turn out like I thought it would. I wanted to become king as well, It was I who united ferelden and made sure it was defended from the blight, I deserve a crown damnit!! On my 2nd play through to my surprise I was able to become king because I chose to start as a human noble. Weird.
The Best
Wasnt all bad there was a lot I liked, as I mentioned before killing an ogre can be great. The petty dialogue between morrigan, the dog, allistar, and shale was all really entertaining. The dwarves were the coolest part of the made-up world of DA:O, their class system, golem lore, and the polical feud that you need to solve was the most interesting part of the story. And the deep roads was the most exciting place to adventure. But even this I gotta critique, why couldn't I go on to search the deep roads after I slew the arch demon? They just want to roll curtain for the expansion I guess, where my character would go to another country.
The game feels like it was rushed. Maybe current technology along with the consumer marketplace is allowing companies to get sloppy with their work. I don't really know.
still ranks 3/4 stars in my book when compared to most other games | video-games_xbox |
Overrated. There isn't a single compelling character in Skyrim. The voice actors do not deliver their lines with conviction. They either sound overly theatrical when speaking or blase. Worse still, the same voice actors are used for multiple characters. There must be two dozen voice actors for the hundreds of characters in the game. You will often encounter characters of different ages, races and species voiced by the same person. That just makes the game seem all the more cartoonish. And the dialogue isn't terribly well written either. Because of this I didn't care about the people of Skyrim. They're like animatronic puppets on a Disneyland ride.
Much is made about the scale of the game. On the surface, the map is quite large. But when you explore the game in depth you find that it involves a great deal of repetition. The crypts, caves, shrines, ruins and castles that are scattered throughout the map are, with a few exceptions, mostly identical. The interiors look the same and the player battles the same type of enemies in them. The only quests that offer the player new experiences are the main quests and a few of the side quests. This diminished the replay value for me.
I found attacking enemies with a weapon to be very awkward. It's hard to tell how far you need to be from an enemy to land a blow. The alternative of casting magic spells was equally unpalatable, but for a different reason. Though executing spells is smoother than swinging a weapon, some of the spells the player is encouraged to cast are really sinister, like conjuring evil spirits. That's another thing I didn't like about the game--it glorifies the occult. The game promotes heathenism and black magic. The Dark Brotherhood missions were the most outre example of this. These missions take you into a lair where a dead woman in a coffin telepathically orders you to kill people. That was too much for me. I'm sure for some it's "just a game," but if players can't find anything morally or aesthetically unpleasant in a game, then they can't really enjoy them on more than a superficial level.
This isn't a bad game. It's just that, going in, I expected more. The world of Skyrim is very attractive. There are lush forests, snow-capped mountains, underground cities and a regal score. There is some spontaneity in the game too. You will sometimes hear a battle in the distance, walk over a hill and find enemies already engaged in combat. I just wish the game had some intriguing personalities. I need to care about these people. The player passively follows the story because it is not compelling. It is too cartoonish. | video-games_xbox |
Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness Part 3. First off, I was reluctant to purchase another Tomb Raider that wasn't by the original developers after the last flop that forever tarnished the Tomb Raider name. Rightly so, it proved to be another flop (think Laura falling through countless floors as they do so often in this "reboot" series) It's just an awful game all around. They've tried to include more RPG elements such as piling on useless upgrades and continued on with the pointless collections deemed "salvage" to make you feel as though you're accomplishing nothing at all.
I finished the game in the first day playing. And this includes pausing the game for hours before continuing on. Once I completed the game I was unaware I actually had. Cut scenes were more forced in this one. I absolutely hate a game I can't skip the cut scenes. The transition between video and gameplay is highly evident as well. Rightly so, as it was designed for newer consoles to begin with but the least they could do is downscale the video sequences to make it fit well. Still they failed to include a button tapping to move faster along ledges and that sort of thing. The button scheme is the same tired layout they used in the last game. Replay value isn't there whatsoever. Really, five minutes of gameplay and you'll get bored; feeling no urge to continue your save. Game breaking glitches have been there since day one of its release. I contacted them through their Facebook page with video footage of a few bugs with no response (but it was read). The camera is too close. The story line is pointless and uninteresting. Characters are instantly forgettable. Developers really need to sit down and play through the 'real' Tomb Raiders rather than just processing garbage such as this. Lara will say the same idiotic quotes in repetition once again (ie. "Got to find shelter", "It's freezing"). Yet another release that should have went straight to the $20 bin. DLC was announced a few days ago which is surely unpromising. RIP Tomb Raider, you are missed. I won't be buying anymore of this garbage (luckily I didn't purchase this one, it was given to me by a friend who couldn't stand how terrible it was). I'm shocked once again about how many positive reviews there are here. I'm guessing people are getting paid to shill this title up to par. Controls are even less accurate than the last one they did, however, added a run button which obviously isn't that huge of a step in the right direction. Physics are unrealistic and the "puzzles" are so complicated a two year old could solve them. There are less QTEs which is good but they're still there to annoy you. Don't bother with this one nor the last unless you enjoy a good let down.
I really don't feel the need to put an effort into reviewing this game in depth as I planned on. The same weapons, glow stick that lights itself rather than a torch, same brainless opponent AI, it's pretty much a disappointing cut-and-paste from the last one with more bugs and even less "tombs". SPOILER ALERT!: They've added an uninvolved 'crafting' mechanic! All you have to do is collect one of the reappearing caches of ingredients and hold a button! You can "craft" bombs from tin cans or bottles from thin air! They've added the ability to climb arrows you shot into the wall- only when/where they allow you to. You will encounter countless trees stripped of their bark with branches/nubs perfectly aligned to get you where you need to be! Many times you'll come to a thorn bush while going through a cave, which is one of Lara's many weaknesses. See that on the map? Climb that cliff and OOP! Can't get passed that boulder, or fence, or bush, or piece of wood or truck, even! Ridiculous.
If you attempt to take a shortcut down a cliff you will probably die in midair for no reason whatsoever. When you want to use your rope it will most likely choose to use your climbing tool instead causing you to plummet to the ground. Skill points will sometimes disappear. Some missions are unable to be finished even after the day one update (such as the Gulag bs.). You will look at the environment thinking, "I'll never make that jump" then when it seems to be the only option the camera will suddenly zoom out in the middle of your jump and make your character grab on to ledges from impossible lengths. Non interactive environments! Unrealistic hunting of animals who run in a set pattern and get stuck running into walls! It's all here! I gave an appropriate rating of two stars due to the way they maintained the illusion of this game being worthy of your time. Oh, one last thing I think should be mentioned- the complete lack of underwater control. You can hold a button to go partially underwater about a foot.. As much as everyone hates underwater levels I never thought any company could make the experience worse. Seriously, why?
EDIT: See all of these down votes without a single responsive comment? Yeah. Schilling. | video-games_xbox |
Good, but not great. I bought this game on release day at a local gamestop, and it was a well worth the money as far as hours of game play vs hours I had to work, to get the cash to buy the game (at minimum wage)
As far as it being enjoyable or fun, you know, I can't honestly say it is. But, I can say the game has kept me engaged, and coming back for more. I wish the story, or npc characters on Pandora was the reason I played.. but owell.
The environment is kind of Blank though. Which looking at it from a logical way there are all of these large animals around the planet. There's several large bodies of water, you'd think there would be more vegetation. and in general more critters.
Liked the style of the game. The whole 'Concept art look' made what would of been an otherwise monotonous grind, in to something a little less monotonous. Again, would have liked to of seen more vegetation, and just a more lively world. A little more story. Let the world be more of a character.
I loved the opening song of the game. That was awesome. And the intro in general was okay. But would have liked to see the space ship landing or something of that nature. Because your referred to as an "Off Worlder" but you come riding in on a bus. Wtf?
I don't know about all of the characters history. But I will say if there as Shallow as Rolands, I would have much preferred no character story at all, especially if they can't pull it off as good as Fallout 3 did. And would of rather just had some kind of character customization feature. Design my own character from the ground up, set up my special attack, of my choosing.. (Ie the characters special moves like in game). And been on my merry way.
It sucked that I couldn't just buy pouch upgrades from the store, and it sucked I had to be at a certain level, to upgrade my ammo slots, since money seemed to be such a big thing, it'd been much nicer if I had the money I could get the upgrades. Level should not have played a part in that. As a matter of fact, I needed more ammo at the beginning when my proficiency was lower. Not having pouch upgrades available earlier in the game like I mention is a huge pain in the ass. I also would have liked to have a Claptrap as a sidekick in the game. That followed me around like a pack mule. Playing some kind of supporting role that I could customize at a shop or tune up place. Example: Attack, heal, defense, Precision shots increase...something of that nature.
Speaking of the Claptrap, god those little robots were so freaking annoying, and not very useful at all.
I hated the fact the whole planet was apparently a prison planet or something like that... because it freaking sucked constantly fighting the local. I'd rather just fought monsters.. that you know, coughed up valuable items.. from the previous treasure hunters they had eaten. It really became a chore fighting bandits all the damn time. It was like there was a lack of virtual human contact in the game. The characters I met, didn't really have much to say. The characters that I met, who actually had something say, were usually the ones trying to kill me.
One thing I really did like, that I thought the game developer pulled off very well. Was vehicle control. Excellent job on that. And Excellent job on the first person shooting bit. And the whole gun system. Top notch as far as that goes.
Although I do have a small complaint about the gun aiming system. If I have have the cross hairs of my gun, aimed right at the spot between my enemies eyes.. I should hit them. Stats, should not play a part in that. That was pure torture, having a sniper rifle.. and it having an accuracy of 98.7 percent, but because my proficiency in that area was low. I still couldn't hit my enemies as well as I would have liked. That was frustrating.
I"m sure the entire planet of Pandora wasn't explored... It has a lot of potential with the right people.
I give em A+ for effort. Because design wise the game is really well done I think. It's not perfect. But really well done.
But the world, the story.. it feels tacked on. And its shallow. This game really seems to be all about grinding and gun collecting. Its fun in its own way. But you have to stick with it for awhile. Those first few levels.. clawing your way to the top. And ammo upgrades. Well you have to work for it. | video-games_xbox |
Good Addition but getting stale. I am big fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. It was one the first game that combined great graphics and gameplay. Now with the latest installment, fans can expect the same thing with continuation with Ezio Auditore' story of being the Master Assassin & the Mentor of Assassin's Brotherhood.
Gameplay:
There is new hookblade which provides different combat animations and increased movement around the city on ziplines. There are variety of bombs which are in three categories: tatical, diversion and lethal. I played the game and hardly use bombs but I did tried making bombs. You select the kind of casing to use ( metal shell fuse(delayed explosion) or terracotta shell (explode on break), type of explosive and special ingredient to give the bomb the desired effect (poison, sharpnels or smoke), there are some more varieties, and developers claimed that there are 300 combinations to do so. The game follows the same pace as Assassins's Creed 2, side missions and main story, has similar settings. There is the new Den Defense mode where you need the Assassin's Stronghold such as towers from Templar attacks and it absolutely not at all exciting, feels just dumb to play, like as if it was out of context of the game. This is may be the reason why the game got so stale now, its not major change just improvements & additions with new story.
Story:
Ezio is now in Istanbul, Turkey, in game known as Constantinople. He is on the hunt to retreive the 6 keys of Altair (Assasin from the first game in the series). Each key unlocks a sequence of Altair's memory (where you play as Altair). Of course you will bump in to ups and downs in story. The characters deliver excellent performance in acting makes the experience very cinematic. It is proper conclusion to Ezio and Altair storylines, in return providing the setting for next Assassin's Creed game.
Multiplayer:
This mode has recieved major improvment from Brotherhood. It is now easy to find matches (before had long searc times), some new game modes such as deathmatch where you don't have compass instead have to identify by looking around in very small part of the map. Another is Steal the artifact which is like Capture the flag. The games have no lag at all, before connection was issue. It is fun and different experience from other shooter games. As you level up in muliplayer, you will unlock special videos that reveal the story of templars, reaching level 50 unlocks the final video which has interesting story tie to main plot.
Verdict:
Being a fan and finding games getting stale is reason developers are being lazy and not trying out something different and new. I had same experience with Gears of War 3 which is great game but got boring as the experience isn't sufficiently rewarding. I will suggest to buy this game when cheaper. So far there hasn't been new story DLCs, only some stupid multiplayer character and map packs.
After finishing the g | video-games_xbox |
A beautiful game, straight out of a Grimm's fairytale. Believe the hype people!! I was defitnetly sceptical myself before I purchased the game a few days ago. Now after playing for about 8hrs I have to say that it was worth my $50.
The storyline is not too deep to where it takes away from the game itself. This is more of a "dark" fairytale in which YOU make up the story as you move along. Do you want to be the people's champ who is cheered by everyone or do you want to be an evil villian slaying everyone in your path? You can become a powerful swordsman and develope a muscular physique or use powerful magic and stay skinny and pale. In any regard YOU choose the outcome.
The graphics are beautiful, some of the best I've seen in any game. Everything from the trees and plants swaying naturally in the breeze to the real-time lighting effects, to the battle scars you character developes looks awsome and breathtaking. I was amazed at the level of detail put into this game.
The sound is very good. As you walk about you will be suprised and the amount of atmosphere that is created just through the sound alone. People greet you and give you compliments or laugh at you, monsters let out eerie whaling sounds when you kill them, and the musical score sounds soothing and perfectly fits into the game.
I agree that Fable plays like KOTOR with real-time combat. Instead of just hitting a button and watching your charater move two seconds later, you're actually controlling his every movement at that very moment. Every fight feels different from the last and you have to be smart and quick with your fighting techniques or you will probably get your ass kicked. Need to beef up your charater? Well then go out and fight to earn character points which you can use to build him into a lean mean fighting machine. You wanna get drunk at the bar or anywhere for that matter? Buy you some beer and throw those suckers back. You'll get f'd up in no time and trust me it's very funny. There are so many things to do in this game that you'll be playing for hours and hours and hours.
Overall, I have to say this game will probably go down as one of the best games ever. It's a dark fairytale straight out of a Grimm's novel. Once you start playing you'll be hooked from the start and thats what a great game is supposed to do right? | video-games_xbox |
Nothing new, decent graphics, fun shooter. Ace Combat 6
I've played PC-based flight simulators as well as arcade-flight shooters in the past. I started off with Microprose's line of games, including F-19, F-117, Jane's more realistic simulators such as F-15 Strike Eagle, and the more recent shooters like Ace Combat 2 and Tom Clancy's HAWX. Ace Combat 6 has all of the elements of previous Ace Combat and HAWX games. It is a far cry from a simulator and was never intended to fit this role. Ace Combat has always been about fun. That means putting afterburners and air-to-air missiles on an A-10, although this time they have toned it down a bit and left off the afterburners on the A-10. Ace Combat 2's "super" plane was something that came out of Macross, but Ace Combat 6 does not fail to impress with some of its weaponry and gameplay action. You have the opportunity to fly into tunnels to clear them of targets, as well as fly into a Death Star-like trench, and into the barrel of a big electromagnetic rail gun to take it out. After having been a "veteran" of Xbox gaming for only 2 months, I no longer doubt the capabilities of the controller. With practice, flying the plane is not difficult at all including the use of minor adjustments to keep the craft from smashing into walls in the tunnels.
Ace Combat 6 tries desperately to tell a story and includes cut scenes. Unfortunately, after watching most of the cutscenes, I didn't care for the story, characters, dialogue, or voice acting. The story is essentially rubbish, and the characters keep on using the phrase, "dance with the angels" from being an insult, to a salutation, to a war cry.
All you need to know is kill all enemy targets. The targets marked in RED with "TGT" are more important than the targets that appear as GREEN on the radar map. Yep, you read that right. Enemy targets that are marked green. I am not sure if they were trying for a Blue Force Tracking color scheme but it works out horribly. If that isn't bad enough, most maps are extremely target rich. It is difficult to select the target you want out of a dozen that appear in front of you. Normally games that allow you to auto select a target will allow you to default into picking the closest target. Not so with Ace Combat 6. I found it automatically picking targets that were beyond missile range even though I had 2 tanks/SAMs about 2000 feet in front of me.
Sometimes the missions suddenly change, so don't always believe the briefings when they say it is mostly ground targets. Towards the end (there are 15 missions total), expect a lot of air to air combat after the mission is done.
The game is frustrating at times because you're not always sure where to go since you are busy dealing with bad guys that are shooting at you. The flying fortresses and the final boss require numerous targets to be destroyed in order to take them out. It makes more sense to just drop a really big bomb (like a bunker buster, fuel air bomb, or anything) to blow them up. But instead, you have to shoot out engines, cooling towers, or a myriad of other things.
If you've played Hawx or previous Ace Combat games, you won't miss much by skipping Ace Combat 6. The menu system and game interface looks like someone forgot to put any effort into them, and there is a lot of dialogue that probably wasn't translated correctly.
Overall: 4/5 stars | video-games_xbox |
An excellent product with one downside. When I got my 360, I was happy with it and I didn't mind changing the AA batteries the first time when they died. However, I'm a serious gamer and it didn't take long for the second to die too. No problem. Change the battery again, right? Yeah, sure but this got old quickly and I knew I had to do something so I found my way to Amazon and found this nifty little charger.
I have to say it has saved me MONEY on buying batteries all the time. It comes with a charging cable which connects to a USB port, preferably, on the front of your 360. It also comes with a rechargeable battery to start you off with. Another cool feature is that it also has a "trickle charge system". Which means that you can even charge your controller while your console is off. Just make sure to plug in the controller BEFORE turning off the console or the charging will not be initiated. The only downside I found with this product was that the charging can be very inaccurate a few times.
Sometimes, I would plug in my controller for a few hours and come back to game and no less than a few minutes or an hour, the low battery signal on the controller would start showing again. This only happened a few times but not enough to be annoying. What I do is simply plug it in every night when I'm done playing so when I come back the next day, I have a controller ready to go.
However, there is currently another charging option called the "Quick Charge Kit", I believe. The "Play and Charge" and the "Quick Charge" both have their advantages and disadvantages. Like the name suggests, the quick charge charges the batteries really fast in 2 hours average while the play and charge is not as fast. However, while charging your battery with the quick charge, you CANNOT use your controllers which to me KILLS the whole experience.
Why spend time waiting for a battery to charge when you can be popping alien heads off? With the play and charge kit, you CAN play while charging. Also, taking out the batteries to charge every time quickly gets old and you face risk of losing them, damaging them, getting injured etc. So do I recommend this product? Yes, I do. I have had it for a long time now and I can attest that I have never had any technical problems with it or issues. | video-games_xbox |
Not a "True" Hunting Title. While there have never been very many truly good hunting games, I had high hopes for this title. Then I played it. Apparently, Cabela's has decided to recreate the stereotypical view most people have of hunting.
I say this because during my first hunt (for musk ox) I noticed a wolf. I noticed it as it attacked me. I'd estimate 99% of predators you see in the game, from wolves to foxes and wolverines, attack you. This is horrible as well as inaccurate. Not only does the game not reward you for utilizing any actual hunting skills (I was able to run up on most things and shoot them as they charged) it actually penalizes you, because if you focus too much on the stalk and not enough on the area around you, odds are you'll be mauled to death.
While attacks are a risk during hunting, they certainly do not occur to 90% of hunters. And there are precautions you can take to avoid being attacked, but in this game, you are essentially chum. While this "adventure" aspect has been utilized by some cartoonish titles in the past, I expected much, much better from a title licensed by one of the biggest names in hunting and fishing. I haven't played a Cabela's title since one of the old, Windows 98 versions with the FMV, but this is just awful. On one "challenge" I had to hunt 5 bison. So I slowly stalked my way in range and finished the challenge, after killing 8 foxes and 3 wolves that attacked me. Then I tried it again and sprinted up the river, killing the needed 5 bison with only 2 foxes.
If you're looking for a title that lets you kill things, this is Halo with animals in place of aliens. If you're looking for something with any semblance of a hunting simulation . . . keep looking. The graphics are choppy at best, the motion is barely passable for an old PC and the physics engine is a little off kilter. There are plenty of better first person shooters available for the 360 which is all this game turned out to be in the end. | video-games_xbox |
Very poor be a pro goalie mode. This game at first glance was pretty well put together. I enjoyed live the life as a forward for the first season, then became bored with it and decided to play goalie.
Everyone including myself report huge problems with goaltending against the AI. They have ridiculous sniping skills even on the easiest setting. I even cheated and have a full 99 rated goalie now (just for my single player career), I simply cannot ever get a shutout despite my season expectations calling for 10 of them. Despite the fact that I can go online with my legit goalie and get shutouts with 30-40 shots on the net. Its the fact that the AI even on the easiest setting is way, way, way, too good at taking shots. You are fine when yiu have the correct angle to block the shot and make a save about 70 percent of the time. The rest of the time its a bs shot and somehow trickle through your pads into the net, or yiur goalie just decides to jerk out of position and let the goal happen.
Not only that, you will have the correct angle so the AI will skate around trying to get an opening until it gets one, then it simply sscores. All the while the rest of your team just stands there and watches it happen.
The best I ever did was allow only 2 goals. I replayed my game against the bruins I don't know how many times trying to keep my stats good enough to not be pulled from starting goalie position. The fewest goals they ever scored on me was 4, the most was 12......with a full 99 rated created goalie.....when I have had several shutouts with my online goalie thats 72 overall.....
*this problem just doesn't stay in single player either. When people quit online and AI replaces them they tear up human goalies just the same. Ive seen a 7-0 lead turn into a 7-10 loss online because the other team quits and the AI forwards unleash a hellstorm of unstoppable sniper shots on the net.
You simply cannot avoid being pulled from starting goalie, and once you aren't starting goalie you get less and less games in the season.
Seriously the poorest excuse for an attempt at letting you play your favorite position for your favorite team to win the stanley cup. EA knows how screwed up it is, and hasn't fixed it most likely because the money comes from online play.
In short, if you wanted single player goaltending once in a while to get away from internet play at least sometimes. Dont freaking bother.
This is the last time I buy an EA game brand new. They all have serious flaws somewhere along the lines and either never fix them or do a horrible job at fixing them. I truly miss the days where EA hadnt monopolized the gaming market and it was easy to find a truly well rounded game that truly deserved the rewards. Ive been disappointed by EA for too many years. 60 bucks to have one fairly large part of the game so severely poorly constructed is bs. I can buy from rockstar or valve or any other developer and know the short comings won't be nearly this flipping severe | video-games_xbox |
NBA Live 15 Is What NBA Live 14 Should Have Been. NBA Live 15 is a lot more enjoyable than NBA Live 14, but NBA Live 15 stills fall short in a lot of categories. The team clearly focused on graphics and cleaning up the gameplay. Unfortunately, the game modes are lacking depth because of this.
Gameplay
I am really enjoying the gameplay experience with Live the more I play it. However, this is from a casual basketball gamer perspective. I don't think Live better represents basketball than 2K, but I do enjoy playing Live more which is what gaming is all about. I am enjoying the ball handling and how fluid the controls are when setting up a play or setting up an opponent to blow right past them. I love having feedback every time I shoot the ball so I know how to adjust depending on which player I am controlling. I do feel like the post game needs work. I feel like the defenders in the post don't have any urgency and just wait too long to react to the offensive player.
Graphics
The most noticeable upgrade right from the start is the graphics. All of the marquee players have face scans and their body builds have been adjusted. Hopefully EA can continue improving in this field and eventually update the game so even the players deep on the bench get the same treatment as the marquee athletes. I have noticed a decent amount of clipping issues. I have seen hands go through bodies and hands go through the backboard.
Presentation
ESPN is back which is great, but nothing about the presentation excites me anymore aside from the camera angles and crowd noise. The broadcasters are rather boring and the only time they get excited is when they yell BANG after a three pointer. The highlights presented by Rose are great in theory, but the camera angles used are too far away. I will say that I am loving the official ESPN camera which changes based on what arena you are playing in. Also, the crowd is great. They will stand up and go nuts if you hit a clutch three or be totally silent if you are getting blown out on your home court.
Game Modes
Live Ultimate Team
Honestly, I am worn out on these modes and LUT doesn't bring anything new to the table to make me want to invest my time.
Big Moments
I am a huge fan of Big Moments. Anytime you can relive a situation that happened the night before in the real NBA is a great experience to have in a video game.
Online
I played a couple of games online and they went smooth overall. I noticed some slight slowdown in some areas, but nothing that ruins the experience or hurts your shot mechanics.
Rising Star
This mode needs to have a lot done to it to make it an enjoyable experience. The only customization options that are impressive is the shoe selection. You can only choose from 20 or so faces and the lack of hair color/facial features/game face hurt the overall experience since you can't come close to replicating yourself in the game. Not to mention that nothing special really happens in the mode. It's really bare bones for the second year in a row.
Overall
I gave NBA Live 14 a 2/5 and I am giving NBA Live 15 a 3/5. I truly think this game is fun on the court from a casual perspective and EA just needs to continue working on the game modes and tuning gameplay/graphics to get closer to a complete product. Also, online team play missing again is really not acceptable. I think a lot more people would give this game a chance if they could hop on with 4 buddies and challenge 5 other real opponents. | video-games_xbox |
Adds to the Original, but not without problems. I'm about 14 hours into the game so far, so I feel I've played enough to give a solid review:
The game is typical KOTOR. If you've played the first one, you won't be disappointed with the gameplay and controls. Everything is very streamlined and intuitive. The story is very engaging. I have no idea what's going to happen next, so it keeps you on your toes. There is a lot more interaction with your party too. Also, weapons and armor upgrades come a lot sooner and it's easier to upgrade them (you don't have to just do it on your ship), which is nice. Overall, I'm pleased enough with these aspects to give this game a solid rating.
Here are some cons:
- There are several glitches and frame problems. Interactions with characters screws up sometimes, and often a character will "forget" that they already talked to you, meaning the dialogue options for a previous conversation remain there even though a Journal update should have indicated your next conversation would be new.
- This is just a personal preference, but like I said, I'm 14 hours in, so you'd think you would have a lightsaber by now, right? Wrong. I only have 2 of the 3 pieces to build one so far. One reviewer said he got his in 7 hours. I don't see how. I checked every character I could for help and every merchant to see if they could sell me the parts. No dice. I really want a lightsaber, cause I'm getting tired of the swords. I also want some lightsabers for my Jedi party members. Their combat stats are pretty weak with only the swords.
- Finally, this game might just be too long. 14 hours in and I've only been to half the planets. If I had to guess, I bet it will take me 40 hrs of game time to beat it. That's 10-15 hrs more than it took me to beat KOTOR I. I'm glad to have more game to play, but I also want to feel like I'm getting something significant done when I play for 2 hours. You get bogged down in many, many, many missions. Way more than in KOTOR I, so it's hard to keep track of them. Some people may like this, but I could stand for a little less. So in KOTOR 3, I hope for a compromise between I and II in terms of game time and mission amounts.
In conclusion, I think the game is definitely worth the money if you really liked the first one. If you weren't a rabid fan of KOTOR I, but still want to get your fix, I might wait until the price drops. | video-games_xbox |
Good, not perfect. First, let me get this off my chest: THE MINI MAP IN THIS GAME SUCKS.
I am probably about 10 hours into this game and probably about one third through it (I am about to start Act 2, from what I've read). I'm taking every side mission offered and completing them before the notable quest that will lead me to Act 2. The combat in this game works nicely, there are some random battles (which I normally loathe) but not too many of them.
The good
1. The combat is fun, satisfying. You can have as much or as little control as you want. In a heated battle you WILL have to do at least a LITTLE micro-mananging (but not much). Works nicely.
2. Graphics are not 100% top notch, but they are pretty good.
3. Voice acting is very good.
5. The game controls VERY well with a controller. I tried DA1 with a mouse/keyboard and now that I am used to mouse/keyboard I had problems with it.
6. I am playing on "Normal" difficulty and I feel like it is occasionally a minor challenge, but not too bad. Generally I feel like I dominate, which I like.
7. I like the Inventory "junk" system. Clear stuff out of my list that I know I won't use.
8. Conversation system is fantastic, just as with all Bioware games.
The mixed
1. I like the fact that I don't have to run all over creation to get between locations like in many open world RPGs but it took me a while to get used to their system of find an Exit and then select the next location and warp there. Sort of an weird fast travel system, BUT, I really like that the locations are clearly marked as to which quest objectives are there.
2. Their save system could use improvement. It will auto save when you leave an area / enter a completely new area but it would be nice if it would auto-save after major battles or plot points. I tend to end up manually saving after each major battle. If you aren't fighting, you can save anytime, anywhere.
4. The Junk system is nice, but I love that games like Torchlight let me "send my pet" to sell my item's I don't need. If you inventory is full and don't want to run back to a vendor, you have to just destroy stuff.
5. The inventory comparison system is "ok". It works, but could have been better.
6. Your actions don't make you good or bad (as with Mass Effect) but instead influence how your companions feel about you.
The not so good
1. THE MINI MAP SUCKS. It should rotate with the direction you are facing as up.
2. At least in the first act, many of the locations / caverns are VERY copy and paste. I'll be in a completely new area and it is the same as another area but maybe different doors are open. Come on, this is LAZY.
3. It seems that nearly all inventory items aren't usable by my companions. Pretty much you can never improve their armor, weapons, etc.
Overall: I am enjoying it. The mini-map makes navigation a bit frustrating, but the fast travel system (once you are used to it) makes jumping between objectives pretty quick. | video-games_xbox |
Good package deal. I am primarily reviewing the merits of the package rather than those of the membership itself, and you can read reviews of the individual components in their respective listings. However, I'll touch on the usefulness of getting the bundle, even if it's only the membership that you are shopping for.
Buying a membership on line through the XBOX 360 itself is normally sold at list price. Amazon sells membership cards at a discount, and prices fluctuate. The discounted price of this package might be anywhere from a few dollars more than the base membership cost, but chances are that even if you found the membership card at a good discount, the extra cost of this package would be worth it.
The chat pad is very useful even if you don't chat. If you decide to buy the membership on line instead of buying this package, you can do so with a credit card, but entering your information is very awkward without the chat pad. Anything you do where you need to enter information such as a shipping address or even configuration information becomes easier with it. Since the chat pad offers an elegant solution for entering anything that needs typing, you will probably find yourself ahead even if you use nothing else in this bundle but the membership card.
The headset is a basic wired one. Even if you have a headset, this one is essentially "free" compared to buying the chat pad and membership separately. The package would still be a good deal even without it and it can't hurt to have a spare.
You can read the reviews of the video game in its listing and decide if you want it. If you don't, you could always sell it or give it away, but with the glut of them on the market due to people buying this package, you should not expect to be able to sell it for more than a few dollars. Likewise if the game is a big draw, you could buy it cheaply without this package. If you want both the game and the membership, you might end up with a "free" chat pad and headset by buying the package instead.
In summary, there's a good chance that if you need even one of the items in the package in addition to the membership, you will come out ahead and find the rest useful. Although it's unlikely that Microsoft will offer discounts for the base membership on line, that may not be the case when it comes closer to renewal. If they offer you a renewal at a 40% discount, you should consider buying the pack if you had absolute plans to buy another chat pad or wanted both the game and headset.
If you do end up renewing on line instead, make sure to cancel automatic renewal once your purchase takes effect. This package might end up being your best bet the next time. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Kit, but HORRID Ciustomer Service. I, sadly, have a mixed review of the DrumRocker.
When I initially received the product, I was very happy with the apparent quality, etc. As noted by some other reviewers, the foot pedal is not great, but is still a marked improvement over any other `stock' pedals to date.
After using the kit for about a week, the foot pedal broke (9/30/08). There is a small metal tab inside the pedal that hits a trigger/switch when the pedal is depressed.
The next day (10/1/08) I called the manufacturer and notified them of the breakage. I was told that I had to complete a "Customer Receipt for Replacement Parts" and return it to them by fax (a bit archaic, but whatever...). I completed and faxed the form that same day (10/1/08).
After about a week of not hearing anything from them, I called back and was told that nothing had been done with my original request because they "didn't stock replacement parts for the DrumRocker" because they "didn't expect it to fail so quickly" therefore, they could not fill my order. Nobody bothered to tell me this they simply ignored my replacement parts request. I am wondering how long they would have let that sit had I not called them.
The customer service agent with whom I spoke also told me that despite there not being replacement parts, he would "do me a favor" and get one shipped. After a week on inaction, they acted as if THEY are doing ME a favor by shipping a replacement for a defective part after ignoring the request for a week?
When the replacement part arrived a few days later it did not work. To replace my faulty bass pedal, they sent a hi-hat pedal - I guess the two are similar, but the switch inside seems to be different. The original bass pedal will register multiple consecutive hits as a bass pedal should. The replacement hi-hat pedal they sent me would only register a single hit, and not subsequent hits unless there was a 1-2 second pause. Presumably, this is how the hi-hat pedal is supposed to work.
The next day, I called back and explained what happened previously and what was going on with the replacement pedal. I specifically told them that there seemed to be a difference between a DrumRocker foot pedal and the hi-hat pedal they sent me as a replacement. The parts department sent another replacement pedal; unfortunately, they sent me ANOTHER hi-hat pedal - which we had already established does not work...
At this point, I am pretty miffed.
The second (wrong) replacement pedal arrived the evening of Friday, 10/10/08 which meant that I had to wait through their 3-day weekend to make yet another phone call. After waiting 15 minutes for my call to be answered, I told them that I wanted to speak with a manager - this request was met with resistance. It took 5 minutes of talking to them so they could "find" my account - they also took my phone number "in case we get disconnected".
Once they had all of my info, they asked me if I could hold on so that they could transfer me to a manager... yeah, that never happened. Instead, they disconnected me (accidentally?), and despite taking my phone number "in case we get disconnected" (their words), nobody bothered to call me back.
I tried harder than any customer ever should, to give them the opportunity to make this situation right - they simply were unwilling or unable to do so.
The only positive here is that Amazon.com HAS stepped up and IS taking care of this. They shipped a replacement for overnight delivery on the day that I reported the issue to them. This is why I shop here. | video-games_xbox |
can't believe I tried it again. Madden 13 had mad banging my head against the wall with no franchise mode. I was hurt. I like to play online as well as off and when I play offline in franchise mode I like to play other team games within the play week, divisional matchups especially. When I found out I could no longer do this with 13. It was over for me and I traded the game in a got the Madden 12. Which I had before but was stolen. Now with this Madden 25? Not much difference. This xp point system you have to gain points to upgrade your players attribute is awful and shouldn't be in a game like this. They shouldve kept it simple let them progress through the seasons like before. Then players flipflop around like ragdolls and please like 13 don't bump into your linemen with your halfback, runplay over. And your halfback more than likely won't make it past 3weeks because he'll seriously injured by week3. Recievers can't catch a ball in the open to save their lives, the drop passes in this game is frustrating. Again your tackles are only good at blocking on the strongside, weakside blitz your sacked even if you put your halfback/fullback to block. Well sense you have to gain a hell of a lot of points to up their progression you'll be going through this season after season bc you'll never have enough points to share with all your players on your roster. Now I know why when Madden 12 had came out I had soooo much fun with it and I concidered as one of the EAsports best. Full franchise season mode, you can chose to upgrade your players yourself or let cpu do it which is determine by your players success on the field which I like the best. The undrafted free agents being invited to try for a roster spot during the preseason. Scouting mode for potentials picks. If Madden 12 had the graphics and better timed and more non repetitive commentary as 13-25 and you can just download the updated roster year after. I would never have to buy another one of these over additioned overdone new featured which in my opinion is a waste of space on my memory chip, to many windows game again. But being the football fan that I am I got it anyway knowing I would be disappointed again. can't believe I did it again. | video-games_xbox |
Minus 2 stars for making me yell into the Mic. Decent headset. I've used it for gaming, music, television, movies, and even YouTube. Sounds pretty good even though it's only stereo. I've used it for over 8 hours and it's comfortable to wear for a guy with a big head. Light pressure on the ears, but the over-the-ear design helps combat "ear fatigue". It holds a nice charge, although I keep it plugged in until in ready to use. It's only died on me once while I was playing and that's because it hadn't been plugged up in a couple of days. The base boost sounds good as well. Connection was very simple and the fact that it comes "pre paired" is a good idea. It saves time. Now the bad part. The Mic is horrible. I have to almost yell into it for my chat buddies to hear me. The retractable Mic is a nice touch, but unnecessary. I read the reviews before I bought it and I thought I could deal with it. But, I regret my purchase. You only need a gaming headset to hear and speak. And this headset fails on the speaking aspect. For $100 the Mic should be better. Also, there's no visual indication that your Mic is muted. With all the extra lighting affects, you would think they would've included a way to tell you've muted the Mic.
Pros: Decent stereo sound, comfortable fit for larger heads, no ear pain during long gaming sessions, easy setup, retractable Mic, bass boost
Cons: Have to yell into Mic to be heard in chat, no visual indicator for mute status
Update Dec 3: After using this headset a few months, I have to downgrade my review to 1-star. The headset loses its sync with the dongle.. EVERY SINGLE DAY. It goes into pairing mode then shuts off. The only way to get it to resync it to turn off the Xbox. This occurs multiple times a day. I'm only about 10 feet from the Xbox. This is very annoying. I haven't contacted Afterglow yet, but their website doesn't have a firmware update. After I contact them, I'll update my review. But, as of now... Don't buy this headset. It's not worth it.
Update Mar 15: Contacted Pdp to utilize my warranty. They told me that they had a newer model as a replacement to the AG7, which is called the AG9 headset. So, they sent me a RMA and a shipping label. I returned the product and after about 3 weeks, they sent me a brand new AG9 headset. Pulled it out of the box. There is a slight difference in the placement of the volume/chat adjustment wheels. The major change was the mic. It's no longer retractable, now it's detatchable. It's also more stiff the the AG7 retractable mic. Seem sturdier as well. And the annoying BASS light is gone. So, what's my problem now? Well, it's STILL LOW. No one can hardly hear me. I find myself yelling the mic or constantly repeating myself. And now the issue is even more noticeable because I can't move the sturdy mic closer to my mouth. Add to that, I also still hear some sounds in the wrong ear. So, if the sound is left on the screen I hear it in my right ear and vice versa. I'd turn the headset around but then the front and back spacing would flip, and that would make things worse. This just keeps getting better. And now, only a month into use of this BRAND NEW headset, I'm getting static. Yes, MIC STATIC from a detatchable mic. Every light touch brings annoying static. So, stay away from this product (AG9) and it's predecessor (AG7). Spend the extra money to get a better product. I've wasted $100 plus tax on this headset, and I wish I would've followed my first mind and gone with Turtle Beach's, Astro's, or Triton's. | video-games_xbox |
Battlefield 4 - any BF title is guaranteed to deliver...Bugs. Want bugs, you name it, this game has them.
-Failure to find servers
-Lockups
-Kicks you out of the game, randomly
-Glitches (like in Halo)
-Poor game physics
-Server full errors
-Won't let you in games
-Quick match - Conquest is regularly broken.
-and its latest trick, you lose all experience and weapon unlocks.
-In game chat does not work properly
Not to mention most of the greatest content costs extra to download and unlock. Now let's talk specifics.
Campaign:
Is broken. My progress was never saved. I played it the first day for almost 2 hours and then had to leave it. The next time I played it had lost all of my progress and I had to sit through the terrible underwater jeep/truck sequence. Again I played it for an hour and shut the game off. The next time I came back it had lost all my progress again.
Multiplayer:
Plenty of issues here. If and when the game works (about 25% of the time) it is fun to play and can be a great game. However, the errors greatly overshadow the fun in this game. You shouldn't have to wonder if the game will load every time that you turn on your Xbox One to play. They have help on the HUD that constantly pops up with the same messages and there is no way to get them to leave and not come back. I played through and gritted my teeth until I reached level 22. I had told myself that I would just deal with the issues because I had already been suckered into buying the game and trying every new patch in the hopes that they would fix it. But then it lost my experience. Put me back at 0 rank and lost all of my weapon unlocks. That is when I decided I have had enough. Multiplayer includes all of the issues I listed above and more. The destruction level is again very weak. DICE again lied to us (as in BF3) about the level of destruction in the game. I am a firearm collector and the weapon ballistics are way off. Some of the .223/5.56 caliber guns seem to hit harder than the 7.62X51 and 7.62X54 guns. Sorry DICE, it doesn't work that way in real life. The game constantly locks up, and boots you randomly out. This means that you lose any progress you made during that game. If you buy this game, and again I am returning my copy, I would wait at least 6 months for them to fix this garbage. I even waited over a month and downloaded multiple patches but the game still has severe problems. I personally won't buy another BF title. They have killed any of my trust that I had for them and their games.
Commander
Seems to work alright. Pretty boring though. | video-games_xbox |
Frustrating and disappointing. After about 20 hours in, my experience can be summarized with two words: frustrating and disappointing. And this is such a shame because I enjoyed the first Fable immensely, enough to rate it a perfect 5 stars.
Without a doubt, the single biggest problem in this game is the lagging and framerate stuttering. I didn't think a game in this day and age on the 360 would ever have such terrible performance. This would be somewhat tolerable if it affected only a small portion of the game, but sadly it is EVERYWHERE. Whether I'm pausing/unpausing the game, starting/leaving a job, talking to a store owner, scrolling through a list of items, etc, there's hiccups and stutters galore. You'd think with all the processing power of the 360 at its disposal, the game would be able to load up a small, miniscule item in an inventory list without hiccups. Things really take a turn when I'm dyeing or changing my clothes; I'm talking delays of up to ten seconds whenever I scroll up or down even once on the list. This is all the more inexcusable considering that Fable 1 never had any lagging issues whatsoever.
Another thing I can't wrap my head around is the floaty, loose, imprecise controls. It's actually a step BACKWARD compared to Fable 1: the controls felt tight and sharp, but here it's like trying to steer a freakin' boat. There's also a slight delay from the moment I push the left stick to the moment the hero actually moves. Is there some reason why the controls shouldn't be as tight and responsive as, say, Saints Row 2 or Fallout 3? The controls become incredibly annoying when I want to focus on a specific person or object in the environment and I have to wrestle with the controls several times before I can get the hero to face exactly the right way. Simply moving my hero around and looking at things should be mindless and obvious, so much so that, really, I shouldn't even have to devote brain cells thinking about it. It is one of the most basic mechanics of a game, and shouldn't become a constant chore in itself.
Lionhead also made some curious design choices that make me scratch my head. For instance, why am I allowed only one save slot? Are they kidding me? Even back in the NES era, games like Zelda allowed more slots. Again, this is a step back from Fable 1, where I was allowed -- if I remember correctly -- three save files, and within each file were 5 slots, for a total of up to FIFTEEN saves. Why the cutback?
Another head scratcher concerns how civilians react when I pull out a weapon in their midst. If I pull out a weapon in front of a crowd for no reason, I lose points with the civilians; that makes sense. What does NOT make sense is that when I pull out a weapon for a good cause, i.e. to kill bandits that appear in the distance, I STILL lose points. Don't these people realize I just HELPED them? What, Lionhead couldn't be bothered to program the civilian A.I. to be able to recognize the difference? This annoys me.
Looking past these issues, what I've seen of the game so far is decent and serviceable: the main story is okay but not great, the graphics are good (although eye candy by itself is never enough to hold my interest), the music is well-done, and there's a good variety of stuff to do, not only in the form of side quests but also minor activities. I've really stuck with the game and tried to get to its heart, but I hate that all too often, playing this game ends up feeling not like entertainment but like work due to its technical issues and bad design choices. I've just about run out of patience. This is truly a shame, because I had such high hopes.
[edit] And what's up with the map? Useless! It's so tiny that you can never figure out where everything is. And it's not even interactive; it's just a static picture. A far cry from the likes of Saints Row 2 and Oblivion. | video-games_xbox |
An Epic Failure Knockoff of Final Fantasy by the Guys that Gave Us Final Fantasy. I bought this game in hopes of it being similar to Final Fantasy XII because I do not like the changes made to the series with FF XIII. However, what I got instead was a lame button mashing game with bad voice-acting, terrible lip-syncing, atrocious gameplay, and sub-par graphics. Right from the start, Infinite Undiscovery feels like Square-Enix's lazy attempt at branching off from the Final Fantasy series into a new line of JRPGs. You might be amazed at the quality of the opening fmv, but after that, the game takes a serious nosedive. The gameplay design and graphics look and feel like a Final Fantasy game that was supposed to follow FF X, abandoned in favor of a mmorpg (FF XI), then resurrected and rushed through production when Microsoft asked them for a JRPG.
The first thing you will notice is the terrible lip-syncing of voices to the characters' mouths. It reminds me of those old, badly-dubbed martial arts movies where the voice ends but the lips keep moving. Also, the characters in the cutscenes, depite being animated, look like they don't know what they're doing and are being cued to start doing something. A bit of editing could have helped here.
When you finally get to move around, all you have to do is leave the room. There's nothing to do there except exit, after which another cutscene is shown. What's the point in this?? Why not just show the whole cutscene, or just let me play? One or the other, not both! Anyway, little by little they reveal what the buttons do through a series of confusing tutorials that give way too much detail on what to do. Do we really need an 8 page guide on how to take out and use the sword this early in the game? You can't even bring up the menu for a little while until the game tells you to. And what's the deal with not pausing the game when the menu comes up?? That's what it's supposed to do! So if you're in the middle of a fight, you can't open the menu to use an item without getting attacked because you just stand there. Can you imagine being in a real fight and looking through your pockets while some guy is attacking you? Not only that, but getting hit automatically closes the menu! Thanks a lot Square-Enix for this wonderful menu system.
Most of the actual gameplay is really annoying. Half of the time you're running around doing absolutely nothing. There are a lot of areas that seem pointless, such as running through corridors with no enemies or not being able to attack because you're carrying somebody.
The most annoying part of the little time I spent in this game, the point where I turned off my xbox in a fit of rage and hatred for this game, is after wasting so much time trying to get the snake and bat to follow me. The spell that makes them follow wears off too quickly and they don't even want to bother with attacking me so they turn around and leave. In fact, they go the wrong way much quicker than they follow, so you have to walk backwards to keep an eye on them and recast the spell immediately when it wears off. Plus, you have to walk really slow because the snake is freaking slower than than molasses! Did the game designers think this was fun? What were they thinking????
Oh yeah, after you die and load your last save, the game warns you that loading will make you lose any unsaved data. This happens when you first turn the game on too. What, like I'm going to play for an hour and then not save and go into the menu and load the previous save? Have you ever heard of a game being so clunky with the loading function?
Why is this game so horrible??? | video-games_xbox |
Not as good as all of the hype. Having played GTA I was very much looking forward to the release of True Crime: Streets of LA. The game itself is a little bit of a letdown as it seems to drag quite a bit in places. The driving portions are fairly fun, esp. when it is part of a high speed chase. However, the driving does get old after a while, and I found myself pursuing less and less of the street crime as the game went on. Also, the controls for Nick when walking seem a little ... odd. The default setting has you pushing the right thumbstick to the left to turn Nick right? Why? You get used to it after a while but it is initially pretty frustrating during foot chases. Also, wait until you try to play a game with Halo-like controls after this -- it will take you at least 1/2 hr. to readjust. The gunplay isn't bad, esp. at the shield /skill sessions where you can upgrade you skills. That seems to work relatively well.
That's really it for the good stuff, so now the bad. The game is extremely redundant to the point that it's annoying. You will see the same people, cars, and buildings over and over and OVER again, and sometimes this happens on the same street. The things that pedestrians say to you are pretty lame, too; count how many time you hear someone say "Aw shiznit. Aw diggity-damn" when there is a gunfight very nearby. Also, I think that this game is virtually devoid of any AI. The people trying to kill you (either in gun or fistfights) do the same things repeatedly. Even in the midst of a brutal gun battle on the street, people and cars that are less than 1/2 a block away from the action just walk / drive along like nothing is happening just a few feet up the road. However, I think that the worst aspect of this game is the graphics, which are really pretty subpar for XBOX. Here is just a short list of the things that I have noticed:
* Sometimes pedestrians are walking slanted to the ground on hills (instead of straight up)
* A couple times, Nick ran straight thought a conrete wall while chasing a crook, and there was no damage to either Nick or the wall!
* Body / car parts will frequently jut though solid walls (but we've seen this before, haven't we?)
* After a gun battle, you will frequently see bullet-holes floating in midair.
* I have seen Nick frisk or cuff a criminal while standing at least 5 ft. away from him.
* The character's faces, esp. mouth movement, are just terrible during cut scenes.
Overall, the game is weak. Wait until you get to mission 6 where you are in the tunnels beneath Chinatown. I won't give it all away, but I will leave you with a few hints: zombies, fire-head demons (a la Doom), giant fire dragon, and flaming ninja chics. Yes, these things are actually in a game called "True Crime". Also, almost every mission follows these steps: drive to scene, engage in fistfight, chase perp on foot or in car, tail a different perp from the 1st scene to next scene, follow him to the next scene, engage in 2-3 rounds of gunplay, bonus cruizin'. In every mission this happens! I think that this game must have been pushed very hard for a quick release to coincide with the GTA release on XBOX. The developers were sloppy, and they clearly ran out of ideas along the way.
All in all, the game is very mildly entertaining but nowhere near as good as GTA. Buy that for XBOX or the new Rainbow 6 game. | video-games_xbox |
Best Intercooler Ever. Well I am a long time Xbox 360 user and I have been lucky enough to have never had the red ring of death, but that doesn't mean that I never had problems with my Xbox. I had to send it in over 6 times to get fixed and it would heat up so fast and when I would be on for longer than like 3 hours it would always freeze up on the game, so I got sick of it and I went to one of my local game stores and they recommended that I get one of the intercoolers so I purchased the Nyko Intercooler EX and it was working great in the beginning but after about a year or so it messed up my console by draining power away from the main power supply and when that happens the games would start freezing again so I was back to square one. I had a Xbox that was continuously overheating everytime I played it so I sent it in again to get fixed and told them that it was overheating all the time and I couldn't play any game for longer than 2 hours. So after about a month I finally got my console back and it was working great as long as I didn't play it over 4 hours or so, which that I didn't like because I watch a bunch of dvds on it and I need it to be able to play for as long as I want it to. But I was definitely not getting another intercooler ex, but just recently I heard that Nyko had come out with a new intercooler that had its own power cable so I got online and read as many reviews about it that I could and after about a week of reading reviews I decided to go out on the limb again and buy another Nyko intercooler and I must say I am so happy that I did this is the best intercooler ever made. I was recently able to play a game for over 5 hours and then I watched two movies so that is almost ten hours of straight time that my console was on and when I finally turned it off I realized that I had left the game disc in the whole time I was watching the movies and I picked it up out of the console and it was cool to the touch. I was shocked I have never been able to pick up a disc out of my Xbox that was cool to the touch even if it was only on for 30 mins, so after that happened I closed the disc tray and turned off my Xbox and the intercooler continued to run for almost 10 mins and I was shocked I went over to my console and I put my hand behind the fan and I could feel all the hot air blowing out the back, I also touch the sides of the console and the top where all the vents were and I could feel the suction of all the air going into the box and blowing it out the back. So the intercooler works like a vacuum it sucks the cool air in through all the vents and blows it out the back to keep the console cool. So I hope my review helps you with your decision of whether or not to buy it, but I say if you don't buy it you can continue to enjoy your hot cds and freezing games but if you do buy it you will not regret it. You will be getting a great product and a wonderful cooling system for your console and you will also extend your consoles life and you playing time with your games. | video-games_xbox |
Great for parties, boring on your own. If this game were a multiplayer only game, i would actually give it a much higher score then two stars. The reason being that the only fun part of this miserable game is the multiplayer and when you have friends over. On your own, it is just a discrase with horrible A.I, graphics, gameplay and audio, all this added together equals a very bad game.
I will now split my review into sections of graphics, gameplay and audio. Of course this game doesn't have online capabilites because it came out before Xbox Live was even released. To be honest, if Xbox Live had come out at the very beginning and this game supported online play, i would probobly give it a 3/5 because of its extremely fun gameplay when you are playing against one another offline.
Graphics- The graphics in Fuzion Frenzy are definetely ones to be embarassed about. With horrible character models, background design and retarded looking features on each "map", the graphics portion of the game is definetely lacking in deatail. It reminds me of something that you would find out of a gameboy advance now a days, actually, come to think about it, this games graphics are probobly worse then even that. Thus if the graphics were better in Fuzion Frenzy, i would give the game a much higher score, but please, graphics like these just aren't acceptable!
Gameplay- The gameplay in Fuzion Frenzy is extremely simplistic as well. Basically, when you are accessed to the menu of Fuzion Frenzy, you are given the choice to enter a tournament or you can choose mini games that you can play on your own or with friends. The game is made up of at least 45 minigames, each one of the at least 45 minigames requires a maximum of three buttons out of all of them on the Xbox controller to be used. Sad! If you enter a tournament, you can choose between two, four, or six stages, each stage consisting of four random minigames that fit that stage and then a final game which they call "Fuzion Frenzy" where you can basically gamble the points that have earned for the other games and depending on whether you lose or win, will get processed to the final rank of that stage putting you in a certain position from characters doing the best to the ones doing the worst.
Like i said before, the gameplay is extremely simplistic which makes it really boring at times and it forces you to just shut off your Xbox console.
However, if you are playing multiplayer, it is a much different story considering that there is actually a challenge (most of the time) and the players actually know what they are doing instead of the incredibly dull and stupid A.I running all over the place.
Audio- Oh god, the worst part of this miserable discraceful game is yet to come. The audio! Every time you play a minigame there is this annoying voice counting you down until the game starts. As the game progresses the annoyvoice does as well providing you with "helpful" commentary. Also did i not mention that the music in Fuzion Frenzy are produced by wannabe techno DJ's? Well now i have, and yet another reason not to buy Fuzion Frenzy.
In conclusion, this game would get a lot higher rating if they had made it "multiplayer only" but enhanced the features a lot more and provided us with a little more complicated minigames. But for now, its just a wannabe game that didn't get anywhere in terms of money made, and in my opinion, never will. | video-games_xbox |
Some people are complaining, I think it's an improvement. A little background on where I'm coming from. I played Mass Effect and ME2 before buying Dragon Age. ME and ME2 are by far my favorite 360 games, and I've played through them multiple times.
Thinking Dragon Age was going to be more of the same, I picked it up. The storyline in the original was the only thing that kept me going. I thought combat was clunky, the difficulty was all over the map, and the graphics were dated. The absolute -WORST- part of the original was that the main character wasn't voiced. Here I am in the middle of this epic story and my character stands there, eyes glazed over, mute. I came in with expectations from the ME series and they were not met by Dragon Age.
Dragon Age 2 is much more like Mass Effect than Dragon Age. It's fast paced, the graphics are improved, and you finally get to hear the hero speak. For me it fixed a lot of the things I disliked about the original. I know others disagree, but that's my point of view.
Still DA2 is not perfect, and there are a few things I would change:
- The areas feel confined, and small. You've seen almost the entire game world 1/3rd of the way through the game. This is the biggest gripe I have with the game: you're cooped up in a small city almost all the time.
- The storyline (I'm about 20 hours in) doesn't feel nearly as epic as the original. The side-quests are more interesting than the original, but the main plot doesn't seem particularly engaging. Sometimes it's hard to remember which quests are side quests and which are the main storyline.
- The game allows you to import a save from Dragon Age, but I can't tell that it's had any effect on my experience. In Mass Effect 2 people remembered you, were gone or alive based on your decisions, and you really got the feeling that you were in the same world. In DA2 the hero from the original is referenced once or twice, but overall it feels like you're on another planet. More of a reboot than a sequel.
All in all I'd say this is an improvement. If you're like me and enjoyed Mass Effect way more than Dragon Age, then this game will be more your speed. Some people hate that, but for my playstyle it's a good thing. | video-games_xbox |
Must buy if not rent. When I got this game I didn't know what to think but after playing it for 12 hours I'm amazed, I've owned saints row 3 and Grand theft auto 4 and I don't know why people are comparing this game to gta and saints row. Sleeping dogs is a very fun game you start out with a motorcycle in your garage (you can't store stolen cars in you garage) after the second mission I went out and explored the city of hong kong. I don't know how big the city is exactly but it's filled with so much that it dosn't matter. You collect three things- lock boxes which have money, guns, clothing, etc. Health shrines which increase your maximum health, and statues for your old king fu master which everyone you collect you can learn a new fighting move. You earn experience in two things police, and triad. You earn experience in triad by doing more brutal kills and causing damage. You earn police experience by driving clean and doing police cases. Which leads me to the side missions you can do favors for people which increases your face score and the higher face score you have the more stuff you can get alright you can go to bars and sing kareokee, and can participate in races and recieve big bucks, you can steal cars that people want and sell them, you can do police cases for police experience, and a couple other things that I can't think of. The melee combat is the main part of sleeping dogs and its amazing you can throw people into anything!!! It has this batman arkham city feel with combat you can also parkour run, jump, climb walls, etc. Driving around hong kong is fun too along with action hijacking which you jump from your car to the other car while still moving, you can't keep guns with you. If you get a gun in one mission you can't bring it in the other which might seem like big deal but its not when you actually play the story is, is that your an undercover cops inflintrating the triads no spoilers well i think i covered most of it but if you have any questions just ask me | video-games_xbox |
Madden 16: Flags and Inaccuracy. Hello, I'd like to begin this review by stating that ****FLAG*****... "Holding, on the offense."
Okay, that was weird, let me try again. I'd like to beg-*****FLAG****..... "Holding, on the offense."...
Um... this is a bit excessive, I mean-*****FLAG*******..."Holding, on the offense"..
If you're wondering what I'm talking about, let me explain. Have you ever played Madden and made a wonderful play, only to have it called back by a holding call? I have. About a billion times. I don't know what the Madden creators were thinking when they decided they'd make the game unplayable, but they did it well. The excessive holding calls are just the tip of the iceberg when discussing all the things wrong with this game.
I've had to restart about 5 Franchises. Why? Because I'll play a game in the franchise, exit out of the game, it'll freeze at a loading screen. I'll turn off my Xbox or restart the game, and try to re-enter the Franchise, only for it to freeze again at a loading screen. It's really great! I love not even being able to play the game I paid $60 for. No less than 5 times has this happened to me. The game freezes constantly, and the glitches that happen in game, and at loading screens and menus, really adds to the overall goal by the creators of making the game unplayable.
Lets get to what's wrong with the gameplay. Have you ever been playing catch in your front yard, and you throw to one of your friends and you accidentally throw the ball 40 yards away from your intended target? You haven't? Oh, well according to Madden 16, NFL Quarterbacks do this constantly. If you have to fit a ball close to the sidelines, don't plan on it. That ball is going into the crowd. Using any Quarterback short of Aaron Rodgers, don't play on having an accurate QB. Once again, I don't know what the Madden creators were thinking. Let me paint you a situation...
It's 3rd and 8. You're down 7. Driving down the field. You snap the ball, drop back, have a WR coming across the field, the safety has committed to the sidelines, your WR is completely open, you see him, you press the button to throw, hold it down just enough to throw it between a bullet, and a lob, a near perfect pass. The ball leaves your Qbs hand, it flies across the air, sails 20 yards left of the intended WR, right into the hands of a waiting defender, who is extremely confused, because he was nowhere near the open WR. Game ends shortly, after the other team takes a knee. This is a very plausible situation, believe me.
Also, just a quick tidbit. If you plan on running with your QB, don't. Why? Because you will fumble. 70% of the time, you will fumble. Just don't do it.
Oh, and another small complaint. 250lb Linebackers can jump higher than physically possible in this game. it's the craziest thing.
Overall, I can't give this game a solid star. I hate it. I don't understand what they improved. They changed a lot. Made the game just about unplayable. Way to go, EA. | video-games_xbox |
Good Product, but its still by Microsoft. Now Microsoft makes the best Xbox 360 controllers because, well, Microsoft makes the Xbox. Other brand controllers just don't stand up to constant usage and anyone who owns and Xbox knows that eventually the controllers get soft buttons (especially A,B,X,Y and the RB and LB buttons). Also the control sticks sometimes don't return to center meaning that one's character will often wander when the controller is at rest. It was for these reasons that I bought this controller.
The controller itself has different thumb sticks, which I honestly greatly prefer. The ridges around the thumb sticks on this controller are very defined whereas the traditional 360 controller thumb sticks just simply slope down to a point in the middle. The material on the thumb sticks also seems better.
The d-pad on this controller is twistable meaning it can go from a 4 directional (up, down, left, right) to an 8 way d-pad (up, down, left, right, and also horizontal directions). Many people say this is useless but depending on the game being played I have actually switched from one mode to the other.
The greatest part about this controller is that it comes with a play and charge kit. That means a rechargeable battery and a usb cord. You must be using the rechargeable battery with the usb cord (cannot use the cord with no battery inside). CONTROLLER CANNOT BE USED AS A WIRED CONTROLLER. Even when plugged in, the controller uses a wireless signal, it simply receives power through the cord meaning that this controller cannot be used with anything other than an xbox (I.E., a laptop or pc). The kit also comes with the traditional AA battery pack, which requires 2 AA batteries.
My rechargeable battery life has drastically declined even though I followed the instructions for using it and that is why I docked this controller a star. Other than that I have been very pleased and even though my battery only lasts a few hours I will always have the option of plugging in the controller or using AA batteries. Overall this controller feels slightly more sturdy than a regular Xbox 360 controller but by no means is it leaps and bounds better. | video-games_xbox |
One of the Best RPGs for consoles. BioWare struck gold here with this franchise. An amazing in-depth sci-fi role playing game that combines both in game decisions, and First Person shooter aspects. The game is more ideal i think for the Role Playing game fan rather then just the straight run and gunner type. There are a variety of classes to select at the character creation screen each with their own strengths, and weaknesses. You can choose the male or female base for your character, and do a little customizing on the features, and the viola, you're ready to go! If like me you cut your teeth on BioWare's other golden game Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic for the original Xbox. I guess they decided to jump into the pool fully dressed and emerged with their own franchise, and it's a winner all the way.
Follow your hero known as Commander Shepherd as he or she tries to save the universe from the Reapers with a collection of aliens by his side. You go about the game recruiting your crew, and building relationships with them. You explore this wide and colorful universe around you in your search to stop the villainous Saren from unleashing the Reapers on humanity.
There are many options on how to play even if you want to be a true Paragon of heroics or a more roguish Renegade with dialogue cues to match your playing style. With that little inclusion you can enjoy multiple playthroughs and see what happens when you alter your choices.
I'm such a fan that i could just go on and on about visiting other planets stopping the evil agents of Cerberus, and romancing members of your team but then that would take away from YOUR experience. Trust me. If you're a fan of sci-fi games, and you like to really be immersed in your game play and you don't have time for WoW or BioWare's new baby the MMO Knights of the Old Republic then THIS is an excellent substitute for you. Then as soon as you're done you can rush out and pick up the sequel Mass Effect 2!!!! Pre-order the collector's edition of ME3, and you won't get disappointed as they go really fast. ENJOY!!!! | video-games_xbox |
WHy was this game given such bad reviews, it could be a lot WORSE. Okay first let me say that I absolutely love this Genre type more than any other (more than FPS, RPG's, Driving, Etc...) although I do love playing games from other genres, this is my fave, so my review may be slightly Bias. I also totally agree with the "Swampfox" On many points. This is exactly the type of game I get into, a stealthy 3rd Person shooter with Vampires, like "Swampfox" previously mention it is EXACTLY like playing a Splinter Cell game with Vampires. I love the Splinter Cell series and I have found myself loving this game also. Don't get me wrong I can truly see how someone could find this game a little clich or cheesy like a B rated movie, but who doesn't enjoy a good B rate movie sometimes? So there are flaws and there isn't much in the way of ingenuity when it comes to the controls or game play, but the concept is pretty fresh and original. Sneaky around and taking out Vampires how cool is that?? If you don't want to read any further in to my lengthy review I will say this...if you like Resident Evil, Splinter Cell, any games in that Genre you WILL have fun with this game!! I can't stop playing it, it is not going to blow anyone away, but what it does do, it does well and I have played a LOT worse games, believe me.
Onto to the in depth review:
Graphics: 4 out 0f 5 - this games graphics won't have you screaming WOW, but it won't have you saying "YUCK" either. The backgrounds and characters look very clean and crisp!! No Jaggies, or interruption during game play!! It is not the best game visually, but it is good enough, to not take anything away from the game.
Sound: 3 out 5 - Really nothing outstanding here, voice acting is cheesy, as with lot of games though. Rain and vampire special effects are pretty good, but again nothing to write home or complain about either. Really average in this respect.
Controls: 5 out of 5 - Okay this is where the games really takes off for me!! The controlling of your main character is VERY solid, it mirrors Splinter Cell's movement so much I almost thought I was playing as Sam Fisher a couple of times. I think this may be where a lot of critics had problems, was that it controls TOO much like another game, but in my opinion that is definitely not a bad thing AT ALL. Like I said I love the way Splinter Cell controls, more than any other stealthy game out there, so this was a BIG plus for me in this game.
Gameplay: 5 out of 5 - This is also another Big selling point for me. The gameplay starts a little slow especially in the tutorials, but things pick up as the game progresses and they allow you to play any level over and over to better your score at the end of a level. THIS IS A STEALTH BASED GAME!! I absolutely love the fact that if you are not stealthy and get spotted by a Vampire they are pretty much going rip you to shreds if you don't have the right weapons. If you are spotted and attacked they will kill with 2 hits, which put a major emphasis on the STEALTH. You must be stealthy or you will die...period and I love it because the stealth is done right. There is that feeling of suspense and a little frustration there like when you first played Resident Evil and you were about to run out of bullets while shooting a zombie or getting caught in Splinter Cell and having the entire mission end because you got caught. Great Gameplay!!
Story (So Far): 3 out of 5 - the story doesn't suck, but it is definitely not enough to keep a hardcore story driven gamers interested, but luckily the addictive Game play makes up for it. You are basically trying to take your city back that has been over run by the Night walkers, like I said though this is the story (so far), could possibly get better.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a challenging game, with good graphics and a style of game play that you are used to in the likes of the Splinter Cell series, then I highly recommend this game. Don't get me wrong there are issues or little things that could have been done different to make the game better, but has anyone ever played a perfect game with no issues? I truly do not see why the critics absolutely shredded this game in their reviews the way they did, because believe me I have seen and played a WHOLE LOT WORSE in this and other genres. I absolutely feel that if you enjoy this genre the way I do, you would really be missing out on a good, fun game if you don't buy or at least rent this game! | video-games_xbox |
The Most Fun You'll Have With C4. This game has got to be the greatest game I have ever played for several reasons that I will get to in a moment. I think that it is important to back up my claim with some experience. So for that reason, I think that it is important to point out that I have been a gamer all my life and have owned the following games systems: Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2, and XBOX. I have played many great titles for each of those systems and have experienced a lot of fun in the process.
Now that I have established that I have extensive video game experience to make the previous claim I will go into detail on why this game is the best I have ever played. The best way to describe this game is that it is a cross between Grand Theft Auto and Star Wars Battlefront (only you don't die as easy as in that game). You are a MERCENARY, and you work for a company called ExOps that accepts contracts from countries and private interests. You play on a map that pits you and four other factions against the North Korean army. The four other factions (South Korea, Allied Forces (UN), China, and the Russian Mafia) contract you to do jobs for them that are most times targeted at the North Korean army, but are sometimes targeted at one another. The more you do for a faction the more you are liked by that faction, and the more you do against a certain faction the more you are hated by that faction. As you complete missions for these factions you are on the hunt for the deck of 52, which are 52 of the most powerful North Korean individuals that have ties to the North Korean army. Each have bounties and you can collect more or less based on whether the contract is detained dead or alive. Cool, huh?
This game is a complete and udder thrill to play because you can either complete missions, collect bounties or just drive around blow stuff up. I love the game play, because it is pretty straight forward and easy to use (especially if you have played GTA). There are lots and lots of weapons to use in the game and it is realistic (like Halo) in that you can only carry two weapons with you at a time in addition to your two grenade types and of course the C4!
Are you running low on life? Call in a helicopter to drop off some medical supplies. Want to do a mission in a tank instead of the civilian POS you just stole? Call in a helicopter to drop you off a fully equiped tank. Want to get somewhere fast? Order a helicopter with a full crew to be dropped off. Can't blow something up on your own? Call in a laser guided air strike. This game has something new for you each and every time you play it.
Things that I really like about the game...I like the fact that your character will make remarks throughout the game. When a blow a lot of stuff up at once he'll say something like "cool!" When I'm out of ammo and a tank is barreling down on me he'll say something like "you want me to throw my shoe at him?" It's just so much fun!!! I enjoy getting paid money each and every time I blow a North Korean jeep to pieces. I enjoy the creativity that you can use with all your weapons, like the C4. You can strap some C4 to the hood or your car, drive it into an enemy base, bail out and detonate. You can plant some C4 in the middle of the road and wait in the bushes while a North Korean jeep drives over it and then detonate.
BUY THIS GAME! You will enjoy it and think that it is the best game that you have ever played too. | video-games_xbox |
Chilling, atmospheric, underrated game. I never thought video games could be scary. After all, most games put you in the role of an individual designed to blow up your opponents into pieces. Most scares were cheap shocks and designed to get the adrenaline pumping rather than raise any real dread.
However, that all changed when I tried Fatal Frame, a game that's been around a while. You're put in the role of .. investigating your brother's disappearance inside a Japanese mansion. Over the course of four nights, you'll be led deeper into the mysteries of this abandoned house, and will find that you're not alone.
To fend off the spirits that attack you, you'll have the services of a camera. Remember being told about how certain tribes will not let themselves be photographed because they believe it will take part of their soul? Well that's how things work with the camera obscura, which tears off pieces of the spirit's soul. No guns, grenades or electroplasmic guns.
But wait, you don't just have to aim with the camera obscura, you have to wait before shooting that precious pic. Your camera must charge up, and you can score core shots, or the equivalent of critical hits. Using the camera takes some getting used to, and initially you'll probably be fumbling around with the controls as the ghosts float towards you, and it does take a while to get used to it. There's also powerups which allow you to upgrade your camera, as well as higher grades of film that do more damage.
The ghosts themselves are well designed and fairly disconcerting. The ghost known as Broken Neck flies with her head twisted in an upside down position, while Blind Woman has blood pouring out of her eyes. They also attack differently, and you can't use the same tactics against all of them. For some of them, you'll have to defeat them multiple times, which makes for some repetitious gameplay, but your foes are likely to get tougher with each incarnation.
Exploring itself takes a while, as the house isn't particularly big. There's lots of backtracking, and in the four nights that you explore the mansion you'll find yourselves in the same areas again and again. It makes for occasionally frustrating gameplay, as you try to recall where and what happened. Even worse is some items that were previously inactive are crucial in latter episodes, so you'll find yourself doing click and search to find what items have become suddenly important.
Nonetheless, there's a substantial amount of notes and tapes left around the house as clues for you to unravel the mystery. There's a few puzzles as well, but nothing too complex.
Graphics-wise, the screen is murky-coloured and dull, while things get splotchy when you're using the camera. There's also plenty of cut-scenes, particularly just before a ghost attack. If there were an award for generating mood, Fatal Frame would win it hands down. Even better is the sound design, and vast amount of attention has been paid to how QUIET things are, particularly just before an attack.
Finishing the story unlocks more costumes for .. and a Battle mode where you get to go one on one against a ghost in various environment, as well as more difficult modes. Replay isn't that high, but there is some.
Fatal Frame owes more to the realm of recent Japanese horror movies such as The Ring and Ju-On, and captured the flavour of these movies well. Evoking an atmosphere of mystery and horror, Fatal Frame is definitely one of the most memorable and original games, and proof positive that it is possible to make a genuinely scary game for video consoles. | video-games_xbox |
Great FPS. Bought this game launch day, the bugs that were there day one are mostly still available even after the first patch. The campaign is excellent, great looking, and the story is also good if you sit and watch all the videos before the gameplay to understand the storyline.
Multiplayer, previous to this game the other FPS I had been playing was Black Ops, the transition to this game's gameplay took about an hour to master. Multiplayer is where most of this game's bugs occur, however many of the glitches can be avoided once you know what they are (such as if you have the xbox guide open while a MP match is loading the game will crash (for me at least)). I see many people complain about other people's gameplay, all I can say is learn to use the nanosuit's "perks" to your advantage, don't just use the same perks you used in COD (eg sleight of hand). As for lag, i usually play on 2-3 bars and lag is rarely a concern, even down to one red bar the game is mostly playable if you adapt (shoot a lil' bit forward); the latest patch seems to have improved connections.
All in all, Crysis 2 is a refreshing/different game to what I have played before, it's a mix between Halo and Call of Duty with very nice graphics.
4 month EDIT: It's been almost 4months since release, I stopped playing about 1.5 months ago. I reached the top level of multiplayer and my worldwide XP ranking at the time was 7,300; I played today after installing an update and still found the same annoying issues from release day (grain glitch, loud music, far too common lag), my rank had dropped only 2,000 ranks to 9,500- a true sign not many people play the game. Was it fun playing after such a long time? Yes, if you like team deathmatch, other game types take forever to find a match with sufficient players. I would knock down the overall rating to 3.5 from 4 because I find it ridiculous that release day glitches are still unfixed. | video-games_xbox |
The Secrets of World Series Baseball; Why This Game is Tops. There are crucial secrets to playing Sega's World Series Baseball that aren't disclosed in the instruction booklet. Nor are there any 'cheat' books available that reveal this necessary knowledge. I will discuss this shortly, but first let's look at the game itself.
Having played all of the major computer baseball games extensively, I can easily say that World Series shines above all others. In terms of overall play, artwork, motion graphics, stats and seasonal continuation, this one has the outfielder watching the ball sail over the fence, while the best the competition can offer in comparison is a routine fly ball.
To be objective of course, we must admit that, like all of the other baseball sims, Sega's offering has several strange flaws. The strike zone is a bit too large, the batting cursor can't be made invisible, and when the pitcher's guide is turned off you must train yourself in selective location. As well, for a game this detailed it's odd that relievers don't have to warm up in the bullpen. (Perhaps that's because they know that an umpire will never eject them, no matter how often they hit a batter.) And finally, it seems strange that the beautifully-detailed stadiums are filled with fans who look like thin cardboard cutouts. But these flaws are acceptable when compared to the shortcomings of the competition.
The game's greatest strength is also its biggest potential flaw, at least for those who desire simplicity. As a player and field manager, your mechanics and game mentality have to be top-drawer, or you're fried. When do you charge a ground ball, or dive after it? What base do you throw to with a milisecond to decide? How do you position your infield and outfield in given situations? How best to pitch to a particular batter--do you pitch just to his weaknesses(which he may lean toward), or do you sneak one into his prime hitting zone? All of these decisions--managing, fielding mechanics and hitting--require training in the 'minors,' and this game does have a minor league training mode, although it isn't revealed. If you're serious about buying this game, let's go into it, since you probably won't find out otherwise.
INFIELD PRACTICE--In two-player mode, turn off all pitcher guides, set to variant pitching, and sling fastballs down the middle. As the batter, lift the hitting cursor so that the top of the oval is even with the pitcher's belt, and swing away. Every hit will be a ground ball. There will be enough tough grounders and base hits that you'll have adequate practice at charging, diving and learning to turn the double play. Believe me, you'll need the practice.
OUTFIELD/INFIELD FLY PRACTICE--Simply set the oval into the grass below the pitcher's mound. The lower it's set, the higher the popup. Set just below the mound will feature a lot of homers. In this mode, infielders will learn how to play the wind; outfielders will learn whom to play deep or shallow for.
OVERALL DEFENSE--Vary pitch selections (NOT location), with the variant pitch mode turned on, and then raise or lower the batting cursor slightly. Swing at everything. Don't be concerned about the score. (Eventually, of course, you'll have to train yourself to be selective at the plate.)
PITCHING AND HITTING--Turning all pitching guides and variant off, concentrate on just one pitch at a time, in one location at a time. Have the batter swing only occasionally at first, favoring the pitch's location, and then swinging frequently as your control becomes more accurate. Don't be concerned with the score. Use this mode as well to learn to adjust your infield and outfield in relation to various hitters and base runner situations.
As for being a long-term owner in frachise play, you'll either gain a greater appreciation for the grunt job you've got now, or you'll be begging to take over the Tigers. Or not.
All of the above should tell you that if you want a game that's as close to real baseball as a computer can get, World Series is the one for you. If you want a simpler, arcade-style baseball sim, any of the others should fill the bill for you. | video-games_xbox |
Play This Movie. As usual, Bioware has created an awesome interactive experience. This is less a video game than a movie that you get to interact with. A very long movie. If you've played other Bioware games you will pick up on much of the controller layour and character design stuff intuitively. if not, I don't think that it will be that hard (I can't really say as I tend to play all Bioware titles released).
The plot is great and the explorable galaxies very large. While the it is not a true sandbox type game, you can visit enough differing planets, asteroids, and other planetary bodies and ships to get your fill. Yes, it would have been nice to land on each and every planet in each solar system that you can access. It would have been really nice to be able to visit Earth - just for the fun factor. That said, there's no plot-related reason to hit up all of these planets and I can imagine that the code necessary to support that many planets would get ugly.
Unfortunately, many planets are much the same when visiting in the Mako. The colors are changed and the maps are slightly different but other than that they are maddeningly similar. The first time that you play the game this is really easy to overlook. The second and third time, the tedium gets to you.
The NPC interaction is good and the dialogue offers many response choices - much like other Bioware titles. Plus, if you're looking for a spoiler, you can see some pretty good game lovemaking if you play your cards right. No real nudity. . . It's kind like KOTOR when, if you played everything perfectly, you got to kiss Bastila (although I could never quite recreate that sequence of events in re-plays).
Overall, this game lived up to my pretty high expectations of a Bioware game and blew most other games out of the water. It really is more like interacting in a long, long movie rather than playing a video game - the plot is that good (or not, depending upon your view of movies). | video-games_xbox |
Not a fan...very disappointing. Wow, so apparently this game is a "perfect 10" based upon some game aficionados. I had high hopes when I purchased this game 3 days ago...already I'm bored with it. As a fan of FPS, I thought a "perfect 10" game would have me coming back for more. Not with this game. The game play was short, 1 dimensional, and lacking a multiplayer that would rival Halo2. I'm sorry, but for a FPS game (not games like Oblivion, which in my opinion is a far superior game) to NOT have a multiplayer or have serious flaws with their multiplayer (ala Gears of War) is a HUGE factor is rating the game. Since Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer, I took it down 2 stars.
The most annoying aspect of this game is when you play it on hard level. It takes a thousand shots to kill a regular enemy. It takes a million shots to kill a Big Daddy. This normally wouldn't be a problem, if it was easy to accumulate ammo. Unfortunately for a FPS game, you spend the entire time searching dead bodies and crates looking for ammo or money to buy ammo instead of actually enjoying the shooting aspect of everything. Some will chalk to this up to "amazing game play features" but its retarded. Its a FPS game, not a role playing game. What a waste of time.
The same can be said for the powers that you use. You basically get to use your "adam" powers twice before you've drained it, THEN you gotta scrounge around even more to find "eve" (which refills your adam powers) or money to buy eve. Another huge waste of time.
BioShock would have been astute to have the Eve recharge on its own, so you can enjoy using your powers instead of rarely using them so you don't accidentally waste them.
Also, I played the game on hard and beat it quite easily. I found the Big Daddy's to be a lot harder than the final battle with Fontaine (the boss). He was so easy that it was laughable. What a lackluster ending.
I wanted to enjoy this game, but for the aforementioned reasons, I was more frustrated than pleased. Be warned, this game is a RENTAL. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY BUYING IT!!! You will grow tired of it in a hurry. | video-games_xbox |
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a true JRPG. I am not going to do a whole recap on the game, storyline or anything that you can read anywhere else, what I am going to do is tell you exactly what is important to know when purchasing this game.
First off this game is your traditional what they call a JRPG or Japanese Role Playing Game. You are given a mission, and group of warriors, and you decide how you want to level up your players, what abilities they learn first, and what direction you want to take the game. Most of the RPG's that are out now try to combine a shooting game or a hack and slash game with a RPG. This is not the case with Final Fantasy, they stay true to form. Which for some is not the game they want and then they give the game bad reviews which should not be the case.
Second, this game is exactly what you are looking for when it comes to the JRPG. It has a much better story then the first XIII because it keeps it more simple while yet playing off the old story. I would suggest anyone who has not beat the first FF XIII, look up on YouTube and watch the ending. The character you actually seem to interact more with then than the last game and the focus is more of adventuring out and finding what you need to progress on through the story. It recaps you on the story every time you reload your saved game so if you miss any part or forget because you haven't played in a week or so, your right back were you left off.
Third, this game has improved in every aspect from the original game yet for some reason people seem to rate it a lower rated game. If you enjoy leveling up your character spending hours into searching, treasure hunting, and always completing every aspect of the game, then you will enjoy the story, battling and overall product. You do have to be stragetic when it comes to fighting certain bosses. Picking the right set of characters for the right battle will only help you win the battle for Grand Pulse and prevent Cocoon from collapsing.
On a scale from 1 to 10, I would give this game I high 9 almost 9.5 for being a JRPG which there just are not a lot of really good ones out there. If you are looking for a American RPG like Skyrim or Dragon Age, then purchase one of those games, but if you want the traditional old style of RPG's that you fell in love with as a kid playing Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, or Chrono Trigger this is a must have and could be the game you have been looking! It was for me. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Game. This was one of the very first games that I bought when I first got my Xbox 360 back in 2007. I already had the first Rumble Roses game for the Playstation 2, and being the wrestling fan that I am as well as a fan of the first game, I had to get this one, so I already kind of knew what to expect, and if you've played the first Rumble Roses game, then you'll know what to expect too. It's exactly like the first game, but there are some new features added including new moves, new match types and a customization mode where you can create your own female wrestler. The best way I would describe it is Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball minus the volleyball, but add wrestling instead. Even though this game is very sexual and is geared toward the typical horny teenage gamer, from my prospective, the game is still a lot of fun to play whether you're with a friend or by yourself. If you're buying this game purely just for the "eyecandy", then keep in mind that this game doesn't contain any nudity at all, just a whole lot of bouncy cleavage and some buttcheeks. Now on to the review. The graphics are bright and colorful, and the controls are pretty simple. The game plays very similar to the early WWE Smackdown games for the Playstation 2. There are even some moves that Konami managed to rip off of those games and stuck them in this game. There are plenty of characters to choose from as well as costumes and other things, though you have to unlock a bunch of them by performing certain tasks a set number of times. Most of the tasks involve winning the Rumble Roses Championship or Tag Team Championship and defending them which can become very tedious after a while. There is a decent selection of match types as well, including one on one, tag team, handicap, 3-way, fatal 4 way, street fight, queen's match, and PHM (humiliation match). The goal for most of these matches are pretty simple. Beat your opponent by pinfall or submission. Street fights are similar to that of fighting games in which you drain your opponent's health meter until you knock them out. Queen's matches are similar to one on one matches. The only difference is that the loser of that match must perform certain embarrassing tasks that the player chooses from a list at the match up screen. And finally the PHM match. The goal of this match is to fill up your opponent's humiliation meter and perform an H-KO which is similar to a submission. The overall game is pretty good. The only problem I have with this game is that unlike the previous Rumble Roses game for the Playstation 2, this game has no story whatsoever, and I think that's what makes this game so tedious to play when trying to unlock things. The previous game has cutscenes before, during and after winning the championship/completion of the game with whichever character you choose. Here, all we get is a credit roll upon winning the championship/completion of the game. Oh well, I guess they had to sacrifice one feature to add more features in. If you're a wrestling fan, fighting game fan or just like to ogle at 3D polygonal female characters with big boobs and big asses, pick this one up. | video-games_xbox |
Dynasty Warriors Fanboy Review. Everyone who plays Dynasty Warriors games knows Dynasty Warriors is a bit of a guilty pleasure. There is a certain degree of satisfaction plowing through hundreds and hundreds of enemies, knocking them down with every sweep of your sword... only to hunt down the officers and generals to take them out and demoralize their troops. The B rated cinematics in between are enough to make you groan and smile at the same time.
I, like a lot of others, was taken in by the hype of people attesting it was a "return to the roots" and "the best Dynasty Warriors" in a long time. I've been with Dynasty Warriors since 2 (which is the first one that did the open battle gameplay), and I've watched as each new game came out. The last one I actually enjoyed was Dynasty Warriors 5. (I never got to 4, although I hear that might have been the best).
I eagerly got DW6... only to find the combo attacks completely nerfed to the point that it was essentially a glorified button masher. I got DW7, only to find that coop got the axe this time, and perhaps the most important mod, free mode, was completely absent.
I'm happy to say that come DW8, the combo attacks and mousou are more complex than they have ever been before, supplemented with an elemental rock, paper, scissors weapon mechanic that makes weapon choices and weapon swapping in battle actually important, and a rage mode which gives mosou mode over 5 different attacks. I'm glad to see the "extended" mosou has been returned as mousou rage, allowing you to just keep going and going, laying waste to officers and troops a like.
The game keeps most of what it had from Dynasty Warrior 7. Similar character designs, same voice actors. It won't feel or look much better than Dynasty Warrior 7. The story mode still focuses on families rather than individual characters, and following along with your favorite character no longer exists, as they wane in and out of the story, that is, when they don't die suddenly, leaving you to have to start with a new character in the middle of a story. I felt the story was NOT as strong in 8, depending more on text explanations, than cinematics.
I understand why, from a story writing perspective, they focus on families, but I hate what it does to your characters. It's hard to like a specific character, or level a specific character, because that character doesn't 'stick with you' for the entire game. However, this kind of gameplay can be achieved in the much appreciated 'Ambition' mode, which breaths a lot of life into this game that the story mode does not. Regrettably, to be able to play as the characters you want, and have the maps you want in freestyle mode, you need to beat the game in story mode a few times.
I found the game to be glitchy as well. The soldier pop-ups are the worse I've seen in any Dynasty Warriors game. Ride a horse into an enemy base, and walk around for up to a minute before the soldiers and officer finally pop up. It makes certain matches really difficult. You can clear out a base, only to find a population of 50 soldiers repopping right on top of you.
The story missions are incredibly linear, locking large chunks of the map so that you have to wait for certain triggers before you can continue. Sometimes the map glitches and you find yourself unable to continue the mission. Other times, you'll wonder around aimlessly killing everyone, just to find that one glitched soldier than needed to be killed to open the next portion of the battle. It's tedious, immersion breaking, and frustrating. Long gone are the days where you can just race to the end, kill the main officer, and end the battle in two minutes. At least... in story mode. Ambition mode offers more flexibility, and you can still get away with things like that. Plus, free mode is back, and as good as it ever was.
While a few battles offer innovative or interesting things, most feel cookie cutter. Back in the early Dynasty Warrior days, every map offered something unique. I'd go 'oooh, I want to play the yellow turban rebellion' or 'ooooh, I want to play the one with lu bu!' These days, I couldn't care less. Every battle looks the same. There is nothing that separates the battlefield from battlefield (like unique color schemes and locations). A few might have some events occur, but nothing memorable enough that the name of the battle sticks with me and I want to return to it to redo that fun part.
Along that theme of homogenizing everything, comes the return of Dynasty Warrior 7's everyone can equip every weapon. They've returned a little bit of individuality to each character by giving them a specific "favorite" weapon, which allows them to use one combo absolutely unique to their character, as well as high affinity weapons, which get a damage bonus, encouraging you to select from a handful of weapon types. However, the fact remains that any character can equip any weapon, and rather than taking a character into battle, your taking a different skin.
The worst part of DW7 for me though, is the leveling... or lack there of. The more your play the game, the higher the level your character is. The problem is, every character seems to level, including characters you don't play as. I'm not sure how that works, I think everyone involved in a battle in story mode get the same experience you get? It's one of those problems with using a "family" for story telling instead of individual characters. What does leveling do? I don't really know. I can't say my characters feel all that more powerful. The weapon drops are higher level weapons, which you can then equip on your low level characters to give them a noticeable boost. The same can go for 'skills', which seem to level up by defeating officers in unique ways (while having 2X attack or while in mosou). I've met those conditions dozens of times to see no leveling, only to see them level up suddenly while I'm not fulfilling those conditions, so I don't even know what they mean. Anyway, point being, there feels like no attachment. weapons are random drops, so you can't level those. Skills are leveled independent of characters. And characters all level together like one big happy family. So in the end, there is no individuality. I can't take one character, level her up to max, and feel proud that she's my strongest character. This game just doesn't do that.
So, for the lack of individuality, the lack of innovation in levels, and the horrible popping of bad guys... I take two stars. I'm being really generous here, but DW8 really is an improvement over 6+7. It's sad that they can't seem to add something without taking something else away. From 7 to 8, they removed the skill tree. I loved the skill tree. They should have made it 3X as big, not axed it. This seriously ruined what little leveling the game still had.
Hope my rambling helps you decide if you want this game, or just want to hit up Hyrule Warriors or wait for 9. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game for the Action Game Lover. This game is clearly associated with the 2005 movie. How can we tell? The full name of the game is Peter Jackson's King Kong - The Official Game of the Movie. Subtle!
The game was made with complete cooperation of Peter Jackson - he let the gaming team have access to the CGI and sets from the movie, and the game was made at the exact same time.
The game plays very much like being in a movie, with smooth slides between cinematic scenes and action sections. That being said, the game of course is FAR more action-oriented than any movie would be. In a movie you might fight off a group of creatures for a short period of time. In the game, of course, the hordes come in numerous, almost endless, waves.
This is more than just a beast-slaying game, though. There's a bit of thought involved. For example, if a gigantic dinosaur comes running at you, you don't have to try to slay it in straight-out combat. You can instead kill another random creature that is nearby, and the dinosaur will decide to go munch on it.
There are a few levels that you can play as Kong, but really for most of the game you are playing as a normal human in a band of friends. The various friends around you can either be helpful or REALLY annoying, depending on their mood. There are many times that I was tempted to snipe at my "friends" instead of the Giant Centipede or whatever the monster of the moment was.
The graphics are of course awesome. From the ocean waves to the murky dark caves, from the detail on the faces to the detail on the monsters' teeth, you get immersed in a high quality version of the movie. Again, this is to be expected, as the game designers got direct feeds of the movie graphic files.
The sound is also well done, with the sounds and feel of the movie. You get an immersive experience, drawing around you what the movie is all about. Danger, gloom, crashing waves and thunderous primal screams.
I have to admit that I found some of the puzzles a little tedious. Walking around and around a post to open a door was silly enough the first time, but for me to have to do it repeatedly was a bit much. Also, there were a few times that monsters seemed to get "stuck" in an area and I had to in essence go and prod them a few times for them to come out and properly attack me. I suppose not all monsters are highly intelligent :)
The game is definitely one that targets adrenaline-rush types. The sounds are loud and pounding - from bellows to cries of panic to screeches. The video is always jumping between dark caves to dark stairs to fiery bushes and things swooping down at you. You're kept off balance and rarely get a moment to breathe.
I did like how the game is set up like a movie. There aren't on screen health bars, ammo counters or anything else. You hit a button to hear a verbal check of your ammo. You talk to your friends to find out how they are. When you get hurt, your screen starts to go red and fuzzy, and you even hear "angels sing".
If I'm going to have any complaint about this game, it's really a personal one - I like games with a balance between hyped-up tension and more calm puzzle/investigating. There was really no break here, it was just non-stop thundering noise and attacking monsters. I'm sure most people thrive on that :)
Well recommended for those seeking a high action fix! | video-games_xbox |
This Game Should Have Stayed in the Shadows. I would give Shadowrun no stars if I could. Supposedly this game is based off of the RPG Shadowrun, but other than the name and the idea that magic and technology coexist in the future, that's as much of a link as you're going to get to the source material. The storyline (if you can call it that, since there isn't any actual story) is completely rewritten and different from the RPG. The graphics are only average, and even if they were great you couldn't appreciate them because you'll spend the entire time running, hopping, or gliding around shooting other bots and players in a mindless shoot'em up.
In one hour I had learned how to use every power and weapon. There are 8 spells and seven bland, non-futuristic, non-magical weapons, but there are only three buttons that can be set to use these abilities at any given time. Firing your weapon is as complicated as aiming and pulling the right trigger. One weapon, the rifle, has one level of zoom, and that's it.
There is NO SOLO STORYLINE. There are six "chapters" of training in how to use your magic, weapons and tech, and the four races--human, dwarf, troll, and elf (apparently they couldn't be bothered to include orks, the fifth player race from the RPG). Also completely missing is any kind of virtual world combat, another staple of the RPG.
Once you've done all six training chapters, all that's left is "solo" play (you and some bots versus a bunch of other bots) or "team play" (you and some online people and bots versus some other online people and other bots). There are only TWO types of games, capture the flag and deathmatch.
And that's it. For $60 you get a game that is allegedly based on the original pen-and-paper RPG, although the only thing resembling the original game is the title, no solo game, and two kinds of multiplayer matches.
I feel totally ripped off. I just bought the game yesterday and I'll be trading it in within a week. A horrible waste of money. Keep this game in the shadows and run far away! | video-games_xbox |
Everything is better in pairs. The Nyko intercooler TS is the long awaited cooler to finally put rest to the problems of the past (draining power from the console), but it falls short of delivering the ultimate solution. For people in warm to hot climates (Caribbean) like me, the problem of the Xbox 360 overheating is very serious, as i can testify that my first one went the way of the RROD, even with a fan next to it.
Nyko's new product does works as advertised, it gets some hot air out, but to my surprise it does have a mixed effect on the console performance. While playing Gears of War i noticed that the intercooler caused some noticeable lag that was not present before. In my opinion it is because the fans are under powered (low RPM) and to that you add that the intercooler blocks the original fans exhaust, resulting in a half way solution, or increased problems.
What i am doing now is a combination of two imperfect products:
The Intec Cooling Station(a cool base with a fan) + the nyko intercooler TS =
the results are great, the game disc comes out at room temperature, and the console performs as good as ever (note that there is no air conditioning in the room).
My recommendation is that if overheating is a serious trouble for you, don't rely in just one product to solve it.
*****Edit Dec 6 2008******
Almost a month later the intercooler is working great. excellent purchase for any xbox 360 player
***2nd Edit Feb 3 2009****
As stated in the first two paragraph, the intercooler performs as advertised, but beware. IF you plan to use your 360 in the HORIZONTAL position, this product might not be enough. Given to the limited space inside the console, the motherboard and all computing components are sitting below the DVD drive. In the horizontal position the heat is not dissipated and therefore it stays concentrated between the 360 and the tv table, very problematic scenario. My solution was to get one of those laptop cooling fans and use it for the 360. Its compact enough and it looks decent. Just remember that the 360 is n
known to have heat issues, take the necessary measures to prolong the life of your console. | video-games_xbox |
Innovation Deserves Recognition. Max Payne was the subject of alot of hype last year, and for good reason. The games level of innovation is unsurpassed by any game I've seen, although not quite as much as Oddworld or HALO. Let's not forget, Doug Welzel from Kirkland, that Max Payne is NOT a first person shooter where the main character is working to save the planet. It is one desperate man at the end of his pitiful rope. That being said I'll tell you a little about the game.
As you have heard many a times, the game features a very cool move dubbed "bullet time". At any time during game play you may press a button and Max Payne will automatically leap forward in super slow motion. Max himself can actually maneuver quite well in "bullet time" but the enemies in the game are basically frozen. I like the feature alot but it does make the game far too easy at times. I was able to play through a 3 levels in a row without dying once. All you have to do is hit the magical button before you go around any corner and if there was an enemy he was screwed. This is one reason for the 4 star rating.
The game starts out with you in your own home 3 years before the present and 3 durranged drug addicts have killed your wife and baby girl. This, of course, sends Max, the once accredited cop, on a crusade-like mission to avenge his families deaths. This makes for a very good excuse to go around shooting without rhyme or reason, you have been transformed into a bitter lunatic. You kill anything and everything in your path on your way to the source of the drug "V" that made those durranged drug addicts, well, drug addicts in the first place.
Basically there is no story in Max Payne, there claims to be one but there really isn't. However, it doesn't detract from gameplay at all. I couldn't possibly care less why I'm killing these people, I just want to have some fun, hence the name "game!"
I highly reccomend Max Payne. It is true that once you play it through once you most likely won't play it again, but that's what trade-a-game is for. Get Max Payne, enjoy it thoroughly for 15-20 hours, then move on to the next game. What more could you expect? | video-games_xbox |
So much potential. My wife bought me the Xbox One as a Christmas gift, so I am still figuring out what's what, but so far so good. I am very impressed with the level of integration the new platform has with my other components. The Xbox One is now the center of my living room entertainment center. Switching from TV to game to Netflix is simple and all done through voice command. My nephew just got the PS4, and from my first impressions of both, the Xbox One is clearly a much richer system with more to offer. There is definitely room for improvement, but I suspect that with each patch, the gaming console will get better and better. Here is a list of highlights that I found to be notable:
1. User Interface is really easy to use. Navigating from point to point is a breeze. The Snap feature is a nice touch, and makes it easy to multi-task.
2. Migrating from Xbox 360 was seamless. All of my settings carried over by just entering my user information. This was most likely expected, but MS deserves some credit for making this a really smooth process. I would have been so aggravated if it didn't find my Xbox Live account info.
3. Feels like a next generation gaming console. The whole concept of the gaming console is completely re-written with the Xbox One. Having the TV controlled through the Xbox is different experience, one that I am still getting used to. Turning on the TV now always involves going to the Xbox One Menu. I feel like I have so much to choose from when I login.
4. Graphics in games are at a new level. I purchased Call of Duty Ghosts for both the 360 and One, and I can see huge differences in graphic textures and tones. This was a perfect test to see the improvement by playing the same game. The game play was identical to the 360 (excluding the addition of Ground War), but the experience was far more engaging.
One thing to mention is that the graphics are so rich that when I switch back to watch TV in HD Fios the picture quality seems less. In reality it is likely that the games have a better screen resolution then what Fios broadcasts and the difference is very noticeable.
5. Gaming controller feels better and has some pretty cool feedback features. There is definitely some improvement here over the 360 control.
6. Console is quiet as a mouse and cool as a cucumber. For 360 users, this is a big deal. It is really important also because the intention is to leave the console running as long as the TV is turned on.
7. Just started playing with Xbox Smartglass for One. Seems pretty cool, but I don't have an oppinion yet.
Here is what I would like to see as an improvement:
1. Support for DLNA and NAS. I have a network hard drive and I would love to stream music and video.
2. Expand the Internet Browser capability. If this console is to become the center of my digital world, then this is a must. Right now the IE Browser does not support Flash, and I cannot download anything.
3. Just like Internet Browsing, I should be able to configure my email account and control messages via the console.
4. More automation. Home Automation is a good start (video cameras, appliances, etc). No reason this console couldn't really be the center of all things electronic.
Overall, if you are in the market for a new console and are on the fence between PS4 and Xbox One, then you need to decide what you want to get out of the system. If all you are looking for is gaming, then maybe the PS4 is ok, or you can stick with the 360. If you want to change the way you are entertained at home, then try the Xbox One. If you do try the Xbox One, then you really need to be open minded and start exploring all of the features if you want to get your money's worth. | video-games_xbox |
A classic is reborn in HD. Halo is a classic in the gaming industry. Like Gone With the Wind is to movies. Classics, whatever they may be, are basically essential goods that have influenced their respective realms and have achieved iconic status. But the problem with classics is that despite the acclaim and general reverence they eventually show their age, pretty badily too.
Take Gone With the Wind again: The acting is relatively bad in most parts and compared to modern day it's almost pathetic. Halo, which is one of my all-time favorite series, has a similar problem. Graphically, it's gotten a MAJOR overall (it's not the extra pixels that most HD collections get, ie. Ico & Shadows of the Colossus - it's completely redesigned) thanks to 343 Industries, and it's definitely cool to switch to what the game originally looked like (if not to see how far we've come graphically in a decade but also for nostalgic reasons), but the game play is archaic (at least to me...) in comparison to the fluidity of the modern day. That said, the graphics are great, but nothing close to, say, the recently released Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - 343 definitely impresses with their prowess in this department, but it doesn't jump off the screen and amazes you (overall, I found the graphics pleasant, but perhaps expected more from all I saw and heard about in trailers); still, it's by far the best HD reworking of any dated game to date and 343 deserves a pat on the back.
Halo Anniversary is a great title to pick up for many reasons. The new graphics are amazing, as is the ability to go from the original to the flashy new skin. I encountered a few glitchy spots, and the character faces are almost unrecognizable in their new form, but the pros far, far, FAR outweigh the cons. Halo: Combat Evolved was never my favorite Halo game (Halo 2 warrants that due to its great story line, excluding the cliffhanger ending), but Microsoft gives us a true Christmas treat here. | video-games_xbox |
The Best WWE 2K Game Yet With A Retro Twist. Another year, another WWE 2K game, meaning it's time for a yearly verdict on how this year's WWE 2K game turned out. WWE 2K17 got a fair amount of hype this year and it all paid off to say the least. Starting off with the roster; as usual, the roster in this year's game is larger than the previous game's roster. About 99.9% of people on the main roster right now are all in the game. You've got your usuals such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Undertaker, and others all making their return. Then you have new people like AJ Styles and American Alpha making their first WWE video game appearance. You also have The Dudleyz making their WWE game return for the first time since Xbox's Wrestlemania 21 and Goldberg also coming back but this time in a bigger way. One of the biggest talking points of the roster is the inclusion of the 4 Horsewomen: Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bailey, who were suspiciously erased from WWE 2K16 last year. The DLC roster also looks promising consisting of names like Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, Sycho Sid (finally), Jacqueline, and others
For the most part, a lot of the graphics and character models are copy and pasted from WWE 2K16 and there's nothing really wrong with that as you shouldn't expect brand new graphics in every aspect every game. Some copy and pastes were a bit blatant however (e.g. 2015 Undertaker being pasted into 2K17. But hey, no one's going to lose sleep just because Taker's hair isn't a bit longer). But for some models however, the graphics just look sickly amazing and realistic to the final touch. I'm looking at you Bubba Ray Dudley, Alexa Bliss, AJ Styles, Chris Jericho, Shane McMahon, and Ascension. Also, for the first time since SVR 2011, the wrestlers have digital renders of themselves rather than promotional photos. A minor point out but still something interesting that some had been asking for.
Gameplay is pretty much the same as WWE 2K16. Only minor things have changed such as what button you push to drop a weapon and stuff. Also sad to say that for whatever reason, that they took out the Hot Tag feature for tag team matches. I was playing a tag team match with American Alpha against the Dudleyz and was getting beat down badly. Tried to make a tag to Jason Jordan but there was no hot tag feature. It was realistic and a helpful tool to use in tag team matches that I hope they bring back next year.
Some new features that got brought back this year were crowd fighting and backstage fighting. This was something fans had been screaming to have get put back in games for years and this was the year 2K finally listened. Similar to how you could back in SVR 2007, you can now fight in the crowd again, no matter what match you're in. There aren't as many interactive spots in the crowd as there were in '07, but there's still a decent amount. In addition, for the first time since 2003's Here Comes The Pain, you can now travel backstage during your match (if must be a No Holds Barred match). Your backstage spots are limited to the gorilla position, the hallway, the locker room, the interview area, and The Authority's office. There are many interactive things/objects for you to hit your opponent with and throw them into. And some will be happy to know that you CAN do a backstage brawl with the women. So if seeing Paige destroy The Authority's television by throwing Eva Marie into it is your cup of tea, you can make it happen. Keeping up with past features, another they brought back was post-match attacks. Another HCTP feature that was brought back and instilled into 2K17. After you win a match, you have the option of continuing to beat your opponent into a coma if you feel outrageous enough.
Next up, there's no story mode or Showcase mode this year as 2K decided to put most of their creative input into improving Universe Mode and My Career Mode. Universe Mode was overhauled by a bit. For starters, every show will start with the opening intro video and pyro to give the atmosphere a more realistic feel to it. Keeping up with the realism, each show card is designed to play out the way it does on TV. For example shows now have promo segments. So an episode of Raw may see Seth Rollins transition from heel to face based off what kind of promo he cuts, while on Smackdown there may be a heated promo with Sasha Banks calling out Nikki Bella. Keeping up with that, based off what rivalries are taking place in your Universe Mode, you may be jumped by a rival before or after your match. My only bother with Universe Mode is that the loading times can get ridiculous. In addition to that, rivals face each other over and over and then again at the PPV, thus drying out the feud rather quickly (just like every other Universe Mode since SVR '11), Overall, Universe Mode got a lot more interesting this year. My only hope is that next year, they allow 4 main feuds for each show instead of just 3. It would go: main card, mid-card, women's, and tag team. With such a large roster, they really need to include more slots for more feuds in Universe.
My Career Mode has been slightly revamped as well. As usual, you will start off in the Performance Center but if you're impressive enough in your first few tryouts, you can skip NXT and get promoted straight to the main roster. Similar to last year, your actions, wins, and losses will determine your ranking, who your allies and enemies are, and how your t-shirt sales go. In addition, you can also cut promos now in My Career Mode. What you say will determine whether you get over with the crowd as a face or a heel. But beware, if you take too long, you'll trip over your words and embarrass yourself on worldwide TV. An awesome feature! Along the way, Paul Heyman will approach you with an offer to be the next Paul Heyman Guy. If you accept, you, Heyman, and Lesnar will terroize the WWE as a treacherous trio. But if you decline Heyman's offer, you may just find yourself winning an all expense paid trip to Suplex City. Overall, My Career Mode is pretty much similar to last year's--just a slight advancement in creative direction. Hopefully this year's My Career Mode is the one that finally gets it right. 2K16 and 2K15's My Career Modes became very disappointing not long into gameplay. It's pretty good so far from what I've played of it.
The Creation Suite is also pretty much the same to 2K16. The only thing I can find that's different is that this year you can dye a wrestler's hair. It's a pretty difficult feat to mess with to say the least though. So now you can finally keep up with the numerous colors of dye Sasha Banks and Asuka put in their hair. And if for whatever unworldly reason you want someone like The Undertaker to have pink hair, you can dye it that color. There's also a cool unlockable feature that allows you to unlock numerous legends (Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Sting, Arn Anderson, Lita, and Rikishi just to name a few) with VC you earn through matches you win. Kind of reminds me of the old No Mercy/Here Comes The Pain days with the Smackdown Hotel shop and WWE Shop Zone.
Overall: I think I covered just about everything! WWE 2K17 was really a home run this year in my opinion. The marketing paid off and their roster is just incredible. Makes me wonder just how large the roster will look next year in 2K18. One thing I really love and appreciate about WWE 2K17 is how they kind of went retro and brought back a lot of things from past games that made WWE games great (e.g. post match attacks, crowd fighting, backstage fighting, etc). There's an endless roster of wrestlers to choose from, along with a revamped Universe Mode and My Career Mode, so you're bound to stay entertained with this for awhile (unless you're a poor soul who has the 360/PS3 version). If you ask me, WWE 2K17 is the best out of all WWE 2K games released so far. 2K14 and 2K16 weren't bad, but 2K17 blows them out of the water. There were still a few things I think could've been done with 2K17 but I won't discuss that. If you're contemplating whether or not to buy WWE 2K17, buy it! Whether you're getting it tomorrow or waiting for the Black Friday sales, get the game. You won't be disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
A fresh start and maybe a bright future. True Crime Hong Kong also known as now Sleeping dogs is an open-world action adventure. Blending hong kong action with an open world to explore and do what you will so you can take down a deadly criminal organization.
-STORY--
Wei Shen is a cool character and is quite adapt in taking on situations that will prove his loyalty to both the triads and of course the HK police. The story plays out in a familiar pattern like other open world games. Many of the characters are well thought out and are likable. The only gripe I have with the story is its all to linear with no choices or branching paths with different outcomes. Also i never got the impression that Wei was ever in danger, he knew most of the triad members which kind of gave him a easy pass in. It would of been more engaging if there were tense moments where you have to use dialogue and stealth to avoid suspicion.
-GAMEPLAY--
The gameplay for the most part is very easy to get into and is smooth. Controlling Wei is easy and all his actions are performed with very small combinations. The fighting is what you'll do the most, it plays like the Batman arkham series combat but a little more strict with the countering, for ex. pressing the counter button too early will leave you open to attacks. Traversing is mainly done with the A button, using it for context actions like sliding and leaping over objects. This is always prevalent in the chase gameplay which is quite riveting.
The missions are varied enough that you'll never doing the same thing and it incorporates many of the random side activities to the main missions which is a nice touch.
Spread out HK are collectables that you can collect to gain you money,health upgrade or face experience.
Also there are side missions or events that are triggered if your near the specific person.
There is plenty of things to do in HK and the level of detail is quite amazing, I found myself on foot often just to explore the alleways or see the pedestrians doing their thing. Most of the fun comes from exploring and finding out what activities there are.
The vehicles in the game handle arcadey with quick turns and exaggerated top speed easy to pull off.
-SOUND--
Voice acting is top notch, the setting of HK brings with it a exotic language but you'll be surprised to hear more english this of course is for obvious reasons. Many notable actors lend their talents to the characters but the one that sounded familiar to me the most is Tom Wilkinson who plays Pandrew.
Music is varied but I found myself listening to the hip hop and HK stations the most. But the music is good enough that you'll want to know some of the tacks.
-Graphics--
Very good in my opinion its even superb at night with a great ton of detail added to the city. The rain wash effect looks amazing and the reflection effect from the streets to the cars look quite good, I highly recommend exploring the night market it looks amazing.
The characters have a lot of detail when it comes to clothing and facial features but are lacking somehow I don't know what but many of them look plastic like.
RECOMMEND
Absolutely, SD is a fantastic open world game and brings a new style of open world action. With smooth fighting and gunplay it can in the future carve its own categories or maybe even its own genre. The setting,story and especially the gameplay I'd say is its selling point. If you long for the days of returning to Hong Kong after Shenmue 2 ended SD is a great way to experience an always unique setting rich with culture and history.
Thank you and enjoy | video-games_xbox |
Could have been much more... But still playable. Tokyo Xtreme Racer was a game that started on the Dreamcast, it was highly animated and polished at the time, and paved the way for more racers to follow in its footsteps. The problem is, none of them did, the game was downright grindy and only a certain type of racer would fall into the grindy RPG aspects of the game, and only the Hardcore racing fans would get a lot of the innuendo and lingo that goes along with the driving aspects of the series. But that aside, the games were great, offering many customization options and a lengthy gameplay time due to the find rivals aspect. Plus many races were very difficult, with drivers racing cars that either were tuned high compared you your underpowered ride, or they simply were better than you. Either way, the games were their own breed. Import Tuner Challence (ITC) is the sequel to TXR Zero and is the latest in the series, was the jump to next gen a grandous leap, or a pathetic pitfall? Lets find out.
Modes:
There are few main modes: Quest, Single Player, and Online.
Quest Mode: This is the main meat, the game offers over 300 Rivals and over 20 factions to beat. The main idea however is simplistic, get a car, race other cars, and beat them all. Surprisingly the concept actually works well. You'll find yourself striving to beat teams on your list, and despite how simple quest mode works, (drive up, flash lights, race, repeat) the game actually maintains momentum well into chapter 3 where you'll be racing the fastest teams. Over the course of races, you'll unlock more upgrades, and other rivals to beat, and more places to race, so the game always has something to strive for. But, quest mode is monotonous, often many roads especially C1 are relatively impossible to avoid. The game never really stops using the about 60 total miles of track and you'll race over and over on the same stretches. The thing is that while this is a weakness, its also a strength, and due to the number of times you'll race the same areas, the knowledge of the roads will help you when you really need it, such as times when you're racing a faster opponent. Or taking the corner at the right speed to avoid losing that last smidge of SP to a wall tap.
Still, the amount of roads available for a game like this is very poor. As a 360 title, the game fails to deliver an adequate amount of road given the overall quality of said road.
Single player: Pretty much time trial, no rivals to race, just you and the road. You'll probably only do this mode for the achievements.
Multiplayer: A match up between you and a random Live playing opponent, either P2P race, or SP battle. Bring your A game with the best of the best cars, or you'll get smoked. The mode is fun if you have a well tuned car, otherwise you'll lose sight of taillights really fast and its more frustrating than fun.
Graphics and Sound: The car models don't look too bad, but they are substandard anyway. The road itself is lacking detail, and it has drawing issues on occasion, plus Framerate drops with 2 + rivals on screen. The game feels unfinished. The majority of my complaints graphically have to do with games that are competition. The 360 can do way better than this and whether the game is coded inefficiently or the textures were limited to increase the overall scope of the Highway, but the highway never got the chance to have extra parts added, I won't know. But it would seem that the highway was meant to be bigger, and they ran out of time.
The exhaust notes on the cars aren't very potent, nor do they change with performance upgrades. But other components are changed, such as the blow off for turbo engines. Given that little tid bit it does beg the question why mufflers and engine upgrades do not alter the sound of the engine if they can add the blow off sound for larger turbos.
Still, as a whole the game's graphics could use work, they're not bad, and not quite PS2 level, but they are not up to par with competitive games in the same genre.
Driving: This honestly is what makes this game even worth playing at all. The driving here is actually not bad. But the way if finds itself in here is. What I mean is the game is directed towards gearheads by being cryptic and not speaking down to the people who don't know the difference between a clutch and a rotor. But the game PLAYS like the games those types of people would play. It runs an arcadey driving system, granted that system works extremely well and is very customizable, the gearheads will know that this game just doesn't act like it should, and there are too many options and settings to tweak to get 100% out of your car that a casual racer won't understand or want to fool around with settings that will do this. Essentially, the game is very playable and its driving is fun, but its arcadey when everything else in the game is quite grindy and hardcore. Its unfortunate since the game could have had some very impressive difficulty if it had more sim elements.
Difficulty: Its hard at the beginning. Honestly i could leave that there, but i won't. The game is very difficult with your original car, but buy a more powerful one, and it becomes a cakewalk. The first sets of drivers are easy, and the bosses aren't much harder in a newer car, but if you stick with your older car, many crucial upgrades aren't available until mid game for that car to be competitive. For this reason its got a slow start, and washes out completely once you get a new car, keep up to date with upgrades and the game is a cakewalk, everyone will get owned and you'll be done without so much as one loss until the very last few bosses that might be hard for you. If the game didn't handle like an arcade racer, I think it'd have been harder and each race would have been more challenging. Another issue is the lack of options.
Cars: 15 cars you can upgrade purchase and use. Thats it. that's a lot of customization options, but the power plants just aren't diverse enough challenging races late game are going to be from most cars, but early races will be dominated by skylines and supras and well as mid game races. Also where's honda? Not to be whiny but you can't make a tuner game and not include Honda. The selection amount is bad, but the choices are good, still going licensed with car selection was a bad idea, literally 1/2 of the models are available here fromt he first TXR game on dreamcast. It strongly drops diversity and makes the game less believable, all for the price of having a licensed version of the car.
Overall this game is worth a budget buy, its monotonous, but it grows on you a bit if you like cars or are a fan of the TXR series. Buy it used for less than 20 bucks. More than that the game has too many shortcomings to warrant a purchase. A lot of its short comings come from graphics and under thought game mechanics, but the racing substance is there and its fun to play in the later bits. Its a hard recommend for me due to the sheer volume of better titles available, but if you're bored and tired of Need For Speed and Midnight Club. its an ok game to spend some time with. | video-games_xbox |
Very solid gameplay; story could have used a little more refining + better integration. To start off, I played the first Gears for the campaign/co-op campaign. And I purchased this game for the same reason, so if you're looking to know more about multiplayer gameplay, check out another review. That said, this game plays very well, very much like a thrill ride for the most part. Story can use a lot more refining and better integration. This gets a 5-star in its own right. But Halo 3 and BioShock are still better games overall than GoW 2.
GAMEPLAY: A+
This game still plays like the first Gears, except with a wider array of weapons and features (ie, chainsaw battles, different modes of executing a downed enemy). This is a third person shooter, for those who have not played the first one. And also, expect a lot of blood and violence, so if you are parents considering this game for your children, this serves as fair warning.
The campaign takes longer to beat this time around (10-20h I think). The graphics are very beautiful and realistic, and a lot more 'vibrant'. The first Gears was in general a very dark and gloomy game. You see a lot more color in this one. Co-op campaign gameplay continues to be addictive and I think a strength in this game. It is still as immersive an experience for all players involved as the first Gears was.
Further, the creators definitely outdid themselves in design of the levels. You should expect to be pleasantly surprised with every single level that comes up. While you can clearly expect to see yourself running around in the streets battling waves after waves of Locust, you will also see another order of magnitude of fighting, with sometimes even as many as 80-100 Locust rushing through your field of view. To emphasize the creativity of the creators, there was also, at various points later in the game (spoiler warning), a section where you had to traverse a pitch-black tunnel to safely escort a vehicle across, and even a level where your squad somehow ends up inside one of the Locust beasts and had to fight your way out...
Overall, this game has been quite an experience. It deserves an A+ and Game of the Year awards.
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STORY: B
Given that this game promised to have more leads on the storyline of the series than the first one, it does a better job. A lot of the early story is centered around Dom and him trying to find his wife, amidst all the fighting. The voice acting is compelling for the most part, and you can tell a lot more easily that it's a dark time for humanity on this fictional planet. In the first Gears, playing through the story was mostly humorous because of the way all the guys were joking around in between fight scenes and the light talk that went on. In this Gears, those dialogues are still present, but with a lot more of a sense of urgency mixed in here and there. And cutscenes are well made. The script is definitely that of a cheesy scifi as some of my buddies like to call it.
Finally, instead of COG tags for collection, we have bits and pieces of 'collectibles' like newspaper clippings, ads, so on and so forth that in some cases contribute to the backstory a little bit, kind of like the way those terminals worked in Halo 3. All of these, when found, are put in some scrapbook that's accessible from the Main Menu, and arranged in a more or less logical order.
The reason the story only gets a B+: if you think about games like BioShock and Mass Effect and the Halo series with their very immersive storylines, GoW 2 is still not quite there. But it is closer to that state now than it was previously.
I won't reveal any more in this part, but definitely expect a lot more of a plot that serves as a backdrop to all the fighting that's going on. Epic Games did a good job of piquing your interest and making you want to learn more.
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CHARACTERS: B
The characters come across a lot more human in this one. I have mentioned that the mood in this game comes across with a lot more of a sense of urgency to beat the Locust. As you play the game, you begin to feel more and more of a connection with each of the characters and in some cases, almost have to just stop playing when certain characters die... Let's leave it at that.
All that said, the game needs a better scriptwriter if it is to convey a stronger storyline.
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REPLAYABILITY: A
With the first game, I recall beating it my first time around with a friend on Hardcore, and then on Insane, and then going around and helping each of my roommates and a good number of friends beat the game on both difficulty settings. The same will probably hold for this game. I think it's a thrilling enough of a ride that I wouldn't mind going over it over and over and over...
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To sum up, this game is definitely worth the $60.
PROS: This is all about gameplay and the feel of the game. Even on top of all the additional features and improvements, it is still undoubtedly Gears of War. The controls remain very intuitive and easy to learn. It's easily one of the best 3rd person shooters out there, in my opinion.
CONS: I think storyline could have been a lot deeper. I guess they are saving this for Gears of War 3. Violence may be a little too much for the unprepared. Right now, this is all I can think of.
FINAL VERDICT: A. This is a very well-made game. I have the tendency to buy games and sell them back when I'm done. But I think GoW 2 will probably be a mainstay in my library, just as GoW was. For that, plus all the +'s I have mentioned, I think this game deserves an awesome grade. Can I hear Game of the Year? | video-games_xbox |
Better than the official reviews suggest. Doesnt handhold and babystep you like so many games out there. I waited on this game because of the lackluster reviews, but then it went on sale and picked it up. Wow -- it is actually a great game, BUT with several cautions about what I am mean by "great game:"
1. The game is better looking than some suggest -- there's real time lighting on everything and relatively large levels to explore. Unlike Fallout there's good use of different color in the various areas. Spell effects are totally generic though. Framerate is solid but looks to be around 20 frames per second on the 360 version. The textures are not as blurry as some suggested -- when you consider the size of the levels, I think the levels look pretty great.
2. The game relies on real time combat with cooldown timers on your special abilities. Enemies almost always attack in groups and will try to surround you. You are either gonna love that or hate it. It takes some getting used and the game throws you into hard quick-death action after the initial village. You _must_ jump to avoid long range enemy attacks or you will die many deaths. You can move behind objects to avoid attacks too. Potions are easy to come by and can be keyed to a quick button for easy use. I suspect this is where the poor reviews came in: some folks including professional game reviewers died a hundred deaths in front of the mage tower very early in the game and decided the game was "too hard."
3. Level design is much better than I expected to be. There are large outdoor areas that were obviously carefully crafted by the designers. Interior dungeons offer a nice change of pace from the above ground areas. There are no cookie cutter dungeons like we had over and over in Oblivion.
4. But it is not a perfect RPG. The designers offer 3 different classes and over 3 dozen special abilities. That sounds great but a good half of those special abilities are of questionable usefulness. There are obviously "better" skills to pick. In the first Divinity PC game you could imbue your weapons with all kinds of different effects and different enemies had different weaknesses to things. Here for example there is poison but no freezing. Mage powers are all basically variations on fireballs. The designers simplified the skill tree and it hurts both the game's replay value and its RPG-goodness. There are 3 classes but the game heavily favors melee combat since you are so frequently surrounded by enemies using melee attacks. You can choose to be invisible or deflect attacks later in the game, but melee attacks are so frequent your poor ranger is a MUCH harder character to play than a sword user, especially in the early and mid-game when you have access to few skills.
5. There are some interesting choices for quests along the way and the game often shows a wacky sense of humor if you bother to read the various books you find in your travels. You can to a limited degree play "evil" or "good," but the choices aren't all that dramatic either.
6. Like Diablo 2, there's lots of weapons and equipment and its all randomly generated with different skill boost qualities. Some items are rare and so on. But there again, it is all too simplified. Most of these item qualities simply enhance the skills sets mentioned in #4. There are stones you can set on your equipment to add abilities but like everything else it, the abilities are not all that interesting or diverse.
As much as I wanted to love the recent game Dragon Wars, I actually liked Divinity 2 better over all. I enjoyed the large world that one can explore. For all of Divinity 2's flaws, it offered a real challenge that made me think before I walked into a battle (Dragon Age was a total 100% cake-walk). With Dragon Age, you are basically hand-held thru fairly linear levels and I was bored at the 20 hour mark. Divinity is easily a 3 star game, and possibly 4 stars if you like harder RPG games that you typically find on a PC. Some folks talk about bugs but I never encountered one.
When will someone make a real sequel to Baldur's Gate 2? All of these recent RPG's pale in comparison to that older PC game. | video-games_xbox |
Interesting. I loved Fatal Inertia. I have no idea why I liked this game so much to tell the honest truth. First thing is that I really don't like racing games. Going around in a ginat loop six to ten times is boring to me. This game however broke that bound on me. It was simple and yet complex. You could beat the game by sheer blunt force, through retry, or finese and precision. It appealed to me because of these factors. The variety of ways you can race through this fictional future is fantastic.
Another thing that I just downright loved is that the game is usually pretty challenging. The first couple levels are by video game fashion... easy. Then the learning curve begins. The end maps are complex and hightly technical. Stack that on with the AI gunning for your blood and the difficulty level goes up. The middle levels were challenging, but you received bonuses just enough to keep you highly competitive. However should you not go back and obtain all the upgrades that you can get through the level then the next level was that harder.
Upgrades that actually meant something was a big thing to me. You receive upgrades for obtaining 3rd 2nd or 1st in the circuit sometimes. Yet you also get special upgrades (the one you were really looking for) for getting a perfect race score through out the circuit. Then get a cool upgrade for winning combat points by the end of the circuit. Howver you can get all of these in one shot, getting them the first time is not of high probablity. If you are in first the whole time then you are never going to really see heavy combat so your combat score is reduced.
Levels, or racetracks in this game have a wide range, from burning volcano's to barren winter wonderlands. All of the levels hold their own dangers and pitfalls. They also gradually increas in difficulty as you traverse through the way. By the end you are white knuckled on the controller praying your ship to make that hair pinned turn.
One major issue I have with it is that with the AI. Now it is normally pretty decent they handle like most race games, where all the AI players play a very concervative race style that leads to minimal crashes but also minimal increases in distance lead. That is until you get in first. Usually at the end they choose one of the AI to go all out assault on you. They get the boost of being able to play the programming though. While you get the crappy three shot magnets, the enemy is getting Time Dialation, or Rocket Boosters. Yet this in the end was fun for me. I wan't worried about the side and losing at last place I was worried about getting 3rd. Beating the majority of the racers was fairly easy, but the computer always had 2 guys that were pretty decent and one that just rocked. That one was your rival and you had to beat them to win it all. Yet when I am in the last stretch of the race and me and this AI have been battleing back and forth all round. I don't want the finish line to be openly visible then I get a magnet and the enemy gets a Lightning Bolt slowing me down to snail like speeds. Then I have to watch as he speeds ahead of me to win the race...
All in all it got frustrating at times especially with the Super AI cheating machines. Yet complexity and difficulty are something I enjoy thouroughly in a video game. Most of all I can say it was fun, and what more are you really looking to a game for?
Graphics: 7/10
Nicely finished yet generic.
Gameplay: 8/10
3 different ship 3 different styles, made it a choice on how to handle a certain level.
Sound: 7/10
Catchy electronic tunes but nothing to set it apart... yet this is Fatal Inertia. What was I expecting?
Replayability: 5/10
It's a racing game if you like racing then you play this over and over again. Or if your friends play it...
Mechanics: 9/10
Nice mix of combat,speed, technical precision and meticulous finese. | video-games_xbox |
Don't buy this amazing wheel, Microsoft will not honor warranty. First things first, this racing wheel was the most amazing controller I've used UNTIL IT BROKE. Search the internet and it looks like these very expensive controllers are notorious for failing.
When it worked it was absolutely amazing. It is easily worth "five stars". I really liked Forza 2 and 3 before I got the wheel because I'm a fiddler and a love Top Gear (there's no way those game developers weren't huge Top Gear fans as well). But when I added the racing wheel to the experience I can't overstate how awesome the results were! The force-feedback and the new controls quadrupeled the game depth and experience. The force-feedback was too strong for me by default, but it's easy to turn it down to a level you like.
The downside? This controller is expensive and WILL break. Probably sooner rather than later. I've played for two months out of my 90 day warranty and it just broke. [If anyone is interested the wheel registers "full-left" in every position except when in full-right. Everything else works just fine).
Microsoft discontinued this product this past summer. I bought mine at the end of July 2010 and less than 60 days in, it breaks. Even though my wheel is under warranty Microsoft refuses to repair it (they say they no longer have the means) and, of course, they won't reimburse me for the cost. So much for a warranty! Shame on Microsoft.
The retail chain I bought it from has none to replace it with because it has sold out following being discontinued.
SO BE WARNED: If you want this amazing wheel (who wouldn't?) and you can find it; make sure you can get buyer's protection from whoever you are buying it from. If I had payed $10 or $15 dollars thet retail chain said they would replace it or reimburse the cost for any reason for one year.
I thought an expensive, licensed Microsoft controler would be very reliable, so I declined. Bad choice. If you can still get one with a retailer's extended warranty, that is a must. | video-games_xbox |
Cut through the bad title and the clunky game play and you'll find a story worth playing. You are Capell, general slacker and wandering musician. As the adventure begins you've been thrown into prison because you resemble someone named Sigmund that the order has been hunting for a long time. You are resigned to passing your time trying to convince the guards that "ya know ya really got the wrong guy, I don't even look heroic". The guards think these conversations are entertaining and usually reward the teller with a sharp poke and half rations, but hey it passes the time.
During one of these conversations the guards suddenly take a nap and a woman with a crossbow unlocks your door and informs you that your no Sigmund, though the resemblance is uncanny, and sorry about the mix up we'll get you out of here. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth you follow the woman, Aya, and fight your way of the prison.
During the process though Aya is injured and cannot complete the journey her friends are on. As much as you would like to leave this strange group far behind, and the fact they keep telling you your nothing like Sigmund, Aya did you a favor and you feel compelled to return it.
Little do you know that the act of kindness will thrust into a world of binding chains, mystical beasts and and battle for mankind's destiny.
=======
To me this is a case of a great idea that obviously had great plans and for what ever reason these had to be scaled back. Let me say this right off the bat. The story is great, it takes a couple of hours to get rolling but once it does; its hard to stop playing to see what will happen next. So if your looking for a great story, that could have been awesome if they fleshed it out, then give this one a shot. On the other hand the game play itself can be clunky and the environments vanilla.
But they did try to make it a little more entertaining every party member has various traits that they earn or evolve through the game and they can be good or bad. For example one character fights better when her pet bear is in the party. A brother and sister have higher stats when they are in the party together, another character more or less has a panic attack when ever she has to fight birds or insects. That is definitely something I think more of these games should have.
So here's the break down:
Story: Starts off slow and by the time you hit the middle your probably hooked watching Cappel grow from child like slacker to confident adult. The story definitely takes some twists and turns. Some are from silly to serious, and others explore some interesting themes that video games don't usually tackle. Don't get me wrong quite a bit is telegraphed but even those bits are done well enough that it doesn't seem like the same old same old.
Graphics: To me they were great. The characters and monsters are well done. The only draw back is that since the monsters, characters and cut scenes look good, they had to take from somewhere. In this case its pretty easy to see they had to skimp on the backgrounds and set pieces as these are generally life less and dull. It doesn't really detract from the game though.
Game Play / Control: This is the hard one. It's not bad, but it's not good either. It's clunky. The best way to play is to just go with it. Remember to unsheathe your sword before combat or you'll be like me and get clobbered because your guys just stand there. If your exploring and opening chests don't be like me and leave your sword out it will demolish that shiny chest because you forgot the A button breaks things when in combat mode. There's also a skill connect mechanism that comes in handy in some instances though the game does not always do a good job of explaining when and where to use who. I would definitely recommend reading a FAQ if you play this as there is no new game extra in this title, so you may as well find everything the first time through.
Overall: I recommend this game on the story itself. If you can ignore the rest of the nonsense then you'll find a story worth playing. It's a shame that this didn't sell enough to get an expanded edition like divine divinity or star ocean that filled in some of the background that is obviously missing from the game. If you like JRPGs, stories that are a little different, and action adventure games give this one a try. | video-games_xbox |
I've been gaming for 25 years and currently own a pretty solid collection of consoles past and present - N64. To qualify this review, I've been gaming for 25 years and currently own a pretty solid collection of consoles past and present - N64, Dreamcast, SNES, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS2, NES, SNES, Wii, 3DS, Wii U, and a collection of others. Pertaining to the Xbox One - I'll simply list all of the positives I see.
- Hands down the best controller in the current console generation
- HDMI IN port allowing for cable box integration or in my case my PS3
- Plug and play external storage option (Not available on PS4)
- Great list of exclusive games coming for Holiday 2015. Forza 6, Halo 5 just to name a few
- Full Windows 10 integration incoming
- Game mirror/stream onto Windows 10 PC - this feature is awesome
- Backwards compatibility incoming with Xbox 360
- Cloud computing will further enhance the Xbox on a multitude of fronts over the coming months and years
- Kinect - a feature poo pood by many but I love using it for party chat and not having to use a head set
- Superior online experience with dedicated online Microsoft servers (competitors do not offer this)
- Massive amount of bundles on the market right now - priced under the competition and offering great value
Overall, it is my opinion that the Xbox One is the console that is innovating this generation and listening to feedback from customers to make the experience better. The only thing that the PS4 offers over the Xbox One is marginally better graphical fidelity *on select games. The rest of the PS4's features and online experience seem to be still stuck in the previous console generation. So if you equate video games consoles to cars I'd put it like this. The PS4 is the base Corvette. It has a powerful engine but no other equipment, no leather, no bose radio, and base wheels. The Xbox One is the fully loaded Vette with the hand stitched dashboard, navigation system, leather, and all the other toys. My pick for this console generation is the Xbox One hands down...and of course a Wii U for that great Nintendo charm. Parents, this Holiday pick your kids up a Xbox One Bundle, they'll thank you. | video-games_xbox |
May not be a big title but it's still a fun addictive Action RPG. There is a couple things to mention first: If you are spoiled by talented voice actors, riveting story lines and/or wanting something on par with games produced by Bioware or Besthesda, then you may just want to wait for DO2. I read/watched a good amount reviews before buying this game; the vids professionally done online were very helpful.
This game very reminds me of an evolved version of a top-down Hack & Slash (Diablo/Sacred). The RPG mechanics are great and gameplay is simplistic but fun. Where the game takes a hit is execution through the story and conversations. The graphics do not raise the bar but look good. Models are detailed and the environment looks smooth. Body and facial movements in conversations are as bad as the voice acting. I downloaded this to my HDD to minimize loading, which I find quite manageable.
The RPG mechanics are easy to pickup; you have attributes and skills related to the 3 attacks (melee, ranged and magic). There are a few more categories such as thief, crafting, and resistance skills. You will always play as a male human but can allocate your skills to become a focused or mixed class. There is a way in-game to reset points for reallocation. Like early hack & slash games, you may have a certain level or attribute score to use an item and as you level-up more weapons and armor become available. With crafting you can upgrade your equipment. The games allows you to break-down unwanted items into core materials that can be used to upgrade your equipment. You can also place gems with stat bonuses in items and change the color on your armor. I have not used in detail but you are also able to customize your spells. With obtained "cards" you can choose the property type (element/poison), attack type (bolt, area) and can add special properties (caster bonuses, homing missile). One thing that is very note worthy for me is the variety of weapons. You are not limited by basic sword, axe or hammer; there are lances, pole arms, katanas, maces, mourning stars, bucklers, tower shields, etc.
The melee gameplay fits into the hack & slash but it isn't completely mindless. One trigger does do all the basic attacks but you can block and with timing perform counterstrikes. You can also tie in special attacks to stun, perform 360 strikes, etc. WIth what I seen in reviews, I have not invested too much in ranged combat. Through the tutorials you are able to perform 2 target attacks and can perform manual sniping (standard shots are lock-on). I've only recently got into magic and testing out my spell results is entertaining and can be helpful in combat than just melee alone. The world you get to explore is massive and slowly integrates you into the world through islands. You are able to travel via teleports which you will find throughout the map. The game also provides horse but cannot teleport with you. There are riding quests but teleporting is more effective. Within this world there quite a few quests. A some will require you to initiate a conversation and some with automatically occur once you are close enough to the NPC. Potential quests are shown on the map as well as a marker once a quest is active. Side-quest are very much like what you expect in a hack & slash; go here, kill that, retrieve this, etc.
Last and least is the execution of the story, characters and conversations. They are quite bad and you get a healthy serving through the beginning of the game. I steered clear of the first game and felt the second starts in an awkward point. It felt I was walking into the last half of a bad 80s fantasy movie. Unfortunately, I feel the voice acting is what kills the story telling and does not allow you to connect with any characters, including the hero. Like any old school RPG, I ended up putting on the subs and speed reading.
Hopefully this helps...even with bigger titles coming out, I feel the hack & slash loot driven RPG feel is what will keep me playing this game.
PROS:
>Massive world with large number of quests
>Rewarding leveling and crafting system
>Loot driven RPG, lock-pick mini-game and random chest items
>Decent graphics & manageable loading times (with download)
CONS:
>An evolution of games I enjoyed but overall not very innovative
>Some mechanics feel unpolished (Ranged combat, horse)
>Story/characters ruined by bad voices and facial expressions
>Many side-quests with no real depth | video-games_xbox |
A Tale You Don't Want To Miss. What can I say about Tales of Vesperia? It's my favorite Tales game to date. I'm an avid Tales fan and gamer, and have been for years. Here's my opinion on the game:
1) Synopsis: Yuri Lowell is a 21 year old man that has a cynical view on the world, due much to his past of being a knight alongside his childhood friend Flynn. His life is changed when a crisis happens in the lower, poorer, part of the capitol town he lives in floods. This is thanks to a blastia (a source of energy that is becoming scarce in their world) thief that makes the fountain run smoothly. Yuri goes to capture the thief, but is thrown in jail because he is a notorious trouble maker and is hated by the knights. He escapes with the help of an unknown person and runs into Estelle, the princess of the land. They are attacked by an intruder trying to kill Flynn, whom the intruder mistakes Yuri for. Their fates intertwine and they eventually run off into the world to find Yuri's childhood friend Flynn at the request of Estelle who needs to deliver a message to him. On their search, the two meet new people and they realize the pitiful condition the planet is in and they see the injustice the people are suffering under the rule of their goverment. They venture further and fight the injustice, sometimes violently, and find out how to save the planet from it's diteriorating condition... but at what cost?
2) My impression: The HD graphics for the game are astonishing. The characters lips move in sync to what they are saying in the in-game graphics. I felt like I was watching a 3D anime movie. A small detail that I found especially fun was the sword Yuri carries on his side changes when you change his weapon not only in battle, but while you're on the overworld or in a town. It changes the character model completely. The anime cutscenes are notable as well, especially the opening for the game before you get to the title screen.
The battles are even more interesting. The Tales games have always had good battle systems that change to fit the title. Vesperia's reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance where you learn skills based on the weapons you use. The skills you earn only enhance your battles like giving you elemental powers, extra strength, more HP/TP, etc. The Artes (or battle skills) learned are based on how many times you use them when you get an updated skill. And who can forget the Mystic Artes (your ultimate attack) that each character can unlock? These are fun to use, especially when you get good at using them. Also, an added feature is the "Special Missions" in battles. You can often target other enemies/objects to change the battlefield which unlock the mission (and an achevement). It adds an extra challance to the game that I wish to see more of in later installments.
The story and characters are gripping. During my first time through the game, I found myself skipping sidequests because I could not wait at all for the next cutscene. The story goes at a slow pace, yet it has that 'Just Right' feeling to it. The character development happens during the slower moments, and you'll find yourself caring about all of the characters like they're old friends. A lot happens to them, and they are constantly pushed together and pulled apart due to circumstances you'll know about when you play. Oh, and the voice actors. How I must praise them for a job well done, and the casting department at Tales Namco also. The voices fit perfectly to the characters in my opinion, and they convey emotion through their voices just as well as an all-star cast could.
3) Wrap up: 5/5 stars, hands down. I wish people would embrace anime in the US and see that it's not just for 'nerds' and 'geeks'. It's a storytelling medium that is sometimes better than sitting in a movie theater watching a live action film. A case in point is Tales of Vesperia. If you haven't given this game a shot and own an XBox 360, I implore you to get this game and play it. | video-games_xbox |
NOT a RPG. while this game is called a JRPG by many I have to say that I am disappointed to say the least. When I first played this I had no guide and no expectations of grandeur. I did expect that it was an rpg and when I ran into trouble I would go back and painstakingly grind my stats up and tada! I would make it though the troublesome spots. However, for a battle system as complex and intricate as this game made, I would never have guessed that they did not want you to use it. You get penalized for fighting weak things (your battle rank (BR) which is supposed to be a measure of your ???? something ??? hurts you when fighting bosses) as a reference amount i had spent a while leveling, Built up a BR to 47 and thought I was sitting pretty with a 1.8k hp value, and pumping out 7000 dmg per round. to go online and check what was going on I was reading about people with the same BR with 5.6K hp and doing 50K dmg per round. This made me realize why LEVELING systems work better, mainly because you don't have this kind of variability.
So I went online looked at what was going on and found out how to make it though do something counter-intuitive for all RPG's Don't Fight anything unless it is unavoidable. I can live with that and now that I have made it further then I did before and in far less time I realize the implications of this stupidity, the main forces for my "unions" are not the leaders, as they are weak as hell, but instead the soldiers that you hire, and have no control over upgrading weapons means you need to know the components it takes for each weapon, which is not listed on the weapon stats no, there are no customization of what skills they will or will not use, as it turns out they are just fodder. This leads into the next problem, this game LACKS CONTROL over what ability your people use, you want to use spells, oh well, too bad, not on your option list because the game hates you. You don't need to heal, well you have that option. You do need to heal, and you will get trashed because the only way is to kill your union and hope the option comes up to raise them from a different union.
all said and done, you will come to realize fast enough that this is a strategy based game that uses dice rolls to determine everything and you can either get blessed by the dice or ruined by the dice, some skill is involved, but the skill is luck. something you cant improve on as you get better at the game, so your stuck with a flawed system and a flawed delivery.
Do consider this game as the pc version has much more control over what goes on in the game, and does not punish you as much against the bosses when you mistakenly get a high BR.
pro's
-If you seek punishment when playing a game this will dish it out in satisfying quantities.
-If you want a story where the most interesting character is not the main one this is also the game for you.
-If you don't mind graphical flaws and like the technical aspects of the game
-If you want to burn though the story line as fast as possible this game is for you
cons
-if you don't want any of the pro's I listed.
-No feeling of control, in fable i could use whatever spell I wanted and level any other spell that was available and the general experience for using however you want to top it off.
-the combat system with BR system is flawed to the extent where it is pathetic.
-punishment for the sake of making the game "hard", this game not about your personal skill but instead random chance.
if you read this review and still buy the game I highly recommend you check out the wikia site for all the technical details of this game. without them you will be at a loss for why your seemingly being destroyed for no real reason and where to find all the odd components that people are asking you for. | video-games_xbox |
Don't believe the hate, it's a solid game. OK, let's get the biggest point out of the way first and foremost. This is not the best game that ever hit the 360. This is not a AAA title in league with Gears of War, or Halo 3, or CoD 4. Yes, there is a lot of scrutiny, yes there is a lot of negativity, yes there are some issues............
but, with that said, it is sitll an A title. not bad, just maybe rough around the edges, but if you can get past that, you are in for a game that is going to suck you in, not let go, and have you addicted without ever realizing it. several reasons for this..........
1 - the controls. move with the left stick, attack with the right stick. if you can get that down, BOOM, you have now mastered 85% of the controls. easy. move toward the enemy hordes, rotate the right stick, KICK SOME @SS.
do you like kicking butt? well then, go get some!
2 - when you are not being friggin awesome, and beating the bejeebus out of monsters, you are getting loot. lots of loot. tons and tons of loot. every 5 seconds you are getting new swords, new boots, new bonus, money, new new new new new new new.............
you are going to spend a lot of time customizing and upgrading your guy, which rolls me into.........
3 - leveling and skills. 5 character classes, and each has 3 nodes to choose from, which basically fit into your play style. with all of the options, i can't imagine anyone having similiar characters on Live, chances will be slim.
despite the shortcomings, it is a fun and addictive game that is as easy and mindless (run around and kill) or as deep and complex (upgrade your weapons/armor/skills) as you want it to be.
one last big suggestion, take a few minutes and read up on Norse mythology. Silicon Knights did a lot of research and went to great lengths to stay true to the mythology, and unfortunately (one of the short comings of the game), you can get a little lost trying to follow the story and not having the information. knowing the mythology will help you enjoy it more................
.....or just hit the red button, skip the cut scenes, and get back to killing and being/feeling like an awesome god. | video-games_xbox |
a decent game with too many flaws. lets tackle us some flaws, cuz this game has a bunch:
1. If you do not have the time & date properly set on your xbox OR if you take this game out of/eject the disc from your xbox for any reason: you WILL be forced to watch a five minute commercial for the game you are minutes away from playing. from what i've been told, this has to do with temporary sound files far cry installs on your xbox. when the game is ejected, the files are deleted.
2. the AI is terrible. the enemies are either so mindnumbingly stupid you can walk up behind them and shoot them in the face at point blank range or they're so clairvoient you'll be spotted from so far away that even with the scope on your sniper rifle, you couldn't fire an acurate shot. This also makes stealth moves harder, as your spotted in everything except the thickest of brush. unfortunately, sight in this brush is pretty restricted. BE WARNED: one mission towards the end of the game will have you pulling your hair out. it is your job to escort a person to a chopper, killing any bad guy that gets in the way. unfortunately, the guy will constantly run out in front of you and otherwise get in the way. this will force you to play this mission dozens of times before dumb luck finally leaves you victorious.
3. then there's the weapon damage. somehow, the enemy can shoot you through trees and behind rocks... with amazing accuracy. ememies can withstand dozens of shots to the body while still charging at you with full speed.
4. the vehicle control just plain sucks... especially when driving smaller vehicles. firing while on the vehicles is equally as crummy. because you are driving in first person, you'll often times find yourself backing off cliffs, hitting things you can't see causing you vehicle to flip over.
5. this game also uses auto-save points. unfortunately, these can be few and far between forcing you to replay lengthy sections of game.
there is fun to be had, but not without enduring tons of flaws. and to be forwarned: THE ENDING PRETTY MUCH SUCKS. putting 20 hours in to a game for a (literally) 35 second payoff? come on... | video-games_xbox |
Mostly good changes in '07. Tiger Woods still leads the pack in golfing SIMS for PlayStation and XBox. Still a great game, lots of fun, decent graphics, and more importantly - still a challenge. I gave '04 and '05 both 5-star reviews... '06 is close at 4.5 stars... as is this '07 at 4.5 stars. Each year, there's not a game I look more forward to coming out than Tiger Woods' golf game. Here's the breakdown as I see it on Tiger Woods PGA 2007.
GOLF COURSES: 21 total courses (7 new courses). New courses include Aviara (California), The Falls (Las Vegas), The K Club (Ireland), Kiawah Island (Hawaii), The National (Australia), The Riviera CC (California) and The Safari (fictional). Several of the classic courses are back on '07 - including Pebble Beach, TPC at Sawgrass, Harbor Town, Pumpkin Ridge, St Andrews, etc... as well as the Central Park course and The Predator. There are 15 PGA players to unlock. The commentator team of McCord and Feherty are back (though many of their phrases are the same from '05 and '06).
GAME FACE, EQUIPMENT, GAME MODES: I see no noticeable improvement in the graphics department moving from '06 to the '07 game. Perhaps the PS2 has peaked in the graphics area - and the real improvements are reserved for PS3. Gone are the old timers (Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, etc) that the '06 featured. All the things you could do in '05 and '06 with the face and body are here, however you're only given one head to alter (and a lot of the altering is with the analog sticks instead of scrolling up and down, so it's not as precise). Gone is the "Game Breaker Meter" and "Voice" of the player (both from '06). Clothing, club selection and the misc golf gear is extensive and all the top major golfing brands are here (Callaway, Ping, Taylor-Made, etc). Game modes include the standards: PGA Tour/Season, Traditional (8 games including Match/Skins/etc), Battle Golf, Real Time Event Calendar, Skills 18, and new in '07 - Team Tour, One Ball, Team One Ball, Elimination Mode, and several new games under the 'traditional' category including Bloodsome, Greensome, Stableford, Best Ball and Four Ball. For me, the new game of "One Ball" is/was the best addition - a strategic game where multiple gamers playing a single ball, and each shot must land within a circle whose radius is half the distance to the pin and where holing out scores the most points. As in '06, there is a "Save Progress" button allowing you to stop play at any given time.
PUTTING: New in '07 - you get to choose - do you want to put like the '06 game is set up, or like the '05 game (too bad - no caddy tips)? As in '06, you'll need to read the greens and judge the distance to the cup before each putt. You'll need to look at all the info on the screen when putting - grid with sloping beads, camera angles, distance from the cup, and strength of shot. When putting, press the "X" button to show the ideal line/path to the hole. You'll have to judge how far left or right to move the blue arrow. Like the swing control of all your other clubs, you'll need to determine the power of your putts by how far you pull back on your putter. I actually prefer the newer way of putting (from '06) and I've gotten used to it...in my opinion, there's more info on the screen for you to make better putts using this method.
SWING CONTROLS: Same as 2006 - your left analog stick still controls the back swing and downswing, as well as your hook and slice; while the right analog stick determines where the club hits the ball. If you don't use the right analog stick (which will be a majority of your shots), you'll hit in the middle of the ball. I feel the right analog stick is more for those strategic shots when you're close to a tree and you need extra loft to get over it, or you're under a tree and you need to punch a line drive to get out from underneath. It's virtually impossible to hit a strategic shot like this with both thumbs on the analog controls AND power up on the L1 button for a stronger shot. You can still choose how you want to hit the ball (full swing, punch, pitch, flop, chip and putt). One nice thing I've noticed - in previous years the game would decide if and when you could use your putter. In '06 as well as '07, you make the choice where to use your putter... even from several feet off the green.
SKILL TOKENS: Same as 2006 - gone are the days of earning cash from tournaments and buying literally whatever attributes you want. When you hit a good shot, you will earn skill token(s) for that type of shot. There are 6 categories in which to earn tokens for and improve your golfers performance: General, Power, Accuracy, Putting, Spin, and Concentration. Wagering $$$ - while playing against another player, you can increase your paycheck each time you play, you can wager on every round or even every hole.
THE GOOD: Navigating through the screen menus is much easier in '07. The cumbersome and often times frustrating "Clubhouse" from '06 is gone. There are fewer clothing items to choose from (do we really need 150 different shirts?). "Speed Play" quickens the time and you can skip all the post celebrations if you want (with a click of the R1 button). The new games (Team Tour, One Ball, etc) offered are great and I find the game play here is amazingly deep. The new courses are cool - although I must admit I was hoping "The National" course was the one on eastern Long Island (NY), not the one from Australia. '07 includes tutorials - a description and example of each shot and type of game (i.e. flop, punch, pitch, spin control, "Bloodsome", Skills 18, etc)... great for novices of the sport. The EA Sports Trax (music) has changed for the better... it's all fairly low key instrumentals by obscure bands/people (Fort Knox Five, Way Out West, Hexstatic, etc)... gone is the annoying rap and hip-hop from previous years.
THE BAD: The announcers' dialogue was often wrong - "Finishes at even par today" when I'm on the 6th hole? "That's just a bad shot" when I leave a shot 4 feet from the pin from 150 yards out? I found the announcers chatter extremely repetitive and frequently turn them off. No big changes in the graphics from '06. All the characters still have a stiff neck. On the '07 game, when you change clothes or clubs, you need to change and adjust the attributes that go with it (this was new on the '06 game) - you need to do this in order to get the best performance from your player. I (still) found this to be a huge waste of time. Many of the trophy balls you earn are a meager $50 or $100... and they simply don't buy much (a hat maybe?). Between screens prepare to wait 20+ seconds every time while the system "checks for memory card" and then "saves data". Once or twice during an 18-hole match, my ball would be on the fringe of the green - and it gave me a weird angle from across the green (and I could not change it) - making for a very difficult shot. Perhaps the game is getting too easy when my young player at a rating of 70 can beat Vijay Singh (rating of 83) by eight strokes. I really miss the old time golfers (Palmer, Nicklaus, etc) from '06. The booklet that comes with the game is thin at only 10-pages and in black & white only... it only touches on the features... I learned more about the new features while actually IN the game and trying stuff out.
OVERALL: There are several changes from '06. Some good, some bad... but, mostly for the better. The few new features and the new golf courses make this a must have for those that like the Tiger Woods PGA series... still the best golf game on the market (4.5 stars). | video-games_xbox |
Exactly what I was hoping for. So, you want a game that allows you to take a leisurely stroll through New York, enjoying the sights, sounds, and ambiance of the city. Well, this game is most certainly not for you. What Prototype 2 is, much like the original Prototype, is an unabashed, gore filled, open world, romp of fun. I was a fan of the first game, so I went into the sequel with very specific expectations. I am happy to say that this is one of the few games that has lived up to exactly what I expected it to be. So, with that said, what can you expect out of Prototype 2?
In Prototype 2 New York is separated into three zones; Green, Yellow, and Red. The color of the zone reflected the level of infection present in that zone. The protagonist, Sgt James Heller, has a run in with Alex Mercer who is the main character from the first game, and is sent on a story of vengeance and revenge to those who killed his wife and daughter. Heller will need to go to all three zones to find what really happened to his family and to exact his form of justice.
Being an open world style game there are a lot places to explore, sights to see, and things to do. Make no mistake about this, this game is bloody. But, it's such a blast to fully evolve Heller and become a virtually unstoppable badass. Prototype 2 offers you many moments of badassery (yes, I just made that word up), anything from ripping a turret off the top of a tank and slamming it onto the tank to blow it up, to slicing the rotors off a helicopter and watching it crash. If you like explosions, enjoy gore, and feeling like the ultimate destruction machine give this game a run.
There are two things about Prototype 2 that Radical Entertainment absolutely nailed. First, most games that are released now have some sort of collectible to hunt out. This is one game where collectibles make sense and have a tangible reward for finding them, aside from the requisite achievement/trophy. Collectibles are divided into three categories; Black boxes which offer brief glimpses and snippets of information (if you played the original Prototype think of the Web of Intrigue). Field Ops which are Blackwatch guards and scientists examining the corpse of an infected which you have to destroy, and Lairs that you go into and either take out infected, Blackwatch, or both. Each zone has a certain number of each of these `collectables' finding/recovering/and or destroying them in a zone gives you a certain mutation on top of the normal XP that you earn. This gives you a tangible reason to search these out. In my play through I did these as soon as I could before doing story based mission. The powers you gain have the potential to help you in your quest immensely, plus they are fun to do.
The other thing that that I really enjoyed, and this one was a pleasant surprise, was the cut scenes. The majority of the story is told in cut scenes. While this is the case with a lot of games the delivery of the cut scenes is fantastic. They are done in a grey scale, almost noir style. There are touches of red scattered in some of the scenes which actually reminded me of the movie Schindler's List (yeah, I just dropped a classic movie reference). These cut scenes add a depth to the thinking of Keller and what is actually fueling his motives and why he is going after the people he does. Some of the scenes are predictable, but they felt genuine and I can honestly say I never skipped one.
Make no mistake about it, Prototype 2 is all about unlocking new powers, making them stronger, and using them to cause as much destruction as you can. There are five main powers to be had and upgrades, Claw, Blade, Tendrils, Whipfist, and Hammerfist. There are also a couple others like Devastators, and Pack Leader which add a different dimension. The actual powers, and upgrades, are unlocked by consuming the targets. It's a great way to become more powerful you don't magically unlock a new ability. You have to earn them all. Once earned, New York is your playground to try them out.
Action in Prototype 2 can become very hectic with several enemies, tanks, and helicopters all on the screen at the same time. During these chaotic sequences the camera can become somewhat of a detriment and cumbersome to get where you want it. This is especially true when there is a helicopter present and you want to target it. The camera's movement can be slow, it's just enough to be an issue, but not enough to get you killed or be overly frustrating. That is honestly the only thing I would try to enhance in the game.
Full disclosure, I was a fan of the original Prototype. Based on playing the first one I went into Prototype 2 with a very specific set of expectations. I have to say, the game lived up to what I was looking for. If you're not sure if this is the right game for you give the original Prototype a play. Radical Entertainment took the original and improved on it in every way. If you liked the first one, by all means jump into this one with your claws out you won't be disappointed. While I certainly understand this may not be a game for everyone, for those that enjoy this genre this is one that shouldn't be missed. | video-games_xbox |
Time to finish the fight! (or not. Halo 3, the third awesome game in the Halo series. Halo 3 is THE best of the Halo games.
The detail of the Xbox 360 and Halo 3 match perfectly!
It's amazing how the visual effects can be almost lifelike!
In Halo 3 you are the Master Chief, Spartan-117. Bred for war, trained to use any weapon in the battlefield. He is a menace to his enemies but a friend to his allies.
There are nine levels in Halo 3. In level 7, you destroy the Covenant, in 9, the Flood.
There are a lot of new weapons, such as the Brute Spiker, Mauler, Gravity Hammer, Missile pod, Flamethrower, Plasma cannon and Spartan Laser.
New vehicles consist of the Shade Turret, Chopper, Prowler, Hornet, Scarab and Mongoose. The Scarab is a Covenant huge spider-like super tank with its highly powerful Fuel Rod cannon.
There are 2 new grenades in Halo 3, the Spike and Firebomb, The Spike grenade will stick to anything--walls, ceilings (But not Brute Chieftains), and the Firebomb grenade is a, well, firebomb, when thrown, will catch ANYTHING on fire.
There is also Equipment in Halo 3! You can pick up Power drain--brings shield down to nothing and also shuts down vehicles, Bubble shield--makes a shield around player, Gravity lift--when stepped on, will shoot player in air, Regenerator--regenerates players health quickly when inside, Blinder--bright light is released, Trip Mine--when stepped on or close by, mine will explode, Radar Jammer--fills players' radar with lots of moving red dots, Invincibility--when used you will be immune to all incoming fire, but is short lived, Cloaking--If used, player will be invisible, and Auto-Turret--an independent hovering object that shoots a beam at enemies, but can be destroyed easily.)
The missions are fun and challenging, and another huge plus for Halo 3--Achievements!! There are 13 skulls hidden in the campaign. Plus there are achievements you can unlock by doing special things (I have 33 out of 36 campaign achievements so far).
Now, you can only be the Master Chief this time, unlike Halo 2 where you could be the Arbiter and Chief.
The Floods' appearance has changed since Halo 1 and 2. I like Halo 3s' Flood the best.
The Brutes in Halo 3 are no longer so hairy, but have lots of armor this time, if you `nock off' their armor; they growl and will run towards you, trying to kill you with their powerful melee's. There are Brute Chieftains, wearing non-sticky armor and spiked helmets and hold the Gravity Hammer or Plasma turret, (NOTE! The Gravity Hammer can kill you with one or two whacks, and the guys holding it can have Invincibility!)
The Grunts on Halo 3 say some very funny things [...]Here are a few: "I can`t run when I`m scared!!", when throwing a grenade, "Open up and say ahh!" and "I`m gonna cut you down to size!".
Some famous characters at the end of Halo 3 die. I won't say who they are, I'll let you see.
I have been watching the Halo 4 trailer on Youtube. It might come out in the fall of 2010 (hopefully no later!) | video-games_xbox |
A good buy depending on your needs. *****UPDATE******
I was assigned a Polk customer service representative via email to handle the boom mic and adapter offer. I have sent him three emails directly and have not heard anything back. During this time the drop down microphone has not worked at all. I am not suggesting poor quality sound or muffled...it will not even register any sound. Between the difficulty contacting support, the non-functional mic, and my lukewarm overall feelings about these headphones I have decided to submit a request to return. I highly encourage a phone call to Polk if you want to take advantage of the offer as email is a not productive.
****END UPDATE*******
I am struggling a little bit in reviewing these headphones. On one hand I believe they are an outstanding value at the current price. On the other hand I am not sure they are strong enough to push their way into my regular headphone rotation. Let me give a little more information that might push you one way or another depending on your needs or preferences. I will also compare them to two similarly priced products to help round out their overall place in this range, including the popular Monoprice 8323 and the Takstar 2050.
Functionality. I purchased these primarily to use with the Xbox One. They work fine with the new style controller right out of the box. No adapter or modifications are necessary provided you have the updated controller with the separate headphone jack. I have submitted a case with Polk to receive the adapter as most of my controllers are the older style. I will update this when I see how that works out as there are reports that this promotion is being honored as well as reports to the contrary. The microphone does work and you can control everything on-screen to adjust your chat versus game audio mix. The microphone sensitivity was subpar as I expected but it is functional. If the boom mic is sent along with the adapter that should clear that right up. The ability to also use these on the 360 is a nice bonus and they work very well in that capacity. Everything is included to easily use them with any audio device. For pure versatility out of the box these cans score points for anyone interested in xbox gaming and/or having a mic included without purchasing a separate device.
Comfort. This is a mixed bag FOR ME...but could be excellent for others. I have a half dozen headphones across the entire price range and these are far and away the loosest headphones I own. They are over the ear and the cups are nicely padded and comfortable, but they literally hang on my head with no pressure against my face. Please understand that I have a rather small head so this fit could be nearly perfect for other people. The up side of the loose fit is they are very comfortable on my ears but it increases the weight pressing down from the headband. Fortunately the band is nicely padded so it isn't really an issue but I will also never forget I am wearing them. I consider them middle of the road comfort wise. They are not nearly as comfortable as the Takstar with its wonderful cloth ear padding, but they are quite a bit more comfortable than the Monoprice.
Construction/Appearance. I think they are a decent looking headphone but they don't scream "premium device". Right out of the box they have a "well used" quality to them. Everything spins easily and kind of flops around. They don't really give off that perception of being robust but everything appears functional and I am not expecting durability issues. Looking at them next to the Takstar they look like a vastly inferior product that should cost a quarter of the price.
Sound. Alright, let's get to the important aspect...how do they sound? This is always so subjective but let me draw some comparisons. They are very, very detailed and "forward". The vocal details are excellent and the high frequencies feel so detailed that it can almost be too much at times. Depending on the source material I sometimes really enjoy it and other times I come close to listening fatigue. I think they will do a great job pulling out details in games and I like the "airy" quality to the sound as it almost makes some of my other headphones sound like they have a sheet over them. It really just boils down to listener preference but I generally prefer a little depth and punch with the bass. I am not talking about Beats bass, I just prefer a warmer sound signature in general where the bass is more impactful and prominent. These feel like they favor the higher frequencies but they sound excellent in doing that. I much prefer the sound of the Takstar and the Monoprice in this range. Both of those have much improved bass quality over the Polk and provide a better sound in my opinion.
Honestly in this price range the Takstar are my go-to headphone if you can deal with open cans and the sound leakage. They sound better, look better, and feel better. The Monoprice have excellent sound and even take it a notch further with bass but I find their comfort lacking and their sound the least "open" of the three.
I have no regrets about this purchase as the versatility is a nice feature for 20 bones. The detailed sound is really good in certain applications, the comfort is fine, and they will provide me chat capability on the rare times I need it. If you do not need the xbox 360 capability but do chat extensively I would consider moving up a price range and getting a different gaming headset or go with a traditional headphone and purchase an additional mic. If you simply want a nice sounding pair of headphones that does a little of everything and you enjoy that open, detailed sound you can't really go wrong. | video-games_xbox |
Definitely worth a try. I'd like to adress a few things that other reviewers have written about this game, but first I'd like to give my own opinion.
For the three months that I've owned it, I've found WPT to be a very fun, very addictive game. It offers a variety of options in regards to style of play (In the quick draw section you can choose from any number of poker variations including Omaha, 7 card stud, 5 card stud, 5 card draw...) and also includes an in-depth career mode. The only real negative about the career mode would be the fact that it can be somewhat repetetive, involving playing the same tournaments over and over. However, as you progress the difficulty increases, and you'll find that your rabid raising, maniac style that got you into the tournament finale won't work against better opposition, thus forcing the player to employ different strategies for different opponents,
which brings me onto my next positive point about this game, the AI...
As you play table after table of world class poker tournaments, you will encounter a countless array of ridiculously named Poker Sims (Ollie Cherhat, Di Nomite, Asa Spades....)... As stupid as their names are, they will provide you a worthy challenge, as between them they represent many different styles of poker play... Some of them are Maniacs, some of them bluff compulsively, some of them will Slow play every hand (And occaisionally drive you broke in the process), some of them will check-raise you pre-flop... All in all it makes for intereting play...
Another interesting element of this game is the emotion toggle that you can use with the right thumbstick. By pushing the thumbstick in each direction you can represent a different emotion by using facial expression... I don't know how efective it is in progressing in the game, but hey, it's fun. Hitting the "Gloat" expression is always a laugh when you flip over those pocket aces and view your opponents dismay...
Now to adress some of the negative remarks made about the game....
*Not being able to name your Create-a-player
This is false. You can name your player anything you want. At the player select screen all you need to do is select "Empty" and the game will allow you to create a player from scratch, name and all... The only time you can't name a player is if you select "Player" rather than "Empty"...
*The players are unpredictable
I can't get my head around this one... Isn't this what makes the game fun? Unpredictable play is what forces those tough decisions out, in my eyes it only makes the game more challenging...
*All the women are old and fat
To tell the absolute truth, I didn't notice this one, but there are a few fat old women in this game... There are also fat old men.... And when you get to the "Pro" stages of the game, you get to view cut scenes of the lovely Shana Hiatt... So really, everybody wins!
I don't really have any issues with the graphics, they look pretty standard to most stuff on the xbox... But the important thing for me was the gameplay, and I found it very enjoyable... This game may not be fast-paced enough for some, but I'd recommend giving it a go, particularly if you love your poker... It's a bit of fun... | video-games_xbox |
Homerun with this addition to Xbox 360. Last year I bought the family an Xbox with a Kinect and all kinds of games for all ages. My daughter liked the Kinect specific games but got frustrated really easily at the sluggish-ness sometimes of trying to control the games with the sensor. There were times that we had to turn off the console to avoid a meltdown and find another activity.
When she asked for the Disney Infinity system for Christmas I was a little hesitant to buy something else for an Xbox system that she seemed to be completely done playing with barely a year after I firs bought it. I started looking into what kind of investment this would be and the starter pack didn't seem to be too bad (especially with Amazon Prime) prices. After it got opened she spent hours playing in the Toybox play area until I made her take a break and stop playing.
PROS
For imaginative kids and Disney fans this is a spectacular game.
LOTS of Easter eggs.
The starter pack will keep you entertained for quite a bit as you build and modify your play area.
The intro to get started is a great tutorial. Unlike some "kids" games the landscape is pretty easy to manage even for an 8-year-old. It doesn't take very long to figure out how to jump, where not to walk, etc.
The characters and playsets are cross-compatible. If you buy Sully's character you can use him on Wii or on Xbox as long as you have your own system's Disney Infinity Base. Same for the power discs.
CONS
Shrewd marketing by Disney....in your starter pack you get access to Captain Jack Sparrow, Mr. Incredible, and Sully. However to play more than one player (which is VERY fun even for an adult) you have to have TWO characters from the SAME movie to do their exclusive Adventures. So to play two people in the Monster's University Adventure you need to go buy Mike or else you can only play 1-player. Same for Mr. Incredible and Cap'n Jack's Adventures. The only mode for two-players at the same time with different characters is in the basic toy box adventure. This is still fun, but they definitely know how to make you run out and buy more figures.
My daughter was already talking about playsets and characters they haven't advertised yet so I'm sure that this thing will keep growing and growing until people are hunting down rare characters and paying triple their price.
The power discs seem ok, but I don't know that there is an advantage to having all of them except for buying more stuff.
There is no online multi-player availability. | video-games_xbox |
Tell me it isn't true. Resident Evil 5 had to be my most anticipated video game relase in a very long time. Too bad I was greatly disapointed with it...
This isn't to say that the game is absolutely horrible, it just doesn't live up to the expectations I, and many others had.
My biggest problem with the game is the actual gameplay. Resident Evil 4's gameplay, while far from perfect, was forgiveable because it was a HUGE improvement over all the previous entries in the series (and yes, I have played them ALL). Resident Evil 5's? Not so much. In fact, if memory serves me right, the controls are exactly the same. The inability to move while shooting or using your knife is completely ridiculous and unnecessary. And would it have absolutely killed the development team to put a little more ammo in the game? These things DO NOT make for a more fun, intense, scary game, they make for an incredibly frustrating and unenjoyable one! And speaking of scary, aren't Resident Evil games supposed to be at least a little bit scary? Because this one is not.
How about the co-op gameplay? Well, I wish I could tell you how it is, but contrary to popular belief some people still enjoy a deep, solid, single player experience in a game! I am one of those people. I don't really have a friend who is into gaming, and I don't care to play with a stranger over Xbox-Live. I can't help but feel Capcom left people like me in the dust. Sure, you can still play the game with an AI Sheva, but this hinders the experience even further. She goes through ammo WAAAY too fast, which is a huge problem due to the incredible lack of it, and she does the same with health items. I can respect what Capcom was trying to do, but I wish they would have had a single player option to play as either Chris or Sheva without the other one.
The game does have it's strong points as well. The story and sound are very good, and the graphics are outstanding. Most of the "zombies" seem like they were just recycled from RE4, but the bosses are very inventive and cool. Although I haven't beat the game yet, I have heard that there are plenty of unlockable items and game modes to keep playing the game long after you beat it. I know I shared my personal view as a single player on the co-op gameplay, but I suspect that the game would be a lot of fun for those who DO have someone to play it with.
After saying all of that, I would be lying if I said I didn't regret paying $59.99 to buy this game. It is a good enough game to warrant a rent, or maybe a buy later when you can get it used for a lot less money, but I don't think it is worth sixty bucks. I plan on finishing the game quickly, and selling it used right after so I can get as much of my money back as I can. There is still some fun to be had, but after all the time they spent developing this game I expected much more. | video-games_xbox |
Great for the aspiring Prison Warden. You ever wonder who grows up to become a prison warden? My son, that's who. He is 9 years old and he loves this game. He has already mastered many of the nuances of motivating the prisoners to work for privileges and he has reduced the number of shiv incidents by over 90% in just one month of playing the game. Not only do the prisoners love him, but the guards love his policies too. It is hard to believe that a game like this could inspire a young man to want to grow up to rehabilitate incarcerated felons, but it really is making an impact on his life.
Often, after playing 4 or 5 hours of Prison Architect after school, he will sit down at the table with us for dinner (we have family dinner because unlike some parents who let their kids do anything, we have rules!) and ask poignant questions like, "Why are so many young men incarcerated in our country dad?" Or, "Do you think the war on drugs is working?" Often we will end up with a very passionate discussion and his grandfather (who is a Fox News worshipper) will stomp out of the house grumbling about our parenting policies. It's great!
Most importantly, it is teaching him things like supply and demand, motivating people, and even understanding all of the little things that go on behind the scenes in running a large institution like a prison. We have to keep an eye on him to make sure that some of the more sordid aspects of the game are not activated, since he is just nine years old. We don't want him learning about exchanging favors among the inmates or guards accepting bribes so that the prisoners can run a drug business from inside the prison. At least not yet!
Anyway, we are really excited for the opportunity this game has given him to explore careers outside the mainstream that he would probably never have considered before. Prison management is the wave of the future, especially as more and more prisons start to be privatized and prison wardens will command six figure salaries, and healthy bonuses and "benefits" if they play their cards correctly. We are glad that educational games like this exist and happy that our son seems so interested in them! | video-games_xbox |
Great controller, it has helped me in Black Ops quite a bit. My official MS controller was not working properly so I was in the market for a new controller. I wanted to see what was out there besides the official controller. Most of the time the off-brand peripherals are crap, but I wanted to check anyway. I saw on some message boards people talking about the Razer Onza. I haven't had any experience with Razer products being that I am not a PC gamer, but the brand is very popular with the PC gamers. I did some research and decided to give the controller a shot. I did order the tournament edition not the regular addition.
First off, opening the package from amazon I was greeted by a very cool packaged Onza. The packaging was very appealing, I knew I had something special waiting for me inside. The controller is very attractive to the eyes, very stylish with designs and rubberized finish. There are some stickers packed in with it, but I haven't explored what to do with those. Next I am going to talk about the features of controller which make it stand out from other controller. First off the D-Pad arrows are separate buttons, they are not in a solid circle any more. It makes using the D-pad more precise. I have not used it alot to make too many comments on if it really helps or not, so I can't help you there. The buttons on the controller light up which just adds to the "coolness" of the device, however it has no effect on the performance of the controller. The buttons are quite different than the official controller. They are almost completely flat and they are much quicker than the official controllers buttons. I would like to give it a shot with Ninja Gaiden to see if I can really tell a difference. I have been able to tell some difference when playing Black Ops. It does seem like my knife comes out a split second quicker than the other controller. The only knock I have on these buttons is that they make a loud clicking sound when you use them -- sounds like a mouse click. That is no biggie, but just be prepared for it to be a little louder than the official controller. Next up, the controller has 2 multifunction bumpers on the top of the controller. You can map other button presses to the bumper. For instance, you may rather have your knife/melee set up on your multifunction bumper in Black Ops so you can just use your index finger. This will allow you to knife without taking your thumb off of your aim stick if you use tactical. That can give you an edge when playing on Xbox Live. Next up is my favorite feature -- the adjustable analog sticks. I love this feature and it was one of the main reasons I purchased this controller. I have always felt that the official controller analog sticks were too loose for me. This corrects that problem, by turning the dial under the top of the stick you can tighten or loosen the tension of the stick. GREAT FEATURE! I tightened mine up quite a bit and they feel exactly how I want them to feel. It really helps with my precision in Black Ops. The sticks are also taller than the sticks on the official controller. This also helps quite a bit. From what I have read "FPS Freek" stick extenders only work on this controller with some modification -- so do that at your own risk. The taller sticks already on the Onza will simulate to a small extent what the FPS Freeks do. The next feature that I personally like, but lots of gamer will see this as a negative -- it is a wired controller. I personally like not having to worry about batteries or charging controllers all the time. I did use the play-n-charge kit with my other controller -- I basically had that plugged in all the time so I might as well have a wired controller. The cord is very long and you can basically sit where you want in your living room. I personally feel that the wired controller will have less interference than the wireless ones. The only thing I really don't like about the controller is that the official MS headset does NOT work with the Onza. It does work with headsets, but not that one. I don't talk much to people while playing games, but I still would like the option. This omission by them is the fact that they are wanting to push you into buying their Razer Chimera headset. This could be a big negative to those who talk alot and don't want to buy a new headset. So here is quick pros/cons list:
Pros:
--Slick look and great rubberized covering, buttons light up
--Very light due to it being a wired controller (not being wireless may be a con to some folks)
--adjustable analog sticks are amazing -- definitely my fav feature
--2 Multifunction bumpers
--D-pad are separate buttons, not a uniform circle
--analog sticks are taller -- helps with precision
Cons:
--buttons click rather loudly -- like a mouse click
--does not support the MS official headset
--Not wireless -- not a con for me personally, but will be a con for most people
Verdict:
4.5/5.0 stars
I love the controller. Go for the Tournament edition, it is only $10 more than the regular edition. The adjustable sticks are worth the extra dollars. The Onza has helped me alot in Black Ops. It won't make you into a pro, but I feel it will help you. I used to always be near last place most matches, now I score in the top half of the lobbies alot of the time. Sometimes in the top 3. This controller would get a perfect score from me if my official headset worked with it. My advice -- get it. | video-games_xbox |
Initially hard to learn controls, but then a fun game. We spent some time playing this game the other day, and my son -- much more of a gamer than I am -- wrote the following:
Let me start off by saying that I am not an avid player of sports games or racing games. The closest thing to this game that I have played is SSX 3, which I would say is a very different game from long ago. So, I'm mostly coming into this game as a FPS/RPG player.
Now, knowing that background, the controls were not at first intuitive to me, and I feel like the tutorial could have done slightly better explaining. (But maybe these things are a universal standard in extreme sports games.) Initial movement was with the left stick, which was to be expected, but then I walked up to the platform, put on my wing suit, and tried to walk again. Instead I did a face plant (it's still not clear to me that you can move without diving after equipping the wing suit). After getting back up I could walk normally so I walked to the edge, and couldn't figure out how to jump off. Eventually, I figured out, I "crashed" and needed to hold Y to reset. So I did, and tried walking to the edge again, but instead dove face first onto the platform again. I needed to switch out of my wing suit if I wanted to make minor adjustments on my launch position, which I found tedious, and I had to figure out myself.
All the game modes themselves were pretty easy and intuitive to figure out at a casual level, but I still don't really understand many aspects. When snowboarding (which is what I did most of), I feel like things randomly kill me. The last part of the tutorial is doing tricks while sliding down through a village, so I look at the map and figure any snowy roof is a jump, but I quickly learned that going over a roof was a good way to lose all momentum or just straight up wipe out. Further, estimating how much air I am going to get in a jump seems hard for me to estimate. I'm sure that I'm just missing a feel for the game, but some jumps randomly bump you early, some randomly send you flying through the air, and some you just slide right over. Another complaint here, is that going backwards while in an event seems to be almost impossible, or I'm missing the controls for it. Multiple times, while trying to use roofs as jumps, I would lose all my momentum on the upward slanted roof. So I would try to slide back down the roof to get off and go around, but that would be going backwards and the game doesn't seem to like that during events, so instead my character sits there desperately trying to slide *up* a slant. I got stuck in this situation many times while snowboarding, and the best way to get out appears to be to jump fruitlessly at the lowest point of the ramp that it still "forward" to the race.
The final confusion I had with this game was scoring. All my previous experience with games like this (ssx 3, but also skate and tony hawk's pro skater) are entirely based off tricks. If this is a way to jump onto and grind a railing, it wasn't explained to me, and I haven't figured it out. Tricks seem to award points on difficulty, which makes sense, but I felt I was getting a lot more points just flying past random obstacles. Which is maybe more the point of the game, being a risk taker. But while sliding down it seemed I would just be randomly getting random amounts of points, and I couldn't figure out how to optimize points from danger zones.
I've shared a few grievances, but this game was not a bad game. Almost entirely, it just seems to have a tedious barrier to entry. I'm sure most of my problems will go away with time and getting use to the game's environment, but they are problems for new players nonetheless. I think the game is unique in it's scoring for high risk over tricks, but I'm not really up to speed on other options out there.
One of the things I really enjoyed is the seamless multiplayer, as I was sliding down the village, I would see other noobs show up and stumble around and fall down the hill with me. But again, this could just be a standard for the genre at this point.
Three of the game modes, snowboarding, wing suit, and skiing seem well flushed and greatly enjoyable. So far paragliding sort of feels like I'm playing a mario party mini-game.
Overall, since I don't know the other options out there, I can only really recommend it on one level. To people who enjoy the extreme sports genre and want something new, I believe this will accomplish that with its combination of sports and its unique scoring for risk taking rewarding reaction game play.
For people new to the genre, this game might be more tedious and expansive than you want. I know for me, even playing this game, all I really want to do is race and do tricks on the snowboard, and for something like that I prefer games like ssx 3, which I am sure there are more recent games that play better than ssx 3 but are the same idea.
Overall, I would like to give this game a 7/10, but on amazon I'm forced to round that up or down, and it's a tough decision for me, but I'm inclined to round up to 4/5 just due to the apparent uniqueness of the game. | video-games_xbox |
Could've been better; but not as bad as I thought it be. After passing up opportunities to buy Brink for the thousandth time, I finally bit the bullet and got this game courtesy of Amazon for a really cheap price. (wasn't even 3 dollars with shipping included)
Prior to getting this game, I heard mixed opinions about this game and didn't know what to make of it. Now that I have it. I'll review it.
Here's my review-
Graphics-
You'd think with the Virtual Texture Technology advertised for this game it would at least be a good looking game. Sadly, Brink is either too dark or it's textures are popping in constantly. At times, I'd take a look at the ground and it has no texture whatsoever. Even after installing this game to my hard drive, I was unable to see any improvement other than a slight difference in load times.
Brink does have a consistent frame rate which maintains a smooth 60fps, only slightly dropping at times; but nothing noticeable.
The color scheme in this game is slightly on the cartoonish side featuring pastel-esque palettes rather than the more conventional gritty tone.
The maps are pretty big but the level design in this game doesn't bring anything new to the table. In fact, I was looking forward to some parkour when I noticed, I rarely even thought of using any other than perhaps getting the drop on an enemy from above.
The characters look pretty good; but are cartoonish. Characters were reminiscent of RAGE (Xbox 360, PS3, Bethesda) with their cartoonish appearance. Big heads, oddly shaped body types and oversized feet are the norm, however, it's not that apparent being that you once you play Brink, the game's pace is fast and you'll often be trying to spot enemy AI which are uninspired. (red suits or clones)
Nothing impressive here and really this may be the worst looking Bethesda game to date.
Score- 6/10
Sound-
The sound is actually good in Brink. When you shoot a shotgun or a rifle or perhaps a handgun, it actually sounds like the weapon. (Especially the handgun and shotgun) The dialogue is interesting as well featuring a slew of different accents. (my favorite being the Carribean/Jamaican)
In this department, I actually haven't one complaint being that the sound is satisfying.
Score- 10/10
Gameplay-
This is where Brink has it's problems. But before I get into the Campaign, let me start off by saying you'll get the most fun out of multiplayer. Multiplayer can be played online against Humans and Bots or Offline against Bots. In either form of multiplayer, you're given options to tweak gameplay such as choosing objective based gameplay or all out TDM style gameplay. But in any event, Brink is teamwork oriented meaning that you're not going to get far trying to be John Rambo unless the difficulty is turned way down. The Bots have good aim and are good enough to play against if you can't get online. Also, against bots you'll earn rewards such as new weapons, skins, clothing, gear and perks.
All in all and again, this is where you'll get the most enjoyment.
Then you have the campaign...which is just endless spawning and objective based combat. In fact, the story's fairly weak and it plays nearly identical to multiplayer (and you're also granted rewards, the only difference is that the campaign is where you'll earn most of the achievements. (even though offline multiplayer or online mp earns them as well, just not the same achievements)
The game's control is something that bugs me a little. Afterall, mapping "run" to one of the bumper buttons instead of the left analog stick when pressed in is weird. There's even two different runs in the game. If you press in the left analog stick and move, you'll move a little faster, but it seems more like a jog than a run and finally, when you press one of the bumper buttons for run, you move much faster like a real run.
Aiming is a bit on the weird side also. Anyone whose played Section 8 for Xbox 360 can relate to aiming at an enemy and killing them much faster rather than hip fire. In Brink, hip fire does nearly any damage unless you're super close and even then you can still take a dirt nap courtesy of AI/online well placed shots from a shotgun or rifle.
In any event, I also have a slight quirk with aiming in this game being that it feels strange. Even with sensitivity tuned, Brink gives me too much of a Killzone feeling. (not quite as bad but close) Aiming is a little on the sluggish side.
Brink also brings some decent ideas to the plate that could've been better if these concepts were worked on. For example, in the beginning of Brink, you're given the freedom to create a character only to realize that there's tons of stuff to unlock, but nothing will stop your characters from looking odd. Also, and although this is a minor gripe to me, Brink doesn't give you the ability to create a female. (one of the standards in Bethesda games)
However, what Brink does get right is how balanced the weapons and class system is.
You can choose Soldier, Medic, Engineer etc and each class has it's pros and cons. For example, an engineer is able to place turrets throughout a level or repair bots, an engineer can even give boosts to it's infantry in the form of weapon perks. The Medic can revive infantry as well as himself when downed and the Soldier is similar to the Engineer but much better at close quarters combat.
In addition to all the great shooting action Brink offers, you're given the weakest looking melee attack ever. Seriously, with games like MOH Warfighter, Battlefield 3 and 4, Killzone and such in existence, you'd think for once that a FPS game would have brutal looking melee kills; but sadly, this is not the case at all.
If I actually paid 60 dollars for Brink, I'd be pissed due to it's lack of story and underwhelming gameplay mechanics (underutilized parkour), however, being that I paid not even 3 dollars for it, I'd call it a steal. It offers online and offline multiplayer which is a huge plus being that so many games force one option to work with. The sound design is nothing short of fantastic and although it's graphics are a bit underwhelming with texture pop-in or muddy textures, Brink still is an enjoyable experience. It's just unfortunate that with all the hype that surrounded this game when it initially launched, Brink did not live up to it.
One of the best aspects I love about this game is that there's no lone-wolfing missions. Combat is realistic in a sense that playing 1 against 300 isn't even possible. The AI can be quite challenging and despite what other reviewers say about friendly AI, I purposely did not choose engineer in a few multiplayer and campaign missions and got past the mission just fine.
Score- 8/10 | video-games_xbox |
Digital crack. Another title that impeded me from turning the power off. Crackdown is a solid game that deserves high marks in the sandbox genre.
Storyline: You play as an agent in a crime ridden city. There are 3 districts, each controlled by a gang that is progressively better armed/organized and more aggressive as you go along. Your character has progressive abilities granted by genetic manipulation. This is brought together decently well considering if you are playing this game, the story is just an excuse to do what your doing, so the story does it's job.
Acheivements: Some of the achievements are gimme's, but not as much so as in other games. The acheivment system rewards players for doing what any sandbox player would do anyway granted these abilities. Ig, there is an acheivment for climbing to the highest point in the city, and then another for jumping off and landing safely in the water below. Half of these acheivements will be acheived simply by playing through the game, the other half will remind you of the acheivements on <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dead-Rising/dp/B000F3AADE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dead Rising</a>, sans the morbid humor.
Gameplay: It's not hard to get started, the narrator tells you what you need to do, and then you get off to a start. You will find yourself slaying gang members in no time. But there is more to the game than that. You do races on foot (more difficult than it sounds), and in vehicles. There are things to find, and you are encouraged (in the form of acheivement points) to make massive explosions happens and wreak havoc on vehicles and such. Also, the narrator does not push you to move on with the missions, he lets you do whatever without badgering you to press on with the story, and even lets you know when there are races nearby you. While I spent the first hour killing bad guys, I spent the next four just seeing what I could do, and because I was earning points towards my abilities, it wasn't a waste of time.
Graphics: These graphics aren't designed to truly shine on a HDTV, but they still look good. What catches your eye is when your on top of a tall building and you notice the draw distance. You can see cars driving from a far distance away, and there is no 'fog' in the distance. It will draw the whole city, and it looks even better at sunrise and sunset. But that is a fleeting moment. Rest of the game still looks good, and is testament to the power of the 360. The most gratifying explosions make you just itching to use the rocket launcher on anything.
Sound: The sound works, thats all I can say. The deep base of the explosions and the distinctive sounds from different weapons and even cars works well with a surround system. If you and the cops are having a block-wide gun battle with a gang, the surround will make you think your playing <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Call-of-Duty-3/dp/B000G7YRHO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Call of Duty 3</a>.
Didn't Like: The soundtrack. It's weak but who cares? Anyone who gets this will play the game for two minutes before he plays his own gang-busting soundtrack. So, actually, it's good the designers didn't waste too much disc space with the tracks. Also, I'm a cop, and I can't arrest anyone? In <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/True-Crime-Streets-of-L-A/dp/B0001KJOHE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">True Crime: Streets of L.A.</a>, you can at least search people and interact a little more with the civilians. Speaking of civilians, they have no desire to save themselves. When you are having a gun battle and the gang members are just piling in, you eventually have to shoot off a rocket or toss a grenade into the crowd of enemies to save yourself - at the expense of a few hapless civilians who don't seem to care that bullets are flying anywhere. This isn't so bad, except the cops that are helping you suddenly get pissed and try to shoot you. Driving is kind of a pain sometimes. The engine for vehicle handling makes almost everything handle like a warthog in <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Halo-2/dp/B00008J7NZ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Halo 2</a> with a drunk team-killing partner behind the wheel. You WILL run over people in everyrace if you intend to win, and even if you don't, none of these vehicles brakes respond very well so good luck not hitting a car on the road even when you are trying to drive normal. Fortunatly, the cops don't stay mad for long and will forget your transgressions, and the skill penalization is far outweighed by the gain (unless you are JUST killing civilians, then you don't gain any skills). There is one graphics error that appears every once in a while. Sometimes the game forgets to draw a car, and you will see a person sitting on air doing 40 - kind of humorous.
I can't say if any of these has or has not been fixed by any of the 3 patches since it's release, as I can't get on xbox live in Afghanistan due to poor connection speed, but except for the soundtrack, all those I'm sure could easily be fixed. | video-games_xbox |
A Great Game and a Poor Design (a spoiler-free review. The short form: Destiny tells an original story with all the gameplay feel of a Halo title...unfortunately, the way the online system was implemented creates some very frustrating pain points that make it hard to get through. There was a noble goal here of blending single-player, co-op, and multi-player (and PvP), but the implementation is ugly.
the full review:
Destiny starts off with some beautiful cutscenes, then drops you into an equally beautiful environment: rusted and overgrown cars, a massive derelict building, and a floating polygonal ball hovering in front of you, telling you that you've been dead for centuries, but he thinks you were worth reviving. These story hooks suck you in immediately, and there's a real excitement to escaping the oncoming sounds of your pursuers, fleeing into the dark and making your bid for safety. As you go forward, the game puts you in a waypoint area where other players are coming and going. Much like an MMO, this is a marketplace and we have merchants and quest-givers aplenty. Your character's look can be customized by you, and like an RPG your character levels as you go. You can also buy and upgrade equipment, and you have a spaceship that you use to travel from place to place. All the buttons map the same as a Halo game, so gameplay is easy to get into. Bungie have also borrowed a page from Borderlands and made it easy for you to spawn a vehicle and rip through the environment to get to your goal--it's fun to do so but you want to get off the vehicle early let you find yourself tangled in a close-quarters firefight or overrun by respawns when shooting from a distance (more on this below).
Unfortunately, the old-fashioned level-grind is difficult to manage, and here are some examples why:
1) I like to explore areas. I was level 3, and I found an interesting spot along the way. "I wonder what's in there?" Well, it's a level 18 monster that will one-shot you in the back as you run away. So, no exploring, stick to the goal-points, check the waypoints often as you go.
2) I was level 5 when I discovered a side mission that looked pretty fun: guard this item for a period of time while waves of bad guys come along. I was doing pretty well on my own when two higher-level players wandered through. I don't know if they deliberately took on my mission (you can do this) or they just happened to engage the enemy, but the result was that suddenly level-5 me was up against every enemy at level 8. I died three times in a row and the mission failed, while the other players had long since moved on.
3) I was level 7 when I found another side mission, identical to the first. I got help from a level 25 player, but that also meant the last wave of bad guys was level 25. I kept trying to hide and survive, but they were drawn to me. While the other player was tangling with some of the bad guys, the rest had cornered me and slaughtered me--mission fail, no rewards.
4) Every time I've used a grenade, it's bounced like a tennis ball, as far away from the target as possible, and sometimes directly into my face. I think the purpose of this is so that when I level up, I'll see a benefit to my grenade skills, but it can be frustrating to hobble a basic skill so badly just to prove a point.
5) If you're alone, enemy respawns can slow you down because they happen pretty fast. I've often cleared a group of enemies only to have the last group respawn, and because nobody's around, they come at me. I can hang around and re-do both encounters for extra XP (sometimes I do this just to level up), or I can run to the next checkpoint and hope it doesn't happen again.
I'm trying to over-compensate for these problems by deliberately re-playing low-level missions. This is going to get tedious, because as the story progresses, you do go back to the same areas later on to do other missions walking the same paths. The first time I returned to the location I started the game in was interesting. The third time was getting old.
I'm writing this review because I just hopped back in for a few missions and got another standard problem: "We're sorry, but a network connection problem has disconnected you from the server." My mission was ended, no experience, and I'm back at the main screen. You have to log into the game, but it's not very good about logging you out--so sometimes when you launch the game you'll also have to acknowledge that you were signed out the last time. Sometimes you have to re-launch the game after this in order to properly be allowed to connect. And of course you have to be logged into Xbox Live to even begin the game. I originally had the demo, and 30 seconds after the opening cutscene it disconnected me, never to launch again. I took a leap of faith in buying Destiny, and I have to say it's making me even less of a fan of the 'continuous Internet required' trend I'm seeing in games.
This is really the sticking point with me: I love the gameplay, I hate being boxed in and forced to level-grind and run away until I can overpower my way through. I want to love Destiny, but I think the way this system was implemented means that unless you have friends of your level who will play through the story with you, you'll be in for a tough climb. | video-games_xbox |
Not Sure How This Is Considered An RE Game. What comes to mind when you think of Resident Evi? Zombies, Strategy, Conservation, Puzzles, Backtracking, Problem Solving, Quasi-Cheesey Story Line and Hours Upon Hours of Game Play.
Aside from the cheesey storyline, this game has none of those. The best compliment I can give this game is that this is the game Resident Evil Raccoon City should have been. I can't saw it is the worst of the franchise as RE: Raccoon City was almost unplayable.
The partner feature is definately an upgrade from RE Raccoon City. If you'll recall, you couldn't control your partners in RE:RC and they often walked into booby traps or got themselves killed way to easily. However, in this game the downside is that you can control your partner via commands(kinda like Brothers in Arms), but there realy is no reason to. They essentially added a neat feature that doesn't serve much of a purpose. So it's an upgrade without a reason.
The Quick Time Actions...I'm not even sure what to say about this. You get them every few seconds. There are times where I think they are a neat addition, like throwing a zombie off you, but there mostly they are a pain in the buy. This isn't a feature that is worth keeping. It cheapens the gameplay.
The lack of instructions. This game comes with no manual. The first 10 minutes of the game isn't a quasi-instructional how-to showing you how to work all the new features. Actually, at almost no point in this game are the new features explained to you. It is entirely possible for you to get through this game without learning how to do some of the new features. I was halfway through the game when I figured out how to do a few things by accident that would have greatly helped me earlier in the game. Also, there are instances where they do give you instructions, but they flash on screen for like an eighth of a second. I will give an example that anyone who played the game will understand. Early in Leons game, I died in the subway after getting hit by a train 10-15 times until I realized I need to hit two buttons to get out of the way. The instructions come on right before the train hits you and they disappear before you can even read them. This happens A LOT during the game. There is another instance when you need to slide under blades. The instructions on how to slide flash on and off of the screen before you can read them. Again, I had to replay the scene multiple times and figure it out on my own. It is not as though playing any RE games before this would prepare me. It's not like these are features RE gamers have seen before. They were completely new features and are at no point explained to the game via a manual or though early game training. It is completely trial and error.
I think the people who made this game mistook dark settings for scary. Not really being able to see what is going on in some instances didn't scare me, it frustrated me. On a personal note, I've never fully adjusted to the over the shoulder camera angle the series added in RE 4. I feel as though it eats away at about 30-40% of your screen. That aside, I found myself spending a lot of time just trying to figure out what was going on when in close quarter fights. It's hard to fight 10-15 swarming zombies when you can't really see them until they tackle you. The field of view is tiny. It is nothing like RE 4 or RE 5. You can barely see what is on screen and right in front of you.
Also, this has been pointed out by other reviewers. You can't kill zombies that you know will come to life. If you see one laying on the floor or sitting on a chair, you can't pre-emptively shoot it. You have to wait until you walk by and it attacks you. It's completely pointless. Why did the makers of the game add that? To make it scary? It isn't. It's frustrating and pointless.
Ammo. Ammo. Ammo. This game suffers from the same problem that RE Raccoon City does. There isn't enough ammo and it takes way to many shots to kill a zombie. I should note, I did find it cool in RE 1 that a regular pistol couldn't even kill a zombie and caused you to find another weapon or run past them. However in this game you can rarely run past zombies. It appears they've also done away with the headshot, or at least in part. Everyone once in a while you can shoot a zombie in the head and kill it, but more often than not, you have to shot it 10-15 times with a pistol to kill it. This isn't a huge deal if there were an ample supply of ammo. There were multiple instances where I had nothing but melee attacks left.
I thought the new system for health and changing weapons would be cool, but as the game progressed, I realized it wasn't. The gameplay doesn't stop and let you equip a weapon. So often you'll find youself fleeing from enemies while trying to cycle in the weapon you want. This multitasking isn't that fun or helpful and I think that was the whole purpose of adding it.
The game is entirely linear. You almost never back track. When a door closes behind you it closes for good. They did keep some puzzles, key finding and door unlocking, but it is simple. Gone are the days when you spent an hour to try to open a door or solve a puzzle. Everything is streamlined. I can understand how this might be preferable for many impatient video game players and appeals to a larger audience than the original RE fanbase, but I feel as those it takes away a large part of what made Resident Evil Resident Evil.
When you die, you simply restart at a checkpoint. It doesn't seem like there is any downside to dying in this game. It is not like the original REs where if you died, you went back to your last save point(should you have been lucky enough to save the game yourself). Now when you die, you simply replay the scene, over and over until you get it right.
I could go on, but this is getting longer than I wanted it to.
I'd like to end it on a general criticism of where the RE franchise has gone in recent years. There are a lot of people who first laid their hands on RE 1 back in the 1990s and have been loyal fans ever since. I'd consider myself one of those people. I'm not even a "gamer". I pretty much quit in college. I only own a console to play RE games and Assassins Creed games. After these last few RE titles, I'm not entirely certain I will continue to buy RE games. I'm beginning to think that the series, or more specifically it's creators, have played itself out. Not because the story has nothing left to offer, it was never great to begin with, but because they have decided to take the game in a completely different direction.
With the advent of the internet age, there has been a transition from single player games to online multiplayer games. I think it is apparent that multiplayer games are the wave of the future because they are more profitable. This has led to co-op and multiplayer shooter games. What started with Counter Strike and Call of Duty has led to most games having a multiplayer feature and this doesn't happen in a vacuum. When more emphasis is put on multiplayer, less is put on the single player.
RE Raccoon City is the perfect example. The single player is almost completely unplayed. I think it took me 3 hours to beat the entire game. Compare this to RE 1 which probably took me 80 hours to beat the first time around. After playing the last few RE games, I think it is clear that Capcom is moving in this direction. They are going to continue to turn RE into a mix of Left 4 Dead, Socom and a few other games. I don't think we will ever again see something similar to RE 1, RE 2, RE 3 and RE Code Veronica, which happen to be my four favorite RE games. It is for this reason, that this will be the last Resident Evil game I buy. I can't continue to support a franchise that has strayed so far from what made it great. They can, and seem willing to, slap the RE sticker on just about anything and the fans, like myself, have bought it. Well, I've been fooled one too many times now. I'm not taking the bait anymore.
I don't doubt that there are people out there who will like this game, although I'm guessing it is more people who are new to the RE franchise. I'm not sure how anyone who has been playing the RE franchise since its inception could like where it has headed.
Sorry that I had to write this review. I really am, but this is my last RE purchase. | video-games_xbox |
A Preview of a great game coming. Here is a large preview of an amazing game. Getting better everyday, Chaos Theory is shaping up to be the best game of the series yet, and that's saying something (considering the other 2 were jaw dropping). Here's a preview of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, for the Microsoft XBOX...
1)
Tidbits~
*The release of this game has been pushed back to March. But the more time they spend on it, the better it will be...
*2 types of multiplayer have been announced. The first is co-op, where 2 people control 2 spies, going through several missions BUILT exclusively for co-op. There is also the option to do co-op with a friend over XBOX Live...
The other type of multiplayer (and the best hopefully) will be the returning Mercenary vs Spy over XBOX Live. It will, again, be just 2v2. But the ranking system will be revamped, all kinds of new maps will be added. New gadgets, new game modes, etc... All of you who LOVED Pandora Tommorow's multiplayer will be delighted to hear this. Coming in March, this game is going on LIVE...
*There are 2 divisions of Ubisoft. The Montreal Ubisoft is developing this one, which is good news in my opinion. There is a Shainghai division of Ubisoft, which made Pandora Tomorrow's single player. But the Montreal Team created the multiplayer for Pandora Tommorow (I believe), and also made the single player for the original game (the best single player in my opinion). The Montreal team is making this ENTIRE game, and I think that is better.
*Sam will have many more moves in this one. He has also been equipped with some new weapons, most notably the knife. Chaos Theory will also have a lot more freedom, as you can (once grabbing someone) choose to slit their throat, knock them out, or a number of other things. There are multiple ways to complete levels. Also, in certain situations (for example hanging off of a ledge as a guard passes, u may have the option to climb up as soon as he passes, grab him, and throw him off the ledge. Yes, Sam has gotten more violent ;) your options will be endless. If you are in a hurry and come to a door, you have the option to kick it down (and perhaps to smash the door on a guard in the process, as it is possible). The possibilities are endless...
*There will be a sound meter in Chaos Theory, which will allow you to see how much noise your are making. This goes with your light meter, giving u even more stealth...
*The AI has gotten much smarter. Unlike the previous 2, if they hear a sound and then hide, you don't just "disappear" from their minds. From that moment on, they will check more carefully, perhaps look up, go around corners, etc... Of course with the new options, this may be your advantage. As they turn a corner, pop behind them, and...the choice is yours.
2) Graphics~ The graphics have been totally redesigned from scratch, and let me tell you, from the videos, it looks absolutely JAW DROPPING. This is really pushing the XBOX to it's limits. Sam looks REAL. The engine is amazing, the shadows, effects of the environment, etc... Just amazing....
3) Story~ Well, so far, the stories have been amazing, so expect another deep story, as is the Tom Clancy tradition. Get ready, once again, to be sucked into the Splinter Cell universe... The only information we know, it's 2008..
4) Ubisoft has again hired a musician, this time Armon Tobin, to make yet ANOTHER great soundtrack for the Splinter Cell games. Chaos Theory will, again, have the music to make it a great game.
Well, that's a little preview. This game (as of now) is set to hit shelves in March. Cross your fingers, this just may be the game of the year (of 2005).
Thx!
obryanstars* | video-games_xbox |
World On Fire. I personally have never liked games that have post apocalyptic game worlds, everything looks trashed, dingy and has a depressing atmosphere. I enjoy worlds that are visually pleasing and this was the opposite, but I heard so many great things about Fallout 3 that it convinced me enough to buy it. My initial reaction was that it was an average game not worthy of the hype. My character was equipped with a pistol in the beginning of the game. Gunplay shots were highly innacurate and doled out very little damage when the shots hit their targets.
When I found better weapons, in the game world, they barely had any ammunition to make them useful. Ammunition along with everything else is very scarce and hard to come by at first. I was also suffering from radiation poisening and got my leg injured after fighting off a giant rat. I had barely enough money to have my injured leg healed by a doctor and even less to buy ammunition or purchase better weapons.
After a very rough start I was ready to give up on Fallout 3, but decided to keep exploring its huge open world. After Several hours of gameplay I've met some very fascinating characters, visited creepy underground tunnels, looted abandoned cafes and shops. Whenever I wanted a new weapon I just picked up the ones which dead enemies dropped. I destroyed many evil characters some worse than others and encountered many deadly creatures.
I became a scavenger, mercenary for hire, and a gun-slinging hero all rolled up into one! Characters rewarded me for my good deeds or gave me information which proved useful for specific quests. Everytime my character gained enough experience points to "level up", I upgraded my combat ability or bartering skills; making it easier to earn money. I also picked from many of the fun PERKS which enhances combat playability and dialog interactions. I had a sword/chainsaw hybrid that tore things apart. I was able to go to a workbench and create unique weapons from junk found in the wasteland. I could solve problems by killing or being diplomatic. I choose how I want to play, I choose where to go and what to do- This is my world! This is the world of Fallout 3!
A lot of people describe this game as Oblivion with guns, and they are partially right, because the gameplay and menu systems feel similar. Everything else about it is different yet enjoyable. If you like role-playing games or open world type games, you should not hesitate to buy Fallout 3.
Pros:
+open world
+excellent PERKS
+excellent controls
+excellent creature designs
+excellent map design
+excellent voice acting
+excellent story
+excellent music
+excellent side quests
+excellent sound effects
+be good or evil
+lots of scavanging
+lots of guns
+melee weapons
+blood and gore
+ragdoll physics
+save game anywhere, anytime
Cons:
-game randomly crashes
-combat looks a bit stiff
-technically outdated | video-games_xbox |
Shivering Isles and Knights of Nine, good add ons to a great game. When Oblivion first came out for the 360 i put 80 hours into, finished all of the guilds and most of the side quest, after over saturating myself i took 8 months-1 year break, and decided recently it was time to get back into it and I have beat Knights of Nine(which is also on this very same disc) and am half way through Shivering Isles. And here we are...
Knights of Nine
-Good-
~Lengthy quest (5 hours), fun beginning, cool ending. You get a new outfit with fairly nice benefits, nothing jaw dropping though.
~Kind of boss fight at the end in a cool environment(i don't want to spoil it)
-Bad-
~Half of the quest deals with you traveling all over the map to touch shrines(to become blessed), you have to find 8-9 of them. You get a map, but the actual locations aren't marked on your main map so sometimes it takes longer then it should to find one. Became some what tedious.
~More fetching type activites then actually meeting interesting characters, go in this cave to find this, go to this other cave to find that, etc...
~Everying thing besides the new boss where you fight the boss, and armor, you've seen before.
Shivering Isles
-Good-
~Very interesting story, great ideas and concepts.
~New environment, new weapons, new armor, new tougher enemies, great dialogue.
~Great main quest, and some entertaining side quests ( the first side quest i did; i was told by a distraught civilian that he hated his life and wanted me to kill him, but he didn't want to see it coming)
~You come across some interesting characters as mentioned above.
~Lengthy, i've put 15 hours into so far and am probably only half way done.
~Decent price, you get what you pay for, after all, $30 isn't cheap for an add-on.
-Bad-
~Review after review stats how different the two worlds are, mania(happy/energetic) and dementia(sad/angry), but honestly, they're not that different. Don't get me wrong, you can tell which is which, but it's not nearly as extreme as i was made to believe. Let's take leaves off trees and paint the vegetation in darker shades and call it dementia. So far that's my only complaint.
For $30 this is a good deal because you actually get what you pay for. An additional 30-40hours to an already extremly lengthy and well made game. One side note, i bought this game downloaded it onto my 360, brought it my friends place and downloaded on his as well(he also had Oblivion). Therefore, if you know someone else who wants it you guys should split the cost because you just download it on your hard drive and don't actually need the disc to play the game(you only need the Oblivion disc). | video-games_xbox |
DICE and EA Released a Faulty Product, Pure and Simple. DICE and EA really screwed up this time, releasing a new game without fully testing it. Don't bother buying this title until they fix all of the problems, and there are dozens of them. I've been playing since it was released and I'm really unhappy that "respectable" companies feel it's necessary to cheat their customers left, right, and center.
The most frustrating issue for me is that the game freezes up about every 20-30 minutes. You have to reboot your 360, sign back on Xbox Live, (I then empty my hard drive cache), then re-enter the game, "push Start to play," and find another server. And it doesn't matter which server you play on, because it freezes no matter what. Worse, neither DICE nor EA have communicated to the thousands of current users about fixing this problem -- what might be the cause, if they've identified it, or when they might fix it.
Pistols are like cannons on your hip. You can kill anyone at any distance with the game's pistols. So don't worry about progressing through the dozens of weapons. You don't need them. All you need is the pistol. And the LMGs? About as powerful as a paper wad spewed out of a straw.
Half the time you can't tell when you're hitting someone in the normal multiplayer servers.
The lovely "Levolution" just lags everything else in the game. It's like watching slo-mo on Monday Night Football on every friggin' play. The 360 is 12 on 12 play, but the lag is also horrible anytime 5 or more players come together in a shootout on any map.
You cannot join your friends in servers most of the time, and you can't take a party in. I had to laugh today because the battlelog site is warning PS4 players that their servers have "stability issues," too. Well ... duh!
The frustration level of the players within the multiplayer servers is extremely high. I strongly suggest you hold off buying this game until DICE fixes it. Perhaps demand will have slowed to bring the price down and teach these non-customer friendly companies something about customer satisfaction. | video-games_xbox |
Weekend Gamer Review. I usually set aside video games like Dante's Inferno as 'weekend video games.' In other words, I know I'm probably going to finish the game over the course of a weekend and then never play it again because I have other games to play and because I usually hand games off to my friends after I beat them.
With the above in mind, Dante's Inferno is an excellent weekend game in that it is a fun, entertaining game that shouldn't take you more than ten hours to complete on normal difficulty.
This game is, of course, a lot like the God of War games. This is mostly a good thing, aside from the fact that (like God of War) the B button on your controller will probably explode after a few hours of play due to all the quick-time events and doors/chests that require you to repeatedly tap B for no good reason. The B button tapping is truly excessive in this game and it is really my one outstanding complaint.
Anyway, I think this game is worth playing because it succeeds very well in two key areas... production value and flow of combat. The production value (art design, voice acting, cut-scenes, etc.) in this game is top-notch. Also, the flow of combat is great in that character movement is fluid, killing enemies feels satisfying, and there are a lot of combat options that can be unlocked via experience orbs (even if you don't really need most of them). Also, the enemies have clear signatures that tell you they are about to attack, which is always a huge plus in my mind because it helps me control mobs appropriately just as I would in God of War, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, etc.
I do, of course, have a few lesser complaints to throw at this game. Once I got past the circles of Hell that are easily depicted via their art design (Lust, Greed, Gluttony) the levels for all of the other Sins started to blend together and I had trouble remembering which Circle I was even in (other than a few inspired levels toward the end of the game including the section for people who committed suicide). Also, the monster variety is a little lacking. Again, it really seams like they went above and beyond when designing for the first three Circles (Lust, Greed, Gluttony) and then just modified the enemies from those circles a bit and stuck them in the other six circles. At the very least, we did find it a bit amusing to speculate on why the vagina monsters were hanging out in Greed and various other places). My final complaint is that way too many of the enemies can be brought down with ranged attacks. The range on the cross kept me from needing to ever get close to most of the level bosses in the game. However, for all I know this isn't the case on the harder difficulty levels.
All said and done, there are no show stopping problems in this game and I would definitely recommend this game as a rental or as a purchase if you can get it for $50 or less. | video-games_xbox |
Good for the Story, Bad for the gameplay. Ghostbuster fall down, I go pick up Ghostbuster. Ghostbuster falls down again, I go pick up Ghostbuster again. Ghostbuster fall down, I leave him down. If you enjoy a video game version of the Medical Alert braclet commerical, Ghostbusters: The Game is for you!
Besides the repetitive gameplay (you are either shooting ghosts with 1 of 4 weapons, or shooting ghosts and trapping them), the unendurable load times in between deaths (10 seconds, at least), and the puzzles (that aren't brain busters but sometimes take forever because the objects aren't rendered well), what I've found most irritating is the glitches. I've had to restart several checkpoints because of in-game errors and if you think Peter Venkman gets irritated with Ray sometimes, you haven't seen me having to replay a 15 minute ghost shootout when I was deathly bored the first time. There are way too many flaws in this game for anyone to pay actual money for it. Ghost money, maybe.
3 notable examples of errors I enjoyed: I could not leave the kitchen after killing all of the ghosts because the game didn't register it (the Ghostbusters have to say "all clear," but never did), and in the graveyard a ghost got stuck in a tree on the other side of a wall, so I couldn't trap it and therefore could not advance. Strange, but no, gentle reader when something is strange in your neighborhood you don't call the Ghostbusters. You call the nearest resell shop and ask how much they are giving for a used copy of this game.
And the third example, something that actually made me spit: when you get knocked down, it will happen quite often that the other Ghostbusters, if any of them are standing right next to you, will run away instead of picking you up. As he returns, he's knocked down and you fail the mission. That means you have to watch and listen to the same scene, sometimes 20-30 times, depending on the difficulty level. Fun? No. Not fun.
What I'd recommend is renting it for a friend and watching them suffer playing it. Whenever there is a cut scene, ask the victim to call you back in the room so you can watch. You'll save yourself money, you'll safe yourself grief, you may lose a friend ... so, make sure you invite a so-so friend. | video-games_xbox |
UPDATED AGAIN] Great until it stops working right. UPDATE 1-31-13: It's been around two months since I received a replacement controller from Razer. The programmable right shoulder button is acting funny now. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have this button programmed as "B" to use it to sprint in Halo 4. When I press it, I'll frequently sprint for a few steps and then stop, as if the button was pressed again. I am still using the controller now, but will probably go back to the stock controller sooner rather than later. It simply isn't reliable. I've bumped the overall review back to 3 stars.
Razer was nice to replace my original controller past the warranty period, but I can't recommend buying this since the replacement is beginning to fail now.
UPDATE 11-27-12: As you can see, the Razer people commented on this review a while back. I just recently got in touch with them, and after a fairly easy process, I received a new replacement controller today. It is really great to have this controller again, especially since Halo 4 just came out. It is also worth noting that the replacement controller seems to have better shoulder buttons. They feel like they have a more solid click than the old controller had. I hadn't realized how much I missed the adjustable tension sticks until playing some today.
Time will tell if this controller holds up better than the original, but they did the right thing in providing me with a replacement even though I was technically past the warranty period.
Original review:
The adjustable tension thumb sticks are great, and I've had no problem with them. The face buttons work fine and have a satisfying click. I don't much use the D-pad because I use this just for FPS games. My problems with the controller start with the triggers and shoulder buttons. The left trigger and left shoulder button don't quite feel right anymore. They just seem worn out. And some time the left trigger will activate without being touched and I'll be throwing random punches in Halo. It's really frustrating because I absolutely love the adjustable tension in the thumb sticks. If I were Ben Heck or some great modder, I'd put the sticks in a stock 360 controller and be happy. It's tough to go back to FPS on a regular controller after this, but I'll have to get used to it again because I'm not going to buy a new one of these every time something wears out on it. | video-games_xbox |
Not bad, but definitely not "Elite. EDIT: My comments below about a similar Turtle Beach Headset that I feel is better.
I'm not going to be the person to give this a 1 star simply because it didn't meet every possible expectation. But as a Turtle Beach customer for many years, let me give some warnings about this headset. The most obvious item is the price tag... $299 US Dollars is something to consider. It simply is not worth it. This headset is not garbage, but in my honest opinion it's nowhere near Elite as the title suggests. Let me see if I can explain:
Sound Quality: It's good. Claims to be 7.1 surround and I can't knock it. But I also can't say it's better than any other stereo headset from Turtle Beach. Just no way to really simulate true surround sound in speakers that are less than an inch from your ears. So I'm not one to say the premium $ is well spent here, but the sound isn't bad either. I will say that the sound isn't very loud, but that may be an XB1 limiting factor here. Not that I need to have the sound louder, but the max setting is where I kept it when playing Batman Arkham Knight and any softer would have been a huge negative.
Mic: This is an oddity for sure. I tested this while leaving voice messages over XBL... playing back the recording sounded great. But testing via party chat my friends said it wasn't as clear (I was understandable but sounded distant). This is apparently an issue they are trying to fix via firmware. At purchase, I was informed via online that firmware updates were suspended. Maybe it will get better, but the lack of boom mic here will most likely be an issue going forward. Not having a mic in front of your face is awesome, but the point is to have the best quality possible... that's just not gonna happen with a "built in" mic.
Mic Monitoring: I'm sorry, but no idea why this has gotten worse over the years. I had a Gen 1 Turtle Beach headset for the original Xbox. I was so hyped to have an all in one headset, but it was very apparent right away how hard it was to talk when I couldn't hear my own voice. By the time the Xbox 360 had arrived, they had fixed this with Mic Monitoring in their (at the time) latest headsets. I could hear my own voice when I spoke... the mixture of game audio and chat audio was now perfect. Somehow this got worse and hasn't improved with this "Elite" headset. Sure, they do have some mic monitoring, but with game volume turned up to a reasonable level it completely drowns out my voice. Perhaps some people complained that their own voice was too loud and Turtle Beach turned it down... but IMO, BIG MISTAKE! I want to hear my voice and my teammates as well as game audio loud and clear... that does not happen here. You will get very little of your own voice fed back into the headset and that is really a bummer!
Comfort: Another con for me. I have a head that is somewhat skinny... taller than it is wide for sure. And yet these tend to be firm and push in on my head. No so much that they hurt, but I wouldn't call them comfortable either. I can't help but wonder how they feel for people with more round heads.
Overall: Sure, I'm definitely going out of my way to point out the negative. There are positives for sure, but if you are considering spending $299, you probably already know the good things about this headset and they are all true (blue tooth, android app, presets, etc.). Like I said in the beginning, I'm giving this 3 stars and not completely trashing it... but I am also returning it. It's just not up to $299 level (and from what I hear, neither is the Astro A50). Note: I had some connectivity issues that led me to believe mine was defective, but that is not part of this review. In the end, I guess the best way I can describe this headset is that if money were no object, I still wouldn't be completely satisfied with this headset. There are just too many things (particularly mic monitoring) that Turtle Beach did better almost 10 years ago. So if money is an issue, I simply cannot recommend.
Update - Comparison to the Turtle Beach Stealth 420X: IMO the 420X is a much better deal than the Elite 800x. It is lacking some of the features, but at half the cost I am perfectly fine with no bluetooth connectivity, simulated surround sound, and a bunch of presets I'll never use. The Stealth 420X has a MUCH better microphone, much improved mic monitoring, easier to use controls, better wireless connectivity, and is more comfortable (probably because it is much lighter and doesn't fit near as tight on your head). I will most likely post a review of the 420X on that product if you want more details. | video-games_xbox |
Here's a review of the actual controller. I have the controller with Chun Li on the front. First, let me say that I have read various complaints on web forums from people who say that the diagonals on these controllers don't work quite right. While I don't question the accuracy of these claims, a lot of people (like me) aren't experiencing this problem, so it is clearly something that's only affecting some of the controllers. Oh, and there are apparently some issues with pulling off special moves in Mortal Kombat vs DC. If you're interested in using the Fightpad with that game, I'd suggest you do a bit of research on it, as I'm not sure of the specifics. Now, onto my review ...
I have played with many, many d-pads over the years, and I can say hands down that the best one ever made was the one for the Sega Saturn, specifically the Japanese version. Playing Marvel vs Capcom with that controller is about as close as you can get to 2D fighting game nirvana :) This new Madcatz Fightpad is supposedly modeled off of the Saturn controller. Is it really that good? Well, not quite, but it's still very good. Special moves can be pulled off like butter, and some will say it's actually a little too sensative, because you end up pulling off dragon punches by accident. The d-pad itself is very 'floaty', but I really like it. Needless to say, it is a HUGE improvement over the standard 360 d-pad
At this point, I'm sure some of you are wondering if it's really worth paying $40 for this controller to play SFIV with. Well, let me tell you that this controller also works wonders with some of the more 'retro' style XBLA games, especially Pacman CE. I tried it with this controller and I have a much easier time controlling it than I do on the regular 360 pad. Also, this controller has a 2-speed turbo fire feature, which I tried with R-Type and Mega Man 9; it worked great in both games.
Oh, and it's PC compatable too, though I have not personally tried it.
Overall, I have to give this controller 4 stars instead of 5 because of the problems that some people are having, but I still highly recommend it. However, I would also advise you to buy locally if you can, just in case you get one of the bad ones. That way, it will be easier for you to exchange it if you need to. I would NOT buy it online. As of this writing, it is a bit hard to find. But if you have Gamestops in your area, keep checking there, as that is where I got mine. | video-games_xbox |
Halo series continues to disappoint. I'll start off by saying that I was a HUGE fan of Halo 1. I can confess I ruined my grades in high school by constantly playing it. When Halo 2 came out, i was really disappointed in the game and I remember refusing to buy it (that last about 2 weeks when all my friends were constantly playing it). I played that for about a year before quitting, upon seeing Halo 3 previews and seeing that it was virtually the same game i decided I was done with Halo, Bungie lost me.
I purchased End War last month, decided it was horrible so I returned it and reserved a copy of Halo Wars since I couldn't reserve Operation Flashpoint 2. I played the demo, it seemed decent, the campaign was fairly enjoyable and it wasn't hard to manage forces. Yesterday I picked up my copy, and decided to enjoy the evening on it. 4 Hours later the campaign was completed, and like Halo 2 I was left in shock at how short it was. The story was bland and did not keep my attention at all. I never got the sense of desperation like Halo 1 gave, nor did I get the sense of mystery.
The gameplay isn't bad, and the graphics are all right for an X-Box RTS. The layout of the game is far better than other RTS's for consoles and its easier than others to move forces, but it still doesn't match PC RTS games so if you are coming from a PC background you will be disappointed. The music as always is spectacular.
But here is where my really big complaints begin. The campaign does not last at all, and it's very boring to replay, that leaves you with multiplayer. If you are doing a 1v1 on a small map this game can be fun, you don't have units spread all over the map and the games are fairly short. Try a 2v2 or 3v3 on a large map and it becomes pretty difficult to manage forces, you leave a zone for literally 3 seconds and an enemy force could appear and destroy everything you have, effectively ending the game for you. In my opinion that's stupid. The fog of war is very narrow (as with most any RTS games), which i realize does help out gameplay but I think it hurts it more. You don't have time to detect and react to enemy forces, how often does that happen in real life?
Perhaps I'm trying to compare it too much to exellent RTS games like Company of Heroes, but even the story line was boring and that was what originally attracted me to Halo. It seems that MS continues to advertise and promise but never delivers, they shorten their storyline (apparently have fired the original story writing team because it's aweful and repetitive now) so they can produce more crap to sell people.
As a friend of mine mentioned, it's got amazing cut scenes, but I didn't spend 60 bucks to watch a 20 minute movie.
Sorry to see the Halo franchise continue to suck, but I stayed away from wasting my money on Halo 3 and I wish I had done so here, because I've already sold my copy after owning it for 12 hours, and I will NOT be suckered into buying Halo 3 ODST. (sometimes I think Halo series pays the debt MS has from the Xbox console) | video-games_xbox |
Solid Followup. Pros: Updated graphics, new story new characters.
Cons: Evolves the formula, fewer powers, fewer power choices, no Deadpool to begin with (he's unlocked later).
Bottom Line: If you liked the last one, you'll enjoy this one. Better graphics, tighter gameplay and I have not found a better set of "couch multiplayer" games on the Xbox 360 than the MUA series.
The primary gameplay differences between this and the first are:
- No screen clearing solo powers, only "fusion" powers of similar effectiveness.
- more mapped standard powers (on xbox) you previously could map 3 powers to the x,a,b buttons on the face of the xbox controller, now 4 are automatically mapped to x,a,b,y the fusion attack is triggered via the LT and a face button representing one of the four characters.
- Previously you had 7+ powers that you could add upgrade points to and swap out which ones you had actively mapped to your face buttons. Now you have 4 powers only that you will work on during the game.
- no more shield save points. Save anywhere and swap your team almost anywhere.
- 2 costumes per hero, as opposed to 4.
- No more bonuses associated to uniforms, you get up to 4 bonus types, 2 of which are dependent on which side you choose. Stuff like buying levels to increase melee damage etc.
- No more per hero equipment, instead you get teamwide tokes that provide you bonuses.
- No more custom team.
- Seriously upgraded graphics, last one felt like an original Xbox game with slightly polished graphics, this one is very much in line with how the current generation of games look.
- Better cutscenes, last time around there were 3 kinds of cutscenes:
(1)Pre-rendered(looked great)
(2)Game engine with "hero" models (looked better than the regular models but still stiff and you could tell it was using the game engine)
(3)Game Engine (worst, looked like they were using the game engine but since the models were clearly made to be small on the screen they looked pretty rough)
This time it appears all use the game engine, but the models are about as good as on the pre-rendered scenes last time. | video-games_xbox |
Razer Onza ='s Garbage. This is the letter I wrote to their parent company this morning :
To whom it may concern,
I recently purchased the Razer Onza TE, and I must say, I am extremely dissatisfied with this controller. For the price, I feel it really is nothing but garbage. I think my dog could have designed and implemented a better product. I appreciate your company "trying" to be innovative, and "trying" have a functional controller, but I must say it has totally failed. From the issue with a cord, I mean, who on earth is tethering anything now, especially at a $50 price point?!?! To the mappable buttons, poorly designed and thought out well for ergonomics. Who ever is your designer should be fired, if you need design work, my company does in excess of $75,000,000 in global sales annually, and I think we can help with not only the design of your home page, but also just about any other facet of your company. I need to find out how I get my money back, even though it was only $50, I feel I was terribly misled and deceived about this product. Please contact me below on how I can return this hunk of crap and get my money back.
Best regards,
Me
To greater expound on what I think of this product,let me go into more detail about it...
I am very unhappy with this product, for the price it didn't deliver for me. It has a cord for heaven's sake, and its not easy to store after you are done because of the thick wrapping on the cord. Thumbsticks would jam and make it very difficult to click on them. I set tune-able thumbstick resistance to the easiest setting, but VERY often it seems to go to a very difficult setting, which is extremely annoying to me. There are other things about this controller that bother, but hopefully by now anyone reading htis is starting to get the point. Hopefully this helps the next person who is considering this controller. All in all, save your money and use it for an official Xbox 360 controller, they cannot be beat! | video-games_xbox |
So much wasted and under-developed. I have been waiting for a game like this for a very long time. The AvP games were always a flop and I had hoped this game would be the one to break that streak but I was wrong.
If your looking for the next big breakthrough in FPS, look elsewhere. I knew that going into this game so I was not disappointed like many other reviewers who thought this game would be revolutionary or unique. However, that being said, there are some distinct disadvantages in this game.
First, the graphics look old, I mean Doom 3 old so there are dated a few years. The voice acting is terrible and hearing the characters talk can be a challenge. I found myself missing half of the conversations the AI characters were having for the simple fact I had my back to them while fighting bugs. The AI movements are laggy or buggy. In that I mean the AI Marines often disappear and reappear in front of you because they got stuck or stopped moving and fell behind. More than once I had to restart from a checkpoint because I took cover in a corner and an AI Marine got in front of me and wouldn't move (You can't walk through them). The AI Alien movements are terrible as well. You can kind of see where the developer was trying but failed in that when some of the Aliens run towards you, they "weave" from side to side to avoid your fire but even this is predictable and clunky.
For multiplayer, so far I have counted 8 maps all told, that's kind of limited. When playing as the aliens, the movements seem clunky and lethargic in that the spitters' spit will often bounce off a railing even though your trying to shoot between rails and when playing as the lurker, your pounce will get thrown off even by the smallest of rocks. More than I can count, I have missed killing a Marine simply because my jump got "re-directed" over a small rock. By re-directed, I mean if you jump North and hit a rock, your jump suddenly turns NorthEast, etc. So movements and dynamics are off. That being said, multiplayer is still kind of fun but I don't see myself playing this game months from now. I'd rather forget about it and pretend it wasn't made.
***Spoiler Alert***
So if bad graphics, clunky movements, crappy story and bad acting aren't enough, there are a couple huge middle fingers to Aliens fans in the campaign.
First, a few of the legendary weapons you find you can use in multiplayer but not all. I have found all 6 but you can only use 4 in multiplayer, 5 if you count Ripleys custom weapon from the pre-order bonus. Why put only 4 and not all 6? Next, about 3 missions from the end, you are sent to rescue a captured Marine from the Sulaco. When I heard this, I quickly ran through the Marines from the movie but if you recall, they all die either on LV-426 or Fury-161 in Aliens 3. So I was kind of excited to find out who it was. Well it turns out it was CPL Hicks that you were rescueing. WTF??? He dies 13 weeks before the events of this game happen. In a cutscene, the AI Marines ask Hicks several times how he is alive but in their infinite wisdom, the developers failed to provide an answer. Hicks simply just doesn't answer the question. That was a HUGE middle finger to me. Finally, in the very last mission, you have to fight the queen. However, your told to stay out of sight while you ready a way to kill her but she always manages to know where you are. I ended up just having to stock up on armor and sprint to my objectives while she pummeled me. You can't slow her down or hurt her at all.
***Spoiler End***
All in all, I wasn't expecting much but the game failed to deliver on so many levels and had several big middle fingers for Aliens fans I just couldn't like it, not matter how big of an Aliens fan I am. The movie was amazing but this game is a sorry sequel to the movie. | video-games_xbox |
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