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Fate may have placed us as foes, but this ring will make us brothers. As I finished the original "Halo" game for the X-Box, I found myself completely unimpressed. With as much hype this game found upon its release, I thought that it could have had more depth to it. The characters, story, fight sequences, and weaponry all seemed stale. Once you passed the first level, you pretty much saw everything there could be to see with the game. It became repetitive over time with an ending that left you feverish for more. It did not deserve the "cult"-like status that it received. Hesitantly, I began playing the sequel in hopes that I could continue to trash this series as being nothing more than premature over-hype by fanboys that didn't grow up in the "Goldeneye" generation. Outstandingly, this sequel impressed me. Let me state that again, this sequel was by far, at least 100% better than the original, so much in fact, that I found myself asking why this wasn't the first in the series. It drew me in for continuous play with engaging characters, an extremely strong story, and voices that made you proud to be fighting as either Master Chief or one of the downtrodden Covenant.
"Halo 2" takes huge steps forward from nearly every facet of the original. After playing "Halo 2", the original seems like a modified version of Pong. To begin with, the weaponry is outstanding. One of the major complaints that I had with the original was that the arsenal of weapons seemed minimal at best, leaving a whole world of new weapons unopened. Well, in this game, these worlds were opened and fully explored. There were so many new and detailed weapons in this game; I had trouble finding my favorite. Thankfully, the team at Bungie understood that I couldn't pick just one, and finally encouraged Master Chief to use two weapons at once. That's right boys; we can double-fist the Needler like it is going out of business. This small change created so much more enjoyment for me because I could really wreak havoc from around the corner ... and there was plenty of havoc to reek. This sequel not just gave you a game where you could sit back and create the explosions at any given time, but also developed a structured story with amazing cut-sequences that transformed the world of "Halo" into more than just a one-dimensional game. While "Halo 2" boasts a shorter play time, what appealed to me was the depth of the characters and the spectrum of what was happening to Earth during this apparent "war". In the original game, I felt that my sole purpose was to destroy ... destroy ... destroy without any questions or answers. That is not the case here, where the missions seem intense, the purpose is forthright, and the unknown lurks deeper than imagined. There were places we traveled in this game that I didn't think existed on the "Halo" playing field.
In my eyes, Bungie took a small somewhat simple game, and grew the playing field immensely. The detail focused on the graphics were intense, the introduction to this "supernatural" world was exciting, and the deception of evil made me push further more than I did in the original. This sequel was a game that you could turn the volume up on your surround system and fully enjoy the explosions, the swooping of incoming enemy ships, as well as the appropriately placed voice moments. For anyone that loves to hear the illustrious voice of David Cross yelling quips and quandaries at you as you destroy any Elite, than this is the perfect game for you! It just felt like more icing on an already sweet cake. Weapons, voices, a compelling story ... this is exactly what I expected from the original game, but alas, did not see it. If this was the original release of the game than I would see the hype surrounding it, "Halo 2" was nearly flawless with the clear images, the veracity of the A.I., as well as the compelling and detailed storyline. Why couldn't you steal a vehicle from the enemy in the original? I experienced enjoyment with this game as I made it to the next level unlike in the original where I knew that it was just going to be a similar fight with aged weapons. This sequel compelled me to move forward into a deeper unknown. But, again ... it wasn't perfect.
While I will attest to everyone that "Halo 2" was a million times better than the pathetic original, there were still some small issues that need to be addressed. The ending was horrid. For a person that does not have, nor does he plan to get at this time the infamous 360, I will be left with an open-ended ending that really questions your loyalty to the finale. The same issue happened with the first game ... with so much dedication and integrity to the meat of the game, why not dedicate a spectacular ending? The choice of armor for Master Chief seemed weaker than the original. I dare not run into a fight this time, but instead had to make me think about my attacks. A bit annoying when you wanted to just run a suicide mission. I also hated the fact that you could not throw grenades when you were dual wielding your weapons. Master Chief is a strong man/machine ... I strongly believe that he could do both, which put me into some tougher situations sometimes. Finally, why was there a timed limit for the Arbiter to remain cloaked? These may seem like small things to the big gamer, but for me, they could have been strengthened to create a tighter game.
Overall, I cannot speak higher of this sequel. For those that yell that the original is always better than any sequels, then I would have to say "Halo 2" is the exception. Bungie took the opportunity to grow this empire and give us a view of this "war" from a dual angle, making the universal terror greater and more relevant. I enjoyed this game from the beginning to the struggled ending, with all the excitement and enjoyment that I was hoping for with the original. I highly suggest this game to those that were unimpressed with the first, and do somewhat look forward to what the trilogy will encounter (if we can get it without the 360).
Grade: **** out of ***** | video-games_xbox |
Awsome. Ok I was gonna give game 5 stars but only 4 because of various reasons. Now, this game ownz....it is the best game I have played in a long time, this game is breathtaking, you get a feel like you are one of the proud elite forces of the US, fighting along side comrades and carrying out objectives. I feel like I am righ tthere with my squad, watching over them like a guardian angel. I am wanting to become a US special Forces officer as my career, so this game really helped me understand what they do nd what tactics they use for certain situations. Now for the games flaws. Poor reflexes. If a guy walks around the corner and shoots my pointman in the head, and he falls down in a slow motion in a long groan, then my SAW gunner and the Opfor operative start exchanging fire....IT DOES NOT TAKE 7 SECONDS TO KILL A TARGET! In real life and even in a game that was poor, the AI would instantly start shooting them and kill them if they were like 10 feet in front of them. Now as for that, there is no way a crate of wood can block a 7.62 round from a SAW....there is no chance heck that the guy behind that crate is gonn alive for more than 3 seconds. The game also has a flaw of movement. In a real battle situaton, an operative will not trot accross the street while Bravo team is suppressing fire with an intrenched enemy. Thy won't be going over to the next baracade like they are oming from a square dance...they would be sprinting accross trying to get the heck out of the way of those bullets wizzing by their heads in fear of having em knocked off. Now, as for the shooting and accuracy asspects...this game rather annoys me here. The enemy is standing streight up in his bunker, and my squad is suppressing fire and they cant hit him and he shots a few shots at my squad then ducks back down....what this game is about is not to teach how to kill, is is ALL about tactics, you can only kill your target if you move around em or get right on em and gernade em. This game teaches real soldiers tactics, and in real life you can beat firepower with tactics. Tactics is what wins wars and firefights so this game is a tactical TRAINING game. So in that state of mind, this game is the greatest. I want to play online very soon, it will be very fun. Another thing, what part of the infantry do we command? Not the marines....not the Rangers, not Delta or Green berets....who r we commanding? This game is more of a treaining tool...BUT, I heard when the Rangers roped in in mission number 3 I believe, they roped onto a building and cleared it and one of my men said "Wow check it out! Rangers!" and I was like WA!? Arent I commanding rangers?
As for the way the AI speak to the commanding officers, in real life, I do not know what they say, for I have never been in real combat or have asked anyone about it who has been in the military, but I know that some younger soldier will being smart to their officers as a friendly "cool/hot-shot" joke. But it makes me feel a bit dishearted that they would speak to an office like that. One thing they did not cover in basic training that saved my squads life in an open ground firefight, was the "Leapfrong" maneuver. I learned this from Socom navy SEALs bonus video. I had one team pull back to some cars, suppress, while the other team oved back to their spot, then they suppressed and the team leapfronged their way to safety accross a open ground filled with bullets in the air. tactics save lives.....not only guns. But your mind will kill your enemy, it will save you and get the job done. Thats what the military is looking for. People who can think and articulate.
In conclution, this game is very good for what it is used for, fun, and tactics training, not for shooting people or being realistic for what most gamers want. This is game is to make you use tactics to defeat enemies, not make it as simply as shooting a target 30 yardss away, you gotta throw smoke, suppress, flank, and use techniques. I love this game. | video-games_xbox |
Frustrating to control.. but fun once you actually get into the gameplay. Zumba is a Kinect only game, and as such is subject to the typical Kinect complaints - poor UI, recognition, etc. With this game I've had problems with my girlfriend being recognized while playing single player. It would only recognize her as Guest and not her gamertag, even though she was signed in on the console on her gamertag. In that regard this game not only has the typical Kinect problems, but actually has sub-par standard Kinect controls. It's a lot harder to control than, say, Kinect Sports Rivals.
With that said, there are some good points. Once you DO get everything setup and each player is correctly recognized, you get a pretty decent dance/workout game. It seems to recognize the dance moves pretty well, although you can "cheat" the Kinect into thinking you're doing the move perfectly when in reality you're just kinda standing in the right way. But I would say it does incentivize enough to keep you working on the moves. You can get 4 stars for doing things just okay, but for 5 stars you typically need to actually being doing the moves with some rhythm.
There is also a "learn steps" section outside of the workouts. Here you can slow down each step in the workouts and learn them at your pace. It's a good mode that works okay, although the UI here is a real pain. And that brings us back to the fact that this is a Kinect game. It's still a new system of interaction, with a number of kinks to iron out. If you're willing to work with it and learn how to control it regardless of how steep the learning curve, you can be rewarded with a quality dance/workout game with Zumba Fitness World Party. I'd truly give this game more of a 3.5/5, but I'll bump it up to 4 just because for the price paid it truly is an incredible value. How much does a membership cost to a gym with Zumba classes? I bet it's the price of the game monthly, at least. | video-games_xbox |
RE 6. Firstly I am surprised about the rating that this game. I played the demo and I just received the game. i look forward to play and maybe give a further review.
Lets see if I will like this game than the previous ones.
Pros:
- You don't go alone into the game, you are accompanied by Helena. She does help and can be helpful. Just like previous Resident Evil game, if you played before.
- The controls are pretty good
- There is a lot of action. The inventory is pretty good. I like that you can use Helena as additional Inventory. :)
- I like as well the the skill system and that you can upgrade your skills like increase gun power, reload speed, accuracy, melee power, increased ammo capacity, etc.
- Too much action, there are enemies shooting at you and you have this which gives some challenge.
Cons:
- It is too dark, that you cant see at sometimes, especially if you are playing it at night. I had to adjust the brightness a bit. That is not a big deal. But thought you might need to know.
- The Zombies are fast, carry weapons like bottles and guns. I think maybe to make the game more difficult and harder. But there are other zombies that are slow and easy to kill, so no worries.
- I noticed so many cut scenes which is becoming a normal for Resident Evil.
- I think because of cut scenes and scripted events, some times you can shoot that zombie until the the event comes even if you see them before laying or sitting.
- To gain health it is has to be through mixing and I feel it is not necessary. Maybe this is my personal opinion.
I heard there are 4th campaigns.
Finally
I have enjoyed Resident Evils 3, 4 and 5. There are some changes that you notice from one to another of course. I will update if I loved this one or liked it.
Review Update: I like the game, but if only they would remove or reduce the cut-scenes. Sometimes zombies don't die easily. I hate those zombies that scream, this is my own opinion. I noticed that each campaign has a different story and links at some point the other one. So this means that you do not go through the same campaign with different character. | video-games_xbox |
fun fun fun. Wow, there's a lot of misinformation in the other reviews about Metal Arms. First off, you can have a whole bunch of profiles in your save games, so you can have as many games in progress as you want. Second, there's a review that rants about the difficulty of one of the bosses. It's not that hard. Not anywhere near that hard. Is it challenging? Sure - the whole game's challenging. Maybe the character design is misleading, but this is a game for experienced gamers, not for people who have no experience with shooters. I know that sounds obnoxious, but there's not really any way around it. The level of difficulty on "normal" is somewhere between "normal" and "hard" in Halo, if that helps.
The game is basically a third person shooter - much more action than story, much more shooting than puzzle solving. The bosses are often puzzle-y, and there is some switch hunting, but nothing that really upsets the pace of the action, which is pretty incredible.
The "feel" of the game is spot-on. The weapons feel powerful, the sound effects give them a proper weight, the explosion effects are excellent, and the bots you destroy explode in a burst of parts and fire that is really cathartic. The levels are open without being directionless, linear without being overly restrictive. Basically, you have upgradeable weapons, one in each hand (each hand has a different set of weapons), so you might have a chaingun in one hand, and EMP grenades in the other.
The weapons are pretty well varied - you get your standard machine gun, rocket launcher, etc., but you also get grenades that reprogram your enemies to become your allies, a weapon that fires something similar to circular saw blates (very useful for dismembering your foes), and a gun that fires exploding, firey rivets. Fun stuff, and suited for the varied situations you'll find yourself in.
There's also other innovative things, like a control tether that allows you to control other robots, little consoles where you can control big armored ships, and a whole mess of other things. The game has a wicked sense of humor, and really memorable and endearing characters.
The only problem I have with the game is that there is a vsync issue - if you watch the game, the screen "tears" horizontally when you move quickly. This can be distracting to a person watching the game (this same graphics bug plagues Jak II, for the PS2), but when playing it, it's not an impediment.
This is the kind of really excellent game that gets overlooked because the character design and the content of the game aren't necessarily congruent. That's a shame - the game as a whole comes together really well as a perfect mix of insane action, and a great setting. | video-games_xbox |
Not as good as the first, but a good enough sequel. The Good: Gruesome, horrifying atmosphere, excellent melee combat, satisfying story
The Bad: Useless multiplayer and fight club modes, all the item hunting get distracting
I'm sure you've played the 2005 awesome survival horror game Condemned: Criminal Origins, and if you haven't go pick it up (you can get it for less than $15 now) then come back and read this review. Condemned 2 leaves off where Ethan Thomas slowly becomes insane after trying to figure out all the violent crimes in the city. The game's main attraction is the new combat system. In the first you hit with RT and blocked with LT but now you can control the left and right hand with each trigger and you block by holding them both down. We get a lot more melee weapons such as toilet seats, bowling balls, bowling pins, and even bricks!
The game also has more for you to search for in the game such as destroying sonic emitters, finding "antennas" which gives you tidbits from the news and "responses" which is a given time to hit the A button to respond to certain scenarios. (the reason why this cult is making everyone violence). While this adds more depth it's very distracting when you're trying to hear who's stalking you and trying to get sucked into the atmosphere. Speaking of that the game is very very scary. The game also is VERY dark to where you can't see anything and you have to turn your brightness up, and not to mention the almost useless flashlight. The game's gun play is better this time but isn't nearly as satisfying as the melee combat.
The game also has a useless multiplayer mode where you play criminals vs. cops and you have to hide the evidence as criminals and find it as cops. This is both boring and stupid because the maps are very small and the cops have guns so it's almost cheating. There is also a useless fight club mode where you go into different arenas and fight to the death. This is both boring and still practically useless. The game also has a hard to understand achievement system. If you loved (or hated) the first game you'll love this game for sure. | video-games_xbox |
You'll spend enough time on it. It's a fun game and all. You get to customize almost all characters and even your own ones to a great extent. Hair styles, eyebrow styles, makeup, colors, heights, weights, sizes, styles.. change them all; on the other hand, you can't change proportions on the designers' characters. But there are many different styled costumes and even colors/patterns to further customize all applicable characters with. They offer stickers to apply absolutely anywhere so the opportunities become even more endless ("More endless." Not sure if that even makes sense.), minus the designers' characters. And there are various items you get to free adjust. Raccoon tails to turn into beards, cones to turn into demon horns--it's awesome (Limit 3 adjustable items, though.).
Anyway, playing online is everything aside from the character customizing; it never gets old and waiting goes fast. It's great if you have a decent connection, but it does tend to "drop" matches back to the waiting lobby if someone has a bad line. There are hardcore people online that you can run into so be careful. There are ranked games and non-ranked games: the rankings go A-E, so stick with the E's at first (There are "pros" who like to beat down the new players, so they disguise themselves as E's with new saves just to play you.); you can see rankings in both ranked and non-ranked lobbies. Luckily for those jerks, you get to host your own lobbies with a "Beginner's only" lobby category; therefore, you get to boot/kick them out. I suppose I should say your best move is to read people's "playercards" which show people's play history. Some players get all their experience through non-ranked games, so remain as E's forever, but their win/loss ratio is super high.
You get censored for weird words and phrases online (You get the option to type in a discussion box in lobbies.) like "twister" and.. well, I can't think of the other words/phrases right now, but you'll see what I mean. You get to use a mike all you want, so censoring text is a little strange there.
There's been a lot of "modding" lately, so people get to bend the character customizing rules. It's cool and all when you've played a whole lot and doesn't really provide any sort of unbalanced advantages in matches. "Modders" are almost strictly experienced players, so I recommend avoiding them, beginners.
This took me by surprise though: every online match you play gets recorded temporarily (About 8-10 of them, I think?). You get to choose which ones to save and view and even upload for others to see. The Xbox version does not let you place recorded matches to a device to upload onto YouTube or something, though. I heard the PS3 one let's you do that! >:0
So, yeah, it's a fun game, but you WILL get mad at some point--everyone does, and everyone finds a way to handle it. Some just turn off the game, never to play it again, then call the game trash. Some will use the same "BS" moves and "techniques" to call themselves "winners." Some, like myself, will refuse the nonsense, try, get knocked down, keep trying, get good the good way, and then be able to justifiably destroy the other players. I USE ALPHA PATROKLOS--ahem, pardon me.
I got to say that it's a bummer that certain characters are no longer there (TALIM) while others are (MITSURUGI, ASTAROTH). Sure, they are even decent additions, but I can't say they still bring the same "life" to the roster like the previous characters (TAAALIIIM!!!) did. Though, hey, word is they're bringing all characters back for the next game, so I guess you could get updated and pick this game up.
That, however, is another thing: the story is a bit.. not.. good. Pretty [darn] unoriginal and cheesy, but that's not where the fun is. Just play the story once to unlock a few things, then it's all fun and games from there online and in customization (Plus a little bit of anger, of course.). | video-games_xbox |
Ridiculously Extensive. The title says it all, this game is the most extensive game you will EVER play. With at least 250 hours of gameplay, 1,000 NPCs, 9 cities, and countless numbers of ruins, caves, and creatures, you might never stop playing Oblivion.
Graphics- 9/10. Spectacular. No other game I can think of has made me stop and just take a minute to look at the world around me. I might see a dear running throw a meadow, or a giant mountain off in the distance. Whatever you might come across, it will look fantastic. However, I've given this a 9, because the game doesn't use lighting all that well, as the game's 9 cities can appear, at night, quite hideous. While the graphics do come across slightly dated after 2 years, it's easy to forgive the few textures that aren't quite up to par because the world is just so huge that it would have been near impossible to make the entire map perfect. Another note about the graphics- When you are in a conversation with a NPC, you'll notice how stiff and cold the facial expression comes off, if you talk to a few NPCs, you'll notice that they all seem to have the same facial expression.
Sound- 10/10. The sound is actually very impressive in oblivion. While wandering around aimlessly in the countryside, a nice, calm, melodic theme will be accompanying you in your travels, but if you happen to come across a non-friendly character of any kind, a more up-beat music will kick in, to let you know to be on high alert. Also, you might notice the subtle changes in the sound that your feet make as you transition from dirt, to mud, to grass and so on. This is fairly impressive, because there is a countless amount of terrain put into Oblivion, and it all has high quality sound.
Customization- 9/10. Again, the word extensive comes up. There is so many ways to make your character unique. There are 10 different races, including Argonian, Breton, High Elf, Wood Elf, Nord, Redguard, Orc, etc. All of the ten different races have there own specific attributes that go with them. For example, Argonians have the ability to breathe underwater, while Wood Elves have the ability to summon small beasts to fight for them. After choosing a race, you go through a fairly extensive appearance customization, where you can change your characters Hair, face, body, and more. The appearance customization could be a bit deeper, as there are only limited choices in some of these categories. After a while of playing a game, you are forced to chose a birth sign and a class in which to be a part of. I was thoroughly impressed with the number of classes you get to choose from, and the game even gives you the ability to create your own. Each class has on specialization (perhaps magic, or blade), 2 favored attributes, and 7 major skills. You will want to choose these according to what race your character is, as it greatly affects the game. The way you level up is by using each of your 7 major skills, until you have increased them by 10 points total. Say one of your major skills is marksman, simply use your bow more to increase that skill. This plays a big role in determining what you will be fighting with, whether it be a Sword, Bow, Magic, etc. This leads to the next category.
Fighting System- 6/10. The first time you click the right trigger to swing your weapon, there is a good chance you might burst out laughing, like we did. Frankly, it looks pathetic while you are fighting with an object that requires swinging, especially from the 1st person view. Of course, Oblivion has so much else to offer, that you will get use to this and just except it as part of the game. Besides the standard sword fighting, you can use a bow, or cast magic, which is actually quite fun, and very satisfying. What you fight with is a big part in the success you will have in killing enemies. For example, if you are the typical quick character, an enchanted mace might not be the best thing for you to use. Perhaps a dagger, or bow would be better for that character. Customization also plays a role in fighting, as you might be fighting with an enchanted weapon, or fighting in enchanted armor. If you have completed the necessary steps in the Mages' Guild to gain access to the Arcane University, you will have the ability to create your own enchantments. Of course, you can pick up standard enchanted weapons, but it truly is fun playing with a weapon that you know, you helped to create.
Gameplay- 5/10. While I may not like the fighting system, it is definitely not the biggest problem in Oblivion. The game has MAJOR problems with loading times, screen tearing, frame-rate and items not loading completely loading into the world. Often, especially on horseback, you may be stopped in the middle of playing with a notice that says "loading area". Also, it cannot be stretched enough, that this game is riddled with glitches. Some actually can benefit you, but most of the time, they are just very frustrating, and a huge annoyance. The most famous glitch that can benefit you is the "Dorian Money Glitch", in which you can rob a man an unlimited amount of times, leading to an unlimited amount of money. That glitch helps you if you so choose to use it, but we've experienced the pain of playing through an Oblivion Gate, only for us to not be able to pick up the Sigil Stone required to close the gate. On the plus side, when you are lucky enough to be roaming the land without a frame-rate drop, you have the ability to change from 1st person to 3rd person whenever you like, but it is clear that the game was meant to be played in 1st person, and typical RPG fans that like 3rd person play will be disappointed.
Controls- 6/10. Clunky is the best way to describe the controls. In the heat of battle, it often becomes necessary to change weapons, but this is eliminated because of the "clunky" controls. You have to use the D-pad to change weapons, and it is often difficult to select the correct weapon on your first try, as the game has it set up so weapons are not only up, down left, and right, but are on all the diagonal buttons in between. Personally, were not fans of A as the jump button either, as almost no other games we've played have this.
Story(s)- 10/10. For me, the main story-line wasn't incredible, but definitely good enough. Here's the rundown on the main story- All over your land, gates to oblivion have opened and they threaten your entire world. The only way to stop this is to give the recently assassinated King's son the "Amulet of Kings", which has been taken to the hellish world of oblivion. You have to assist in getting it in many ways- maybe gather a few rare plants or stones, or even close one of the gates. Over time, you will dread going into the Oblivion Gates as you dread paying taxes. Actually, we stopped playing Oblivion entirely for a good long month, before forcing ourselves to start playing it again. The main quest can be frustratingly hard when you are forced to go into the dreaded Oblivion Gates, and this is when you have to start playing the game as a world, rather than a game. Just from a couple minutes of messing around with exploring, you will find that there is a countless number of side-quests, guilds, and people to meet and interact with. The major guilds you can join are the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, and the highly exclusive Thieves Guild. A problem for some people may be incentive to finish all of these quests, because it sure doesn't feel like you are so high-and-mighty while in your guilds, even if names like "master" and "champion" are bestowed upon you from the guilds you are in. For beating the fighters guild, the only reward you get is a treasure chest filled with a limited amount of gold, and whatever items that you might have come across in your work for them, so this could surely be looked upon as an issue. Besides the guilds, you can fight in the Arena, and possibly do errands for the counts and countesses all across Cyrodill. While all this sounds all right, the side-quests are really, what separate Oblivion from other games. So many different side quests that can be done, though none of them are mandatory. There is just such a wide variety of these side-quests that it really is stunning to look back on in retrospect of doing them. You might have to clear a cave of Trolls, retrieve a sacred Sword, maybe even settle a squabble in a couple's marriage- and of course you get rewarded well for partaking in these side quests. You can create your own path in the game, and it is obvious how much work went into all the different story lines.
So, though the fighting system or loading times didn't impress us, this game has to be played. As a man from a very notable gaming magazine said- "Oblivion is the best-looking game I have ever seen in my life". I'm not going to go that far, but this game is easily the best RPG of 2006, and will probably end up being one of the best, if not the best RPG to come out for the XBox 360. This game is very deserving of a 9.1/10 in our opinions, and we can't wait for Elder Scrolls V to come out. | video-games_xbox |
Better than Mediocre. I received this game as a gift from my brother-in-law and I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this game.
Story: You are in a castle kingdom called Illumina and your party includes a scientist named Elco, a warrior named Tal, a princess named Ailish, and a anthromorph (half animal, half human girl) named Buki. The queen of the kingdom wants the kingdom protected and seeks Elco to build a barrier. He needs crystals to power the barrier so you try and hunt down the powerful crystals. You later find out that Queen wants the crystals for another purpose. Later in the game you travel through a portal that is actually an alter reality to your own and you come across yourselves, though slightly different in appearance but with the same abilities.
Gameplay: There are 4 main characters you get to control throughout the game but that later doubles to 8 when you find your alter selves in the other realm, though one of them is not controllable (Elco's alter self). Combat is real time and you control 1 of the characters during combat while the others are controlled by the AI. You can switch between characters during combat. Each character has Skill Strike and Spirit Strike abilities that upgrade and expand throughout the game. Each character has certain button combos they can use during fighting for more powerful strikes. The game plays like a an RPG and you travel to multiple areas and towns. There are numerous side quests available if you talk to all the NPCs you come across in the game. Each main character has a different spirit power that they need to track down to upgrade, such as the Cat for Buki, Wolf for Tal, Eagle for Ailish, and a Dragon for Elco. Every time the character finds his symbol in the game, they will upgrade in Spirit power and abilities. You can upgrade all your weapons in each town or find weapons in areas outside of towns. Each character has an ultimate weapon. Your characters all have a unique ability that allows them to travel to areas that they can only reach.
Overall, great game. The ending was not as good as I hoped, but the game still deserves an 8 out of a 10.
Worth picking up if you still own an Xbox. | video-games_xbox |
Wow! LEGO outdoes themselves with this release. Having played most (but not all) of the LEGO video games, from the very first LEGO Star Wars clear through LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, I've seen how these games have changed since the first release.
LEGO and Traveler's Tales team up again on this release, and the tandem really outdid themselves. I can tell that a lot of the mechanics of this game were based on the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean release from the previous year. The split-screen (which has been a multiplayer feature since the first iteration of LEGO Harry Potter, I believe) is still around, and the use of prolonged cinematic scenes, which harken from LEGO PotC, are another staple of this release, though the main difference between the cinematic scenes of LEGO PotC and LEGO LotR is the inclusion of dialogue from the movies. For instance, Galadriel (one of the elves) narrates the story of the creation of the One Ring and therefore lays out some of the history of the franchise. Players get to play through the "prologue" too, based on her narration. The back-and-forth between Gimli the dwarf and Legolas the elf is also still included; during the "Battle of Pelennor Fields" level in "Return of the King," we hear some of the wisecracks between the two that we also heard during the movie.
There are several things that LEGO has done right with their video games - the fact that when your character dies, for instance, there is no major penalty: instead, you lose a bit of in-game money, fall apart, and then respawn where you left off.
The replay value of these games is high as well. Scattered throughout each level in areas that appear (at first) inaccessible are numerous treasures and in some cases "secret areas," and if players want to complete the game, they'll have to go back through each stage in "free play" mode and reach the areas. Luckily, the game affords players the ability to purchase characters for use in free play mode.
Similar to previous releases, different characters in the game have different abilities; for instance elves have the best jumping ability in the game, and there are also several characters who have more strength (physically) than others.
Continuing the tradition from the first LEGO Indiana Jones release, there are several hints (usually along the bottom of the screen) that help you along as you go. With LEGO LotR, there is an inclusion of an invisible trail of blue pieces that lead players on the correct path toward the next stage (for instance, from the village of Bree to Mount Weathertop). Players can, however, "journey off the beaten path" and collect coins and stuff.
LEGO LotR adds to the experience by allowing users to set various points on the map as "destinations," and the "blue trail" will lead the way to whatever stage players have set as the destination. (This is handy when unlocking characters, which must be done at various stages, as there is no "in-game" area where unlockable characters walk around as in the previous releases).
A previous reviewer also mentioned the bonus level, wherein players get to control (and, at the end, unlock) Sauron. This is a very fun bonus level, because the goal is to collect coins... the "traditional" LEGO way - by smashing the level to pieces. And there is no shortage of stuff to smash to bits in this bonus level, which recreates Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Smashing it with Sauron is particularly enjoyable, as is visiting prior levels in "free play" mode with Sauron.
Some of the downsides of this game - the in-game hints can, at times, get annoying, but not to the point where they detract from the overall gameplay experience. The fact that characters must be "hunted down" before unlocking them is a bit of a downside too, though the upside is that it allows players to explore areas where they may not have collected all the hidden treasures.
Bottom line - if you've played any of the previous LEGO releases, this one definitely will not disappoint. Even if you haven't played any of them, but are a fan of Lord of the Rings, this game will still be a pleasant surprise. This game is awesome, and deservedly so. I recommend it to people of all ages - not just kids, but people in general. Anyone and everyone can have fun with this game. | video-games_xbox |
A FPS must have. At first I wanted to try out Halo at a store, I never could because there would always be these two guys (mabye you know them) that hogged the machine for literally hours. I just bought the game, and now I know why.
This is why Halo takes FPS to the next level:
You are in a battlefield. Up until now FPS games have limited us to fighting solo while taking out baddies that are in the same location each time you round a corner. If you wanted a surprise you had to play multiplayer online. Also, in other FPS action is limited (about 4 guys pop out in a hallway). In Halo, battles rage on everywhere. It is not as intense as I hope it to be in the future, but a definite step in the right direction. To make a comparison: Other FPS are like the first Rogue Squadron - empty skies, Halo is like the second with much more activity and action.
I have only played briefly, but I have been in the jeep. Let me tell you, there is nothing like driving full throttle into a field of baddies just to jump out of the jeep while it is still moving, using it as a cover to pick aliens off one at a time while your machine gun guy on the jeep pounds the ones you miss.
There is a slight learning curve for the controls. But believe me, after playing games like UT on the dreamcast with just a controller, you come as close to keyboard and mouse as you could get. Let's face it, you don't want auto-aim that keeps you locked almost permanently in the horizontal position. It took me about an hour to fully adjust to the controls.
I have a question:
This is the criterion by which all games can be measured - when you up the difficulty level, does the enemy AI get better, or does something lame happen like you take more damage when hit and do less damage when you shoot? If the former, then this game goes far beyond any FPS out there.
Complaints:
I can already tell that this game will be short. The first night I played it i got about 25% done (and that was only for a couple of hours). Granted I was playing it on easy. | video-games_xbox |
crime doesn't pay. After a lot of sceptisism about this game i finally picked up a copy. I have to say i was pretty impressed. I won't bore you with the story, its the usual cop story - investigating a crime - personal friends get kidnapped etc.. I'll weigh up the games credentials.
On the plus side: The first thing i noticed about the game was how cool it was to target. Holding the R trigger in brings the camera to your shoulder and gives you a pretty zoomed view of anything in front of you and slows it down, giving you more time to target your enemies, or their vechicles. This is useful if you want to shoot someone in the leg, not that there are individual body effects (but there does try to be). The driving is quite similar to GTA, theres a variety of cars and some of the missions in the Game focus on this. You can also shoot from the car, which is helpful if you are persuing a suspect and want to shoot out his wheels- this being perhaps the best feature in the game. You can also shoot the engine - but its close to impossible sometimes. Theres a lot of missions to keep you entertained, plus you can also cruise around the city - 'policing' random crimes. the game is satisfying. Imagine the scenario. It comes over on the radio that two cars have been spotted street racing - you arrive to the scene and the cars are racing around the block, you can approach it by staying in your car chasing them - take their wheels out and chase the criminal on foot. Alternatively you can shoot at his engine - permanantly stopping his car and him! Or you can wait around the block, get out of the car and stand in the middle of the road playing chicken with the car, when he get close - hit your R trigger to aim and slow down time,aim at his wheels and take them out. Its still coming towards you out of control, quickly dive in slow motion out of the way (and if you wish shoot the driver of the car as it spins madly). Cool, i think so!
On the downside: The main quarrel in this game is the variety soon runs dry. If they had spent more time on adding variety rather tahn mapping L.A. they would have a serious hit on their hand. The majority of the map isn't used at all in True Crime, and it proves pretty pointless chasing 'Jacko Miguel' the sirenge weilding popstar around downtown L.A. then driving for ten minutes to get to to Venice just to do the same crime again. The only thing that keeps the game alive sometimes is the knowing fact that theres some missions to do. If you ever here the word stealh mentioned in this game, laugh out loud! The stealth levels can be done by running up to a guy and pressing one button. Great, Splinter Cell better be careful! The combat is good if you want to solve crimes without killing the criminal - although the moves are limited. And while you can unlock new combat moves (also new car tricks and faster targeting) you'll find yourself bashing the buttons to get it over with. I had the idea of shooting the criminal in the leg or midriff to injure and bring his life down a bit (so i wouldn't have to fight the same fight for the 157th time) then get out my fists, but it seems as soon as you pull your gun out , suddenly the criminal has one and is blasting you in the face. Why didn't he do that in the first place. It would have been helpful if you could get into a building and sometimes if your driving your car in a high speed pursuit you may decide to go through the fences between houses, crash full speed into the fence and you're through but try to get out and you cant, don't worry though - get out of your car and run towards the fence, you'll glitch right through it, and theres tons of places you'll find glitchs, including the missions.
All in all, i would recommend this game if you can get it cheap, 20 or less or rent it .......twice. I enjoyed the game (the first day i played it for 12 hours) but was left with a feeling i'd wasted my money. GTA is safe until True Crime 2 and should be the priority purchase in this genre - hopefully by then TC2 will have cleaned its act up a bit. | video-games_xbox |
Disapointing entry in the series. No tutorial and online is lacking. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution was a greatest hits copy of Virtua Fighter 4. I cam with 2 new character that weren't in the original: Brad and Goh. VF4: EVO had the most comprehensive training mode tutorial I've ever seen in a video game EVER. There was also this mode that simulated a pro gamer hopping arcades on the road to becoming a master; this carried over into VF5, but doesn't feel quite as good.
Although VF5 adds an addition 2 characters to the roster, improves the graphics and character costume customization possibilities, keeps the same overall controls from VF4: EVO... there is something terribly missing. After playing the tutorial modes in VF4: EVO and VF5 not having any, this game feels lazy. It's like, I have to go back to PS2 copy of EVO if I ever get rusty in the game mechanics, which is frustrating and makes Sega look bad. Why the heck didn't they carry it over? I'm sure somethings have changed in this newer installment, but there's no way to tell unless you're a die hard VF fan.
The online fighting mode is here, but is lacking. There is only a 2 player lobby, like Street Fighter 4, but playing with your friends is frustrating because you have to quit out if you wanna change characters. The VF series is very MAIN CHARACTER driven, which to me means that to get good at this game you need to focus on just 1 or 2 characters alone, but the online interface feels BAD and limited. :(
After player VF4: EVO (2003), I concluded that VF had out did anything Tekken had ever done. EVO was better than Tekken 4 and 5 IMO. I have 2 friends on x-box live that call DOA the best 3D fighting series; currently claiming that the latest entry has the best online fighting game service there is. I don't know what to make of DOA because I never had an X-BOX. Right now I still think that VF is better than Tekken, but Tekken 6 coming this fall has been getting a lot of buzz; way more than any VF game in my memory. Although, Tekken has been a commercial success over the years because the home versions were launched on PS1 during a time when gaming evolved from being just for children to being for adults too. VF wasn't able to create as popular a fan base because until 2002 with VF4 the series had been Sega exclusive, not to mention the game play is a bit more technical.
In conclusion I have to say VF5 ONLINE is a disappointment because they didn't carry over the EXCELLENT tutorial training mode and the online match making feels crappy. | video-games_xbox |
Great but not perfect. First off I want to start out by saying this game came out bout 4 years ago. So don't expect graphics like you would see in GTA V. I like this game for a couple of reasons....
Pros
1. Time: it keeps track of how long you have played it. I'm up to 9 hours now and I am less than 10 percent complete.
2. Size: the map is massive and I mean massive. Flying in the fastest plane from corner to corner takes a lot of time, so thankfully they made an "extraction" feature that will take you to any settlement you have discovered.
3. Grappling hook/ parachute combo: So if you watch the YouTube videos on this, you can see what I'm talking about, but basically to travel fast you can deploy your parachute and than use the grappling hook to pull yourself along all of the islands.
4. Plot: I like the plot because to me, GTA V is, and I don't want to say evil, but its messed up. The way GTA V is set up, there is a lot of violence that is uncalled for. ( I remember a scene where a character gets his head stomped in and the guy that did it was picking brain off of his shoe.) so in just cause 2, you are sent on an Asian island where it has been taking over by a communist who plays propaganda everywhere, and you are supposed to cause chaos to disrupt all of this and have the people take back their country.
Cons.
1. Graphics: like I said, its an older game so the graphics aren't the best, but they definitely aren't terrible either.
2. Cut scene acting: I swear I could get high school drama students to sound more believable than these people.
3. Repetitive: After awhile, the game gets repetitive. you do the same exact thing, just in different locations.
Finally, this game is great for anyone 16 and up, there is no nudity, the killing isn't graphic, and the people who die vanish 10 seconds after death. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to play a game that lasts long and cant be beaten in one day. | video-games_xbox |
Still as good as I remember. Ahh.. Halo CE and it's nostalgia, the first video game that I was ever allowed to buy which is what got me to buy my first Xbox. First played this at my friends house way back in middle school and then at my other friends houses for lan mp parties, and I still remember playing the beginning on "The Silent Cartographer", Covenant blood dripping walls, then the Jenkins cutscene, and of course, playing The most epic level still to date, the ending run on the "The Maw".
I didn't buy the game just for reliving the nostalgia (though I did a bit I admit (but yes, it was still as good as it was before)), I bought the game for my favorite game character the Master Chief, his sidekick Cortana, and Still one best stories in video games. This game brought it all back, the exact same gameplay, and exactly the same levels, same voice acting, same story. Some of the new features includes, skulls (if you've never played a Halo, you can find these skulls hidden throughout the campaign and they do certain things like "turning off your HUD", "inf. ammo", etc), Terminals (machines that you can walk up to that give a cutscene of types that give you background info to the game), and the ability to switch between the new and old Xbox graphics (the difference will literally jaw drop you, I was astounded by the diff). The terminals was one of my most favorite things in the game, not only did I watch them for the hints on Halo 4, it told a really deep interesting story of Guilty Spark 343 (an interesting character you'll meet in the game), and Installation 04, i.e. Halo.
Does have its downsides though, graphics were really pretty, but once or twice I would see a graphic glitch. Couple of the skulls are too hard to get. The last negative to the game was the levels, I totally forgot how repetitive they were going through the same room/area after another, and then going back through a little of them again later in the game, but difference in objectives and enemies later alleviates the latter.
Overall, an excellent game, I'm not a fanboy of Halo, but if you want to play a new game that actually has a good story, a really great climactic story line that gets even more exciting level after level and ends in one of the most memorable and absolutely epic levels, and that leads into a series that has an even better story and mp that take days away from you cause it's so fun, no copy n paste campaign/mp, etc bs, PLAY, THIS, GAME. (though I would recommend playing Reach first so you understand it better, and so you can be one of the few to do that since we weren't able to) This has the best story in all of video games, and honestly, I have no idea why people don't love this game cause of the awesome gameplay and story. I often hear from people who know good movies, that they loved the story in this game. What's even better is the price, the starting price is already a bargain for an amazing full game that if this was the original, it would've been $60. | video-games_xbox |
So far so good. When I first got the game I was pretty intrigued by it. I admit that I have not read the books and I am an avid fan of the TV series. I know one cannot be compared with the other so I will not go into whether or not the game follows the plots and design of the books because I am not qualified. But given the fact that I do not have a lot of the back story through the books I find this game really addicting and enjoyable.
I started playing it and was kind of disappointed just having come off of a 8 month Skyrim high and before that, being obsessed with the Dragon Age series. I am not into shooters, short play times or games with no overall good storyline. The story does start out a little slow, I am sure if you read the books it might be a different experience but for me I had no idea what was going on or why I cared about these characters I was playing. I typically like playing games where I can be a female character so not having that choice was a bit off putting to me. But I have to say once I got past chapter 2 in the game I really did not care anymore. I am really engrossed into these two characters and where the story is taking them/me.
The graphics are not the best and only being able to see the world through a half third person/half first person view is a little annoying. I like to be able to switch back and forth to get the whole scene around me. I did not like the combat system at first mostly because I like a more fast pace combat system but it is not a deal breaker. While the combat is a little "slow" and a little cumbersome it still is not worth getting upset about it in my opinion. All of the cons so far are definitely outweighed by the pros of this game.
What I really love is how every decision you make effects pretty much every aspect of the game. You feel like you are in control of who you want to your character to be and what you do definitely has an impact. It is not like no matter what decision you make does not matter to the game because whatever is going to happen is going to happen with or without you. Your decisions not only affect the game story but it also affects your character traits and perks as well. I find this type of detail thrilling.
If you are a real RPG fan, "old school" as one of the previous reviewers tagged themselves then you will really enjoy this game the more you play it. Most of the time, the flash and technology can be overlooked by a good story that puts you in the driver's seat and makes you feel like you are THAT character. So far this game does that on many different levels which definitely makes it worth playing. Can there be improvements, yes, but those improvements should only enhance what is already there and not take away from the in-depth story, RPG playability and quality that already exists. | video-games_xbox |
my favorite game since Oblivion. I have owned this game since the day it released and since then I have played through 2 complete playthroughs, am well into 2 other playthroughs and have started 2 more! I think that the story is extremely interesting, and I love the idea of the different Origin sotries that subtly alter different parts of the game (and certainly can change the way you view the world). Despite what some other people have said I have had no real problems with glitches (the only minor thing that happens rarely is that a character will hold their arm at a strange angle). There is another glitch that I repeatedly experience, but it in no way takes away from the game experience- the game is supposed to sync with Bioware's website if you have an account and upload some data, but that regularly does not work properly... The graphics are fine, despite what other people say- RPGs are more about the story anyway (and as I already said, there are certainly no problems there!) To make the game even better, Bioware is steadily releasing new DLC for the game (I've bought all of it, except the Darkspawn Chronicles, and it's all top-notch!). One piece of advice, if you buy this- don't even waste your time putting the mage's hats on your characters- they look absolutely horrendous! Overall tho, if I had realized that I would love this game so much, I would have bought the Collector's Edition... Also, I highly recommend reading the books <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dragon-Age-The-Stolen-Throne/dp/0765363712/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Calling-Dragon-Age/dp/0765324091/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Calling (Dragon Age)</a> as they expand the story (but I probably wouldn't read them until you have at least one playthrough under your belt!) | video-games_xbox |
It's The End of the World, as We Know It. Many of you have probably known or familiarized yourselves with Valve's new first person shooter (FPS), "Left 4 Dead". For those who don't know of it, lived under a rock, or maybe even just set foot into the next generation of gaming, no worries I'm here to help. To begin this is a game based on cooperation, even in single player campaign modes you'll want a fearsome four. Not a feeble loner, or you'll be turning the game into "Left 2 Die", with a middle finger on the cover and to your teammates.
Left 4 Dead begins in the middle of what appears to be a zombie apocalypse, with no real back-story. Aiming for an easy hop in and play title, rather then having to make a proper story and avoid a clich way of infestation. The game features four prime cuts of zombie terrain goodness, broken into chapters. Each scenario holds no story to the other, so any beginner can play any section without missing much. Some chapters though are quite tough, but difficulty settings aside beginners won't be turned away even joining up with a group nearing the end of the game.
Streets painted in blood, urban sprawl, and sewers are just some of the areas you'll venture to. Airports even fields (as we all know are terrifying in real life in the dark) are available. Progression is logged by making way to a safe room. These rooms serve as a quick breather in a rather hellish atmosphere, and offer goods from ammo to health packs. Players on higher difficulties will see these rooms as a sign of salvation. So next time you make a bold attempt to dart to one of these safe rooms, look both ways.
Zombies pose little threat at first, much like the "28 Days Later" rage infected people, they are fast but nothing a bullet can't handle. Special infected are what to look out for. Special musical cues alert players of what to expect. Special infected range in size and abilities. The most deadly being the Tank, a destructive `tank' like foe, which specialty is to bludgeon or toss survivors. Next in our Frankenstein like conveyor belt is the `smoker'. You can hear this fella cackling away from either emphysema or laughter as he's about to lash out his tongue and victimize you. Along the way you'll probably see the hunter, chances are he'll see you first though. He likes to tackle and maul you! He's pleasant in comparison to the boomer. The boomer likes to cover you in gooey bile of some sort that attracts a horde of zombies. Now those weak pestering waste of shot zombies are an army of the dead, and you're their primary target (lovely). Before I finish this segment, it wouldn't be complete with out mentioning the witch. I won't mention much about her, leave her be and maybe you won't know a thing of her either.
Weapons are a constant in survival, and teams must choose accordingly to their premises to survive. Entry grade weapons include a sub machine gun, and a shotgun, as pistols are equipped as a back up or last resort. Down the road you'll run into the upgraded versions (automatic shotgun, assault rifle, dual pistol), and a hunting rifle. What you used before may not be suitable at this point. Consider speaking and clarifying your specialty with others, if everyone only has a shotgun, say good-bye to the straggler.
Items are just as important if not more important to survival here. Medical items anyways. Pills, and `med packs' are your health boosters. Pills increase your health but slowly ware off and bring you back to bare bones. Med packs can be given out to other players, or used upon you; it goes for pills too (can be handed out). (Lower your health the slower you run). They can also save you when your screen becomes grayed (ill explain more upon this grayness later). Other items can be improvised such as a Molotov cocktail, and a pipe bomb. Players must choose one or the other, in a perfect world we should be able to carry both, but this isn't a perfect world, in fact it feels like the end. Gasoline cans and propane tanks can be shot or thrown into a spot for some tactical explosive goodness.
Players can become incapacitated by what they are facing and have in need of some assistance. As their health bar dwindles, players can pick them up. After enough knockdowns though, their screen will appear faded and gray. After one more accident, they will die! Luckily your friend is much like a zombie and will respawn in a closet at a later time. Versus mode offers players to be special infected or survivors, and incapacitation is the biggest objective to avoid or initiate. Versus mode is a rehash of the games campaign, with only two of the trials offered. Teams switch off each round (to zombie or survivor). This works rather smoothly, but the spawning is a bit confusing at first, and isn't all that interesting.
Visuals- 4/5: Cinematic flares added here and there make the gore even more horrific.
Sound-5/5: Not much music, but the bits are crucial to survival. They also heighten the freight to another level.
Frame rate and performance-4/5: The E3 demos gave me this conception of a Half-Life 2 mod with a clunky frame rate, oh how I was wrong. It runs smooth, not too many clunks, and the A.I. is great. Check out the A.I, director to learn more.
Gameplay-4/5: Fun,fun,fun! Repetitiveness done right, you don't even want to call it that. New feeling each play through, just with a stronger sense of familiarity.
Left 4 Dead summed up is a game that will have you completing the same objectives every time, fairly linear but different combinations of weapons and people and even difficulty changes make for a great intense game. Slight changes of item locations and witches will have you peering around every tree and or wall. This is a game worth buying if you have a devoted group of friends or clan to play with, but as for now a rental if available and while the online community lingers with the dead. For I fear that lack of downloadable content (DLC) could hinder this games online player base, so lets hope for a few new locations. | video-games_xbox |
The most overrated game in the history of games. If you google on the article "BioShock - Overrated Disneyland Ride", I share many of the sentiments. I just don't understand what game you reviewers were playing. It sure wasn't BioShock. I will try my best to not sound like yet another "This sucks" kind of person. The graphics are amazing; the spotlight lighting and shading is pretty advanced. Sometimes the enemy characters are so in the dark, they are hard to make out, but their features look pretty believable. I also liked the Big Daddy character mulling around. The story itself is also ok; a little different from the humans against the aliens shooters we are used to. But, I am paying $60 to actually play a game not to foam at the mouth for eye-candy.
First, the gameplay is just so amazingly basic; You pick up guns, ammo, plasmids and you run around the dungeon like environment as characters pop up or the occasional turret or flying thingy. This may not be so bad except for the fact that you don't really get to use your full range of motions. You don't ever have to attack somebody above you or below you. It is a basic forward shooting, dungeon FPS (almost kind of reminded me of Doom 1). Oh yea, all of that is kind of pointless because if you aren't strapped for time, you can just respawn and finish off your characters without any real penalties.
Let's look at Halo2 or Gears of War, for example. In Halo 2, you might have to take out a bunch of weaker characters close up and then snipe the more difficult ones from a distance while using your soldiers as bait. In Gears, it is the same thing; you are ducking behind walls corners so you don't get toasted by the Boomers, hoping your friendly characters might kill something. In Bioshock, I just kind of ran around clubbing people with the wrench because I never really had any ammo. I was bored to tears.
Not a big deal, but what happened to Animation sequences or End chapter sequences. All I am getting is that silly radio message popup or maybe a diary message which I won't normally listen to. Those aren't very exciting and makes it hard to appreciate the story.
Maybe I am wrong, It could be possible. I am flexible in my analysis of the game if you want to comment on it.
And I am only at 60% completion, so maybe that other 40% is where the amazing part of the game is. I don't know. To be honest, I don't think I can continue. | video-games_xbox |
Potentially great game ruined by poor design. This is a potentially great game that is let down by too many unfortunate design decisions.
First the good. The core game play is excellent: melee combat is fluid, dynamic, and fun with gruesome death animations; parkour, for the most part, is also responsive and allows you to use the environment to your advantage since you are grossly outnumbered; crafting is diverse, not just for core weaponry, but also for numerous useful secondary items (my favorite being the exploding throwing star) and this diversity allows for multiple ways of dealing with any situation; and the environment adds another layer of tactical possibility because numerous elements abound for your use (such as kicking a biter off a building or into a burning car). Finally, the day/night cycle is brilliant, not just for the gorgeous graphical effects that occur as night falls, but also because it has a dramatic impact on game play.
In short, the free running components of Dying Light form the foundation of a great game. Too bad the development team didn't trust their own game dynamics when designing the story missions.
I will say up front that I expect story missions to be more difficult than the core game. But that difficulty should fall within the confines of the game play and not rely on some arbitrary element only found in these missions. For instance, in one mission your grappling hook is unavailable because you're "too exhausted" to use it, but you're not too exhausted to carve your way through hordes of undead or shimmy up walls. All of the freedom you're given in free running is thrown out the window because the developers want you to traverse the mission along a certain path and encounter specific events in a pre-scripted way.
That's not amping up the difficulty; that's poor level design. And the game is fraught with this type of laziness during the missions. In fact, during one mission I found an alternative path and ran into an invisible wall, even though it was a perfectly acceptable way of getting to where I needed to go--had I been outside of a mission.
What results from this is not a sense of accomplishment for beating a mission (or a section of it), but more of a "glad that's over with and I never want to do that again" feeling. This greatly impacts replayability and makes the game feel cheap in certain areas. And that's really a shame.
Still, the game is worth playing for the side missions and exploration of Harran alone. Had more effort gone into the design of the main story line, we'd have a truly great game here. | video-games_xbox |
One-Star Reviews DON'T Reflect This Game's Quality. Wow! This game is definitely a strong case of many parents displaying a blind eye to what they purchase for their kids (or allow their kids to buy). It just seems incredibly illogical to come here to complain AFTER you've been "mislead" - If you knew you could post a negative review here then why didn't you check the "negative" reviews BEFORE you decided to spend your hard-earned money? This goes double for those that bought the "disappointing" game off of Amazon with the "negative" (or warning) reviews right in front of them!
These negative reviews read like they come from households that are on tight budgets, and of course, there's nothing wrong with that - most people can't afford to flush money down the toilet - but reading most of these negative reviews gives off the feeling that many had the attitude of blindly spending money and then complaining about it when it wasn't what they thought it was.
I mean, it says it right on the box (Xbox Live Gold Required: Sold Separately) for those that bought it locally; and if you didn't know what "Xbox Live Gold Required: Sold Separately" meant, well, that would have been a good time to ask the person behind the counter a question. For those that bought it on Amazon, FIVE ONE-STAR reviews were literally a scroll (or a slight flick of the finger) away from the "add to cart" button, as well as a Three-Star median (which is red flag enough to check some reviews) within line of sight of the "add to cart" button. OOPS! And don't forget the Q & A (which immediately, and clearly, answers the question that has eluded many a consumer of this game) placed right before the string of one-star reviews beneath it that further answers that very same question. All of these red flags waved at the consumer right on the very same page that one would buy it on - Zero effort required.
It's a shame that such a fun game is bogged down by negative reviews from consumers that couldn't be bothered to read up on what they're buying. I can't remember the last time I bought ANYTHING without knowing if it was going to work right out of the box - Are batteries included? Does it come with an HDMI cable? Do I need any additional accessories for it to function? What does "Xbox Live Gold Required: Sold Separately" mean? I'll give the kids a pass, but c'mon adults! You're acting like it's the first time you've bought anything. Shame on you. The one-star reviews are (mostly) a reflection of the consumer themselves rather than the game. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent new FPS from Blizzard. Update 1/12/17. This game is a blast! Perhaps the most fun I have ever had playing a video game, and I go all the way back to the original Atari Pong and race games. The recent update added characters and maps, and as I stated in my review, I expect Blizzard to continue to update and make this game better. They really are a great gaming company. I personally have never played COD style FPS online in competition with other people, so I was a little apprehensive. I'm used to playing against AI with a limited number of lives. I never got the fun of dying over and over just to run back and kill a couple of characters, but what I have realized is that the kids today don't know how to play these games! I've been playing for a week, and I now rarely die and I am able to nearly single-handedly decimate the opposing team. These are players with twice my experience and I'm sure ten times the hours of playing. Infinite lives has ruined everyone's ability to develop STRATEGY, and strategy has always been what these games are about for me. Perhaps this generation of gamers should pick up a little game called Chess before they run out and buy COD 99! Believe it or not kiddos that ancient game can teach you many, many lessons about abstract thinking and strategy, and I believe they even have it in video form these days for those who can no longer deal with the reality of actually having to pick up a game piece and move it with your hands. LOL! Better give it a shot, because if you run into me online, I'll definitely be killing you.
I am a huge Blizzard fan, and have enjoyed many of their PC games. Additionally, I am crazy about Diablo and all it's iterations. So when I saw that Blizzard came out with a new FPS, I had to jump at the chance to play it, and I have not been disappointed.
I immediately threw myself into this game. It's got some pros and cons, but overall, I'm satisfied and very happy with the purchase.
Pros:
1) Refreshing: there's so many unique characters, and different classes. No more of the COD style default boring character. These characters have personalities, great voice lines and interact with each other. They've clearly put a lot of heart into the production of these characters, which is something I have always loved about Blizzard's games.
2) Fun!: this game is fun. Point blank. There's a character/position for anyone.
3) Blizzard: this company is wonderful, they've stated that any DLC/Character/Maps they create will be available to all, free of charge.
4) Polished: this game is wonderfully polished. Unlike some games, this one isn't glitchy and buggy right at release. They've done this game right.
Cons:
- Unlockables: while I love the idea of so much being Unlockable, from what I've played, it's gonna take a LONG TIME. It seems to be a rarity to get the in-game-currency in your loot crates, and I find myself getting a lot of things I'm not too thrilled about.
- Repetition: this game isn't going to be one that you can play ALL day, unless you really really enjoy FPS games. I found myself being tapped out after a few hours of gameplay, as it did get repetitive. However, I'm accounting this to the fact that this game is BRAND new, and there is lots of room for expansion and new game modes.
I think this game is 100% worth the money. And I'm super excited to see where they take this game! | video-games_xbox |
Great sound, but not so user friendly. The sound's good, and the drain on the battery isn't so bad. It may only reduce the playtime of a fully charged controller battery by a couple hours. The headset is kind of heavy on the head. I still haven't gotten used to it after a month, but I was using simple headsets prior to this purchase. The Mic is super sensitive, and you may not realize it until someone says something, but everyone can hear just about everything that is going on around you. They can hear you hitting your buttons, a distant fan, or your AC if it's moving air in your direction. Usually, those people that complain about it, are also using Kinect Mics which feeds back on everyone. Other issues I had were when I had to recharge one controller and move the headset to another. For whatever reason, even if you assign both controllers to you, if you have to switch it will unassign you from the new one and the headset with fail to work. You maybe able to hear the game, but it mutes you completely. You basically have to hardwire your controller to the system, reassign controller to you and update controller (even if it says it's already updated), and pull the plug to un-hardwire the controller so it flashes off and on. For whatever reason, canceling party, chat, whatever and re-entering doesn't work. Same thing with shutting down system and restarting or turning the controller off and on. Even unpluging the mic and re-plugging it in won't work, which some say is a popular fix.
Some may have problems with the audio settings. Some times they seem to adjust themselves. I've noticed it more with chat. You'll get on and everyone will sound distant or extremely soft; when you got off the time before everyone sounded fine. You then have to re-figure game and chat volumes, which can become a little bothersome.
I also do agree with a review I saw earlier, it does make your head sweat; especially around the ears. You'd probably want to keep your room at 74 degrees or cooler; otherwise it can get a bit uncomfortable to wear. | video-games_xbox |
The Xbox One is the console the world has been waiting for. The Xbox One is the console the world has been waiting for.
Great Games during launch! Forza 5, Ryse, NFL, FIFA, Need for Speed, Powerstar Golf, Dead Rising, Battlefield 4, COD Ghosts, Zumba Fitness, Peggle. This is the first console launch on both sides that has had such a great lineup of games right at launch. Forza presents itself as a masterpiece of a game around career mode racing with graphics, audio and video presentation perfectly produced and delightfully presented in such a clean experience on the Xbox one that its impossible to put the game down. The other launch games are all fantastic in and of themselves as well with some minor hickups around BF4 that Dice has yet to address (which happens on PS4, PC, WiiU and XB1.. just launched too early..)
XboxLive It just works, always has, and always will. Never had a few weeks of downtime, service is always improved, always updated and always on. That to me is worth a cup of coffee a month it costs. IT took the 360 to heights never before envisioned and I fully expect the same with Xbox One. Not only is it much easier to use on the Xbox One, but now that you can assign your family members and link accounts they can take advantage of all Gold services without requiring a family pack! I also very much appreciate the consistent ecosystem around live the apps, games and services all support the base functionality and consistency Voice, Gesture support, Bing support. Xbox Bing Star Trek Next generations searches all the content providers to show what episodes are where and gives you easy voice/gesture navigation.
Entertainment Finally got BluRay support, hope to see 3d support here before long. I actually like the fact the Xbox decodes the audio and sends PCM as my receiver used to be hooked up to analog outs on my old player since I never got a DTS-HD or Master audio capable receiver. The Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, Crackle, Machinama, Xbox Music, Xbox Movie apps all work great.. some a little rough around the edges Hulu has some growing pains apparently on all next gen consoles and Netflix SERIOUSLY needs to support SuperHD and 3D streaming on Xbox One, I hope in due time. As mentioned above in the Xbox Live bullet, the universal search, gesture and voice support is what wraps this platform together in a very easy to use package and makes it really shine. I hope they implement more search features across the guide and apps so you can search more easily on related information. Xbox Bing your search works fairly well, but isn't as intuitive in the TV guide area
TV Guide / HDMI in I don't really use it right now, cant speak much to it other than the fact I was able to mess around with Media Center / Plex behind it and it worked somewhat. If I had cable or sat, Id probably be all over this, but right now, cant really speak to it.
Skype Pure awesomeness if you ask me. You get 6+ of Skype Premium with your Xbox one right now, I hope that just becomes a defector part of Xbox Live. The performance of the 1080p camera and audio pickup on Kinect is absolutely amazing, sharp and crystal clear. Im also really impressed with the capabilities of the Kinect camera to track objects as they walk around the room.
Kinect love it or hate it, its there and its one of the things that really make the xbox feel next generation. Turn on your xbox.. xbox on, turn off your xbox Xbox turn off. Turn up volume, switch channels, mute control your tv / receiver though built in IR blasting its amazingly simple feature set out the door brings amazing value to your home entertainment system. Anything less just feels subpar. Just tune your Kinect with the audio so loud it tells you to turn it down and once you find that sweet spot, voice commands work amazingly well.
Hardware / Controller lets face it, its black, its sleek and its especially quiet. I have had no problems with my device, it is exponentially quieter than my 360 was and it boots up quick, feels snappy and performs really well. Controller is a vast improvement over 360 controller but does require some new muscle memory to get used to 100% - definitely enjoy the feedback in triggers and the better rumble. Nothing like driving a Ferrari on a bumpy road at 200mph to really feel things through the controller. With the high bandwidth wifi direct support, I haven't felt any latency in controls/feedback its smooth as silk and very well done.
A lot of people talk about negatives, as if their bullet points too but I won't bother. I have nothing really negative to say. Sure, Id like 3D Blu-ray support, Id really love a video app that works as a DLNA player, not just receiver and Id love for the app store to be completely open for apps and for the developer section to be open to side loads with full support in visual studio, but Im also realistic and know that both consoles had extreme pressures to ship on time and get into our hands.
What I hope to see?
PlexApp I want PlexApp so I can front end my media pc with the Xbox One.. Id love other apps like flipboard, Mint and such so I can read news and check my banking info and I cant wait to see what Microsoft brings to the table with App support / Capability.
Biggest fears of purchase?
The only thing Im concerned about is how quick Microsoft can implement new features and bring in new services. Theyre a giant company with Sony competing fiercely and Steam about to enter the console industry. I don't want to wait around a few years to finally get digital downloads from Amazon vs having to pay full retail at Xbox.com so on and so forth. I don't want to wait 2 years to have the promised Every xbox is a dev kit feature and I certainly don't want to wait years before any app ecosystem really takes off. | video-games_xbox |
The best videogame of all tme. I don't care that much about videogames. I don't even own a PlayStation, Xbox or Gamecube. But I went over to my friend's house to play this game and was simply blown away. From the graphics to the plot to the advertising, everything about Halo 2 screams "I ROCK! I'm the BEST videogame of all time!"
When I first started this game, it was like slowly sinking into a warm bubblebath-warm and very, very enjoyable. Halo 2 opens with the commander of the alien forces that lost to the Master Chief in the first Halo videogame. He is being punished. Then, the game switches to shots of the Master Chief recieving medals back at Earth. Even little things like that make people really appreciate how much time and effort was put into making this game. But anyway, there's a problem at Earth. The Covenant aliens have invaded and it's up to the Master Chief-along with an A.I program and some really amazing weapons-to beat back the covenant and, once again, save Earth from total and certain destruction. Sounds cool to you? You have absolutely no idea of how awesome the plot gets. But a good plot is almost worthless without good gameplay, and Halo 2 is the cream of the crop in that department.
The control scheme is tight, elegant and simple enough to become second nature in an hour or so. The option of dual-wielding weapons adds a whole new dimension to the game, as dual-wielding can hinder as well as help. You have to drop a weapon to throw a grenade or use a melee attack. And you know what? It makes it even better to see explosions and kills in the terrific graphics that Halo 2 has.
Halo 2 isn't THE most gorgeous console game ever, but it's definitely within the top ten. The plasma sword glitters with amazing detail, shadows are picture perfect and the backgrounds as well as foregrounds are beautiful as well as 100 percent destructible. Eye candy? Check. Gameplay candy? Check. Plot candy? Check. But even with all those great things, you're still left wondering,"Why does Halo 2 sell so well?" The answer is in the ads.
Halo 2 had one of the best advertising schemes of any move or videogame ever. When you looked through a magazine you would see the small but brilliant adds. You know the hyper-stylised "O" from the title? The ads showed that O with a 2 inside it. Then underneath, the realease date. For those who didn't know what the O stood for, Microsoft couldn't care less.
But, all in all, Halo 2 isn't so much a game as a work of art. Hey, go grab a copy. Game on. | video-games_xbox |
This is for the survival/collector's edition. I just want to be clear that this is for the collector's edition. Sometimes the reviews are put by different versions of the same thing, so I wanted everyone to know which one I am reviewing.
first I would like to say that I am writing this without having played much of the game as I wanted to let people who are interested in buying tombraider know if it is worth paying the extra money.
The items included: the Lara Croft action figure (which looks great) comes with several alternate hands to hold her alternate weapons such as a shotgun, pistol and bow/arrows. Everything looks great and probably is why most people would want this edition.
lithograph loooks great, though it seems more of a pose from the Hunger Games than from a Tomb Raider game. The poster is double sided, one side is the map and the second is the cover of the game. You also get a great art book to go along with it. Much like the one that came with the Mortal Kombat collector's edition.
The patches are great too, but I doubt I would do anything but keep them in the tin, which is very nice as well. very sturdy for everything. The book doesn't fit in the tin when you open the box, but when I took the game out I put the book in its place, that way I can just put the game disc with my other games on the shelf. The tin is designed to look look like an old rusty type survival case that has been setting around a long time. So that was a nice touch.
So overall I would say that if you are a casual fan then go get the game, but if you are a more serious fan and love collectibles, then this is for you. It is definitely worth the extra $40. From the quality of the figure to the lithograph I would be afraid that this will only get more expensive as time goes on and will not go down in price so you may want to get it while it's still around at this price.
I will add more about the game itself later. I would say that I love strong female characters and the overall graphics just adds to the appeal of the characters and backdrops. So far the gameplay seems smooth. The story seems to be darker as we are to see lara's first adventure through a young girl's eyes. How frightening it is for her and how she must make decisions now that will eventually mold her into the character we have come to love over the years. I am a big tomb raider fan, not just because of the sexy polygons and pixels but because of strong story lines and an awesome lead character. It seems (from what I have seen so far) that it is the character's journey that is the focus. So we get to see her at her weakest so we can eventually see how she came to be who she is now. If the gameplay is on par with either legend/anniversary or underworld then I will not be disappointed. The games are usually story driven so you get a taste of the epic while you are fighting for your very survival.
I am not the type of gamer who sits and plays until a game is finished. With my schedule and my attention span I generally play until I get stuck and then (instead of letting it piss me off) I'll go back to it later with a refreshed mind. So it will be awhile before I may add to this review. But if you are looking to see which one is worth getting then Overall (and without hesitation) I recommend getting the collector's edition. Definitely worth the money | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing, Overrated, Frustrating, Fun. I feel like most of the very positive reviews for TrackMania Turbo are from players who haven't played TrackMania before and are still experiencing the honeymoon period of a fun new concept. TrackMania has been around for a long time, for a handful of reasons; the most basic of which is the fun arcade driving style and tracks. This is the only positive thing that Turbo carries over from the PC versions, and it's a shame.
What makes TrackMania great is the social aspect - time attack modes with large numbers of people on a server. A laid back, try it again, zen and golf kind of style. This is gone. Turbo has small lobbies, rarely filled. Advanced, granular leaderboards? These are present, but difficult to access and they don't seem accurate. There is no easy automated way to race other's, or your friend's, ghosts. When these things are removed, TrackMania becomes punishing without reward.
The solo campaign has frustratingly challenging, deceivingly linear progression that prevents you from playing the tracks or environments that you want to. There's a quality of life system called "Jokers" that let you progress easier, but it's still a grind and this system isn't explained anywhere in the game. TrackMania's physics and gameplay don't necessarily translate well onto surfaces like dirt and sand, so being forced to play through them is draining.
There's split screen! That's exciting, right? You can have fun playing time-attack in split screen! But you can't. There's no time-attack mode in split screen. This is borderline unbelievable.
The newly available analog controls don't seem to be embraced, and you'll be occasionally infuriated by the total lack of camera control. The UI is unintuitive and feels dated (although the graphic style is fun and fitting).
Somehow, TrackMania Turbo distills out most of the things that made up TrackMania's legacy, and doesn't add much in return. It almost feels like it was developed by people who don't like TrackMania. (I'm sure this isn't the case, and I mean no disrespect, but there are certainly odd decisions that were made here). The shame is, this was an opportunity to introduce console players to a fantastic game - and Turbo's release may have jaded new players by not showing them what TrackMania has to offer.
Don't get me wrong - there *is* fun to be had here - even for those who know what they're missing. The core mechanics and sense of speed on a television work as well as ever, the track editor is fully fleshed out, and I'm sure it could be a good game to play with the kids, But Turbo seems to miss the true spirit of TrackMania in spectacular style. | video-games_xbox |
The Kinect isn't that great. I'm glad this year's Tiger game is moving away from the golfer himself, and not because of his image. Last year's Tiger Legacy mode faltered, so in its place Tiger 14 offers the Legends of the Majors mode that lets you play through the history of the sport itself instead of just Tiger's career. It's an effective approach, especially when coupled with a few small changes that tighten the overall experience.
I'm not a golf history buff, but Legends of the Majors mode is a fun way to earn coins that incorporates your Career mode golfer by having them face off against the sport's greats at certain intervals. The mode also uses era-specific equipment, which isn't as interesting.
This year the all-important coins, which are used to buy stat-boosting pins, are more useful since you can spend them to level up your golfer. Levels grant you attribute points and equipment for a lot less than it takes to buy a pin pack.
The expansion of the online options gives you more ways to earn coins. The Country Clubs format lets you take in more players, who can contribute to the club's status in more ways (including a variety of tourneys and leaderboards). The clubs also feature expanded voice chat, and a new Club Loyalty Bonus that gives you coins for members playing every day.
The action on the course remains largely the same from last year, except for the new swing arcs. Like changing your club tuning, fiddling with your swing arc has its advantages. This lets you change the flight characteristics of your ball, including your power, control, and how the wind affects your shot.
Even though Tiger 14 has a similar setup as Tiger 13, I had more fun with the newer game because its constituent parts mesh better. For a golfer, getting everything in synch is important.
The Edge
Like last year, if you absolutely have to have motion controls, I suggest you go with the Move. Putting in particular is harder with the Move, but it's also more accurate in general over Xbox 360's Kinect. The Kinect motion controls are dumbed down to the point where the game does a lot of the work for you. For instance, a half swing on the Kinect will often be read as a full-powered shot. This defeats the purpose of using motion controls for a more lifelike feel. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best fighers out there. I'm not a huge UFC fan. I can count the matches I've seen on one hand. When I saw the game originally I was like meh, another fighting game. I'm a shooting fan and wasn't really going to give this the time of day. As the release date came closer I started taking a look and saw a lot of promise. I played the demo and I was hooked. I ran out and picked it up on release day and have been very happy to play it.
The game itself is very technical. It's best to run through the tutorial or else easy actions like getting up and taking someone down will leave you clueless. What I like also is there is a counter for everything and, like the real UFC, size doesn't always mean domination. Lesnar could get submitted by Mir even after being being savagely. The striking is very accurate and you can see the pain on their face after a huge blow. KO's. They happen a little more frequently then I would like. Most matches end in KO's and I have not had one match since I bought it that has gone to decision. Submissions are a whole nother beast. While it's great to have them they need some work. Depending on stamina and submission abilities I can do submissions easy. Agaist my friends they can't button mash anywhere close to what I can so I make them easily submit. Kinda annoying for them. With a computer it seems they ALWAYS can get out of them. At least on the higher levels.
Career mode is a bit of a bore. You have to play with stamina and abilities to craft the figher you want and it's time consuming and very boring. You are signed to only a 7 year contract so you have 7 years to make it big. I'm 23 and that's how old I put myself in the game. Only 7 years? 30? Liddell is 39, Hughes 35. I know they did it so you can't be like 99 overall once you finish but how about just making the levels go down as you age. They need more interaction with the fighter you choose to fight. I'm thinking something like WWE where you can develop storylines and different paths to fight.
I have to say announcing is superb. Minus some out of place elements they do an excellent job. It's probably some of the best commentary I've heard in a sports game thus far. They react to the action and aren't still talking about something that happened 30 seconds ago. The crowd reacts as they should and the hits sound great.
Online matches and Classic Fights could use some improvement. Online matches are glitchy and all people do is submissions. They also only pick the best fighters and take it to the floor over and over again. I don't hate it but it could use some work. One more qualm is that there really doesn't feel like many fighters. A lot of the fighters are low 80's and 70's overall so you really only fight with about 4-6 fighters per weight class. Classic Fights are just a pain. Having to recreate fights. Some going to decision as well or certain things in a certain round. Honestly it's really hard to get to a decision without just getting pummelled. I can KO someone by the 3rd round every time.
Overall I would say this game is a lot of fun and definitly worth the money. Playing with friends is suggested and Career mode has enough to warrant a couple play throughs. Because of this game I have taken more of an interest in UFC because it also teaches all the moves and fighting styles so now watching I understand why it's much more tech then just two people beating each other down. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent Game. I'm a big fan of Bioware games but held off on this purchase for quite some time. I have to say that I really wish I hadn't waited. After my first playthrough I've logged 62 hours of gameplay and I will definitely play through completely 1 or 2 more times.
Quick version:
7.5/10 Graphics
10/10 Sound (Music and Effects)
10/10 Gameplay
10/10 Fun Factor
10/10 Replayability
Details:
Graphics: 7.5/10
I beat the game up here a bit because I think the graphics could have been a bit more polished. We're they bad? No. Could they have been a bit more refined? Absolutely.
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Sound: 10/10
The sound effects we're excellent, the voice acting was top notch and the music faded in and out seemlessly. I ordinarily play my own stuff while gaming but did not with this game.
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Gameplay: 10/10
The controls were a bit clunky at first but I picked it up after about an hour or so. The unique origin stories for each race were a great way to set you up for how the game was going to play out. I found that once the main world became available that the game was open yet linear enough to keep me on track and moving through the story at a comfortable pace. Combat was fun and fast paced, the story was told well and there is plenty of lore to sink your teeth into.
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Fun Factor: 10/10
The disc didn't leave my xbox for 3 weeks. (and I have a pile of top games still shrink wrapped waiting for me to play). Things started off fairly rocky, but I got sucked in after about 2 hours.
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Replayability: 10/10
The guys and gals at Bioware are the masters of this in my opinion. I'm not one to replay games all that often but I *cannot* wait much longer to fire up a new character and do it over again. The sheer amount of decision making involved, plus the origin stories, multiple endings, and *very* interesting character classes/builds make this an easy one to play through 3+ times for me.
Definitely a must own for XBox360 owners | video-games_xbox |
Decent gameplay, serious story issues. Dark Void follows Will and Ava, a pair struggling under a unnecessary and stapled on past romantic encounter, as they're flying to... somewhere near the Bermuda triangle, and end up wandering through a portal into the Void, a pocket dimension which is also the battleground between the Watchers, a slug like race that controls various powered armor suits and its resident human population. Will and Ava scramble to escape the nightmare back to where they only have to worry about Nazi's, when Ava drags Will into the war kicking and screaming. My advice to Will is that there are other women who won't try to drag you into a pan dimensional conflict. Nikolai Tesla also makes an even more stapled on appearance, because everyone knows he vanished into the Triangle for a portion of his life.
Graphics are okay, but I wish that the designers had stuck with a theme. If you're a snake, you make things like snakes, and most of the Watchers are snakes. Snake tanks, flying snake guards, snake-ish looking turrets. But then they threw in generic humanoid looking cannon fodder grunts, and I could almost hear the designer whining in the background that snake movements were too hard to design.
Audio is tolerable, though the alien voices are not. Playing english slowed to 1/16th speed is not innovative or creepy, its laughable. Spend thirty minutes and come up with a hissy snake language. And aliens do not speak in calm, almost bored English when in combat. The remainder of the speeches are cookie cutter in the extreme, though some decent snappy one liners earn it some leeway.
Most of the gameplay is so bland cliched shooter that its sad. Weapons are like any FPS, that is you're cannibalizing either dead humans AR's or the alien energy weapons. Add in some purchasable upgrades and Gears of War cover-to-cover combat to season. The distinguishing feature of this was supposed to be the flight pack. And this was almost nauseating, and not to say its bad. But to survive the flight portion requires so many flips and aerial acrobatics that I frequently became disoriented and nearly, well, nauseous. The "vertical combat" that's espoused on the box is a nice innovation, but it becomes tedious and worn out by iteration 3, and is vestigial to the point that even the enemies don't seem to care if you ignore them entirely.
So is Dark Void worth it? A solid shooter that has some decent gameplay innovations, its still severely crippled by weak characters and story, and the repetition starts to sink in deep before the end of the first chapter. A solid rent, and if you find the flight sim part enjoyable, then you'll like the remainder. | video-games_xbox |
Best Out of the Series. When the first installment came out more than a year ago I was extremely excited and couldn't wait. The game included legendary heroes of the squared circle such as Bret " The Hitman" Hart, Don Muraco, Tito Santana, Rick Steamboat, and last but certainly not least, Hulk Hogan. Being a longtime wrestling fan I was one of the ones who could appreciate a game like this which even though the gameplay wasn't exactly a wrestling fan's dream, it was fun none-the-less. One more thing about the engine that reviewers seem to overlook is the fact that old school wrestling is very basic compared to wrestling nowadays. That means you don't need this game to have a ton of moves for it to be good. People like Ted Dibiase wouldn't perform moves like frankensteiners and high cross bodys. It just isn't realistic that way. When Aclaim brought us the 2nd installment I was kind of dissapointed. The graphics were improved and so were other things like, the list of characters, the entrances along with the music, but the gameplay was much faster than the preceeding and that (atleast in my opinion)made it worse of a game. I don't know what they were thinking, like it would be improved with total non-stop action! The pace in the first game was slower and made it much more realistic. Being a fan of the others , you know I should have been on the edge of my seat for Showdown to hit stores, and I was, visiting my usual video gaming site to check for new screenshots and news. Anybody who is a fan of the other games and doesn't think this one blows them out of the water is rediculous. This game tops them all. Along with newly added long-time greats like Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, and Sting, the game also is improved in other areas like the engine for instance. The camera views are much more intense then they were before. Other areas of improvement are with newly added commentating,new match-types,more arenas and blood. They even have Gary Michael Capetta doing the ring announcing as well. The game does have some flaws such as bugs, repetitive commentating, and a lack of moves. This makes the game not have long lasting appeal, but it "is" a fun game to play and hope they do add a fourth installment in the series! | video-games_xbox |
Anything Could Be A Little Better. I can definitely agree with both sides of the arguement. Some hate it, some love it. I guess it depends on if you're a cynic or not. The Red Alert series was the first RTS I played, and it is what got me interested, and my brother obsessed. I find that this game is loads of fun, provided that you Actually. Get. The. Game. Working. I got it for Christmas and my brother and I were ecstatic. But then it wouldn't run. First the video card wasn't good enough, then you needed internet registration...one thing after another. My brother assumed the disc was bad, as we had everything we needed to run it. We returned it, got another version, but it still wouldn't run. Eventually, almost a year later, we got it working.
I do have to complain about the stupid features they've gone and burdened consumers with. First of all, the internet thing is not nice. Some people don't have good internet connection. I didn't for a long time. Further, the constant updates online are a pain. I have more important things to do...like conquering the battlefield. And nothing is perfect. More than once, the game has frozen up on me after playing a couple missions or skirmishes. Ah, well. C'est la vie.
But other that those quarks, the game is loads of fun. It's silly, but I think that was intended. Think about it, War Bears and Destroyers that can go on land? Over the top, yes. Stupid, no way! And the cast they've gotten is great. Sure, they could have worked on their acting, but it's funny to see people like Kelly Hu, George Takei, Jonathan Pryce, and those others in a game like this. Music is fun to listen to as well. So are the comments made by your units in different situations. Soviets and Allies at each others' throats again. Classic. New faction adding the facts of todays world. Clever. The Japanese really are industrious and techno geniuses. They have to compensate for their limited space on a bunch of islands.
Sure, anything could be better. You can always criticize anything in some way. But don't be downers. Find the good things in life. Once this game was actually running, it was worth the trouble. | video-games_xbox |
More frustrating than fun. Leela is a tough "game" to review. I didn't purchase the game expecting a deep and rewarding gameplay experience, but I was hoping for a relaxing one. On the one hand, I did get what I expected from the guided meditation (or Reflect) exercises, which are indeed very relaxing and are a great way to unwind and get grounded after a long day. The mini-game (or Play) sections are a very different story. The first few levels are engaging enough, and the controls don't work against you to make the experience too painful. However, as you move on to the later exercises, and particularly the higher levels of those exercises, it becomes apparent that the Kinect controls leave a lot to be desired. It is ironic that I have not felt so frustrated playing a game, if not literally angry, as I have felt while playing some of the later Leela levels. They bring neither a feeling of relaxation or accomplishment upon their completion, but rather a sense of relief that it is over, and possibly a sense of shame for even forcing yourself to get through it in the first place. The game tell you to relax and make subtle movements, but before long you will find yourself rigid and jerking left and right just to try to accomplish your goals.
Sadly, due to the sloppy and unintuitive controls, the entire 'Play' portion of Leela is a missed opportunity. It will often leave you feeling more agitated and tense than before you put the game in. Again, the guided meditation portions are much better, but the fact is that you can find videos on the internet for free that work just as well. The main reason to buy this game is for the Kinect functionality, which barely functions at all. I still recommend this game for those of you looking to get into meditation, as the "Reflect" potion of the game does a good job of easing newcomers into the concepts and practices. However, I highly recommend holding off until you can purchase it at a lower price ($20 or less). For those looking to purchase the game simply for the mini-games, I recommend passing on Leela entirely. It is not worth the time or the money.
Edit: In light of the fact that I've been able to find videos online (for free) that work better than this game both in terms of providing movement exercises and guided meditations, I've lowered my review by one star. I highly recommend simply downloading the demo to find out if you're interested in these types of exercises. If so, keep in mind that there are better and cheaper ways of pursuing exercise and relaxation than this game offers. | video-games_xbox |
A good game - Almost. Here's the lowdown on this game. You will hear a lot of people say how much they hate it and what not. I will start out by saying that I liked the game overall. However, there are a lot of negative points about the game that I should also share with potential buyers.
Good points:
- The very first chapter of New York. You're standing at the top of a building watching the invasion unfold.
- Your first encounter with a paratrooper and sending him to the streets below.
- Shooting German paratroopers in their shutes.
- New weapons like the MP 50 with 50 round clip and built in flashlight, the infared sniper rifle, and scope-mounted carbine machine gun.
- Assassinating the false president in the White House.
Bad Points:
- No story line. You don't know what is happening inside the US after the initial invasion. Did the Nazi's win? Have the conquered the rest of the country? Did the US finally surrender under fake President Stevenson? What makes it worse, you paradrop into London when it's German occupied! What the heck?
- Movement is bad. You constantly get hung up on invisible objects.
- Having to climb ladders and shimmy across gutters.
- Iron sites on weapons. You end up having to aim for an enemy's legs and feet to hit them. Especially with the lever-action rifle.
- EXTREMELY long distances between checkpoints. You CANNOT save at all during this game. You just have to pray you get to a checkpoint before you're killed (which happens a lot when you're learning the gameplay.)
- Difficulty getting a grapple on an enemy when you're close.
- The ending of the game (what ending???)
I had to learn and react how best to use each weapon as you're constantly learning where to aim against your enemy. The lever action rifle had to aim at the enemy's feet in order to hit them. Also, it's almost impossible to hit with the Gerwerfer 47 rifle unless you're point blank.
After I learned how to play the game, I started to enjoy it more. The first Act in New York is awesome, but it slowly starts to go downhill in Act II in Washington. It's still fun to play when you're storming the White House, though. Act III is aweful as you're assulting the tower of London in German occupied Britian. Totally over the top. There is no way you would be able to do that with the Luftwaffe patrolling the skies.
Well, I've said my piece. Buy at your own risk. If you like alternate history, this game is worth the purchase. If you like first person shooters, you probably won't like this one. | video-games_xbox |
I waited months for the release of this product...Disappointed. *****Update *****
I have no idea how I gave this product 3 stars.... I have owned the product almost a year... It's been collecting dust the last 7 months because of the cheap joysticks...and I hate it more and more every day
I'll keep this short
OVERVIEW: I would stick to Microsoft brand :( but feels better than Madcatz or anything stupid like that
SOLUTION: Buy a new Microsoft Controller
Pros:
*The Features (Extra Buttons, Tension Joysticks, Lighted Buttons, Buttons click fast (not sure what they call this lol, D-Pad (good for Mortal Kombat attacks), I love the cord material)
*My first wired controller and I loved it. After trying this product I'm going back and buying a new Microsoft Brand controller but wired this time.
*No Batteries (Not a big Pro but its still a Pro)
Neutral:
*The controller does feel really weird and uncomfortable at first. After a few days to a week, the controllers feels normal. No longer feels uncomfortable
*Start and Back button are at the bottom of the controller. But easy to get used to after a few days. Whenever a grab a Microsoft controller now, I always move my fingers towards the bottom to pause and fail out of habit from the Razer Onza
*The Xbox button seems to be a picture behind the plastic. Gives it a cheap look, almost makes this a Con.
Cons:
*Feels a little cheap
*I have been using it less than 4 months and rubber on left joystick is peeling off. Only have 30% attached. My Microsoft controllers always last about a year before the sensitivity of the joysticks go bad.
*The tension joysticks I think they barely help, Not worth the extra $10
Wireless Controller Information:
There's this issue I've always had with my mics. A lot of times if I unplugged my mic accidentally; whenever I go plug it in, the mic shows plugged in on the screen for about a second than goes away, and I can't speak. I unplug and plug it back in many times and same thing happens over and over. I found out many years ago the only way to get your mic to work again is to restart your Xbox, And again this problem only happens when disconnect the mic on accident (whether I drop the controller or pull out the cable). Once I purchased this controller I realized that is a wireless controller issue. I never had that problem with the Onza controller. Though once a month, my Mic appears but my voice doesn't register, all you must do is unplug the
controller and it's fixed. | video-games_xbox |
Review of Fallout 4 and Xbox One Bundle. Amazon Shipping:
I had pre-ordered this bundle and it arrived 2 days after the release of Fallout 4 with standard shipping. Everything was in order and decently packaged
Install & Setup:
The system and Fallout 4 game did have some significantly large updates, so the setup time could be lengthy (obviously depending on the Xbox online services or your internet speed). I did want to mention that after the updates on the system, it was operating unusually slow and kept freezing up when trying to update my profile and system settings. After a few days of use, the system isn't operating nearly as slow, so it may of been the software update that was causing this, but too hard to tell. Overall, I'm really not much of a fan for the Xbox One's menu layout, as it doesn't seem as operational and intuitive as it did on the Xbox 360.
Fallout 4 Review:
My experience playing Fallout 4 so far on Xbox One has been good. 11 hours in there's been a few bugs and glitchy graphics here and there but that's to be expected with large-world games such as this. Below I've listed some of the pros and cons I've noticed about the game...so far anyways:
PROS:
- The landscape of the world and the layout of many of the levels are very well done.
- The game doesn't have a ton of jaggies (AKA aliasing problems) compared to so many other games out there
- Smooth and operational controls
- Combat compared to the previous Fallout games is definitely better. Shooting a gun looks and feels more authentic.
- Load times in-game are typically of acceptable length
- Huge variety of tasks, quests and side quests you can do in the game
- Soundtrack is awesome!!! (Gotta love the main theme)
CONS:
- Animation of the characters is of marginal quality
- The new dialogue menu you have with other NPCs is sometimes too ambiguous to know what your character is actually going to say
- Modding weapons/armor is fun but sometimes frustrating to find necessary items to improve your inventory
- VATS is sometimes hard to acquire hits as the characters are still moving as your using it (not like previous Fallout games)
- The occasional encounter of a bug/glitch and drop in framerate
Overall, a decent purchase. However, as others have told me anyways, if you're comfortable w/ PC gaming and have the hardware to play this game, or are even thinking about it, purchasing Fallout 4 on PC maybe preferable. The frame-rate is increased from 30 frames per second (on Xbox One and PS4) to 60 fps (on PC), the graphics are generally a little bit better and there's always extra content for various mods on PC that aren't released on the console systems. However, Bethesda has announced that for the first time, they're planning to offer downloadable mods through a system that's similar to PC known as "Stream Workshop" to Xbox One and PS4 sometime next year. It probably won't have the same amount of content that PC will have, but it's a very good idea. Not to mention new quests to be available on upcoming DLC, there's obviously still a lot more to come for this title. | video-games_xbox |
The Reason I Bought An Xbox. I remember back in 1998 when I played my first shooter game on my Nintendo 64, Goldeneye 007, which is still one of my favorite games to this day. The only other shooter I bought was the second 007 game The World Is Not Enough. Then around 2001 or so, Playstation 2 was already out and Gamecube was coming out. I was planning on buying a Gamecube because I wanted to stay loyal to Nintendo. Then I heard about Xbox, which was going to be made by Microsoft. I thought nothing of it and went ahead and bought a Gamecube. I bought 2 other 007 games and Metroid Prime, which were still very good.
But then I went to my friend's house who recently bought an Xbox. All he had was this game called Halo, which I had never heard of before. I started playing it and I was hooked. Multiplayer was very fun, but cooperative was unbelievably fun. This was right away one of my favorite games right up there with The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time. The graphics were the best I had ever seen, even though supposedly they are 30 sec. per frame instead of 60. The control is great, though the vehicles are a bit hard to control at first. The sound quality of gunfire, explosions, and voice acting is amazing. But above all these other amazing attributes is the story. I'm a big fan of sci-fi, so I love aliens stories. The covenant/flood story is on par with the Terminator and Alien movies. I'm planning on buying both Halo novels soon. Oh... I almost forgot the best feature of Halo, the gameplay. 3 of my friends and myself stayed up all night having a Halo party. We hooked up 2 Xboxs and played team multiplayer for nearly 12 Hours. 'Nuff Said.
It took me a while, but eventually I saved up enough money to buy an Xbox. People were telling me that I should buy a Playstation 2 instead because they have a more variety of games I could buy, but I said Halo is only on Xbox. I bought an Xbox with Halo (of course) just recently. I'm hooked again. This game has the greatest replay value ever. So far I've beaten it on all levels of difficulty, except Legendary, which I'm working on now. I can't wait for Halo 2 in 2004. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best games on the Xbox, period. This is one game in my prize collection for the Xbox.
Story: Set 4,000 years before the rise of the galactic empire, Sith lords Darth Revan and his apprentice, Darth Malak have unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic with a seemingly endless supply of troops, ships, and weapons. Formerly praised Jedi masters, Revan and Malak were heroes of the Mandalorian wars, but came across a dark force power called the Star Forge that could have devastating consequences on the Republic. The Republic takes one final attempt to defeat Darth Revan and Malak. Revan's ship is boarded by Jedi and Malak attempts to take control by destroying the ship and becoming the new Sith Lord. Your party tries to chase down Malak and learn the location of the Star Forge through various locations including Telos, Dantooine, Tatooine, Manaan, Kashyyyk, Korriban, space ships, etc.
Gameplay: RPG type game. You start out not knowing who you are. You are on a ship being attacked and you must escape. You can choose your character class in the beginning and it helps decide what you can do better than others, like hack computers, securities, droids, handle blasters, blades or later on- a light saber. You train in the force while chasing down a Sith Lord, though you do not learn the force until you get off the first planet. Lots of different environments, from ships to planets. Numerous side quests and as usual to star wars, you can choose to follow the light or dark side or even stay in the middle. Your force powers will cost you less depending on where your character is aligned and what force powers you are using (IE, if you are using a dark side power, it will be less taxing on you if your character is aligned to the dark side and vice versa). You select new force powers and attributes each time you level up based on experience earned. You get lots of companions that help you along the way. Some are Jedi, some are droids, and some are soldiers or other people. You can upgrade your light saber with crystals that change them color or make them more powerful. You can dual wield weapons, or use a dual light saber like Darth Maul had in Episode 1. Your party consists of two companions and yourself. During combat, you can take control of the other characters and use their special abilities.
Replay: Medium. You might want to play through as both a Jedi light side or a Sith dark side and make decisions accordingly. The ending is very different for both. Each companion you have will ask you to do something for them.
Conclusion: Hands down, one of the best star wars games on a console. If you missed this game, I would highly recommend you pick it up. It will play on the Xbox 360.
UPDATE:
I've read a lot of negative reviews about this game, so let me try and help out further. No you don't start off with Jedi powers or a light saber. Once you get off the first planet, you get to train in the force and start acquiring force powers and the ability to upgrade all your light sabers. As for fighting, yes it is controlled automatically but you can choose what special ability or force power to use at any moment. Once you get further in the game, you actually have to pay a lot of attention to fighting. You will constantly be selecting force powers to use to heal yourself, your party, or special attack force powers. If you sit there and watch, you will die often. You need to be involved in every fight. As I mentioned earlier, it is an expansive environment. If you like only hack and slash games, then stick to Obi-wan- this game is not for you. Any RPG fan will be satisfied with game and will know what value it has. The story is immense and draws you in. You will want to find out more about the characters in your party. Each of them have a favor they ask of you as a side quest, like finding a parent, trying to set a friend free who is on trial, etc. And HK-47 is one of the best characters in the game. His droid humor is hilarious and he refers to humans as over grown meat bags. The game takes a long time and it's well worth it to explore and do side quests. | video-games_xbox |
Was not a fan of the series... now I am hooked. Let me first start off by saying that I have never played a dead space game in my life until dead space three.
The only reason I even played this game was because Amazon put it on sale within a few days of its release and I got it for 20 bucks off.
I figured since I'd spent almost 40 bucks on the game I should give it a try and after reading all of the glowing reviews I said to myself "why not".
I Fire the game up and when I looked back at the clock I was already two hours into the game. Being an old-school Quake and DOOM fan, this game reminds me a lot of that series where you get the "jump out scare" the ambient sounds of the monsters you think are there but aren't, the large room you walk into and you know you're going to have to do battle with... something.... and you **think** you know what it is but in this particular game every single time I went to battle in one of the large rooms it not only creeped me out I literally had no idea the character I was fighting even existed in the game because I had not seen that character yet! Very surprising!
I was so impressed with this game I actually quit the game after about four hours of playing it since I wanted to learn more of the past story line, so I went back to Amazon and bought dead space two, loaded that up and I have to honestly say dead space two is also very good plus, it explains a LOT of the references in DS3.
But this article is about dead space three and I can tell you it's worth every single penny. From trying to figure out small puzzles, to hacking systems and zapping yourself if you don't get the hack just right, to monsters that when they pop out you go "no way" or "that's just gross" and even the occasional "holy s****!" and you just run the other way and again, the sounds are unbelievable. Put some headphones on and I swear a little pee-pee will come out of you from time to time. I get the creeps just thinking about some of sounds. **shiver**
Now I do want to say that dead space three, as mentioned by some of the reviewers below, does not quite contain the horror of the previous two which I actually found good. The mind can only take so much grossness before one just starts to say 'okay enough'. I thought the horror-2-scary aspect was almost perfect and again if you're an old-school Quake fan or DOOM fan, you're going to appreciate this environment. It's eerily similar to the old quake and doom levels.
Really enjoyed this game so far. 4.5 stars. | video-games_xbox |
A few bullets short of perfect. Let's face it: hype can really bring down a game, especially post-launch when after all the buzz and expectations have been quieted down and you look at it not in terms of "will this game rock?" but rather "does it deserve to be called that awesome?" In the case of Gears of War, one of the big premier blockbusters for the Xbox 360, it's one of those cases where, indeed there is some entertainment to be had and it's the perfect game when you want to just kill stuff without having to go online to deal with annoying brats. But then again, this game does have its flaws and they're pretty easy to spot but since it's Gears, people go "meh, no big deal" whereas most games get called out and criticized heavily. All this being said, Gears of War is still a fun game but one that can get maddeningly frustrating while it delivers balls-to-the-wall entertainment.
Story: On the planet Sera, the inhabitants have been terrorized by an alien race known as the Locust Horde who suddenly popped out of the ground on Emergence Day ("E-Day") and are gradually reducing the number of the survivors. While fighting through a prison, Dom Santiago rescues his friend and your main guy, Marcus Fenix, and it's up to you to make it through dangerous cities and areas to hopefully nail a crippling blow to the Locust Horde.
Yep, that's it. That's the story and I'm not trying to be mean here since there's not much plot here and what plot there is tends to be skipped over or not given as much depth. Fans who have played 2 will note 2 references to Maria and yet even that plot wasn't given as much attention despite Epic saying it's more "epic and personal". There's one line about the "sham" of a trial that Marcus had, well what kind of sham? Still don't know. As far as the game's story is concerned, I wasn't a big fan of the pacing. While indeed it's fairly short at 8-10 hours give or take the difficulty and skill, the pieces never really felt connected and there was some really slow parts. Not an in-depth story by any stretch but likable enough to push through.
Graphics: This is really a cosmetic nitpick than anything but I never liked the blood in games that uses the Unreal Engine like Uncharted since it was seemed more mass-like and gooey than a liquid but in a game like this, it seems to go hand-in-hand. But one can't deny the graphical power of the engine and from the extremely detailed character animation, scale of the firefights and architecture make this a showcase for what the 360 can bring to the table. Really small nags are the famous Unreal Engine texture problems, occasional pauses, slight framerate things but they're usually never an issue or distracting enough to cause frustration. One thing though is despite how stunning it looks, it's very drab looking with a lot of mild colors and desaturated colors but that's sort of a Gears look I guess.
Sound/Music: The movie 300 was something that I tried several times to get into but I never could and one theory was that it was basically a movie for the frat boys who'll cheer at the violent parts and revel in the weird use of heavy metal music yet it has quote-unquote "depth" that made it different than most action movies. Not. Gears of War on the other hand knows it's basically a dumb summer blockbuster movie and just rolls with it from the line readings and one-liner dialogue. It's not meant to elicit tears but it's not eye-rolling either. The music however is fantastic from the creeping sound design to the big bombastic moments during firefights, this is one to have a stereo on.
Gameplay: Whereas shooters like Call of Duty or Halo are all about strafing a little bit from a wall or cover just enough to nail the enemy, Gears of War is all about taking cover. From columns to big blocks of stone, doorways, ruined cars etc, just press A and your character slams his side and is able to avoid enemy fire. Pressing the LT lets you take aim and RT to fire or pressing RT is just covering fire, inaccurate but helpful for nailing charging Locusts without wanting to pop up. Carrying up to 4 weapons at a time, we have the Hammer of Dawn, a laser-targeting system where a satellite will beam huge rays onto the area and all but vaporizing the enemy to standard pistols and shotgun. The highlight of course is the Lancer, which is basically a normal assault rifle only it has a chainsaw for a bayonet. Just hold the B, get closer to an enemy and zzzzzz!, you saw them in half. Only problem is that getting shot stops the revving and it's really frustrating to try to chainsaw someone only to get shot and have it stop.
The big problem with the game is the AI and not the enemies who'll flank, throw grenades and do whatever it takes till you're lifeless on the ground. The AI problems come from your teammates since they are, to borrow a Yahtzee phrase, "pants-on-head retarded". They'll openly go out of cover for seemingly no apparent reason other than wanting to get closer and they'll end up crying for help to be revived which you do by pressing X near the body. It happens with such frequency that I even saved one guy only to literally need help 4 seconds later when he got out of cover instead of just staying put. While co-op in most games is more fun, here it's more beneficial you go through it co-op since the players will be smarter than the game itself. You can issue squad commands like attack, cease fire and regroup but more often that not it's like "I can't do that right now". Hope you like to babysit.
Another issue is that the A button becomes a multi-use button from slipping in and out of cover, doing a "roadie run", swat turns and rolling out of the way and many times I'd try to get away only to take cover and it's like "no, I want you to roll". Oh and there is some incredibly trying moments in the difficulty where Hardcore is fairly hard at times thanks to the AI of your squad but also it's very frustrating to all of a sudden be shot by a rocket launching bugger or the Torque Bow users when you're trying to do something else. One time I was in a battle and enemies literally spawned right behind me and I had no idea they were even there. Strangely they fixed this in the sequel where it was more easier yet more funner so least that's an improvement.
As far as the multiplayer is concerned, you gotta admire Epic releasing so many maps, especially for 2 (they're up to 29 now) but it's slightly disappointing. During "join a quick match", after 3 refreshes it literally cycled between the same 2 matches almost as if out of the, I'm sure thousands, that still play this online, there's only 2 matches that even pop up. Plus the match itself is a race, who can find the sniper first, who got the boomshot first and for the most part it's not like Killzone or Call of Duty where at least you have balancing between shotguns, RPG's etc but here it's like "I have a grenade launcher and you don't" which usually means an easier win for them. Despite the matchmaking and lag of the sequel, I found it a way funner multiplayer and this one is probably one of the few I'd consider boosting then leaving it alone.
Is it game of the year? No, well at least not to me but considering the huge release and fanfare the game got, it sure seems like it. But it's like a lot of movies out there that get exceedingly popular for no reason other than it's fun yet it's got a couple of issues. | video-games_xbox |
Horrible Game. This game is terrible. The only other Resident Evil game that I've played is 5 but this one sucks. There was a 20 minute "introduction" to the game where you didn't have full access to the controls and you couldn't skip it. It was completely non-optional because you don't even get to go to the menu screen first. 20 minutes of my life stolen from me not once but twice because I played through with two different accounts. I also managed, without even having all of the controls unlocked at the time, to end up prone no less than half a dozen times when all I wanted to do was shoot a damn zombie. Then there are the quick time events. There were a limited number of these in Resident Evil 5. I personally don't like them and think they should be kept to a minimum in a game where all I really want to do is shoot zombies. In Resident Evil 6 they were everywhere! I'd be lucky to make it through a single chapter without hitting at least three. And since we're on the topic of chapters, why are they all like 90 minutes long? I'd like to play a chapter and then be done, which should take around 40 minutes, maybe an hour for a long chapter. However, that pales in comparison to my biggest problem with this game and the reason that I ultimately stopped playing it. I was forced to watch a cut scene, followed by a small area where the only thing I could do was limp slowly up the stairs, I couldn't run, I couldn't take out my weapons, I couldn't heal myself, and then I was subjected to yet another cut scene! Why the hell couldn't they have just made it one big cut scene, or better yet, put a couple of zombies in the little area by the stairs, maybe something to break and find, and let me run through it? By this point I was so fed up with this game that I was unable to continue playing. Every time I tried it kept getting worse. I am convinced that they took everyone from Resident Evil 5 who had any good ideas and fired them to make room for people with "a better idea of what gamers want."
All that being said, there were a couple of good things about this game. The new inventory system is better than the previous ones. Being able to quickly heal yourself or trade ammo with your partner when they aren't right next to you is also great as is the new system for throwing grenades. Mercenaries is still fun as well. If you played Resident Evil 5 and really liked that aspect of the game, then Resident Evil 6 Mercenaries will be just as fun, as long as you can manage to stay on your feet in the middle of battle and not end up laying on your back staring up at your death because one button sends you prone. | video-games_xbox |
A Disappointment. I've been cruising in TDU1 for a couple years now, it's one of those on-line experiences that transcends the game in the way it permits you and 7 good friends to drive a beautiful landscape in even more beautiful cars. While talking with each other. At 200mph+. Watching as your buddies pull off amazing maneuvers and laughing when someone doesn't quite pull it off. TDU1 is nearly perfect, so the bar was pretty high for TDU2.
Cars
This is the most important thing about the game. It's a driving game, after all. And this is what we were most eagerly assessing from the first second of driving. To be honest, it feels very Forza-like in the way the handling is a bit distant. TDU1's handing is crisp and immediate, but TDU2's handling seems to hesitate just a moment, just like Forza 3.
Don't expect the array of cars you enjoyed in TDU1, they aren't there. There's a very limited selection of cars available, about 100, and no Lambo, no BMW, no Lexus/Toyota, no Honda, no motocycles at all. They say that more cars will be availabe in download at an expected price of about 80 credits each. A little bit of math translates that out to about US$1 for each new car. There's a lot of Bugatti Veyrons available, however. 4 or 5 of them. Nothing like watching someone in a AWD Veyron running the mountain off-roads at ridiculous speeds to make you wonder what they were thinking there.
Driving on the roads at any speed is very precarious. A slight jig of the steering from side to side can result in the car slewing wildly out of control and any attempt to counter-steer will result in further mayhem. Really it's amazing. The answer is to let go of the steering control, let go of the throttle, and pray that you're in an empty area where you can run off the road safely for a few seconds until contro returns. That doesn't always work, most often you'll find yourself sliding into an unstoppable spin.
Drafting doesn't work in TDU2. This makes it really hard for cars that are equal in power to stay close together unless all the drivers are really good at compensating and the lead driver makes an active effort to slow down. In the driving competitions, if you're driving the same car as the AI competition and you fall behind, the only way to catch up is to drive like a madman, slamming into turn-rails at top speed and praying that the game doesn't wreck your car and you don't lose too much speed on the other end. Seriously. It's weird driving close behind the exact same car as you're driving and you just can't catch up no matter what you do. No draft.
Speaking of competitions, when you start off the game will delay you about a second or two, while the AI cars get a head start. That sort of cheating gets annoying after a while.
The paint and sticker system for your cars looks lifted directly out of Forza 3, without the ability for you to save and share your stickers. It's basic, it works. On the plus side, when you leave the paint shop, your paint job looks exactly as it did when you were in paint mode. That was a problem in TDU2, fixed now.
There is one area of driving where TDU2 really shines, and that's in the off-road driving experience. Superb. It makes games like DIRT look childish in comparison. More car options are needed for the off-road drive, but if off-road is your thing, you'll love it in TDU2.
Sounds is a bit off. If you turn the car as you go over a hill and the tires are making a squealing sound, the sound continues as you fly through the air, until you land. Air skids, I guess.
Graphics
TDU2's graphics are overly bright and colorful, to the point of being almost cartoon-like. Yes, they're beautiful, in a surreal sort of fashion. No Gamma adjustment is sufficient to tone down the effect. It makes one appreciate how close to realistic they achieved with TDU1.
The graphics are also slow. When you're driving on the mountain off-roads at a decent clip, you can see the shadow under the fences (essential guard rails for the out-back to keep you from falling off a cliff) racing ahead of you, trying to keep up in the frames you're in.
The rain graphics are absolutely gorgeous, especially the after-rain graphics in the daytime when the roads are wet. Really well done water.
Gameplay
There's lots of ways to earn points and money. That's the good thing. The bad thing is that some of the methods don't work. The Clubs don't work. The multi-player races don't work.
Getting together with other drivers, a key feature from TDU1, is hit and miss at best. It can be nearly impossible to link up with your buddies, and you can only get together with 8 friends. If you can get 8 friends to link up together. Did I mention this is nearly impossible? Even if you do link up, odds are people will drop out of the server, frequently. We had really hoped this feature would work flawlessly, and that it would support at least 16 players driving together. Fail on both counts.
Back to money! Some folks have finished the game already, done it all, and discovered that they're broke. The only way to get money is to re-race some of the individual races (which don't pay very much), but the championships and cups don't pay off a second time. Or they can go gamble at the casino! Yes, the casino works! Of course, you could hit it big, or you could lose a lot of money. For me it's been the latter, but I know players who've won a lot, too, so it's random. What's annoying is that I had to pay an additional US$10 in Microsoft points to obtain a casino where I can gamble and then lose my money (some folks who pre-ordered, go it for free!). Slot machines, poker, roulette. I wonder what Atari was thinking, making gambling available to 10 year old children. I guess it's a great way to get kids started, hidden in a car driving game.
The difficulty in obtaining money after 'finishing' the game is only important if you compare the game to TDU1, where the driving experience transcends the game. There's hundreds of players still playing TDU1, years after they 'finished' the game.
There's no way to transfer a car or money to a buddy in TDU2. The only way to sell a car is if your garage is full when you buy a new one, and the game gives you an option to sell one of your existing cars to make space in the garage for the new one.
There's still no way to change the car you're driving while in Free Ride. You have to go to your garage and use the info portal there to select a new car, or change it in a race. That really disappoints and of course, makes Free Ride more difficult because people risk not being able to return to a full server if they go to change cars.
TDU1 used the D-Pad to excellent effect, giving you quick access while driving to things like setting your music, seeing who was in your server session and linking (or unlinking) to them. All gone in TDU2. Now the D-pad is used for your turn signals, left and right. And those are so dim that anyone following you must be within a car length, at night, to see them. In return, to lock someone to your server so that you have a better chance of not having them drop off, you have to come to a full stop and go through multiple screens in a convolute process to link to someone. Major usability faux pas.
Off-road bookmarks don't work, which is absolutely inexcusable for a game with such extensive off-roading ability.
Conclusion
I spoke with some guys who were on the Beta team for TDU2, and while they couldn't give me specifics because of the NDA, they made it clear that the development team didn't listen to the Beta testors. That's pretty obvious when you play the game. TDU2 comes off as a game which just isn't finished. It looks like they got about 80% finished and put a wrap on it to make money off the reputation of it's predecessor, TDU1. Atari lost the focus of TDU1 on the shared driving experience and added a bunch of ill-conceived, half-asped glitz in an effort to create another social platform. They didn't build on the strengths of TDU1, they tried to re-write everything from scratch. TDU2 is just another car game, with lots of flaws, but it's not a replacement for TDU1.
Unfortunately, TDU2 falls pretty short, and no one is more disappointed than folks who love TDU1.
Silver Lining
TDU1 is still for sale on the XBox marketplace for direct download and installation your HD, so you can get it and enjoy that special driving experience with your friends. | video-games_xbox |
Hands down the best headset on the market... period. After pre-ordering the 4 Shot, returning them because of the mic issue, trading for the XO7, returning them because Polk said they would ship a boom mic as temporary fix, and then buying the 4 Shot for a second time I returned the 4 Shot yet again. Why? Because I was simply disappointed with the glorified stereo and no real surround sound. When I pre-ordered the 4 Shot last year I never imagined that they would not have 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. Combine that with the overall low volume and I knew I just couldn't keep either the Polks or the TBs.
The fact that Xbone has gone backwards in so many regards is extremely frustrating and deserves its own thread, but taking such a huge step backwards in audio quality was the last straw for me. So I kicked in the extra $100 and pulled the trigger on the Astro A40. I have been wanting these since I first tried them out at the COD XP event down in LA back in 2011. So I have been eyeballing these bad boys for some time now.
So how are they?
They fricken rock! Easily the most comfortable headset I have ever owned and the sound is amazing! There was a noticeable difference compared to both the 4Shot and the XO7 as soon as I started navigating the dashboard. As for playing Titanfall, it was like a whole new game as I could hear things coming from their proper directions as well as awesome sound overall. And the volume levels.... BAM! Both the 4Shot and XO7 have such weak volume compared to these cans! That's expected of course since they are only receiving their power/volume from the controller but the power of the mixamp is even louder than my old Tritton Black Ops headset.
I also think there is measurable benefit to the true surround sound as my overall K/D made a significant turn upward over the course of the night. I don't recall any specific instance where I heard a directional sound that helped me get a kill, but it must be working as my numbers were positive all night. They weren't out of this world stats, but at least they didn't suck either.
So are the Astro A40's worth the extra $100 over the 4Shot and XO7? Without a doubt, yes by a mile! The reality is that both the 4Shot and XO7 should be priced in the $80 dollar range as the $159 is a rip off IMHO. The only downside to the A40's are the cables I have to lay across the floor, but that's a small price to pay for such awesome sound. On the positive side, they plug into the Xbone via USB for power instead of having to plug an adapter into an outlet like I did with my Trittons.
So it took me the three different returns to GameStop, but the fourth time was a charm. The Astro A40's are the bomb and I'm keeping them. Good luck to the rest of you on your audio quest and I hope you find the headset you like best. | video-games_xbox |
Beautiful everything..... except the controls. Pros:
++ Beautiful, jaw dropping visuals
+ Morally grey and in depth story
+ Characters personal characteristics and development
+++ Amazing soundtrack
+ Fun new ideas and concepts
+ Bonus points for shameless Doctor Who reference
Cons:
--- Controls that just may give you nightmares
- Bad environment execution and level design
- Graphics feel a few years old
Remember Me has a beautiful story. Though I don't like the ending I still felt everything Nilin was going through. she felt like a true friend who was going through hell. I understood the way her head worked and the choices she faced because she felt like a real person, something games seem to be forgetting a lot lately. While the graphics aren't anything amazing, this game has some of the best visuals of any game ever. The concept art you can unlock blew me away. The combat looks fun and the soundtrack is so beautiful I am actually listening to it right now. The memory sequences are very similar to the DS/iOS game Ghost Trick. They aren't very intuitive, but they can be fun if you like experimenting with things and don't mind a bit of repitition.
Then there is the combat. While is looks cool, you can change up your combos however you like, some pretty cool stuff included; the combat still doesnt feel as fun as it could have. In all honesty Rocksteady should be given rights to a sequal. If they gave a remember me sequel the same love and time they gave the Arkham series it could be an easy contender for GOTY. But it wasn't made by rocksteady and it isn't free-roam like everyone wanted. Instead it is a somewhat linear, tedious journey with enemies that are cheap, and collectables that feel like they were scattered just to give you an excuse to explore the limited hallways.
Now for the important part. Did I have fun?
YES! Despite hiccups and disappointing deaths I felt I didn't deserve, I still enjoyed the atmosphere and the satisfying feeling of flawlessly executing a harder combo. This game really has everything a video game should have except something fundamentally important; how we control our character greatly influences how we respond to the gameplay. Enemies getting cheap hits because the game system sometimes works against us isn't something that should exist in games anymore.
I recommend this game to anyone who is willing to look past its wonky controlls that trip over themselves like a dancer with two left feet.
I also recommend this game to anyone at all who loved Mirror's Edge. Why? I have no idea. But for whatever reason these two games belong in the same collection. they just somehow reflect nicely off of each other and feel similar in strange ways | video-games_xbox |
A HUGE improvement over the original. Unlike many people I actually enjoyed the first Assassin's Creed game. Granted, I too thought it was horribly repetitive but I enjoyed the technical aspects of the game...the climbing, the fighting, etc. Still, it wasn't good enough to warrant buying the sequel unless I knew they'd made it more interesting. I heard it was better so I gave it a spin, a good move for sure.
Lets start out by addressing a few of the issues that the first Assassin's Creed has and how the sequel fixed them.
-Character Development: In the first game there is literally no backstory for Altair. You start off on a mission gone awry and work from there. With Ezio in the second game you start the story BEFORE you're an assassin. You learn the overall behavior of your character, his motivation, etc. Then it eases you into the position of assassin.
-Emotion: In the first game Altair has roughly the emotional level of a rock. He gets a mission, he follows his orders, he never really questions or feels anything. Ezio on the other hand has a bit of a bad boy mentality. He fancies himself a ladies man (and acts upon it), he makes mistakes when he gets angry, he woos more ladies, etc. He seems more human than Altair the robot did.
-Economy: In the first game you go through the game and you get a new item what, once every mission (for a grand total of 8)? In the second game there is an economy. Instead of relying on missions to buy new year you can buy it whenever you have the cash to do so (although better tiers of gear aren't unlocked until you progress through the story). And there are plenty of ways to earn money. Pickpocket people, loot corpses, carry mail, assassinate targets, help wives get even with their cheating husbands, all of which are relatively fun to play. Also, you can spend your money on hired help such as courtesans (who use their wiles to distract guards) or thieves (who start brawls to distract guards). It again gives a much more realistic feeling to the game.
-Repetitive missions: The biggest issue in the first game is nowhere to be found here, although maybe that's just me. In the first game you have 3 types of missions...pickpocket, interrogate, or eavesdrop. That's it. Rinse, repeat. In this game it follows more of a story where no two missions are identical. Whether it be releasing prisoners to killing certain guards to allow your allies to set themselves up in certain positions or even defensive escort. Lots of variation and lots of fun.
-Ridiculous collection of items: Flags...the first game had lots of flags. If I recall it was something along the line of 440 flags. I think I collected a grand total of maybe 60 in the first game. In this game there are only 100 feathers to collect and each area tells you how many of said feathers for each area you've collected. I didn't get all the feathers but I didn't find it nearly as distracting as the flags.
The game isn't without it's faults. Countering is still the most effective way to kill someone. The hidden blade counters are overpowered, but overall combat is a little more balanced.
The controls still aren't perfect. There were a few times when I'd try to jump a certain direction and Ezio would jump a different direction (usually off the top of a building thus killing me).
Also, there are some graphical/textural errors. I glitched through the floor at one point and got stuck.
But the few bugs can't detract from the fun of the game. Overall it's a great game and rather lengthy, I want to say that my playthrough (I didn't find all of the feathers or glyphs) took maybe 18 hours? I did alot of exploring though and it's a good bit of fun to explore in this game, unlike the previous. | video-games_xbox |
Good, but falls a bit short. Well, like many others, I waited a long time for Fable II. I had played Fable I, not liked it at first,
but then gone back to it, and when "The Final Chapters" version was released, got much more into it. I
was not much for RPG type games, and still don't play them much, but this one was interesting to me
because of the way it was presented, and that it was simple enough for a "casual" or "beginning" RPG
player to pick it up, without a lot of the depth or complexity of MMORPG's or "Oblivion."
Anyway, having enjoyed Fable, I waited a long time for this game. Finally, it was released, and I got it home, started it up, and was quite impressed with the opening cutscene, very nice. (I had a feeling that bird would do what it did; I don't know how). Without giving too many spoilers, you start as a young boy (or girl) poor and fighting to survive;something terrible happens (as it always does to start off RPG's), and you beging your journey with rudimentary weapons and some gold. As in the first game, your first authorized use of your weapon (yes I randomly attacked a few people first, I'm evil) is those stupid giant bettles again. As before when you kill someone or something, squeeze the left trigger to gather their "orbs." The "orbs" are used to purchase your level ups, as in the first game.
The course you follow is up to you; you can follow the main story, or quest, do things on the side, randomly kill, steal and plunder, like in the first game (but as in the first game the guards are levels above you, so it's stupid to try to fight them at first); one thing I enjoy, as I did in the first game, is to simply explore a town, sneak into a house and steal whatever I can when no one is looking (hee hee). Even being a simple theif, though will turn your alighment towards "bad." Which is alright with me, I ususally prefer to be "bad."
Some things I don't like: The interface is still hard to use. I never liked it much before now it seems worse. The map isn't too good. Also on a standard def TV (am I the last one left with one) the menu pages are hard to read, and some of the instructional text in the game is way up on top of the screen and hard to read. And I agree with other players on the save system: there is an autosave, and you can save when not on a quest, but there seems to be only one slot, so if one or the other gets corrupted you could lose hours of work. I also think it's past time for "mute" characters. Yes, it's a lot of programming, but Fable II is not a bargain game; and they can fit a lot of content on one disk; look at how the main characaters are realized in GTA IV, Mass Effect, and other games.
Some things I do like: Cutscenes are amazing. Combat is OK-I am not a melee expert and appreciate a simple interface that does a lot. I still find myself eating something when I want to draw a weapon, or casting a spell when I want to shoot somebody though. Still frustrating.
The most amazing thing: I love the dog! Absolutely amazing AI programming. I have never seen anything like it-the dog will follow you, show you the way to hidden (and buried) chests, etc, and help you in combat-if you knock a stronger foe down, the dog will attack it. Finally, however your character develops, the dog will take on a similar apperance: if you're good, it's a handsome shepard mix-looking thing, if you're evil, it's a fearsome, snarling beast. Very cool!
On the reported freezes: I have not experienced any glitches or major bugs yet; I have seen other users report the game freezes; unfourtunately when a game freezes, it ususaly means your 360 is failing (sorry). This was my experience-I purchased my first 360 in August 2006, and it gave me good service (it ran 24/7 for more than 2 years because it was networked with my computer used as a sometimes media hub)-when games began freezing in it, a short time afterwards it red ringed. From what I understand, it is VERY rare for game software to brick consoles, when this happens it's because of a console update that goes wrong because of an error that happens when the firmware is written to.
Conclusion: Fable II is a good game; if you enjoy RPG's you will like it. If you are new to RPG's you may want to rent it and check it out. Minor problems aside, it's fun and there is lots of replay value, vis. play through as a male, then a female, then evil, then good, and so on. Recommended. | video-games_xbox |
The Beginning of the Ninja Era. Ninja Gaiden for Xbox 1 is great for anyone who wishes to take the first glimpse of fighting as a ninja. Although the new releases of Ninja Gaiden for Xbox 360 and PS3 have continued to capture video games buyers, this game is best suitable for starting up and training for the new challenges in navigating new landscapes and fighting offered by the recently released games.
I will base my review on graphics, sounds, controls, plot, and long-term playability.
The graphics totally blew me with beautiful layouts of landscapes and gorgeous sizzlin' curves of female warriors and enemies that look too scary to be defeated. I would recommend high definition flat screen TV for this game.(10/10)
The sounds are totally amazing that makes you feel like a ninja warrior sneaking around and slashing enemies into pieces. Even you are not playing, the sounds instill into your heart and soul as a ninja warrior wherever you go. There are some music that lacks enthusiasm for me. (9/10)
The plot of the Ninja Gaiden is incredibly addicting that keeps you wondering of what will be happening next once you complete each chapter of the game. I could not believe that the producers of the game actually pulled this game up to the highest level, comparing to other old Xbox 1 games. I regret that I didn't buy this game when it first released. (10/10)
The long-term playability is all right. It should take 50-80 hours to beat the game without a guidebook. It becomes more fun with harder level and 1 or 2 new ninja costumes after you beat the game. It will probably get boring after beating the game twice, but rather, you lay back and have a good memory of your achievement as a ninja warrior. (7/10)
My tip for you before playing is to be aware of the locations of golden scrapes and all kinds of gemstones that enhance your fighting skills.
That is the best game for me. I look forward to purchase more ninja games. | video-games_xbox |
Great Graphics, great story and a great game. This is the first review that have written on Amazon despite having purchased so many items. I felt the need to do so because of all the bad reviews I read from the so called professionals but it seems they are no better than most of the movie critic reviews I read on good movies with bad reviews.
So here it goes, first off as usual Amazon shipped my purchase quickly and it was delivered on time in perfect condition. I was eager to install the game after setting up my new Xbox One so I inserted the disk and waited for it to let me know it was ready for play, the games take awhile on the Xbox One to install because of there size but a few minutes is nothing once you get started playing. As soon as it loaded I was taken to a cut scene setting up the story and was immediately amazed at how beautiful everything looked. I usually do my gaming on pc and am used to great graphics but this was amazing.
After the cut scene ended I expected the graphics to be somewhat less as the cut scenes are usually better than the actual gameplay but I was completely wrong, I was blown away taking time out from playing to simply look around at the amazing scenery, the sky, trees, foliage, ground everything is absolutely incredible looking and all the details will leave you saying wow.
The story is great and it was tough putting down my controller to get some sleep last night as I wanted to see what happens next. The fighting even though most of the review sites I read said was repetitive felt right to me and the difficulty was just right, I chose the second difficulty and cannot remember what it was called but it was just right for my skill set and not having played a console in some time was easy enough to make my way through with a few deaths mixed in to keep me from getting to confident in my skill. Timing is important so trying to button mash your way through will not work which makes it feel more immersive.
The fighting is very brutal and gory with some awesome execution scenes when you get your enemy low on health but this is only how I would have imagined it to be and nothing short of what you have seen if you watched the movie Gladiator.
You are on rails in the game but there are still enough places to wander around that it is possible to get lost for a minute but they have included a nice feature where after awhile there will be a subtle way point pop up to guide you to where you need to go.
All in all I believe I am probably just over half way through the game and am really enjoying my time with it, I have not tried any of the other game modes but am looking forward to trying them when I finish the campaign.
I would definitely recommend this game, if you like the things I have written about you will not be disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
This rose has no petals. There are two types of men in this world. There are men who like girls with a little class, girls who have a grace and elegance as well as some sense of intelligence. Then there are men who just don't care. These men would prefer their women to get down and dirty and would sacrifice IQ for a bra size in the snap of a finger. In this sense, the former men are playing Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4. The latter are going to want to play Rumble Roses XX instead.
I must say that I've never laid hands on openly sexual or perverted games like Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, Playboy Mansion, or even the original Rumble Roses on the PlayStation 2. Rumble Roses XX didn't break the sexual game ice for me-it shattered it. It is a game of fetishes, a place where the sexually intrigued (or frustrated) can enjoy watching cowgirls, S&M slaves, and school girls bitch-slap each other into submission.
This disturbing and extremely shallow premise doesn't make for much of a story, and it seems to me that both Yuke's and Konami preferred to focus on watching rather than playing, because Rumble Roses XX is a disaster. None of the dozen-plus "Roses" control well, and while wrestling games are almost always slightly sluggish, Rumble Roses XX is painful by direct comparison. Yuke's, prior to creating this total lack of class, made a wrestling game that even I enjoyed-WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006-and it was extremely entertaining. The controls were much better and the reversal system that worked so well in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 is shot dead and butchered by Rumble Roses XX. On top of it all, each Rose has only a handful of striking moves and grapples, few of which are very interesting or flashy.
It's surprising to me, even after playing Rumble Roses XX and swearing at the television, that a game featuring sweaty men in tights is much better than a game featuring more panty shots than a year's subscription to Maxim.
Rumble Roses XX only features a few different game modes, and nothing pounds the trashy button like the Humiliation mode. In this mode, the loser of each match is forced to suffer through some sort of embarrassing event. The events range from tickle sessions to embarrassing poses. Whichever one is preferred can be chosen at the beginning of each match, and only an embarrassment meter and time limit stand between the player and a ridiculous display of virtual, pixilated, girl-on-girl play. Of course, there are traditional modes like Tag Team and Battle Royale for the few who will play this game for the actual wrestling.
What might be the only real "good" quality about Rumble Roses XX are the character models. Though they're pretty similar in battle, the characters all display a different sort of fetish and they animate perfectly. From an art sense, they're very interesting and respectably detailed. Most of the characters are proportionally correct, and traditionalists will be happy to know that there are some stars in this game whose bra size stays in the lower twelfth of the alphabet. It's too bad that the girls are displayed in such a trashy fashion, because a few of the characters (namely the cover girl, Reiko) are less trashy than eyebrow-raisers like Candy Cane and Miss Spencer. Also, anything else that could be considered a visual oddity is low-quality: the backgrounds and crowds surrounding the fights are boring and sometimes ugly, the menus are confusing and almost randomly organized, and the animation is stiff and jumpy-sometimes you'll see characters initiate grapple moves from several feet away and clotheslines simply don't look right.
I'm pretty disgusted that Rumble Roses XX is such a trashy fighting game, because the Dead or Alive series has already proven that it's possible to be sexy in video games without losing all traces of professionalism and decency. Even more unfortunate is that the game actually plays so badly, especially when Yuke's has had such an extensive a history of high-quality grappling projects. If you're looking for a quality Xbox 360 fighting game, look in Tecmo's direction. I can't say that Rumble Roses XX isn't entertaining-at least it's possible to laugh at the outright indecency of the action-but it's not worth $60 and it's not worth your time. | video-games_xbox |
Taking Poor Coding To New Heights. After playing the original Black OPS I vowed never to get this game, however, peer pressure got the better of me and, much to my shame, I actually pre-ordered.
The first few days of playing this game were better than expected, it actually felt kind of responsive and that I was playing on an equal footing with other players, however, the rot soon began to set in. I actually stopped playing this game a few weeks ago in favour of Halo 4, and here is why:
Lag Compensation.
There will be a few games that really flow, however, most of the time this game is going to be a lag fest, no matter what your connection. It is the same old Treyarch story. You see enemy player first, you unleash a whole clip into said enemy, enemy player wobbles a bit, turns round and kills you with one shot from a pistol! I have lost count of the times I have had hit markers on peoples heads with a sniper rifle, emptied four rounds into them and they gun me down from half a map away with a pistol! I kid you not. YouTube has loads of videos showing lag compensation in action, and one post I would recommend reading is Black Ops 2 Lag Compensation - Video Proof. Treyarch have released a guide to Troubleshooting and Solving Black Ops 2 Lag, but quite frankly, why should the player have to become a network engineer to solve Treyarchs retarded coding. No other game I play on the same connection lags as much as this game.
Spawning.
Can Treyarch never get this right? It is just terrible on this game. You shoot someone, and they either spawn right behind you, or just around the next corner.
Maps.
I will say that the maps have some nice baked on lighting effects, however, after playing them for any length of time you soon begin to realise just how dull and boring they all are. The main reason I stopped playing this game was how boring the maps were. Basically, this game is just gun and run on ill thought out maps. Of course, with Activision and Treyarch trying to sell you map packs, it is little wonder that the initial maps are going to be poor.
Kill Streaks.
The average player is never ever going to see most of these!
Weapons.
Choice of weapon makes pretty much no difference in this game and the SMG rules over all ranges. With the lag compensation in full swing anyway, weapons are just fancy skins for the pure randomness that is Black Ops 2.
Nuketown 2025 (or bait and switch)
I suspect a lot of people pre-ordered on the basis of getting this map. However, what Treyarch failed to mention that this map was only available for the bonus XP weekend! It was pulled from map rotation, and only after protests from users, begrudgingly put back into rotation in the pretty dire Mosh Pit playlist.
As I write this Treyarch have released patch 1.4, which does not seem to fix any of the major issues, but does seem to have nerfed most of the weapons. Nothing will tempt me back into this game again though, and I will be giving my copy to Game Station most likely. Halo 4 is way more fun, and way less frustrating. | video-games_xbox |
From disappointment to satisfaction in 3 Days. Ahoy! Caveats Ahead. As a happy XBox 360 owner, I held off on the XBox One. With the annoucement of the S model, I finally pulled the trigger and preordered the One S and Amazon came through with a August 2nd delivery. Everything was well packaged and easy to hook up, only to greet me with an extremely annoying squeal/squeak sound from the cooling fan. It was loud enough to be heard over the tv while in my office 15' away with 2 computers running. I found that standing it vertically eliminated the sound. I quickly contacted Amazon for exchange on August 2nd, since I could not get through to Microsoft. While I waited, I went ahead and played around with the noisy unit.
Kudos to Amazon! Replacement order processed August 2, shipped on August 3, arrived August 5. Exchange unit has absolutely no issues with fan noise. Initial update took about 10 minutes and was again flawlessly executed. All the apps I had installed on my first unit were waiting to be reinstalled. Sizewise, the Xbox One S fits perfectly on top of my white 360. For those wanting measurements, the One S is 11.625"Wx9.0625"Dx2.625"H. The dashboard seems to be fairly snappy, only issue has been figuring out how to navigate and find things. I like the wider range of apps available over the 360 as well as the improved throughput for Netflix streams. Video is crisp and clear on my 46" Samsung (not 4k). Audio is fed via optical cable to an Onkyo HT S5100 home theater and seems to be vibrant and full. DVD and blu ray discs both play after downloading the appropriate app as well.
Overall, despite the initial issue first unit, I am very pleased with my purchase. I am currently awaiting the Hauppauge tv connector and a Kinect to arrive. Once I have them, I will update this review. as I plan to use this as a voiced controlled media center to play my library of movies served by my Plex server and watch OTA tv via the Hauppauge.
Update 08-22-16:
I have now received my Happauge OTA tv connector, Kinect and Kinect to USB adapter. Walking through the installation steps was painless for the Kinect and USB adapter. I made sure to use Port 1 on the back and the Kinect was recognized, and the setup wizard performed flawlessly. The TV tuner was also recognized and the wizard ran as well. There are however, some caveats to both of these products that I found after installing.
First, the voice commands via Kinect are both more robust yet limiting. I enjoy being able to say Xbox, volume down/up by whatever level. It makes using my HTS easier. Unfortunately, I find I cannot say Xbox go to Netflix, or Next list/previous list, or play xyz, while in NetFlix. I could do this on the 360 and it made for easy control. Come on MS, you named your console after Channel One as in the hub of the home entertainment/gaming experience and you take away features? I realize you backpedaled at launch but this is the 2nd gen of the One! So I still have to use a controller or remote to do some of what I did with voice on the 360, disappointing to say the least.
Second disappointment was finding out that the Oneguide TV listing setup is not actually location specific. I live in a rural low population area, only get 4 channels OTA. Yet 2 of the four listings I get are based on ZIP codes 120-180 miles from my location and are not at all what the actual channels are. Manual edit or select my channels? Not an option, you gets what you gets and be happy with it. Really, you are running a specialized version of Win10 and you can't allow true customization for the local end user console? You made it a high priority to allow end user selection of the power on chime but something that affects enhanced functionality is low priority.
Overall I am still happy with my purchase, true 1080 streaming from Netflix is nice and 4K capability will be a plus when I upgrade. However, I am dropping my rating to 4 stars because the very features I was wanting to use are currently lacking in availability and execution by Microsoft at this time. | video-games_xbox |
Ok, but not great. I am writing this prior to finishing the game. I play it on a PS3, because that is what I own, and I only joined the series from ME2 on.
I had a credit from another game purchased, so I thought I would upgrade to the collectors edition. I'm not a collector by any means, but I enjoyed ME2 so much that I thought it would be fun to get the extra perks. The art book is nice, as is the comic book, but the in game extras aren't that exciting. The box is rather cool.
ME3 has the potential to be a great game (keep in mind I haven't finished it yet), but it just seems to be missing something. For me ME2 was an amazing game. I felt completely involved, and was excited to start a new game as soon as I finished one. The different classes to play, the different choices, and the lure of being able to carry my save files into the final game of the trilogy all kept me thoroughly engrossed. In ME3, I see the potential for the game, but it doesn't quite feel or appear the same. The character models don't look as good. The lip syncing isn't that great, especially when you are talking to characters outside of a cut scene (ie. Ashley in the observation lounge). The character movements freeze occasionally when moving about. Searching for war assets isn't as rewarding as searching for elements in ME2. Granted, the planet scanning was a pain, but it had a purpose. The war assets you find when scanning just don't seem to have an impact that you can experience. You find upgrades for your weapons frequently and too easily. I feel like I complete side missions without ever really focusing on them. During early game play, I noticed I had a lot of side quest descriptions pop up on my codex. I know they occur when you overhear someone talking, but I never really set out to complete them. Most I just sort of stumbled upon whatever item I was supposed to retrieve. It wasn't very gratifying. You matter of factly run into old squad mates from ME2; some hang around, and some just sort of disappear. Where you invested many hours to gain their support, you now just sort of bump into them, and on a couple of occasions, without any real closure.
The story is very encompassing. If all things were equal between ME2 and ME3, it would be great. The story, interacting with characters, establishing and supporting relationships, trying to experience the game play of every class, paramount versus renegade choices and outcomes, choosing different responses, and just talking to crew members over and over again just to hear something new from them are all reasons I enjoy playing this game. I have heard all of the negative press about the ending, but I am trying really hard to remain neutral, and form my own conclusions.
The co-op play I could take or leave. I didn't get ME3 for it's multi-player. It's fun, and a good way to extend the game play, but I really don't like that it contributes to the single player story. Yes, you can finish the single player game just fine without playing any co-op matches, but co-op play can enhance the single player story. That being said, the co-op game play has been fun, and I really like how they issue challenges to draw you in. That keeps distracting me from the single player game, which for me has extended my first play through of the game.
I would definitely recommend this game. The story and character interactions/development are rich and deep. I only hope I get drawn back in to another play through; I finished ME2 6 times in a matter of months.
Update (041212) - So I finished my first play through. I understand what everyone is complaining about, and while I agree with the comments, I still liked the game and ending. My intent is to play through all 6 of my save files from ME2, but I will admit that I don't feel as much of a draw to play again as I did with ME2. I believe this is due to the fact that this is the final game, there is nothing to look forward to after this in terms of Commander Shepard. And now that I think about it, the game will be different only up to the ending sequence, which will essentially be the same situation no matter how I play the game. That kind of stinks, but I will still play again just to experience all of the dialog and choices that I possibly can.
Update 052813: I got sucked into the DLC, especially the citadel dlc. I want so badly to reconnect with Miranda, but after 5 plays through this dlc, I can't seem to get what I want (I peeked on youtube). There are so many options just with this last dlc, that one could play over and over again just to hear the different dialogue and comments from the characters. This whole series (I recently started ME since they released it for the PS3) is crazy addicting to me. ME2 is still the best though, but the multiplayer for ME3 is quite fun. | video-games_xbox |
I am Death. There is a level for begginers. But if you can't handle exicuting half of the moves in Training (more than likely because you are hitting the buttons to slow), then you won't do well. I play several games and sometimes I don't come back to this one for a while. But if you want a hard fighting game, or think that this is hard, try Tekken. The secret to this game is learning your combos, knowing 4 counters, predicting when you should use the counters, ability to stop using the same moves over and over (you know, change it up a bit), and to know your opponent.
For some reason I counter better with Lei Fang. I fight humans best with Christie (may favorite character). I fight the computer best with Ein (second best with Hitomi). I have never played on Xbox Live, but I have a friend that is ranked somewhere in the hundreds in this game, and I mop him up. But you don't have to dedicate your life to getting good at this game. Just do what I do, don't play a game by the genre, but as the game individually. You wouldn't go into a shooter game the same way you would a RPG or fighting. So try applying that to this game. I can alternate between KOF (I am pretty good at), to MK (I can only rock 2 characters- I don't play MK much), to Soul Caliber (awesome), to Bloody Roar (awesome), to Tekken (very awesome), and Arcana Heart (pretty good) in any order and don't have any problems with the transistion. Just need a couple of moments to get use to the game (but I have that prob with all games).
But now to the game. The story runs fairly smoothly but sometimes it seems as though they were reaching out for an excuse to make a fight (i.e. Hitomi and Lei). Zach's ending (as always) is always comical (cartoony). They didn't get rid of the gay outfit the Zach wears either (you know the one, Just one word for it: Teletubbies). They do leave a lot of holes in the story, some get filled if you know the story from early in the series. They modified alot of the combos, Some for the better, some for worse. The wall counting system (how many times a person hits a wall before they just fall to the ground) has gotten better. It is easier to get up when knocked down (but for some reason the computer can jump on me and land an attack that is soley for when you are laying down, if they initiate the jump before I get up, while I am fully standing). They still need to change the term in Training from Standing, because if you are not touching any buttons from the get go- you are standing. They could call it Standing Up, or Up from Crouch. I think the word that they use in Japanese does translate to standing but in contect to standing up or to make stand (I need a better dictionary, I have four, but none of them have the full word that is used.
I am waiting for when they finnaly have Christie say (note if this does get used I want my money da---rn it)"Get lost and die". I am also waiting for when Hitomi can say, "Hitomi, power up!" in a more fluid english, she says it in english just with a VERY thick japanese accent. I don't even speak japanese, but what little bit I do say, I have a very soft american accent (and I prefer western japanese accent) but it is not so much that you almost don't understand what I am saying. And when are they going to get rid of the gay outfit? (Zach is american and he is dressing up like a teletubby, WTF people? WTF?) | video-games_xbox |
Incredible Game! Play the Way you Enjoy Playing. This game has a great mix of everything and I am a newcomer to the Deus Ex franchise that was introduced on the PC. I am only a console gamer but after playing this game I wish I played the prior games. The way you can tackle different objectives in the game is incredible! Before I get too carried away, the game is about you as Adam Jensen who acts like a detective in trying to uncover a massacre at a corporation you work for and that attacked you. The attack nearly killed you so they implemented augmentations to bring you back. These augmentations are like perks. There is various one that do different things such as lift heavy objects, become a more skilled hacker, see through walls, jump higher, more resistant to bullets, and so on. There is countless of them.
Now the game is presented somewhat like a RPG with XP that can be gained in multiple ways such as discovering hidden paths, killing enemies, hacking things, and so on. You gain agumentations after so much XP you gain. What I love a lot about the game is the level design in how you achieve your objections for example there is a building you need to get to, you can jump to it by a fire escape from another building, you can hack the gate, or you can stack objects and hop over. It even allows you to different things with side missions when it comes to the core mission. I won't get into that which could spoil things but I will say they are very elaborate and not a bunch of fetch quests. They are all fun to do.
As for the visuals and sounds, top notch. I think the characters are not the best looking or animated as well as other high caliber games but its ok and the game itself has a great art design. The music is also fitting for the futuristic setting. It has a lasting sound that can be memorable.
Now the game has a lot of replay value and the game has multiple endings. I have fun searching through every nock and cranny. It is filled with little secret areas that have hidden items and secret paths through vents for short cuts. It is an incredible game and a game that I want to do play more than once. I highly recommend this game. It allows you to play the game the way you want with all out action with multiple weapons from a pistol, stun gun, to a rocket launcher (and all these weapons are upgradable) or sneaking around without being seen. It doesn't penalize you in any way. You will get XP from everything and it makes the game fun and makes me want to play again in a different way and make different choices. What I mean by choices is that there will be dialogue sessions where you can make choices and your actions will have an effect to what happens in the future.
Get this game if your want to go on an adventure. The shooting aspect isn't as good as more focused shooter but it balances being a RPG and an adventure game tremendously. It is a game that is hard to put down after you get your hands on it. It is a must buy! Now should you get the augmented edition? It has nice extras but I don't like that it doesn't come in the standard case. It comes in a paper box that is covered by the plastic cover. I don't mind that but it might have made me get the regular edition. | video-games_xbox |
Terribly developed. The other day I was playing this game with my brother. We started off our game at night in Boise. About halfway through the second quarter, I thought I noticed a lighting change, so we watched the instant replay. Sure enough, the night had changed instantly into day. Pat White might be able to juke some tough players, but he isn't God. When he drops back the sun doesn't change. Now this is a minor inconvenience and does not really affect my gaming experience, but it just goes to show how sloppily the game was created. Earlier, my brother went for a two-point conversion and I intercepted it. After running it back for two points of my own, I was made to kick off (after he had scored the TD) and, on top of that, I was kicking off from his 35 yard line. That was frustrating.
My other concerns about NCAA Football 2008:
The logic behind the order of switching players while a play is going is terrible. Countless times it takes several times to get the correct player, or I will try and select a defensive lineman for a sack and end up choosing a DB and leaving the receiver wide open. This is also a problem trying to select someone near the ball carrier to tackle him.
The player celebrations are spastic and obnoxious.
The graphics seem to be worse than before.
The in-game stat update windows have cheesy designs.
The absence of momentum tracker was a huge loss to the game's realism.
Quite often during the game, players do very unrealistic things like changing directions very quickly, taking 7 seconds to run 40 yards (even really fast players), and making unrealistic tackles.
Not being able to call plays and control the whole team during campus legend mode is a step in the wrong direction. How am I supposed to have a good receiver, running back, or quarterback when my stupid coach keeps calling terrible plays, and I don't get to decide who gets the ball?
First-person kick blocking and returning should not have been done away with. | video-games_xbox |
Gothic in name only, but stilla very nice game. I believe you'll read a lot of bad reviews of this game. The reason is not the game itself, but a situation around it. Pyranha Bites, a developer of Gothic sreies, had to give away the right to make this game after a nasty legal dispute with its former publisher, JoWood. After that PB went to develop a new title, Risen, and JoWood hired a european developer SpellBound to make a next Gothic title, Arcania. Fans of Gothic (and there are a lot of us, mostly in Germany, Russia, and Poland) were pissed beyond measure. From the beginning a lot of people were agains Arcania just because of this reason. They openly wished this game never be published and JoWood go bankrupt. So please perceive this egativity for what it is. I am a Gothic fan, but there are limits, you know. It is not decent to talk crap about the game just to make publisher to loose money, and it is not fair to a very decent game. Some german folks even show up here to write bad reviews. So take it for what they are.
Yes, a lot of elements from Gothic games have been lost, so Arcania is Gothic in title only, but the game itself is quite charming, actually. You will get a big (semi)opened world (each new section of the island opens after you complete the main quiest), but these sections are very big, so you won't feel claustrafobic. The world is great, actually. Beautiful sunrises ans sunsets, very well done architecture (castles are really superb), so you will enjoy just being there. At least I hope you will, because I am enjoying it and want to share. ;)
There are a lot of enemies to slain, of all shapes and sizes, from spiders and goblins to fire golems and demons. There are four difficulty settings to choose from, from very easy, to rather hard. There is a lot of crafting in the game, from weapons to potions and food. A great variety of weapons and armor as well.
The story is good enough, it is not crap by any means, and dialogues, though vary from funny to plain, do a good job of conveing necessary information. And some a real funny and enjoyable. Quests are mostly straiforward, but it does not make them in any way dumb. The compain takes about 25 hours (about 16 hours on main quest and the rest for secondary quests), and for me these were good 25 hours spend in a beautiful new world. Overall, I would say Arcania is worth every cent I paid for it. PC Games and Official XBox Mag give this game 7.6 and 7.5 respectively (good game). I give it 5 stars. Yeah, yeah, it has some flaws (not bugs, but as they say in their reviews, not enough RPG elements and such), but as long as I can totally loose myself in the game, I simply do not care. | video-games_xbox |
Using this thing is an "Experience. I know it doesn't say verified, but I got this head set at my local Best Buy. I have to say The sound quality of the head set is pretty good. There are probably better sounding head sets out there, but the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference. On the other hand, When using this on my PC I have to turn on the the headset first, then press the Mute button, before my Computer boots into windows. If I don't do that way, I will either:
A. Ending up having to listen to the mic pick up my voice and relay that back into the head set speakers. A feature so annoying I have absolutely no clue why anyone would ever think this was a good idea, considering that Windows (and as far as I'm aware OSX) have this feature built in. I don't want to hear my self talk unless I'm recording audio. And even then I don't want it relayed back to me in Real Time.
or B. Windows will consider the Mic muted and when a friend Call me in Skype or connects to Discord, they won't be able to hear me talk. If I press the mute button the mic starts working obviously. However I get to listen to my self in the head set. Press it again, and the audio stops being relayed through the headset. But now I can't be heard on Skype or any other program that wants to use my mic. Great bloody job.
On top of that the mic sounds like Garbage. Seriously a 5 dollar Mic from K-mart sounds better. Absolutely terrible quality. Maybe if it didn't sound like nails on a chalkboard while a live cow is being thrown into a meat grinder, I would have forgiven it a bit for the mic play back "feature".
Oh and some times it likes to do a high pitched Car Break Screeching sound, followed by the head set turning off for no reason. Your probably saying maybe the battery died. No the battery didn't die because I can just turn it back on right after wards. Its happened while the head set is even plugged in. If the battery is low it will give a beep. I have about 5 minutes to find the cable and plug it in. If it detects its being charged the lights on the side will come back on. Oh ya, and when I turn it back on I get to listen to my self. And I have to restart the PC, hit the mute button and log back in, if I want to use the mic on the head set with out having to listen to my self. Fun
Now you could just say, why do you hate the sound of you own voice, you know when someone is just repeating the same thing back to you word for word. Well imagine him saying everything back to you while talking into a fan, that's how it feels, cool for like 5 seconds then you realize its really annoying and the only way around it is to stop talking, but now you can't communicate with other people. Or you could say why not just buy a separate mic, which is what I did end up doing. But the thing is. I shouldn't have to. Its a headset, You buy it for an all in one experience. You don't buy PS3 AND a blu-ray player do you?
But lets get around to build quality. After about a month I noticed a crack in the head band. A few weeks later, it was barely holding on. So I grabbed some Duct Tape and Tapped it down. Over the course a several months It only got considerably worse, its almost to the point where Duct Tape can't fix it.
And after all the complaining I've done why 2 stars. Because it works. That's the only reason. It wasn't DOA, It didn't break after 3 weeks. The Wireless receiver won't pick up jack crap if the 3.5mm cable is plugs in, should I say "the wrong way", but it gets decent range in my house. I can walk around my room with it, and that's all that really matters. Its the Yugo of headsets. A Yugo would get you from point A to point B, but it will be far from an enjoyably experience, Much like this head set, It works, and that is its only selling point, besides being wireless. Its like when your watching TV, and you get really comfortable on the couch but suddenly notice that the audio is out of sync because the Comcast monopoly in your area is to cheap to fix anything, then you realize the remote is on the other side of the room. So you unenthusiastic get up, only to step on a Lego, then sit down on a wobbly chair. | video-games_xbox |
I love the game - I LOVE THE NEW 360. The Halo Reach 360 -
The console itself is a lovely upgrade. We've had our 360 since it came out in 2006 - well, we've had a few mishaps (red rings of death) and the most current one had lasted from April of 2008. But, it was loud, the hard drive was always teetering on full, and it was crashing more and more.
The new console is amazing. In comparison to the black 360 slim, I love it too. I have black furniture in my house, and it shows dust terribly after one evening. So we were avoiding getting the new shiny black console after seeing how the PS3 takes to any dust. I HATE cleaning the PS3 and wasn't looking forward to another black console. Then I saw the lovely silver Reach console. It really stands out amongst the black boxes otherwise sitting in our entertainment center. But it's a much nicer design than the old white 360.
The graphics themselves are not incredibly noticable, which I like. Meant to look like an archive reader, the decoration isn't flashy and doesn't come off as a prop. Plus, the grey on silver is a lovely touch.
The Halo noises when turning on and off are a cute touch. Except... I never hear them! They only occur when you press the button on the console to turn it on, and I always turn it on and off with the controller. I really wish they happened then, but no big deal.
The console itself is silent. A BIG difference. It's much faster as well. Most of the differences seem like they would be obvious - better design, HDMI port (which yes, 360s have had before but ours was old enough to not have that), smaller power supply, etc etc.
Overall, I'm super happy with the console. It gets 5 stars just for making me super happy.
The Halo designed controllers-
We've also had the older controllers. The new design is nice - they feel lighter, the D-pad feels A LOT nicer. The only annoying thing is the changing of the main xbox button in the center to a shiny silver. It reflects a lot. It just annoys me personally, but I suppose I'm being picky.
The designs are simple like the console. But one is already starting to wear, but that is to be expected.
The headset-
Is wired. And black. No one ever really said what the headset would be. It's plain. I haven't even opened it as it is our 4th working headset (5th if you count the one I broke). Meh. It's a headset.
The Game-
BAH! The game is beautiful. In full HDMI on a 46" TV, I'm just very happy. The campaign is fun, although I'll admit to being disappointed at the end. Some of the story is off if you follow the books... or really some of the other games. But if you ignore that, it's cool. The weapons feel a lot better, in comparison to Halo 3 I find it a lot easier to just aim.
Firefight has gotten even better. My favorite game to play has been "gruntapocolypse" where it's just grunts with the birthday party effect. Amazing.
The multiplayer has also gotten better. It's worth it to buy the game just for the multiplayer. Invasion is really neat - very fun - and should get better as people continue to figure out how to play it. It's been really great.
Extras-
The recon helmet is... nothing special. Just a small add on no one really notices. But nice to have. The falcon avatar accessory is super cute. The elite armor is my favorite thing. I love it.
ALSO it should be noted that if you have two xbox live accounts on one console you BOTH get the stuff. We split it amongst the two of us, and then got in the game and we both had the armor. So that's nice to know.
Overall I can't help but give this 5 stars. I really enjoy it. | video-games_xbox |
Like a TV dinner Solace is good for a little while. The Good: Looks good, basic mechanics are there, powerful weapons, cool locales, BOOM!, it doesn't last long
The Bad: Flawed mechanics that are 10 years old, lame multiplayer, retarded story, Daniel Craig+Bond=Epic Fail
Well here are again sitting around the Bond fire (LAWL!), but no seriously, who still likes James Bond after five different actors, and twenty different movies? Does Bond ever age? Does he ever get a vacation without it turning into a firefight? How many mysterious foreign chicks does he need to bang before he realizes he should retire and get married already? Seriously, no one will be as good as Sean Connery and Daniel Craig can't even pull off Bond to save his life. This dude is a serious joke, but thankfully you won't even care when you play this stupid, yet fun, game. This is one of those sleeper hits that has a retarded story and game play yet you still finish the whole thing because it's just stupid fun. Kind of like bathroom jokes; they don't do any harm, or good, yet they are still fun to say and laugh about over and over again. Quantum of Solace is like the bathroom joke of sleeper hit FPS's; you have your basic follow up and the punchline is what keeps you laughing. While you can completely forget about the retarded story about Bond and some terrorists dudes who are doing this and that I have no freaking clue and I didn't care. Daniel Craig has bit parts of his voice in the game and his model has one expression and never seems to change.
While this game is seriously flawed there are a lot of good things to keep you playing (RENT IT ONLY!) The game looks really good, while not superb, it can pass off as an above average next-gen game which is a plus. Secondly, the game has super awesome guns and they all feel really powerful. While they has more acronyms than a NASA space launch you have your pistols, silenced pistols, sub machine guns, sniper rifles etc etc yada yada. While they aren't anything new they look cool, feel powerful, and sound cool and they all go BOOM! You also have grenades which are kind of retarded since you only get to carry ONE GRENADE AT A TIME!!! The game actually has a semi-useful cover system that is both great and flawed at the same time. While you can sprint around and stuff you can hit A to dash into cover (think Gears of War) and you have your typical blind firing, and all that covering crap. The flawed part is that when you get hit by a grenade you suddenly stand up, also if you aim to far to your sides Bond tends to stick his head out and you can easily get killed this way.
Basically, the gun play is your typical standard FPS stuff with retarded AI to boot. You'll have swarms of guys coming after you and they just stand there and let you blow them apart. Speaking of blowing apart the game has an "environmental damage" system where you can shoot flashing objects to damage enemies (like we haven't seen that before!) This actually does help when you have seven guys under a wooden platform full of explosive barrels. Shooting those support beams is just oh-so-awesome. The game is full of adrenaline pumping sequences like your OMG!! button pressing cut scenes (which are actually fun) and this is where you really feel like Bond so that's always a plus on the cinematic side. Since this is a Bond game you can use stealth in a lot of the levels, but it's very shallow and not implemented well. It really feels like an old PlayStation or N64 game where you just hide behind a wall, dodge this camera's spotlight, disable that camera, and shoot that guard. The cameras don't even notice when you pop some lead into a guys head right in the camera's view. I don't know what the developers were trying to prove except for the fact that using old mechanics in 2008 doesn't work too well.
A lot of times you'll not know what to do and you'll blow your cover due to trial and error (again a 10 year old thing) and you have to restart all over again (if you want to stay stealthy). So, you can sneak around, but it feels really old and doesn't really work out too well. Of course you have to have some Bond moves to perform and this is done by pressing the L stick and pushing the on screen button and watching a 2-3 hit instant kill! While this is cool the animations get repetitive, when the camera pulls back into first person mode you get disoriented since sometimes the game will flip you around, and it's too easy to do. It's cool sneaking up behind a guy and pulling off a Bond move, but after about twenty times you'll get sick of it. Another thing I didn't like is there were no driving sequences. What's a Bond game with no DRIVING!!?!?! There is, however, a cool train sequence that is pretty cool with you decoupling cars, jumping from decoupled cars, and just all that cool Bond stuff. While that's the basic game play you can see there is a lot missing that should have been in here.
With the mechanics feeling about 10 years old this really drags the experience down and after awhile the game feels more like a chore that you're forced to play. Thankfully, the game isn't very long at all since you can beat it in about 6-7 hours. The multiplayer is OK, but nothing super special just your standard FPS online action and you won't be coming back for this often since the mechanics are somewhat flawed. I really loved this game though since there was a lot of explosions, shooting, sneaking, Bond moves, and cool locales. If you want an awesome weekend rental pick this up and you'll have a blast. | video-games_xbox |
Updated as of March-June of 2015: Halo 2 Anniversary & The Master Chief Collection (Halo: Definitive Edition. I guess you could call this the Definitive Edition of Halo all the way up to Halo 4.
I got the XBOX ONE-Titanfall Bundle last week and so I spent the time playing The Master Chief Collection.
343 Industries had really screwed the pooche this time.
I felt like I got my moneys worth at the same time I feel like I got cheated, I blame Microsoft Games Studios primarily for this.
This is at least better than using XBConnect to do all of your online gaming, especially since this includes Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack 2005 Collection [but fortunately that sweet Pete Stacker Hotel Zanzibar Video has now been included] and Blastacular Map Pack for Halo 2 and since this includes the for mentioned content now you don't have to buy and mod an Original XBOX in order to get this content and even then I considered downloading of these map packs off of unofficial sites-services to be illegal and why would you play Halo 2 Vista which has the 5 times activation malarkey.
This release has been said to be worse than Battlefield 4 in terms of multiplayer but at least this release is not to the degree of terrible that DOOM II Gameplay Mechanics Bug [Doors not opening properly] in DOOM 3 BFG Edition is and not to mention some of the problems that are in the latest Assassin's Creed game Unity.
Top 4 Annoying Bugs & Problems To Look for In a Video Game That Is Multiplayer or Otherwise
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Major Bugs or Issues If Your Game Is Strictely or has a Multiplay Componnent
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04 - Network Issues [The usual such as not being able to connect to a server or having lag issues and this collection had this but they just recently fixed it as of March-June of 2015]
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There Are Three Types of Bugs That Can Kill a Game for Me and These Are It
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03 - GUI Interface and This Includes Save Games Either Being Deleted or Save Games Not Saving [This collection had this but they just recently fixed it as of March of 2015 and the reason this is higher than the next two is because I deal with interface problems first as you should do in a review]
02 - Game Immersion Breaking Bugs [Textures unintentionally looking funny-model rendering issues or issues with sound effects-music not properly playing and this thankfully does not have much of this as AC Unity does because it is very very minor]
01 - Gameplay Mechanic Bugs [Look up Superman 64 and you will understand one of the other problems with this type of bug, this instantly makes me put a game down and never play it again and this collection thankfully very much does not have this at all as far as I know]
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Music, visuals, sound and plus better cutscenes [and yes the cutscenes are prerendered but what are you going to do about it, at least they remastered them] make this a better experience for both old school fans [maybe not so much for every old school fan because they are people who do not like certain changes but at least they kept model consistency by keeping the models for the Non Player Characters, Characters, Vehicles as well as keeping the textures as consistent with Halo 2 and Halo 3 ODST] who have played Halo and Halo 2 and new fans who are just starting to play the original games but I am not as much a fan of the multiplayer component of Halo 2 Anniversary as I am a fan of Halo 2 Classic Multiplayer.
Envy Skull Glitch does not work but that is to be expected.
They need to improve the flow of Halo 2 Classic Multiplayer and they could tweak some things with the other games as well.
Now on to the rest of The Master Chief Collection.
Halo Anniversary is a lot smoother than it was on the XBOX 360.
The reason why I am glad that Combat Evolved now has a proper multiplayer again is because it was the game that launched a thousand Halos into space and then activated them and you will find out the rest when you play this amazing package.
Halo 3 is a lot more detailed than it was on the XBOX 360.
Halo 4 looks like it belongs on the XBOX ONE.
Halo 4 out of all of the games was the easiest on Heroic but Halo 2 remained the hardest.
And one update as of June 10, 2015 is that they have added Ranks to Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, Team Hardcore, & Team Doubles. Jump into matchmaking to play. | video-games_xbox |
Not innovative in the slightest. Land of the dead is the latest zombie movie by George Romero. He has done a stack of movies with some place or time being 'of the dead.' Some are really quite good. This game was unfortunately a cheap knockoff. It has some good qualities, but I doubt it's worth the play time for most people.
The graphics were decent only for a game three years ago. In spite of that, the game would lag quite often. I find this unacceptable on an x-box game. The most frustrating part of this was that the game would lock up for half a second whenever a zombie spawned, so you always knew when one was around the corner. If you happen to be turning when that lockup occurs, you end up looking in a random direction. Given that the levels are so bland, it's easy to get turned around when this happens.
The pistols and rifles were few but enjoyable. The glock and .22 were good when you had enough time to get one or two at a distance. The revolver did well in close quarters when you might have to suddenly take one out and didn't have much time to run. The shotgun, automatic rifle, and sniper rifle were fun since they were so damaging, but they brought the difficulty of the game to almost nil when you had ammo for them.
The game had disappointing melee weapons, though. The thing about the zombie genre is the idea that /anyone/ could be a hero/main char in a zombie movie. All you need is a ball-peen hammer to stop one. In the game, though, the melee weapons just do some raw damage so that x number of hits kills one. And at that it's 4-8 hits. You could only take on more than one at a time in melee if you had a lot of room to run around. Location-specific damage would have been a great addition in this area. It's no use if you happen to get the drop on a zombie. A solid hit to the back of the head is no different than a front body blow. The developers made a mistake by adding 'kung-fu fists' (a semi-hidden weapon.) The fists allow you to kill any zombie in one or two melee hits and the fists again brought the difficulty to almost nil.
The damage structure was weird, too. if the zombie was unarmed, it took 4 shots to kill with a .22 (2 kung-fu), 8 shots if it had a weapon (1 kung fu). It's just a blatant game mechanic thrown in. Kind of annoying.
The level design turned out to be very basic as far as far as modern first person shooters go. Hallways and room layouts that don't even begin to resemble real buildings and only served to channel you from one goal to another. It's very reminiscent of older FPS games that couldn't afford to have large-scale levels.
The one thing they did get right was make the zombies move after you no matter what damage you did to them. If you shoot off a leg, they use their arms to crawl (quite effectively) at you, shoot off arms and they try to bite, and shoot off three limbs and they resemble a fish out of water and can still manage to make some progress towards you (Romero zombies stop at nothing.)
The gameplay was a good representation of the genre. The first level has you running to your attic to get your gun. You get cornered on the top floor so you have to knock the zombies down and run passed them to get back into the open where you can outmaneuver them. You grab your revolver from the shed after you run out of .22 ammo and finally have to resort to your shovel. Unfortunately, it doesn't get better than that for the rest of the game. Regardless of the level, the strategy is basically the same. If there's a single zombie, you take it out with melee. With two zombies, you take one out with a gun or just shoot its leg for slow it down and take out the second one with melee. Any extra zombies you need to take out with a gun or grenade since you don't stand a chance in melee. That's it. You hit them, run, hit them, run. If you can't run, you just use more ammo. If you're out of ammo and you can't run, then you die without question. I'm not trying to compare the game to Far Cry or any other strategic FPS, but the developers failed to make the gameplay vary from level to level.
Save a couple of levels with the sniper rifle, every level was like this: Kill the zombies in the room, check the drawers and closets for ammo, kill the zombies in the long, winding hallway, kill the zombies in the next room, find a locked door, go though another hallway to the next room, check the drawers for the key to the door, go through the locked door, finish the level. It didn't matter if you were in the sewers or an office building, the scenario didn't change.
Overall, It was fun in that it was a first person zombie game. Shooting off limbs and still have them come after you is a fun experience. The game just wasn't innovative in any respect and could have been developed better three years ago if someone had put some effort into it. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome Game, and you Have to Get the Hardened Edition. First off, I originally bought the standard version of CoD Ghosts for the Xbox 360. This game was criticized like crazy because some didn't think it was unique enough compared to older CoDs.
I personally don't purchase every new Call of Duty that comes out every year. There are actually three different developers that take turns in developing the Call of Duty series. The Modern Warfare series ended up being my favorite Call of Duty games, and they were all developed by Infinity Ward.
Infinity Ward then developed Call of Duty: Ghosts, and I absolutely love the game. I got it back when it came out, and not too long after purchasing it, I also purchased the Season Pass, which gave me dozens of more multiplayer maps, as well as additional Extinction levels. Extinction was excellent, and its really a shame that many players have went on to play the newer CoDs, and it's hard to find any more co op players to play extinction with online, because hooking up with three other players and taking on hordes of aliens was awesome!
The Campaign (or Story Mode) is better than most movies that Hollywood puts out now a days, and plus you get to live it!
The Multiplayer was top notch, offering some of the coolest levels I've seen in the series.
I liked the game so much, that after recently trading in my Xbox 360 for an Xbox One, I repurchased CoD Ghosts for the Xbox One, because if I couldn't continue to play it, then I wasn't going to purchase an Xbox One, and what's really awesome, is that the Hardened Edition is available on Amazon for 25 bucks! If you buy a used copy of the standard Xbox One version of Ghosts at a local store, you'll spend 15 to 20 bucks, but then still have to pay 50 or 60 to get the Season Pass. After upgrading to an Xbox One, I got my Xbox One copy of CoD Ghosts Hardened Edition which includes the Season Pass, and a special steel case, in this single purchase at an amazing value.
This will forever be one of my favorite CoDs of the series, and there's no better place or version to buy, but the Hardened Edition, right here on Amazon! | video-games_xbox |
Yes We Can (Go Beyond Lvl 20)!: A Much Needed Expansion for Fallout 3. In my review for the game itself, I stated how I felt the maximum level of 20 was absolutely ridiculous as you can easily achieve this level VERY early in the game. My other criticism pertained to the "good" ending where, unlike in other roaming RPGs such as Fable II, ends the game prematurely preventing you from going back to explore the rest of the wasteland.
Not anymore!
Broken Steel continues the story with a three primary quests and then allows the player to free roam afterwards. The level cap has also been raised from the low level of 20 to a not-so-low level of 30. This does present a problem for gamers that have beaten all the dungeons before installing Broken Steel as the expansion does not have enough quests to reach the level cap. However, that is where Point Lookout comes in, but more on that later.
Similar to previous expansion packs, such as Operation Anchorage and The Pitt, Broken Steel includes new and powerful weapons such as the Tesla cannon *evil grin*.
A lot of these features, most notably raising the level cap and the divergent "good ending," should have been in the original Fallout 3 game to begin with as it will cost the player however much money to purchase this expansion. However, Bethesda makes up for the cost with a few more entertaining side quests and another much needed expansion.
Enter Point Lookout.
Within the first hour of exploring Point Lookout, I scavenged more weapons, heal items, ammo, grenades, and various knick knacks (including a Swiffer(tm)) than I did in the first ten hours in the regular game. Weapons and ammo were extraordinarily plentiful (especially in the Calvert Mansion) as were the relatively tougher enemies, which very closely resembled the protagonists from Redneck Rampage.
Point Lookout is definitely a tribute to redneck survival in Fallout 3 as the game is bursting with hillbilly references including the introduction of a double-barrel shotgun, a level-action rifle, banjo music (sadly, there are no Deliverance references I could find), voodoo wackos, and a LOT of whiskey. The South will definitely rise again - whether to protest this game or embrace it I really do not know but it certainly takes a jab at them.
However, what really helps with Point Lookout as how the seemingly endless supply of enemies help fuel the player's experience to level 30 since many veteran Fallout 3 gamers explored most of the wasteland prior to the end of the game. The "tribal" warriors weren't exactly difficult to dispatch, the problem was there were soo darned many of them and they came at you in rushes.
The other great thing about Point Lookout is the introduction of a large new map to explore, namely the swamp wasteland. While not as large as the capitol wasteland, the swamp wasteland is big enough and will take a fair amount of time to explore and the rewards for doing so are very nice.
All in all, this expansion is a must have for any gamer with Fallout 3, although I do recommend you install it before you go on an exploration rampage since that'll make achieving level 30 that much harder. I only wish the primary features would've been added in the original Fallout 3, but, oh well. That's life.
Now, us gamers will anxiously await the next Fallout 3 expansion!! | video-games_xbox |
Same PC game, different XBOX feel. Over the last few years, the first-person shooter has evolved to becoming the best gaming genre on the XBOX and the XBOX only. PS2 and GameCube have been left behind in the dust in competition to XBOX's stellar graphics and controls. This especially goes for the first-person shooter, because the first-person shooter was, after all, inteaded to be used with a keyboard and a mouse. It's rather hard to control many actions with a controller with only five or six buttons on it, when the computer keyboard has 104 buttons on it! Then again, a game controller should be MUCH more easier to use, but that free feeling of movement with a mouse and not the jolted tedious movement of a game controller joystick, you feel as if you could go anywhere. In my opinion, playing games on the PC is much more fun than playing on the XBOX, because there is no limitation to what you could do, where it be cheat codes, online multiplayer (yes, I know Microsoft has XBOX LIVE, but must you pay a monthly fee for it?) and then MODs to download and put on the game. However, the feeling has come across that game consoles tend to have better graphics than the computer does and you don't neccessarily have to go out and buy a $300 graphics card to update the look and feel of the game: it's just there. For example, I bought "Delta Force: Black Hawk Down" on PC because the gameplay and free feeling of the mouse on the PC is fun to play with. However, I recently bought the exact same game for my XBOX because why? The graphics. It's the same game, but a different feel.
Anyways, on to the review. "Delta Force: Black Hawk Down", from Novalogic software, is a squad based (if you can call it that) first-person shooter, based on the true events that took place in Somalia in 1993, along with the 2001 blockbuster film of the same name. While many will be turned on the by title which connects to the movie's intense action, be warned, the game is more focused on the events that REALLY occured and not so much the Ridley Scott/Jerry Bruckheimer film. However, this doesn't mean that it is not action pumped and include intense combat-to-combat fighting with Somalis and Army Rangers. There are somewhat of 13 or so missions in the game that are set during America's involvment in the African country. These various tasks include rescuing a down U.N. convoy from attack, protecting Somali civilians from militia, taking out weapons caches, lending a helping hand to U.N. Pakistani troops and secret op missions taking out militia propaganda radio stations. After all of the hooplah, which after you play them once it seems more cheesy gameplay than realistic combat, you then get involved with the infamous events that took place on October 3rd, 1993, when two Black Hawk helicopters where shot down over the streets of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. While entertaining, many of the "missions" during the October 3rd event seem too "Halo"-ish than actual step-by-step historical accuracy: you are EVERYWHERE during the raid, from the beginning where you are airlifted by a little bird chopper to the roof, to the notorious humvee gaunlet. Then again, it's a video game; not a "History Channel" documentary. After all that, the final mission is the "Mogadishu Mile", where you joining a group of Rangers (in this case, only three of them) in running all the way back to safety at the Pakistani stadium while enduring heavy gunfire and no support from the convoy. Very challenging, none the less
Alright, onto the XBOX review:
The XBOX version of the game is a slightly modified, if not better version than was on PC. Because it was distributed by two more gaming companies, it's slightly better in the field of gameplay and environment. The lighting in the game has advanced and the colors are bright and fluid. The environment is much better looking than the PC version and the weapons in the game are better looking and more smooth looking than the bulky PC counterpart. The desert seems to flow with elegance with lush palm trees, although it looks more Middle Eastern than East African (in a strange coencidence, the game was originally released the same month America became involved in Iraq in 2003. Propaganda, maybe?). This version also includes maps similar to the original version, but with newly added landscape and buildings. It also includes a training mission, not included on the PC version. However, this transition to game console suffers some flaws, and one of the them is graphics. While the environment is breathtaking, the game lacks on good character design and elements. Most of my fellow soliders that were with me while I was playing looked more like mannequins, with no facial movement and doll's eyes. One level included a whole platoon of men doing excercises at a base camp. This was cool, but all the men had no eyes, lips, noses or mouths! The vehicles in the game are amazing looking, except for the Army's armored vehicle: normally, I wouldn't say "Army's armored vehicle", I would just say "Humvee", but they don't even look remotely close to Humvees! They look more like Ford pickup trucks with .50 caliber machine guns attached on top. This confused me, because in the PC version, they DID look like Hummers, but for some reason they don't in this version (quite possibly did the Ford corporation sue them for using the Humvee image without consent? Nah!) Both these transactions disappointed me, because they the graphics look bland, especially for a XBOX game. Another big flaw is the sound. Again, the weapons do not sound like their actual counterparts and they lack real "punch" to them. The AI in the game is relatively weak; your squad mates aren't the brightest bulbs in the attic and the somali militia shoots so randomly that you don't need to take cover when being shot at.
Overall, it's a fun game to play, if you want a good historical shooting game set in the middle east or modern combat. But if you want to play a highly intense combat set in the middle east, or modern day combat, play "Battlefield 2".
PROS
-Nice historical side note
-Beautiful scenery and environment
-Fluid weapons look
-Urban comabt is intense and rough
-Good unofficial movie tie-in
CONS
-Bulky, unattactive character models
-The game A.I.....can you say "Retarded"?
-Guns sound like Airsoft rather than actual firefight.
-Missions are more fantasy than reality | video-games_xbox |
Fun but frustrating. This is a good example of a solid game that just needed further refinement before being shipped.
Like the first two games, PGR3 wants you to feel the rush of racing fast cars in typically tight tracks while showing off your style. The racer is rewarded with kudos for not slamming into walls, for controlled drifting & sliding, and other manuevers. For the most part, they pull it off.
When finishing a tough race or pulling off a crazy move while going 150mph inches from a guard rail, you do get a wonderful sense of accomplishment. The game is beautiful with all cars looking like the real thing.
Some items worth noting:
First, the game boasts an extensive list of ownable, drivable vehicles in the game. The problem is it's hard to know what the best car is for a given situation. The stats given for each car have little meaning; you just need to get in the car and take it for a few laps before you can see what it's good for. If you're like me, you'll buy a ton of cars but end up using just 2 or 3 favorites for most of the game.
Second, there are 5 difficulty settings for *each* race. Yes, five. That is really good because if you have too much difficulty on one setting, it's no problem to drop down one or two levels and pass the challenge. However, this is also a problem. Why? Take the following situation as an example:
You have problems beating a race on 4th difficulty level so you bump it down to 2 or 3. The very next race you proceed to drive better than you ever have before, making record time and record kudos. If you performed so well that you would have won on Level 4 or 5, it doesn't matter. You only get the reward from Level 2 or 3. You have to go back and try to beat it again on Level 4 or 5.
Third, the load times are lenghty. Make sure you install it to the hard drive because it makes a noticeable difference.
But again, your mileage may differ. It is a fun racing game that's certainly worth picking up for $5 or so. Enjoy! | video-games_xbox |
Great headset, but a few issues. Let me start by stating that I really, really love this headset despite the flaws I have noticed over the months. It looks tacky, odd and bulky, but there's just something about it that makes you want to forget about the fruity mirror image.
Pros:
-It's wireless! The range it claims to work is correct except I have noticed that whenever I, or my friend (who I purchased one for at the same time) go into a kitchen, it stops working as it is meant to and blinks on and off until you leave. I know it is not just my kitchen either as he lives in seattle, and I live near Chicago.
-It glows! I know, weird pro right? I find it nice when walking around the house in the dark.
-The sound is INCREDIBLE! I may be saying this because I upgraded from a logitech headset that was like thirty dollars, but I find myself using this headset for everything and I walk around the house all day with it on.
-The mic quality is great. No problems although when you move the headset or walk it creates a rumpling sound on the other persons end and can get annoying.
-Easy mute button
-Works with all platforms.
Cons:
Alright the dreaded con section... just bear with me.
-Bulky.
-One size fits all. It's not adjustable in any way except it stretches, but it still may put pressure in your head/ears if you have an above normal sized skull.
-Okay, this one is a bit hard to explain, and I have yet to find out the exact reason. But it randomly makes a long beeping noise and shuts off, and turns back on. I believe I found it is because when the connection to the router USB is completely cut off it does this. But again i don't know.
-Volume locks after an extended period of not using the volume controls. This is probably the most frequent thing that will happen to you, you just learn to shut it off, and back on after not using it for a bit.
-This hasn't happened to me, but my friend. Twice now there was a period of time where the blue was very faded, and the headset would not work, even the power button was unpowered. He called tech support and they told him if this happens you just have to let the battery die out and start it up again when charged. As you can imagine this is very inconvenient.
All in all, I believe this headset is worth the price, and the cons it can come with. After all, its an affordable 3d audio wireless headset that works with all platforms. | video-games_xbox |
The beginning of virtual tourism. The real star of this game is the island of Oahu. The whole thing, with terrain and streets modeled down to the meter. Mountain passes, ocean drives, back streets, it's all there. You can even refer to online maps to find your way around the virtual version. There's plenty of eye candy for the sightseer. Lush forests, beaches, rock formations, plantations, private homes, and just enough traffic to make it feel populated. It's surprisingly fun to just pick a luxury car and go for a Sunday drive. And it's not even wasted time, because you get achievements for exploration.
Of course, nearly every mile of roadway is incorporated into one of the pre-planned races and missions, so you will see most of the sights just playing those through. One race in particular takes a 118 mile loop around the entire island. And racing and completing time trials earns money that can be used to buy more cars and homes to store them in.
The selection of vehicles is disappointing, no doubt due to licensing issues. There are plenty of supercars, and the American major manufacturers are all well-represented, but there are no Japanese brands besides Nissan, which only offers two versions of the 350Z. BMW and Porsche are also missing. Customization is limited to a choice of wheels, paint, and pre-set performance levels. As a result, the cars all feel somewhat interchangeable, with little reason to pick one high-downforce, 200MPH+ monster over another.
The cars that made it into the game are nicely modeled, however, and some of the older models do have some character. The option to set seat position for the inside view is a nice touch that makes it feel more realistic. The physics model seems decent, especially with the traction control turned off.
I doubt I'll end up buying every car in the game, but I may pick up the achievement for exploring the entire island. And if I really need to take a Porsche through Kolekole Pass, I might just have to book a trip to Hawaii and do it for real. | video-games_xbox |
gameplay better than ME1, story worse. My review is in 2 parts, one for content (story, etc.), which contains spoilers, the other for gameplay, which does not contain spoilers (barely anyway). At this point, I have completed the game twice (once on Insanity difficulty). I currently have another playthrough where I am 2/3rds done, and several others that I have just started. This review is entirely dependent on my experience with Mass Effect 1, and is a comparison, in order to point out the best features of both. In general, I will start with the negatives for each component (content and gameplay), as these are important elements I want fixed for ME3, then I'll gently segue into the good stuff, then probably vacillate from there. My one sentence summary: gameplay better than ME1, story worse.
1. Story (SPOILERS)
- Relatable villain - There is no relatable (humanoid) villain in ME2. ME1 had Saren, who was an awesome character with good writing and great voice acting. ME2 only has the collector general. who becomes briefly relatable in the last seconds of the ending. It has Harbinger, but he's (it's) just the Sovereign of this chapter. The Illusive Man doesn't count, as he is more of an ally, but an untrustworthy one. ME3 needs a humanoid, relatable bad guy, and Bioware really needs to deliver on this one.
- Lack of Reaper "evidence" - It's ME2, Sovereign crashed into the Citadel in his death throes at the end of ME1, and no one still believes Commander Shepard that the Reapers are real? REALLY!? That's ridiculous. The excuse with the Vigil VI scene is that Vigil on Ilos now has run out of batteries. REALLY?! Couldn't they recharge them? Didn't Shepard or Tali record Vigil's message with an Omni-tool? This is the most preposterous pill to swallow in ME2. I will not tolerate this garbage in ME3. I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND ANY TIME IN ME3 CONVINCING OTHER CHARACTERS THAT THE REAPERS ARE A REAL THREAT. That's stupid, ridiculous, not believable, and hence bad story telling. Everyone should recognize by ME3 the real Reaper threat, they may just think they can escape and don't have to fight it...
Council - also, I shouldn't have to be fighting the Council so much in ME3, that's getting old too.
Thane - lame character. Any time he started talking about himself I just kept saying, "don't care, don't care." He looks great, his voice acting is great (ALL voice acting in ME2 is great, even better than ME1), but the writing is just poor for his character. As an assassin, he is a lame, movie stereotype assassin. One character sends you a message that Thane moved "like a dancer." Worst cliche ever. On his loyalty mission (which was lame), he "disappears" just as a person walks past him. Wow, he's that fast. I've never seen that in a bad movie before. All his business about dying and wanting to re-connect with his son... yawn. I am making sure that this character dies on all my playthroughs, so I don't have to see him in ME3.
Samara - Again, great voice acting. Though I did hate her stupid outfit. I'm a hetero guy, but I still don't care about seeing her stupid cleavage. Her story is just not believable. Mainly for this reason: I simply do not buy that the asari, being as reasonable as they are, would have or allow Justicars (or anything like it) to exist in their culture. This is too big an anomoly in asari culture for me to believe it. I might believe it in the asari's distant past, but not something that still exists. So I didn't buy into her motivations or story at all. As such, I am killing Samara off in all my playthroughs as well. This is really the only additional detail on the asari given in ME2, and I hate it. I would like more asari culture details in ME3, but I'd like something believable that fits who they are.
Music - not as good or as haunting as ME1. I will not buy the ME2 soundtrack. I have the ME1 soundtrack and listen to it all the time. Later on in ME2, the music gets better. Missing the Virmire Ride soundtrack for exploration in a vehicle. I also miss the music from ME1 right after you kill Fist, on the way to save Tali (which is also replayed on Virmire). This was my favorite track and really missed it on the ME1 CD soundtrack, would have been nice to hear it again in ME2.
Loyalty - In general, many of the loyalty missions are all about fixing a side character's family problems. Yawn. Thane, Samara, Jacob, Miranda. All lame loyalty missions, although at least the action was fun for Jacob and Miranda's.
Squad-mate conflicts - Legion and Tali have one, Jack and Miranda have one, but why not Grunt and Mordin? That's just... really weird and neglectful. We finally get a salarian squad mate, and all the krogan seem to accept or ignore him without issue. Weird. Then again, the krogan don't seem to react to Garrus, a turian, either. What gives?
Ilium - in general, I found pretty much every mission on Ilium to be lame. Then again in retrospect, I also found Noveria on ME1 to be the weakest main mission. Maybe Bioware is having problems "selling" these kinds of environments, not sure. In ME1, the problem was mainly pacing (and too many elevator rides!), in ME2, I just didn't care about all the stories that take place here.
Liara- not sure what to think here. Liara pulls a complete 180, and I'm not sure what to say. It definitely seems completely unnatural for her, and unless I get an incredibly good explanation in ME3, I will look back at this part as unbelievable and stupid and something Liara would never do. I since followed up and read the graphic novel, which fills in the gaps. It's OK, but still not entirely convincing of Liara's change of character.
Squad mates - they are generally cooler in ME1. The promotional trailers for ME2 that featured the characters were lame and made the characters seem lame. However, Mordin is awesome! Give us more details on the salarians, please. As much as you can. I want to see more salarian info in ME3. Grunt - Again, I didn't like him in the promo trailers, but he turned out to be a pretty cool character in the game. The writing for him was good, and his dialogue can be pretty funny. Still not as cool as Wrex though. Bring back Wrex in ME3! Zaeed Masani (downloadable free with collector's edition) is an awesome character: writing appearance, story, acting. Great job. Zaeed, Grunt, Mordin, Legion and Tali really received the best overall story details and awesome moments in this game. I can't rave enough about Tali's recruitment and especially her loyalty mission. I'd better see the Quarians role in all of this in ME3. Best new characters have to be Zaeed, Legion, and Mordin, hands down. Jack is pretty good, too. But she would have been more convincing if she were more overtly powerful in gameplay.
Dr. Okeer - OK, this guy is my favorite new character in all of ME2. He is the ultimate krogan! His speech is phenomenal. To me, he is the real hero of ME2. If you don't know what I mean, listen to his speech again and consider all the themes in ME and everything that's happened thus far. To bad he had to die.
ME3 Squadmates - I better have the choice to use all the ME1 squad mates who survived in ME3. Also, ME3 should probably only have 1 or 2 new squadmates, at best. The menu of choices across ME1 and ME2 is more than enough. Do not bring back Ashley's penchant for poetry though, because that was a horribly portrayed and executed stereotype. I know no one that I want to talk to who recites poetry in that lame a fashion. No thanks.
Tuchanka - best overall new planet, with Omega a close second to coolest new planet/location. Hope we get more of the krogran story in ME3.
Migrant Fleet - this experience was pretty cool. I would also like to see more of the Migrant Fleet in ME3, but with a stronger focus on other aspects, as I think we have seen all we need to of their politics (though it was good).
Priceless moments/really disappointing ones - After you kill the Thresher Maw and talk to Wrex, "next you'll tell me he's a quint and craps dark matter." Hilarious dialogue! Garrus on discussing his romantic encounter with a fellow military turian, "I had reach, she had flexibility." That was pretty funny. Joker's scene with EDI on the ship while it's being invaded by Collectors - awesome. When Joker starts cursing, it's just priceless. Cmdr. Shepard after Tali's trial, "we can go back in there and still get you exiled if you want..." Pretty funny. Opening scene with the destruction of the Normandy, especially looking outside it's broken hull into space... Mind blowingly awesome. Dissappointment - Garrus' introduction is terrible. His dialogue is bad in this scene, and he never looks at me! He's looking at the ground or his boot the whole time he talks to me, that's terrible. In general, Garrus gets so few lines in ME2, and that sucks. Bring back more of the awesome Garrus I know in ME3.
Nagging doubts/concerns - Why does Shepard work for Cerberus again, seriously? After the stuff you saw them do in ME1, I just can't believe he'd do it. I would expect Shepard to find and take out the Illusive man instead. As for the plot, the build-up of this mission as a suicide mission seems kind of fake. I say this because the stakes in ME1 seemed MUCH higher. You're stopping the Reapers from wiping out all intelligent organic life. ME2, you're stopping the Collectors from kidnapping/killing more human colonies, and eventually you find out, humans on earth. This is definitely a smaller galactic scale. Not to mention that in ME1, there is a chance that Sovereign could let in the whole reaper fleet... The Collectors, although powerful, are just the middlemen. Final fight with a "human" Reaper -- that looked really lame. Why did they have to make it look so human? How is that good Dreadnought ship design? If reapers take the form of those they absorb, then are all Reapers rachni and keepers? Cause that's what they look like. How about a Thresher Maw Reaper? That idea might work. Anyway, the look of the Reapers should not be so literally tied to who they absorb. They should explain the "paste" that organic beings get turned into before being made into Reapers a bit more.
Story mechanics overall - despite some bad writing, story, and character choices, the mechanics for driving the story have been elevated considerably. ME2 is great in delivering a truly interactive action story. In ME3, they probably don't need any more story telling mechanics, just better story content.
2. Gameplay-
Cover/Fire/Heal - The general cover and fire system is better in ME2, pretty much ripped straight from Gears of War, which is not a bad thing. The element of staying in cover to regen health and shields is much better, rather than worrying about using Medigel all the time to heal (now you only use it to revive fallen comrades).
Ammo Reload - However this system is an issue. In gameplay terms, it's annoying that I have to find ammo clips, which are tough to see sometimes. In terms of ME logic, it makes no sense! Bioware should change it. Previously, your gun overheated and there was no need for ammo clips. Now, we are told that the reload must be done because the block of metal or whatever overheats and must be removed. I'm fine with that, but I am not cool with having to "insert" another heat clip. Why can't the heat be contained in a small block, so that I have to snap off a clip of overheated metal, but there's still plenty in the gun to keep firing? Bioware, take out the unnecessary and annoying find a clip and reload, please! Or go back to the ME1 overheat mechanic.
Bugs - This game actually seems buggier in combat than ME1, which is not cool. If I am near a badguy and either a barrel explodes or I use Warp, the explosion sometimes instantly transports me on top of a table or a bad guy, or just hovering in the air, and I can't get down! The only way to get down is use the Vanguard's charge, but that's only if there's at least one opponent left that you can target and you're a Vanguard! This kind of bug especially punishes players on Insanity difficulty because of the need to reload. Bioware, don't let this happen in ME3!
Bad Squad AI - while talking about squad mates, how come they are so stupid and get killed all the time? On Insanity difficulty, they seem especially stupid. Grunt and Jack are billed as uber super cool bad-a**@s, but they never seem it, as they killed pretty easily, especially Grunt. Conserving and using medi-gel becomes a huge part of an Insanity playthrough, and dumb squad-mate AI makes this very frustrating. How hard is it for the AI to keep them behind cover?
Targeting with powers - Powers now generally require aiming almost to the same degree as firing guns, this is AWFUL!. Why should my Singularity or Pull ever miss when my enemy is highlighted in the Pause/Use Powers wheel/screen? That's ridiculous. I sometimes wind up targeting the floor, total BS, that shouldn't be possible. Bioware needs to fix this.
Biotic powers appearance - I HATE the Black n Blue "Fireball" that flies out of your hand whenever you use a biotic power! Lame. This isn't Dragon Age or D and D. The dark fireball is fine for Singularity, but all other powers should look like they did in ME1! (Charge and Shockwave look cool, though).
Biotic power chaining - Power Recharge mechanic - Quick biotic power chaining with the same character is now a lot less possible, which is not cool! This removes some of the fun factor, it needs to be added back. Reduce recharge time on all biotic powers. I want my adept to chain multiple combinations of different powers more easily. I would like to point out that I do like how biotic powers magnify their damage if you use one power right after another. Pull, then Warp. The extra damage effect here is cool (and sometimes really bloody), and even makes a kind of sense.
Charge and Shockwave are two awesome new powers. However, from a content perspective, Charge has nothing to do with Dark Energy. You are passing through solid matter, which clearly means you have become or are surrounded by Dark Matter. Just a quibble, unless ME technology has always been based on DM and DE, and I missed it. Always thought it was supposed to be based on DE though.
3 main defenses - I don't like how the 3 defenses work as-is in ME2. For ME3, Bioware should focus on bringing back some of the ME1 logic. In ME1, everything is generated by a Mass Effect field, so anyone protected by one (of any kind, shield or "barrier" which was just an uber shield in ME1) should be affected by Warp. I am OK with Warp working BETTER against a biotic barrier, but it should still do SOMETHING against a technological shield. Likewise, Overload, since its supposed to be a combination of overload and sabotage from ME1, should work on anyone using technological weaponry! A biotic barrier should not prevent this! Again, I am fine with Overload working better against "shields" and robots, but it should always deal damage to someone using weapons (purely organic enemies with no weapons are the only ones who should be unaffected by Overload). And Incinerate should be mostly blocked by barriers/shields, but SOME damage should still be done. I am generally in favor of my approach rather than returning to ME1's mechanic/logic, as my suggestion still allows for ME2's strategy of power use, which I like. It just needs to make more ME science sense! Depsite the attempt at bifurcating Warp and Overload (and Barrier/shields), they still made Warp (and hence Warp Ammo) the uber power, as it destroys Barriers and armor really well. Since there is less focus on synthetic enemies in this chapter, there is less focus on shields, and so Overload isn't as useful (even though it works great on unshielded synthetic enemies). I intentionally used "bifurcate" even though, in the end, I am really talking about all 3 defenses and all 3 direct damage powers (and ammo types). Overload/shield is the only one that can't hurt organic, unshielded enemies. This makes Disruptor ammo, Overload, and Energy Drain useless in all the later main storyline missions, from Horizon onward. When you know you're fighting the Collectors, these powers are practically worthless.
Squad-matePowers - Your squadmates now only have two active powers (at most) and one passive class power. They can unlock a fourth power, which is oftentimes an ammo power. I realize Bioware was trying to simplify, but this is too much. This power selection sometimes forces you to bring certain squadmates that I don't want to bring. For slightly better versatility, they should give squadmates one more ACTIVE power (not a passive nor an ammo power, unless the character does not have an ammo power yet). There should also be a way to "re-spec" your squad-mates powers in case you made a mistake.
Leveling-up -- In a way, ME2 is better on this. It is better to receive XP at the end of a mission, so it doesn't break up the action, that change makes sense. What doesn't make sense is having it cost 10 xp to max out a power, but you need to spend 1, 2, 3, or 4 points in one shot! There are only 4 levels of power for each talent. Why do I have to have unspent points floating around in my Squad screen? This is just stupid! Why didn't Bioware just make each talent have 10 "levels" of power, but the only meaningful increases in power are at levels 1, 3, 6, and 10? The math would work out EXACTLY the same, but you wouldn't have to deal with unspent points.
Concussive Shot - Who took my BOOMSTICK away? Seriously, the shotgun was the most fun weapon in ME1, because when you used Carnage to fire the big blast, you FELT the giant kickback from the vibrating controller. Concussive Shot does not have this, making the Soldier even more lame to play. Bioware, you must add this back! Make the soldier fun! His only active powers are adrenaline rush and concussive shot. Give me my BOOMSTICK back. Feedback is necessary.
New Vehicle - OK the new downloadable vehicle handles much better for driving. However, the combat with it is just (if not more) iterative and boring! Why can't Bioware make vehicular combat more interesting? Firing the same missile and strafing all the time is really boring. Why not remove vehicle combat altogether, and make the vehicle a purely exploratory experience? Not sure why, but this new vehicle does not give me the fun "moon rover" experience that the Mako did. Probably because the levels have less of an area to explore than in ME1, and because the song "Virmire Ride" was not in ME2's soundtrack. That's Blasphemy! put that song back in. They also need at least 5-10 optional planet missions, where you explore a vast expanse! They could even add more of these planet missions as extra DLC.
Armor Customization - The good thing is the removal of the cumbersome inventory. Great job, Bioware. Unfortunately, more customization options are still needed. The appearance of your armor should not be affected by the stat boost you receive from the item! In short, appearance and mechanical effect should be separate mechanics. You should be able to make your armor look however you want, regardless of the effects the pieces of armor have. When you purchase armor upgrade modules, they should be like different batteries or SIM cards that put in your armor, they have a mechanical effect only. Browsing through your appearance for your armor and its effects should be done in the same menu, though. With this mechanic, I could have my armor look however I want, but still have it boost my health by 10% and my shieds by 10%, or whatever boosts I choose to equip at that time (there would still be a limit to the number of mechanical boosts you could get to your armor). Again, we need more choices in how Shepard's armor looks. Also, the "bonus" armors should NOT force you to wear the helmet everywhere! This defeats the purporse of wearing the special armors. I only had to wear my N7 helmet on the Collector ship and certain other missions, why should have to wear the Terminus helmet everywhere? That makes no sense.
Paragon/Renegade - mechanic - they now made your ability to change the story independent from your skill point selection. This is definitely the better choice, great job. The interrupt dialogue mechanic is great. Nothing to change here.
Graphics - phenomenal. The opening scene on the Normanday is crazy, and awesome. Later in the game, my roommate was watching me play and commented "wow, that alien looks real." He was talking about Mordin Solus.
Omega - looks and sound awesome!
Focused, "targeted" missions - I like how I don't need to search through a mission to find all the upgrades, they are mostly along the way. This means limited need to roam for long periods on foot. That's general good. In general, the mission design is great in ME2, the action is awesome.
Limited exploration - on the flip side, on foot exploration of the Citadel in ME1 was awesome, and I wish they would put in one location (maybe the rebuilt citadel?) in ME3 that you can explore on foot. But it should just be one central kind of location. Generally, in missions, they got it right in ME2, though.
Elevators - I am SO sick of elevators. Why are they still here? Bioware needs to get rid of them so I don't have to ride one and wait through a loading screen just to talk to one of my squadmates! Agghhh!
Thresher Maw fight/Grunt - this was a huge let down. They just made it a long, iterative battle. It feels like the iterations of hits you execute when fighting any fight on Insanity difficulty. Why can't they do something more dramatic? Why couldn't Grunt be as awesome as he was in the ME2 trailers? OK, that good would have made the thresher fight kind of lame, but he needs to be more awesome. Grunt should have a devasting charge attack (as an activated power -- all krogan should), maybe one that forces a slow motion sequence (you could abort the slow-mo cam with a button press?). Right now in ME2, Grunt's charge is kind of weak, and Grunt dies too easily. And for the Thresher Maw, you should be able to get closer. If you can't kill him in a minute, he either eats you, or runs away if you hurt him bad enough. You should really have to use terrain in cool ways (like climbing up on high objects) to get a good position on him. Then maybe Grunt would get close and grapple, shooting it point black or attaching grenades to his flesh.
Upgrade System - the method of searching planets to get resources you need to upgrade weapons, is generally lame. To date, I believe the recent patch on the 360 has sped up the process, it seems so. Good job Bioware if its true. It took WAY too long. Now it's vaguely reasonable. The game should stil require less time spent on this. Lastly, they need to remove the "Uncharted Worlds" theme music from this minigame. Mainly because Bioware completely ruined that great music soundtrack, because now when I listen to it in absentia, I always "hear" the intrusive probe-launching sound effects and EDI's voice in my head. They should keep that music for movement within the galaxy console only. They can use different music for the planet scans. Sometimes, I do get sucked into the planet scanning experience, like others have said. But that's only because of the great graphics and the basic lulling effect of the song. But it's not worth it to annoy the fans with a lame minigame, and to ruin Uncharted Worlds.
Final mission - The squad selection for certain parts was not obvious and kind of stupid. Why wouldn't Mordin be good at navigating the tunnels in the Collector base? He's billed as a salarian scientist genius who's great at surviving. He should have been a valid choice for this part.
Load times - are generally pretty long and bad. Switching disks - annoying, but it was so rare, I didn't really care. | video-games_xbox |
It Doesn't Really Feel Like A Game. I'm normally a big booster for Telltale Games but it seems to me that they've kind of dropped the ball on this one. Having played through the first episode so far I can say that it doesn't really feel much like an adventure game, or really much of a game at all.
Most of the gameplay is based around sequential button pressing. While being chased by a tyrannosaur, for example, you can only "beat" the scene by hitting up, down, left right or what have you in the order displayed on the screen and in time. I haven't seen anything that I would really call a puzzle so far, and by and large the game feels like a rail shooter. The mechanics break from what we've come to expect from the adventure genre - characters wandering around different scenes, talking to people, finding items to solve puzzles and the like - by having no inventory and no real ability to control where you are in the game. You're pretty much pressing buttons in sequence to move from one scene to the next which is not at all what I expected from a Telltale Games title. In fact, the most common game mechanic is simply mashing the instructed button repeatedly until a bar gets filled up.
If there is any game I could compare this to it's the old laserdisc arcade games like Space Ace or Dragon's Lair. Move joystick, hit button, get next scene. If you miss, you go to a death scene and have to start over. That's pretty much what the game play is like, except there are a few more buttons and more downtime.
You never get a sense of your environment. If you are presented with a scene, it will have highlighted areas that you are supposed to click. Everything is pointed out to you - areas you can investigate have a question mark, things you can move have a little controller icon over them. Dialogue options are usually pretty minimal and have had little if any impact on the game itself. As an example, there are multiple scenes where you get to create your own banter as it were. It's fun to do I guess, but it really doesn't do anything for the game. They would have been better off just making it into a straight cut scene.
Presentation wise I don't have any real complaints. The graphics aren't cutting edge for certain, but they're not terribly dated either. The soundtrack sounds like it was largely lifted from the movie which is exactly what I would expect, indeed hope for. The voice acting is decent, as are the character designs. The game was polished and complete, I didn't notice any major bugs or crashes in the the four or five hours I've spent playing it.
The story starts partway through the movie and follows a handful of stereotypes - the kind gentle father with the troubled teenager, the wisecracking mercenary, the tough woman with a suppressed maternal instinct. It's not going to win any awards, but if you like Jurassic Park (like I do) then the story is at least as enjoyable as either JPIII or the Lost World and certainly not any worse.
There's nothing wrong with how Jurassic Park: The Game is presented, the flaws lie within the uninspired, rail shooter game play. To me Telltale has a reputation for making interesting, challenging adventure games in the vein of Sam & Max Hit the Road, The Dig and so forth. They had puzzles, great freedom of action and rewarded creativity. With Jurassic Park I found the minimal gameplay elements intrusive, I would rather have just watched the whole game as cutscenes instead of spending time pressing the button I'm told to press. The gameplay actively interferes with the story! | video-games_xbox |
An RTS for kids. I have played all the lego games with my son, and this is my favorite!
This is a 'Real Time Strategy' game. A RTS is a game like StarCraft, Red Alert, WarCraft Frozen Throne, etc.
My son could put down the joystick at any time for any game but this.
I love playing this with my boy!
Update 7-20-2014
Must get kids games:
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Cloudy-with-a-Chance-of-Meatballs-Xbox-360/dp/B00242KDA4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - Xbox 360</a> (3-6 year old, 2 player, easy and fun)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Toy-Story-3-The-Video-Game-Playstation-3/dp/B0038MUCPK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Toy Story 3 The Video Game - Playstation 3</a> (3-9 year old+, 2 player, FPS for kids)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rio-Xbox-360/dp/B004NB1C54/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rio - Xbox 360</a> (3-9 year old+, 4 player, 30+ Party games for kids)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Lego-Batman/dp/B000ZKBJY6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Lego Batman</a> (3-7 year old+, 2 player, puzzler, 3rd person shooter)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Disney-Universe-Xbox-360/dp/B0051875OU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Disney Universe - Xbox 360</a> (4-10 year olds, 4 player, fast action w/mini games, pure arcade play)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rayman-Origins-Xbox-360/dp/B0050SYAQ2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rayman Origins - Xbox 360</a> (4-9 year old, 4 player, arcade side scroll er)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/LEGO-Batman-2-DC-Super-Heroes-Xbox-360/dp/B006ZPAYGE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Xbox 360</a> (4-9 year old+, 2 player, huge world, action-adventure, younger kids need older player)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/LEGO-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-Xbox-360/dp/B003O6E7O2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean - Xbox 360</a> (4-12 year olds, 2 player, nice variety of puzzle-gameplay, younger kids need older player)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/LEGO-Star-Wars-III-The-Clone-Wars-Xbox-360/dp/B0037UCTCW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">LEGO Star Wars III The Clone Wars - Xbox 360</a> (5-9 year old+, 2 player, RTS game for kids)
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Lego-Marvel-Super-Heroes/dp/B00B98HF1O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Lego: Marvel Super Heroes</a> (5-14 year olds, 2 player, younger players need to play with older player to navigate world, gameplay fan-tastic, low puzzles)
LEGO Lord of the Rings - Xbox 360 (6-14 year olds, 2 player, my son at 5 struggles but can play with heavy guidance from me, fun game, dad approved, low puzzles)
Minecraft - Xbox 360 (6-17 year olds, 2 player (can be large multiplayer) creative gameplay)
Rest of Lego games are all worth playing, if it wasn't for lego games XBOX would be a vast wasteland for kids under age 8. :) | video-games_xbox |
Analog emulation flawed, but digital works fine. I bought these to padhack for a set of arcade controls connected to a Windows PC. I needed an XInput device (360 controller), didn't want to shell out the $50 for a real controller, wanted something easier to hack with digital inputs instead of analog sticks/triggers, and liked that this could emulate analog sticks to make integration with existing games easier.
Unfortunately, there's a firmware bug with the analog stick emulation. It's easiest to see in a diagnostic panel like the Windows gamepad properties window. If you push a direction for around half a second and release, the axis reads 100% in that direction, then steps back to 50% and lingers for a quarter second or so, then returns to zero. While it's lingering, you're locked out of pressing that direction again. Fast taps and long presses don't exhibit this behavior; it's tied to a particular window of press duration. I tested three of these, brand new out of the box, and they all had the same bug.
I contacted Mad Catz, and they explained that the analog stick emulation is designed for navigating Xbox 360 menus, not actually playing games. There is no fix available. I think that's a poor position to take.
I ended up using them in regular DPAD mode. This is less convenient for me, but it works without a problem. I extracted the PCBs from two controllers, replaced the cables with micro USB ports, and soldered wires to the button pads to connect arcade joysticks and switches. I can't comment on the build quality of the pad since I'm not using any of the plastic or the ludicrously long cable.
If you're looking to build arcade controls that report as XInput devices, I haven't found a cheaper option (SEE UPDATE BELOW). I saved close to $80 over buying two PS360 arcade wiring adapters, which are the only such devices I've seen that show up like a real 360 controller using the XInput API in Windows.
UPDATE: I paid less than $30 for these in 2013. In May 2015, the price spiked to double or triple that. That's nuts. Given their quality, I don't think they're worth that price for any use, let alone hacking apart. The Akishop PS360 PCB goes for around $60 and is purpose-built for wiring up arcade controls. | video-games_xbox |
NOT THE PRODUCT LISTED. Beware, because this is NOT a Microsoft product, as is advertised but rather a VERY cheap third party item. I can't find a logo on the device, so I'm not sure who made it, but the item itself is black (not white). You may not find this altogether inappropriate, but I was personally unhappy that HDE (the seller) was falsely advertising their product.
The second issue I had was with installation: the item ships with no printed instructions, and those provided on the install mini-disc are riddled with typos and what I am assuming are poor translations. They also fall woefully short of covering the entire installation. After running the installer, the device would not respond. The device's troubleshooting offers no explanations for a this, let alone any sort of fix. I had to troll other user reviews to find a fix. Not cool. Not by a longshot.
The final issue, and BY FAR the reason why I rated this product so poorly, is that the device loses its connection frequently. The Amazon entry boasts, "up to a 30-foot range". This is baloney. I can't keep a consistent connection WHEN I PLACE THE DEVICE WITHIN 6 INCHES OF THE CONTROLLER. Seriously. While playing Left 4 Dead 2 I was injured numerous times because the device would lose and then have to reestablish it's connection. I'd dock them a few points, but still be rather content if I could at least relax on my couch ten feet away and use the device worry-free. But I have issues when the two things are almost touching.
Again, turning to the reviews I discovered that the device can have issues when used near other 2.4 Ghz wireless devices. Why this issue is not covered during installation, OR in the troubleshooting I can only guess (essentially, that they didn't want to own up to their inferior product). However, save for an iPhone in the room, and my 2.4 Ghz wireless router (which, according to reviewers should NOT interfere with the device) I don't have other wireless devices nearby.
I will continue to attempt to make the device work, and if I find any success I will update this review. However if I cannot find a way to fix this I will be returning the device promptly.
UPDATE: Call me a fool for not thinking of it at the time of writing, but I do have a 2.4 Ghz wireless mouse and keyboard. Silly me. Review still stands, because if your device can't coexist with other wireless devices IN THE WIRELESS age than your product is still inferior. Does anyone know if the ACTUAL Microsoft device has problems with other wireless devices interfering? | video-games_xbox |
This Xbox 360 is 5 years too late and still has too many faults. It seems like Microsoft tries to sell you a new Xbox 360 every 3 months. No matter. It is still Xbox 360. Except times have changed.
Games are getting bigger. 3D televisions are starting to appear in stores for sale. The competition, namely, the PS3 is providing better and better value.
Reasons why this Xbox 360 deserves only 1 star:
1)Xbox 360 still uses DVD drives. Games are getting bigger and Xbox 360's DVD drive space has proven a limiting factor in terms of how much content developers are willing to put onto the disk.
2)Xbox 360 still uses a much weaker processor than the PS3. Xbox 360 is simply an aging console no matter what versions Microsoft keeps coming up with. As such:
a. you will not be able to play games that look the best.
b. You can't play games that sound the best.
c. You can't play LARGE multi-player shooting games(64 to 256 players).
d. To do all of the above you need the PS3.
3)Xbox 360 still charges you to play online. Even if you only want to play online once in a while. Even if the PC, the PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, etc. all allow for free on-line game play. Microsoft is showing corporate greed in its purest form.
4)Xbox 360 totally lacks any (decent) games in the following genres:
a. Play-create-share. PS3 has LittleBigPlanet and ModNation Racers
b. Massively Muliplayer Games. PS3 will let you play Free Realms, The Agency, DC Universe, Final Fantasy14, etc. this year or next.
5)Xbox 360 doesn't allow you to watch Youtube. In fact, you can't surf the web with Xbox 360. You can do 'em all with the PS3.
6)Xbox 360 still can't play Blu-ray movies. The PS3 lets you watch thousands of Blu-ray movies.
7)Xbox 360 won't support stereoscopic 3D in any meaningful way. So, as an Xbox 360 owner you basically can't watch 3D movies or play 3D games. With the PS3 you can, real soon.
8)Xbox 360 lacks enough 1st and 2nd party support to compete with the PS3. Google and compare PS3 exclusives to Xbox 360 exclusives. You will see that PS3 exclusives are more varied and look/sound/play more technologically advanced. Also, the PS3 has the two most critically exclaimed HD exclusives, LittleBigPlanet and Uncharted 2.
9)Xbox 360 is a very closed console when it comes to developer flexibility. As such, PS3 owners, not Xbox 360's, can download mods, upload saves, etc. to a central, third-party server. Because of Xbox 360's closed nature and PS3's openness, Valve has recently decided to bring Steam to the PS3, which is a very big deal.
10)Xbox 360 lacks any meaningful support for hard-core, motion-controlled games. Microsoft's Kinect is designed for quick, casual games that make it hard for you to sit down and play longer than half-an hour at a time .
11) Higher cost of ownership. Owners of Xbox 360 are more likely to pay higher costs for on line game play, hard disk drives, and controller batteries.
12) Microsoft has a history of abandoning Xbox supporters. Examples:
a. Microsoft released Xbox 360 when the first Xbox was merely 4 years old. Original Xbox 1 owners were left in the cold, unable to receive any meaningful support in terms of new games.
b. Xbox 360 owners who wanted to watch disk-based HD movies were encouraged to buy the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-ons. However, once Blu-ray won, these Xbox 360 owners were left in the cold. Despite changing Xbox 360 hardware several times, Microsoft simply won't Blu-ray, which has the best versions of in home movies, better than HD downloads, satellite, or cable.
c. To attract Wii gamers, Microsoft has decided to adopt a motion-control technology that is anti-hard core. So, all the Xbox 360 owners looking to play hard-core, motion-controlled games are left in the cold.
So, in this day and age, so late in Xbox 360's lifespan, why buy a console that is aging, unable to compete with the competition in terms of graphics, sound, multi-player size, Blu-ray movies, 3D movies, 3D games, massively multi-player games, play-share-create games, hard-core motion-control, etc.
What I have written will not please everyone, but I challenge you to do your own research. When you do so with an open mind, you will see that the faults I have listed for Xbox 360 are legitimate. | video-games_xbox |
Epic's Masterpiece. Gears 1 and 2? Good, borderline great games, but had too many flaws holding them back from being in the 'Must Own' category of games.
Gears 3? If you own an xbox, you should own this game. My one and only complaint, and I have seen this elsewhere, is that it is too easy. Just a touch easy in single player, but I honestly don't think that Epic has too much single player in mind. Hell, the standard screen once you hit start is an online lobby, and with additional human partners, the game difficulty ramps nicely.
Hardcore campaign with one other person was about 11 hours total. Campaign was a blast. Lots of varied environments. Excellent color and saturation in the graphics. Had no issues with any sort of screen tearing, visual lag, or any flaws with the graphics. No noticable network lag at all when playing with others. 9/10. Near perfect.
Multiplayer. Only rank 20 so far, but its a blast. I don't feel cheated when I die which is a big improvement over the other Gears. No lag at all. Epic went to dedicated servers and it shows. I wish all games had this kind of online reliability. Maps are great. So far my favorite map is Trenches.
BIG MULTIPLAYER HINT: Stick together as a team. Im serious. No other game will punish you as hard as this for trying to lone wolf it. It simply doesnt work. Stick together, work to flank, and concentrate fire to be rewarded with downs, kills and wins.
The Lancer has been catching some flak in other reviews. Epic has really buffed it to the point where it is a perfectly good weapon. I personally prefer the Retro Lancer as it has better stopping power, but looses long range accuracy. I suck with the Hammerburst in MP (yet it was my favorite in SP) so no comments there.
Horde mode 2.0 is pretty damned fun. Glad to see they refined it and added new features here as well. Not to hard here until you get to round 17 or so. Boss waves are manic. Fighting off 2 Lambent Berserkers at a time with all enemies having 2x health? Fun, terrible, and one hell of a good time.
Overall multiplayer experience? 10/10. | video-games_xbox |
It May Be Expensive, But Its The Best LEGO Game So Far. One of the biggest names in toys is now joining the Skylanders business model, but I don't think anyone will be upset. I know, the LEGO Dimensions game is rather expensive -- the Starter Pack is $100, compared to $65 for Disney Infinity 3.0 (that price may be different too). You can also buy additional Lego toy packs that will add content to the game, and come in three varieties -- Fun Packs at $15, Level Packs at $30, and Team Packs at $25 (prices may vary). The good news is that this is a great game, which has been getting very positive reviews so far (GameTrailers gave a 8.4 out of 10). The story is told in a similar manner as the "toys brought to life" aspect from the highly-regarded Lego: The Movie, so if you loved the style and humor from the movie this will feel like a faithful extension. Kids will easily love the characters and humor, and the game plays just like the other Lego games you loved -- occasional puzzles, some fighting, and characters respawn as soon as they loose a life. Its easy, youcan bring a lot of characters and vehicles with them into the play session (up to 7), you still have split-screen play for 2-players, and the story actually has some great moments in it to. Its fun to just see what world you'll jump into next. You can play through ALL the main story missions with the three characters you're given, lasting around 12-14 hours. Each hub world will give you more to do. Now the toys.
There are in total 14 Adventure Worlds (or separate franchises, like Ghostbusters and Back to the Future) that can be unlocked to add even more gameplay, and each world can be unlocked with any LEGO Dimensions minifigure belonging to that brand. All vehicles/gadgets can actually be built into three variations! Like the starting Batmobile will have two more versions later in the game (but no instructions in-box, the game will show you how to built it when the time comes). Build and then rebuild to power-up every vehicle and gadget, which will also have new in-game abilities. Rebuild the DeLorean Time Machine into an Electric Time Machine and Ultra Time Machine.
Starter Pack is $100. With the Starter Pack, players can instantly access 3 worlds -- DC Comics (with Batman), The Lord of the Rings (with Gandalf), and The LEGO Movie (with Wyldstyle). And just like the levels in the LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack, any character can use any vehicle or gadget in any Adventure World. This gives the player a lot of content to get through right from the start. About 12 hours to get through the story, and a good 5 hours in each hub world -- so a solid 30-40 hours considering you need to go back to levels to unlock more stuff. I'll update if it takes more, but this is a decent estimate for now.
Fun Packs at $15, has 1 character and 1 vehicle/gadget.
Team Packs at $25, has 2 characters and 2 vehicles or gadgets.
Level Packs at $30, has 1 character, 1 vehicle, 1 gadget, and unlocks a new hub world.
Added DLC is planed for the next several years, and there are already 14 different franchises that will be available near or at launch. Sure, stuff like Lego Ninjago or Lego Chima aren't well-known, but then the main characters don't know who they are either, and the game has fun with that aspect. You still see all the new franchises introduced in the main story missions, but buying toys gives players new hub worlds to visit and new characters to play as. Some other toys may seem unneeded, but the kid in me couldn't wait to buy Lego versions of the Ghostbusters or Back to The Future and put them into the game. I can have Scooby Doo drive the Batmobile? Yes, please. I do wish everything was at least $5 less, but then I feel the same way about Skylanders and Disney Infinity stuff as well. It seems that some side missions are locked away for certain Team Packs, so its a shame, but not a huge loss. But the average hardcore gamer will at least want 3 of these Level Packs along with the main game, so that's just over $200 with tax (unless you can catch a break and get free shipping). Is that worth 60 hours of gameplay in the world of LEGO? At least you get to keep the toys, right? Sure, its hard spending $100 on a game that requires $30 purchases to unlock additional 5 hours of play each, especially when you can buy other games that give you 60-80 hours worth of play right out of the box. But this is how Skylanders and Disney Infinity have worked for years, but here you get Lego versions of licensed franchises like Doctor Who and Back to The Future. Some may like these additional worlds enough that they want to visit them in Lego form. Decide if its worth the cost for yourself.
The toys have several waves planed, with 6 Level Packs that have been announced. we start with Back to the Future, The Simpsons and Portal 2 at launch. Dr. Who comes on November 3, Ghostbusters comes on January 16, and Midway Arcade on March 16, 2016. | video-games_xbox |
A mixed bag - love it or hate it. I just recently realized that Amazon offered a 20% discount on brand new games. I live in Philly, and put my order in for the game around 0100 in the morning. When I got home from work that afternoon, the game was delivered. It absolutely blew my mind.. 1 day shipping?? More like 1/2 a day shipping. Thank you Amazon! I will be buying my games from here moving forward. No more Gamestop for me!
As far as the game, it is a lot of fun. If you are a fan of Diablo, Elder Scrolls, or any game where looting appeals to you, the Division will be a good pick. They did a MUCH better job of a looting system than Destiny. Although there are some flawed aspects of the game (reloading is a pain. I keep hitting reload thinking my guy is throwing a clip in but he's not), but overall it's a solid foundation for a game that will continue to grow if the developer puts time into it. The darkzone is where I currently play. Most of the people are friendly, waving as you pass bye. Most of us have the common goal of teaming up and eliminating the enemy to grow our loot... Then there are those immature kids who run around in groups of 4 and kill everyone in site and laugh over your dead body. My honest opinion is the game can get better and better and keep you hooked for years ONLY if the developers keep listening to the community and growing the game. If they settle for what the game is currently, it will only keep my interest for a few more months. Create more guns, more perks, more ways to make your character "YOURS," and we are good. Diablo 2 game me options. I could be who I wanted to be... and I played for years. This game does not give you any incentive to create a new character.. that needs to change. Is this a day one buy? Absolutely not. Wait a few more months and see if the developers are listening. If nothing changes, maybe rent it and see what you think. This is just my honest opinion! | video-games_xbox |
if you have any problems then i got something for you the manual just read it and youll understand it. Xbox 360 Adjustable Stealth Rapid Fire Controller User Guide
(QUICK ON /OFF)
TO TURN ON /OFF rapid fire hold LT , press the Back Button then release both buttons .4th player
Led will come on when the mod is turned on .
TO SWITCH MODES FORWARD (Mod must be on):
Hold down the Back Button, press the Right Trigger, the 4th player Led will blink the mode
number its changing into.
TO SWITCH MODES BACKWARDS (Mod must be on):
Hold down the Back Button, press the Left Trigger, the 4th player Led will blink the mode number
its changing into
Enable or disable Gears of War 3 sub-mode (Mod must be on): Hold down the Back Button, Press
RB, the 3 rd, player Led will come on when enabled.
How to program rapid fire speed (Mod must be on): Switch to mode you wish to program,
hold down the Right Trigger, Press the Back Button, then Release both buttons.
The 3rd and 4th player LED will blink the speed. 3 rd player LED blinks are 1s, 4th player LED
blinks are 0.1s. For example, if the left light blinks 7 times and the right blinks 4 times, it means
the speed is set at 7.4
To increase the speed by+1.0 press RT
To decrease the speed by -1.0 press LT
To increase the speed by+0.1press the back button. Once you reach 0.9press again to go back to 0
Once at your desired speed ,hold RT for 2seconds and press the back button. Release both buttons
to exit programming .The LED will stop blinking and stay solid once you have exited
programming mode .
Factory speed reset for all modes (Mod must be off ):
Hold down both the Left and Right Triggers, and Press the Back button ,the 4the player led will
blink twice , indicating the reset .
Your controller has 15 pre-programmed modes ,the first 9 are adjustable .This is the start of the
regular section , the GOW modes are in a subsection, The speeds are the best for the respective
games :
Mode 1
Sniper rifle quick scope +Auto hold breath ,For Any Call Of Duty Series
Press and release LT right away for quick scope shot ,hold ;LT for auto breath .
Press at 10.0, which is actually 1 second from when scoped in to auto shot ,This is the only mode
that measures the speed in tenths. If you change the speed to 15.0 , it equals 1.5 seconds from
scope in to auto shot .
Mode 2
Right Trigger (RT) Rapid Fire at 7.4 ,For (Call Of Duty Black Ops2: FAL OSW and semi auto
pistols, or burst weapons for continuous shooting )
Mode 3
Quick aim plus RT Rapid Fire at 7.4,For (Call Of Duty Black Ops2: FAL OSW and semi auto
pistols ,or burst weapons for comtinuous shooting )
When RT is pressed, LT will automatically be pressed also .
Mode 4
Drop shot plus RT Rapid Fire at 7.4,For (Call Of Duty Black Ops2: FAL OSW and semi auto
pistols ,or burst weapons for comtinuous shooting )
When RT is pressed by itself ,player will drop prone . If LT is pressed before RT,player will not
drop .Default button layout must be used , as the B button is used to drop.
Mode 5
Jitter plus RT rapid fire at 31.0,For (COD:MW2,COD :Black Ops 1,and COD :Black Ops 2 burst
weapons )
Jitter activates when only RT is pressed ,and LT is not . If LT is pressed, rapid fire will intiate
instead , shooting continuous bursts .***Because of the shorter pauses with Black Ops 2 burst
weapons ,it is better to use RT rapid fire modes 2 to 4***
Mode 6
Trigger copy with RT Rapid Fire at 7.4,For (Call Of Duty Black Ops 2:FAL OSW and semi auto
pistols, or burst weapons for continuous shooting )
When dual wielding or using akimbo , holding RT will rapid fire both pistols . When LT is held
,the controller will rapid fire RT only .
Mode 7
RT Rapid Fire at 7.5,For (Gears of War 2 and Gears Of War 3: Hammerburst)
Mode 8
RT 3Shot Burst for semi automatic weapons at 7.4
For (COD Black Ops 2:FAL OSW and pistols )
Mode 9
RT 5 Shot Burst for semi automatic weapons at 7.4,For (COD Black OPS 2: FAL OSW and
pistols )
Mode 10
Quick aim without rapid fire ,For (Any game in the COD series , or any game that uses LT to aim
and RT to shoot ) Same as mode 3, but for use with fully automatic weapons .
Mode 11
Drop shot without rapid fire ,For (Any game in the COD series )Same as mode4, but for use with
fully automatic weapons .
Mode 12
Auto Burst ,For (Any game in the COD series)
Shoot fully automatic weapons in 3 to 5 round bursts when RT is tapped, and fully automatic
when RT is held down,
Mode 13
Trigger copy without rapid fire ,For (COD MW2,Black Ops 1,MW3, and Black Ops 2)
Same as mode 6,but for use with fully automatic primary weapons , and dual pistol secondary .
Mode 14
LT Auto Aim without rapid fire Aim assist must be enabled in game options ,For (Black Ops 1
Zombies and Campaign +MW2/MW3 Campaign)
Mode 15
World at War patch killer mode
(Only mode that has code to defeat the WaW patch ),For (MIA1 Carbine , SVT-40, Gewehr 43,
and pistols )
Gears of War 3 Sub Section :
The mode at which you enter will depend on what normal section mode you were previously in .
For example , if you were using Mode 3 in the normal section , and you activate the Gears sub
section , you will enter into mode 3 of the sub section. Since there are 7 total modes in this
section, 1 through 7 will enter into the corresponding mode .If you were in mode 8 and up , it will
default into mode 1 of this sub section.
To turn rapid fire off once you have entered this sub section, you will first need to exit the sub
section by holding down the Back Button and pressing RB, then hold LT first and press the back
button.
Mode 1:Perfect Active Reload for Lancer and Scorcher when RB is pressed , no rapid fire .
Mode 2: Perfect Active Reload for Gnashed Shotgun when RB is pressed ,on rapid fire .
Mode 3:Perfect Active Reload for Retro Lancer when RB is pressed ,no rapid fire .
Mode 4:Perfect Active Reload for Sawed off Shotgun, auto reloads after firing , no rapid fire
.Mode 5:Perfect Active Reload for Hammer burst when RB is pressed ,with rapid fire ,This mode
is for versus on Xbox Live .
Mode 6:Perfect Active Reload for Snub and Bolton Pistols when RB is pressed, with rapid fire .
Mode 7:Perfect Active Reload for Hammer burst when RB is press ,with rapid fire .This mode is
for Campaign, Horde, Beast ,and Private Multiplayer .
Notes on Active Reload :
Perfect active reload is a game of timing .Network or graphics lag will throw the timing off from
time to time ,and the reload will fail ,There is noting that can be done about this ,as there is no way
for the controller to know when the game lags.
Also, the Gnashes Shotgun and Bolton Pistol both need a short pause after firing before you
should press RB. There is an animation for both that needs to finish before the guns start to reload.
If you press RB too soon after firing, it will throw the timing off. This is actually true with all
guns, but their animations after shooting end faster, so the effect is not as noticeable.
So to get the most out of the mod, make sure that RT is fully released, wait for a second or two
depending on the gun, then press RB. Dont hold down RB either, a firm and quick press will
suffice.
Notes on the mod:
When the controller is turned on, rapid fire will be off. The 4th quadrant LED will indicate this ,as
it is off .The controller will remember which mode it was last in before it was turned off .
Remember to turn rapid fire off before turning off your controller.
Notes on Programming:
Only modes 1 to 9 are adjustable .When entering programming mode , it may add 1 to the actual
speed , as RT is used to add 1 . Just keep that in mind and make sure to count the blinks 2 or 3
times before exiting programming mode to be sure of the speed.
The controller is capable of speeds from 1 to 100. In real world application though ,anything over
25-30 will register to the Xbox 360 as a continuous press of the button ,or very long holding of the
button ,then releasing ,then holding again ,which will cause weapon will need a very specific
correctly .
Speed Reference Guide:
The speeds provided below are the maximum you should set for the game .Anything over the
speed provided will yield undesirable results during game play . For the COD series If you do not
mind the random pause or stutter , you can increase the speed up to over 1.0from the below list .
COD: Black Ops2=7.4-Increased speed for FAL OSW and Semi Auto Pistols , continuous bursts
for 3/4 round burst
COD: Black Ops2=7.0-Increased speed SMR
COD: Black Ops2=6.5-Continuous shooting for the Ss12 Shotgun
COD: MW3=7.0-Increased speed for MK14
COD: MW3=9.5-Increased speed Striker and Semi Auto Pistols, continuous bursts for 3 round
burst
COD: Black Ops1=7.4-Increased speed for M14, FAL, SPAS-12, HS10 and Semi Auto Pistols
COD: Black Ops1=8.5-Increased speed SPAS-12HS10 and Semi Auto Pistols , continuous bursts
for 3round burst
MW2, COD: Black Ops1, and COD: Black Ops 2 Jitter Mode (Mode5) =31.0-Burst weapons to
full auto
Halo3/ODST=10.0-Increases accuracy for Spiker + Needler, reduces recoil for SMG + Turret,
increases speed for Ghost.
Gears of War 2 and 3=7.5-Increases speed for Hammer burst
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HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROBLEMS AND HAVING A HARD TIME ON WORKING IT!!!!! :D
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ENJOY AND DONT FORGET HAVE FUN WITH THE MOD!!!!!! | video-games_xbox |
Killed by DRM and SecuRom. Yep never played the game and I wanted to sooo bad, but I can't support a company like EA. As soon as DRM and SecuRom were added to this game it was like hammering the last nail into the coffin. I have every game up to C&C3 KW, I wouldn't have that or C&C3 if I had known about SecuRom. I love this franchise but can't keep giving money to a company that secretly puts spyware on my computer. I wanted to get this game, but the negatives outweigh the positives. I wish I could give this game a shining review, but the game is unplayable right out of the gate.
Many proponents of the game will say "You can't review what you haven't played. That's not how reviews work." That's exactly how reviews work. Why would I want to install a game that is going to cause my computer problems? I obviously have to give it a negative review if I can't even put it on my computer. The graphics, gameplay, sound, and overall fun are not the only topics reviews cover. If people are unwilling to actually install the game onto their computers because of certain aspects in the programming, that is a serious issue.
Maybe EA will eventually learn that they need to find another way to prevent piracy instead of screwing over the honest consumer. DRM and SecuRom is not the path to travel. I understand they don't want their product stolen, but they have to find a better method of prevention than screwing over the honest people. I won't buy EA games or any other company that uses this crap, until they get rid of the DRM and SecuRom programs. I have been a faithful C&C fan for years only to be let down by EA, which seems to be a normal occurrence these days. Once again I haven't even played this game and I won't until I know my computer isn't going to go all blue screen of death on me. Hurt EA where it really counts, the old pocketbook. I guess I can thank them for saving me dollars and time that I can now spend doing something productive. The truly sad thing is I bet this game is pretty cool. What a shame. Please EA come to some sense, get rid of the DRM and SecuRom. | video-games_xbox |
A 2017 Resident Evil Game Worth Your Invest. I had to write a review for this game because as skeptical as I was going in, I have been so impressed. Over the years, I have grown more nervous with everything that Capcom does but they took lessons from other action/horror games in the industry and capitalized. While still holding onto the inventory system of old, they mix it up with more than first-person gameplay but adds an ominous tone and sense of dread that stays consistent throughout. What has stood out most is being able to explore and back-track as the game progresses, which is rare in a game that blends frightening story-telling with an expanding "open world."
Though I have understood the criticism that it has received (pacing and using the open world environment effectively), if you are on the fence about purchasing this game, invest to show Capcom and other developers that thinking outside the box and outside series norms is important. As consumers, voting with our wallets is our strongest and most powerful ability. I urge you to take a shot at it if you enjoy this type of game.
***I'm one to recommend games that are similar to what I review and Layers of Fear would be perfect if you enjoy/enjoyed this game. It is a download only game on the PSN store and Xbox Store but is only $10-$20. It plays very similar to RE7 but strips away the combat for a psychological experience like no other. It has the same ambiance but leaves you perilous to what is around every corner.
I think Resident Evil 7 is a great way to start off 2017 and with multiple endings and the sense of a (smaller) open-world, it is well worth price tag. I personally hope this is the start of publishers looking back into their catalogs of games that they can reinvent. It is a risky strategy but I think Resident Evil has benefited from this change up. If you don't agree, I completely understand but sometimes we have to move things out of our comfort zone to really see what makes something great. In this case, I felt like I was back at the mansion in Resident Evil 1 trying to figure out where in the hell Wesker went.
There is a lot more to this game than a house in the woods. I hope you choose to give it a shot! Let me know what you thought below if you choose to play it! | video-games_xbox |
Awesome sound, comfortable, not a fan of the mic. Excellent quality... my initial reaction upon opening the box was that this headset is pretty impressive looking. They seem a bit bigger then what I'm normally use to, but that's because the headband is attached to the ear cups by the sides rather then the tops. The headband has a nice, thick piece of memory foam across the top, and is overall pretty thick across the entire band. Looks good, but it really does give the headset a bulky/large appearance. They're extremely comfortable and light when wearing them, so the bulkiness is limited to appearance.
Sound quality is excellent as well... very deep bass and sound is very crisp and clear. They're comfortable enough that wearing them for extended periods of time hasn't been a problem. My only complaint would be that the memory foam is a bit dense and doesn't seem to seal 100% perfectly around my ears. I have headsets that are a bit better as sealing, and several others that are way worse, so it's not a major issue by any means.
The main complaint I have is of the microphone... it's adjustable, sturdy, and works very well (from what I've been told), but when not in use, rather then folding away or retracting into the base, the mic unplugs and is removed entirely from the headset. This can often lead to misplacing it, or at the very least, a brief search when you find you need it. I only have one other headset that has a removable mic and I never liked the feature, so I doubt I'll get use to the feature on this pair.
Other thoughts: The USB charging cable is very short and an AC adapter is not included. Not quite a 'complaint', but a minor disappointment. Also, the 3.5mm cable to connect the headset to an audio source is hardwired into the unit... no way to replace the cable with a longer cable or replace it in the event that it's damaged.
Overall, works great, awesome sound, and very comfortable, however I'm just not a fan of the mic. | video-games_xbox |
GTA in Wild West. While I am not the biggest fan of GTA games, I surely do enjoy them. Being created by the same developers and getting some awesome reviews, I decided to give Red Dead Redemption a shot, contrary to the fact that I am not a big fan of wild west genre either. After playing 30+ hours of story mode and few hours online, here is what I thought.
*************PROS.*****************
TOUCHING STORY: The story, to me at least, was the strongest aspect of this game. I personally loved it. The game is about life and struggles of "a cowboy" called John Marston. Unfortunately, I can't describe more without spoiling, but as you will progress through the game you will learn some shocking facts about this main character and story will introduce you to some mind-blowing surprises that you will not see coming.
GREAT OPENWORLD WILD WEST GAMEPLAY: After the story, this is the second most appealing feature of the game. You are free to roam in relatively huge open world and do variety of activities, which include but are not limited to shooting bandits and thieves, gambling, playing various games, catching and taming horses, hunting and ranching. Words are simply not enough to describe these gameplay or the joy will get from it. Play it to experience it.
PLENTY OF MISSIONS AND SIDE MISSIONS: The story of this game is divided into missions. You will be traveling from one point on the world map to another to get these missions like GTA games and doing a huge variety of things (see above section). Completing each mission will unlock new missions. In addition to main missions, you will have plenty of side missions. To me both doing missions and side missions was very rewarding as completing them would unlock more of the fascinating story or humorous events.
GREAT IN GAME GRAPHICS, ANIMATION AND ART: This game looks wild west looks gorgeous. I am so amazed contrary to taking place in big open world, everything you see and experience feels so real. From creation of different land structures to plants, trees, animal and people, everything gives you the feeling that you are in actual wild west. Gorgeous simply gorgeous!
CINEMATIC CUTSCENES: Cutscenes are so nicely designed in this game that sometimes you forget you are playing a game and it simply feels like a movie. Part of that is due to the solid voice acting and part is due to detail in facial expressions of different characters. There are a lot of cutscenes, but most are short and well placed between the missions.
GREAT LENGTH AND REPLAYABILITY: As stated above, I am 30+ hr into the game. I have finished the main story, but there are still many side missions and miscellaneous activity to finish. These days when most games are 6-10 hr long, having games like this makes my day (or month to be precise).
ONLINE GAMEPLAY: Not a huge fan of online gameplay anymore, but to those who care, it is available in this game and from little I have played, it feels quite addicting. Please refer to other reviews, as I am not a big fan of this.
DOWNLOADABE CONTENTS: While it is not free, to those who care you can download few DLCs off online. To me, the most interesting one seems the undead nightmare.
*************CONS.*****************
WATER=INSTANT DEATH: Hate it, simply hate it. I can understand if you say the main character can't swim, but then create invisible walls where you have bodies of water. What will happen is you will go near a body of water because it will have a chest there and before you know it you move your analogue stick in slightly wrong direction, fall into the water and die. So stupid!
MINOR GLITCHES: Hate to point it out, but there are minor glitches in the game. There are places you will get stuck or fall. But don't worry, it is nowhere near as bad as Fallout 3.
*************CONCLUSION***********
I give this game 9/10. Some of you may ask why give it such a high score after describing such cons. But the fact is this game has faults because the developers have been daring and tried to create something unique and big. If it can please me (a non GTA and not Wild West genre fan) then I would say it is a must buy for those who love either GTA or Wild West genre. | video-games_xbox |
Great gaming idea but flawed execution. Divinity 2 is a free roaming "do anything you want" kind of rpg, the likes of Oblivion, for example. It's a fairly decently sized world to explore, tough enemies to fight, and tons of loot to gain. Let's not forget about the leveling up and unlocking cool new skills and spells.
With that said, let's take a look at some of the pro's and cons.
The Pro's
Adventuring in Divinity 2 is fun. There's danger or surprise around every corner. There's tons, and I mean tons of secrets to be found. In the starting village alone, there's secret tunnels, keys, chests, etc that if you aren't really looking for, you won't find. This really benefits the curious and adventurous player who won't want to miss anything.
Combat is great. The battles go smoothly, the spell animations work well, while not being overly dramatic. The melee combat aspect is done just as well also.
Character development is done a LOT better here than in games such as Oblivion. The skills/spells list is set up very nicely and there's no class system, so you can build a warrior type character, with let's say, a few priest spells such as healing for example, and you have yourself a paladin. This mix and match system let's you customize a unique character with skills and abilities you want.
CONS
The framerate is bad. I won't lie to you. I'd say it's about 20 FPS pretty much everywhere. The only upside is it doesn't get any worse during combat or anything.
There are some bugs. Sometimes loading a saved game will actually load a game you had saved the day before. While this doesn't happen every time, it does happen I'd say about 30% of the time.
The story while being unique, and deep, is short. The main plot and game only takes about 40 hours or so. With that said, there's still another 40-50 hours in adventuring and finding loot, so it does make up for it.
The difficulty level is messed up bad. The enemies are always going to be higher than you, and even the weakest looking skeleton can and WILL kill you in a matter of seconds if you aren't really prepared. Even on easy, you never know when some super beast freak will one hit you out of nowhere. So *always* watch yourself, no matter where you are. It's VERY unbalanced.
The graphic quality as a whole is sub-par and reminds me of PS2. With that said, I still personally like the graphics style and for me, graphics don't mean crap anyways. I only mention it because there's a lot of shallow gamers out there who are all about the best graphics.
CONCLUSION
In the end, Divinity 2 seems a little like an unfinished product. Like the devs ran out of time and had to ship it early. It has it's flaws, and it's bugs, more so than it should have, but if you can look past that, and handle a rough framerate, this free roaming rpg is a blast to play and the world is amazing to explore.
I'd recommend it to anybody who's played and enjoyed games like Oblivion, Sacred 2, the Fable series, or Dragon Age. Just keep in mind, you have to be a forgiving gamer because for some, the flaws WILL outweigh the good. Luckily for me, they didn't and my 60+ hours spent was full of enjoyment, adventuring, looting, and slaying. 30 dollars WELL spent. | video-games_xbox |
One of the greatest single player experiences ever. I was late to the Batman bandwagon. I heard all the hype before it was released but didn't put much thought into it. Video games based off of pre-existing superheros are almost always terrible, especially Batman games. But I started hearing really good things about the game and when Amazon had it on sale for the Christmas season I decided to buy it...boy am I glad I did.
As soon as the opening scene starts though you know you're playing something special. Something that wasn't made to co-incide with a movie release but instead was made by Batman fans FOR Batman fans.
Batman: Arkham Asylum starts off on the right foot by disassociating itself with any Batman movies or TV shows. Arkham Asylum is a location from the comic books, a great place to venture. You play Batman...not Christian Bale or Michael Keaton as Batman, just Batman. Another step in the right direction. The game doesn't get stuck on the Heath Ledger Joker mythos, it sticks with the traditionally styled characters.
Joker has been captured by Batman but when he is taken to Arkham Asylum he breaks free and takes over the institution. Your job is to stop the Joker and his minions and restore order. The story itself isn't anything particularly flashy, but how the story is revealed is brilliant. It might as well be a Batman movie as the action and gameplay are both top notch. From your Bat-gadgets, the combat, everything just feels right and implementing them is extremely easy to do yet difficult to master.
It was great to see some of my favorite villians from the Batman series and see how they are portrayed in the game. The graphics are some of the best I've seen on the Xbox 360, animations are great, and the game has some of the best voice talent I've ever heard in a video game. I guess that's to be expected considering the long line of well known talent they have, including a stand out performance by Mark Hamill as The Joker.
The only thing I really didn't like in the game was the boss of the game. I don't want to spoil anything but lets just say that they take someone way out of character.
Overall I could not be more pleased with this game. Well...I could be more pleased...if it were longer. Not that it's a short game, but when the game ended I wanted it to go on so badly! I'd have to rank the events leading up to the first encounter with Scarecrow as one of the greatest moments ever in gaming for me, it was just so cinematic.
If you're a fan of Batman, a fan of action adventure games or just someone who loves a good game you owe it to yourself to give Batman a try. | video-games_xbox |
Amazing driving experience. This wheel is a blast! I was already addicted to Forza 2 and was moving steadily up in my career with the regular game controller. With this racing wheel (and pedals), I'm moving up even faster than before and the experience is dizzying - literally. I have my setup about 3 feet from a 50" plasma and the feedback of the wheel is so realistic that I was getting odd dizzy effects when going in and out of tight corners because my body was expecting to feel real world forces from the seat against my back and sides - and they of course were missing. Make no mistake, this isn't a bad thing - its a testament to the realistic feedback of the wheel. You feel everything - understeer, oversteer, grass, jerks when flying from grass back onto the pavement.
Prior to this wheel, I always detested driving the big American cars like the Camero or Corvette because they were so difficult to control with the normal controller - they would constantly slide out and wag back and forth because there was no feel. Last night I nailed several races with both these cars because I was finally able to control the car through power slides and oversteers.
Setup was easy. Though the manual says a system upgrade was needed, I did not find this to be the case. The wheel paired up instantly and I started driving in Forza 2 immediately. The only thing I had to figure out was how to change the camera view (I like the in-car view) because they moved it from RT to X on this controller.
I found a chair with a sloped back on it, put a lumbar pillow in place and just rested the wheel on my legs. Surprisingly it stays in place well though you'll want to wear a pair of jeans. At first, the pedals kept sliding forward on my carpet causing me to crash a couple times. I finally placed them on one of my wife's yoga mats and its been fine since. The only beef I still have is that in intense situations the wheel moves around a bit. I may look for a small table to mount the wheel. Also note that the "in the lap" setup makes it impossible to drive with mostly straight arms like the pros. I end up sliding the wheel forward so that its just barely hanging on to the end of my knees so that I can straighten my arms more.
One last piece of advice: don't make the mistake I did and select the McClaren F1 (or similar super car) as your first drive and expect to see a big change. You'll still be all over the place on the road. Work your way up and learn the controller because the turning radius takes some time to learn. Once you do, you'll be amazed.
Pros:
- Realistic feel, improved times, better control over rear wheel muscle cars
- Trivial setup
- High quality materials
Cons:
- minor: Pedals slide without some kind of mat | video-games_xbox |
Only worth buying if you've exhausted Bioshock 1; no real innovations in part 2. I think Bioshock 1 is a classic, so I expected the same level of innovation here. Alas, no luck. Bio2 is just more of the same, and while that's very good, it's something of a letdown. It feels like the designers are just milking this game without adding much imagination or, in fact, much value. While playing I kept waiting for something new and interesting, but all I got were mild tweaks of what made the original so good (and more fun to play, frankly).
The plasmids are no better if even as good, the action is very similar (the drill is hardly a fabulous new weapon!), being Big Daddy is no great innovation, likewise fighting Sofia Lamb, the new environments are few and mostly unthrilling, and all in all I'm not really blown away in any way, shape or form. Even the sounds and retro songs, which I loved in Bio1, seemed less compelling this time around.
Bioshock 1 is five stars all the way; it set new standards and raised the bar.
Bioshock 2 is three stars; it merely follows the old standards and barely (if at all) clears the bar set by its predecessor.
I'd say don't waste your money on this one unless you're a huge Bio1 fan and have exhausted it in every way. This one looks about the same, plays about the same, and in fact is basically just more of the same. And that's not really what gamers are looking for, is it? Compare this rehash to Uncharted 2, which is in almost every way superior to its predecessor: better graphics, new screens, new ideas. Bio2 offers almost none of the above. So what's the point?
It's rather ironic that this game is made by Take 2, as that's what this is: a second take that in no way improves on the first. If you're going to make a sequel to a classic game, it too should be classic, and not the same game and graphics with a few minor changes.
Bioshock 2 is, in a nutshell, a cash grab. Some might even call it a ripoff. For half a c-note you deserve a whole new ballgame, not just one more inning.
I hope this review can save some folks some increasingly hard-to-find spare cash; I'd highly recommend you rent Bioshock 2 before you buy it. Uncharted 2 and Bioshock 1 offer real value; this one does not. Check it out and see what you think. | video-games_xbox |
Zombies Reign. I had the pleasure of seeing the Dead Rising 2 panel at San Diego Comic Con and I came away very impressed. Dead Rising 2 is the sequel to Capcom's 2006 Xbox 360 release, Dead Rising, a game which I alternately love and loathe. The first Dead Rising is a great looking game with some awesome mechanics with what might be the worst save system I've seen in 10 years. Capcom restricts the player to a single save slot. That's terrible, but something I could have lived with except the game also puts you on a 72 hour clock. It's somewhat accelerated--one real world minute is probably worth 5 game minutes. Your character, freelance photojournalist, Frank West, must be at certain places in the sprawling game world at certain times in order to get his scoops. If you don't make it, then the story ends. Restart. This is just as crappy as it sounds. As a consolation prize you get to keep the special moves and rewards earned up to that point. You can use your foreknowledge to avoid the pitfalls of your previous sessions, or as one reviewer at 1up.com described it, it's Bill Murray's Groundhog's Day with zombies. There are some other hiccups in the original Dead Rising. You gain levels by rescuing survivors, but these are the type of survivors who don't deserve to live because they are irredeemably stupid. They like to stop and fight zombie hordes and die right before they reach safety and these escort missions run the game clock down until, yup, you've missed another scoop. Restart.
My disdain for some of Dead Rising's design choices, made me very skeptical of Dead Rising 2, but Capcom has wisely addressed these issues in Dead Rising 2 and offered up Dead Rising 2: Case Zero as proof. DR2: Case Zero is an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive for 400 Microsoft points. At the current exchange rate that's about $5 and it's well worth it. Rather than releasing a demo that's merely a slice of the main game, Capcom has opted to release a prequel to the main game and it stands on its own as a great game play experience. Levels earned in Case Zero carry over to Dead Rising 2's main game, with a level cap of 5. Playing Case Zero will also give you a bit of insight into the new characters in DR2.
The original DR protagonist, Frank West, is nowhere to be seen in Case Zero, but Dead Rising producer, Keiji Inafune, hinted that Frank may make an appearance down the line. Set three years after the events of Dead Rising, Case Zero introduces us to Chuck Greene, and his daughter Katie. In the wake of the first major zombie outbreak post Dead Rising, Chuck and Katie are on their way to Fortune City, but Katie has been bitten by one of the walking dead. All isn't lost though because Dead Rising 2 introduces us to Zombrex, a zombie suppression drug. As long as Katie gets her shots, she will stay human. Two problems though. First, Zombrex is expensive. Second, Katie must have her dose every 12 hours, or it's game over for her. This is an excellent way to work in the time pressure mechanic, which I didn't care for in the first game. The father and child relationship is well written and evokes a little of Cormack McCarthy's The Road--well as much as one can expect a game about mutilating the undead with chainsaws duct taped to broom handles can evoke an award winning author's work. The point is that the DR2: Case Zero is surprisingly well written.
Case Zero improves upon the first game from the jump by offering multiple save slots. Second, the survivors in Case Zero are Rhodes Scholars compared to those found in the first game. They are smart enough not to run directly into the zombie hordes and get bitten to death. It's a small thing, but having attempted to play the original recently, it greatly reduces frustration. The moment to moment game play is excellent. There are hundreds of zombies onscreen, and Inafune has stated that the full game can push as many as 3500 zombies into the same game space! DR2 is gruesome. You can put the undead down with assault rifles, but less pedestrian death dealing comes from the ability to combine items. My favorite is the drill-bucket. Take some drills, a bucket, add duct tape. Proceed to put bucket atop zombie heads. It's great fun, and any fuddy duddies watching will likely be disgusted and lament the state of the world and decry the ever downward spiral of Western Civilization. That's okay though as that is itself a theme of the zombie genre and Dead Rising 2 in particular.
Since Case Zero is a prequel to Dead Rising 2, Chuck Greene obviously survives the events of Case Zero and eventually makes it to Vegas. There he signs up to participate on the reality TV. show, Terror is Reality and uses his winnings from decimating zombie hordes to pay for Katie's outrageously expensive Zombrex treatments. While Chuck is competing on Terror is Reality there is an outbreak in the arena. Chuck and his fellow contestants escape, but Chuck has been set up (presumably for causing the outbreak). He has 72 hours to clear his name. So we can look forward to a bit of Running Man mixed with Dawn of the Dead. DR: Case Zero kept me up until 2 a.m. It's a great game and succeeded in making me want to play the Dead Rising 2. I'm a little leery of the return of the 72 hour game clock, but the improved saved game system and survivor A.I. seems to address the main criticisms of the original game. Dead Rising 2 will be released late on September 28 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Again Case Zero is an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive.
Bonus Fun Fact about Dead Rising 2 from Keiji Inafune: Originally, Dead Rising 2 was going to take place in a Disneyland like theme park. This was very early in development, but thankfully the setting was changed to a Vegas like casino town. Shortly after that decision Zombie Land was released, and Inafune-san breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was for his game to be known as a Zombie Land rip off even though the game would have been in development for well over a year before Zombie Land's release.
FTC Advisory: I received a copy of this game from Xbox Live at San Diego Comic Con. In addition, I don't receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site. | video-games_xbox |
Almost perfect. This game is not perfect. You just can't expect that out of a game. After all, the creators are merely mimicing a real driving experience. But they've come pretty darn close.
I have to start off by saying that the most important factor in this game is it's use of the Xbox remote's progressive, pressure sensitive buttons. Unlike PS2, the triggers are easy to modulate much like a real accelerator and brake pedal. You just cannot achieve that that level of feel with the PS2's imprecise trigger buttons.
Also, Forza's physics make driving at the limits, really driving at the limits. You can sense when the car is losing traction or biting into the tarmac. While going through a long, swoopy bend, you can modulate the vehicle's traction with the steering as well as with the accelerator. And if you get a little too happy with the trigger, the tail will start to slip out.. but it's controllable. You can actually feel that slippage and you can manipulate your controls accordingly. It's not an arcade game where you stick like glue or if you lose the rear you just drift through the corner like a pro. I feel a sense of accomplishment with every successful turn.
Braking in this game is nothing like I've ever seen in a video game. You can't just mash on the brakes to scrub off speed. Much like in real driving, you need to be steady on the brakes and gradually apply pressure. Too much force and you'll lock it all up sending you into a wall or off into the gravel. Too quickly, too soon, on an off camber corner and you'll lose your rear and cause the car to go sideways. Although it is correctable ofcourse.
The acceleration needs just as much care and attention. Ever accelerate out of a corner real hard on a fwd? You start spinning your inside tire. Same thing happens here. Full throttle right off the brakes and you spin the tires. Much like the rest of the controls, you have to be smooth to be fast.
What I noticed first was since the physics are pretty realistic but there's no visible grittyness in the screen as you go faster, it's hard to tell how fast you're really going. Because in GT4 whenever you hit the brakes, you immediately scrub off speed. But in reality, at those speeds, it would infact take quite a bit of time to come to an entry speed and that's where Forza got it right. The sense of speed eventually came to me though.
But even after hours of play and the realistic physics, I still felt detached from the car. So now that I'm familiar with a lot of the tracks and could focus more on the car, I realized that when I'm going through a corner, the stability management system cuts in when I actually need the power to smoothly negotiate a corner. So I turned it off and immediately felt more in control of the vehicle. Then I turned off the traction control and it felt as if I was playing a completely different game. The controls just came to life. I had to modulated the brakes and accelerator more than ever before to keep the car from losing it and it was absolutely great! I never felt so in control of a video game before. Forza is truly the most realistic car simulator ever made.
And personally, what I love most about this game is being able to drive my dream car, the Enzo Ferrari. I misplaced my PS2 for months and was dying without my GT4. I never even thought about getting a racing game for the Xbox. I'm so glad that someone told be about Forza. It drives better than GT4. | video-games_xbox |
pretty average. this is the sequel to "shellshock nam 67".that video game was based on the horrors of the viet nam war.it is my 2nd favorite military based video game ever,2nd only to "turning point:fall of liberty".
this sequel ,however,is nothing like the original.if you were looking for a great 2nd part to #1,you came to the WRONG place.shellshock 2 has some marines in nam again.but,only about 0ne in 4 enemies are a commie.the other 75% are zombies.so basicly,this soldier goes around the jungle and villages spraying undead guts everywhere.it is EXTREMELY gruesome.as a matter of fact,the guts[thiers or your own] will splatter all over the screen and you will have to peek through them for a few seconds.its basicly gore for gores sake.
the story is you and your pals are looking around for the white knight.only no one will say what it is.some say its a person.some say street drugs,others think halucenogens or maybe super soldier serum.all i know is it makes people into zombies.not slow zombies that fall apart due to decay.im talking about zombies that get back up after you hit them with a grenade blast.or take 5 shots with a shotgun before slowing down.
for what it is,i ranked it with 3 stars.that to me is average.average because there are far worse games out there and at least i got to kick some butt.but also average as in its not that great as a military or adventure game.and its so so even as a monster game.
a all to common feature in this game is a fighting style that requires the player to hammer certain specific button patterns to out wrestle random opponents.i don't like it.whoever thought that up needs to be fired.its on other games too like "prince of persia"."star wars:the force unleashed" and "kung fu panda".
all in all,the game feels rushed and with no semblence of the first part at all.they might as well have been sepaerated at birth.hopefully this one kills the series.or whats next?i shudder to think. | video-games_xbox |
A good game, better then the first TDU, but still not good as a racing game. I bought this game after having the first version of Test Drive Unlimited. Many reviews I read said it was worse then the first game and you should just buy that, however I still went ahead and bought this knowing usually that is never the case. I was right, and sure it doesn't compare to Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo, but I bought it because of the realistic ability to access accessories like turn signals, windows, and convertible roofs, not to mention being able to drive really expensive cars really fast over entire islands which have been accurately mapped according to the real world. This is a fun game and although it takes awhile to acquire enough cash to buy a nice car (takes longer and is more difficult then the first game), its still better overall. The driving physics have in fact improved, although they are still not as realistic as they could be even while using a racing wheel. I wish you had a better ability to fully customize the controls because not only do the controls not work with gear paddles (you have to use Y and B), but the handbrake is also the 'reset to road' button which makes it useless. The force feedback works well with my steering wheel compared to the first game. I really enjoy being able to go off-road in the night when its raining and tell the difference and also that the game time is similar to that of GTA. The dialogue is horrible and gets very repetitive and boring especially when you get your hair cut("What would you like it to look like?", 30 seconds later, "What would you like it to look like?", 30 seconds later, "What would you like it to look like?", etc...). Overall it is still fun and realistic enough to pretend your driving 200+ down the interstate dodging cars and collecting cash while using your turn signals and putting up the roof when it starts to rain. I recommend it to people who wish they could drive as fast as possible in really expensive cars in a realistic place while doing the various things I mentioned above, other then that, to buy it for a racing game is not wise, just get Forza Motorsport 3 instead now or 4 when it comes out in December 2011. This is more the kind of game you play to be able to legally drink and drive and see how drunk you can get while properly steering :P... (DISCLAIMER: I do not endorse or recommend driving drunk whether it is real life or a game.) | video-games_xbox |
A step in the right direction for the bass but it still has flaws. Look: 9/10 - it looks just like a fender precision bass. and it is slightly longer than the strat giving off that bass like feel. it also wieghs a tiny bit more than usual. color is the direct inverse of the rb1 strat with the pick guard being black and the body being white. adjustable tuners is fun to play with.
Frets: 10/10 - vastly improved the frets, no clicking and feels good on the finger tips.
Solo Frets: 7/10 - the same solo frets, nothings really changed but hey... its a bass, no solos to look forward to anyway.
--Strum bar: 7/10 - is what stood out the most about the bass, its been divided into two. at first it was exciting but after a few songs my fingers really hurt (and i play a real bass guitar) the complaint about squishy strum bars has lead them to make these stiff ones. more often than not you will only play with one of the strum bars for an entire song because your fingers will hurt too much to play normally. overall severly disappointing.
--edit - after playing it for a week it doesnt hurt but you do have to invest the time to break it in
(side note a special bar is put above the strum bar for you to rest your thumb on while playing)
-- wammy bar; 3/10 - the worst feature of the bass is the replacement for the wammy bar, a small inaccessable knob. you have to physically move your hand up to it and turn the knob and by the time you attempt to use it you will either miss a note or just not bother with the wammy. (it would've made more sense to make it a button near the strum bar but oh well)
--the knobs 6/10 - the first knob is for bass guitar effects, it's labeled 1-5 not really all that useful and is even missing an effect if i remember correctly. the other knob is your start/back knob twist in one direction for start and another for back, if you remember which direction does what then this won't bother you but ive swithced it the wrong direction many many times.
- wired? 4/10 - i don't know if they release a wireless version but mine came with a wire.
**overall rating - 7 out of 10, sure it looks cool and you can brag that you have every instrument even a bass but the bottom line is that it hurts to play normally(for a week) and the wammy knob is terrible (worst part about it). | video-games_xbox |
Kill streak here we come. I have been reading about how much a decent pair of headsets can improve your game (especially with regards to FPS) for about a month now, and I'll admit I was a bit skeptical. I just did not see how greatly I would benefit from them, and how they would improve my game. Not to mention, that the better headsets that include surround sound are a bit pricey. I feel it is a waste to get headsets that do not have surround sound. Tehn you are just basically getting an amplifier. I am sure they sound good, but I want something that will help me improve my game play. Yesterday after payday, I found myself looking at these headsets again at my local electronics store, and figured what the heck, this will be my gift this year, and broke down and purchased a pair. After getting them set up, which was very easy. The one thing is that you will have wires galore running from your XBOX now. You can go for a wireless pair, but I have read about interference issues, and they run on batteries that need to be replaced. They are also almost double the money. I am OK with the wires for now. So I start playing COD 2 and I of course noticed right away how much better everything in the game sounded. You heard explosions going off all around you, gun shots, casings hitting the floor, deep lows, sharp highs. It was all very nice. And yes I head the occasional footsteps here and there if the other noise wasn't too loud. But still, I was not sure how much these were going to help improve my game play, like I had read in so many online articles and reviews. Now.. I should say, that I am not what you would call a GREAT player when it comes to FPS games. I am a bit late to the party having only really started playing them when COD MW3 dropped. I'd say as a player I am about average. I place in the top three in Free For All about 70 percent of the time, I win some matches here and there. Get your occasional 4-5 death kill streaks going on. But nothing amazing. Well, as I am getting used to these headsets, about three games in I win a match. And then I win the next one, and the one after that. And I am starting to get kill streaks that go 6, 7, and YES I got my first 8 player kill streak yesterday! These things REALLY work. And it isn't something you are really even cognizant of. Yes I have an OK BOSE stereo system running through my TV. But it is nothing like having 5 speakers surrounding your head. It was a real lesson in your sense of sound, and sensory processing, and how important it is. If you think about it, in real life, if you only heard things in 2:1 you would never know where any sounds were coming from, unless you were facing them directly in front. I never realized how important your sense of sound helps your in these FPS games, but I was happy for the lesson. So, in closing, if you do not have a pair of these headsets, and you love FPS games, and are not exactly at the level you want to be. The next time you get some expendable income, do yourself a favor and invest in a pair of surround sound headsets. You can watch your K/D ratio go up, and start getting the COOL kill streak rewards. You will not regret it. | video-games_xbox |
Harmonix has failed to deliver -- MadCatz is now doomed. Oh its MUCH, MUCH, MUCH worse than I expected. This is an EPIC FAIL game launch.
1. Only the USB microphone works from the old Xbox360 game setup no Drums, no Guitars, no Keyboard.
1a. While there is supposedly a $24.96 hardware adapter to enable the old controllers, it's not included and not currently available.
2. The (Down Load Content) music library offerings are gutted far, far fewer songs are available and no RB3 Network Songs at all.
3. The vast majority of your existing Xbox 360 song library does not port forward (About XB1 = 250 vs. XB360 = 800 Total )
4. None of the inbox songs from the RB1, RB2, RB3 are shown as shown as purchased, most are not even available at all.
5. You have to manually download the few 360 songs that are marked as purchased, one by one from the store user interface.
6. The Inbox music selections are about 2 stars out of 5, there are some good songs, but mostly pretty lame out of box tunes.
7. The non-campaign game play appears IDENTICAL, the only visible difference is the colored notes are more crystalline.
8. Automatic calibration using the new XB1 Guitar Controller does not work at all the microphone hears none of the beeps.
9. Its still buggy, halfway through playing the first song I tried, the game console EJECTED the RB4 disc and paused the game.
10. There is no "online" gameplay in RB4 at all, you can only play with your friends if they are in the room with you.
11. Apparently, you cannot use your nice fancy metal drumset, MIDI controller or Keyboard controller at all with Rock Band 4.
12. And worst of all, for us, you cannot even find Roundabout in the game or online store, there will be no closing song.
This is _not_ the game title that will make you want to purchase a XBone console. You will be very angry if you do.
They broke their key user promises(access to your costly purchased 360 music library, included 360 controller support w/o missing HW).
Harmonix has about two months to fix this; or this title and Madcatz are doomed. | video-games_xbox |
Phenominal game, will keep me coming back. Overall, ODST is one of the most fun games I have played on 360 to date. Yes, it does take the Halo genre in a completely different direction, yes, it is nothing like Halo 2 or 3 (actually somewhat similar to Halo: Combat Evolved) but who's to say this is a bad thing? The game is SUPPOSED to be different because you do not play as Master Chief. Don't let that drive you away though because the game is just as fun as the other Halo's if not better.
Playing as an ODST puts interesting twists on game-play. For example, no longer are your reflexes and strength augmented by a power suit. You are simply a tough-as-nails "Hell-Jumper." This means that (among other things) you 1) don't have shields though can take small amounts of damage before your health begins to drop 2) don't hit NEARLY as hard as Master Chief 3) cannot jump as high as Master Chief and 4) Brutes tower over you and are menacing. This all puts a very interesting spin on the game-play.
This game strives more to give a story then it does to give you in your face action 100% of the time. Much of the game occurs in the dark aftermath of New Mombasa. If you have played Halo 2 through the level Metropolis, then you will know that at the end of said level, the Prophet Regret opens a slip-space rupture inside New Mombasa causing a massive explosion. What we did not know at the time was that, as this slip-space rupture opened, ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) were careening out of the sky on a course for the carrier. The rupture caused a massive EMP which blew the troopers off course and scattered them throughout the city.
ODST takes place from the viewpoint of those drop-troopers. You play as the Rookie, a new recruit to the ODST group, and, through the use of flash backs triggered by clues found, discover what happened to the rest of your squad. The majority of the campaign takes place in the dark and desolate, post-invasion New Mombasa. Covenant forces occupy the city and danger lurks around every corner. Most flash-backs, however, take place during the day time during the initial aftermath of the slip-space rupture.
As most Halo fans have come to appreciate, Bungie has become is very adept at creating good atmosphere and ODST is no exception but rather the rule. This new atmosphere of the Rookie seeing how completely alone he is in the damage ridden city is clearly expressed and will most likely transfer over to the player. The city is desolate with the sole exception of the Covenant invaders and, once again, makes for great atmosphere.
Finally, we reach Firefight. Bungie's answer to Gears of War's Horde mode. This is so completely addicting that I was playing for two hours straight before I realized how long I even looked at the clock. The A.I. is smart, fast, and dangerous and the introduction of skulls makes it even more hectic and challenging. This mode is guaranteed to give you plenty of hours of fun.
Overall, I would highly recommend the game to anyone who has either played any of the Halo's or who is just looking to get into the series. 5 Stars Bungie. | video-games_xbox |
an above-average action-RPG for the XBox. Sudeki was a game that I've been waiting for over a year to buy, but after some delays and finetuning of the game it is finally out and I was finally able to play it. This game is more in the action-rpg style than the turn-based Final Fantasy type games that has been popular the last 7-8 years.
The XBox is not known for having a large library of roleplaying-games like the PS2, or the PS1 for that matter. But Sudeki is an above-average addition to this very limited library. Its not a classic and nigh-perfect rpg like 2003's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or as expansive and open-ended like Morrowind, but Sudeki still satisfies enough to make this game a good choice until Knights of the Old Republic 2 comes out.
First let's get the downside out of the way.
* The game is too short. It could've been even better if they used a plot and storyline that was abit more complex and detailed.
* Some of secondary NPCs are used as subplot threads which doesnt seem to pan out or is just dropped altogether.
Outside of those two negatives, Sudeki succeeds in delivering a satisfying game. The battle system is unique in that a player can switch from one of four characters in the group in mid-battle. This helps in making sure that characters being controlled by the AI can be switched over to player-control if they need to be micromanaged. One of the out-of-the-box changes they made to this rpg that other rpgs don't have is the fact that characters who uses long-range attacks switch to first-person perspective when player-controlled. This may be abit disconcerting for players who are not used to playing FPS-type games, but for fans of FPS shooters like HALO, Half-Life and Counter-Strike, this would be an easy transition.
Sudeki's graphics has to be one of the best out there not on PC that's using a high-end system. The framerate remains constant even during heavy battles where the screen is full of combatants and spell effects. Unlike most rpgs that uses two different graphic engines to show game footage and cutscenes, Sudeki uses the same engine. Sudeki looks like one long cutscene. One only knows a cutscene is on the screen because the in-game graphics engine gets a dream-like quality to it. The look of the game also has more than a tad of Japanese anime mixed in with Western-stylings.
The sound for Sudeki has 5.1 Dolby Digital capabilities. This is a good bonus for XBox owners who have their system hooked up to a 5.1 surround system. The one thing about the sound for Sudeki that impressed me wasn't for when the game got all action and hectic but during the slower and quaint scenes. This works very well on 5.1 DD.
For fans of rpgs and who own an XBox, this is a good game to get. For casual rpg gamers, you may want to rent this game instead due to its somewhat short gameplay. I still recommend it for both type of gamers. | video-games_xbox |
Good but big and installing takes a while. I have both PS4 and XBOX One I originally ordered the day one edition amazon did something and changed my order which really pissed me off.. anyways I ended up selling this on and buying an day one from walmart.... but the console itself is huge, I have the original xbox 360 and this thing is way bigger than it, i honestly did not think it would be this big (Its is the size of vcr but a little thicker) I had to rearrange some items on my TV stand to make it fit and it still doesn't fit properly because I still have my 360 plugged in along with my cable box and the ps4 so its a little crowded (MIght want to invest in a stand for it or a little coffee table which I just ordered)
Overall the console itself works great, the controller is also great, the headset really doesn't fit my head (I have big hair so it doesn't sit on my head right i literally part my hair and make a special place for it to sit on my head( its the only way it will fit and reach my ears properly) I would like a new headset but they haven't made any yet...
The only problem I've ran into so far is installing the games, I'll put the CD in and it installs but takes awhile sometimes it won't install at all which requires one to turn off the wifi and console (more steps than this) i had to do this almost three times even after I had installed it and played it for a few hours (it usually occurred when I had turned the wifi back on) Also day one installation took a few hours, I fell asleep at night and woke up the next day and it was still installing.... Installing games takes 15 -20 minutes only if it actually installs as I said before I had to cancel the installation and start it over quite a few times in order for it to work properly (the reason for the four stars)
.... So far I do like the features such as watching tv and playing the game at the same time along with the fitness apps etc.....
I haven't done the online thing (Xbox live) yet because I'm waiting for a specific game to come out before i start it.....
Honestly compared to PS4 they seem the same, I brought both for the exclusive games and the games that I want to play on each console.... If you're into the family entertainment/ shooter games/ fitness XBOX is the way to go definitely a better system for family time... if you just want to game no family entertaining then the PS4.... I advice everyone to look into the games first before you buy them. get the system according to your needs/ wants......
Will update with more, I haven't played it too much yet... | video-games_xbox |
Know your audience. This is a very simple game to review:
If you're the kind of person who LOVES Call of Duty and thinks other games are terrible by comparison, this game is not for you.
If you enjoy console FPS games (Yes, console. PC elitists always have something to complain about, especially when it comes to series that began on PC and then moved to console/cross-platform), and you're looking for something closer to a realistic/simulation military game, then this is it! It's not as hardcore as the original PC Flashpoint or the Arma games (the real sequels to the original Flashpoint), but for console players that's a good thing. We've got a controller and a couch, so a more accessible game is better, IMO.
This game is not nearly as buggy as OF: Dragon Rising was, and has MANY feature improvements. Red River is everything I wanted from OF:DR, but didn't get. You can fully customize your loadouts, heal a wounded leg (an annoyance from DR) so you can sprint again, and have a great time playing co-op with friends.
If you want to keep the pure, hardcore feel of previous FP games, you can. Just self-impose some rules on yourself and turn off all your HUD data (the real effect of the difficulty settings in the game). Don't like that the game allows you to heal a wounded leg? Don't do it! Stopping bleeding from a wound and healing the wound are treated in 2 separate steps. Simply stop the bleeding and move on with your wounded limb. Problem solved! Those of use who don't crave the unnecessary difficulty curve or annoyance of limping through a level because of a stray bullet no longer have to put up with it.
Bottom line, if you want a game that more closely simulates the actual experience of firing a weapon in combat, and using tactics and strategy to complete an objective, BUY THIS GAME!
If you would rather have guns with no recoil as you fight off 100+ enemies on your own, can take 50 bullets without dying, and only have to walk around a corner and wait for wounds to heal, this is not your game. That's not the game's fault (as other reviewers would imply), that's just not what this game is about. | video-games_xbox |
Good Universe, A Few Flaws. Talk about a long title! The full name of this game is Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords. As you might guess, it's a game based on an early Star Wars timeline.
We're about 4 thousand years before the events in the Star Wars movie series, when the sith (bad force users) and jedi (good force users) are battling it out for control. This game is 5 years after the first KOTOR game. You are of course one of these force users, choosing between good and evil. Much as in Fable, your choices affect the way you look - and the way your friends look as well.
You begin by customizing your character. You can be male or female, and choose from being force based, saber based, or a balanced type of character. As you move through the game, you get pieces to build a light saber, increase your skills, build out the plot, and make choices that have sometimes unintended consequences.
I enjoy the KOTOR series because, since it's so far in the past, you don't start with a preconceived notion of what "should" happen. You have the fun universe of Star Wars to enjoy, but without the extremely well defined plotline.
The graphics are quite good - you have translucent objects, sparks and smoke from damaged items, and good detail on robots. The sound plays themes that are fully traditional Star Wars, with matching sounds for doors, robots, and other items.
If you enjoyed the gameplay of KOTOR, you'll enjoy KOTOR II as it's pretty much exactly the same. In fact because of the plot progression I highly recommend playing KOTOR first, before buying and playing this one. That will fill you in on the characters and situations, many of which play a role in this sequel.
That being said, I don't think KOTOR II is nearly as rich as the original. KOTOR gave you a great sense of accomplishment as you moved through the missions, and a sense of completion when you reached the end. If anything, KOTOR II seems more of a 'transition' to rush you along to a spot from which you can buy KOTOR III. I had the exact same issue with Halo II, so maybe it is a common failing. Still, it is very frustrating.
Highly recommended as a member of the KOTOR world, but not necessarily a game to rush out and buy immediately. | video-games_xbox |
A true reviewer speaks. Being a fan of fantasy RPGs this hits the nail on the head and puts games like final fantasy (which in my opinion started failing after FFX) to shame because it's not turn based and the world feels alive. Note: I will try to avoid any spoilers but just in case I slip out of excitement #SPOILERALERT
Like in real life every choice you make has either a good or bad outcome making you have to truly think about what you want to do. Will you kill this beast or try to appease it? Things like that could drastically alter the world around you. The Witcher Wild Hunt allows you to truly customize how you want to run into a battle. Whether you want to run in sword swinging like a madman or dodge back and use your signs to take a more careful approach is up to you. And choices are also not limited to dialogue they come in many forms and each one you need to decide carefully or end up losing something or someone.
This game is also not that easy when you are suddenly surrounded by pack mentality monsters all flanking and attacking you (your experience may vary depending on skill level and difficulty). Now I will admit the story can at times be a bit 'padded' and you feel like you just wanna run off the beaten path to some extra things and there is a lot to do. My advice is to not limit yourself to just monster hunts, take out bandit camps, find smuggler cache in the oceans, discover new places off the main lands on the small islands. Don't restrict yourself to the main game alone.
If you compare the first witcher this one now I find the graphically changes outstanding. In the first game everything felt boxy or overly generic but in the Witcher Wild Hunt the developers have cranked that graphical scale up making perfect day and night cycles with amazing wind physics that blow the trees, grass, and people's hair like it would in the real world.
A hint of advice when playing, always make sure you have what you need before running into battles. Swords dull over time and you will need to speak with a smith, so that's why it's best to clear out bandits from a place so people return. That way you could open up new merchants, smiths and more. Also when you start the game and if you're a new person to the Witcher world DO THE TUTORIAL and read it well, take notes if you must. This way you are not panicking what to do when you begin playing.
The game has tons to do, and if you explore extensively you'll find many rare and very useful things to make better armor, swords and more. Trust me everything you find out there can and will be needed at one point. You money is very vital in this game so there's no real way to 'farm' for hours or days extensively because as I said you'll run out of things and when you run out you could be caught 'with your pants down'. So you have to make sure of your potions, bombs, and more to be sure you're not running into a battle onto to die again and again.
in some time I will be doing a more extensive review of this upon my for fun blog at:
http://gaminggburanter.blogspot.com/
Where friends and I come up with our personal reviews for games we've played. Have fun and GAME ON! | video-games_xbox |
My rating may change over time, but for now here's my first impressions. My rating may change over time, but for now here's my first impressions....
Ratings typically are made by first impressions and as with previous years, I'm finding my first impression with the Madden NFL videogame experience is being ruined by having to sit through forced demos and lessons on what has changed and how I now need to play Madden with the new features. This of course comes *after* struggling just to get the game to install completely as the first effort at installing got me to a "Ready to Start" that was then met with a "This game needs an update" before I could really start the game. That took me through a loop of uninstalling the game which hadn't completely installed back through several attempts to get the game to completely install only to be met with "There was an error installing..." that could either have me Retry or Cancel the installation process.
When I finally was able to complete the install (patience is definitely key as the process is slow and takes several minutes to get through (more like 15 - 20 minutes total) and actually start the game, I was, as noted, forced to sit through a intro story/movie that gives me a chance to hit a few buttons in key points to complete the play that was automatically called. There is no way to exit that 'demo' that I could find, so again patience is required to sit back and get ready to actually play the game or enter the code that you might have to get you some additional content. Once I did complete the opening story, I was then forced into yet more lessons of what has changed in the game or how to play the game, again with no way to exit to the main menu. Seriously, EA (or their programmers) are that insistent that I have to sit through classes in how to play the game before they'll let me go to the main menu? You can't offer say a "Learn to play the game" tutorial as a menu choice that would be available (but not forced upon the gamer) at the gamer's choice, rather you have to force the gamers into these tutorials as if they are totally incompetent at just putting the game in and starting to play?
As a co-worker and I discussed about this, what happened to the good old days when you could just put the game in and hit the start button? If the game is really that complex that it requires training and the training is really that different from one year to the next then something is fairly obviously wrong. Perhaps the developers/publisher need to go back to the drawing board to remove some of the complexity and put back the fun that has been drained away thanks to these experiences.
With that all said, I'm sure that fans of the game will love it and will likely trash my comments and call me a H8er. The game has its fans and it certainly is continuing to be tweaked graphically as it has become one of the more realistic portrayals of athletes in a virtual environment. It does look really nice, complete with a lot of serious eye candy. The question is just how frustrated will you be trying to get to the point that you can just play one game? Once you do get to that point you may find the time you had available to sit and play a quick game has already passed. | video-games_xbox |
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