text stringlengths 503 33.4k | labels stringclasses 23 values |
|---|---|
Not worth the extra price. It seems the more you read people talking about this game they either love it or hate it. I fall in the middle. I am just a casual gamer I play every now and then at night or on weekends, but I don't spend every waking moment with a controller in my hands. So take that into consideration as I make this review.
If you are trying to chose between the kollector's edition and the basic game save your money. The comic book that comes with the game is a quite small and almost just like a pamphlet and does not really add anything to the story. There is a small poster and a making of dvd. but you will probably be able to see all those videos on youtube before too long. And the game does not even come in a plastic case but just a cardboard sleeve.
Overall I think this a fun game. I have been playing Mortal Kombat games for a long time now and I find this one just as enjoyable. I think the mix of character is nice with some of your most popular MK characters with some of the most recognizable DC comics heroes and villains.
The gameplay has been tweaked a bit since the previous MK game, but it is nothing that you can't adjust to, and overall I think it offers more character control. The special moves or super moves as called in the game are a fun mix too with most of your favorite moves form you MK characters kept in with a mix of a few new ones to keep things interesting.
We do have a return of the preprogrammed fatalities, but they have been toned down. No more dismemberment, decapitation, or removal of vital organs. This may be a big deal for you, but I don't require a high level of gore to enjoy a video game.
As far as I can tell there are no hidden characters in the game, other then the unlockable boss characters. So don't expect to find Reptile or the Martian Manhunter. But like most Xbox 360 games the game will support downloadable content in the future. But when new fighters show up is up to the video game publisher.
So a hardcore mortal kombat fan or gamer may not enjoy this game too much as it comes up short on gore and hidden characters. But the game still presents and interesting storyline and a chance to play as some of your favorite DC comics characters. I have it I enjoy playing it and hope to have fun with friends playing as superheros and undead ninjas. | video-games_xbox |
Definitely Not as Bad as Everyone Says. If you read the other reviews you'll see on Amazon, you'd think this is one of the worst games ever made. As a few other reviewers have stated, I believe this is because many people are trying to compare this game to Oblivion. If you compare pretty much any RPG to Oblivion, you'll feel disappointed because Oblivion raised the bar for next-gen RPGs in so many ways. The bottom line is this game is middle-of-the-road. It's not going to wow you in any way, but if you are an RPG junkie looking for a game to sink your teeth into on Xbox 360, there is a lot to like in Two Worlds.
THE GOOD: The world is huge and very detailed. Once you get yourself a horse and go galloping down the road to the next town, it will feel a lot like Oblivion. The forest areas look very lush and vibrant. There is a lot of area to explore and you will feel like you are adventuring when you explore the world.
The game borrows a lot from Diablo in that there is a ton of loot to find. There are tons of different items in the game and just when you think you've purchased the uber-item you'll find something even better to save your money for. The game also features a unique "stacking" system where you can take multiple copies of the same item and combine them together to make an even more powerful item.
The game also has a decent sense of humor in certain cases. Just wait until you enter a lake to go swimming for the first time. Your character will say "Hmmmmm... wet!" Or if you run across a group of orcs, your character will exclaim "Looks like my inlaws!"
THE BAD: The character models look very generic, especially when compared with Oblivion. The character models just look weird, in general. Their mouths don't really move when they talk, their expressions are not lifelike, and they seem really strangely proportioned. Thankfully, you get a lot of cool armor in the game and when you equip it on your character it improves your characters appearance dramatically.
The voice acting is really bad, especially for your main character. It actually sounds like he is reading from a script (i.e. totally unnatural). He doesn't use voice inflection at all and it will not take long before you are sick of his monotonous, robotic voice. Not all the characters in the game are this bad, but none of them are very good.
The game also isn't very intuitive, in general. If you start the game expecting to pick it up on the fly via some in-game tutorial, think again. There is no in-game tutorial. The inventory system is especially mystifying. When you first start the game, you will spend a decent amount of time just trying to figure out how to pick up items from chests and place them in your inventory. Also, when you are stacking items, it is not just as simple as drag and drop. Who would guess that you need to press the "Y" button first and then press the "X" button to enable the stacking mode? The game doesn't really tell you on-screen. Also, when you are scrolling through shop-keeper lists of items, you use the left-stick, but if you want to move down to the next page of items, you have to use the right-stick. Why the need for two sticks? Wouldn't one stick be more intuitive? The developers didn't think so. You'll find lots of stupid little things like that that will annoy you.
Overall, this game isn't even close to the worst game ever, like many people are touting it to be. I've been playing it for about 10 hours now and I am really enjoying it. You will enjoy this game if:
1) You like RPGs
2) You temper your expectations before buying it (it is definitely not an Oblivion-killer)
3) You spend a little time going through the manual before you get into it (it will save you some frustration of trying to figure out things on your own)
The game is genuinely fun to play if you give it a chance. If you follow this approach I think you will find a lot to like in Two Worlds. | video-games_xbox |
A Competent Third-Party Controller. I've been wary of third-party controllers for the longest time. They generally fall short of the quality provided by the first-party standard, sometimes frustratingly so; mushy buttons or triggers, loose analogue sticks and easily broken bodies are to be expected when going with the (usually) cheaper alternative. From my time spent with Power A's Mini Pro Ex for the 360 -- about two-hundred or so hours, I can say that it has been a much more pleasant experience than what I'm familiar with.
A major selling-point to me was the decreased size of the controller; I found it to be a bit more comfortable to hold and play with for extended periods of time. My hands aren't tiny, mind you; nor are they fatigued by long hours of gaming, but the difference was noted. Ergonomics-wise, the Mini Pro is shaped nicely; it doesn't feel alien in the slightest and I didn't spend much time having to get used to the thing. Comparing it to Microsoft's default game pad, the EX is much slimmer and thus isn't as taxing to grip. In terms of length they're nearly identical, and the same goes for weight -- the device has a pleasantly solid feel to it.
Getting to the important bits: the analogue sticks are excellent. They're tight, responsive and produce a satisfying click when pushed in. The same can't be said for the digital pad, unfortunately; while precise enough for switching between items or various other simple functions like menu navigation, I can't recommend it for fighting games.
Moving onward: the face buttons work well but lack tactility; they sink in without either resounding audio cues or physical ones. They're not bad, but they're not particularly good either. The left and right bumpers are the exact opposite, having a nice give to them and responding with a little click. The triggers are a bit weird for me, however: the left is perfectly fine and sinks-in without issue; but, the right has a bit of the before mentioned mushiness to it. It in isn't a fluid motion, and the difference between its counterpart can be distracting. Despite this the trigger still functions, but at the cost of sometimes breaking immersion for me.
Lastly, there's a button on the back of the controller that makes the face-buttons and bumpers glow, for whatever that's worth. There's also a slot for the 360's headset, and the 10-foot cord has a break-away portion to it in case its tripped over.
If anything takes a turn for the worse, I'll be sure to update the review. As it stands, the Power A Mini Pro EX is a less chunky alternative to Microsoft's own wired controller and a less expensive one to the wireless variety. Is it better than those two? No, but Power A has closed the gap between first-party and third-party controllers, at least a little, and that's much more than what I had anticipated. | video-games_xbox |
Much Improved Over 06 and 07. EA Sports NHL 08 is far better than the past two seasons efforts. One of the first things you will notice is that it does present itself a lot like 06 and 07 in terms of graphics and audio. However, the players move much more realistic and true to how certain players act and play the game. Goalies are MUCH improved as is the overall gameplay. Playing on the difficuly level is actually challenging and fun. Those wanting a more hockey sim from EA Sports will be rather pleased with this game (I have played 10 minute periods on difficult and average scores like 4-1, 3-2; with under 40 shots on goal for and under 20 against. Amazing saves and body checks that are totally realistic--not a hitting frenzy as in the past).
There are a few problems which shouldn't really hurt the game overall. Rosters on the NHL teams are a little old (i.e. Ranger fans will still see Cullen and Ortmeyer on the team). However, major signings and deals over the summer are in this game. Missing a rookie or two from your lineup? That may not be a problem. NHL 08 packs a full AHL league and rosters as you can call up anyone (and I mean anyone) and place them on your active roster (if your rookie played at least one game in the AHL last season, then you will find him on the AHL team). The only other issue with this years hockey release is that the game tends to lag and bog down when there is too much action in front of the net at one time--it's a noticable, but a minor flaw.
The rest of the game will feel familiar as most of the new programming went to the next generation systems. Menu options have been simplified greatly and the music is more enjoyable to listen to.
Overall, you will notice that even though the look and sounds of this game haven't changed much, just wait until the opening face-off and you will see a new game with the EA Sports NHL 08. From the way players act, skate and control, and the vastly improved goalies (90% save percentage actually will happen in this years game) all make this game a much improved product over NHL 06 and 07. | video-games_xbox |
You Can INVERT Controls on this Game. Unlike a prior reviewer stated, you can invert the controls for this game. In your Xbox system settings you can set preferences to the games you play. (invert or non-invert, analog sensitivity etc) As long as you have your preference setting in system to Invert, the game auto detects this and inverts the controls for you. (in full game only, not the demo, unless that has changed, doubt it.)
Now my review.
This game is a follow up to the game X-Blades, though it is not a sequel in anyway. X-Blades had some really nice ideas, but the general implementation was pretty poor. This game seems to address those issue and what you have is not a perfect, but a pretty fun game overall. The biggest addition is the rewind time power, this is not to like, rewind dying or accidental jump off cliff like some games. It is to be used more for some strategy based fights and some puzzles. To give an example: You come across 6 enemies, 3 grunts who melee and 3 ranged fighters. You start fighting the Grunts and range starts attacking you. Get some hits in, rewind time, this will create 2 of your toons, as you rewound character starts attacking the grunts as you did prior, you can head around to the range and start beating on them. A bit complicated to explain, but every rewind keeps whatever your character did prior, plus your now current self. If you rewind 4 times, there will be 4 of you, the past ones doing what you did prior and your controlled toon doing what you are doing currently.....ouch my head hurts. I'm sorry I'm at a lost to really give a good description, but the system works really well in game. There is a demo on XBL I would recommend to try it. The demo will not let you invert the controls though like the full game does.(unless it's been changed, though I doubt it)
I had a lot of fun with this game, it is a keeper in my collection, I would recommend trying the demo, to see if it is to your liking. | video-games_xbox |
The best role playing game I played on the XBOX platform. I was long waiting for the publication of a role-playing game that had among the characters to create one that could heal the other players, a few years ago it had bought Dungeons and Dragons Daggerdale which wasn't bad but left much to be desired, I understand that I bought the arcade version, however, the dialogues were not spoken and very bad online gameplay of more than certain errors in the game. My intention is to write about Diablo 3, so the game is generally excellent, I can say Blizzard, did you it again! I am an ex-player of World of Warcraft some years ago I left the PC games and I bought an XBOX console, since it had always missed WoW, finally I have something good role that entertain me, is that there is no point of comparison with the version for PC since each platform must be their adaptation, but on this XBOX version should mention that they have adapted it very well. System of levels of characters, "blacksmiths" and "Jewelers" updates and different drops from enemies in the world depending on the difficulty which you play make Diablo 3 to provide much entertainment on time. The choice of followers (Archer, magician or paladin) is the ultimate that I have seen, through this you can play only with your summons and your follower without problems. History is the most captivating game, is a splendid history, you can go talking with many NPC's, you can distract you a bit of the main story and dedicate yourself to do some personal things, vanquished once road monsters not reappear unless you leave the game, is a very good thing because depending on what you seek can choose to continue killing or simply continue rapidly. Other important data that mention is that at a party either with your summons, followers or other real players whenever you collect balloons of life these heal all (prevents individual) either you must choose whom healthy because spells are for everyone. Anyway, I have so many good things to say regarding the game could continue writing for hours. I don't have any critical refusal to do, just wait to take out the expansion "Reaper of Souls" also for platforms such as XBOX and PS. | video-games_xbox |
Terrible, Clumsy, Childish, Sexist (And I love zombie games. I love zombie games and I am blown away at how bad this game this. Seriously. Before I begin, let me address the positive reviews that say "Do not believe the negative reviews": Nearly 1/3 of reviews of this game are extremely negative. We should not be ignored. The game is ridiculously bad on so many levels.
It starts with an amazing concept that has infinite possibilities, except, it somehow makes it childish, clunky, and boring. I was promised an interactive sandbox. What I got was a world in which I can look, but can not touch. While Dead Rising offered a third person world where everything was a weapon, Dead Island offers a first person world where nearly nothing is a weapon and anything that is a weapon breaks strangely easily.
The game opens by violently tearing the individual who tends to obey and respect the law from the game. None of the characters (that can be played as) are relate-able or even well developed, all of them are pretty much deserving of getting eaten by a zombie.
The game just comes across as lazy: every single time you need energy, you have to chug one of the *many* energy drinks that can be found. For those of us that don't care for energy drinks, it makes one wonder, why can't we have other food be used as energy? Why is it JUST energy drinks? Is this laziness by the developers or is this supposed to be some sort of humor, playing on the "energy" in "energy drink"?
The mechanics are simply clumsy. Aim for the zombies head and hit his leg...that is to say if you do not miss entirely. The missions given to you by the NPC are extremely tiring. Not because they are boring, but because I find no motivation in finding spark plugs for some guy who just opened his garage door and yelled "hey you! I have a job for you!" And this is from someone who enjoys these types of video games (Dead Rising and State of Decay are two of my favorite games).
Then there are the portions of the game that are just childish. In the first hour, it became glaringly obvious that every single female NPC was in a bikini and was extraordinarily proportioned. Every time that the main character is referenced, it is as "he," even if you play as a female. There is even a bungalo where a dead gore-ified naked woman, tied down to the bed posts, with cameras surrounding her. I understand that many games tend to show females with sexist stereotypes, but this game does so in a glaringly obvious fashion that reeks of immaturity. The fact that one of the females is rough and tough body guard does not balance out the before mentioned. Again, it really goes above and beyond just the examples I have given.
It took me only two hours to become extremely bored of this game. I returned it immediately to my local GameStop, taking a $28 loss. This game is so bad that I would rather take an immediate $28 loss than have it all around my house. This game had so much potential, yet, what I got was a clumsy looking glass that showed me an immature, undeveloped world that I could look at, but barely touch, even if I wanted to. | video-games_xbox |
Halo, Goodbye. After tons of hype, Halo 3 has hit the stores. However, I'm finding a really odd phenomena: everyone I talk to isn't that into it.
Don't get me wrong, these people are hardcore Halo fans (loved every second of Halo 1), and that's to their own right. Personally, I enjoyed Halo 1 for what it was, 2 was okay as well. Halo 3 itself wasn't anything special in my book.
Pros: Graphics, Multiplayer
Cons: Story, price, generic experience
The graphics (more so than the sound) are a delight in Halo 3; it really shows that this is, in fact, a next gen console. The environments and the overall feel of the maps make you feel pretty good throwing down your money on an Xbox 360.
Multiplayer (while other than some additions) is generally the same, ignoring the "tweaks". Bungie didn't really mess too much with multiplayer for good reasons, most of which is that it is fun as is. As for the tweaks, it only helped the Halo 2 weapons be less useless (lets face it, some were too overpowered or underpowered).
However, as the main complaint with Halo has been since the 2nd, the story blows. Without spoiling anything, the game kind of disregards trying to make the story new and exciting (or showing any effort on its behalf). The ending will be leave you saying "uhh, what? REALLY? That's... terrible". Another sign of no effort was the length of the single player campaign. Very short, very dull.
I mentioned before that it's a generic experience, and by that I mean if you've played Halo before, LOOK OUT.. cause it's the same thing again. Really, nothing has changed in this installment, for better or for worse. If you want a new experience, play Metriod Prime 3. At least that game mixes it up a little.
Lastly, the odd comment of price needs to be addressed. I say that the price of basically every new 360 game is 60+ dollars. Sure it's a little steep for some, but it's almost insulting considering how this game isn't anything new. It's like buying a Madden game. Sure, they have up to date stats and players, plus some useless features, but it's still the same game as last year. Nothing is different. So saying that Halo 3 is a brand new game (therefore costs a brand new price of 60 bucks) is outrageous. At least, the game should be 40 (after all, they did add some new things and graphics are nice) but, again, nothing new happens.
Overall, I'm very disappointed with Halo 3, and I really hope (though it doesn't look likely) that it will be the last in the series. They should just stop releasing Halo games at full price and just release new multiplayer maps from time to time. Why try to hide the fact that the game is so shallow in story? Work with it! Clearly, the mobs of Xbox Live halo players is a clear sign that Halo is an institution, even though the story is an obvious throwaway. If you are a fan of Halo in any capacity, I suggest you play this game (mostly if you are a multiplayer fan). But don't expect much. If you think you can, wait for a price drop. By that point, new content and a wider variety of players online should be out and the real fun can begin. | video-games_xbox |
Madden 25 Gameplay Review. This year's edition of Madden football is a modest addition in regards of the gameplay refinements yet again that we have been demanding for as a community. Now is this the complete product that we've all been hoping for at this point? No it's not, but it does once again take the steps toward the authenticity that we've been demanding for over the years. Just how well they execute remains to be seen, as well as what does this game show us in terms of what to expect when the next generation of consoles are released in a few months?
Infinity Engine 2:
In comparison to NCAA Football 14 and Madden NFL 13, the gameplay is definitely cleaned up in regards of what's been promoted. The physics play out in a cleaner, more dynamic fashion. For those that may not recall, the Infinity Engine in principle, is a physics driven engine that's layered on top of all the animations within the game. So, sometimes you'll get dynamic physics-based interactions, as well as scripted animated outcomes, or get a mix of both in some instances, which brings out more organic gameplay. Couple this with the Force Impact System, and now you have the potential to have some of the most violent trucks and Hit Stick tackles occur to date in an EA Sports football title. The intent of the FIS is make that differential of collisions/interactions between players based on speed, weight, and mass respectively on offense and defense in relation to player skill ratings. It's very rewarding to see that big TE or power back bowl over smaller DBs or out of position LBs with trucks and stiff arm punches alike. As well as on defense laying that blind side hit on the QB, or that WR cutting across the middle getting blew up going for a catch by an LB or DB with a good speed and force behind them.
With all these good elements, there are issues along with it. Due to the confines of the animation-based principle of the game, you have situations where scripted animations do overtake the dynamic physical presence of other players. At least the issue regarding the stiff-arm being overpowered is addressed here. Secondly, there's still a good amount of suction tackling taking place within the game as well. I've had instances where players would purposely get shifted into position as a tackle/stiff arm/Truck is supposed to take place in a particular part on the field. Which leads to unrealistically scripted gameplay outcomes on both sides of the ball, an issue that's been hindering EA football for years.
In the near future (hopefully), it would be nice to see EA have more dynamic physics based gameplay that rivals titles like the 2010 title BackBreaker. A game that's based on behavior based interactions with dynamic physics and no pre-determined animations in sight.
"Run Free", and the Option:
For the past few years there hasn't been a truly established run game in regards of precise player movement since Madden football on PS2. The EA themed "Locomotion" technology, hasn't been implemented in the cleanest and authentic fashion like some of their other titles such as FIFA 11-13. They definitely made a nice refinement with the addition of the hard cuts in regards to the directional changes made by the ball carrier. You can see and feel the difference between a power back and a speed back in regards to the ability and sharpness of cutback, juke moves, or just general changes of direction within the game. You still do see some sliding and gliding and players legs quick shifting to compensate for the respective footplant/cut move accordingly. With the "True-Step Locomotion" technology making its debut in Madden NFL 25 next-gen (and in the FIFA 14 demo (to preview): available Sept. 10), we should see the quality of the overall player movement increase dramatically. In spite of the shortcomings, the addition of the new and various juke/spin move combos (utilizing the right analog stick or combined with the precision modifier) nicely adds depth and personality to a vital element of the game that has been long overdue.
In addition to compliment the hard cuts element, you have the revamping of the run blocking AI, so this aids in the blockers making more realistic and logical decisions when blocking downfield and addressing the nearest threat to the ball carrier on running plays as well as QB scrambles out of the backfield on passing plays. The of tandem pass blocking is still an eyesore, but the logic is improved and you see the most realistic pockets and blocking scenarios form in this game that haven't been seen since the Xbox/PS2/GameCube days of EA Sports Football. Needless to say, there's a lot riding on what's shown on next-gen, especially in this area where 2k Sports currently upholds the standard with NFL 2k5 and APF 2k8 respectively.
To expand on the QB scrambling out the backfield, the emphasis on the Option made its way into Madden as well. With the in-game pitch and read keys to look out for prior to the snap. It's nice to see that you have to pay attention to what the defense does whether it's the pitch, handoff, or keeper. Any wrong read and be a cost in yards or possible turnover on a bad pitch.
Formation/Coverage Audibles:
Just something to touch on briefly. This is an element that I'm glad to see make its way into the game and once again makes that strive toward realism and authenticity. In regards of the Formation Audibles on offense, you can only switch your plays according to the package that you're in (ie: can't audible from Goal Line formation to Shotgun 5-Wide). Secondly, on the defensive side, you can make the defensive adjustments slightly faster when switching individual assignments from zone to man coverage. Even though that was a function of old brought back, it was needed, so I'm glad to see it there. Also, the "disguise cushion" option is a nice add as well. That's basically where your DBs may show press coverage, but instead of attempting to jam the WR, they'll play the receiver's route (whether within the zone or man coverage).
Defense:
With all the attention given to the offense this year, there still are some elements to highlight in regards of the defensive side of the ball. The "Heatseeker" control is a new element that aids the user controlled defender with taking the proper angle to tackle the ball carrier. In addition to that, the addressing of proper pursuit angles have finally made their way to being addressed in this year's title. Now you'll see defenders make the proper angles and breakdown accordingly when going for tackles or to cut across the field to swat or pick. Also, the revamping of the dive tackles that add that secondary attempt to stop the ballcarrier if they elusively slip past the defender or in a rundown effort to make that shoestring-esque leg sweep from behind tackle.
It is nice to say that FINALLY the war in the trenches is BACK!! The addition of the respective animations for both the O/D-Line interactions showcase that chaotic, yet violent battle that we've been looking for since best being done (at least in my opinion) in All Pro Football 2k8. Now, you clearly get to see the separation between elite/mid-level/average/poor rushers as they fight to get in the backfield. Once again adding more depth and personality to the overall package.
The secondary play is better than its collegiate counterpart, but still lacks the dynamic, fundamentally sound gameplay that many (myself included) desire. While it's slightly improved, this area needs to be overhauled altogether as you have defenders that legitimately don't react to the ball being thrown right over their head as they look at it. Now, the Read & React isn't bad, but it's most definitely the weakest link by far in respect to all that was done in this game. The DB/WR interactions need to be revamped, as well as the AI across the board. We also need to see the 430 catch animations trigger as there's too many occurrences of mirrored catch animations happening in the game. Hopefully, the next generation of NCAA Football gaming coupled with the IGNITE engine, will showcase a drastic change in the way players react in game with the dubbed "human intelligence" element to the way the secondary reacts accordingly to what the offense gives them.
Overall, Madden NFL 25 gives a decent preview of what to expect on next gen in certain areas. With the next-gen consoles launching on November 15 (for PS4 at least). There will be a lot to look forward to in terms of gameplay expansion. In the mean time, This is a decently progressing football title on this current generation of console gaming. | video-games_xbox |
2 steps back, and none forward. Im going to begin this by saying, when I 1st heard EA had acquired Bioware, I cringed. Every EA game Ive played in recent memory has been a glitch filled mess. And sadly, this is the case with ME2. I played 100's of hours of ME1, and only had ONE glitch that required me to reload a prior save. ME2, Ive had to do it in EVERY SINGLE PLAYTHROUGH. The glitches I experienced, party members floating in the air, Shepherd floating to the ceiling unable to move or shoot. Characters falling through the floor, and being shot THROUGH cover. Maybe Bioware will patch this soon, but knowing EA they will probably say, NAH, its not broken, leave it as is.
ME2 is a very different beast from ME1. ME1 was an RPG 1st, and a shooter 2nd. ME2 is a 3rd person shooter, with some RPG elements thrown in. In ME1, you had the same 4 weapons, pistol, rifle, shotgun, and sniper rifle. You have more weapon variety in ME2, but the ammo system is broken now. You need 'cooling clips' to shoot, and if you run out, your weapon is useless. ME1, you could upgrade to heat sinks, which slowed down the overheat on your weapon. I, personally had 2 heat sinks in each weapon, which allowed me to fire indefinely. Helpful for spraying an area with lost of enemies. Now you have to pick your shots, as you only have so much ammo, I ran out of ammo on my fave weapon many times, yuck. Also, the difficulty has been ramped WAY up. You now have to shoot through enemy barriers, armor, and health to kill them. Some enemies now regenerate health, frustrating to get an enemy down to 1% HP, change clips, and they are back to 50% HP. UGH. Your mini map onscreen is gone, you can view only if you switch weapons, and/or use powers. Enemies can now flank you, and you have no idea where they are without constantly hitting RB/LB pausing the game. In ME1, you could bunker down behind cover, and plan strategies. Enemies flank you, charge you, and FORCE you to move out of cover. You cant use megigel to heal yourself anymore. You can revive you teammates with it, but thats it. And if your team dies, and you have no medigel, you're SOL, hope you can kill enemies alone at that point. You will die, ALOT. I didn't die in ME1 until I tried for the Insanity acheivement. Of course I could heal myself in ME1, no such luck here. Enemies are smart, they don't wander in the open to get shot up, they hide in cover, lay down heavy cover fire for their friends, YOUR team however, is stupid. They run out of cover, stand out in the open to get gunned down. ARG.
The story, is pretty good, its just filler for ME3, but it keeps you going and playing. Everything is very expensive now, but thankfully, ME2 is generous with the credits. The game is roughly about 25-30 hrs long, about 1/2 the length of ME1.
My impression of the new Normandy crew, some are cool, some ok, others I wanted throw out of the nearest airlock.
Miranda, personality is 5 of 10. After her personal quest, she's becomes boring and flat. Shes a romantic interest for a male character.
In battle she gets a 7 of 10. Shes fairly sturdy and her biotics are pretty good. Overall 6/10
Jacob, one of my favorite characters. Its so good to see a black man in a positive role. I get so sick of seeing black men portrayed as gangbangers, drug dealers, and just plain ghetto. Jacob is well spoken, intelligent, honorable, and an all around good guy. Personality, 7/10. Romantic interest for female Shepherd. Battle, he gets 8/10, especially after his personal quest, and he gets his biotic barrier. He can soak of lot of damage, and dish out damage with shotguns and biotics. Overall, 8/10.
Tali, is another of my favorites, she was so fragile in ME1, now she's useful in battle, her hacking, and battle drone are very useful. Personality, 7/10 and she's a romantic interest for a male Shepherd. Battle, 7/10, and overall 8/10, (9/10 if you're fighting mechs)
Grunt, I like the krogan, they are the klingons of mass effect. Sadly, Grunt is no Wrex, one of faves from ME1. Grunt lacks the 'charm' Wrex had. 5/10 personality. In battle, 8/10, Grunt is a beast, especially against husks, he takes down entire groups. And after his personal quest, he gets a sheild boost, allowing him to take more damage, but unfortunately, his krogam charge move lands him out in the open to get picked off by snipers. Overall 7/10
Garrus was another boring character from ME1, but he seems to have matured in ME2, personality, 7/10 romantic interest for a female Shepherd. Battle he gets 8/10, his weapon damage is great, and he can blast enemy sheilds. Overall 8/10.
Samara is interesting in a ninja monk type of way. Personality, 7/10. I don't know if Samara is a romantic interest, I wasn't able to seduce her with a male or female Shepherd. Shes good in battle, 8/10, her biotics are amazing. (I guess all asari biotics are) her weapon damage is great also. Overall 8/10.
Mordin, the hyper salarian, does this guy breathe? Talks non stop. But he is funny and interesting, personality, 8/10. Hes not a romantic interest. Battle wise, 7/10 his cryo blast and incinerate hobbles most enemies, gun damage pretty good, but hes also easy to kill, so keep him in cover at all times. Overall, 8/10.
Legion, a geth on the Normandy, wow. He is a robot, android, which ever the tech term, his personality is almost non existant, no rating here. Battle, 7/10, battle drone and hacking is useful against mechs, decent weapon damage. 7/10 overall. (BTW he has a hilarious 'idle' animation)
Thane, the drell assassin, another of my favorites. Interesting guy, seems to always have something to say, personality, 9/10, romantic interest, female Shepherd. In battle, 7/10, excellent weapon damage, and decent biotics, Thane seems to be one of the few people who realize getting shot is bad, as he stays well hidden behind cover. Overall, 8/10.
SubjectZero/Jack- UGH, perhaps one of the worst characters in video game history. I can get past the bald head, and body tats, but that attitude is just WAY TOO much. Constantly whines about being tortured, (when you do her personal quest, you find out she had it EASY compared to the other kids) she never really opens up, and stays hostile through out the entire game. Personality, 3/10. In battle, now Jack was portrayed as some super biotic, but I never saw where her biotics were any better than the other squad members. Granted Jack/SuZe is hard to kill, even when out in the open, so 8/10. 7/10 overall.
I hated 99% of the changes from ME1 to ME2, but as a ME fan, I did enjoy the game overall, despite its many short comings. Here's hoping EA stays out of the way and lets Bioware make the ME3 the fans want, and doesnt rush another glitch fest to market. Thanks for reading, did your eyes bleed? No? Good :) | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic game, very newbie-friendly. My review of this game will be very different from the majority here since I am totally new to the Halo franchise and fairly new to the shooter genre for that matter, whether it's TPS or FPS. Therefore my opinion isn't influenced by all the other games similar to Halo Reach that may have come before.
First thing: Wow... just... wow...
I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much but now I truly understand what the hype is about. And being a big sci-fi fan, I think the Halo games are the ones I had always wanted to play, but didn't know it until now. After going through the first mission, I had to literally tear myself away from the game once the cut scene that introduces the second mission ended because I was afraid I might not stop until that mission was over too. :)
One thing which pleasantly surprised me in retrospect is how newbie-friendly Bungie made this game. Even if you've never played a Halo game or any kind of FPS before, you won't feel lost. They completely ease you into it and even though there is no real tutorial to speak of, I never felt overwhelmed during the first few objectives - unlike in a game such as Killzone 2 where you get fed to the wolves right after a very short and lame tutorial. And there are enough checkpoints in Reach not to make dying a very frustrating affair. And again to my own surprise, I only died about 3 times during the first mission.
So even tough I'm really not a great shooter at all, at no point during the game did I feel like my skills were completely inadequate and I think that gave me enough confidence to plough through the battles without constantly searching for cover... and stay there (except when my shield was depleted of course). I have to admit though that I did feel a bit overwhelmed later during the mission but that's because the team was being invaded by a load of Covenant soldiers, including quite a few that were protected by shields. Just remember to always pick up a plasma pistol when that happens... *sigh* Also, this is totally random but I love the Grunts (aliens), they make me laugh. Too bad I have to kill them! :D
Another aspect I loved from this game is the music: it is simply epic and it sets the mood beautifully and perfectly for this action-packed saga. Truly a fantastic scifi game. | video-games_xbox |
Good...not Great. Ok, I picked up the Xbox one and I consider myself a casual gamer at best. My previous console is the PS3 which was great. Prior to that, was the monstrosity 360 which I was a 3 time victim of the RROD. After the warranty expired, my 3rd RROD, Microsoft basically said tough.
So, that's why I went to the PS3. But, the ALL IN ONE NEDIA CENTER that the One is tinkering with lured me back. So, the visuals on the game seem great for my one game (Battlefield 4) and I'm confident as the years pass by. That the PS4's graphics will not BLOW OUT the Ones.....though I'm sure it will be slightly better as it has more graphics horsepower.
Voice control on the kinect is about 75%. Seems like I'm finding myself reaching for the controller more often than not. This is because the Kinect doesn't seem to understand me the 1st or 2nd time. So I find it quicker to use the controller. Hopefully this will be improved as it's a major part of the ALL IN ONE thing Microsoft is touting.
Sometimes the ONE won't even turn on my system (game and TV) or it takes 4 times to do it. When it does turn on, I find it VERY annoying that it goes right to the HOME screen as opposed to full screen TV. I'd rather it go right to full TV than the home screen. This is because I use my TV primarily for TV rather than gaming. It would be nice if Microsoft gave the user this option. I find myself annoyed that I'm forced to switch to full TV screen mode with the controller....because it's easier than using the voice control at this point.
Only other option to keep my TV in full screen mode is to keep my ONE always on and waste electricity. So, if Microsoft improves on the Kinect and the other annoying issues that keep the Kinect and main box from feeling like its ONE PERFECTLY INTIGRATED machine...I think it would be a fantastic success. Right now, it feels like the Kinect and the main box DO NOT mesh very well.
Update 12/17/13
Voice control will NOT turn on system via "Xbox On" voice command and TV picture freezes which you need to do a hard reboot to correct. This all started after the first update xbox just recently put out. Unacceptable for this to happen to a system that boasts being a media center machine. ONE STAR until they fix this. | video-games_xbox |
Not much. Take the amazing PC Battlefield 2, subtract the keyboard and mouse that make a FPS game a dream to play, throw in a boring single player campaign, downgrade the graphics, take the heart of the Battlefield games, it's online play, and fill it with bugs and bump the number of players in a game from 64 down to 24 and you get Battlefield Modern Combat. I don't think I really need to say more but I will. I didn't have extreamly high hopes for this game in the first place when I saw the number of players that can fit into a multiplayer game. I was mainly hoping that BFMC would have bot battles without mission objectives to worry about to go along with the campaign. Well, there are no bot battles. Yes, I have played a multiplayer match in BFMC, but it still doesn't fell much like the PC Battlefield games before it. When you think about how difficult it is to get XBOX Live and the fairly small amount of XBOX owners that actually have it, you realize that online multiplayer isn't enough to support a game on it's own. You need good singleplayer or split screen modes too. EA seems to have passed this up and left this games players with a smaller online multiplayer, no split screen games, and a really boring campaign mode. In the single player campaign, you go through multiplayer maps with scripted events and mission objectives. Only, it's not enough like a multiplayer map to generate the same amount of fun. The enemys don't wander the map and act like team players or even attack enemys at will. They ONLY show up where they need to be, detracting from the realisim and overall fun. You'll know what I mean when you start to walk through a town after not being able to find any action and have 20 enemy soldiers spawn right out of thin air and shoot you to pieces. The graphics have also been brought down. The explosions are not nearly as nice looking as BF2. Now, I realize that the XBOX doesn't have the right amount of hardware as a computer that can run BF2, but they could at least have had pieces of the vehicles go flying when you blow up a tank or helicopter. Instead, the vehicle just disappears in a strange cloud of smoke and sparks. No chunks of the vehicle, no fragments of metal, just... POOF. You also cannot select a unit type upon spawing. Instead, you "hotswap" to another soldier on the battlefield. You can do this at will during the mission, (and it means the game doesn't end every time you die) but it makes it hard to get the types of units to the place they're needed most as the nearest soldier to hotswap to might be at the completly opposite end of the map. If you have XBOX Live and aren't expecting a reveloution in the XBOX Live FPS, you might as well get this game (even though there are still plenty of online FPS games for the XBOX that are much more fun). If you don't have Live or aren't interested in playing this game on it, don't even bother. The Battlefield games weren't ment to be a single player game in the first place. | video-games_xbox |
The Game You've Been Waiting For. Too many reviews here in the negative to let this one slide without posting some positive thoughts about this game. Having played the game previous to release in both the Alpha and Beta versions, I was very pleased to see the final product and to follow the story line of the single player game.
Graphically, this may be the most detailed game I have ever seen on Xbox One. The precise detail of the architecture of the City of New York is not only stunning but it is also accurate. I found myself getting lost in the game looking through all of the details of the game and trying to read all of the miscellaneous billboards and signage that show up in the game.
The game has depth on a graphic and game play level as well....which is why I was disturbed to read so many negative reviews saying, "just another shooter" or "plays just like Destiny." While there are elements of this game that are similar to Destiny (Ie - how you rank up your gear, your equipment and your firearms, how you have to run missions to earn XP to level up and so on); there are also elements of the game that are closer to Grand Theft Auto (most notably the third person perspective and the shootouts play much like GTA or Red Dead Redemption). While no game is ever perfect, I believe that Ubisoft has found a recipe for a franchise that could follow in the footsteps of Destiny and provide gamers with an environment that is ever growing and that they could build off of in future variations of this game. It seems to me that it would be very easy to imagine the same type of bio-chemical attack in other cities like Chicago, Boston, LA, Miami and so on.
The game is accurately rated by the ESRB. There is a ton of violence and the "f-bomb" is prevalent throughout the game. So if you're a parent reading this, it's definitely a "mature" game.
In the first day of the release I had no issues with partying up with Friends and getting after the various objectives and missions. The free roaming world environment of the game allows the gamer to explore NYC at your own risk (which is nice that the game doesn't prohibit certain areas, that you might not be ranked up enough to handle conflict in....so it's somewhat "gamer beware"). The Dark Zone (or the PvP - Player vs Player) has its ups and downs like most other multi-player formats, so I wouldn't expect servers to be running seamless on the initial day of release. The knock on Ubisoft and other software developers have been their lack of support for the community and their willingness to listen to the community during development and most certainly AFTER release. I'm optimistic that this will not be the case for The Division as the game has a lot of potential and it could easily be the Game of the Year. Only time will tell.
To summarize here are some pros & cons as of release date + 1:
Pros: Graphics are amazing, game play is solid, AI is aggressive & learns, ranking up system is relatively fair, lots of missions & side missions, solid Day 1 server performance. Controls are also very natural for anyone who has ever played GTA, Destiny, Battlefield, etc.
Cons: Being able to trade gear with other players in your party. This is something that Destiny fell short of, and it would be nice if Ubisoft had paid attention to the community when developing this game - as this was voiced during the Alpha & Beta releases. Other than that, no real complaints as of yet.....but time will tell....if Ubisoft maintains strong support, the game will be great. If they throw everyone to the wolves, it's going to make a great game into just a good game. | video-games_xbox |
Was very doubtful but was won over. So I like most had no intention of even giving Microsoft a chance. I got my PS4 and am happy with it. However I on a whim decided to give MS a chance. So I bought an Xbox One and I have to say I'm glad I did.
First off the good:
The HDMI input is amazing. It really has changed how I watch tv. It's nice to be able to be watching tv and immediately jump into any game I have loaded in the disc slot or on the HDD. The ability to turn on my tv, cable box, and console with a simple push of my controllers button or with my voice when I come in from work is nice.
The games look great also and run well. I have decided to go all digital on my Xbox One this generation and it's been fun. Every game at my fingertips. No fussing with cases etc. At the same time blu-ray playback is fine. It's bare bones but I don't really care because I just want to watch the movies.
Now the downsides:
Kinect voice control is 50/50 at best. I've gone out of my way to set it up properly and yet only half the time does it still recognize what I'm saying. It's just faster to use a controller most of the time. This brings me to another complaint. Microsoft for the love of god please release a media remote for this console. Sure I can use my controller but this isn't as good as having a media remote would be.
The install times for games before you can even play them is a bit on the long side. With PS4 I can play a game after a couple minutes. With the Xbox One it can take 30 minutes plus before I can start a game and then I can't play some parts of it. This is one area MS needs to improve. At the same time the menus and operating system of the console takes some steps back. Everything is basically an app within the OS. This results in a very clunky experience. I click to go into friends and I get a loading screen. I click to go to messages and get a loading screen. I click to go to the store and loading screen. Seeing a trend here? Also I would like to see notifications when friends come on and go offline. This simply isn't there. It isn't all bad though. I do like how MS allows you to pin the apps and games you want to a section right to the left of the home screen. They however need to work on a way to sort it. As it is now that is very clunky. It's like with the 360 where you move an item to the front. It's in a square grid though. I'd like to be able to sort from left to right in alphabetical order. Instead it has items up and down from right to left.
The last thing is that there is absolutely no option to sign you in automatically without Kinect and no management of your storage on the console.
Overall though the console is a good console and I've had a lot of fun with mine. I just hope that MS can make some improvements to their OS. I'm honestly glad I bought the console and have no problem eating crow. | video-games_xbox |
convenient, but certainly not a must have. I like many people failed to see the need for this if the wireless controller takes regular batteries too. I have a slew of rechargeable batteries that I lose, find, lose and find again for my digital camera. I also have three battery chargers for the same lose/find reason. I have had my 360 for about 3 months, and have been happy using the rechargeable battery solution for a while. There is a small inconvenience in remembering to charge the used up batteries as they go dead and there's the small task of keeping up with the good batteries.
Since I like little gadgets to begin with and I had it to spend, so I went ahead and got the quick charge kit plus an extra battery pack for my 2 controllers. The first charge is kind of long, but afterwards its fairly quick. I have not had any problems using the battery pack vs. regular batteries, and I didn't expect to; It does what it is suppose to do. It claims a 25 hour play time, which I haven't verified with a stop watch, but I do notice that play time is pretty long, and also a fully charged battery pack shows up as such on the screen controller battery life indicator when you press the XBOX button on your controller. With "fully charged" rechargable batteries, I have noticed that the charge indicator is always one bar less than full.
I definitely agree with both sides of the argument on whether or not to get this or stick to using rechargables. It all comes down to convenience. If you are tired of having to recharge batteries as they go dead and have a few extra bucks to spend, then this may be the route to go. However, if you have no problem recharging batteries as needed, then there is really no need for you to get this, because the only way it saves you any money is if you used to use non-rechargables in your controllers.
In all honesty, if you want to save some money, stick with the rechargeable solution, because in reality the quick charge kit costs a bit more then a standard AA battery charger and the battery packs themselves cost about the same as 4 NiMh rechargeable batteries. Also with the with the standard battery charger and batteries you can use them for other things.
Keep in mind it only comes with one battery pack which is better than nothing I guess, but if you want more battery packs for your other controller(s) you have to by them seperately, for the cost of about 4 NiMh rehargable AA batteries. | video-games_xbox |
Almost obscenely fun. Does this play like a clone of a GTA game? Absolutely, in almost every respect. This doesn't hurt the game, however, because it is like the retard kid brother that, unlike the GTA series, never managed to grow up. That sounds critical, but I'm actually trying to articulate just how juvenile and downright fun this game is. Here we have bright colors in place of the muddy browns and grays of Liberty City. Here we have outlandish and hilarious story-lines in place of GTA IV's tragic street opera. Here we have offensive and amusing stunts in place of the gritty and realistic side-quests you'll find in GTA IV. I am not kidding when I say that the game actually includes minigames where you run around town flashing people or where you're driving a septic truck around town shooting a violent brown stream at unlucky passersby. There are many, many more fun mini-games than just these, but these should give you a sense of what the game is like. The highlight of the game is undoubtedly the customization system, which is one of the most elaborate I've ever seen. This applies to almost everything. Ever wanted to play as an obese black man with a pink afro wearing nothing but a bra and a great big smile on his face? You can do that. You can play as pretty much any type of person you can imagine. I can't stress how many hours I've spent just tinkering around with various hair-styles, tattoos, outfits, fighting styles, and the like.
If there is a downside to this game, it is that it lacks the deep world found in GTA IV. That game was absolutely astounding for all of the various secret characters and side-quests you had to choose from. No such unplumbed depths here. Also, while I didn't mind at all, the production values on this aren't great. The controls are a bit too loose, the graphics remind me of very early XBOX 360 games, and the game is quite buggy at times. This last aspect is most damaging at times. Nevertheless, it wasn't bad enough to spoil the fun for me.
All-in-all, this is a ton of fun, and a nice alternative to the grim and gritty world of GTA IV. | video-games_xbox |
Buy It For The Multiplayer. Okay, long time Halo Fan here. Huge fan of the story, and have always regarded Halo's multiplayer as a true "gentleman's sport" because of its fair, competitive qualities. However, Halo 5 only delivers on one of these key aspects of a Halo game.
Campaign: Tedious. I felt less like I was saving the world and more like I was grinding stones against the pavement. The introduction to every level is filled with long, forced conversation from your allies, and is a sad excuse for providing an actual story. When you actually get into the gunfights, I honestly did appreciate that you can flank in almost every engagement, giving you tons of options on how to efficiently defeat your enemy, but the lack of enemy variety felt boring, and I found myself almost never using the "tactical squad commands" to guide my usually dumber than bricks AI companions. Thematically, Halo 5 is the weakest in the series, and as I'm sure anyone will tell you, the campaigns ending is a huge letdown.
Multiplayer: Now, this is the Halo I remember! Multiplayer is fun! Like, actual fun. Many people describe the feel of Halo 5's multiplayer to be "if Halo 3 and CE had a child" and I agree. It boils down to positioning, and shot placement. Tactics are more important than ever, and (most of the time) a loss, feels justified. I recommend playing in a group, even if its just strangers, and get a mic, because communication is your greatest asset in Halo 5's competitive modes.
Don't feel like being aggressive? Wanna play some ridiculous modes? Drag race? Now with the custom games browser, you'll rarely find yourself bored. I often find myself joining games of duck hunt or Minotaurs and laughing at the absurdity into the wee hours of the night.
Overall, Halo 5 is better than I thought, the multiplayer alone is enough to keep me hooked, but if you're waiting till Halo 6, or are content with Destiny, and are wondering if you should pick this up for whatever the sale price is (mine was less than $20).
Do it. Two trips to chipotle for some awesome warzone action or crazy custom combat is well worth it to me, even if the campaign did leave a sour tatse in my mouth. | video-games_xbox |
The good and the bad. Dragon Age 2 was under a lot of pressure for me. Being a big fan of the original, this one had quite a lot to live up to. That being said, I think it mostly did just that. It's not a perfect game, but it is enjoyable. Here's a bit about the good and bad:
The Good:
Character: Bioware has a good history of writing interesting characters, and I think they've done so again in DA2. I enjoyed just listening to my companions chat with each other so much that I regularly stopped where I was going so they could finish.
Story: The story in DA2 is a much smaller story than in the original. That is, it's less about saving the world, and more about the story of one person. This isn't to say that your character doesn't get involved in larger things, but it does feel a bit more personal.
Choices: DA2 really made me sit and think about the choices my character made. They didn't feel false or punishing like some games, but difficult. Several times I sat down my controller to think through my next move before proceeding.
Combat: It's almost exactly like the original, just a little faster.
The Bad:
Wasn't I just here?: All the dungeons and locations in the game are recycled. After your sixth visit to any of these same generic locations (a dock, a manor house, a cave), you'll get really sick of seeing them.
What about last time?: While it was nice to see little bits of the world you created in the original game come through (meeting old friends, hearing rumors of the warden), I was a little disappointed that it didn't have more of an effect on the game.
Combat: Might not be a minus for some, but the faster speed of battle does make it more difficult to micromanage your party's combat.
Ending: No spoilers here, but the ending leaves a lot blank in what must be an attempt to set up a sequel. I did find that a bit frustrating.
All in all, I think DA2 is a heck of a game. It's not perfect, but it's a deep, engaging RPG. I don't think it's quite as good as Dragon Age: Origins in some ways, but I absolutely enjoyed it. | video-games_xbox |
FANTASTIC! The "Mechassault" of WWII air combat. I read the posted reviews carefully and I am glad I did. I rented the movie first and quickly went out to purchase the game.
Let me start by saying the game has spectacular graphics, sound and plays like Mechassault. I agree with many other reviewers - this is NOT a flight simulator. As such, comparing this game to a flight simulator and "criticizing" it for not being a flight simulator is a bit silly. For all those that were expecting Mechassault to play and look like Mechwarrior and have still not gotten over their disappointment - this game will probably just frustrate you - stay away.
Provided below is a list of pros and an objective description of areas of the game that some may consider disappointing and/or annoying.
Pros: Graphics. Sound. Game Play. Dogfights. Missions.
(1) The graphics are NOT CRIMSON SKIES - or Mechassault for that matter. They are not crisp and shiny or cartoon looking. With this said, the game has excellent detail and has a look and feel to it similar to what one might expect in a color WWII documentary - no fancy explosions, or "Hollywood" special effects - just a WWII dogfight. Realistic - really realistic. Nevertheless, the detail in the game is significantly more spectacular than anything I've played - not like a cartoon (e.g. Mechassault/Crimson Skies)- but spectacular nonetheless. If you enjoy WWII history and especially reading about or watching documentaries about WWII aerial combat, the look of this game will definately impress you. It sounds strange, but the game "feels" like WWII.
(2) The sounds are out of this world. Every attention to the detail of every sound for these planes was captured and appears to accurately replicate the sounds of the planes and gun sounds as well as flight control (as best as possible in a non-simulator, Mechassault type game). My grandfather flew three of the planes and swears that the engines sounded the same.
(3) It plays like Mechassault - easy to learn the controls - nice features like the left trigger button allowing you to keep your "third party" camera on your enemy as long as you hold it down - allowing you to keep an eye on your enemy as you maneuver your plane.
(4) The dogfight ability takes this game to a new level. Shooting up your buddies in WWII planes is great.
(5) The missions are graphically entertaining and have a nice amount of variety. They are relatively short in duration and allow me the freedom to pick up the game and play occassionally.
Objective Description:
It is not a flight simulator. The game is a bit of a dichotomy: On the one hand, the game is extremely realistic in its sounds (including German and other languages), graphics and scenarios -On the other hand, the game plays like Mechassault - not a simulator? I could see this strange hybrid not appealing to everyone.
The dogfights are a lot of fun for a short while. Online game play may make this amazing (I have yet to try playing online). One on one with the planes is fun for a short while - then your eyes hurt and you want to play 007 or Halo to destroy your "friends."
The game is not extremely difficult - I have yet to play the missions under different settings, but the standard settings do not provide a significant level of difficulty. This may not be attractive to some folks.
Summary:
Secret Weapons Over Normandy is an excellent game for the WWII enthusiast. It is definitely worth buying - Rent first to decide for yourself, then buy. | video-games_xbox |
Mad Catz needs a lesson in ergonomics. The material that covers this controller is quite nice and I'd like to see it on the standard 360 controller. Other than that, this controller is rather filled with negatives and at best plenty of indifference.
The first problem is the shape of the controller. The contours of the 360 are clearly designed for the human hand. Almost all of those contours are erased from the Mad Catz controller and you instead have what is essentially a very controller that is kind of like attaching handles to a rectangular piece of toast. It also feels much smaller than a regular controller and far lighter. Almost small enough and light enough to be on the verge of feeling not just poorly designed, but cheaply made.
The D-pad doesn't feel right. It feels "mushy". The ABXY buttons feel cheap and clanky. The triggers don't have the right "feel" when you pull them. They kind of have the same tactile "give" of the trigger of a cheap squirt-gun. Worse, they're kind of tiny and thin, which feels odd with your fingers wrapped over them. As if those aren't bad enough, the bumpers are horrendous. They're very large and entirely flat. Not curved around the corners of the controller like the standard controller. I can't see this feeling comfortable after long term use. I don't see why they needed to change the default setup of the triggers and bumpers at all.
The main point of those whole controller is the set of "extra buttons". These are on the back. The biggest problem I have with these? They're TINY. If you hold a controller as I and most people I've surveyed do, you will be pressing these (near the base of the back/inside bend of the controller) with your ring fingers. How tiny are they? They're basically 'reset' buttons. You know, the kind of button you would use the tip of a paperclip on to reset a consumer electronics product to its factory settings. I looked forward to using the extra buttons for quick MW2 knifing or sprinting. These are too inconvenient and small to use with length (for running) or agility (for knifing).
And of course, on top of all of this, it is a wired controller. Regardless of if that's a decision by Mad Catz or enforced by Microsoft - it's still inconvenient.
I saw the negative reviews on this. And the more common "meh - it's fine, but there's no point in bothering with it" reviews around the web. I really sold myself on the two extra programmable buttons, though. I sure was let down. Probably the most useless purchase I've made through all of December and will never be plugged into the console for use again. | video-games_xbox |
Persistent Freezing. I bought Sims 3 in summer of 2012. It was playing great up until in-game Week 10, and then the game began to freeze whenever I tried to save. Now, I can get one successful save per gameplay before I have to turn off the XBox because of glitching. I have a moderate amount of stuff in my 3 bed, 1 bath house, but I do like my gardens. Maybe it's my six-person game that's causing the problem. Whatever it is, your save file is eventually going to get too big for a proper save, and the game will require a lot more patience.
I looked online, and the people who played it back in 2010 had this exact same problem. There were reports of a patch possibly being released online, but as someone who doesn't use XBox Live, it would be great if the patch were incorporated into later versions of the game. It's becoming too frustrating to play, and in a 2-years-later disc of the game, these problems should be gone. I haven't had this problem with any other game on my console, so it's not a problem on Microsoft's end.
As for the game itself, I like it. The Karma powers are interesting-- you can have great or terrible things happen to your Sims using the points you earn from completing their wishes. I really like all of the different personality traits because they add a great dimension to my Sims: they can be Hopeless Romantics but Unlucky, Family-Oriented but Ambitious, etc.
The gardening is really fun (e.g. the Omni Plant, which can let you grow *anything,* including fish). There's a bit of learning curve with the controls, but once you get the hang of it the game is really smooth (up until it starts freezing like a mofo-- I literally had the game on for three minutes, assigned a few tasks to 4 of my Sims, and then when I attempted to use a Karma Power on someone at my house, it froze up. Really?
The radio music is really, really fantastic. The music directors collaborated with a bunch of real artists (Jasmine V, Cody Simpson, RJD2, 22-20s, etc.) to create Simlish versions of real songs . The Sims-original songs like "Sta Moogie" are also insanely catchy.
As a long-time fan of Sims games on the computer, I was interested to try it out on the 360; however, I regret wasting my money in such a way. The disc becomes unplayable down the line, and no Sim God wants to sacrifice game immersion with this constant Russian Roulette saving matrix and constant resetting. Fix the actual disc please, EA! Better yet, include an non-screwy autosave feature! Otherwise, it's only the computer version for me. | video-games_xbox |
Superb gameplay, refreshing graphics, sub-standard storyline. Fable's main plot reads more like a book of clichd, overused storyline elements than the attention-grabbing, emotion-fluttering heavyweight it was so obviously meant to be. The nameless lead character is introduced to us as a young boy, enjoying the last few days of his innocence, when a surprise bandit raid results in the senseless slaughter of every living soul in his hometown. And, just as the bandits are about to finish the deed by wiping our young narrator from the face of the planet, he's saved at the last moment by a powerful warrior who takes the boy under his wing and trains him at his nationally-recognized "hero school." I'm sure you can imagine where the story leads from there... a never-ending hunt for clues about the fate of his family, and a bloodthirsty search for revenge. Well... maybe "bloodthirsty" is a bit too strong of a word for this uncharismatic main character, since the limits of his emotional range seem to be mild annoyance and very slight pleasure.
There's no connection whatsoever between the main character and the main villain (which is, generally speaking, supposed to be the story's "home run" relationship) so their ultimate collision means next to nothing. Avoiding all the sidequests, the main plot itself is really quite short and despite all the emphasis on your decisions throughout the game affecting its outcome, the one single decision that makes a difference doesn't arrive until after you've laid the finishing touches on the end boss.
In about as short a terms as I can define it, this game plays like a mixture of Onimusha, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Obviously, with the storyline's central focus being the main character's constant struggle between darkness and light, (and the way his everyday decisions affect that status) the comparisons to KOTOR almost write themselves. Your appearance slowly changes from everyday to angelic to demonic, depending on your decisions, and is gradual enough to keep the player from noticing straight away. Likewise, by increasing your attributes in the strength or magic departments, you either slowly grow in size and stature or whither away into a shriveled, powerful magician.
Like Onimusha, you don't receive the experience from your battles until you've chased down the little glowing green bubble that bursts out of the bodies of your fallen opponents. The EXP will fade away if you don't get to it in time, but you can give it a little tug in your direction by holding the "R" button. Accumulated experience can be spent on different abilities, (such as additional strength, the capacity to take more damage, better aim with your bow and arrow, more spells to cast in the heat of a battle, extra speed, etc.) as though you were merely shopping for items.
And, like all of Zelda's post-N64 titles, the actual hackin' and slashin' is both challenging and enjoyable. You'll occasionally run into trouble trying to target a specific enemy in a horde, or maintaining a lock on your target while dodging arrows and blades, but that's acceptable and actually quite a ways more realistic than most of the competition. Plus, the battle system itself is loose enough to make correcting for these quirks a snap. You can choose between fighting close range with a blade, short or long range with a bow and arrow, or any distance with your magic, with each method offering unique pros and cons.
As you make your way through the game, you retrieve your main quests from the "Hero School". Apparently, a big part of the school's (and your character's) funding comes from the completion of various tasks, missions and requests as proposed by the world's citizens in need. Your quests range from "help the merchant through the dark, scary woods" to "hunt down and decapitate the bandit mastermind," and are all over the board in terms of difficulty, length and reward. Gameplay is a dream come true.
The graphics are tough to classify. On one hand, they don't even compare to the photorealism of some of their contemporaries, but on the other... they don't really aim to. There's a visual flair to the graphics of Fable, a distinct style that alludes to photorealism but retains the kind of personality, emotion and, for lack of a better word, humanity, that's missing from most games. While they don't look exactly like the kind of people you'd see walking down the dirt roads of the local renaissance festival, they've got just as much emotion in their expressions, reactions and personal flair.
The audio is a home run. The villagers have almost thousands of different expressions, reactions, quips, comments and responses to fit any situation. The easily-identifiable British accent of every character in the game helps Fable stand apart from the pack, and solidifies its timeframe somewhere in the middle ages. The villagers even borrow a few lines from Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail, and while that's one of the most wrongfully-quoted movies of all time, it's used sparingly and effectively here and feels more like a funny side joke than an annoying, forced homage. The musical score is minimal, and the occasionally-necessary transition from the "wandering alone in the forest" theme to the "ambushed by thieves" theme is quick, seamless and effortless. It does its job.
Basically, in Fable you've got a game that looks great, sounds great, plays like a dream, incorporates some unique new gameplay elements, features some outstanding voice acting, attempts to perfect on some tried-and-true existing mechanics, and simply lacks any sort of mentionable storyline. If you can live with making that one sacrifice to enjoy all the greatness that surrounds it, you'll really enjoy yourself with this. The big problem here wasn't necessarily in the game itself, but in all the hype and delays that cornered the title before it could even hit the market and the lack of focus on a clear, interesting story. | video-games_xbox |
Extreme Home Makeover, Red Faction edition. Red Faction Guerilla for Xbox 360
I've never played the other Red Faction games, and plan to try Armageddon once the prices drop. Someone recommended I try Guerilla because of the destruction you can achieve with your sledgehammer and anything else in the game. I was truly impressed with the Havok engine on the Xbox 360 considering the hardware on the Xbox 360 is the equivalent to a 7-8 year old PC. Almost everything in the game can be damaged/destroyed by the player. You have a variety of weapons starting from 3 different types of sledgehammers, a pistol, pump-action shotgun, semi-auto shotgun, assault rifle, RPG, Grinder (shoots buzzsaws - one of the worst weapons in the game), arc welder (useful for taking out groups of enemies), remote charges, proximity charges, sniper rifle, gauss rifle, rail gun (similar to the one Arnold used in the movie Eraser, complete with X-ray scope), the nanorifle, thermobaric warheads, and a few others. You also get a jetpack later on in the game. For multiplayer, there are a few more weapons and backpacks available.
Some of the mini-quests include collecting ID tags, ore deposits, destroying 100 hydrogen tanks, etc... but the ID tags and ore deposits are time consuming since they are spread out everywhere. Completing all 104 guerilla missions was a chore since there was no way to determine which areas had remaining quests to complete.
The controls are OK. Controlling Mason wasn't a big chore but controlling the vehicles was very frustrating at the start. The vehicles understeer then oversteer on a whim if you're lucky. Otherwise, vehicles like the garbage truck are slow and you might as well go on foot. There's lower gravity on Mars and hitting a slight bump will cause you to go airborne and lose traction. The EDF tactical vehicles are usually the ones I like because they're armored and fairly maneuverable.
At the start, I felt the game had a sense of strategy because you could somewhat plan your guerilla attacks. Load up your vehicle with remote charges, drive it into a building but leave the vehicle ahead of time, then detonate the charges. But as you progress in the story, the EDF increase in strength and numbers. There are flying patrols that will follow you and diminish your health. EDF will send out tanks, rocket tanks, and large droves of APCs with plenty of soldiers (and heavily armored soldiers with rail guns). It was very difficult to use the cover system and provide aimed fire. The cover usually lasted 5 seconds as everyone would just blast a wall or object you were hiding behind. I found the best strategy was to keep moving around and use remote charges, rockets, the nano rifle, and arc welder as appropriate. Collecting salvage is important because you want to upgrade some of your weapons early on. Some tips: Don't bother with the grinder or proximity charges. Get all of the thermobaric upgrades you can get as soon as possible (it's only available later in the game). A lot of salvage is required for that.
The graphics are good, but the quality of the models is about on-par with a game made in 2003-2004. The Havok engine is very slick but it would benefit from better looking models and textures. The game is fun, but the driving model could be significantly improved. The map interface isn't that great and accessing the map shouldn't take several seconds, it was slowing me down during the numerous transporter missions.
I've read others compare Red Faction Guerilla to Grand Theft Auto, and I have to agree - except you can't steal other people's cars. They openly give them to you since you're part of the Red Faction. You can't really steal the EDF cars, you just have to kill the occupants using the arc welder or rail gun, or kill them as they come out of the vehicle.
Overall: 4/5 stars | video-games_xbox |
Set gets 5 stars, Game gets about 2. I have been a fan of the Undertaker for years. When I found out that 2K14 was going to have a Phenom Edition, I was excited. When my birthday came around, I found a used set here on Amazon.
The coffin tin is very large and bulky, about the size of a larger Fashion Doll window box. But it adds to the fact of this being the Phenom Edition. The glossy portrait is a good one. It's a clear picture that will fit into a frame nicely and it has the Undertaker's signature on it. I don't know if that's a ready made signature like a stamp or an automatic pen, but it's cool in any case. The decal is for the controller is from Skin It. It's a nice decal that with a little bit of care, fits the controller nicely. It features a nice photo of the Undertaker from 2012 possibly 2013. There is a copy of The Streak along with this set and that DVD features every Wrestlemania match that the Undertaker has had up to him reaching 20 - 0. There is an insert that has a code for two downloadable characters. One of course being the American Badass version of the Undertaker. The other is the Ultimate Warrior. Please note that since I bought this game, I had to purchase the characters from Xbox Live for 1.99 a piece which to me, still wasn't that bad.
On to the game.
This game is much the same as the later WWE games from 2012 - present. Back when it was Smackdown Vs. Raw, the controls were easy. To kick out, the player just had to press a button. Or tap a button to end a submission. When the brand extension ended and the first game after 2011 was called WWE 12, that changed. In order to kick out, there is a meter that appears on the screen. If you press the button before the meter fills to a marked point, you don't get to kick out. And each time that the player kicks out, the amount of space between the mark on the meter and the wait time gets shorter. So timing it is tricky. The reversal is also frustrating because if you pull on the trigger too soon, the words 'too fast' appear on the screen and if you wait until the reversal icon appears on the screen the words 'too late' appear. Your timing has to be spot on. As the match progresses, your character gets slower just like in real life. And it can take a bit to get back up, giving your opponent a chance to further damage you. This can get very tedious, especially if you're playing the 30 Years of Wrestlemania. At times it seems like the game deliberately makes your character wait until it's almost too late to get up, or too late to kick out. For these reasons, this game is not something that someone like me can just pick up and get the hang of in a few minutes or even hours. This is definitely a game for those that spend hours learning the nuances.
The creation mode is basically the same as in past versions. However, several things have been fixed. There used to be some really awkward hair movements, especially in Smackdown Vs. RAW. That got better in WWE 12 - 13. Now the longer hair moves more fluid with the body. It's still awkward, but it's not just chunks standing away from the body and waving a bit with movement. The clothing seems to 'fit' better and when you layer it up on your character, there isn't that odd bulkiness. Some garments are still blocky looking. For instance, the jackets and coats make the character look bulky. But things like capes and skirts flow a bit better, they don't look glued to the legs, but they also don't flutter unnaturally behind the figure (if you've ever seen the long skirts in Second Life, you know what I'm talking about). Necklaces and things like baldricks are still awkward looking, they stand away from the chest/body. A few necklaces like dog tags and pendants do lay more naturally, but if your character is very busty (female) or has overly developed pecs (male) it might not look good. Back when the series was Smackdown Vs. RAW, there was a large selection of undergarments both top and bottom for the Divas. These garments could be used as outer clothing as well, to make up the skimpy outfits that have been a norm for the Divas since the 90s. The selection has been vastly scaled down to only about three choices. There are more top undergarments but there are only a few choices. The choices for shirts, pants, skirts and shoes are also vastly scaled down. As usual, the creation of Divas, there isn't much to choose from. However, the skin tones, hair and body creations are much improved. If you really tweak and work with it, you can create something cool.
Creating storylines can be fun. However, it's something else that you have to kind of get the hang of. Do previews and so on to make sure that you're getting things just right.
I gave this 5 stars because of the extras. But if it was for the game I'd give it about 2 stars. This isn't for the casual gamer. And I highly recommend purchasing the Game Guide. It will clear up a lot. But without practice, this game will be frustrating. | video-games_xbox |
A fair warning from an old school Marvel fan: hold onto your credit card. When the word came out about Marvel Nemesis I couldn't help to feel this could be a very promising Marvel game. Who wouldn't? The press release (yeah I should know better) made it look great: 15 or more playable heros from several camps not just one: Avengers, X men, Spiderman and the Thing. So far so good. The team EA put together to produce this game looked good on paper also.
Could this be the game that put some of my favorite Marvel comic heros to life on the screen with a good story line, clean graphics and player models, good sound and a great combat/fighting engine? NO. NO. NO. This is nothing but a brilliant marketing plan that made a few investors some money before the word got out that this game is terrible.
I honestly tried to give this game a chance. I tried it for several hours and it was the biggest disappointment in something that had all the potential to be a great title. If you feel like making a few snickering rich guys richer buy this game so they can take even more more money with them all the way to Switzerland while laughing that they duped you bad.
DO TRUST the reviews out there online. Most of them tell the truth about this game. But before bought it I found ONE review from what appeared to be an old schooler like me. He like me didn't want to spend countless hours memorizing key combos and moves. He wanted to get in the game to play as quickly as possible. He like me didn't want to comb through a player's guide for hours before starting. It made sense.
But heres the truth:
Graphics are horrible. What are these people smoking that give the graphics for this game 4.5 out of 5? From even the online mainstream reviewers.
Sound: Not bad
Playability: Worthless. Repeated scenes. Camera mechanics are horrible!
Shame on you Marvel for allowing this sham to use your label. Your heros should revolt and attack the Marvel building for allowing this junk to promise so much and deliver this mess. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome. Halo 3 is a remarkable game. The story's lost a lot of its originality (go to alien world number 3, blow up Halo number 3), but the campaign regains that sense of... "epicness" that you took from Halo 1. Every level has something unique and fun about it, which means its always fun to go back on Legendary with a friend.
The battles are just massive. Instead of Halo 2's concept of "2 Brutes, an elite, and 3 grunts are plenty!" Halo 3 walks you unsuspectingly into a room filled with 8 brutes, 10 grunts, and 20 bugs. This was intimidating at first, but the health of enemies has been drastically decreased since Halo 2 meaning that you can empty an assault rifle clip into any enemy and you're pretty much guaranteed to kill it.
This brings me to my next point: weapons. Unlike the previous games where you had your pick of the "useless weapons," you know the ones you pick up because you ran out of rockets and can't really kill elites with a pistol so you have to kind of settle on the "better than nothing" needler; Halo 3's arsenal is useful against any and every enemy. The assault rifle from Halo 1, for example, isn't just a means of stunning your enemy until you can get close enough to bash them anymore. It actually takes down 3-4 grunts per clip if you use it correctly. On top of this, there is a new grenade type (stick grenades) that, when thrown, travel in a fairly straight line attaching themselves to whatever they hit. This is useful when attacking vehicles as the arc that the plasma grenades travel in can be hard to calculate. On top of that, there are now "powerups" you can pick up for use in combat. You can carry only one at a time and deploy them at any time using the X button. These powerups include portable plasma shields, trip mines, regenerators (heal your shields quickly), flares which blind your enemies, and several more.
Vehicles! It's just not halo if you can't blow people up with a tank and laugh at them helplessly fly through the air (like genocidal fireworks!). Bungie brings back all of the old classic vehicles (the ghost, the warthog, etc.) and adds several new ones. There's a modified version of the warthog that now carries 5 marines, there are new deadly Covenant "motorcycles" called choppers which can take out an enemy vehicle in one hit if hit head-on, and there's a new ATV version of the warthog as well designed to carry a driver and a passenger (at one point they deploy 5 of these with passangers wielding rocket launchers to take down a scarab tank--FUN!).
Overall a great product and fun game. I understand why people would be disappointed, but I never expected it to live up to its hype. It's still a great game and worthy of at least a rental. | video-games_xbox |
Another Great Entry to the Dynasty Warriors Series. Dynasty Warriors is one of my favorite franchises playing it all the way since Dynasty Warriors 4. The Empires spin-offs have always been better in my opinion, and this game is no exception.
For the graphics, there is nothing special about them. The character models are decent for an early 360 game, but everything else is lacking. The draw distance is especially a problem since you can't see any soldiers that are only a few feet away from you.
There are over 40 characters in this game, each with their own unique fighting style. You have all around characters such as Zhao Yun as well as overpowering bad asses such as Lu Bu. The voice acting for each character is better than past titles, but nothing noteworthy or special about it.
As with all Dynasty Warriors titles, the heart of the game lies in its gameplay. Similar to other titles of the series, your goal is to hack and slash your way to victory, However, victory lies in connecting your main camp to your opponents. This can be done by taking over bases as well as defeating officers along the way. Even though this is seen as repetitive, it has allot of strategy since there are multiple routes you can take on the battlefield.
The main mode is Empire mode, which has you picking a ruler and guiding your army to take over all of China. It is broken up into two phases. The strategic mode is where you enact various policies such as replenishing the troops in your army, forging alliances, creating tactics, etc. Having this really feels like you're in control and are able to forge your own destiny however you would like to. You also have to think about each choice you make as it costs resources (a.k.a. gold).
Overall, this is a great experience. There is allot of strategy and depth when it comes to the Empire mode. As always, the best way to play this game is with a friend. It is even more fun when you are conquering China together as a team. My only complaints are the draw distance and the somewhat sluggish feel compared to the newer titles. However, I'd certainly recommend this to Dynasty Warriors fans as well as fans of tactical gameplay. | video-games_xbox |
It could have been much better. Far Cry 2 does not have anything in the least to do with the first Far Cry, which is okay but worth mentioning. This game isn't perfect, but none are, and it won't appeal to everyone. It is very realistic in its approach to combat, no crosshairs, weapon malfunctions, realistic load times and procedures, all great. The variety of weapons is nice, as are the possible uses.
A small note on weapon malfunctions and jams. You will often get weapon malfunctions when using enemy pick ups. I have seen it described as being unrealistic that an AK would jam, malfunction or destroy themselves after a few hundred round. Many of the weapons used by such groups in Africa have been used, carried, and abused for years and many thousands of rounds already. I have seen a large number of bent, broken and otherwise unhealthy small arms in several African counties. AKs, G3s, and FALs are amazingly rugged and reliable weapons but they are machines and with too much use and abuse they do fail.
The physics are quite nice, and its really nice to watch a fire you start burn its way across the plains. The shadows and lighting is great, but can be distracting. It is often times hard to find enemies shooting at you with the huge amount of shadows drifting about. Which again is fairly realistic, but will annoy players who are use to having little red dots to tell them where to shoot. The detail on the weapons themselves is also nice, though the designers have mirrored several of the models. I think they did this to add more detail and action to the weapons themselves. All of the weapons in the game have their bolts on the right and would eject that way. Not a bit deal but something that takes away from the illusion, at least for me.
The enemies are normally pretty smart (annoyingly so at times) and will try to take advantage of numbers and flanking, and usually even cover. Its not perfect but they offer a challenge, though a number of them seem to have eagle vision and have gone to several sniper schools before returning home to Africa to fight. By which I mean they are very good at hitting you with rifle fire from several hundred yards away, through cover and while running. The enemies in technicals also have an annoying habit of creeping up on you before unloading a light machine gun into your back.
There are two things that very much take away from the game in my opinion. The vehicles are a bit annoying but needed, driving is handled poorly and its hard to see where you are going often. A lot of the missions seems to require you to get in your car, drive across four maps, hit your target and then come back. During that trip though you will constantly be under fire from every person in the whole area. Every check point, every dock, every road, random people will be there to shoot at you. When you factor in the enemies ability to make remarkable shots and take massive amounts of damage, its gets old fast. The difficult levels are pretty out of whack. Easy may mean it is the easiest setting in this game, but it by means easy to play through. The story is rather lacking, though realistic, its sparse. Which suits the game well enough.
Another annoyance is that you contract malaria as soon as the game begins. Why anyone would go to Africa without getting their Doxycycline out of the way first is dumb. Your main character could also be in a bit better shape, getting blurry eyed and wheezy after even a short sprint. I suppose this can be forgiven since he apparently does have malaria after all. Small gripes for me but ones I am willing to live with.
I recommend this game as a rental, but if you turn out to enjoy it and not mind the short comings then pick it up. There is nothing worse than to drop your hard earned cash on a game to find it annoys you to no end. Plenty of shooting, burning and explosions, how could you go wrong? Be sure you are willing to deal with the annoyances and often dying.
(UPDATE) After several days of play I have to say I am getting utterly sick of the totally tedious nature of this game. The endless amounts of driving to get a mission done, just to drive across the entire map again and get another one is unnecessary. It is true there is a 'bus system' but you still have to travel from the stations to your targets. Add to this fact that from getting your mission and getting to your target sight you will get in at least five gun fights is ridiculous. Then when this is added to the save system and the rebels later heavy armament, you waste a huge amount of time to accomplish nothing. I have to move my recommendation to a rental on this one, if at all. Too bad though, there is a lot of promise in this title. | video-games_xbox |
The game that MURDERED my childhood memories of this franchise. I had heard from a friend recently about Sonic the hedgehog (Sonic 06) and how bad it was. I haven't played a Sonic game since Sonic Adventure, and I grew up with the original series on the Sega Genesis. In fact, Sonic 2 was one of the first games I owned...so I had fond memories of this series, although I had been oblivious to the development of more recent titles.
I couldn't believe that it could be THAT bad, so I ended up purchasing a copy for 5 dollars at a local swap meet to sate my curiosity. This would turn out to be the worst 5 dollars I ever spent. After playing the game for about four hours, I couldn't take any more. Rather than continue playing it, I turned to youtube to watch and see if the ending was any better...as I simply did not want to play any more of it myself.
From a gameplay perspective, Sonic team truly botched this attempt. The camera is horrible, and controlling Sonic has never felt more sickening. Sonic can no longer rev up for a speed boost, and his movements feel jittery. Because of poor control, dying is common and frustrating because of the game's absolutely absurd loading times. I would predict about 10% of this game's length could be entirely loading screens...no joke.
The presentation is equally horrid. There's a lot of bad level design here, as even the hub worlds are way too big and difficult to navigate. Sonic and his friends are all here, poorly rendered and animated. Disturbingly, Sonic team decided to place these odd, furry, mascots alongside realistic looking human beings. If that weren't bad enough, Sonic even has a "romantic" relationship with one of these humans. The contrast here is jarring, and somewhat disturbing.
The story is absolutely insipid and the entire thing feels like bad fan fiction. The only fortunate thing is that the ending, which I looked up online, completely retcons the entirety of the game as if Sonic team knew before the game was complete that they wanted this to be forgotten.
In summation: Obnoxious controls, extremely long load times, a poor save feature that can make you lose lots of progress, bad level design, horrible presentation, awful story, and a literally forgettable ending...
Yeah...this game is horrible. One of the worst games ever. Period. If you were a fan of Sonic in the old days, this game will only destroy your fondness for the franchise.
I've been told games like Sonic Generations are better. Stay far away from this game, though. | video-games_xbox |
Good story, but you have to WORK for it. After playing this game I generally felt that I liked it, mostly because of the story and characters in the game. But the mechanics of the game made it seem more like work than play.
Pros:
- The style of non-photo-realistic graphics rendering is quite nice.
- Outdoor scenes are particularly well done.
- Good story with a twist at the end. Also I liked the character development in this game more than I have with other mindless first-person shooters. I think the game designers really put a lot of effort into creating characters that you are interested in. This is what mainly motivates you to get through the game.
- The in-game access to the computers in the game environment is nicely done. They implement a tiny desktop interface that you can navigate with your virtual mouse cursor. Little bits like this add to the immersion of the game.
- Allies that follow you seem to do a pretty decent job of path finding, and are smart enough to go for the health kit when they find one.
Cons:
- It isn't always clear if you are going to be in a situation where the enemy will respawn infinitely or whether there are just lots of enemies but a finite number. The only thing you can do is to kill everyone and wait to see if they respawn. This takes you completely out of the immersive experience the game designers try so hard to create.
- Takes way too many retries to get through. In actuality the game is pretty short (about 10 hours) but in reality you get killed and have to restart so many times it really seems to take for ever to get through it.
- Saves are only possible after each very very lengthy level. Although you can restart from a checkpoint, you can't save at that checkpoint.
- Psychic powers are less fun to wield than in psi-ops. After a while the game felt more like work than play.
- Whereas psi-ops leaned too heavily toward the use of telekinesis, this game leaned too heavily toward stealth whereby the player either becomes invisible or projects their aura to take over other people. These are really not as fun as being able to levitate and throw people around. The telekinesis power in this game is also not as well implemented as in psi-ops. In psi-ops you really get the feeling that you are levitating something and throwing it- like in the movies. In Second Sight it feels like you are controlling the X,Y,Z translation with your joystick like you would with a poorly implemented CAD package. | video-games_xbox |
Well constructed but has flaws. I bought this controller because the last controller I bought wore out pretty quickly. Although I rarely used my previous one, (which I bought from WalMart for only a little cheaper than this one) the buttons wore out in such a way that you had to press them extremely hard to get them to work. Next, the retractable coil made the controller stop functioning so that my control would cut in and out.
So I bought this one because I wanted to have a reliable and well made product. This xbox control is well made. The buttons appear to be very durable. I can't believe that when I press the buttons, it actually works. I like to play Madden on PC. Before I could not get off a good field goal attempt or punt because of the buttons sticking. Now I can.
The installation was easy. I plugged it into my computer and it immediately and automatically installed the required drivers.
I do have a couple of gripes though:
1) When I plug into Madden, the configuration is off. I knew going into this that since on this control I have A, B, X, Y instead of 1,2,3,4. That is no problem. I don't mind this at all. I could get used to it. But the problem I have is that the analog sticks are not configured for this game at all. On my other control, I could use the right analog as the truck stick. The analog sticks are also used for assisting in calling audibles and hot routes for receivers. You had to press the analog stick in a certain direction for different commands. Now I cannot do that. There is no option to configure this.
Basically, the start and select buttons are reversed with the analog sticks. So if I press down (I don't mean the direction "down", but pressing it like a button-- in) on the analog sticks they function as start and select. I have to use the start and select buttons in place of analog sticks and that doesn't work for madden. You cannot change the start or select configurations either. So it kind of ruins the madden game. I'm not sure if this is a madden problem or controller problem.
2) While playing Mike Tyson's Punch out on Nintendo Emulator, the directional pad has a lot of trouble moving out of the way of punches. So I guess I am not 100 % pleased with the manuverability of the directional pad. The way it is designed does not make for easy directional movement.
But for the most part I am pleased with this controller. I mainly use it for playing nintendo emulator games and I only need 2 buttons for that. And I think that this controller will hold up far longer than my previous one. Didn't cost too much money either. | video-games_xbox |
Requires more thought than your average jumper-gatherer. Blinx is an XBox game which reaches into the FOURTH dimension - the dimension of time. Use rewind, pause, and record to help solve puzzles and get through levels.
First, the regular gameplay. You're Blinx, a cat that falls in love with a human princess on a doomed planet. As part of the 'time cleanup squad', you head in to vacuum up loose time crystals and to kill off time monsters. There are 10 levels, each made up of distinct stages and a boss.
There's the normal arcady leaping, jumping, shooting of enemies. You look for secret cat-symbols to unlock little videos for fun. What adds an extra element of puzzle-solving is the fact that you can use time as well as skills to get to objects.
Gathering combinations of crystals gives you the temporary ability to work with time. You can slow down, pause, fast forward, rewind or record time for short periods. So say you're walking to a bridge, and you watch as it collapses in front of you. No problem - just stand in front of the bridge and activate your 'rewind' skill. The bridge will go back to its crossable state, and you can cross quickly before time heads forwards again and it re-collapses.
The ability is fun, but there are only distinct areas where you really use it. You see a broken statue, you rebuild it to get to something just above it. Or maybe you rebuild a fallen arch to get through to what was beyond. If there's a spot that requires two buttons to be pushed simultaneously, you record yourself pushing one button, and then play back the recording while you push the other one. For general gameplay, 'pausing' your enemies can be helpful, but you tend just to jump and attack to get through levels.
The graphics are very nice, with the water-ripple effects being very well done. That seems to be true for just about every new generation game, though - something which was once a startling achievement is now almost expected to look realistic. The characters are a bit cutesy, but no more so than Mario or many other jumping-games out there.
On the down side, the bosses can be really nasty and you can't progress to the next level until you get through one. You have a set 10 minute time limit on each section. This can be fine for adult gamers, but the younger ones may be too stressed and unable to complete levels, meaning they are stuck at that point. I've heard a lot of complaints about the camera system. I really didn't find it hard to use at all - it seemed quite intuitive - but maybe with the volume of games I play I get used to the variety of camera styles out there.
Generally a good game, requiring more thought than the average jumper-gatherer game. If it's for a younger-than-teenager, I'd make sure an adult is around to help out with the puzzles and more complex parts, so the player isn't frustrated early and stuck at a standstill. | video-games_xbox |
An excellent controller....with a very annoying flaw. Coming off a long relationship with the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Logitech-Rumblepad-2-Vibration-Feedback-Gamepad/dp/B0002XJBG4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Logitech Rumblepad 2 Vibration Feedback Gamepad</a> I felt it was time for a change. So many controllers available, most were garbage, pure eye-candy but lacking that functionality most gamers prefer. A trip to Microcenter yielded the 360 Controller for Windows. I was really excited to get my hands on it and tear through those gaming genres I haunt the most.
Opening the package I discovered my first gripe about the controller: you're paying the sticker price for an adapter. If you already have a 360 controller, you can use it in conjunction with the 6" USB cable adapter since it seperates from the actual 360 Windows controller cable itself. Money lost, lesson learned, but this really won't deter most buyers.
Overall, I was really pleased with it's performance: an excellent feel, button placements, response, since it's still a 360 console controller there's not much to expect out of the ordinary.
...that is...until Need for Speed came into play.
I've been a faithful NFS gamer since the very first title back in 1994 and this may just be an isolated incident, but, I really wish I purchased another Logitech Rumble strictly for racing games. Twitchy response on the digital pad is putting it lightly as it seems to happen to ANY racing game I endeavor. With the Sensitivity settings at "0" the slightest graze or feather touch of my thumb across the D-Pad results in a unreasonable turn in that direction in-game. Bear in mind, it's TOO sensitive, most controllers can't reproduce this and their dead-zones are way off but this is too much even for what I need it for. I spend most of my time weaving in and out [45 turns or more] of that perfect line I'm trying to ride during races. If it were an obstacle course or a driving exam with road cones spaced apart I'd be king but in NFS:U, for instance, I hit more traffic than I do that perfect line.
Again, this could be an isolated incident, but I've tried multiple systems and toyed with the settings of the controller numerous times, even opting for controller emulation to further fine tune the sensitivity to anything other then "hair-trigger", no luck. Third-person adventures and fighting games [Tomb Raider, the DMC and/or Dynasty Warriors series] don't exhibit the same behavior, FPS do but only once in awhile. It's strictly limited to racing/driving games and, unfortunately, this equates to lost time and positions during races. Not good.
I'd recommend this controller to other gamers only the grounds that the first sign of this same erratic steering you promptly return it to the retail outlet you purchased it from, or buy a Rumble, even a steering wheel setup. | video-games_xbox |
Finally a fun Action Air Combat shoot'em up for PC's. Finally we have a decent, and really a fun Air action combat game for PC's. I have been waiting for such a title since the days of the orginal Crimson Sky. After the first PC based Crimson Sky all its sequels were console based and the famous modern day Ace Combat series was also released exclusively for consoles. Now we finally have a modern day PC version of these Air action combat games to look forward too in HAWX and the game delivers. I hope like the Ace Combat series HAWX will thrive and spawn sequels.
The game is pure ardelanin inducing FUN. It's fast, furious and frantic in its aerial gameplay. The missions so far have been top gun movie style air combat, air-to-ground assualts, air-to-sea action and usually culminates in a combination of all these in the finale of the mission. The sattelite imagery used in this game cleary adds to the realistic looks of this game. Sometime when flying over different cities it almost feels like I was looking out of a plane in real life. The fighther planes are rendered in great details as well as the realistic standard and special effects used in the fights are almost movie like. I also expirienced no fps or lag issues at all in any of the sharp turns, steep climbs or dives and fast bombing runs. All of this combines to give almost a movie like dog-fight expirience.
This game is kind of cross between a single player game and an rpg game. You actually level or gain levels in this game just like a rpg. As you destory enemey targets you gain xp which total to subsquent increase in your levels. The more level you gains the more fighter planes gets unlocked. As you can see I am a RPG fan too so being able to level in a single player game and gaining new capabilities in my view broadens the gaming expirience of the game than to just completing one mission after another. There is a element of what awaits me at the next level (like an rpg) which gives an added incentive to play the game. Hopefully one day an MMORPG might be made out of these kind of Aerial Air Combat games by a reputable company wich will be a dream come true for me.
They are tons of modern day such as F-18's, F-16's, F-15's as well as fifth generation fighter planes like Euro-typhoon, F-22, F-35 etc. and sixth generation protype planes available to play over your flying career with this game. Each of these planes not only offer marked differences in performance but some planes offers a more varied kind of weapons payload which sometime makes a critical difference in destroying multiple targets at one go in a dogfight or be able to carpet bomb an enemy using cluster bombs in addition to normal guided bombs etc. For example I was stuck at a mission for some time with the recomended plane (A-5) which is a ground bomber and had very limited air-to-air. However the mission had massive ground forces to fight as well as constant fighter planes and helos coming to dog-fight and th A-5 was slow to manevour overall especially in dog-fights plus only could handle one target at a time that I was just not able to hold back the enemy forces. Only after gaining few levels I was able to unlock F-111-E which is a lot more manevourable, balanced ground attack as well as decent air-to-air with multiple aerial target acquisition capability that I was able to use to progress beyond that mission. So the ability to know and be able to choose from different planes might make huge difference in progressing or being stuck with a mission. Thats kind of realistic in my view.
This being said the game as you may have ascertained is an arcade stlyle action air combat game and not a simulator. It's designed for people who like to get in the midst of all the action without the need to master a 500 page manual before one can even take off the ground let alone deal with the mind-numbing realistic aspects of flying. I mean that aspect is good for players who like realistic simulators and they have lots of games to look forward too but quality PC based Air combat games for PC's are far and few inbetween. This game adds to this genre and will satisfy PC based arcade style air combat action fans. Some of have commented where is Tom Clancy in this game since its not ultra-realistic simulator. Well once you get going in your campaign you will see Tom Clancy touches there. The mission are written, setup and unfolds in a very Tom Clancy way.
The game also has a Team Deathmatch multiplayer mode for upto 8 players for about 14 or so maps. I haven't yet tried my mettle against other players but in time i will and update my review but the thought of having these kinds of ardenalin rushing air combat with other players in my view will only increase the value and fun factor of this game.
I liked the game and hopefully others will too. Highly recomended. | video-games_xbox |
incredible game. I own many games for both the original xbox and the xbox 360, but there's none that I really enjoy as much as the original Mercenaries. Although it is an older game now, it still, in my opinion, can hold up to anything these run-n'-gun game producers release nowadays. And here's why:
-destructiveness... anything that is "man-made" that can be found in the game can also be destroyed. How you'll do it is limited only by your imagination.
-background... the sequence of events that brings whichever Mercenary you play as to the bombed out, wartorn, and divided Korean peninsula are fictional, but give out a sense of "it could happen". The war-movie music, the impenetrable fog of war and the bombed out Korean landscape extend the seriousness of the conflict to the player, and sets the foundation for intriguing gameplay. The unique situation created by the game's conflict includes five factions, four of which the player can work for, all with different initiatives.
-realism... okay, while Mercs wasn't intended to be a military simulation, and while it isn't a first person shooter, it is fairly realistic as far as environment and objects go, so long as you don't use any cheats. The game's vehicle, character and weapon models are pretty good copies of their real-life counterparts,the environment is a well done representation of a war-torn North Korea, and as far as missions go, you won't be asked to do anything that is scientifically impossible. Nothing that can be found throughout the provinces really seems out of place, keeping true to the war-movie seriousness of the game.
-controls... the controls, while they may take some getting-used-to, are complete and allow the player to do just about anything. The vehicle controls are superior to any other free-roam games I have played, as they allow me to call in passengers, make passengers get out, get out while the passengers remain in the vehicle, or get out and the passengers exit with me. In addition, you can choose to subdue or capture rather than kill every bad guy you see, making the game that much more fun.
-extra features... Mercenaries has alot of awesome features that really complete it. Perhaps the best is the online Mafia shop, where you can order vehicles, supplies, or airstrikes and have them delivered to you. Others include mini-missions, the chop shop, cheat codes, outfits, and items wanted by different factions that can be found throughout the map.
-graphics... while the game's graphics have aged a bit since its release, they are still something for its creators to be proud of. When Mercs first came out, its graphics were top of the line, if not ahead of its time. While they aren't even in the same league as many of the newest xbox 360 games, they are good enough that, even with the advanced graphics that gamers today are used to, Mercenaries is still a highly enjoyable game.
Overall, Mercenaries is amazing. While it doesn't feature a real "storyline", or at least one that pertains to the playable Mercenaries, it provides an environment along with the tools to have alot of destructive fun. Anyone that can pride a game for more than just its graphics or its multiplayer options should play the original Mercenaries. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic wheel, okay pedals. I'm using this on my PC. Setup was very easy - go to the Thrustmaster website and download / install the drivers. With Race Room Racing Experience this was all that was needed - the wheel worked perfectly. With Assetto Corsa, you'll need to go into the controller setup in the game and assign the various controls, after which it works great. This is simply a fantastic wheel, very solid and the force feedback couldn't be better. I've got a Logitech G29 (which costs twice as much as this) and although it's much fancier and has a leather wrapped wheel, the actual functionality of this TMX is every bit as good. Force feedback is smooth and operation is nice and quiet.
My only quibble is with the pedals - they're your typical plastic things just like the Logitech Driving Force GT. There are 8 rubber feet on the bottom of the pedal unit, and although they seem like they stick nicely to a bare floor or carpeting, once you're driving and press down hard on the brakes - lifting up the back of the pedal unit - it will slide forward. I like the Logitech units better as they've got a drop-down "comb" which engages with the carpeting and holds it in place. This Thrustmaster unit only has the rubber feet. Also, I was rather interested in the 3 positions that the pedals could be adjusted to; I though I'd be able to set them higher or lower, allowing me to not have to have my left foot bent back at a ninety degree angle hovering over the brake pedal. However, the "adjustability" is just the ability to take out the screws holding the plastic pedals in place and rotate them 180 degrees, thereby making them more or less slanted. The pedals will still be at the same height, the pads you put your feet on will just be at different angles.
But as I say, that's just a quibble. The pedals are perfectly adequate and the steering wheel itself is excellent. You'll get a great feel for all your racing games on PC or Xbox with this unit. | video-games_xbox |
The Depths of Bioterror. Originally debuting for the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012, Resident Evil: Revelations makes its long awaited appearance in full HD for the consoles.
----------
Story: The events of Resident Evil: Revelations are actually set in 2005, between the events of Resident Evil 4 in autumn 2004, and the main events of Resident Evil 5 in March 2009 (and also before RE5's DLC episode "Lost in Nightmares", which took place in 2006). It is around the time when former S.T.A.R.S. members Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine first helped co-found the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A.) to curb the appearance of bioweaponry in illegal markets.
From Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, you might know the BSAA as that elite, quick-response military group that is sent in to neutralize bioterror outbreaks all over the world. But here in Revelations, the BSAA are still a younger organization with only a few select members under private advisory status. The game chronicles the early organization's investigation that spans various areas of the Mediterranean basin to uncover the truth behind the destruction of a floating city, and to track down a mysterious new terrorist group called "Veltro", who once planned to contaminate 1/5th of the world's waters using their newly created T-Abyss Virus.
Revelations' story is divided into mostly sequential episodes, making you feel like you're watching a television series, which is an interesting new take for an RE narrative. (It reminded me, by the way, of another episodic horror game I've recently played, Alan Wake.) Some episodes also have different subsections, where you play as a different character in another location, or you're playing through earlier events in a brief flashback. It might be a tad disorienting at first to be playing as a certain character, and then suddenly to be playing as someone else or in a different location, but it should all still tie in together by the episode's end.
----------
Gameplay: Revelations uses an over-the-shoulder camera perspective that has been a staple in the series since Resident Evil 4. Movement is also more similar to the controls of RE4 and RE5 as opposed to the 360 degree controls of RE6. Melee attack prompts also only appear for stunned enemies, likening it again to 4 and 5 and differentiating it from 6's free melee. Caution is still suggested however when trying to get close to melee your enemies, as not always will a melee prompt seem to appear even when an enemy looks stunned. It seemed easier to pull of melee combos even in 4 and 5 than Revelations.
I liked that they re-included the ability to move while shooting and reloading, but I must note that it is different from RE6's. Revelations' is more like strafing. Here in Revelations, you have to hold the left trigger while you're aiming in order to move your character, but they still cannot change the direction of their aim while doing so. At least in 6, you can change your aiming direction (up, down, left, right, etc.) all while walking and not having to press another button, so I did like 6's gunplay more.
There is also a dodge feature, but it's more like RE3's dodge mechanic where you can only perform it when an enemy is just about to attack you. It can be tricky to learn, and I'm still trying to get better at it. But I also still preferred RE6's dodge system, where you can dive out of the way more on command instead of having to wait for your enemy to attack you.
(By the way, Revelations does have its own Public Demo, which I used to learn its controls, but please note that Revelations' XB 360 demo is only available on Xbox Live to those who have a Gold membership. I only had Silver, so I unfortunately had to use my one month trial even just to download it. I wonder if this was another one of Microsoft's cheap ways to try to promote Gold memberships. :/ )
The most common enemies found in Revelations are called the Ooze, which have been infected by what is known as the T-Abyss virus. The T-Abyss is a mostly aquatic virus, so it turns most of its victims into B.O.W.s that are somewhat amphibious in nature. Their flexible bodies allows them to slip in and out of tight areas such as ventilation ducts that the player cannot go through, which somewhat adds to their creepiness whenever they make some of their sudden appearances. In addition to the Ooze and their variations, the T-Abyss virus has also created other aquatic-based enemies and bosses. Particularly, there is even one new type of enemy that was made for Revelations' console versions that wasn't present in the original 3DS version.
Perhaps the most notable new gameplay element in Revelations is a new item known as the Genesis Scanner. This handy little device can detect items that cannot be normally found with the naked eye. The Genesis can also scan the remains of the enemies you defeat, and whenever you reach 100% scan data on the Genesis, it'll reward you with a healing herb. Don't forget to scan regularly with the Genesis; it might just help you out when you're looking for that last bit of ammo or healing item, especially on Infernal difficulty, which can be really challenging. It is also mindful to remember that enemies in Revelations no longer drop ammo as in RE4, 5, and 6, so already this game requires a slightly different approach when handling enemies.
You can find various customization kits which contain parts you can use to upgrade your weapons in the ways you choose. The upgrades are actually not permanent, as you could always choose which parts to add on or remove, and place them on different weapons. There are also item boxes located in some parts of the ship that you can use to store items you don't need and switch them with items you want/have to use. (I thought it would've been an even better nod to the earlier REs if they somehow reincorporated typewriters and ink ribbons of some kind, but the reinclusion of some sort of storage box was interesting enough.)
Raid Mode is the new mini game featured in Revelations. One to two players can fight their way in various maps based from locations in the main game that now have new enemy layouts. Completing various objectives in Raid Mode can unlock new costumes for certain characters in the mode. Raid also has a leveling system, where the higher your level is, the stronger your firearm power and character defenses will be, as well as the more new weapons in Raid you will have access to once your level matches that weapon's level.
----------
Graphics and Sound: Although the Nintendo 3DS is pretty powerful for a handheld system, of course it's still not in the same league as the home consoles. As such, Revelations looks much better for the main systems. What used to be blurry or fuzzy textures in the 3DS version now appears much sharper and clearer in HD. Revelations' music is also hauntingly beautiful, especially in the more elegantly decorated rooms, and every piece brings out that area of the ship more to life.
----------
Cons and Pros:
My personal cons:
-I found a few of the controls to sometimes have been a bit uncooperative. You can tell that this used to be a 3DS game. I also wished that they reincluded having the option of using a laser pointer for your weapons and not just a crosshair/targeting reticule. And once again, I did prefer RE6's gunplay, dodge, and melee system more than Revelations', and going from 6's controls to Revelations' controls felt like a slight downgrade.
-Your character, it seems, cannot run that fast in this game, making it a little annoying if you're trying to evade your enemies to conserve ammo. Even in RE1, 2, and 3 it seemed that your character could run faster than in Revelations. Especially with Jill, it looks more like she's only walking fast rather than truly running. But then again, there would be little room to "run" in these narrow hallways of the ship, so I guess that sort of makes sense.
-A little short. I was able to complete the main game in about 8 hours. Then there's Raid mode, but after that and the main story, there's not that much other things left to do. This game didn't have quite as much replay value as I initially hoped, but it's still a good game and I would still go back to it from time to time. Luckily, I was able to borrow a copy from my local library first since I was unsure about buying it at full launch price.
-Slightly lacking in enemy diversity/variety. Revelations only has about a dozen different common enemies. In fact, there is even one type of Ooze (the Chunk Ooze) that looks and functions almost identically to one of the J'avo mutations (Telo-Explozija) in Resident Evil 6.
-In the main campaign, you are followed and assisted by a CPU controlled partner, but they cannot be controlled by a second player, and there is no co-op option for the main game. (Some might disagree with this being a con.)
-It might get tedious and time consuming to feel like you have to scan every side and corner of every room. It was also a little funny how some items are at first invisible, but you cannot see them or pick them up until after you scan them.
-I usually don't mind backtracking that much to search for a key/important item, etc., but I thought the game could've provided just slightly better hints as to where they were. The lengths and times you had to go when searching for said item could've also been a little tightened.
-No infinite ammo options for most of the weapons in the game. The only infinite ammo weapon is the infinite rocket launcher, which can be unlocked when the game is completed in Infernal difficulty, but that's it.
-No chapter select. You can't go back and replay specific parts of the main game that you want to. You have to replay the whole story sequentially right from the very beginning.
-No option in the main menu to be able to watch the cutscenes separately.
-(Not really a true con, but it seems like there might be more who think it is, so I'll just place it here for now.) Revelations overall still feels like an adventure game, as it has its own action-like scenes closer to the ending. And as with many stories in video games, it also has a big turning point. There's still more ammo to be found lying around compared to RE1, 2, and 3. You will also still be doing a fair amount of shooting and combat in this game, so just know that these will be there. But many of RE's boss fights have been rather faster-paced and action-like anyway, and RE has always had rather big, dramatic endings. Plus, I never saw the RE series as just pure horror alone, so I was personally okay with all of this.
My personal pros:
+The slower-paced, more mysterious horror returns. Although Revelations has its own share of action-like scenes as you get closer to the game's turning point and ending, much of the earlier parts of the game really try to recapture those atmospheric settings set by the earlier RE titles.
+The graphics are much sharper and clearer compared to the original 3DS version.
+Very unique setting of exploring an abandoned cruise ship.
+More puzzles, and they're just about right. I didn't find them too simple or too challenging.
+Even though Revelations only has about a dozen different common enemies, which is likely less than what most other RE games have had, the enemies it does have are more aquatic, as opposed to the mostly land-based B.O.W.s in many of the other RE games, making Revelations' enemies still somewhat more unique.
+Parker Luciani and Jessica Sherawat make worthy partners in this game for Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield respectively, with Parker being my favorite new character in Revelations.
+It feels like you're watching a television series since the story is episodic. Plus, there were many surprising and shocking plot twists.
+RE: Revelations makes many references to Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, one of the greatest ever pieces of western literature.
+The weapons customization system seems a little more integrated.
+Infernal mode is really challenging, as it changes item placement, and some rooms/areas that may have been empty of enemies in lower modes could now be full of them. You'll be relying on the Genesis Scanner even more, and you'd have to choose more carefully which weapons are right for your next situation as well as which upgrades would seem best for which weapons.
+Like Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil: Revelations HD is supported by resident evil.net, a completely free web-based service designed to enhance your experiences with the game. Participate in various online events to earn RE points, which can then be used to buy items from the site that you can send to your game.
----------
Overall: I admit that having just come from Resident Evil 6, it did feel a little weird going back to a single main campaign. But bioterrorism hadn't exactly gone global just yet in this title, so for this story, I didn't mind exploring one general area. And when I first learned several months ago that Revelations was coming to the consoles, I was also a tad apprehensive at first that its events take place many years ago, but we're just learning about them now. And because of that, it felt like it was an archived side story that was for some reason kept secret for so long.
But what I still have to commend Revelations most for is its reattempting of more of those dark and atmospheric settings that were most prevalent in the earlier REs. Of the modern, main series RE games, Revelations perhaps has the closest to the slower-paced horror of the classic RE titles, at least definitely in much of the earlier parts of the game. I also thought exploring an abandoned ocean liner made for quite an interesting and unique new setting. I personally actually didn't find Revelations to be that scary. I guess fighting B.O.W.s comes easy to most of us by now, compared to the early history of RE, and B.O.W.s are getting more commonplace even at this point in the main RE timeline. But more of those creepy-looking settings in this game were still a really nice touch and throwback.
If you're still on the fence about it, see if you can first borrow a copy from your local game store or library. Especially if you don't have a 3DS and weren't able to get it during its first release, I still recommend it however. It's not a completely perfect port over, but it's still a pretty good game for its scope. Revelations for the consoles is possibly the best version of it you can find.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In retrospect: Somehow, I've come to appreciate all the other main REs more than ever before now that I've played through Revelations. I recently also decided to replay RE1, 2, and 3 on my PS1 emulator, and they still have their own charm even after all of these years. It was nice to take a step back and relive the earlier events of the series history, and to see how far the characters have come since their rookie days and all that they've been through, as well as how much their worlds have changed greatly since they first ever fought bioweaponry.
Now that there are so many different main series Resident Evil games, how might you ask Revelations stacks in my book? I actually still like the stories of RE1, 2, and 3 a bit more than Revelations, with 2 being my favorite of the earlier REs, but I do prefer Revelations' more modern features. I don't think I really want to go back to fixed camera positions or dated controls. But I at least found Revelations to be more enjoyable than Code Veronica.
As for the other newer REs, if I feel like I'm more in the mood for a slower, more mysterious horror, I play Revelations, maybe even 4. If I want to go on a B.O.W. extermination spree, I play 5. If I want all of them all in one game, I play 6. I think it's great that we have so many different RE games to fit our moods and tastes. It has certainly been a grand journey fighting the horrors of B.O.W.s in unique locations the world over alongside these characters for many years. | video-games_xbox |
Big hits highlight this addictive title with subpar graphics. An NFL Blitz approach to hockey. An interesting and intriguing idea that could have been great. Don't get me wrong, NHL Hitz is an excellent game, but not enough time was put into the graphics. It made me feel like I was playing a Dreamcast game. Without further adieu, here's the review.
Gameplay: Fun, fast paced, and exaggerated. Hitz is no NHL 2002. The rink is tiny (Think Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey). Getting from one side of the rink to the other can be accomplished in about two seconds using turbo. It makes for "don't blink" excitement. The best part of the game is that it really brings out the violence in hockey. When you hit someone or get hit the controller rattles and the player get thrown into the glass or onto his back. For a couple times every game you can take out your frustrations on the other team by fighting. During fights it switches to a Knockout Kings like setup where you can high punch, low punch, duck, block, etc. The loser is out for the rest of the game. Great touches. The problem with the gameplay for me is that you will get some football like scores. Goals are scored every couple of seconds and goalies actually make the save about half the time. I've had my share of 20-15 games.
Graphics:
You want to show off your brand new X-Box to a friend? Don't show them NHL Hitz. It's disgrace to all X-Box games everywhere in the graphics department. Honestly, NHL 2K2 for Sega Dreamcast has better graphics than Hitz. For some people the look of a game doesn't matter, it all comes down to how fun it is. I wouldn't disagree, but when a game with bad graphics is made by Midway Sports (NBA Jam, Blitz, Slugfest), it takes away any feeling of realism what so ever and you can't really get into it.
Sound:
The sound in NHL Hitz is solid. Not outstanding, but not bad either. It can't say created player names like in NHL 2002, but you can pick a nickname, which adds a nice touch. Not as good as being able to say the name, but not as bad as saying "Number 7" or "The Center". The menu music is where it incorporates the soundtrack feature. When you can customize the soundtrack, what's to complain about? I wish more games would follow in its footsteps and let users customize the music. Play-by-play isn't great, but it gets the job done. It has the same sounding announcers as Blitz if you've ever played that.
Presentation/Features:
NHL Hitz 20-02 has more features than all of its previous "one mode" games combined. You can create your own team of players customizing everything from the goalie's foot length to the center's cartoon looking face. It's Midway's first shot at a Franchise mode and not a bad one at all. My biggest complaint about the Franchise mode would have to be it's difficulty level. It's so easy a small child could be successful at it. The game itself is presented nicely. Introductions are humorous and include players blocking each other in the spotlight and losing control and sliding into one-another. Game speed can be customized as can difficulty. In exhibition mode, you can earn tokens for your triumphs and buy things like alternate jerseys and secret stadiums with them. A great addition but sadly not an original one. Overall, NHL Hitz 20-02 an outstanding, unrealistic, and enjoyable game with flawed graphics and addicting gameplay. Enough said.
Recap:
Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 2
Sound: 7
Presentation: 8
Overall: 6 | video-games_xbox |
have both this and polk 4shot. Also vs premium non chat sets. the adapter alone is 25$ so adding these to it makes them 55$ and end of the day, a 50$ headset is about what you are getting here. They are bulky, ulgy, rigid, the cups are of average quality(not made of faux leather) and the quality is again, average. The sound lacks punch, sounds hissy, thin, generally cheap and not premium. To its credit, the cups are big and will encompass your ears better then the polk. At the price I guess, can hardly complain.
As I mentioned, i also grabbed the Polk 4shot and for the price increase, the audio is noticeably better, the connecting wire is detachable, the cups are made of a faux leather that's pretty comfortable. The audio can still sound tin like, thin but not nearly to the degree of the microsoft ones. I can't say those are worth the price increase, it is double the price and to each their own on the value vs price front there but all that said, they are in fact undeniably better sounding and better made. I tried the polk before the Microsoft ones and was frankly disappointed in them, their value rose once I tried the Microsoft ones.
My one big complaint on the Microsoft ones would be the connecting wire is not removable from the headset. That wire itself is flimsy so if it gets damaged, the headset is rendered useless. This was a dumb move obviously and just adds to the cheap feel of it. There is occasional static and again I think that's more a product of again the adaptor much more then the headsets.
I have a set of polk audio ultra focus 8000 noise cancelling cans(goes for 300$ these days, I paid more) as well. The general quality was a very noticeable step up but end of the day, wasn't as good as what the set can produce. There was much more punch, clarity, not nearly as thin, could pick up many more sounds but in comparison to what I've seen this set deliver, it wasn't fully utilizing the set's capacity and it was obvious. End of the day, I think the stereo adapter is a very limiting factor here. It's just not delivering a very high quality of sound, by comparison the audio delivered thru the ps4 dual shock controller on a ps4 felt better. I have shure se535 (500$) and beats studio wireless that I tried as well, sound was better then the Microsoft and 4shot again, but again, was not near the quality those sets are capable of delivering.
for those curious, multiple controllers/adaptors/headsets can receive sound simultaneously. | video-games_xbox |
It felt like Gears of war i though because of the way . At first i really did know what to think of the game. It felt like Gears of war i though because of the way you cover and climb over things. However, after about an hour it hit hit me. To me it plays like Mass Effect, and i love it. I love the soundtrack so far and i finally have a game that encompasses where FPS have fallen short of late. I love COD and HALO but, but after after playing BOIII and Halo 5 i felt betrayed by bungie and Activision. Yes this is a shooter but it's so much more than that. It's kind of like Destiny which i also loved, but had no story and left me wanting more story. So here comes Tom Clancy with the Division and so far I'm liking what i play. This is not the end all be all of games, but i feel like this game has so much potential. It has aspects of a lot games that make this interesting. You have perks like COD, plays like mass effect, mmo rpg open world, its pretty awesome. If your tired of playing games with no content just the same old boring maps and very weak campaigns that only tend to let you down then give this a try. I'm a PC gamer at heart, and left the XBOX community because i was tired of playing games that seem to only push multiplayer. i remember the days when campaigns were hard and long. Now you blow through games like nothing and left to multiplayer which is fine if that's your thing, but shooting other people gets old quickly. I love all games and this is going to be one for the records. This is Halo original XBOX game changer. And for those COD and Halo game makers who read this. remember that not all of your players are 12 and it's us the older generation gamers that pushed and continued to play your games that have brought us to this. please give us content and more games like this. I've been a gamer since as far back as i can remember Atari, Sega, and Nintendo, and for the first time i would rather not play games because you keep producing the same game with new skins year after year. Furthermore, after years of making a fortune off of us, you have left your truest fan base feeling left behind disappointed in where you have taken the gaming market. If your on the fence about this game go rent it from redbox, I'm certain that most people who play it will end up liking it probably loving it. | video-games_xbox |
Shiny form and reliable function. The special edition controllers caught my eye because I was a fan of the thumbsticks of the Xbox One controller and I wanted an Xbox 360 controller with similar thumbsticks. For reference, the "classic" X360 controllers look like this: [...]. This controller's thumbsticks look like this: [...]. They do feel different, but the change matters to some more than it would to others.
The other difference with this controller is the D-pad: [...]. This design serves to alleviate the complaints many players had with the classic D-pad not being tactile enough. It looks similar to the XONE's D-pad, but it does not have the same click and tight control. While it was a lesser reason for me to get the controller, I am glad it has the feature because the it works a bit better since the individual direction buttons are more pronounced than before. Of course, if you don't like it, you have the option of turning it back to the classic design with effectively 8 buttons.
Of course, you would not buy this controller if you were not a fan of shiny things. For reference, the colors for the chrome series are blue, red, silver, gold, black, and purple. They all look good, but this was my favorite. The surface will catch fingerprints, but they do not make the controller lose its reflectivity and are easily wiped away. I was worried the controller might be a bit more slippery, but it is pretty much as grippy as the classic controller.
Lastly, I can't say enough how reliable X360 controllers are. This applies to all controllers for the system, not just these shiny ones. They always stay connected and have a very long range. The buttons work well and the vibration provides immersive feedback. The controller stays connected when the batteries are low and flashes its LEDs to indicate it needs a new set or a recharge. I mention these points because there have been a multitude of connection issues with the XONE controllers, even though they are an ergonomic improvement upon the X360 controllers. See my thoughts about that controller here: https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-Wireless-Controller-Play-Charge/product-reviews/B00YJJ0P1C/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=recent#R2NYHQS4FNDSEK. Everything else about the chrome controller is the same: the battery pack, the headset jack, and the triggers and buttons.
I bought the product in July 2016 from another site and it is my favorite X360 controller. | video-games_xbox |
Multiplayer wishes it was Unreal Tournament. Single-player...Bungie didn't even bother trying. Halo 3...I have trouble knowing where it is I'm supposed to begin with this game other than to say it is the greatest let-down of my gaming "career." Now, to start off I am in no way a Halo hater. In fact I have been a fan ever since the original game was released on the PC (I have since acquired a Xbox 360 and the original Xbox version of that game and its sequel). In fact I was so excited by the hype of the third game that I went ahead and pre-ordered the $150 Legendary Edition of the game. The result of when I finally got the game was that never again do I ever plan to pre-order a game or pay top-dollar for a "Collector's" edition of a game- unless it's in a bargain bin a year or two later (In fact that did happen to the Halo 3 Legendary Edition- saw it for $60 somewhere and shall never forgive myself for my wasted $150).
Let me break this game down a bit.
Graphics: They're good I suppose, but didn't Microsoft promise us that this game was practically the reason the 360 was created? This game's graphics are nothing special in this day and age. While the first one was good for its time and the second was great for its time of release this game's graphics wouldn't rank in the `Top 10' list of Best 360 Game Graphics- not by a long shot. Often it feels rushed, as if Microsoft pushed Bungie into finishing this sequel as fast as humanly possible.
Character designs: The new character designs also are pretty bad. For starters, all characters seem to have taken steroid injections because whether it's the Elites or humans, they have all seriously bulked up. They've also become shorter and just seem very awkward in comparison to the designs of the first two games. I just was not convinced that many of the Covenant species were even capable of walking in this game.
Look: The entire game seems to have been put through a shiny filter that makes everything reflect colors at the same rate as a mirror- even plant life. Wasn't this game supposed to be the most realistic Halo yet? I remember Bungie officials and various magazine articles telling me that, but when was the last time YOU walked into a forest and it shined at you? You could say this is water, but unless there is a thin layer of water coating each and every leaf (which is unbelievable in of itself) than everything seems to be polished. Now, this isn't just the forest, but EVERY character and EVERY LOCATION of this entire game. Weapons, characters, plants, shields, ships, and buildings- everything shines like well-polished silver.
Story: This plot of Halo 3 is so simple I'm sure the officials at Bungie must have spent 5 minutes on it. Looking back on it I know that Halo 2 suffered in this department as well, but Halo 3 you instantly take note of how poor the story is. The cut scenes were probably the best parts of both the previous games, but here they become exercises in repetition and clich. Everything is overblown and none of it is ever believable. They try often to make these scenes dramatic, but apparently whoever had a sense of drama in the previous games cut scenes left the project because this game's cut scenes are about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
Levels: Many of the levels are nothing new other than the fact you now have more weapons in which to deal with your pesky foes. No new forms of enemies to face, nothing really of interest.
AI: Every entry in the Halo game series suffers from heavily script-based AI, but this game's AI is so simpleminded that once you've played through the game once on any of the difficulties you'll know exactly how to get through it on any other difficulty setting. I swear, if you play this game on Easy and then play on Legendary, aside from the fact that enemies have higher hit points, they will respond to you the exact same way as they do on the other settings and they will never surprise you. Come on, Bungie- over ten years ago with Half-Life Valve proved that you could write AI that was capable of creating its own strategy. This is another example in my observation that this game was solely made for the multiplayer aspect and they didn't care about the single-player campaign.
Weapons: Much of this is the same, but we add in the most annoying aspect of this game, and that would be the power-ups. What were they thinking when they put these in campaign mode? I could understand silly power-ups being in, say, the multiplayer, but how do they fit into the actual game? They are worthless addition and it shows that Bungie rushed this game because they obviously belong in the multiplayer and not the actual game mode.
Multiplayer: I suppose this is the only good part about this game, but it feels like a simple-minded retread of other multiplayer games such as Unreal Tournament.
Legendary Edition: Aside from the collectible bust of the Master Chief's head this is probably the most overprice item I've ever purchased. There is nothing really special about it, and the special features contained within the DVDs don't really give you much insight into the creation of the games. You get things like the cut scenes from the first two games, which is kind of cool, but honestly those scenes feel very hollow unless you're actually playing the game.
So all and all Halo 3 is an alright multi-player game, but the story is awful, the graphics are sub-par considering we've seen such games as Half-Life2, `Gears of War', and `Call of Duty 4' display far superior improvements in the field. All and all the game is a rushed product that doesn't have any of the quality control that was displayed in the previous games. | video-games_xbox |
Horrible Maps! Great Zombies. This review is based on the uprising multiplayer maps and zombie mode. I have been playing them for hours now and to my amazement they are horrible, the maps I mean not the zombie mode. First, I would like to say that there is not a single place on the maps where I feel safe to reload my light machine gun. I will run out of bullets and then end up getting shot in the back from a random running smg player or I will take one right to the foot that kills me instantly. Oddly enough, the lag on the DLC maps seems to be greatly different than on the regular maps you get with the game already. I have never had worse hit detection since MW3. If I run behind a three foot thick piece of brick wall, I should not die instantly from a guy firing one round at the wall from a pistol. I have killcams that are laughably horrible. One that comes to mind, is an enemy firing one bullet randomly at a wall and starts to reload than suddenly a guy comes around the corner and without anything happening to him dies from nothing. Does that make any sense? What did he die from, the guy reloading?
Now don't get me wrong, I love the regular maps for this game, they are great. Each side is built differently for each team, but each team no matter which side they are on, has certain positioning points that gives them the advantage in certain situations. As for Uprising, this is not that case at all. Every place you go on the maps has five other vantage points from which an enemy could be coming at you, how the heck are you supposed to plan any sorta of defense or attack when you have to watch or worry about someone coming from five different directions? Enough with the maps. In so many words. They are HORRIBLE! Oh and one more thing, thanks Treyarch for having me pay for a map I already have in Black Ops 1.
Now to the good stuff, Mob of the Dead! Awesome, awesome, awesome! The only thing good to come out of the whole thing. Now I don't play zombies that much at all, but I had a few friends online and we decided to play everything the DLC had to offer. The Alcartaz setting is perfect. Just a note, I have toured Alcartaz and they did a great job of recreating this prison for this zombie mode. I really love that it is more than just surviving, you actually have to try and do some objectives to succeed. Like get a key, than find some parts which could be anywhere in the prison, and finally use those parts to build something. It is good, hard, but good.
I wish I could give the zombie mode a five, but it is over shadowed by the horrible maps that came along with it. Plus, were is a new weapon? We got a weapon last time, now we don't get anything. Boo! I may sound like a whiner, but I spent as much money on this DLC as a new game, hoping that it would enrich my Call of Duty experience. Unfortunately, I am out $15 actually $30 because the maps on the other DLC weren't that great either. | video-games_xbox |
throughly enjoyable game. I'm a gamer through and through and will generally give any game that comes out a shot but was on the fence about this game before I bought it. I tend to enjoy the gimmicky games that have a out of game element, like the Pokmon walker were you could zap a Pokmon into it for some mini games but the price tag on the figures made me shy away from this for a while. That being said This is a very well done game. I have not finished the game 100% but I do intend to finish it.
The graphics aren't the best but by far not the worst I've seen and for the kids this game was made for it will not be an issue. The characters are well designed and the cartoony graphics fit right in with the feel of the game. The animations were spot on in 98% of the game and only seemed out of place in one or two spots, Mostly leaving the cannons in several of the levels the character just seems to float up and out rather than say jump or climb down.
Story. Classic "Evil guy takes over the world" story. Nothing big or exciting here but works well enough to keep me playing. There is a clear purpose for all the levels I've played through so far and the interactions between the characters make me laugh.
Difficulty. I see no problems with a kid playing through this game, The main story missions have a good mix of easy and difficult parts to keep me interested and there are mini missions that give addition stats and bonuses in the form of hero challenges that get unlocked with the figures that can add additional challenges for someone looking for something a little more. Any of the skylanders and do any of the hero challenges but each challenge is geared for that particular skylander making them a little harder or easier for other skylanders depending on element and level.
Multiplayer. I cant comment on much of the multiplayer aspect of the game as I have not played the multiplayer yet. You can take your figures to someone elses game and continue to level them up and ear money/experience that can be taken back to your own game which is a nice feature to have.
Figures. Ive bought a few of them so far and none of them have been a disappointment (other then price ) well-made and durable, very detailed and come with stickers, a collectable card with starting stats and a unlock code to use on the skylanders website for additional games and fun. The starter pack will come with a little poster that shows all the figures for the game. It shows what element they are and has a spot to put one of the stickers for the collectors out there to mark off which ones they have.
Price. My only problem with this game, and why its not 5 stars, is the price tag on the figures. My god they can get expensive and to get 100% completion of this game with all achievements will require you to buy all the figures. Its not a deal breaker for me and I gladly bought a handful of figures right away to get one of all the elements but it can be a problem if you're on a tight budget. | video-games_xbox |
Great ending but why am I still playing. It's simple. This is an awesome game. The gameplay and controls I found to be a lot like the Prince of Persia series, God of War, and even Devil May Cry. However the concept of the game is quite different. Like Prince of Persia, stealth is a key part in the game. Should you play the way you're supposed to, the it remains interesting, with the stealth kills and evasion and whatnot. Oh yeah, you could run around killing people, and turn it into some hack and slash type game, but that is what causes it to get repetitive and boring.
Assassin's Creed is the first of three games. The team that wrote this just doesn't know how to lead into the next game.
---Spoiler Alert---
However, I did find the game lacking in it's ideals. The game actually takes place in the near future. Wierd right? You look and trailors and see that it's obviously taking place in and around Jerusalem during the Crusades. Wrong. You play as Desmond who is taken captive by some company. They put you into this machine called the animus to 'view' (or because it's a game, 'relive') your ancestor's memories. Your ancestor is Altair, an assassin working for the assassin's bureau which strives for peace in the holy land. This is the bulk of the game. Here's the spoiler. The game itself has NO ENDING whatsoever. But if you realize that this is the first of a 3 part series you'll see why. The story as Altair is a really good one. It's well played out and has a few good twists, and a really good ending! However, after the Altair story is over, you come out of the animus and the game keeps going and just comes to an end with you still able to move around. You're still in the game playing, but it's over and there's nothing to do except get the last achievement. This makes it seem like a terrible ending. But it's not. The ending was in the animus when you look into a glowing ball. They just weren't very good at leading you into the next game. | video-games_xbox |
graphics are nice so I won't give it one star, but not good enough for 3+ stars. This COD has awesome graphics and one of the best campaigns I've played in a COD in the past few years. Nonetheless, I buy COD for the multiplayer and the multiplayer is rather bad. Everyone who is doing well appears to be using modified controllers or otherwise cheating with their system (aim bots primarily.) Also, there is massive lag compensation, so if you have decent internet, prepare to be penalized. I often put 20+ bullets into an enemy and they kill me with one shot. When I switched to my crappiest internet, I actually started doing better! How on earth does that make sense as a game feature... I mean, I didn't get better at the game, or worse, I just switched my internet to a worse one and somehow lag compensation is now on my side. Thats just stupid. For those of you who don't know, lag compensation saps bandwidth from people with good connections and gives it to those who have worse connections. That said, the hit recognition is horrible, everyone I talk to says they put more bullets into their enemies than it takes for them to get killed. Every time I see a kill feed I got taken out in 2-3 bullets, but I easily put in half a clip for any one enemy to die. Forget double and triple kills, this game requires you to get those kills within a second or two of each other for them to count and good luck with this hit recognition system...
The maps are smaller, but the spawns are terrible. I understand the small maps with little cover because they want us to jump around with the exo suits, but that doesn't explain the spawns. I probably would have loved this game if they had removed the lag compensation, worked on the hit recognition, fixed the lag, and banned all the cheaters and modified controller users, but that seems like a long list of expectations to be met. Nonetheless, its a fairly adequate list of the problems you will face if you purchase this game.
This game is simply an utter disappointment. I suspect I'm not alone in saying that everyone wanted this game to save the COD franchise after Ghosts was such a flop, but I estimate this game is at most slightly better than Ghosts, if that can even be said. I'm not sure if it is because video games have been mediocre at best this last year and a half, or if its just that I can't forget the days when COD games were so good and so fun that you wanted to reach 10th prestige. But, I for one cannot understand how people are 2nd or 3rd prestige in this already. Why? because the game is mediocre at best, which is consistent with gaming these days. Its sad that everyone had gripes about Titanfall and Destiny and yet everyone is playing Destiny again even though theres nothing to do. COD has let us down yet again. I'm not sure I'll purchase another COD title and I recommend that most consumers skip this one. I'm not sure who I'd recommend this game to since it does not cater to the traditional COD crowd. I would say if you're a young kid with a modified controller and you like to think you're a competitive first person shooter player, then this game is probably for you. Otherwise, This game is no good to someone who wants to have fun or enjoy their gaming experience, which is sad, because isn't that the measure of a game? | video-games_xbox |
Ezio has gotten old. Intitially, while I was waiting for the game to come out, I knew that if the developers tried to add too much to this tower, it would eventually fall over. In the case of Revelations, there are some added content which is great, others not so much. Die-hard AC fans have played three games arleady, and most likely exhausted all there is to be given. For Revelations, it still stays true to the classic AC feel. Classic enough that they brought back Altair from the first game of old, but the fact that he has a changed look and voice might disappoint players who have played the game series till this point. I can tell in some dialogue that the actor they put on tried to follow the same format as the original voice of Altair, and cudos to him. Nevertheless, the accent takes away the stoic nature. Now, I don't wish to put out that the game is horrible, I say the contrary.
Story-wise, it is the same but with a new twist towards Constantinople. The story was well put together, with two different main objectives for the story line. The ending, and I speak from my own experience, does bring nostaligic players to some sad moments, but I digress to avoid spoiling it.
Gameplay is pretty much the same as Brotherhood, but vamped up slightly to fit the new disc. You now get a hookblade, which vastly increases freerunning and climbing cabability. Also, challenges for different factions unlock different perks, such as weapons or faction abilities. In fights, it was a job well done. The higher ranking officers do sometimes make a fighter finally take the flight, either for difficulty reasons or it just takes too long and isn't worth it. Otherwise, there are many different types of guards that force the player to adjust in mid-battle. And, of course, along with the good old throwing knives and then the infamous crossbow, you get bombs. You get a good selection of bomb types to choose from, which is a good way to determine a sense of style. The only issue I had hear was with some aspects of gameplay, such as sending assassins to do missions across the country. It is the same thing, but with a little more need to always look at the map and see how annoying it is to keep an area occupied. But Ezio is now a mentor, so that is an excuse.
In regards to combining the first game and the second and thirs game, the developers did a good job. I mainly liked the soundtrack from AC1 and was sort of disappointed that the darkness was sort of taken away onward. But this game does a good job combining both styles music-wise. But, that is just me liking music. The game strongly advertised the ability to play as both Ezio and Altair. What that did is sort of put high expectations on how much you get to play as Altair, when in reality it is less than half of what you can do with Ezio. However, this is still Ezio's game and Altair is looking over the shoulder, so if you want to get Revelations just for Altair round 2, find a different reason.
Multiplayer is still fantastic, and the gameplay has been advance for all good reasons. I say that multiplayer was the best thing that developers had done to continue and add off from Brotherhood.
In conclusios, this is a great game for fans (Assassin noobs may have some trouble following the story obviously). Though the main story is short compaired to its predecessors (Especially AC2), it still satisfied me. I don't give it a 5 star rating only for the little annoyances that got me, but the fun factor is all the way up. This game was a good way to close the stories of Ezio and Altair. | video-games_xbox |
Rental ONLY. Unless you are a really, REALLY serious hardcore fan of samurai shodown, stay the hell away from this game. If you will not heed these words, at the very least, rent it first.
SNK Playmore had great ambitions for this game. They took their most beloved franchise and gave it a 3D makeover, online play, and tried to make it as much as Soul Calibur as possible. Unfortunately, things went horribly wrong. There are only 2 things going right for this game: the graphics and the sound. Each character is recreated flawlessly in 3D and their familiar sounds are also done very well. That the game has that many characters does not hurt either.
Unfortunately, everything else about the game is just terrible. Many of the characters in the game are brand-new, generic run-of-the-mill filler characters which play surprisingly similar to each other and to characters in other 3D fighters. The controls, practically the most important component of all fighting games, feel clunky and unresponsive. It seems as if the characters struggle to move around in the environment, and getting out of the way of an incoming attack is mission impossible. As always, the boss characters in this and practically all SNK Playmore games are cheap and unforgiving.
Devoid of any kind of back story or endings, the game almost feels as if the characters were thrown in the game like you would throw ingredients in a stir fry: whatever is available, put it in there. There are no character bios, no ending cut scenes, no character intros, nothing. Aside from a survival mode, there isn't really anything to keep you interested once you beat the arcade mode. And online? Try finding someone to actually battle against!
Overall, the report card grade for this game would be a D. Only the graphics and the sound are good, while everything else is crap. If you want to try this game, rent it. If you want to buy this game, I recommend you don't!! | video-games_xbox |
FPS with Fantasy elements. Shadowrun is a FPS for the XBOX 360 with some unique elements because it combines magical powers with modern weaponry and fantasy creatures playable as characters in contemporary level maps. One thing that you should be absolutely clear on is that this is an arcadey type shooter, very unrealistic- this is not a simulation like (Graw 2 or Rainbow Six).
Even the graphics will cue you in to the fantasy elements since the characters and level maps look cartooney.
So you will be shooting guns and killing rival team members with the usual assortment of weapons found in any FPS (pistols, smg, shotgun, sniper rifle, rocket launcher)... but you can also use Magic spells such as ressurecting allied players, summoning minion, teleporting, invisibility, and many more. You can also purchase Tech upgrades which can help you be more accurate or see enemies through wall, and even speed and agility augmentation. Before the match begins all players are given the option to buy weapons, magic or tech of their choice. The players can budget and accumalate money after each round if they want to buy more expensive items, or they don't have to buy anyhing at all. Once the match begins and the bullets start flying, you cannot purchase items from the shop until the next round begins (this is why some people associate to Pc game called Counter-Strike).
To prevent overuse of magic in the game, you have a meter called Essence which drains and recharges slowly overtime each time you cast a magic spell. When players are short on Essence charge, they can just pull out their guns and start blasting away. If your guns run out of ammo you can resort to your magic spells or you can pick up weapons that a dead ally or enemy had dropped. Everything is about timming and learning the best way to defeat certain opponents.
Shadowrun makes excellent use of attacks and counter attacks, every character, weapon and magic has a counter to defeat it, so it is important that your team consists of mixed characters using different magical spells and weapons. Even the characters you pick from have the counters. From the beginning of the game you can pick from one of four different character classes; humans, elves, trolls or dwarves. Each character class has their own strengths and weakness, just like the weapons and magical spells. Humans drain little magic when they use it, elves move fast and regenerate health, trolls can take a lot of abuse, and dwarves can steal other people's Essences.
Shadowrun does not have a single player story mode (which is a huge let down) but instead features single player skirmish matches with BOTS and XBOX live multiplayer which is the main draw of the game. There are only three game modes for multiplayer (another let down), Extraction is basically like capture the flag, Raid is like attack and defend, Attrition is same as team deathmatch. The game only has nine (9) damned maps! This unfair to us gamers who paid lots of money for a game that offers very little content!
I'm not saying that Shadowrun is not fun, because it actually is fun.
The matches are fast paced and full of wild sights! Just picture a game in multiplayer where people and monsters are shooting guns, teleporting, coming back from the dead, getting sliced by sword with blood splattering on the walls!
This combination of first person shooting with fantasy elements is what gives it a unique flavor and sets it apart from the many FPS clones out there. However, the lack of game modes and the lack of single player story mode, and only nine maps hurts its overall score and replay value. I think the novelty will wear off on a lot of people faster than other FPS games, but it is still a good purchase, if you are bored and want to try something different.
Pros:
+playing online is tons of fun
+magic spells are freakin' cool
+BOTS are good
+good controls
+bloody
+ragdoll physics
+good maps designs
Cons
-no sinlge player story mode
-only three damned game modes
-only nine damned maps
-cartoony graphics | video-games_xbox |
Hero, villain, or something in between. Enter the lush, beatiful and breathing world of Albion, where your choices will shape the world, where your interactions with the folk will shape your appearance, where your every action is judged and held under deep scrutiny.
There has never been a game like Fable 2, well except for Fable 1. Never has a game placed so much weight upon your choices and actions, and never has an action adventure game rivaled the likes of the ever mighty Zelda franchise. Yes, Fable 2 definitely holds its own in the action/adventure genre and even rivals the fun and joy of the Legend of Zelda series. The beauty of Fable 2 is that you actually get to decide *how* the world will turn out, how people will see you, and how your story will turn out.
Will you be the lovable, legendary hero that is praised and loved by all? Or will be you the wretched and ruthless murderer that everyone fears and runs from? Or, will you be that slothful glutton, the greedy swine who cannot get enough treasure and pleasure? The choice is up to you, and that is exactly why Fable 2 succeeds where other 'choice' games fail. I cannot stress this enough: in Fable 2 your actions really matter. Virtually every choice you make shapes the world of Albion and the way you are perceived by those that live there. Not only that, but your actions will also shape your appearance and that of your trusy, faithful and fully realized and lovable dog companion (more on him later).
On games that offer the player moral choices: There have been quite a few games lately that offer the player moral choices. Bioshock, Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, Fallout, and Jade Empire are just a few of them. Some, like Fallout do it really well, however most of the 'choice' games don't. In most of them you can be really naughty but still 'redeem' yourself at the end of the game, thus nulling any consequence. Fable 1 was like that, but thanfully Fable 2 is not. Your choices really do matter, and they really will shape the world.
Fable 2 starts you off similar to how you started off in the first Fable game, as a child. The actions you do as a child will help shape future events and to a smaller extent, your disposition. In one instance you are tasked with finding 5 gold pieces and there are two ways to do this. You can either help random townsfolk with duties, or you can seek out five arrest warrants for a guard. No matter what option you choose you will get 5 gold, but each choice has a different outcome! If you ignore the warrants' quest the future of that town will be very different. Its features like this that really propel Fable 2 above the herd.
After that small segment you will be taken 10 or so years ahead, and this is where the game really starts. There is a main quest but no time limit, so you can literally put it off and explore the many wonders of Albion if you so choose (however some regions will not unlock unless you fulfill certain quests). Unlike Fable 1 Albion is massive (about 10x the size of the first game). While Fable 2 does not offer a truly open-world experience (the is still contingent on forcing you to walk on somewhat limiting pathways), it is almost there. Everything has been spread out more, which does in effect make the world feel open-ended. Unlike the first Fable you can now hop over fences, jump down ledges and you really don't feel confined to any path. But, those dreaded 'invisible walls' are there, and you will often wonder why you can't climb over some ledges and hills. Still, there is plenty to explore.
On towns and cities: There are a number of towns and small villages to explore and interact with, and some gamers will find that they will end up spending a great deal of time just there. You can buy virtually every building, shop, food stall and shack in every village and town/city. You can either choose to live in them, or you can rent them out and earn a steady income. A very cool feature about renting out property is that even when you are not playing the game you will still earn income from it! You can literally spend your time being a landlord, or a slumlord! Buy up all the property in a village or town and jack up the rent! But be careful, doing something like this will greatly increase your corruption meter (more on that later). There also are furniture stores which allow you to buy new furniture for your homes, which will greatly enhance the value and the asthetic look.
Another new feature in Albion is the ability to get jobs to earn gold. You can either forge blades as a blacksmith, pour brew as a bartender, chop wood for farms or seek out bandits as a bounty hunter. The first three jobs involve pushing a button when a meter reaches a certain point, and fun as they are they do get kind of repetitive and boring. But hey, its a job, right? The bounty hunter jobs are your basic 'seek out and kill' missions. Still, its nice to have the option to earn gold by other means and doing well at your jobs (for blacksmithing, bartending and wood chopping) will boost the towns economy.
There are various shops and merchants scattered about Albion in which you can purchase and sell weapons, clothing, food, doggie items and other goodies. The shops and merchants are your standard fare. If you've ever played an Action/RPG or a traditional RPG game then you know what to expect. They sell/buy stuff, and in turn you can sell/buy stuff.
There are also travelling game masters and game masters in bars with which you can interact with and play "Pub Games" (gambling) to earn more money and become an expert gambler, or deep in debt. The gambling side games are really fun and a nice way to take a break from questing or even a hectic home life!
Fable has always been about living out a faux social life and interacting with the various towns/village and other folk living in Albion. Similar to Fable 1 you are presented with a multitude of expressions with which to interact with everyone in the world. You start out with a basic set, but more expressions can be earned through reading various books and living a certain lifestyle. If you follow down the evil/corrupt path certain expressions will unlock, and the same thing goes for the good/pure path. The expressions range from downright silly (the fart expression, the arm pump expression, sock puppets expression) to those of the seduction variety. You have expressions for social situations, for romance, and you have expressions that are aimed at angering people and making them fear you. You also have a few expressions that are only used on your dog.
Speaking of your dog, he is one of the most living, breathing and most animated AI video game creations I have ever seen. He looks and acts just like a real dog, and I think you will grow to love him right away. You cannot directly control your dog, but you can interact with him. You can find a rubber ball and play fetch with him, you can scold or praise him and even teach him new tricks. There are various books scattered about Albion that offer tricks and abilities you can teach your dog. Your dog will even aid you when you are in combat. He can never die, but he can get injured (which can be fixed by feeding him doggie treats). The dog is a very cute feature in Fable 2 and has been executed very well. He also acts as a treasure finder. If he scouts out a treasure chest or other valuable he will bark and take you to where it is. He can also find 'dig spots' where buried treasure lies. He will spot enemies before you do and will growl to alert you; he is a very helpful companion.
On the Good/Bad, Corrupt/Pure meters: Like Fable 1, there is a Good/Bad indicator which shows your current moral standing in the game. This is pretty straight forward: Do good deeds and act like a saint and your meter will slide towards Good. Do evil deeds and act like a devil and your meter will go the opposite way. Pretty basic right? Unlike Fable 1 there is a new meter which shows your Corrupt/Pure standing in the game. Raise the rent on your properties and watch your slider go towards corruption, lower the rent on our properties and watch your slider go towards pure. Cheat on your wife and watch it head towards corruption...well you get the picture. Like I said earlier, EVERY action shapes your character and how the world perceives you.
On sex and family: Yes, you can have sex with men and woman in this game. You can even chose whether or not you want to have protected or unprotected sex, which means you can purchase condoms. If you have protected sex then nothing really happens (your corrupt/pure meter might shift a little). But chose the unprotected option and you may end up with a child, or an STD. In Fable 2 you can start a family, move into a home and live the married life if you so choose. However, you have to keep your family happy or they will leave you, just like real life! And be careful about trying to seduce or flirt with other woman around your wife/husband as they will not like that too much. Thankfully you gain an 'apologize' expression during the course of the game. The whole family option of the game is really neat, and very 'The Sims' like. You can cheat on your spouse, and they can cheat on you. You can have multiple wives, but I wouldn't suggest having more than one in the same city/town/village, or chaos might ensure!
On combat: Combat is very simplified for Fable 2. Each different combat style (Melee, Ranged and Will (Magic)) is assigned to one button. This may seem too simple at first, however at higher levels it gets pretty intricate. You can unlock blocking abilities and even combos for melee attacks, zoom in functions and body part specific targeting for ranged combat, and higher, more powerful level attacks for magic. Melee weapons range from your average swords to cleavers. Your melee weapons range from cross-bows to guns and rifles, and there are about 7 spells you can unlock and use. There are special 'augments' you can get for certain weapons as well. These 'augments' basically buff certain stats and are somewhat useful.
On leveling up: Fable 2 is more of an Action RPG than a traditional RPG. You are not assigned a level as in a traditional RPG, rather you get experience orbs from combat. These orbs can be cashed in to enhance the three areas of combat, increase your health etc. To be quite honest this system makes the game a lot more enjoyable for the casual gamer, as you don't have to spend time hunched over stats and the menus.
On Co-op: Fable 2 offers the ability to have a friend join your game and play along, however this is where Fable 2 finds its most annoying pit fall. While its true that a friend can easily plug in a second controller and jack into your game pain free, they are limited to selecting from a list of pre-set characters who have pre-set dispositions. Oh, and they cannot ineract with anything in your game world. They cannot talk to anyone or do anything besides kill things...boring. Also, co-op via Xbox Live is available too, however the same problems plague that as well. You can't even import your own character over Xbox Live, making the co-op worthless. It is my hope that Lionheart (the game developer) releases a patch that changes this in the future. As it is right now, Co-op is NOT worth it, unless you are looking to pacify that bored girlfriend or friend (instead of them just sitting there watching you play...you game hog!)
One really cool feature that Fable 2 offers is the ability to see every other Xbox Live gamer in your game. Basically they appear as a green orb that holds their gamer picture, and you can literally watch them move around in Albion. You can even hear and chat with anyone that has their mic turned on, which is a really neat feature and pushes the game closer to 'MMO' status. You cannot necessary play or interact with them, but you can view their in-game stats. If you start a private chat with a friend you could technically play the same quests together, but that is about as close as it gets. Overall this is a really nice feature as it lets you help each other out if you are stuck.
The bad:
While you can buy clothes and fully customize them there is a very limited stock in Albion. You basically stuck with a few outfits, much less than Fable 1. I really hope they release more outfits in the future. Oh, and there is no armor in the game. So put that out of your head right now. The only cool feature with the clothing (so far) is the ability to purchase and find various dyes and color your clothes to your liking.
The difficulty level is very low, meaning that any casual gamer can pick the game up and play like a pro. In some cases you will find yourself in trouble but not often. Oh, and you cannot die in the traditional sense either. You do have a health bar and it does indeed drain when you get hit, however when it reaches zero all you do is get knocked out only to get back on your feet again. This may annoy the more 'hardcore' gamers as it appears that there is no consequence to dying, however there is. You earn scars that will make people view you as ugly, which may make it harder for people to like you (unless that is what you are going for). Take that as you will.
The main quest is somewhat short (about 10 hours), and the ending is very anti-climatic. This can be viewed as a bad thing, however there is so much to do in Albion that those measely 10 main quest hours can easily be extended if you take time off to raise a family, play the real estate market, explore the world, hunt for treasure, interact with the various folk in the world, become a professional theif, a murderer etc.
The graphics can look pretty odd at times, and there are various glitches that can randomly plague the game. Though other than that the graphics are gorgeous, very cartoony, and very fitting for the game. You will literally get lost in the sunsets and shadows that Albion has to offer. There are also various distinct regions with their own look and feel as well, and even all 4 seasons! Character models are very cartoonish with big hands and odd feet, but otherwise look superb. Animations are decent, not the greatest but they serve their purpose.
The real shining gem of Fable 2 is the dialogue, the voice acting and the story lines. They are all very well done and you will find yourself believing that Albion is a living, breathing world. The voice acting is probably the best part, being voiced with real British accents, giving the game a more authentic Medievil feel. There is so much humor injected ito the game (some of it really dark) that you may find yourself chuckling along too.
Final thoughts: Overall Fable 2 is a shining gem that actually does (for the most part) live up to the massive hype that preceeded its release. There is much to do and much to see, and you will certainly have lots of fun doing it all. Since the game reacts to you differently depending on which alignment you choose (good/evil pure/corrupt) there is the opportunity for multiple playthroughs. Action/RPG Life Simulator fans will mostly get the most out of this game, while the ADD twitch based gamers will probably plow through the main quest in one night. Keep in mind that the point of games like Fable 2 is to simulate a life, that is you should spend time interacting with the world, build (and destroy) relationships, have a family, fully utilize all that the game has to offer. | video-games_xbox |
If you enjoyed Metro 2033, you should love this. This sequel takes everything from the predacessor and makes it more polished, more visceral, and far far more entertaining to those who may have felt taken aback by the borderline lackluster affair in 2033(I liked it)
Metro Last Light picks up after the events of the first game and tells more of the aftermath of Artyome's actions in 2033. The threat of the Dark Ones still lingers, and larger than life events are on the horizen for the peoples of the Metro. Its up to the newest Ranger of the Order to save everyone from complete obliteration.... last bullet... last hope... last light.....
The gameplay is largely unchanged, you can still do a multitude of actions typically done for you in other games, like charge your flashlight, observe your objective(in real time on a notepad) and even whipe debris and blood from your gasmask(which you also have to manually equip) there hasn't been any dreaded "streamlining" in this regard. Where slight changes have been made(for the better) is in regards to combat, a simple melee button has been added, and the gunplay is much more responsive and tighter than before, ensuring you aren't flailing about when a mutant is trying to take a chunk out of you.
The game's previous issue of weapon level progression has also changed, ditching the system of buying a gun with preset upgrades in exchange for an actual customization system allowing you to choose different attachements(such as scopes, silencers, and stocks) sadly the bayonette for the Shambler(assault shotgun) is absent this time around >_< The game progresses through a number of levels, ranging from the dark dank depths of the Metro to the surface world above, both being infested with enemies, both human... and otherwise.
Needless to say, you should enjoy this game, its a wonderful addition to your gaming library, and you should have no regrets picking this title up
*NOTE, the one issue I had with this game was the nudity in one particular level, and the themes of rape in another... these additions seemed both juvenile(boobs) and offensive(rape) and I didn't much care for them, nevertheless, still an amazing game* | video-games_xbox |
Great 100% Wireless Xbox1 Headphones (FINALLY. Finally a pair of headphones that does 98.5% of what I want them to do.
(They are headphones and not the little wireless chat mic I had on 360 1% (I really loved that thing! and it paired well with my surround system) and they won't blow out my eardrums .5%)
Pros: Great sound, great battery life, 100% wireless compatible with Xbox1 (no wires needed to controller), comfortable, light, cloth doesn't sweat like the leather muffs do, they don't turn off if I am being social and not actually using my controller when the controller turns off.
Cons: They aren't blow your eardrums out loud so if you buy them for gaming you are golden if you want to jam to your own deaf ears look elsewhere. It seems to take a few seconds after joining a party to warm up the mic my friends always say I come in very low at first but the headphones seem to auto adjust in a few seconds and everything is to good go. Occasionally other wireless sources cause sound anomolies, it doesn't happen too often and I have noticed it with other headphones and brands as well but it does happen.
Other Notes:
To be fair I got extremely lucky and picked up a brand new pair of these on sale locally for about 70-100$ less than the prices here.
On other reviews here I see people complaining about the arms being very weak and breaking from casual gaming. I have a decent sized head and haven't had any issues with mine and prior to reading those reviews I had flexed them quite a bit to loosen them up when I first got them without any incident. I find it hard to believe after I did that they had issues even if they had a large head considering the ranges I flexed mine to without incident. Just my thoughts hope this helps you.
I am amending this review I have had these for a while now and as others have complained above and below, the arms that slide and hold the headphones have cracked and are starting to break. I have added some electrical tape so I can continue to use them but this is a lame solution and they are already at a point they don't sit on my ears correctly anymore. I think I will give up on wireless after these die and just concede that gaming headphone companies don't care about what gamers want in a headset instead they would rather just charge as much as possible as frequently as possible. I'm dropping the rating as they are a good set but if they don't last they aren't good for the cost o it upside is at least I got them on clearance at Best Buy. | video-games_xbox |
Wonderful Deal. This is a wonderful deal for the price and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to upgrade or change their current console. I like the white console and kinect and love the gold controller.
Tip: The Star Wars game tends to be stressful on the arm you are using for your lightsaber but I discovered that if you exit the play area and re-enter again the console will ask you to raise your hand to continue. When you do this you can change your hands, i.e. raise your left hand instead of your right. This way you can get an equal workout...just thought I would share that for some people who would get exhausted using one hand all the time.
I would have given this product a full five star rating, however, the kinect control takes a really long time to start up and sometimes the console does not recognise it. I will be contacting support to see if this is a common problem or just a problem with my kinect and I will post an update depending on the outcome.
Otherwise it was a great buy!
Update - December 28, 2012
In my initial review I gave this prodcut 4/5 stars for the Kinect taking too long to come on. However, apparently the Kinect has to warm up first to function properly.
All you need to do is leave on the Kinect for about ten minutes (the red light will come on) and then plug it out and plug it back in. What I usually do is put on Halo 4 and shoot up a couple of baddies for the 10 minutes and then check back the Kinect.
Once the Kinect comes on and we start playing I forget about the time I had waited anyhow.
Once again, this is a wonderful product and a Great Buy!
Update - April 17, 2013
I had to reduce this rating by two stars. The reason being is that the kinect crashed in January. I attempted to get help from Amazon and they were unable to give me a full refund for the kinect. They wanted me to ship back the whole game, which I explained would cost me more. It is cheaper for me to re-purchase the kinect. Sorry Amazon, you flopped on your service this time. | video-games_xbox |
IS the Go Pro version. Maybe I just got lucky, I don't know, but when my system arrived it was the "Go Pro" version and it WAS printed on the box. The system came with the 175w Falcon chipset which is awesome, supposedly this makes the system run much cooler, preventing overheating and the infamous "Red Ring of Death". I didn't even think they started producing the 360s with it yet. It's an awesome system with the newly added HDMI port for those of you with HDTVs with HDMI capability. The deal is also amazing, $349 for the system and all that comes with it including two free games. I haven't played those games, but why pass up something free? I noticed that Amazon also has a 360 pro with HDMI port and 20gb HD for the same price, but without the free games, so you might as well buy this package. The only difference that I can tell between this bundle and the one without the games is that the later comes with a one month trial of XBox Live Gold service.
Amazon's service is absoulutley amazing! When we tried to order the first time they were sold out, and we ordered through the Amazon marketplace. The seller sent us an older model 360 without an HDMI port, and we tried to contact the seller multiple times without a response. I called up amazon and they instantly refunded our money, and luckily they had this bundle in stock so I ordered it through them. We ordered on a Monday and selected standard shipping, the package came in great condition that Wednesday. I couldn't believe how great Amazon was in dealing with this problem. They definitley have the best customer service I have ever encountered, and I would order through them again without a doubt!
Get the 360, it's the best system with the best games. Not to take anyting away from the Wii, I love that system too but the game selection and graphics can't compare. The PS3 delivers great graphics, but is still really expensive and doesn't (and I doubt ever will) have nearly as extensive of a collection of great games as the 360. Not to mention sony won't redesign the crappy controllers they have used for the past three systems.
Definitley the best choice out there for the best value! | video-games_xbox |
Modern Warfare 2.5. Lets start with each individual aspect of the game
Campaign: Honestly nothing special. Half the missions feel like filler (1 Mission involves attempting to rescue the presidents daughter, only to have her taken by the Russians at the end of the mission, accomplishing absolutely nothing, while another mission just has you walking to the start of the NEXT mission. While MW2 had it's share of these kind of missions, they included your fair share of action, wonderful scenery, and explosions to make up for it. Some of these missions try to mimic the more successful mission of past titles like all ghillied up, but fall far short of the mark. There are a few bright spots in the campaign though, Like the final mission where you get to dress up in a half-ton juggernaut costume with a machine-gun, crashland a helicopter, and SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Watch the Makarov blow your best friends face off with a fifty, and you lynching him with a bungee cord from the helicopter. Some scenery's are well done and beautiful, but often get overused and repetitive (about three or four missions where you're just fighting in oddly similar cities around the globe.) The soundtrack, much like black ops, is sub-par. It doesn't really stand out and while it's likeable, most of the time you won't even notice it. Like the campaign though, it too has a few excellent tracks, but none can compare to the magic that is Hans Zimmer In MW2, where almost every track brought emotion and drama to the battlefield. Last thing is Veteran mode. The first half of the game is oddly the hardest, and you'll find yourself stuck in the same firefight for a good hour. There also seems to be half the checkpoints on this difficulty, which can get very frustrating. The later half of the missions though fly by like a breeze, and overall I feel the veteran might be easier than in past games.
Spec Ops: These Missions are pretty good. Unlike the SpecOps missions in MW2 (which just felt like Rehashes of the Campaign but with Co-op) These have you doing numerous quests, like rescuing hostages, hijacking a plane, or Walking thorugh the streets of Paris(?) in a bomb suit, defusing bombs while a buddy with a fifty and a predator drone provides sniper cover. The inclusion of matchmaking to SpecOps was a good idea, but you'll rarely ever find a game, often forcing you to A) play alone which is far more difficult or B) beg a friend to join your game. Survival is also a new, good idea, as a good chunk of MW2 SpecOps missions were just surviving on a small area. This steps it up, allowing you to find or buy weapons, air support, etc. However, you'll find theres only minor weapon customization in survival, being able only to buy a small set of optics and underbarrel attachments, but none of the good stuff like thermal scopes, rapid-fire, or Akimbo. Overall specops is fun while it lasts.
Multiplayer (AKA probably the only reason you bought this game): The multiplayer has some new features that really make it Unique, but overall it feels worse than Black Ops did. All the weapons are butt-ugly, and I couldn't find a single one that actually looked better than it did in MW2. The new killstreak (or should i say- Pointstreak) Is a wonderful inclusion, and can make even the worst players feel like they're helping. This is done by adding three types of pointstreaks: Specialist: You get perks for kills in intervals of 2,5,7 (not sure on that) after 8 kills, you get every perk in the game and double points for each kill. however, upon death, you lose all these bonuses and have to earn them again. Then there's Assault: It suits an offensive playstyle, offering Killstreaks in the form of airstrikes, missles, and The AC-130, but upon death, your pointstreak resets. while you keep anything you've earned upon respawn, if you want better ones, you'll have to move up from the bottom of the chain again. Finally, is Support: It allows even the worst player to help the team (Did I mention you don't need kills to move up on the streak chain; capturing objectives counts towards it too?) and while it dosent offer much towards killing the enemy, it does give rewards like the UAV which shows enemy locations on the map, ballistic vests that your teammates can take, and a SAM turret that can shoot down enemy aircraft. While the point streak system is far superior to the old killstreak system, Some things entirely ruin it. first is the maps. You'll find them to be alot like Favela from MW2, but with less buildings too go inside. despite this, there sniping is pretty much gone in this game, save the infamous quickscoping. There is very few outdoorsy maps for traditional snipers to hide it, and the few that exist barely offer a view of a fraction of the map. So really, the only sniping left is quickscoping. Next, the shotguns all suck except the striker (which oddly is overpowered) While they did make the shotguns primaries (a good idea, IMO) they kept their secondary stats, that is to say, crap stats. They have tried to rebalance them but ultimately fail. The bane of all players though is the overall weapon balancing. Some weapons are rediculously weak, while others make Black Ops's Galil and FAMAS look like MW2's vector. The blancing is utterly horrible, including A recoiless MP7 that can spray across the map and get a kill, The Dual Wield FMG's with almost no kickback, tight hip fire accuracy, and a fast reload. Then there are some weapons that, while not outright overpowered, make other guns in its category null, like The ACR. Some weapons have recieved a much needed bost like the throwing knife, while others have been shamefully nerfed. Overall, The multiplayer Makes Black ops look good, and makes me regret recently selling that under-appreciated game.
Closing Statement: This game is, in every sense of the word, MW2.5. If your looking to buy this game for the multiplayer, look elsewhere. you'll be right at home with MW2. Take my word, you won't be missing much. If you bought this for SpecOps, you'll be very pleased with this game, And I hope you enjoy shooting at NPC's with a buddy. If the highly unlikely reason you bought this game is for the Campaign (like I did) You'll be gravely dissapointed with how slow the campaign moves, but ultimately satisfied with the ending. | video-games_xbox |
Ah, The Children Of The Night. Latest in the long-running vampire series, Legacy of Kain: Defiance chronicles the return of everybody's two favourite anti-heroes to the blood soaked world of Nosgoth.
To bring the newbies up to speed, Legacy of Kain follows Vampire tyrant Kain and his vengeful prodigy Raziel as they battle for supremacy across time and space in a mythical world of supernatural mystery. Both protagonists weild an ancient sword, the Soul Reaver - Kain's is the physical body of the sword, while Raziel is fused to the spectral essence of the mighty blade. The time sorceror Mobius has cast both vampires back into the past, to the roots of Nosgoth's history, and it is here that we pick up the latest chapter.
Soul Reaver is a 3D action adventure in which players alternately assume the roles of Raziel and Kain. Each character is unique in that Kain requires blood to keep his health up, while Raziel, a spectral vampire, requires souls. To this end each vampire has a unique repetoir of combat and finishing moves to dish out on enemies, such as Kain sinking his fangs in his dizzied victim's throat. In addition, both characters are able deploy complex sword combos, as well as magical powers in combat - one that looks particularly satisfying is the ability to telekenetically pick up and hurl opponents off of cliffs, or into nearby spikes, impaling them. Indeed, much of the focus for this game is an overhauled combat system, and the player will often find themselves attacked by multiple foes.
In keeping with the traditions of the series, there will also be plenty of mind-bending puzzles to deal with. Raziel is capable of shifting between the living and spectral worlds, and in each environment is able to achieve different things to solve a puzzle. For example, while Raziel cannot pick up objects in the spirit world, he can warp through gates and other thin obstacles, or jump to otherwise inaccessable areas. This gives the game a fantastic degree of scope and depth to 3D problem solving.
The graphics for the series are top notch, and its one of the first series of games to do away with loading screens - clever coding allows the game to load upcoming environments before you reach them, allowing a seamless transition through the vast land of Nosgoth. The world is realised in beautiful, lovingly crafted architecture, spooky, mist filled forests and flickering caves. The spectral world, which Raziel is tied to is rendered in eerie blues and greens, and there's a lot of excellent lighting throughout. Its one of the most atmospheric games you'll play this year.
One of the chief critisisms levelled at the last game, Soul Reaver 2, is that it was too wordy and complex a plot, with not enough action and exploring. This latest title seems to have addressed those concerns by upping the action in spades, while staying true to the devious twists and turns of the series. This should be on every fan's wish list, and I'd recommend it to anyone in search of an offbeat and spooky adventure game. | video-games_xbox |
For MGS fans, expect an average experience. For newcomers, I would wait for the Phantom Pain. To all: Try to resist any knee-jerk down-votes based on the 3-stars, and give me a chance to explain myself. I've tried my best to sum up what I felt about this game, and I hope I can convey it below. Thank you!
*Review*
For reference, I played this through on the Xbox One - 720p @ 60 fps, and some on the Xbox 360 - 720p @ 30 fps, so keep that in mind. (It's basically the same across all platforms.)
First and foremost, I've infrequently played any other Metal Gear Solid games. Before you begin throwing rotten fruits, give me a chance: I am fully aware that the Metal Gear Solid series is one of the best and most influential in gaming history. I understand that it essentially defined stealth in video games, and set the basis for other upstanding game franchises such as Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon. As I have played many iterations of both of those series, I'll be using some of those for reference, even though, in a way, those are based off of MGS itself. Thusly, let's begin my personal review.
Graphics - The absolute very first thing you'll notice about this game is the graphics. On virtually all 4 platforms, the Fox engine handles and performs everything very well, from lighting, weather effects to make things look wet, etc., and is twice as true for the next-Gen consoles. However, one of my favorite things in a game is when the faces of the characters emit and show some kind of emotion. While they all look good up close, all characters faces are awkwardly sterile when they speak. Most of you should know what I mean - you can tell when the developers went through the process of mapping real-life faces to look real (such as L.A. Noire, recent Battlefield games (using the equally impressive Frostbite engine)), and it really takes me out of the immersion greatly when little moves apart from their mouth. The only other issue I found odd was that when driving a vehicle, your shadow would either frantically flip-flop or disappear for a few seconds. Also, for the prowess that this incredibly diverse engine seems to have, explosions fall exceedingly short: the initial explosion is large and rewarding, but there's little detail in it and the dust/explosion only stays for maybe 2-3 seconds. None of the above are game-breaking, but it just takes me (maybe you too) out of it. If graphics don't matter to you, then that's something to consider, as the game itself seemed to be parallel to one another, and even the PS3/Xbox 360 versions are still handsome to look at.
Controls, Gameplay, Gameplay Mechanics - The controls are just as what you would expect from a third-person shooter. (In Xbox control terms): LT aims and locks onto a target, RT punches/uses weapons, along with all of your rudimentary controls, so no gripes there. However, things become odd when Metal Gear Solid-specific mechanics themselves come into play. The most prevalent is with interrogating/interacting with regular guards. The game forces you to go octopus-handed nearly every time you want to interact with a guard, such as telling them to get on the ground, knock them unconscious, etc. This is due to the fact that you have to hold the
target with the triggers and go through options on what you have to do with them using the right stick which can cause you to release the guard, which in turn causes them to shoot at you and alerts nearly every other guard in the area. This in itself wouldn't be much of an issue, except the game will frequently throw in far too many guards at a certain point. This prohibits the completion of missions such as doing it stealthily or without killing anyone, as there are simply too many guard towers with spotlights, wandering guards, some doing frequent patrols in vehicles, etc. If any of you have played the more recent Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, you can relate to that (excluding the usually idiotic team of AI that accompanied you in that game).
Again, while I haven't frequented any other MGS games, I did take the liberty to do some extra research. I learned that Ground Zeroes is different than its predecessors in that the cover system is now automatic, so that when you get close to a wall or object that can be used as cover, you automatically attach to it. This can commonly be an ailment to the game as trying to hastily turn a corner can turn into Solid Snake doing his animation to go into and thusly out of cover, which can take away a few precious moments to eliminate a guard in a small window of time, or simply trying to sprint away (you'll find yourself doing that a lot) and getting stuck by instantly attaching to cover you didn't want to. I'm disappointed that the first MGS game I invested in ended up having a different, seemingly off-point cover system. Another change in mechanics is the fact that banging on walls/making noise to draw attention to that area is gone. Mechanics such as these used in Splinter Cell and Far Cry 3 are invaluable on many occasions, and it seems odd that this nice little feature was eliminated, especially since its been part of the series for so long.
The story - The plot, while there is an obvious goal, is your typical "eliminate the bad guy to save the world", and is reminiscent of nearly all Splinter Cell games (especially the first) and Ghost Recon games. Apart from Solid Snake himself, I had no reason to care about any of the other characters that had a line of dialogue to their name.
Extras: Music & sound/level design - To me, the soundtrack to a game can make it or break it. In this case, it adds greatly to the ambience of the world around you. All background music and main themes are epic, mysterious, tense, and beautiful. [YouTube - Look up "Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes theme"] - That is just a taste of what you can expect. It put me OH SO CLOSE to giving this a 4/5. The sound design is thoroughly average, and the level design is all you would expect of a military camp; cramped lanes of tents, supplies, parked vehicles, etc. However, with the slightly-botched cover system I mentioned above, it's a shame that the flow doesn't really work out.
Price - Is the game itself worth it? Well, yes and no. While the game is not the full price point of any AAA title ($30 across all platforms), it still offers very little, and feels more like an overpriced DLC. The main mission can maybe reach two full hours if you were to approach
everything stealthily and incredibly slowly, and can be beaten in less than one if you plow through it. However, I do understand that Metal Gear Solid games can be played through many, many times like other stealth/tactical-style games, but it is still such a short experience that virtually any form of a play through can be done in or two days.
I wasn't sure when these were unlocked for me, as I had beaten the main mission right away, but eventually you are given different side-missions to complete. I believe there are 4 (each about 20-30 minutes long if they are taken slowly): "eliminate renegade threat": sneaking, assassinating mission; "Intel operative rescue missions": free a guy, escape on helicopter; "classified Intel acquisition": identify suspect, approach stealthily and getting information; and destroying anti-air missiles: a shoot-`em-up mission. I think the last one sort of goes against your typical MGS play through as you are forced to run-and-gun, instead of choosing how to approach it.
There are also collectibles to be found, which include XOF badges (which I'll get into in a second), audio tapes, and mission challenges, which include things like no-kills and completely stealthily. Back to the XOF badges, I wish you good luck on finding them. Of the 9 that are in the average-to-small map, one is practically given to you, but the rest seem to be playing a Major League game of hide-and-never-find; I made a fairly conceited effort to search for them during my play through and found just one other. If I make the effort to find them myself, or when someone comes out with a walkthrough for them, I'll update this.
Conclusion: If I could give this game a 3.5, I would. Amazon describes a 3-stars as an "It's Okay" and a 4-star as "I like it!" To be honest, it's both. When the game was good, the game was very good, and while the graphics are mostly down-right stunning across all platforms (apart from resolution differences), there are enough odd and consistent flaws that simply bring it down too much. Despite the cost, I truly, truly hope that others who are hardcore MGS fans can tell me that this is one of the worse (and still okay) MGS games out there, because it doesn't seem like this one did it any justice, and that I'm missing out on something special. Personally, I would wait for "MGS V: The Phantom Pain" to release, as this is a prequel leading up to it and Ground Zeroes will undoubtedly be cheaper by the 2015/2016 release date of MGS V. Thanks for reading, and I hope this review helped. If you have any questions or feedback, leave it in the comment section below. Have a good one!
P.S. There's an accompanying app that's released for iOS, Android and maybe Windows Phone (through SmartGlass). Not sure of the name of it at this very second, but it shows your stats and challenges, sort of like the CoD Elite/Battlelog of MGS: GZ. Those kinds of things don't matter to me, but it may to others. | video-games_xbox |
Good with some Eye Rolling Flaws. A side-story taking place in the Halo universe, "ODST" puts you in the role of the titular Orbital Drop Ship Trooper - a regular marine compared to the Master Chief, the series' normal protagonist. Using the basic gameplay and graphics of Halo 3, ODST is neat and different in some ways and disappointingly samey in others.
ODST follows a squad of drop troopers - primarily through the eyes of Rookie, a silent protagonist. Rookie proceeds through the abandoned, dead city of New Mombasa looking for records of his teammates, who he was separated from. Finding these records allows you to play a segment as another trooper - Buck, the leader, Mickey, the tech specialist, Dutch, the tough guy, or Romeo, the sniper.
Rookie's segments are really freeform and open - you explore the city, going through apartments and back alleys and occasionally running into random patrols of Covenant soldiers. The city's AI, the Supervisor, will occasionally try to get your attention by hijacking various city systems - signs will change to point you in the right direction, phones will start ringing, ticket machines will start spewing tickets, crosswalks and traffic lights will change, and so on. These directions will lead you to audio diaries - clues to a side-story - or weapon/ammo caches. All in all, it makes for a really great feel - almost to the level of Silent Hill - and it's backed up by some of the best music in the series.
The action stages are pretty good, too, but far more traditional. There is some openness in the levels, but for the most part they're similar to normal Halo 3. This is where the main promise of ODST - the fact that you're playing as a normal soldier - kind of falls flat. You can basically do everything that the Master Chief can do, including but not limited to flipping over cars and punching through tanks. Your health works slightly differently, but it still basically equates to "if you get hit, go duck behind cover until you recover". You can get away with running up to Brutes and punching them in the face until they die. All in all, you basically demonstrate the same level of "super-soldier" that the actual super soldiers have, as opposed to having to rely on your wits and your guns to overcome your weakness.
In addition to the campaign mode, ODST also offers a four-person co-op mode called "Firefight". In this mode, the human players attempt to hold out as long as they can against waves of Covenant troops. Like Gears of War 2's Horde mode, this can be a blast with the right people. To add a bit of difficulty into the mix, each wave of Covenant has a special effect attached to them - the ability to dodge grenades, or being more resistant to plasma, and so on. This ensures that the endless waves of Covenant continue to be challenging for as long as you play.
The graphics are similar to Halo 3's, but the urban environment is much more well-designed than those in Halo 3. A lot of care went into designing the city and the various signs and objects scattered around it, and the end result feels pretty natural. The sound is really good, too. The most obvious change, sound-wise, is that an injured ODST will pant and groan realistically instead of offering a single grunt like the Master Chief does. This makes it feel a lot more immersive, and is almost worth the fact that - for game reasons - you can heal up really easily and dying's not really that big of a deal.
On the whole, I understand why ODST didn't take a more realistic approach, but that doesn't mean it's not disappointing. As a game, ODST is good, but with some eye-rolling flaws that could've been turned into something more meaningful than "another Halo game".
8/10. | video-games_xbox |
This is a Rental. Regardless of the game's true rating - in terms of fun, thrill, excitement - I have to recommend one star and suggest you not purchase it, but find an alternative. At the end of the day, however, you know the type of gamer you are and whether the DRM scheme will interfere with you or not.
This is an excerpt of a letter that I have sent to EA regarding RA3. This is my view - and while to late to stop this purchase, I will be aware the next time.
Letter to EA regarding Red Alert 3 (RA3):
*****************************************
This past week I took my son to purchase Red Alert 3 for my son. It was nostalgic since I was a big C&C and RA2 fan so many years ago. In fact, I still have the CDs and would reinstall and play them every once in a while. His interest in RA3 came from my RA2 discs, which he's played a few times.
He installed RA3 on his sister's laptop, since his 5 year old Dell doesn't meet the minimum requirements. He's getting a new laptop this Christmas, he's quite happy. His first concern: I only have 4 installs left of RA3. Excuse me? He informed me of the 5 installs per game before requiring additional activations.
Some folks never learn. Or they do it the hard way.
I understand the difficulties of piracy. I am a software developer. But you should take a moment and learn from those that came before you. What will your game fans have to work through when they've installed the game on their numerous reformatted machines and find out that the the game can no longer be installed? Gamers tend to be the ones that constantly restore or reinstall fresh machines to keep the machine in optimal running conditions; removing demos, games no longer played, mods and a handful of other 'wares that end up on a machine after a year. What about when the game is no longer supported by EA, albeit the gaming community has a huge following and wants to continue playing it, but the activation servers are offline?
Am I just renting this game from you? Since I must ask for permission after five installs to install a sixth time it sure seems like it. This would be akin to calling Warner Brothers to allow me watch Batman Return past 10 viewings. | video-games_xbox |
MEMORY MAKES THE HEART GROW MORE EVIL. 10 years ago, Alice Liddell's house caught fire and her parents and older sister died in the blaze. Badly burned and on the brink of death, Alice fell into a catatonic state, punctuated by moments of screaming madness. She was moved to Rutledge Asylum in London where the doctors tried all kinds of treatments to bring her out of her trance-like state. The methods used in asylums in the 19th century were not based on very sound medical knowledge. For example, Alice was given shock treatments, doses of poisonous substances, and leeches were placed on her. But nothing seemed to work. While Alice appeared to be a soulless vegetable, the real cure for her ailment was inside her own mind. In her mind she could seek solace in Wonderland, the fantastical land she had visited in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. But as seen in the game Alice, which came out on PC in 2000, and is available for download for free with new copies of Madness Returns, Wonderland wasn't quite the weird but delightful place it once was. The maniacal Red Queen was waging total war against the inhabitants of Wonderland and it was up to Alice to stop her. The health of Wonderland was symbolic of Alice's mental health. With the defeat of the Red Queen, Alice was able to win back her sanity as well....or so she thinks. This game isn't called Madness Returns for nothing, you know.
As the game opens, Alice has been released from the asylum and is working and boarding at an orphanage named Houndsditch Home and Refuge for Wayward Youth. I wouldn't say her sanity is 100%. She still sees visions and stuff but Alice is able to function pretty normally. She still has sessions with a Dr. Bumby in which she discusses her lost memories and visions. The thing that is really bothering her is her inability to remember what happened the night her family died in the fire. There are all kinds of different opinions about the fire's source. Some even say it was Alice that caused it! In order to find out the truth, Alice will have to return to Wonderland again in order to reclaim her lost memories. But just like her last visit, the threat to her mind has been made manifest by a new evil in Wonderland. A sinister train is winding its way through the environment, bringing death and destruction to those that live there. Once again, it's up to Alice to confront this threat, and again save her own soul in the process.
Even though Madness Returns starts in grimy Dickensian London, it's not long before you fall, literally, into Wonderland, and I have to say, the sequence of Alice landing in the Vale of Tears is a very beautiful artistic vision. Which kind of raises expectations about the rest of the game that can probably never be met. The true Wonderland is one of lush vegetation and surreal elements like miniature winged cows and 2001 A Space Odyssey monolith sized dominoes floating and schooling in the sky. If I could have Alice just sit in a chair and look around at the environment I probably could have sat there for a couple of hours just taking in the beauty of the surroundings. Unfortunately, once the evil train gets introduced and the conflict begins, Wonderland begins to break apart and you are left with what looks like Hell: Lava, spider-webs, chunks of cold rock, Gothic castles, intestinal body cavities, blood by the buckets, zombie-like deformed children, monsters, fire, perilous falls, and shadowy underwater creatures, all want to kill you.
I wish we had gotten to spend a little more time in the "nice" Wonderland before the whole thing went to decay, so I would know more what I was fighting for. It would be cool if someone could make a game based more on the books and somehow make it a Kinect or Move compatible. It's almost like you need to have read the books or seen movie adaptations to know what Wonderland used to be like.
While I might complain a bit about the darkness of the game, I guess really that's what the gamemakers were shooting for. I could have done with a little break from the dreariness of the atmosphere, but the artistic design of the world and its characters were first rate. Of course, I have to start at the top with Alice. As she progresses to different areas of Wonderland, she has different dresses which reflect their theme. For instance, when she goes to the factory of the Mad Hatter, who is either a cyborg or and android, she sports a steampunk dress or when she travels to "The Mysterious East", she puts on a kimono inspired version of her classic blue and whites. I loved it when she would float or jump and you could have her drift for a bit and her dress and hair would move very realistically. Alice always had grace, even during combat. Her movements were fluid and she moved like a real person, not a digital one. You could tell a lot of love went into her just by how the wind would blow her long hair. To me, all the exteriors of the game were pretty good, but interiors were kinda dull.
Yes, Alice Madness Returns is at its heart a platformer. If anything, the game it most reminded me of was the original Tomb Raider. Having just finished Tomb Raider Anniversary a couple weeks ago, I know what I'm talking about. The thing about Tomb Raider that stands out to me is that a lot of that game was "OK, I need to get to point B from point A. Now, given the environmental aids at my disposal, how do I get there?". The same is true of Madness. You have to get from one side of the level to the other but you are given some leeway as to how to do it. The jumping is a little awkward at the beginning of the game but is easily mastered. You have to be precise about what you're doing, but the game is by no means insane in its demands.
One thing I did not like is some of the time, you have to jump to moving platforms which are also INVISIBLE. Sometimes you have to even do a sequence of timed jumps to invisible moving platforms which can be a little trying because you can only see them while you are holding the L button and you can't jump at the same time. Luckily, after you release the button, the platforms stay visible for a couple of extra seconds. This almost broke the game only once for me. I would suggest buying the downloadable content for Alice, which was only 160 Microsoft Points, which gave you new power-up dresses and weapons. One of those dresses allowed you to see invisible platforms at all times, not just when you held the button down. I don't think I would have made it past a certain point without that dress.
There are some neat little 2D platforming sections that will surprise, along with a little bit of Marble Madness. There's a bit of puzzling as well. In fact I would say this game could be divided into about 60% platforming and puzzling and 40% combat.
As for combat, I thought it was pretty well done. Again, Alice's moves were fluid, especially with the Vorpal Blade. You collect teeth which which are used to upgrade your weapons. With more upgrades, your weapons not only become more powerful, but faster. With full power, the Vorpal Blade, leaving black and red line blurs of motion, almost reminds me of Nariko's Heavenly Sword. You can utilize the Pepper Grinder as a stand-in for a machine gun and a Teapot Cannon which fires tea grenades for more powerful but slower rate of fire area effect attacks. Then, finally, there's the Hobby Horse, which functions as a war hammer. There can be an issue with targeting when you have multiple enemies but it wasn't a big deal except maybe in two instances, and it just made it harder or more annoying, not a gamebreaker. Overall, the fighting was exciting and interesting visually, and you were equipped with weapons that served you well, if you also used your brain.
Now we come to what I think is the weakest link of this game: the voice acting. The voice acting is really divided into in-game interactions between characters and then cutscenes with highly stylized paper doll-like representations of the characters. As far as the in-game scenes, these were acted pretty well. The cutscenes where the most dramatic reveals are done are horrible. The voice actors read their parts really fast and no matter what they were talking about they were completely deadpan. It was a real shame. Due to this poor voice acting I didn't get very immersed in the story. I had to learn to care about the character of Alice from her design and movements alone. So I guess I admire the work of Alice's motion capture actress, Ana Swanson, more that her voice actress, Susie Brann. Why is it that EVERY English videogame voice actress sounds like Lara Croft? They just sound so generic.
So overall, I liked this game. Again, it reminded me a lot of the original Tomb Raider. Graceful character motion, precise woman vs. environment platforming with elements of free will. Puzzles that are interesting without being frustrating. There are also collectibles in the game in the form of your memories, teeth (which you use to upgrade your weapons), and bottles (which don't seem to serve any function in the game). I, for one, like to collect stuff. Some reviewers have complained that the game is one big fetch quest. I didn't feel like that at all. Could this game have been better? Of course. No game is perfect. I would have liked to have spent more time in the beautiful wonderland before it starts to slip into the horror aspect of the game. The voice acting, to me, was the biggest problem with the game. Another complaint I've heard is that the game is too long. I thought the length was just about right. Definitely worth playing. | video-games_xbox |
Pretty much for the fans only. Armored Core 4 - Circa 2007
(Special note: If you never played an Armored Core game before and don't care much for huge battling mechs with endless menus of customization drop this score down to a one star. Also if you have Xbox Live and want to try this game you can download a demo for it over XBL Marketplace)
GOOD:
- Armored Core finally comes Xbox ... well Xbox 360.
- Online Play with up to 8 Players online (at once) and be able to trade schematics (your mechs blue prints) online with other gamers.
- The Graphics in this title are pretty good and a step above the previous generation of Armored Core titles on PS2 with most levels having sweeping vistas and energy blades looking like glowing pillars of light. Although on a bit of a sour note the landscapes are as barren as ever with most levels taking place in abandoned cities and deserts.
- More of the same great Armored Core action that fans of the series have come to expect (sorry fans this title seems to not have Nine-Ball thought). Over all, like in every Armored Core title the missions are a mixed-bag with some pretty lame missions mixed in with the over the top missions (so you can never expect what will come next).
BAD:
- The Story is very confusing even to long time Armored Core fans. In this title companies own countries and well after that most people will quickly get lost as well as stop caring.
- The store-garage section of the game has been redesigned as well from previous Armored Core games. Now you build your mech from a pool of available parts and after equipping you have the option to buy said parts before leaving the store-garage menu and going back to the main game. In this way the Shop and garage is now one place, and the effect is that it's all pretty confusing for both Armored Core fans and people new to the franchise.
- The contrast in this game was odd sometimes, now for most missions you can see clearly, but in some missions it is so dark you can't see more then a few spaces in front of you, but in other levels it was so bright that your screen will look almost completely white.
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- While in concept this game plays very much like Steel Battalion or Chromhounds the game play is much faster in pace.
- Tons of customization options for your mech, think of this game like the Grand Turismo of mech games. For those who have never have played this series before it can be pretty overwhelming.
- Paint your Mech (or any individual part/weapon) any color you want and have the option to have lots of different cameo styles too. On top of that you can even make your own patch/logo (using a bunch of clipart and such) and add this patch to any part of your mech as many times as you like (yes you can make your mech covered in logos and look like a Nascar if you wanted). Also, emblems or Patches that appeared in From Software's other mech game Chromehounds are also carried over into this game.
- Have up to five different mechs in your garage as well as schematics for lots of mech you have beaten in combat (during the single player game).
- With about 70 missions this Armored Core game is a bit shorted the previous ones, all missions have a normal and hard setting, unlock hard setting after you beaten the game.
- This game comes with two controller options and one custom option (setting up your own custom option is most likely your best bet).
- This Armored Core now has a totally redesigned HUD that has a minimalist look and takes up little space on your screen
- All mech come with an energy field called Primal Armor (or PA), which is a protective energy barrier that cuts down on damage taken, Over Boosting (think nitro's for mechs) or prolonged normal boosting can and will drain the effectiveness of this energy barrier (although it can and will recharge).
- The lockbox that is normally found in previous Armored Core games (which worked more like a gun sight) is now removed from the HUD all together; the game will now automatically try to lock on to enemies when in range. Holding down the lock button over an enemy (by default clicking in the Left analog) keeps the lock stuck on that target and makes a small window appear in the left corner of the screen with a zoomed up image of that target.
- You can now fight on water (hover just above the water line) unlike past AC games where you would fall straight to the bottom if contact were made with the water. If the player stops boosting, they will sink into the water but they are still able to get out to the surface if they boost. The only way to sink now is to let your mech go to far (underwater) and not boost out of the water. It should also be noted that in the games options you could set you mech to auto-boost over water so you don't have to hold the button and never have to worry about sinking.
- Boosting along the ground (slide boosting) no longer takes energy, now it will do the opposite and cause your energy bar to refill although more slowly the just standing still.
- Stabilizers have been added, these are parts that shift the balance of your mech (in a few areas), and they also serve to add an aesthetic looks to your mech.
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Armored Core (PS1)
- Steel Battalion (Xbox)
- Chromhounds (360)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- This game is also on PS3
- Like I stated above if you have an Xbox-360 and Xbox Live (you don't even need a gold membership a sliver membership which is free will do) and want to try this game you can download the demo for it on Xbox Live Marketplace. It's a three missions long demo.
- The Moon Light Laser blade is in this title (but it's a hidden part)
- In this Xbox 360 version of the game you not only get achievements for beating chapters (6 in all) but also for beating certain mission on hard mode (usually the mission where you have to fight rival mechs) and for beating simulation packs which work as this games version of the Ranker Ladder that was found in previous Armored Core games. | video-games_xbox |
Far Cry 3 Game Review. Ubisoft squeaked in Far Cry 3 at the very end of the year which can be risky for games since the major game release time tends to be between October and November and sometimes the general gamer public might look over something that comes out this close to the years end. However, Ubisoft definitely saved their best for last as Far Cry 3 is hands down the best in the series so far. If you're not familiar with Far Cry, they are an FPS series that is characterized by its exotic settings with danger all around and with the need for survival. The first Far Cry caught the eyes of many PC gamers for its beautiful graphics and game play in 2004 and was set on a tropical island. I personally did not like it but I think that's because the version I had was messed up or something because I could never get it to save correctly. Far Cry 2 was released in 2008 and was set in central Africa. It never seemed to be as popular as I felt it should have been and it was and still is one of the most realistic shooters I've ever played. It had a very raw feeling and took into account many things other shooters do not, such as keeping your weapon maintained or else it'll jam on you and rocket launchers with back blast that can hurt you and cause fires. As for Far Cry 3, it once again is set on a tropical island in the Pacific which honestly turned me off to it as it seemed they were going for a pseudo-remake of the first game. Also it being called `Skyrim with guns' has not turning me on to playing it (Sorry Skyrim is overrated) but I was wrong about FC3. While Far Cry 3 doesn't do anything revolutionary for games, it does a great job with what it has and makes the series stand out more than the previous titles.
STORY: You play as Jason Brody, a rich college graduate from California on the vacation of a life time with his two brothers, girlfriend, and closest friends. As the final part of their trip through Asia, they go skydiving onto an island located somewhere between Indonesia and Australia. When they land on the beach they are horrified to discover that the island is controlled by pirates and they are captured. The pirates and the PMC that handles them are lead by a man named Vaas (pirate leader) and a man named Hoyt (PMC leader). They control human trafficking and drug trading in this part of the world and use these islands as a base of operations. Jason and his older brother try to escape the camp however Jason ends up fleeing into the jungle and is nearly killed. He is saved by a man named Dennis and explains how the island's natives, the Rakyat, are leading a guerilla war against the pirates and need his help. Jason reluctantly joined as it seems to be the only means to save his friends.
Now I usually try to avoid spoilers in my reviews but I will have to mention some borderline spoiler things here and there. So if you don't want any spoilers, skip down to the game play section. First of all, Far Cry 3 has hands down the best story and characters of all the Far Cry games. I can't help but feel there is some social commentary going on here with these privileged white Americans getting thrown into the situation. Jason, while I really didn't like him at first, changes a lot of over the game and the change is a believable one up until a certain point. Vaas is one of the best villains in a video game this year. He reminds me of the Heath Ledger Joker, when he's on the screen, you can't take your eyes off him. Now this game is divided into two halves and I have to say, the first half is stronger than the second. The game starts out strong and ends strong but the 2nd act, it kind of falls flat and feels pretty different from the first half of the game. It doesn't make it so you will want to stop playing but you'll definitely notice the change and it makes Jason's character development feel less believable though this does come to a head at the very end of the game. Also this is when Hoyt becomes the main villain and he's just not nearly as interesting as Vaas. Jason's friends are very believable as they react to the situation they are in and you meet some other messed up characters along the way. As I said, the strong characters that this game has sets it apart from the other FC games. I should also mention that there is some very heavy subject matter in this game. In addition to all the usual violence you see in an M Rated FPS game, there are also drugs, human slavery, and implied raped.
The tropical island setting is used well as for the story and game play and seems to use it better than the first game. While this game tries to be realistic much like Far Cry 2 was, there are some mystical elements to it as well. There are bizarre drug induced segments and boss fights and this subtle Alice in Wonderland motif going on. The game also has a lot of Rambo references. If you've seen the 4th movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. This is a pretty long game, around 20+ hours especially if you try to do all of the side quests, which there are many. As I said, the game has a strong start and finish but the 2nd act is where the game kind of falls flat as it just seems to take on a new tone. Also the game has a very long credit roll at the end. Might be one of the longest credit sequences I have sat through since Metal Gear Solid 4.
GAMEPLAY: Much like Far Cry 2, it's an open sand box world but because of the island setting, it gives you freedom to REALLY explore everything. The shooting is pretty basic if you're familiar with most FPS games these days and you have a large variety of weapons to acquire in this game which are all customizable. They range from assault rifles, machine guns, launchers, bow and arrows and flamethrowers. The flamethrower is fun. All the weapons can be customized and are fun to find creative ways to use them which leads to the best part of the game: the assaults. Observing, planning, and making attacks against enemy positions are a lot of fun in this game because you are given complete freedom on how to go about it. You can try storming in with guns blazing but most of the time that will end with you dead. You have to plan your attacks, make use of the environment and the weapons at hand. You can sneak in and disable the alarm and then attack or sneak in and take down enemies one by one with knife (which is a lot of fun to do) or set the camp on fire or shoot open the cage of a predator in the camp and have the animal attack people. There are many possibilities to play with.
Hunting and gathering is another major game play point. Unlike in other games like Red Dead Redemption or Assassin's Creed 3 where hunting wild life can be done but isn't needed unless you want to make some extra cash. In Far Cry 3, you must hunt if you want to be able to progress through the game. At the start, you have very little on you and you must craft rucksacks, bandoliers, holsters, wallets ect. If you want to be able to carry more stuff and you will need to be able to do so or else you're going to have a bad time. Everything requires certain amounts of animal hides to make so it's a good idea to try and get most of your hunting done as early as you can in the game and be aware, you're not the only one hunting. Predatory animals will hunt other wild life, humans, and you which add a much more realistic feel to the game's wild life. You need to watch out for leopards, bears, and tigers on land and watch out for sharks and crocodiles in the water. You can kill these creatures, of course, but they do not go down as easy as many of the human enemies in the game. You also gather plants for making health items, combat and hunting items as well.
Plants and hunting grounds are clearly marked on your map which is handled differently from the previous game. This is where some of the rawness from FC2 is taken away in FC3. In the previous game, your map was literally a map that your character pulled out and looked at while holding a GPS device. In FC3, it's just a map screen that gets pulled up when you press select. There is nothing wrong with that but the map screen and menu screen for crafting and item management will take you out of the immersive feeling the game is going for. The map itself is easy to read and has easy to use fast travel stations that you unlock by liberating enemy camps across the island so that's another reason you want to assault enemy positions. Your map is not all there however. You must unlock more sections of the map by finding and climbing radio towers. The more you turn on, the more of the map you see. These are pretty fun as they act as mini plat forming segments and are sort of like climbing vantage points in Assassin's Creed games. Other side missions include assassinating specific enemies with your knife, hunting animals with a certain weapon, and odd jobs you'll find from other people on the island. You can also find and collect relics, WWII letters from dead Japanese soldiers, and memory cards that give you drug recipes. You get some exp points from these but not really worth collecting everything unless you're an achievement hunter.
You level up like you would in an RPG and you do it fairly often. When you do, you gain a skill point which you can spend to unlock new skills and gain more on your arm tattoo. Some of these skills are helpful but some of these are throw aways like faster turret cool down or shooting from zip lines. You're never really going to use it. You get the most exp points from killing enemies and completing main missions. The game has a much improved money system from the previous game as it uses actual cash instead of diamonds and the money is much more plentiful. There were many times when I had too much money and I had to just spend it on stuff to free up my wallet. Driving vehicles is much more realistic in this game. Take that as a good or bad thing. Some cars have trouble driving on rough terrain and some roll over pretty easily. Thankfully the hang glider is much easier to control in this game and not just a death trap like it was in FC2. The weapon selection inventory is the last thing I'll hit on. It's kind of confusing to use as it is never explained and if it is, it's not explained well. I had to check in the instruction pamphlet. You hold the left bumper to make it appear you use the joystick to select the weapon. However, if you switch between weapons like normal it will go back to whatever weapon was previously selected. It's kind of confusing to explain but it can be annoying especially in the middle of combat when pulling up the inventory screen isn't easy to do. While the game play over all is fun, it runs into the similar problem I find with games like Skyrim that there are a limited number of different types of side quests and once you get the hang of how these missions go, it gets kind of repetitive. This is more evident the 2nd half of the game as well.
GRAPHICS: Visually Far Cry 3 is a beautiful game. The landscape, water, people, animals, plants all look amazing and life like. There is nothing here to honestly complain about. However, if you are someone where the best possible graphics are a must, then you should definitely play this game on PC if your computer can handle it. The 360 version looks good but kind of has this weird slight flickering when you're looking around sometimes. Also the game did freeze on me once but I am using a used game so if you get it new, hopefully you won't have that issue. Like the games before it in this series, FC3 is very easy on the eyes.
SOUND: All the sounds of the jungle and combat sound great in FC3. The audio is very helpful in hunting animals as you can maybe get the drop on them by hearing animal grunts and growls through the brush. It can also be tip off as you turn around to see a tiger jumping into your face. There is this sound you where whenever you pull up the map or menu screen that sounds like a picture being processed out of a Polaroid camera. It sounds cool at first but considering how often you will be pulling up those screens, it gets annoying after awhile. The music of Far Cry 3 is odd. The main theme is the airy electric rock song that kind of reminds me of the theme from Mirror's Edge. The majority of the music you hear though is this foreboding, suspense building music you hear when walking around in the jungle or you just hear nothing but the wild life. I'm not saying FC3 has bad music, I'm just saying hearing the good music is fairly rare. The voice acting is the best in the franchise so far. As I said before, Jason and his friends sound and act believable to people in this situation and the more corrupt characters are also fun to watch and come to hate them but in the good way you should come to hate a bad guy. Vaas is the one who steals the show however. Like I said, he's like the Heath Ledger Joker, when he's on the screen you can't take your eyes off him because you're terrified and also mesmerized by his insanity and the crazy things he is saying. Ubisoft knew he was an awesome character and it's why he's on the cover of the game. Sadly, he's only in the first half of the game. Notice a pattern here?
Overall, Far Cry 3 is the best game in the series so far in terms of story, characters, and general survival game play. There are a couple things I wish they had kept from Far Cry 2 but it doesn't hurt it much. As I've said multiple times in this review, the 1st half of the game is stronger than the 2nd. Survival with the elements becomes less of an issue by then and your character's objectives change but it does start and end strong. If you're tired of typical CoD like FPS games and like big open world games then you should check this one out. It can be repetitive but it's the kind of repetitiveness that makes you feel like you're moving towards a greater goal and it's rewarding because of that so come take a trip to this island of madness. If you're going to play one Ubisoft game this year, let it be Far Cry 3, not AC3.
OVERALL: 8.5/10 | video-games_xbox |
Incredibly weak sequel. I have been a BioWare fanboy for six years (KOTOR, Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights 1 & , Mass Effect 1 & 2, DA: Origins. I pre-ordered Dragon Age 2 without a second thought, which is now my biggest regret. I used to blindly trust BioWare
because they were, in my opinion, one of the best RPG companies in the business. To say that DA 2 has been a let down is a massive understatement. Onto the review...
Combat - 5/10
- Combat is more polished in this one from a graphics standpoint. However, the animations are ridiculous. They don't seem to interlock at all, meaning there's no visual illusion of a fight taking place and you feel like your character isn't reacting to the opponent. Characters stab, shoot, or cast spells in the most extravagant manner. There is nothing mature about a game which shamelessly panders to the teenage demographic and causes me to roll my eyes so forcefully during the unnecessary cartwheel sequences that I fear I may never regain my sight again. In addition, Bioware decided to add "waves" of enemies instead of having a fixed number. This unnecessarily lengthens combat, making it feel like a chore instead of an exciting engagement. Also, respawn points are sometimes placed in thin air meaning enemies drop out of the sky to attack you.
Story - 1/10 - What story? Honestly, Dragon Age 2 has no story. The game has three Acts, but the pacing is terrible and the "story" is nothing more than a disjointed mess. There is no overarching plot, no epic adventure waiting to be revealed. Just three separate acts united by a single character.
Companions - 2/10 - The only character with any personality was Varric. Everyone else is extremely tired and just plain awful. There isn't even really any companion development! You can't personally talk to them outside of very short
companion quest dialogue!
Quests - 1/10 - It first occurred to me when I played through about my third quest. I said to myself: "Haven't I been here before?" and indeed I had. All the dungeons maps are the freakin' same. Literally. It's utterly shameful, pathetic, and lazy that Bioware would copy/paste the same dungeons over again, just adding closed doors here and there to block off certain parts of them! And that's just the dungeons! The quests themselves are ridiculous! It's just: "Talk to guy at point A who tells you to go to point B, talk to guy at point B who
tells you to go to point C, go to point C and kill guys, find quest plot
clue on dead leader, back to point B and/or A to finish quest." rinse,
repeat, lame.
Skill & Ability System - 5/10 - Skill have been dumbed down. Maybe this will appeal to a wider audience but to me, it removed a lot of the complexity and fun from the game.
Inventory System - 7/10 - Works fine. The junk systems lets you easily sort through your loot and dispose of what you don't want.
Dialogue System - 1/10 - I was indifferent about Hawke having a voice, however, the dialogue system was just horribly done. It felt as if the characters were talking to the air, and if you said something, it was almost as if you didn't
even get a direct response, like the person was just blankly responding
on some dialogue track. This, sadly, extended into the personal
companion dialogue as well. In addition, companion dialogue was completely gutted meaning that the dialogue options with companions only occurred a few times per act (essentially only on side quests).
Scenery - 1/10
- What scenery? One of the major things that made Dragon Age: Origins
so grand and epic was being able to travel all across the land! The deep
forests, the dwarven city, the deep roads, the landscapes were glorious
and beautiful! But, you get to Dragon Age 2, and what do you get?
Kirkwall, Kirkwall, Kirkwall, that's it! You travel to the countryside
sometimes, but it's just the same copy/pasted countryside every time!
Overall Score - 4/10 (2/5 for Amazon)
All in all, the graphics have been improved but that point alone can't make up for the fact that this game simply sucks. The plot is non-existant, the companions are drones, the dialogue is god awful and just plain awkward, the dungeons suck, and to boot you're stuck in Kirkwall, one place! | video-games_xbox |
OMFG. This game instantly shot up past Gears of War as the best 360 game within the first hour of playing it. The graphics, the enemies, that innovative gameplay, the storyline, everything is just... what's a good word to describe something this amazing? Hm, I guess AMAZING does it pretty well!
This is the #1 Xbox 360 game for me, and I've played them all. I am an avid gamer, and if this is what the next generation of gaming is going to be like, I am seriously blown away. Amazing.
Besides the graphics and sheer awesomeness of this game, one particular thing to note is the super fantastic way that the game levels up. It's almost perfect. There is no training level, but the first level is spaced out enough to were you have time to figure things out. A few levels later, once you're starting to think the game may to easy, they crank up a couple notches, and suddenly you're restarting a few times. And then, they do it again and again throughout the game, keeping you always on your toes. It's awesome, and truly the best level of gameplay I've ever experienced.
The AI is amazing, especially the other mechs and larger enemies. But even the smaller infantry have some tricks to throw at you. For example, say you come up to a group of three guys, and they start shooting at you with machine guns. You don't notice that only two are shooting at you, and one is heading for cover. So you take out the first two guys, and then go to mop up the last guy - BOOM, he's got a Rocket Launcher! Or, CRASH - he's jumped in a MECH! It's awesome.
If you have a 360 - do yourself the massive favor of getting this game. Oh, and as for Collector's Version vs. Regular, this is finally a game that gives us more than just some useless making of videos on a spare DVD. No no no, this Collector's edition has a Soundtrack, An exclusive MultiPlayer Map, computer wallpapers, and all kinds of *actual* extra content. And at only $10 more, why not?
So, to sum it all up in one single statement: GET THIS GAME NOW! | video-games_xbox |
Great Charging Station, Sleek and Functional. EDIT. Preliminary Review: Awesome, affordable, and easy to use.
After setting it up, which was fairly easy, I plugged it in and set it to charge and it started working perfectly. From the pictures I took, you can see there is an LED controller pops up with a color. Easy to determine the battery state. A few people mentioned issues about charging it but not fully charging and getting hot. Well I haven't experienced those issues, but I can say make sure the battery is placed in correctly, or the charging contacts won't line up correctly, causing heat damage and fire hazards. See the pictures. I will update in time after serious usage.
EDIT: 12/29/14, no problems whatsoever. Xbox Controllers stay charged, don't get hot, and get used heavily. Unsurprisingly, my brother plays my Xbox alot, free live since I pay for it, and free games too! So when I get home, we swap off and it goes a full day without me putting it back on the stand when I'm done. I don't know where the charge is after that of course, but its never shut off on me. I gotta say as well... the battery pack is flush. It is smooth and not bulgy, it blends well with the ergonomics of the controller itself. No heaviness or awkward bulkiness. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone in need of a charger. It charges well, it looks good, keeps things neat, and affordable.
EDIT: 1/2/15, after a few extra hours of good time fun on my Xbox, due to the holiday season, I noticed my battery would die fairly quickly. After further inspection, my brother noticed that one of the prongs on the charge base was damaged. The front charger no longer charges the battery pack. A little disappointed honestly, so I had to lower the review to 3 stars. It functions and works well, but after not even a whole 2 months the base is broken. Sorry Nyko, it was a great product when it worked. I now only have 50% charging capability... thankfully we only play my Xbox one at a time. I couldn't figure out how to upload MORE pictures so I am sharing my google album, I created one with two shots of the broken prongs. I wish I could get a better picture but the flash kept ruining it and it is so dark, and I didn't feel like waiting til it was brighter out.
https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/115147083558157717223/albums/6099974858056679729
It is a safe link, if you wanna see the pictures. | video-games_xbox |
A game based on a movie that's GOOD. Color me impressed.
There's not many games based off of movie adaptations out there that are worthwhile. For every Chronicles of Riddick, or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (HP:OOTP) there's a 100's of Transformers or Surfs Ups. This is the rare gem that actually delivers.
First up, the games major selling point: Hogwarts. If you've ever dreamed of walking around the grand staircase, talking to paintings or heading to Hagrid's Hut, or thumping down to Potions class...this game will not disappoint. The castle is lovingly recreated, with direct access to just about all the areas you'd expect (with the only exception I can think of being Dumbledore's office...cut scene only on that one...at least 70% through the game, anyway). There's tons to explore, nooks and crannies to find, and interesting scenery all around.
Second, there's tons to do...not just in the main quest, but in interacting (mostly casting spells at) with the environment. The institution of "discovery points" (points recieved for finding new things, ways to interact with your environment, etc) being the way to level up really keeps in the spirit of the franchise. There's just a huge abundance of "neat" stuff to do in every area, from changing the house flags in the great hall to hunting down hidden plaques and statues, to finding painting passwords (which lead to shortcuts) to playing HP "lore" minigames like Wizards chess, gobstones and Snaps!.
Next up, the story is compelling (which is no surprise considering the source material). This is actually my ONE beef with the game,though I completely understand WHY they do it: The cut scenes give you snippets of the plot, but leave whole swaths of the story untold. If you're an HP fan, you won't really care because you've read the books (and seen the movies), so the "glossing over" is forgivable because you know the story already. If you're not as much of an HP fan, or your exposure to the material is limited (like, you've been living in a cave for the past 8 years or so), you might be a bit "muddled" until you see the next movie or pick up the books. It's not too bad, though...certainly not bad enough to lower my rating below a 4.
In addition, the graphics and sound are just stupendous. The music in the game is licensed HP stuff (including Hedwig's theme) from the movies, and sounds great. Voice acting is left to a LOT of the cast (though, noteably, Daniel does not do Harry and Emma does not do Hermione) from the movies, so sounds authentic. The quality of the sampling on the sound effects and voices is top notch, and the Dolby Digital does a great job of positioning the background noise where it should be in the 5.1 mix. The visuals are similarly well done, with so much detail added into the backgrounds, you'd swear you were at Hogwarts. The character models are well done, the skins look appropriately like the characters they're supposed to.
Control is tight, though there are some slight camera issues that will crop up (mostly when in tight quarters with "scenery" around you). Spellcasting is done with the Right Stick (with specific movements assigned to each spell....like a clockwise circle for "Reparo", the repair spell). Movement is done with the left stick. The buttons control running (A button) and "exploring" (X button to interact).
Ron and Hermione can be a bit tough to deal with when running around, especially in tight corners, because you have to maneuver AROUND them to get by them (rather than just shove them out of the way), but that's more of a nitpick than anything else.
I'd recommend this game to pretty much anyone, but ESPECIALLY HP fans. It's a good game in it's own right, but the ability it affords you to explore Hogwarts is going to be a Potter fan's dream...and about as close as you'll come to getting into the world of HP until Universal opens The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida around 2010. | video-games_xbox |
Good Incremental Improvements, No Revolution. What I like about the Tomb Raider games I've played so far (Anniversary and Underworld) is that the shooting sits alongside (modest) tests of dexterity and intelligence. So yes, there's plenty of action but it doesn't feel like the other components were just tacked on (see: Halo 3 in single-player mode).
Underworld seems to be the product of a working-out of inconsistencies in Anniversary, although it introduces several of its own, most notably the clear evidence that Lara is the world's *worst* archaeologist: since the treasure is now hidden in jars (for no obvious reason) Lara happily breaks 'priceless artifacts' in search for loot.
Aaaanyway, the changes that stood out for me:
1. Graphics: Anniversary graphics were ok, but the Underworld graphics are, frankly, amazing. For the first time I feel like I understand why the 360 was sold as a 'next gen' console (though I should confess that I only own four games so perhaps GoW2 is equally impressive). There are clever distance distortion-effects (such as when diving) and fogging and blurring from rain or mist.
2. Adrenaline: formerly the 'rage attack' this has been more logically reworked so that it is Lara who has to do the work to get the slow-mo shots. I found this change a lot harder to work with (because you no longer slide into it automatically) but it is at least sensible and you can do 'concentrated' attacks that don't require a full adrenaline meter.
3. Rock climbing: the nice start of a move away from "Oh, there's the white-edge ledge I guess I go that way..." Basically, more and more of the environment is becoming 'explore-able' and I can't help but see that as a good thing.
4. Grapple: can now be used to climb up and down cliff faces (and it no longer seems to unceremoniously drop you when you reach the 'end' of the line). Since this is the way that a normal human being would use a magic grappling hook that can snare anything first go, again, I can't help but see this as a good thing.
5. Melee: you can kick attackers, jump off of them, and do a variety of other combat manoeuvres that are easy to use and have sensible effects (such as stunning or knocking down an opponent).
6. AI: marginally more intelligent, but since Lara seems to take more damage from attacks these days I'm glad that it's not too much more intelligent even though the challenge would be worthwhile.
7. Sonar: utterly useless. I'm unclear how it works on land (unless it has a handy high-frequency switch unlike any other sonar I'm aware of), but either way it is of minimal use since it provides no clues about your environment other than a wireframe 3d layout of your immediate area. Thanks, it's faster for me to look using the right stick. Now, if they were to use it to reveal features of interest (hmmm, this 'wall' is giving me a different reading from the rest of the room) then we might be on to something.
8. Equipment/PDA: apparently, Lara needs a PDA to switch guns these days, but at least you don't have to go searching for them on the levels any more and if you use up the ammo for one gun in a firefight there's not any more squirrelled away in a tomb that hasn't been opened in 2,000 years. So more logical because you need to think more about your ammo situation for anything except the pistols, but also slightly irritating. It would be interesting to me to see what would happen if they set things up so that you actually needed to pick your equipment before starting each mission and could only get extra ammo/resources by scavenging them from the poachers/evil-doers/whatever...
So to return to my review title: Underworld as a very good incremental improvement over previous releases, and while it's no revolution in terms of game play I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. | video-games_xbox |
Good game but. Firstly, I have to agree with the posts on here about what an addicting game this is. I played way to many hours on Morrowind.. My baby's momma more so (I think she was level 89 or something).
Anyway's.. my opinion of this game is basically the same as the other posters on here (amazing) but I want to elaborate on the bugs..
The game has some serious bug issues. Most noticeably, the game could freeze after any moment after your file reaches above 140 blocks. This makes it important to save very often, which is annoying because the game takes a LONG time to save after your file surpasses 100 blocks. You know the game has "frozen" when it lags for a moment, then goes to the "Dirty Disc Error" screen. Fear not, neither your DVD Disc nor your DVD-ROM is malfunctioning (I know because I went through three discs from EB-Games).
Over the past few months I have compiled a list of Morrowind freeze fixes that seem to work for people. I'm going to post them here just so more people can see them.. and hopefully continue playing an amazing game.
Fixes for freezing:
Don't leave bodies lying around; dispose of corpses.
Don't leave items out in the open; store in containers or sell them.
don't re-arrange peasants items, as fun as this may be.
save often, and make new save games instead of writing over old ones.
If your game keeps freezing:
Sleep for a week. this will make all/most bodies left in the open 'biodegrade', reducing memory usage.
Load three other game discs (ie Spyhunter, DOAX, Halo). this clears the Xbox cache of Morrowind data OR, if you have a modchip, clear volumes X, Y, and Z of all data (these are temp drives)
Bug Conclusion: The game is totally playable if you are really conscious about where you leave items and corpses. As you know from playing, the game remembers where you leave EVERYTHING. Once you re-arrange every peasant's home and distribute their items to random points on the map, it is understandably strenuous for the Xbox to remember these THOUSANDS of items. Of course, it would of been possible to have this fixed, but it is something we have to live with until they possibly make a fixed version for the Xbox.
Game Conclusion: Morrowind is a startlingly detailed game with TONS of text, plenty of voices, and LOTS of different people and places. Playing this game truly puts you into a world of your own, where you can choose what you want to do; who you want to work for; and what you want to accomplish. There is of course a storyline in the background, which is as equally as exciting to follow. Morrowind is unique because it is the most recent popular game where you are free to do what you want, whenever you want. The graphics are astounding considering the sheer amount of textures and game data that is packed onto the disc.
Numbers:
9/10 - Graphics - As I said above, beautiful for such a large game.
9/10 - Gameplay - If you are a gamer, the controls can be mastered within an hour. Well thought out and effective while playing.
9.5/10 - Sound - there is simply so much that happens in the sound.. although you hear voices repeat eventually, there are still TONS of voices, sounds, sound effects, and generic background music that is soothing, and not annoying like some games.
7/10 - Replay Value - You could play forever in one file, but restarting after getting a long way, dying, and forgetting to save can be very discouraging.
Overall Score (average) - 8.6/10
My Score - 6.6/10
I subtracted a whole 2 points because of the incredibly annoying, frustrating, and stupid freezing glitch. I don't pay big bucks for games that freeze (I bought it when it was new.. not a bestseller). | video-games_xbox |
Good controller but definitely has flaws. First of all let me say that some of the features on this controller are amazing, I mainly bought it for the tension sticks which are great once you find the right set for you and the hyper response face buttons are definitely the surprise hit for me but I was expecting more based on everything said about the controller by Razer. I'm not gonna bore on about how great this controller is like many others have, just gonna tell what I feel is wrong with the controller and what I thought should of been different so here we go...
First and foremost the multi-function buttons, the design of the controller keeps the shoulder button/triggers very close to eachother as to not make it difficult for you to lose where they are and have to look/feel to search for them, actually makes a very easily transition from trigger and back to shoulder very easily which is not what I expected once I saw the layout as I originally assumed the MFB would be behind the shoulders rather than in front of them. But the problem with the MFB(s) is that they are too close to the shoulder buttons and too small in width, making it way too easy to end up hitting both the shoulder buttons and MFB at the same time, pretty much killing the point of having them in the first place. Definitely takes so time getting use to but for a person with big hands like myself this definitely is not quite what I expected from an extra button on a controller and I see no reason why Razer couldn't of just made a little space in between the shouders and MFBs rather than making them right next to eachother almost like they're connected.
Secondly the rubber on the TE is nothing but a couple dots on the back of the controller, nothing special and really does nothing for grip its nothing like the rubber grip I have seen in other controllers like mad catz controllers. Next the seperated dpad is great for pretty much every game where its only needed to be used like a button (which lets be honest is most) but none the less is completely useless for navigation of a character in game ie fighting games or arcade games. Also the triggers themselves are curved for better controller in racing games and faster presses in shooters but I think they are curved just a little too much almost making them a uncomfortable for long periods of times, I was expecting a curve more to the likes of the madcatz controllers but this curve is way too harsh in terms of comfort. Also even though I love the tension sticks there is definitely a dead zone in the controller is the sticks are tightened more then half way so don't let anyone tell you otherwise, though I will admit it doesn't affect me in most games like fps' cause I wouldn't tighten the sticks up that much anyways.
Lastly and this is what irritates me the most, the thing feels very cheaply made. The shoulders/MFB/triggers feel like very cheap plastic and one drop would crack/chip/break entirely, even the controller shell itself feels a little thin. But for me the biggest problem is after only 3 WEEKS of owning this controller the rubber of the tension sticks is already fading and tearing, my left analog already is beginning a hole in the middle where the rubber is stripping off, almost like a handle bar of a bike being stripped off after years of wear but here we are only talking weeks of use. Even worse is because of the tension dials on the analog itself it's almost impossible to put a grip cover over it which I like to use on all my controllers ie grip its.
Again I am not gonna brag about the great stuff about this controller cause the other reviews say it all and I have no regrets buying the controller its definitely the best bang for you buck as far as what you get built in to it and for the same price as a microsoft controller you really can't go wrong. My Onza is still my main controller and will be for a while, at least until the analog is stripped enough that its unplayable and I have to replace it or perhaps I will see if I can get it fixed under warranty (not likely with Razer support =/). I will say I would probably buy another one in the future (here's to waiting for that DA2 version) but would definitely be more likely to if they made it sturdier and had more spacing between MFB/shoulders for the people with bigger hands like myself. | video-games_xbox |
A brilliant variation on Star Wars' light/dark divide. I'm sick of everyone picking on this game. I'm sick of people complaining about plot holes that don't exist (keep talking to those characters, folks); I'm sick of the complaints about the characters, and I'm sick of the Obsidian putdowns. Even the New York Times got into the act last spring, pairing a favorable review of BioWare's Jade Empire with an extraordinarily nasty put-down of The Sith Lords.
Yes, KOTOR was (and is) a great game, and a hard act to follow. No, the twists in KOTOR II don't quite match those in KOTOR, especially the big reveal in the middle of that game. OK, your character gets too powerful toward the end -- but frankly, I like having a lightsaber duel with a bad guy that I can win. You can't stand and fight Darth Malak in KOTOR: You have to run away, heal up, run back and get a quick blow in, run away, and repeat the process three or four hundred times. Anyone who runs away from KOTOR II will miss a great game and a fascinating spin on the moral absolutism that runs through much of the Star Wars universe.
I won't reveal any of the plot here, since the game is one big mystery. But the themes come out pretty quickly, and are explored in fascinating detail. Are the light and dark paths the only ways? Do the Jedi really help the people in this universe? Is the Force a tool to make men better, a way to increase their power, or a sinister element that bends people to its will, whatever their choices?
Many Star Wars products -- including KOTOR -- prefer to frame the whole light/dark divide like a Monopoly game: "If filled with anger, go directly to dark side." But it's no surprise that Obsidian Entertainment, created by the people who gave us the equally ambiguous (and underrated) Fallout 2, confront the either/or premises of this long-ago and far away galaxy and find the gray areas in between. The characters are about as well-developed as they were in the first game, but Kreia (an excellent performance by Sara Kestelman) is a standout, a fascinating blend of wisdom and menace who becomes the heart of the story.
Like KOTOR, it's still a lot of fun to charge in crowds of soldiers, bring lightning down on Gamorreans and help people out or cause mayhem. KOTOR II builds on the strengths of the first game, and bravely questions some of the key assumptions of the Star Wars universe. If KOTOR was composed in a major key -- bright and effortlessly complete -- KOTOR II is its minor key variation: dark, tense and extremely satisfying upon its conclusion. | video-games_xbox |
Black ops 2 review. Black Ops 2 is a excellent game. It is action packed, entertaining and just a good thing to pass time with. I purchased this game when it came out, which means that I got the Nuke town 2025 DLC free. This map is very different from the original Nuke Town which premiered in the original Black Ops. I will now review the different features of this product in parts.
Campaign- I found the campaign to be entertaining, but discouraging at times. Most of the missions are fun, but a few will tend to make you angry. One of the missions that I am talking about is something called Strikeforce missions. In this mission it allows you to control multiple people. Most at first might think that this is awesome! But there is a catch. You have to hold off hoards of enemies while controlling these multiple people. Sound easy? For some it will, but it can get aggravating for others (Me).
Multiplayer- the multiplayer option is very solid. Treyarch did a fantastic job with the development of the weapons and maps. They have crafted the maps in Black Ops 2, to interact with the players. For example: in a map called Express there will be a train that will drive through the station throughout the match (spoiler alert). As most COD (Call Of Duty) fans know, in previous COD games there has always been a gun that shines more than the others. Like in the MP7 in Modern Warfare, or the UMP45 in Modern Warfare 2. In Black Ops 2, this does not seem to be the case. Some guns may be better than others, but I have not found a gun that has shined, and dominated more than others. I have seen guns that players favor more than others, but that is a different case.
Zombies- I have to say, personally Zombies is extremely fun. I have spent many hours shooting down hoards of zombies in this mode. In comparison to Black Ops 1, this zombies is a lot more fun and action packed. There is also a new mode in zombies, it is called Tranzit. Essentially you can ride a ratty old city bus, that is driven by a robot/zombie character. You do not ride in the bus the whole time, you can just take the bus to different parts of the map. From my experience of playing zombies, I have not found anything that has made me very aggravated yet.
In conclusion, I 100% recommend Black Ops 2! | video-games_xbox |
I actually liked this. I bought this game on 1/23/15, so I'm not sure how much they improved/changed since the initial release. This is a review of the game as of 1/26/2015
My friend and I get together once a week to play video games, usually games like Call of Duty, or Halo, you know, just typical FPS games. Our go-to game up until recently has been Call of Duty: Ghosts, which has been okay, but has really felt lackluster when it comes to multiplayer gameplay compared to previous Call of Duty titles such as Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops. Perhaps it was because I was playing on the Xbox360 and was wanting the next-generation version, but I felt like Ghosts really exemplified the typical criticism of the series in that they simply recycle elements from previous games and leave the mechanics the same.
I originally bought this game for my friend and I's weekly hangouts with low expectations, expecting another release like ghosts, however I was pleasantly surprised by the content and playability of this title. I've seen a lot of criticism regarding the use of the exoskeletons, saying that they're hokey and that they fundamentally change gameplay, however the title of the game is "Advanced Warfare", set in the year 2060 and the technology for a powered exoskeleton has been in development since 2000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Universal_Load_Carrier). Imagine 45 years of development from today, and this is where I think this idea becomes viable. This game is different because with the advent of a powered exoskeleton, warfare will essentially have to be different.
When it comes to gameplay, the double jump seems a little far fetched, but again, 45 years of development could lead to this for all we know. I was a little disappointed that there seem to be some invisible ceilings in levels that do not have visible vertical boundaries, especially since they've integrated a double jump feature. There are a lot less campers in this title than ghosts, yet from my experience, snipers still have a chance due to the cold-blooded perk as well as the cloaking exo-ability. The multiplayer allows for a number of different combat styles, and seems to be very fast paced compared to Ghosts.
I enjoyed the single player campaign more than I would any action film, although it was a little predictable. The story was much more engaging than Ghosts, highlighting the growing relevance of Non-State Actors and Private Military Contractors, and their relation to a post-westphalian system. Geo-politics aside, The environments were very alluring, from the flashy, urban techno-jungle of Seoul, to the rustic, stucco and brick feel of Santorini, I was very impressed with the attention to detail.
I'm not here to debate how much things have changed from past iterations of Call of Duty.
So far, this is the best title I own for my Xbox One, having also purchased Halo:Master Chief Collection recently, with which I was very let down by the matchmaking issues (a review for another day). If you're debating to get Halo: Master Chief Collection, only get it if you want to live through the nostalgia of playing the campaigns one more time, if it's multiplayer you are seeking, get this game.
I recommend purchasing this if you're looking at getting a game that will have a rewarding and fast-paced multiplayer experience and a flashy, exciting single player campaign. It's not your older brother's Call of Duty, but it is much more enjoyable to play than Ghosts was. | video-games_xbox |
Yet Another Great Battlefield Game. I purchased this game a year after its release and I did so apprehensively after reading reports of the game's (purportedly) poorly executed net code. With the 10Mb/s down and 2Mb/s up network speeds that I average with my current internet service provider, I have experienced no issues with lag or dropped connections to servers. As far as multiplayer game play, in Battlefield 4, Dice has managed to improve upon the game's nearly perfect predecessor. Deeper weapon and vehicle customization along with a fresh array of well designed and executed maps make for one of the best shooters of all time. And it feels wrong to list this game as a First Person Shooter. This is a thinking-man's shooter that is geared more towards grown-ups than pimply little Halo twitch-kids who are all jacked up on Ritalin and chocolate milk. I would go as far as to say that this is more of a combat simulator than a game. Gameplay is driven by tangible objectives rather than mounting kill counts. Team work is essential as well as proficiency and skill in the utilization of the tools (weapons, vehicles, and tactics) in order to achieve victory. To be sure, reflexes and muscle memory are still prized, but you can come away from a match with a real sense of accomplishment, having contributed to your team's success and you can do so without even firing a shot. Just like in real combat, it all comes down to discipline, unit integrity, and sticking to your chosen/assigned role.
My only beef with the multiplayer is the same one that I had with BF3. Namely, the inability to track stats and customize loadouts in the game menus. If you don't have a tablet of PC handy, you have to adjust your loadouts in-game, which can cost precious seconds. One workaround, and a feature of BF4 that is a great improvement is the Test Range. I remember the days of renting server space in BF3 so that my squadmates and I could practice firing weapons, placing explosives, flying helis, etc. The Test Range provides a sandbox/playground to meet all of those needs. Steel silhouette targets (fixed and moving) enable you to test small arms and hone your skills with them. Decoy UAVs circle the map and can be targeted with any of the game's AA weapons and systems. Every manner of land, sea, and air vehicle can be driven and fired. And as I alluded to above, you can change your loadouts in the Test Range and they will persist when you jump back over to on-line play. I could go on regarding the features of the Test Range, but I'll leave some for you to discover yourselves.
I gave this game five stars because the multiplayer shines and absolutely deserves five stars. The single player campaign, however, is a bitter disappointment. I felt like the story was pretty good and it even managed to get an emotional response out of me in places. However, the NPC mechanics were glitchy (e.g., my AI squad mates running through a room full of hostiles unnoticed as they move to position themselves behind/near cover for an upcoming fire fight.) The pacing of the campaign was fair and they went a long way to keep it from feeling rinse-repeat (which so often characterizes single-player FPSs). I ended up finishing the campaign because A.) I wanted to unlock the machete for multiplayer; and B.) Xbox Live was down again thanks to another DDoS attack.
In conclusion, this is a great game and you really can't beat the lowered price. And a final word of warning. If you decide to purchase some of the weapon unlock DLC, be aware that this will only unlock the weapons and it will not unlock the mods for the weapons. | video-games_xbox |
A work in progress. I've had Xbox consoles since the very beginning. And when the original Xbox Live service became available, I subscribed as well. Since then, I've seen these consoles evolve (in both good and bad ways.) After all the rumors circulated before this console launched, I was a cautious. After buying it, I don't regret it, but it's very far from a perfect machine.
The good:
-Games look great
-Ability to route Cable TV through the console is cool
-When Kinect works, it's cool
-The controllers are very nice
-Apps (although seems like everything is loaded with apps nowadays)
-Console isn't too bad to navigate
-Quiet (relatively)
-Microsoft Development Team seems to actually pay somewhat attention to what people don't like (they changed the "always on connection, changed party chat functions around, changed the friend panel, etc.) Some could say these things shouldn't be broken to begin with (I agree), but at least feedback is making changes.
-Easy hookup
-Watching Netflix, Hulu, or TV while playing games is amazing
The Bad:
-Expensive, especially against the PS4
-Lack of game variety (hope you like first person shooters)
-Server problems have been annoying.
-Buggy (party chat errors, game crashes, random things activate Kinect, etc)
-Mine attracts dust like a magnet. It's literally always dirty
-Headsets and Headset adapters :
-Headsets hookup via a wireless adapter to the controller. The controller projects the sound to the headset. This is a very buggy and annoying way of doing things. When using a headset, my controller / headset will glitch out and require pulling the battery pack out to correct.
-Xbox Live is no where near as smooth or polished as the 360.
Other thoughts:
Anyone considering the jump to the latest console should look closely at the game library available. The Xbox in particular is top dollar and has a select few games to play. If you're a die-hard adventure game player or RPG player, there isn't much for you (yet). Also, anyone buying this console expecting perfection is going to be very disappointed. I've had this console since week one, and there seems like every day there's some new hiccup that crops up. The upside to this is these problems are far fewer than launch week. With every patch, this system gets better. And the Xbox Fitness (going to be additional yearly fee after 2015) has the potential to be amazing (if you're into that sort of thing)
Anyone on the fence should look objectively at whats available, what they want the console to do, and whether or not they can wait. At $500, it's hard to recommend this console to casual gamers (especially if they don't have cable, Netflix, Hulu, etc). I think anyone who waits will be rewarded handsomely with a less buggy, larger library of games, and hopefully cheaper system. | video-games_xbox |
Makes Rock Band 1 look like "Suck. Eh, maybe not my most creative review title...
I won't say much here. Rock Band 2 took Rock Band 1's flaws and did away with them.
Rock Band 1 was a great game, but fell flat on it's face if you didn't have a lot of friends who lived nearby. I'm almost 30 years old. I don't have a lot of friends who have time or interest in coming to my house to play video games. So when I couldn't progress in Rock Band 1 because it requires two or more players to progress through the "World Tour," I was literally FORCED to stop playing.
No more!!! Rock Band 2 not only let's you progress through World Tour by yourSELF, but also allows you to jump online and be joined by friends as "stand-in" players. The best part - your friends continue to earn money and achievements for playing with you. It may not progress THEIR band, but you can alway take turns swapping bands to help each other out. The difference this makes is absolutely remarkable, and it gives the game incredible depth.
Other than that, RB2 is essentially identical. The playability feels the same, the characters are pretty similar, etc. I'd really like to see a deeper character customization, but in reality, you never see your own character that much - you're reading notes. A replay mode would be cool maybe - where you could just watch your band rock out, but how long would that really be entertaining?
Yes, some better songs would be great. I don't know who picks some of this stuff. But the truth remains that you'll never make everyone happy, and though there are probably a dozen songs I could live without, there are also a few dozen that I can just play over and over and over again. It's really not Harmonix's fault - the music biz is a nightmare when it comes to licensing, rights, etc. Believe me - I used to WORK in it.
Rock Band 2 is 100 times more fun than Rock Band 1 simply by taking emphasis off of the "band" and yet making band play that much easier. I'm also really glad to see that my instruments from RB1 still work (and still work well.)
Rock on. | video-games_xbox |
Possibly one of the best games ever. This game is nothing short of amazing. I wouldn't say that this falls in my favorite genre, yet this is probably my all-time-favorite game.
The game looks great! Not just are the graphics very good, but UbiSoft is also introducing a new way of presenting a jump-and-run game to the player. While most of the time the camara is behind the player as in most other jump-and-runs, it also moves around whenever something special happens. Example: When the prince runs up and along a wall, the camera moves to the side to show the best possible perspective for the action. This is more like a movie than a game as far as the presentation goes. And the most amazing part is that this does NOT interfere with the gameplay. One would think that all this moving around would confuse the player, but it does not, because it is done very well. To me, this is a major advance in gameplay. Many player may not even notice the effect or think it is a small issue, but it is really a major leap forward towards providing a much more immersive experience.
Luckily, this game has more going for it than just visuals. The best part is probably the gameplay. The prince can do things that are breath taking, yet they are easy to pull of. This makes the game a lot of fun, because it makes the player feel good about him or herself. At the same time, the game is not too easy. In fact, the game has a number of difficult parts, although asides from one battle, I didn't find anything that is really frustrating.
So is there anything I do not like about the game? Well, the camera could be a bit better at times, although it has been majorly improved over the demo versions that were available before the game shipped. Also, the game says it is Xbox Live enabled. This is true, but it only means that your friends can see when you are online. There is no online playing or even special content (at least not at this point). I do no expect this game to have an online mode, nor is there any major need for other online services (although additional downloadable levels would be nice :-) ). But I always think it is borderline false advertising when a game claims to be live enabled, yet once one logs on, nothing more happens.
If you are thinking about buying this game: Go ahead! You will not be disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
Small cups designed for kids. I can only assume the person who designed this is 9 years old. No other reason could possibly explain how SMALL these are...
I've got several headsets, both wireless for anything (a couple different Sennheiser models) as well as some gaming headsets dedicated for either the XB or the PS. And these are by far the smallest.
They fit my 13 year old, barely.
The cups are very narrow front to back - no way these could be construed as "over the ear" unless they mean, "They sit ON your ear and make it uncomfortable very quickly." Either that, or they mean, "You squeeze your ear in here by folding the cartilage until your ear is inside, then use them until it becomes too uncomfortable."
Granted, they look decent, based on the Titanfall theme. The graphics are cool, it looks "weathered." But all the unused bumps on the side of the headphones makes it a pain to find the controls while they're on your head. The good part about it is they put them right on top of each other, so once you feel around and find one, you can find the other.
The sound is actually alright, for the good it does since they get uncomfortable quick if you're an adult. I'm going to include a photo of the sennheiser next to these so you can get an idea of how narrow these really are. At their widest they are a bit under 1 1/4 inch front to back for the open area the ear can fit in. Compared to over 1 1/2 for the Sennheisers, and almost 1 3/4 for both pairs of Turtle Beach headphones I have for XB1 and PS4... You can see why I think these were fitted for children.
Mic works, it's flexible, but not as flexible as others I have. And unlike others, it is not removable, which I like since I usually play solo and have the headphones on for night gaming, not chatting, and I like it when I can simply remove the mic if I'm not going to use it.
The cable is longer than you need, but not so long that it gets to be in the way with all the extra cable. It's nice that it's not too short as well, so that you aren't scrunched up to keep from yanking at the controller every time you move your head.
And if you're like me and shave your head, the material is the fake leatherish rubbery stuff, not a material, so you can get moisture easily as it sits directly on the skin.
It I probably would've given it 4 stars for the sound and price, if they weren't so small as to make them not well suited for anyone but children. These would be fine for younger kids, but if you're an adult, I'd pass. | video-games_xbox |
Another great addition to the Dead Space series. This game came really quickly and because I pre-ordered on Amazon I got a lot more benefits than I think I would anywhere else. $20 back in Amazon credit, limited edition plus 2 suits and guns as downloaded content (those you get from pre-ordering anywhere though) and an Amazon exclusive lightning gun. I have a friend that pre-ordered the game from Gamestop and they also had an exclusive gun that didn't work well at all. This exclusive gun from Amazon was decent but mostly the download guns I scrapped for parts. Speaking of the parts, you use them in weapon crafting which I think was a great addition to this game and lets you customize your weapons however you choose so instead of either having a flame thrower gun and a shotgun you can have a flamethrower gun with a shotgun secondary attachment. Since having to switch between guns can mean the moment between life or death.
It is a very thrilling game with suspense around every corner. Just when you're praying for a break from the Necromorph hordes it completely ignores those prayers and sends even more your way. I played through on Hard my first time through and especially toward the end it gave a good challenge. However, if you play with a friend on the co-op play it becomes pretty easy and not scary at all. Then it's time to knock it up a notch with Impossible mode. In this mode it's so difficult that unless you're just awesome you will want a buddy for sure. Plus you can knock out those exclusive co-op side quests you missed along the way.
It's an interesting story and they have you shooting people with guns now. They introduce new Necros and new ways to kill them. No more multiplayer online play like Dead Space 2 but you get two ways to play the game so that's good. Though the single player is more scary. And side note, I thought it was funny you can see the game was built for two player in the single player when you get separated from your partner after every cut scene conversation you have with him. I think they'd learn to stick together after the first 20 times. I am also sad there is not split-screen co-op, something I think any shooter should have. It's so stupid now a days you have to have two systems and two games and two tvs and then unless you hooked them up in the same house you'd need gaming headphones and all this just to enjoy a game with a friend. I'll go play lost planet 2 then thank you very much. Unless a game really is great I will take a split-screen game over it any day. Good thing Dead Space 1, 2, & 3 are all exceptions to this and really are great games.
Anyway, good game. Good addition to the story. Fun and scary gameplay that can present a challenge. You'll get your money's worth out of this game. Just watch your back out there, space zombies make some freaky noises but they can also sneak up and get you before you even notice the shallow breathing on the back of your neck. | video-games_xbox |
Gameplay's Great, Choices Don't Matter. The good:
Gameplay is excellent, powers have more, better choices. Easier to use squad combos on the fly (although I did see squadmates running headlong out of cover a lot more than I was comfortable with). Some riveting story for 95% of the game. Multiplayer is fantastic when you're not teamed with all krogan or vanguards trying to melee everything (guess what, that's why you die so fast!).
The bad:
Mass Effect 3 had a lot of hype leading us to believe that our choices would matter by the end. I was diligent, I forged alliances, saved species, sent out supplies. None of it mattered.
I could have forgiven that the majority of "dialogs" in the game were really just you sitting there listening to people, without actually making any choices (or making one choice, and then the rest of the conversation is on rails for a long LONG time--and weren't we given a smaller squad so that way we'd have more time with each of them? What happened to that?). I could have forgiven that you didn't get choices in regards to whom you recruited this game, even if you really REALLY hated certain characters, or just found them boring as a brick (Vega, I'm looking at you). I mean, yeah, it would have been nice if your decisions from ME1 or 2 allowed you different squadmates, but whatever, fine. I even could have forgiven some of the weird plotholes (we see Miranda clearly in the same room as the Illusive Man at the beginning of Mass Effect 2, and yet we somehow have no idea where the Cerberus base is).
What I cannot forgive is the complete lack of impact any of your decisions have on the last ten minutes of the game. It doesn't matter who you bring with you at the end. It doesn't matter which people you saved, which people you pissed off.
The last ten minutes of the game are on rails. The last ten minutes of the game is, in fact, not a video game. Your input hardly matters. This is a marginally interactive movie, and not even a very good one.
Overall:
I could go into a lot more detail, but here, read this (trust me): [...]
And gods would I have traded anyone from any of the previous games for James Vega. What a worthless character. | video-games_xbox |
Expansion pack or full game. Halo 3: ODST has been advertised as several things. For someone from the outside, it would come across as an expansion pack, afterall it does say "Halo 3" in the title. Bungie has tried to brand this as a totally new game however, but unfortunately I think that is misleading.
The campaign mode is totally new and adds some unique and cool features. The VISR mode is very nice in low light areas, and seems a lot more high tech than the flashlight of old. The city map is useful too, and necessary unless you have hours you are willing to spend trying to figure out which direction you're heading in. The city is easy to get lost in, but the openness that Bungie advertised doesnt come through. The maps (or should I say map?) is less linear than much of Halo 2 and 3, but unfortunately it is not all readily accessible in ODST. Routes are blocked off, forcing you down a set path. Preferably, they would remove those barriers, let you loose in the city and say "go find these 5 things in whatever order you please." Maybe that wasn't possible on the engine, i don't know. From what Bungie said in the videos before release, I was under the belief that this would be the case, but it wasn't. In addition, much of the map is recycled over and over. For example, you'll go through an area, find a object that sends you to a flashback of one of the other characters. From there you fight through to your objective, at which point you go back to being the Rookie at night, and then you follow the footsteps of that person, repeating much of what they fought through (only now it's at night! what a twist!) The later points in the campaign move away from this, but it was very annoying and I felt like Bungie was being lazy or trying to make the campaign seem longer than it was.
You are very alone in the campaign too, and very rarely are you fighting along 2 or even 3 friendly AI characters, so don't expect the large scale battles like Silent Cartographer or Assault on the Control Center. That said, the AI seems to be much better than in the past, maybe that's because most of the AI is invincible, it's hard to tell. With 4 player co-op, this makes the campaign seem much more realistic or fun I guess. At parts where you can take multiple routes, it makes it enjoyable as you'll need to flank enemy positions by moving around to different parts of the city and attacking from 2 or 3 sides at once. On legendary, this is sometimes necessary as a head-on attack results in almost immediate death for you and your friends.
Overall, I would say the campaign was about equal to what Halo 2 and 3 offered. Complaints being that it is repetitive (go a block, fight pack of brutes and grunts, go another block, repeat.), it is not open as advertised, and constantly changing characters gets annoying. Halo 1 managed to create an attachment to characters that Halo 2, 3, Halo Wars, and ODST have not been able to duplicate for me. I enjoyed playing only as master chief and not having to worry about other people, and experiencing the situation from a very 1st person perspective and not multiple ones. Hopefully Bungie brings that back for Reach (though I doubt it).
Firefight mode was the other addition, and I will confess it was the main reason I bought the game. It is pretty good, the varying maps are nice, with some outdoor ones with vehicles and some very tight quarters urban maps. It definitely will provide more lasting fun than the campaign will, but I still have a few bones to pick with it. No join in progress kind of sucks, if you start a game (which could last an hour or more) you can't pick up more players, so if you lose one for whatever reason, you're S-O-L. Weapons are hard to find which makes it more challenging, but can also be frustrating at times (having an SMG to take on 3 brutes on legendary kinda sucks!)
Other complaints: Assault Rifle sounds nice again, but unfortunately is a weak piece of junk, the SMG is more accurate, has greater range, and feels a heck of a lot more powerful than the AR, go figure! Pistol is the best it has been since Halo 1, 4x scope, very accurate, but for some reason its extremely weak against brutes. 3 clips worth of ammo into the head and chest of a brute on heroic or legendary won't even bring the shields down.
I don't think I need to review the multiplayer, as their really isn't one. By that I mean, it's Halo 3 and that's it. You can play between the two, so I guess bungie realized not all Halo 3 players were going to buy ODST, which was good and I'm glad they did it. But it also means if you buy the game now, you're paying [...] for Firefight and a 4 hour campaign.
Campaign: 6/10
Firefight: 9/10
Multiplayer: it's halo 3.
Overall: 7/10
[...] | video-games_xbox |
Back to greatness! CoD4 should have been CoD3. Thank you Infinity Ward. I absolutely loved Call of Duty 2, and it was the reason I bought an Xbox 360. I played the entire single player campaign and the online multiplayer games. I was disappointed with Call of Duty 3. The single player campaign was ok, but I didn't like the online multiplayer as much. It seemed to be focused solely on team based multiplayer games. I tend to like the every man for himself games, and then once in a while I will play the team based games.
Call of Duty 4 picks up the basics of the second game but thrusts it into the modern era away from the much focused on WWII. I love history and the battles of WWII, but with all the different FPS WWII Franchises it is getting old. CoD4 with modern weapons and enemies is a fresh take on the world of FPS war games.
The single player campaign is fairly tight and entertaining. There are a number of achievements on the Xbox 360 version for this portion of the game. If you are more into playing the single player campaign versus online multiplayer, then you will get a great deal of achievement points.
However, this game shines in the multiplayer mode. There are so many different options of weapons, gameplay and bonus items that this game has the ultimate title of king of replay value. The options are largely unlockables that require playing the game in multiplayer online mode to earn experience points, which help increase your rank and unlock other weapons and options.
The graphics on this game are amazing! The realism of the sights and sounds of this game will give you vivid environments and gaming experience. You may even find yourself looking over your shoulder in real life due to the realistic gameplay in the online gaming world.
Enjoy!!!
EDIT: ADDITION...I have now completed the single player campaign on regular difficulty. The single player campaign is not for the faint of heart. It is a pretty good test even on regular. The level where you have to get downhill back to the helicopter is hellish. There are so many enemies and you only have so much time to do so...WOW! The ending has a great pay off! Then after the credits there is a mini-bonus mission on a hijacked plane. Also very fun...
I have played 1 1/2 days at least worth of online multiplayer games. I am at a Captain level 31, and I have so much more to do. This game has huge replay value, and it is so fun. I think this is my vote for best game EVER!!! | video-games_xbox |
Great game, released too soon. This game is a lot of fun. There are definitely some problems, but not enough to make me not thoroughly enjoy the game. First a few of the problems:
-The game demos before it came out were misleading, that it true. But after a few patches the game looks great; almost exactly as it did in the demos. Should it have been released without those changes? Certainly not, but that doesn't take away from the fact that now it is what they said it would be - which is great.
-I have noticed only a few problems with the AI, but again this is before the patches. Same thing, shouldn't have been done, but that doesn't make it not good now. I haven't had any more problems with the AI from enemies or teammates. And to people who say the Aliens are not dangerous enough to the marines: would you enjoy a game where you die from unseen foes every minute and a half? I wouldn't. This is a game and meant to be fun and possible.
-The main campaign is a bit short. I've logged 11 hours and beaten it once and a half. Definitely my biggest problem with the game. That being said, I enjoyed the campaign and it didn't feel too short when I played it.
Now for the great things this game does:
-The environments and the recreation of the areas from the movie Aliens are fantastic. They look great and are a good representation of those areas. The weapons (including a few unique guns from movie characters) are well designed and look cool.
-The graphics now are great. The main characters get dirtier and injured looking as you progress though the game. By the end it really looks like your marine and his companions have been through hell and back. The lighting is great and creates a nice atmosphere.
-As you progress through the game and gain rank you get to customize your weapons adding extended magazines, red dot sights, laser sights, recoil reducing stocks, and underslung grenades, shotguns, firebombs, and more. You can also customize your marine's look and weapons for multiplayer and the look of your Xenomorph.
-I found gameplay overall to be very fun. There is a motion tracker you can pull up that looks, sounds, and functions exactly like the one from the movie. If you have a Logitech G19 keyboard there is also an app for the motion tracker, along with objectives and challenges. I never had a problem with collision detection or hit boxes. In fact, the ability to shoot close to and between environment objects is one of the better I've seen in a game in a long time.
In my opinion, this is a great game that has been been put down and out due a bad release. And it clearly does not deserve to be ignored and lost. Do yourself a favor and give it a fair chance. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best controllers for games period, If/once you can get it working. I ordered this mainly for GTA V's vehicles and another few games that happen to benefit from a controller over a KB/Mouse.
Pros:
Sleek, simple design
Best ergonomic shape i've felt in a controller, fits in your hand perfectly
D-Pad is a massive upgrade from the 360 controller, and you can roll your thumb from each direction on the D-Pad very well, so it's better suited for fighting games
triggers are wide to let your finger rest, and they come down easily when pressed
buttery smooth yet still precise thumb sticks with good grip
Cons:
Took a couple of methods before I could get it working, see other thoughts
(Nitpick) bumpers aren't necessarily worse, but different, also see other thoughts
Other thoughts:
This may have been an issue with my desktop given unknown circumstances (but looking at online solution posts indicated I wasn't the only one), but the controller didn't work immediately. The drivers wouldn't install automatically, and basic troubleshooting options were unable to install them. A solution many use is described step-by-step in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=1RIDcLUpWaU
It involves manually navigating for the driver and handpicking which driver to install. This didn't work for me however, as windows no longer supplies the driver manually (as win7/8 are supposed to install automatically right when you plug in, but mine did not) and It didn't install automatically. Following the tutorial, I did not have the driver from the list the tutorial showed, which rendered the video moot.
Luckily, one of the comment provided a link to the pulled driver from Techspot, which can be found here: http://www.techspot.com/drivers/driver/file/information/17648/
I installed the driver and windows detected it and applied it automatically. You may have to go through the process described in the video, after you manually download and install the drivers from techspot however.
As for the bumpers, they're pretty high up compared to the 360 controller, and it's not optimal to take the time to mount your whole finger on top of it in an arcing motion, and then press down (plus the bumpers have a little more resistance). This is because the model being sold is 1537, an older model compared to the 1697 released back in july. the 1697 revision has easier to handle bumpers, and they're likely trying to get rid of the older model, possibly why you're able to get this controller for $45 instead of $60.
The method I prefer to use is to shift/rotate my hand a little so my middle knuckle goes towards the edge of the bumper. from there you're able to click the far edge of the bumper, below where your knuckle is. It's faster and you don't have to apply as much force to the bumper. You could also try this method here, which is a bit similar, involving rolling your finger towards it: youtube.com/watch?v=RF-smJELJ4A
once both of those are down, you're solid. The controller handles very well and smoothly like no other, and doesn't take getting used to, aside from the bumpers, even then its not too much hassle. I'd recommend this for a christmas gift for your or someone else's PC if you're wanting to save $15 on the controller. | video-games_xbox |
L.A. Noire - A Game That Most People Can Play. First of all, I was very enticed to buy this game before it came out, based on the commercials/hype. I went out and bought it as soon as it was released. Ready to enjoy the game, ( All 3 Discs of it!) I plunged right in. By the end of my experience, however, I was disappointed. Not outraged, just disappointed.
That doesn't mean it doesn't have some great qualities, but they don't really outshine the negative ones. Generally speaking, this game is a 'watered down' version of a GTA game, with interrogation and clue gathering features. I refer to it being 'watered down' because there is very little substance to the game aside from the interrogations and story.
This is a 'detective' game, where you play the role as an 1947 L.A. cop who quickly ascends the ranks. You work on cases ranging from patrol, homicide, vice, traffic, and arson. The majority of the game is working on cases within those fields, earning from 1-5 stars based on your overall performance gathering clues and asking the right questions.
Before I go into specifics, I just want to note that I imagined this game to be basically Red Dead Redemption but in the post WW2 L.A. setting. I expected there to be tons of things to do with a lot of replay value, but sadly that just isn't the case with L.A. Noire. Now on to the enjoyable and not so much.
The Enjoyable : Excellent story, top notch voice acting, well designed city and atmosphere, interrogations, good graphics.
The Bad : No side games of any kind, no reason to explore the city in free roam,basic/repetitive/easy gun fighting, driving that's way easier than GTA games, extremely linear play(cases move along no matter how poorly you do), tedious with gathering clues at times(grinding on walls), overly repetitive in long play sessions, noticeably weak level design at times.
This is simply a very easy game with basic functions. However, the developers did a good job masking the simplicity and linear play of this game by making the acting and story absolutely top notch. This is a good game for mostly anyone above the age of 18, because there is a very deep and adult story within this game. Very similar to the movie "L.A. Confidential' in many ways.
In my honest opinion, 95% of this game's value is in the story and acting. It's truly one of the better I have seen in games. So if that's what you're looking for, this game has it. But if you are looking for a game with action, substantial content to immerse yourself, and replay value then stay far away.
I recommend this game for anyone who isn't looking for a challenge, but just a good story where you basically watch it play out during your sessions. Those highly casual gamers will definitely get some satisfaction out of asking the right questions and chasing down the occasional bad guy. This would even be a great game for adults who don't even play games, but love good movies, because it's so easy to play and is best played in very short sessions.
Overall, this game only deserves 3 stars because of the lack of content and replay value. Even though there are three discs, it is mostly filled with cut scenes. The only replay value aside from achievements in this game is to work on getting your cases all 5 stars(you can repeat any of the story cases whenever you want). There is also a street crimes feature, but there are only 40 crimes. This is easily done in two hours, and it's mostly driving from spot to spot.
If there were mini games(shooting range/bars/races/etc), buildings to explore around the city, and things of that nature, then this would have been a much better game and more deserving of a higher score. Sadly, there just isn't any content in the game past the story mode, and that doesn't cut it for me. However, L.A. Noire still deserves props for being original and having a polished story and actors. | video-games_xbox |
High Killing on the High Seas: How Ubisoft Develops a Great Concept while Beating a Dead Horse of a Franchise. To me Assassin's Creed 3 was mostly boring as the franchise kept getting revived by the defibrillator that is corporate financing and the overly repetitive gameplay just kept coming back with minor upgrades. It was more of the same every time only, in AC3, you get to buy and sell furniture... and the naval battles. I loved the naval sequences as it was new and gave you a real sense of adventure. It got to the point where I would only come back to port if I had to advance the plot and would trudge through that portion just so I could sink more ships at sea when it became available again. My only other joy from AC3 was the natural conclusion of the Desmond Miles story arc that began with the original AC game in 2007, hoping the franchise would either end or take a radical redirection.
As if Ubisoft caught wind (ha) of this, but wanted to keep the franchise alive, they poured more money into developing a fourth AC game but with more prominent nautical gameplay and upgraded graphics. The characters now utilize that facial capture technology that looked really awkward in LA Noire but looks considerably more streamlined and against a backdrop that looks historically authentic and somewhat beautiful. However, I do not purchase games for the graphics and, after playing AC4 for a month I can say that, while it is tremendously better than AC3, it is still a beating of the dead horse of a franchise for a few extra $$ from a demographic of gamers that go bonkers every time something sporting the names of their favorite franchises gets released. AC4 is still just another AC game but I think Ubisoft might be onto something with the whole naval aspect but it lost me when it started with the story.
Won't give away the spoilers but the ending of AC3 was the Phoenix for another story arc as you now play a game developer trying to extract memories from Desmond Mile's brain in order to make interactive games. While the story takes on a more sinister twist it isn't exactly Sixth Sense plot twist surprising and the path leading up to it only made me shake my head as it seemed to parallel Ubisoft staff meetings on "how to milk a franchise more" than "maybe we should make a new franchise."
On top of that, the timeline now backtracks 50 years to the early 18th century in the Spanish Caribbean Isles to romanticize the really unhygienic occupation that is pirating, privateering, and swashbuckling with all the cliches that follow. Granted it was nice to see a more historically realistic portrayal of Edward Teach (AKA "Blackbeard"), who favored intimidation and theatrics over brute force, but the rest seemed rather archetypal or cliche with the only thing missing to complete the image would be a cameo by Douglass Fairbanks. The overall story seemed weak if not formulaic with the "templars trying to find artifact A and are stopped by hero B" theme that persists in... all AC titles and Indiana Jones films. Oh, and where the warm place did the hero, Kenway, learn to fight like that before joining the Order of Assassins? Seems a little too convenient as it allows the game to bring in an outsider and not disrupt the gameplay.
The gameplay, while fun at times, is very repetitive and, often times, annoying sans the naval element. One seems to spend more time conducting tailing/stealth missions than anything else and, after blowing up a lot of stuff at sea, seems rather counter-balance. Not to mention such stealth missions should be reserved for Ubisoft's other franchise, Splinter Cell. It also does not help that the controls for controlling Kenway feel clunky and cumbersome at times particularly when trying to parkour across complex obstacles and overshoot your intended target resulting in a rather nasty steep plunge. This was something that plagued other AC games and one would think Ubisoft would've figured out how to streamline it by now. It almost ruins the game.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the sea element and it made the game bearable. Even the simple aspect of just sailing around was relaxing. It felt like Windwaker and that's not a bad thing. Not to mention you can now use your currency to purchase ship upgrades to blow more ships up and that's awesome. If anything, the naval element could be enough to make a different franchise like Pirate's Creed or Loot and Booty. Just saying.
And then there's the multiplayer. After spending an hour trying to figure out the co-op only to discover that it only exists in an even more repetitive kill-to-extend-your-time-checkpoint kind of gameplay like a more personal version of Carmageddon. You choose from several cookie-cutter characters in a menu that is anything but user-friendly, and do repetitive missions. That's about it. Never tried the competitive multiplayer as I still do not play well with strangers, but unless you have armada vs armada naval battles, I'll just whistle cheery-o and be on my way. Seriously, why can't anyone make a decent story co-op mode?
Now, I'm not saying that AC4 is a bad game, far from it. It's solid in some areas, super awesome in others, but painstakingly lackluster in the bulk of it. It's derivative, formulaic, and evolutionary but not evolutionary save for the boating sequence that I cannot get enough of. It was the only saving real grace of the game as I loved sailing around doing stupid maneuvers and practicing my impression of the thrill pig from that one Geico commercial. (Weeeeeeeeee!)
All in all, fans of the franchise will drool at the mouth while the general audience will shrug and say, "it's not bad." | video-games_xbox |
The Slim-How the original 360 should've been. The new Xbox 360 Slim is a very good game system. Not only does it look really nice, it has a number of upgrades from the previous models, which include:
1. New touch sensitive buttons which are really cool. My old 360's power button was actually getting worn out to the point that I really had to push it to turn it on, won't be having that problem with this console.
2. New 250 GB Hard Drive. Also it has a cool new storage compartment. Instead of sticking out of the console and giving it a bit of an odd shape, the hard drive is hidden. It actually took me a while to find it. There's a cool removable piece that you can barely tell apart from the rest of the console, containing the hard drive, which is in a protective slot. The hard drive itself is very very small, which is really cool.
3. The new power brick is much smaller, too. I laughed when I was setting up the console and the brick was by my other brick because of the size comparison. It also doesn't heat up as much as the old power brick.
4. There are 3 more USB ports in the new console, located in the back.
5. It's smaller. Much more compact, and it makes it easier to use it vertically. I used to use mine horizontally, but I like this one better vertical.
6. It runs much quieter than the other models
7. Supposedly it's impossible to kill the machine by overheating, because it has a feature in which it automatically turns off when it's overheating. I love this, I really love this feature.
There's only 1 problem I have with the console, and that's how hot it runs. After about an hour and a half to 2 hours of playing, if you put your hand over the vent, it's extremely hot. At first I was very worried about the console dying really soon because of this, but then I read about the feature that automatically turns it off when it's going to overheat. Now, this does suck because you lose any unsaved progress in the game you were playing, but I think it's better than your console breaking.
So far I'm loving the new system. | video-games_xbox |
Dont waste your . Sorry BIOWARE, but for ~$70 this game should have been much more polished. The install process never worked on the copy i bought as the game kept prompting me to insert the install disc, so i inserted it and it told me to insert the play disc, which was always unreadable even mint condition out of the box. After 4 hours of installing and three install paths saved to my xbox harddrive at 7GB each it let me set up my character. Then the character set up took another 20 minutes at which time the game told me yet again the play disc was unreadable and i had to create my character AGAIN. 4 more tries and i was able to get to the first cinematic that took 6 minutes of poor graphics and delayed sound.
Now i can finally play the game right?
Well let me tell you....Choppy graphics, and skipping sound paired with IMO an overly unnecessary combat scheme makes for an unpleasant game experience. Let me address the graphics. Do you remember the old 64bit games and how fantastic polygon technology was? Well if you were too young to experience the wonder of 64 bit gaming, you can learn about it here. You can literally see the corners and lines on characters limbs which is outrageous for 2014. The dialogue barely catches up with the NPC mouths when they are lecturing you at length and not letting you play the game. This is usual for these BIOWARE DA games but I found myself skipping witht he X button far too often because 10 minutes of dialogue isn't fun to sit through when you just want to hack and slash or fight some demons. The combat system is unnecessarily detailed. you can set your characters to action and then "fast forward" through their actions and break from the assigned actions and try to siege on your own, but its useless anyway unless you set your NPC's battle tactics to full on battle. Otherwise you spend the entire battle on pause setting up the next wave of attack and not enjoying a battle for what it is meant to be, chaotic and heart pounding. With the planning element you spend most of the battle figuring out how to fight on pause, then 30 minutes into a boss fight when you find yourself losing you just give up and try the hack and slash, but you are too deep into the tactic, and eventually lose and are forced to start the tactic over again.
I returned the game to Amazon saying the play disc was unreadable. This is not Amazon's fault, but the awful way games are released now a days. Games are released at 80% finished and we have to suffer through updates and DLC 4-Pay in which they patch the games with what they consider a new level you can pay for that was meant for the original game but intentionally held back for DLC $$$. Dont waste your money. There are better games to buy (hopefully)...
Sincerely,
Disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
You really can't go wrong for the price. I am typically very wary of the Monster cable brand. i never really saw the need to pay 2x or 3x the price of standard cables just because the name brand. However after finally upgrading to a new HD plasma TV i wanted to be sure I had the proper HD cables and audio options to hook up my older model Xbox 360.
These cables def seem very strong and have amazing and secure connectors. i personally have not experienced any issues with the connectors getting stuck in the input jacks as stated in previous reviews. The picture quality is definitely amazing. I did not have the standard Microsoft brand HD cables so cant really say how they compare first hand, but seeing as Amazon is selling these for less than the the full price as the standard ones, I don't see why you would not just go for these.
For those considering these component cables, please keep in mind that the best quality you can get out of these is dependent on your TV as not all TVs can receive 1080p signals via component cables. If you want to get 1080p out of your Xbox360 your best bet is to always go with HDMI if your system has that option. (mine does not)
Another thing you may want to keep in mind is that this cable only comes with stereo (left and right) sound jacks. If you wish to take advantage of surround sound using a toslink optical audio cable you need to purchase the monster branded audio cable separately: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Monster-GameLink-Fiber-Optic-Cable/dp/B000BTICMI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Monster GameLink Fiber Optic Cable</a> This cable comes with the attachment needed that connects to this. (there is a jack on the side that you can't really see in the picture provided.) If you get both of these cables on Amazon the price still comes out cheaper than getting the monster a/v component combo kit that can also be found on Amazon at pretty much full price.
In the end this is definitely a must buy for the $15 price. | video-games_xbox |
For someone not familair to the series, the game delivers. I haven't played any of the DMC series. This is my first one. I was not disappointed and I hope they release the series on one of the newer consoles.
Story: Set after DMC1 but before DMC2, you are Nero heading rapidly towards an opera house wanting to see your loves (Kyrie) performance. After her performance, the high priest Sanctus begins a sermon only to be interrupted by Dante who slays him and some of the guards. You fight Dante for a short time and after he reveals that the Holy Knights are actually demons. Afterward, you are sent to investigate and learn the true nature of Knights and Dante's intentions.
Gameplay: This is an action, hack 'n' slash game. You control Nero and later on Dante, fighting through missions to advance the plot. Some missions require some puzzles to solve to advance. The fighting is amazing with Nero and his Demonic arm. He has tons of combo moves to use. The fighting is given a grade based on number of combos and damage taken. You can receive a D (Deadly), a C (Carnage), a B (Brutal), an A (Atomic), an S (Smokin'), an SS (Smokin' Style) or an SSS (Smokin' Sick Style). After each mission, you are given a grade. You take on hordes of demons and some killer bosses. You have a special move called the Devil Trigger that makes you more powerful for a short time, and adding a slow health regeneration. You collect currency from enemies in the form of Proud Souls (used to buy new abilities) or Red Orbs (used to buy items). Nero's weapon called the Red Queen sword, has a special exceed gauge that charges up and allows for powerful attacks. As Dante, you have several melee weapons that you acquire after defeating bosses. You have 4 styles to use; Trickster, Royal Guard, Sword Master, and gunslinger, each grant him different abilities.
Conclusion: the graphics are very nice and the controls are easy to use. The cut scenes are beautifully done (and Trish looks very nice in them). Worth picking up even if you haven't played any of the series yet. Very fun game and the replay value is high. | video-games_xbox |
A facelift to a game that didn't need it. This game is more of the same as far as mechanics and gadgets go. The skins, voice acting and some visuals have been 'amped', but that's all it really is: a face lift to a game that didn't need it. In my opinion, this makes the game worth 19.99 right out of the gate, which is why I waited until after Thanksgiving to purchase (as well as making sure the game was patched to fix its many inexplicable, game-breaking bugs).
That being said, it still is great to play as Batman...the only reason it feels old is because we did the exact same thing four years ago with Arkham Asylum, and then it all felt grander in Arkham City.
The combat is tighter in some areas and looser in others. The inability to grapple to the most obvious places leaves me completely baffled. Did no one play test this title before it was released? I think not. The inclusion of timed button presses reeks of Tomb Raider games, and doesn't feel that interactive.
Some specifics:
The character design seems more vivid: I never thought the Penguin or the Joker looked that great in the other titles. Here, they have more color, more facial lines...it's a good thing.
The grapple gadget feels like an add-on. There is something about it that doesn't feel authentic. I can appreciate that it is a 'new' gadget, but it is underwhelming so far.
The music is sweeping and dramatic. This is counter productive in scenes where you can't grapple up to a ledge or bridge to get moving. Otherwise, it's a nice score.
The portrayal of the Joker by Mark Hamill may be revered by fans, but Troy Baker clearly raises the bar here. It was more than a voice, it was a performance.
The final boss battle was great. I did feel a sense of dread, but once I figured out the pattern, it was just another event to get through...having died SO many times before in other boss battles made me play to save my time, not my skin.
As a fan of the 1960's series, I don't understand why the 1960's Television Batman skin was exclusive to Sony (I have no issue with the platform). Kind of frustrating that I would willingly pay for it, but can't unless I want to buy an outdated system.
In summary, trudging through the game isn't as laborious or frustrating when you accept it for what it is. However, I was slow to buy this one and I'll probably not get anything by WB Montreal related to Batman again. It is a shame that a company can allow hack work and make millions for it. It's time for more than a facelift. | video-games_xbox |
For Payne fans. After playing through the game on medium difficulty and going through again on hard difficulty I can honestly say that I love max payne 3. I had been waiting many years since the 2nd one to play this game and I am not disappointed at all.
This is one of the best action games i have ever played. Rockstar has brought back max payne in the best way possible. The story is great and makes you keep playing and compliments the action wonderfully. Gameplay is pretty much perfected. Bullet-time is,again, the main focus in this game and it works better than ever. Rockstar has truly outdone itself with physics and animation. Bullets rip through bodies while leaving behind devastating damage and enemies will react realistacly depending on where they are shot. This attention to detail also applies to max payne. You really have to pay attention to where you use the bullet dodge in this game. Your dodge will be cut short if you do it too close to a wall or other object. Max will brace for impact as he is about to dive into an object leaving him vulnerable.
The AI is something to mention. It's some of the best I have seen in a game. Even just starting to play the game on medium difficulty I was getting worked over simply because the enemies would take advantage of every opportunity when I was focusing too long on another enemy. They flank and charge and use team work to take you down. It makes these encounters with them all that much more intense. Intelligently using bullet-time is a must.
This isn't the best looking game I have ever seen but it still looks really good. Characters are animated superbly especially max payne. The evnironments really stand out here. Every location is chuck full of details big and small that make this game come alive. Having a firefight in an office is thrilling when there's glass and paper flying every where and walls and pillars are breaking away while computers and tables are getting knocked over. Rockstar definitely took advantage of the time they had with these environments to make them fun to play in.
Like I said, the story is great. This is due to excellent voice acting in the game. Max Payne has some of the best voice work I have ever heard. He really helps carry the story a long with his cynical and sarcastic comments that made me laugh constantly.
This game was definitely made for max payne fans. If you loved the other games then you will most likely love this one as well. If you didn't then it probably won't convert you. I have heard negative comments about the game that I think are unfair. Like this game doesn't have innovative gameplay. I find this to be unfair simply because many games haven't had the most innovative gameplay. Call of duty, halo sequals, mario bros. games, etc. are all great games but aren't exactly innovative when it comes to gameplay nowadays. I think these games are
great, for example, because it takes its gameplay but sets it in creative environments that make you play it in creative ways. This is what I think rockstar has done with max payne. They have taken the max payne formula and have added great visuals, animation, details, story, environments, etc. to make a new experience for max payne fans.
Oh yeah, the multiplayer is a blast as well. It will keep you playing after you have beaten the game. I definitely recommend picking this one up. | video-games_xbox |
Way Better Than Halo. This is the best FPS Shooter I have played. Although it took a while to get used to the controls, eventually I was able to figure everything out. Before Sniper Elite, I only played Halo a lot. Sniper Elite is an excellent game. The game requires a lot of stalking, and observing before taking any shots. Ammo is sometimes sparse so the motto in this game is one shot, one kill. I love the way the game designers put in the slow motion bullet point of view camera angles whenever a spectacular kill shot is achieved. This game is NOT for kids. The kill shots have blood, bone, and brain material. I think I even saw teeth once.
The story line is excellent! You are an American Spy inserted into war torn Germany at the end of World War 2. The game has a very Saving Private Ryan/Enemy At The Gates feeling to it. The soundtrack is excellent, not annoying. The Russian troops are everywhere, so are Germans. Sometimes you work with the Germans, but sometimes you try to evade both German and Russian troops alike. Your mission to stop the Russians from acquiring atomic bomb making information.
Along the way, you acquire 3 different sniper rifles, German MP40's, MG42's, grenades, bazookas for tanks, trip wire grenades, and other weapons. I like using the tripwires. I found it useful to plant these at the entrance of a buildings where I may be sniping from. When they detonate, it is a signal that enemy troops are coming towards my position. Taking higher ground is very effective when taking out targets. You can see through building peepholes and snipe unsuspecting enemies down the street sometimes to distances of 300 meters or greater. You also have an awesome silenced P38 pistol which you use on some missions to avoid detection.
You may also play in co-op mode with a buddy for twice the fun. This game is such a gem. You also have binoculars that you will find very useful in finding targets, spotting enemy troops guarding buildings, or even locating other snipers. Be on the lookout! The harder the play level, the more cunning the enemy snipers are. This game is a must for any gamer that is into WW2, or any FPS fan. The game is a keeper. I would not sell it back or trade it. | video-games_xbox |
HIT & MISS...very aggravating. 'PELICAN SPIRIT WIRELESS CONTROLLER'
Well, to sum it up, I'm very disappointed. At first, all feels great. The controller looks good, feels good and the buttons are placed comfortably on the pad. Sadly, that's where the good stopped and the aggravation began.
The FIRST problem was the analog sticks weren't at all accurate. I'm a huge first person shooter fan and accuracy is very important. I felt like I was missing a leg in a ass-kicking contest! When trying to aim and fire, I was all over the place. It was nearly impossible to take out any of the enemies because the analog was non-existant. In 'sniper' mode I couldn't get an accurate shot because the stick wouldn't allow me to "barely" or "slowly" move. It was "fast" moving, all the time. That's no good. Then at other times I found myself spinning in circles, but not pushing any buttons at all. It was insane.
The SECOND problem was when I pushed one of the buttons(A,B,X,Y). I'd be at a critical moment, I'd push a button and it would NOT respond and other times I was at a critical moment and it would respond. Very frustrating. I began to worry so much about the controller, instead of focusing on the game and task at hand, that I wanted to set the controller down and stomp on it! Nothing's worth that kind of misery!
*SIDE NOTE* The L2 and the R2 buttons(extra shoulder buttons) seemed okay, but I never found them necessary and not at all worth the frustration this controller brings with it.
The THIRD problem was there are NO vibration motors. Which was NOT mentioned on the box. What a bummer! The vibration brings a since of attention and jolt to the moment of action.
I actually had 2 of these controllers and the problems were very simular in both. One was a little better in one area, but then worse in another. Unreliable became my conclusion. I hate to say these things, but for the money, these things should work and work good.
IN FINAL I just can NOT recommend this controller.
There are two good things about this experience...(1)Thankfully I can return them & get my money back and (2)warn you. | video-games_xbox |
Great game, Great game play, Very realistic,Not dissapointed. I now rent all games before I buy them to make sure I don't get stuck with a great sounding game and find out it really isn't.
I was very skeptical about alot of newer x-box games, especially after the hype over how great Dead to Right was, and found out for my self that it was not.
This game did not let me down though. I did not think people were being creative enough anymore to put out really high quality games, just to get there game to market.
1. As a fist person shooter game, game play is very realistic, and the controls of the player is excellent. Some scenes are a little long before it automatically saves, and are hard, but are still fun.
2. The animals and graphics look very similar to watching a Jurrasic Park movie, and really add to the game. My favorite level, fighting at the summit, you start out the level having to defeat a T-Rex that looks ands sounds very realistic- maybe too much so !! This is not an evolved "intelligent" warrior lizard, this is the real thing but still hard to kill. To kill this monster all you have is a pistol, and a few other small weapons, like a bown and arrow. The rest is for any reader to learn. It is hard to figure out how to defeat the Rex, (and even after you figure out a way, it still wins more times than not!). But it does not stop there, you then have to defeat a very difficult enemy of various "intelligent" lizard warriors that I have to still have to learn to defeat to get past this level. I am having too much fun to get frustrated at learning to defeat this hard level.
3. Who ever made this game had a real fighter game in mind, and made it a darn good one. It is not sloppy or too difficult like "Dead to Rights" (which is a poor attempt at stealing some of "Max Payne's" well earned fame) This game is very realistic and fun to play. Controls are excellent, viewing angle can be adjusted the way you like best, choice of weapons are great, good story to the game, graphics and realism is out of this universe!!! Good job to the people who made this one. It did not lack in any significant way. | video-games_xbox |
or at least play it on easy! Difficulty equates to having stealth break randomly. The major take away before my venting: wait for it to be discounted or free (with a console membership service), or at least play it on easy! Difficulty equates to having stealth break randomly.
Even the bad reviews seem to be complementary. The most common being, "the game's just too long". How can that be a bad thing? I'm one of the people who got the blu-ray version of the Lord of the Rings hoping for more. Where that sort of hope, and this sort of reality diverge is that the "too long" refers to the repetitiveness of the whole experience.
I'm only a few hours in and I've already lost that loving feeling. As the game stressed, "Hard is the way it's meant to play", but from other reviews, it seems the harder the difficulty the more random the game gets, and only in the houses favor. On hard, you - will die ... a lot! Not because of any lack of skill; you are supposed to run and hide from the alien. It's just, on hard, the alien will randomly know exactly where you are and kill you.
There are so many things they could have done to make this game fun, and clearly they tried really harder! It doesn't feel like a developer failure, it feels more like some crazy manager dude just decided this game should be known for it's "difficulty", be it skill based or simply in tolerance.
The graphics are great, the controls are good. It does suffer for overly slow movement animations. Crawling in and out of a vent, or using scene props (like hacking) just takes several seconds too long to get into and out of. I'm a little tired of the 8-bit homage. It's kind of out of place and simply an attempt at being endearing. The stealth sucks BIG time! Hiding under or in things doesn't always work, and if you can'y rely on it, and without any auto-save, death means typically a lost half an hour to an hour (distance between saves).
I think this game has a good deal to offer, but like somewhat moldy bread or dented soup cans, not at full price.
I really wanted to like this game. I really did! And I will go back to it eventually (with the "difficulty" turned all the way down). I | video-games_xbox |
A great next-generation FPS. Platforms Reviewed: Xbox 360, PC
I picked up Battlefield 4 on both Xbox 360 and PC. It is likely in the future that I will purchase the Xbox One version as well. Certain aspects of this review will be platform-specific and noted accordingly. This is a long review, almost 2000 words, so read the whole thing if you wish, or simply check out the Summary and my list of Pro's and Con's below.
Summary
Battlefield 4 is a fantastic first person shooter experience that sends the Xbox 360 and PS3 console generation out with a bang and properly ushers in the era of the PS4 and Xbox One. The PC version still probably remains the best platform to "prepare 4 battle," but no matter where you play Battlefield 4, you're in for a great experience. While the single player portion still needs some work, and there are some technical issues on both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game, the Battlefield multiplayer experience is still best in-class, offering hundreds of hours of organic gameplay and an insane amount of player progression and customization elements that will keep you coming back to this game month after month.
For those without time to read the rest of this review, here is my short list of pro's and con's regarding the game:
Pro's
-single player is better than Battlefield 3's
-multiplayer is insanely fun, remains true to the Battlefield formula but also pushes the industry forward with blockbuster innovation (e.g., "Levolution," Commander Mode, second screen tablet integration (PC and next-gen only), etc.)
-ridiculous amount of customization for guns, vehicles, kits, player models, etc.
-ridiculous amount of player progression incentives (e.g., weapon and vehicle assignments, medals, achievements, etc.)
-gameplay for everyone, from fast-paced and tight quarters 12 v. 12 TDM matches to all out war featuring infantry combat, jets, helicopters, tanks, and others in 32 v. 32 Conquest matches (PC and next-gen only)
-graphics and sound are phenomenal and will immerse you in combat like no other shooter on the market
-great maps this time around
Cons
-single player still needs work
-some maps on Xbox 360 feel a bit too big
-some technical and balancing issues in multiplayer (PC and Xbox 360)
Verdict: 5/5 stars
Single Player
Single player has never been the "go to" mode for Battlefield games, and this remains true in Battlefield 4. While the SP is an improvement over Battlefield 3's less-than-stellar offering, DICE still has a ways to go before their SP experiences replicate their genre-defining multiplayer gameplay. While there are tons of explosions, beautiful sound and graphics, and crazy set-pieces scattered throughout the game's campaign, like a Michael Bay Transformers movie, these "special effects" do not carry as much weight as they used to. This isn't to say the SP portion of Battlefield 4 isn't fun, because it is, but it lacks the innovation the series has always packed with its multiplayer. "Rail shooters" (linear shooters that usher players from Point A to kill some guys, w/ limited freedom to do your own thing, then usher you to Point B, rinse and repeat) are decidedly last-generation, and DICE would do well to move away from this formula.
While games like ARMA 3 can be intimidating and difficult for new players, their SP experiences--which are essentially open world missions allowing teams of humans to approach objectives and tactics in an almost infinite array of ways--are the way of the future. For Battlefield 5, DICE should consider "going off the rails," trusting in the intelligence of its customers, and offering a more open-world experience with more options in gameplay. A compelling narrative and scripted set-pieces should be included, but the game's best moments should come from the gameplay itself, and this can only really be achieved by letting users play together and tackle objectives as they see fit.
Verdict: play the SP, but don't expect to be "blown away" by the campaign. It's fun and useful primer for the real meat of the game, MULTIPLAYER!
Multiplayer
Literally everyone knows that Battlefield's bread-and-butter is its multiplayer suite, and Battlefield 4 is easily the best BF multiplayer experience to date. Whether you're playing 32 v. 32 on PC or on a smaller scale on Xbox 360, you're in for a treat. Battlefield has always provided a compelling multiplayer experience for those who love huge maps and all-out war, but Battlefield 4 really pushes the industry forward by offering something for everyone. Smaller, infantry focused game modes like Team Deathmatch and Domination provide a nice change of pace from the larger, more vehicle focused combat in Conquest, Obliteration, etc. If you feel like getting quick kills, working on a weapon assignment, or going "lone-wolf," you can do that in BF's smaller MP modes. If you want to squad up and enjoy the traditional experience on a large scale, then Conquest is there for you as well.
Levolution is a fantastic and innovative feature. You've no doubt seen how the feature works in trailers and previews, but it really is something special, and it's obvious that this is only the first iteration. Entire maps can be changed by player actions, and the feature essentially ensures that no MP match will ever play out exactly the same. You can bring down skyscrapers, bust open dams, or even send a warship crashing into an island during a hurricane. It's all remarkable, jaw-dropping stuff and I can't wait to see where DICE takes this feature in the future.
Customization and progression are additional huge elements of the Battlefield series since 2011's Battlefield 3, and BF 4 continues to innovate in this area. While weapon customization can be a bit confusing at first, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure the system out and get going crafting your favorite rifle. In addition to weapons, players can customize the camouflage on their player model and vehicles, as well as craft their own emblem and customize their soldier's dogtags.
Player progression is equally robust, with a seemingly impossible amount of assignments for weapons, vehicles, and more. Battlepacks are a fun and compelling new way to unlock new items, and will no doubt keep users playing for "just another few minutes" in order to unlock them.
Commander mode is back (finally) and better than ever. While the feature is great on all platforms, Commander is best on PC and next-gen since you can play it while nowhere near your game! Once you reach level 10 in multiplayer, you can log onto the Battlelog App on your tablet of choice and join serves as a commander, allowing you to play Battlefield from literally anywhere. You can also use your tablet as a giant mini-map when you play MP as a soldier. This second screen experience is an awesome innovation and I can't wait to see what DICE does in the future.
Verdict: Battlefield 4 multiplayer simply cannot be missed. While the best experience is no doubt on PC, Xbox One, and PS4, Xbox 360's multiplayer is still a tremendous amount of fun and should be enjoyed by everyone not quite ready to leap into the next-generation.
Graphics, Sound, Miscellaneous
The graphics in Battlefield 4 are beautiful, and no matter which platform you play the game, you're playing the best looking shooter on the market. Of course, the PC version has the best visuals when maxed out on a high resolution monitor, but the Xbox 360 holds its own as well. Considering the decade old hardware powering the X360 version, DICE's bringing of Battlefield 4 to that platform is at technical achievement in-and-of-itself.
Although the older consoles cannot compete with next-gen and PC in terms of graphics, the sound on the Xbox 360 version is still mind-blowingly good. No game captures the sounds of warfare better than Battlefield; from the distant sound of gunfire to jets screaming overhead and the way firing your gun sounds hugely different in a metal container than an open field, Battlefield's attention to detail in the audio department is astounding.
To truly get a sense of just how good this game sounds, check out this compelling article written by a veteran of Afghanistan, describing how the realism of Battlefield's sound system forced him to confront PTSD problems: [...]. Please take a moment to comment on that article if you get a chance, as every veteran deserves our thanks and for those battling PTSD, I'm sure any and all words of encouragement are appreciated.
Verdict: the game looks great on any platform, with the PC shining above X360, but Battlefield's phenomenal audio separates the game from all other shooters on the market.
X360 Miscellaneous Thoughts: the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield isn't quite the experience the PC version is, but for those who cannot play the game on a powerful computer or next-generation platform, it is still a great experience. The X360 version's graphics are excellent for the platform, and while you won't get the high-res textures like you've seen in the trailers, the game is still nice to look at, and the dramatic set-pieces in both SP and Levolution in MP are *almost* as compelling on X360 as the more powerful platforms. Although the game lacks the 32 v. 32 battles the series is famous for, the smaller maps and lower player counts still allow for awesome and organic multiplayer gameplay.
PC Miscellaneous Thoughts: the PC version remains the platform to play Battlefield on, with huge player counts, the best sound and graphics, and the unparalleled precision of a mouse and keyboard. There isn't much negative to say about the PC version, except there are some technical issues, as I have had quite a few crashes while playing mutliplayer. I didn't get the game until about a week after launch, when there had already been at least one patch, so I have not experienced the technical headaches that bamboozled Day One players. If this issue worries you, everything I've read so far indicates that DICE is aware of the technical issue affecting the game, has already improved its stability since launch, and will continue to support the game going forward.
Conclusion
No matter which platform you experience Battlefield on, it is a fantastic experience that pushes the first person shooter genre forward with features like Levolution, Commander, and phenomenal graphics and sound design. The game serves as an excellent end to the previous generation of consoles and serves as a welcome introduction to next-gen. If you want the "true" Battlefield experience and plan on picking up the game for next-gen consoles, then get started now and buy the game for X360 / PS3, then upgrade to next-gen for $10--all your weapons and progress will transfer to your new version of the game. If you have the horsepower in your PC, then pick up the game now and play it there; you won't regret it.
No game is perfect, and I'm hesistant to award even a game I love as much as Battlefield 4 5/5 stars. However, right now, Battlefield IS the best shooter on the market. Frankly, DICE's effort blows Infinity Ward's "Call of Duty: Ghosts" out of the water in every conceivable category. For that reason, and because I think more people should play this great game, I happily award BF 4 5/5 stars as a final score.
Verdict: 5/5 stars | video-games_xbox |
Very Authentic and Rockband did it right. I love music games just as much as any other gamer, but after a couple of the Guitar Hero's and Rockbands. I found myself bored with it. I traded in the Guitar Hero's because I felt that Rockband was getting the gameplay right and in my opinion the songs were much more catchy. That may be because I listen to more hip-hop than anything and when i do hear rock music it's usually on MTV. So of course they have alot of that music in there games. BUT ON WITH THE BEATLES ROCKBAND!
This game is very authentic for the band. I only know because one of my best friends loves the Beatles and I have learned some things about them since then. I like the fact that the game tweaked alot of different things on the visual side to make this game look kind of like the 70's era. Examples- when you hit a note small stars spark up from the track, The notes at the bottom have a more squared vintage look, and the characters and atmosphere are very authentic to what you could see at a Beatles show. The game really has the 70's trippy look, lol. If you know what I mean. Especially when you get into some of their songs where they depict what the song is about in the background. Such as being under water for Yellow Submarine. It's a very cool feature that made this game very different.
As far as features go, everything as the other Rockband's are the same. There is a new feature where you and 3 friends can use the mic and instruments also. That is very cool feature but it's one of the only ones that I have noticed.
The Story mode takes you through the biggest performances of The Beatles. With each venue there are screaming fans and huge crowds to set the mood. the more you collect 5 stars you recieve photo's of the band and everytime you finish the 4-5 song set you recieve a challenge. Which is pretty much a high score challenge to do each song in a row.
That's pretty much it for the review. I feel that Harmonix really captured the band in a great way compared to the 2 prior Guitar Hero titles Aerosmith and Metallica. The game is worth a rent for everyone but a must buy for Beatles fans. | video-games_xbox |
Yautja Warriors, Xenomorphs, And...Yet Another Human Rookie. Three games in one, "Aliens vs. Predator" is every bit the bloody sci-fi hellscape one might expect after seeing the movies from which the game pulls its source material. Play as the stealthy and terrifying escaped xenomorph, the Yautja warrior seeking to prove himself in the glory of the hunt, or the Colonial Marine who needs to be told how to use a flashlight.
I chose to play through the Colonial Marine campaign first, as I figured that it would be the most challenging and provide glimpses into the other two campaigns along the way. Although all three campaigns begin with the same cutscene (Weyland setting fire to a big bag of steaming trouble for every living thing for the rest of the game), they diverge into their own stories and wildly different gameplay.
As the Colonial Marine, you quickly begin to value the creeping sense of paranoia that builds whenever you enter one of the many dark areas in the game, because it is that sense that keeps you checking every corner and vent for the unmistakable hiss and sneer of the xenomorph. The sounds reproduced from the movies are dead-on - everything from the screech of a wounded alien, to the digital ping of the proximity sensor that quickens as unseen monsters close-in on you in the darkness. As a human, you have about as many special abilities as you have right now reading this, only with a couple of different guns and ALL THE FLARES HUMANITY CAN BUY. Flares can be helpful, and they do add another touch of authenticity to the Colonial Marine campaign, but...c'mon. They don't even temporarily blind your enemies; they just seem to add one more reason why humans are considered the most annoying prey. Compared to the special abilities of the other species, it's just embarassing. On the bright side, your weapons work well enough when you get a better sense of how your enemies tend to move. I found that the "burst fire, face punch, reload, burst fire," method works well against packs of aliens, who are all startlingly agile and can easily clamber along the ceiling to get the drop on you.
As the Yautja warrior (that's the Predator for any of you who aren't total nerds for some reason), you are tasked with a rite of passage; basically, kill everything. If you can remember that, you're golden. You can start having some real fun here, as you bound cartoonishly in stealth mode from one spot to another, spotting your prey with thermal vision and luring them into isolated areas with mimicked human voices so you can sneak up behind them and tear their heads off. Remember, kids, it's not a murder simulator if there are lasers and aliens involved. Unfortunately, your shoulder-mounted pulse cannon only gives you a few shots before it needs to be recharged, and in order to do that, you have to find one of a few one-time-use-only interactive spots on the map. This was disappointing, but it did add challenge to the Yautja gameplay. When in doubt, get slashy with the blades and use them to block incoming attacks from clawing aliens.
The xenomorph (alien) gameplay focuses far more on stealth, even going so far as to encourage you to destroy environmental lights to darken rooms, making it more difficult for those gun-toting humans to see you. Pheromones allow you to detect humans through walls and other obstacles, so you often see them as human-shaped outlines first. From there, you can charge them viciously, or lure them off to their separate doom one-by-one. Hide in vents, hiss to draw their attention, then pounce on the straggler. The biggest drawback to the xenomorph campaign is that it can quickly get ridiculous when moving quickly around enemies in dark corridors because you can walk on the ceiling, and transitioning from the floor, to the wall, to the ceiling is an easy way to lose your orientation and become another dead bug for Bill Paxton to brag about. Sneaking up on humans allows you to deploy a "face-hugger" and saddle the victim with some inevitably severe chest pain. It's a bit repetitive, but if you've always wanted to do it, wait no more.
If you're a big fan of the Alien Trilogy, the Predator movies, the Alien vs. Predator movies, or just really into sci-fi action, pick up a copy and make sure your volume is up...because hearing an unseen Yautja warrior mimick a human laugh just to make you crap yourself is worth the money. | video-games_xbox |
One of the Best Single Player FPS I've Ever Played 93. Visuals-95/100 (Beautiful Game All Around. Hampered slightly by weird facial animations and minor technical hiccups)
Story-90/100 (Exciting Plot Anchored by an great cast of characters)
Sound-95/100 (Excellent Voice Acting, music, and sound effects)
Game Play-100/100 (Utterly Intoxicating sandbox style shooter with echos of open world role-playing games)
Multi-player-30/50 (Generic, boring Multi-Player. I'd recommend against buying Far Cry 3 if you were solely interested in multi-player)
Lasting Appeal-100/100 (With all the stuff to do, you can easily spend around 40 hours or so. Not to mention it's a game you WILL want to play more than once)
If Far Cry 3 has taught me anything, it's the fact that the FPS genre is far from dead. Yes, the genre is over cluttered these days, but there are those certain titles within the industry that aim to provide the genre with innovation and excitement. Far Cry 3 is one of those games. Far Cry 3 finds its own identity through its own niche gaming experience. Even better, Far Cry 3 ends up being even more ambitious and unique than Far Cry 2, while being absent of the big missteps that plagued the second game. While Far Cry 3 is yet another FPS that features worthless MP, its single player is worth the price alone. For me, it's definitely the best in the Far Cry series, as well as one of the few FPS you should care about in 2012 regardless of your genre preferences.
Far Cry 3's story has certainly been one of its tantalizing aspects all throughout the game's numerous previews. The plot itself isn't going to turns head by itself, but its characters drive the plot to a point where every action has weight, and everything is shrouded in thick human vice. It all boils over into complete depravity, and its been quite the experience watching these personalities come into play. Sure, we've seen characters like these all over the media spectrum before, but there is something about them that transforms them from yawn inducing pot boiling shlock, to something that feels credible and downright dangerous. It's also delightfully engrossing watching these characters because they are so interesting. Populated with sociopathic pirates, volatile and terrifying crime lords, primal, dazed yet strangely idealistic drug dealers, and more, Far Cry 3 makes sure the personalities all play important roles throughout your journey. Voice acting in particular is excellent, making sure the characters come alive. It's a great tale to be sure, and I can't wait to see how it ends.
At its most basic level, Far Cry 3 is a sandbox open-world FPS. Huge sandbox maps let you tackle objectives in numerous ways, and this is only complimented by a open world packed with locations and space that all adds up to the game's immense depth. Even better, Far Cry 3's weapon and health systems both recall the days of BioShock/Half-Life 2 than the Halo/COD model we're all sick of by now. Health does not regenerate at first (you can later, however, get a skill that adds some regenerating power), and the weapon wheel at hand lets you carry more than two weapons at a time. Your character grows to be agile and able to of nifty features you eventually unlock that make combat a joy to converse with. Finally, the game offers plenty of ways to make your character do more than just shoot. Far Cry 3 offers both currency and experience points to make sure the game play experience is more personalizing and diverse than it previously was. You can use currency and experience points to offer your character a plethora of options and opportunities to create better weapons, inventories, and items, as well as honing your own skills in general.
Far Cry 3 uses its huge (and I mean huge) open world, emergent systems, animals to turn on your opponents, diverse customizations, and RPG elements that gives Far Cry 3 a huge advantage over its staid contemporaries. Far Cry 3 uses its pedigree, Far Cry 2, as inspiration, without the poor design choices that bogged down the aforementioned (no guns jamming, no malaria, no enemy re-spawning to infinity, no horribly placed checkpoints, etc). Much of the game's revisions has been made on fan feedback, and as a result Far Cry 3 is a much better game compared to the second. For example, once you capture a radio tower, it's yours. Ditto for any of the point locations you capture. Once you capture these, you can use them as save points, which also double as fast travel points. I hated the absence of this in Far Cry 2, and the inclusion of all of these makes Far Cry 3 much better to play. The environment also comes into play, such as fire and the animals. Also, like Far Cry 2, fire spreads, and you need to use that to your advantage. Far Cry 3 is not a game that encourages you to stick with a few weapons and tactics. Use everything you have, and play as creatively as possible. If you do, Far Cry 3's game play possibilities will unlock for you.
Far Cry 3 takes some lessons from modern RPGs with a skill system, organized into the form of three skill trees. While the Skill trees available are not in abundance as they are in a proper RPG, as only three exist in total. However, while there are only three, it more than makes up for the amount of satisfying and useful skills available. As you progress more and more into the game, you'll find yourself eventually chaining knife attacks in succession, moving around with the agility of a seasoned hunter, selling and trading at a lower price, managing weapons like a trailed warrior and a lot more as you slowly become master of the island. What's more, I've heard from many players (from professional reviewers to my European counterparts who got the game before us Americans and finished most of it) is that it's possible to max out every skill through the course of the game. All of the skills I've acquired so far are useful, and they make the game all the more . Aside from the skill system, Far Cry 3 also has a heady dose of crafting and gathering to offer news ways to engage in game. These promises offer tons of reasons to gather, hunt, and collect cash from the island at large.
You know all that open land available? There's a reason why it all exists. If you don't gather and hunt, your not going to make it very far in the game. Luckily, the rewards are vast and interesting. With around animal species to hunt, and tons of material to collect (plants, mushrooms, the works), hunting and gathering is addicting and leads to many memorable encounters as a bonus. Hunting is used for gathering essential materials and you can use these to craft ways to hold more ammo, and other materials. Gathering plants is like gathering materials for magic. You'll end up being able to use potions for enhancing various aspects of your own human ability. The ability to use cash round it out, and the numerous shops around the island let you customize and purchase weapons. You'll be able to get standard such as cross-hairs and suppressors, as well as much more interesting things like grenade launcher attachments. It's a blast exploring to beef up your arsenal, and it's as rewarding and fun as some of the best open world games I've played.
Aside from the combat related exploration, Far Cry 3 offers some fun things to do. The mini games have an echo of Red Dead, and even though I'm not much a fan of mini-games in my games, there's some pretty leisurely fun things to do. Also, be on the look out for pieces of back-story information around the world, which very much works like Dishonored did with its numerous books, papers, letters, and so on. With so many things to complete, PLUS the desire to play through the game again thanks to the fact that you can do same tasks in different ways, there is more than enough reasons to get Far Cry 3 as a single player game. The general consensus from both professional reviewers and our European counterparts is the main story lasts around 15-20 hours. With all of the other content, it can easily be much longer than that. This is one single player game that does not fall short on providing value.
Now, to multi-player. As much as I hate to admit it, the MP doesn't come close to the single player game. Unlike the unique single player experience, Far Cry 3's brand of MP ends up being the weak link of the package, both in terms of co-op and regular MP combat. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad feature, but there is little to nothing new Far Cry 3 does over other games. Little of the open world and emergent aspects of the single player experience are transferred over to the MP experience, and as a result, you get the same brand of death match/"Capture the point!"/destroy parts of the base/whatever else counts as MP. Play matches, level up, use perks to upgrade your overall load out. Haven't we seen all of this before? Sure, it's a fun mode, but my god, there's NOTHING new. It doesn't help either that the maps you play on are cramped as all hell, making sure the game's amazing core game play is lost. Even with better designed maps, though, Far Cry 3 does nothing new with competitive MP, and it's not really worth tinkering about with.
Co-op is a *little* better, but not by much. It tries to sell itself upon its storyline, but unlike the single player, the story falls flat. The characters are completely unappealing, the plot is generic, and nothing compelling happens. Aside from that, game play is just bland. Much like the competitive MP, it falls flat due to a lack of identity. The same objectives, the same game play models, it's just so overwhelming bland. Even worse, you almost need to rely on almost four people. If you don't, be prepared for an absolutely miserable experience. Yeah, it's an amusing diversion overall, but there's little justification to playing "generic shooting arcade" co-op while much superior co-op games like Left 4 Dead, Ghost Recon, SWAT 4 (extremely underrated!), Rainbow Six, and Borderlands 2 all exist, offer great game play, and actually stand out from the pack. Play those games instead of this generic copy cat.
I didn't even bother trying to make MP maps with the map editor, because I found the overall MP game play to be so generic. Granted, the multi-player is in it's early stages, so the inclusion of the map editor, ehhh....*MIGHT* help remedy the cramped, generic MP maps, but the potential for great maps to play on rests solely on the community. It's a bit too early, but I can see the (non-dedicated) servers for the MP being dead within a month. I can name plenty of games off the top of my head that had MP die out as fast as a fly lives its lifespan. I know I sound a little harsh, but I speak from experience. There are much better MP games that don't suffer from an identity crisis like Far Cry 3 does. So don't bother getting Far Cry 3 if you're interested in the MP.
Despite that, any one looking for a lengthy, quality SP experience should make Far Cry 3 a must play. For me, this is definitely the best game in the Far Cry franchise. Opinions definitely differ, but previous entries in the Far Cry franchise have left me cold. I didn't like the original Far Cry; its generic story, boilerplate shooting, horrid AI, god awful mutant narrative judo, and pathetic "open" world, all turned me off. Far Cry 2, while a good game, was hampered by poor game design decisions combined with some poorly implemented game mechanics. It didn't quite jell together, and as a result the game felt uneven. But I digress. Whether or not you are a newcomer, former doubter, or a veteran of the franchise, it all doesn't really matter in the end. Far Cry 3 is simply a damn fine game. Anyone who is looking for an ambitious alternative from the generic shooter market should check out this one. It's absolutely worth your time. | video-games_xbox |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.