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AKA Built it and Break it with Batman. Lego Batman is the first game I really played on the Xbox 360 because I'm not a big fan of the FPS and fighting games that are more prevalent. I have since played the game approximately 2.5 times so I have a really good feel for it. I enjoy the game for several reasons. Obviously, I'm a fan of Batman and the Lego design is both adorable, calling to my inner child, but lessens the idea of violence throughout the game because you're not really hurting anyone or anything. Legos as building blocks for items you need add another creative element and break up the fighting throughout the game but rest assured that the fighting and shooting and destruction is only more fun because you're causing Lego pieces to fly anywhere.
Lego Batman's mechanics are a bit simpler than other games, which I appreciate. You don't need to use every button on the controller nor at there crazy key combinations. It may be a little difficult for a child but it makes for a good casual game, in my opinion. The set up of the game is easy to follow, too. The Batcave/Wayne Mansion serves as a hub and you play through clearly marked levels in story mode and, after you finish being the good guys, you go back and play as the bad guys. Once you complete levels, you unlock free play and can go back to earn more Xbox achievements and work your way toward 100% game completion. Free play, combined with Wayne Manor and Arkham Asylum creates a lot of opportunity for fooling around if you don't actually want to play levels and the fooling around is especially fun if you're playing with a partner (which you can!)
The game incorporates dozens of cast members from Batman history and lore. Batman and Robin, Catwoman and the Joker. But there's also appearances from lesser known characters like ManBat, Bane and KillerCroc to liven things up. The plot doesn't follow any of the recent movies but is believable if you know a little about Batman history and many of the extra achievements allude to this history. It's well thought out.
Overall, the camera angles result in a lot of unnecessary dying and waste time, not because of a lack of skill but because you cannot possibly judge where you need to be, are going or what is around you. This seems to cause a lot of trouble when player multiplayer (and sometimes when playing alone) because the camera tries to focus on both players but sometimes this is not feasible. Unless you stay close together which can sometimes kill you, it's difficult to see.
If you love Batman and/or Lego, you'll probably keep playing but you may need to take frequent breaks to keep from doing real-life violence. Nevertheless, Lego Batman is still a great game. | video-games_xbox |
Pretty disappointing. Great concept and design, but it's just a big hassle most of the time. I have it connected to my PC and Xbox and it ha the ability to change channels with the push of a button but getting it set up to work correctly was a pain in the ass since it can only receive one digital optical and one set of red/white R/L stereo hookups. In both situations, then you need another hookup for the mic to work and you end up using a minimum of four different cords hooked up properly.
That's not really that bad, but then the headset likes to register sounds and voices incredibly low. Razer replies saying you need to amp up the volume then, but then music destroys your eardrum while voices are regular. They then suggest you turn down main music volume and keep voice volume maxed which you then have to change every game you play. When you decide not to use your headset since you're playing single player or something, then the game is super quiet and you end up changing to volume back, then a friend signs on and you go to talk with them and you can't hear them again so you have to go and change volumes again. Or you turn up your master volume and forget, so then when you talk to your friend, their voice destroys your hearing.
It gets worse. After only about a year of having it, my mic doesn't even work at all anymore. I have all the proper hook ups the same way it has been but nobody can hear me. It started after only about 5 months when my friends would say my voice kept getting quiet and then going loud and then quiet and then loud so they would only hear parts of what I was saying. After about 9 months of having the product, my voice kept turning to gibberish and static and pressing the mute button or turning off/on the unit would cause high pitch squeals in my party's ears. Currently, as I stated previously, it doesn't work at all.
The only great thing about it for me now is that I an still slide on some awesome 5.1 surround sound when listening to music or gaming, but it really doesn't have team functionality any longer so I ca only use it when I play games solo. | video-games_xbox |
Great game with lots of creative features. I think THQ has done a great job with the latest WWE game. If there is one thing I totally dislike about this game its the fact that the controls are different from the previous game. In SVR 2011, the right analog stick was used to perform the grapple moves. In this game, they've changed that. There have also been other changes made. To make matters worse, you can't adjust it in the options. I don't like the changes they've made to getting out of an opponent's pin attempt. Used to you caould mash buttons to break a pin, but now its more like a mini-game. There is a bar that appears. You have to hold the A button & release it in a small shaded area. This takes some getting used to. Those are about the only negative things about this game.
I like the limb target system in this game. I just wish that you could target the individual legs like you can with the arms. The struggle submission system has been replaced by the Breaking Point submission, which consists of mashing buttons to get your opponent to submit. You also have the ability to perform a wake up taunt. This will cause your opponent to get up in a daze allowing to do your finisher more effectively.
As for the newest customization feature, you can now customize an arena. This feature allows you to customize the apron, the inner part of the ring, the ropes, turnbuckle pads, the mat outside the ring, the announce table, the ring posts, the barricades, & the electronic bill boards. Plus you can also decide what name plate you want to use during the character's entrance (that displays their name). I would have added the ability to customize the stage area such as the Titantron & stage decorations.
When you create a wrestler, you can choose up to four different words that the ring announcer addresses you by. This is very similar to THQ's WWE Raw 2 for Xbox. I wish they would have also used this for the play-by-play commentary name as well. I have a character that I normally create called Jack Hammer. Its cool that the ring annoucer will call him Jack Hammer as he's going out to the ring, but Michale Cole & Jerry Lawler will only address him by one of the limited names listed.
WWE Universe Mode has also been given some better features too. While I haven't played too much into this mode yet, there are some matches that are called "Today's Remarkable Match". When you play that, something will happen. This could be anything from you getting attacked by somebody after a match to an alliance being formed. You can also customize the shows that are being used by changing their logo & the name of the show. While I haven't seen it yet, I've also heard that you can customize which titles are used in Raw & Smackdown.
Road to Wrestlemania Mode is different than last year's installment. Rather than choosing one of six characters to play as, you play in three different storylines. First you play as a villan, then you play as an outsider, then as a hero. The presentation is almost like watching it on TV. The pay-per-view events now actually have a narrator that says, "WWE proudly presents (PPV name)". This is where you will also unlock various items.
This game is a must have for any wrestling fan. While it isn't controller friendly, its still worth buying because of the newer features that it has. | video-games_xbox |
Fixes everything that was wrong in the first game. Is epic and amazing as well. Ubisoft really looked at the problems people had with the original Assassin's Creed and fixed them to make an epic masterpiece of a sequel.
The Story:
- So it picks up at the end of Assassin's Creed, Lucy and you (Desmond) escape Abstergo and go to Lucy's safehouse. There she has another Animus that Desmond is to use to obtain assassin skills via the "bleeding effect" by going back down Desmond's DNA, this time as Ezio Auditore in a Renaissance Italy.
Pros:
- Like I said, Ubisoft fixed many problems from the previous game and made this game near flawless.
- The free-running and travel through cities is much more artsy and fascinating.
- They now have fast travel hubs that take you to particular parts of cities or to another city for a fee.
- Much more variety of weapons and upgrades making this an opened-world action RPG
- The variety of new attacks and assassinations make it very fun no matter how repetitive it is.
- Massive game with lots of detail and story.
- Introduces a "money managing minigame" with running your uncle's city.
- The story has amazing depth to it causing quite an immersive atmosphere.
- Also introduces raiding assassin tombs
Cons:
- Like most opened-world games, it can get very repetitive. If you take a short break and play a different game for a day or two, it doesn't get too boring.
- Collectibles, however, unlike the previous game they made them somewhat relevant to the actual story and they toned down the amount.
Buy this game if:
- You wish to enjoy an epic and amazing story.
- You have played the original Assassin's Creed
Don't buy this game if:
- There's really no reason not to buy this game, it is one of the best Xbox 360 games of all time.
- It is over $20, you should have no problem buying this game for under that price.
Other:
- I got 950G with just one playthrough
- The DLC offers no Achievements, but it completes the story because DNA Sequence 12 and 13 are "corrupt" so you'll realize there is a time skip when you play the actual game. | video-games_xbox |
A great game, if it doesn't destroy your xbox360 or PS3. We all know that this game is great, one of the best games ever made, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
What many don't know is that Rockstar has yet again done a very poor job beta testing this game before releasing it. I have had my xbox totally lock up on me after occasionally freezing during playing this game. These same very issues occur on the PS3 version of the game, where Rockstar actually created a patch fix that could be downloaded via the PSN network. At current time of this writing, there has been no such patch for the xbox 360 version.
At first the freezing up for me was occasional, once every couple of hours, not a huge deal. Then it became worse, and then actually wouldn't let me play at all, freezing up as soon as you were done loading a game. Even quickly loading a previous game save before it crashed would only work temporarily. At this point, it was only happening with this actual game, the freezing that is. I was not getting the "Red Rings of Death" that has so plagued the xbox 360. I called in to Microsoft xbox support, and they told me I had to send my console in to be repaired... again, I was not gettting the R.R.O.D. -- they were not going to charge me for the fix, I had an extended warranty on the unit anyway, I did previously have the RROD, about 1 year ago, but have played the 360 extensively after they "repaired" it then. Even playing GTA IV for the first 15 hours or so the game didn't crash even once! Then it started happening occasionally, then it just killed my 360!
This is a great game, but it is awful that Rockstar didn't beta test this game enough. And before anyone thinks this is just me, go and look it up on youtube and you will find TONS of videos of this game either freezing up or completely bricking xbox360s.. Rockstar also had the exact same issues occuring with the xbox360 version of Bully, which also was in the news a bit.
Note to Rockstar... please beta test your games better. Not just for the 360 but the PS3 too. Till then I am not buying anymore games from you guys, it isn't worth my time and aggravation, no matter how good the content may be. Again, remember the PS3 is suffering from very similar hardware failures as well, so we know it isn't completely the hardware itself, but the software crashing the consoles, and in my case BRICKING IT! | video-games_xbox |
Whats everyone talking about. I made this purchase from an in-store large retailer for fear of possible knock-offs (it was on sale for $24). With that said, I'm 6ft 1inches and slim. My play space is approx 7ft 2inches and then I hit my couch. I also have the issue with width (approx 5ft 6inches, only a problem when 2 people want to play). My biggest issue was when playing Zumba or Dance Central 2, anything with arms straight up my kinect would not see, it it sitting under my wall mounted flat screen approx 4ft off the floor. I didn't want to buy a tv mount to put it on top because i don't like the look and there was concern it wouldnt see my feet, plus i have some shorter friends.
With the details out of the way, I read almost all 125+ reviews on here before purchasing to find the common issues based on setup and then just didn't do those things & my unit works as intended.
#1 I mounted my Kinect below the TV (still approx 4' off the floor). And connected this accessory while the xbox was off.
#2 The Zoom holes ARE larger than the Kinect lenses, (like the zoom directions state) when you look at the middle lens you should see the center of the Kinect lens in the center of the circle. If its not, you need to move the Zoom over (adjust). **Note: this is where zoom lost a star. Sccrraaattttccchhhh. even when you remove the zoom as recommended, it scratches the glossy finish on the Kinect. If you have an issue of a black ring showing on your camera once its turned on (like some other reviewers) then your zoom isn't placed correctly.
#3 I did NOT just enter setup and re-calibrate. I went into "initial setup" and "set up my console" (location, date, blah blah) and most importantly KINECT. You know where it makes you listen to the sounds, and stand in the circle and wave, That sets the room lighting and gets the best reading of "you," calibration is just fine tweaking.
#4 While in initial setup I noticed the kinect seemed jumpy & didn't follow my hand motions as smoothly as I was used to. That freaked me out a bit. The setup took waay longer than i remember, i felt like I was waving for 5min. finally i took a 1/2 step back (even though it initially said i was in the middle of the circle) and boom everything worked perfect.
#5 I ran calibration just in case
Now everything is up and running and I only have to stand 5ft from my tv and kinect can see my whole body, and tracks my moves perfectly. A friend brought over child of something...it wasn't really my cup of tea (though the music was decent) I don't think i understood the point. I was just glad he was able to play it without me having to move out of the way. He said the movements were pretty accurate, im sure i would have heard some choice words if they weren't. | video-games_xbox |
Why can't they make a 5 star Star Wars game. That is the question that I want answered, and thought that I had found it when I learned about this game last year. But the end result is monotonous and seems rushed.
First of all, for an adventure game, the story needs to much more explained than the little snippets that are given throughout the game. What you do get are little tidbits from the Episode I plot line thrown into the mix. But, they are displayed poorly throughout, as much is in this game.
To follow up on the displaying poorly remark, I have to say that the graphics on this game are definitely sub par. Most of the levels get extremely monotonous. You will know what I mean after following Qui Gon around into room after room that look absolutley identical. You will also notice that during the cut scenes, or during other gameplay parts when characters are speaking, they lack the ability to move their lips when they are speaking. It just seemed to me that the developers avoided attention to detail that any Star Wars fan would want.
The gameplay is what I should really be focusing on though. The force abilities rock, as does the manual control of the lightsaber. I have a feeling that these aspects are what they began with and based the game around as they are the best parts of it. This game also allows the ability of "bullet time" to a certain extent, however I didn't find it useful except in a few minor circumstances.
But, the major drawback to the gameplay is controlling Obi Wans movement. He lacks the ability to turn quickly to the right or the left, and his movement is incredibly choppy. You may just laugh as loud as I did the first time you saw him run as well. Another serious drawback to the game is the camera. There are some serious problems when you get to close to a wall or to another character. Other stalls in the gameplay include when more enemies are loading, and WHENEVER you turn on or off your lightsaber.
This game is barely worth the rental in my opinion, and only worth the purchase if you are a die hard Star Wars fan who needs to play all the games related to the series. | video-games_xbox |
Cult Classic By Smilebit. Frustrating, and rage-inducing, yet I keep coming back. I recently played through Gunvalkyrie, which opened up Challenge Mode (can play any stage you want including bosses). Upon inspection of the mode, I realized that I had yet to unlock the last form of Kelly's Gearskin (suit). I played through Challenge Mode and found all the Cores (hidden items in the game), and yet Level 3 Gearskin would not unlock. I realized I had to play through the game again, and so I did. I beat the game again in a few hours yesterday, something which took me several days the first time around.
This illustrates how although there is a steep learning-curve to this game, one can overcome it eventually with time and patience. This is an old-school, hardcore, video-game in that regard. It gives you a lot of credit, doesn't hold your hand, nor expects you to finish the game just for going through the motions, like many games today. It does feel rewarding once you get the hang of the controls and understand the game. That is part of the appeal. Some games are easy to learn and hard to master, but this game is hard to learn and hard to master. If that sounds like something you want to experience, then Gunvalkyrie is for you.
I remember putting this game down after not even completing the first level back in the early 2000s; I traded it back to Gamestop from whence it came. I'm glad that I repurchased this game here, and gave this game a second chance. Even after almost 13 years (original North American release-date was March 18, 2002), this game remains unique and unimitated.
I took this game one or two levels a day at a time because my frustration was immense, but once I got through it, it has become a game that I feel that I can play for fun any day for the rest of my life. The mechanics are so unique and tactile that it really feels like you're doing something physical to get the avatar to do something on-screen. For example, if Boosting just required a standard button-click to boost, it would feel cheaper and less rewarding. I've never played Steel Battalion, another Xbox game, but I think it's kind of like that, or using arcade-sticks to play fighting-games. The physical interaction of the player, controller, and game is innate to the enjoyment of the experience.
For this game to get 5 stars, it would not have required much: non-inverted aim-option, and full 360-degree viewing-possibility with the right stick. | video-games_xbox |
It was just "OK. Is pretty obvious to anyone who has played Sands of Time and this game to know that it lacks in quite a few areas. One thing I did find more in depth, however, was the story. This again, seemed to make the game worse. It made the prince, the story...everything seem dark. The game wasn't suttle about this either. It was like a totally new experience. One thing that seemed like a huge change from Sands of Time, in my opinion, was the very open feel of this game. In Sands of Time, you seemed to go from point A to point B with a clear path in between. This game, however, was very open-ended and I seemed to have to back track quite a bit. One good thing that comes from the open-ended approach was the length of the game; it was fairly long for an adventure game and seemed to start and end at exactly the right time. The thing I find most appealing about Warrior Within is the combat system. Although it is much the same as before, it is at the same time somewhat different. In this game, you can dual wield two weapons which is very fun. The combat system is much more free than before too which allows you to create your own combos and fighting techniques. Although the story and main character are much darker than before, the gameplay was still Prince of Persia in style. So, overall, the game was still much enjoyable.
Presentation
Like I said before, the story is much darker than Sands of Time and while this isn't entirely bad, it seems like a bit much.
Graphics
The graphics are very nice in this game. The environments are very open ended and look pretty realistic.
Sound
The voice acting in the game is on spot. Well done. The music, however, was really loud and kind of obnoxious.
Gameplay
Again, the gameplay didn't change too much, so it is very much still typical Prince of Persia platform/combat style.
Lasting Appeal
Much longer than the first and there are unlockables and 2 bonus modes to play. | video-games_xbox |
Back to the good old days. When I was younger I remember games that took dedication and countless deaths. Anybody remember the Contra Code? Those extra lives made the game feel like "normal mode" more than a cheat. Gone have been the days of 100+ hour dedication to an RPG or even most Main Stream RPGs in general, which for the fans of us out there is a real let down. Then came Demon's Souls. Demon's souls was brutally uncaring about your little "easy mode" common place playstyle that has made gaming a subplot to cinematography. I remember how frustrating it was dying over and over elarning how to fight every enemy I encountered and what playstle worked best for me.
That feeling is back. The sequel is everything the first game was and takes that a step further. Granted, there's not as much outright surprise since we know it's a direct sequel but by making the world one open expanse it has upped the feeling of dessolation 3 fold. Instead of going onto a new section and feeling like I "beat an area" I just go further into the realm they've built and feel my nerves fry. My wife watches me looking like a little nervous kid and gets quite a kick out of just what this is able to do. In 3 words; I am Impressed.
This game is not for the faint through. Its difficulty surpasses almost anything thats come out within the last decade and if you are one of the folks who just loses it when you die then perhaps you should go back to Elderscrolls on Easy Mode. Provided you are willing to laugh at the ruthless unfliching combat and tricky set ups of traps or sneaky shots by a boss this just might remind you of what got you started into "punching buttons" in the first place.
Graphically it is beautiful with minimum issues and the occasional hit detection with surfaces (sometimes a wall shouldnt let a sword go through it) but there isn't much else to complain about. Its as grim as it is pretty and the visuals will make you feel uncomfortable with every step.
In closing, if you're willing to watch your character be mangled, destroyed, maimed and can laugh about it you will find a visceral emotional connection with Dark Souls you won't find in many games to date, but it will require your patience, intelligence, skill, and temperment to be as honed as the game itself or you won't make it out alive.
4.9/5 | video-games_xbox |
terrible.. unfun... almost ruins the game. NOTE: THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE PC VERSION OF THE GAME, BUT THERE IS NO ENTRY FOR THAT HERE. HOWEVER, I THINK IT IS STILL RELEVANT.
I really like Fallout 3. It is one of my favorite games of all time. This content pack sounded fun.. seemed like it would break up the monotony a bit. Well.. it does.. but only to add more monotony than I ever dreamed possible. This is nothing but run and gun. The ship is a maze of corridors and rooms that all look exactly the same and there is nothing to do here but shoot the same aliens over and over and over again. About 1/3 of the way through it, I was ready to go back to the main game, but it is not possible without "unplugging" this content pack. So.. I kept going and going and going.. killing the same aliens and looking at the same rooms for what seemed like 6 hours. Finally I was so frustrated and bored with it that I actually stopped playing for about a month. I came back to it yesterday to finish it, and again I felt nothing but boredom and frustration. I finally resorted to using the console "kill" command on the aliens just to end it quicker. There is a sort of "boss" battle at the end, but it is fairly baffling, as it consists of pushing one button, waiting for it to light up again, and pushing it again... repeat.. repeat.. reapeat until "boss" is dead. It's as uncreative as the rest of this pack... but hey.. it's finally finished and I don't have to come back to this POS mothership again.
Now that I'm back in the Wasteland again, I have kind of lost interest in the game entirely, because playing Mothership Zeta left such a bad taste in my mouth, the flaws of the game in general are amplified. I think I will wait another few weeks before finishing Fallout 3. I can not recommend this to ANYONE. Even if you wait on the GOTY edition and get this plugin as part of the pack, I still recommend either unplugging it or just not going to the area at all, because this pack is AWFUL. | video-games_xbox |
Don't Waste Your Money. There is a good reason why this game costs now only $11 dollars while other decent Xbox360 titles usually cost over $40. Heck, even old Playstation2 games cost more at around $19.99. This particular game is highly flawed and boring.
The only thing it will be able to impress you with is the graphics. They are not too shabby but graphics cannot save a game from an incredibly boring plot that is untrue to the Banjo-Kazooie franchise.
When it comes to Nuts & Bolts, there is something for Banjo-Kazooie fans and non-fans alike to hate about this game.
1) It is IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE TEXT. It is way too small, and I play on a pretty big television, and I have perfect 20/20 vision thanks to my glasses. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if it wasn't so necessary for you to read the text. See, the characters speak a sort of cartoonish gibberish. If you cannot read the text, tough luck. There is no option to make the captions and text larger. You will not know what to do, and you will have to resort to going on the internet every single time instructions, that you cannot read, come up.
2) It is nothing like a Banjo-Kazooie game. I feel like I was lied to when I started to play this game. It lacks the fun, zany nature of the first game. The jokes seem misplaced and awkward. Situations in the game also seem more awkward than the last, and humorous situations just seem forced on you. The music is calm, serene and lacks the unique quality of the old Banjo-Kazooie games. It just isn't fun like the old games, and the characters themselves are extremely limited in what they can do. So you have to be exclusively dependent on your vehicles to do anything.
3) There is no diversity in what you do. Basically, it is a vehicle racing/building game that just so happens to have Banjo-Kazooie in it. Besides building and racing your vehicles, there is not much else you can do. You could possibly explore the expansive worlds but without any bad guys to fight and no plot twists, it will quickly feel old. | video-games_xbox |
A Decent Game, But Completely Over-Hyped. I know that reviews of video games are very subjective and everyone will have their own opinion. However, I'm a little astonished at the amount of high praise this game is getting. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game at all. It's a decent shooter with a decent story, decent voice acting and decent graphics. That's it - it's a decent game. This game is not, however, "excellent" or "outstanding". The visuals are not "breathtaking" or "jaw dropping". Actually, the chick that you're tasked with rescuing looks very cartoon-like in my opinion. Really, most of the visuals look a little cartoony. The gameplay is fairly solid - it operates like any decent FPS. Your access to weaponry is pretty broad, yet you are only able to carry two weapons at a time, which is sort of a drag. And you'll be spending a lot of time looting trashcans and such for coin with which to buy ammo and upgrades for them. It has a unique skyrail system that is sort of cool, but it doesn't really have much substance to it. Melee is smooth for a FPS and has some pretty brutal moments, which is nice. There is no real inventory management to be had - everything you pick up in terms of health or "salts" (magic juice?) is consumed immediately. Enemies are predictable and easy to dispatch, especially once you have an established shield. Moreover, the enemies lack variety (droves of soldiers, crow dudes, eagle robots, etc.) and I found myself getting bored dipatching of them over time. It's really all unremarkable.
Now, the game certainly has some racist tones. This doesn't bother me at all - I mean, the game is set in a time when racist thinking was rampant in the country. However, if the game is going to stay true to American history (depictions of the forefathers are everywhere, for example), how in the hell did someone come up with the technology to float an entire city? An underwater city is at least fathomable. It's really kind of silly. Then again, I know it's just a game and not meant to be completely in touch with reality, so I digress.
I'm a fan of the Bioshock franchise - I really liked the frist two games. For my money, the original Bioshock was the best. I guess I prefer the dark, creepy atmosphere and the insanity that surrounded the first two games. Maybe Infinite is just too bright and colorful for me. I just can't seem to love this game like I'd hoped I would. I don't want to bash BI, because it is a pretty good game...but I think my expectations were a little too high or something, because I just don't think it's great. I'm giving this a high rating (4/5) just based it being an above average game as a whole...but it really is just above average. Under water Bioshock beats in the sky Bioshock hands down.
PROS
- Good FPS control scheme
- Good voice acting
- Decent story (although you will spend a few hours on this game before you have any clue why you're doing what you're doing)
- Decent graphics
CONS
- Game saves when it wants to and too far apart
- No inventory management
- Choices you make throughout the game really mean nothing
- Decent graphics (BUT a little too cartoon-like)
- Can get tedious and dare I say it, boring
OVERALL: (A very generous 4/5) | video-games_xbox |
Fallout 4. I have spent many, many (maybe too many) hours on this game and here is what I found:
Pros:
-The area the game takes place in (Boston and surrounding area) is visually stunning and expansive.
-Awesome story, many alternate endings and plenty of room to make the story your own
-The gunplay is VERY good for a roleplaying game, feels more like a first person shooter during a fight.
-The salvage system is very impressive, now that fan sitting on someone's desk in an abandoned shack isn't just a decoration, now you might take it for the parts to make weapon mods or to maintain your power armor. All junk in the wasteland now is comprised of parts such as screws, steel, cloth, leather, adhesive (DUCTAPE!), fiberglass, nuclear material, fiber optics, ect. that can be used to make modification to your weapons or armor and to make things such as furniture for your house or defensive turrets. The possibilities are virtually endless!
-The modification system for the game is AMAZING! you can tweak every little detail of your weapons, much better system than New Vegas. I can make a weapon that truly fits my combat style.
-The weapons themselves are better than previous games. They are still mostly classic Fallout weapons with new twists and a large number of new additions to the family.
-Settlement building is a big plus. Now I am able to customize a whole town from the building designs down to the crops planted and everything in-between.
-The questing is great! Some of the "side quests" are almost as expansive as the main quest! Not only fetch questing but also more engaging quest such as helping someone rescue a kidnapped family member or clearing out an area for people to settle in.
-The companions you are able to meet and travel with are very well fleshed out with personalities all their own and expansive backstories that sometimes effect you (i.e. getting involved with a criminal element or helping to get someone off their addiction.) Also they have interesting conversations with you throughout the game. When they respect you or feel they can trust you they will reveal bits and pieces of their past and may request help in the form of a loyalty mission.
-There are many more pros that I could list, but alas, I actually have a life and need to get back to it ;)
Cons:
-Glitchy.
-Things fall through tables and objects become lost or sink into the earth never to be seen again. (this makes it impossible to really decorate your house, for example, I set a whole nice dinner table out for my settlers complete with clean drinking glasses and plates, came back from a quest and most of it had either fallen over or actually fell completely through the table, floor and indeed the earth itself leaving only a small bit of a glass or nice steak sticking out of the ground and impossible to retrieve...in case you hadn't already guessed, this is the one con that really makes me mad.)
-People are supposed to tell you something or give you the next part of a quest and don't.
-Game (sometimes, happened 3 times to me) freezes and you have to revert to a previous save.
All in all, this game is amazing! Certainly worth it in my opinion. The cons are nothing Bethesda can't fix with a simple patch (hint hint) and the rest of the game speaks for itself. I hope this review was helpful for you!
-May the force be with you...always. Even in the wasteland. ;) | video-games_xbox |
Gears of War 4 is great! Micro Transactions not so great. I am greatfull to have gotten this game on time on October 7th. When I had a bad experience with my previous preorder of Forza Horizon 3. I was bitting my nails because I didn't want a similar experience with Gears 4 Ultimate, and thankfully I didn't this time.
The Game: Gears of War 4 is a Gears of War game. There is no major changes to the gameplay. The game is extremely fun, and the single player campaign is really fun. There are allot of fun set pieces that gives Gears 4 a more cinematic feel. Some of the great moments involve the in game weather. Other then that, I won't spoil the story for those who have not played the game.
Multiplayer is where Gears 4 shines. Horde 3.0 is fun to play with friends. I say this because the matchmaking is proving to be not so great currently. Many of the multiplayer I've played had to many people quite even before the game even starts, and the game does not fill the empty spot either with bots or another player. I am hoping this will get fixed in an upcoming update.
Graphics: The graphics are really great on Xbox One. As I said before some of the best graphics involve with the games weather. I only have an Xbox One so I can't say anything about Gears 4 HDR graphics. However I suspect it looks amazing.
Micro transactions: Gears 4 does have micro transactions and is something I disapprove when I play my games. Grears of War 4 micro transactions is a large negative mark in my book. Not only are the in game packs expensive. It also takes allot of grinding in game to even earn in game currency to purchase the packs. Not to mention there are also packs only available to purchase with real money and they are pretty expensive too. The Mcro Transactions also make my season pass feel useless because the season pass is not an all access pass. Extra in game character cost real money and can not be purchased with in game currency. The majority of in game packs offer skins for characters and weapons which does not effect the multiplayer gameplay which is a good thing. However, Horde mode packs does have in game cards that does effect the gameplay in Horde mode, and the player who has better cards gets better score when playing Horde mode.
Pros: Fun single player campaign, great looking graphics. Multiplayer is fun with friends or with a full team.
Cons: Long wait times for multiplayer match making, early quitters and the micro transactions.
Conclusion: I highly recommend Gears of War 4 to fans of Gears of War and those who have not played any Gears games. Don't let my rant about micro transactions discourage you from enjoying a fun game. This Ultimate edition does include the season pass which is cheaper than purchasing separately. | video-games_xbox |
BioWare has done it again. Based on the one-star reviews I've read here, one thing should be made clear - this is NOT a game for people who are looking for a fantasy action game. This is an RPG, which focuses more on story, dialogue, and setting. I've seen some bad reviews saying the game has too much dialogue - well, that's one of the main features of a true RPG. KOTOR and Mass Effect both featured insane amounts of dialogue, so if you didn't like those games, you won't like this one. If you don't like listening to really well done dialogue, or reading lots if information to learn about a subject, this game's not for you. But if you loved KOTOR and Mass Effect, if you loved tooling through the vast amounts in information you could read, you'll love Dragon Age. The game balances perfectly the aspects of story, dialogue, and action, and creates an immense world that sucks you in. So well written is the story that you may surprise yourself by spending over an hour just sifting through and reading the various pieces of lore that are added to your codex, just to understand more this fantasy world you're in.
Like any BioWare RPG, your actions and decisions influence the outcome of various portions of the story. KOTOR and Mass Effect featured very clear lines of black and white - you could pretty much tell which responses were good or bad. Dragon Age muddles the lines of good and evil. While there are some responses or actions that are predictable (killing a guy for no clear reason is obviously gonna be taken badly), a lot of things aren't actually clear. Responses that you think are good could be taken the complete wrong way by someone, leading to a loss of influence or even bloodshed.
In my opinion, the graphics score probably about the same as Mass Effect when played in High-Def. I have yet to experience any frame rate issues, even when the screen is exploding in colour from a horde of enemies using attacks and spells (which are gorgeous, I might add). Not that it matters, as once you become immersed in the game's world, you won't even notice the graphics.
All in all, if you love games like Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, and Mass Effect, then this game's for you. If you don't like heavy dialogue, a deep and enriching story that may require you to read, or RPG's in general, then don't bother. | video-games_xbox |
Great concept/atmosphere; lacking in some areas. I own an Xbox so I never got the chance to play Demon Souls so when Dark Souls (DS) came out I wasn't familiar with either. I don't game much anymore so my naivety didn't surprise me. Anyways, I read a few reviews discussing Dark Souls' brutal difficulty and I figured why not challenge myself.
Pros:
1) Atmosphere. I love how the world of Dark Souls makes me feel. The world is bleak and depressing (usually) but also one of absolute wonder. I constantly found myself thinking about the world in general, who were the original builders/settlers of this world? Why is a architecturally beautiful place like Anor Londo so completely devoid of random, "normal" people? Who is Sen? What's his problem? (I could go on and on but i don't want to spoil too much for new players). All in all this world fascinated me. (Note, maybe the preamble before the game begins answers the above questions but sadly I was a tad distracted at the time of my first boot up). I found the experience to be very reminiscent of "Shadow of the Colossus" in many ways (Shadow is one of my all time favorite games). (however, unlike Shadow, I never felt bad for any of DS's bosses, especially the fat guy with the hammer and the skinny spear guy, they can suck it) (actually that's not true, I did feel bad for a certain mini-boss who later shows up sporadically throughout the game, his "race" is missing their left leg and I actually felt kind of bad for them).
2) A real challenge reminiscent of the "old school" games of my youth. I grew up in the mid to late 80's and early 90's so I have fond memories of pouring quarters into arcade machines on games that essentially got harder, faster and then you died. No real story, no real ending, just harder and faster and then death (can't remember what comedian first made that statement but he was dead on with it). Anyways, the fact that lowly foot soldier enemies can kill you as easily as traditionally stronger ones is very refreshing and makes you always take the game world seriously.
3) The enemy bestiary is also very strong with original enemies at every turn. This wasn't the standard bad guys: zombies, trolls, bandits, etc....The edition of the game that I purchased can with a bestiary art book which was fun to look through before playing to get a sense of who or what I would face.
4) Joy of victory. This is related to #2 above, but there is no better feeling then finally defeating a difficult boss or challenging area of this game. You literally breath a giant sigh of relief and realize that your heart is beating a mile a minute. Not too many games today can offer you that sense of accomplishment.
Cons:
1) The game is difficult but what makes it even more so is the concept of humanity. In essence humanity allows you to summon players and NPCs to help you (it also boots HP, estus flasks, item discovery rate, scales certain weapons, etc...), long story short, the more humanity you have the better off you are. If you come up on a super difficult area, encounter or boss, you will quickly find yourself completely out of humanity. If it's a boss that is giving you problems then you will likely have no way to wave the white flag and summon help (unless you go spend a few hours "grinding" for the rare humanity drop). The previous wouldn't be a problem if humanity was something you could find through reliable means. Typically if you have no humanity and you need some, you're going to spend a lot of time either killing rats or skeleton babies. The game is set up so that truly elite players will likely be able to summon help if they so desire while the not-so-elite will be forced to grind areas in the hope of accumulating humanity.
2) Camera angles. Unfortunately, certain areas of the game can be very frustrating to deal with due to the poor camera angles chosen by the game. Obviously you can rotate your camera as you go along but my issue deals more with camera angles in cramped areas. One certain area of the game involved navigating narrow walkways in some kind of shanty town. One misstep meant instant death. In DS, death meant starting from your last bonfire with all accumulated souls left at the scene of your death. I don't have a problem with the enemies respawning or the loss of souls, but when I die because the game chose a ridiculous camera angle or some overhead structure completely blocked my character from my view and I foolishly plummet to my death.....beyond frustrating.
3) Enemies attacking through walls, items or each other. In many ways, DS is like a medieval combat simulator. You can't wildly swing your weapon and hope to survive. You have to be precise and calculated in your decisions. However, I found it very annoying that enemies could literally swing through one another without any kind of friendly fire damage (note, there is one "type" of enemy that I can think of that inflicts friendly fire damage, but I believe it's the only one and I'm not including ghosts in this discussion because they make sense). There were other times when I was hit through walls or items. This complaint just goes back to the nature of the game: it's extremely difficult and death is punished harshly, but it really ticked me off when an enemy was attacking me while his buddy smashed him with a giant hammer but with zero damage to the recipient.
4) Non-responsive controls (rare). Every once in a while, I would press a button to do a certain action and either my character wouldn't do it or it would be delayed. This was rare so it's not that big of a deal but in the middle of a major boss fight it could mean a quick, frustrating death. (And yes I played with 2 different controllers to see if one was defective and I found both had the same (if not rare) lag problem.
5) Homing arrows. I'm not talking about a magic arrow or magic in general, I mean an archer firing a shot from far away that tracks with my movements. In a world where magic exists, I can buy a lot of "impossible" things, but arrows that literally home in on me? No, I'm not on board. (and the particular sequence that I am writing about in the game is one of the most frustrating sequences in the entire game).
6) Enemy attacks that track with amazing efficiency. Related to #5, but dealing more with melee attacks. My preferred melee fighting style is to bait my opponent into an attack so that I can counter with an appropriate attack. However, some enemies will commit to an attack but as you move to avoid (even getting halfway around them at times) their weapon will still find you. I liberally block so this wasn't a giant problem but it was still something that really took me out of the full immersion into the game.
7) No pausing. I honestly don't understand why pausing is not allowed in this game. I guess I can somewhat understand if you are playing online, but even then you only interact with other players if they summon you or vice versa. Other than that, I don't see why pausing is not allowed. Unfortunately, my real life doesn't pause when I play DS so there were many times where I just had to stop playing because of work, phone calls, neighbors, etc...(not to mention needing to take a restroom break). I do see how pausing in the middle of combat to completely change your armor is unrealistic but I wish they would have found a happy medium. Maybe only preventing pausing during boss fights or you can only pause if no enemy has engaged you in combat?
8) Magic "lock on" issues. I found the lock on button to be annoying as well. Many times in my adventure would I frantically click the lock on button to target enemies in the distance or on a ceiling, etc...to no avail. This made magic use annoying at times (this issue coupled with the animations attached it its usage = quick death (or at least a few cheap shots from the target)). Additionally, even if I was locked on a target certain spells would fly off in some other random direction or straight into the floor. Once again, for a game as brutal as Dark Souls, these lock on issues were frustrating at best and infuriating at worst.
All in all, even though my Cons outnumber my Pros, this game is a 3 out of 5 for me (would probably give it a 3.5 if given the option). I thoroughly enjoyed the world that From Software has created but there were enough issues to me that prevent this game from being a true classic. I will say, if you are planning on playing DS, you better have plenty of free time, especially if you are focused on leveling or finding rare items. (I almost complained about the grinding required in DS, but I think that aspect of DS has been made abundantly clear so if you are upset about it you were most definitely forewarned). If you have the free time and are willing to deal with some of the above minor annoyances, I definitely recommend stepping into this bleak, unforgiving world. Seriously the feeling you get from getting past a difficult boss or area is great. Unfortunately my free time is limited (and getting scarcer by the day) so this will likely be the one and only venture I make into the world of DS. | video-games_xbox |
A little bit of a let-down, but still a decent game. History Channel Civil War: A Nation Divided is a Civil War game which takes you through six battles on each side, spanning the entire American Civil War from Bull Run to Gettysburg. You can play as both a Confederate and a Union Soldier, adding up to a total of 12 missions. It's definitely not the best shooter for the 360, but it's still good if you like historical shooters, and breaks up the constant stream of World War II based historical shooters that seems to be coming out recently.
Gameplay:
Honestly, the gameplay is a little lacking. The game itself is quite easy because you have an enormous amount of health, which is good because when you take cover, there are times that you can still be shot at, seemingly from nowhere. Sometimes enemies will spawn right next to you even when you think you're in a safe spot. There is, however, a melee combat aspect. Though it's not perfect, using the back end of your gun still adds to the game. The AI isn't too great, but I wouldn't call it awful. Your teammates are all kind of dumb considering this is a 360 game, but they're not as horrible as some reviews would have you think. The AI does have very good aim, both on your team and on the enemy's. This is somewhat balanced by the fact that you have a LOT of health. The missions are also very short, and there's not much replayability, because theres NO multiplayer whatsoever. In terms of pure fun, however, this game is pretty good. Sure, there are annoying parts, but I found myself having fun despite all of these. There's noticeable problems, but not so many to render the game unplayable. 6/10
Graphics:
As far as the graphics on the 360 are concerned, it's a mixed bag. I found the environments to be very well made, but the characters to be bland and frankly, ugly. The characters don't look as realistic as in most other 360 games, and most look like old men, and by old I mean into their 60's. This isn't particularly bad in that sense, but it's still weird. However, the environments were beautiful. I admit, nowhere near as beautiful as those in games such as Oblivion or Gears of War, but still definitely well above the graphics of consoles such as the original X Box or PS2. 6/10
Sound:
The music is fantastic, but sadly the only time you get a chance to hear it is on the menu screens. In game the sound consists mostly of gunshots, cannonfire, and your teammate's comments. As far as the gunshots and cannons go, the sounds are quite accurate and realistic. Your teammate's comments, however, are pretty bland and repetitious, though not to the point that they are annoying. 8/10
Story/Immersion:
So is it worth the History Channel badge on the front? I wouldn't say so. The battles themselves are not accurate in terms of how the battlefields or troops are set up. I was expecting at least a somewhat accurate setting if the game is going to have the History Channel endorsing it. Also, the whole idea of being able to withstand dozens of rifle shots isn't too appealing, at least in this game. In games such as Halo, it makes sense to be able to absorb a lot of damage. But during the Civil War, a soldier would not be able to withstand more than a couple of rifle shots without collapsing. Speaking of rifles, the guns are also inaccurate in the sense that there are so many, that the guns that you can get are not the ones used or available to each side during specific battles. I know all of these gripes are very minor, but I would have expected a lot more realism from a game linked to the History Channel. 4/10
Overall:
The game was still quite fun, for me at least, but was on the short side. It wasn't very historically accurate, which is something I was expecting. It isn't the most technologically advanced, and has some bugs, but overall, it IS a decent game. Even though its 10 dollars cheaper than most new premium 360 games (50 dollars rather than 60), I'd wait for it to get a bit older, and therefore cheaper, before buying it.
24/40 = 6/10 | video-games_xbox |
I love this so much. First let's talk about the value of this game. Essentially, it's 49 Sega games (including the unlockable titles) for about 20 dollars! If I was buying these games separately, it would be well over 100s of dollars because these titles tend to go for 5-6 dollars each. And some are not available on the wii, ps3, or xbox live outside of this disc. Good luck finding a genesis and cartridges too. I most likely would have never played most of these titles if it wasn't for this compilation. Example: Alex Kidd, Bonanza Bros. and Dynamite Headdy. I never even heard of these games but I love them so much after I played them.
This game is great for its nostalgia factor too. I feel like a gaming archeologist playing Flicky and the arcade version of Altered Beast. It's like exploring your grandparents attic for the first time. There's so many interesting things inside this disc. Playing Alien Storm for the first time was crazy cause I didn't expect to play a robot that self-destructed. There were moments in Streets of Rage 3 where I couldn't stop laughing at the sheer silliness of the game.
I also love the multiplayer games like Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, etc. There were times when my husband and i were just "accidentally" beating each other up in Streets of Rage and it was so hilariously fun. I loved every minute of it.
Here's my only problem with the game. The manual isn't really complete. You need to go to [...] to download a complete game manual. I understand this because it is 49 games, and I think if they had to re-print all the manuals to each game, it probably cost a heck of a lot more than 20 dollars. The HD graphic improvements are hit or miss for some games, but it's OK cause you can turn that option off. It's kinda sad that you can't lock Sonic and Knuckles with Sonic 3, but I'm fine with that cause this has 49 games!
Finally, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine just makes me angry. | video-games_xbox |
Very Good Console RTS with few shortcomings. This is a very good game, and by far the best RTS on consoles. The CommandStick Interface improves vastly upon the old tiberium wars selection screen, and makes selecting what you want very easy.
First off, the campaign is very good in terms of gameplay. You get to do missions varying from shutting down an ion cannon network to activating a cyborg army. I felt like the missions were quite varied and a joy to play (except for the first one, which is way too hard). As for the story, I didn't really know much of what was going on, as the campaign spans over a 20 year period. The difficulty level was very manageable, and is just the way I like it for games: Easy by default, but you can crank up the difficulty if you want. There are also video sequences with real actors before each mission.
In the skirmish mode, you play against computer controlled AI opponents, who have 4 difficulty levels: easy, medium, hard, and brutal. You can also specify what playstyle the computer will use: you can choose from teching up as soon as possible, using fast units to strike unprotected structures, and so forth. One thing I would have liked for this game is the ability to play against the AI with your friends, like you do in StarCraft 2. The units are very well balanced, and the diversity of maps is incredible. CnC3KW adds 6 subfactions to the traditional 3 in tiberium wars, each with their own units, powers, upgrades, etc. . Although the subfactions add a lot of diversity to the game, they also make it confusing at times to tell, say, GDI apart from Steel Talons (unless you look at their vehicles). Unlike the PC version, which automatically adds veterancy, money, and healing crates by default and gives you 40,000 tiberium to start, on the xbox you can change whether you want crates in the game or not, and how much money you start out with.
For the multiplayer, EA has decided to trash the EA servers and account requirement and just use xbox live instead (thank god). This also means that you will have to buy an xbox live gold membership to play online. There are very few players playing this game, for example when I wanted to play matchmaking, it said at the bottom of the screen that there were 45 players playing online. Yes, you read this right. 45 players in the entire world. I think it's probably just because the game is 6 years old and people have already gotten tired of it and moved on. Finding matches will be hard on this game. However, if you do manage to find a match, though, the computer picks a random map and faction for every player, and everybody automatically is given 10,000 tiberium. I think it was good that they chose the random factions thing for the game, because this way, it is more diverse and players learn to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of each faction.
There is also an xbox-exclusive game mode called Kane's Challenge, where the enemy has a pre-built base and you have to try to build up and destroy them. There are about 80 challenges that you can play as any faction, but what puts me off about it is the fact that your progress doesn't sync across factions. For example, if you beat the first challenge as GDI, you can't play the second challenge as scrin. So, I constantly find myself replaying missions I've already beaten just because I wanted to play a different faction.
The final game mode is just a tutorial called boot camp, but it is very basic and if you skip it, you get an achievement worth 10 gold.
Overall, I really like this game and it is the best strategy game I've ever played on my xbox. I reccomend it to anyone who likes RTS games. | video-games_xbox |
Another alternative to online fighting. First of this game is only 20 bucks, which is a steal considering what it offers. The premise is that of a fighting game were four players can take thier collected skills and go online and battle each other via royal rumble or 2 man teams. For each player you will have 30 slots to save your skills, and each skill requires a certain number of aura points. You start each match with 0 aura points and your aura points take up your skill list. So for instance I have 15 skills saved and 15 aura points saved and that will take up my skills list. This was something that I didn't like, as soon as you start the battle you have to stand next to your aura/skill pool (which only lets out three skills at a time) and hope that you get enough skills and aura to go fight other wise you will have to wait until your aura/skills respawn. This really slows down the game. The cool thing is that you can get skills such as levitate, flying, dashing, warping you name it you can pretty much do it. These skills are not given you have to find them in the scenario mode, which gives you a great incentive to play it, because there are so many skills that are really difficult to find and other online players may have never seen them. The one player mode is a complete game which is rare unlike the sorry Mortal Kombat conquest and Tekken 5 Devil Within yeech! You really have to get lucky with your skill selection, so in this aspect it is like card collection like Yugi O. You can buy the skills in a pact of 5 (sound familiar) and they are randomly issued or you can buy one skill at a time at a higher price. The premise to this game is pretty cool, I just wish when you start the round that you can just go and immediately fight instead of building up then going to fight, but it is minor gripe for a new online fighting game that cost 20 bucks.
*warning spoilers*
Some of my favorite skills:
Skywalk = let's you float in the air 15 feet for 15 seconds, it is like being storm because you can still use certain attack skills while floating like lighting or fire, it is just cool.
reflect mirror = when an opponent tries to hit you with any non piercing attack the attack is reflected back to them and you can fire your own skill right behind it, the perfect defense (well almost unless some one drops rocks on your head, and yes that skill is in the game).
Any erase skill = these skills are dirty because they can erase a skill that is in the opponents inventory, not only will you have to go back to your pool and get more skills but you can receive damage too depending on which erase skill is used, just dirty.
Mind reading = this skill let's you listen to the other teams conversation, now that aint right.
Thor's Hammer = Electrical bolt that goes through walls and buildings, enough said.
Devil Wings = you float in the air and disappear for 15 seconds, and did I mention you can still attack.
There are so many skills that it is kinda difficult to have a favorite one, like I said anything that you can think of is probably a skill, from draining life, confusing a players button configuration, speed up, slow down, immoblizing, ice, fire,lighting, wind, swords, regenerate skills and health, I mean there are just a lot of skills, so go get the game and meet me online. | video-games_xbox |
You are still doing it wrong. I played the first left for dead and enjoyed it for the most part but it had some flaws that I think we all know about. Then I saw they came out with second one and figured, "there is no way they DIDN'T fix the problems right? I got this game for christmas and I have already stopped playing it. Why? the same problems still exsists, they are:
1. Save system is still one of those things that is so frustrating. Why should I be spending 3/4 of my game time going to a save area. I don't want to play a zombie game and be constantly looking for a bathroom to save in. I want to kill zombies!
2. The controls are still exactly the same for the most part and I see no differences that are notable. This is a bad thing. You are in the middle of a group of zombies swinging away with your ax, cash register or whatever weapon you have but are not hitting anything. If you are in the middle of a group of zombies in real life i highly doubt you would spend all your time swinging wildly at nothing while a zombie comes up behind you. It's just too hard to actually kill the zombies that are right in front of you.
3. Weapons still break after just a few kills. Guns have one magazine. I'm sorry but if I'm hitting zombies with a crowbar, its not going to break... ever! I'm not tunneling out of Shawshank Prison I'm bashing soft fleshy zombies. I can understand some things breaking like planters, cash registers guitar and that kind of stuff, but how would a lead pipe ever break? Especially after hitting a zombie 10 times?
4. Time limits are always a constant. I want to kill zombies. Instead I am constantly running past groups of zombies because I'm escorting someone, I have to get medicine somewhere, I have to find a save point, I broke a weapon and need a new one, or have to get a mission done asap.
5. Co-op? only on Live. I want to sit here and kill zombies with my brother or friends or girlfriend but can i? Nope you need to go out and buy another copy of the game, you need to make sure the company makes its money! Don't worry about having fun just give us money. This is a problem occurring more and more and no one like to just play co-op on live so stop making games co-op Live only.
6. You can only carry 4 items, this would not be a problem if weapons weren't all made out of peanut brittle and you could just have at least one weapon not break. But you need at least 2 weapons to be safe. Then you need two food items to heal. Not you are in big trouble if you need to escort someone, find food, save, get a new weapon and make a set time hack for your mission. There is just not enough time to do this.
Why can't this game be what it had the possibility to be? Me, zombies, lots of way to kill them! There are so many things that keep you from killing zombies. This is not a zombie killing game, its a game where you do as much avoiding any zombie confrontation as you can. There is a reason this games predecessor is sold in most every store for about$10 or less. And this game is no different. Wait a year pick this up on a used rack for $10 and give it a go. Don't waste your money playing a still flawed game. So much potential, so much failure. | video-games_xbox |
Best Game I Have Played / Greatest Sandbox Game. Granted I am not that into sci-fi so I mostly stay away from those types, and I like old world ones, and only modern times or back, so this was from one of my favorite periods and lived up to my expectations.
PROS: The Landscape is breathtaking and almost completely open to you (within borders of the mountains around the territories/states) and leaves time for endless exploring both as part of the game and just to explore, Within a large bowl of sorts with mountains, mesas (and all type of western even other types of landscapes) or hemmed by the sea. The weapons are great and simple and period appopriate and varied. The Honor/Fame system is great and gives you choices. You can play in many orders, take time off and actually go do fun stuff like fight, shoot-up people, hunting (my fav), play poker, liar's dice, blackjack or horseshoes, or just ride around and either help or not help people. The buying/selling portion is fantastic, the accumulation and carrying of all weapons is great. The missions are fun for the most part, the clearing of hideouts and finding treasure is good. The menu's are bright and clear and easy to follow and keep track of all your various stats from how many wolves you skinned to how many people you shot from a train. etc. Dead Eye is cool, various levels. The challenges for Master Challenges are unique and are challenging, moreso than killing a bunch of gangmembers. The various towns and places are all very unique. Very rarely do you find somewhere you can not get to or get into. The fast travel, camping, stagecoach, and the map are great. The map is spectacular for getting around by laying a waypoint and shows a line to follow the road. The people rarely say the same thing and background conversations are funny at times. There are horsebreaking, nightwatch, cowherding jobs, and saloons and everything one excects in the west. Dueling is challenging but takes a bit to get down. You actually have strategic choices (when to do them, where to hide behind, stand, ride up or not, what gun to use (and most have their pros and cons), kill or capture) in alot of missions.
The riding your horse just around and exploring and occasionally shooting a bunch of animals and skinning them is some of the greatest gameplay ever I think. It is simple and homespun and yet a great marvel of video game technology. The animals and people and seasons and weather are so real.. If you notice the shadows if go with the sun and time of day. And at night riding your horse out under a full moon and sky full of stars feels like it takes you there...
It is fun with the mission in place to do and the graduation of the story (which is suberb) [going for 100% is addicting, fun and fairly challenging] but after though it is fun just to play, the point is gone. Sure you could go back and play through all on expert mode or play a different way.
CONS: [It looks long but these are mostly inconsequential, nitpicky things] I think you get some of the weapons/uniforms a bit late (binoculars you don't even get to way late) in the game to be useful. Also the results from the Master Challenges; you can't complete them until you get in new areas and by then the story is along so you've learned to make do. The new weapons along the way do greatly help though. The helping of non-unique strangers is exciting at first but later, though they vary in place and type you will learn to recognize them (as a person would in that environment) so you can steer clear or help or hurt (because by now you will probably be full on fame and honor if you have tried). Yeah are some animation glitches but most of the time they don't harm, and sometimes they are very funny. Jack, John's son, talks like a weirdo. It'd be more challenging if you lost your horse you couldn't always just call a new one, and instead had to find, break or steal. But I guess you could limit yourself. You can't drive the cars. The train takes forever to leave the station and is only like two running at once. Killing a bunch of animals and not having your horse to stand over it (and avoid cut scenes) and avoid skinning takes forever if you have 20 wolves, for instance. It is cool scene at first just like picking herbs but gets old. Other minor inconsistencies I'd hope they'd fix if made a new one: many chests are just decoration, all the ones you open look exactly the same; in a mission you shoot a lock off a jail door but later you can't do this in just playing, and some doors are locked so I think it should have break in feature/shoot lock; some of the guns are not correct to originals. Some guns don't penetrate what they would in life. Some are inconsistent depending on people/animals taking two where it should take one. etc.
All this is no big deal though. Eventually you get so much money you have nothing to buy but ammo and so that takes away a bit. No new guns or outfits or houses and you don't need all 15 horses, just 3 best.... [John doesn't seem to need food or sleep (except to save)]
The pros so, so, so far outweigh any bad.
I could see one with Jack headed further West/Northwest or some other story line. Would be great. Just start and sail off from Punto Orgullo or Blackwater.
OVERALL: WELL worth the money, very enjoyable to play and do the missions (some are challenging, some side ones very challenging), all adds up, and you can try and get the achievments and cheats can be found. Great story line. Great gameplay and thought. Even greater, more beautiful, graphics/interactive landscape. | video-games_xbox |
Finally Xbox 360's 'Killer App. Upon first glance, this might seem like a run of the mill online shooter. You'd be highly mistaken. Although there's not much innovation, it delivers as a highly addictive first person shooter.
The back story is nothing original but Epic has gone to great lengths to ensure that the characters you play with and as are memorable. So much personality has gone into each of these characters, it's quite refreshing to care about what happens to them. The single player campaign has three difficulties and the highest level is appropriately entitled Insane. It's integration into Xbox Live is superb, as you can pick up and join a friend through various parts of the game. You don't have to rely on having someone in the same room to play the game with you. Having someone play with you makes the game much easier as you can revive each other and generally the second person is much better than the AI.
The AI in the game is amazing. They'll employ the same techniques you do. They'll duck into cover and pop out, trying to avoid your shots. And they'll fire from different vantage points, not always the one you anticipate.
Mentioning cover, that's where the originality of GoW comes into play. It's much like a game of paintball. If you stand out in the open, you'll die quick. You'll need to employ cover! It adds a lot of strategy to the game.
Here is where the game stands alone: Multiplayer. This is the best game I've ever played online. Typically there are teams of four (no more) going against each other. If you try to be a lone wolf, you'd better be better than all four because they'll be communicating with each other. If you don't like team games, this really isn't the game for you. It's already won numerous awards for best online game/shooter/multiplayer and with good reason.
Lag generally isn't an issue although currently sometimes the microphone headset doesn't work when you join preexisting games. That definitely hinders gameplay. There are a few bugs throughout the game, such as getting stuck in place after chainsawing, being seen as alive when dead by the remainder of the team and headshots not registering. These aren't common but happen every once in a while which should have been squashed through testing. Hopefully with downloadable content, quite a number of improvements will be added and things patched along with new maps to the ten already in existance.
There is an option to censor some of the violence and language, but by default it is extremely bloody/gory. I've met younger people online but sometimes the gore is excessive but the language fits right into the genre and definitely adds to the game.
I've already gone through one controller by being too hard with it. Adrenaline starts pumping and excitement takes over and I'm way too hard on it. That in itself should proclaim volumes about how great Gears of War is. This is without a doubt the best game I've ever purchased. | video-games_xbox |
Rumble Roses XX can put you in a sleeper hold. Ok, I'm not some horny 16 year old who just bought this game to see half-naked women. I am the gamer who plays games for fun and entertainment. When I first heard in 2004 that Konami was going to produce a wrestling game, I said "Sure, why not? They make action games, survival horror and dance games, why not try wrestling?" So I immediatly picked up Rumble Roses when it was first released.
When I first heard that sleeper hit Rumble Roses was going to be released and remade, I knew that I had to purchase it. I really loved the game that was released for the PS2. It was a tease and it played well. It was not like other games that degraded women. Ok, I take that back because of the really skimpy swimsuits and the mud matches.
I purchased this game despite the mixed reviews. I went on this site everyday looking for new reviews but the only things I could find were the 16's who loved the bouncy breasts. It's a shame that's all I could find. A few people actually posted some honest reviews. Well, I would like to join the few who are the average gamers.
Rumble Roses is a wrestling game. I won't take that away from it. The wrestling part plays out pretty well seeing as it was made with/by Yukes. I like the work Yukes has done in the past. Most of the girl's moves have either been improved or changed for the better. I can live with that. The wrestling system works well as I would have expected. If you liked the Smackdown series, you will like the wrestling.
Some other things were changed. Gone are story mode and mud-match wrestling. I can live with out the mud, but I wish story mode was left and fixed so it made sense. Now without story mode, the game is just so long and boring having to fight every single woman just to get a title shot. In the story mode, every woman's story was explained as to why she was wrestling. Now, every woman fights for the hell of it, I guess. Another addition that I like street fights. You fight your opponent in an outside cage with no submission or pins, the point is to knock out the power out of each other. Street fights remind of games like Street Fighter or Tekken.
Added was create a character/wrestler. I was really excited that I was finally able to include a wrestler into one of my favourite present wrestling games. I figured that since Yukes was behind this game, they would have a kick-ass create a wrestler as with the Smackdown series. Well, not exactly kick-ass but decent. The create a wrestler is really lacking. You can have up to 30 created wrestlers which is cool but they are all the same woman Lambada. You can't change her face or entrance. That really sucks. You can't edit her moves either. Every "Lambada" has the same entrance and since there is only three voices, eventually they will all have the same voices. Another thing that bugs me is that your character can only be as tall as 5'9 and as short as 5'5. She lowest she can weight is 115 and the most 151. So much for making a realistic woman. I love looking at anorexic models.
There really isn't a "main" mode to speak of, so you have to fight in matches to earn money and unlock costumes. While this probably seemed like a good idea while the game was in production, it is extremely repetitive trying to earn all the costumes. There is only like 40 costumes for you to unlock. Every girl has the exact same costumes to unlock, so it really isn't any fun trying to unlock the same exact costume over and over. The methods for unlocking items aren't really that exciting either. It takes forever trying to save enough for all the costumes. The outfits in the game are just your skimpy thong swimsuits and your average Japanese sterotypical clothes like maids and school girls. What a suprise. I wish they would of had more of a selection than that. Once again, I figured since Yukes was assisting they would have included some of their previous create a wrestler material. Wrong. What you see is what you get.
My overall view of this game is rent before you buy. You might like wrestling and women but this game does have a few flaws as I hope I mentioned. I just wish that games would stop degrading women as just sex objects. You never see men like this, so why should women have to suffer this treatment. Out of a possible 5, I rate this game a 2.5. I could have been better. The reason for the score, is because I was already of the first Rumble Roses and I love wrestling. It loses points on the lacking of reason for fighting and create a wrestler.
Jayson | video-games_xbox |
Patience Required, check ego at the door. This is one of the most rewarding games I've played. It really does reward patience and skill. As a Dad, working full time, I thought I wouldn't have the time for this one, but even in small chunks, this game is fun. It actually helps to come back a day later to something that was stumping you. You start off seriously under-powered, the controls seem clunky and un-intuitive. You wonder why there is a button to wield you weapon 2 handed, why the jump button is mapped to the dodge/run button, why the attacks are on the shoulder buttons... to just loving it.
Now after beating it and having multiple characters, I understand why the buttons are where they are, and can't think of a better way to do it (Except jump is still annoying where it is). Being able to switch between 2 hands and one hands quickly is important, as you can parry, then 2 hand riposte an enemy for more damage, or even use weapons you don't have the full strength for by 2 handing them but switching quickly to block.
You don't start this game as the "Heroic super character". This is really the main gripe people seem to have with the game, Even in Skyrim, you are special, the "Dragonborn". But here, basic enemies will kill you easily. if you don't take the time to understand the game systems, Stamina, poise, whats stats can do, and this is something you can do by yourself at any bonfire, just read the menu's and look at your items and stats. The game SEEMS UNFAIR. Everything seems cheap, you don't understand the game system. If you are dying repeatedly to the same mobs, you are doing something wrong. It is possible to beat this game with your character naked (except Rings and weapons) from beginning to end without ever leveling up. Its that "easy" once you understand it.
There are a few things beginners should know getting into it,
1. Its hard in the beginning, have patience and really watch the enemies, keep your shield up, listen to the NPC's and READ the items and the menu's!
2. Again, read the menu's and item descriptions. Learn what POISE and STAMINA do, and why blocking drains stamina... once I figured this out, the combat became so much easier, if you keep blocking, and have no more stamina, you can't attack, and can get stunned. POISE also helps keep you from getting stun-locked. Some shields do extra things you wouldn't know unless you read their descriptions.
3. While other player messages are useful sometimes, other players WILL lie to you also, don't blindly believe everything you read. For the most part, NPC's won't "lie" to you. Plus being invaded is still a rush of adrenaline when you are just trying to get through a level.
4. You do NOT have to keep the camera locked-on to enemies, in fact, for some bosses, you absolutely have to know when to lock-on and un-lock. (I'm looking at you O&S). Locking on helps with smaller single battles, but can get you killed against large groups. Speaking of which, as much as possible, pull enemies in as small as groups as possible, one on one is best.
PROS:
1. Very rewarding once you understand the game
2. Excellent replayability with new game+, different play styles (Melee Dexterity, Melee Strength, Faith, Intelligence/Magic, or hybrids of the above)
3. The multi-player adds replay value and uncertainty to every play session, as other players can help you or try and kill you. If you are in "human" mode, you never know when you will be invaded.
CONS:
1. If you don't have the time to figure out what stats, and items do. And just want to feel like a "Hero", this IS NOT the game for you. Playing that way will get you killed. The game is rarely "unfair" or "cheap" (Except Bed of Chaos and fighting Seathe in Dukes Archives the first time)
The only thing needed to beat Dark Souls is understanding the combat system. | video-games_xbox |
Good game, (no matter what others say. This game gone a TON of flak as soon as it was realeased, and I do not think that's fair to the game. So, allow me to adress the critics remarks one at a time:
1:Bad Controlls
Now, yes the controlls are a bit hard to get used, it is not a game you can just pick up 'n' play. If you are just a casual gamer looking for something easy to play for a little bit, I do not reccomend this game. However, After about 30 minutes (hour tops) you will have the controlls sown pretty good. After a while the controlls just feel right and you can really see where the programmers were coming from.(For Keybored Controlls I have no clue, I use 360 controller, I highly reccomend)
2:Bad Graphics
Partly true, not the best but I think they work for the games style. (Just don't look real close)
3:Repetitive
I strongly disagree. The game blends Flight Combat, ground combat and Car Jacking? Plus The vertical combat I think is really cool, Infact I really wished there was more in it. (However, I do not suffer from motion sickness, It my cause headache, blurred/imparred vision, or nausia, in the weak among you)
4:Short
Yah, the it is about 10-12 hour game. Not Real long, but I have played games shorter. Plus it gives you incentive to go back and play again, and I know that I will be happy to go back and play it a second and maybe even third time.
5:Bad Music
To that complaint I simply say quit whining. People who complain about the music in the game are just TRYING to find negative things, just to not the game. The music, served it's purpose. It set the tone for the level. It gave you a hint of unknown, of fear, of excitment, pain, victory, grief, anger, you get the idea.
So overall I say don't listen to the review that are negative and say it is a worthless game, that is a matter of opinion. I am just telling you the facts of the game. It is not for everybody, but I know some will enjoy it, I did! | video-games_xbox |
A great console-- at least, it will be someday. My opinion about the Xbox One has been nothing short of a roller coaster. When I first heard that Microsoft was announcing the next Xbox console, I of course was stoked. Then there was the DRM disaster and I hated it. Then they lifted it and I loved it again. Next, the hefty price and "inferior" technology (compared to PS4 and PCs anyway) made me rethink my decision to purchase the console. Finally, after they announced the Titanfall bundle (and a $50 temporary price drop which I took advantage of), I decided to go ahead and give this console a shot as Microsoft was clearly really trying to interest gamers to come experience their "next-gen" console. And although I do really like it, more than I thought, there are some SERIOUS issues which are keeping me from loving it.
First off, with this bundle you get:
The Xbox One console
Kinect Sensor
Titanfall game download
Controller
Wired Headset
Power Cord + Brick
HDMI cable
A month and a half of Xbox Live (1-month trial plus a 14-day trial)
The Xbox One is bulky and almost awkward looking at first. But the sleek, black design should blend seamlessly into any entertainment system setup. The kinect is also much more bulky than it's predecessor, but is also of much better quality overall. The controller is very nice, but I won't get too much into it. The headset is what you probably would expect- kinda cheap and flimsy but it works. It does feel a little more sturdy than the 360 standard headsets, which is definitely good. I'm very glad an HDMI cable is included and all HDMI devices should start doing this.
Anyway, what really matters is how the console works, or more specifically, how it plays. Setup is fairly simple and the on-screen instructions guide you very easily. If you already have a 360/Live account, the setup will be a breeze. The Home screen (or dashboard) looks a lot like Windows 8, which should be obvious. You have all your necessary tiles laid out in front of you, such as your profile, friends, messages, notifications, what's in the disc drive, and your most recent app(s). To the left, you have your Pins, which work like the 360 did. You can customize this section to display whatever apps you like. To the right of the Home screen is the Store, where you can buy games, movies, music, apps and whatnot. This is all great, but how does it play games?
I currently have both Titanfall and Call of Duty: Ghosts. They both take a large amount of time to install, despite one being a download and one being a disc. After roughly 20-30 minutes, I was able to play. The graphics look good. Not jaw-dropping, but I'm not really expecting that in the beginning of the One's lifespan. Everything seems really fluid, I can connect to games very quickly and there is no choppiness. "Snapping" apps or running the games in the background seems clumsy, but it works if you really want to do it.
What DOESN'T work very well, is how stable the console runs overall. I've had various incidents where my Xbox will return to the home screen mid-game and I'd have to reboot Call of Duty. A number of times when I've tried snapping an app or returning Home during a game, my entire console would "freeze" in the sense that I could see my game still running normally, but the console would not recognize any controller inputs OR voice inputs. I'm forced to either sit and wait for it to unfreeze after about 3-5 minutes, or restart my console. The party and communications system seems VERY wonky right now as well. Joining someone's game only works about 75% of the time, which is not acceptable. I'll usually need various invites from a friend before accepting the invite actually makes me join the game or party. Even when I do join, there seems to be a few instances where none of my friends can hear me, even though my "chat" icon is lighting up. The only way to fix this is to restart the console.
A big complaint I have is that joining games, inviting friends, and sending messages is just extremely tedious and frustrating, when the 360 already did it right. Because there's no "guide", the previous actions all have to be done through the Xbox's home screen. So if you would like to send a direct message, invite, or Party invite to a friend, you must first return to the Home screen, then proceed to the appropriate app. Yes, if you want to send a message in-game, you must switch to a totally separate app to do so. Why can't the message menu interface pop up over the game like the 360 has been doing for years? It feels really sloppy and I hope they fix this soon.
I'm going to be extending this review as I become more accustomed to my One, but my overall verdict is that this console has a lot of potential, but feels very rushed and disorganized. Seeing as there's few to none must-have games right now, it may be a good idea to wait a bit still before buying, unless you come across another good deal.
Update 1: I've now had my Xbox One for a little over 2 weeks and have discovered some more cool features, as well as some more issues.
The Good:
-Big name apps, such as Netflix and Hulu, work and look great, with integrated voice commands
-OneDrive allows you to share files between your Xbox and pretty much any device capable of using OneDrive.
-Face Recognition allows you to sign into your profile without even turning on a controller, even in the dark
-Xbox Music and Xbox Video allow you to stream media from your PC straight to your Xbox
-The Game DVR lets you record exciting moments in any game, which you can then edit or publish later
-External Harddrive support is coming soon, something I don't think the PS4 offers
-Games that are digitally downloaded can be played at anytime, from anywhere on the Xbox without a disc. Just say "Xbox go to [game]"
-The Xbox One is about 20x quieter than the 360.
-It includes Internet Explorer for full screen browsing on your TV. Runs really fluid too.
The Bad:
-The controller does not include a built-in rechargeable battery (Unlike the PS4 and Wii U). My controller went through the 2 included Duracell-brand batteries in about a week and a half of medium-gaming. A rechargeable battery kit has to be purchased for about $25.
-When the voice commands work, they work well. However, that's only about 70% of the time. You'll probably find yourself yelling "Xbox Go Back. No, not SNAP, GO BACK. XBOX GO BACK!"
-Avatars from the 360 are still there, but they aren't. I don't think I've seen my avatar once, except for the one time I went to see what the Avatar App was about.
-As noted in the tiny fine print, the 500GB harddrive is not REALLY 500GB. You'll actually have around 320GB to use for your personal storage. Which brings me to my next point...
-There's no true storage-management system. You can view what's installed on your Xbox, you can see how much space you have left... but that's about it. You can't see how much space an individual app is taking up. You can't copy, paste, or move files. Microsoft claims that it's just part of Xbox's "smart" memory capabilities, or something along those lines.
-When you snap Internet Explorer, maybe to look something up in between game matches or during a movie, it gets very sloppy. The browser is squeezed into a very tall, skinny column on the right hand side of the screen and browsing in it is nothing less than a joke. It's there, but not very well.
The Ugly:
-Freezing. Why does my Xbox freeze so often? Microsoft touted the 8GB of ram and octa-core processor, yet going Home while my game loads causes the console to lockup for a full minute or two?? Still unacceptable and needs to be addressed asap.
-Lagging and hesitation. When the Xbox doesn't freeze, it still might drag. Again, while playing a game and switching to another app, it seems to take ages to load, and then when it does, navigating is all choppy. If my Xbox can't handle going to Settings with a game running in the background, then clearly the "multi-tasking features" were rushed and not ready for use.
-All games MUST be installed, regardless if it is disc-based or digitally downloaded. I can see why they did this, for the quicker load times and ability to run them in the background, but with a 320GB harddrive and 20GB+ game sizes, this is just screaming to be criticized. I own just 2 games, and have had my Xbox for just over 2 weeks. My One is indicating that my harddrive is already 20% filled! 1/5 of the harddrive, in 15 days. Can I only have roughly 10 games before I must either delete some or buy an external harddrive? And if I want to download movies and music... forget about it.
-Joining friends is such a pain!! Accepting invites NEVER seems to work from the Home screen. I must already have the game up and running for it to work. And if I miss the invite, I must RETURN to the home screen, go to notifications, find the invite, and then launch it. When I don't get an invite, it's even worse. When I want to join a friend's Call of Duty or Titanfall match, I must first be in the game (because it seems to stutter if it's not already running), then I must go Home, go to Friends, find my friend, wait for their details to load, go to Join, then select Join Game. Then, the game will take full screen and the join process will initiate. Absolutely ridiculous.
I still like my One. Being able to turn on my Xbox, start up Netflix, watch a movie, Pause it, Play it, Fast forward, then turn it off afterwards without ever picking up a controller is awesome. Recording awesome game moments with just a quick voice command is super cool. Face recognition is really nifty. But as I stated, there still is a TON of work that needs to be done. Hopefully Microsoft can get their act together and realize this console is essentially not finished and lacking features their previous console has had. I still stand by my statement as of now, that you should wait before picking up an Xbox One.
Update 2: (5/8/14) I have now had my Xbox One for 3 full weeks and have had much more time to play around with all the features. I want to start off this update by saying that while my complaints are still valid and the problems are still occurring, it seems that a majority of them are caused by Call of Duty: Ghosts. The freezing, lagging, random restarting, and voice issues MOSTLY happen with Ghosts, though they have occasionally occurred while playing Titanfall. That being said, I should probably hold Infinity Ward/Activision accountable for the issues. HOWEVER... seeing how Ghosts was a Xbox One launch title AND heavily advertised as being a "true next-gen Call of Duty", these problems are NOT excusable, especially when you're a AAA company and the game has been out for 7 MONTHS. Not to mention that Call of Duty seems closer and closer to becoming an Xbox exclusive with each iteration. Anyway...
I'm not going to reiterate the same problems I've already stated, but I haven't really found a way to improve any of them. Some new issues I'm discovering are:
-Random, EXTREMELY VAGUE errors. Seriously. When a video won't load and I get "We're not sure what happened." or disconnected from a game with a "Something went wron" message and NOTHING ELSE, it's just adding insult to injury. I actually thought the error message was a joke at first. It seems really unprofessional and they don't even give you a simple troubleshooting tip such as "Try restarting your console" or "The servers may be under maintenance".
-Streaming videos/music to the Xbox are still there, but it's a downgrade. Instead of going to the Videos or Music section of the Xbox, choosing my PC, then selecting the video (what the 360 did) I must go to my PC (which for many people may be in a different room) right click the video, select "Play to: Xbox One", then head back to my TV to make sure the stream is working. Which, in many cases, I just get an "unexpected error has occurred" message and I have to keep re-trying the stream until it hopefully works. Meanwhile, my 360 continues to play files flawlessly.
-Kind of building off the previous issue, playing your own music in-game is still here, but ALSO downgraded. Remember how I said EVERYTHING is now an app? Well, if you wanna listen to your songs during a game, you MUST snap the Xbox Music app and KEEP IT SNAPPED during your game. Really Microsoft? THIS is next-gen?
-Voice commands seem to be... degrading. Maybe this is an isolated case for me, but I now find myself repeating commands MUCH more than when I first tried my One.
As far as positive things go... I don't want to sound like a miserable old man and say nothing but criticism but... I haven't really discovered anything new that I like in the past week. There is a new update on the horizon that is supposedly audio-focused that may improve my gripes about communication and parties, so maybe that will give me some new positive things to talk about. Oh, there is something neat that Microsoft did. You can set your Xbox One to be your "home console". Basically, if you have an Xbox Live Gold membership on a profile that's on your home console, EVERY other profile on that console can share some of the Gold benefits. This includes apps like Hulu and Netflix (which shouldn't require a membership in the first place but I digress) Skype calling, DLC, and yes.. multiplayer gaming. This is something that's actually a GREAT step in the right direction. Since the One is being advertised as the all-in-one entertainment console and targeted toward living-room gaming, it only makes sense to give the whole family Gold benefits with one membership. Hopefully we see more pro-consumer additions like this in the future. | video-games_xbox |
Had the perfect Recipe, and tossed it with poor mechanics. First things first, I cannot fathom the amount of positive review this game has received here on amazon.
These reviews are why i bought the game, thinking such an overwhelmingly positive viewpoint on a game could mean one couldn't go wrong in giving it a try
WRONG! Boy, was I wrong
First things first, the dialogue is incredibly boring. The women you sleep with is a snooty twa t, that apparently has fighting and magic skills (yea right, women, intelligent, fighting? back in those days, if a women got smart, she'd get her head chopped off and thrown down a well, and they sure didn't have the arm or mentality for fighting). So you think well thats a bummer, the dialogue is boring and daft, the women are snooty and condescending and unrealistic, perhaps I can just skip it and try to enjoy the fight scenes.
DOUBLE WRONG.
The fighting mechanics are broken at best. You can only target and hit one person at a time, even if your being moshed on by four guys at once. Even if your blade happens to be slicing through four people in one swing, it only hits the one you are targeting. If you try to defend yourself, you can only defend against the attacks from the guy you are targeting. All the rest of the attacks from surrounding soldiers will hit you even if you are in defend mode, EVEN if they are right in front of you. A guy will make a slice at you from a 20 degree angle directly into your sword, and it will go right through it and damage you anyway. What? How does that make physical sense?
Because of this horridly designed melee mechanic, it forces you to be on the constant defensive, and the only way you can stay alive is by strategizing. You can set a trap below your feet and one guy will run into it, and then basically run around in circles away from the clump of enemies and poke a few jabs at one guy until he eventually dies before they can all come in and hand you your own bottom. Then, you keep running around like a chicken with its head cut off throwing cheap shots and then running away until you eventually lower their ranks enough to the point where there is only one or two left, and then you can stun one while you kill the other, and then kill the last one off. If you get more than two enemies on you at once, it is practically impossible to stand your ground and not get damaged, even if you are constantly defending with your sword, since the defense parry is broken. HOW CAN YOU PLAY A MELEE GAME THAT IS DEPENDENT ON DEFENDING YOURSELF WITH A BROKEN PARRY? Its like the game stresses a defensive strategic gamestyle so much, but then the very thing that can keep you from getting killed in close hand combat doesn't work......honestly?
Its a real shame, because the actual sword battling physics are fun. But instead of capitalizing on that, they force you to basically use as least melee as possible and only poke one guy a few games before you have to book it to the hills and set another trap. Then you let the clump of guys catch up and poke a few more jabs, and run away again. This might be a more realistic scenario to an actual 5 on 1 sword fight, but is it fun? NO. Not even close. It's a huge task, and not rewarding.
On top of that, to add insult to injury, the autosave feature is worthless, and sets you back several skirmashes, so that you have to fight your way through several corridors just to get back to the place you keep dying on.
So the logical thing would be to turn the difficulty down, right? WRONG. I was playing on normal. This is supposed to be for a normal player, not an rpg strategist champion. So i bit the bullet (unwillingly) and restarted it on easy. TOO easy. Really? There is a gigantic gap of difficulty from easy to normal.
On a regular game, it would be like going from very easy to insane difficulty. Seriously? There is no in between. If i found out i liked the game, i might go challenge myself on a harder difficulty, but i don't want to get slaughtered and pull my hair out on what is deemed a normal difficulty. I sure don't want to play the same scene a million times over again, especially because the scene isn't even fun.
And even once you do finally clear out all the guys in one section, its almost impossible to find the loot. They don't highlight it and they arrive in little bags that blend in with the scenery and you cant find them unless you walk over them. WTF.
The magic is bland and almost entirely useless, this game is a button masher at heart, but they force the dependency on magic to keep you alive, which it is almost useless at doing, magic only can keep one guy subdued at a time, at lower levels, so if your getting swamped by 6 guys, you reduce it to five for a short amount of time. Like THAT helps. the only real way to stay alive like i mentioned above is by jabbing a few times and then running away, so it makes the combat horribly unsatisfying.
Capitalizing on what another guy said, it very much does feel like someone picked you up and dropped you off in a setting. It does not feel like an open world experience, it feels like a level based structure where you achieve the main goal and warp on somewhere else. LAME. Especially because the gameplay isn't even fun.
Honestly, I TRIED to like this game. I even gave it several tries since I paid 70 bucks on it (thanks amazon) and the concept and reviews all made it sound really cool. But its a real shame to be let up like that and dropped down like that. The only reason I even gave this game a second chance is because i paid so much for it, i rarely buy games new unless i think its gonna be a must have and thats what i hoped this would be and was horribly let down.
Save your money and hours of frustration.
If you find this game fun, your perception of fun is seriously warped.
There are better RPG's, heck, better arcade games than this. | video-games_xbox |
multiplayer-excitement. Top Spin for many people is just an upgraded version of pong, with sweet graphics, but the game is supprisingly deep. Now I am not a huge tennis fan, but after playing a few matches you feel the need to pick up a real raquet and go whoop your friends on a real court. The Graphics for this game are quite simply amazing, one of the top 5 games graphically on the xbox. The gameplay while may take a few matches to get used to, becomes an immediete reaction when playing a game, never questioning what type of shot you should use and when. The single player experience is so deep that you can almost start to believe you are the character in the game. Which brings me to a good point, whenever starting a career you have to create your character from scratch. This is the best create-a-player I have ever seen. Create yourself with that huge nose or big eyebrows, because you have dozens of options on how to mold your face into different categories. Putting yourself into the game is not hard, by anyone's standards, you can pretty much mold any aspect of your body or face to match your real life looks. After spending days just creating funny characters you actually have a whole career to go through. Play tournaments, get sponsered by major companies (Wilson, Prince, K-Swiss) and work your way from rank 100 to number 1. Of course the real fun in this game is the multiplayer game. Having doubles tournaments with three buddies is unbelievably entertaining, and taking your game online to play against rivals from other countries will never get old. However the only downfall is once you play through the career mode once, you will probably never play through it again with another character. This game is a must for any tennis fan, or for anyone that is looking for an intense multiplayer game whether that is with all your buddies gathered around one tv, or online against some loser that dares challenge you. | video-games_xbox |
A slightly below average shooter with really good graphics. I know my opinion is going to be unpopular, but so be it.
Crysis 2 is, to get right to the meat of it, a slightly below average shooter with really good graphics. Yes, the engine looks nice, yes the effects and draw distance are great, but that is about all the game has going for it. As a shooter it is pretty mediocre.
You have a suit upgrade system, but I found most of the abilities to be less than stellar or visible. You have a limited stealth feature which is overly used. Maps basically vary between two designs: a hallway style shooter and an open "sand box" style shooter. The hallway style is self-explanatory. The sand box style basically goes like this: You drop into an area full of patrolling bad guys and you have to make it to the other side. You can either run and gun, stealth, or do a mix of both. Most of the time you have to stealth because as soon as you are detected the enemies will converge.
The story itself is far from engaging. It is so mundane and non-descript that when I reflect upon it no real aspect of it stands out. Just kind of standard super-soldier alien invasion mush.
I haven't bothered with multi-player as I didn't get the game for that. I figured with all the rave reviews that the single player would be beefy enough. It was not. It is so uninteresting that I can't even be bothered to finish it. I'm pretty sure I'm far into it, but there is nothing "grabbing" about the game.
The game is a stark contrast between a great looking engine and a basically empty world. Lots of open space, not much to fill it. Lots of unused potential. The game is basically a full price demo of the graphics engine and nothing more. They should turn that graphics engine over to a company who can write an engaging and interesting game. That is probably the point of putting Crysis 2 on the market.
Play the demo, that's all you need to see before you buy the game. Play the demo, that's all there is to the game -- only the game is longer and you have to pay for it. | video-games_xbox |
10/5/2016 Review: One of the best of the genre on the market, still. Wow, I just don't understand where the criticism against this game came from... this game is mind blowing! It's 10/5/2016 and it's still kicking ass.
Sure, there may be some minor issues which show up in details (the same as any other game in this genre- some sort of spawn issue in multiplayer etc) but this game, and what it was clearly aiming to do, blow half of the rest of the market out of the water and top pretty much everything else to boot.
(Obviously all are different games, but here referencing say the entire COD, Battlefield, Counterstrike series and half dozen others) This is what I was hoping Black Ops 3 was going to be.
I don't get where some of these review people are coming from unless they are just plain bought.
It's like the IGN review just had no goal other than to forget all the crap they let through on 9's while trying to crack any flaw in MOH- and I mean I have seen some REAL crap get 9's.
The worst of idiotic games for elementary kids come out and they criticize nothing, then MOH: Warfighter gets nitpicked for any detail.
I just watched the interview between Greg Goodrich and Tom McShea of Gamespot. It gets right down to the issue of game modes in general. Obviously people want to play death matches and there isn't much of another way to do that. If bullets are realistic, you are only going to take a few. If you die , then the game is over if you don't re-spawn. Another option is to not do death matches and instead make everything large scale and objective based, which is fine, but gets right back to people wanting to play army to test out guns. So what is the point? It's that Medal of Honor from 2010 and this one from 2012 are still top of the line. Everyone into this genre should own a copy of this and Medal of Honor from 2010.
So where is the online player base now? It looks like these reviewers have had a devastating effect.
I'll set up private if I have to... This game rocks! I had no idea they had taken the series up this level.
---> Stunning graphics, realistic physics, pounding in your face audio, and an awesome story written by real military people. | video-games_xbox |
Mindless and fun dinosaur hunting game. Ok, I just started this game a little bit ago and have been playing it for about 30 minutes. For the lack of any more information on it, I did want to let others' know what to think of the game. This is definitely not award winning acting, or award winning gaming at all, but it sure is fun for dinosaur lovers. Decent visuals, but nowhere near Uncharted 2 or some other games but I'm sure it didn't cost near what those were to make in money and timeless programmer hours. The FPS gameplay is simple run and gun dino hunting. The load times are a bit long, but I really don't care, I love to hunt the dinos. Story? WGAS. I sure don't. Leave the stories to Uncharted 2, Batman, Juarez and the like. No really good one here, but it does make it kind of cheesy fun the way they did it. I didn't expect much from this seemingly last minute release, but its a blast and the dinosaurs look good and its a bit of a challenge but not too hard for an old 41 year old gamer like me. I do only have a few minutes in and I'll update this if there is more later. Sure is better than Turok. (to me at least, many more dinosaurs and lots more dinosaur action)
Next day update. I don't write very many reviews, but this game seems to be getting such little attention I feel compelled to get info out there because I love FPS's and dinosaurs. I only played the JP games on Sega Genesis. Back to this game. If you are into "realism" and hard core graphics and great stories, give this game a pass. There are many graphical flaws and other low-budget game type of problems and mistakes. Slow loading times are a stand out annoyance, but I'll stick with my 5 star fun review and 4 star overall review. There are lots of guns to find and some magazine upgrades to find, lots of the same dinosaurs to kill and B-movie, or even C-movie acting and story telling. (if there really is a story) But this game should satisfy the dinosaur FPS fan. Its gotten a little more difficult at times but that is good and makes for a good challenge. The checkpoint times are done fairly well, but I have found myself re-doing some of the same mission kills after dying, so, just don't die. Well, some might want to wait until there is a larger price drop, but who knows when that will be. For the dino fan, it should be worth it and there is much more to come because it seems that I'm still early into the game. Hopefully it won't be too short.
Final edit: It didn't take long to beat this game and I'm not that good at games. I do hope that the developers really work at a sequel and putting a story together for the next one, if there is one. I think there is a huge market for something like this if its really done well. Like, instead of finding voice actors for minimum wage like this one, get some good ones. And, gameplay, gameplay and more gameplay. This one is ok but its so clearly a low budget game. Well, I took off one star and ended up with a 3 star and 4 stars for fun. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, the concept Grand Theft Auto IV forgot to include. This makes up for the disappointment Grand Theft Auto IV was. If you loved the first Saints Row, you will absolutely love Saints Row 2. Saints Row 2 is everything that was advertised. This game is all about the fun and not about being super realistic. If you want to have fun, buy this game. After playing this game for 30 minutes i knew it was better than GTA IV. GTA IV lost the fun factor in favor of realism. I am a hardcore GTA fan. I still consider GTA: San Andreas to be one of the best games ever made. I must say after the fuzzies went away while playing GTA IV, i got bored very quickly and i was glad when the game ended. Saints Row 2 is so much fun that you don't want it to end. If you watched all the Saints Row 2 trailers like i did and were hoping it would deliver as advertised, you can put any worries you might have had aside. Saints Row 2 delivers. if you are not a fan of sandbox games you will probably not enjoy this game. As for everyone complaining about the graphics, i think the graphics look great. I would say that the graphics are on par with the first game and perhaps a little better, in certain areas. If you were disappointed that GTA IV was not funny and lacked fun activities and missions, you have found what you were looking for. Saints Row 2 is a great game, with lots..... of customization, crazy side missions and activities, and it is a lot of fun..........
GTA IV eat your heart out.... I am still mad at how crappy GTA IV really was. GTA IV was simply an upgraded version of GTA III from the PS2 days.
Enjoy Saints Row 2!! As for all the supposed glitches, i have yet to come across anything major. I have noticed some occasional pop-in, but that is about it. I have played the game for like 5 hours, with no freezing whatsoever. it should be noted that Saints Row 2 has already been patched. When i got the game, i popped it in and there was already a patch that needed to be downloaded. I installed the patch and i have not had any issues so far. So, go buy Saints Row 2 and have fun!! | video-games_xbox |
Kiss my ASTRO A50's goodbye! Too expensive for what they offer. Overview: These things are pretty serious, in the price category...not the performance category. They have a few different audio settings, which I couldn't really tell a big difference between. The audio is actually VERY impressive. Very deep sounds, good bass, very rich audio. Just a bit on the muffled side when you're watching a movie, but all in all, the sound is quality.
Setup took just a bit, you have to run an optical cable to the back of your Xbox One into the rear of the transmitter stand. The transmitter is powered via USB on the back of the Xbox One. From there, you can also charge your headset. Not a big hassle, much less than I had expected.
After getting it all setup, I listened to a movie that had 5.1 surround sound after following the instructions on the manual to get the most out of the Dolby Digital Sound experience. What I found was pretty disappointing to be honest. The 7.1 surround sound, while it might be doing what it says, isn't very noticeable...not much more so than standard stereo headphones. The sound is very deep and bass heavy. But what I'm paying for is the 7.1 surround sound....and I'm not getting that. It really just sounds so similar to stereo it's hard to tell a difference. At $300, I'd expect to be blown away. Instead, I went back and forth between a pair of Polk Strikers and couldn't tell a major difference in the surround sound department. I'm thinking that this is simply a marketing gimmick. The feeling of true surround sound isn't readily apparent.
Chat features only work when you're plugged into the remote through their AG1 adapter. This is a major pain in the butt. It's 2014, why can't they create a headset that is completely wireless? Also, all the controls on the headset are done on the headset, so if you want to quickly mute them, you have to flip up the mic boom. So you've to to take your hands off the remote. Again, Astro promoted this as as a feature, but really, it's a marketing gimmick. It'd be much easier to just hit "mute" on the base of the controller just like all the others.
The form factor is good. Nothing incredible. They are comfortable and feel like they are made very well. But my big gripe is the ear-cup (not sure of the industry term). The fabric that they use feels very cheap...some sort of cotton/nylon type thing. It's very soft, but looks like it'll pick up all sorts of hair, lint, and just be kinda gross...you can't clean them. After wearing them for a little while, they kind of feel a little scratchy.
The recharging battery is a nice touch, I'd like the option to just drop in some batteries if I forget to charge the unit. But from what I have read, they last long enough for a few gaming sessions...so it could just be my own damn fault if they die.
Also, they come with a stand...which is kind of cool. The stand acts as a cradle for your transmitter too. There's a power button and a Dolby Digital button. I am not sure why you can turn off the dolby digital setting...but they give you that option.
They have a humming sound if you have no audio going through them. This is masked when there is any audio, but if you've got a lull in the sound...you hear a clear humming sound. This is really only noticeable at higher volume levels, but it's there and it is annoying.
All in all...I'm not super impressed...definitely not worth $300. I'd look at something else. I really liked the Polk Audio Striker ZX. These have a bit lower performance on the audio quality than the A50's but are $90. At that price I was happy with them. At $300, the A50's only perform marginally better and don't offer any features that really make this unit worth the extra money. In fact, there isn't a feature on the device that makes this unit. Just a bunch of junk they tossed on there to make it marketable.
Pros: Good audio quality for a gaming headset. Good, rich sound with booming bass. The headphones are comfortable to wear for a few hours.
Cons: Expensive and not rightfully so. Earcups feel cheap and look like they will be nasty after wearing for a long time. The 7.1 surround sound seems like a gimmick. I couldn't really tell a big difference between a $90 pair outside of the sound quality. You still have to have a cable running to the remote control...which is just stupid in 2014. The mic mute feature is a bit cumbersome and if you quickly need to mute the mic, you've got to twist the mic up...instead of just hitting mute on your controller.
Conclusion: Pass on these...they aren't worth the money. Their biggest selling point seems to me to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick. | video-games_xbox |
This Old West is the Best. Red Dead Redemption is a strong candidate for Action Game of the Year 2010. A sequel to Red Dead Revolver, this is an open world gun-slinging game set in the Old West.
Atmosphere: 10/10
Red Dead Redemption features one of the best settings of an open world game. Visually, the environments are stunning, but they're also living. As you ride through the plains, you'll see coyotes hunting rabbits, wolves chasing deer, wild horses running free, buzzards circling the dead. As you progress through the game, the world changes. The railroad extends through the countryside and the towns grow. You'll see more buildings, more people, advancements in technology, and clothing styles change with the times. The characters also go about their daily business. In the daytime, the shops are open and the citizens perform their daily routines, at night, the saloons are packed with drinkers, gamblers, and adulterers alike. I'd say Red Dead's Atmosphere tops Assassin's Creed 2, Fallout 3, and Oblivion.
Story: 9/10
You are John Marsten, a bounty hunter hired by the government to bring your old gang to justice. You need to deal with a cast of misfits and shady characters to accomplish your mission. Aside from the main story, Red Dead also features some background dialogue and themes that really set the tone for the Old West. There's also some interesting social commentary that relates to the USA of modern day.
Graphics: 10/10
Red Dead is a beautiful game. From the sunsets, to the landscapes, to the towns, to the animals, and character designs, this game is visually amazing!!!
Gameplay: 8/10
Most of the game involves shooting enemies. If you move the cursor close to an enemy, and hold the Left Trigger, the cursor will lock onto their bodies. On Normal Mode, the cursor snapping is extremely generous, so the gameplay feels almost too easy for fans of shooters. The game also features a resource based, Dead-Eye shooting mechanic which slows time and allows you to fire with pinpoint accuracy. If you want more of a challenge, Red Dead has an Expert Targeting Option which makes the game much more difficult.
One criticism about Red Dead is that the enemy types are very shallow. Most of the enemies that you face are armed with a gun, they take cover, pop up, and shoot, then take cover again. Some shoot at you while on horseback. But they all feel too similar, and at times the action feels like a BB gun shooting gallery.
This game really could have used more enemy types: Enemies that throw dynamite with a 5 second fuse to get you to move away from cover, enemies that lasso you from horseback, stealthy tomahawk wielding "Injuns", would have all been welcome additions.
Red Dead also features a bunch of mini-games: Texas Hold'em, Blackjack, Arm-Wrestling, 5 Finger Fillet, Liar's Dice, and Horseshoes. These are fun, but most of the games use the most convoluted, overly complicated, control schemes that I've seen. Why does it take 4 buttons and 2 triggers to play Poker?! Why do you need 2 camera angles, an analog stick, and some buttons to throw a horseshoe?! As I played Horseshoes, I thought that it would be easier to hit an enemy submarine with a depth charge using a sonar at 100 meters, than get a ringer in this game. Although the controls are overly complicated, you can learn them quickly.
Missions
Most of the Missions are fun and feature interesting characters and witty dialogue. They range from killing guys to killing more guys and then there are some where you kill even more guys. There are also missions where you collect items, escort people, defend areas, assault trains, defend stagecoaches... usually while killing guys.
Aside from the 57 story missions, there are also 25 Stranger Missions, Hunting Missions, Random Encounters, Treasure Hunting Missions, Sharpshooting Missions, and Gambling Missions. Rockstar is still releasing Downloadable Content with even more Missions...
Sound: 10/10
From the ambient environment sounds, the classic western sountrack, to the gunfire, the sound really ads quite a bit to the already impressive atmosphere.
Multiplayer: 9/10
There are several different Multi-player Modes, too. Capture the gold, Eliminate an Enemy Team, Free for All Shoot em up... etc. As you play Multiplayer, you gain Experience which you can use to upgrade your character and get new horses, weapons, etc... One good feature about Multiplayer is that if you are a Level 1 character, you can loot the corpse of a Level 50 character and use their guns. This makes the Multiplayer Combat more about skill, than grinding to get better equipment!
Replay Value: 10/10
Although, the main story is linear, you can play as good or evil... but the game rewards you much more for playing as good. With a 40-100 hour Campaign, dozens of side missions, collectibles, multiplayer modes, etc... You'd be hard pressed to find a better bang for your buck. There's about 200 hours of entertainment here.
Maturity: M
Red Dead features sexual situations (but not sex), harsh language, drinking, and heaps of violence. It's pretty much what you'd expect from a regular day at High School if everyone wore Cowboy Hats.
Overall: 9.7/10
With an incredible atmosphere, fairly easy gameplay, excellent graphics, and a good story, Red Dead should satisfy anyone with a hankerin' for the old west.
Buy it if you like the Old West.
Buy it if you like Open World Games.
Buy it if you like Rockstar Games.
I can't recommend renting it, unless you have 50-70 hours to finish it.
Avoid it if you don't like violence or foul language. | video-games_xbox |
I am not into RPGs. I have never had the patience for RPGs. I figure this would be my last hope. I like Star Wars games so I figured if I fail to like this game then I would know for certain that I will never like RPGs.
At first it took some getting used to unlearning what I have learned from playing Jedi Outcast. The first two hours were spent figuring out the gameplay and wondering whether any of this could really be any fun. Frankly it wasn't fun because I was too engrossed with figuring out the gameplay.
BUT! once I figured it out, I couldn't stop playing the game!!!! It is so incredibly addictive. I keep telling myself, "I'm just going to walk down this one corridor and I'm going to quit and make dinner." -- Dinner finally got made, 4 hours later!
Pros:
Graphics is spectacular. Worthy of the Xbox's capabilities. The images you see on the web site is what you get in the game.
There is great facial animation when your character is engaged in a dialog. They switch camera views throughout a dialog sequence. These are all typical camera techniques from TV and movies but rearly get put into RPG dialogs.
When you run thru a field, the plants part and then slowly fall back into place. Not necessary but a beautiful addition.
Voice talent is superb. Even when the aliens speak in alien tongue you can tell from their intonation when they are speaking positively or negatively.
Very easy to learn interface, even for a non RPGer. Tutorial weaves perfectly into the game.
Which brings me to the 3rd major pro- the game has a very engaging storyline and quests that seem to fold well into the overall storyline. Some quests are not required but do seem to make sense in the overall storyline. I will probably play this game from the beginning again so I can try fulfilling those quests that I missed.
Gameplay is essentially turn-based but it means it frees you up to manage each of your characters during combat. This is important if you are to win against a strong opponent. The interface will let you chain a sequence of actions by using the X button. This is not in the intro tutorial but is in the manual.
Cons:
Seriously addictive. I have logged 9 hours and I only just got my lightsaber. | video-games_xbox |
Let's call a spade a spade - this is Far Cry 3-and-a-half. I quit writing game reviews because the youth of our society is suffering hard from Fanboyism. Negative reviews are shunned and ridiculed, even if they're spot-on accurate. "You don't like what I like so I'm marking your review as unhelpful even though I own the product already and completely misunderstand the purpose of this system..."
Anyways, as this was is a product I was pretty stoked for, I felt compelled to dust off my opinions and do the whole "game review" thing again.
This is essentially Far Cry 3-and-a-half. We meet a psycopathic antagonist right off the bat, and get tossed into a chaotic story in the midst of a tropical environment. Within hours we're climbing radio towers and liberating outposts, hunting wild animals to craft basic improvements, just as we did in the last game. It's all very, very familiar.
Now, I can't in-good-conscience climb onto my soap box and say this is bad, as Far Cry 3 was - in my humble opinion - one of the greatest video games to grace the now-dying previous generation of consoles.
What I can say however is that this is a new console generation, and a new game, from a reputable developer, and I have to think that we should be getting more bang for our buck these days.
Far Cry 4 is just more of what we loved in Far Cry 3. There are more outposts to raid in whatever manner you see fit. There are more animals to hunt, there are a few new enemy types, a few new guns, and a few new vehicles. The grapling hook addition is nice, but it's still only allowed in pre-determined locations, making path-finding still feel very scripted and guided.
The new "Karma" game-mechanic has some merit - where you're given the chance to intervene in small, skurmish-based confrontations for a chance to earn some extra scratch, as well as tokens which can be used to call in backup when you find yourself in too much hot water. However, these events seem to crop up a bit too frequently; sneaking in to an outpost and suddenly there's gunfire going off behind me as a skirmish spawns just a few yards behind me. Even worse, the guards at the outpost are completely obvlivious to it - imagine the "wow" factor if a few wandered off to join the fight, completely changing the plan-of-attack on the outpost.
The map is allegedly huge, but FEELS very small. For example, when hunting, you travel to an area of the map that shows an image of the animal you need skins from. You expect that you'll be sloughing through the woods for a few minutes at least, only to realize that the hunting "area" is only a few yards off of a road, and when you DO get there, you find that a karma event has spawned there, or at the least a group of rebels are standing around, shooting at everything that moves, and as a result, the game engine refuses to spawn the one thing you're actually there for.
And speaking of animals, they've become something of a pain. I can't take two steps in any direction without being blindsided by the quitest Rhinos I've ever seen, and every attempt to hunt will be interrupted by Eagles, swooping down to nick off a few healthpoints without any type of game mechanic to allow you to kill them.
Now, at this point it's customary to see reviewers telling you what you should do - "Don't buy this" or "rent it instead" - but I'm going to skip that step.
Far Cry 3 was epic. Far Cry 4 is basically more of the same. It's ordering a box of the same chicken nuggets you always get and adventurously ordering two different sauces.
The thing is, that second sauce costs 50 cents, and this game costs 60 bucks. | video-games_xbox |
Worth getting, but if you don't use Live, read this. This Mortal Kombat Klassic Fight Stick, w/ MK,MK2, & Ultimate MK3 is awesome!!!
The quality of the arcade control/box is top notch! I have a Virtua Fighter 2 arcade machine in my house. And this Klassic is par with it!!! It's made out of the same solid, heavy materials. The joystick and buttons are also of the same quality. The design on the Klassic Fight Stick is just like the one on the Mortal Kombat arcade. It has a clear piece that protects the design on top. On the bottom of the Fight Stick it has a soft cloth (like velvet) helping the comfortablility factor, when on its on your lap. It is super easy to set up. No assembly. Just attach the USB cord that comes with it. And then insert it into 1 of your Xbox USB ports & your ready to go!
The cord is long. So you don't need to worry about needing to be close to the console. You do need it to use the Fight Stick. Here's where I bring up the "if you don't use Live, read this" part. MK,MK2, & Ultimate MK3 DO NOT come w/ this as physical copies (CD's/discs). What you get is a "radeem code" which you go onto Xbox Live. Log into your account, and then use the code to radeem the games through download. For many that is probably no prob. For others it's a bump in the road.....Me personally, I have a Xbox Live account. However, it's basically only to download DLC for certain games. I only have net on my cell. So I take my system to a friends with internet. And log in, then download whatever. The download does not take long. And once you download they will all three be on your hard drive under "my games". They are perfectly replicated versions of those 3 games (it's sooo awesome!). Now here is something you may wonder about the Fight Stick? Does it play other games...? The answer is yes & no for other games.
Here are games that I have & could use the Fight Stick to play.
MK,MK2,Ultimate MK3 (of course)
Street Fighter IV
Marvel vs Capcom 3
NBA JAM
Capcom Digital Collection (which has: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo,Final Fight,1942 Joint Strike,Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo,Bionic Comando 2,Wolf Of The Battlefield Commando 3,Rocketmen,& Flock).
Also arcade games you download off of Live (like: X-Men,Ninja Turtles Arcade,The Avengers,The Simpsons,ect..) should work great with the Fight Stick.
Oddly enough. One game I really anticipated to use this w/ wouldn't fully work. That title is WWE Allstars. WHAT A BUMMER.....The punches,kicks,grabs, all work. However you can't move the wrestlers. And the options to change controls doesn't change that. That game would be amazingly fun to play on the Fight Stick.
Also Angry Birds & Plants vs. Zombies won't work with this.
Games like Gears Of War,Dead Island,ect.. don't expect them to work with this either.
All in all it is still VERY WORTH IT!!! Obviously those that even know of this would want it for playing the MK games. And being able to use it w/ NBA JAM and other fighter, & other arcade games is a great bonus!!!
Oh, also you can use this Fight Stick on you CPU's if you have games on your laptop or desktop. Atleast games similar to what I have mentioned above. I hope this review has helped you!!! | video-games_xbox |
A sad result from a great book and movie. Based on the Sci-Fi movie, and based on a story by Philip K. Dick, Minority Report lets you play a cop in the future where psychics know about murders before they happen.
First, kudos to the game for providing decent training. The game walks you through all aspects of gameplay, so you are familiar with the basics before entering actual missions.
The game is based on the movie, and the story, so it helps to read and see both before you play the game. In essence, society has found 3 "pre-cogs" who are able to see murders before they happen. Your character, Chief Anderton (played by Tom Cruise in the movie) is the leader of the cops who go out to snag murderers before they do the deed. Of course, in a twist of fate, Chief Anderton himself is accused of potentially murdering someone, and he sets about to prove he's innocent.
First, the graphics. This game is out on all platforms so we got the XBox version which usually has the crispest graphics of the consoles. We were pretty disappointed. Anderton looks more like a maniacal killer than a cop, definitely not based on Tom Cruise. Lighting and textures are very flat. There aren't many details, and often those suffer clipping and jaggy problems.
Yes, a few effects are neat. The concussion rifle, the cut scenes. But it doesn't make up for the headaches you get from the general atmosphere you have to wander through.
Gameplay starts reasonably with good training missions. But once you get playing, it's just a button-mashing slugfest. You're trying to bludgeon your enemies into submission, gathering 'secrets' and money along the way. Money buys you new moves and other weapons.
Even so, some of the missions become quite long and tedious, with no in-level save. If you die, you have to replay from the beginning of the level, bashing your way through everyone from the start.
Being a huge fan of Philip K. Dick, I really wanted this game to succeed. I try to promote his books and movies as much as I can. But while the game has some 'background eye candy' based on the movie, it's mash-and-bash atmosphere is just tedious. Hopefully they'll do a better job on the next game conversion they do! | video-games_xbox |
Amazing Game. The following is an excerpt from my review on [...]. Check it out here: [...]
When you first fire up Goldeneye: Reloaded, you'll notice that this isn't your N64 classic. The graphics have been updated to modern standards, the story has been tweaked, and Brosnan has been replaced with Daniel Craig. These changes make for an experience that is distinctly different from the classic and yet still has a ring of familiarity about it. It's this combination of the new and the nostalgic that make this remake such an amazing game.
The gameplay of Reloaded has a lot in common with modern shooters, many of which were in turn born from the original Goldeneye. Still, it retains a much the same feel as the original. A quick headshot from the P99 is still the easiest way to dispatch many enemies. Stealth plays a large part in navigating the levels-almost every environment gives you the option to sneak through the level with headshots and silent takedowns. If you alert an enemy, an indicator shows up (much like a damage indicator) and you've got a few seconds to dispatch him before he can sound the alarm. If you do alert the enemies, you'll find yourself in an all-out firefight pretty quickly.
In addition to the main campaign, there are special side-challenges known as M16 Ops, which add a lot of time to the game. The missions have a generic objective to them, such as take out all enemies or defend a point for a set amount of time, and you're graded on how well you complete them. Modifiers can be added to make the challenge harder or easier, and you'll get more points for completing it on a harder difficulty. You can even share a customized challenge with your friends and compete for top spot.
The controls are fairly standard for a modern shooter; Call of Duty fans will feel right at home. Bond's ability to sprint and vault over obstacles makes moving through the environments feel effortless. Clicking the right stick in executes a melee attack, which is great for silently taking down enemies or finishing off the last enemy instead of reloading. One nice touch that has been added is the ability to pop out from cover to fire. when crouched behind an object, holding the aim trigger pops your head over the obstacle to take out enemies. Releasing the trigger has you crouch back down. The system makes it easy to pop in and out of cover and helps keep the action flowing more smoothly-it's a mechanic that more shooters should incorporate. | video-games_xbox |
Average not bad but not great. I pre ordered this game because I was excited about the new more accurate Kinect. It needed an update just as soon as I popped in the disk. That is normal. After the install completed I finally got to the game. First thing I needed to do was set up my Champion based on my appearance. A few head nods and face turns the champion was complete. I could change some aspects of my champion to make it more personal.
Now it was time to play or so I thought. The game forces you to play all of the tutorials for each game in the order they want you to play them. Starting with the watersport. This has been out for a while as a free demo for the game. It is an okay part of the game. It takes a lot of practice so I get the need for the tutorial. Then you move on to the other parts of the game again in the order they want you to play them. You can not deviate from the order they set. You can do a quick play but it will not give you virtual dollars or champion achievements for this. You will be playing as one of the team members and not your champion. I get why they did it but I did not like this aspect. I don't like the soccer game and won't be playing it so why force me to play the tutorial for it ? There is a way to "force" your way past them. Start the tutorial then quit playing it by either walking out of the kinect view or use the home button on the controller. Then select the quit. It will give you a warning that if you quit you won't be able to do this tutorial and earn the point for it. You can see use the tutorials again during the quick play so it isn't that big of a deal.
There is a new shopping feature. You can buy power ups, equipment, and costumes for the game using your virtual dollars you earn playing the game.
Moving on to the accuracy of your motions vs what is detected by the kinect is a bit off but not horrible. It is better than 80 percent but not more than 90 percent. I think peoples awareness for what they are actually doing vs what they think they are doing maybe a bit off so it seems less accurate. The kinect also can't see through things. My dog ran in front of me while I was rock climbing disrupting the kinect view of me. It though I jumped when I didn't. Another time I was playing tennis and it though I had served the ball when I didn't . I beleive I moved faster than what it though I should have and registered a swing when none had occurred.
The different games. The Bowling, Tennis and target shooting are probably my most favorite and easiest to play with the new kinect. The rock climbing is fun but a little difficult. More practice will be needed for this one. The watersports are just eh. Soccer is by far the worst part of the game. Difficult to play and not very fun.
I agree with the users comparing this to the wii sports. It is very similar as far as the games but the graphics and kinect make it much better. I miss the skiing, boxing and volleyball from the other xbox games. Hopefully these will be on the next version of this video game.
Overall I would buy it but I wouldn't pay more than $35 for the game. Wait for a sale or a used copy to make this worthwhile. It is playable and fun for the whole family. | video-games_xbox |
Divine Fist of the North Star. It was back in 1988, at a New York comic book convention where I first saw the japanese trailer of the original Fist Of The North Star movie. Heads exploding, dudes chopped into piscasso art, dazziling motion effects... it blew my 12 year old mind. I remember thinking that it was a Double Dragon movie but the guy running the trailers, said thats that Fist Of The North Star. Been a loyal follower ever since.
Enough fanboy talk, time for a review.
This is better than the first one. It follows the manga comic faithfully, except they changed Spade to weld clubs(???) instead of his iron bear claws and Diamond (Joker on steroids) is absent and few other changes but really follows the story of Ken so well. Its like the first Ken's Rage but the controls are smoother this time, I like that they removed the jump function, I prefer to fight on my two feet and I'm sure Kenshiro does too. You do jump but when prompt to, like jumping over fences or over buildings or to just gain enough height to knock a giant like Devil down. The fighting is like the last one but this is better to digest. Hundreds of thugs and murderers come at you and with the right combo you can annihilate the whole lot sending them back to hell. I love it really; relieves stress when you can slaughter of gang with your bare fists. Boss battles are not too complicated. Just time their attack, dodge and counterattack to leave them open for a signature move, AAAAAAAAAHHH tatatatatatatatatatata ATTAH!! Whats even cooler you get to kill the main bosses in the same fashion as in the manga comics by going into quick-time events and hitting the right buttons to execute brutal death.
I played the first one for a brief stint and never completed it because it was so boring, but this is very interesting and true to the manga that I'm still playing it for the fourth week now and I haven't completed it yet. The game is huge. The graphics are much better than before, characters look filthy and rugged. Backgrounds are nice too, not the same old desert look as some claim, you go into industrial factories, castles, barren cities, army bases, towns and they look like straight out the anime. Japanese voices are excellent with english subtitles and I prefer to the original voices than an english overdub. Let me tell you english can't do Fist Of The North Star any justice, it really dumbs the intense story. Watch the movie in english dub first then change it to japanese and read the subtitles and you'll see the difference and you appreciate the story even more.
This is for the fans indeed and if you looking for a brawler, you should try this. Other than that I can't recommend this to Halo and COD fanatics, but if you enjoy manga and the Hokuto Shingen world, this game has it all.
Now go make blood spray like rain. | video-games_xbox |
Elder scrolls for the masses...I think. I was debating whether or not to put down the money for this but I finally did. It is a pretty good package from what I have seen. The dragon is pretty cool looking but the base feels kinda hollow and cheap. The art book is pretty awesome. I would have liked it more if they could have put a strategy guide in there somewhere(even if it was just on of those tiny ones you get with the world of warcraft box sets)
as to the game itself there have been a few bugs. My second playthrough of the game sawmy prisoner cart careen off the road and crash into the wall of the town we were heading to spin around and by the time the dude turned the cart around the door was closed and I had to start the game over. Another time my brother was playing and while running up a tower to escape the mayhem in the courtyard the game glitched out and everyone was frozen, including the dragon that was supposed to be attacking the town.
So far I have enjoyed the game but it seems a little too watered down compared to the previous games. One of the joys of playing rpgs is building your stats. Like rich dudes collecting cars you want your dude to have allyour stats pumped up. I remember obsessing on the art of powerleveling the right skills to get the maximum yield of stat points per level up. Not sure if this game has stats but if they do they are wellhidden. Plus the lack of class creation is kinda a downer. I want to be able to say this is what my dude is about right from the beginning. Although most characters usually end up as a hybrid the more you play them anyway. The menus are streamlined to help you get to the action quicker but to me it takes away a bit from the epicness of the game. When you load up the game you get this rather sterile and minimalist title screen. Is this it? I thought. It looks like a game demo screen not at all like the epic beginning of Oblivion. That sort of stuff might fly in an nba 2k game but I wanted something more. I'm still not sure about the spell system. Unlike oblivion you 'equip' spells so it is hard to be a battlemage in this game. (you can have a sword and a fistful of flame or flame and a shield but heaven help you if you want a shield, sword and a firespell at the ready.) Oblivion spoiled me a little in that regard. I don't know I still have a lot of tinkering to do. It's early days yet.
Good news it that the character creator is less awkward and convaluted than in oblivion. My main problem with the creator in that game was skin tone. Make one little change and next thing you know you've got a dude with orange skin and a lumpy potato head. The new system is much more conservative meaning the people you make will look fairly normal.(of course freaks are always possible if that's your thing) It reminds me a little bit of the mass effect creator. This cuts both ways as the truly hardcore player wants more options than the slightly toned down menus which prevent from creating a completely unique dude.(Let's put it this way. In oblivion I had a nord dude who was a dead ringer for the joker. Let's leave it at that.)
Combat is awesome of course. That's the one area of the game that seems to get better every game in the series. It would be almost laughable to play this and then go back to morrowind and it's clunky stiff hacking. You get awarded with the occasional cinematic 'finish cam' if you pull off a spectacular attack like a critical hit. It's quite neat.
Overall, once the bugs are cleaned up I think this will be a great game even though I wouuld prefer a more hardcore game. I suppose it was streamlined to appeal to more casual and mainstream players but I think more casual and mainstream players are going to be playing different games anyway. Modern warfare, coff, Wii, coff. That's just my opinion. | video-games_xbox |
Two years spent on wasted potential. Before I start, please note that this is coming directly from a Dragon Ball fan so this is from someone who knows about it.
ARTDINK was the developer of this game which surprisingly took two years to produce but sadly it was all a big waste of time due to the final result being absolutely atrocious.
Part 1/5 - Graphics:
1) The developers said that the graphics couldn't look too good due to having 4v4 characters on a stage but when we see games such as Grand Theft Auto V, Battlefield, FIFA, Saints Row, Madden and many more those have way more than 8 characters in a stage and yet they managed to look gorgeous on a seventh generation console.
2) In comparison to other DBZ games of this generation (360/PS3) this is the worst looking game out of the bunch, so be aware.
Part 2/5 - Music & Voice Acting:
1) The music is recycled from past games such as Raging Blast 1 and Ultimate Tenkaichi but it does have some newly composed music here and there, though the majority is covered up by RB1/UT soundtracks.
2) As for the Opening Music Video at the start of the game it's a remix of CHA-LA-HEAD-CHA-LA remix sung by FLOW in Japanese.
3) In this game as ever since Raging Blast 2 the voices of the English cast are from FUNimation's Kai dub, minus Cell who's still voiced by Travis. The Japanese cast remains unchanged except for the dearly VAs who passed away that were Daisuke Gori (Mr. Satan & King Yemma) and Kenji Utsumi (Shen Long & Recoome).
4) Nostal Treevax told the fans through Facebook that we'd be getting the original Shunsuke Kikuchi soundtrack of DBZ but as it turns out that wasn't true, very sadly.
Part 3/5 - Gameplay:
1) This game tried to replicate the awesomeness that we kept seeing on videos from the exclusive Japanese arcade machine game called "Zenkai Battle Royale" (4v4) but sadly the truth couldn't be farther from it, the gameplay is flawed with simplistic moves that hardly differentiate from the rest, beam attacks disappear almost instantly (don't look very good) and then there's some Quick Time Events thrown in which is awful for a fighting game.
2) There are no in-game transformations so you have to choose your characters at the Select Screen because you won't be able to evolve to a higher Super Saiyan if you wanted to.
3) There's three types of character cards to choose from, Melee / Ki Blast / Support / Interference (somewhat of an MMO at this point -- though a really bad one) so while you can give this and that character different functions throughout the stages it always comes down to defeating the enemies so overall you won't be focusing on this too much, but the battle itself.
4) On the Select Screen you can choose from a variety of limited colours to what you want your character to wear it, which is sort of cool but very minimalistic change.
Part 4/5 - Story:
1) The story itself is more or less the same of Dragon Ball Z, i.e, you'll go through the Saiyan arc > Namek arc > Freeza arc > Android arc > Cell arc and at last the Majin Buu arc, however due to the forced 4v4 characters on stage advertised by Namco Bandai you'll have some small pointless what-ifs unnecessarily that weren't really needed.
Part 5/5 - Characters:
1) There's a total of seventy five characters to choose from and here's the list of all of them.
List:
1. Goku (Base, Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God)
2. Kid Gohan
3. Teen Gohan (Base, Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2)
4. Adult Gohan (Super Saiyan)
5. Ultimate Gohan
6. Piccolo
7. Krillin
8. Yamcha
9. Tien
10. Future Trunks (Sword) (Base, Super Saiyan)
11. Future Trunks (Super Saiyan, Super Trunks)
12. Trunks (Base, Super Saiyan)
13. Goten (Base, Super Saiyan)
14. Gotenks (Base, Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 3)
15. Bardock
16. Saibaiman
17. Raditz
18. Nappa
19. Vegeta (Base, Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, Majin)
20. Guldo
21. Jeice
22. Burter
23. Recoome
24. Captain Ginyu
25. Frieza (1st Form, 2nd Form, 3rd Form, Final Form, 100% Power)
26. Frieza Soldier
27. Cooler (Base, Final Form)
28. Meta-Cooler
29. Dr. Gero
30. Android 19
31. Android 18
32. Android 17
33. Android 16
34. Cell (Imperfect Form, Semi-Perfect Form, Perfect Form, Super Perfect Form)
35. Cell Jr.
36. Broly (Super Saiyan, Legendary Super Saiyan)
37. Dabura
38. Majin Buu
39. Super Buu (Base, Gohan absorbed)
40. Kid Buu
41. Beerus
42. Whis
Bonus DLC Characters:
43. Super Saiyan Goku (With Naruto Shippudden's costume)
44. Super Vegito (Makes no sense why they made this a DLC character since he's part of Buu's arc)
45. Super Saiyan Bardock
Adding all evolved forms comes to a total of 75 characters as stated previously.
So overall, should you buy this game or Tenkaichi Tag Team? If you have a PSP then just get Tenkaichi Tag Team because it's far better than this game, though if you don't then there's not much alternative other than wait for this game to drop down to $10-15 which is what should've cost. | video-games_xbox |
Best Western Game Ever. I'll admit, I had some reservations about Red Dead Redemption. The studio that released it (Rockstar) hadn't done too much to distinguish it from GTA with horses. Within the first 2 hours, however, I was blown away. The story starts with our hero John Marston attempting to track down his former gang leader Bill Williamson and bring him to justice. After a short cut scene, he's shot and left for dead. The game opens up after some dialogue and tutorials, leaving you to your devices in 1912's Texas and Mexico. The first thing you'll notice is the beautiful visuals. Everything has an incredible amount of detail and draw distance, and the character models animate wonderfully. Watching the sunset on horseback is a truly visceral video game experience, and won't soon be forgotten. Combat works in a very fun, gritty way. You have a large variety of period weapons to deal the bad guys (or good guys). Quests can appear by talking to certain NPCs essential to the story. They can also appear at random, forcing you to act quickly or watch an innocent die. What really surprised me was how well the minigames were made. Poker could be sold as a separate game in of itself, with AI "tells" and bluffing. Five-finger-fillet is pretty funny to watch if you make a blunder. Horseshoes and bar fights provide some enjoyable distractions. You can waltz over to a local movie theater and watch some very funny silent films that convey the mindset of the times. Red Dead Redemption has the most believable open world I've ever played, with every feature one would expect. The atmosphere is simply unmatched in terms of immersion and realism. I haven't even mentioned multiplayer yet. RDR supports up to 16 players over Xbox Live or PSN for full-on gunfights and skirmishes. Game types can range from free-for-alls to CTF-structured team based modes. There is also a separate mode called "Free Roam" that lets you and your friends form a posse and explore the entire single player map. You can slaughter gangs, hunt down wild game, and duke it out with other posses over an enormous map. There's a fully featured ranking system that tracks your progress throughout your online exploits. Multiplayer should keep you hooked for weeks on end as you shoot up the West. Overall, Read Dead Redemption is an incredibly good game that can't be missed. Pretty much everything is perfectly polished and consistent, and you'll find yourself loving the Wild West's final days. Go buy it now.
PROS
+ Awesome, deep combat
+ Breathtaking visuals
+ Addictive multiplayer
+ Strong voice acting and writing
+ Best open world in a video game to date
Cons
- Occasional animation glitches
- Some network problems, especially in Free Roam
- Could be a little more difficult | video-games_xbox |
Better then Risen 1&2 but still needs a LOT of Work. This Game is just horribly designed its like you people want to play a game from 2003 and are trying super hard to Boost it up
onto WHY i think its bad and u should save ur Money or wait for a Sale
Major Bugs has to be the top of my list i had a number of times were i could NOT advance in an area simple because it thought i just got there and needed to reload me and the map over and over (u can fix this by reloading a old save) you can get stuck on just about everything more so since every monster in the game flings u into the air like a god dam ragdoll. i had a few times were i could not travel at all like it was trying to load something that did not exist. ( ALL of these are fixable this review is for the here and NOW)
Story: Its nothing Special ur Classic go kill the baddy because well who cares just go kill it, its acly a bit sad how Little background there is and i mean on EVERYTHING, Sry but i LIKE a Story that tells me how come this has happened or how this works or Why this can do this Dos not mean it has to make sense but put the effort in
Gameplay: Its Better then Risen 1&2 but thats not saying much when it was back breaking to do anything in either (Note: i have played all of them) simply killing is painful because apparently u don't now how not to show ur back to the opponent and if that was not bad enof its like ur Drunk and cant swing becuse EVERYTHING in the game is double ur Speed and i MEAN EVERYTHING it comes down to who can roll more and pistol whip with out running out of ammo
Audio: this game has a Great soundtrack for the world ur in and the Voice Acting is Top notch
Graphics: again i say the game looks older then it should be but its not 2003 id say 2008/9 game mainly because the colors are bland and nothing in the land is dynamic there is not to much attention to detail but enof to keep u there..
Overall the game was not to bad if i played for a hour and then did something else but i like to dig into my RPGs i love to dive into the world they bring me to i like to explore and see the unseen. Unfortunately in a hour is just about impossible to get any were in this game ud be lucky to kill a handful of the starter area monsters in an hour | video-games_xbox |
Game = Awesome. Baterang = Not so much. This is a review of the actual Collectors Edition.
So I've been waiting extremely impatiently during my college classes today, watering at the mouth for my Batman fix. I had thoughts for days about actually owning the Baterang it self; it just looks so cool! So when my classes finished, I rushed home and eargly awaited UPS to deliver my Collector's Edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum for the Xbox 360. Not long after I arrived, UPS stopped by and delivered quite an elongated box, much larger than I anticipated, getting me even more excited. "This looks like 100 bucks well spent," I thought. I rushed into the house, gingerly opened the box, and saw the behemouth of which the Collectors Edition was. My eyes opened wide in shock and awe as I saw the actual box, and couldn't wait to dive in to it (Not literally). Inside the clear, plastic slip case was another platic box, but this time black, and in the shape of a Bat (as in the product picture). It looked cool, and smelled delicious and factory fresh.
I eagerly flipped open the top of the Batcase, foaming at the mouth even more, expecting a wonderfuly crafted 14" In-game dsigned Baterang, only to find a scratched up piece of platic. It was scratched up to hell, as if it just came right out of the mold or plastic shaver, with out a thought to how it looks. I mean, cool, I'm all for it looking Battle-worn, but this, people, is not "battle worn". It's crap. Yes, it's pretty weighty, and yes, it is indeed the shape of the Baterang in the game, but it looks horrible. I am fine with it being plastic (metal would probably have been better, despite it being illegal in some states), but not this type of scratched up plastic. It would have been nicer if it actually looked battle worn, or even polished, or painted. So, quite a dissappointed in that area.
The rest of the Collectors Edition is cool, though. I like the leather bound booklet; interesting read. I'm also fond of the bumper sticker and bonus Challenge Maps and Comic Book. Haven't watched the behind the scenes, but looks interesting enough. Good thing I got it 10 bucks cheaper of Amazon instead of the MSRP.
In the end, not a horrible Collector Edition, but hard to justify the price tag. If you're a bat nut, go for it, props to you. If not, you might want to think if you're actually going to display the scratched up Baterang.
Edit: The game itself is simply amazing. 5/5. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, Fast, Flawed. EDIT: Below I make comments about the multiplayer and it is the multiplayer that has reduced my score from 5 to 4 stars. According to IGN, the developers are working on a patch that will, at least, fix the lag. Chances are it will change the way you find groups *crosses fingers*. I will continue to update this to reflect the latest news.
There are a couple of FPSs to think about during Xbox 360's launch. Call of Duty 2 is probably the more exciting and thrilling of these launch titles, boasting beautiful graphics, fast game play and silky smooth controls. If you have HD, it is even better. I never truly understood the difference in picture quality until I saw the game running side by side on a HD and a regular TV and it is remarkable.
The game is broken down into two categories, the single player and the multiplayer. The single player game is intense. It drops you in the middle of three campaigns and things heat up from there. It feels like you are in the middle of a war-torn battlefield. The immersion is great. Your teammates are actually decent, the enemies will pick up and throw back grenades at you that you have already thrown. Sometimes the enemy AI is pretty stupid but overall it is really well implemented. Every mission feels like war is being thrown in your face. Its do or die and the bullets are whizzing by. Its incredibly intense and exciting. Every mission should have you trying to catch your breath by the end.
The sound is amazing, particularly on a surround sound equipped TV. In the single player and in the multiplayer it is incredibly useful. For example, if you are playing multiplayer and hear footsteps behind you but your radar doesn't indicate any friendlies near you, you might want to turn around. This has saved my life countless times. That is, unless the enemy is crouch-walking and silent, which is another story...
The part of the game that is so important right now is the online portion. And unfortunately, this is where the "flawed" part of my title comes into play. Multiplayer is a lot of fun. The games are quick moving, finding a room is (with exception explained below) simple and usually quick. Getting into the action is great. There is a huge assortment of levels and a lot of different gametypes from death match (and team DM), search and destroy, HQs, etc etc. You will find something fun here level-wise and setting wise. Using the weapons again is smooth and control is great.
The gameplay tends to run slow than Halo 2 (for those who played Halo 2). I happen to like this type of gameplay. Instead of just running around aimlessly shooting your guns until your ammo is depleted, you have to think. Its more realistic. The shades of your costumes usually match the setting and so you have to have your wits about you. The war-torn cities are amazing and produce some agonizingly intense matchs where you never know where that sniper is until he shoots (the radar only picks up enemies that shoot). Its slower paced but I absolutely love it and would have it no other way.
Its too bad that some design flaws keep this game from being a perfect 5 stars. The biggest flaw is that they didn't take a page from Halo 2. Halo 2 has probably the very best console way of finding people, playing with your friends and keeping in contact. Call of Duty 2 has none of this. If you have friends that want to play with you, you can't start a party and keep them together. What ends up happening is, one person will have to find a game and everyone else will have to go into their dashboard on the person's name and click "join game in session" and hope that they get in before the game finds its 8 people.
When the mission is over, you have to do this again. After completing a match, the game kicks you back to the pre-lobby screen where you go to find another match. You can't stick together with your friends nor with people you just played with. Why did they do this? I can't fathom any reason for this other than they didn't have enough time to successfully implement it. It is irritating trying to get your friends to play with you when the system isn't built around it.
Another glaring flaw is the server stability. I can't count how many times someone has joined the game and the server lags. Lags to the point that when your character moves, it makes you feel like you're drunk, stumbling around everywhere. Also, sometimes joining a game is a pain because of the "server full" notices or other error messages that pop up. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 or so tries to actually get into the pre-game lobby.
Another problem is that when you get into the game you are able to decide which team or let the computer auto-assign. This is great in theory; unfortunately, what ends up happening is you have a team of 5 against a team of 3 or worse. Then people can switch over teams at will which can cause confusion and can make some of the games underbalanced.
A final problem is part server problems part user problems. A lot of times you start out with a full match of 8 people, but by the end of the match you are down to 2 vrs 2. Or 1 vrs 2. People either disconnect due to the server or just plain leave. And it is very annoying to those of us who are trying to just have fun when all of a sudden 3/4 of your team is gone but the other side still has a full team.
I have been pretty harsh on the multiplayer but I stand by it. It has the potential to be the best mutliplayer experience on the 360 for a long time coming (particularly with the very believable possibility that Halo 3 won't be launching until the Halo movie comes out in 2007) but the design flaws and server stability issues really hurt it. The actual game design helps keep this game a solid 4 star game; its definitely above average. I just wish they could fix the other problems that would help this game soar. Right now, I have to recommend purchasing this game. Just keep in mind there are problems that can and probably will annoy you. | video-games_xbox |
Really bad game. The whys and a list of things EA needs to fix. Things that need to be fixed (Heisman mode) when playing the AI:
1. When I get hit in the backfield while throwing it, the ball pops in the air always gets intercepted. When I hit their QB it falls safely to the ground or my defense drops it.
2. The opposing I make a good read against he AI and I try to intercept the ball but its always dropped. The AI makes a good read on my poor throw and it's easily intercepted.
3. I almost always get penalized 5-7 times a game and the opposing AI...never. The penalties are much worse when you use the aggressive play calling options. You litterally get called for chop blocking, face mask, and holding if you use aggressive options every play. Ridiculous.
4. The screen is set up that especially if I am using the spread offense that I cannot see my wide receivers on the outside and can only see my slot receivers. I have the pull the RT trigger to see them. Even worse when the play starts I cant see the outter coverage or my receivers. This is so annoying. How the hell am I supposed to the see the corner blitz coming?????
Things I really hate about the game:
1. I really hate the fact that an outside pass rusher will cause my left or right tackle to glitch and turn backwards and cause an easy sack on me. Are you kidding me???? Since when does a lineman turn his back on a pass rusher?? Why on earth would I recruit a 5 star lineman with 90+ pash protecting skills on pass strength, footwork, and pass block??? I recruited him so he could protect my blind spot next to perfection yet will allow more than 20 easy sacks on the year because of a screwed up AI glitch that makes him face the wrong way after the ball is snapped.
2. Oh did I mention I cant see the field and the coverage when the ball snaps. Yea, I hate this so much.
3. How come by now we cannot create our own plays???
4. How come since the 2008 version we cannot create our own play book? Let's say the Missouri playbook has a Monster set that is pretty much all gimick plays. I want to remove this play formation because it sucks!!! It only has 4 plays in it anyways. But I can't. Seriously?? So I'm stuck with a completely useless formation that I would never use.
5. How come I cant make my own defense? I like to use the 3-3-5 stack but I cant get more coverage options in the 3-3-5. I get a basic cover 1 press set in one of set of plays. But what if I want the set to look like a cover 2 with the robber saftey jumping in and out of coverage look like a 2 to confuse the coverage look to go into a cover 1 press when the play starts without having to audible. In other words it was cover 1 press the whole way but had a cover 2 look. With the 3-3-5 the extra db in this formation should be able to do these types of coverages and looks all the time. This is ridiculous.
What if I wanted my left saftey to look like press coverage on the right slot wideout but was actually designed to double the wideout on the left slot during the snap. How come no outside line backer cross blitzes in 3-3-5 or stunts of the lineman with the outside line backer blitz to the outside. How come I cannot do any of these things? Yet my intelligence is insulted with these very lame and easily read plays. Coverage is easy to read in this game.
6. I like plays with option routes in the passing game. But there are hardly any.
7. BIG PET PEEVE. How come I want to back shoulder throw a ball to my wideout in tight man coverage. I'm pulling the stick as hard as I can to put it on his back shoulder and throwing it hard to his back shoulder but he doesnt turn to the ball or make adjustments to the pass. He keeps running up the field and allows the cornerback to pick the ball off. How come the wideout doesnt adjust to the throw. The wideout did respond to back shoulder throw in 2008 but how come not now?
8. Another PET PEEVE. How come the press coverage is so hard to deal with? It really becomes who can press who better on defense. I experimented. I gave a guy (wide receiver) all 99 ratings and made for sure that he had 99 strength, 99 press release rating, route running, etc etc. He couldn't get open off press coverage at all for 4-5 seconds at least 95% of the time. For me to hold the ball for 4 seconds every time is unrealistic and ridiculous. What was good is the 99 rating hands I had on this guy or else he'd be not effective at all. What was funny was any team I played could press me this way. Interestingly the other DB had not near the ratings to do that kind of press coverage. Why is this??
9. Why is most of the coverage in zone leaving the middle of the field open like a Tampa 2 coverage but not the flats and spaced between the safety and corner? Maybe because you can only see the slot receivers??? and the game designers couldn't either so passing is easier over the middle?? If that's the case you need to fix all the problems I listed.
10. How come you took the spring drills out?? I loved that part of the game.
11. How come the better receivers with higher awareness don't sit down in the holes of zone coverage yet they just run their routes like mechanical robots and instead run the route behind the DB and make it not a good option to throw to him?
EA should read your reviews. Your game is not good. But its really the only college game available for play. | video-games_xbox |
Collosal Failure, Ctrl+Z! - updated: Getting Better, Where's the Beef. I can't believe how disappointed I am with the XBox One. It fails my every expectation.
For bias references, I am an occasional gamer and a heavy media user via my console. Or at least I was until I purchased this.
It constantly has network status issues. I am frequently unable connect to the Xbox network. So much for downloading apps or actually playing Titanfall.
It does not have Apps that the 360 has. Streaming HBOGO? Forget about it.
Voice commands are so tempting but only work 25% of the time. Enough that I still try but I always end up getting the controller and being frustrated.
Video through-put has lag. I stream my 360 though the XBox One (limited input ports) in order to use content/apps not available on the One. There is a choppy lag to streaming HD videos when there are fine details (hair, smoke, etc.) or quick movements.
I was very excited for this product and have had great experiences with both previous XBoxes.
I wish I could undo this purchase.
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Update 5-13-14
Ok, I've passed the initial hurdles and had a little more time to spend with the console.
XBox tech support walked me through a "hard reboot" that fixed my network issues. The guy I talked to was super helpful and fast (a rarity in my experience with phone based tech support) so they get points for that.
The app selection is still very weak (come on HBOGO!) which is a little frustrating given we are nearly six months after launch. I understand app development takes time but it is annoying that I have more functionality on my 360.
I gave up on routing my 360 through the One, someone commented that Microsoft said there would be lag, which doesn't make the through-put any more useful but it is what it is.
The machine is totally silent which is a big improvement from what my 360 sounds like. I've gotten better with the vocal commands and now have about an 80% success rate. The Kinect movement commands are completely useless though, I hate them.
For reasons I have not been able to figure out the Netflix app forgets my username/password once or twice a week which is annoying, I can't say this is nessecarily XBox's fault, but this did not happen with the 360.
The biggest gap is still content but that's mainly on the developers (come on guys, there's a void in the marketplace - fill it!).
I'm upping my review from one star (a system where basic functionality was impaired) to three stars (a great system outside a few fails) but without some great content (apps like HBOGO and Pandora or games like Fallout 4 and Witcher 3) I'm unable to get the level of experience expected from a 4-5 star product. | video-games_xbox |
Master time and space! And steal a little for yourself too. I know a lot of people aren't the biggest fan of this game, but trust me when I say I'm glad it was one of the first games I bought for the Xbox!
The Tom Tom Gang are out for treasure as usual, and in the process find something called The Big Crystal. Benito immediately sets his sights on it, but in the process the crystal cracks, causing a major problem for the Time Sweepers. Their computer system shuts down and the clock has stopped working, causing Time Monsters to appear all over the place, and upsetting the Time Goddesses. Benito begins dreaming of the daughter of the Goddesses, Mina, who begs him to collect all the crystal fragments. Meanwhile the Time Sweepers are also after the crystal fragments, thinking the Tom Tom Gang want them for less than reputable purposes and hoping to repair the crystal themselves. As it turns out, the Goddesses are debating whether or not to drop the Time Scissors (which cut the strings of time), which in turn will destroy the universe and begin it anew. The player must collect all eight crystal fragments and repair the Big Crystal before the Goddesses destroy the world, all while destroying Time Monsters and setting the universe right.
This game is unique in that there is no real antagonist. In Blinx, the Tom Tom's were antagonists, but here they are anti-heroes, stealing and sneaking to make the world right again. The Goddesses themselves are not malevolent; rather, they can't think of any other way to fix the world if the crystal is not fixed, so their best solution is to make a new one.
And, of course, the best feature of all; you play as both a Time Sweeper and Tom Tom, which are completely customizable to your liking! Want your cat to have purple eyes? Long tail, green fur, black jacket? Short pig, moustache, thick calves, striped shirt? It's all up to you! You also pick your team, who will aid you when you face off against the opposite team. They can be equipped with weapons of your choosing, and can be swapped out for better members by completing side quests.
As before, Time Sweepers can use two types of attacks. Their sweepers, which suck up garbage that is then used as projectiles, and time itself. Time can be paused (to take down/get away from enemies or solve puzzles), rewound (to undo things or prevent death), fast forwarded (to jump longer distances at a rapid speed, and also to gain coins through special rings), recorded (to kill special monsters or solve puzzles that require two characters), slowed down (to solve puzzles or avoid getting hit), and retried (which is exactly what it seems; if your Time Sweeper dies, they are given a rewind to a certain point.)
While the Sweepers control time, the Tom Toms control space. They are given the black hole (sucks up the health of nearby enemies), the quantum snare (Tom Toms will pop up out of the ground and hold Sweepers by their legs while you take them out), the hypercloak (makes you invisible; you must move slowly, or the space around you will begin to crackle with energy and Sweepers will detect you), the space bubble (traps all enemies in a large inescapable bubble that you may move freely in and out of), the void trap (enemies are sucked into another dimension), the subspace dive (your Tom Tom dives into an underground space hole and may sneak by Sweepers undetected, but only for so long due to lack of oxygen), and the warp tunnel (your Tom Tom will warp from their current location to a previously unreachable or hard to reach location; very good for carrying heavy bags and sneaking past Sweepers.) Tom Toms also get three gadgets; the decoy (which Sweepers will follow in place of you), the time grenade (the same as the Sweeper's pause control), and bananas (which will cause your enemies to slip and be knocked out for a short amount of time.) In place of the Sweeper's, well, sweepers, the Tom Toms use guns and a slingshot loaded with tranquilizers.
Gameplay is fun, scattered across beautifully detailed levels with all sorts of puzzle games. Some parts are a bit tedious, some parts are just plain difficult, but overall it's very fun. Cat Medals and Pig Medals unlock concept art and funny mini-movies, and side quests unlock things like team members, store items, and new guns/sweepers. Every level is played twice on different paths, once by the Sweepers and once by the Tom Toms. Every level that ends in a boss battle for one of the two will end in a shootout for the other (for example, in the floating castle level, the Sweepers battle a giant Benito monster, while the Tom Toms defeat a team of Sweepers.) If you're looking for a game to play long term, I will admit this isn't it. I've beaten it in one long (and I mean loooooong) sitting before. On the bright side, gameplay is so fun you'll want to beat it over and over again, so you won't be bored!
The only thing; if you're wanting to play as Blinx, you won't. He only appears in cutscenes. You can customize your Sweeper to look like him if you like, but he is a NPC throughout the whole game. You do get to speak to the leaders of some other Sweeper teams though, that's fun to see. | video-games_xbox |
Deus Ex Newbie is Blown Away. Let me start with a short introduction.
I never played Ion Storm's original Deus Ex. Or to be more accurate, I didn't play enough of it to be able to make a worthwhile comparison. I read some previews of the new game, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and became really intrigued: it didn't sound like anything I'd played before. I began to wonder if I should play the original first. About this time, word starting spreading about changes made to the game design - changes that many fans of the first were very displeased with. Once hearing this, I decided I'd forego playing the first and dive into IW cold - I wanted to play the game for its own merits without judging it against its predecessor (no matter how superior the original game was touted to be). Since my home computer can't handle the PC version of the game, I played the Xbox version by default. As a result of this process, this may seem like a naive review, as I can't comment on anything regarding the previous game, but on the other hand, I am judging it on its own, without comparison.
Intro over.
It's very difficult to say anything specific about IW regarding the plot, because so much of the plot is tied directly to the actions and decisions of the player. But I can say that the game starts off with a bang. Almost immediately you are wondering whom to trust, which path to take, what items to use. The rules of the IW universe are explained at the beginning, but only in brief terms: for the large part, the player is left to fend for him/herself (you can choose Alex D's sex). The game manual is quick to point out that there are no "right" or "wrong" choices in IW - events unfold, doors are opened and closed, and the story changes depending on what Alex D decides. Should you side with Group 1, knowing it will anger Group 2? How will your decision affect the future? It's very rare that any game allows this kind of freedom to players, and at time it's almost overwhelming (especially at the beginning). But the further you progress, the more sense things make, the stronger your character's identity becomes, and you begin to appreciate more and more what Ion Storm has accomplished.
Alex D. is an agent who is able to be fitted with biomodification canisters, five in all, one for a specific region of the body. These "biomods" give Alex superhuman abilities, ranging from enhanced speed or strength to limited invisibility, among others. Illegal black-market biomods are particularly interesting. The biomods allow the player to tailor Alex to be a stealthy type of agent, a virtual "Terminator", or something in between. Adding to this customization is a range of equipment (firearms, swords, grenades, etc) which can also be upgraded to suit a particular style of play. This system is brilliant because in the world of IW, nothing is straight-forward - there are many ways to pass obstacles. Alex D. can charge into a heavily guarded room with guns blazing, sneak through air shafts, or hack into a security system and cause automated turrets to fire upon "friendlies." And these are just a few of the many options. You never feel forced to take any single path in IW - an amazing feat, especially when you consider the depth of the story - and experimentation is often rewarded.
IW may seem shorter than most RPGs, but you must remember that this game is almost designed to be replayed. You can reach any one of several endings in almost countless ways.
Invisible War is a beautiful game. No, it doesn't run at a particularly high frame-rate, but the environments are so detailed and so interactive, it's a small price to pay - you'll cease to notice it unless you're really making an effort to look for it. The vaunted Havok physics engine can be pretty silly, but it makes the world that much more immersive and allows for a lot of creativity on the part of the player. The lighting is 100% real-time, and is probably the best to be seen to date. Player models are convincing - not perfect, perhaps, but they get the job done very well. All told, the IW engine performs very well. The fact that it can look as good as it does while allowing for so much in-game experimentation is quite an achievement.
Sound-wise, there's little to complain about. There's a lot of voice-acting in IW, and while not Pixar-caliber, it does a fine job of maintaining the immersion. Elevator music plays in elevators, conversations can be heard everywhere, and a nice, dark, ambient soundtrack adds to the mood. Weapons and manipulated items all fit in perfectly.
So there's a newbie's take. Playing IW was some of the most fun I've had in the interactive media, mostly due to the high level of freedom the player is presented with. Is it a perfect game? No - but honestly, what is? I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in, but I came away with the strong conclusion that Deus Ex: Invisible War is not only a masterfully crafted game. It's a personalized experience. It's not only one of the best game's I've played this year, it's one of the best I've ever played.
Now to track down the original. Can it possibly live up to Invisible War?? I can't wait to find out. | video-games_xbox |
Not Just For Gamers. 1. This system might also be called "The Peace Maker." It reduces your big-blast, home-theater speaker system to a licensed 5.1 surround system exclusively for your ear drums. No more acoustic hate and discontent in your household, the neighborhood, and the rest of the planet. And it will keep your ears happy--with or without wax.
2. In addition to gaming, the AXPro system works perfectly well for listening to CD, DVD/BRD, and streaming-video sound tracks from any platform with an optical audio output. This includes DVD/BRD players and desk/laptops. My current platforms of choice are DVD players.
3. As with all things digital, it's wise to read the operator's manual prior to making a purchase. Do this by going the vendor's Web site. This is where you will learn that the AXPro system is not just for gamers.
4. Downloading the operator's manual is important, since the manual that comes with the product is primarily for boning up on your multi-language skills (see below) and limited to gaming platforms.
5. For DVD players (and computers), the only challenge is to get the low-voltage electrical and audio cables straight. It is not that clear as illustrated in the manuals, and only partially intuitive. The out-sourced Help-Desk folks (in San Diego, CA) are very polite, but clueless when it comes to anything not game related.
6. Here are the "wiring" process steps that finally worked for me with DVD players. First, connect the optical cable (supplied with the system) between your player and the rear (the end without the status lights) of the AXPro audio decoder (the small, silver, rectangular box). Second, connect the AXPro in-line audio control module (the small, silver-and-black, hand-held device loaded with buttons) to the front (the end with the status lights) of the decoder box by means of the long connector cable (using the cable end that is co-joined with a DC power cable) by means of the nine-pin connectors (they closely resemble S-video connectors). There are two nine-pin input connectors on the front of the decoder box. Take your pick. Third, connect the control module to the AXPro headset using the short connector cable (again using nine-pin connectors). Fourth, connect a DC power cable to the right side of the decoder box using the L-shaped power connector (although two separate A/C to DC power adaptors [the little black boxes you plug into a power strip] are shown in the operator's manuals, there is only one with two DC power cables emanating there from). Fifth, connect the remaining DC power cable to the control module cable (using the end of the long cable that is co-joined with the audio cable). Lastly, plug in the AC to DC power adaptor, and press the power button on the right side of the decoder box.
7. As for the operator's manual that comes with the product, it is a linguistic treat. Instead of being partitioned into sections on the basis of language, EVERY line of text is repeated in four languages. The first half of the manual covers English, French, Spanish, and German (in this order, line-by-line). The second half covers Italian, Danish, Swedish, and Portuguese. It sure helped me to brush up a bit on my Spanish and Italian. I would like to see Celtic added in the future.
8. It's easy to find this system in the dark. Everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) lights up. The decoder box, the control module device (big time), and even the headset. Beyond cool!
9. Keep in check those decibel levels for hearing longevity.
WILLIAM FLANIGAN, Ph. D. | video-games_xbox |
A suprisingly solid performer which departs from the traditional NFS theme. I have owned every Need For Speed game since the original game, and this game is the one of the best ones yet. Before receiving the game I was somewhat dissapointed by the games radically different structure as compared to recent NFS games, (no cops, no free-roaming etc.) and even more so by some negative early reviews. However, Prostreet turned out to be an excellent game overall.
The game is set in a totally different environment than the traditional Need For Speed. Instead of being an illegeal street racer you are a legal sport car racer participating in events held by different sanctioning bodies. The total immersion into this environment is where the game really shines. You get to travel around the world and race on real life tracks, and partcipate in realistic competitions which feature announcers that really bring the game to life. The car selection in this game is very good, even if you don't consider the many cars available for download, and the graphics and damage modeling are top notch.
I'm really glad EA decided to take the NFS in this direction for this game, and more importantly I'm happy its not some half-baked game like NFS Carbon was. However, I definitely hope EA returns to traditional NFS theme for whatever title they release in 2008. This should remain a "special" NFS game like what NFS Porsche Unleashed was. But, it made perfect sense for a game like this to be created. NFS Most Wanted is still a great game (one of the Best Need For Speed titles ever) for those who like open road racing and cop-chasing. NFS Carbon is one of the worst games of the series, and is basically just a "carbon" copy of Most Wanted, with a bad storyline, watered done police chases, a drab city, much shorter "time to complete", and overall a terrible production value. Anyway, NFS Prostreet is sure to satisfy me with its "different" style, until a true sequel to Most Wanted hits shelves next fall. | video-games_xbox |
A fun game with a few problems. The Division is Ubisoft's open world, rpg, third-person tactical shooter. I have mixed feelings regarding this game. There are many things I liked about this game, but also a few things that need fixed.
In the game you play as an agent of "The Division" a secret division of homeland security that act like normal citizens, inserted into society to blend in, to be activated in a disaster that leaves no other option. The disaster in this case is a biological attack released during black Friday in New York City. After the police and the National Guard fail to control the situation it is up to the Division to restore order.
Positives
- The storyline is awesome. It places you in a situation that you could somewhat relate to, because it is a plausible situation.
- Graphics are great for a console game. Scenery is well done even if it is really gloomy.
- There are tons of missions and side quests for you to complete.
-The enemies are tough without being just bullet sponges. In this game you can't just run and gun like you can in games like CoD or Destiny. This is a cover based game.
-You also have multiple skill trees to level up.
-The Dark Zone, which is the PvPvE part of the game where you can either just fight the AI combatants for loot or go rogue and turn against your fellow division agents and steal their loot.
- The cooperation required with teammates in and out of the Dark Zone.
- This game also has a proximity based voice chat. So even if you enter the Dark Zone by yourself you will be able to talk to the players that are close to you.
Negatives
-The enemies get boring somewhat quickly. Because this game is modern day shooter the kind of enemies don't vary too much.
-Limited amount of weapons. Again, because this game takes place during the modern day there are only so many kinds of weapons you can acquire. While this game has plenty of loot with different ratings( common, uncommon, rare, legendary) they are all feel the same just with higher damage and extra perks.
-The Dark Zone is difficult for solo players. While it is possible to go into the Dark Zone by yourself and have a good time and getting loot, a lot of times you will just get run over by a team of four. Also AI enemies are tougher in the Dark Zone, making it difficult to challenge large groups by yourself.
Overall I rate this game a 7/10. The Dark Zone holds this game up along with the story and graphics. But, the Dark Zone can punish solo players. Along with the copy and pasted enemies, I can see this game getting pretty boring fairly quickly. | video-games_xbox |
A must buy if you own a 4K HDTV! Worth the upgrade. As a day one xbox user, I had to decide whether it was worth upgrading to the Xbox One S and I am glad i made that decision. Here's some background of my setup:
I have a 55" LG Oled tv (Oled55E6P) which is a 4K tv with Support of both HDR formats which are HDR10 (supported by Xbox One S) as well as Dolby Vision (not supported but my favorite of the two). With this set up, the Xbox will be able to (after a day one update) display in 4K resolution upscaled, or you can leave it at the native 1080P and have your TV handle the processing on its end.
Apps that support the new resolution like Netflix look stunning, you will have to upgrade your netflix to the 4K plan (11.99 a month) but it's worth it in my opinion.
Another big plus for me is the built in 4K blu ray player! I have to criticize MS for not explaining the features about this xbox at E3 because I don't think people are aware that this xbox has that. The only other 4k blu ray player is the samsung for around 319 dollars which is not great if you look at the reviews. It's a no brainer to go with a system that plays games and has a 4K player.
I purchased two 4K HDR movies Batman V. Superman and Mad Max and let me tell you the HDR10 makes everything pop. I can never go back to 1080P after seeing this.
Now on to the most important question. Should you buy this if you don't have a 4K screen? Here's what I'll say, the processor is different because it is definitely faster navigating through the system but that would be the only upgrade on this machine, aside from the smaller size of course. I would not recommend upgrading unless you plan on getting a 4k screen in the near future. Maybe wait for the scorpio.
One thing I'm not happy about is the exclusion of Dolby Vision. Yes friends there is a new format war, the last one was Blu-ray v. HD-dvd and now it is HDR 10 versus Dolby vision.
HDR10 is the industry standard and is free for any manufacturer to use (and it looks great on the screen) and offers a static HDR image.
Dolby Vision is a proprietary version of HDR (much better in my opinion) which offers HDR in a dynamic way. Manufacturers like Sony/Samsung etc do not want to pay the licencing fee so they are sticking to their guns on that. Currently LG and Vizio P/M series support both and will future proof their system so the customer doesn't lose.
Xbox One S supports HDR10 and will never support DV due to it being a hardware change not a simple software update. Just thought everyone should know. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, But Suffers from Server Issues. Why am I writing a review instead of playing this game? The server kept lagging and kicked me off again, but I'll get to that in a second...Should you get it? Maybe, I'll give my two cents. Hopefully I can answer some of questions that I wish I had read before I bought the game.
The game itself is reminiscent of Skyrim, but it is a bit more scaled down. The graphics especially are pared down, but I can understand the need for this since it is an online game. The gameplay is fun, wander around, fight things, sometimes with others if you are on the same quest, fighting the same enemies.
As you battle and explore, you collect all the things you would in Skyrim: plants, minerals, weapons, runes...and you can sell those or craft them. New weapons - so far ( about 6 hours in) - seem to come pretty frequently. It's pretty much like any other medieval RPG.
Now to the problem - The server. Sometimes it takes a long time to get on, and other times it kicks you off, making you go through the long sign in process again. Another problem is the lag. I'll be battling a monster and the buttons aren't responding and I'm wondering what's going on. Sometimes the game will fast forward and I have already killed the monster, but other times it will kick me off or send me back in time.
Another problem is the characters re-spawning. If you battle three enemies, sometimes after your health and magic are depleted, the same three immediately re-spawn, making you fight them again, this time without any resources.
I guess I can't really complain since they are not charging a monthly fee, so I'll try to keep that in mind, but what could be a really fun game has a pretty major flaw. Still, I look forward to exploring and playing it, and for the price I paid three years after its release, it's worth it, but I think I like playing on my own (like in Skyrim) better than online.
Console: Xbox one
Version: ESO Gold | video-games_xbox |
Awful Acting Could Not Bring this Majin Down. I grabbed this when it was on sale over the holidays. The reduced price made it worth picking up. Even though I had heard some pretty negative things about the game, it seemed to be exactly the kind of game I tend to like. A true adventure with a fantastic world and a great quest.
It turns out the bad things I had heard were spot on. The acting in this game is so bad, I can only assume it was done by complete armatures. And unfortunately, the story of the Majin and the hero need to be told through this really bad acting. But the world and the main characters do have some charm and you just may find the world a fun place to spend some time.
The combat also suffers from its share of issues and tends to lend itself to button mashing. Animations can take to long and allow for what feels like very cheap hits. The camera can betray you and leave you wondering which way is up. And the Majin can end up getting in your way instead of helping out.
But, despite these flaws, the game is still fun to play for the most part. Its a classic fantasy adventure and is nothing new but they gameplay does have you and the Majin working together to solve light puzzles as well as combat. This is where the game stands out. It does a pretty good job of making you feel connected to the Majin and you want to work towards leveling up his abilities as much as your own. The level design did seem kind of odd at times and the progress of getting new powers suffers from some pacing issues. A few times I was wondering if I had missed something or if I needed to progress and backtrack. This can lead to a bit of frustration. At least there is the much needed map because without that, I probably would have quit.
The world is also very colorful, though it has its dark side, and I really like the art style. The music? I am not sure. It must not be that memorable because I can't think of any impressions.
So, its a decent, Zelda style adventure game with some decent combat. Its not going to change the lanscape of gaming but its fun. The only real shame here is that giving a bit of polish and some time spent on acting and music, this could have been a very special game. Instead, it just an above average game with lots of potential. This would be a good rent or a good pick up once its price drops again. | video-games_xbox |
A True Masterpiece. ===================================================
QUICK REVIEW (LESS READING)
===================================================
Graphics- 9.5 Excellent details and textures, everything from the wool jackets, to the animal pelts you collect is highly detailed and gorgeous in HD. I did have a few hiccups and a freeze up during a cut scene, it happened one time, and could very well be my Xbox.
Sound- 10 The surround sound is top notch in Red Dead Revolver, from a steam engine barreling down the tracks, a cougar growling from the bushes, to the small things like birds chirping and wind blowing...the sound envelops you and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Gameplay- 10 Excellent control setup (GTA vets will be right at home) the only thing that took a bit of getting used to was riding a horse, its not bad, just a bit different than a car in terms of handling. Plenty of story/mission hours to waste away, followed by double the hours you'll spend just exploring and causing havoc (or helping the kind settlers).
Re-playability-9 Just going home and being able to run around the Wild West is enough for me, Rockstar included a solid story, but you can make your own as you go, helping damsels in distress, or massacring an entire settlement, its all up to you. This is gonna be a great game for a bit of relaxation...or some stress relief.
Multi-player- 9.5 I only played a bit of MP, since the rest of my "posse" hadn't received the game yet (or were struggling to get one at the store) The premise seems really interesting though, and the game of death match I played was a real nice change from the normal FPS death matches I've been playing lately. The open world MP game has always been something I wanted to see more of, and I'm sure once this game gets into more peoples hands its gonna be a real treat for the gaming world.
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I've been a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series since it had a top down view, so when this was announced by Rockstar I was pretty interested.
The first thing I must say is Rockstar has really outdone themselves, this game takes GTA to the next level, while taking it back a hundred years on the time line. The first thing you notice is the vast area you get to call "home". The colors and sand blowing and swirling is truly beautiful eye candy. I hate to compare this game to GTA, but the undertones are all there.
I don't wanna share any of the story, and honestly that's icing on the cake for this game. The graphics are simply gorgeous, from the leather straps, and jackets, to the grizzly beards on the characters...all very well done. One thing I must say is not being in the big city setting is a breath of fresh air, no car horns blaring, police sirens at every corner, just the wide open Western range...at times I thought I could taste the fresh air.
As far as game play goes, its hard to beat. You can do anything, and I mean anything (*Ill give a example at the end of this) The stores and shops are fantastic, and walking into a new town just makes you feel like a real gunslinger! Again I don't wanna get into the story to much, but the voice acting and cut scenes are almost Hollywood movie grade, its always nice when you feel for the characters, and this game does an outstanding job of delving into their history and stories!
As another reviewer said the game takes about 20 hours to play through the main story, however getting 100% completion will take you some extra time. The problem is playing through the game, no matter how hard I tried to go to the next mission, I ended up going way off track, killing a bear, saving a stage coach, or just getting a bunch of horses together to test a dynamite stick on. No matter what path you choose, your in for a surprise...Red Dead Redemption really delivers.
If you haven't picked this gem up yet I would highly suggest it, I said I'd give an example of doing whatever you want and here it is: Find some poor townsfolk, give em a round from your six shooter in the kneecap, hogtie them, drag them behind your horse to the nearest railroad...and leave em on the track, sit back and wait for the train to come through, nothing better to relieve the stress of those long days at work/school.
Red Dead Redemption far exceeds anything you've played before, pick up this game, and I'll see you behind the saloon at high noon! | video-games_xbox |
A surprising step back. I'm sorry to have to say it, but: if this game did not bear the Final Fantasy name, it would simply go ignored by the gaming world as a poor, strange, glossy beginner's RPG. That is, if you can even consider it an RPG. FF13 has been in development for the latter half of the decade. With all that time, this is all we got? You'd expect the final product to be one that will help evolve the RPG genre, or even the FF series itself. It does neither.
The game feels totally soulless and disjointed. Where exactly is the role-playing in this game? An RPG is not just about having free reign on your characters, but also requires the kind of environment that allows such a thing in the first place. This game, basically, is a series of pre-defined areas held together by cutscenes. These areas, for the most part, have a set of enemies to kill and particular items to obtain. Therefore, once you're completely done with an area, your characters are as good as you'll need them to get. Rinse, repeat, next area, next cheesy cutscene. The game is so streamlined that it feels like it's being spoon-fed to you. I felt that Square-Enix was trying to package an "RPG" in hopes that the stunning visuals and story will be good enough to sell the game. They put together all the trappings of a "good game". I fortunately don't fall for it.
The battle system has some things I like, such as the fact that leftover hit points from a killed enemy carry on to another enemy, however the system doesn't help the game much. It's funny when people say that FF13 is still an RPG because "you still get a menu to control your character with during battles". Oh please, that's only one step of the whole point of role-playing. To avoid extending the review too long, I'll just say that it's a strange hybrid of ATB and FF12's Gambits. There are some satisfactory elements but it leaves you with somewhat limited reign within the paradigms and makes the already-repetitive game even more repetitive. It comes off more of an action game where you warp somewhere to battle. What's the point of role-style battling in a game that doesn't allow much role-playing in its very design alone? The whole thing feels so trivial.
FF13 is a high-production, streamlined, lifeless game. With all of these fantastic (real) RPG's out there that have come out in the past few years such as Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, and BioWare's Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age, here comes this hyped glossy shell of a game in FF13. As far as J-RPG alternatives are concerned, Sega's Resonance of Fate, the sleeper hit hidden in the shadow of FF13, wipes the floor with this game in pretty much everything except visuals. I suppose that if you play with an open mind and detach this game from the FF series, you will be entertained to say the least, just like FF12. The only difference is that FF12 is good as a standalone game and even contributes to the genre; FF13 is not such a game. | video-games_xbox |
Could have been so much better. First, the background. I played Forza Motorsport 1 and Forza Motorsport 2 (FM1 and FM2) on Xbox 360 using the multi-screen capability. I have 3 Xbox 360's linked on my LAN and connected to 3 HDTVs to provide a three screen wide view of the road and car. Yup, very cool, but I tell you this so you can see where I am coming from, not to be showy.
Here is what I like about FM 3.
1. The added tracks make for more variety in this game and may make it appeal for longer
2. The graphics are slightly improved and all views have a rear view mirror (or two or three)
3. The car behaviors seems to be just a little more realistic and certainly less skittish than FM2
4. The penalty system works. Lap times are either clean or dirty, and clean times always list before dirty times. What makes a lap "dirty"? If you hit anything, go off the track, draft another car or are drafted by another car, or didn't have a clean last segment of the previous lap. There is no time penalty, you just get your dirty time listed WAY down the list behind all the clean times no matter how slow they were. No more wall-riding, no more pushing Minis across the line, no more drafting a Mini behind a monster car etc.
5. I like the in-cockpit view, but only when driving using the 3-screen setup. On a single screen, you lose too much space to see the track very well. It is possible to get a wider view on a single screen, which is like sitting further back from the steering wheel by setting the screen as the center of a multi-screen setup with a large defined angle (you do not need more than one Xbox to do this). But the result is still not good. I have set each of my screens to show 52 degrees with a 3 degree gap between each adjacent pair, giving me a 162 degree-wide view, so I can see out the side windows when in in-cockpit view. This is very nice.
6. The sound is improved.
Here is where I believe FM3 falls short
1. Every so often the much vaunted 60 fps frame-rate drops WAY off, and since this typically happens when cornering, this glitch often leads to driver error. Usually restarting the race will cure it for a while.
2. Multiplayer on Xbox Live - I suggest you read the other reviews here in Amazon. They cover its shortcomings very well. It's bad news.
3. Multiplayer on System Link (LAN)- no longer exists! With FM2, I would sometimes dismantle the 3-screen setup and have 2 or three players racing in a private group over the LAN. No lag, no internet-dependency, no dependence on Xbox Live. It was a beautiful thing. But it's gone from FM3. You have to buy multiple Xbox Live subscriptions.
4. No local scoreboards. FM2 would keep track of a list of results from prior races for all gamertags that used the Xbox 360. This has gone from FM3. The only record of your your performance on a specific track/class combo is simply your best time, so you have lost the ability to compare your results in a variety of cars. Even this is only available if you are connected to Xbox Live
5. Some career races switch the 3-screen setup to a single screen, disabling the left and right screens. Suddenly it's like racing in a tunnel, because in 3-screen mode you typically have a narrower field of view on each screen than in single screen mode. The same tracks in hot lap mode work fine.
6. At the start of all single player events, time is wasted by having the car drive onto the grid and then sit there revving its engine and vibrating before the countdown starts. Every darned time. Gets VERY tiresome, VERY quickly.
7. FM3 still doesn't use all screens of a multi-screen setup for replays. I was in contact with the Turn 10 team just after FM2 came out on this issue. There is a bug in FM2 that enables unsaved replays to use all screens, and this same bug exists in FM3. (Start the replay and go into photo mode, then come back into replay mode - choose the right camera and, bingo, you have all three screens in synchronization. But this doesn't work for saved replays, only for the replay immediately after a race. Since Turn 10 was aware of this bug and identified it as such via email, wouldn't you have thought that they'd exploit it for a better multi-screen experience?)
8. A lot of effort has been put into the car graphics, but quite frankly, I'm not studying car details while I'm racing. I'd prefer that the effort be put into track detail. The FM2 cars were quite good enough for me.
9. For owners of multiple Xbox 360s, you have to be careful with the Digital Rights Management issues. Microsoft expects Xbox 360 owners to only have one of them and that all software will be licensed to just the one Xbox. I'm now in the position that my car and track DLC are licensed to my center Xbox and the FM3 Premium Theme is licensed to the right hand one. The reasons are just too complex to explain here, and the cause is due to Microsoft's DRM myopia.
10. A detail point - the "split" time has been moved from low in the driver's view to the top of the screen. This means that to read it requires moving the eyes a long way from the focus of attention, and choosing a time when the background doesn't obscure the text. The FM2 location used the track as a background, so it was both easy to find and read.
Summary: So long as you don't need System Link, and don't mind the odd frame rate drop, you'll probably enjoy this game. It's not what it could have been and it's sad that some of the good things about FM2 were dropped, but it's the best driving experience available on Xbox 360 and the only one (apart from FM1 and FM2) that provides a multi-screen experience.
EDIT December 6th, 2009 - some new observations
I REALLY like the ability to load a tune setup and have the option to automatically buy (or reinstall) the upgrades needed to suit the tune. Saves a lot of time compared to the FM2 hit and miss method.
Others have mentioned this, but I have been slow to get into multiplayer, so this is a late observation. There is NO ability to tune in the lobby. This is very annoying. My friend and I moved to a track with long straights, and he found that he needed to tweak his final drive ratio to avoid over-revving in top gear. The only way is to leave the multiplayer session, make the changes and be invited back in.
The frame rate issues occur more often than I had earlier experienced. It's as though the video engine gets "stuck" for maybe a fifth of a second, and at the wrong time, this can mean the difference between a beautifully executed corner or going off the track. Or it means a collision. In single player mode it's inconvenient, in multiplayer, it's embarrassing. | video-games_xbox |
Addictive, fun, challenging. This video game compilation features Trizeal and its sequel, Exzeal, as well as an array of side games (one that looks a lot like some kind of Geometry Wars). However, the game that has kept me coming back for hours and hours of gameplay is Exzeal.
The beauty of this top-scrolling shmup game lies in its simplicity: fly up, down, left, right, shoot all the while avoiding bullets, lasers, bombs, errant spaceships, asteroids, etc. You can choose from four types of spacecrafts each of which has their advantages and disadvantages during gameplay and score. The scoring differs with each spaceship, so a player has to pay attention as to how they're eliminating the enemy (up close, from far away, two or three at a time, using a bomb, using a power up blast, and such). The level of difficulty can be changed in the options. The default difficulty should be fine with almost any gamer and they should be able to reach higher levels with some practice. This mode only offers two continues, which means that one cannot continue indefinitely... and has the potential of being frustrating, but fun. In this sense, it's not only retro- in its genre, look, and style, but also in gameplay.
The graphics can sometimes look simple and I blame most of that on the colour scheme used: lots of greens, washed out browns, grays, and such. None of the rich colour schemes of other shmups such as Raiden, R-Type. Then again, everything in this game seems to have been made with a purpose and it could also be that the programmers really wanted that retro- look to go even on the designs. The music is great ranging from upbeat SynthPop, some Techno, and there's even a Space Opera song thrown in there on one of the latter levels. Great stuff. If you can get the OST, I'd recommend it.
I'm glad there are still developers out there for this type of game. It's a damn shame shmups have been phased out in most NextGen consoles (you won't be seeing these games for the Wii or the PS3). This is definitely one of the main strengths of the Xbox 360.
Lastly, and it's unfortunate to say, this game is region-locked. So, gamers would either have to have a Japanese (or Asia) Xbox 360 or have their North American console modified to be able to play this game (and run the risk of being banned from live gaming). Also, the game should retail for no more than $80 USD. If you see it listed for more than that, then move on. Try looking for it at play-asia, yesasia, or renchi first. | video-games_xbox |
Move Over Halo, Gears is Here. Gears of War - Circa 2006
GOOD:
- Intuitive cover system which is a great fresh way to approach the overcrowded Action / Sci-Fi / Shooter Market. The Cover systems works well and is easy to pick up it also makes for a fun realistic gameplay experience.
- Intense multiplayer versus action either online or off online with either spilt screen, or system link.
- Great Co-op Gameplay allows two players play through the game from start to end. A co-op player can come into the game at any time and leave at any time.
- Gorgeous graphics, that even look better then the likes of Halo 2, Elder Scrolls 4, and F.E.A.R. (which is saying a lot).
BAD:
- Some might consider the plot Underwhelming.
- No buddies or parties in ranked matches only in player matches (non-ranked games).
- Game is considered short to some.
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- A Sci-Fi First third Person Shooter (Camera behind the player) with quick pacing (Although slower gameplay) with an emphasis on shooting behind cover.
- Cover Play's a big role in the game much like in Full Spectrum Warrior or Kill Switch
- A slower-paced shooter, focusing on sound tactics rather than brute force.
- This game is not meant for kids or the immature, this game is gory/bloody/violent and has many fowl words. Although you can turn off most of these features
- Co-op and online versus is the big draw here.
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Unreal Championship 2 (Xbox)
- Resident Evil 4 (Game Cube/PS2)
- Halo 2 (Xbox)
- Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox)
- Kill Switch (Xbox/PS2)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- Many of the game's achievements are in references to movies, and Internet Meme's. For example getting 100 kills online with the Bow & Arrow will net you the "Nuge" Award which is in reference to Ted Nugent (the 70's Rocker) who is known for his love of Archery.
- You can also find a limited collector's edition. The collector's edition includes an art book "Destroyed Beauty", a bonus DVD with the video "The Making of Gears of War" documentary and it comes in a tin case.
- There are 6 new maps for this game two of which are free. The Free ones are Raven Down and Old Bones; the other four maps (called Bullet Marsh, Garden, Subway, and Process) will be free in September (2007) but right now they cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00 USD)
- Annex is the new gameplay mode for Gears of War, it automaticaly downloaded to your game once you log you copy of Gears of War on Xbox Live (even if you have a Sliver Account) this new gameplay mode which requires teams to capture and hold certain areas of each map plays much like a King of the Hill gameplay mode from other First Person Shooters. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, worthwhile game despite major design flaws. Infinite Undiscovery is kind of a tough game to summarize. There is so much wrong with it, so many aspects of the gameplay that are either good ideas handled clumsily or just plain bad ideas... yet despite all that, it's still pretty darn fun to pick up and play. It looks great, and it has an interesting story, endearing characters, and a nice brisk pace. The basic gameplay is solid and entertaining, yet it just can't seem to stop tripping over itself with poorly implemented gimmicks.
Among what I would consider the major problems are:
- Opening the menu does not pause the action. I can appreciate the touch of realism they were trying to add, but in practice, all this does is make item use, or any other menu-based function, completely untenable during a battle.
- The Connect system. Again, it sounds cool in theory, but in practice it's just too awkward and time-consuming to be practical during a pitched battle.
- The maps are massive and confusing to navigate. It's easy to get turned around and start travelling the wrong way, and the mini map is not much help. In addition, it's sometimes not clear where you're supposed to be going next-- a character might tell you what town you're headed for, but there's no overworld map and no way to know where the town actually is in relation to your current location.
- Sparse save points! It can get really annoying when you've been playing for 45 minutes without spotting anyplace to save. And there's absolutely no excuse for not putting a save point before a boss battle at the end of a long dungeon.
- Too many junk characters in the party. With almost 20 main characters, there just isn't time to develop all of them. The core group of Capell, Aya, Edward, and Sigmund are well sketched and even memorable, but aside from them and a couple of others, the rest fall by the wayside. There's just no reason to have to manage nobodies like Kiriya and Kristopher, especially in a game that might well take you only 18-20 hours to beat.
The most frustrating thing about the game is that it puts it worst foot forward right off the bat. The first couple hours of the game are stuffed with questionable ideas, including a "stealth" section where the already tough navigation is hindered by darkness and a disabled mini map, and several unintuitive mandatory Connect sequences. The thing is, once the game gets going, it starts dropping the gimmicks and focusing on the core gameplay, and becomes infinitely more fun. It's such a cliche to defend JRPGs that start slowly, but this is one instance where the game really does get a lot better after the intro. After such a poor first impression, though, it would be hard to blame someone who just put the game down rather than giving it another chance.
With a little bit of tuning and editing, this could have been a classic game. Instead, it's a deeply flawed game that still contains a lot of opportunities for fun. The question is whether it's worth your time to go digging for it. Personally, I would still recommend the game to JRPG fans, but you should know what you're getting into. | video-games_xbox |
Another baffling entry in the Madden series. It's hard to understand what happens on the Madden development team, because every year it seems like they change the game in new and completely unnecessary ways. This year, the menus have been changed for seemingly no reason. The new menus do not look as good as the menus in Madden 09 and are harder to use. Why change them? You'll ask yourself questions like that a lot with this version of the game if you played a lot of Madden 09.
If the last few entries in the Madden series did not exist, then this version would probably impress me much more. As other reviewers have noted, it seems that almost nothing has changed in core gameplay except for a few mini-game button mashing sequences. The reason I am only giving this game 3 stars, though, is that other parts of the game that contributed to my enjoyment in past versions have been changed or stripped out without reason. The playcalling menus are now harder to use, particularly in terms of substitution packages. You no longer have the ability to train players, making the preseason almost completely pointless and taking a way a fun weekly activity in the game to keep the franchise mode moving forward. Little changes like this may mean nothing to some gamers, but for me make this game less fun and compelling than last year's version. On top of that the presentation has not improved - the game feels rough around the edges, there are bugs, the play-by-play remains terrible, etc. I wish I could return it.
I should note that I do not play online, so this review is not intended as a reflection of that mode. As a single-player experience, Madden 10 is one step forward and three steps back for those who play every year. If you don't have anything to judge it against, it's probably a pretty satisfying football experience. If you own Madden 09 and play primarily single-player, this is a roster update at best. Very frustrating given the strong work that some of the other EA Sports development teams have done with their franchises. | video-games_xbox |
The "Superman Returns" of the Halo franchise. Based upon all the negative reviews I originally was not planning to purchase this game right away, but wait till the price dropped to under $30. I was bothered by the lack of split-screen and complaints around the poor story on campaign mode and the stale multi-player mode with pay to win mechanics. As with many reviewers, I grew up playing Halo with my sibling(s) when I lived with my parents. As the franchise and I aged, I started playing Halo with my children. As such, it didn't feel right to play this game without my children being able to share it with me. My youngest ended up buying this as a Xmas gift for me. As she reached for two controllers, and the subsequent disappointed look she gave when I had to explain she would not be able to play; it cemented a lower rating for this game. After that look, I could not even bring myself to play the game for the first two weeks. I finally came around this weekend, and I ended up finishing the campaign mode in about 5-6 hours with some light collectable searching. In terms of the story, there are two teams on different paths whose story intersect at times. You would play as either Locke or Master Chief with their 3 AI buddies. Locke was very stiff with no personality, and I could not get into the character. The cut-scenes with Locke were absolutely awesome, but as soon as he spoke, the magic was ruined. The missions that had Locke in my opinion had better game play, but in terms of character development, my eyes kept going to Buck (AI buddy- and the only one that was memorable) instead of Locke. Where Locke was all about following orders regardless of whether it was right or wrong, Buck was always asking if they were right or wrong and should they be followed. Buck had more personality and the character traits that made the Master Chief iconic. When I would die as Locke, a part of me wished I would switch over to Buck instead. Master Chief (MC) really did not seem like himself until the very end. He wasn't the strong hero type, but seemingly weak and inept for most of it. As such, for someone that grew up with the MC, I naturally wanted to distance myself from what I was seeing. It would be like reading/watching the Harry Potter series, and then having the next series be about Hermione taking the mantle of Voldemort, Harry has become mentally unstable, and Draco is now the Minister of Magic with the task of bringing down Hermione and trying to explain Harrys actions. It just felt wrong.
As far as graphics, the game is very beautiful, and the first time I would say a game on the Xbox One appeared next-gen and comparable to games for the PS4.
As far as game play, I enjoyed Lockes missions more than MCs missions as there seemed to be more to do, and access to more weapons and vehicles. AI combat wasn't intuitive as all the mobs seemed programmed to primarily target and attack you. Several times I saw a mob standing next to an AI buddy, and prefer to attack me while I am behind cover than my teammate standing next to it. It is still a fun game to play, and the main reason why I am giving it 3 stars instead of 2.
As far as multi-player, I only played a few hours, but overall I agree that it feels stale - New maps, same game play. I really did not experience any pay to win frustration, as I would just pick up a weapon someone else carried when they died - Same strategy as a lot of other shooters with large level differences. My Xbox live subscription ends later this month, and this did not convince me to renew it.
Overall, if you grew up on playing Halo, and are on the fence, save yourself the heartbreak and skip this. If you are new to Halo, and you only own an Xbox One, then I recommend getting it, as it will help support why you didn't get a PS4.
With the loss of split screen, and a very uncomfortable story line, I doubt I will be purchasing the next Halo in the series. Hopefully they will pretend this iteration was a mistake, and come up with a new story arc like they did after the Superman Returns movie. | video-games_xbox |
Very Unpolished Good Fun. With my experiences with this game, I'd have to say this. The game is fun. It lacks decent authenticity and a good multiplayer component, but it has a very nice Single Player mode. Here are some of the good and bad things about it.
The Good: You are a squad leader. You can tell your squad members whatever you want, and they will always respond with an "Affirmative" unless the objective is unachievable. The core gameplay is very realistic, and the game is very immersive. Some of the night-time missions are amazing. It really makes you feel like you're really there.
The Bad: Well, to start off with, this game lacks authenticity. Sure it has real-life weapons, but they all reload with only one animation, which would ultimately end in a jam in real life. It overall, lacks animations. It has a funky medic system, and shooting your teammates in the head won't kill them, which is very odd. The vehicle physics are horrible. I've never once in my life seen an APC flip over because it hit a small rock. The enemy do not respond to being shot in any way, so if you shoot them at close quarters, they will not respond to being shot, but will instead aim at your face and blow your brains out. The multiplayer is neer unplayable. It is very hard to actually connect to a full game mode online. And if you do, you will run into multiple issues. Some of these issues include, dying out of nowhere with no reason, checkpoints are useless as they do not save progress, enemies take 15+ shots to kill sometimes (due to latency issues with the bugged servers) and the list goes on. Vehicles are very rare in this game with the exception of a jeep or two. There is only one helicopter in the entire campaign and you cannot use it without making your objectives harder. Boats remain unseen by me, and you cannot fire shells from tanks, only machine gun rounds. The AI is horrible, and they don't always follow your orders like you plan.
The Verdict: This is a very fun and immersive tactical shooter, with some very critical bugs and problems with animations. CodeMasters, get to work. | video-games_xbox |
One GLARING omission. I'm an RTS junkie. I have nearly every RTS game on the Xbox. That of coruse doesn't mean I PLAY a lot of RTS games on the Xbox, because most of them are terrible, crash, lag like crazy, etc.
Here's the goods and bads of Halo Wars
The graphics are simple, but they work. There's really nice lighting effects, shading, dimension, etc. It works. It won't win awards, but it works.
The game is SOLID - no lagging, no crashing, even in HUGE conflicts with multiple units running around. I've never had a single problem, and that's a FIRST for a console RTS.
The controls are easy. I've never seen a shorter learning curve on a console RTS. The options stay in the same place with every building or unit. You quickly get to the point where you can point, click, flick-click and exit out of the menu, and have 100% confidence that what you wanted, you'll get.
Now, the bad stuff...
Halo Wars left out the most important part of an RTS game - the ability to create groups. A lot of times you end up with critical units - units that MUST survive - for whatever reason. But you have no way to select just that unit, or MORE IMPORTANTLY, select every unit BUT that unit. One of my favorite ways to play RTS games is to build fleets of identical size and unit counts. Each fleet will have everything from infantry to assault vehicles. I then flank my enemy from multiple directions with these fleets, stretching their resources thin until my three fleets effectively reach "the middle," and wipe out the bad guys.
This strategy simply isn't possible with Halo Wars. You can do it once - the initial attack. You'll have to group your fleets in common areas, select the area and issue the command. Once the groups have begun to spread or mingle with each other, you can't separate them anymore. How in the world you can build an RTS without the grouping feature is beyond me.
The units are pretty weak - they die easily. The unit counts are low - too low to support defense strategies with any more than 2 or 3 bases. The bases themselves are a total dissapointment. As another reviewer commented, they're "cookie cutter" bases. Each base consists of a central "hub" with anywhere from 3 to 7 "pods" around it, and you can selet what you want in each pod. There's no feeling of "home" with any base - no pride in your design - and that kills it.
Halo Wars is a flawless interface with a sub-par RTS game. It's not bad, but it certainly isn't great. | video-games_xbox |
Umm...false hype. I decided to give this series a shot after hearing/seeing good things; well, it sucks. I can understand a 12 year old liking this game, but not an adult. Anyone who calls the scenery beautiful is silly- of course it is hard to make a tropical island look ugly, but this looks like it's on Nintendo 64. Seriously, this game looks almost as bad as Quake III arena, which came out like in 1999 (and was much more fun). The graphics are horrible, the guns are homogenous, the maps are small, the multiplayer is limited in scope, the campaign story is good, but unbelievable at times and constantly interrupted by stupid rpg quests and button press scenes (we should be far past button-prompt cutscenes at this point in gaming history). The enemies all take like 7 bullets or 2 grenades to kill. It isn't a true sandbox game; you are often limited to the "mission area" and the campaign and coop are both linear in nature. They tried to make it sandbox by adding RPG elements instead of just making a big friggen island full of creative ways to kill bad-guys. The controls are horrible and non-customizable- you can't even select the popular "tactical" control scheme that is in almost every other shooter. This game feels like Lost Planet 2, but on a desert island without the grappling hook or the glorious boss fights (or recognizably different guns). And they threw in the dogs from COD:MW except that the button sequence for getting them off of you is often unresponsive and the dogs almost always kill you. The game creates "hardness" by being cheap- enemies will spawn behind you as soon as you turn to start shooting at someone else (even though there was absolutely nobody there a second ago). Other than that, it isn't really difficult at all- a 12 year old could beat this game.
There are challenges in coop that are not explained, so if you are new you have no idea what you are supposed to do really- its like "oh look I'm on an atv...and I guess I was supposed to pick up bombs but now it's too late to try." The weapon unlock and character leveling structures try hard to not be similar to other shooters, to the point that they are just non-practical. Also, If you spawn into a game and are waiting for a checkpoint, for some reason you can't take this time to alter your loadouts. If you want to mess with your classes without a timer or making people back out in impatience, you have to leave and start a private match. I could go on and on about the horrible structure of this game, the shoddy mechanics, the subpar graphics, and the very limited multiplayer, but in truth I am just trying to help you people who have been wise enough to look at the negative reviews. Only die-hard fans of this series or advertisers like IGN who have been paid will defend this game; take it from someone who gave this game a fair shot with no bias for or against it. In fact, if I had to choose between playing this or Lost Planet 2 forever, it would be Lost Planet 2. If you are strictly an offline player, then the campaign might be satisfying enough for you (though I doubt you will find any replay value in this game). But if you are a serious gamer like me who adores intelligent FPS, then you will hate this game. | video-games_xbox |
Literally the best open world game ever. I can't believe this game isn't more well-known. It's far better than all the other sandbox games in the genre (Yes, that includes GTA 5). The map is over three times as big as GTA 5's map and it still looks gorgeous with no loading while traveling. And the environments are a lot more detailed than you would think for a map this size. You can go from villages/cities to military bases to beaches to forests to snow-covered mountains to the desert. You can drive boats, cars, trucks, tanks, motorcycles, four-wheelers (my personal fave), helicopters, jets and planes. But most notably, this game employs a unique mode of transportation called the hook and parachute combo. You shoot a grappling hook at any solid object (including the ground) and it propels you in that direction. Then, if you open one of your infinite supply of parachutes, you get lifted into the air. You can then use the hook to keep gaining momentum or change direction. Takes practice but is a whole lot of fun once you learn it. And there are tons of other fun things to do with the grappling hook. Use it to scale mountains and buildings, even use it to kill your enemies in some pretty wild ways. Realism takes a back seat to fun factor in this game, always, but that's what makes it fun.
The story (You're an agent trying to find another missing agent, as well as topple a corrupt government) isn't very good at all, and the writing and voice acting are at times just plain bad. Luckily, the cutscenes take up very little of your time and the missions themselves are a blast... literally! The central focus in this game is blowing stuff up, pure and simple. Shooting people down is just a way to stay alive so you can keep blowing stuff up, and man is it satisfying! There are hundreds of locations hiding thousands (yes, thousands, I'm not exaggerating) of collectibles and stuff to blow up. And then there are other collectibles hidden elsewhere in the world. If you are crazy enough to try and 100% this game, it will take you a really, really long time. I'm at over 70 hours of gameplay now and still haven't even gotten 50% completion. Now, that's partly because I've been taking my time with it, cruising around enjoying the scenery, etc. but there is a LOT to do. But I still haven't gotten tired of it. Took a break to start a new game, then came right back to it before finishing that one!
Now, the shooting is excellent but the driving takes a lot of getting used to. Some vehicles are quite slow (though you'll know by looking at them) and the fast ones are kind of touchy. Still, you can eventually get to where you're flying down the highway and taking the turns (what takes the longest to get used to) in no time. The key to enjoying the driving- well anything in the game, really, is to not take any of it too seriously. Crazy things will happen; it's guaranteed. But it's always the good kind of crazy. Even when I was about to die in a mission or base I tried to take over, I couldn't help but smile at the outrageous events taking place.
The flying is about the best I've ever seen. I unlocked a jet in the black market and was in it pretty quick. Seeing how easy it was for me to do flips, barrel rolls, and fly upside down without crashing brought a smile to my face. Even the helicopters (of which I was never a big fan of in other games) are quite fun to fly around in. Free-falling is a real delight. Seeing the vast map in all of its glory as you're plummeting toward the ground or water never gets old. Boats are fun too. There are events called "race challenges" for all of these modes of transportation (driving, flying, free-falling, boating) and the vast majority of them are just right degree of challenge. You also come to find that for the flying challenges (which can get especially nerve-racking, asking you to fly under bridges at high speeds!) you can usually use a helicopter which makes it easier - if you're a pansy like me, that is. Again, unlike with other games, I came to really enjoy the boating challenges. And swimming underwater is also a pleasure. As with the rest of the map, they put a bunch of detail in the scenery there that they could've easily neglected to add.
Only "flaw" I can think of is that the black market (a helicopter you can call to deliver equipment and vehicles, or extract you to another part of the map) doesn't make every single vehicle available. There are over 100 vehicles in the game, and it would've been nice to have instant access to them all. Still, it gives you one of every TYPE of vehicle, and you can upgrade their stats same as you can with the weapons. I would complain about the ammo being scarce, but you can usually find what you NEED and eventually order whatever you WANT. All in all, this game is beyond spectacular. I'm very glad I found it!
P.S. - Though there is the occasional use of mild "cussing" (i.e., the 'D' word) in cutscenes, the language is surprisingly clean for a game with an 'M' rating. I guess it's rated M because there is blood when you shoot people and there's a reference to a club actually being a whorehouse but nothing beyond that. There isn't any nudity or promotion of drug use, etc. They didn't have time to put all that crap in this game; they were too busy making it fun! ;) | video-games_xbox |
Best you're going to find for the XBox. Let's face it. So far, any attempt to make a good racing game for the XBox has flopped. There are indeed fans of PGR and PGR2, but that doesn't mean they were terribly successful games. The XBox controllers are partly at fault, and the game designers are the other factor. The Xbox itself is capable of a killer racing game, but none of the developers have put it's abilities to use. Mostly what you see are mediocre racing games with overdone reflections and effects.
PGR2 wasn't terrible. It wasn't that great either. I found the physics to be the best of any XBox racer, though that doesn't say alot, as previously mentioned. I've never found the kudos system to be much of an attraction, especially since most of the things you have to do to get the most points involve killing your racing line. This would be fine in an arcade racer, but such gimmicks aren't necessary in a simulation. Here lies the problem with this game. It tries to be both an arcade racer and a simulation at the same time. This doesn't come off very well. The graphics are pretty good, and the gameplay is decent, but the clash of arcade and simulation sometimes can ruin the fun. I personally don't like to be rammed by other cars in a simulation, although it's acceptable in an arcade racer. If the physics allowed for a quick recovery, it would be okay, but you can't recover very easily from a wreck in a simulation so you just end up screwed.
Pros:
-Best racer for the XBox
-Pretty good physics
-Decent graphics
-Ferrari's
Cons:
-Not on par with sim's like GT3, but not on par with arcade racers like NFSU either
-Kudos don't make sense. Am I supposed to drive like a maniac or supposed to drive properly? Pick one please.
-Car selection could use some work
-AI is out to get you
I suggest this title only for renting. If you want good racing games, wait for Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo 4 to be released. In the meantime, either play NFSU or GT3. They both offer far more for their respective categories. GT3 has the best physics, car selection, performance tuning options, and graphics of any racing game to date while the NFS series dominates arcade racers. Burnout 3 isn't a bad choice either. | video-games_xbox |
Close... but not quite there yet. This is a pretty decent game. The graphics are good. Overall gameplay is simiar to Baldur's Gate (xbox): Basic D&D rules are used, but player skill is also required. For instance, when you shoot a bow, you have to aim it yourself, but if you hit, the damage is calculated based on D&D rules. Blocking works similarily.
I like the cooperative multiplayer mode this game offers. This allows you to play the game (main storyline) together with a friend. This is the most appealing aspect of this game in my mind.
Unfortunately, the save game system is a bit of a turn-off. Often, the save points seem to be positioned badly. I would appreciate a save point right before a boss-battle. This is generally not the case. Also, going back to a previous save point after having cleared out most of the level is not an option, because the world isn't truely persisted. In other words: Although the game saves that you picked up gold and other things you might have found along the way, it does not save that you have slain the monster. This might be a good way to gain more XP, but it doesn't help your progress all too much. So you will find yourself fighting through a few minutes of silly battle that you have done before, just to even get to the boss-battle. Argh!
I have now played this game on and off. I keep coming back to it, because overall, it is a pretty good game. But usually I end up a few hours further down the story, but frustrated, and it takes a while before I come back and continue, because I dread re-playing something that I have already done before.
I really wish someone would finally come up with a better save-game concept. The conventional wisdom seems to be that console players do not want to save anywhere and anytime. Instead - according to game publishers theory - console players want save points. Well, I have news for them: I do not buy into this theory. I am a console gamer, and I still want to save anywhere. And with a system like the xbox, this is no technical problem at all.
Overall level design is OK. As someone pointed out here: It is pretty linear. I do not mind that, but some people do. Some levels could be designed a bit better. One of the worst level-design issues actually has to do with the save game system. Often, save points are positioned very inconveniently. One boss-battle for instance has a save point right in the area where you fight the battle. But when you move over the save point, a stupid dialog pops up, telling the player that saving is not allowed during boss battles. You then click the button to make the dialog go away, and bam!, the enemy whacks you and you die. I mean, why even put that stupid save point there if it can not be used until the enemy is killed? It would be easy enough to put it right afterwards, especially since the game is so linear.
Anyway: If you like D&D role playing games, you probably want to check this one out, but be aware that it is a bit action-heavier than D&D games on the PC. | video-games_xbox |
YOGA. Graphics are amazing and the potential is limitless but not exploited. One word comes to mind when I play GTA V: Yoga.. err, Opportunity, I mean.
GTA V has the opportunity to be one of the best video games ever. Not just in the GTA series or even the Rockstar label, but of any label. But it falls incredibly short. Like me when I try to do Yoga.
The absence of many great GTA features, many of them being staples of the series, such as vigilante/firefighter/paramedic/courier/RC missions, have been completely omitted. Gang War/Territory Missions from past titles (San Andreas/Liberty City Stories) are no longer available. Multiple side activities (Bowling, Pool, Air Hockey), which I admit were pretty fun and addicting, have been omitted to make way for new, tedious side activities (Tennis, Golf, and Yoga). On top of the monotony that these activities dish out, Rockstar continues to offer zero incentive to participate in these activities, which continues to beg the question: Why? If I wanted to play 9 holes of Golf I'd play Tiger Woods golf, but at least I can beat the life out of my opponent when I finally get tired of the monotony in GTA V. So there is that little ray of sunshine. Why not offer all activities and let players choose which ones they like? As opposed to being stuck with Yoga.
A great and possibly the best aspect of GTA V are the multiple Heist missions you will perform throughout the main story. This also happens to be a huge opportunity squandered. While the main story heists are fun and exciting, they are finite and very linear. My brain is once again flooded with that dreaded word: WHY? Why not include 50 optional heists that could be planned and carried out whenever and however the player wishes at his or her leisure? Well, it doesn't matter, because you can't. But you can go do Yoga whenever you wish.
Want to play the stock market? Go play the stock market. It would be exciting if it weren't so limiting. Sure there are moments through the story where you can take advantage of the market, but again, it's very linear gameplay for a supposed sandbox free roam world. It would be very fun if you could plan a heist of say, Burger Shot, a fast-food staple of the GTA universe. Plan a heist, rob a Burger Shot, or multiple Burger Shots at once, Remember, you have 3 characters that you can switch between. Pull off a heist, watch the stock of Burger Shot plummet, invest in the stock, then sell when it comes back up after you rob a competing fast-food establishment. Not a fan of Burger Shot, maybe do the same things to Cluckin' Bell, or Well Stacked Pizza? Or pit them against each other, well, it all sounds fun, but none of it is possible in GTA V... but... Yoga. Did I mention the Yoga?
Completely customize your character with clothes and tattoos. Until you realize that you character randomly changes his clothes when you are not playing as them. You buy that fancy $500 chest/back piece tattoo, well, good luck looking at it, you can't ditch your clothes for the shirtless look, so you're just going to have to hope that your character randomly takes off his shirt. Do people take off their shirts when doing Yoga?
Go and explore the map of GTA V... if you find anything, could you let me know? It's pretty much an expansive wasteland of absolutely nothing to do. Rockstar gave up activities and missions to give us a huge map of nothing to do. Drive up to the top of the map, there's a clothing store up there you can check out, it's just like the clothing store down the street from you when down south, with the same clothes that your character will randomly change out of when not playing.
Yoga. | video-games_xbox |
Good, Not Great. I just finished my first play-through of TW2:AOK. When the credits rolled I couldn't believe that it was actually the end of the game. The loot was minimal and uninteresting. The characters were one-dimensional and mostly unlikable. There were three chapters to the game and really only three locations, all of which were similar. Most frustrating of all was that combat is either incredibly difficult or incredibly easy based on the game's settings. If you play on the "Normal" setting prepare to have enemies swing their swords directly through your defenses because the target reticle is still on the guy next to him. If you dare switch to "Easy" you can button mash through every encounter. Magic is underwhelming, far too simple, and often useless. Finally, the story is complex yet the only way to begin to understand it is to read a booklet that comes with the game. There are so many periphery characters that I couldn't keep track of them from one play session to the next a few days later. Some characters are even referred to by their first names on some occasions and their last names on others.
My end verdict is that the game is pretty and challenging but ultimately flawed. There's a lot of potential for an RPG that is specifically geared for an adult market, yet I felt I was playing a prettier but less interesting version of Baldur's Gate most of the time. I'm not a big fan of third-person games, and this game reminded me why every time I needed to climb a ladder or jump down and had to find the specific sweet spot to do so. From beginning to end it took me about 16 hours to finish this game, and the majority of that time was spent either traversing maps (no fast travel) to get Item A to give to Character B or watching extended cutscenes. Compare that to Skyrim where I had 100 hours logged before even attempting the main quest and Witcher 2 simply doesn't measure up. Skyrim was full of "wow" moments and interesting quests that seemed to pop up unexpectedly; Witcher 2 was painfully linear and chock full of uninteresting characters and locations with little upside. I honestly don't understand the five-star reviews that the game is receiving on Amazon and elsewhere. | video-games_xbox |
One of the best rpgs EVER, imo. Imagine a video game-movie hybrid. No, not one of those cheap games where you click to decide what the next scene is. I mean imagine the interactivity and excitement of a video game melded seamlessly with the storytelling and acting of a movie.
This is Mass Effect.
First off, the gaming essentials. Let's start with graphics. The visuals of this game are spectacular. Everything is incredibly realistic and detailed. There is something just awe-inspiring about landing on a moon bathed in the light of a blue-giant star, or looking out at the arms of the Citadel space station. The faces in the game especially are incredibly detailed. And facial expressions are very, very realistic. They really do look like an actual human. One of my favorite cinematic moments is in the very beginning, when an alien Spectre (Special Operations group that can operate outside the law and is the best of the best) looks at an enemy dreadnought and his mandibles open ever so slightly, and you know that multiple expletives are running through his mind.
And speaking of the cinematics, they are incredible. The last few scenes especially... I won't give anything away, but it's worth playing the game JUST to see the ending. some of the most gorgeous and epic scenes I have ever seen.
Every detail in the game is very fleshed out. Each character has their own personality and history, which you can choose to learn by conversing with them on your ship. If you really want detail, by conversing with people and investigating select objects you add to your galactic codex, which is basically your guide to the mass effect universe. And every single planet, even those that you can't land on, has a description not only with scientific statistics but with interesting descriptions about the unique aspects of it. This is definitely one of the most fleshed-out universes I have ever seen in a game.
The combat aspect of the game is also very well done. The shooter aspects are very similar to Gears of War in the over the shoulder camera, the cover system and the use of the left trigger to zoom (though you still get a crosshair when not pulling the left trigger and you shove yourself up against walls for cover rather than pressing A). You also have the option of training in tech and biotic abilities. Tech abilities work best for disabling non-organic machines, as well as disabling enemies' abilities, shields, and weapons, and also cracking into sealed objects. Biotic abilities are kind of like magic or Force powers, ranging from giving your character a defense boost to incapacitating five enemies and making them float around. And your weapons are very upgradable. The upgrades on your weapons can mean the difference between a quick victory and utter defeat.
Also, your character is customizable to an obscene extent. If you have ever played Oblivion, it isn't too far off from that. Not quite that customizable, but close
But where the game shines most (which is saying something, 'cause it shines pretty much everywhere else) is in the movie-esque elements. The conversation wheel is nothing short of genius. The wheel is displayed a couple seconds before your character gets his or her turn to speak. In general, the top sections take a Paragon (the nice, leave-no-man behind approach, roughly equivalent to light side) stance, middle sections take a neutral stance, and the bottom sections correspond to Renegade (the ruthless approach, roughly equivalent to dark side). Replies on the left side generally prolong the conversation, while replies on the right bring it towards a close. Little snippets are present to give the general idea of what your character is about to say, but you'll quickly find that you usually won't need them. You already know that you want to be a dick to the guy you're talking to, so you flip the stick to the bottom-right as soon as the wheel pops up. Once you get used to it, you'll see the wheel pop up a couple seconds before your character can speak, you'll flip the stick over to the general response you want and press A while barely even reading the snippet. Then your character speaks without any interruption in the dialogue, just like in a movie. A movie with good writers, I might add.
The story of the game is amazing, and will certainly leave you waiting for the next hint of wtf is going on. And, as previously mentioned everyone, including your character, has a story (and you get to choose which of the possible stories you want for your character)
The only complaint I can really make about the game is that it can be a bit buggy sometimes (there have been a few occasions where I got stuck in a corner or something and had to reboot), but those bugs are rare and are nothing that saving your game often can't fix. Oh, and the elevator rides are too long. Imo, you know that a game is good if the person has to resort to complaining about elevators in their review.
All in all, I would say that this game is a must-buy for any 360 owner. I have played through it four times and I'm still not tired of it. I get done, take a breather, and say "okay, let's try playing with a different character class now" and boot my box right back up. And you can start a game over with the same character at the same level with the same equipment, which is necessary if you want to max out your character at level 60. Did I mention that Bioware has said that your character carries over into the next two games? I can tell you this much: if those games are as good as the first, this is going to go down as one of my favorite game series of all time. | video-games_xbox |
Your Shape 2012 For Xbox Kinect -- Highly Recommended. This is just what I needed for the start of another Wisconsin winter!
I've played Your Shape 2012 for about 6 hours worth now, so I think have a good enough impression of it. I didn't buy the first Your Shape game, because of the lukewarm reviews it got, because of my disinterest in Wii Fit after a few weeks, and because I do work out fairly regularly at the YMCA. But I had a feeling about this new one, so I bought it.
So far, I think it's a great game with a ton of fun, calorie burning and strength and flexibility building workouts. As a teen I never did sports, but I maintained a healthy weight, probably due solely to teenage metabolism. In my 20s, I struggled with weight. At my highest I weighed just under 300 pounds. I've kept off 110-130 (depending on the month) pounds for over 10 years. Not the greatest, but not bad when you're 6 feet tall. ANY game (DDR!), program, machine, activity, etc. that is somewhat tough, but also fun and motivating is good in my book. Your Shape Fitness 2012 fits in this category.
OVERVIEW
The game has all sorts of warm ups, exercises and classes (supposedly about 90 hours' worth) to keep you sweating and keep you coming back. And there's enough variety that if you find an activity or two that you despise (Stomp It -- I suck at it!) there are plenty of other activities to keep you happy (LOVE the punching/combat routines). The female voice that talks to you through the activities is pleasant. I've had some games, like versions of Dance Dance Revolution, where I've turned the voices completely off because they irritated me so much. There are different instructors in different classes and workouts, dressed for the activity they're doing.
The Kinect Sensor is pretty darn accurate in regards to what I'm doing and when. Seeing ME on the screen was a little disconcerting at first. But, when I considered how much it helps to watch a mirror when exercising to see what I'm doing right and wrong, I realized how useful seeing myself on the screen is. Even if I look 10 pounds heavier than I am. It doesn't seem to 'get' me certain times, like when I'm doing certain Yoga poses --- registering as 0% accomplished sometimes -- but there are few situations where I've had this issue. It's even dead-on with most of the floor exercises. Remember when you're playing, whether you score 0% or 100%, as long as you're moving and working out, you ARE doing good for your body. So don't worry about your accuracy too much!
I love Body Combat classes at the Y, and I find all the punching/kicking Your Shape classes and activities to be very similar. They're slow to start out, but it's really good because it gives true beginners a chance to figure out what they're doing. Once you understand the moves, you can pursue the higher level, longer length classes. Destination Bollywood, something I know I'd never have tried in front of actual people, is also turning out to be really fun. I'm getting to the point where I may actually attempt a class "in the real world" like this someday. The Zen Classes are relaxing and a great way to do final stretches at the end of a workout. Some of the activities and classes might be too complicated for younger kids, but there are enough games like Run The World and Jump Rope, that they'll probably keep wanting to play, too. (Those are also fun for adults!) We have four kids (ages 9-13), and they've all enjoyed Your Shape too, although I figure they think of it as more like a game, so I'm not sure how long it'll keep their interest.
OBJECTIVES
One thing that's a little weird, and non-motivation-like, is you can set up an Objective for your workouts. You can choose an option like "Get Toned" or "Lose The Muffin Top" and, depending on a few other things you choose, you'll be told how much time and how often you should exercise each week. If you do this, activities that fit your chosen Objective will be flagged from then on, until you finish your Objective or change Objectives. This is all good, but I've found ONLY the flagged activities count towards your Objective -- so you might work out 50 minutes, but if only 20 minutes were of flagged activities, your Objective will only be 20 minutes closer to being done. What's more, is many of these flagged activities are in the harder range -- meaning, you may need to work up to that activity awhile before you can do the hard version of it. Some of the harder activities are locked until you complete easier versions of that routine. This is all fine, and not a deal breaker, but I think some people will get frustrated at how difficult it may be to reach Objectives they set out to accomplish. Also, some may push themselves to do harder versions of an activity than they're ready for, so as to do the Flagged Objective activities.
Well, whatever. I just suggest you don't take the Objectives too seriously. Hopefully this will be fixed in an update, but if not, it's not the end of the world.
ONLINE COMMUNITY
In game, when you complete different activities/workouts, it'll show you how you rank compared to your friends. But that only works if your friends are consistently using it too. There's supposed to be this huge "Online Community" on Ubisoft where you can join events and challenges, and compare your accomplishments to others around the world. So far, that's been pretty much a joke. The only thing I've been able to do is log into Uplay, make an account there, and look at my profile, which consists of my name and birthdate. Facebook just has a Your Shape 2012 page, but there is currently no way to upload your times/etc. into it, although in the actual game there's a video you can watch, which says you can do just that. On my iPhone I've installed the Your Shape app (free). The app lets you see how many minutes you've worked out and how many calories you've burned each day in a little graph. That's it so far. I just wish they'd say they're working on this stuff, and maybe have a way to tell people when it's up and running, instead of saying this amazing Online Community is working and awesome, when it clearly isn't. I'll update this part of my review if that changes.
QUICK TIP - PAUSING THE GAME
I couldn't figure the out the first few times I played, so maybe this will help others: If you need to pause it or take a break, just leave the Kinect sensor's range for a moment. The game immediately pauses, and when you come back you can resume the activity you were doing, or go back to the main menu.
RATINGS ON A 5-STAR SYSTEM
- Varied exercises 5
- Varied difficultly levels 5
- Fun factor 4.5
- Keep-you-coming-back factor 4.5
- Online community connection 2 (at least it sounds like they'll have this going sometime!) | video-games_xbox |
The worst way to end Desmond's story. Before starting, be aware that I will have some spoilers in this review. However, I'm adding them under the big "SPOILER" title, so you can read a free-spoiler text for the most part.
Now, shall we begin?
As you might (should) know, Assassin's Creed 3 is the third part of Desmond's story in the Animus. I say 3rd part, since AC II, Brotherhood and Revelations were in the same timeline, therefore they are included in one part.
After learning about the Assassins and Templar's mythology with Altair, getting the skills of a real assassin with Ezio, our hero Desmond now needs to find a way to stop the end of the world through a hidden technology left by "the one who came before". However, to open the door which protects this technology, Desmond needs to discover another ancestor, Connor, who hid the key somewhere.
And now we have a game. I will talk separately about all elements of the game, but first, general comment:
"Basically, AC III is an unacheved and unenjoyable game, and it destroyed part of the Assassin's Creed franchise. This is due for half to what I called the "I'm a God" syndrome by Ubisoft, and for half to rushing the game so it can be sold for December 2012."
STORY (DESMOND): 2.5/5
Let's start with the real Hero: Desmond.
His story is very disapointing here. Not so much on what is told, but more on what is missing. Lots of elements from the previous episods, that were main events, are now secondary facts, barely talked here (1). Disapointing. And new elements added, like Daniel Cross, are not living up at all to the player's expectations (2).
As for the ending (don't worry, no spoiler), it happens in 2minutes total, even though it is the end of Desmond's story. Ubisoft is disrespectful against the player, who invested so many hours in this interesting character, only to see his story end so fast, with no building up of pressure (3).
STORY (CONNOR): 1/5
Connor's story is during the American Revolution, probably one of the most interesting moment of the American History! And yet, it is boring. If you avoid the fact that both Connor and his father are pals of ALL the main American Patriots (but curiosly never happens to be in Manual history), the subject is poorly treated (4). Ubisoft decided to go from one main event (Boston Tea Party) to another main one (Revere's ride), without linking them properly. This misrespect of storyline is ridiculous and sad, especially considering the efforts put in the history facts for the previous games.
Also, lots of moments show Connor achieving his goal (a.k.a. killing a templar), with no consequence whatsoever on the other characters around (5). This doesn't feel right.
Finally, the story shows Connor as a "Pro-American", even though it should not be the case with the general story. I mean, the Patriots' leaders are showed not as nice as we know them. Slavery is a fact, there is a huge political game, and even though the ideas they are following are ideas are freedom and justice, you realize quickly that it isn't as pretty as it should be. However, Connor kills Loyalists with no hesitation (but gets angry when the Templar do the same), takes the forts and put an american flag (even though he is saying he isn't supporting openly the patriots, but he is against the templar), and more (6).
And what about Achilles' story, that is kept in the dark (7)?
One last thing, Connor recruits some assassin's along the game, but you have to ask "why?". Ezio was a mentor, he is the one who developed the Brotherhood until it reaches full power. Not Connor. The idea of having recruits is the opposite of what Connor is believing in - being an Assassin is a mean, not an ideal for him, for most of the game. But maybe he is manipulating people... but considering he is not used to the political game at all -since he is an amerindian who has been trained by Achilles, he doesn't know a thing about the rest - that is unbelievable.
GAMEPLAY (CONNOR): 1/5
Terrible!
So yes, you can run. Yes, horses are back. Yes, map are big. Yes, now you can kill everybody just by pressing B at the correct moment.
But basically, you still have the problems of Connor suddenly trying to escaladate the wall even though you want to just run in the streets (I thought we complained enough about this in the previous games!); the horse is basically useless in the Wild, and slow in town; Buildings are small, so the feeling of "height" isn't there; And seriously, at the Frontier, am I the only one who noticed that you climb the SAME TREE every time?!?; the map are so big, that you need to Fast Travel all the time, or spend 1h to cross it, which makes the game boring.
As for the combat, you still have the camera problem of "oops! Now I can't see a thing because the camera is behind the wall", which is freaking annoying. Also, killing a group is now more than easy, it is trivial. Therefore, no need to be stealth, you can just charge and kill. You might think then "what the point of having poison, silent bow, and hidden blade. Yep, exactly my point... (8)
And finally, BUGS!!!
I don't know if the PS3 version is better than the Xbox 360 version, but Bugs are a pain in the *** ! You have the classics "hand through building", "weapons through the legs", "horses not jumping", "Connor jumping next to the haysack, not into".. We could have expect Ubisoft to fix this, but apparently, they don't care.
But add to this, we have gameplay bigs and glitches, that makes you start again a mission:
- naval mission: the fregate you are suppose to destroy doesn't appear. You even have your XO telling you "look capitain, the ennemy fregate is on the left", and you see nothing...
- stealth: you walk in a group of people, hidden, you are not notorious, but still the ennemies noticed you and attack you..
- and so on...
Oh yeah, also, the last mission... see spoiler (9).
Oh, I almost forgot: charging time! Open world doesn't work well with cinematic (maybe it will be ok on next gen, Idk), therefore you end up with too many charging time. This cut completely the gameplay, and makes you want to skip everything. That is just sad..
GAMEPLAY (DESMOND): 1/5
Same can be told for Desmond's gameplay.
In order to make things a bit more difficult, there is no sign when to counter attack, therefore you have to look at your opponents. But the ennemy IA is just a mess... One example: when the security guards are firing on you, they are like the Loyalists with muskeets in the Animus. They take at least 5 seconds to prepare, aim and fire ONE bullet. Unrealistic, not challenging, not interesting.
WORLD/AMBIANCE: 2/5
One can at least says Assassin's Creed III looks nice. Great colors, different faces for the characters, impressive features. But this isn't a big jump compared to Revelations, where it was already impressive. I don't know how much work has been done on this, but the characters are not the main part of the work.
The towns? Yes, Boston and NY look nice. Typical, both of them, with nice buildings in which you can walk through sometimes. And it is sad, because this isn't used at all, the mission never requires you to go through a building.. A great feature lost.
The Frontier is nice, but unappealing again. The distances between towns are absurd, therefore you need to fast travel regulary, which break the gameplay. Hunting is fun, until you get bored and then you stop it. Btw Ubisoft, killing a bear with a hidden blade, why not. Killing 10 bears with a hidden blades, this is ridiculous.
Your homestate could have been a great place, an interesting and great "secondary quest" place to get invested in the game. However, it is soooooo annoying! Connor act like a brat with his mentor, and this relationship is boring to say the least. You never feel the father/son relationship, because Ubisoft over do it, and there is no follow up to any interesting point (10).
As for the other inhabitants, they are a little interesting, but not well developped. I mean, you have by the middle of the game a fully functionned town. But you need to go to Boston or NYC to by the weapon/outfits, you can't buy them to your friends. Really? So, what is the purpose of having a town? Crafting new items that you can sell to buy things later.. (11)
Finally, your house is the worst building ever created in an Assassin's Creed game. It is not well presented, with items everywhere but not clearly exposed. Your bedroom is simply an ugly block with a few things on the walls, and the assassin's underground is just an empty room (12).
CRAFTING AND ASSASSINS: 1/5
Crafting is the less fun thing of the game. You spend fortune, just to build something basic like a barrel of beer, that you will sell by land or boat, to finally get some money, to do this again. Is this suppose to be interesting? Really Ubisoft, that is your definition of fun? Also, why do the price of an element you are crafting is increasing for any new one? On the contrary, it should be cheaper, like "100pounds to craft 1 barrel, but 500pounds to craft 10". That would make more sense.
An advice, just reach the point you have Bear Pelts, buy them 240, sell them 1100. You don't need to go through the BS crafting mode, and you'll get enough money to buy the thing you need.
As for the assassin's I liked at first the idea every recruit has his/her own skill. You don't have thieves, mercenaries or prostitutes anymore. But then, why ALL of your assassins get immediately the new skill? Without training, they now know everything. It makes no sense. And RPG lover, you remember when you could decide how to develop your assassin, with blades or armors, and see them grow? Nothing like this here, the Assassin's Guild is a useless thing (and it isn't logic with Connor personality, as I said above).
The weird part is that each assassin has its own background and look. Then, why are they all the same?
NAVAL MISSIONS: 5/5
You heard about it, Naval missions are great. Actually, they are fantastic. To a point that you have to ask: "Ubisoft, how can you make such great naval mission, and a bad game next to it?"
My answer (I don't know if this is true) is that Ubisoft starts to work on AC IV and naval battles in the same time they starts to work on AC III. And they realize it was a great idea, but they needed 1 more year to make a game. So they include small missions in AC III, as a teaser for BlackFlag, and rush the rest of the game. It is typically a screwed up way of treating fans in my opinion.
Here you go, I think I pretty much talk about every point I had in mind. My advice: don't loose your time on this, just read some spoilers about the story so you don't have to spend time on this terrible game.
Now there are some spoilers, so if you don't want to know more about the story, stop right here.
Thanks,
----------------- SPOILERS ---------------------------------
1) The fact that Lucy was a Templar working undercover, it is told a little bit through side conversation, but it has no impact at all on the story - even though it was the main event of Brotherhood's ending!
2) So, Daniel Cross is Templar who infiltrated the Assassins, then came back to the Templar. Interesting story, no? Barely developed, barely talked about... And even though you can forget the "I'm freaking out just when I'm gonna kill Desmond", you killed him and he's treated like any other soldier. Ridiculous.
3) Desmond opens the door, then Minerva appears and told him the truth: if he helps Juno, she will take control of the world like a Templar. But the alternative is almost everybody dies, the one who will survives restart the same cycle (religion wars, corruption, etc). Desmond chooses Juno way, says goodbye to his dad, then sacrifices himself. IN LESS THAN 5MINUTES!!! UBISOFT, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME ?!?
4) You are the one throwing away the tea, riding with Revere, organizing the defense of Leximbourg, killing the Loyalist's general at the Bunker Hill battle, but you have been forgotten from history? Really?
5) When you kill Pitcairn at Bunker Hill, you are in the battle, you run the whole field, you avoid guards, you finally reach a tree above him, and you jump on him in the middle of HIS campment, with dozens of soldiers around. This should mean that you are totally screwed, with so many around you. But no, suddenly, the guards are far away, you escape without any problem, and you reach the Patriot's General in no time. Even him says "I can't believe it!" Neither can the player.
6) Basically, the Assassin's Recruits are following you because you are against the Loyalists. You tell them that the Templars are the actual ennemy, but the fact is the Templars are supporting the Patriots for a part of the game! So what, your assassin's are stupid people who can't think by themselves as soon as they get their mantle (Oh I forgot, they will never get it...).
7) The entire American Brotherhood has been destroyed by the Templars, only Achilles survived. And apparently, his wife and son were killed. What about it? Why can't we see or heard about it? It has been commanded by Haytham, so why can't we play a part when the Templars launch their attack against the Brotherhood and kill everybody? And if you say "because we are only following the story about the medallion", then why do we have so much back story of Connor then? And I personnally believe that the destruction of the Brotherhood is a capital part in the backstory, and should have been told for the purpose of the game.
8) Taking a fort requires no strategy. Just charge by the main door, kill the capitain. Then kill the people around. Destroy the Gun Powder building. And raise the flag. So much for the originality.
9) The idea of loosing blood and the world is blurry when you kill your father, ok, that was interesting. But then, why do Connor go straight to Charles Lee? The guy is having a PUBLIC SPEECH for god sake! And you have 6 assassin's ready to help you, or you can climb the building behind, or so many other solution!! After you get arrested, escape, and find him in Boston, you chase him to the gallion in construction, which mysteriously happens to be in flame because "Careful sir, there has been an accident!". Really Ubisoft, that is the best you can do? You finally reach Lee, you are injured, he is not. You are weak and lying on the floor, he is standing. And he FREAKING STARTS TO TALK, like a James Bond villain! You shoot him, with the OBVIOUS gun you had on the side (you don't even hide it), but you don't kill him. Then you pass out. Why didn't he kill you now? You wake up, still in the boat (which btw, is not buring now. Curious). You are now suddenly at the bottom of the boat, walking slowly (lost of blood) to a guy you never met, who makes a joke (so funny to see a dangerous guy covered in blood, right?), then tells you that Lee took a ferry. Why not, but then, why does Connor suddenly appear in front of the PRECISE INN Lee is hiding in??? Don't forget he is injured, half dead, and it takes you 5min to walk the 100 ft to reach Lee. It should have take him 7 days to reach the place! And he would have probably die - I mean, the wound probably perforated his liver, am not sure how he can live like this, especially with the possible infection.. He finally reaches Lee, who is kinda waiting for him, with no weapon, nothing. He doesn't even poison the bottle, no, nothing. This is a huge middle finger to the face of the player..
10) Like the mission in the Cave, you get Achilles mantle 10min after - even though he tells you that you will get it only when you are ready. Or the painting you get, but you don't know his family. Seriously Ubisoft, want to know how real relationships look like? Play The Last Of US.
11) One of the last mission the doctor has, is apparently after a battle (no idea which one), and you have to find Diane and bring her to him so she can help. Who is Diane you ask? Exactly, no idea. I believe she is the one who treats Achilles, but you have no element which tells you where she came from. Once again, a "could have been good idea".
12) Why would you hid your weapons in the cave, old man? If you get attack, you need them ready! Like at the second floor! Do you want to get trapped while looking for your blade? It is not like anybody is visiting you, you can keep things for you to see, like a proud exhibit of being an assassin. Also, when you reach the place as a teenager, Achilles tells you "the building barely holds together, it needs some repairs". Why then it looks EXACTLY THE SAME at the end of the game? | video-games_xbox |
The American Revolution done right. Assassin's Creed III provides everything you could want from a third game in a trilogy (Or a fifth if you want to consider Brotherhood and Revelations as part of the main series, which I don't). From the gameplay to the graphics to the story, it takes the series to a whole new level. I'll try to break it down by different areas and my opinion on each.
Gameplay
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The game plays mostly like a dream. A few subtle button changes and shifts make Connor much easier to control than his ancestors were, but for long time AC fans, it does require a bit of retraining, which can be rough at times. For the people having trouble free running in the trees, you aren't supposed to press the A button to jump from branch to branch. The right trigger is all Connor needs to follow your directions through them. The combat has also been given some small changes. Instead of the right trigger being the block button, they moved it to the B button, and kept the combo kill streaks from Brotherhood. Once you get used to it, it actually works a lot better. For one thing, you don't need to disengage with the left trigger before you can run away from a battle. Now pressing the free run button lets you run away immediately, and helps stop the reengage problem when trying to run away in past games.
Hunting and naval battles are also introduced, and both provide a perfect change of pace from the normal gameplay. I've spent more time than I care to admit running around the frontier and hunting all the different animals. It really gives the frontier a lot more depth, especially considering how boring most of it could've been without the hunting. The naval battles are just amazing. I was skeptical watching the previews of them, thinking it didn't look fun at all, but the controls work perfectly and it's just plain fun to take out an incoming fleet.
One thing I do miss is the way the economy worked in Ezio's trilogy. One of the most addicting parts of ACII was restoring Monteriggioni and reaping the economic benefits from it. III has homestead missions, and convoys and crafting and other stuff, but it just didn't connect with me the way it did in previous games. The Assassin Recruit bit is also less addicting than it was in Revelations. I'm confused why they didn't have the recruits dress as assassins after they join you. The different abilities you can use them for was a welcome addition, however.
Story
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Assassin's Creed games always tell you two stories: Desmond's story, and an ancestor's story. In my opinion, while Desmond's story is a great idea in theory (all credit to Kirksplosion for that wording), his actual story just isn't all that good, and this game is no exception. My favorite line in the game is when a Templar is bearing down on Desmond with a pistol, and asks him why he is fighting people with an assassin's blade and a knife, when everyone in the 21st century has guns (or at least should. Why no one for Abstergo had an automatic weapon is beyond me). It really makes you wonder about his story in ACII, because the whole point of him reliving Ezio's memories in that game was to learn his assassin skills, which are rather outdated in today's world. If they wanted him to learn what it is to be an Assassin, then it worked fine, because Ezio was an amazing Assassin. Keep in mind that the Assassins in this series aren't assassins like you would normally think. They don't always hide in the dark and pick off targets like a hitman. They exist to stop the Templars in any way necessary, hence their Creed. As regular assassins, they'd all be rather terrible, as everywhere Altair, Ezio, and Connor went, people knew of their exploits. Also, if you were wondering about the Truth that the Ezio trilogy was building up, don't expect any answers here, because it is pretty much ignored. I don't remember any mention of that Adam and Eve stuff, or how it mattered in the end with Desmond's story. If you were wondering why Lucy was gone in III, either play Brotherhood or read up on its story, because I think her absence is mentioned in passing once. All that said, it's hard to downgrade my rating of the game over Desmond's story as it takes such a small amount of time compared to what happens inside the animus.
What Desmond's story lacks in quality, Connor's story more than makes up for in every way. If you've read a few reviews of the game, you are probably already aware that the first 3 sequences of the game follow Haytham Kenway, Connor's father, and that most people hated every bit of it. To them, I say calm down with all the hate. Haytham's story is brisk, well told, and perfectly sets up the game for Connor's story. I have no idea why people were so upset that they didn't get to run around as Connor right away. The only thing Haytham can't do that Connor can is run around in the trees. He is Connor's equal in every other way, and 90% of Connor's story wouldn't have near the same impact if you hadn't played Haytham's part first. I'm also confused as to the complaints I've seen that the game is too cinematic heavy. Cut-scenes set up and end each mission, just as they have done with every other game. If anything, there's actually less as many of the side missions don't put you in to a full blown cut-scene before they let you go do them. The only real problem with Connor's story is his naivety, especially when confronting Templars. This is the first game in the series where I've noticed that the Templars are making as good or better a case for their actions than the Assassin is making for stopping them. That quibble aside, Connor's story goes through a great balance of twists and turns, and the father/son aspects with Haytham really add a personal touch to the story that none of the previous games had before. I would recommend the game based on Connor's story alone.
Graphics
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The graphics are some of the best I've ever seen on a console. It's amazing what they were able to get out of a seven year old system. What's more amazing is that they were able to render the same environments in both summer and winter, and how amazing the landscapes looked in both. Yes, there are some issues, like swords and other weapons going through clothes, but every game before had the same issue. Case in point would be the Assassin Recruits in Revelations. If they had the crossbow and the cape, the two mashed together and went through each other horribly. One issue I did come across was when trying to ride a horse places, I frequently got stuck on random objects, especially in the frontier, which caused the game to freak out and both the horse and Connor to glitch badly until I could get them unstuck from the object. A second minor issue is that if you change the coloring of Connor's outfit, in cut-scenes it still reverts to the white outfit you start with. This is particularly jarring since in previous games, any outfit change you made was fully reflected in the cut-scenes. Other than that I didn't really have any issues with the graphics. Yes, there was some pop-up, but in a game this graphically strong on such an aging system, it's nothing worth complaining about.
Audio
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The music in the game was top-notch. Most noteworthy was the chase mission music. Even after the fifth time I heard it, I still got pumped to chase the Templars down. The sound effects were about what you would expect from a game. Nothing sounded out of place. The only drawback in here was the dialogue in the indian village during the couple segments with Connor as a youth. After a half hour of hearing nothing but them speak the native Mohawk language, it got old real fast. I appreciate the accuracy they went for with it, but there's a reason why Ezio and company didn't speak Italian during the whole game in ACII, despite it being set in 15th century Italy. Thankfully tho, the game doesn't take very long to get Connor out of there and on his way to English speaking lands.
Conclusion
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If that was too long of a review, here's the short version: Whether you've played all the previous games in the series, or none of them, give this one a try. The setting is amazing, Connor's story is amazing, and the gameplay is about as fun as you could ask for. The game isn't perfect, as no game will ever be, but its good qualities far outweigh the negative points. The game is probably a 4.5 out of 5 stars game, but Amazon doesn't do half stars, and I can't justify taking the full star away over awarding it to the game. | video-games_xbox |
Game of the last 2 years. I'm giving this game 5 stars because the gameplay was fun, the music was great, the story was a unique take on nationalism/communism/quantum physics, and the visual style was brand new. This is to emotion what Fallout 2 is to survival.
Gameplay - The "plasmids" have been improved in a big way. In Bioshock, we had lightning blast, fire blast, ice blast, wind blast, etc. This has a tentacle you can use to grab people across the map and pull them in front of you, a murder of crows that distracts enemies and nests in their corpses, a shield that grabs incoming bullets and throws them back at enemies, and 5 others, all upgradable. Tears let you summon cover, ammo, health, sentries, mechs, weapons and access points, giving you a little more freedom in choosing a combat style. The rails you use to travel across levels, as well as numerous hidden supply caches, encourage a more movement-based combat style as opposed to the camping and ducking most FPS games have us familiar with. You can mix and match different sets of clothes to get your desired effects applied, like leeching or auto-reload. There's not much in the way of bosses, since the big bad guys in this game are weaker than you, and rightfully so since you're a Pinkerton enforcer.
The music is touching. It's a mix of prototypical 60s hits, original compositions, classical music and gospel. The sound effects for the weapons, the voice acting, and the ambient noise are all carefully constructed and it shows. A lot of work went into the art direction and atmosphere. Propaganda artwork like we saw in Bioshock is prevalent and varied. Irrational was going for a 1912 feel and they nailed it.
The heavily political storyline was approached with maturity and restraint. What I thought would either be a colonial justification echo chamber or a white guilt party actually ended up portraying both sides pretty negatively. The story ended up moving away from politics and into a meditation on time and space, and this is when the story really took off. Irrational didn't go the easy route and pluck random events from their imagination. They made every jump necessary. They wanted to make us intimately aware of the weight of Booker's decision that I'm not going to spoil here. The last part of the ending didn't make a lot of sense, but it was presented beautifully. | video-games_xbox |
Backward Compatibility" and installation issues drag down the system. I purchased this bundle through Gamestop when they had a nice trade-in deal (for my old XBOX 360). I am also a PS4 owner. In my opinion the PS4 is a 4 star system, XBOX One is a 2.5 star system (rounded to 3). Here's why:
XBOX One I just spent hours updating and "installing" the games that came with the bundle. PS4 doesn't take more than a few minutes for this. It seems the XBOX One must run less off the disc or something; it's painful to have to take 10-30 minutes to install each game. (my internet is cable and very fast btw). For someone with poor internet, they'll likely have to spend an entire afternoon performing updates and installations before they can even use the console. And as others mentioned, just installing the games that came with the bundle leaves you with ~680 GB free out of 1 TB. Really?
The overall system interface and online store/etc. are not as intuitive on XBOX One as they are on PS4. Physically the XBOX One is much larger and heavier than the PS4.
A few minor things about this particular bundle that I knew of, but are still skimpy: no headset whatsoever, Ori game is a download only, Gears/Rare Reply games come in a "combo case" instead of separate cases. EDIT: Also, if you have an existing headset-- guess what, Microsoft made the XBOX One controller with a proprietary connection!!! You must buy a $30 "XBOX One Stereo Headset Adapter" if you want to use a standard 3.5 MM headset (like my old Turtle Beaches) with this system. Wow, what a cash grab.
And my number one issue with the XBOX One-- Microsoft's claim of backward compatibility! Well it turns out that very few titles (100ish) are compatible at this time (mid-December 2015). According to their web site, more are "in the works." Well, out of my 11 XBOX 360 discs, not a SINGLE game is backward compatible. This includes games like Call of Duty: MW3 and World at War. Or even Fable III or the Final Fantasy titles. None of those are even "in the works" yet, and who knows if they ever will be. Bottom line is this backward compatibility thing seems like a holiday scam in my opinion to get more sales. Most of the games that are compatible seem like "ARCADE" titles or bundle titles sold on the XBOX store. That includes several from the Rare Replay that came with this bundle.
After that paragraph I decided to round down to a 2 instead of a 2.5. Overall I think this is merely a fair system. | video-games_xbox |
If you like stirring a stick around in a puddle of vomit. Then you might have half as much fun playing Two Worlds!
I bought this game for my step-dad because he was a huge Elder Scrolls fan and is always looking for an RPG fix. I had seen the advertisements, saw it deemed "better than Oblivion" and saw the screenshots. The screenshots have to be the first example I've ever seen where it actually looks worse IN motion.
So, he started up the game and got to the character creation menu. Confused, I was wondering where the buttons were to change the gender, race, etc. of my character. I immediatley snatched up the manual and began paging through.
Oh, what's this? You can ONLY be male. You can ONLY be human. And your class is already that of a Bounty Hunter. How is that an RPG in even the slightest sense? "You can be anyone you want, so long as it's this guy!"
So then we let that slide, and began to fiddle around with the "customizations." (or lack thereof.)
The ONLY customization that was a breath of fresh air in the game was the ability to change the dimensions of your body. I wish this had been in Oblivion, even though Two Worlds featured probably the most basic version you could have. You can be anorexic with arms stretching down below your stumpy legs, or a massive gorilla with a chest wider than you were tall.
The facial customizations were at best, laughable. I spent maybe a half hour just TRYING to get my character to look like someone other than an angry cross-eyed conspitated Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Yes, no matter how hard you try, he will always end up looking like that. Echoing in the back of my mind I could hear: It's not a tumour!!!")
All right, I can let that slide, since I'm mostly going to be seeing his butt while I'm playing instead of his terminator face.
It's been so long since I got rid of this piece of crap, that I'm not sure if I'm remembering the beginning in it's entirety, so bear with me. I've tried to block most of it out. You start out in some dungeon that looks far more expansive than it really is, but is certainly as ugly as it really is. (It's one room, except for a large gate that you can't open anyway, which is also very ugly) with two or three bad guys in it. You hack, slash, kill them and their ugly, then leave. I don't know why you did it either.
Eventually, for some reason or another, you run to a town where people greet you with idiotic expressions like "Greetings!" and then when you talk to them they curse you out or tell you to get lost. Then, when you do, they have the courtesy of wishing you a good day and to be sure to return shortly when your back is turned.
At this point, I decided to look over the idiotic townsmen and terrible graphics to see how simply exploring the landscape would go. One of the first things I did was come across a large body of water. I stepped in, got into swimming position, and this is what my character said: (Mind you this has not been edited.) "Ooooh! Wet!"
Wow, I never thought a one liner of such insignificance could ever ruin an entire game that quickly. This was the last straw, who SERIOUSLY hired a voice actor (not a very good one mind you) and then, with a straight face, told them to say: "Oooh, wet."
I swabbed the blood out of my ears after hearing that and gritted my teeth with grim resolve to try, just TRY to make this a worthwhile 60 dollar gift. Maybe riding horses and doing combat from there would be better?
NOPE! If your horse can even manage to get over even the slighest irregularity in the ground (Hi Ho Silver-- Oh Jesus a twig!) and you somehow manage to overcome it's substantial head trauamas it must have suffered as a newborn (In short, it's just plain stupid.) you might just manage to ride in the general direction (I challenge you to try and pull a straight line) enemy and completely miss him.
Scratch that, let's just see how fighting on foot goes. Hey, a big giant scorpion. That's pretty cool! Oh wait, there's another one. And another one. And another one. And what's this? I can press the same button over and over again to defeat them? That's incredible! Truly this is the convenience in a video game I've been waiting for. Throw variety and skill to the wind, I want to push the same button over and over again against hordes of the same exact enemy! That's what you'll be doing.
..Until you wise up anyway.
I've also noticed many people have been commenting on the vast amounts of armour you can find in the game. Yes, it's true, there are a significant amount of different armours in the game. The only problem is, there are maybe 6 different templates in maybe four different colors. That's the only difference visually you'll notice. The name and effects may be different, but you'd better believe the crappy stuff looks just like the good stuff, which to me doesn't qualify as "tons of armours."
The only few good things about the game was the ability to walk into a town without a load screen (instead they just raise a gate) and combine weapons of the same type to make a more powerful version. Oh, and the ability to quit the game and snap the disc into two. The developer really went the extra step when they added that.
If you choose to play Two Worlds, which I hope you don't unless someone is paying you to do so, then I'm sure you'll only make it, even with the most stalwart determination, to the part where you meet a character who introduces himself as such: "Yes, I am Ho!"
(Just reading this again, almost three years later and every word still rings true. Man, I make myself laugh.) | video-games_xbox |
Some improvements on 2.0, but many game-breaking flaws remain. While Infinity 3.0 improves upon 2.0 in a number of ways: somewhat shorter load times (though still often close to 2 minutes long), better (though far from perfect) control of vehicles, the inclusion of Star Wars and loads of other content, there are some borderline game-breaking issues, some of which are inexcusable holdovers from 2.0. Oh, and way too much Jar Jar Binks...
If you don't want to read the full review, here's the executive summary: 1) You cannot play the play sets on line; 2) If you play split screen, player 2 will not earn in-game currency, will not earn achievements, will not unlock any of the toys or sidekicks, and will not level up their figure for when they go back to solo play; 3) The system of sharing of figures (i.e., between family members) is so convoluted that I've yet to find an explanation on Disney's site that is understandable; 4) This game is plagued with so many bugs/glitches that it's hard to play a session without encountering one. The one I experience almost every time I play is the sound effects cutting out, but not the music, often requiring a restart of the game.
Now the longer review...
First, like Infinity 2.0, my son and I are unable to join each other's game via Xbox Live. The invitee always gets dropped to the dashboard. I went back and forth with Disney support on this with 2.0 and they told me that they were aware of the issue in 2.0 but that I should be confident that it would be fixed by 3.0. It was not. This game crashing also occurs in the Flynn's Arcade portion of the game and I've seen other users on Infinity forums say they also have this issue. It seems to be an issue with both the router/modem used by Comcast and the one used by AT&T U-Verse.
The really sad thing is that even if we were able to connect, we wouldn't be able to play the campaign / play sets together over Xbox Live anyway. Yep, you read that right -- the story mode "play sets", like the Star Wars campaign that comes with this game, cannot be played over Xbox Live. If you want to play with a friend, you have to play split screen. I'm not sure if the upcoming expansions for Toybox Takeover and Toybox Speedway will support online play or only split screen.
So we play it split screen -- which brings us to our next issues. Whoever is playing as the 2nd player does not get any credit for the sparks (the game's currency for purchasing items in the toybox mode) he collects. My son had 307 sparks when he and I started a session, and though it read over 4000 after we played a few missions, it was back to 307 when he fired up a single player session. Worse than this, though, is that he didn't get any of his character leveling progress. Also, player 2 cannot earn achievements in split screen. Oh, and any toys or sidekicks that either player in split screen unlocks only go to player 1. Player 2 is relegated to "tag along" status.
Why on earth would anyone want to play as player 2 if they aren't going to get in game currency, toys or have their character level up?!?
For a game that clearly seems to have a community and family focus, the inability to get a multiplayer game to function properly baffles me. Furthermore, as a game clearly geared toward kids (and kids at heart), there are some enormously frustrating platforming portions of this game. My 15 year old son, who is no slouch at gaming, said, "I have no idea how Disney expects an 8 year old to be able to complete this" during one mission where we both died so many times we were ready to give up.
Also, if you are annoyed by Jar Jar Binks -- and who in their right mind isn't? -- there's about 20 minutes of the Twilight of the Republic play set that will have you ready to throw your controller at the screen. I truly cannot fathom why Disney would interject such a huge dose of Jar Jar into this game. It is worse than the movies. Seriously.
If Disney fixes the multiplayer issues and cleans up the numerous bugs, this turns into a solid 5-star game for me. Really, there is such an amazing amount of content and creativity in this game, it's a shame to see it hobbled by the issues above. That's what makes all of this so sad -- this game truly has the potential to be absolutely amazing, but instead it just leaves me shaking my head in disappointment.
I will say that Disney's tech support, despite being unable to solve my son's and my inability to play a game over Xbox Live, have been very pleasant and prompt in replying to me. Unfortunately, I've about hit my frustration threshold with this game and am ready to throw in the towel. | video-games_xbox |
Rushed-UNFINISHED- Failed. "So many bugs, too epic a story, too little time," is what Obsidian must have been saying as the shelf date of it's first collaboration with Lucas Arts was drawing to a close.
The game play was to be flawless; the story was to be epic, more so than the first installment in the series had been. But strapped for time and with Lucas Arts pushing for the game to be on shelves by Christmas, Obsidian was forced to put out a glaringly obvious UNFINISHED GAME.
Many of us, loyal KOTOR series fans, rushed out to buy the game. But as we approached the 45-hour mark, the horrible realization set in that this was, indeed, a rushed game. We fought through the bugs, the moderate load times, the game freezes harder than we fought through any programmed foe and as we approached the end of the game, the last battle, the cold fact was, that many of the plot lines were left dangling, whole subplots discarded; subplots that you spent at least 6 hours of the game attempting to complete! We pressed on anyway, fought the final battle, only to have a promising ending fall completely flat, left with more questions than answers.
Now, I hear you asking now, cliffhangers? No, not cliffhangers, glaringly obvious plot holes, sucking any satisfaction out of your being that you might have had, in completing a 45-hour long game.
The unrealistic time constraint imposed on Obsidian by Lucas Arts, to rush the game out before Christmas was obscenely detrimental to both the game's play and storyline. Lucas Arts seems to have made the choice long ago that profits come before quality and customer satisfaction, a disturbing trend in the gaming industry today; one that must be stopped. We need to show Lucas Arts that bullying smaller production companies into unrealistic time expectancies is unacceptable.
That games that win awards by default and not merit do not win over consumers!
Over the past few months since the games release, PC gamers have found strings of code, and sound clips from what was to be the games original ending, it was to be of EPIC proportions and lead designers of the game have acknowledged the time constraints as a major reason for the cutting of that material. Chris Avellone, lead designer, has even mentioned asking LA for permission to do a content patch, but has yet to hear back.
DO NOT PURCHASE AN UNFINISHED GAME. DEMAND A COMPLETE ONE.
[...]
~Emily C. Lang | video-games_xbox |
Better than the 360 controller, but not much better than anything else and terribly overpriced. I really don't understand the trend of these reviews... The most critical one was actually just a "fair" one and the greatest warning was that the stick breaks easily... I really wouldn't agree with that. As stated within my title, this stick is definitely greater than the default 360 controller, that really can't be argued, conversely however, it's definitely not of the quality I was expecting after reading most of the other reviews up here myself. I was expecting very intuitive diagonals when it comes to the area around the stick itself... The buyer doesn't get those. The buttons require a GREAT deal of pressure to actually have moves come out, especially if the buttons have to be used within a uniform fashion. Overall there simply isn't as much control as the average user would expect; frankly I feel much more comfortable playing on my Madcatz pad than on this stick.
I was somewhat fortunate in that I won this within an auction format and ended up paying only about 20 USD, which was one of the reasons I felt even more obligated to write this review. I haven't gotten another stick yet, so I can't make any definitive comparisons, but based off reception I've seen from some people I know to be very skilled when it comes to fighting games, the Street Fighter Tournament Edition stick is far superior, and it can be bought for roughly the same price (brand new) as most of the Hori EX 2 sticks listed here. With that said, while I don't know if I can totally recommend the Street Fighter stick, I would suggest anyone reading this to at least check out the reviews thereof and/or maybe ask friends about it who are knowledgeable when it comes to fighting games...
More important than anything else, DO NOT BUY THIS unless it's your only option over the default 360 pad; I would definitely prefer no one else make the same mistake I did. | video-games_xbox |
Fun Gameplay, but. Let me start off by saying that I buy about every other NCAA game, therefore the last one I owned was NCAA 11.
I was very excited to get this game because I love the dynasty mode, and that is what I will write about in this review.
I am currently 1 and a half seasons in to the dynasty mode with Air Force. Here is what I think:
Pros:
-In my opinion, the overall gameplay is pretty good. Big plays every so often, but not always or never. You can't run the same play over and over again because the defense gets smarter. Overall it's fun and realistic.
- Realistic scores and results. A few upsets and no blow-outs of good teams. I play on All-Star and didn't need to adjust the sliders to get a competitive game
-Recruiting is great: As a small school, I can still get 1-2 4 star recruits, which is better than the normal 25 2 caliber recruits.
-The coaching carosuel is pretty cool also: I know it was implemented in 2012, but if you didn't buy that version it is nice to be able to start as an assistant coach if you like the challenge
-The intros and other small details: There are actually jumpers at the Air Force home games and I can use the Thunderbird uniforms against the other service academies
-Being able to change conferences every off-season too keep up with real football
Cons:
-FREEZING!!!!!!- AT least twice a season, your game will not load, forcing you to simulate. I read reviews before buying the game and thought the freezing wasn't going to be as bad as they made it out to be, but it is. Also, the game will freeze around twice after leaving a game, and probably once more on the home screen
-opposing kickers never, ever miss. Even from 50+ yards it goes right down the middle.
- Limited option plays- not a big deal for most schools, but I thought in previos years they had more plays for service academies/Georgia Tech. I run out of pass plays in the 3rd quarter.
-Even though they claim not to have psychic DB's or super LB's, they do. Somehow, a cornerback will at the last second turn around to make an interception when he wasn't facing the ball the entire play or linebacker will jump backwards will grabbing the interception flat on his back. Also, only the defense runs towards the ball on button routes, never the reciever.
- The trajectory pass does not work for me personally. In the middle of a play, I do not want to have to decide how hard to press the button to lob the pass or not. I want the quarterback to do it for me.
-Zone defense is terrible and not worth calling. The other players on your team are robots. They run to their pre-determined spots and stand there. They do not move even if there is no one around them or to cover someone who stopped their route ahead of them. Also, when a player is running down the sidelines, the AI runs diagnolly with the player instead of running to tackle him.
- Studio updates get old when they go to the same game EVERY time
- College experience is non-existent- No crazed fans, tailgating, load crowd chants, and the band is a massive blob of gold instruments and the team color. Having gone to many Air Force games, the experience isn't even close.
- The game just ends, no after game commentary, player of the game award, or trophy presentation in rivalry games.
-Twice I have been called for holding after being tackled 5+ yards away
The gameplay is really fun and most of the cons I listed don't have a huge impact on the game, they are just annoying. If simulating 2 games a year does not bother you, buy this game, but if you want control over every game, you will get frustrated quickly. The major issues with freezing bring this game down 2 stars.
I just tried Road to Glory and was very disappointed. You start your career out as a high school athlete and get recruited by colleges, which I like. However, once you get to college, you have to earn "Coach Trust" to move up the depth chart. The idea itself is actually interesting, as you have to work your way to a starting spot rather than it being given to you. However, the execution is horrible. I played as a quarterback, and you have to run 25 plays each week in practice to gain or lose coach trust. You get half the amount of points for every yard (10 yards=5 points) and 25 points for a touchdown from 35 yards away. That in itself isn't bad, but 1 intereption is -100 points and a sack is -20, making it hard to gain any points. I played 8 weeks of a season and have zero points out of 800 because I threw ONE interceprion each practice. Also, I was quarenteed a starting spot on CU while being recruited, but arrived on campus to find myself 3rd on the depth chart.
With dynasty always freezing and Road to Glory being to difficult to be fun ( all you had to do was not make interceptions so high of a loss), this game has really lost stars they could have had back easily. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is a great game. But, as usual, there are several simple things DICE could do to improve it.
Difficulty: Battlefield Bad Company 2's campaign is fun, but ridiculously easy. Even on the hardest difficulty it's laughable. As easy as it is, it's still plenty fun. (More on this later) However, the multiplayer is different. Although relatively often you'll be against an entire team that is sniping, (stupid Call of Duty) the multiplayer can prove to be difficult. Especially in hardcore mode. You may have to defend an M-Com Station in the Rush game mode with your life or capture a flag in the Conquest game mode and hope the enemy won't find you. It can be heart-pounding in close games.
Variety of Environments/Mission Types: Battlefield Bad Company 2's campaign takes you from frozen mountains, to blazing deserts, to tropical jungles, to urban towns. You won't get sick of the environment here! Also in multiplayer, the maps are based off of parts of the campaign so there is a nice variety there too.
Weapon/Equipment Variety: In Battlefield Bad Company 2, there is a spectacularly large amount of weapons and equipment. There are plenty sub-machine guns, assault rifles, light machine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, and pistols. There is also plenty of interesting pieces of equipment such as a tracer dart gun, (to shoot enemy vehicles so the engineers can lock on with their RPGs for more accurate fire) med-kits, ammo boxes, and sensors the recon class can use to reveal enemy locations in close proximity to sensor they throw.
Vehicles Variety: There are many vehicles in this game. There are boats, jeeps, tanks, APCs, and helicopters. There is even a UAV you can use to call in missiles and spot enemies with.
Graphics: While Battlefield Bad Company 2's graphics are very nice, they aren't quite as polished as Modern Noobfare 2's. This is with good reason though, because Bad Company 2 has much longer ranges than Call of Duty, so it has to process a lot more every second. That said, Bad Company 2 has some pretty nice graphics.
Sounds: While not quite as nice as Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising's sounds, Bad Company 2's sounds are not bad. In fact, they are pretty good. While they could have a bit more "oomph", they are very nice sounds. Gun-fire even sounds different if you're inside a building.
Campaign: I actually found Bad Company 2's campaign to be quite enjoyable, contrary to what most people say. There was a very nice variety of environments and, excluding a few parts, it was pretty good campaign.
Multiplayer: Most would say that multiplayer is Bad Company 2's core. And they would probably be correct. You can tell how much work Dice put into making this game have a great multiplayer experience. While, like I stated earlier, you do run into some annoying noobs who only snipe (and suck at it), Bad Company 2 has a pretty well-balanced and very fun multiplayer.
The Verdict: While it could use some anti-noob spray and a foul language filter, Battlefield Bad Company 2 has a very fun singleplayer and multiplayer experience. I give it a 4/5. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome idea, but. When I first saw images from this game last year I thought it would be like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ninja-Gaiden-II/dp/B000ZK696O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ninja Gaiden II</a> but with bikini girls. Unfortunately, it's not even close. First, lets get all the bad out of the way...
1. The graphics are pretty lame considering this is a next-gen title. Your playable characters look great, but everything else looks like it's from the PS2. All the enemies and environment graphics have a low rent look at best.
2. The game is very, very easy. There are combos you can learn and skills you can upgrade, but you can beat the game by mashing x if that's all you want to do.
3. The cut scene videos look pretty good, but they don't play smoothly. Again, isn't this supposed to be next-gen?
4. Sticky camera makes it difficult to see who you're fighting.
5. The instruction manual is virtually useless and I had to seek answers for very basic questions by searching game forums.
6. The story is laughable. I've read better stories in the comics section of the Sunday newspaper.
Now, here's the good...
1. There are 3 different characters to play as, each with their own unique fighting style and moves - with one girl using guns and not swords.
2. Includes 2 player co-op, which is always welcome.
3. Beautiful scantly clad female characters to play as provide great eye candy as you mindlessly kill zombies.
4. There's tons of action. If hacking zombies up in an orgy of ultraviolence and gore sounds good to you, then you'll love this.
I'm just 4 hours into the game and it's not the worst game I've ever played, but it's definitely not the best either. The closest thing I can compare it to is <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bullet-Witch/dp/B000ICV996/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bullet Witch</a>, which was another game that wasn't awesome nor completely terrible. So, before buying Onechanbara, I highly recommend renting it first. However, at under $40, it's not a total loss. Just don't expect too much. The box art is the coolest thing about the game, which should tell you everything you need to know.
I thought the concept was tremendous. Bikini girls killing zombies, it sounds like a grindhouse movie from the seventies, but the execution is too poor to get excited about it. Man, if only Team Ninja had put this together... | video-games_xbox |
No advancements in gameplay over a decade. I haven't bought a wrestling game in about a decade. Since this was on sale, I thought why not. Well I'll tell you why not. In 10 years there has been almost zero improvements in gameplay. The career mode is ridiculous. You enter yourself into the hunt for a specific belt, and literally nothing ever happens. Case in point, Im going for the WWE intercontinental title, the champ is Seth Rollins. I have beaten him 15 times in a row, yet Im still ranked 9th out of 10. So I feuded with the guy above me. Beat him in the feud, still nothing. Do it again, win the feud again, still nothing. Kept repeating until WOW, after a half a year (in career mode, not real life) and I FINALLY moved up to 8th! HUZZAH! Then I randomly fight Neville, who isn't even in the title hunt and I immediately jump up to 7th, wtf? This game makes zero sense. For a game based in 2017 (or even 2016) a good number of people aren't even with the WWE anymore, or haven't tagged together in several years.
Im not sure what the deal is with the Authority bonuses...I could figure it out IF the game came with any kind of instructions whatsoever, nope, they even skimped on the paper insert. Its like they blew their entire budget on entrances, which I have now turned off....Speaking of turned off....EVERY SINGLE raw or smackdown you play, you sit through the opening credits for...then it loads up a different screen where you can schedule your run-ins or promos, then back to another load screen, then back to what looks exactly like the previous screen, only for me to push a single button and guess what happens next....yuuup another load screen. If god forbid, you decide (or are forced to) change up your character's clothes (yes thats a thing, you have to switch up your attire every so often to slang tshirts to get vc to buy old superstars or increase your characters skills) another load screen comes up. Half the soundtrack is flat out obnoxious, and you can't even customize it. If you like the raw and smackdown screens replayed ad-naseum, load screens and endless grinding to make minute gains then by all means purchase this. For those of us casual gamers looking to actually advance in a game forget it. WWE really limped to the table with this one. | video-games_xbox |
Infinitely Pleasurable. I was excited about this game after learning that it included a full real-time combat system while keeping some of the characteristics of the classical JRPG game. I found that the game was quite enjoyable, although a little short compared to Lost Odyssey.
The battle system was definitely the best part of Infinite Undiscovery. The ability to enter battles in real-time and avoid and flee from enemies as you see fit was a good feature. Compared to the random encounters of Lost Odyssey or Final Fantasies, there was no competition in real-time. Part of the battle system is also that all other party members are controlled by the AI, although you can limit them quite a bit. The computers are much smarter than they were in Star Ocean, and will use spells and skills fittingly. One flaw is that it is very difficult to access your items yourself quickly, as the if you are hit in battle, it will delay your effect.
Another plus to the game is its item creation system. All items that can be created use materials that can be gathered or gain from killing enemies. It can be much cheaper to create items rather than buying them from the shop. After a while of creating, your character's specific creation trait will grow. Most characters in the game can create items to a specific area, as in alchemy, iron working, enchanting, or writing.
The voice acting was rather awkward and did not fit the lips when the characters talk, as it was made for Japanese dialogue. One particular voice that was annoying belonged to Leonid, the antagonist of the game. He sounds very feminine when talking and it is often difficult to think he is the "evil" guy with his incompetent voice.
The story was quite interesting in the game. Capell, the main character, is captured by the Order of the Chain because he looks like the "Liberator," who is Sigmund. Sigmund leads the "Liberation Force" that goes around the world and removes the chains that bind the moon to a collision with the world.
Additionally, there are three social classes in the game: the unblessed, the meages, and the aristos. All three of these revolve around glyphs. Every child has a lunar rite when they are born that determines what power they will have when the moon is seen visible. Those who are born without the moon visible are called the "unblessed" and are treated as a third class. The average normal person is the "meage" and those who are fully in-tune with glyphs are "aristos" and rule the kingdoms. Capell is an unblessed, and was abandoned as a child because of that.
The characters are diverse and are quite enjoyable. The personalities range from the jealous, kind, arrogant, ignorant, and just. The only characters that I felt no connection with were the two children, who were more annoying than they were useful. Their voice acting did not help the situation and they ended up being a nuisance in the game.
The graphics of the game were quite exceptional. All of the characters, even NPCs, were well designed. They looked excellent during normal gameplay and you could see the detail they had even when battling. All the characters' outfits were well designed as well and fit the characters who wear them.
I would recommend this game to anyone who liked Star Ocean, Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy, or any JRPG game. It has a good story, diverse cast, and excellent gameplay.
Pros:
+Battle system
+Item Creation
+Graphics
+Story
+Replay Value
+Diverse Cast
Cons:
-Voice Acting
-Slightly Short
-Few Annoyances in Battle | video-games_xbox |
Fun, but little content. On gameplay alone I would give this game 5 stars. The feel of riding is excellent and the movement of the bike/rider are much improved. The dirt deformation is improved as well. The graphics are very good also. The game is really fun to play.
But here is what really gets to me with this game;
1. There is no career mode. In order to unlock new tracks and bikes you have to play the first two tracks over and over and over again until you level up.
This becomes quite annoying as you would guess. It would be much more appealing if there was a career mode to work through as you unlock stuff. Of course you could buy the unlock package for $5.
2. There is very little content to the game for the price. Yes there is downloadable content that you can buy to your liking. So far there are two track
packs at $5 each with 2 tracks in each. Also if you didn't buy the game when it first came out (or used) you have to buy a "membership" for $10 in order to get the Stewart compound and in order to download other "special" tracks and gear which of course you have to pay for. That is $20 already which would be the same price for a "full" game and that
is still less content than came with Reflex. On top of that if you want to buy a brand name bike those are $2.50 each. If you are anything like me and sell
your games after you have fully played them, this really hurts the resale price. Any extra money you spend on the downloadable content is gone.
3. There is no supercross. One of the map packs (with a grand total of two courses) is supercross tracks. That is just not enough for me as I like a change of pace sometimes.
For me the amount of money I will have to pay in extras in order to have the same tracks as other players in multiplayer ruins the game for me. I give the game 5 stars for gameplay but 2 stars for structure/content. If you aren't worried about the money then by all means go buy this game. | video-games_xbox |
The new Gauntlet: fun, but ultimately shallow. Once I learned that some of Diablo III's PC woes (i.e. loot drops, auction house) had been remedied for this port, I decided to check it out. After owning the game for a few months and trying repeatedly to enjoy it, I finally admitted to myself the game is dated and uninspired. It looks and plays like it was released in 2003, which should come as no surprise considering development began in 2001. The endless development period and shifting focus during production have left this game feeling out of time and without any concrete identity. Although it is still fun to play for a few hours, I can't help but feel disappointed. Here are my complaints, from smallest to greatest:
1. Static camera angle
You cannot move the camera in this game. No rotation, no zoom. Even <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Champions-of-Norrath/dp/B0000CDZBC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Champions of Norrath</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Baldur-s-Gate-Dark-Alliance/dp/B00005Q8IR/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance</a> had a movable camera, and those games came out a decade ago. The fixed camera puts Diablo III in the same low-budget space as modern hack 'n' slashers R.A.W. (Realms of War) and Crimson Alliance.
2. Lack of enemy diversity
Hacking through the same exact zombie model for the 400th time in the first hour of gameplay is a sure sign of things to come, and the visual repetition becomes dull fast.
3. Bland environments
Diablo III isn't a bad looking game, but it isn't very good, either. Some environments, like the fortress, look like they were pulled directly from a GameCube game, and I'm not exaggerating. (Again, blame the lengthy development period.) The only redeeming visual aspect of Diablo III is the variety of armor and weapons, though the inability to zoom in makes it difficult to enjoy your hard-earned loot while you're on the battlefield.
4. Random dungeon layouts
Random dungeons seemed like a great idea a decade ago, but players and developers quickly realized that instead of creating diversity and replay value, random dungeons actually make everything look exactly the same. Unfortunately, Blizzard missed the memo, and each area of Diablo III has dungeons comprised of about 10 stock pieces. This means you run through the same rooms, same hallways, and same staircases again and again. And then again. Even worse, everything is laid out at right angles, which means you run down a straight corridor, turn left or right, run down a straight corridor, turn left or right...then take a nap.
5. Mindless battles
It's hard for me to say it, but the battle system actually grows tedious. I love this type of game, and typically reject criticisms regarding simple gameplay and mindless hack 'n' slash action, but this game wears thin fast. Lower difficulties are easy enough to put you to sleep, but increasing the difficulty just means you repeat the same evasive moves and attacks 10 more times to kill each enemy, which ramps up the repetition until it is just about unbearable. Coupled with the low number of enemy models and behaviors, playing the hard difficulties is the video game equivalent of treading water.
6. Zero character customization
The real gamebreaker for me is that Blizzard eliminated ALL character customization and building from the game. You level up, and that's it. Not an attribute point or skill point in sight. Every once in a while you choose a new attack or passive skill and a modification for it, but you can swap these out at any time. All decision-making processes involving your character are gone, and without the risk of allocating points there is zero reward or sense of progress for me. It severs the attachment I have to my character, and destroys any impetus I might have to play through the game with the same character more than once. The base character is EXACTLY the same every time you play.
So, the game is ten years too late. But it also feels like Blizzard shot for the largest part of the bell curve with this one. By that, I mean they served up an on-rails action RPG with straightforward character leveling and an uncomplicated battle system that is accessible to anyone, regardless of age or experience. There's a place for that, and I honestly have had some good times playing this game with my girlfriend for that very reason. However, Diablo III holds the promise of extensive re-playability thanks to its massive loot piles and multiple difficulty levels, but the blandness of the overall product can't compel me to grind through it more than once or twice. It is, at best, something to do while I'm drinking and hanging out with friends. Diablo III doesn't offer anything more than Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Diablo-2/dp/B00002CF9M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Diablo 2</a> did over a decade ago, and it pales in comparison to some modern action RPGs like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sacred-2-Fallen-Angel/dp/B001IKHVTE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sacred 2: Fallen Angel</a>. In fact, it is barely more ambitious than <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gauntlet-Legends/dp/B00000K2GI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gauntlet Legends</a> was in 1998. That's a real shame considering the budget for the game, and it leaves me lamenting the fact that something with so much potential could end up so feeling so tired. | video-games_xbox |
Finally, The Ultimate Xbox 360 Is Here. This version of the Xbox 360 is the one that should've been the launch console. It has the HDMI port and a high-quality HDMI cable is included in the pack. Just as important is the upgraded 120GB HDD. If you download arcade games, demos, movies, map packs, and other add-ons, this is an absolute must!
Furthermore, the reliability of this Xbox 360 has been dramatically improved. The new Elite consoles (and Pro consoles) contain the new Falcon motherboard. The Falcon motherboard ensures that your new Xbox will run much cooler than before.
Lastly, the Xbox 360 Elite Bundle comes with two games: Forza Motorsport and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Thus, you are getting $70 worth of games included in this pack for free! Both are great games, especially Forza Motorsport 2 (which was the Xbox 360 racing game of the year).
In conclusion, i've had to change my stance. I would definitely recommend the $450 Xbox 360 Elite bundle over the $400 PS3. Yes, the PS3 is more powerful, however, the HDMI ports and 120GB HDD greatly even out the differences between the two systems. Formerly, I gave the edge to the PS3 due to the HDMI port, reliability, and the 60GB HDD. Furthermore, Xbox Live is far more superior than its PS3 counter-part. I also give the edge to the Xbox 360 due to the sheer number of good-to-excellent titles at your disposal(exclusive to the Xbox 360 are as follows):
Racing Games: Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360 Racing Game of the Year and IGN Editor's Choice Award), Project Gotham Racing 3 & 4 (Both IGN Editor's Choice Award), Burnout: Revenge (IGN Editor's Choice Award)
Shooters: Halo 3 (Runner-up Game of the Year and IGN Editor's Choice Award), Gears of War (Game of the Year 2006 and IGN Editor's Choice Award), Bioshock (Runner-up Game of the Year and IGN Editor's Choice Award), Perfect Dark Zero, Prey (IGN Editor's Choice Award), Quake IV
RPG/Adventure/Action Games: Mass Effect (RPG/Adventure Game of the Year and IGN Editor's Choice Award), Dead Rising, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (IGN Editor's Choice Award), Crackdown, Saints Row (IGN Editor's Choice Award), Condemned: Criminal Origins (IGN Editor's Choice Award), Hitman: Blood Money, Battlestations: Midway (IGN Editor's Choice Award)
Fighting Games: DOA 4 (IGN Editor's Choice Award)
Strategy Games: Command & Conquer 3, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II
As you can see, the Xbox 360 already has a slew of good-to-excellent award-winning exclusive games. Also, the Xbox 360 is far more than a "shooter" system, as some suggest. All-in-all, I would highly recommend the Xbox 360 Elite to anyone who has not decided on which system to buy.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a "fanboy" of either Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. I have an Xbox 360 and a PS3. I'm simply stating my opinions and experiences with the two.) | video-games_xbox |
Vertical Learning Curve, L.E. = comprehensive, value purchase. You've probably heard all about BF3 by now, so I'm not gonna to an extremely detailed review (I was itching to do that lol). I'd just like to point out a couple of things that one should keep in mind before and after buying this games.
This Limited Edition comes with the code to download the "Back to Karkland" pack which contains a bunch of new maps for FREE. The LE costs more than the standard edition, but not $15 extra which is the price you have to pay to get the B2K-pack on the standard edition. Hence, if you are interested in playing those maps, get this L.E. and save a couple of bucks right out of the box.
It also comes with a game code to unlock a suppressed pistol which I rarely use because it just plain bad, but that's my opinion. It may work great for your style of play, but it's completely unnecessary for me and I'd rather they let you pick one gun to unlock like the FAMAS, etc.
Besides all this, there's nothing really special about the L.E., so let me move on to the game itself -
- The learning curve is almost vertical, and if you're new to the series and are migrating after getting sick of CoD like I did, your first few games are going to be spent feeling as out of place, targeted, trolled as possible! This game is the exact opposite of CoD and you can't play with the run-and-gun approach that might rack up kills in the latter. There are no killstreak rewards like choppers and what-not (obviously) so it's all up to YOU to score points and find kills. There are four different classes that you can pick from, and each of them has its own specialty and role in a battle. Assault has all the assault rifles and standard weaponry, and has med-kits that a player can deploy to heal team-mates. Engineer has short-ranged weaponry and a repair tool for repairing vehicles. Support is obviously meant to support the other classes with strong support fire from machine guns and assault rifles, and can deploy ammo to replenish team-mates' ammo stores. And finally, Scout/Sniper which can set up motion sensors and spawn points for team-mates.
Now, each class is meant to be a played a certain way and a certain way only! Don't experiment too much or you'll end up dying way too many times. Try to play for an objective - Assault gets points every time a teammate is healed, Engineer for repairing a teammate's vehicle, Support for replenishing ammo, Scout/Sniper for helping teammates spawn further up the map and also for detecting enemies with say the motion sensor. Each class is important to the whole big picture of the battle, and working together as a team is extremely crucial. You can't take on the enemy by yourself, you need to rely on your teammates backing you up, picking off someone who might be flanking you... Basically, play for your TEAM first and your own glory second, and you'll start scoring really high. Throw down ammo or health for a bunch of mates who're having an intense fire-fight in Metro, or look for a good spawn location for them. BF3 REWARDS you for playing for your team, and there's no better feeling than winning. It's not like COD where you can lose and still feel really happy knowing that you got 25-30 kills and have a 2K/D ratio. In BF, it just sucks to lose, plain and simple.
Now there are two unique features in this game - the first is Bullet-drop. Bullets are affected by gravity over distance, and its not a problem if you fight close-range but for snipers this is something to keep in mind, besides all the other problems of recoil that this game throws in to make it hard for you! Jets and aircraft are almost impossible to fly at first - crazy learning curve! Be patient with it, or just avoid them altogether! A neat thing is that you can upgrade your vehicles just as you upgrade guns depending on how much you've used and accomplished with them.
The second are the maps - Gigantic maps. If COD maps are about 20 times smaller than some of the biggest maps in this game! It helps that you can sprint for really long though (I actually haven't ever depleted my character's stamina .. ??). Buildings are destructible if you use heavy tank-weaponry. The different game-modes also bring a lot of variety and flexibility to what the maps offer. My favorite map for Conquest is Metro, btw ;)
The graphics of this game are some of the best I have ever experienced, but not as good as I expected it to be based on all the rave reviews and praise it got. Yes, the Frostbite engine is great, but there were quite a few occasions where I noticed that it wasn't actually rendering and texture-reproduction but just a clever mixture of.. colors?.. that produced eye-candy. If you looked hard enough you could see what I'm saying. Animations are great but could be improved as well. Nowhere as bad as CoD though :P Glitches in this game are few and far between, and that's a huge plus. IN ORDER TO INSTALL THE HD TEXTURES you need to have a hard-drive installed on your xbox, so if you have the 4GB slim with no HD, well, oops? I'm not sure exactly how much space it consumes but you just can't have it on the 4GB slim. That's a bit of a letdown, since the HD textures make a HUGE difference and is exactly what everyone is talking about.
**I Have NOT played the Single-player campaign yet so no comment on that. I hear it's nothing spectacular though**
**IMPORTANT NOTE! - the game's online servers are no longer run by DICE or EA but rather regular people like you and me who chose to pay the small fee to own the rights to a server. Which means, the network is polluted with bad servers with repeating maps, restricted loadouts and vehicles, restricted play-styles and also the extremely unfortunate fact that you can be kicked out of a game simply if you're playing well and the server-admin is on the other team. Oops. One of the biggest worries about this game. You just have to get lucky each time you press quick-match, or be selective with the server selection. Good luck though!**
END VERDICT = 4/5 stars for the game, 5/5 stars for the Limited Edition. | video-games_xbox |
Fun to be a Ninja. Ok I'll cut right to the chase and address some of the gripes people seem to be having about this game, then give my review.
1)The missions are too repetetive??: Ok people, you're a NINJA and you KILL people or gather intelligence. BUT, no matter what the primary objective is... you are going to have to kill lots of people! What is wrong with that? What kind of missions do YOU people think should be in here? Maybe a gathering firewood mission or steal money to give to the poor?
2)The AI sucks?? Ok, the AI might not be the greatest (like MOST games) but you have to put the time factor into perspective. In REAL life, if a guard sees you and you run, you'd stay gone for an hour or a day or week, THEN come back to complete the mission. Obviously the developers were smart in realizing people want things not quite that realistic so they sped things up a bit to where the guards forget about you after a minute or so. I see no problem with that, under the circumstances.
So, my review is very positive. I've only done the first mission so far, BUT I've done it like four times and done things differently EVERY time. That is the magic of this game. There are so many options open to you. You can hide in bushes, water, on top of buildings, UNDER buildings, and you can constantly buy new equipment and items to help you out on missions. It's a very welcome step to the game and makes you feel like your "building" your ninja more.
True, the combat aspect of the game is a little stale by modern standards, but of course this is a stealth game, so its not all that surprising that they don't focus so much on that. If I had one real wish for improvement, though, I guess that would be it.
Make NO mistake: This game is FUN and you feel like a ninja, like you're really in the thick of enemy territory. I found myself holding my breathe more than a few times. The improved stealth-kill system is awesome, even including multiple kills.
If you are a true fan of the series, pick up the game, no question. You won't be sorry. | video-games_xbox |
Similar to The Sims but a lot better. Viva Piñata is a mix of elements from The Sims, a little bit of Pokemon, and some new elements unique to this game. Like The Sims, you start with a small lot and your objective is to build it into your dream home, or in this case dream garden. You start with a small lot that expands as you progress in the game and you can fill that space with plants, such as flowers or crop, or structures. Depending on which type of items you have in your garden you will attract certain types of piñatas. For example, by planting flowers you can attract butterflies and bumblebees. If you meet certain requirements the piñatas will become residents in your garden. Also by having certain types of piñatas as residents you can attract even more piñatas (i.e. snakes will come if you have mice in your garden, more on this later). Using your chocolate coins, you can work and rework your garden to build it to your specific tastes and to attract the types of piñatas you like. As the game goes on the piñatas get more interesting. You can have lion and elephant piñatas become residents in your garden, but also the requirements to do so get much more difficult.
Like Pokemon you can make your objective to collect all of the different types of piñatas on Viva Piñata, but this would not be easy because many piñatas have requirements that contradict other piñatas. For example one piñata might require you to have more the 60% of your garden covered with water, while another piñata might require you to have 60% of your garden covered with tall grass. Also, some piñatas do not get along and will fight each other if left in the same garden. This requires that you develop your garden to attract only the piñatas you want and, possibly, to exclude the piñatas you don't want. Typically in a single game you will not be trying to get all the piñatas to become residents but building a garden around certain specific piñatas. Since you can have multiple gardens, or just continually redesign a single garden, you can create gardens catered to your different favorite piñatas.
The game has in inbuilt piñata food chain. You will probably be required to feed some of your resident piñatas to the visiting piñatas to get them to become residents. For example, to get the snake piñata to join it must eat a mouse piñata (the mouse only has to eat a turnip to join). You can imagine this only gets much more complicated for piñatas like the lion. This is done very tastefully. The attacking piñata will throw objects at its prey until it breaks the piñata open and then proceeds to eat the candy that spills out. This piñata food chain is one of the innovative features that make this game unique and add to the complexity of the game.
Another feature that makes the game is the ability to breed your piñatas. Once you have a piñata as a resident there is a second set of requirements you must meet before breeding, and of course you'll have to meet them with at least two piñatas. In Viva Piñata the piñatas have no gender so you can breed any two piñatas of the same species. One you've met the requirements you can tell the two piñatas to "romance" and after playing a short maze style mini-game you will get to see a short video of that piñatas "Romance Dance". Neither the game nor the dances are suggestive and would be deemed acceptable by any conservative homeshool mom. The breeding is essentially the way to make money as you can sell your piñatas for a pretty large amount of chocolate coins.
Viva Piñata is a great looking game, but the big seller is the game play. If you like The Sims then you will love Viva Piñata. This game however isn't limited to a specific demographic. You might feel like a little kid putting this brightly colored game into your Xbox 360, but you will have nothing but fun building your garden and breeding your piñatas. This game is truly a can not miss title for anyone with a 360.
As an added note you can trade items with other players over Xbox Live. That is the only online feature of this game, but you can trade even if you only have an Xbox Live silver membership. Parents with younger kids will be happy to know that this game is appropriate online as well as offline and the game comes with instructions on how to set up your child's Xbox Live account. For those parents who are also interested in the romance dance you can watch a video on it by going to this website:
[...]. | video-games_xbox |
Good RTS. Gaming background - I'm a big fan of Halo and Starcraft, so this seemed like a perfect match. Unfortunately I haven't gotten online with it yet, so I can't review that aspect of the game. However, single player mode is fun, and the controls do work well. I did find myself wishing for a mouse at times, but it wasn't bad enough to be frustrating. The campaign in my opinion is well designed, with the only major annoyance being the unskippable video sequences. I thought it had sufficient length (though more would have been fine) and a good story, but I was disappointed that there is no Covenant campaign.
Skirmish mode is where the replay value comes in. You can play with any of several Covenent or UNSC leaders, each bringing their own special abilities and units. So far I prefer the Covenant, as their abilities are just plain fun. The UNSC and Covenant play very differently in Skirmish, because the Covenant leaders are on the battlefield using their abilties, whereas the UNSC leaders deliver their abilities from the ship above (MAC blasts and the like). For single player you can play against the computer, and also with computer allies if you want.
For Starcraft fans, I think the biggest differences are in base construction, resources, and population. In Halo Wars, there are only certain places you can make a base, and only a certain number of buildings you can build there. Secondly, you get resources via certain buildings, and your resource rate is limited by the number of those buildings you have, but you can never run out. Finally, the population limit is 30 (can be upgraded sometimes), which leads to smaller forces, quicker attacks, and shorter battles. There's also a smaller tech tree to work through, but I'm not sure how much more you could really do with such a small population limit anyway. This works out fine in campaign, because the missions are designed for such forces. In skirmish mode, it would be nice to be able to configure a higher limit in conjuction with a big map, but as far as I know it is not possible.
My verdict is, if you like Halo and RTS, pick this one up. | video-games_xbox |
Great Balance of Sim and Arcade. This is my favorite Ghost Recon game so far.
I've played all the previous Ghost Recon games, I've played Battlefield, I've played Operation Flashpoint, I've played most of the Call of Duty games. I lean toward liking the simulation style games - the Operation Flashpoint and more challenging Ghost Recon games. I like planning the attack and getting in without getting seen or shot.
That said, sometimes those sim games can be pretty unforgiving and frustrating. Trying and failing at the same mission over and over if something goes sideways can be painful.
This is a perfect balance between the sim games and arcade. You can't really just "run and gun" the way you do in Call of Duty, but you don't need to be overly careful, either. You can still "go loud" if you want and succeed - it lets you play the way you want rather than requiring one play style.
The sandbox nature of it just adds to the fun. Take the missions in the order you want, at the speed you want. If you don't want to do missions you can just roam the countryside and have random encounters with the bad guys.
Other reviews have mentioned there's a Grand Theft Auto feel to it, and there is. You can steal cars, planes, helicopters, bikes, and boats. The sandbox aspect and map have a very GTA feel. If you get involved in fighting the local army there's a "wanted level" system like GTA where the local army brings more and more reinforcements until you lose them. All the better - it gives the sandbox a more dynamic feel.
Plus - co-op campaign! That's something so many games miss out on. I play with my friends and family a lot and I don't want to just be playing, like, "Horde Mode" or "Capture the Flag." I want to play with them cooperatively. Even if you've done a mission and one of your co-op folks haven't, you can re-do the mission in co-op with them so it doesn't matter if one person is further in the game than the other. Really well done.
It's been a long time since I've been so excited to get home and play a game. I hope they put out more of these. | video-games_xbox |
well it keeps me busy for the most part. I've been a gears fan ever since they released the first one. Gears of war 3 is another great installment to the series and thus far ever since i went to the midnight release. i haven't stopped playing it. i'm already level 70, so if that isn't a hint then i don't know what is.
CAMPAIGH: campaign is just as good as the others, not as exciting as GOW2, it does drag on a lot. playing with 3 of my best friends over live is great though. No lag issues whatsoever. There are a few glitches but what game doesn't have them. ending is a bit disappointing and the tragedy half way through the game was no shocker. However the campaign was solid. im now on my third play through. By the way on the act with the destroyed city, if u don't destroy any of the burnt corpses, griffin will let you into his weapon vault giving you that random secret achievement. I did it on accident with my friends.
BEAST MODE: entertaining at the most. i beat it on every difficulty without dying unlocking an onyx metal, the easiest one i may add. On insane and hardcore mode, you need at least 4-5 people to win without dying and tickers are the key to success FYI
HORDE 2.0: well having a full party makes level 50 a cake walk and the high level barriers are a must. if you get 100 kills with all starting weapons, you unlock the super reload mutator giving you double ammo and the glowing rounds forever making you essentially chuck norris and you take down just about any unit in less then 5-10 rounds of a lancer. and a brumak or other boss in a matter of a few clips. berserkers included.
Multiplayer: now this is where my review gets a little sketchy because multiplayer pisses me off. i may be a level 62, but i didn't earn that happily. Let me just say that downing someone with a lancer or retro lancer on team deathmatch is about the gayest thing ever, especially when you don't have to fire more then a few shots to down them and then one more to kill them...wow. idk how many games ive gone into with giant noobs downing me we a lancer when im 5 feet away with a gnasher. get some skill or change it up a bit. and the relentless random camping on corners is bull*%*% i spawn walk ten feet, bam!!! theres some F^&ker with a sawed off just waiting there for an hour for someone to walk by. The only redeemable factor is that execution rules apply on wingman still thank god. no wonder im ranked 500 in ranked match wingman, cause it actually takes effort to pull off kills and wins. So basically if you want to run around and get downed 400 feet away by some loser with a lancer, play team deathmatch. Also remember that the developers of GOW3 are huge fans of the movie Wanted, because you quite literally can get shot down with a gnasher or lancer when you clearly ran around a corner, like your near being downed and right as you run around a corner you some how get downed WTF. Anyways this is just a rant cause i had some really bad matchmaking today. especially since literally everyone i shot at, we ended killing each other. teaches me to not use the sawed off. And let me get this straight, you can walk up to a giant group of enemies and kill every single one of them in one shot with the sawed off if your close enough, and you can barely one shot one person with a gnasher at point blank range. WTF is up with that! IT almost seems that all the BS players you find in crap games like black ops took the day off to crap on the multiplayer of GOW3. Thats great when you see a guy with 32 kills on team deathmatch, and half his kills are chainsaw kills. i mean jeez, i thought gears players were a little bigger then the chainsaw by now, but you know of course not still cheap pathetic kills all the time and now i have to watch out for jousters now, the stupid retro charge can only be stopped by a sawed off most of the time. and if your running at someone with a shotgun and there shooting you with a lancer, you magically start running in slow motion basically screwing your self over. You go from full speed roadie run to effin banana slug with a few shots of a lancer. you can say bye bye to balanced mechanics, that doesn't even make sense. they need some serious patching real quick here. it feels like GOW2 MP all over again. All in all everyone has there good and bad games and most of my games are well played but the community on gears is real noob sometimes. but im over it. battlefield 3 is next on my list. | video-games_xbox |
Hit the Workout Section. First of all, I would LOVE to give this game a 5-star, but for reasons explained below I will stick with the 3-star now. My primary reason for the demotion is that I think the issues with UFC Personal Trainer could have been avoided, but it seems that they either ran out of time or did not do enough testing on their subjects to iron out the wrinkles.
Okay, first things first. UFC (Personal Trainer) is nothing like any other exercise Kinect title out there. The closest you'll get to it is EA Sports Active 2. While most titles are focusing on the aerobic and circuit part of exercising, UFC truly is a 'WORKOUT' like I used to know, i.e. weights and muscle building. This title has areas that claims to give you cardio workouts, etc, but it's not the Your Shape Fitness crunches-style with a 20 minute aerobic session. No, instead UFC is a very structured workout presentation that brings in the well-known reps and sets. Now for those of you who haven't really done a serious workout at a gym, a repetition is how many you do of a particular exercise, like 10 push-ups, and a set is how many times you do those push-ups, like 3 sets. That means, that you will do 10x push-ups, take a break, and then twice more, in total 30 push-ups. Some may say I'm explaining too much now, but it did confuse some of my friends who have only gone to the gym to do yoga, aerobics, or spinning.
Once you understand that this is the focus of UFC, you'll quickly understand how the programmes are structured. In the end it all comes down to this - strengthening your muscles and doing an endurance workout. If you do not have weights this workout will become useless after a week or two as you've already maxed out your muscle at that point and should scale up, so make sure you've got basic weights or a set of dumbbells at home when you get UFC. Most will say the weights are optional, and I'll agree if this was EA Sports Active 2 or Get Fit with Mel B, but not with UFC Personal Trainer. These exercises have been thrown together by experts and I am pretty sure they have always used weights while exercising. You'll even realise quickly that without adding weights to certain exercises that they are pretty useless.
And then, this is going to be commitment and hard work. You cannot test UFC Personal Trainer for a week and then give up for a month, as this will damage your body more than do any good. You'll have to get down and commit yourself to at least a 30-day programme. What they do not tell you in the programme is that if you feel that the exercises are easy you're probably not pushing yourself. From my days of lifting weights we were taught that you always need to add weight once you get comfortable with a specific weight to work on that muscle memory. If you do not push yourself for harder weights or quicker reps this workout will turn out to be fruitless in the short and long run.
Finally before I break down the cons and pros of the game for me, do not expect to become some martial arts kung fu fighter with this game. The workouts are 95% traditional gym workouts, with a few exercises of fighting thrown in. These are not the centre of the game as they are clearly not the means to the end, but the end itself. UFC Personal Trainer is an exercise title that will help you get strong and work on your endurance, and if done right, help you build up an awesome six pack or nice lean athletic body.
CONS
- Tutorials to each exercise is not intuitive. If you activate this option in the options menu it will make you do the blasted tutorial for each exercise, even if that means 3 times in a workout as the exercise will have 3 sets. This is becomes very annoying after a week because they will still be telling you 3 times in one workout how to do a push-up. Some games actually will show you once or twice how to do an exercise and then automatically skip the tutorial for exercises you've done already, and only show you the new ones. If you do turn off the option in the option menu then you get no tutorials at all, which may prove problematic for those new exercises that may creep in in the future.
- Just like many other games, the "one-liners" the trainers use get oh-so repetitive within two workout sessions. In a cool down session after a workout they may repeat the benefits of stretching out after a workout as much as 20 times. Overkill and there is no way to switch this off. It kind of feels like brainwashing after a while when you realise how often they repeat certain things.
- This part I don't get. If it happens that Kinect for some obscure reason loses me on the floor (or I quickly step out to the bathroom) it wants to confirm I'm the same person when I return. Go through the set up of recognition again. Now common sense dictates that the same person will start and finish a workout, unless you are a serious cheater. I'm pretty sure that if I had decided to quit my workout and someone else wanted to take over we will go to the Main Menu and have that person sign in.
- UFC often and clearly misses some reps. Do a push up and every now and again it doesn't register. Actually, this doesn't bother me personally as I've gotten used to this from other games too, but it does drive you crazy when there is 5 seconds left to do one more push up to qualify and it DOES NOT register at that moment. Then you feel like throwing the box at the TV. I think this kind of aggravation should not be part of a work out and I have for the life of me not figured out when it does register certain moves and when it does not. My hit rate is about 95% accuracy which one could argue is awesome, but like I've mentioned, that 5% miss can come at the most inappropriate times. This is the main reason I am giving this game a 3-star review, as this technical side should have gotten more attention during development. If they cannot make certain exercises work properly they should leave them out. Then again, EA Sports Active 2 picks up my push ups with no problem, so this is not a Kinect problem but a developer one. One I sincerely hope they can fix in a patch and not let us wait for "new improvements" in a subsequent 2012 release.
- During exercises you are given the opportunity to choose your weights. Fine-tuning the exact weight on the menu is an extreme hassle. They should have thought this better through. If I want to adjust my weights from 1kg to 5 kgs, it will start running past the 5...then I have to back down, then it runs past the 5 again to 3, so in the end you stand there adjusting the weight meter one by one. A pure waste of time. My suggestion is that they can give you a table of preset weights in the digits from 1 to 9, plu 0, and then an additional table from 10 to 90, and 100+. So for example if your weights are 23 kgs, you can click on the 20 in the one table and then the 3 in the other. Voila. Two clicks and zero frustration. (Maybe this will not annoy others like me, but during one workout I will adjust my weights and this has turned out to be very cumbersome.)
NEUTRAL
> This is a workout like you'll observe (or have experienced) workouts in a gym. You do a set of push ups, then hang around for 10 seconds and drink some water. Get your weights ready and then do your next set of Arnold presses. Then hang around for 10 seconds again, sip some more water and then get yourself ready for the next exercise. If you've done this in a gym you won't be bothered by it, but some of my friends could not get into it after doing Your Shape Fitness Evolved and Get Fit With Mel B. They wanted the exercises to be strung-along, continuous and quickly set. A true "weight" workout does not work like that, though, so kudos to UFC Personal Trainer keeping it true to form. But then, be aware of what you are in for. Like I've mentioned above, to get the best out of this, you will need weights at home.
PROS
+ If you stick with the programmes you'll get value for money. After one month my muscles have greatly toned and I can do 500% more weights than I could at the beginning, granted I started on a feeble 3... Judging I'm now on 15kgs and pushing myself even further I am rather satisfied that the exercises are indeed working. If you start afresh you'll burn the first two weeks, and badly. I couldn't get in my car after the first few workouts and taking off my jersey was a schlep. But now I can look in the mirror and physically see the results.
+ You get the sense of professionalism as the guys training you are masters themselves. (Though I have to add they are all reading the same script. You realise this when you do a second workout with a different trainer and they say exactly the same thing.)
+ The games, just like a real life workout, inspires you to push yourself pass the limit. Maybe they will ask you to do 10 push-ups, but when you are done, they will encourage you to do 3 more. This is not necessary, but they motivate you to go for it - something very important in a workout.
+ I thought the menus are better than most Kinect titles out there and easy to navigate around, except for those pesky ones where you have to navigate up or down to get a number, like aforementioned.
+ This is a great selection of workouts and exercises for anyone interested in building on their strength and endurance. For those who went to the gym for aerobics, pilates or yoga, stay away from this title.
Apart from the technical issues the presentation and contents itself cannot be faulted with. If you are into sports then this is the title you should consider. I'm positive that if you can keep up doing this your sports injuries will go down to a minimum.
UFC Personal Trainer is not just another addition to the exercise titles of Kinect, but it's complimentary in the sense that there isn't anything like it out there at the moment. I am an early adopter and I hope THQ (the publisher) invests more in this title so that the glitches can be ironed out and not repeated in future titles. Once you can get that out of the way this title should become solid gold.
So, if you are ready for a serious workout, want to tone those muscles and get them to look good, then go get your copy of UFC Personal Trainer (but be aware of the technical issues that pop out from time to time.)
If you need any additional information please ask me. I'll keep checking in and if they release a patch that can fix some of the issues mentioned above I'll jot it down here. | video-games_xbox |
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