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XBOX 360 vs PS3. I was a ps2 owner who switched to xbox because the graphics, gameplay, and online sevices of xbox were superior. I still have my ps2 to play the Gran Turismo's though. I now own the xbox 360 and play on a Vizio L32" LCD (which I also reviewed).
The Xbox 360 will be better than the PS3 and it's availible NOW. This is why:
1: Sony has a history of lying about system specs. I bought by ps2 on launch date only to find out that it was not even half as powerfull they claimed. I still believe my Dreamcast was a better system performance wise, games were another story. Sony is doing the same thing again with the ps3.
2: The ps3 does have a more powerful cpu but that is debatable. The ps3 has a 7 core processor. The 360 has 3 cores but each core has 2 threads of processing power, that's 6 simulataneous threads of info being processed at once. And the 360 is over 80% genral purpose power where the ps3 is dedicated to spe type of processing which is SPECIFIC PURPOSE. Most games rely on general purpose not spe. Microsoft worked with game developers to design a system that would allow them to create games how they want, Sony created a system that it wanted and left the game developers to adapt to Sony instead of the other way around.
3: Xbox 360 has a superior gpu than the PS3, this is a fact!! Anyone who plays PC games knows that the video card is by far more important than the cpu and affects the game and graphics more. Usually upgrading your video card will get you better results than upgrading the cpu (both are important though). The same is true here. The Xbox 360 has the superior graphics proccesor which is the most important thing.
4:PS3 uses Blu ray dvd but who cares? Not me. Blu ray disc can hold more info, yes, but that info isn't any better, just more of it. Once again, anyone who plays PC games knows that there is no difference if the game comes on 6 cd's or 1 dvd, it will be the exact same game. The same is true here, the format of the media has ZERO effect on the quality of the game. It will only matter if games become too big to fit on the format they're using. This won't happen anytime soon considering the dual layer technology and ever evolving compression techniques. Sony simply uses the Bluray as its biggest selling point but in reality it has the least to do with the qualty of games.
5: XBox 360 has the superior online services and tech and customer support. My ps2 broke and Sony was gonna charge me more to fix it than a refurbished ps2 cost!! PLus they told me it would be 3 -5 weeks to get it back, I had them send it back to me broken, took just shy of a month, no Kidding, and I went and bought a refurbished one. I got one of the Faulty Xbox 360's, sent it in with FREE shiping and got a NEW 360 at my door in 6 days. I sent it on a weds and got a new one back on the following tues. Microsoft gave me a new unit, theres n way I would have accepted a fixed unit. 6 DAYS compared to a Month. You choose.
Other things are less important but still out performs the ps3, RAM for example, they both have 512mb but the Xbox 360 uses faster RAM than the ps3. Basically the 360 is better where it counts. Sony uses the ps3's advanteges in unimportant areas to push the ps3 as the better system, this is NOT TRUE. Sony does have a devasting game lineup though which helped keep Sony going after the superior xbox launched. The same will happen again, the 360 will be the superior maching but Sony will have a good game lineup to support the ps3.
If I'm wrong then I will go buy a ps3, i may buy one anyways, especially if they have a few games I desire. But almost 23 years of gaming experience tell me I'm right. So don't let the ps3 HYPE keep you from enjoying an xbox 360 now. If you have the cash, get a 360. | video-games_xbox |
Frustrating at times, otherwise fun. I've been playing this game for a few months now and have had fun with it. First off, it sounds like many of these reviewers are just frustrated with the challenge this game brings. This is not some arcade baseball game. It takes skill, patience at the plate, and an above average knowledge of the rules/intricacies of baseball. This is not, stand at the plate and swing at every pitch and 75% go for extra bases or home runs. No, this is, 3 out of every 10 trips and you are doing alright.
Minus a few complaints the game is more than playable. Also, as an xbox owner you don't have a whole lot of choice. My recommendation is to get really good at playing the free demo over and over and see how you like it. The demo is set to the rookie difficulty rating I believe. Start routinely sweeping the other team and buy the real game and bump it up to Pro or All-Star.
Now the complaints,
1) Multiplayer is worthless. It's a different game because of the incredible lag. Frustrating beyond playable and I hope they get this fixed.
2) A couple fielding glitches. Every now and then you will be perfectly lined up under a fly ball, with time, and it will drop at your feet.
3) Stealing, unnecessarily hard even with the fastest runner in the game.
I don't play career mode (looks dumb) and hardly play franchise mode. I like playing the MLB Today stuff featuring that day's actual major league games and pitching matchups.
Lastly, I hope the developers improve the multiplayer experience. I also hope they improve the minor league rosters down to AA, including rendering all of the stadiums. AAA has somewhat accurate players, AA are all made up. And finally, I hope they can find a way to update rosters and lineups in real time. Instead it sometimes takes as long as a week to get the team's roster updated.
All in all it's a good game for a serious baseball enthusiast. | video-games_xbox |
Avoid this intercooler. I bought this cooling fan when I felt how hot the exhaust from my 360 is and after all the horror stories I heard about it overheating. However, this device, frankly, sucks. Let me count the ways:
1) Bad fit. The device fits on the 360 very poorly. It BARELY squeezes in on the back, and when you snug it on there, you'll find that your wireless network adapter hardly fits in place any more. Mine kept coming unplugged as a result and losing my connection with Live.
2) Noise. This sucker is LOUD!!! I have a ton of cooling fans on my PC, and this thing is much louder. In any intense moments in horror games, I find my concentration straying from the sound design of the game and instead focusing on the fan humming along. Once it gets a little loose, you then start to hear it rattle and hum.
3) Vibrations. As I just mentioned, it vibrates like mad. You can hear it rattling around back there when it turns on, and this can't be good for your 360.
4) Power drain. As some other reviews have noted, since the power to the whole system is routed through here, you're bound to lose some power to your system. This could have disastrous effects in the long run.
5) Cheap clips. The clips that help it clasp onto the back of the 360 are very cheap, and are very likely to break. Mine have survived, but my homeboy's broke, and the thing doesn't work at all anymore.
Does the 360 overheat? You betcha. Mine sits in an enclosed entertainment center, and I've had it overheat when I shut the door to the 360 by accident. It completely shut down and the happy green power light turned into an angry blinking red. And yes, that was with the intercooler on. The point is, with all the negatives of the cooler, it doesn't even help to keep your 360 cool when you need it to!
This is a great idea for a very hot system, but this device is awful. Until someone comes up with a better design, just keep your 360 ventilated and spare yourself the $$$. | video-games_xbox |
Stop sleeping on Microsoft. This review is a Xbox One and Playstation 4 comparison and is also me rambling with my personal opinion so please skip if you just want a straight forward review. Thank you
Before assuming I am just another xbox
fanboy with no legit or logical reason I would like to start by saying I have had PlayStation first and have been the biggest Xbox doubter since the day the first one came out. So it kind of goes like this I have had PlayStation 1 and 2 my whole childhood as a kid (as did everyone else) and then quit gaming for good once the next gen came out. Out of nowhere years later I've received a Xbox 360 for Christmas and began to become adjusted to its simplicity and style altogether. Still with all the talk and disagreements going back and forth about Xbox and PlayStation i've decided to get a PlayStation 3 assuming it would be superior in everyway since I had such amazing experiences as a kid. Upon purchasing a PlayStation 3 I found the layout just dull and boring (which of course is a personal preference) but at the same time very confusing compared to the Xbox 360. However PlayStation 3 has amazing and in my opinion legendary games from my childhood such as the Final Fantasy and other RPGs however if your a more modern gamer this will not mean much to you. So having the PlayStation 3s amazing arsenal of games and ability to customize your background and the Xbox 360s ability to play music while in-game and its simplicity I considered them even although I would say PlayStation 3 is much more "dull" than the 360s energy and vibe with all the instant new games and news being featured on the dashboard unlike having to go to the playstore on PlayStation to see whats new.
However moving on to next gen.
Of course the 360 being my main console i moved up to the Xbox one just to be completely impressed by how much more advanced everything was and its endless options. Being able to go to anything on your xbox simply with your voice was amazing enough alone just being able to go into your game library or movie library, browse and pick your selection all through your voice was unlike anything ive seen before. PlayStation fans biggest comeback is that their resolution is better. Put it this way as a ordinary person who doesnt have micro-vision or some kinda super powered "nerd eyes " it is impossible to tell because it is completely crystal clear so please don't let that be a reason you pass this up. However Xbox one has toke a few steps backwards such as not being able to send voice messages as the 360 did as well as having to cut off half of your screen to play music unlike the 360 not having that disability. Finally in my opinion the biggest disappointment in the Xbox one is not being able to save your purchased shows to your console which may not mean anything to a lot of people but it did to me since i enjoy watching purchased shows offline sometime. Other than that it is completely flawless the Xbox One and Kinect work together hand in hand to give you the best gaming and enertainment system available. Also just to add the Xbox One now supports custom backgrounds unlike the 360.
Moving on to the PS4 which i've just purchased recently. I've noticed the design is much more mobile than the Xbox One which I liked a lot. Starting up the system I realized the controller is very sleek and accurate which was a nice appeal but spending a hour or so on the main menu I started realizing why the PS4 was so much slimmer than the Xbox One..simply because it doesn't do 1/4 the things the Xbox One does. The PS4 has toke a huge step backwards from its predecessor. First off the custom background image that every loved about the PS3 is gone you can no longer have a custom background. Also PlayStation Home which was something that made the PS3 stand out greatly is not included and also is scheduled to shut down all together which in my opinion is a big loss. There is music that constantly plays in the background it doesnt bother me but I imagine it can be very annoying over time to most people. Overall it is just boring all the previous games that glorified the PlayStation title are gone so no PS1 PS2 or PS3 games and your are basically just left there optionless. Of course it has Netflix and other apps as does the Xbox One but something about it just once again seems "dull" and boring. With no PlayStation Home to intensify the PlayStation experience it is just very boring. If you are not playing a game or watching a movie you might as well turn it off. Of course the main purpose of a gaming console is of course to just play a game but if you've grown to rely on your console more the last couple years like I and many others have you find yourself looking for more.
This is coming from someone who has experienced both consoles and played each one with a open mind and this is honestly true opinions and facts and has nothing to do with being a fan or favoring one more than the other. Just to make my point clear im a Xbox person who hates Halo (Xboxs biggest game) and loves RPGs which is what PlayStation is a majority of this is just pure facts and observation.
People always slept on Microsoft and looked at it as the underdog because PlayStations great history of bringing us great games we will always remember but my message is give Xbox a chance because they are really offering something fun and convenient.
Thanks for reading | video-games_xbox |
Disappointingly shallow. Don't get me wrong, Godfather was my favorite Xbox 360 game hands down, so as you can imagine I took the day off in eager anticipation of its sequel. Little Did I know that after 10 hours I'd be finished with the game!
There are some vast improvements on the control of your Family in this version of Godfather and I love how you can hire men, promote them and upgrade their skills and weapons. Don's view is a nice quick way to order men to help protect your investments. The developers were also nice enough to provide us with the locations of any missing safes, finishing moves, etc. for your achievement hunting.
The sad thing is that's about where the game's improvements ends and the bad points begin. While very fun to play in single player, the game's AI strategy is very poor. Outside of the occasional random bombing or attack, the AI posed little to no threat as my empire grew.
For a game that claims to be open-world it's frustratingly closed.
There are three city maps to compete on including NY, or what amounts to about 3 city blocks of NY, Florida (the largest city) and Cuba. In each city the number of buildings you can take control of was considerably lower than in the original game and outside of Florida the maps are really small. Each building is part of a racket which expands your family with upgrades such as additional ammo and eventually armored cars. Sadly the AI families don't appear to use or gain any benefit from holding onto rackets and many of them you cannot control until you unlock the next map. By the time I unlocked Armored Cars the game was well in the bag with about 30 minutes left of game play.
Gone from the original game:
- Don't expect drivebys. Not once did the AI Families chase me down with a vehicle.
- Armored Truck robberies (Not a part of this version at all!)
- Long in depth story in which you feel your weaving together events that shape the Corleone family.
I wish that the developers would have given us a game with the depth of the original Godfather with the control improvements of this game. While the racket bonuses are a nice touch, taking over businesses just didn't have the same feel as its predecessor. It would have been nice if each racket you controlled reduced the cost to purchase weapons, cars or incrementally increased capacity instead of the all or nothing bonus
The game engine is so much fun to play with, I wish there was a random map generator or something to give this game some replay value. As it stands now there is zero replayability.
Multiplayer could have been extremely cool if it had been built as a strategic RTS with each player controlling a family in Don view and using their single player resources (family, weapons, money) to battle with or against friends across the games city maps. It would have been awesome to team up with a buddy and ally against NPC families of varying AI strength. Instead it's yet another frag fest 3d shooter thrown in using its own maps and some of the game engine mechanics. Sure you get to `use' your single player family members while running around fragging each other but in name and abilities only. My made men lost all of their uniqueness in multiplayer in exchange for a lovely blue or red suit and the same face as the next guy. I'm guessing the developers thought they would bring you to multiplayer mode with the lure of unlocking level 4 weapon licenses but after a couple of hours finding out that my made men earned nothing was a huge disappointment. A nice touch in theory, but certainly not enough to keep me playing Godfather 2.
I highly recommend renting this game over a weekend as you can beat it easily in 10-12 hours and if you haven't played Godfather it's worth your money instead of this one.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Godfather-the-Game/dp/B0009WPZM2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Godfather the Game</a> | video-games_xbox |
Great Game. Non-Stop Fun. I posted this in my blog and have decided to submit here. I read the other reviews on here before buying it and felt I'd share.
So, this weekend I was a total bum and I loved every minute of it. Nothing gets your mind off stressful events quite like playing some great games on XBOX LIVE. I've been spending some time on the gaymer.org and gaygamer.net forum sites and the game Left 4 Dead was mentioned quite a few times. So, after looking it up and finding out more about it I discovered that it was developed by Valve... my favorite game studio! They made The Orange Box which was fantastic even if it were to have only come with TF2 it would have still been just as awesome. Love that game. Anyways, Left 4 Dead is a zombie game. You can play single player mode with 3 other A.I. controlled players or play a 4 way co-op. It's much more fun to play with your friends, of course. There's also a versus component which you can play with friends as well or other online players through matchmaking. It's frustrating to get people on your team who don't have mics or who are in an XBOX LIVE party and haven't left the party (I noticed if you're playing a different game, the "game chat" feature is disabled until you leave the party). Otherwise it's fantastic. It's two teams of 4 vs. 4 alternating between survivors (humans) and special zombies. The survivors have to make it to the safe-room alive but to spice things up, the special zombies can attack out of nowhere. These zombies feature special abilities that can do a lot of damage or slow you down. My favorite character is the Boomer. The boomer is this uber-fat zombie with boiling puss bubbles under his skin who waddles around and throws up on the survivors. His bile is what attracts a horde of zombies which can really set back the other team. When he's shot and killed he explodes and his guts are sent all over the place attracting the horde as well. He's like a zombie-bomb. Amazing.
I have to say, the zombies are very well done. They're crazed and when a horde comes at you it's seriously like you're in a movie. Some walls even break open to let more out and zombies can fall from the ventilation shaft. It's creepy, scary and so much fun! I love playing as a special zombie and wish you could set it so that you are either a survivor or a zombie during the gameplay (not alternating between the two). I played for hours on end and met some great people along the way who friended me. The creepiest part I've played so far was in a cornfield. It was filled with fog and was just a giant ominous farmland. C-R-E-E-P-Y.
While the game can be knocked for not really having a story... the question is do we need one? No, not really. I don't need to develop a sense of sympathy for any of the characters. I don't need to get a backstory because it's an intense game once you get going. Do you really need a motive to run for your life and save your fellow comrades from a horde of killer zombies? The answer is no, you don't. | video-games_xbox |
Short and incredibly sweet. Played almost every type of shooter possible, but born and bred on computer shooters vs console shooters. To me, console shooters always felt a bit...sluggish, goldeneye, halo etc, quality, but just not for me.
I was plugging away at this game when a friend of mine brought up that I didn't seem to mind the "slowness" of the game, and to be honest, I didn't even think about it. The whole "take cover, pop out and fire" aspect of the game gives it an arcade/virtua cop stylish feel to it...I can only imagine the potential of a wii-mote aim and shoot version of this game, but I digress.
Pros
-Extremely immersive, the cut scenes and play flow very smoothly, the game is like playing through a story.
-Stunning graphics, without comparison....really, nothing touches it.
-Likeable characters, they're meatheads, but you get attached...
-Awesome playability, like I said, first game as a full time pc shooter that I liked.
-Innovative - the "cover" feature really defines this game...and it really makes it stand out from the rest.
-Good voice acting - some of the best, they sound like they look.
Cons
- I almost wanted to give this game that is so awesome 3.5 stars if I could for this one reason...I know I'm a minority here but the single player was way too short for my liking, I actually couldn't believe it was over because I was done in less than a day, and I didn't play all that much. Honestly I played it through on the next difficulty and beat that in a few more (it gets insanely hard), but still, it's the same game when you run through it again, pretty much the only reason I played it through again is because there was nothing else to do. (fyi took about 8 hours to beat the whole thing on regular difficulty)
-Split screen sucks, it's disorienting (just like any console shooter with split) and only splits it horizontally. None of the multiplayer functions are worth playing on 1 tv....
So bottom line is if you don't have xbox live, or if you don't like multiplayer, (although tbh it looks sweet if I decide to fork out $200 for the hardware/software etc)I would just rent this game, beat it in a day or two, and get the next game...Unless you happen to enjoy doing the same thing over and over at harder difficulty...or wasting time collecting "cog tags" that don't really do anything. So maybe 5 stars if you have xbox live and 3.5 if you don't. | video-games_xbox |
The legendary Bruce Lee makes a big scene on the XBox . During the early '70s, Bruce Lee was known as one of the greatest action heroes in history and the master of Jeet Kune Do. The violence that Lee displays in his movies are so extreme, so grosteque, that even todays action heroes wouldn't even dare to perform that kind of stuff. Even if someone tries to emulate his violence, it wouldn't be as good looking as Bruce Lee's original violent performances. Even if he died a tragic death in '73, his memories are still alive today. You'll see a whole lot of people with Bruce Lee T-Shirts, cartoon characters trying to be like Bruce Lee, remastered DVDs of Bruce Lee classics, and even some video game characters in a fighting game acting, fighting, and sounding like Bruce Lee. Now it's time to remember Bruce Lee in another way...put him a next-gen video game console with the greatest 3D graphics processor of all time, the XBox ! Enter Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon, the first Bruce Lee title to feature 3D technology and real time combat. And it's the most anticipated action game among an audience of young Bruce Lee fans. Now to describe the game. The graphics are perfect, powered with the XBox's ultimate 3D processor. The 3D models look very superb with no graphical flaws ! The lighting effects, including the flaming fist mode, looks absolutely jaw dropping. And as for the stages, they're huge and good looking ! There are not much flaws on these stages, except for the fact that there's a whole lot of fog and tons of it. But still, this is a graphical powerhouse overall, and the cutscenes rock ! The audio is okay...I guess. The voice actor who did Bruce Lee didn't do that much of bad job. They almost sound identical, but he really needs to work on it more, including that yell that Bruce Lee does (you know...WAAAAATAAAAAHHHH !!!). And some of the other voice actors are rather laughable, but on the plus side, it almost sounds like they're featured in a Kung-Fu movie. So that seems fair ! The music sounds perfectly fit with the traditional Chinese Kung-Fu tunes. And the sound effects are blazing with realistic hitting and grunting. If you listen carefully, it sounds very identical to that of one of the sound effects featured in one of his films. And as for the gameplay, it rocks ! The controls really hit the spot with slick movement and fast control response. The in-game combat will seem a bit clunky to some newcomers, but after playing this a couple of times, you'll really get used to it. And the coolest thing about the gameplay is, when you kill the last enemy, you get a slow motion of your enemy falling down after one fatal blow and you get to use Nunchakus on certain stages. My favorite part of the game ! The only thing that bothers me about the gameplay is the unforgivable camera angles. It keeps on moving everytime you're done duking it out with the last batch of thugs or if you're fighting with one enemy. But still, even with those flaws, I really loved playing this game. Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon is one of my favorite XBox titles among everything else. Many people may not enjoy it, but anyone who still enjoys watching Bruce Lee's films and still looks up to him, will definently like this game ! If you want to see Bruce Lee alive and kicking it...literaly, Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon is the title that Bruce Lee fans should never miss ! | video-games_xbox |
HUGE step back from Darksiders 1. Like many gamers, I was highly anticipating Darksiders 2 after loving the sleeper hit, Darksiders. Playing as the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse was an interesting idea and not only were the environments varied, but the gameplay was very fun and satisfying. For the sequel, THQ decided to make some interesting choices.
Story-wise, this game takes place roughly during the same time period of the first game. This left me a little disappointed because I wanted to know what happened NEXT, rather than be re-told the events I had already played. Granted, Death (the main character of 2, War's brother) does not engage in the same battles etc, I still felt it was a step back for the story.
Graphically, it also feels as those Darksiders 2 is a step back from it's predecessor. Even though it was produced years later, many of the textures are blurry and the details in the environments are not as prominent. This may have to do with the increase in map size. Darksiders 2 is roughly 2-3 times larger than the first game, but I don't think this is positive. Many of the additional space is filled with nothing. Halls feel empty and lifeless. Travelling can get tedious because there's so much land to traverse. In this case, bigger does not always mean better.
Gameplay...ugh, where do I start. Unless they've patched the game, I had numerous issues while playing Darksiders 2. In an attempt to sell more copies (or something) they sped-up the gameplay as Death is much quicker than his brother. He is not even able to block, but can only evade. The camera is very sporadic, getting stuck on objects in the environment and making it difficult to follow all the actions on screen. DS2 also added more climbing elements, similar to Assassin's Creed. Unfortunately the controls during these sections are not precise enough. I found my character taking a dive the wrong way or not responding to my commands. It would be one thing if you could always take your time when inputting the commands, but some sections require quick movement and the combination is no good.
Looting. Well, again, trying to borrow from Borderlands, Diablo and other successful franchises, THQ incorporated looting into the gameplay. Almost every enemy drops weapons, boots, helmets, armor, etc. Although on paper this sounds like a great idea, again, it takes away from the game much more than it adds. Not only is it annoying to continually be bringing up the menu, but the looting system doesn't feel rewarding. I actually like the leveling system of the first game much more. Granted, this is a personal preference and I understand some people may enjoy looting very much. I liked it in Borderlands but I didn't here.
In summary, Darksiders 2 looks like quite an amazing game on paper. Quicker gameplay, looting, larger environments, wall climbing, etc. Unfortunately when all the elements come together, it just doesn't WORK. In addition to everything I mentioned above, I ran into progress-halting glitches numerous times. I waited 10 minutes for an NPC to open a gate, even though I had nothing left to give him. I got stuck in another area because a cinematic scene wouldn't trigger. All of these disappointments left me not liking this release at all. Avoid and spend your money elsewhere! | video-games_xbox |
Not just for kids. Before I say anything, I would just like to point out that I am a 26 year old male. I have been playing games since the days of Atari and in that time have enjoyed more games than I could hope to name. My rule is: if it's fun, then I will play it. I play many mature rated games (e.g. Resident Evil, Gears of War, etc.), but am never scared or ashamed to pick up (and admit when I love) an E rated game.
When I first saw the videos of this game in action I knew it was going to be a blast. It also looked like the perfect kind of game I could play with my girlfriend. Since she isn't a gamer to the same degree as me, she often quits playing any time a game frustrates her. I figured since this game was "for kids," it wouldn't just be something that she could enjoy in her free time (did I mention she likes Spyro :P), but also something we could enjoy together.
So far so good!
Load times are quick. The game has excellent quality as far as graphics go. They are very colorful and detailed. The music blends in with the worlds. I haven't caught myself tapping my foot to the tunes yet, but haven't exactly been muting the TV either. The voice acting is excellent and the humor is very well delivered. We have chuckled a few times already. Kids will enjoy it too :)
The controls are easy to pick up. You can perform pretty much all of your actions with just a couple buttons. They might frustrate on occasion as they lack some things that some might be accustomed to. The ability to strafe is not present and you would think just by glancing at the game that you'd be able to jump, but that too is not a function to be found. These things don't hurt the game, they would have just improved it is all :)
My only real gripe is that the Portal of Power takes batteries. Normally I could let this slide, except that this particular add-on is lit up like a Christmas tree during game-play. I haven't played enough yet to suck the life out of the 3 AA batteries that came with the game, but I do not expect them to last long. I imagine that constant wireless communications with your system are enough work on just 3 AA batteries alone, so it really kind of annoyed me that they had to line the darn with all kinds of pretty lights. Kids probably won't get annoyed like the adults who actually have to buy the batteries. They didn't have to include an AC adapter in the box, but a port for one you could purchase separately would have been nice. | video-games_xbox |
No wonder why it has "Solid" in the title. This game, is, the best stealth action game, ever to hit the planet. Well, going like this, I won't get anywhere so...Heres my review.
Storyline:
The story in Metal Gear Solid 2 is that countries have made giant mechanical robots known as Metal Gears. Metal Gears are not just mechs, they are much more, having nuclear capablilites and able to go anywhere;land, sea, air, etc., the only thing capable of fighting them are other Metal Gear., as stated by the colonel in the first chapter of the game. But an evil Russain terrorist group is after them, and the leaders are worse than the group itself. The leaders are, Dead Cell, containing Fortune, Vamp, and Fatman, and there is more enimies, but I'll let you find them for yourself. Fortune is a girl that cannot be hit by metal objects because of magnetics, and she has a very big gun, which is a Rail gun, that is pretty much....How will I put this...Scary, especially since she is completely crazy. Next is Vamp, who is a ultra-fast-moving vampire who has a fancy for knives and blood; a bad mix, for the good guys at least. Also Vamp is not called "Vamp" because he is a Vampire, its because hes bisexual...LoL, you will find this out by calling Pliskin (snake), quite a bit throuout the game. And then there is FatMan, a obese male who loves bombs and his hands.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in this game is downright awesome. It is so realistic, sometimes you get paranoid. You can peek around walls, hide in boxes, put magazines in the path of guards, so you can distract them, or you can shoot their radio out and kill them. O ya, did I mention holding people up? Well I didn't so I will, If you go up behind an enemy, you will say freeze and the enemy will put his hands in the air. Then you walk in front of him and if you aim at his head or crotch, he will give you dogtags, if he has them. These dogtags play an important role in the game, if you collect enough, then when you complete the game, you get sectret bandanas, for Snake, and Wigs, for Raiden. They allow the player to be invisible or have unlimited ammo.
Graphics:
The graphics of this game are some of the smoothest on Xbox. You can see right down to the facial features and the bullet, or tranquilizer dart in their body. The pixel amount is also amazing, no blocky items, only smooth. And there are no glitches.
Sound:
Ask anybody, this game has the best voice acting of any game ever made. Its none of those monatone voices, its all professional acting.
Gameplay-10/10
Graphics-10/10
Sound-10/10
Overall, 10/10
Wow, this took me a LONG time to write, and this is, hands down, the best game ever. | video-games_xbox |
Great addition to the Halo series, better than 2 and 3. I've been a Halo Fan since the XBox first came out. I played perhaps 500 hours of Halo 1, an equal amount of Halo-2 (mostly multi-player), a fair amount of Halo 3, and a bit of Halo Reach.
This is my favorite Halo since the original. The original was groundbreaking, and great for when it came out. This is a great game for today. It's superior in every way to Halo, but we *are* after all 10 years later :)
I'm most of the way through the campaign, and have played several multiplayer games. Both campaign play and multiplayer have evolved since the previous halo, and both in good ways.
The game is mechanically sound. The rendering is great, and the people look almost real, absolutely a step up from the previous halo's. They managed to improve the rendering without losing the flavor of Halo, which is itself an accomplishment.
CAMPAIGN:
+ Great story line, especially if you've read some of the books!
+ Good mix of Master chief and vehicle fighting scenarios
+ Some great new weapons and enemies to fight, with awesome visuals, a departure from the traditional covenant. I really, really like the new knights & other creatures
+ The voice acting and animation are all good, without being too over the top
+ Auto-saves are spaced just right, making it a bit challenging but not impossible
+ Includes all the goodies from before: different difficulty levels, and skull settings for extra variety & fun
- The campaign is a little short. I'm about 4/5 through, and have played perhaps 6-8 hours. This is on the 'standard' mode, though, I have no doubt that the harder modes will take longer.
MULTIPLAYER:
+ Multiplayer feels fair, and has most of the controls and displays you're used to.
+ New feature: when you get enough kills, you get to pick a weapon to materialize near you. There's still contention over resources on the map, but this is a nice alternative
+ New maps are nice, the play style on them feels familiar. So far I haven't seen any significant flaws in their layout.
What can I say? I'm a fan! I'm looking forward to playing Halo 4 (and Black Ops 2 if it turns out to be good) almost exclusively for my game time for the next year.
Absolutely, positively worth buying this one if you like FPS games, or are a Halo fan. | video-games_xbox |
They Still Haven't Nailed It. Alright...let's lay a few of the bad comments out first.
Carlos Delgado is a masher...he should be able to hit the ball 500 feet...after 89 games, he has 2 HRs. The lefty glitch is well discussed on EAs forums and constitutes what I believe is a very serious flaw in the game.
The computer is god. It darn near NEVER makes an error on defense, and makes about 95% of the great sliding, diving, leaping, over the shoulder, shoestring, home run robbing web gem plays it's at all possible to make. This is not a realistic representation. I've tried really slowing down the CPU's infielders to stop all the great catches down the foul lines and into shallow center field and it doesn't help.
Meanwhile on the basepaths, the computer is an inept two year old with downs syndrome. As I've said I've played 89 games of season one in my dynasty and the computer has stolen an eye popping TWO bases against me...this is also not right. I've upped the computer's aggressive to +50 and its baserunning speed some as well and it's starting now to make some attempts finally...we'll see if that helps.
Before I say anything else, let me add that I've been playing simulators for ten years now and have mastered them all with incredible ease...I'm VERY good with these things...I've had whole teams hit .450 and pitch 1.50.
But on defense, it's nearly impossible for me to make leaping catches...especially as infielders going back for a ball over their heads. Bret Boone is a pretty darned good infielder, but he doesn't get 1/3 as far down the foul line as every other CPU opponant does to shag a flyball...frustrating? You bet.
Also, I've heard comments about the dynasty mode's player progression being broken...I haven't gotten to the next season yet so I don't know for sure, but if Chris Snelling and Jamal Strong (who BTW should have a speed rating of about like 90...NOT 44) don't improve, the minor league feature will be wasted.
And EA really needs to work on the notification system in the GMs e-mail inbox...I've got about seventeen gazillion notifications that player X leads the league with 10 HRs, 20, 30...etc. How can Carlos Beltran be the first to 20 doubles when Magglio Ordonez got there a week ago. LOL
With all those complaints, why have I given it 4 stars? Gameplay is very realistic, crowd noise is fantastic, though the choppy goofy looking spectators make me laugh most of the time. Aside from the lefty glitch, a skilled player can get his team to hit at a very realistic clip. It takes skill to pitch for the first time I've ever seen. Fielding is smooth and well done. Hitting requires plate discipline and the CPU pitcher actually makes mistakes, throws pitches out of the strike zone, and right into your wheelhouse if you wait for them. In previous games there was no benefit to waiting for good pitches because the CPU was always throwing strikes.
Another positive note about pitching...the CPU will chase pitches out of the zone...especially when you're ahead in the count...if you fall into a pattern, the CPU will figure it out and start nailing you...and the more perfect you try to be with the effectiveness part of the pitch, the harder it is to throw it accurately, which is a great new feature.
Many here have discussed all of the nice features of this game so no need to add anything else.
Overall...great solid baseball game...but there are some nagging problems that I'd like to see EA fix in its next release. | video-games_xbox |
Halo 2 Better or Worse then Halo. As many people throughout the United States waited for halo 2 to come out on release, well it came and it rocked the gaming industry like no other game has done before. Halo 2 is the most anticipated game of the year. It has many great features in single player, multiplayer and in online game play.
Halo 2's single player game play is awesome; in the single player campaign mode you switch back and forth between the master chief and the heretic elite also known as the arbiter. The weapons in the campaign mode are much better then in halo. In halo you had the sniper rifle and the pistol with the zoom in choice, as in Halo 2 you have the battle rifle, the sniper rifle and now some of the alien weapons have the zoom capability. A new feature in Halo 2 is that the marines can drive warthogs and ghosts. What's bad with that is that they can't drive well at all, but you could always put a bullet in their head to stop them from driving off with out you. Another cool thing about the weapons is that you can swap them out with the marines. Say you're low on ammo, exchange your weapon with a marine and take theirs from them.
Moving on to the multiplayer mode of Halo 2 Which is the best part of the multiplayer is that blood gulch is back with a whole new look to it, one new thing is that it has banshees and more then one vehicle on the screen at all times. If an enemy hopes in a banshee run to the middle of the field and the rocket launcher and shoot his ass down out of the sky unless he gets close enough to you jump on it and kick him out and take the damn thing, either way is fun. Another thing to look for in Halo 2 is no fall damage and they also took away the health meter so now its just the energy shield, so it doesn't take that long of time to kill your enemy. The biggest plus of the multiplayer mode is that when in battle you always know where your allies are on the map, and if they get killed or are in a battle with one of the enemies on the other team.
Last but not least another awesome thing about Halo 2 is you can play online with Xbox live. When playing on Xbox live you can use your communicator to talk to you teammates of to the dude you just killed, but it's only when you're standing near them. In Xbox live and in the multiplayer mode the game allows you more options on which team you want to be on instead of just blue and red. Xbox live allows you to get more skill and allows you to fight other people instead of just your normal friends, it gives you the chance to expand your abilities without having to leave your house.
Halo 2 has turned out to be one of the most exciting action packed games ever to be made. The best things about it, is that you can play with your friends at your house or through Xbox live if you need to save gas. Halo 2 is definitely a plus up from Halo even though the ending is sort of bad, but it allows you wait and see what Bungie Studios will do in Halo 3 and whether or not if they'll bring back the sniping pistol from Halo. | video-games_xbox |
A surprisingly good Halo RTS. Halo Wars for the Xbox 360 is a lot like what <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Battle-for-Middle-Earth/dp/B00026ENLE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth</a> was for the PC. Both took a franchise that was very popular and turned it into a real-time strategy that was very simplistic but surprisingly fun, thus making it a gateway game for people who had never tried a strategy game before.
Like BFME, Halo Wars offers the bare minimum of customization: bases are in fixed locations on the map, there are three basic types of units, and only one kind of resource. Without all the fixin's that us RTS vets are used to, though, this game is very intuitive, and even players who have never touched a strategy game in their life will have the hang of it within the first few missions of the campaign (which is excellent, by the way, but only playable on the UNSC side - you only play the Covenant in skirmish mode). The graphics in the game are also superb, comparable to BFME II played on the good graphics settings.
The game has the standard 1000G available from Achievements, but spreads them out a lot. Each mission has a 5G Achievement attached to it. Sort of making up for that, you get five Achievements worth 250G (and a pair of gamer pictures) just from beating the campaign on any difficulty, two of them worth a whopping 70G apiece. Another 80G (and maybe more gamer pictures - haven't tried to get them yet) await those who beat the game on Hard (30G) and Legendary (50G) as well.
A few things about the game did tick me off. Grouping units is nonexistent, and specialized selection is nearly absent - you can select individual units, a series of individual units, all units of one type, all in a general area, all on-screen, or all overall. This made planning multi-front assaults hard to execute (the "all in a general area" selection option did not always grab every unit in an area, and sometimes grabbed a separate unit that was near a clustered group that it could probably have been on-screen if the screen was aligned just so). There is a nice "Automatic" difficulty option in Skirmish mode, but it gets very hard very quickly (I went from a breezy 40 to a decent 60 to a hair-pulling 97 in three matches). Finally, when you play as the Covenant (or against them), you really have to look at your buildings to tell them apart. I still click on the building to see what it is. Thankfully, all the UNSC buildings look different enough that you can see what they are at a glance.
Halo Wars is a good entry-level RTS, made even more impressive by the fact that it's on a console. Don't play this game looking for strategic depth, but it's a blast to play or watch being played. | video-games_xbox |
Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero 3. <div id="video-block-R2BO4KHRZ336TH" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1YlVVPUqoS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/818XtzNGMgS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> Length: --:-- Mins
So which to buy, <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rock-Band/dp/B000TT4GBG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rock Band</a> or "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock"? The big money is on both, but which of the two is the best? That all depends on what you want out of YOUR kicka$z rock simulator. Both have flaws and can be excruciatingly difficult, both are insanely fun to play, both are great party games, both cost an arm and a leg and both ROCK THE MUTHA@#%*ING HOUSE! The wireless guitar controller for GH3 works wonderfully with RB, but there is no such love for GH3 if you buy the RB guitar. If you don't want to drum (singing can be done in a pinch with your xbox live headset), then buying the GH3 bundle is a no brainer as the gameplay, song quality, and presentation is far superior than RB's. Plus, after you're done thrashing it up with GH3 you can get the RB game for a mere $60 (or cheaper) and enjoy it's very customizable characters and super-eclectic song selection using the GH guitar. Also in GH3's favor is a new version of "Anarchy in the UK" recorded by the Sex Pistols just for this game. Slash, Tom Morello, and Brett Michaels also make appearances in-game which is sweet. Score one for the Legends of Rock.
However, the fun of playing drums in RB should not be underestimated. It's pricey, but if you've got the dough and a little bit of rhythm and aren't tone-deaf (like me) than RB is like 3 games in one: guitar/bass, karaoke, and drums. Plus there is an amazing and ever-growing selection of downloadable songs (priced about $2 each) from bands like The Police, Grateful Dead, The Clash, and Metallica. So for a few extra bucks you can increase the game's replayability even more. Not a big fan of the "nickel-and-diming", but to play "Complete Control" and "Synchronicity II", it's worth it. Plus, did anybody say "ultimate party game?" My friends and family aren't gamers so I don't get to indulge the multiplayer nearly as often as I'd like (though the wife does enjoy singing on occasion and this marks the first time she's enjoyed a videogame not named "Tetris") but I can assure you that the Band World Tour career mode is outstanding and much better than the lonelioness of the Solo Tour. GH3 also features downloadable songs, but they aren't particularly enticing to me even though the game itself features the most rockin' collection of songs humanly possible: thrash, hardcore punk, blues, avant-garde alternative rock, and much more. I've also gotten 4 songs ("Dream On" and 3 Dropkick Murphy jams) for free by keeping an eye on xbox live so hurray for Activision on that one.
Now the bad. It's annoying to have to beat every single song to progress on solo modein RB. I've been stuck on the insanely long and difficult "Green Grass and High Tides" by The Outlaws on drums and I don't really have time to practice a 10-minute song over and over. GH3 let's you skip a song on each difficulty level if you choose and is easily the more challenging game when it comes to the guitar. The notes come fast and hard even on normal difficulty and the final run of songs will make you head spin and fingers hurt if you're not one of those inhuman gamers who can do this stuff blindfolded. And if you are, I'd like to eat your brain and gain your powers like Sylar because I've got only slightly more talent for this than I do real guitar playing -which is significantly easier than playing expert difficulty on GH3. I play these games to relax, not to go all Pete Townshend on my gaming equipment. Normal difficulty on RB is absolute cake after playing GH3, and the timing on notes often isn't right either, but when you go into hard difficulty the game goes from slightly challenging to impossible for me about halfway through the solo career mode. At least GH3 ramps up the difficulty slowly. There is no such problem on Band World Tour mode, by the way. YOu can pretty much pick and choose what you want to do and what songs to play. RB's flaws and a very cool, over-the-top style make GH3 the king of guitar games. But, again, if you want to drum or sing RB is the only game in town. Unless you get <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/American-Idol/dp/B0010B3PUA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">American Idol </a>, that is. And if you do, you suck. Majorly. And still can't drum.
The bottom line is this: if you love rock music, save up whatever you can and buy both. Even if you have to buy them piece-by-piece like I did, both games are awesome for rock music fans. If you're into the hard stuff like Slayer and Dead Kennedys and do most of your gaming singleplayer than go for GH3; the game's song selection adn challenge is unrivalled. If you prefer more mainstream alternative music like Radiohead and REM than RB is your ticket. While GH3's guitar battle mode is very cool, RB definitely gets the win on the multiplayer aspect. If you've got 3 friends or family members who are into it, there is no better way to enjoy some great music together than with RB. There is some song overlap as both games feature "Sabotage", "When You Were Young" and others which is annoying and there should never, ever, EVER be a rock game -much less two- with no Jimi, no AC/DC, and no Van Halen. It's just not right. But all is forgiven because these are two killer gaming franchises that will keep us busy (and broke!) for years to come. Rock on! | video-games_xbox |
Cool strategy FPS concept needs fine tuning. BoA: Hells Highway is a cool variation to the WW2 First Person Shooter that would appeal more towards the strategy oriented player and far less to the Rambo, go it alone fan. The game takes the traditional FPS format and puts you in charge of up to 2 squads with various abilities. For all those vets of Medal of Honor or Call of Duty who would have loved to lay down suppressing fire or order some cover will love that angle in this game. On top of the squad based angle there are some other alterations that set BoA apart from other shooters.
For instance you have no health in the game and you really can't get shot. Instead, the screen flashes red when you are exposed and someone is shooting at you. This adds a tad of realism in that you aren't physically being shot and you have to react quickly before being killed. Also, the game is sectioned out into numerous segmented maps or what I call skirmishes. Basically you walk into an area and are faced with a set number of enemies and you need to adapt to the lay of the land. Clear the enemies and then move on. There are numerous ways to beat each level. Soloing or going Rambo will rarely work unless you get really lucky.
As a budget title I have found solid value for the price. The graphics are decent for a 360 title, the music is good, the format is that of Band of Brothers, etc. The story was a bit odd, jumping around and the tone doesn't have any continuity. The main characters seem to always be cracking jokes at the most inopportune time, etc. Whatever, the story is not that integral to the game.
Unfortunately, there are a series of flaws, bugs, or shortcomings in the game that will significantly hurt the experience for some gamers. Ideally I would have rated this 3.5 stars to indicated a decent title with flaws but I opted for the higher rating because I have fun playing it. Some of the flaws are as follows.
1. The game cheats. BAD! What I mean by this is that the enemy AI constantly reminds you that it always knows where you are. Not sure if this was intended or not but the developers need to work on the AI's detection ability to increase the realism of the game. Basically, no matter whats going on in a battle, the AI will really key in on you. I assume this is because the base engine is for a standard FPS. It makes sense that the enemy would key in on you as you are the only one technically playing. However, this kills the games intended strategy as well as makes things annoying.
For instance, the game basically is designed for you to lay down cover fire and then move you and/or an assault team under that fire, around to a flanking position and take out the enemy. Sometimes you can achieve this flank completely under cover. Unfortunately, no matter how good your move, the enemy always knows you are there. In one instance I ran completely around a house hidden and came up behind 2 enemies. Before I even could fire they turned around 180 and shot me. You basically just have to get used to it and hope your fire teams kill them when they expose themselves to key on you. It's worse though when you have 6 guys firing suppression and yet a machine gun still picks on you when you are just crawling around behind cover.
2. Your aim is ATROCIOUS. Again, not sure if this is intentional but you are the worst shot in the whole war. The on screen cross hairs are basically more of a suggestion as to where you MAY shoot but by no means a given. You have several aiming views, all of them unreliable. You have the base walk around view thats just like every FPS. This is the worst view for shooting and you will only use it when moving or strafing, etc. Then there is the standard zoom mode which takes you to a zoomed variation of your guns site. This is ok but some guns are abnormally large and take up so much of the screen it is hard to see. Then you have your base aim from a cover position and a slightly zoomed version by clicking the R-stick. These are the best zooms but you still will plant your pinpointed cross hairs on an enemy and miss more often than not.
I would say they tried to make firing more realistic by reducing accuracy but sometimes it's ridiculous. I can pull off crack head shots with a scopeless M1 at long range and then miss an entire clip at point blank. This is no joke. I have rounded a corner, planted my sites right on an enemy and fired off multiple shots point blank and score no hits. On other instances you will have perfect aim on an enemy and you can watch the tracer rounds fly way off missing by a mile.
When you couple this terrible aim with the enemy AI always knowing where you are and you get a frustrating experience at time. You basically just need to be patient and keep stock of lots of ammo. Obviously some guns are more accurate than others. The M1 or the German rifle are my preferred guns as they miss the least. Machine guns are awful.
On top of AIM, headshots are poor. I have shot some enemies in the head as many as 3 times before they go down. Kind of odd.
3. Your AI is pretty dumb. Your guys do exactly what you tell them but they are dumb about it. They will run out into the open, stand in the line of fire, and sometimes just do nothing regardless of the order, or inexplicably stand right next to explosives as they are about to blow. Also, they are terrible killers. You pretty much have to kill most of the enemies. (I understand the developers probably were worried about you becoming a spectator in the game and thus they make you do most of the work.) I have even seen some of my AI stand right in front of the enemy firing at them and missing at point blank forcing me to come in and shoot them. (Ironically in one of these experiences, I saw 6 Allied AI standing there exposed shooting at 1 enemy also standing. Even though I was far away, the enemy was still shooting at me even though 6 guys were standing around him.)
4. Cover is vital, crouching does nothing. When in cover it is almost impossible for enemies to hit you even if they can see you. (This is the same with enemies. You will see enemies sitting there and you will shoot them with no result, just waste ammo.) However, if you just crouch behind an object, the enemy will still hit you even if they can't see you. There seems to be cover clipping issues. I have even watched enemies shoot in opposite directions and still hit me.
5. Control bugs. Sometimes you can't get into cover when switching through zooms. Some superficial objects will block you or prevent you from shooting like scaffolding, etc. Aiming in tight quarters is a nightmare. Sometimes your characters head will get in the way, other times window sills won't let you see, etc. Very unnatural. This is due to the 3rd person angle when in cover, you are looking over a shoulder and if a wall is in the way, oh well you are blind, even if your character can see fine. Grenade controls are awful. The aiming target is hard to see, and again, your guy has awful aim. Even if you can see the target way away from you, your guy will still throw them off a nearby wall and blow yourself up. (There is no grenade warning either so you sometimes don't know when this happens)
6. Tight quarters AI is broken. I had a very hard time moving AI through tight passageways. They got stuck often, wouldn't follow attack orders, and were unresponsive. I basically gave up and solo'd most of the indoor portions. Enemies also get stuck. More than a few times I have found enemies just standing there looking at me and I can just stand there without getting shot.
That may seem like a lot of gripes but I think they are important. While I still find value in the game as a budget title, some fans may hate these glitches/flaws.
Basically if you can tolerate the bad AIM and the annoying enemy AI, you can find some fun in this game. If you are a stickler for perfection, stay very far away. | video-games_xbox |
My love/hate relationship. Months ago, boyfriend called from Gamestop while returning a couple of Silent Hill games we foolishly bought one weekend. "Google games & tell me the first one that comes up that looks good."
For the next few weeks I sat beside him & watched in awe as he struggled to get through the Asylum Demon. As time went by the two of us had our weekends consumed, him playing & me watching. I eventually started sitting with my laptop constantly on & at the ready in case he needed help finding items or wanted recommended strategies from the multitude of Wiki material available online. I rememeber at one point I actually started telling him he was doing things wrong, criticizing his play! Me who had never even played the game. I would tell friends about it with great enthusiasm, encouraging them to play too. These conversations grew weirder though, simply due to the fact that I had nothing to back it up. I had still yet to play..
I became so intruiged that I finally decided to give it a shot. Though I was sure I would fail, as games that require manual sight control (ie; Skyrim) defeat me almost instantaneously. I struggled & got insanely frustrated trying to wildly maneuver around both joysticks just so that I could see where in god's name I was going, let alone try to fight something, hah! My journey ended shortly after it began in the Undead Asylum. I owned up my initial defeat to a combination of my struggles with the controls, my complete lack of practice, & not knowing when some scary monster might come around a corner & attack me! My level 4 Pyromancer forever sits at that bonfire.
A while later I got angry with myself & mustered up the courage to try again. This game was just too cool to give up before the first boss fight. I spent hours & hours in the Asylum just running around killing Floppys, (or Hollows, as they're referred to) but I prefer Floppys. I finally realized by accident how to LOCK ON to an enemy! Oh my god! I can actually fight now! Aghh I'm so awesome! Oh god the boss. And I'm dead. Omg plunging attack AGGHH!! And I'm dead again. Ok I'll stop.
Now.
After creating many new characters from scratch I think I've finally settled on one I can be happy with. The directions that you can take your character are endless & require careful planning & strategy early on, otherwise you, like me, may end up having to start over with a new one in order to get on the right track. Visually this game is stunning. It is so captivating & you allow it to draw you in without question. Dying becomes a bit less heart-breaking every time, & the run back to regain what was lost varies between a slow strategic trek, to an all-out crazy, flailing sprint! This game will get your heart pumping. It will keep you up at night, which is why, fellow students, I recommend purchasing it over the summer. It will make you mad, FURIOUS at times! Furious enough to wake the neighbors. But when you FINALLY defeat that especially difficult boss, or that particularly annoying invader, with your very last shard of humanity, with only a fraction of your health left, I guarantee it will bring you to your feet for an immediate victory dance Tiger Woods style.
Sorry for the somewhat disjointed review. There's just too much to explain in order to create an adequete non-bias review of this product in its entirety, so I tried to create one that depicted the way the game made me feel when I play. Hopefully you feel the same way. It's a ride worth taking! :)
To those considering this game, I would give it 100 stars if I could. Expect a challenge, & buy it. If a noob like myself was able to get the hang of it, anyone can.
Praise the Sun! | video-games_xbox |
MixAmp is Awesome. Headphones Sound Eh. I was looking forward into stepping into the headset world, and did a ton of research that led me to land on these.
My needs:
Surround - In order to get proper emulated surround, an external sound processor to decode Dolby from my XBox One is needed. The market is flooded with gaming headsets that claim they are surround, but actually just impart some phasing trickery to the stereo signal. This is not one of those systems.
Wired Headphones - I just don't want to stay on top of charging my headset, and don't want to worry about a battery that will fade over time. There are so many things that we have that run on batteries, I hate most of them... Also, wireless headsets do have a slight bit of latency.
Sound GREAT - I'm an audio professional. I sit in front of an exceptional set of speakers all day, and when I get home, I only want nice crisp sound.
I don't care much about style, and as long as headphones aren't painful, I'd consider them comfortable.
Let me say, the MixAmp with this unit is wonderful. The decoding is flawless, and having chat integrated is great. (A lot of other units will need you to run chat separately to your controller.) My one criticism is that you can not ride the controls on the MixAmp while it's connected to the XBox. You need to unplug the USB cable, and set it up on your PC or Mac. "Hey man, your chat mic is too loud!" That'l be about 5 min to set up. Turtle Beach has a lovely external dac called the TAC it has faders on the front for all the controls you need, but it's PC / Mac only. Other then that, it's great.
*Huge Flaw* here is the sound quality of the headset. The A40's are reviewed by many you-tubers / gear reviewers, and not one of them seems to have an ear for sound. These sound straight-up Bad. I threw them on when I got into work, without listening to anything else, and even with a blank slate ear the sound was muddy, cloudy, and outright bad. There is a lot of bass. but I think that's what people look for who don't really know much about what sounds good without reference. Then I A-B'd these against my Sony MDR-7596 ($80) that happened to be at arms reach. The difference was amazing. sweet rich highs, pronounced mids, and careful mature bottom-end. And these headphones (Sonys) are nothing special. Then switching back to the Astros, the curtain was pulled over my ears again. It felt like I had cotton balls in my ears.
I'm not even going to bring these home. I'm returning them, and buying the MixAmp Pro TR on it's own (because it's great) and search for a better sounding headset to pair it with. | video-games_xbox |
Independent Company, Big Title. Bongfish is a small production studio and, after teaming up with Destineer, they set out to lay down the best snowboarding game to date. Partnered with snowboard video mogul Absinthe Films, Stoked offers some traditional features while introducing some phenomenal new ideas.
While the rider customisation is indeed lacking it is apparent that more time was invested into the actual gameplay than visual mods for your rider (though sponsors include Lib Tech, Tech Nine, Burton and other huge names). With actual varying weather patterns you will see the snow stack up or melt away, with various weather conditions you will see new lines and hits emerge on all the mountains. The total accessible area is astounding-- endless square kilometers await your shredtastic setup.
The game sets you as a rider on the ever-so-classic search for sponsorship to unlock new gear and terrain. This is accomplished through completion of media challenges (photo, video), on-hill challenges (trick callouts on specific hits, lines, one-up score records, etc) and comps. This revised updated version (Big Air Edition vs. OG Stoked) offers revised versions of the original mountains and two additional new maps.
The controls are reminiscent of EA's Skate series, but are unfortunately less refined (though much better in this version than the original)-- resulting in slightly unnatural shifties and slightly cumbersome grab controls. The gameplay easily finds redemption in the use of the triggers to carve or prewind your spins. Also, your riding style (prewinding with big spins, huge tricks or alternatively slow, floaty airs) will gain you bonuses (new grabs, point bonuses) as you further develop your chosen steez.
Stoked: Big Air edition shines over the arcade-esque, unrealistic gameplay of past snowboarding titles with the most honest portrayal of the actual act of snowboarding that any game has yet put forth. While a few deficiencies make it apparent that this would have been more polished if from a larger studio, Bongfish has succesfully destroyed any hopes that the Amped or Shaun White series may have retained after initial release.
(If you prefer Tony Hawk to Skate, you'll prefer Shaun White over Stoked.... what a bummer that must be.) | video-games_xbox |
800x VS Astro A50 and Logitech G930. This review is for the Turtle Beach Elite 800X on Xbox One using the latest 800X firmware as of 10-20-15.
I've had these for a few weeks now. They are very good, maybe even great but not perfect. Played a number of games and I am an Audiophile. I'll explain. I'm comparing them to my Astro A50s and my Logitech G930s.
1. They are completely wireless on the Xbox one. This is very important feature for me. I was willing to spend the extra money just to have a fully wireless headset that completely works with my Xbox one. The headset comes with a charging base that serves as the wireless transceiver and allows you to just set the headset in when you're done playing and it charges, No more plugging it in with a wire. The completely wireless Xbox One ability gives the 800X 5 Stars. Astro A50s have to be tethered to the controller and G930s have to be routed through my PC and forced to stereo to use on Xbox One but are still completely wireless after all the extra work.
2. Audio quality is good but not even close to great. I've used several of the presets and found the Signature Audio preset to be the best quality overall for every game. There are other presets that help with foot steps or add bass but I prefer a rich, accurate sound. The 800X does not deliver real quality audio nor has any Turtle Beach product I've ever heard. As far as audio quality, my Astro A50s and G930s both sound MUCH better. This brings down the stars to 3. Seriously, the quality is not great but better than most headsets out there.
3. Surround sound presence is very very good with the 800X and better than my Astro A50s(5.1) and G930(on PC in 7.1). Both the A50s and G930s have great Surround Sound but I was instantly impressed with the vitalization of 7.1 that Turtle Beach was able to achieve. I can quickly and clearly locate a sound with the 800X. Behind, to the left, right, I always know where something I need to shoot is and can turn the right way towards it the first time. This brings the stars to 4.
4. Comfort. It's not uncomfortable, but not nearly as comfortable as my A50s and G930s. Since it's not uncomfortable, it didn't bring the stars down but being less comfortable as my very comfortable A50s and G930s, does not bring the stars up.
5. Mic Quality, the microphone is built in to the headset. It doesn't drop a boom style mic like the A50s or G930s. This does make me sound a little like I'm in a small room to other people only but they have no problem hearing what I'm saying. I thought it would allow for more background noise to make it in to my voice chat but so far, the 800X seems to handle well and no one really hears anything but my voice. This does not effect the stars.
Some other things to note:
The 800x has Active Noise Canceling. This feature works very well and when it's on, I can't hear my jet turbine liquid cooled PC sitting next to me and the 800x stops more noise than the A50s or G930.
Game Audio Volume and Voice Chat Volume are separate allowing you to adjust between party chat and game sound. This feature was on my A50s and G930s as well.
7.1 on a Headset is really just a sales gimmick. Yes it is virtualizing a 7.1 channel signal but you can't tell a difference on a headset between 5.1 and 7.1. You only have 2 speakers... This would apply to any headset. Just wait until they start making Dolby Atmos headsets that can produce virtual sound from above you....
Overall I like this headset. I really wish the audio quality was better but the fully wireless Xbox One solution is a win. If I was only a PC gamer, I would absolutely get the Logitech G633, G930 or G933. If I didn't mind being tethered to my controller, or didn't want to spend $300 on a headset, I would get the A50s used for 100$ on Craigslist or eBay. Since I enjoy playing Xbox One sometimes, I'm glad I got the Turtle Beach Elite 800X but I still use my G930s for the PC. | video-games_xbox |
The Call of Duty Series is turning into The Tony Hawk Series. Let me just be clear on this, I am not a bandwagon COD hater, I've played and loved the series since the original Modern Warfare, but Call of Duty is losing steam. Fast. Aesthetically, this is the best looking and sounding Call of Duty ever. The graphics are good, the engine is smooth, and the guns actually sound somewhat like guns, albeit repetitive (cough, MW3, cough.) However, the gameplay is very, very, VERY dated. I'm going to break this review down into each section of the game: Campaign, multiplayer, and zombies.
CAMPAIGN: MAIN STORY: 8.5/10, STRIKE FORCE: 4/10
This is by far the shining star of this game. As someone who was so flabbergasted by how bad the campaign was in the last 3 COD games, especially this game's prequel, I can safely say that this game has the best campaign since COD 4. It's the typical in your face action that COD campaigns have, the dialogue is cheesy, but the campaign was very well done. This is the first campaign I actually replayed since COD 4, and it's not just for me to get the best ending of the game. Yeah, you heard that right, this game's campaign has multiple endings. Most of them interlock at a point, but for COD, this is groundbreaking, and it's about on the same level as Mass Effect 3, whatever your take on that is. The biggest problem in the game are the (optional, but necessary if you want your game to end well) Strike Force missions. This game mode allows you to command units and take over turrents, ground forces, etc. The problem is, it's not very easy to control. Most of the time, you're going to do what I did, and just take control of a unit and shoot your way through everything, which is very COD-like. But this aside, this is the best part of the game.
MULTIPLAYER: 1/10
And here comes the worst part. What can I say? COD's philosophy on multiplayer is if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and if it's broke, still don't fix it, and throw in new game modes, create a class, emblem editor, and fire support system and call it a day. Unfortunatly, while Treyarch did innovate a lot for this, the big problems of Call of Duty still remain. The mechanical problems, most easily seen with the servers, still exist. The maps are too small, and this leads to players getting spawn trapped all the time. One time, I literally just joined a match, and a scorestreak took me out in 2 seconds. It's ludicrous. The guns are insanely unbalanced, again, shotguns are inconsistent and way too underpowered, the Type 25 is the new Famas, the DSR is a killshot from the waist up, and the Vector has a high fire rate and no recoil. Treyarch has never been good with weapon balance, even though they did make a good decision on making all perks that modify guns turn into weapon attachments. The perks Dead Silence and Awarness are completely useless because the sounds are so in your face, you can't hear anyone, no matter how close they are. But the worst part is by far the online community. The online community in this games is the stereotypical 10-year-olds that question your sexuality, and wannabe MLGs that dropshot and camp all the time. Don't even attempt to prestige in this game, even though the prestige system is better than ever. It's not worth the frustration from all of the garbage that goes on here.
ZOMBIES: 8/10
I love mah zombies. This is the biggest reason why I got this game. Call of Duty. ZOMBIES!!! Unfortunately, much like every zombies mode that Treyarch makes, it's so lacking in content. Tranzit, which is like survival mode on steroids, is a truly open world Call of Duty experience. It literally brought a tear to my eye when I realized, GASP, I'm not confined to a small area and I can't rely on running around in circles anymore! That's right, almost forgot, it's also twice as hard in this game. Rationing out bullets in Zombies is insanely tough. You can also build gadgets from spare parts to create really helpful tools. Grief is awesome on paper, but lacking. You are literally playing competitive zombies, and are trying to outlast the other team. The problem is, besides screwing with their revives, and stealing their powerups, there isn't a whole lot of things that you could do to make it, well, competitive. It's lacking. They will most likely add new features in their season pass, but don't waste your money.
In conclusion, if you truly love the Call of Duty series, you'll love this game unquestionably. If you're new to the series, I'd say rent it first. However, if you're getting Call of Duty Black Ops 2 because you're expecting a fresh and revolutionary change to the online multiplayer, you're going to be seriously disappointed at how same-ish it feels. Wouldn't recommend this game to anyone except the truly hardcore COD players.
OVERALL: 5/10, meh. | video-games_xbox |
Good, not great. If you love football, like I do, you'll like this game. If you're looking for another great video game to add to your collection, look elsewhere.
The Positives:
The game is easy to play. I was able to master passing and rushing fairly quickly. They also included "mini-games" in which you have to complete specific skills in a limited amount of time. For example, there's one mini-game in which you have to avoid a sack and throw the ball to a specified target. There's another mini-game in which you have to kick field goals from different spots on the field. If you win the gold trophy, you get a Madden Card, which you can use during a real game to get an advantage over your opponent. If you're new to playing sports games, I highly recommend that you play these mini-games first to hone your skills.
Franchise Mode is also fun. You get to completely rebuild your favorite team, using all of the players who are currently active in the NFL. You can trade for draft picks or players. You can build your own player and your own fan. You can create new plays and you can choose a real playbook from any other coach in the NFL. Each team's default playbook matches their real-life playbook.
The Negatives:
The AI is flawed to say the least. Don't even bother playing in Rookie mode, because you'll never be challenged. Even Pro mode is pretty easy.
One flaw that really bothers me is the Coach's Challenge. The computer will win EVERY Coach's Challenge it attempts. Meanwhile, you must decide whether or not to challenge a call without the benefit of checking the instant replay feature first. This is bad, no real coach ever wins every challenge of a call for an entire season.
Another problem is the kicking game. The computer almost always makes long field goals, no matter what the kicker's rating is. Even the best kickers don't make many from 55 yards, yet the computer has no problem.
The commentary from Madden and Al Michaels gets old real fast. The first thing I do is turn the commentary volume all the way down so I don't have to listen to it. Same with the music.
Overall, I'm okay with this game because I received it as a gift. I'd be a little disappointed with it if I had paid the full price of $50. | video-games_xbox |
Dragon Age: Inquisition - Absolutely Epic. Let me start by saying that this is going to be an ongoing review as I collect my impressions from Dragon Age Inquisition.
Let me start by saying I have been anticipating this game for months, I absolutely love the Dragon Age series and wasn't going to miss Inquisition!
Upon starting the game I have noticed several good things. Firstly I feel that the story is the central element of a good RPG game. I love it when a game hooks me from the very moment that I begin, and so far Dragon Age Inquisition does not disappoint!!! I will not give any spoilers but I can say that already the story is engaging and amazing! Not to mention the depth of the content within the story, honestly I feel like it is my responsibility to stop the world from falling apart as demons rain from the sky! In my opinion that is absolutely EPIC!!
Secondly is the graphics, which I find to be absolutely amazing. The characters look incredibly realistic and so do the environments. Heck I decided to run up to a pine tree and I zoomed in on the branches and you can see every single pine needle! Overall the game is visually gorgeous and so much fun to explore. That is one of my favorite parts about an open world RPG is being able to go wherever you want and do whatever you want! Inquisition definitely has lots of room to explore and enjoy the beauty of Thedas!
Third is the audio effects. The voice acting is wonderful and I absolutely love the soundtrack!!! I feel like music is a very important part of any good game today, and Dragon Age Inquisition delivers! Just listening to the main theme on the title menu gave me goosebumps! Anyways, I think it is totally epic!
Lastly the level of customization is really neat. It took me about an hour to make my character, which with what I've heard from some people was really fast!! Between that and the class selection/race selection/weapons specialization you literally get to make your own Inquisitor in every way! This game has gone back to the roots which made Dragon Age: Origins so amazing. I am literally going to have to play 6+ times to go through every story line!!!
Well so far that's my impressions of the game. Honestly when I was reading reviews/listening to the hype before DA:I came out I had my doubts, but I am really happy that I just went with it and purchased the game. Personally I love it, I know it will not be for everyone and will have some minor issues (most massive RPGs do) but honestly I feel even worse for those people who don't play this awesome game!!! So stop reading my review and buy it!! | video-games_xbox |
Fear" Is Fun. "Cold Fear" plays like a gem, and contains all the essential elements to make a great action-horror game - everything, that is, except a storyline devoid of clichs. In other words, the game itself, while certainly less than original, is a class act, but the broken wings of the derivative plot keep it from soaring to utter greatness.
Like last year's "The Suffering," the setting is one of the strengths of "Cold Fear" (at least for the first half of the game). As Tom Hansen, a United States Coast Guard officer dispatched to investigate a Russian ship tossed about on a stormy sea, you quickly discover that you're alone, far from any possible help due to circumstances beyond your control (naturally), and that there is more to this distress call than you bargained for. It seems the ship's crew have become infected with parasitical creatures ("Alien" style) and they're rapidly mutating into zombies... and worse ("Resident Evil," anyone?).
Yes, the storyline is boilerplate for a game of this genre, but the gameplay itself, while perhaps not taking full advantage of the setting, is exceedingly well done. The action is responsive and satisfying, and not overly frequent - "Cold Fear" is a game of tension punctuated by sporadic blasts of combat, as it should be. Each of the game's weapons packs a punch, although, realistically, they can be hard to aim with pinpoint accuracy do to the choppiness of the high seas. Unfortunately a zombie can only be permanently dispatched by a blow to the brain, which is a difficult shot to pull off - so, instead, most of the time you'll shoot a zombie to the ground, stroll casually up to it, and stomp on its skull with your boot. Though this practice becomes repetitive after a while, it's good gory fun at first.
As previously mentioned, the atmosphere and the nautical setting of "Cold Fear" go a long distance toward making the game work. Despite the rampant clichs and the gruff, wise-cracking protagonist (who seems literally lifted from "Far Cry," alongside his female sidekick), the leaky, dank environments are unlike anything seen before in a game of this type. The graphics, which are crisp and very attractive, bring this to splendid life, with the moving shadows threatening to contain some creature about to pounce. The raging seas are equally impressive, but more so the rain spatter effect that strikes the camera - or the occasional spurt of blood from a fractured skull that splats across it instead.
Alas, the second half of the game, in an attempt to mix things up, foregoes the ship and places the remainder of the action on an oil platform that feels like your Mars base in "Doom 3" or your Arctic research lab in "The Thing." In other words, it's not quite as striking or as interesting, but still being soaked in atmosphere it more than gets the job done. Surprisingly, it's this late in the game before "Cold Fear" introduces its bigger, badder mutants, where before zombies were the catch of the day. The timing is excellent, actually, because these new threats force a different style of attack (or running for one's life) that shakes up the whole experience, keeping it fresh and addictive. And addictive is perhaps one of the best words to use in describing the "Cold Fear" experience.
The game's biggest problems arise in the form of its weak, derivative story and characters. It's never fully explained why Hansen is supposedly disgraced as a US Coast Guard officer, though this is a point that's driven home on several occasions - more confusing still, there's a reference to him somehow getting his former girlfriend shot and killed, but no further explanation of this (at least not that I could find). This is but one example in a game filled with loose ends. Bigger still, what are all these mutants running around? They're not aliens per se, and they're not genetic constructs. The game's ads implied they were hellspawn "Doom" style, but there's no in-game evidence of this except for the fact that they emerge from the depths where the Russians are drilling. I suppose it's safe to say they are a terrestrial form of unknown life, but there simply needs to be more. Fortunately, the story isn't a deal-breaker in a game this good, but it certainly shoots itself in the foot.
All in all, "Cold Fear" is a game that demands to be played by fans of the genre. The nautical setting makes it this year's "The Suffering," if not quite as creative in terms of its premise and characterizations. Still, when it's all said and done, you can feel it missing the mark of the game it could have been had its story elements come together properly, and had its developers gone that extra mile to incorporate the setting more fully into the game. For example, in mid-development a system was mentioned where Hansen would have to grab onto objects (such as poles, banisters, etc.) to steady himself, and his aim, on the choppy waters, but the mechanic, which could have been truly original, got axed at the last minute. This is emblematic of the game's adherence to the standard, but that is by no means a condemnation. While not quite a classic, "Cold Fear" is a solid, enjoyable effort well worth the price of admission. | video-games_xbox |
abysmal. Massively overhyped, appallingly underwhelming. Yes, it's another Rockstar game. The world created for this game is amazing, everything about playing the game is a wreck.
The crime and justice system is way out of whack. It's like Rockstar wanted to make sure the player didn't (have fun) go on a rampant crime spree so they decided everything the player does wrong should be punished and be a hassle. I took out my firearm to defend myself against a coyote that was attacking me, a sheriff and his deputies nearby instantly began firing on me. This happens all the time. If you accidentally bump into someone in town, it's a crime. If you accidentally point your gun at the wrong direction, you will be hassled by the game. This includes losing any mission progress you are currently on, and some of the missions just disappear entirely if you commit a crime during them. 'Wild West' shouldn't be used to describe the setting of this game, it's more like the 'Tamed West' where you have to pay a fine or get shot to death if somebody witnesses you spit your gum on the street.
The game uses modern political correctness as it's storytelling crutch, and is not congruent with the facts of history at all. This game is laden with racism, referring to people as 'hillbillies' and 'white trash' (sure that phrase existed in the 1800's), and depicting the Irish as drunken sexual deviants. Meanwhile every other person in this game that's 'supposed' to represent a historical setting is black. The modern political correctness/cultural marxism depicted by this game is suffocating. Anyone who has an understanding of history will have to completely suspend their intelligence and awareness of fact in order to enjoy this game. It's supposed to be set in the 19th century of the Wild West, but all of the interaction between characters, what they talk about and how they talk about it, is straight out of the 21st century. This constantly shattered any immersion I might have experienced while playing.
This game should not have made it past the ESRB. I don't see 'implied sex with animals' on the ESRB rating warnings. I can't even go into details about what this game depicts in it's cutscenes without making this review unpublishable on Amazon. Let me say that again. I can't even tell you what is in this game without this review being automatically regarded as inappropriate due to obscenity by Amazon. Nobody in the press, and not one of the braindead cheerleaders for this game even mentions the truth about the disgusting nature of the scenes depicted in this game. If it's so bad that you have to censor people from even talking about it, THEN WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE SOLE VOICE COMPLAINING ABOUT IT'S PRESENCE IN A MAINSTREAM VIDEOGAME THAT'S GOING TO BE PLAYED BY CHILDREN??? Look into your empty, vacant, and useless voids where your brains should be for the answer to that one.
This game was offensive, incomplete, historically inaccurate, racist, sexist, and soulless. Underwhelmed doesn't even begin to describe the sensation this latest offering of Rockstar's imbued me with. Not this time. I'm done with Rockstar Games. They are free to continue their heedless path into hells of their own creation, but I'm not going to give them money for it anymore. I've never intentionally destroyed a video game disc before, but I did this games. I still feel ok about it, my primary regret is that I can't destroy all of your copies too. One of the top 5 most disappointing games I've had the misfortune to purchase in my 25+ years as a gamer. | video-games_xbox |
My favorite Xbox One game so far. I realize the Xbox One is new, but I am going out there and saying that this game is my favorite game in a long while. As far as the Xbox One goes, I also have CoD: Ghosts, Forza 5, and NFS Rivals. All of those games look pretty, but this game just works for the next gen console.
Everything about it is well done. I will start with my complaint, and that, like the other Dead Rising games, revolves around the time limit. I don't mind life bars for people you need to save or side quests as that makes sense. However, for a game that rewards exploration, you really don't have the time when you are trying to focus on beating the game.
When this game trailer premiered, I was concerned that they were taking a light hearted zombie game and turning it into something much more serious. This grease monkey dude running through crowds void of humor had me scared. However, once you get in the game and see some of the customer weapons, psychos, dialogue, etc, you quickly realize that they just removed the cartoonish art from the game to make it grittier. I am a fan of that.
The controls in the game are dead on. When you want to jump, you jump. When you want to roll, you roll. So often, games focus on graphics and content but forget that at the core of any game is the functionality of it all. Nothing is worse than looking at something that should be great but having no way to execute it because the controls blow. The camera can go a little askew from time to time when you are in a tight area, but it has never actually created an issue. I expect a certain amount of that with a 3D open world game anyway as you can ever only see 180-degrees of the world anyway.
The combo weapons are great. Be prepared to utilize them frequently if you want to level up. Going on killing sprees with combo weapons is really the only want to level up. A good spree, even late in the levels, can net you almost a full level up in a few minutes. Without giving anything away, you will find some amazing combo weapons that will let you achieve long kill streaks. The special moves are easy (press B+Y when it appears on your screen) and will give you bonus experience (PP) when successful. I urge you to use this on the special zombies in the crowd (fire fighters, police, prisoners, etc) as they are worth extra PP and ALL zombies are one hit kills with special moves. The ability now to make combo weapons on the fly, as well as access any piece, part, prop, or combo weapon you pick up along the way from lockers, is awesome! If you are playing with friends, you can drop your weapons to them and they can pick up to add to their inventory. I also urge you to pick up everything you can as it will make it easier to build some of the combo weapons later in the game when that can of gasoline or battery is nowhere to be found.
The story is fun. It's not great, but it's not bad. It's just a fun story with a few little twists. Nothing here will blow your mind, but it's entertaining enough. The side quests are worth doing as they are worth a lot of PP and generally pretty easy to accomplish. They will unlock new areas, reveal new weapons, and point you towards new safe houses.
When you die, restart, or whatever you need to do... you get to keep everything you've worked so hard for. This is the best feature of Dead Rising 3. Given the fact that there are HUNDREDS of items, weapons, combo weapons, collectibles, and survivors, doing it all in one play through is going to be tough without a guide or prior knowledge.
There are also different difficulty levels, which makes the game replayable.
To sum it up: single player is fun, co-op is AWESOME! | video-games_xbox |
Forza 3.5 at most. This game should be called Forza v3.5, but they couldn't make money if they did that. It has exactly same game mechanics, auction house, and annoying announcer that you cannot skip. As before, in MOST races, you will start 2/3 of the way back and have to work your way to the front (still no qualifications, test drives in career mode, etc). And then there are the chase races (finally, something new). You again start in the back and have to pass a myriad of kamikaze AI slow drivers that constantly swerve in front of you. There are no improvements to the AI as they drunkenly swerve from side to side. Additionally, they removed difficulty from the game. I know that its on the list, but its only for toggling your assists. Turn 10 decided to remove difficulty from the game. Supposedly, the AI gets better as you play. What actually happens is that they just keep increasing the car stats until you lose. Its funny when you see the EXACT the same car as you are driving in front of you, pull away like you're standing still.
They also still have the exact same rewind function easily the worst rewind function in racing simulations. It never rewinds to the right point. Its either in the middle of your mistake, or you need to go back a mile. Why cant we control this? Is that so hard? Additionally, they now have an ex wife in the programming, critiquing EVERY pass, turn and drift as you drive.
They still haven't improved the basic racing function of the slide. They simply turn off your steering, put on some kind of delay, and then turn it back on. This game still also has the magic sand that will slow you from 200 to 0 in a second - more lazy coding. Turn 10 really does love their sunlight reflecting off of the road. Speaking of which, it will ALWAYS be sunny when you race. No rain, not even clouds. It would take away from razor crisp renderings of the cars. They must have put all their effort into reflecting sunlight instead of trying to actually improve their game. There are a couple of new tracks, and they continue the pathetic trend of nickel-and-dime-ing you with many cars having to be purchased separately (not just Forza does this). I truly feel sorry for those that paid full price for this marginal improvement to an average racing sim. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent but ultimately too hard for its own good. Dark Souls, as you've probably read from the other 323 reviews here, is a dark fantasy RPG legendary for its difficulty, obtuse-ness and mostly excellent combat system. When tasked to explain this game to one of my buddies recently, this is exactly what I said: "It's an awesome game, but you're going to die about 500 times at least. But you should still give it a try!" Not surprisingly, he hasn't tried it yet haha.
When I first started playing this game, there was an immediate sense of bewilderment and awe (especially when you first hit Firelink Shrine - the hub area - with its unique violin music and etc). There was an armored guy sitting down near a bonfire. I tried talking to him but he seemed at the time to mostly ramble on about strange things and laugh at me. (Actually, a TON of NPCs in this game like to laugh when you talk to them for some weird reason). He spoke of bells to ring, so me with my crap starting armor and heater shield walked down to what looked like the next area I should go to- a nice little cemetary just a staircase away from the bonfire.
Walking down those stairs, I was soon beset upon by some skeletons. WOW. All I can say is that unlike maybe every other RPG in existance, Dark Souls' skeletons are NOT the pushovers you'd expect. They move incredibly quickly, slicing and dicing you to bits causing heavy bleeding.. and then "YOU DIED" pops up. Get used to seeing this, by the way. I use this small skeleton story to illustrate an important aspect of the game though: Dark Souls is a game where everything you think you know about games like this is wrong. Hell, you can't even sell your excess items until at least halfway through the thing!
Some things are unfair, and I'm not just talking about combat-affiliated gripes. I grew up on the NES. I'm used to games that don't tell you where to go or what to do and all that, but Dark Souls has a couple instances where I just don't see how anybody could progress through it without a guide of some sort. Case in point: I found a city of the dead filled with ghosts (who you can't normally engage in combat but they can still kill you handily, by the way). Far along into the city I discovered a fog door, which almost always means there's a boss battle on the other side. Awesome! So I go in and go down a very long winding stone staircase. Then the stairs stop and an endless pit looms below. Uh oh, a weird dead-end! So I climb all the way back up the stairs and you can't go back out the doorway that you just walked through. What?! So I had no choice but to jump to my death. YOU DIED.
I turned to the internet to see what the hell just happened. Turns out you have to get and equip a ring that's the reward for killing another boss enemy VERY far away from that pit and then jump to your death- only this time it won't kill you, you'll instead have to fight a hard boss called the Four Kings. Now I've owned this game for a couple years now and though I was able to eventually win it there's just no way I would have ever figured out some of this stuff. I'm all for things taking a bit of brain to solve ("GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE.." in level 7 of NES Zelda was an infamous puzzle for me back in the day for example)but this was a bit much in my opinion.
Or another encounter I had, also in that same city: I somehow managed to stay alive long enough to get to the top of a roof where a guy in red robes was. I talked to him, and hey he didn't kill me- cool! But I didn't really GET anywhere with him. I checked out 'ol internets' again and it said he was supposed to give me some sort of item to get past another area. So I went back and tried talking to him again. Nothing special, no items were had. So I figured, well, I guess I have to try and kill him to get the item. And kill him I did- only to later find out that had I completed some other section of the game FIRST and THEN come back here he would have gladly given me the item and still be alive to set up camp at the Firelink Shrine to sell me stuff for the rest of the game. Son of a bitch!
Combat-wise the game is very good and it's true even at level 90-something if you're careless an enemy 50 levels below you can kick you ass and kill you. There are many many types of weapons and armor to collect, upgrade, and use, but there are some types that I don't think many will ever WANT to use themselves. For example, there are I think only 2 whips in the entire game and sadly even when fully upgraded they're terrible vs. almost everything you have to fight. Daggers are great weapons but if you want to try an interesting build like dual weilding them all the time you won't like the results too much.
Why is that? Well I think the game pretty much forces you to use a shield for 90% of the time. My method of playing- which from the looks of it is the way most 'regular' people play- is to shield block an enemy's attack and counter with your own attack. The thing is, I can't imagine trying to go up against some of these bastards without the ability to block their devastatingly-powerful attacks. I mean technically-speaking you CAN block a battleaxe or fireball with your butter knives but you'll still take a lot of damage from it. A lot of enemies even have special moves that are completely unblockable and you'll never know it until the big YOU DIED pops up again.
While it might seem that I'm all piss and vinegar over Dark Souls I do truly like this game and would consider it a classic, even with its (minor?) flaws. Like NES Metroid, there's a huge feeling of wonderment, exploration, and solitude that just really can't be beat by games nowadays. Some compare this to Dragon's Dogma- a game a personally enjoy more- but still I give this brutal puppy a solid 4/5 stars. | video-games_xbox |
A good GOW, plauged by rushed release and forced through the corporate profit juicer. Overall gears of war 4 did some great things. It was fun playing everything. I loved the new horde mode and all the new, well thought out features. But the problems, once again, outweigh the pleasure. The game file size is over 100GB. And the worst part is that you have to download over 60GB from xbox live, not the game disc. If you have slow or no internet just keep on moving. Gears 4 isn't for you. Gears 4 was made for gullible and exuberant fan boys who will supply the developers with a steady stream of micro transcations. Buying the 50$ season pass is only the start. If you want any progression you have two options. Option one: grind. I love to grind. I even live long grinds, they can be so very rewarding. However, to call the progression system a grind would be like calling a tricycle transportation. If you are willing to put around 100$ into gears you can progress at a speed that we used to consider normal. If you want to grind without using any micro transactions, don't worry. The developer made sure to include just enough crumbs to get you to full completion....sometime after 600 or so hours of gameplay. For 100% completion you are looking at 2 or 3 years of dedicated play. Even this wouldn't be so bad if the game wasn't plagued by server issues. Good luck connecting and staying connected. The developer made the ingenious decision to make horde 3.0 online ONLY this year. They have a number of convincing reasons why it needed to be online. But if you are looking for some actual truth it is so that they can sell you horde skill cards through online micro transactions. It worked on perfectly for the developers. They can bombard you with notifications and hot sales and limited time offers anytime you play horde. And wouldn't you know it, the feature that works best in gears 4 is the store menue. I've never seen that go down. Even when everything else is down. Don't get me wrong, it is possible to buy horde packs without spending real money. You can earn currency Basically once you beat about 45 consecutive waves of hardcore horde you will have enough to buy one booster of five common cards. And there are thousands of cards and you can get duplicates so not the quickest way to win. And if you can keep the vomit in your mouth for long enough to enjoy a game of GOW, the servers will go down, go out go over go left to right go out of sight who knows. There is nothing like being kicked out of horde after 45 consecutive waves of horde, 2 1/2 hours and then the servers crash. And do you think they made a way for your progress and currency to be auto saved? Nope. You lose it all. It's a mine field every match. Have fun. | video-games_xbox |
4.5. out of 5 for the "force" Star Wars Battlefront has brought to gaming. I rate this game a 4.5 out of 5! Does it lack a campaign/story mode? Yes. Is it somewhat like a Battlefield game with a Star Wars theme/skin/look to it? Yeah, it can feel a bit like that. But, is it a fun game? Yes, in my opinion it is! Despite not having a story mode to it, Battlefront is pretty sweet! You can play solo or co-op online and offline on one console. And some say it is going to be repetetive to play. Well....No more or less than playing a Call Of Duty or Battlefield,ect..Many play those just for the online multiplayer anyways & love them! There are several ways to play. You can go head to head,fight waves of enemies (like horde mode in Gears Of War), and even use different vehicles/ships. Online you will continue to rank up and progress as you play more and more. In turn, you gain not only a rank level. But also get points you can spend like money towards weapons,armor/gear,character faces,ect...that you unlock as you rank up! The controls are pretty easy to get down and used to. The gameplay runs pretty fluent and smooth. Offline is fun to play. And the online is pretty great. It is a more expansive multiplayer game. That can host a lot of people in the game! The sounds are awesome as you would expect. And of course the games graphcs look amazing!! You can play as both Imperial and Rebel forces. As well as classic main characters from each side (Luke,Boba Fett,Solo,Vader,Emperor Palpatine,Leia,ect..And for anybody that does not like 1st person view but likes third person (or the other way around) this game allows you to switch between views easily by holding down on the D-pad. The Deluxe edition comes with a DLC code (two codes if pre-ordered @ Gamestop like I did) for Solo's blaster, and a few other minor but nice to have things. If you're a Star Wars fan,a fan of shoot'em ups, or both (like myself) I highly recommend this game! | video-games_xbox |
Xbox One Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Bundle. Alright, I noticed a lot of people are giving this bundle a bad review because of the issues they had while downloading the game. Yes, I know it sucked because it downloaded really slow and sometimes the percentage downloaded would drop from 35% to 26% but I still think this does not deserve the 2 and 1/2 star rating it has. I just think people expect too much from these bundles and then are disappointed when something goes wrong. I know people will say that they are paying $450 for a console that doesn't work but all those issues were from Microsoft's side. Their servers were being hammered by all the people trying to download the game so of course that is going to cause problems when it comes to the downloads but I don't think that is a reason to give it a bad score. It also took mine about 2 days to download I believe but it was not a big deal because I also bought Forza Horizon 2, great game by the way, so I had something to keep be busy while the game downloaded. If you're thinking about picking this up you should still get it, or any other bundle, just expect to have slow download speeds and maybe even pick up a physical copy of another game to keep you busy while you download the other game.
The console works good in my opinion and I am happy with it. I also like how you can copy the games to an external hard drive and take the games to a friend's house and play it. Another thing is that you can also watch TV or use other apps while you are playing a game. Setting it up took about 30 to 40 minutes or so, wasn't very difficult.
The console came with the Chat Headset, the digital download for Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, pretty good game compared to Ghosts, and the limited edition call of duty controller which costs about $70. The console has a 1TB hard drive but with the operating system and all the files the system needs it goes down to 740Gb I believe. Now, if you complain about that I don't know what to tell you, yes windows operating system only takes 20-25 Gb but the Xbox One uses 3 operating systems and that is why it takes more space. You can get more info on the OS that the Xbox One uses on the interwebs. Even though this console has a bad rating I would still recommend it and now at least you know what to expect when you get it. Hope this helped anyone. If you guys have any questions feel free to ask!! :D | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing. I am a massive RE fan. The first RE game years ago was what got me started in gaming and I was so excited for this new game. I pre-ordered it something like a year early. With all that being said, I was a bit disappointed to say the least. The game visually is appealing. The graphics are creepy if sometimes a bit blurry. There also seems to be a lot of repetition with imagery from the older games. Nitpicky? Maybe but after paying $60 for a game, I expect a lot. The first few minutes of gameplay were really spooky and got my adrenaline pumping but after that, things slow down quite a bit. It takes forever to clear the old house and get on to the next chapter of the game so I was thinking, "Well at least it'll be a good, long game if it took this long to get past part one." Nope. The rest of the game moves along pretty quickly. The boss fights aren't anything terribly new or challenging. My biggest issue was the glitches I got. I had a "failure to save game" error at about 75% through the game and ended up having to uninstall and then reinstall the game in order to fix the problem. Not fun after having spent time getting that far into the game and Capcom tech support was zero help with the issue. I searched the net for hours trying to find someone who could give me a solution that didn't involve uninstalling to no avail. Once I finally played through to the end, I wasn't happy with how short the game was. Games like Fallout 4 or Deus Ex gave me days of play which is what I expect for a top level game. Total play time on this for me would probably have been 7-8 hours if I hadn't had to restart completely. And to make matters worse, Capcom is already trying to milk us for more money with a DLC only a week after the game launched. I was just terribly frustrated with the whole thing. If you are a parent, be advised that this game is rated M for a reason. There is ample blood and gore (of course) along with some pretty scary visuals. I wouldn't recommend for any kids under 13. | video-games_xbox |
More of Everything That Made Tomb Raider Great. The Tomb Raider reboot from 2 years ago surprised me as much as anyone. I hadn't really played Tomb Raider since the original 2 on the PS1 and after a number of not so good to pretty good sequels, I figured it was one of those franchises that would survive on its past games and name alone. I was happy to be proven wrong. The Tomb Raider reboot was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. I loved eveything about it and when I heard the sequel was coming, I knew I would preorder it without hesitation.
Taking place after the events of the previous Tomb Raider, Lara sets off on a quest to discover the truth about the myths around the world. This time, exploring Siberia for an ancient city that's supposed to hold the key to immortality. Also after the same thing is an organization who will stop at nothing to uncover the secret for themselves. It's a race to the finish with obstacles and adversaries in the form of ruthless henchmen, wild animals and treacherous terrain along the way.
Versatility and variety are key words to Rise of the Tomb Raider. Upgrading weapons and skills was a big part of the previous entry but it's been enhanced even more this time around. Finer tuning with weapons allows you to really hone in on how you use each weapon, giving priority to each feature depending on your play style. Weapon customization has increased in new forms like poison tipped arrows and explosives. Each encounter with enemies is presented with more freedom than ever to allow the player to enagage in any style they choose. A full on stealth approach can be taken with as equal success as an aggressive one. Hiding in cover, behind objects, in brush, under water or in trees, stealth melee attacks rendering an enemy unconcious or kills from close or long distant range are all possible this time around. Using items like bottles to throw near and distract an enemy allows you choose how, when or if to even engage an enemy at all. Showcased at last years E3 was a much more aggressive fighting style for Lara when taking an all out attack apporoach. The combination of melee combat and guns blazing firefights had some concerned that this would be more of a shoot-em-up than the previous game but that was just one way to approach that situation. The developers put concerned fans minds at ease by assuring us that there will be even more tombs to raid that are even bigger than last time with more puzzles to be solved and more treasures to uncover. The Brawler, Hunter and Survivor skills have many more levels of customization again this time as well. Again, it's all about tailoring Lara to your unique playing style. This also gives the game more replayability, allowing you to tackle the game from a different approach and having a different experience each time. This is what a true sequel should be. More of everything you love. That's what Rise of the Tomb Raider is. If you liked the last one, you'll love this.
I could only afford one new game this November and of all the great games coming, I knew Rise of the Tomb Raider would give me an experience that would satisfy me on more levels than the others. Action, adventure, exploration, exotic locations, shooting, fighting, stealth, customization, story and puzzle solving. It's the total package of gameplay and an easy recommendation for fans of the series or newcomers looking for the total package. | video-games_xbox |
Simply AMAZING--If you're getting an Xbox One this is a must buy. I don't usually spend time writing reviews, but I had to sound off on this game. I've finished the campaign and played several multiplayer matches in the Colosseum. If you're on the fence about buying this after looking at some of the reviews by the "experts" out there, don't be. This game is one of the most AMAZING games I've ever played. It is just epic in every sense of the word. It draws you in in a way that few games do and is super fun--especially the better you get at combat. And the graphics...GOOD GOD. You sit back on some of the levels, and it's like you're playing a movie. It's just astonishing.
The biggest gripe I see from critics is that the gameplay is just button mashing and that the gameplay has no depth. I would say put it on a high difficulty setting and see how far you get button mashing. Yes, Crytek has it where the Call of Duty ADD crowd can button mash through the lowest difficulty setting just to eventually finish the game so they don't get frustrated, but as far as I'm concerned the same can be said of most games. As far as the depth of combat, if you actually take the time to learn and explore the combat system it is about as good as you're possibly going to do for a "sword and sandals" game like this. If you don't take the time to learn any of it, then it can appear deceptively simple. But again that also can be said of most games. If you want to actually play the game as intended and learn the combat system, something I don't think a lot of the reviewers took the time to do, it is absolutely bad a&%, fun, and addictive.
If you have an Xbox One or are getting an Xbox One, I can't recommend this game highly enough. It's awe-inspiring. And a heck of a lot of fun. I don't know why some of the critics decided to pick on this game--maybe it was the so-called "disastrous" E3 demo with quick time events (which I still thought looked amazing), the fact that it started out as a Kinect title and went through development hell and morphed into a different game than it started out as, or just the hype and how high expectations were for it--but in any case they got this one wrong. It's close to a masterpiece.
Graphics: 4 stars Awe-inspiring. You've never seen anything like it. Truly next gen.
Story: 4 stars Very cool story and a brilliant way it is presented reminiscent of the Call of Duty series.
Sound: 4 stars Beautiful soundtrack. I haven't checked out who the composer was, but it almost has a Hans Zimmer Gladiator feel to it.
Gameplay: 4 stars Play the game the right way as it was intended and learn the combat system. It makes everything more fun and enjoyable. And addictive. | video-games_xbox |
This is the first one that I have been so disappointed in that I wish I could get my money . If you are a fan of the EA Sports PGA series then I highly advise you to go to the EA forums before buying this game. I have been playing them since the 90's and have bought every one put out for Xbox and prior to that PC. This is the first one that I have been so disappointed in that I wish I could get my money back. Does the game look good and next gen like it should, yes it does. After that the game falls flat in comparison to everything before it. The game feels like something EA rushed out just to get your money. There is a huge lack of courses because EA let their license run out on some like The Masters. How do you have a PGA game without The Masters? Same thing goes for golfers, you have a choice of about 10 pro golfers and that is it. The character customization is almost non-existent it is so basic and boring. And there are many game modes missing if you used to play online with friends. Now you have just 2 choices, match play and stroke play. And even then unlike all of the previous games they managed to make it worse. Playing online with friends now is like playing by yourself and chatting with friends. There is no alternate stroke play, it is all simultaneous stroke play. So you and your friends just go through each hole playing it yourselves and if you look around every now and then you can see them somewhere on the hole doing whatever they happen to be doing. The game customization as far as setting up an online session just the way you want it is as stripped down as the rest of this game.
By far this is the worst PGA game I have ever purchased. If you are buying it just for single player you may get your moneys worth out of it over time (after you play each course a billion times because the choices are so slim). But if you bought this, like I did, to play with friends online then you will be very upset. | video-games_xbox |
Great port. Great game. Well first off, let me just state that I hope that noone was expecting this port to be graphically superior to it's pc counterpart. The graphics which the pc version harness could pass for next gen. Besides, just how many console ports nowadays are graphically superior to their pc cousins in general (games of which were originally developed on the pc)?
With that said, the Xbox version of HL2 is phenomenal. Of course the game's not going to look as graphically on par with it's pc counterpart (what games do, with some notable exceptions with titles such as FC:I & D3?) but you must remember that Valve build XB HL2 from the ground up with an entirely different graphics engine. Even so, the game still looks graphically superior to a majority of the games out on the current gen consoles. The physics engine is still intact & looks wonderful along with the character models.
The only real gripes here are that there's some slight framerate issues, especially noticeable right after the game boots up when entering a new area or after saving your game (very brief, but noticeable). There's also the lack of online play or even a multiplayer sequence. This port isn't exactly like the RE4 transition from GC to ps2, as to where the later port gets a host of special or exclusive features (extra modes, weapons, missions etc.). Though extra modes, weapons, multiplayer, and missions would have all been nice for the xbox version of HL2, the reality is that HL2's(gameplaywise) an exact replica of it's pc counterpart.
HL2 for xbox is a port developed on xbox for xbox owners (not pc), so if you've already experienced the game for pc, you might just want to steer clear & consider investing in HL2 Aftermath (for xbox version of HL2 is the same as the pc) for pc. However, if you haven't already played HL2 on the pc, you'd definitely want to check it out for the xbox. You simply cannot go wrong with the experience that is of HL2. | video-games_xbox |
Review from someone who has played over 50 games of madden. At first, let me say this. I was excited to get the game on release day. I couldn't wait. I have always loved playing madden. When it arrived to my house, i opened it up and put it in immediately. Boy i was really disappointed . Everything was moved around and different. The play was different. I just didn't like it at all. IT was overwhelming . I took a couple days off to think about the game. I read stuff people were putting online about. No franchise mode. No fantasy drafts. I began looking for myself, and this is what happened.
*connected careers IS FRANCHISE MODE. pick the coach. You have 100% control of your team , just like last year.
*Fantasy draft is there!! Pick connect careers online. Pick coach. Pick start year or whatever it says. You will be prompted about wanting to do a fantasy draft.
I believe these are the biggest gripes people have. Everything is there just renamed. Once i found this out for myself. I started enjoying the game a lot more.
The new Infinity Engine is pretty good. There are a few weird tackles but for the most part a big improvement over previous games.
My biggest enjoyment so far is Madden Ultimate Team. It is soooo much better then last year. I love how everything in it was changed for the better. The solo challenges get updated every week. There is just so much to do in that game mode. It keeps be occupied for hours.
So basically, don't read everyone's reviews about "NO FRANCHISE , NO FANTASY DRAFT" . these people possibly loaded up the game one time , didn't like it, and turned it off. They never even gave it a try. This game is not perfect, but with the additions and weekly updates from the EA team, it is moving in the right direction.
edit :
[...]
on OCT 16th, there will be a new patch for madden. Some of the things that were left out will now be in the game. Hope this clears some more things up for people.
Custom Rosters Offline: Added the ability to start an offline career with a custom roster.
Connected Careers Edit Player: Added the ability to edit gear and information for players in a league.
Changing Schemes in Connected Careers: Added the ability to change offensive and defensive schemes as a coach. | video-games_xbox |
Best of the Winning Eleven series to date. I have played all of the North American W.E. games since WE 6 and I have to say that I am impressed with the consistent improvements that Konami has done with this series. Below is my review based off the PS2 version:
The Winning Eleven games have all had one thing in common: tremendous and realistic gameplay. Not only does WE 8 continue this tradition, but the game also adds on welcomed new features that compensate for the lack of online play and club licenses that is synonymous with the FIFA series:
- On the pitch referee
When fouls are committed, you'll witness a referee run up to the play to either warn the player or toss out a yellow card. What makes this neat is that you have the option to select which referee will be the decision maker for your game. One ref that is not made available is Pierluigi Collina, who is heralded as being the best ref in the sport. That's a bit of a bummer but doesn't really do much to affect the game
- Free kicks now involve two kickers
Yep, that's right. By using the select button (on the PS2), you have the option of using two kickers from the spot. This now only adds to realism, but strategy as well since you have more than one person at getting around the wall during free kicks.
- Advanced moves
In previous versions of W.E. you had to be real adept in using the buttons to get around your opponent. Although you still need to be pretty skillful in maneuvering your man, you can use the R2 button to perform stutter steps and more fakes to get around the defender. Playing against the computer on the highest difficulty will show you how hard covering the AI has really gotten.
- Improved AI
As great as WE 6 was, the AI wasn't overly difficult. WE7 was better at working on this but now, WE 8 has really added to this department. You'll find that if you play the same two teams 3 times, you'd be pressed to win all 3 games in a row. The defense of the AI has hard to get around unless you really are adept in passing well. As I said earlier, offensive AI is hard in its own right in that the addition of trick moves makes it hard to cover your opponents one on one, especially if the opposing player is a star such as Ronaldo, Zidane, Henry, etc. You'll also never score the same goal twice (unless it's a penalty kick). The AI is just too good in this game.
- Improved graphics
This is easily the best looking WE game in the series. Although FIFA has been renowned for their graphics, I really think WE is not that far behind anymore. You can easily make out players such as Beckham, Schevchenko, Figo, etc. Heck, you can even witness Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United along with his huge earrings. Animations are numerous in this game as well. Players complaining, goal keepers trying to motivate teammates, players pushing each other after a hard foul was committed all add to the fun factor in this game. You'll even see dirt stains on players' jerseys after a few minutes have passed in the game.
- Deeper Master's League
Although I have yet to try this part of the game, I have been told that this is the bread and butter of the game. Basically this is the part of the game where you take a team over the course of several seasons and try to build a dynastry (similar to franchise mode on other games like Madden). You can keep track of your players during the course of a season with player ratings fluctuating. Old players will retire at season's end and young players, with added playing time, will improve right before your very eyes. Previous W.E. Master League's have kept me busy so I'm expecting this year's iteration to do the same to me once I get to it.
Here are the few cons I found (PS2)
- Commentary/Sound
Not horrible, but not great. However, once you're knee deep in games (which will happen once you play the hardest level), you won't be concentraing on the sound as much.
- A bit of slowdown
If you have several players in the box, there's occasional slowdown but not bad enough to take away from the gameplay.
- No online play. Probably the most "glaring" deficit of this game according to some. True, online play adds fun to games, but I always felt that playing a sports game with more than one person is best when you play your friends directly instead of over a broadband connection.
Overall, this is probably one of the best sports games I have ever played (Madden 2003, NBA 2K series, and SSX I think are on this level). Even if you're not a soccer fan you'll enjoy how much of a challenge this game will provide for you. If you are a soccer fan like myself, you'll be blown away by the realism this game serves up. And if you're a Winning Eleven fan, you'll be flat out impressed with the new features this game adds over previous editions. | video-games_xbox |
It's another Skylanders game. Did you enjoy the previous Skylanders games? This is more of the same with a bit of racing sprinkled in. It's the first game in the series where I didn't buy any more than 2 additional items (being an air vehicle and a sea vehicle). Specialty vehicle packs are needed to unlock additional race tracks (2 are locked in land, air and sea, while 2 are unlocked in the basic version of the game). There's at least 5 elemental zones locked unless you buy the additional vehicles. Based on previous games and what I unlocked in this game, I don't feel like I'm missing that much.
This version does improve on previous formula by reducing the number of times you need to change skylanders to access content. If you're good at keeping your skylander alive, you'll only need to change vehicles types once each level (which typically consists of 4 chapters). Spitfire is a pretty good skylander to use, while new version of stealth elf is a little harder to keep alive. You'll need to keep a Supercharger Skylander alive to access some specialty gates.
Personally, after investing a small fortune in skylanders I'm annoyed by the continued locking of zones unless you purchase even more new skylanders. It would be nice if your previous investments could be used to unlock gated areas of the game, instead of constantly trying to extort more toy purchases. Couldn't they just make it easier to access a gated area with a new skylander? You could then complete a series of quests or daily quests to eventually unlock a gated area or in this case a race track. I also found it annoying that the new portal doesn't work with older games and that you have to unplug the older portal while using the new portal.
If you're looking to max out your achievements, you must either have Xbox Live gold or purchase one of the 3 packs with a vehicle to unlock an extra land race (in addition to the base game). There doesn't seem to be that many people playing online racing, now some 6 months after the release. The final boss isn't hard on Nightmare mode, but it is tedious. The more skylanders you own the easier it will be. If you try to beat the game with just the contents of the starter pack, you'll need to perfect your driving skills (before you go insane) to succeed.
Lastly, I'm not into racing games and feared the racing would turn me off. For the most part it wasn't too bad and I was able to unnecessarily complete the hard racing levels without much practice (and I'm also really bad at racing games). Avoiding the obstacles for the final boss racing fight was very difficult for me, and it's not something I could have done without a plethora of skylanders at my disposal. | video-games_xbox |
Great for $40, not so sure for $60. Ill start my review by saying that I probably would not have bought this game if it wasn't $20 off, so EA u can thank amazon.
The Campaign: Its short, its fun. Sometimes u get stuck, sometimes u beat a level without dying. The persuade ability is kind of over powered in my opinion.
The Coop: There are 9 missions, the level cap is 30 (your able to unlock everything by the time u reach level 30, rather than games that make u take tradeoffs (get this, don't get this)). For me, being able to unlock everything is a perk. Especially when u play with people who don't have everything unlocked and they are a bit surprised with how powerful u become.
Dont let this confuse you, even at the most powerful rank, some of the coop missions u need 4 players on to be able to do their hardest setting. And one of them, me and my friend are not able to do even tho we are highest rank and playing with random people. For one of them, I believe "Scandinavia" you WILL NEED 4 players max level and be lucky. Your robot friend dies fast!
Anyways, level cap 30, there are about 10 different powers you can unlock, my favorite at the moment is E-drain which takes life from the opponent and gives it to me. And my second favorite is battery which regenerates the energy bars of my teammates and gets me a lot of points. Plus, I get many thank you's when Im using that ability :).
In conclusion on a Scale of 10: Im going to give this game a 9 overall. The campaign is short, but sweet. That gets a 7, and the Coop is very fun (if you have friends that also have the game and occasionally when your playing public games and your teammates are as good/better than you. Then its a blast! Coop gets a 9.5. In my opinion, the coop on this game is more fun than Halo or Gears of War with the amount of teamwork required and the amount of powerups you can unlock and use.
All that being said, I would not buy this for $60!!! Coordinate with a friend (or if your an overachiever, 3 friends) wait till it goes down to $30 in price and all 4 of you buy it! It is a blast in coop with friends! | video-games_xbox |
Had me addicted for 3 days straight. First off, i have beaten this games' main campaign in the co-operative mode. I admit it is relatively short, but it is well worth the money. Throughout the campaign, you switch back and forth playing as the Master Cheif on the human side, and then you also play as an alien on the covenant side. (Thats when the white button is used for camuflage).
Let me just say that this game is amazing and completely lives up to the hype. They have created new covenenant enemies such as Brutes(gorilla looking aliens) Drones(Very fast Bug type aliens that fly) prophets(boss-type figures who are the leaders of the covanents "great journey" plan.) The aliens now speak in english so you can understand what they are saying.
They have also added lots of new vehicles. The Wraith and the Spectre are only a few. Also they have added a s***load of new weapons such as the SMG, Covenant Carbine, Beam Rifle(alien sniper rifle), Brute shot(grenade launcher carried by brutes), Fuel Rod Cannon(that huge gun that Hunters carry), An Energy Sword for those melee type of fighters, and An extremely useful Sentinel Beam that most sentinels drop.
I don't like the new armor system that the master cheif uses(it seems less useful than in the first Halo and takes a tiny bit longer to recharge. Some points in the game such as the flood infested wall seemed impossible to beat in single player so i had to wait to play with my friend on co-op to get past certain parts of the game. The environments do not repeat themselves as they did in the first halo game.
The A.I is much smarter in this game. They are now capable of driving vehicles while you can sit in the gunner seat if you would like or if you prefer passenger seating, you can do that too.
They changed around some of the weapons effectiveness too. In Halo 1 i found that the plasma pistol was quite useful and that the needler was useless, but now theyve changed these kind of things around to balance it out. The plasma pistol is now next to useless and the needler when duel-wielded can be extremely deadly. Thats another thing theey added, duel weilding. you can now hold any 2 light or medium weapons simultaneusly while in battle, this helps a LOT.
Also they give you more opportunities to ride in vehicles. Take advantage of this as being in a vehicle is much more useful than being on foot.
YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE THE COLOR OF YOUR MASTER CHEIF in multiplayer mode as well as the emblem on his arm.
I don't want to give away any more of the game than i already have. i give this game 5 stars, 10 out of 10. this is game of the year and should be owned by all fans of Halo: Combat Evolved | video-games_xbox |
Disappointed, but it's not bad. There isn't much to say that hasn't been written yet, but here it goes:
Pros:
1) Good story and unique setting
2) Beginning sequence and first chapter are emotional and disturbing
3) Controls are solid, not great though
4) Voice acting isn't bad
5) Multiplayer - I was really surprised how much I enjoy the multi-player. It is not COD in terms of smoothness and graphics, but it using battle points which makes it a unique experience with gigantic maps which was nice. The ability to drive vehicles was a HUGE plus that I didn't expect and gives it a small edge over COD in that department. Once I get the achievements for single player I will still play this game a lot for the multi-player. I'm glad I didn't ignore it.
Cons:
1) Campaign is disgustingly too short; as someone else posted, you never really feel part of the resistance, you just feel thrown into the "end game," all-or-nothing finale at The Golden Gate Bridge(?).
2) Story starts off disturbing and interesting, but as the game progresses, it starts to feel just like other shooters; it never really revisits the mature content that could have made it a necessary addition to a gaming library.
3) Graphics are sub-par. It's almost criminal how this game looks at times. It's hard to say the graphics are "bad" because it's not really an ugly game. It just doesn't live up to the gaming engines that are out today. If there's a sequel they NEED to correct this problem first.
4) As with most shooters there are some areas that are extremely frustrating or bad checkpoints that kill the fun...but I wouldn't say there is anymore in this game than COD or other shooters.
5) Multiplayer servers seem to have issues. I've seen a TON of complaints about the servers, but I've only had it drop out once. Still it was in the middle of an awesome matchup and I was really bummed. Also, once I had a hard time finding a game to join which was weird since I know there are a ton of people playing it right now.
Overall:
Ironically, I bought the game for the storyline, but I feel I'll be playing it for the multiplayer from now on. I wouldn't recommend this to someone for the full price of $60.00, but I would recommend getting a used copy or waiting till the price drops below $40. The story is good enough to warrant a play through or two, and the multiplayer is worth the price if you want a different flavor than COD. | video-games_xbox |
Tedious after a while, generic story, headache inducing, swarming jump scare enemies ugh. This game is fun, for a while, but well before the ending I just wanted it to end finally. The constant fetch quests get so old, Isaac needs to have a lot more self respect and not be a doormat that does everything for a team of several people! The interiors are fairly all the same and get pretty boring after a while not to mention the CONSTANT rushing enemies that are just jump scare cannon fodder, that just gets really headache inducing. For me the sound gave me headaches after a while, especially the machine gun which can't be turned down independently of "sound effects" audio setting. Also if you have a problem with flashing lights this is not the game for you, this game me a bigger headache after a while. After about chapter 8 I would get bored with this after an hour or so of gameplay. It is visually stunning of course but that's just not enough to override the other stuff. The "side" quests are OK but most of them are just deathmatch with swarming enemies at the end with very little else other than loot. One of the later side quests took me to the exact same room as an earlier sidequest where of course it was a deathmatch with a loot box reward, ugh. I ended up skipping most of them after a couple. It does have a lot of varied gameplay elements for sure so it's not too bad but not too good either, fairly generic game. This didn't need the Dead Space title really, it could have been a standalone and would have got better reviews if it was not associated with the DS lore. I don't follow the story closely and can't remember DS2 so I guess it ties in but it's not distinct. I'm not a huge fan of all the gore and frankly satanic storyline on all sides either.
In case you don't bother to read the Bible this is loosely based on the story of Isaac, the son of Abraham, whom God tested by ordering him to sacrifice his son and then once his intention proved his obedience the sacrifice was called off and a scapegoat ram was sacrificed instead. In the game it clearly states that the key to the whole thing is that Isaac must be sacrificed for the satanic indistinct "evolution" and merging of all. This is a satanic twist to the Bible story. Stuff like this is everywhere in games and elsewhere, another example being that Dying Light takes place in Haran, this is the city that Abraham moved to from Ur and where his father died. This is where Abraham was given the order by God to go to Canaan and that he and his SPIRITUAL progeny(his material progeny were given Canaan as per Josue/Joshua but lost it after they turned to idols) would be given this as an inheritance, a clear foretelling of the City of God, the heavenly Israel that awaits those who remain obedient and faithful to God. However in Dying Light the "hero" fights his way out by slaughtering etc, this is a satanic idea of only relying on oneself for salvation apart from God. All major video games have these sorts of themes and frankly satanic magic type of themes. All the blood and gore and higher concepts of self salvation apart from God are that of satanists who think they are spreading "light" but it's the light of Lucifer they spread and is really dark light.
Anyways I recommend a trainer for this one, otherwise it would be pretty frustrating to play as the difficulty level is way too high at normal settings and above. I could see this taking way more than the 15 hrs or so that it took me to finish it if you played without a health/ammo trainer but why? I'd also recommend a cheap x360 controller rather than KBM for comfort. Another thing is that at Chapter 12 nerve cluster it would not detect the second one until I updated the game with the patch so watch for that. I'd say that it's worth what it is now, but not what steam charges. I've not played the DLC as I just was not wanting more of this after the first playthrough. | video-games_xbox |
GAUNTLET NEEDS FOOD, BADLY. Gauntlet took the traditional dungeon crawl style made popular by the pen-and-paper role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, and amped it up to an insane degree by tossing billions of monsters at four heroes from a top-down perspective. Your heroes, in turn, were armed with medieval weaponry that they hurled at ridiculous speeds, machinegun-style.
I've been a fan of Gauntlet since the game was in the video arcades. Ah, the good old days of the Barbarian, Valkyrie, Elf, and Wizard. Of course, no self-respecting guy wanted to be the Valkyrie, because...well because she was a girl. The Elf was nearly just as bad, especially when he shrieked in his prissy elf voice, "Oh no!" as he neared death.
Gauntlet introduced a lot of fantasy troupes that are routinely mocked today. It rationalized that when you eat food, you heal. Given that I'd prefer just sucking down a shake once a day to actually having to eat, I have difficulty imagining that food actually gives you that kind of recuperative abilities. Sometimes food was just sitting in some chest, waiting to be discovered. Other times monsters dropped it. It always looked delicious; a whole chicken on a plate with potatoes, a leg of pork, or some smelly cheese. It never made any sense and didn't have to.
Gauntlet was also known for the Dungeon Master (again, swiped from D&D) providing some obvious and not so-obvious commentary. My all time favorite is when the other characters accidentally destroyed food. "ELF SHOT THE FOOD!" booms the DM, encouraging every other player to smack them upside the head. About to die? The DM had some advice there too. "WIZARD NEEDS FOOD. BADLY!" When I get really hungry before lunch, sometimes I hear that voice too.
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, attempts to update the hack-and-slash style of the original Gauntlet while at the same time providing the rationale for the characters' ridiculous "kill `em all, let the DM sort `em out" style of mass murder.
Our heroes are immortals, crucified (!) by some kind of Aztec-looking sun emperor. His seven advisors all turned out to be wretchedly evil. Since the heroes are immortal, they didn't die (and now we know why they keep coming back to life each game...it all makes sense now!). Filled with regret, the emperor (taking the role of the booming DM voice guy) guides our heroes along the path to redemption by encouraging them to kicking the living snot out of his former employees.
A lot of thought went into Seven Sorrows. The generators that spawn dozens of monsters are still there, but they create enemies with a magical flourish. The environment is beautifully rendered in three dimensions, allowing enemies to be knocked right off precipices (my favorite tactic). In addition to all the running and the killing, there are occasional quests where our heroes go and kill more monsters, find a key, then run back to the door and open it. Gauntlet was never a deep game.
Each hero has been updated with a wide variety of moves, including magical powers that replace the potion-bombs from the original Gauntlet. The Elf can stun enemies, the Valkyrie shrieks and tosses bad guys into the air, etc. Each hero has a logical ranged weapon too; the Valkyrie shoots energy lances from her blade, the Elf pulls out his bow and fires, the Barbarian hurls hand axes and the Wizard shoots bolts of energy. All four heroes are highly individualized; the Valkyrie's "jump back" maneuver is actually a series of backflips while the Wizard teleports all over. Overall, the graphics are impressive.
Unfortunately, Seven Sorrows is far, far too short. My wife and I have come to the conclusion that we are now advanced players, so starting a game on normal difficulty no longer suffices. We should have set it on hard but didn't; in retrospect, I'm not sure if that would have helped. We ended up beating the game in the span of just a few hours.
It's ironic that Seven Sorrows is probably most like the original Gauntlet game. That's not a compliment though; in a crowded market of Gauntlet-clones, Seven Sorrows doesn't sufficiently distinguish itself from all the other sword-swinging, axe-hurling, bow-shooting, magic-blasting games out there. | video-games_xbox |
It's the new best Sonic game. It seems like that due to <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sonic-Colors/dp/B002I0IIPY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sonic Colors</a>, Sega's finally taken 3D Sonic games to the right direction. It's further proven with the release of Sonic Generations, a game that takes nearly all of Sonic's history and compacts it into one game, with new levels in those familiar environments! Naturally, we Sonic fans were all hyped. And what's even better is that the final product was no letdown.
Sonic Generations starts you off in the classic Green Hill Zone, re-imagined with entirely new level design, semi-remixed versions of the catchy level music, and brilliant graphical details! Once you start playing, it feels just like the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Genesis/dp/B00002ST7E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Genesis</a> Sonic games all over again, with the addition of X letting you automatically Spin-Dash (Although the original "Down+A" combination is still there), and...B to crouch ("Down" still present too).
In case you didn't get enough of the game's from-the-start brilliance, there's also the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dreamcast-era/dp/B00000K3X9/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dreamcast-era</a> Modern Sonic, who, like in Sonic Colors, is complete with Boosting, Homing Attack, etc. He gets his own versions of the background music as well. Since Sega's finally doing it right for 3D Sonic games, playing as Modern Sonic is just fun as it is playing as his old pot-bellied counterpart.
Remember when there were scenes like that giant truck chasing Sonic down a road in Sonic Adventure 2? <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sonic-racing-Metal-Sonic/dp/B0009OGJ02/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sonic racing Metal Sonic</a>? Shadow? How about that time when he ventured through the Sky Sanctuary, and nearly drowned in the pink water from Chemical Plant Zone? You get to relive all of that in this game, and these events fit perfectly with the game's new level layouts (The giant truck can destroy some construction sites, changing those bits of level design for Classic Sonic!).
Of all that Sonic had gone through, though, there are only 9 Zones in Generations, representing games like Sonics 1, 2, 3, Adventure, Adventure 2, Next-Gen (The 2006 game, but thankfully, its Zone, Crisis City is actually a lot of fun here), Unleashed, and, of course, the recent Sonic Colors. You would probably think that the game is as short/long as the Genesis games, and while you could say that, there are lots and lots of challenges and achievements you can do and get, making the replay value grow largely.
Even if you did beat the game by completing its minimal requirements, you can't hide the fact that you have enjoyed the thrill ride throughout, from beginning to end. Happy Birthday, Sonic....
UPDATE (7/4/2012): As I was looking at this recently on Amazon, I realized the prices have dipped for both new and used copies of the game! Now that you can find it for under $20, there's absolutely NO excuse to skip this game! | video-games_xbox |
At The End Of Every Dark Tunnel Go To The Light And Dont Look Back . I really love this game really interesting storyline with some really creepy mix to it that will make you want to turn on the lights and take off your headset ok maybe not that scary but it does cause your the hairs back of your neck stand up, so in this game you play as Alan wake an famous author who decides to take a vacation at a small town called Bright Falls but little does he know his famous book will become into his reality and try to kill him. . now this game is very unique it makes you feel like your the star of your own Tv show reason I say that is because it breaks up 6 chapters and every chapter you go through it will act as if your watching a TV show and the game will update what you've been through and what to look forward to and it really gets you excited for the next chapter to come up. Graphics are a top notch really makes you feel immerse with the characters and there surroundings which makes it really believable especially when your getting stalked around in the chilling woods at night and hearing the wind howling through the trees even the blinding light of Alan's flares will give a disorientated feel which makes intense scenes really terrifying. If you were to ask me if this game is scary ? its not like Dead Space or F.E.A.R this game builds up the suspense and scares you at the right moments similar to Condemned: Criminal Origins but what really makes the suspenseful game is that you only rely on a flash light and some flares that will help Alan to seek the truth which builds the heart racing moments but as the game progress you will be able to find other weapons to fight off the darkness. Game mechanics are very fluid the combat system is really easy to grasp but the only flaw to is the vehicle which is terrible like for an example if you turn to a corner or even slightly turn the L Stick of the controller it cause the car or truck to power slide haha only gripe I have other than that the game is really exciting and rich even the voice actors are quite phenomenal in their performance for all the characters that you will meet during the game I would put this game 3rd behind Halo and The Las Of Us but hey that's just my opinion though hope this review was helpful. | video-games_xbox |
Fun game, poor execution of special edition. I was excited about the price I paid for this special edition, which is the only reason I am not going to bother returning it. The full retail price is way too much considering this is an arcade style shmup that doesn't last any longer than an hour. It comes with a pillow case, art book, and a soundtrack cd.
The soundtrack cd has a small flap embedded into the art book, which guarantees it will be scratched every time you slide it out and back into the flap.
The binding of the art book is subpar quality. Some books are bound better than others, mine was poor. The glue stuck the last 2 pages together. Fortunately, the last page has no actual art on it. The bonus art material is actually pretty good aside from the poor binding. The real star of the show though is the pillow case. It's a very soft polyester that nearly feels like silk. It includes a small white zipper on the top of the case, and perfect fits a small-sized body pillow.
Another qualm I have about the special edition, is that the box that contains everything is not wrapped in cellophane, which means each side of the box has a big, round, and clear sticker that cannot be removed without ripping the box, which is a shame since the box has a nice holographic effect that is not present on the game case itself.
The game itself is fun. Your characters in the game level up and collect stronger weapons to equip each pilot with. You can select from practice, easy, normal, and hard game modes, as well as a score attack mode, the only difference being you have infinite continues in the normal story mode, but the game abruptly ends once you run out of lives in the score attack. There is an online mode, but I did not get a chance to try that since the online community for this game has dried up.
If you are not interested in the pillow case, but interested in the game, I suggest you buy the game standalone, unless the price difference is so small there's not much of a reason not to get the special edition. | video-games_xbox |
Not such a great experience. I have to be honest despite getting this yesterday, I've still not been able to play this game. So really this review is on the buying experience and related matters.
I don't think that it was a bad deal having bought it from Amazon. As I got a free 3 month card for XBOX Live Gold. I didn't need this though to download the game, so I've not taken advantage of that yet.
What the problem is that this is a download. Okay no big deal with high speed DSL. But I like some others live out in the countryside. Thus speeds for downloads aren't great. We have the highest available and this game measures 1.78GB approx. It took a nearly 12 hours to download.
Now I know that Rockstar has made this cheap, and it's an XBOX exclusive but it would be so much better if it was offered as a Disk option. That way you could load content, and play it that way.
I also had troubles playing (see discussion below) where no clear instructions are included on what to do. Before anyone says that I'm an idiot and it's simple, I'm pretty alright with tech issues. This however had me confused.
Overall this experience had made me think twice about buying a download game again.
From what I've experienced of the game so far (freezing and failing) difficulty in loading it...it's just not such a great thing.
To update I've been playing this game for a couple of days.....when I can. I even contacted Rockstar regarding the issues. It seems that a lot of other people have had the game 'freeze' or 'lock up' on them. I'm not sure if this is going to be addressed. They are trying to blame hardware and GTA4 DISC condition. Who knows? but my rating is going down :(
An update for anyone having the same troubles as me. I had a look around on forums, and it struck me as someone had made a suggestion that you should copy the game to the Hard Drive. I tried this and it has worked a treat. Sometimes the screen will disappear during extreme action scenes. However it runs a heck of a lot better, and it has solved those freezing up issues :) just make sure you select your game to play from the Hard Drive and not disk! | video-games_xbox |
Beautiful. Bioshock Infinite is beautiful. I'm not talking about the art, though it is definitely striking. The Bioshock series excels at creating deep and amazing worlds and weaving through them meaningful stories that soak up our attention. Infinite manages to take this quality beyond its predecessors. The story is beautiful. The characters are people. This imagined world that Infinite takes place in is deeper and more-real than in many other games that take place in our own world.
The gameplay is okay, smoother-feeling than the other Bioshock games, but also lacking a bit in variety. But let's be honest, if you wanted to play an fps for the pure battle mechanics, there are better games to go bore yourself with. I know a lot of people were upset that so many elements of Bioshock that they loved were not in Infinite, but I didn't feel that the game suffered from the lack. I hated the 2 gun play, but it forced me to drop my favorites when I ran out of ammo and pick up something to survive. I didn't find the inability to carry salts a problem. There are always salts about, and Booker obviously didn't come to Columbia planning on lugging around a backpack full of stuff. He's on the run, so an inventory would actually take away from the game.
I liked playing Infinite. It was an okay game. I loved experiencing the story. That's what took me in and made the time pass. That's what I want out of a game. This was the closest thing to an interactive story experience as has yet been created. And, to be fair to the game, and all games, comparing a game to another game or to what you wanted it to be is not the best basis for a review. If you dislike a game because it isn't another game, I can't see how that is a relevant review, or even opinion. Infinite isn't Bioshock 1 or 2, but it does carry on what was best about them. Perhaps it's for the best to break from the old when you're moving into the new. | video-games_xbox |
Useful expansion and DLC notes here. Read before you buy. It's a few years old (2015 as I write this) but still totally fun to play. Not as "open" as Elder Scrolls, not as linear as The Diablo games. Engaging story, interesting characters, decent fight mechanics, really a solid expansion to a solid action-RPG. Choose your own character's race, class, and upbringing... or import your character from Dragon Age Origins. Get recruited by the Grey Wardens. Recruit some new friends. Slay demons. Save the kingdom.
Instead of writing a full review, since there are so many of those already, I'm just posting some info that some of you may find useful after you purchase the game.
This version is ONLY the Dragon Age Awakening expansion set, without any other DLC items or expansions and without the full game Dragon Age Origins. If you want a combo-pack of Origins with the major expansion set Dragon Age Awakenings, then look for the "Ultimate Edition" instead.
Bioware, in their infinite wisdom, has a habit of removing accessibility to various "reward" content for playing their cross-over games. For example there is a flash game called Dragon Age Journeys that unlocks three useful items in DA: Origins. But access to Journeys and those items expired several years ago. So they collected most of that sort of stuff for this game and are offering it for a bundle download at this site:
social.bioware.com/da2/dlc_bundle/
but you have to register for an account with Bioware first. Their online profile site will keep track of your Dragon Age heroes and choices throughout the series, as well as some aspects of your Mass Effect series progress if you also play that one. The reward items are available for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC (certain ones are only on PC) but YOU WILL NEED TO REGISTER YOUR GAME'S UPC CODE on the site to get access to the items. Remember that the UPC code is the same for every copy of the same game on the same system so you can use a friend's UPC if you buy it used without the original box, or if you're like me and you throw away your boxes immediately because they are too bulky to keep around the house so you put your games in a CD sleeve storage binder. They have items available for DA: Origins, the Awakening expansion, and DA 2.
Now a quick note about the expansion pack in case you are also going to look at some of the other DLC stuff. The expansions are mainly designed to be played AFTER you beat the main game. Certain items from each DLC mission pack do not transfer into certain other expansions when you transfer your character! So you should probably do Origins, then Awakening, then return to Origins to finish up the other DLC expansions. Some of the "reward" items you might get from the Bioware site also don't transfer properly so be sure to un-equip them before you import your character into the Awakenings expansion.
And if you wish to continue the series, Dragon Age 2 allows you to import your character from either Origins or the Awakenings expansion. Some of your choices in this first game and its expansion will have lasting effects into the second game; some will not. I recommend exploring the Dragon Age wiki site or finding a decent walkthru guide for more information if you are a perfectionist about your gaming experience. Some of the Bioware site's "reward" items are specifically intended for use in Dragon Age 2. | video-games_xbox |
Mixed Feelings. Over G is a game I have been looking forward to for quite some while. When it first arived, I was excited to play a next generation flight sim, and was given something that fell short of my expectations.
Sound- Even with my 5.1 turned up, the jet's feel incredibly quiet, outside of the aircraft, afterburners sound weak, and the jets overall sound very quiet. The Japanese rock music is nauseating, and the dialog is terrible.
Graphics- The graphics are a mixed bag, while your own aircraft and your wingmans look next-gen, with dynamic shine, realistic parts and movements, and high detail, enemy aircraft are severly lacking, they almost look like something from PS1. Also, multiplayer aircraft models are not as smooth or as sharply rendered as your own, this may be to save bandwith during online dogfighting, but detracts from the experiance if you are flying in formation, etc. Massive draw distances and thousands of trees, buildings and nicely rendered water help Over G, but ground textures get severly muddied and blurred close up, obviously not made for nap of the earth flying. Taito could easily have pushed the graphics to the limit, but fell severly short, tapping barely any of the 360's potential.
Multiplayer- Lack of split screen is a big draw back for Over G, and the online modes are lacking custimization. Also, once you complete a sortie online, you cannot stay with the group you played. Arena and Dogfight modes get repetetive, Dogfight mode is usually over before it starts, with most players using the F-22.
Gameplay- This is what saves Over-G in my opinion. If you are looking for an Ace-Combat style arcade shooter, this game will NOT fulifly any of your desires. Over-G trys to keep it real, with realistic weapon load-outs, stalls, fully functional instrumentation, physics that closely resemble the aircraft they are portraying plus carrier and land based take off and landings.
-Overall, this game falls short in many areas, but if you are looking for a realistic fighter jet game, this is it. A good summer game to hold you over untill the Fall. | video-games_xbox |
The sound is great, but that is only half of the picture. When buying a gaming headset there are two things that need to work. One is the sound coming from the headset and these do not fail to impress. This headset feels pretty comfortable after wearing it for a few hours straight and they get pretty loud although I expected them to be somewhat louder. The headset itself looks awesome and feels like it is made out of quality materials. If you just want great audio from your games then you can disregard the rest of my review.
The other thing that needs to work is the microphone, and this is where this headset falls utterly short. Part of the appeal of this headset was the near field microphone that clicks up into the left earpiece. No worrying about adjusting a boom or having anything in my face. Unfortunately as many of us are aware they have had a problem getting this issue resolved with Microsoft and as of now (over a month later) this is still an issue. It is simply far too quiet to the point where people will absolutely have trouble hearing you over the sound of the game or other people in the chat. My friends typically say it sounds like I'm just too far away from the microphone.
Now they have made good on that by offering a solution in the form of an additional piece of hardware that they will send you for absolutely no additional cost. Kudos to them for providing that level of service to help people who have bought this item but this review is for the headset straight out of the box. It works very well with the attachment but you still have to register your product and wait for it to arrive in the mail.
Your best bet seems to be to wait until they fix whatever software issue they have for this headset. I was very disappointed when I couldn't use the microphone to speak to my friends when Titanfall was released. I ran out and bought this the day it launched but until I received the additional mic boom from Polk I just couldn't use it for anything other than game audio.
Polk's customer service is 5 stars because of the extra steps taken to keep us happy but sadly I cannot rate the product itself more than 3 as it currently stands. Once the fix rolls out I will update my score to reflect how much better it performs. | video-games_xbox |
more for early teens than adults. this is a very short viseo game that goes along,mostly,with the first movie in the lord of the rings trilogy.it has its charms at first but quickly disintegrates into a repetitive mess of overthinking and puzzles.kind of like a turok game only better with the switches and more like hexen with all the puzzles.it does not follow the movie 100% so don't go there looking for answers.theres web sites for all that.my biggest gripe is the entire time you're teensy frodo or the old wizard dude or strider.the dwarf and elf who are really cool too are left up to the computer to control.but you know cpu help.always lacking.youre little halfling companions are of little help being as how they are little and pathetic.that ones utterly uselesss as all he talks about is food.then theres frodo the weak who cant use his ring much at all or he'll die.best just to get the cheat codes.i had a lot of trouble with the frodo missions because hes sich a little wimp.even bees pick on him and spiders.strider the ranger is cool.he can fight well and makes use of arrows well.theres an sniper mode for that thank god! then there is the old wizard dude who can fight suprisingly well with his 2 weopons.he can also employ magic.take my advice cheat on this part.get the code for infinite spirit and just go to town on all evil doers! but no elf with his awesome archery skills or dwarven bezerker,which sucks.however,theyre in the second one.lastly one major pain in the butt is the fact that all the characters walk like they're on stilts-really really slow and careful.you can get them to speed up but you must wiggle you're stick back and forth and make them zig zag everywhere.whoo! iys really easy but for the puzzles which their are easy to follow explanations for online so i say save you're money and rent it.if youve got a kid who really really wants it i say why the f!@k are you letting your kids watch this for anyway? | video-games_xbox |
Excellent, high production 3rd installment. Many young gamers today are quite spoiled, I tell you. Having gone from the original Super Mario Bros (The NES was my first system) to the latest PS3 production, I have a great appreciation for what I now hear and see before me, and DS3 is no exception. Also, being an artist, I understand the necessity for evolution and growth. If you don't change, you don't improve, so long as you don't change the very core of what made something truly great. And I can tell from a few people's reviews, that most do not like change. However, for those who have not yet played Dead Space 3 (but have experienced the first two already) and understand that developers can't just continue to hash out sequels that are exactly the same as the previous entry, I highly suggest you buy this game if you can.
First, I just want to get some grievances I have out of the way. The developers decided to do away with the now seemingly ancient ritual and art of manually saving your game. Instead of save stations, the game will (at sometimes very long intervals) do the ubiquitous progress autosave that we are now so very used to. This disappoints me first in principal, because the manual save stations in the previous installments gave Dead Space an old school feel to it. What aggravates me the most about this however, is that unlike most other games that has your HD auto saving after even minimal progress and item pickup of moderate significance, DS3 sometimes makes you plow through half of an entire chapter before saving your progress, and you have no idea when it's going to do it. In the meantime, if you want or need to stop playing, the only thing you can do is a "quit and save", where you quit the game and only your INVENTORY will be saved, not your progress. I had to learn this the hard way, as I was at a point making some considerable progress, defeating a boss, tearing apart dozens of annoying Necromorphs, solving puzzles and fast traveling through space, I unwisely presumed the game had saved my progress very recently. Big mistake. I return to the game, only to realize that the last save was around twenty minutes of gameplay prior to when I had quit! The other night, I was up very late and definitely needed to go to bed, so I was trying to trudge on, eagerly awaiting that little "saving progress" message in the upper right of the screen, but it just wasn't happening. It eventually did, but WAY past the time I needed to hang it up and go to sleep. This does enough to really make me miss those abundant save stations of yore. Issue #2 is that, especially when you are more than halfway through the campaign, the game becomes quite predictable as far as when monsters pop out at you, and how many of them. Solved a puzzle? Cue monsters! Managed to get that power back on? Cue monsters! It's like they just wait in the walls behind those vent shafts until you do something of significance, and then are all like, "Okay gang, we can pop out at him now!" And every encounter, it can't just be one or two Necromorphs, the game has to continue to throw them out at you in staggering numbers, and tries to surprise you by having them come from behind. Whenever a Necro bursts out in front of me, I immediately stasis him and about face to see the other one right behind me, and blast him, regular as clockwork.
Okay, complaint time is over. Dead Space 3 is simply the best looking, best sounding, best playing game I've experienced today. The production values are higher than ever, and this thing is just one hell of a ride man. I don't like to rush through my games, I like to take my time, soak everything in and absorb the experience, make it last. It's baffling and such a waste to me when I see comments from people that they completed the game in one or two days. It's like, look at it, enjoy it! Sometimes, I just stop and move the camera around Isaac, admiring the sheer artistic brilliance that went into rendering this game. The set design, the lighting, the colors, the environments, the little details, it's all quite a sci-fi work of art, and it's all polished to the T. Now, the developers did take the game into a more big budget blockbuster direction, as far as the epic, Uncharted-like scripted interactive happenings and cut scenes. This is okay though, because it's still in the realm, atmosphere, and overall character of Dead Space. Sometimes (particularly during gunfights with human EarthGov soldiers), it does seem a little like "Gears of Space", but it's good to mix things up now and then. It's good that the series is progressing, so long as they don't wind up abandoning the Dead Space look, gameplay, and vibe (like what Capcom did from Resident Evil 4 to 6). They also introduced a new roll move, which is a welcome and useful addition in dodging those fast, pesky Necro's attacks. I've also gotta say, the new weapon tooling and upgrade system is a blast and an awesome addition, though the learning curve is slow at first. But once you get used to it, you will be amazed at the incredible weapon combinations you can assemble. In a way, there are almost too many options later in the game. It's like, what two weapons to keep or replace? Like, I have what is for me, a perfect load out. I've got combination submachine gun with ripper blade attachment and a plasma shotgun with bottom rocket launcher, both fully upgraded w/attachments. Then, I find all these new parts for awesome new weapon possibilities, and I'm like damnit! Too many choices!
Dead Space 3 is a phenomenal sci-fi horror adventure, although not quite as scary as the first two, considering the last half of the game is spent on a frozen planet with expansive outdoor environments often amidst the day time (though you do occasionally venture into some classic dark indoor areas). That, along with some intermittent battling with human enemies and having access to far-heavier weapons, sort of neuters the claustrophobic, perpetually dark "what's around that corner" vibe and minimalist weaponry of the previous entries. Now, this review is for the single player campaign only; I have yet to experience the two player co-op. But as far as what I've experienced, this is an extremely well done and epic third chapter in the excellent Dead Space franchise, and I assure you that you will not be disappointed if you are a fan (and one that has an open mind and understands that change can be good and necessary). Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Expected more from a franchise like this. At first glance from all of the teasers and ads, I was excited to see Tekken on the xbox 360. I almost bought it because I enjoyed Tekken 3 on the original PSone. I decided to rent it instead, and I think I made a wise decision.
I haven't played Tekken in years, but I am experienced in fighting games such as the Dead or Alive franchise as well as Street Fighter and Soul Caliber. The characters seem a bit stiff in animation. They don't seem as responsive as they should be. The graphics are a bit grainy. It seems like they have just taken PS3 graphics and copy/pasted it over onto the xbox 360. Dead or Alive 4 is several years old, and the graphics are just as good, if not better. Street Fighter may be 2D, but it has much more repsonsive controls than Tekken. It seemed like a chore just to make a character on Tekken run, step back, side step, etc.
The difficulty settings aren't exactly forgiving. I played an arcade game on easy and I spent 20 minutes trying to defeat my 4th opponent. This makes the game extremely frustrating. I understand there needs to be a challenge, but that is what the higher difficulty is for. This game is not for people who will only play it a couple times a week. This is no button mashing game. I read a review where they said you can have fun button mashing, and that is a complete lie. This is a very technical fighting game, that will take several hours to understand basic techniques such as ukemi's and simple combos. Mastering the advanced moves and techniques like juggles, throws that consist of linking other throws together, and every strength and weakness of each character will take more time than most casual gamers care to put in to it.
I will give Tekken some credit. The game roster is by far the biggest I've seen in a fighting game. The scenerio mode is different(most of your achievements come from this mode#. Online play is alright#some lag issues). They could have made some improvements with the menus. After each online match, it takes you back to the main online menu. They should have set it up to ask you if you want to start another online match right away, or go back to change characters, etc. It takes away what fun you are having. This is the same for the arcade mode, except it takes you to the character screen everytime you lose. Why not ask you for a auto rematch? That way it doesn't do a lot of unnecessary loading. Despite what people have said, load times aren't that bad. There are just too many of them.
I really had high expectations, and was let down. I am thankful there are rental stores, because that would have been $[...] down the drain. If you can spend hundreds of hours trying to master | video-games_xbox |
The story was fun and a little twisty. Say what you like about Murdered: Soul Suspect - at least it dares to be a different kind of game. Its one of those rare detective games that actually focuses on detection, rather than dragging you from clue to clue and jamming in a nice shoot-out every now and then, and it even vaguely taxes your powers of observation and your ability to comprehend the facts.
Lets not go crazy - were not talking about video gamings answer to Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Morse - but Murdered attempts to make it as some kind of cerebral adventure. Nor is the premise that straightforward.
Murdered takes the whos killed me and why? set-up of the B-movie classic DOA one step further, by making its hero, Ronan OConnor, a ghost out to track down his killer, with the killer in question of the serial variety. Thrown out of a window and then shot for good measure, Ronans left in a kind of ghostly limbo, able to wander through walls and furniture or temporarily possess the living, read their minds and sometimes influence (though not control) their behaviour.
This all takes place in a creepy version of the New England town of Salem, and theres more than a hint of witchcraft and brimstone in the air.
Murdered
Being a spirit has its upsides and its downsides. You cant manipulate most objects or open doors or windows for yourself, but then thats not much of an issue when you walk through walls. However, while you're theoretically free to wander where you will, in practice the game keeps you confined to specific areas.
It seems that Salems outer house walls, windows and doors were apparition-proofed long ago, and the actual flow of the game is relatively linear, dragging you from one scene of investigation to the next, with slightly more action-oriented sequences working to space them out.
In the investigations you wander around the immediate area hunting for clues, in order to resolve whatever question the plot has thrown up now. Clues might range from conversations you can eavesdrop in on while possessing, to physical evidence on the ground to psychically charged memories you can recreate and enjoy in flashback form.
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Collect a few together, and you can attempt to answer the current problem, selecting the most relevant clues or pointing to the right words when the game needs more detail. Cleverly, you don't need to have all the clues to get the answer right. As long as youve found the most important evidence, you can make a stab at the right solution and push your way onwards through the game.
When you're not investigating there are other things to keep you occupied. The biggest is simply getting to the next investigation; a task complicated by the whole ghost-proof walls thing, and by the emergence of other obstructions.
Murdered: Soul Suspect
The most threatening obstacles are supernatural. Nasty pits of bubbling brimstone stuff must be avoided at all costs, while specific areas are haunted by demons dementor-like fiends who do their best to devour your soul. In a more conventional game there would be some way to battle them, but
Murdered plays things differently, forcing you to hide in dusk tears, shadows left by other souls and pounce on the demons when their backs are turned. Dusk tears won't keep you hidden forever, as the demons have a mean trick of ripping them apart to spill you out, so theres a nice element of cat and mouse at play.
Beyond the main storyline youll also find side-missions, some of which simply involve revealing hidden ghostly objects to unlock the tale behind them, and some of which involve helping other tortured souls with their dilemmas so that they can take their walk into the light. These work like mini investigations, and add an interesting counterpoint to your own hunt. You can piece together the facts behind a drink-driving disaster, or help a distraught ghost understand how and why they died.
Murdered
There is a lot of really, really great stuff in here, and the more you play Murdered, the more you appreciate the way the game avoids many of the tropes that are continually wheeled out by the legions of identikit action games. Unfortunately, it doesnt quite live up to its initial promise.
Some of its weaknesses are reasonably minor. A handful of the demon encounters are horrifically annoying, breaking the flow of the action and throwing you out of the game. The more demons the game throws in, the worse this issue becomes. Nor is it the most technically impressive game. Playing on Xbox One theres a lot of detail in the characters, and some beautiful lighting effects, but the scenery is very last-gen, just given a buff up to 1080p.
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Salem itself disappoints in other ways. The way the limbo setting mixes mundane and spooky elements is superb, but the streets are almost devoid of human life, and the mortal characters you meet rarely have more than one or two lines to repeat ad-nauseum. With its cast of more intriguing, more dynamic characters, the world of the dead seems oddly more alive.
Most of all, the actual investigation gameplay doesnt quite work. On one level, the game seems worried that you won't get the answer, so finding the clues dotted around the area is actually harder and often more frustrating than working out what they mean.
However, you then have to pick the right clues to prioritise, which means thinking pedantically like the developers and choosing the exact ones they have chosen. After a while this becomes second nature, and its not as if theres any real penalty for getting it wrong you just lose points in a score system you won't care about anyway. All the same, it doesnt exactly make you feel like a Holmes or a Morse.
Murdered
In fact, you cant help feeling that Murdered gives you an interesting set of tools, but no real scope to use them bar the way the developers have set down. You can use poltergeist powers to activate specific objects and cause a distraction, but only on a tiny number of objects, and only when the situation allows.
You can influence some of your possessees or make some peek at whatever it is you want to look at, but again only a handful allow you access to the option. A better game would have allowed for a range of solutions and approaches. With Murdered its a case of do it this way' or don't do it at all.
This isn't a total disaster. After a bad start we grew to like Ronan for all his clumsy bad boy quirks, and once he makes friends with Joy theres some good repartee in the script. Ignore the faults, and the adventure is surprisingly engaging, and while you might not care too much whodunit, youll be wrapped up in the spooky hows and whys.
Murdered isn't a great game, but its a half-decent one that could have been amazing. In a strange way that makes it more interesting than a better but more generic title. We like it, but wed like to see more.
Verdict
Murdered does its best to suffocate some great ideas while its investigative gameplay has its flaws. Yet theres something refreshing about this spooky detective story, and if you can live with some cardboard characters and scenery then the engaging narrative will pull you through. Theres potential here for something smart, unusual and compelling, even if this first instalment doesnt quite make it happen.
Pros
Focus on investigation
Unusual creepy premise
Surprisingly strong characters and story
Cons
Too many artificial limitations
Average graphics
Demon encounters grow frustration | video-games_xbox |
The second worst Halo next to ODST. The Good: Solid and fun campaign, well-made enemies and weapons, unique landscapes and planets, multiplayer is as robust as ever and has tons of content, Forge mode is great for the creative mind
The Bad: Disappointing graphics, story makes no sense unless you are very much involved in the Halo universe, no HDR support, overall the game feels like a spin-off and not the main game
It has been a long time since Halo was first released. Most people may not even remember it, but it was a series that almost never saw the light of day. Halo: Combat Evolved was a well-made sci-fi epic first person shooter turned into a multi-million dollar sci-fi odyssey spanning dozens of comics, books, TV shows, and almost had a movie. The first three games were absolutely fantastic with Halo 2 being the best of the bunch. With revolutionary multiplayer and combat mechanics, Halo has been copied countless times over and over again. But how far can a series take something revolutionary and continue to build on it? Halo had three spin-offs with ODST and Reach expanding beyond Master Chief and Wars being an RTS.
Halo 5 is the direct sequel to Halo 4 with Cortana's rampancy going off the charts and team Osiris trying to track down Blue Team which is Master Chief and co. The story will make zero sense unless everyone has been playing the games recently and even reading the literature. The story has become so complex and involved that the games can't tell the whole thing anymore. I didn't even make much sense of it and was lost most of the time. With the story out the window for most, what we have left is just the gameplay.
Halo 5 has a solid campaign but it is forgettable and too similar to previous games. With the added Prometheans from Halo 4 returning and remade Covenant it is definitely a strange game to accept. All your Halo vehicles are here albeit remade, and even the new mix of UNSC, Covenant, and Promethean weapons can make your head spin. The weapons are rather unique and they all feel great and are well balanced. You are forced to switch weapons based on the situation as each enemy plays differently and requires different tactics. This has been a staple of Halo gameplay and it is at its pinnacle here.
Missions are sadly unvaried with just on foot trotting through various landscapes, getting on vehicles here and there (the least amount of vehicle riding out of any Halo game) and that's about it. You get new jetpacks and a Spartan Charge and Stomp move as Locke when you play Osiris team. Master Chief feels like his same old self but is only played a couple of levels in the game. This feels more like a spin-off and more on the lines of ODST and Reach rather than a main Halo game. The campaign has 14 chapters and will take around 8-12 hours to finish. Once you do you're on to multiplayer and customizing your character.
Halo 5 introduces card packs to rake in microtransaction loving fools this time around. These packs are perks and extra customization options. There's a lot to customize such as your armor, emblem, narrator voice, weapon skins, and some other things. Outside of this multiplayer in Halo has been so involved and similar through each game that it all blurs together. I'm not a Halo multiplayer veteran or expert, but I can only tell you it's fun and isn't less fun than other Halo games. There are plenty of maps and modes to keep you busy for the rest of the year. Halo is its own beast and carves its own path in the FPS multiplayer landscape. It may not be for everyone as it doesn't feel like the military shooters just like with Gears of War. It's difficult, there are people who play this professionally online, or have played since the first game and you will die more times than you can count.
Outside of multiplayer, there's 4 player co-op and Halo Forge which allows you to build multiplayer maps. I honestly didn't dabble in this too much as I'm not very good at it, but it's very robust and map creators will be in heaven here. Let's get sad here and talk about what I didn't like. The visuals were extremely disappointing. With this being THE flagship Xbox franchise the graphics were more like they were ported over from Xbox 360 and touched up. The textures are fairly low resolution and the model detail wasn't too great. This game doesn't look too much better than Halo 4 outside of lighting effects and draw distance. The game doesn't even support HDR which was a real let down as well. The game just isn't much of a sequel and Halo needs a serious reboot at this point.
Overall, if you hate Halo or are tired of it this won't change your mind at all. Halo has declined over the years and doesn't retain the quality it once had or the chokehold on the FPS genre. This is far from the king that it used to be and needs a pass over with fresh minds and new ideas. Stay for the multiplayer, but most people will play this game and forget about it. | video-games_xbox |
It really shows just how right Bungie got things the first time around. It is hard to believe that it has been a little over 10 years since the release of the first Halo. In that time the series has accomplished a lot: successfully launched the Xbox, sold tens of millions of games, and crossed into other forms of entertainment including comics, novels, and movies. Halo is the game that Microsoft built their Xbox empire on, so its no surprise that the game is getting the remake treatment for its 10 year anniversary.
In the past there was generally two different ways to do these re-releases. You could take the approach of games like Resident Evil 4 HD and Beyond Good and Evil HD and just port the game to modern consoles, upscale the textures a bit, and call it day. Or you could go the full remake route of games like Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes and completely remake the game on a new engine. This is the more impressive route to take, but you lose the nostalgia factor when you do it. Halo Anniversary takes a different approach, and ends up somewhere between the two.
At its core, Halo Anniversary is the exact same game everyone played a decade ago. The game engine is still around and running the show. This means that all of the gameplay mechanics are exactly the same as they have always been. All of the weapons and vehicles handle the same, and all of the AI remains unchanged. For better or worse, the Covenant, Marines, and Flood all behave as they used to. Co-op is still around as well, and this time you can play over Xbox Live.
So the Halo combat puzzle is still intact and as fun as it ever was. Each encounter provides a great challenge, with the games iconic selection of weapons providing the tools to solve them. Despite the games age, it still provides some of the most fun and challenging firefights in the series, especially on the higher difficulty settings. Halo: Combat Evolved on Legendary difficulty is certainly the most challenging of all in the series, and without ever feeling unfair. Those that played the game in the past will have a great nostalgia trip, while those new to the game will find what still is a surprisingly modern gameplay experience.
On the outside though, we have a brand new graphics engine and art assets. Everything visual in the game, from the smallest rock to the largest Hunter, has had a pretty impressive makeover. Since the old game engine is still running behind the scenes, it is actually possible to switch back and forward between old and new, allowing you to actually play the original game with its original graphics. It it offers a great opportunity to see how far graphics technology for games have come in the past ten years. I had a lot of fun just switching between the two in each new area to see what they changed.
All of the graphical changes are just superficial though. For example, while the elites have many times the polygons and texture resolution then they used to have, they are still the same height and width. Every rock, tree, and barricade is exactly where it used to be, the same size and facing the same direction. Everything just look a whole lot nicer. This means that the levels themselves also remained functionally untouched. The Silent Cartographer is as great as everyone remembers it, while The Library is every bit as annoying as it ever was. The updated visuals do help a bit, as there is more variety in the previously monotonous hallways of Covenant ships, and some arrows added to the floors in the Library help you stay oriented. Overall though, the levels in Halo were well designed and had a good amount on non-linearity to them that modern gamers have come to expect.
All of that graphical fidelity has come at a price: frame rate. The game runs at a shaky thirty frames per second most of the time and can dip pretty low when things get frantic. Occasionally it was bad enough I actually switched back to the old visuals which runs smooth as butter. I am not sure if it is a result of running the two graphics engines or not, but it is a bit disappointing that they couldn't have locked it down. Halo deserves better.
In addition to the graphics update, the sound effects and music also got some attention. They really should have left well enough alone though. The new gun sounds are hit and miss, with some sounding truly awful. The same can also be said for the new music. As someone who played a lot of the original game, it was really distracting at first to not hear the same music and weapon effects that I remembered. It really messes with your nostalgia until you get used to the new sounds. Thankfully you can swap out the new music score for the old one. Its too bad you cant do the same for the weapon sound effects.
The only real major disappointment in the package is the lack of Halo: Combat Evolveds multiplayer. Instead of recreating it, we get an add-on pack for Halo Reach that consists of six maps (and one new firefight map). They have given a number of reasons for excluding the originals multiplayer, but it really feels like it was cut due to time and budget constraints. The map pack consists of both Halo and Halo 2 classics such as Beaver Creek and Damnation. Since this is Reach multiplayer, the maps have been tweaked a bit to accommodate the various gameplay changes over the years such as jetpacks. If you already had your fill of Halo Reach online, there is not much here to bring you back.
Still, Halo Anniversary is an enjoyable single-player focused remake of one of the most iconic games of the past decade. It really shows just how right Bungie got things the first time around. If you have fond memories of the original or never got a chance to play it the first time around, Anniversary is absolutely worth picking up. | video-games_xbox |
UFC Fans Rejoice. With great presentation and solid, skill based, gameplay UFC 2010 should make most fans happy.
Concept: 9/10
With a massive roster of UFC fighters, the game features an Exhibition Mode, a Tournament Mode, a Title Mode, a Title Defense Mode, a Classic Fights Mode, and a Career Mode.
Graphics: 8/10
The arenas are well done and the fighters all resemble their real life counterparts. Most of the character's faces could look a bit better, but overall, they're good.
Gameplay: 8/10
Stand Up
There are quick strikes, powerful strikes, and you can hit the head, arms, body, and legs. You are awarded extra damage for good timing and accuracy. Each attack has a preferred distance and if you land attacks at that distance, you deal more damage to your opponent. There are also times when your opponent is more vulnerable to attacks. If they just threw a punch and their jaw is exposed or if they are shooting in and you knee them in the face... It is best to take advantage of these opportunities.
Defensively, you can block high or medium, step forwards or backwards, or hold the block button and tap a direction to sway. This allows you to dodge an incoming attack and counter while your opponent is vulnerable.
Damage to the head will knock them out.
Damage to the body will reduce their stamina.
Damage to the legs will reduce their chance to shoot in and take you down.
Clinching
You can grab your opponent and hold them in a clinch. There are different types of postures that affect the attacks that you can do. There is the "Double Underhook" which is good for throws. There are Thai Clinches great for knee attacks. And there are Clinches that are great for quick close strikes.
Grappling
If you and your opponent end up on the ground via, takedown, throw, or knockdown, you use the right analog to change positions. There is the guard, half guard, side control, top, mount, and rear. From all of these positions you can strike, defend, try to change positions, try to stand up, stalemate, or submit your opponent.
Submissions
If you are on the ground with your opponent, you can press the R Stick Button to attempt a submission while your opponent is striking. To apply pressure on the limb, you rotate the R stick or press the R button and release it to crank on it. To defend against a submission, you rotate the stick. There are also submission transitions that you can activate with the R Button and R Stick. So, you can go from one type of submission to another type.
Career Mode: 6/10
This mode does a great job at taking you behind the scenes.
Create a Character
The mode begins with you creating a character. You can change their appearance, fighting style, attributes, and give them specific attacks. "Cro-Cop's Left Leg Kick" or "Lyoto Machida's Straight Punch." You can build your fighter's arsenal Buffet Style. You also choose to focus on striking, ground and pound, submissions, etc...
Training
This is the worst part of the game. If you have a fight coming up in 10 weeks, you have 10 weeks to "Train." You pick what you want to focus on for the week from a menu.
Training increases your Strength, Speed, or Cardio.
Sparring gives you points that you can apply to various attributes like grappling defense, standing strikes, clinching strikes, standing strike defense... You can auto-spar to get a set number of points or spar with an AI partner. Points are awarded based on the number of times you hit him vs. the number of times you got hit.
Gym Invite
This allows you to learn new techniques. You can train at any of the UFC camps (Anderson Silva's Team Blackhouse) to learn new moves. There are striking camps, wrestling caps, Jujitsu camps... To learn a new move you must perform a mini-game to accrue points. When you accrue 100, you learn the new move. Moves can be learned in 1-4 weeks. Once a technique is learned, it has 2 more levels of upgrades.
So there is a Spinning Backfist Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. With different speeds, stats, and animations.
If you spend too much time on one thing (Strength Training) your other stats decrease. You can lose speed or cardio, or your attributes like "Ground Striking" may also decrease. So, you must spend your weeks wisely. Unfortunately for you, the stat decline feels random. The stats stabilize at 30, 50, and 70. So if you get a stat from 45 to 50, you don't have to worry about it. If a stat is at 51 or 52 it could drop down to 50, but not lower.
During your Training, you can also get injured, which will limit the amount of points you get each week. This is random. If this happens, you must take a week off and rest.
You also have 2 stats - Conditioning and Fatigue which are almost always at 100%. It is not clear what they do or mean, but if Fatigue is at 100%, you don't get as many points from the mini-games. This is ridiculous. Why have 2 vague stats that make it harder to plan your training.
Instead, the player should be able to choose how hard they want to train for the camp, and then there should be a risk / reward injury modifier. If you are always at 110%, you risk the chance of a slight injury and must take a week to rest.
The week before a fight, you should always Rest. You don't want to enter a fight with 100% Fatigue, but this should have been built into the schedule. There should have been an auto-rest the week of the fight.
The game also fails to tell you about your opponent. It should at least tell you, BJJ Submissions Expert, Wrestler, Thai Striker... or something, so you can plan your training accordingly. Instead, you must exit Career Mode, enter Exhibition Mode, and view your opponent's stats there. If you know that you are fighting a boxer, you can choose to work on your takedowns, submissions, or striking defense. If you are fighting a BJJ guy, you should work on your ground game and takedown defense.
Popularity and Reputation
You gain a reputation by winning fights, wearing your sponsor's gear, and your performance in the ring. Win impressively or taunt your opponent to get more points. When your popularity increases, you get better sparring partners and coaches that increase your MAX Stats.
Your career lasts a set amount of years and it will end. The game tells you that this is your last year and you get 4 more fights. It would have been nice if you could defend the title as long as you could without being forced into retirement.
When you create your character, make him as young as possible!
(The game should have just set the default age at 20 if the were going to force retire you anyway.)
Title Modes 8/10
In Title Mode, you pick a character and fight matches to become the champ. This feels like a string of Exhibition Matches.
In Title Defense Mode, you must win 12 fights in a row against increasingly difficult opponents. To make matters worse, your body parts only heal a % after each fight. So in Fight 3 if you have 50% head damage, expect to start Fight 4 with 25% head damage. This Mode is really challenging because all it takes is a lucky combination or a submission to Fail.
Sound: 10/10
The sound effects are good and they have all of the licensed music, fighters' voices, and commentary by Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg. If you turned on a CPU vs. CPU fight and just listened, it sounds like you are listening to a real fight!
Replay Value: 10/10
With a complex fighting system, a ton of fighters in each weight class, a create a fighter feature, single player modes, 2 player modes, and online modes, you can play this game every day for a year.
Maturity: T
There is MMA Action, realistic blood, some innuendo... If you watch the UFC on Spike TV or Pay Per View, there isn't anything that you haven't seen already.
Overall: 7.5/10
With near perfect presentation, a complex fighting system, different modes of play, and a career mode, there are months of gameplay here. The fact that you can be submitted or KOed at any time really up the intensity of the fights (especially in career mode where a loss can set you back quite a bit.)
However, the meat of the game is the Career Mode and that's the roughest part of the game. Hopefully, the next installment will be better.
Note: If you buy the game used, you must pay 400 MS Points to create a new account and play online.
Buy this game if you are a UFC Fan, wear clothes that say Affliction or Tap Out.
Rent it if you want to fight but have no desire to play online.
Avoid it if you don't like complex combat systems or you don't want to spend about a week learning the nuances of striking, grappling, submitting, etc... | video-games_xbox |
Adds Little to the Franchise. Short Review
Gameplay 6/10 - in essence a glorified GTA III with almost all the same features, some new minigames and side quests, but realism kills a lot of the fun
City 9/10 - incredibly well thought out and realistic city, massive, detailed, has everything that a metropolitan city should have
Vehicles 4/10 - very unimaginative, horrendous driving capability, many cars will roll on turns and will skid on dry pavement, only two special vehicles (helicopter and speedboat)
Controls 5/10 - sloppy, unintuitive, running and walking are nearly useless, weapon cycling is difficult in a firefight
Graphics 6/10 - great visuals on the city, very realistic / cars and other moving object look ok / people and clothes look slightly better than old xbox games rough facial features
Story 8/10 - very good story, considerably different from previous games, a lot of thought put in here
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Critical Review
Grand Theft Auto IV is a game that was years in the making. However for such a highly touted title as this I really expected more. GTA IV follows the story of an eastern European immigrant to Liberty City named Nico Bellic. He and his cousin Roman start off with small time crime and then Nico moves to more serious stuff such as grand theft auto, arson and murder. All the previous mainstays from the original GTA III are present here, massive city, immersive story, a good amount of weapons and tons of cars.
Gameplay 6/10
There is not a whole lot different in GTA IV from previous GTA games in essential terms. You can jump in any car, truck, motorcycle or van and steal it. You can: run over anyone you want, run into anything, beat up anyone and do all of these things with little virtual and no real consequences (well most of the time). However there are a considerable amount of minigames within GTA IV. You can go to cabaret shows, play darts, play pool, go to strip clubs, go bowling and even use the internet in cafes.
Also you are given a cell phone which helps you keep track of your contacts, text messages and allows you to call people up to get jobs or just to hangout. The phone also serves as the cheat interface. This is one of my favorite features. Instead of having to drive to the person's house or wondering if you were supposed to talk to them, you can just call them up on speed dial. They will also occasionally call you to see if you'd like to do things. It is akin to The Sims in this respect, because you'll get a thumbs up or down based on how the date or whatever went. Also, you are able to meet women whether on the internet or through other friends.
There are a ton of missions. From what I can tell you just work your way up through small mobs up to larger ones. This is what happened verbatim in the previous GTA games. There is more story here though and I'll get into that in the story section.
Overall the gameplay I felt was good, but nothing new or revolutionary. I've played other games with minigames such as these and I played GTA III when it first came out. The sad thing is that Rockstar managed to set the bar so high with GTA III that it would be difficult to top it. I was expecting this really over the top GTA IV that would just have so much stuff to do that I wouldn't be able to quit playing. Instead they ended up on the other side. In my opinion the gameplay is bare bones and in terms of pure fun it really falls short. Another thing that is very apparent after playing for a few hours is they wanted to create as realistic of a game as possible. In the process they made the game so realistic it has many of things that suck about real life. When I play games, I want to escape
City 9/10
I must applaud the attention to detail and realism the game designers took to create Liberty City. From the slums to the high rises, you really feel like you're in a metropolis. Graffiti, misshapen fences, partially lit up buildings at night, dirty old carnivals, trash and variety of buildings are just some of things that add to the masterpiece of the city. You'll actually run into traffic on the tollway bridge. People will talk to you as you pass them by. There are four areas and you are only able to get to the other parts once you have completed certain missions. It is referred to as a terrorist threat in the game.
I think what makes the game truly realistic is the minigames and side quests or activities. The ability to get on the internet in a web cafe and go to something like 40 websites is astounding. The time to create the content for this must have taken weeks to come up with. Even the police vehicles have a database where you can look up people and the most wanted in the city. In terms of realism, this city is by far the best recreation of a city and by extension the closest thing to virtual reality. The only problem I have is that you can't get to the other parts of the city until later in the game (without immediately becoming public enemy no. 1).
Cars / Vehicles 4/10
I'm sure plenty of people will have a problem with my take on this, but I really feel this is a weak point in the game. Granted there are tons of vehicles-something like 200 in total. My problem is not with the variety, it is purely with the controls and drive of almost all of the cars in particular. It seems as if all but 10% of them are is severe disrepair or are in need of maintenance. I've never seen so many sloppy turning vehicles in a videogame. There is so much body roll in many of the vehicles that you can go around a reasonably normal curve and easily flip a sedan. This harkens back to the realism.
Unfortunately, they developers based few of these on actual physics and attempted to show that normal cars can't take a turn at 75 mph. They can however take them at 45 mph without flipping. Oh and yeah there was an invention a couple of decades ago called ABS. I had some rather high end cars skidding for half a block. If you don't believe me try it for yourself in the game and you'll find it to be true. My qualm with the cars is directly related to the fact that they are obvious replicas of some very common cars. If the cars resemble the real thing, they should drive like the real thing.
The engine sounds are ok. The V8 engines don't sound bad, but the 6 cylinders have very little variance between cars. The cars also seem very slow, even if they aren't. The Comet and Turismo are a couple of the top end cars which very closely resemble some German and Italian carmakers. The only difference is acceleration can be felt between a car and a dump truck. You can always go back to the argument that they are just artificial and this is a moot point. I don't remember how the car's drove in previous GTA games, but I know they were somewhat easier to drive and much faster. It makes it considerably more difficult to run from the cops when you have a dog of a car that has a high chance of rollover, can't turn properly at over 15 mph and will slide on DRY pavement.
By far the worst part is that there are only a few special vehicles (as far as I know). There is a speed boat and the Annihilator - some sort of military helicopter. The only thing I can think of here is marketing. Rockstar planned on selling better vehicles (and weapons) on Xbox Live in the near future. It is brilliant, but I'm one of those crazy people that think for $60 you should get a good amount of extras built-in.
Controls 5/10
I'm not really sure what they were going for here. Controls are clumsy, slow and hardly intuitive. The jump button is X? Your character actually leans when you turn while walking or running. I don't know many people that do this. The part I like the least is that Niko does everything so incredibly slow. He walks as if someone laced his drink with Ketamine. Running is not mush faster. Going along with that, if you happen to get thrown off your bike or out of your car while chasing someone you lose at least 10 seconds getting back into the car. In essence there is absolutely no point to walking if you don't have to. Controls for the cars are not bad. The triggers are the accelerator and the brake.
Weapons control is ok. You can lock on to people with guns, but you also have to lock on to people with a grenade. How exactly does a grenade lock on? It takes a great deal of time to cycle through weapons if you have more than two. The helicopter is a joke. To speed up you hold the trigger and you'll simultaneously raise altitude while moving forward. You need to push the nose down to get it to go faster. This is all well and good until you try to land it. It is nearly impossible to land as you can't get the thing to stay in one position for any length of time. I almost always trash the blades. There is hardly anything different from previous GTA games. Controls are mediocre at best.
Graphics 6/10
The city graphics are really breathtaking. They are very detailed and quite well done. Everything looks very crisp and believable. The water especially has amazing reflective qualities. The cars look decent for the current gaming generation. There was obviously a good amount of time spent here. More importantly it is hard to fault the designers on the visuals of the vehicles because there are just so many of them. I was considerably impressed with the movement of the vehicles on the suspension.
Character detail is average at best, maybe even poor. Even the main character has a very unrealistic graphic quality to it. The faces remind me of Halo 2 from the original xbox which was about four years back. The clothes look really lame. It appears as if the people are wearing construction paper. Everything in general on the people leaves a lot to be desired. They look polygonal and don't have much human quality. Despite this, the animation as always is very smooth and realistic, which I don't understand. If you are going to spend that much time on the animation mapping, why not spend more time on the people's faces.
Story 8/10
I was pretty impressed with the story from GTA IV. It has the makings of a good criminal story. Niko-a former Russian (or eastern European) sailor with an infamous past comes to Liberty city to get a new start and for revenge. Without giving away too much information: Niko plays the role of saboteur, hitman, hired gun, lackey, car theft extraordinaire and just all around criminal. The story follows him and his cousin Roman who owns at cab service. Along the way you'll meet new people who will have various "jobs" to do and some of the story will overlap with other parts of the game.
Each mission has a rather lengthy movie attached to it; probably about five minutes on average. This was the only downside I could find to the story. Other than that, the movies are very informative and give you an insight into the character's personalities and life. The writing was very well done and a lot of the movies had hilarious jokes in them. I will admit I skipped a few however.
Conclusion
Am I happy with my purchase with Grand Theft Auto IV? No, but I was kind of expecting this. With the current trend in games moving towards ultra realism Rockstar was following suit. They are catering to an older crowd which demands more of a top notch entertainment experience instead of swing a remote at a TV. However, I'm a pure gamer and to me any of the previous GTA games is better in relation to exhilaration, which I just don't get with GTA IV. The first day I played the game I became bored very quickly after realizing there just wasn't much to do if you don't play the mission.
Unfortunately there seems to be a divide between these ultra realistic games and one that are purely for fun. GTA San Andreas I felt had a great mixture of both. Sure you can still steal any car, run over people, shoot people, beat them up, but the game just falls flat on its face when it comes to heritage. Where are the insane vehicles, where is the innovation? This game is not revolutionary in any way in my opinion. In fact, when you put this up against current games on this system it is quite inferior in most ways except for playing time. But if you're bored while you're playing who cares how long the game is? Grand Theft Auto III was. It is an ok game, plain and simple and I'd give it a 6 out of 10 overall. | video-games_xbox |
Stuck in Enzio's Shadow. It is hard to look at this game without some comparison to the Enzio trilogy (Assassins Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations), so I will try to view it as a standalone as well.
Pros
- Very large game world to explore and interact with.
- Excellent graphics in all regards, especially weather effects, when sailing a ship, and during cutscenes.
- Superior balancing - Conner (the main character) fits the role. His weapon collection and moves make him the most deadly person in the world, but getting stuck between three British regulars can easily end in death. This is an improvement over Enzio, who was a nuclear weapon with a beard. Gone is the ability to kill an entire army with throwing knives, then defeat an another army with a butcher knife while sucking health potions. Enemies are also much more intelligent in this game and put up a better fight than previous titles.
- Choice of experience - One of the greatest strengths of Assassins Creed series is the ability to choose your experience in many missions. You can either use stealth kills to sneak up on your target through complex paths and tricks, or calmly walk up to them and stab until everything in sight is dead.
- Great variety - There are missions where Conner hangs up his usual skills to sail a warship or command soldiers in a battle.
- Long play time - Even if you skip the hours of cutscenes, there are 24+ hours of gameplay. Completing every mission and side quest to 100% could take much longer. The entire series stands out for delivering some of the best value in terms of hours played : cost, especially for a single player game.
Neutral
- Needless control change - The developers seem to have taken a play from Bungie and made changes to a control scheme that worked well for previous titles. To my knowledge, you cannot change them back to the old system, which felt much more intuitive. The only improvement is that it is now easier to break away during combat to avoid being surrounded.
- Plot - The story line holds together and is well written, especially for a video game, with a great twist to boot. That being said, history gets sucker punched several times. The British are cartoonishly evil, which makes the Templers seem too tame to be the ultimate enemy. Slavery and racial prejudice are surrounded by neon signs and put on display throughout the plot, just in case you missed human history.
Cons
- GLITCHES - The game was released with major glitches that can completely hinder progress through the story. Even with the patch, NPCs occasionally descend into the ground and context specific commands can fail to appear.
- Controls still dodgy - The large number of context specific actions have made controlling your character difficult from square one and AC III3 is just as bad. Expect to lose more missions and lives due to Conner doing the opposite of what you want. Chasing someone? Why not jump into a haystack or hump a wall instead of run after them. Like previous titles, camera control is shared between the player and computer. Expect your basic movement directions to change in the fraction of a second you take to push a button, sending Conner off a cliff instead of onto a tree branch.
- Even more control problems - Picking up objects is especially difficult. On that note, the pickup command overlaps with whistling when you are in hiding, making it hard to kill two guards from the same corner.
- Fluff - The downside to the large game worlds is that travel becomes filler material to extend play time. The city rebuilding and recruit management in the Enzio trilogy were accused of being fluff as well, but those elements were interactive and completely optional.
- World building does not match up to previous titles - AC III has a darker atmosphere and color palate compared to previous titles. In perspective, this is a game is about genetic memories, secret societies manipulating history, the 2012 Apocalypse, and ancient Gods being a pre-human civilization. The sci-fi/comic book plotline feels totally out of place in an environment striving to be serious at every turn. The lighter tone and smirking characters in previous titles were much more fitting.
Overall, the game is worth playing on its own merits, providing lots of entertainment for the money with a side of frustration. However, it falls short of its predecessors in execution. | video-games_xbox |
Back for round two. I know I just recently wrote about this. I hope you'll forgive me for this writing, but I just felt I had to do it. You see, now I have finished this game, and am playing it through again. Having done so, I feel I can now stand up and say that this is my absolute favorite RPG ever up to this point in time. The fact that I LOVE all five (yes all five) of the Star Wars movies so much probably helps this, but you don't have to be a fan of the movies to enjoy this game.
I have already given comments as to the wonderful music and visual style of the game. The voice acting is very strong too. In fact it is perhaps the best I have heard in a game in quite a while. The alien languages often use the same phrases to mean different things but I was so wrapped up in the story that I just did not care.
Speaking of story I have to say this. I HATE to say it, being such a big fan of the Star Wars movies, but I must say this to get it off my chest. Is the story of the game as good as or even BETTER than the plots of the movies? Yes. Yes it is. The story to me is better than the plots of the films. It is helped by the fact that YOU get to play a big part in the story and everything you say and do does affect your character's destiny and even the ending of the game. There are several quite dramatic moments in this story where things are learned that threw me for a loop when I played this the first time through. Also worth mentioning is that every character who joins you has a background and story of their own that fits well into the game and is important and gives added depth and flavor, as all the chararacter backgrounds are intriguing to see and hear about as they unfold before you. This makes the characters ones that you can genuinely laugh with or feel sorry for or care about as the story of this great game unfolds before your eyes, ears, and your mind. Sometimes it may even touch your heart if you have the courage to let your heart be touched.
I must also say the side quests here are well done. I don't mean just the Pazzak games or the swoop bike racing, though both of those things are worked well into the story. Part of the fun on each world is doing the available missions. Upon taking these on, you can become a bounty hunter after a fashion or even turn the coin over and try your hand at solving murder cases and even being a lawyer of sorts at a trial for a character. Reuniting people with beloved companions and helping to solve family disputes also figure into the equation sometimes. :)
As I mentioned before, a big part of the appeal of this game is total freedom to be as good and noble or as evil and nasty as your heart desires. Yes, sometimes the choices are simple and obvious (help the poor old man versus mug him yourself) but sometimes they are not. Sometimes you will do something to help yourself to find that it harms someone else, even though both choices seem good and justified. Want to be a hero that everyone admires and looks up to? Go for it! Do you want to be an ornery monster that everyone fears and hates? Go ahead, knock yourself out. Freedom to play your character just the way you want to is the issue here, and this game delivers that freedom with flying colors.
In closing, the mark of a good game to me is how much fun it is to play. Knights Of The Old Republic shines in terms of fun. I have completed it and still play it much. I play it both to find new things, to explore both paths, (light and dark) or just to go back and live the adventure all over agian, and what an adventure this is. In true Star Wars tradition it is a grand tale that YOU can take part in. If you do decide to get this, I wish you much happy gaming. Light side or dark side? Good or evil? Hero or villian? Savior or conqueror? Which do you want to be? What is it that you want to say and what is it that you wish to do? It's all up to you. Make your choice, and embrace your destiny, and may the Force be with you, always... | video-games_xbox |
Impressive - Better Than I Expected. Let me start by saying I'm another one of those Assassins Creed fans that owns all of the prior releases. The one thing I did not do though was pre-order this installment because of the dissatisfaction I had with AC3. It wasn't so much the story of AC3 that I disliked, but the glitches and the add-on DLC I purchased with the season pass. I felt they (Ubisoft) got away from the story in the DLC and tried to do too much by introducing Connor to some special abilities (Wolf Cloak, Eagle Flight). The one area that this series always seems to shine is the amount of data they include ....... to enter historical facts and descriptions of characters, buildings, etc ... that's a lot of information to include. Very informative stuff if you take the time to read everything.
Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag does have a "pirate theme" and I can't say that I've ever played game (story wise) that compares to this. Its actually fun navigating a ship !! AC3 introduced this but I found it a little awkward at first but once you catch on its pretty straight forward. The sense of steering on the rocky waters is fantastic, Ubisoft did a great job in my opinion. As far as the gameplay goes I'm only at 12% completion but I've put in quite a few hours, mainly due to the side activities. I'm one who enjoys finding all the treasure chests, scaling all of the viewpoints and doing every contract. The different ways to assassinate never gets old, whether its a "double" or whistling from a haystack to lure a guard over you can have some fun doing it. There are also some great cinematics that are triggered when you make stealthy kills, they never get old. The most surprising thing is I have actually put down GTA5 (which I have not completed) to start playing this and now I'm hooked.
I'm very glad Amazon alerted me when this game was being offered at a discount price. Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Best Racing Game To Date. First off, comparing this game to a game like Need For Speed, is like comparing Halo to Rainbow Six. They're completely different styles of racing games. Forza is not about sliding around every corner at 120mph, it's a realistic racing simulator where your breaks are as important as your gas pedal. Just remember, sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.
Here are some pros and cons
Pros:
--Great selection of cars, with each one able to be fairly raced and upgraded without being stomped by everybody with one model of car (can anyone say the Honda CRX in the first Forza?)
--The graphics are amazing, i don't play on an HD television and the game still looks great.
--The car customization has endless possibilities if you're willing to spend the time, i saw a car the other day where someone had drawn Al Pacino from squares, circles, and other misc. shapes.
--You really feel like you're going fast, you can see your surroundings go speeding past you.
Cons:
--The music is annoying, luckily you can stream music from your computer to your 360.
--Long learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it's very fun and addictive
--The AI Difficulties are sometimes misleading, sometimes easy is way too easy, while medium is too hard, and others medium is as easy as you would think easy should be (luckily you can change the difficulty before every race depending on how you're having trouble or feeling that you can take on harder)
One other thing that needs mentioning, do not rely on the demo too much to give you a great feel of what this game will be like, sure, you can see what a race is like, but i actually didn't like the demo, and i love the game.
And last, don't give up on Forza, as i've mentioned before it's got a long learning curve. I'd recommend for beginners to start with the Suggested Line turned on, then eventually move to Braking Only. If you're having trouble with this game, knowing when to break, how much to break, how long to break, etc. is probably what is screwing you up.
Great game, buy it. | video-games_xbox |
Chump Of The Year- Over-Hyped RPG. Morrowind for the Xbox is a role-playing game (RPG)where you can play it from a first person perspective or third-person. I truly hate this game, but first let me tell you the good points. The graphics are really good, complimented with excellent music. The worlds you travel on are HUGE and expansive, there are so many places to explore. There are tons of items you can aquire, or purchase, I mean tons! Morrowind also does a good job of showing a rich detailed history with lots of non-player characters (NPCs) you will interact with. But the fun ends right there because everything else about this game is garbage! It will clock your Xbox system to the max, you'll hear constant access to the hard drive and cd-drive, the game's performance is horrible; with lots of slow-down and severe drop in framerate. Loading a level takes FOREVER, it has the longest loading time of any Xbox game out there! There is little character speech, so you should expect to do a lot of reading inside the game- lots and lots! PSONE games have way more speech than this! There are tons of useless items you can collect! Just grabbing items is a chore because you have to aim your crosshairs with pin-point accuracy (its a pain just to grab plants or flowers) The animation is like an old Nintendo game! The game controls are sluggish like the framerate! The sound effects are cheap and sparse! The NPCs stand around like fools doing nothing! The NPCs are always rude and annoying "What do you want?" "Stop bothering me". They will act nice to you only if you give them money (they're all a bunch of gold diggers!). Your character will get stuck to objects! There are clipping problems as well with the graphics! The combat is boring and stupid as heck! You hit once, they you once and on it goes! The weapons lack power and impact. I stand by my reviews and I don't care what other Morrowind fans say about it. | video-games_xbox |
Plays 4K Blu-ray Discs - Which the PS4 Pro CANNOT. After learning about the Sony PS4 Pro announcement today, I just want to throw in my 2 cents about the Xbox One S. As of today, this is the best Xbox One S bundle you can get. When the standard edition 500GB Xbox One S came out just last month, it was selling for $300. Just a few weeks later, Microsoft now also throws in two awesome games - which if you buy separately would still costs you over $50 right now - for FREE! In a nutshell, unless you really like the games that the bigger hard drive editions include, then save your money and just get this one. Why? Because unlike the PS4, you can connect any USB 3 hard drive to the Xbox One and One S, and turn it into an extra hard drive that has all the functionalities of the built-in hard drive. Of course, you would lose functionality for that hard drive to your PC, until you reformat it again, as you cannot use it for both the Xbox and the PC at the same time. But what you gain is a much cheaper alternative. Microsoft essentially charges you $50 for a 500GB hard drive, since that is the difference between the 500GB and the 1TB bundles, but $50 can get you at least a 1TB portable hard drive that you can use later on with the PC if you didn't want to use it with the Xbox One anymore. So save your money and do it that way. The only true bundle I would recommend is the 2TB Gears of War 4 bundle, as that one is a true custom bundle with the red console and controller, which look freakin' awesome!
As for the Xbox One S itself - I was holding out for news of the upcoming Sony PS4 Pro today, which was just unveiled. But Sony screwed up big time by not including an actual 4K Blu-ray player! It is the same physical optical drive, just that the other hardware is faster and stronger to support 4K STREAMING and GAMEPLAY, but not able to play 4K Blu-ray DISCs! What a horrible stupid blunder on Sony's part! So now I can truly recommend the Xbox One S, because not only can stream 4K content just as the PS4 Pro can, but it can play the actual 4K Blu-ray discs, AND is cheaper! To be fair though, the PS4 Pro will include a 1TB hard drive as the standard edition for $400, so it will be only $50 more than the 1TB Xbox One S.
***NOTE TO MICROSOFT: If you want to truly kill off the vibe of the PS4 Pro before it even ships on November 10th, I would advise you to drop the 1TB edition to $300 in October. That way, it would be a whole $100 cheaper, and will for sure win you over many PS4 fans who, like me, were hugely disappointed in the news that the PS4 Pro cannot play 4K Blu-ray discs. If you truly want to catch up and even overtake Sony, this would be a great start. Then, with your Xbox Scorpio console next year, with the manufacturing process being cheaper by then, you can sell it for $400 - same as the PS4 Pro - and truly kill it off!***
For those inquisitive about the PS4 Pro, here are the official specifications and details:
Model number: CUH-7000BB01
Release: November 10, 2016
Price: $400
Contents of packaging:
PS4 Pro system
DualShock 4 controller
Monaural headset
Power cord
HDMI cable
USB cable
PS4 Pro specs:
Main processor: Custom-chip single processor
CPU: x86-64 AMD Jaguar with 8 cores
GPU: 4.2 TFLOPS; AMD Radeon-based graphics engine
Memory: GDDR5 8GB
Storage: 1TB hard-disk drive
Dimensions: 295mm X 55mm X 327mm
Mass: 3.3Kg
Optical drive: Blu-ray 6-speed, DVD 8-speed
HDMI output
Optical digital output
3 USB 3.1 ports
1 Aux port
Ethernet port
IEEE 802.11 A/B/G/N/Ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.0
Power supply: AC 100V, 50/60Hz
Max power consumption: 310W | video-games_xbox |
This is NOT 2player coop. For Christmas my wife and I decided to buy an Xbox 360 together as our one gift since money's been tight. We wanted Netflix and the 2 player coop experience we were able to get from the original Diablo-- in 1999!
This game was one of SIX out of 350 titles for the 360 that is an rpg offering 2 player OFFLINE coop mode. Apparently xbox 360 owners don't have friends or family to enjoy games with, because it's just plain STUPID that two people sittin side by side on the same couch can't play together without an xbox live account. In this botched abortion of a game basic elements of rpg titles are intentionally broken; there is no trading of items in 2 player offline coop mode. You have to log into xbox live (which randomly logs me out ONLY when we're playing this game and at NO OTHER TIME) in order to trade with the person sitting beside you.
As if that weren't enough stupid, the devs went on to wallow in it further. In single player mode the camera is under your control. You can zoom in and out so you can actually see what you're fighting. However, in 2 player mode, the camera is stuck in 'ant view.'
These aren't bugs; this is intentional. Some developer thought it would be a good idea to make it impossible to give your teammate the treasure that dropped for him that you picked up. Some moron in game development actually thought this would be MORE FUN than being able to just... I don't know... PLAY THE GAME THE SAME WAY RPGs HAVE BEEN PLAYED SINCE PEN AND PAPER IN THE 1970's!!
Oh but there are bugs, too. The wireless controller has a default: slow walk towards the northwest. Any time the stick is released, the character turns and starts wandering off. There's a 22-page LIST of bugs located in the xbox forums. That's just the one that drove me insane during the two and a half hours we tried to get this dismal failure to be enjoyable.
This game is probably going to be responsible for the entire 360 going back to Gamestop. If this is the closest thing to a 2 player coop you can find out of the entire library of titles then there isn't much point to the console at all. | video-games_xbox |
It's alright. I can't say I have been up to date with Bungie's latest Halo games, as the last one I played was Halo 3. I can say however, that I loved all 3 of the first Halo's, in terms of gameplay, story, and just the overall design of the environments and game. I was hoping that Bungie was still at the same level of story telling and quality that they were in the games I had played, but I can't say that would be the case here.
The game is gorgeous, that's for certain, and the graphics are definitely top notch as always. The gameplay is decently fun. But that's about as far as I can go for positives.
The story - The story is sort of off here. It seemed like it was going to take off, and get really exciting, but it almost felt like half of the story was missing. I didn't feel like I was doing ANYTHING with the story. I felt like I was just doing random missions, killing random people for no reason, with the occasional cinematic. It didn't flow at all, and on top of that, you have to buy DLC just to finish the story. That means that they designed the game, completing the story, and chopped off a large portion of the game and put it into a DLC, just to make some extra cash. That's pretty low and scummy in my book.
The classes - The classes seemed exciting at first, and I thought they were all unique. While they are sort of unique, I quickly came to realize that they were all about the same thing: You had a grenade skill, you had a gimmick skill (Maybe a dagger throw or "stronger" punch skill), and you had some extra stat boosting talents (Running faster, jumping higher etc). It quickly got old, and got to the point of feeling as if I wasn't even playing a unique class, but just some guy with some guns.
The guns - The guns seemed unique and exciting at first also. I had a few choices, for main hand, secondary, and heavy weapons, and while I thought I would have a large selection, again I quickly realized that there really wasn't a huge selection. There are only a few type of weapons. A lot of them reuse skins, while simply painting them a different color, and the only thing that felt unique was the elements on them. They had different elements that caused different types of damage, such as Solar damage and Void damage, and while this was interesting, it just didn't feel exciting enough to keep me wanting new weapons.
The DLC - While it is very common these days for games to add in new downloadable content, including new stories and small campaigns, Destiny took it a step further and cut out a portion of their game, and stuck it behind a DLC paywall. You need to buy the DLC in order to get the "Full experience", instead of what a DLC should be, just an "Added experience".
Overall, if you enjoy the gameplay enough, and don't care about story, or spending extra money on the DLC, the game is nice and grindy and will keep you playing, trying to earn all of your end game guns and gear. | video-games_xbox |
The RIG headset is a good value for the money, and is more comfortable and better sounding than all the competitors I've tried. TL;DR: The RIG headset is a tremendous value for the money and is more comfortable and better sounding than all of the competitors that I've tried in the same price range. It is versatile, and totally worth your money if you game on PC/Xbox/PS3. For best results, use the SPDIF optical audio.
I recommend it. Check my Notes/Caveat section for some clarifications on some of the features
###Aesthetics:
The RIG headset is a beautiful piece of kit. It's comfortable, uses high quality materials (that feel high quality), and is really comfortable. The headband is adjustable, and the ear cups fold flat (and have floating hinges). I got the white headset, and I'm quite smitten.
The digital receiver is nice looking and feels well put together without calling attention to itself. I like it's compact size and efficient use of space for the various knobs, dials and buttons on it.
###The Receiver:
The digital receiver is a round device (about the same size, height and shape as one of the RIG headset ear cups) with the Xbox 360 headset cable input and the RIG headset output ports on one side, and a USB connector (for power and PC/ps3 audio), 1/8 inch stereo cable and S/PDIF digital optical audio input. It has one other features that bears special mention: there is a 4 pole mobile phone/audio player input that you can use to mix the audio output from your phone (and phone conversations) into whatever else you have your RIG connected to. There's a big button in the center of the device that you can use to physically toggle the microphone output between going to your phone and the gaming device of choice.
The main volume control dominates the outside, and it has a few buttons on it. Overall it's minimalistic, and perfectly textured. It's not going to work as a desk centerpiece but it looks good without calling a lot of attention to itself.
###Audio performance:
The RIG headset itself has a fairly accurate sound reproduction profile. I'm sure it's possible to do better, but from my experience you'd have to pay many times more to get anything like a noticeable improvement.
The receiver has three EQ modes included, however. The first is "Pure" and it's just a flat EQ profile. The next is "Intensify" and this basically just boosts the bass tones of the audio. The final one is "Seismic" and it makes all the aspects of the audio sharper without being harsher. Highs and mid tones and quieter parts of the music and audio generally become more pronounced. I found it to be quite likable. I prefer flat EQ preferences, but the Seismic is probably something I'll use from time to time.
Intensify and Seismic both change the way things sound in a noticeable way, but without going too far.
###Included accessories:
The headset comes with: the ear cups themselves; a boom mic cable (no button); an in-line mic cable (with button for mobile phones); an Xbox 360 microphone cable, an RCA to 1/8 inch stereo (with RCA passthrough in case you use that for your other audio); and the digital receiver itself.
The interchangeable cables are all flat and this makes it a lot harder to tangle them, which is appreciated.
###Notes and Caveats:
Nothing is perfect, and the RIG is no exception, so let me list some things you should be aware of. I wouldn't call any of them to be a problem, but they might make it so they aren't precisely what you need, depending on your use case.
--The cables for the headset itself used to connect it to the receiver or other sources are interchangeable and can be disconnected, but the cables are not currently available for purchase separately. I imagine you could buy them if you opened a support case with Plantronics, however, I'm just guessing there. They use mostly standard connectors.
The input cables on the back of the receiver are permanently attached. If you take care of them, they are well made and probably won't fail you, but it's worth noting.
--The optical audio in accepts up to 96kHz PCM input, but only in stereo. Apparently 5.1 or 7.1 surround is not accepted. I had a problem with this on my Xbox until I changed the output from Surround to Stereo. It worked fine after that. I still had positional audio as this was handled by the Xbox's audio processing (just like it is on my PC), it just didn't have to do crazy tricks to down sample the multichannel audio for use with the headset. This is different than my Astro A40 and it's receiver, but not a problem in my eyes, since everything else about the RIG is superior to the A40 (build, audio, aesthetics, price Everything).
--The headset has an open ear design. In most situations this won't even be something worth mentioning, but if you use the RIG in a loud environment, you'll be able to hear the outside noise.
--The cable to connect your phone to the RIG receiver should have been longer, in my opinion. It's totally usable, but only if you plan on connecting your phone for some audio purpose, and not fiddling with it until you're done with the headset.
###Final Thoughts:
The RIG is a great value. It has all the options to do everything you could want with a headset. It looks good, it has great components that give you great sound, it allows you to use it as a mobile headset while up and about, and even lets you take calls or mix in audio from your mobile device while you are playing games from your PC/Xbox/PS3.
I can definitely recommend the RIG.
(One final thing to note in the interest of full disclosure:
I got my RIG well ahead of the release because I won it in a raffle at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. The Expo ended on September 2nd, which is the day I won the raffle. So, I did get it for free, but if I hadn't won it in the raffle, I had planned fully on pre-ordering the device based on my impressions of the device from the booth as well as comparisons I made with other headset hardware I've tried). | video-games_xbox |
Sleek look, comfortable to wear. I have owned 4 sets of Turtle Beaches and one Tritton and decided to try the MS brand for the Xbox One. First glance I love the look of the headphones. Glossy black and matte black. The ear cups are super comfortable fabric and will not make your ears sweat. The top of the headset has a nice thick padding to help with comfort. I wear glasses and I have not had any issues with the cups interfering with them.
The mic fits really nicely into the headband that it's hard to tell that it's there when not in use. The cord for the headset is 4' long from controller to bottom of headphones so it's plenty long enough. Everyone that I play with say the mic volume is the same as it was with the generic ones which is good since one of my friends has the Polks and I can not hear him unless I mute game sounds.
TV sounds do come out the headphones so you can watch tv with these on. I have not used them for watching tv other than testing that so I'm curious on what happens when the controller turns itself off from no use like it normally does when you watch tv or movies. I have had it sitting next to the tv for sometime now and the controller has not turned off so they must have made the controller not go to sleep when the headphones are plugged in and the xbox is on.
After a full weekend I can comment on battery life. I use the Energizer battery station (you can find my review of it) and I am pleased with battery life. I got almost the same amount of time from these as I do with just the stock headset.
I would say the sound quality is on par with my last set of Turtle Beaches and for the money its hard not to recommend them. I plugged them into my Surface Pro tablet and the sound is great and the mic worked perfectly.
I did say a con was that there was no front to back motion but that is not true as pointed out in the comments there is front to back motion I was being to gentle with them when I first got them. So at this point I really don't have a con I haven't had any issues yet with them.
My biggest complaint is not even Microsofts fault and that is in Call of Duty Ghosts if you play Search and your batteries die you get booted from the game so make sure your batteries are full.
Any questions please ask and I'll answer.
Edit: I did edit out where I said that there was no front to back motion since there is, added about battery life, and did use it on my tablet with very good results. | video-games_xbox |
Looking for BF3 Quality, Won't find it but solid mulitplayer. If like me you were anticipating an online experience similar to Battlefield 3, you will not find it here. After installing the game to the harddrive, and installing the HD pack just like in BF3 I was ready to jump online, do some kill'n and admire the detail in the game....wrong. I was first taken back by the poor menu system, and was lost on who to pick, how to pick, and how to customize my weapon. I will say you can customize the hell out of your guns, once you get the unlocks, and that's awesome for people who want to deeply tune their weapons. After fumbling through the menu system, and after a buddy created a platoon for us (which I will say is a nice feature that you can do through the game) we jumped into a match. This is where I was taken back once again, and yes I knew this wasn't BF3, but the graphics were something that I would have expected from early XBOX 360 releases. This is the frostbite 2 engine that was used from BF3 a year ago, surely they knew how to utilize its power to something more then this. I tried not to let the graphics get in my way at first, and tried to enjoy the game. Is it fast past? Yes, the maps are maybe a little bigger then COD: MW3 and the buddy system is great. Being able to spawn on your buddy, give them ammo or heals, or have their backs is a great feature. I did fumble through the controls and had to switch them to BF3 setting (which you can do). You have options on where to spawn, either on a buddy, in a blackhawk (if it's up), or at a flag point. The blackhawk i will say is pretty useless, and every time it's up the game wants to force me into it. It doesn't move around but sits at the point that you call it in, sometimes at a bad angle rendering it useless. It took me awhile to get over the graphics, and some of the gameplay, but what I did like about it is how real it felt. If you play on hardcore mode you will feel like you are just at war with someone. There is no outlined bodies, there is no spotting enemies, there is no gerande icon, it's bare bones use the skills you have.
All in all it is not a bad multiplayer game as long as you can look past the graphics, and some of the stiffness of the game. Don't go into this game thinking you'll see the breathe-taking graphics like you did in BF3. It's its own game in its own rights, so take it as it is. Will you enjoy it? Well if graphics don't bother you, and you want fast pace, highly customizable, team based play then you will be happy with Warfighter. As for me, I'll keep it in my rotation of, Black Ops2, MW3, BF3, and will be looking forward to the BF4 beta to see what I wanted to see.
I've only barely scratched the opening scene of the single player so I can only say that the graphics are similar to BF3 single player. I only played it to see if the graphics were better or worse then multiplayer, and they are much better . | video-games_xbox |
Dead Space 2 (XBOX 360) Single Player Review. If you read my recently posted review of Dead Space The First, you may have noticed that I wasn't one of its most ardent supporters. Don't misunderstand my 3 star rating as me hating the game, because I didn't; I liked Dead Space (DS), but I didn't love it. It had a lot of good ideas and fell short on following through with those ideas the majority of the time, but it was still a solid, enjoyable game--just, in my opinion, not as "great!" as everyone made it out to be. With Dead Space 2 (DS2), it seems as though the ambitions have been met with great follow through and it surpasses its predecessor in every way by delivering a genuinely intense experience filled with surprises (literally) at every turn.
DS2 starts off with a bang by introducing you to the no longer silent Isaac Clarke in a flashback video that segues into your introduction of the new and improved Nicole (if you played the first game, you know Nicole... and you may know what to expect... for those of you who haven't, this is one of my favorite moments of the game and it gave me genuine chills). Story progression from this point until about five chapters in, however, is a little thin. It's somewhat disappointing because you're essentially running from waypoint to waypoint with no real plot other than "escape the baddies," but, when the plot picks up, things get more interesting as the mysteries of what Isaac has been up to between the first and second game are slowly unraveled.
Isaac Clarke is definitely the star of this sequel and it's hard to believe that you're actually playing the same character you did in the first. Isaac in DS was more of a tour guide who aided you in your journey through the real star of the game, the USG Ishimura, as he silently made his way from objective to objective while encountering countless waves of deadly foes along his way. He was kinda just... there for the hell of it, I guess. They put a little effort in making Isaac an actual character in the first game by giving him a reason to be aboard the Ishimura but, beyond that, there wasn't really anything to make you actually care about the guy. DS2 makes Isaac much more believable as a character... someone you can actually invest some emotion into. I wasn't lying when I said it really feels like you're playing a different character, though; there were so many moments in this game when I was playing and Isaac said something and I honestly thought it was a different character talking to him (I went into this right after playing the first game again, so forgive my absent mindedness at times, plz). Were it not for the plot's heavy reliance on Isaac's mental breakdown caused by the events of the first game, they could have just made a different character to be the protagonist of DS2 and nobody really would have cared (just as long as he gets to wear the iconic armour, really). It's that breakdown, as well as his considerable experience with dispatching necromorphs from the first game, that keeps DS2's story moving forward and it's an interesting concept that I really wish they would have explored more.
Isaac Clarke's grasp on reality is somewhat fragile after encountering The Marker and all the unimaginable horrors it produced during the first game, but it's not that fragile. Despite the happenings between the two games, he seems to be adjusting to his insanity pretty well... easily able to determine what is real and what is not. It sometimes makes you (I did, anyway) feel cheated because they didn't explore this further--just a few otherworldly bursts of insanity that are easily discernable from the "real" and move on. It's not game breaking or a flaw in any way but, rather, a missed opportunity.
The gameplay of DS2 centers around the same core ideas of the original game's: shoot to dismember! The franchise's plasma cutter returns as your starting weapon and you'll come across a similar arsenal provided in the first game with several new and deadly additions to increase your killing efficiency.
On top of the weapons, you are also reacquainted with stasis and kinesis; both of which serve the same functions as they did in the first game: stasis slows things down and is useful for solving some of the simple puzzles the game throws at you as well as keeping charging enemies at bay to give you enough time to better place your shots while avoiding a grisly demise, and kinesis is basically a remote grab feature (also useful for completing the game's puzzles) which also allows you to launch whatever you grab and use it as a weapon (think the gravity gun in Half-Life 2). Stasis and kinesis have both had some tweaks since the first game: kinesis, by default, now has a longer range, objects get to you faster than they did in the first game, and I found myself using it more efficiently as a weapon than I did in the first game. Stasis starts off a lot weaker than it was in DS, but it now has the added benefit of a recharge over time--it's slow at first, but you can upgrade it at benches to recharge faster as well as have a longer duration and more uses. Also (and I think this is my favorite gameplay improvement with the sequel) Visceral Games gave us a quick stasis reload! I complained in my review of the first game how it was lacking a panic button for stasis recharge but, Altman be praised, we got it in the sequel.
The game's options also allow for a wider range of customization than the original's by, thankfully, allowing you to adjust your sensitivity as well as reticle placement (you can change between "Classic," which is how the original game's aiming worked, and "Center," which is how pretty much every TPS (third-person shooter) works). It's nice to have those options because I like to be able to spin around quickly (which is why a quick turn button would be nice), so turning up the sensitivity is a plus. It's also nice to have aiming set to center for the segments where you are grabbed by a boss or something and you have to shoot the weak spot to avoid dying--it's much easier to aim with that setting than classic. I will say that I wish you could have it auto change to the center setting for those scenarios while allowing you to have it set to classic for standard combat; I actually prefer classic in those situations. That's not something I'm going to dock points for, though, just something I think would be nice to have.
DS2 does a much better job implementing the horror elements than did the first game. DS2 has five difficulty levels (two of which are unlocked upon completing the game on any difficulty) and I started on the third, Survivalist, for my first playthrough, so it might be different since I started on what is essentially the "hard" difficulty, but ammo and credits seemed like they were in less supply in DS2 than they were in the original game (I also decided to have 3 weapons on me at all times, so I was selling less ammo than I did when I played through DS last--because I was going for the plasma cutter only achievement--so that might also have been a factor). With less ammo, and less money to buy ammo, you can't just shoot anything and everything; you have to use your stasis to make sure you place your shots perfectly to conserve ammo and you have to use kinesis to throw objects at enemies to conserve ammo. It only adds to the tension that the enemy count hasn't decreased with your ammo.
On top of the tension added with the lower ammo supply, DS2 likes to play with your head and your expectations--and it actually succeeds. Several moments throughout the game you will find yourself preparing for a jump scare or an onslaught of enemies... but nothing happens and, just when you think you're safe, you let your guard down--this turns out to be a bad idea and, before too long, you find yourself overrun and fighting for your life. It's a thrilling experience and delivers that rush of adrenaline fueled tension that I felt the first game was lacking.
Combat arenas (something prevalent in the first game) aren't such a heavy presence in DS2, which is a welcome relief, but they're not gone altogether. The arenas that are in the game are, however, better constructed than they were in the first game and less predictable because they don't telegraph that a lockdown is coming--you just get bum rushed by a bunch of enemies and you are fighting for survival to get by them. So, it feels more like you're trying to fight your way through or get around these armies of alien-mutated dead to move forward than burdened with the chore of killing them all before you can actually progress. DS2 also features a lot more actual forward progression than the previous installment--you're not backtracking through the same 4 levels multiple times, but you are actually moving through new environments.
But, even with all the new environments and added tensions, DS2 is a thrill ride that is over all too soon with the campaign being easily finished in under 10 hours on the initial playthrough (even less time with a New Game+). It also astounds me that the XBOX 360 version of DS2 is split up between two discs--it's a pretty game, yes, but it's also short and there are no pre-rendered cutscenes. Multidisc games aren't usually a problem for me, but that's when I can spend 20+ hours on a single disc; with DS2 (a game that encourages multiple playthroughs), you will be switching discs back and forth every 3-5 hours and it's a terrible inconvenience.
With all that said, Dead Space 2 is a vastly superior game than the original and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the direction Visceral and EA take the franchise beyond this. It is short (I completed my first playthrough on Survivalist in 9 hours and 45 minutes... and I wander around trying to collect everything I can when I play a game (it took me about 3 hours longer to beat the first Dead Space my first time through on Normal)), but it is undeniably thrilling with some genuine chills-inducing moments and well-constructed jump scares. I highly recommend giving Isaac's second outing a try--but be willing to play through the story multiple times if you really want to get your money's worth. | video-games_xbox |
MORE" instead of "NEW. Harada and company took the "kitchen sink" approach to Tekken (like they always do), opting to take EVERYTHING from the previous games and cram it into a new package with more stuff.
While this may sound like a good thing, after nearly 20 years of Tekken this approach is starting to become stale.
TTT2 is undoubtedly Tekken from its head to toe. This is a blessing and a curse. For Tekken-philes, this game is a godsend, filled with familiar characters, modes, and game mechanics. However, for anyone looking for a revolutionized NEW Tekken, you will be disappointed. This game feels like Tekken 6. Which sorta felt like Tekken 5 DR. Which sorta felt like Tekken 5. Which sorta...you get the picture.
Tag assault and Snoop Lion do little to hide the fact that this engine has been around the block a few times.
What about all those extra FREE DLC characters? Yeah, they're nice. But, they aren't particularly breathtaking, since many of them either share moves with other characters or simply reuse old animations from old Tekken games. It's great to have a massive roster...but, when almost all of those characters are either pseudo-clones or simply ported straight from Tekken 6 with little tweaks, this feat becomes slightly less impressive.
The online so far works really well. There's lots of content here for people who are interested in fooling around with meaningless stuff. It's a little frustrating to see more fleshed out endings for a ditz like Xiaoyu and her idiot buddies than for Jun and Kazuya. We've all waited 15 years for these two to reunite. Throw us a bone, Namco. But, I digress.
If you love Tekken 6, you'll love TTT2. If Tekken 6 didn't jive well with you, don't expect TTT2 to win you over. It's more of the same...with MORE.
But, as a long time Tekken player, who remembers playing Tekken 1 in the arcades...I simply wanted NEW, not MORE.
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BTW, this game requires an ONLINE PASS. So be forewarned if that's an important issue to you. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent Experience Provides Continually Enjoyable Result. In short, the game reminds me of the first time I played Halo and how thrilling, inventive and polished it felt and, most importantly, how much fun it was to play.
Titanfall blends the play and strategy of multiple games across several genres which makes it feel fresh and rewarding to play. The game feels like it is a blend of DOTA (minion slaying), Call of Duty (weapon mechanics), Halo (sci-fi story and military theme), MechWarrior (walking tanks), Quake (fast paced combat), and even Portal (for its physical puzzles, the "how do I get up there?" moments). The game developer, effectively Infinity Ward respawned, clearly knows how to make the most with its resources and was tightly focused on creating a multiplayer experience like no other. For example, while matches are currently 6 human players vs. 6 human players, there are Titans, Spectres, Grunts, and Marvins that fill out the battlefield (a match can be populated with up to ~50 players and non-players) and make it feel full and provide strategic depth. The depth comes from being able to contribute to battles in ways other than going after enemy pilots. For instance, a strategic player can directly help the team through the taking/holding of key positions and/or racking up points through the elimination of non-pilot opposition. This decreases a players probability of death and, inversely, promote the development of skills that aid in direct pilot confrontation. It is this crucial distinction that I feel is an evolutionarily step towards opening up the FPS genre to more casual players while rewarding those that have mastered the game through a feature called "Burn Cards" which provide temporary benefits in a match. The end product is one that takes the genre in new directions and while it comes with no "traditional" single player campaign, I feel it is better off for it because the campaign it does have is much more rewarding and challenging with friendly and enemy human players involved.
Just getting started? I have two words of advice: bumper jumper.
Hope to see you out there. | video-games_xbox |
Great sound....customer service = not so much at times. I purchased a pair of these and even though it wasn't an amazon purchase i felt i needed to pass some info along to anyone interested in buying headsets from astro gaming.
Anyway i purchased my headset brand new less than a year ago. The sound quality is amazing no one can deny that and the mixamp adapter is kinda cool so thats all good. The real issues are:
1. The headband at the top is thin and made of rigid foam so it makes a temporary dent in your hair so don't wear them if you plan on going out after unless you wash your hair to undent it lol. I have also seen these cause temporary dents in the tops of peoples heads because of the weight being centered on a thin piece of foam so it doesnt get spread out like it does with other headsets. It takes about an hour or so for this dent in your head to go away. By dent in your head i really mean dent in your head. Im not a fat guy and when using these for long periods of time i can actually feed a slight dip starting in the middle of my head. Im pretty sure its the skin....the headset won't dent your actual skull. They aren't that heavy!
2. The mic design has a flaw. Well its not really the mic so much as the connector. The boon mic has a part that grips the mic jack so it doesnt slide down when using it. That sounds great until you realize a few months after you use your headset and moving the mic up and down that the grip doesnt hold it in place as well anymore and that the mic has sections where ther is nothing but static. At this point it has to be at EXACTLY the right spot otherwise the people on the other end hear only static. I noticed when you pull the mic out and look at the connector you will see a half circle worn into the connector from this piece that helps hold it steady. The mic will start cutting out and the reason i know its the groovs fault is if i hook it up to the right jack the mic works again. When i turn the mic around to where it faces the back of my head the issue comes back and the same in reverse for the left mic jack. Mine started doing this after a few months of using it and needed a new mic. Right now im on my third mic and my warranty is almost up. Mics are $40 a piece from astro so this is an expensive part to the headset and don't think one should be purchased every few months!
3. The support sucks. I babied my headset. I even ordered one of those fancy aluminum headset stands so i didn't have to turn the mic as much and slowing the progression of that groov mentioned in #2 above. My headset is in mint condition no twisted wires no fall damage or anything. I don't have a dog so no pet related damage...anyway the list goes on but in short i spent $200 on my headset....im going to be careful with it and take care of it. Well that is until i called their 800 number and spoke to someone that sugested i try using the right mic jack as a test befor putting in a request to repair my headset. The rep told me to take the mic out of the left jack and plug it into the right jack....sounds simple right!? Well it wasnt. I had never used the jack up to that point so i was plugging it in and it wouldnt slide in smoothly and i told the rep there was resistance. The rep said thats normal...some resistance is to be expected you need to put more preasure on the jack....so i did. And the black plastic around the jack crumbled and the rep said ok lets get this request started. I thought my headset was going to be fixed because i did as i was told. I even said there was more resustance than i would like to see on a headphone jack and they insisted it was normal. Well astro wanted $50 from me for fixing the jack and said it is a sign that i dropped the headset on the mic side. I told them i don't even use the right side....my fan is on the right side of my chair behind me so i feel like the mic would pick up the air moving so i never needed to use the right side. They don't read the emails sent they just keep saying the same thing over and over....they are replacing the mic because of the defect they admit is cause by them not by me but my right headphone jack won't be fixed under warranty!
I was super stoked about the new a50's too but now im not so sure thats a good purchase to make considering its $300 to support a company that doesnt stand by their products as much as i think they should. If my headset was beat up and abused i can see their clame being true and i know they cant say im telling the true but the fact that i know how i treat my stuff so i know abuse isn't the case just bothers me. | video-games_xbox |
A couple excellent games, some ok ones. There's a reason Season 2 is so much cheaper than the original - it does not have as many excellent games. There are, however, several aspects to Season 2 that are much better as compared to the original.
THE MENUS
Menus are very much improved in Season 2. Everything is fully voice-controllable (duh! why didn't they include that in the first one?) and there are not as many endless menus before you get into a game. Sometimes the game has trouble hearing me over the music in the menus, but you can always resort to hand control, which seems to be less touchy than Kinect Sports.
THE GAMES
Tennis. I purchased the game primarily for tennis, it did not disappoint! I found tennis to be extremely fun and engaging. Make sure to swing a bit early. You have very little control over where your avatar is on the court, so your opponent can force you to a bad position and then hit the ball to the other side, making it impossible to get to (similar to volleyball in the original Sports). Note that you *DO* have the ability to direct the ball based on your swing and perhaps where your body is facing. It took me a while to get this down, so it is not easy, but you do have a some control over where the ball goes.
Darts. Surprisingly fun! You really have to work on having a quick but steady hand on this one. It *will* pick up on small nuances in your movement. You extend your arm all the way to aim, then quickly pull your hand back to 'lock' on the target. Then you 'throw' the dart, trying to move your hand exactly to the spot it was before you pulled back. When you play the computer, you can jump up and down behind them to try and distract them at the right time (weird, but kind of fun).
Skiing. Skiing was good; not my favorite, but still pretty fun. You crouch to speed up, lean to turn, and jump to... well, jump. One thing that was somewhat confusing was the role of the ski poles. You use them at the beginning to get started, but it doesn't seem like they affect anything (speed, turning) after that.
Golf. Can't say much about this one. I could not figure out how to direct the ball at all, and didn't waste a lot of time trying to.
Football. Decent. You quarterback the ball, pass it to an open player, then you run like crazy to the end zone, trying to dodge the other team until you get tackled. Choose your own plays or have it auto-pick. I'm not a big fan of football to begin with, so haven't spend much time playing this one. It is reminiscent of soccer in the original game, except you actually move with the ball instead of just passing.
Baseball. Again, decent. Fairly straightforward. Batting: you swing, then run to first base. That's pretty much the extent of it. All between-base running is automatic. When you are playing field, you simply pitch and catch, nothing more. As you can guess, a lot of the game is automated.
THE MINIGAMES (WITH UPDATE)
There is a substantial update to Kinect Sports Season 2 that adds a new mini game for each sport. The mini games are extremely fun, especially in 'party' mode where you have two groups of people competing. The game selects random mini games and each group sends someone to represent their 'team' for each mini game. I should note that the regular sports are also included alongside the mini games in party mode, but they are shortened versions.
Overall, good game for the Kinect. Not perfect, and they could have picked some better sports, but tennis is a real winner, with darts and skiing bringing in some solid fun as well. | video-games_xbox |
Sort of, Kind of Awful. The premise of this game is that the world has basically ended due to a string of tragedies like earthquakes, wars, etc. Oh. And then all of the sudden zombies demons pop up. Enter a gothic looking babe toting a Bigger-than-she-is broomstick shaped machine gun, who is (for some reason) going to shoot her way through the hordes of zombie soldiers to save us all. Sweet, right?
As far as I am concerned, for a video game - that's actually a fine premise. On top of that the design on the main character is pretty nifty. In fact, it was nifty enough for me to pick this up out of the bargain bin and take it home.
Thats when I played the game, and instantly regretted the $10 I had just lost. Truth is there is no way the developers looked at the final product and went, "Yes. This is exactly what we envisioned. It's Perfect And Without Flaw."
Now, the game is technically playable. But realistically it is so broken that it's just not worth your time and/or money.
The biggest issue is not the halfway-there stage layouts which are chock full o' pointless and distant dead ends, the terrible dialogue, and the "Well, We Tried" PS2 worthy graphics. It's the fact that the enemy AI is literally retarded. Enemies walk into walls, run around in circles, fire sporadically, sometimes notice you while you're a mile a way and can't see them and sometimes are blissfully unaware that you are right in front of them. If you get a car thrown at you, you have a 50/50 chance that it will kill you instantly or not hurt you at all regardless of whether it actually hits you or not. Most of your time spent playing this game will have you wondering "What The Hell Is Going On?" Not to worry. The game doesn't know either.
Sure there's nfity gun upgrades, and some "somewhat useful" magic (that is a huge pain to use), which helps the game be fun for like 5 minutes... or until you realize that it's not going to get any better.
It's sort of a shame because you can definitely see a really cool game that just needed a little bit of extra attention to live up to it's potential. Sadly, it's just not there, dooming this game to a life in the "Bargain Bin." Which is where it should stay... | video-games_xbox |
A decent remake of a great game. Back when I was 16 I played the original Tomb Raider, and when I picked this up, I thought to myself there's no way I could ever remember anything of the original one. I quickly found out that that was definitely not the case. In playing just the first level I found myself saying "Wow, I remember this!" and also found myself astonished by how much prettier the locations were in the game this time around. What was once blocky, lego-land type levels have become (relatively) smooth environments. However, I don't think this game deserves to be reviewed on how nostalgic it is, but by its own merits. So here we go.
By today's standards TR:A is a decent looking game. If you want Bioshock-like graphics out of it, you will be disappointed. That being said, the graphics are still beautiful, the motions fluid, and the frame-rate didn't seem to slow down at any parts that I remember.
On the 360, the controls are very nice and didn't get in the way of my playing the game (until I did the time trials, but more on that later). Lara jumped and grabbed stuff on her own without me needing to anything extra, and I didn't want to chuck the controller at the ground out of frustration. Sometimes the game's controls got a little too helpful though, and Lara aimed herself at things and grabbed ledges that would've been more convenient if she had done what I wanted her to in the first place. But those times were rare in the actual game, as I found this to be more of a problem in the mansion than I did in the other levels.
I should add that I've only had problems with the controls now that I'm attempting to go through the time trial versions of the levels to claim the last few achievements. I know this is likely due to me rushing through parts I should take slower, but there are times when her head and shoulders literally rub against a ledge I want to grab, and she falls to her death.
The only part of the game that I didn't like, and the reasoning for it dropping a star, is that it was too easy, and subsequently a fairly short game. Here, I have to compare it to the original a little, because the original was insanely hard and took forever to get through. The levels in Anniversary were shrunken, watered down versions of the original levels, and this felt a little disappointing. I say a little disappointing, because some of the levels in the original drove me so crazy I had to shut off the computer and walk away for a few days before I came back. So I don't know if making the game easier is all that bad. I don't mind being a little frustrated by games though, and for the most part it was a cake-walk getting through Anniversary. The time-trials are what add the true difficulty of game, and that's what saves the game from being completely too easy. So it balances out a bit from that.
In the end though, I'm very much happy with my purchase of this game. It was a fun remake, even if it was a little easy. Getting the last 100 or so achievements will take me awhile, since they are all attached to the time trials.
One final thing for Xbox 360 players-- I had a glitch in the game happen that was annoying. I was about halfway through the game, and decided as a break, to try the Croft Manor level. I restarted it, out of frustration, and when I did, I lost all of the relics and artifacts I had found, and the game simply forgot that I had completed Peru (and thus I couldn't replay the levels). So I had to delete my save games and start from scratch. While I looked at this as an oppertunity to gain some replay value from the game, I can see how it might tick others off. So complete the Croft Manor (preferably with all the artifacts) before you start the rest of game. That way you don't have to worry about this happening to you. Or just don't restart the level like I did, as that seems to trigger the glitch. It's annoying, but not so much that it made me hate the game, obviously. | video-games_xbox |
Not your typical FPS. To start off with this game is not your fast pace close quarter FPS like the call of duty series, And kinda but barely relates to the Battlefield series. This is a military combat simulator where you are a squad leader of a fireteam. So if you are expecting to be that guy who runs around and kills everything and the only tactics you know are run and shoot then you are set up for failure. This game is supposed to simulate an actually combat environment. Its not to see who has the highest kill to death ratio and what level prestige you are. So if anyone is expecting a game like Call of duty don't even bother this game will eat you alive. Now that we got that out of the way onto the actual game review.
Pros
- Graphics, are amazing, I don't get why people are being such sticklers about it. Its a video game not real life enough said. But still the graphics are truly breath-taking. The only one thing that pissed me off the most was getting a glare from the sun. Granted its really realistic but can be a pain.
- Weapons, they are truly realistic they jam, the muzzle flashes are spot on, The sound of rounds flying over your head and seeing tracers lighting up the sky actually makes you want to duck when you're in the middle of a fire fight. The only one thing I found slightly unrealistic is the sound of incoming or IDF. Me being currently deployed in Afghanistan right now I've had the unpleasant experience of taking rockets and mortar rounds shot at my FOB and in the game they are a tad unconvincing but not a major draw back.
- Dialog, Your platoon sergeant has one of the most ridiculously filthy mouths possible, But it is surprisingly close to how we all talk out here, Me personally I talk like a drunk sailor swearing left and right. So I cant complain about it, And not to mention your squad will actually give you good information.
-Music, Is awesome, when you first start the game rolling out on your first convoy they have Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth playing in the background I couldn't think of some better pump up music before your first fire fight other then some As I Lay Dying but that is my opinion. And whenever you get in the back of your HMMWV and start moving out to the next location they throw in some good rock music.
- Command Ridicule, Is a lot better and more user friendly the in OF: Dragon Rising, So good job there now only if the AI was good enough to follow the orders you give them.
- Gameplay, Is outstanding, The levels are long, firefights are insane, And you can pick the class you want to be (Marksman, Rifleman, Auto Rifleman, Grenadier). And in every class there is different weapons, attachments, perks, and gear you can unlock. They have also thrown in a leveling system which as you progress threw the campaign you unlock previously stated items. And since there are 4 different classes the replay ability is great. You can go threw the campaign as one class and when you beat it you can change to a different one for a different gaming experience. And when you get the opportunity to call off map support like CAS, Mortar/howitizer barrages, and 2000lbs of democracy, Pop a squat and enjoy freedom at its finest.
- Healing, When you get hit, You are going to bleed. So bust out that handy dandy first aid kit and patch yourself up or you will bleed out and die. Some wounds will bleed out faster then others and depending on the caliber of the round will also influence how fast you bleed out so keep that in mind, say you get shot in the arm you can go a little bit before you have to patch up before you bleed out. But say you got shot in the chest depending on where it hit you and if it didn't Incapacitate you, you will bleed out a lot faster.
Cons
- Your team AI in single player is just ridiculous. You will tell them to hold position behind a wall and next thing you know you have to guys standing in the middle of a street getting lit up like the fourth of july. It can be extremely annoying but life goes on. I can only imagine what it would be like have a full squad commanded by real people but like I stated im in afghanistan and my internet will not let me play on Xbox Live.
- I really only have one problem with the weapons and in my opinion they over powered the 5.56 round. I can understand one shot will put you on the ground. But depending on where you hit them its not a guarantee that you will kill them but for some reason I can shoot a guy in the foot with my M4 and it kills him instantly.
- this isn't a Pro or Con, But this game is realistic! One bullet in the right spot and your going home in a body bag. You get shot in the leg, and your not going to be able to run or sprint as well as before you got hit, You get shot in the arm, You won't be able to hold your weapon as steady as before... You can see where im going with this. So don't think you can run out in the middle of all hell breaking loose and being able to take a 30 rounds in the chest and be able to crawl behind some cover and you will magically be all good and ready to be a bullet magnet again.
So all in all this games fun value is awesome. There are some bugs with the AI but other then that there shouldn't be anything to serious that interferes with gameplay. And like I mentioned before this isn't Call of Duty so if you where expecting something like that you are sadly mistaken. | video-games_xbox |
I'm finally proud to play Call of Duty again. Having joined the Call of Duty franchise after Call of Duty 2, I must say that I did not become a true die-hard fan until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out. If your only experience with Call of Duty is from Call of Duty: World at War, Modern Warfare 2, or Black Ops, I urge you to turn them all in to Game Stop and purchase Call of Duty 4. Up until about yesterday when the UPS guy dropped off MW3, I would have contended that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the absolute greatest FPS in gaming history, if not the best overall game.
My dismay first appeared with Treyarch's World at War. The anticipation for me for this game was huge. I was incredibly excited. After playing it, however, I realized that it was nowhere near as good as Call of Duty 4. You see, what I didn't realize was that the only thing I wanted was perhaps a graphically updated, WWII skinned Call of Duty 4 with the same guns, perks, and killstreaks simply modified to fit the WWII theme. That did not happen, as Treyarch made their own game with their own spin on Call of Duty -- a spin I hated, perhaps only because it was in comparison with the greatest FPS in gaming history.
After being disappointed by World at War, I went back to Call of Duty 4. That was until MW2 was released. Again, I was incredibly excited about this game. After playing it -- while I must admit that I certainly enjoyed it -- I again realized that all I wanted was a graphically updated Call of Duty 4 with perhaps a few small changes. It must be noted that there were also dozens of problems and flaws in the game that were never resolved, making the game horrible imbalanced.
After that, Black Ops. Due to being produced by Treyarch, I did not even care. I bought it a few days after release simply because a few buddies of mine intended on playing. I got to max level in multiplayer (did not prestige) and went back to Call of Duty 4.
And finally, MW3. At first I didn't care. After reading more into it, I became excited again. My excitement has paid off. I am extremely happy with this game. Weapons, perks, maps... the only thing that could be potentially better would be an updated version in graphics from Call of Duty 4. Even that would fail to have new features like strike packages and weapon leveling, which is a marvelous idea. To the naysayers that call this game a "map pack" of the previous games -- how could they possibly be pleased? We have already seen developers change that which is flawless. Twice. World at War, Black Ops. Terrible. MW3 is exactly what I was hoping for with MW2. It's very similar MW2 minus the garbage that ruined MW2 -- the garbage that made CoD 4 better. Look at other franchises, such as Battlefield. They release new games that are no different from the previous. If I hadn't been a BF fan, I would have no idea that there was a difference between BF3 and BFBC2. They both play exactly the same and look almost identical.
Overall, I'm saddened that Black Ops and World at War fans have purchased this game. They wanted games similar to that - that try and be original and fix what is not broken. That is why there are so many 1 star ratings. MW3 is perfect in every way, shape, and form. True fans of Call of Duty 4 would understand this. Everyone else... they're rating a game 1 star simply because it stays true to its roots. | video-games_xbox |
Unfairly maligned game. Much maligned game. Unfairly. For those not in-the-know, the Quake franchise is basically what the ID guys did after they got bored with Doom. Quake4 is what they did after they got bored with Doom3. Doom 3 PC-to-xbox was well received, Quake4 wasn't well received in general, but the PC-to-360 translation seems to have gone fairly well though some complain of frame rate issues. They never bothered me. The other games you will have seen in the Doom3 engine / xbox universe would be Prey and the upcoming QuakeWars. Wolfenstein (very ugly looking port on the xbox) was Quake3 engine so not related.
CONS:
- early desert levels look uninspired, boring. If you left the game early, I can see why it got such bad press.
- goofy arcade shoot-`em-up game elements in which you shoot stuff and it flies up into the air. Reminds me of a boorish arcade game.
PROS:
- fantastic looking Doom3 engine.
- once you get beyond the external desert levels, much better maps and environments begin to kick in.
- variety of enemies with their own characteristics.
- slight twist on the health/armor pack. You also have techs that occasionally travel with you and can fix your health and armor. the also use the health station concept that Half-Life2 uses.
- good array of weapons. The weapons get upgrades which is nice. The lightning gun can hit multiple targets. I especially like the Dark Matter Gun which shoots a slow beautiful purplish-black inky deathlike projectile.
- no need to consult the internet due to glitches or non-intuitive gameplay.
Again, I don't know where to place the story. It's like criticizing a bad low-budget horror movie, it's almost unfair. But anyway I do like the story-twist where they make you the enemy, giving you access to enemy health packs, enemy language, etc (Prey also works this way) although the process by which this happens is too reminiscent of a cut-scene toward the end of Half-Life2. Doom3 Resurrection of Evil also ripped-off the Half-Life Gravity Gun so apparently the ID guys like Half-Life a lot. Consider it an homage.
And why is this guy still only a corporal after saving the planet?
It isn't Halo, it isn't trying to be. It's trying to be a good Doom3 derivative and that's exactly what it's good at. | video-games_xbox |
Fun game, but not perfect. I purchased ACIII mostly because I really enjoy historical fiction; I don't own and haven't played any of the previous AC titles. Seeing the way game designers tie fictional characters into real events is fun for me. ACIII was no exception. I enjoyed its story, and even though Ubi sort of beats you, the player, over the head with it, I enjoyed the heavy focus on the idea that the world is not black and white, and the Assassin vs. Templar conflict has (or at least had) good people on both sides of it.
Haytham Kenway is an absolute blast of a character. I just loved playing a proper English nobleman running around shivving people, and he has some great lines, too. "Well I was just leaving." "And now?" "Now.. I'm going to feed you your teeth." If they had made an entire game revolving around him, I bet it would have sold.
Connor, on the other hand, is.. well.. Emo. I suppose in his position it's no surprise that he's angry at the world, but some of the Templars had a point that he was very immature and had no clue how the world works. He was not as fun as Haytham, that's for sure, but in at least one small way, this is unexpectedly a positive: Even though I didn't like Connor as a character, I DID enjoy the supporting cast very much, and Connor's blandness makes the other characters' personalities really stand out. The homestead characters and missions are fun, and the historical figures that you run into are portrayed enjoyably, even if a bit one-dimensionally. (Talking to Ben Franklin about women is a riot, for example.)
I enjoyed the gameplay of this game, though the combat system places an inordinate amount of focus on blocking; in most circumstances, open combat is standing there waiting for someone to attack, so you can block and kill them without worrying about getting hit mid-combo. The double kill animations are exciting. The inventive ways of killing people and variety of weapons with which to do so are fantastic. The new ship combat engine is a lot of fun; I'm not surprised Ubi is expanding upon it with AC4.
My main complaints are:
1. Some of the optional objectives are really, REALLY difficult to achieve. I spent hours, and repetition after repetition trying to get some of them, mainly the one where you swim out to the two ships shelling Bunker Hill and have to get the air assassination and complete the mission without being detected. The guards on one of the ships are ridiculously perceptive; they can detect you even behind crates and despite that there are mortars firing just one or two decks beneath their feet.
2. Grinding to 100% completion takes forever, and not just because of the optional mission objectives; completing your hunting map, feather collection and the club missions are really time-consuming. I was able to cut about 10 hours off my total time for 100% completion on my second play-through, but it still took a long time.
3. Collision detection and climbing logic are still not quite perfect. Trying to achieve the aforementioned optional objectives gets even tougher when your avatar insists on running up the same tree or building three times instead of darting around the side like he was supposed to.
All in all, I'd recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good action game and/or historical fiction, it's just not quite perfect. | video-games_xbox |
Devilishly Good. Dont let some of the negative reviews sway your decision on purchasing this. Its an excellent game.
Interesting storyline. Though it may or may not make much since, it leaves alot of room for interpretation and discussion. You may see the story differently than someone else, and may come up with your own ideas as to what was really going on. To me, thats the makings of a good game. It sticks with you.
The gameplay was lengthy. At first glance, the idea of only 15 chapters may not seem like much. But don't let that fool you, as there is alot to be done within each chapter. Not to mention there are stealth mechanics involved, as well as a trial and error style of playing. Yes, you will die several times. But the game is by no means difficult. When you fail, you try again. It makes it all the more rewarding making it to the next segment. My final completed time was just over 27 hours.
The art direction is gruesome and sadistic. The monsters are unique, and each set piece has a theme of its own. Some are just downright insane. Makes you wonder how they come up with this stuff sometimes. There are some winks and nods to past games from the creator. Chapter 9 for example, you may recognize the similarities between the mansion and an old favorite zombie game.
Some have criticized the use of the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, but its really not much of an issue. I play on a 65 screen, so there is still plenty of room to work with. Maybe with a smaller tv it may be a different story though. Supposedly it was made that way to give it a more "cinematic" feel, as if it were one long cutscene. I personally don't see the point in it, but like I said its not really an issue. Its there whether you like it or not and you get used to it.
The only downside I can think of for this game is the view placement from behind the player. Its alittle bit close and takes some getting used to, sometimes narrowing your field of vision from left to right. Maybe that was the intent, I don't know. But I definately had to adjust.
Overall, though, the game is excellent. Fun, lengthy, challenging, and gruesome. Though it may not be "scary", its full on tension and high on suspense. Highly recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Welcome To Skill Stick Hockey. NHL 07: you have no speed bursts (players move based on ratings), too-realistic passing, no Season mode, and a default controller setting that not only completely ignores the face buttons (the colored X, Y, A and B buttons), but forces you to pass using the right trigger. THE RIGHT TRIGGER TO PASS. So why did I buy EA Sports' product over the smoother, pass and teamwork-friendly NHL 2K7, with its numerous game modes, ground-breaking camera angle and excellent online playability?
It is as the rumors say: The Skill Stick.
Every gaming review has advised that it may take up to over a dozen games just to get used to the NHL 07 Skill Stick, which, undisputedly, is the future of video game hockey. Say to yourself, "Learn it now, and hope NHL 08 will have the rest of its game presentation catch up to its technology." But the reviews are spot on--you will need at least a dozen games to get comfortable.
There are several tweaks and things you can do to ease yourself in: set your controller settings to "Classic" and change "Camera Relative" to "Always Up" to be able to have a hybrid controller where you can use the classic EA Sports hockey setup, as well as the Skill Stick; play hours of the Shootout mode; and start off playing at the Pro level for about three games, before moving on to more difficult play.
Let me put it this way: you intercept a pass in the neutral zone, and skate untouched toward the opposing goalie. God help you if your only option is to press a deke button, aim, and shoot, and hope the computer odds let your goal in.
Now imagine being able to skate up, deke left, pull right for a wrister, then, just as the goalie commits to the right side, pull your stick back left and flip it top shelf, backhanded over his glove.
Imagine no more. If you can think it, the Skill Stick can do it: high, low, five-hole, top shelf, flip, wrister, slap, snap...everything. It just seems ridiculous that you would want to skate in such critical moments such as breakaways, penalty shots and shootouts without at least an 85 percent chance of scoring. Sure it's offensively biased, but in real-life hockey, the one-on-one situation will always favor the skilled scorer against the skilled goalie--the scorer just has too many moves, and the goalie can only react.
It'll be a sacrifice, so buying the game used is probably recommended; it's not a complete package, but you'll be glad you've mastered the Skill Stick by the time a hopefully superior NHL 08 comes out, with you steps ahead of the rest of the competition.
If you like team play, with great passing, and bum rush the net strategies, get the 2K7 offering. It's user-friendly, and you can be reasonably competitive online in a matter of two or three games. But if the thrill of getting to an open spot on the ice and having every shot aimed at ANY location at your disposal, 07's Skill Stick is by far the way to go. It's like comparing Doom II to 360's Ghost Recon, in terms of controls.
It may not be this year, but the Skill Stick era is about to dominate the video game hockey landscape. | video-games_xbox |
Great Console - Epic Failure on Day One Release of COD: AW. First let me say that I purchased this console not because I am a huge COD fan. I purchased it because it looks cool and it came with a 1 Terabyte hard drive.
The unit arrived on the date promised at the usual 2:00 PM window that UPS delivers in my area. The item was undamaged. The console comes with everything needed to get it hooked up and running. (Note: This unit does not have a Kinect sensor) It does include a HDMI cable and even batteries for the controller. The controller matches the themed skin on the console itself and looks good sitting next to my Star Wars Edition Xbox 360.
Setup was easy after selecting a language and time zone the unit quickly found my dual band wireless router? After providing the password it immediately downloaded an update and moved on to the Xbox Live login screen. Within a minute it had populated my existing account over from the 360 and I was in business.
Overall the console delivers everything as promised. Games run smoothly and look great although I have not yet seen anything that totally knocks my socks off as far as the graphics go. I imagine as developers move away from dual releases for both the Xbox One and the 360 that we will start to see what this next generation console can actually do. A good example would be if Wargamming.net would release a version of their popular online game World of Tanks for the Xbox One. The look of the console edition for the 360 is not as good as the PC edition. The reason for this is the limitations of the fixed RAM memory of the 360. The Xbox One has more RAM and better graphics processor so it would be able to display more detail than its predecessor.
Now as to the release of COD AW, this was an epic fail, which is why you are seeing such low ratings for this console. This is unfair as the console itself is a nice Xbox One package with a hard drive twice the size of a standard one. My code for COD AW did not work on November 3rd. Not a big deal for me as I stated earlier this was not my primary reason for purchasing this console. Both Microsoft and Sony were having issues with all the people trying to download the game on day one. My code worked the next morning and I now have the game and all the extras sitting firmly on my consoles hard drive.
This is a fine console, and the initial fervor of download madness has passed on the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare title. So if you are a COD fan and are looking for a cool looking console, and Kinect is not your thing, then go ahead and pick one of these up. You should have no problem in downloading the program now that the day one panic is over. I would download it at night as it is a large download, and do not forget to turn off the automatic power down feature, or after one hour of you not moving the joystick the unit will turn off.
Overall I am satisfied with the console and Amazons prompt delivery, and their guaranteed lowest pricing. The unit was $50.00 cheaper than when I pre-ordered it. Solid purchase! | video-games_xbox |
Do NOT base your purchase on the uproar of the Fairweather fans. I'm a Day One Mass Effect fan. I got it the instant it came out on the Xbox 360 (pre- PC) and I loved it. It was like NOTHING else and it was brilliant. When the first sequel came out multiplatform (PS3 and PC got it same day as 360) I was there Day One as well. I watched as newcomer PS3 fanboys that had been trashing the game/series/license jumped on and some that claimed to have hated the first said they now loved it. Many others said it was too confusing and boring (obviously they hadn't played the first one so they were lost and rightfully so- BioWare had their hand forced by their new masters- EA) The sales were very low on ME2 on the PS3 because of the lack of the first Mass Effect. but at least they had something.
I say ALL that because we're talking about ME3- the final chapter in a trilogy. If you want to experience, TRULY experience the ME series- buy it on Xbox 360 or PC. It's the only way to fully grasp the magnitude of the game. There is not only nothing wrong with the ME3 ending, but I thought it was truly brilliant. When I see the level of anger and low ratings on the stars here- it makes me furious. Any PS3 gamers or 'just coming in' 360 or PC gamers shouldn't be allowed to complain about a 3rd game in a trilogy they didn't play all the way through. And I'd say that you new buyers that read this- Don't Start Here. Buy ME1, beat it, then 2, beat it, then 3... beat it. It makes all the difference in the galaxy.
And as for that ending that is so mixed up in the so called community. It's very thought invoking. There aren't monster explosions. There aren't fireworks. This makes it somehow NOT for kiddies, and that makes it bad??? it's a great ending. If you're a reader- especially if you've read the ME books- you'll really love the ending as much as I did. It makes you think. It makes you earn it and it's worth every second of it (and every praise the media has given it). These angry kids or just plain ignorant adults acting like kids, shouldn't be a reason to miss out on this amazing game.
If you have Kinect- you'll love it with this game. It adds a whole new level of fun to the game. If you don't have Kinect- think about it. If you can pick up the Col. Ed. do it; the extra content is great and well worth it. | video-games_xbox |
Close, but no cigar. I looked forward to this game for a while, back-listing it while I contemplated the quality of at least five other prospective games to come out in the near future. On a whim I decided that I would borrow it from a friend before I made the final decision... As it turns out, I think all of you that wish to buy this game should definitely consider borrowing it from a friend (if you do not have friends, find one or you may regret it).
So,
The game leaves a lot to be desired in the graphics department. The main menu screen is detailed, but the in-game graphics, though similar to the lovable Borderlands, are in fact below par and sometimes just cheesy. The game does not require a detailed environment nor does it require being able to see long distances so the graphics area is not exactly a problem.
The sound quality is decent, but again leaves a lot to be desired. I found that online experiences and solo experiences differed in the sheer fact that while online you have a tendency to experience lag-sound issues and a lot of excess noise that just sounds awful. Hardly gamebreaking.
However...
Character customization is simply made borderline infuriating due to the "challenges" section of this game. Should a game not be enjoyable and fun, while still challenging your abilities to accomplish goals? Well, Brink manages to put you through various levels of difficulty in accomplishing these goals, but takes away the fun and enjoyable aspect.
Nearly every challenge that you have to complete (solo, as coop does not allow you to reap the rewards of advancing through stars or unlockables) revolves around you as the player getting surrounded by enemy AI that has a knack for headshots and a friendly AI that has a knack for tea parties and pastries. All the while your back is turned to one enemy spawn or another trying to complete an objective with little hope of survival.
So, assuming you do not want to unlock any cool attachments for your weapons, you can move onto the campaign:
The campaign is more of the same insanely fun predicaments, just with a narrator at the end of each loss or victory. Throughout the story you feel as though you just happen to be absent during every speech, rally, and important event that takes place in the war only to be handed the DVR recording of it later... There is no character depth nor player involvement, the plot advances vaguely and uninterestingly toward a predictable ending, and to top it off it plays out as though a high schooler in freshman English wrote it. I will admit, I did not expect the campaign to be anything fantastic but its gameplay does not make it even worth playing.
Well, forget the campaign you want some MP action so you jump into a match, pick your load out, and... Lag to the wall. Lag to the ramp. Lag off the ramp. Lag into that guy's MG placement.
Overall I would not recommend buying this game for even its 40 dollar going-rate. I feel as though the developing team had a lot of good ideas and attempted to implement them as best they could, however their methods were just not up to par. Try again, is what I say.
If you are interested in a different-feeling FPS that is not like CoD, Battlefield, or even borderlands then I suggest Brink. My only advice is not to take it seriously, play with as many friends as possible to reduce AI idiocy, and take breaks whenever the going gets tough ... because this is not a game where the tough get going. | video-games_xbox |
Perfect Dark Zero (XBox 360. I have a confession to make. I never played the original Perfect Dark. So, unlike many of you reading this review today, I'm coming to the series virgin, in a sense. I don't know how it stacks up to the original, but I suspect those of you who played the original obsessively enough to care probably already know how the two compare. This review, then, is more suited for folks like me (besides, I'm sure any 360 owners we have on staff who are familiar with both games will be more than happy to chime in on their blogs.
So here's the skinny: Perfect Dark Zero is, as the title suggests, the prequel to the Perfect Dark loved and honored by N64 owners. Initially scheduled for release on the original Xbox PD Zero instead finds itself as the showcase first-party release for the launch of Xbox 360, If that sounds like a daunting position in which to be, it is: flash back four years, and that was where Bungie's Halo found itself.
The difference between then and now is that Halo was expected to shoulder Microsoft's hopes and dreams for the platform ultimately for several months - and some would say years, as Halo remained a top seller up until the day Halo 2 hit store shelves. :Perfect Dark Zero doesn't necessarily suffer from that curse, thanks to a couple of third party titles: Call of Duty 2 and Condemned: Criminal Oirigns.
On the other hand, though, while Perfect Dark may not shoulder the exact same burden for Microsoft that Halo did, its release is certainly a hold-your-breath moment for Rare, which didn't exactly wow gamers with Grabbed By The Ghoulies. Essentially, PD Zero and Kameo are relevancy tests for Rare: was Microsoft's money well spent in acquiring the studio, or did Nintendo maximize a declinng investment?
Let's put it this way; Rare didn't knock one completely out of the park here, as one might have hoped and expected given the development time put into the game, but Zero doesn't have any truly glaring weaknesses, either. The worst that can be said about any facet of the game is that they play it safe as frequently as they take a chance on something new. I won't spend much time on the story. Partly, this is because I don't want to spoil anything, but it's partly also because the story really isn't the strength of the game.
Despite the futuristic setting and vague technopunk feel to the game, this really isn't Deus Ex; which is to say, you aren't playing the game to find out what happens next. That's just an ancillary benefit.
Rather, if you're interested in Perfect Dark Zero, you're probably mostly focused on the online multiplayer. The single-player/co-op campaign has some bearing on this, because the controls are basically identical, but beyond "how easy is it to control Joanna," that's probably the extent of relevancy for the offline campaign.
For the most part, the answer to that is "pretty easy." I had some difficulty with some of the gadgets, as the on-screen prompts aren't always the clearest. Many times, when you're using the spycam or the electronic hacking device, you're going to be doing so from memory. When you first play the game, there will be some trial and error involved until you get it right. After that, it's all old hat.
One thing PDZ does that even Halo 2 only imperfectly captured is the ability to lug around an impressive arsenal. While Halo 2 allowed you to carry and use two weapons simultaneously, PDZ takes that a step further. Weapons are divided into classes, with certain weapons being easier to carry than others. You can, for example, carry four pistols - the idea being you can dual-wield two of them, or use one at a time, and switch between the two types of pistols as necessity demands.
If heavier firepower is your forte, that's okay; Jo can still carry the big stuff, but you aren't going to see her toting a machine gun in each hand, or a rocket launcher, say. Such weapons will basically take up two slots. In addition to weapons, you also have access to various gadgets, such as a weapon-equipped flying spycam that you can use to disable guards or non-sentient obstacles along the way. These have their own compartments in inventory, so while you are limited in the number you can carry, your weapons loadout doesn't affect your gadgets, nor do your gadgets affect your weapons loadout.
As you'd expect, any of the weapons can be used to bludgeon some poor sap in melee combat if you get close enough to warrant it, but ideally, if you're toting a gun around, the enemy getting that close means that you're probably a crappy shot.
Anyway. Back to brass tacks. For the most part, Jo's movement when packing iron feels natural and is reasonably easy to use. The exception is the shift from first- to third-person when using an inanimate object for cover. It's more difficult to line up your shot if you're trying to take somebody out from cover, which simply gives your opponents more time to try to put a bullet through your eye. This won't be as big a deal in single-player (unless you're on the higher difficulties), but when you face off against people online who have insane FPS skills, it can be a hindrance.
By pulling back into third-person, it's possible that an obstacle will block what would otherwise be an unobstructed view had the camera remained in the first-person perspective. You can sometimes correct this by using the scope on a properly equipped weapon...but that offers a profile for a vigilant enemy to take out.
Maybe the most interesting thing Rare has done here is their damage representation. As with Halo, if you're taking damage, but can find cover for a few seconds, you'll recover your full life bar, similar to the shields in Halo. The difference is, not all damage is created equal. Some is superficial, and you can recover fully from it, but there are some types of damage - notably melee - that wil decrease the length of your bar. So while you're recovering the bar you've got, it's conceivable that you could have a progressively shorter life bar if you're taking too much damage.
The online gameplay modes are an odd hybrid of classic FPS multiplayer modes and nods to Counter-Strike. The "Deathmatch" play types are basically what you'd expect - deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture-the-flag, and so forth. The twist here is that you can play with bots in the game, and you can set the difficulty level anywhere from "doddering old man" on up to "They will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"
There's also a "Dark-Ops" mode, which uses the CS-inspired money system to equip your avatar prior to each firefight. It's worth noting, though, that the system isn't always available. In "Infected" mode, for example, only the human players at the start of a round can buy new armor and weapons. The infected players, displayed as skeletons, have to make do with what they can scrounge or steal. Additionally, the team Dark-Ops modes seem to award the cash based on team performance, allowing a newer player the ability to properly equip him or herself without falling perennially behind the 8-ball by playing more skilled opponents. Whether this was also true of CS, I don't know, but it's new to me.
Visually, Perfect Dark Zero is impressive. I don't know if I'd call it the best-looking game on Xbox 360 of the launch titles; Call of Duty 2 looks damned good, and Project Gotham Racing 3 is a stunner as well. Still, with the exception of minor slowdown in particularly furious firefights, Rare delivered a game that easilylives up to its billing for the 360 launch. A standard caveat that I'm going to get out of the way now, so I'm not repeating myself ad nauseum in future reviews: the game looks great in standard definition, but if you have an HDTV-capable set, it's going to look that much better.
Minor flaws: when playing online, it can be difficult to tell friend from foe, except by using the reticle of one's weapon. Some of the death animations stretch the limits of believability somewhat, but then, so does the idea that you're in a combat simulator which uses your DNA to create foes for other combatants-in-training.
The voice acting gets cheesy at times, but it's mostly pretty good. Even for the parts that aren't, the excellence of the soundtrack makes up for it, and the sounds of combat are top-notch as well.
On the whole, I'd summarize Perfect Dark Zero like this: it's a solid, entertaining FPS that holds its own offline, and manages to do things differently enough online that you can still have a blast even if you're getting routinely beaten down. If you've got actual skill at such games, it's going to be that much better.
Perfect Dark Zero isn't the best Xbox 360 game. It's not even the best Xbox 360 shooter. That said, you really can't go wrong with it, either. (...). | video-games_xbox |
Finally a GREAT entry into the ALIEN franchise video game library. This is, by far, the best Alien franchise game out there. After being disappointed multiple times with games like Colonial Marines, Aliens vs. Predator, etc., I am very happy to say that this game lived up to all the hype.
PROS:
-Genuinely creepy atmosphere that is enhanced by great graphics
-Good story telling and voice work (with original cast members)
-Gameplay that is rarely dull because there is almost always a threat you need to be wary of
-The sound design is amazing (I played the game with Turtle Beaches in a dark room which really enhances the experience)
-Added replay value with Survivor Mode which is basically where you complete challenges and fight your way up the online leader board.
-95% of the time you have a waypoint on your motion detector that saves you from any headaches of getting lost
CONS
-There were maybe 3-4 times through out the entire game where I had a frame rate issue. I don't think it was because of a lot of things going on on screen but maybe loading the game. Overall it ran smoothly.
-No autosave. This isn't a huge deal because there are save stations scattered about rather liberally. The save stations beep so it's really hard to miss them.
-A lot of trial and error (i.e. frustration) until you figure out how the alien behaves in conjunction with sounds it makes.
-Without giving too much away, one way to repel the Alien is with a flame thrower you pick up during the game. There were multiple times that I would blast it and the Alien would have an initial reaction but then just stand there and not move. I had to wait until it started moving again and repeat the process until it ran away *hint: use the flamethrower in short bursts! The Alien just seemed a bit glitchy at times.
-The ending wasn't my favorite, but I can't wait for a sequel!
Overall I would recommend this game to anyone wanting a genuine Alien franchise experience. However, if you are looking for a run and gun shooter, this is not for you. Although there are many weapons and devices that you can construct to help you out, they are merely an aid to help you sneak and strategize. If you go in knowing that patience and persistence is the key to this game, you will not be disappointed! | video-games_xbox |
AVP. I consider myself to be a horror genre freak. Anything to do with zombies, demons, ghosts, and aliens. I have most likely seen or played. I have yet to meet anyone who's horror collection to surpass mine. Consuming all the way up from children of the corn to the very last silent hill.
Now, with most horror fans there is a top 2 on this list. Resident evil with its creepy atmosphere, pop out in your face moments, and outstanding storyline. Well that is until r/e 4-5 left the zombie threshold and I began to lose interest. And silent hill with is absolutely twisted mindset that will make you wonder what drugs the writers and artists where on the time while you are checking under your bed for knife wielding infants.
The choice to buy AVP was most likely that I have been on a classic horror kick, that has lead me once again to every last alien movie. And out of impulse on Amazon I clicked the dreaded "add to cart"
This is a must play in the dark game. Me....working nights... long ago has completely covered the windows in my room with cardboard and gorilla tape leaving my room complete blackness save the countless blinking LED lights from my self made rack of external hard drives holding said movie collection. Also, surround sound, or a good set of headphones with noise cancelation is a must. ( well you can skip the noise cancelation on your part, as long as you don't have to deal with helicopters and gunfire freaking you out while playing this. )
In AVP you have the choice of playing the alien, the predator, or...my fav. The marine. Each has its own storyline that takes place all at the same time. Each with its own ups and downs.
As the alien you play as 6 a nasty bugger that Mr W himself kept alive for sheer spunk. Your fast....ok... your not fast, your insanely fast. Abel to cover 200m in just a few seconds. Can crawl on any surface, strong, stealthy, and just plain deadly. With the ability of smelling....err seeing... your prey no matter where they are and nearly impossible for them to see you. There is no scary factor for playing this character. It just slaughter. You always know where your prey is, abel to kill them quickly with finishing moves, and never alerting his fellow crunches in the room.
Playing as the predator is just as fun, you play as a young blood on his first hunt with his elite counterparts. stealth is key with this guy. But when the time comes to strike. Your overpowering weapons and strength leaves this one fun boy to play with. You come with a power blaster that will literally blow anything to bits. Thermal and binocular vision leaves your enemy whether human or not no place to hide. Advanced sound devices that allow you to lure your prey out of view of his comrades to give you ample time to collect his trophy.
And this is where the terror factor comes in to play. The marine. It starts off about the same story as Alien 2. And your quickly left alone by your comrades trying to save their own skin. With all the power and advantages of the other characters, your just helpless in this one. Its dark, very dark.... But... you have a flashlight. A $200 issued flashlight that can be outclassed by a Wal-Mart knock off for $5 that your commander made you carry because he wanted everyone to be uniform.....that sound very familiar ( cusses his own captain under his breath.) ok, so you can't really see... BUT FRET NOT. You have a state of the art motion tracker that will tell you the exact location of your enemy....well in theory. In action.... It gives you somewhat of a clue that there is something moving in the area. Or, a coke can fell off that table you bumped into a few seconds ago. And when you snatch around to see what the motion was the real nasty in the room crawls out of a pile of trash right next to you. .....oh my.... Well... at least you have something to tell you there something around.... Well.... Then again, there is always something around, it all just depends if it finds you interesting enough to come out and play.
Ok, so, you can't see, you have a slight clue if something is around, but you have guns! Guns that some commander that has probably never seen combat in his life keeps in service cause he is to afraid to look like a fool replacing them. Most of the guns are so underpowered you will find yourself expending way more ammo than you want to dispatch one single enemy while there are 5 more closing in on you.
Oh, and as far as dispatching you enemy goes.... They crawl on everything. As soon as you get a bead on it in the dark and open fire, one of 3 things will happen. You will lose track of it, you will have to reload, or the other nasty will grab hold of you.
There is a lot on this game that I will not cover because I want you to find out for yourself, but it is a good buy. But I could see my self playing just the human story and being completely happy. | video-games_xbox |
Overall lots of fun and will provide many hours of enjoyment. It took me a little while to get used to it because it is quite a bit different than the original 2d plants vs zombie games. There are a few different modes of play and I think so far I prefer the 4 player co-op mode called "Garden Ops" the best. All of them are a 3rd person shooter style game. They all require Xbox live gold membership because you are always playing with other people online. For the Garden Ops mode you will always play as plants. You will have 3 other plant team members. You can choose from any combination of the following: a pea shooter, cactus, sunflower, and chomper. Each has their own unique abilities. You will fight against 10 waves of zombie attacks and finally try to successfully reach the loading zone where craaaazzy dave will after a certain amount of time fly everyone away to safety for the win. Over time you need to level up your plant in order to become stronger. Leveling up can get pretty hard even at level 4. If you want to get super competitive plan on spending a lot of time doing the different difficult tasks to level up to a high level. There are different difficulty settings you can choose too. You may be stuck on easy or normal difficulty until you level your plants up quite a bit. I'm finding that you can't exclusively level up in the 4 player co-op mode which is irritating. Some of the tasks to level up require you to vanquish or kill of a certain number of players. You cannot achieve this in co-op mode because you're all on a team and it is impossible to vanquish a player. So you must go to the 24 player multiplayer action mode to finish those tasks. It's not so bad though since the games go relatively quickly and can still be a lot of fun. In this mode you play as either plants or zombies. The zombie team has 4 choices as well each with unique abilities. Football player, foot soldier, scientist, and engineer. When you play this mode expect to get your a$$ beat because there are many other players at much higher levels which can make it somewhat difficult to level up during the earlier stages. Still fun trying but can get frustrating at times. I really really do hope that they come out with a one player co-op mode where you can just play against the computer somehow. That way you do not HAVE to have xbox live to play the game. Sometimes I just want to play a computer anyway. Overall, still loads of fun and I would still recommend it.
*UPDATE* 4/1/2014
I find I'm still having the urge to play this during my free time. It is very fun and addicting to play! I'd like to mention that when you play you earn points. You get more points the better you do. As you earn points you can open up stickers in the sticker shop. There are different packs ranging from 1000 points to 40000 points. The more you spend the better your cards will be. After opening you then choose one of the array of cards that is shown. This is where you get a variety of potted plants to plant around your base for protection, or an array of zombies that automatically attack the plant's garden for you. There are also character upgrades to give you stronger weapons, armor and abilities. There's different character skins you can collect as well. Another notable card that I've recently noticed is a "skip star challenge". These are the "tasks" that I was talking about earlier. These cards make it easier to level up quicker if you're stuck on a star challenge. If you can get over needing xbox live gold, not having a split screen two player mode, and the server not being perfect (sometimes it gets glitchy and looses your connection or is jittery)you will most likely enjoy this game a lot. I'm glad I own it! | video-games_xbox |
Silent Hill meets Buck Hunter. Some reviews seem to throw this title under the bus because "it's not a realistic hunting game". Perhaps a title that doesn't appeal to the masses like "Kill or be Killed" would be more accurate, but you're getting lost in semantics.
THE BAD:
-The game is very linear, but not every game can be an explorer.
-The red scope on the Top Shot Elite is a cool idea, but utterly useless in gameplay. Switch your "hunter sense" settings to not use it. The end result is much smoother & will save you frustration (it's roughly similiar to "detective mode" in Arkham Asylum).
-The accuracy seems to vary a lot on large screen televisions. I started playing this game on a 53" projection and found it to have a ho-hum level of accuracy even after manual calibration (but has improved, 2nd bullet point below).
-You have to play the story to unlock many of the shooting galleries
THE GOOD:
-The shooting gallery mode makes for an AWESOME party game. Duck Hunt to the Nth degree.
-My experience with big screen accuracy improved greatly when I switched to a 55" LED tv. The make & tech of your tv seems to make as much difference as the size. Note, I have not tried this game on a small screen.
-You are given a moderately powerful pistol with infinite ammo, so you you can't paint yourself into a corner. Even if without use of your shotgun or rifle, you've got a fighing chance.
-Jungle drums start beating when predators are closing in on you. Sounds funny, but it gets your blood pumping and you really FEEL like you are under attack.
THE VERDICT:
I'm midway through the story mode and have found this game to be a nice bit of variety for the Xbox 360. The shooting gallery is what MAKES Dangerous Hunts 2K11. I would not attempt to play this game with a standard 360 controller....be sure to get the gun.
While it's not going to win any GoTY awards, I've found it to be a fun change of pace from the RPGs & Platformers we Xbox'ers typically play. It's worth the price of admission. | video-games_xbox |
Playing games on this works fine but I'm on the verge of returning this for . Playing games on this works fine but I'm on the verge of returning this for a couple of reasons, one of them most likely specific to my needs.
I purchased this mainly as a replacement for my old PS3. I'm not a hardcore gamer by any means and I'm barely a casual gamer. I chose the Xbox One (over the PS4) for two reasons: good deal for the price and because some of my close friends play games on it and it would be nice to join them and chat from time to time. All of that said, it will be used primarily by my kids to play Minecraft, Skylanders and Disney Infinity.
Now, onto the things that suck:
- Profile setup. Wow. This is SUCH unnecessarily frustrating experience. Setting up profiles for my kids proved to be an incredible hassle! First, you need to specifically create NEW emails for EACH child. Then, it even asks you to charge $.50 in order to confirm that you're an adult setting it up. When you factor in needing to use the on-screen keyboard to type in all of the information (much of it repeated) the process took an obscenely long time.
I would have skipped it altogether except that my kids wouldn't have access to certain items (character skins, etc.) in games because they were using a Guest profile...which is CRAZY! If someone/anyone is playing on my Xbox, they should have access to whatever I have or want them to access. It's just an obscene process.
- This reason is more specific to my situation: we own a LOT of figures for Disney Infinity and Skylanders. I invested a lot of money into these games for my kids. It's bad enough that I need to re-purchase the game disks but that would have been the same case had I gotten a PS4. The real problem for me has been the game Base/Portals...they don't work!
For those unfamiliar, both SKYLANDERS and DISNEY INFINITY come with a base/portal onto which you need to place the figures so that they appear in the game. It turns out the portals I had for my PS3 will NOT work on the Xbox One even they the hardware is essentially the same. You might say that's really the fault of the game engineers but get this: the portals that I own will work on the PS3, PS4, Wii and Wii U! Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 portal ONLY works with the Xbox 360. The Xbox One portal ONLY works with an Xbox One. And guess which of those portals is BY FAR the most difficult to find Pre-Owned at a cheap price? Yep, the portals for the Xbox One.
So, those two reasons alone had me considering my purchase but then some other annoyances are just pushing my over the edge:
- Xbox Store via the Console. I was trying to browse for inexpensive or free games from within the console, thinking I would just quickly download anything that would catch my eye. But the Console Store would only show me a very limited amount of options and most of those where racing/car games. So I tried to use the search function but apparently the Console Store has never heard of "Star Wars" or "Call of Duty" or "Halo"... WTF...?!?
- I don't know if it's the same on the PS4 but installing games on the Xbox One is a bit frustrating because it HAS to download and install some gigantic updates for each game. There's no way to just insert a disk and play. It's probably the same thing with the PS4 but it's still annoying.
Anyway, the overall experience I've had has been unenjoyable. That issue with the Profiles alone was incredibly frustrating and it's just been one annoyance after another. | video-games_xbox |
Great game, not much is new, well worth the price of admission. Great game. I purchased from Best Buy since I still have GCU and Best Buy has been shipping me games extra early. As a result, I actually received the game on Wednesday 9/21. Of course, it's amazing how many people were playing and were well into the 100's of levels. I will address this on the cons list below.
Pros:
- Great graphics and typical Forza Horizon physics. If anyone has missed this game's past versions, this game is open world Forza. It uses mostly the same cars and physics, but much more of an arcade style than the arcade/sim racing Forza Motorsport offers.
- Large map with many different areas
- Large variety of game play types, though nothing new, giving you the option of different types of racing and playground games, speed traps, drift zones, bucket list challenges (driving a specific car for a specific task to complete).
- Many hours of single player gaming and plenty of multiplayer action
- Addition of Horizon Edition cars are nice. They are customized nicely and include a skills bonus to earn more points faster. I think it's a 50% bonus to skills.
Cons:
- Mostly the same catalogue of cars. This is typical of Forza. I'm guessing it's a money saving technique so they don't have to redo everything. However, I would love them to switch out some of the cars or add in some more dream cars. You have the same high value classic cars (Ferrari 250's and company).
- In Horizon fashion, you cannot budge other cars when you drive into them. While this helps with online racing to prevent the wreckers, it also takes away some of the fun of close racing. This also allows people to bowl right into you in order to make a turn they didn't brake for, as well as AI get in your way and not be moved.
- I don't know if it's just me or not, but the AI (drivatars) feel SO stupid this time around. On top of their added handicap, they easily catch back up to you and this tends to always happen near the finish. As a result, I have lost a few races that I have dominated because the end is a long straight. The best way to combat this is to watch your mirrors and when someone gets close, pull in front to block. AI will hit the brakes and back off. Another side note with the AI, and this is a consistent problem with Forza, is the automatic braking AI does when you get close or touch their rear bumper. I am not sure why they haven't worked this out, but it's extremely frustrating while drafting and racing in a tight group where you can't just pull out to the side. Overall, AI is dumb! You can also win almost every head to head just by cutting straight across the map to the finish as the AI rarely leaves the race line.
- Early release to T10 and others PREVIOUS to early release ensured that these players were able to get their names up on the boards for tuning and painting before everyone else. Since Forza paints don't work the way they should, it ensured that people like LittleVixen have multiple paints in the initial selection when you buy a car. I don't think this is very fair, but resulted in me creating a blackout paint for every car I win or buy just to try to get in on the action and make some money. I do feel for the real painters and tuners out there though.
Overall, my complaints are not major ones. Most of it has to do with slight inconveniences. I am a little disappointed that there isn't more "new" added to the game. The new options lead to confusion or over complication. I LIKE the new blueprint idea in theory, but I would rather deal with pre-set races and championships over making my own in single player. Personal preference, so I left it off the con list. I gave it 4-stars based on the AI and the early release preference to people involved with T10 and I can only assume "video game reviewers."
My advice: Buy the game and enjoy it. If you aren't sure and will wait, you might as well wait a while for a better version to become available with the DLC. It will take a while for sure, but that DLC adds up quickly if you're an early adopter. $60 is worth it. Ultimate Edition is worth it to someone like me who likes to own everything in these games. I am also happy they added a steelcase again for the special edition. | video-games_xbox |
Fell well short of my expectations. UPDATED BELOW*
VERY disappointed in these. When I got them, was super impressed in the packaging, the box, the headset itself, looking so well designed. They are very comfortable and look great. But... do you buy a headset for the way they look or the way they sound? There is the issues. Yes, issues, plural. First off, they are stereo. Ok, I've used stereo ones in the past. The quality just wasn't there for me, especially being the almighty ASTRO GAMING! Seems like more hype happening... three EQ modes. First one is so flat, fine MAYBE for dialogue only. Second one is MEH (meaning not great) for mid range evidentally, and last should be bass, but I wouldn't call it that for sure. Muddy is what I'd call it. The thing plugs into the bottom of the controller like the old school puck and you can balance chat and game audio. Ok, but the mute button for the mic is situated on the bottom so if you game like me sometimes lying down with controller resting on stomach, etc, you'll inevitably be hitting mute/ unmute all the time. Another issue I notice is just wiggling the connection to the headset from the 3.5 with cause that one of a kind crackle like there's a bad connection. I found audio to cut out in game sometimes. So for me, I'm playing Destiny, and there's a lot of enemies around me, so there's different roars and yells and gun shots, etc, and its like the headset couldn't handle the complexity of it. Very very disappointing to say the least since its ASTRO and also looking back at the price tag for these. Last issue I can think of right now is the connection to the puck is a thin flag plug going in it at an angle on the bottom of the controller so I'd expect after a while of wear and tear for that thing to lose connection. In short, don't go for these. Go with Turtle Beach. I've had very good success with them. My first set was TB's and I've had MANY sets since then.
UPDATE 9/26/16: Ok... so after using them a little bit, I might have been a little bit harsh. The 3rd eq actually isn't too bad. Decent boost. But there's still problems with the audio cutting out when several things are happening in game sometimes, not all the time. After using them these few days, I have to say the are the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. I have gone through MANY headphones in my time. These things fit, my head anyway, like a glove. The breathable velour, I think it is, is so soft. I WOULD recommend these headphones and I'll use this small instance for future reference on giving things second tries. Peace people. | video-games_xbox |
DRIVER: Parallel Lines 2. Take away Vin Diesel's name and identity from Wheelman, then ask yourself if you could go for another round of a DRIVER game where "You are the Wheelman"? If you're a Driver fan, this is a must rent/must buy. Yes, it's a bit more arcade-like in physics (fast burnouts like Driver: Parallel Lines, over the top), but it's the closest thing to playing a Driver game by another company besides Reflections, and I'm a huge Driver fan.
Here's what this game does right:
-Intense, action packed missions that are a blast to play even after "failed mission". The jumps, ramming, stunts are a thrill to experience.
-Giant Map: As big as The Getaway's map, but not as big as DPL.
-The trucks (Big rig and delivery van) both include Interior Shoulder Dash Views
-The cars and sportbikes handle well, with 3 camera views including a close car view
-Close Vehicle View: On par with a Driver game, so you're close to the action.
-On Foot freedom: Once you earn a gun, 3 camera views including default medium view, earned torso view and close over the shoulder view. Very nice, brings you INTO the game world.
-Fast paced gameplay.
-Once you get used to the lock on and manual aiming, the gunfights are fun.
-Huge city to explore, some large interiors too (office, warehouse, carparks, metro stations, etc).
-The missions are tough, but not excruciatingly frustrating like Driver's, so it won't take 50 attempts, maybe 10 at the most depending on your Driver skills.
-The sportbike Underground Subway mission was epic.
-On foot: sneak, walk, run, aim, shoot, airjack(nice feature).
-Cops are tough to shake and persistent. They will allow you to surrender(walk up to them) instead of just blindly shooting you to death like in Driver. 3 and 4 stars is fun.
-Vehicles control responsively and fast.
-Side missions and main missions on map, just click and start them instead of having to drive to them and waste time.
The only things that concern:
-Trucks have interior dash views(over the shoulder), why not cars and bikes? It's a great view for just cruising, add it in an update Ubisoft.
-You have to unlock 3 sections of the city, initially closed off.
-There's no day/night cycle: Only sunny or dusk, depending on your last mission.
-The enemies flip all over on exploding, but it's very tough to flip your own car onto the roof in this game, which is actually a good thing.
-No jump button. And no climbing/leaping automatically, like Assassin's Creed.
-No home base garage to store your favorite rides (but in this game, not necessary, bikes are plentiful and so are the variety of vehicles).
-Not enough sports cars. No exotic sports cars either.
-On foot Cops are indestructible (bullet proof vests). Bad guys are not.
So if you're a Driver or Getaway fan, you owe it to yourself to play Wheelman. Now. | video-games_xbox |
Amazing! If you love cars and love driving, you need this game. Let me start by saying that I have a racing seat and the old style Microsoft Racing Wheel. I got the deal that Amazon was offering to get the game and the new motion-control Speed Wheel for free, but the old style wheel just blows it away.
The game is basically one great big playground (no pun intended) for driving. There's a real feeling of accomplishment in the free driving, barn finds and expo races. I loved both Gran Tourismo 5 and Forza 3 (never got Forza 4)....but I would only play for an hour or two at a time because, frankly, the races themselves require a lot of concentration and are somewhat high-stress - which is GREAT in small doses, but gets a little draining after awhile - especially with a full wheel set-up. The experience is more real, but also more demanding. Taking a break to hop up a car to the max and go free-driving, drifting, stunting, and otherwise just goofing around keeps me in the game and makes the driving feel part of a bigger world - it provides context for the races.
There ARE fewer cars than Forza 4 or GT, but the selection is still fairly wide-ranging. You are also quite a bit more limited in the mods than you are in GT (I'm not sure I remember how detailed Forza's modifications were). For instance, you can't modify cant and camber, shock dampening, or (must important for me) gear ratios. Still, it's a small trade-off for all this game adds in immersion and fun.
I'd have to say that as much as I loved Forza 3 and GT - I like this game better. You could argue that I'm not a real racing game fan, but I've got two wheel/pedal kits (Xbox AND PS3) and a racing seat....so....I like them a lot. Kudos to Turn 10 and Playground for providing a somewhat LESS technical but still very fun, accomplishment-based, and varied driving game! I can't WAIT for the Rally DLC in December, as the dirt driving is a little sketchy with street cars. | video-games_xbox |
Step on stage and rock away. For the last few years, the Guitar Hero franchise has ruled the music video game world. A combination of great mechanics and stellar songs made the game irresistible to anyone who found Dance Dance Revolution a little less accessible. If you haven't been in a coma the last few years, you have to had at least heard of the game. If you're one of those people who haven't, however, this is as good of a time as any to pick up the axe and start shredding.
The Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II comes in at the steep price of $90, $20 higher than it's Playstation 2 predecessor. Of course, Xbox 360 owners are well accustomed to higher prices for their games. But if you're going to shell out close to $100 for a video game, you better hope that that money is well-spent. So is it?
Well, yes and no. If you already own the Playstation 2 version of the game, I really can't recommend this purchase. The game plays identical to that version, and the majority of the songs are the same. What the Xbox 360 version offers over the PS2 version, however, is high-definition graphics, an additional 10 tracks to master (with the promise of more to be available for download at a later date)and Xbox Live support of Leaderboards and Achievement Points. If wanting to see where you stack up against the rest of the world is important to you, or if you've already worn out all the songs on the PS2, you might want to consider making the jump. But still, $90 to play a few new songs is asking a lot.
Having played both versions, I'd say the biggest drawback to the Xbox 360 version of the game is that there is no multiplayer support over Xbox Live. Whether it's an issue of laziness or cost, I'm not sure. But $90 is a lot to pay when you're getting a bare bones version of what you're used to getting on Xbox Live. This is my biggest complaint about the game. Spending an extra $50 or $60 on an extra guitar for multiplayer is a big investment. The lack of Live support for multiplayer is extremely disheartening.
Overall, Guitar Hero II is still a fantastic game, and if you can afford it you definitely need to check it out on Xbox 360. Especially if you haven't played it yet. With the additions of Leaderboards and Achievement points, and downloadable content, this is definitely the best version of the game yet! But if you already own it on PS2, you might want to wait until a price drop comes around. $90 is simply too much for a game that you already own.
Presentation: 8.0 - New Xbox 360 Guitar looks and feels great. Game great game!
Graphics: 7.5 - Nothing special. Hi-Def graphics are nice, but it's still all about the music.
Sound: 9.0 - Some great covers. New tracks by The Toadies and Pearl Jam are awesome!
Gameplay: 9.5 - There's a reason it's so addicting. Sometimes you get lost in a solo and feel like you're actually playing a guitar!
Lasting Appeal: 8.0 - Hopefully the downloadable content will be constant. If you've already played the songs on PS2, there's not a lot to hold your attention otherwise.
Overall: 8.5 | video-games_xbox |
Only buy one set. I bought two sets of these to be used split screen with my wife, primarily for the Call of Duty series
The sound quality and flexibility of customizing are great. Setup was easy and straightforward. As others have mentioned, you should go ahead and do a firmware update right out of the box. It only takes about 1/2 hour from start to finish, and that includes time to create custom combinations.
The fit, or rather the comfort is ok, although after hours of gaming, I felt like my ears were being compressed a little too much.
If you've read this far, PLEASE NOTE: you cannot use 2 sets of these on one Xbox. The first user to log on will take priority, and nothing I tried would allow 2 sets to be used at the same time. You can hear the game soundtrack (Black Ops III is what I used), but can't use the microphone on the second set...it WON'T be recognized. Turtle Beach support first told me it was an Xbox issue. Microsoft told me it was a Turtle Beach issue. Neither offered a solution, so I returned one set to Amazon...they were great, and processed my refund very quickly.
As far as being able to use 2 headsets on one box...well... I bought another brand that connects through the controller, and even then getting both sets was tricky. The first user logs on, gets the Stealth 500X assigned, then the second user logs on, waits to be recognized at the opening screen (Black Ops III), and then should plug the headphones into the controller. This way, both sets work, both can chat, and hear the game.
Overall, i am very happy with the Stealth 500X headset. The mic is sensitive, and uses a "talkback" feature, allowing you to hear yourself in the headphones, so you don't have to shout to hear yourself over the gaming action.
******UPDATE*****
Bought in December 2015. Now August 16th, 2016
Unfortunately, like many others, the driver arms broke, and underneath the plastic guard (which broke), I can now see how flimsy they are.
I have emailed Turtle Beach, and can't wait to see what their response will be. I would give 2-1/2 stars because of this apparent and widespread flaw. The sound is great, but construction poor. I don't abuse my equipment...if the headset isn't on my head, it's on the end table, no kids to tear it up, no pets...they just plain broke. | video-games_xbox |
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