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Great set of tools but didn't seem to be essential-Proved more useful with time. I want to update this review based upon additional use. Biggest criticism was that I didn't find much use for most of the tools while disassembling the 360S model. I picked up a 360E and wanted to make sure it was clean, dust free and cooling well. Didn't find the slim pick very useful on the E but used several of the other tools. In the E it's much more necessary to leave the tools inserted so the back won't relock when working on the other side, so I did use several of the other tools. Still perhaps a few too many pieces, but if this is something you do off and on, then this is a useful kit. I pick up electronic stuff, including occasional problem consoles, at yard sales for peanuts, repair/refurbish those I can, and donate to good causes as a hobby, so I fall in this category. Am upgrading to 5 stars.
Initial Review: Delivery very prompt and product as described. Tools strongly made and of adequate quality for the job. Nice chrome finish so won't rust. What I found was the small,slim pick worked best to release the locking clips and was the only unlocking tool I needed. A second tool was used to keep the back clips on one side apart while I worked the other side. If I didn't already have small torx drivers, the small allen wrench type torx wrench would have worked nicely on most of the screws. But something with a handle on it just works better, and I didn't use it. In fairness, mine came apart so easily, I was left with 5 of the 8 tools I woudn't have needed, even if I had no tools of my own. Anyway, you can sure disassemble an Xbox Slim with this set but I took off one star because most people probably have what they need already and multiple tools seemed a bit of overkill. I do a lot of intricate work and the tools have great shapes, so I know the set will have more uses over time. | video-games_xbox |
LOVE Kinection! (Xbox Kinect. Just received my Xbox 360 "KINECT SENSOR WITH KINECT ADVENTURES" and I'm addicted already!! I'm a bit older perhaps than the average video gamer (50 years old) so I wasn't sure I was going to like the adventure games that come with the sensor but the other games (yoga and dance games) that I orderd haven't arrived yet so I tried the Kinect Adventures games.
My roommate already had the Xbox 360 so we moved it to the living room big screen and the whole system was super easy to set up. Much easier than I thought it would be. In minutes I was ready to play and to my surprise, I'm really enjoying these adventure games! I love the wild rapids one where you are on a raft going down river snatching up point along the way and the one where you are on some sort of track through the woods and have to jump over and under barriers to pick up the points. It definitely gives a good work out and the pictures it takes while you're playing the game are really funny! I can't wait to share this with my friends!
Plus the whole kinect online thing is awesome. I just started figuring it out (just got the system yesterday) but I was able to go online with my facebook account and find other friends who have the kinect system too - not sure what's next with that but looking forward to exploring more. It does cost something additional to get the online membership but if you click on "upgrade later" it will give you a free month membership to the Xbox Live online which you will need to connect to facebook and netflix, etc.
So far I am totally loving the Xbox kinect system - especially the fact that I don't have to hold any control units when playing the games and the system seems to pick up my moves accurately. I haven't played any previous video games so I can't say how different it is, just that I'm really amazed how advanced this technology seems to be. The only thing I might suggest is investing in a good thick rug for your playing area. I have hard wood floors and I'm thinking, with all that jumping around, I might want to have some padding under me to lower the impact on my joints - especially since it looks like I'll now be playing with it everyday!
I bought the system so I could get more exercise during the cold winter months. So far it's working because it's easy and fun to use, and it challenges me to get higher scores each time so it keeps me interested. Plus I'll soon be able to play it with my friends so all in all, I'm very happy with my purchase! :) | video-games_xbox |
Well worth the money. This product works just fine. I read lots of reviews before buying the Mad Catz Throat Comm, so I will try to address many of the issues that people had with the comm.
First of all, a few people said that it didn't hear them at all. I don't see how that's possible, considering that the comm seems to be using a normal microphone. I even took off the mic, holding it at arm's length, and it still heard me just fine. I did have a few tries when I first got the mic where it wouldn't hear me. This was because it comes out of the box turned off. I suspect this is what happened to most people.
Many people have reviewed the throat comm by saying that it's too small. I'm about 200 lbs and have a 16.5 in. neck and this comm still fit perfectly around my neck. It left about 3-4 inches in the front of my neck. It comes with 4 levels of adjustment (2 on each side), and a pad that can adhere to the back of the comm. I wear the throat comm on the smallest setting. I recommend putting the padding on the back of the comm, even if you have a larger neck. The comm will wear at your neck if you don't.
Multiple reviews have said that it can hear them, but it cuts sounds out, or mumbles their speech. Playing online and recording my own voice, I haven't had this problem. As I said, the throat comm uses a normal mic, so it should be able to hear everything just fine. The only thing my friends online have said is that it sounds like I'm a little further away from the mic (which makes sense, because it's around my neck instead of in front of my mouth), but they could hear everything just fine.
The only downside I can see to the throat mic is the ear piece; it is clearly made for the right ear. Because I prefer wearing it in my left ear, I just wrap the ear piece over my ear. This allows the curved ear bud to fit into the left ear without any difficulty.
I bought this product because I have migraine headaches. If I wear the headset for more than an hour or two, I will have a headache for the rest of the day. The throat comm may not have the sound quality of a Turtle Beach, but for the price and company, it's well worth the money! | video-games_xbox |
Nothing but an expansion pack. I rented this game a couple of days ago and the title says it all; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is nothing but an expansion pack. I believe it would have made more sense (to the consumer anyway) to have all the songs as DLC for Guitar Hero III rather than charging full price for virtually a half of a game. It is clear that Neversoft wants to milk as much money out of its customers as it can with the least amount of effort and GH:Aerosmith proves this fact.
As you already know this latest edition of Guitar Hero features Aerosmith songs. However contrary to what I originally thought; all the songs are NOT Aerosmith. Out of the 31 songs in the game only 20 or so of them are Aerosmith tracks. In career mode you have to play two Non-Aerosmith songs to be able to play Aerosmith. This goes on for every venue and it gets rather repetitive and boring. Though it's JUST like GHIII it's just not as fun. There is nothing different between this and GHIII except for a couple of new animations and the venues. All the characters are the same, expect you can unlock the right to play with Aerosmith members or DMC from RUN-DMC. But honestly after playing through this game one time and beating it, I haven't picked it up again and have no desire to keep playing just to get the new characters.
The difficulty is no where as near as hard as GHIII and I was able to beat all but one song on Expect on my first try. Instead of wasting my rental time trying to beat that one last song, I went back and beat it on hard just so I can get finished with it and in one day I beat it. There is one boss battle in this game, but its no where near as ridiculous and cheap as Lou is on GHIII.
While I have also beaten GHIII and Rock Band, I still go back and play them regularly, however after beating GH:Aerosmith I have no desire to play it anymore.
I must reiterate that this game is nothing but an expansion pack and Neversoft has a lot of nerve charging full price for it. It only has a little over half the songs as GHIII so I am thinking it should be just a little over HALF the price, but no its the same price as GHIII. Unless you are a HUGE, die hard guitar Hero fan that absolutely must have every single Guitar hero game that ever came out, including Rock the 80's which was also full price from what I can remember, then this game is only rental worthy. Do not waste your money on this half of a game. Rent it, beat it, and save 50 or so bucks to use towards a full game. | video-games_xbox |
If I only knew. Being a long time Xbox 360 owner (until about 6 months ago) it was difficult to adjust to the smaller size PS3 controller and the analog sticks placement, so it was imperative I found a controller that not only worked well at a decent price BUT was designed to look and feel like a 360 controller. For months I had been researching and comparing third party PS3 controllers and it seemed like I would never find a 2nd controller suitable to fit my needs, well alas I am happy to say I finally found one. This controller works as advertised, in fact the sticks feel even better than my dual-shock 3. I've had this controller for about five weeks now and the buttons, triggers and analog sticks feel just as they did when I first took it out of the packaging, and that's playing roughly 10+ hours a week. The blue LED lights although not necessary to use the controller gives it added pizzazz, the two speed fan is really an ingenious idea your hands actually stay dry and comfortable during long gaming sessions, and I love the rubberized grips. The only cons (if you can call it that) are...1) It's not wireless 2) No six-axis 3) You cannot turn PS3 on with the home button (you can however turn it off). These three issues aren't a problem for me because I don't think I've played a game yet in which I absolutely had to use the six-axis feature, and the cable for the controller is about 10 feet long and there is no battery to recharge. There is only one MAJOR problem I did have with purchasing this controller, and it's that I didn't buy it through Amazon...I went off and bought it at Bust Buy paying nearly $10 dollars more. In conclusion, if you are looking for an affordable replacement or 2nd controller for your PS3 that actually works extremely well and don't care about it being wired trust me, this is the controller you want, and Amazon does have the best deal.
UPDATE: My son loved this thing from the moment we received it but alas, it is no more. It has been 10 months from the original purchase date and I am sad and dissapointed to say, the controller has been thrown away. This controller was fun while it lasted but despite the six months or so of usage it just couldn't compare to the official controllers from Sony. It just stopped working one day for no reason. If you need a quick fix and cannot shell out $55+ on an official Sony remote, you can try this one out, after all it is now under twenty dollars so for 6 months or so it isn't too bad of a deal. But if your looking for a long term relationship go with the best. | video-games_xbox |
Good Headset. After my last headset died I was shopping around for a good alternative that wouldn't break the bank. I'm a gamer so I wanted a headset that I could wear comfortably for long periods of time and that had a decent mic for voice chat during co-op play.
I first found and tried out Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset only to find it an exercise in frustration trying to get it to work. After returning that headset to Amazon I decided to give the Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 50 Gaming Headset a try and see how it worked out since I've always heard that Turtle Beach was a good brand.
Once I got the headset I pulled it out and decided to give it a try with my PC. The first thing I noticed that the mic that comes with the headset is detachable which is a nice little perk, since you don't have to have a mic in your face all the time even when you're not using voice.
The headset also had 3.5mm headset mini-jack and comes with a splitter for separate headphone and mic mini-jacks. But since I plug in my mic into the back of my PC case I found that the original cord length without the splitter was too short to use alone, so I'm currently running it with the splitter for the added length. So I'd love to see these headsets come with a longer cord in the future to provide a bit more flexibility.
On the cord itself is where a small toggle box is for the mic and to turn the volume up and down. It's fairly straight-forward, if a bit smaller than my old headset.
No part of the headset is usb-powered either, so it might not have all the fancy bells and whistles of other headsets such as noise cancellation and sound amplification. I personally didn't find that it mattered all that much to me and according to those I game with my voice comes through clearly without any issue.
The padding on the ear cups of the headset are fairly thick and soft, and also provide good filtration of outside sounds even from a television running at a decent volume in the background. They fit quite comfortably on my ears and I had no real complaints about them. The padding on the top band of plastic though is a bit thin, and while it could be thicker it didn't cause me any trouble through prolonged use of the headset, although it might matter to someone without thick hair to provide extra cushioning.
The plastic that the headset is made from is fairly light and while I've read concerns about it being too thin and fragile on the band part, it hasn't been an issue for me. I've even dropped the headset on the floor a few times and haven't had any cracks or breaks.
Lastly, the sound from the headset itself is great. I'm no audio specialist or anything, but for my gaming needs the headset provides everything that I could want in the sound department. My only issue is that the volume they provide is a bit low compared to my old headset, so I have to raise the volume on my PC a bit more than normal.
I have yet to try out this headset with my PS4, but when I do I'll be sure to update this review. Overall though, I think that this headset is very nice for the PC gamer or your average voice chat user as it gets the job done.
I give it a 4 out of 5 stars mainly because of the short cable length. | video-games_xbox |
Great, if overlooked Xbox 360 Mech sim. To be completely honest, I Purchased this game because I loved the Mech Warrior games. Seeing as this was the closest thing to those games on the 360, I decided to give it a shot.
I personally enjoyed this game quite a bit, though it has a pretty steep difficulty curve. If you have played any of the Mech Warrior games this should not be too different for you. The gameplay is basically the same, though slower than the Mech Warrior series. You basically play a mercenary mech (or HOUND in chromehounds) pilot for three different nations in the game's storyline (which takes place in an alternate reality 2006). The story itself is pretty sparse, though what there is is pretty interesting.
Graphics-wise this game is about on-par with most Xbox 360 games. The mech models are pretty well done but the rest of the game looks pretty boring and average.
The online component of Chromehounds is (from what i have heard, as i have not yet tried it) apparently very good. Basically you join a nation (through different campaigns) and fight for it against players of other nations, gaining money to upgrade your mech, etc. From what I understand (again I have not played the online component of the game yet) the only drawback is that there are not many people playing this game anymore online (which is to be expected for a game that came out in 2006).
Overall I would say that this game would be worth it for anyone who liked the classic Mech Warrior series, or anyone who wants to blow things up with a giant mech!
My Ratings: (out of 10, with 10 being the highest)
Gameplay: 8.0 (controls could be tighter and can be slow, but overall fun)
Graphics: 7.5 (Average except for mech models, which are nicely detailed)
Audio: 6.5 (completely average and repetitive, save a song or two)
replayablilty: 9.0 (multiplayer is why this rating is as high as it is)
Story: 7.5 (not really that much, but what there is is interesting)
Final Score: 7.3 (Fun if you like these types of games, though you might be put off by the slow pace of this game) | video-games_xbox |
A fitting homage to director Tony Scott. Dark, gritty, and incredibly violent, "Max Payne 3" was clearly inspired by the works of the late, great Tony Scott. Spoken words of dialogue sporadically popping up on the screen as white text... color distortions and filters... multiple frames split with bold lines... a muted color palette... all of these elements of style summoned Scott's films to mind, while playing MP3. More than anything else, however, it was the gritty storytelling and the darkness of character that reminded me of Scott. The first thing that popped into my mind when I began playing MP3 was "Man on Fire", the great Denzel Washington revenge movie. And at its core, that's exactly what MP3 is: an interactive revenge movie.
I can't think of another game I've played that's as atmospheric as MP3. You can feel the suffering of this man, and all his many follies. The other characters are also richly drawn, and the settings of Brazil (both the impoverished areas and the wealthy ones) are created effectively and convincingly. The various chapters are oftentimes brilliant, with some of the standouts being an enormous soccer stadium, a river traversed by speedboat, and a siege upon a luxury yacht in the Panama Canal. The story, voice acting, and cut scenes are all surprisingly good, and they paint a story that at first seems generic, but slowly becomes a riveting force that propels you forward through the campaign, eager to see the next chapter. I feel like Rockstar Studios would have been better served by creating a new IP for this game, because it's so much more advanced and sophisticated than the other two titles in the series... but that's far more of a compliment than a complaint.
I took off one star for some issues: Foremost, the violence. I understand this is a violent story, and a mature title designed for adults, just like an R rated film. But some of the violence is simply gratuitous, particularly the slow motion, close up kills that signify the clearing of enemies in a room- and to make matters worse, this is hardly a new "trick". "Stranglehold" was doing this way back in 2006.
Second, the mechanics are a tad dated, and not quite as smooth as the best of the competition. Rockstar insists on mapping their aim and trigger inputs to the bumper buttons for some reason (just like in "Red Dead Redemption"), as opposed to the trigger buttons. This is fundamentally inconvenient for a couple of reasons... it defies the industry standards, and makes it difficult for gamers who are hardwired for conventional controls (alternate button mapping is possible, but you can't use the triggers for triggers, no matter what you choose). There is a very good reason why the trigger buttons on your controller are called trigger buttons... it's because they replicate triggers!
The slow motion trick (otherwise known as "bullet time") has not aged particularly well. The combat of this game is at its best when it relies upon the stop and pop, cover based shooting. Diving around in slow motion feels forced, and is not very fun. I only used slow motion when I was absolutely forced to, because there was no cover around.
These shortcomings, however, cannot undo what is a fantastic game, a credit to Rockstar Studios, and a fitting homage to Tony Scott. I played this game on PS3, but my review is based on the content of the campaign, which should be the same across both consoles. | video-games_xbox |
War Is Hell, but Call of Duty is Heaven. I'm not sure where to begin.
I think my first clue that I was playing a real keeper was in the first level where some Japanese soldiers banzai charge your squad, and I realized I was actually mildly frightened to see these guys bearing down on me with bayonets. Next thing I know I'm on the ground and there's a blade coming down at my chest--I knock it aside and was treated to the sight of my combat knife being plunged into my assailant's throat.
I pushed the corpse off of me and stood up, grabbed my M1, and ducked behind cover just in time to see a fellow Marine blow apart from the waist up in a haze of blood, rendered aerosol. I watched with horror as another pair of soldiers, in mid-run, pitched forward, little clouds of red mist blossoming out of their backs. Snipers. I could hear battle cries over the tense music. Black smoke blotted out portions of the sky.
We fought through a field later filled with spider-holes and snipers in the trees. I strapped on a flamethrower and went to work, burning the tall grasses and flushing the snipers out of their trees.
Then came the rapid staccato of machine-gun fire, and I heard my sergeant yelling to get the flamethrower up front. I popped smoke, and as it clouded the battlefield I heard once more that dreadful cry of "BANZAIIIII!" and out of the smoke came indistinct forms, phantoms in the mist--Japanese soldiers charging forward, bayonets at the ready. I shot one in the chest, but he didn't die. He crawled backwards desperately, grasping at his sidearm. I put another round in his head. He dropped back to the Earth, unmoving.
I could see the muzzle flash of the machinegun nest ahead through the fog. My smoke was starting to disperse, so I popped a second, hoping to keep the machinegunners blind to my advance. I sprinted from rock to rock, dodging rounds from Type-100 submachineguns. They ricocheted off my cover, and I hit the dirt as low as I could go. After a moment--perhaps thinking I was dead--the fire grew sporadic. I tossed a pair of grenades over my cover, waited for the explosions, and then went for broke.
I stood up and sprinted toward the machine-gun bunker, and as I came into range, I opened up on it with the flamethrower. Fire jetted out of every firing slit in the bunker, and after a moment, the ammunition inside exploded, blowing the side out. The Marines behind me rallied, and we advanced inside, where I found a Japanese soldier, still alive but badly burned, clinging to a table. There is no mercy in war. I drew my pistol and shot him in the back. One less enemy.
...that, my friends, is what playing Call of Duty: World at War is like. It's so immersive, so brilliantly choreographed, that you really lose track of the fact that you're playing a game sometimes and will catch yourself shouting encouragement to your squadmates--even though they're fictional characters and could never hear you, it still makes you feel like part of the team.
You can't miss with this game. The drama--oh, the drama--Private Petrenko's opening scene in Stalingrad is amazing. Easily the best level in the game. You feel for the soldiers around you--even the Japanese and German enemies--because of the shocking brutality of what's going on around you.
You'll see unarmed German defenders mercilessly gunned down while trying to surrender. You yourself will gun down a few other helpless soldiers along the way--if you so choose. And that's not just put in there for shock value. This is how it was when the Russians entered Berlin. There was no mercy. "Their land, their people, their blood," as Sergeant Reznov says.
Combined with excellent graphics, a heart-pumping and at times terrifying soundtrack (especially in the Pacific theater missions--a rising but low tone every time you're ambushed accentuates the fear that these men must have really felt. Here I am, safe in my own home, and my heart is going at 120BPM because I have no idea from which direction we'll be ambushed next.
I could go on and on for pages listing amazing moments and somber, even depressing ones, but it can all be condensed herein: Call of Duty World at War manages to present you with WWII without pulling a single punch. You will be disgusted. You will be revolted. You will be shocked and awed. You will feel a real sense of triumph when you finally plant that Russian flag on top of the Reichstag.
I cannot recommend this title enough. It's an excellent game. Highly recommended for purchase.
PS - Once you beat the campaign the real fun begins...Zombie Nazis. That's all I'm gonna say. You'll have to beat it yourself to find out. =) | video-games_xbox |
Best used as a modification for your old drum kit. Overall, the quality of this product is top notch. I'll start with the bad and work into the good.
BAD----By itself, the drumkit has to be placed on a flat surface like a table or desk. For those who are used to the standard Rock Band Drumkits, the pads are angled towards the player rather than flat. I guess it's a matter of personal preference but I see this as a negative feature.
BAD----The kick pedal is in the shape of a box rather than the shape of a foot. It is very awkward to use and if you're used to the standard kick pedal, this is a bad alternative.
GOOD----The drum pads themselves are highly sensitive. Never in the past 6 months of using this product have I missed any notes due to the pads not being able to register a hit whether they are soft hits or hard hits. The pads are very reliable for fast parts i.e. Everlong on expert.
GOOD----The drums pads are very durable. For the price of this product, the durability and resiliency of the pads is excellent. I've been using them for 6 months now and not a single pad has malfunctioned.
GOOD----The sticks that come with the package are durable and allow for more fluid play with the drum pads. They are made of plastic and weigh about the same as the standard wooden sticks. These sticks also have rubberized head which allow the player to feel a bounce off of the pad. For me, this allows me to transition from one pad to another more effectively than with wooden sticks. These sticks also have a rubber grip around where you would normally grip a drum stick. This helps prevent the stick from leaving your hand.
OWNER SUGGESTION----Please watch this video [...] this video will teach you how to fully take advantage of your portable drum kit. This enables you to use them with your existing Rock Band Drum Kit.
Another note: The pads connect to a central rectangular panel which has the standard console buttons on it. This is where you plug each individual pad, kick pedal, and has the USB plug that plugs into your console. The only problems I've encountered are with voice communication. There is an outlet where you can plug in a microphone and I frequently run into problems with communicating with other players. Maybe it was my headset, but it works fine with my regular controller.
In sum, this is an excellent product and for its price, it is very much worth buying for its ease and quality of use to its durability. | video-games_xbox |
Not the game for me. gave arrived fast and in perfect condition.
The pros:
-The game looks great for a 360 game.
-The production and build quality including dialogue are great.
The Cons:
-Terrible control (like all rockstar games)
-Getting caught on random plants, trees, rocks.
-The beginning of the game throws so many instructions at you that you cant read it and have to end up guessing what to do half the time.
-This game is your typical drive ( in this case ride) and map game.
-For some reason the developer put the map in the start menu THEN you need to select the map ( which is a huge waste of time and gets super repetitive and annoying.) Like, why didn't they just make SELECT the map button like 99 percent of other games for quick access? WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??
-Some quests are so easy but the instructions are not specific so you will fail even the basics of tasks, leaving you feel unproductive and unsuccessful at the game.
-I am a huge fan of 100% games in acheivments and i can already tell its not ganna be possible.
- The combat system is terrible, you will attempt to hide behind a odd shapped rock, and unless you approch it from the perfect angle, you will be exposed and still take damage.
- Also like all other types of games like this, if you get to cover with multiple places to take cover, you will have a 10% chance of actually going to the correct location of cover you wanted to go to. For example, if there is a wall infront of you, but a rock to the right that is closer, you will auto take cover to the rock instead of the clear choice of taking cover by the wall, probably cause you were closer to the rock.
I don't know, maybe i just suck at this game, but i have so many video games that i understand more than this one. GTA 5 i didn't like either, nore assassins creed. And i realise all these reasons are small, but rockstar puts out alot of games that take weeks to beat, so these issue repeated for awhile get 1000x more fusterating over time. Maybe its the type of video game. I don't know.
Update 7/9/17 (still 3 stars)
- The game is pretty addicting once you get good at it.
- The Characters really unfold and expand like they should which i love.
The reason this review is still 3 stars is a reason everyone has bought it or is going to buy it will understand. Undead Nightmare is just unplayable.
It breaks my heart to say this but Undead Nightmare was a big selling point for me and the amount of bugs and constent issues makes it something i have to turn away from.
Issues like:
Invisible heads and arms for all humans/zombies
Unlimited zombie spawn while clearing graves (deeming it unbeatable)
The detector for the amount of zombies killed to save towns freezes, making it impossible to mark new cities on your map.
Everytime you save, it WILL freeze at a black screen, forcing you to quit the app and reload it.
If you have patience, go for it. The glitches will momentarily be fix when restarting the app but will 100% come back after 20+ minutes of gameplay.
Rockstar is one of the biggest gaming developers there are and they refuse to fix these issues even though there are MASSIVE amounts of complaints about these issues pouring from their website. Its very sad to see such a good game be destroyed by lazy game developers. | video-games_xbox |
Finally Overcame Optical Drive and Controller Sync Issues. UPDATE 2 (1/3/2014), changed from 2 to 4 stars
After receiving the replacement Xbox on 1/2/2014, I inserted a DVD right away after powering it on to ensure optical drive worked and it did (whew!!!). After ejected the disc, I proceeded to sync the controller after the Xbox start screen. For the life of me, I could not get any of my two new controllers with new batteries to sync with it. The first Xbox I received with the optical drive issues synced the controllers with no problem. After searching the forums for a solution and filtering through the PS4 versus Xbox One garbage reviews, I found one helpful post that worked, so hopefully it'll work for you if you have a controller sync issue:
1) Power off the Xbox One (Power Saving Mode).
2) Plug in controller via USB/micro USB cable.
3) Unplug the Kinect cable from the console.
4) Plug Kinect cable back into console.
5) Power on console.
6) Power on the controller
7) Press and release the "Connect" button on the side of the console.
8) Press and HOLD the "Connect" button on the Xbox one controller until it flashes fast, then let go. The controller should sync and stop flashing in a few seconds.
Why not the 5th star? The console doesn't get the fifth star because of all the frustration and time wasted with the optical drive and controller sync issues.
In the end, the system is cutting edge and will only get better with time. I look forward to see what they come up with when they start pushing this console to its limits. With the high price tag, hopefully it's around for a long time.
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UPDATE 1 (12/28/2013), changed from 1 to 2 stars
Microsoft came through in making me feel like a valued customer. 1) They've shipped the replacement Xbox One just one day after I submitted the claim; and 2) They emailed me a free game download ($59.99 + tax value to customers) so that I could play the Xbox until the replacement arrives. Just a warning, the game download is more than 35 GB, so don't expect to play right away.
If you're in the same situation as me where your optical drive is faulty (only applies to optical drive, grinding issues), submit your warranty repair on Microsoft's website. It's VERY easy (just need email & serial number). The next step is IMPORTANT - Request Microsoft to call you from their support website. Then just plain ask them the status of your service request and that you'd like the free game download that others are receiving to play while you wait. My 10 minute phone conversation accomplished this while my earlier 40 minute chat didn't.
Just to clarify, I opted to use the exchange program where Microsoft sends me a replacement working console, and then after I receive the console and verify it works, I have to ship my broken console back. If they don't receive my broken console, they charge my credit card $499 I think. As long as they receive my broken Xbox, $0 dollars come out of my pocket.
Now onto the system. The system is very responsive and starts up very fast. I've never had an Xbox 360 or PS3, just have a Wii. The graphics on the Xbox One are amazing as expected. The Kinect seems to be accurate as it recognized me and my two kids even though we were in close proximity. The Kinect's wide angel lens captures most of our small family room. The voice commands work as advertised. I don't have to shout the commands - I can speak at a reasonable level and it understands me (not like my young boys :-) ).
Without being a Gold member, you can still update your console, download games and apps, and buy movies. The only thing that I found you have to be a Gold member to use is the internet browser. I thought this was dumb, but not a big deal as I have my phone or tablet nearby. Ofcourse, I assume you have to be a Gold member if you want to play multiplayer games online (I don't plan to personally). In short, this console does what I bought it for without me being an Xbox Live Gold Member.
I was debating on giving the Xbox 3 stars, but I keep going back to that I don't have a fully functional unit. When I receive a fully functioning Xbox, I'll be able to give it the rating it deserves.
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ORIGINAL REVIEW (12/27/2013)
I was like many others in that I waited until Christmas day to power the machine on. And like many others, when I tried to insert a game or bluray/DVD into the Xbox One, I heard a grinding clicking noise and the game got stuck 3/4 into the drive. It eventually ejected though.
This is a review of the Xbox One itself and not Amazon as I purchased the Xbox from somewhere else. I'll change the review once I use a working unit for a few months. | video-games_xbox |
Lego: Please fix this game so it doesn't constantly crash. Being a Lego kit and Lego Video Game Fan my wife purchased this through Amazon for my birthday on her account just a little over two weeks ago. Now I see the price has dropped $20.00 already. I'm playing it on a new Xbox One, also purchased through Amazon.
My main issue with the game is that it has crashed now 3 times, twice during the beginning level before a save station was used, and once after the first save station was used in the first level, The Land of Oz.
I've read elsewhere on the Internet that others are having the same crashing issue, on various levels, on various consoles, such as the PS3 and Xbox 360, especially if they are using more than 2 or three characters on the 'portal'. Placing a Lego Dimension character on the portal controller causes that character to appear in the level as a playable character, which is necessary as each character has a specialized skill set needed to solve the game's puzzles. The portal controller seems to have the ability to hold 7 pieces, and you are supposed to be able to hot swap them in and out to play the game properly. The crashing just seems to happen while you are playing, not swapping characters.
For the record, the game does not freeze, it actually causes the Xbox One home screen to appear with an error message very similar to a Windows OS error, stating that an undefined generic error has occurred, with different error codes such as OX80004005.
I've been playing several games on this new Xbox Box One, new Xbox One games and a few older Xbox 360 games (all purchased from Amazon) that are now backwards compatible on the Xbox one, and none of them have crashed, frozen or otherwise stopped working... so far, so it appears to be a specific issue with the Lego Dimensions game itself.
I would love to love this game, despite it's potential to be expensive, requiring that you purchase at least several other characters at the minimum to complete the basic game, but honestly I've played video games since they were invented, delivered in all sorts of formats, Carts, CDs, DVDs, UMDs, Chips, Digital Downloads, (which despite using a disc based Lego Dimensions, the Xbox One still had to download 8gb of data to even start to play!), and have had only 2 other games crash due to bad coding, back in the day before console games where able to be patched.
Lego: This game needs a PATCH! | video-games_xbox |
Exploitation of Gamers Passion Far Out-Pace Dedication to Game Development. Beautiful graphics?
Yes, but not stunning, and certainly not the best Ive ever seen. this generation of console generally is capable of putting something like this.
Storyline? Well, there is this new storyline, and it is intriguing to follow through. It is more like a Hollywood style story, short, bursting, evolving fast and end fast.
So much about the game itself, there really isn't much too say, but here is my thoughts towards the AC series in general. I cant even count how many generations of AC games Ubisoft is producing nowadays. I still remember the very first copy of AC I played, though crude, with its own original ideas and uniqueness. But now, I feel generation after generation of AC game is just flooding towards us. I can no longer catch up with Ubisofts production speed. There are simply too many.
If you are like me, a serious gamer with decade of gaming experience, you may be also tired of the pace that Ubisoft is releasing its new AC games. Yes, just come up with a new name, a different but simple and straightforward Hollywood-style plot, and then the controls, the play-styles, most of which are just a copy-paste of the code from its previous versions. They don't even bother to fix the bugs from previous versions. For example, as some reviewer may pointed out, The free running and parkour system always has it problems ( sometimes jumping in a 90 degree opposite from where you want to go), but being shot at by snipers through buildings, having enemies instantaneously appear, or the lack of ability to engage multiple enemies effectively means that the experience is compromised a little!
I see very little dedication of game developers to make a serious, original, and long-lasting game. I only see Ubisofts desire for revenue at a faster pace, exploiting the passion of AC series fans who are loyal to follow and wait yet to find the wow-factor just as we did in earlier AC games. Think about other game series, it took Activision more than 10-years to create StarCraft II, and about the same amount of dedication for Diablo III. Think about the legendary series MGS, and how long it took Kojima to come up with a new game.
Anyway, this may just be my personal attachment to this ever-evolving game industry. Maybe Im a bit old-fashioned. But I always believe the classics will win audience heart in the long-run, and those short and fast revenue maker will eventually vanish in the wind.
UPDATE:
Some people asked why I rate it 3/5 stars, and think my review is pointless. Well, that means some people don't get my point. My review is not rated specifically for this game alone, but rather for AC series in general. As a serious gamer, we shouldn't treat any one game alone, and blinded for its temporary pleasure. We are part of this evolving gaming industry. It's exactly those people's shallow desire for a quick pleasure that companies like Ubisoft moved on to meet those desire for quick revenue and lowered their gaming standards. We have fewer classics as a result. | video-games_xbox |
A solid game with not so solid critiques. I put in a lot of time in the MOH from 2010. Anyone who has played it knows of the QUIT clan lol. Just realize a couple things before purchasing this game. Danger Close had control of the multiplayer on MOH 2010. That's not the same for MOH Warfighter. Dice created single player and multiplayer on this game. Those (like myself) who were used to the MOH 2010 gameplay, really had to take some time to get use to this. I will name some major points, and will not raise any comparisons to other games. This FPS really is in its own element.
Gameplay- It is actually very smooth, and realistic. The times to reload are different on every weapon, and they really did their work on those types on things. Just like the 2010 MOH, it is extremely smooth as far as control. In my OPINION, it is the most solid FPS as far as movement weapon control. All weapons have their own kick as well. The sprint that transitions into a knee slide for this game is set very well. If you want realistic, this is the game you want. And it doesn't take away from the fun of the game. Everything I said goes for the single player and multiplayer. Hand kills in this game are set pretty well. If you want to kill someone from the front, it will take 2 swings if they have full health. So you will not find guys running around the map getting easy kills. It's something that most FPS have really fixed over the past couple years.
Options- This is something I REALLY enjoy about this game. Not only are you able to choose from a wide variety of soldiers, you can also choose a wide variety of classes. All giving you different benefits. It really allows you to play towards your personality. At the same time you can also learn what weopons are used by what countries serviceman. No one is lying when they say that this is a combination of COD and BF. But the fact you can distinguish who you are by country is very unique. Of course you have the option for weapon skin color.
Single player- As someone who served, and one who is married to a military service women... I feel they did a great job with the single player. The worst thing you can do is play this on easy and just try to swing through it. Play it on the hard settings, like a true gamer should. It makes it that much more enjoyable and rewarding. When you do complete the campaign, you open up the option to play it again on tier 1 or hardcore. Hardcore settings is very challenging, and you can open up a very nice achievement by completing it without dying. Very challenging is really nice to have for the hardcore gaming crowd. Download the HD settings if possible, you will not regret it. This game has to best cut scenes out of any FPS hands down! Without spoiling anything, you will also have a couple car missions. Those are very unique and very well made for this game. The story can be a little difficult to track, and I understand that complaint by those who make it. They did make it in a sense where they expect you to know the characters. For those who are purchasing this as their first MOH game, it can lead to a little confusion on that part. If your prior service, I promise you this. You will more than likely enjoy the campaign mode on this game. Especially if you achievement hunt while doing it lol.
Multiplayer- I already covered the gameplay on this, so this will be a little shorter. I'm going to make me major point. PLAY WITH A FRIEND ON HERE. If the fire team is used like it should be... It is a very good multiplayer FPS. If you do not, and play with a random person... You more than likely will not just dislike this game, you may regret even buying it. Working with your fire team member offers a variety of advantages. You can heal each other, resupply your team member, and if you avenge your partner's death it will bring him back without crediting him one. All of these things I mentioned provide points, depending on how many points you get, you will get streaks. With those you will hit certain advantages given by what you choose as your soldiers personality. The weapons selection provides to foundation of what weapons your will use. The maps take some getting use to, but are very well built. They are made for team work. Our group plays to win, and we have found that working in your full team of 12 with these maps provides some great advantages. If you do not work with your fire team at a minimum, you will have many disadvantages to those tha do work together. I have not found any MAJOR glitches. No one crawling under the map or anything like that. No saying every once n a while you might have to jump to get across something you shouldn't have to jump to get by lol. (This did come out longer than I thought).
Worth and Replay Value- I am going to be honest. If you are not a team player, and do not want to be... Do not buy this game, that's why COD is available. It is very rare to see anyone walking out of a game without getting killed, and killing many. And those guys are taking advantage of the fire team opportunities that are available. The single player is very enjoyable and intense, there are things evolved in it that make it very unique. The multiplayer is tough to love if your not open minded and up for something s little different. It's crazy, but the more I play it. The more I love it. Graphics are great and is a very smooth shooter. Nothing wrong for disliking it, because there are real reasons not to. It comes down to preference on this one. The replay value is high, because the more you get use to things and learn what combinations work best for you... The better it gets. I hope this helps guys. You want to play on Xbox 360, hit me up at gamer tag "FoodnDrugAdmin".
Overall rating of game 7.75/10 | video-games_xbox |
A good replacement and much improved performance. For a while I have been unhappy with the fan in my 360 Elite. I've had it replaced my Microsoft twice and my current one has served me much longer than the previous two. However, I was getting concerned about it overheating and getting the 3 RROD again, so i finally decided to buy a new fan for my system.
First off, I recommend that you have the case opening tool before you purchase this fan, or with it, it will make taking apart your Xbox much easier. You'll also need a Torx T-10 driver for the screws inside the console. If you don't have the tools I recommend buying them, you can also use it to regularly clean the system of dust buildup that can drastically effect airflow.
The fan itself is made of good quality clear plastic, the fan blades are larger and the motors are smaller allowing for greater airflow. the LEDs are a nice touch but I could have done without them. I was worried the LEDs would draw more power but the specs on the box claims it uses less than the OEM fan and it runs at a lower RPM as well.
Installing the fan wasn't all that hard, the fan doesn't fit the same way as the stock fan, but it's not too hard to get it to fit, I used a plastic scribe tool I use for laptops to help fit it into place. Another note is that the power connector requires an adapter, which is included, I'm not sure if this is because the older, (pre HDMI) motherboards had a different connector or not, but you can coil the extra wire with a zip tie or just tuck it out of the way. The fan tunnel also took a little coaxing to get back into place since it didn't fit right away, but it slid in with minimal trouble. The overall installation is pretty easy, especially for those who tinker with electronics.
Once I had the system put together and booted it up I did notice that the fan did sound slightly quieter, it has a lower tone to the sound and it did have significantly greater airflow than the OEM fan. The LEDs give a nice ambient light effect and I don't mind if they ever go out as long as the fans keep working.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this product, it's better than the OEM fan and has some aesthetic value as well. $20 does seem a bit steep for a system fan, but for improved performance that could extend the life of my console seems better than buying a new one. I enjoyed the fun and mild challenge of installing the fan and am pleased with the result. It's a decent upgrade or replacement that I recommend to anyone with an older 360. | video-games_xbox |
I REALLY wanted to love it. I wanted to love it, i really did. Ive had it for a week now and i keep getting more and more disappointed every day.
I keep running into issues.
1. Why isn't there a software reset? My games keep freezing and when i go back to the home screen they continue to run in the background, telling the xbox to turn off only puts it to sleep and the problem continues at startup, i have to get up and manually do a hard reset to boot the system.
2. I have to buy gold in order to use netflix and amazon prime? why? im already paying for internet and netflix membership. Internet is already streaming to the Xbox, why must i pay MS to access my stuff? im actually mad at myself for buying gold JUST to access my netflix account... I NEVER play online. I only play campaign.
3. Installing a game takes an hour. If for some reason the xbox losses its internet connection then you will have to do a hard reset of the machine. Other wise it will keep telling you that it could not install the game by means of pop ups. VERY annoying.
4. I bought 2 games. Battlefield (which looks and plays lovely) and Madden. Madden was a huge let down. The graphics are horrible. To the point that even previous versions on the 360 look better.
5. The controller feels cheap. Very light weight. I don't understand why re-chargeable batteries were not included. You're stuck having to buy AA's. And ive noticed that even after turning the box off, the "Xbox Home Button" on the controller stays on for several minutes. This leads me to believe that it drains batteries fast.
6. Even though the voice feature is very neat. You still need a controller or remote control, making this feature somewhat useless. For example saying "Xbox watch tv" will get you to the tv screen, but you will still need a controller to navigate between channels. The xbox is horrible at understanding what channel you want to watch. It's successful navigating between channels 1 out of 15 times, even then it only understands channels with non complicated names. And if there is a group of people in the room you will constantly have to repeat commands to it.
Overall im not exited about this purchase, i actually feel let down and will return the unit for my money back. Perhaps i will get a 360 instead and will use the extra cash to buy a few games. | video-games_xbox |
This is my new favorite videogame. To me, there are a lot of factors considered when figuring out the difference between a good game and a great game. Especially when the average price of a game hovers around $60-$70, I want the most play out of my games. Sure, I like graphics and dialog as much as the next guy, but there are intangibles that take a game from everything else out there up to the next level. For me, Bad Company did everything it takes to make a game an instant classic.
First off are the graphics. This game is visually stunning. There's no hokey fake imagery masquerading as a serious backdrop. Everything is lifelike 3D with realistic effects like sun shining through windows and trees swaying in the wind. It's like you're there and living the situation. The game makers took obvious care in this and it really shows.
Secondly, the gameplay itself. There's no fancy controls. Change weapon, reload, fire, special weapons, all easily accessible and not confusing at all. Within five minutes I had the control scheme down and was enjoying myself immensely. Guns fire with recoil like you'd expect in reality and bullets behave the same. You can control remote artillery also, man the gun turrets in a tank, and call in remote air-strikes. The sheer variety of weaponry in this game is amazing in itself, but then you add in the effects of the guns you're using and you have where the game takes itself from fun to classic.
The intangibles are what defines a game to me. The very first time you shoot a rocket at the wall of a house just to watch it disappear you'll be hooked. There's nothing like seeing that chunk of concrete and drywall go flying to bring out the kid in a person. Also, running into a building full-speed in an armored vehicle brings out emotion in me that just cannot be described. It's sheer joy and amazement. This is the most fun I've had playing a game in a very long time. But the fun doesn't end there.
For the purists, you can use the building destroying system to your advantage. There's a technical aspect to the destruction you can use to your advantage also. Blow a chunk out of a building to create a sniping spot to pick off the enemy. Knock out a wall to expose an enemy on a gun turret. Don't feel like running around to a door? Make one. Although you can't destroy everything (building support beams stay in place to avoid a flat battleground), you can destroy damn near everything. And it's all fun to watch explode.
And yet even though catering to anyone who likes the first person war shooter, the game never takes itself as seriously as a game like Call of Duty 4. I'm thankful for this, because it adds a certain comic element that runs with the theme of the game (Enjoy the explosions, don't take yourself too seriously and just have fun!). In this, some game purists might be driven away. For instance, you can never really lose in this game. If you die, your character is respawned close to your dying point. All the bad guys are still dead, but you regain full health and ammo. In one way it puts you back into the action all the sooner, in another it really cheapens the value of a life. The very worst that can happen in this game is failing a "protect the tank(s)" mission and you have to wait through a short load to try again.
That's really the only reason why I gave this a final of four stars instead of five. The "cheapening" of gameplay might drive away someone looking for a serious shooter. Me? I'm happy just to watch a building disintegrate due to all the awesome artillery at my fingertips. Also, the re-playability is huge, mostly because nothing is ever the same twice. There are hundreds of ways to approach each mission and the enemy never reacts the same way twice. I bought the Gold edition and haven't regretted it once. | video-games_xbox |
Excellent Action Game. I am referring to the PC version in this review, where a mouse and keyboard are used for controlling the game.
I was floored by not only the great graphics, soundtrack and voice-acting in this game, but the execution by the developers in taking a great concept and making it incredibly immersive and enjoyable.
Two major improvements from the 1st edition of Hitman are the control scheme, and adding a limited number of in-game saves (7 per mission on normal difficulty). The controls I found to be very intuitive, easy to pick-up and it makes the game very accessible.
In addition to those things the load times are incredibly fast, and the cut scenes are excellent although the story itself could've been fleshed out some.
The highlight of the game comes in the number of ways you can approach most of the missions, disguising yourself, finding new ways to complete missions, and achieving the "Silent Assassin" rating, where you are given bonus weapons early in the game for earning it. This rating is earned by not firing more than one shot from your gun, not having "close encounters," and not killing anyone other than your intended target along the way, with some minor variances. This is done by making smart use of Chloroform and putting enemies and bystanders to sleep and dressing up in their clothes instead of killing them, if you choose. Many times you will have to drag their half naked bodies into seclusion so that others are not alarmed, without being spotted. Fortunately for 47 everyone wears his size!
The map is well done and let's you see where everyone in the vicinity is, where and how they patrol, which way they are facing, and where various waypoints are for you to pick up equipment, meet contacts etc..,
The suspense as you walk past suspicious guards, time hits, and sneak up on unsuspecting subjects is very satisfying and entertaining, I have not experienced that kind of suspense and sense of accomplishment in any other video game to date.
There are some minor problems not really worth mentioning as the game is very polished, and they do not affect the game much, if at all.
There are so many memorable moments in this game and it is one I will cherish and play over and over again for a long time, until I achieve the Silent Assassin rating on every level (only a few that I have not).
I highly recommend Hitman 2 to anyone who enjoys a good action game or movie. Definitely one of the best video games to come down the pike in years. | video-games_xbox |
A Solid FPS Game. Republic Commando is a very fun FPS.This game takes advantage of the powerful Xbox graphics capabilities. The design of the game is simular to an amped up HALO2, even the HUD is simular. With well designed aliens and star wars based enemies. The graphics are clean,but keep in mind I do have an "S" cable. .Anybody who is a veteran or semi-veteran FPS player will jump right in the control scheme almost imediately. The difficulty is just about right on ,without it being to easy or to hard. You can adjust the difficulty settings from easy,normal,to hard. I like this game Your 3 squadmates seem to take orders quickly ,and you basicly point your crosshairs on the target to give commands,such as "take sniper position" .."man that turret".."cover area with grenades"..."breach wall and clear room"etc.etc. Also you have general commands that don't require you to use the crosshairs like "form up" .."secure area".."search and destroy".."cancel manuever".. etc.etc...you can also put your crosshairs on an enemy and order a "eliminate target" and all your squadmates will concentrate more fire onto that target. Commando's 'one button command system' makes it easy to give effective commands in a hostile firefight. And your squad A.I. is pretty good,they are effective snipers and manning turrets,although my squadmates did get stuck one time I had to use melee attack to push them out of a area they got stuck in. The levels can get a little bland while doing the same objectives and seeing the same thing over and over. Also I beat this game in 2 days on medium setting ,its not a very long game but ,the movie cutscenes are nice .. detailed and cinematic. If you like FPS, definately don't miss playing this one. At the very least rent it...HINT: Order a "Cancel Maneuver" command to keep your guys from advancing prematurly. Then you can take point. I noticed some reviewers complaining about squad advancing without healing up first,but if you order a "cancel maneuver " command your squad will follow you and they won't advance without you,you become the point man. If you just order a "Form Up" command your squad members that have been asigned a turret or a snipe position or a anti-armor or a grenade position won't Form Up,you have to order a "Cancel Maneuver " command first before they will Form Up. After you have ordered a "Search and Destroy" command ,make sure you order a "Cancel Manuever" command or a " Form Up" command once they have cleared a room otherwise they will advance before healing up. I had better success being the point man and did not use the "Search & Destroy" command very often. Once you get to an area its best if you are the Point (up front) man,then when you get there first you imediatly assign your squad to all available sniper ,grenade,anti-armor,and turret positions before the firefight starts. Good Luck. | video-games_xbox |
Not Available for less than arm and leg now. I purchased the game without the flightstick a week ago and I love it! I've been exclusively flying pc simulators since 1994 and this was a refreshing experience. No IT'S NOT A SIMULATOR!! If you approach the GAME with that in mind, I believe you will enjoy it. By far the main selling point of this game is the unbelievable graphics compared to what's possible with pc simulators...talk about eye candy. If you want "realism" in a combat sim, go for something pc such as Falcon 4.0 Allied Assault, or Lock On: Modern Air Combat. But if you just want to run and gun and marvel at some superb scenery along the way, this is the game.
Like the title of the review says, the flight stick is not available as a new purchase anymore, even as a standalone item. This is why this "available from the following resellers" item doesn't get higher marks in my review. Before it was realized that a flight stick was a feasible reality for a console game, I would have just accepted using just a controller. It's clear that actual flight simmers were not the target audience here...baffling missed opportunity since Microsoft Flight Simulator controls something like 97 percent of the flightsim audience. Some of us are actually willing to trade off an acceptable degree of realism for a better entertainment experience in the combat genre.
Just like the intro days of the console, Microsoft has left the public at the mercy of mercenaries on Ebay if you want to own one of these flight sticks. I cannot for the life of me understand the logic with this one. Limited edition...it's a joystick for crying out loud! It's a tool to reap the maximum experience from a game that should be available for purchase. Atari, Colecovision, Intellivision, Genesis, and the other ancient consoles haven't really become "collector's items". Their games were either re-released for other systems, or they were forgotten; Xbox 360 will follow the same as more advanced technology comes into play. Their pattern of attempts to manufacture value is pathetic in my opinion. | video-games_xbox |
2 Words to Sum Up This Game. System Exclusives.
As an avid fan of the first game, I was really hoping they would drop this ridiculous idea in the sequel. Unfortunately I was wrong and I am sorely disappointed in the game developers in this choice. It feels like you're paying for only part of a game knowing that there are other characters out there that you could be using.
One problem with this, is the fact that characters that were originally in the 360 version (Blade, Cyclops) are now only available on the PS2 or Wii. My ideal team would consist of Blade, Spiderman, Venom & Juggernaut. Now to create this team, I'd have to purchase the Wii or PS2 version and have pre-ordered the game. Neither the PS2 or Wii are systems I would want to play this game on for the controls or graphics. If you must buy this game, please buy it used, so that hopefully the developers will get the point, as any money you save will be worth it knowing you're missing out on all the game can offer.
PS2, PSP, Wii - Blade, Cyclops, Psylocke
Nintendo DS - Sentry, She-Hulk
Xbox 360, PS3 - Iron Fist
Pre-Order Only - Juggernaut
As another note, that may seem a bit minor, to compensate the system exclusive characters, the PS3 and Xbox 360 are layered with plenty of other boss characters that you won't find in the other games. This is also disappointing as many people will miss out on lots of potential fun fights.
Now you may be telling yourself, well this will come along later as DLC that I can pay for and receive all of the characters. If MUA1 was any tell in this, the only DLC that was released, were new original villain characters. The system exclusives stayed were never moved cross-system, so please don't hope this will be fixed unless it is actually announced by the developers. Another tell, is the X-Men Legend games, which had some of the same developers as this series of games, never did the system exclusives. If they do announce system exclusives are cross-system, I will be the first to hop on the MUA2 bandwagon, but until then, this is just a game that I cannot get behind.
Besides the system exclusives this game is completely different from the first and loses a lot of it's charm. I'm sure you can get the information on the rest of the game itself better from other reviews, I just believe people need to be educated on this part of the game that you're buying. | video-games_xbox |
THE AMAZING PHANTOM LINEMAN!!! PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BUY. I was VERY dissapointed by this game. The features are stripped to a minimum and I think the added mini-game features are amusing at best.
What really upset me is that there several stadiums that are just stock rendered. I know that for some its not important that all the locations be super authentic but when there are probably 5 percent of the stadiums that look the same its kinda annoying. Especially if you are playing in some less noteable places in the U.S. like the northern Pac-10. University of Idaho, Washington State University and the University of Washington have very slight changes in their stadiums. Oh and the building planners for most major cities will be happy that as of 2007 skylines should all look the same.
It just isn't as engrossing as next-gen games should be. Don't get your hopes up too high that this will put you in the "heat" of the game like past incarnations of NCAA have.
Before I get to the technical stuff, don't be fooled by the product description above. There is NO student athelete mode for the Xbox 360. Yes its true you special people like myself get to pay more for less features. Student athelete mode is only for the original Xbox and the PS2. I think this is probably because Microsoft has perfected the art of giving you a partial game and charging you online for the features you want and convincing its fellow game-makers into the same practice. I can only hope that this content is eventually available, especially since places like Amazon and Best Buy are advertising it as a feature on even the Xbox 360 version.(See above product description.)
Also, I have encountered a reaccuring bug where one of my linebackers gets a brush off block and he remains standing there frozen as if he still is being blocked, he is even still holding the position as if there is a guy there holding him up? This gets very frustrating when the running back gets a first down right in front of him. Now the other thing that I am wondering about was the talk about having the academic part of college football more important in this version? I know you die-hard fans are going "Did he buy this game to play football?" but I am always excited for EA to release their NCAA games because they have always put you inside college athletics and until this game I was a die-hard fan.
There are also some more technical errors with this game I have noticed. When I kicked off to the opposing team to start a game and the return team fumbled and I ran it back in, in our next series the announcers weren't talking like there where any points scored, i.e. "Lets see if they can finaly put some points on the board." Also sometimes after a quarter the "t.v." camera pans so far back it goes into a wall and everything dissapears. Oh, and my favorite glitch was when my running back ran into the endzone and one of my linemen went to hit him after the score to celebrate and he went right through him. The funny part was it seemed like the RB had a confused look on his face, like even he didn't know how that happened.
This game has really dissapointed me and I'm not sure it's worth the $60.00 I had heard reviews of this game similar to mine and I still went to get it because it's just something you have to do once a year, but EA Sports is going to loose a lot of its edge with this current showing!!! | video-games_xbox |
The Halo 5 of Gears. Be wary, some spoilers below so read on at your own discretion.
The campaign is a pretty big disappoint to say the least. Yes, the combat is solid (as Gears has always been) and it thankfully went back to the old control scheme instead of Judgment's butchery of it. However, while the action is once again entertaining, plot-wise, it's a travesty of storytelling with large amounts of questions that the developers don't even bother answering (let alone attempting to give hints on) and imperative plot points for understanding the new Sera, new characters and The Swarm that are completely swept under the rug. Of course, the reasoning behind this is that The Coalition doesn't want to tell a great narrative now; they want to franchise it for as long as possible and come up with resolutions as they're allowed to make sequels. Guys, a constant slew of unaddressed questions is not a story and a clffhanger is not an ending (it should only be part of). And speaking of the "ending"; it's terrible. It feels like the game is just getting started (especially when you consider where the finale takes place) and then, after a 2-3 minute cutscene, it cuts to black with next to nothing having been accomplished and learned. There's not even a main villain or anything (the guy it sets up to be a primary foe is dispatched earlier on and doesn't even have a name in the game) What's even more shameless is that, to get information on the narrative (beyond, you know, the damn game), you have to go online to something like Wiki as the game doesn't even do its job of informing you. For anything more, you have to wait another decade (for two more games plus DLC) to just understand base information that they should have been telling you now like:
-Why does JD hate Marcus and why did he seemingly abandon him? (of course, we could infer, but tell us what happened!)
-Why does JD hate Baird?
-What happened to Anya and how did she die?
-What is Jinn's motive and why does she just disappear during the last act?
-Why do JD and the outsiders hate Jinn and their seemingly peaceful society, but still want to loot and attack their settlements?
-Why in the world would Reyna's mom lock she, JD and Del in a shed when The Swarm attack AFTER she just had you save the ENTIRE village from a DeeBee attack? These are your best proven fighters! (Okay, so that was just really bad writing/a plot hole, but still).
-How can the Swarm hack robots with quills? And if they can, why aren't they hacking the DeeBees later in the game instead of fighting them? Seems like a waste of a randomly-generated enemy trait.
These are just a minimal amount of major plot threads that are just shrugged off in favor of further franchising, like Halo 5. And no, to everyone gibbering away that they're just setting up for the DLC and sequel and yadd-yadda-yadda----NO. This is flat-out bad writing and bad storytelling. Give us something!
The Swarm are also kinda just dumb. They don't look interesting, hardly have any diversity and the "Scions" just look nonthreatening with their too-dimwitted/human faces. There's potential for them, but the game gives no depth to them or their purpose other than harvesting.
The characters are also grating. JD is alright, but the "humorous" dialogue is near non-stop and most of it is the trio not taking anything seriously, making jokes and speaking solely in sarcasm. Yes, the original games had this, but in this one, it's so incessant and so cringe-worthy that it's just obnoxious. There's simply a time and place for everything and this one has these infants copping jokes around a mutilated body they just discovered. That and they act like brats and treat Marcus and Baird like crap. Reyna even has the audacity to speak down to Marcus at one scene where all he's trying to do is talk sense.
I'm just getting into multiplayer and while it is enjoyable thus far (beyond some egregious load times and some obnoxious/random lag that doesn't stop until you quit a match) it doesn't 'feel' like Gears of War combat. It feels like a Call of Duty interpretation. Again, it does Gears' gameplay, but in a Call of Duty-esque way. Now, everything's about loadouts, temporary cards you can equip and "zombie" characters (like COD) that look pretty stupid. I really liked unlocking the character models in old Gears games and the ones in this are just lazy (color-splattered? Seriously? Gimme a Theron, please). Again, the modes I've played are fun but there's just something missing that the old games nailed about close-quarter multiplayer.
As for guns, the DeeBee weapons are actually the most fun (the Overkill and Embar). However, most of the time, I just used the original lineup of guns as I feel they're more effective. The Dropshot is next to annoying to use and I found it way easier to just Boomshot an enemy than try to hit something with this floating bomb. The Buzzkill is stupid fun, but like the Dropshot I never bothered to use it beyond its introductory use (as it's slow to start firing and needs to be used from a static position). The Markza is okay, but when you already have a sniper and lancer/hammerburst, it's kinda void.
Music is also severely lacking when it should be used during cutscenes. One "emotional" moment is rendered "meh" by the complete lack of a sympathetic song (think The Coalition trying to replicate the Maria scene from Gears 2 but without memorable music and/or emotional investment from the player--as again--it's taken no time to explain why we should care about these new characters).
As a fanatic of all things Gears (except that crap one Judgment), I find Gears 4 to be decent fun, but a poor start (with a horrible storyline/lack thereof) to a new era with this iconic series. Maybe the next game will just let you play as Old Man Marcus. Please? | video-games_xbox |
Headers and Corners Galore. I've been playing FIFA religiously since 2006. Here are some of the major gameplay changes that I noticed from FIFA '13:
Smaller Field/ Slower Gameplay - The game play has been slowed down quite a bit, and you find yourself operating in close-quarters a lot. The field feels a lot smaller which is more realistic. However, it seems like it is easier to sit back and play defensively which is not much fun for me.
Catching Passes/First Touch - All players can catch passes and trap the ball more easily than in '13. I liked that it was harder in '13 because it took more skill on the behalf of the player. You couldn't run full speed with a Center Back and catch a pass in stride - you would have to slow down and trap the ball before continuing your run. Now it seems that everyone catches passes without losing the ball as much.
Finesse Shot - In '13, I found the "right-bounce", finesse shot to be almost useless. It was easier to just slide the ball along the ground past the keeper. In '14, this shot has made a comeback. This is a return to prior years, which I like. It takes more time to line this shot up, so you should be rewarded for being able to execute it.
Player Size/Strength - In '14, you can really utilize a player's strength and size. In '13, it seems that speed and dribbling were all that mattered. Now you can muscle people away from the ball and use your height to catch passes from the air (hopefully Messi can no longer wrestle air balls away from Center Backs while jumping!). I like this, however, it seems that it is much easier to score now on headers and corners. There is nothing more frustrating than when you trap your opponent outside the box and he tries a desperation cross only to score a header. Goals off of corners are also really weak, and I even feel bad when I convert on them. I'll take a win any way I can get it, but it is so much more satisfying when you actually beat your opponent and score.
Overall - These are my first impressions. With any new FIFA it takes time to adjust. I am biased towards the negative because I excelled at '13 right away. '14 does not really cater to my style of play. That being said, I will still play it every day until '15 comes out.
UPDATE: After playing this game for 2 months, I have become very frustrated with it. I may even switch to Madden or NHL until FIFA '15. The conversion rate on headers and corners is much too high. Over half of the goals online are scored on these plays. In FIFA '13 I could convert on 5-10% of corners. In '14 it is seriously around 40%. With Gareth Bale delivering on corners, my player gets his head on it 90% of the time. Every game on Xbox Live is Real Madrid vs. Real Madrid. Kick the ball upfield to Ronaldo or run down the sideline and cross it in. If you don't score on the cross, you'll convert on the corner. I do not enjoy this style of play at all, but it is so effective what else can I do? I could play my old style and lose every game. Finesse shots from outside the box are also much more effective. You can win your games without ever getting a direct shot from inside the box. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic Sound Quality - Advantage for Sounds in Gameplay - Must Program Online to Get Best Sound for Chat Mic Settings. This headset has great sound quality when listening.
Additionally, they have special settings custom created by the video game companies such as to amplify footsteps and to have amplified hearing in gameplay which allows for more kills in the game and raises your rank.
There are different listening settings for movies, music, and video games.
Better still, you can customize your settings for how loud you like certain things to be in the game by going to the Turtle Beach website and programming your settings. I note that at first we could not figure this out and were a bit frustrated being told it was possible but not understanding how to set it up. Just go to the Turtle Beach site and it prompts you on how to to it, it was easy.
This has a bluetooth setting that allows you to answer mobile phone calls through the headset, it mutes the gameplay and you just talk away.
We had some frustration with the mic. Other gamers said they could not hear us. Changing the settings using the dial on the side of the headset to raise the volume of the voice output fixes this.
We love that this is wireless, this is our first wireless headset.
The batteries are said to last 15 hours but we find they last about 10 hours but that may be because some kids in my family forget to shut the headset off when removing it when they are done playing.
The adapter for the mic for the Xbox One has not been released by Microsoft yet but when it is, this will be able to be used on our Xbox One.
We own about five headsets and this is fantastic with the customizable settings. Second in line as a non-customized headset is the Tritton.
One complaint is that the directions for how to sync the bluetooth plug into the controller with the headset itself are not written very clearly. It took some figuring out to make it work.
This review was written with input from three family members thus I use the word we to refer to ourselves.
Other than what I stated here our family has no other complaints with this headset. Our family loves it, so we rate it 5 stars = I Love It.
Update 12/16/13: To answer a comment I received, one problem we note with the Xbox 360 is the Kinect mic picks up the sound in the whole room, so if a person walks into the room and says "It's time to go to bed" everyone in the lobby or XboxLive party will hear that. This is due to how the Xbox 360 is made, it has nothing to do with a flaw with the headset. | video-games_xbox |
Great open-world RPG. Really wish there was a 4.5 star rating available. I picked up this game after I saw my friend playing Skryim a few weeks ago. Figured I play this while waiting for the hefty pricetage of Skyrim to go down a bit. I'm a bit spoiled by the few hours of Skyrim my friend let me play, so that may taint my experiences a little, but I'll try to be objective here:
Graphics: Exceptional for 2006, especially with such a massive open world. The alien races tend to look the same (and honestly a rather ugly), but honestly, graphics in an RPG are not central at all. They help a lot, but I'd much rather have good story and characters.
Combat: Very well handled for the era. Less smooth than Skyrim by far, but much more engaging than the turn-based system of KotOR. The ability to switch between 1st and 3rd person view is nice. I like being able to look at the character I'm customizing and controlling throughout the quest, but sadly the 1st person view is often the only way to go in tight quarters. Since there are so many underground "dungeons" (really ruins usually) in the game, you'll be switched to 1st person most of the time. Magic is a little overpowered, but not until you really figure it out after a lot of playtime.
The game includes three playing styles: combat, stealth, and magic. Combat is just charging in with heavy armor and a claymore/Battle axe and hacking your way through all that come at you. Magic is more tactical and much more variable and customizable to your style. It's actually a bit too complex for my tastes. Stealth is my favorite, requiring a good mix of tactical thinking and combat skills should your enemies detect you. WARNING!- do NOT use bows. They are weak, ineffective, hard to hit with, and generally useless in the game.
Story: Surprisingly short. I expected a long series of quests, but there really weren't that many. They were amazing while they lasted, however, and I there are SO MANY sidequests that you won't even miss the main storyline after a few hours of being sucked into the guilds, arena, etc.
Equipment: Really, really well done. There are a ton of weapons and armor of both heavy and light varieties along with suits of clothes and robes ranging from beggarly to extravagant. These are further customizable by enchanting.
NPCs: Sadly, a bit repetitive, especially the ones who are involved in the quests. However, every once in a while, you'll come across a really good character, especially in the guilds when you work with them for a while.
Ok, here comes my biggest issue with the game (the reason for my desired 4.5 rating). So far, I can name you about four characters I really connected with. In KotOR, you really felt your characters. The companion system was one of the best parts of that game. When I played through it in the dark side ending, I actually felt guilty about how many of them were harmed by my character's actions. I loved those characters, and still feel nostalgic whenever I think about them. There's none of that in Oblivion. Considering I've met hundreds of people in Oblivion, I feel like I should really care about SOME of them. Nope. I don't even really care too much what happens to my character, especially with the main quest and its climax over.
That being said, however, I should say that this game is great overall. There ARE characters you come to really like, even if they are relatively rare, and I've only found myself bored twice after dozens of hour. Those feelings instantly disappeared the moment I got to a new quest. Especially now that the game is pretty cheap, it's well worth the money. The expansions are pretty expansive, so they to are worthwhile. | video-games_xbox |
I like it. I finally broke down and got an XBOX 360 a few days ago; nearly a year after it first came on the market. My first two games I picked up where COD3 and this game.
Because I was familar with COD from the PC, it was the first game I tried. I really liked COD3, but I then decided to try GOW and honestly, I didn't really like it the first time I played it. The 3rd person view made the game cumbersome and certainly not what I was used to in a shooter. I spent the remaining of the day and half of the next day playing COD3. I finally decided to give GOW another chance and the 2nd time around, I started to get into it, I got used to the controls and the3rd person view fairly quickly after I figured out that you had to pull left trigger to actually aim your gun to get more accurate shots off. After that I was hooked and I haven't had COD3 in my 360 ever since.
GOW is a highly addictive game, the graphics are superb and the sound effects are amazing. Guns actually sound like guns, and not pea shooters which is one problem I had was Halo 2. The attention to detail is almost scary. Pick up a sniper rifle and shoot an enemy in the head and you will see their head litteraly being blown off; other times their skulls gets pushed in from the impact of the bullet. The good guys also are done very well, while they seem to be maybe a little unproportionally big, it makes the game that much cooler. Seeing them walk down the road in their body armor makes you want to just kick some a-- and it really gets you into the game.
Like others, I don't know much about the story line, but to me it seems that the humans are at war with an alien race of some sort. I try to follow along during the cut scenes but I am still kind of lost of what i really going on. The atmosphere in this game is generally dark and suspensful. And while this game is not scary, it is very creepy, if you have seen the movie Pitch Black there is one level that will remind you of that movie.
The gameplay once getting the hang of it is pretty seemless. It may take a couple of tries for people who are used to FPS shooters, but once one understands the controls, they will find that they are actually quite simple, yet very effective, every button is where it's supposed to be and after a while it just becomes second nature. One thing I like about the game is its attention to running and shooting from cover. It makes the game realistic and fun. I like being able to hide behind a burned up car or a road barrier while occasionally looking up to get some shots off at the enemy. Not only is it cool, its nescesary or you will find yourself dying quite frequently.
The sound in the game is another great thing about the game. From the background music to the sound effects of bullets blazing and enemies dying it is truly a joy to listen to through my home theatre. The voice acting in this game is also done very well. It is believable and comical at the same time, its almost if you are watching a good action movie at times. I honestly haven't seen voice acting this good in a long time.
Now for the short list of cons. First I would have liked to be able to use the voice communicator to actually speak orders to my squad like you can in Rainbow Six 3 on the regular XBOX. Its not really a big deal, but the person in Best Buy told me you could, but it seems that you can't. Another issue is that it seems that your squad is at most you and three others; when you have more than 3 others in your group, one always seems to get killed off in a cut screen right before you are given control of your character again. I would have liked to see more people in the squad, to make the game even more fun. I guess it was done like this because the 360 only has 4 controller ports. My final complaint is that because of the dark enviroment, it is sometimes hard to figure out where you need to go next, a lot of time can be spent going in circles until you happen to see an opening you didn't see the first 4 or 5 times you walked by it.
I don't play games online mainly due to the stupid kids that are up there, so this review like all of my reviews are based on single player mode only. Overall its a fun and highly addictive game with few flaws. I am glad I picked it up; I am actually feeling kind of bad for COD3 because I haven't played it since I started getting into GOW.
UPDATE: Well after playing this game for less than a week, I have beaten it already. Add that to the short list of cons for this game..entirely too short. I was very into the game after an exciting level, then just like the gears accomplished what they needed to do and the game is over. Kind of dissapointing, because it was such a fun game, and came out wanting more. I dare say I want a sequel, but my fear is that a sequel will suffer the fate of many sequels to awesome title; they are never as good as the original, but there is always a chance. | video-games_xbox |
Standard Setting Compilation. Lets dive right in, shall we?
Presentation: 10/10 Thirty games spanning thirty years in almost every genre you could want on a console. Including Banjo Kazooie, Killer Instinct, Conkers Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark, Cobra Triangle, Battletoads, RC Pro AM, and Kameo, to name a few. This collection is an interactive museum of the evolution of console gaming from Commodore 64, to Nintendo 64 to Xbox 360. A near-perfect tribute to a studio with one of the richest and diverse libraries the industry has yet to see.
Gameplay: 8/10 Some games play better than others. The pre-NES titles were clearly products of limited technology and pioneering mechanics that have since come a very long way. It shows, but these games are more here because they were significant to the history of the studio. When you have thirty titles, there are sure to be a few more lackluster than others. I can say that after a patch that fixed Jet Force Gemini, I have hope that another patch could tweak the few hang ups I found with certain other games. It's got Battletoads though. That counts for alot.
Graphics: 8/10 Solid throughout. Frame-rates can fluctuate but never experienced a freeze or crash. Given my experience with both console and emulator versions of many of these games, I've come to expect major technical hiccups from time to time but so far, these builds of each game seem to be most definitive versions yet. It's a nitpick but I wish they could have stretched the post-NES titles to full screen so the Banjo and Perfect Dark titles didn't stand out as much as they already do, being the Xbox 360 versions.
Sound: 9/10 Each game sounds good for it's time. Rare never lacked for competent music composers and it's easy to see here. Each game has it's own style and the menu tracks help add dimension to the pre-NES titles, so even the less technical tunes don't feel out of place. Every tune, every sound effect feels nostalgic and creative. It makes me nostalgic every time I play an older game to listen to soundtracks made before every game had an orchestrated soundtrack. The intro tune is infectiously catchy too.
Value: 10/10 For $30 you get a handful of some of the best games ever made, and about 20 more worth playing just for the experience of seeing how far we've come in three decades. When you consider that Microsoft could have spent the next year slowly leaking each Rare Replay title onto the Xbox Live Marketplace for $5 each, the value becomes immediately apparent. Until the release of Rare Replay, it would cost over $1000 to play all these titles legitimately, and this is where the true value in Rare Replay shines. Making these old title available to the masses is a much needed step in the preservation of these great ole games.
The concept in and of itself is a noble and ambitious one to say the least. It serves as both a solid tribute to Rare as a studio, and a glimpse at popular genres and graphic styles evolution. Rare Replay sets the standard for what will be expected from retro game compilations moving forward, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Anyone who plays video games as a hobby, owes it to themselves to pick up Rare Replay. | video-games_xbox |
Do not expect to get Digital Bundle. I have been a fan of Amazon for some time. I spent an extra ~$30 for the Digital Entertainment (Amazon Bundle) over the normal Microsoft bundle expecting to get a three month Xbox Live card, 5 digital arcade games, and a $10 Amazon video credit. That is just not the case. Some may be thrilled with the outcome I received. I am not.
I received the Xbox standard bundle (including the two games Microsoft bundles). Basically, you get the bundle you can buy at Best Buy, Walmart, etc.. Unit works as expected; it is fun.
Now the Amazon bundle part. I should caveat this by saying that I am trying to get the bundle as advertised. Most will probably find Amazons method of dealing with the situation more than acceptable if not fantastic. I, however, want to get to the bottom of the advertised bundle and get what Amazon said it would provide.
I get an almost instant email after I place my order with the 3-month Xbox live redemption code. You have to buy the 3-month code from Amazon and Amazon automatically reduces the price to $0. A bit of a leap of faith, but it worked.
Now for the fun part, the 5 arcade games and $10 video credit. Never received emails for them or any type of physical certificates for them. My Amazon account is never credited for the video credit (I checked).
Step 1: Chat (computer messaging) with Amazon support. Person has no idea what I am talking about. The person does not understand the product, what is being sold, has no clue about an Amazon bundle. Chat person gives me 20% refund, "for my time" (must have a window showing how much I spend on Amazon. OK, that's great if the money was an issue, I want the games and $10 video credit. I want the stuffI am into the principle of the matter. The chat person tells me to call support and talk to them about getting the games. The person provides me with a video credit redemption code that does not work.
Step 2: Call Amazon support and woman is very nice on the phone and seems sincerely concerned. She sends a message to the promotions department who I am not allowed to contact directly. She credits my account with a $20 Amazon credit again for my time and ensures me that the promotions department will get back to me in 24 hours with the redemption codes.
Step 3: Promotions department emails me about 3 hours later stating I checked your order and confirm that you're not eligible for this promotion. Promotion Details: Start Date: 2012/11/01 00:00:00 PDT End Date: 2013/03/31 23:59:59 PDT Please be assured that we value all of our customers highly, and we appreciate your loyalty. I hope you'll be able to take advantage of one of our future promotions. REALLY? The Amazon bundle is a promotion that has an end date and they are still offering it for sale on their website to this day??? Of course the email cannot be replied to.
Step 4: Call Amazon again...of course a completely different person is helping me. This time, the person is not helpful and tells me Amazon already compensated me for the games (that may not be true based on the cost to buy the five games on the Xbox), and we were at the roads end. Note, I had previously been told compensation was for my time. I said that I wanted the games and $10 video credit and Amazon could have all the money back. She again claims she was going to contact the promotions department and get in touch with her boss. Mysteriously, the call is dropped.
Step 5: One hour later I receive an email from the promotions department again telling me the promotion has expired. Again, no way to respond. Product is still listed on the website as available with all the Amazon bundled goodies!!
Step 6: ??
LOOKS LIKE AN AMAZON DEAD END. Again, most would probably be thrilled with the outcome here. However, I want what I ordered. I am probably going to stop using Amazon all the time. Nobody at Amazon had a clue about what I had ordered and had no idea how to get me what I ordered. Amazons policy, lets throw money at it. OK, that may work out here, but what about on an order where that doesnt work?
Opinions may vary. | video-games_xbox |
Built like a tank, which is what I needed. Cat5e cables are a dime a dozen. I probably have a hundred or so sitting in my store room from various projects that have gone out of use.
These cables are in a TOTALLY different class. In all aspects, a truly professional product.
In my case, they are being used to connect AES50 digital audio snakes to their host mixing console. It is an extremely critical connection, carrying 24 channels of audio (essentially, connecting the rack that houses everyone's wireless microphones and in-ear systems - so - bi-directionally, this single cable was carrying over half the signals onstage.). It needed to be 1) reliable 2) be built like a tank 3) wrap up nicely (this is not a small point - try buying a 20' or greater normal cat 5e cable and keeping it from kinking and getting it to lay flat onnstage.) 4) and have terminators that would last "indefinitely" (which is why I went with the Neutriks)
I made a mistake when ordering thinking this cable had Neutrik ethercons on both ends, but, realized that was my mistake (and actually worked out for the best, Did not need the Ethercon on the end that would be remaining plugged innatball times, in use and when stored, but did need it in the end that was plugged/unplugged nightly.
The cable was everything I hoped it would be, and I expect it will last for the duration of this system. The build quality is superb, the cable itself is made of very supple rubber, so it lays perfectly flat on stage, the ends are top quality, and the color coded ring on the Ethercon was nice for ID purposes in a sea of crowded connections.
These are perhaps the most expensive Cat5e cables Ive seen, but Ive already ordered two more (one with dual Ethercons, one with no ethercons, just standard high-quality RJ-45's), Considering that I have already replaced traditional cat5's more times than I can possibly count - the investment in quality cables was both necessary and prudent. | video-games_xbox |
The Rise of Starkiller. In The Force Unleashed, we finally see Lord Vader in his prime. This game bridges the gap between both movie trilogies. We not only see why Vader is a symbol of the Empire's might, we experience his wrath firsthand. Vader is playable only for the first level, and although our time under the mask is brief, it is a study in Force-powered brutality. Vader is an unstoppable killing machine and his control over the dark side pushes the Force far beyond anything we've seen before.
At the conclusion of this level, control is passed from Vader to his secret apprentice, codenamed Starkiller. With Vader as his instructor, Starkiller is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He's agile, amazingly aggressive, and firmly in control of the dark side. Through a beautifully sculpted control scheme that allows the Force to flow smoothly through your fingers, Starkiller is one of the saga's most talented combatants. As the game progresses, his Force powers evolve and give way to an even more impressive move set. Lightsaber and lightning become one, rancors are a minor inconvenience, and star destroyers can be taken down with the wave of a hand.
The gameplay is electric and fun, and the plethora of awesome new enemy types will make Star Wars action figure collectors salivate. You know what a royal guard can do, but what about an Imperial incinerator trooper? You will also be pleased to hear that this dark tale takes us to new planets and areas of familiar facilities I never thought I would see. All of the levels are loaded with highly destructible structures and sights you'll take a second to marvel at.
It's an amazing game, but there are disturbances in this Force-powered experience. Targeting difficulties make some battles troublesome, and blocking inconsistencies lead to some absurd deaths. The game offers a generous helping of checkpoints, so a death won't set you back too far. Still, it's hard to believe that enemies (especially some of the later bosses) can block anything you throw at them, even when you clearly have the jump on them. Some fights, especially on the higher difficulty levels, come down to dumb luck.
The story will also leave Star Wars fans puzzled. I won't spoil the plot's twists and turns, but there are some serious leaps in logic that don't add up. Why am I on this planet? Vader did this why?
The Force Unleashed clings to the classic video game design of book-ending gameplay segments with short cutscenes, which doesn't allow the story to grow in the ways it needs to. I'm not saying the game should feature Metal Gear-length clips, but more content is needed to tell a cohesive tale. Starkiller ends up being an underdeveloped character; you know his mission, and you periodically see his emotions flare, but you never really get an idea of who he is.
The Force Unleashed isn't the ultimate Star Wars game -- KOTOR is still king in my book. But, as advertised, it amplifies this mystical power in new ways to delivers exciting gameplay and unforgettable Star Wars moments. It'll leave you wanting more, but take my word for it, it's worth playing just to see Vader Force-throw wookiees. | video-games_xbox |
Vastly Improved. This package comes with the actual The Crew game and the expansion pack code for the Wild Run. All thats new are the three new car categories, bikes, new events, monster truck courses on the map, and improved graphics.
Graphics have improved by a lot, and the handling has slightly improved, but still feels sluggish.
Upgrading certain cars to the brand new drag, drift, and monster truck class costs between $400,000-$500,000 after your first free upgrade. There are mini game events, I guess you can call them that, that you trigger while just driving, and I believe you get money as you get more stars. The events are as such: maintain a certain speed for a certain amount of time, burnout for a few seconds, jump hills to accumulate a certain amount of time in the air, drive on the opposite side of the street and trigger close calls with cars. Stuff like that, and these can be done with random people on your map, but I believe they have to be close by or their name viewable on your screen. You don't have to do the events with them, but they do get harder the higher your rank goes after completing each event.
Driving the drag cars on the street is a nightmare. As soon as you turn, you're already spinning and can't correct the car. The only time they are fun to drive, besides the events for them, is when you're on the Salt Flats drag racing with your buddies or just random people throughout the world.
Driving the monster trucks off-road and jumping hills is a blast. You won't experience any speed drops when you're in the grass and dirt. THE MONSTER TRUCKS WILL NOT CLIMB OVER CARS AND ROCKS, AND THEY STILL TRIGGER THE CUT SCENE WHENEVER YOU CRASH INTO A SMALL CAR AT HIGH SPEEDS.
The drift cars handle very easily when drifting, and the events for them are not hard. Learning to drift on this game using these cars is very easy. This is coming from someone who is very bad at it.
The dirt bikes, street bikes, and motorcycle on the game handle very well. Way better than the cars. Some bikes can be modified as Performance and Circuit classes. The faster bikes will cost between $200,000-$400,000. Let me note that it's VERY HARD TO FALL OFF YOUR BIKE. You can wreck into walls, cars, trees, etc. at "X" mph and you will not crash. The same speed you wreck with your car and trigger a wreck scene is the same speed you'll cause a wreck scene with your bike. Unlike the games GTA: V and Ride, you will not fall off when cornering or hitting a vehicle or wall at a slower speed. | video-games_xbox |
Modern Warfare 3: Spawn...I dare you. (If you'd like to discuss more video games and other video game topics, check out my blog: gamesandablackhat dot blogspot dot com)
The Campaign Mode
There's really not much to say about the story mode. I did beat it, but that was back last year when I first played it, and the fact that I can't really remember much of what happened is a testimony to the fact that the Single player story modes on most of these games are forgettable and short. I can remember Halo 3's Campaign story better, and I haven't played that game in years and that ones even shorter, if memory serves.
I probably would find the Campaign more fun if they did the Co-Op like they did in World at War. I guess not a whole lot of people liked that, but I thought it was entertaining to try and accomplish a few campaigns on Veteran difficulty. But, without that, it's just me playing alone. Like most Call of Duty games, it verges on just absurd in some of the scenes we play in. At one point in the story, Captain Price and Yuri invade some hotel to capture the leader of Ultranationalist movement. Even though they're wearing Juggernaut armor, that doesn't really equal invincibility and at one point they lose their armor and still manage to bypass the entire security force and kill the bad guy in the end. It basically is like any action movie where the henchmen somehow cannot defeat just two people. But, then again, if it weren't like that, the game wouldn't be fun.
Comparing Modern Warfare 3 to Black Ops, the plot, in my opinion, doesn't compare. Treyarch's plots are just more interesting in my opinion. In Black Ops, you play as Captain Alex Mason, who starts out his game being interrogated by some mysterious strangers, while restrained in an electric chair. We follow his story of how he tried to kill Fidel Castro, failed, was sent to a Russian prison camp, escaped with the help of Viktor Reznov (the guy from World at War), then goes to the Pentagon to receive orders directly from President Kennedy to kill General Dragovich, as well his right hand man, Kravchenko, and a German doctor the two retrieved at the end of World War II. Mason goes on through Vietnam and other Cold War battles, seeking out these three men (Dragovich, Kravchenko, and Steiner), frequently muttering to himself that these men must die. He is assisted throughout many of these battles by his friend Viktor Reznov, who he became friends with in Vorkuta, the Russian prison camp. By the end of the game, we learn that Mason was brainwashed in Vorkuta and that Reznov died during the escape, and that the entire time that Mason though he was with him was just a hallucination. The story is much more interesting than that of Modern Warfare 3, where you play as soldiers from the American and British military to try and stop the Ultranationalist movement in Russia. Graphic wise, the game is pretty great, making some scenes interesting to watch, but other than that, the story mode is not much to speak of.
But most people don't really care about the Story mode. I've encountered people who don't even play the story mode at all. So let's move on to the main reason that people play this game.
Multiplayer
There's nothing like a game of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 to get your heart pumping...though it's probably not for right reason. Your hearts probably pumping more because you've just gotten so pissed off at dying so often that you can't even think straight any more and you just want some douchebag to appear in front of you so that you can get out of this freaking death streak you're in.
There aren't really kill streaks anymore, technically. They're now called "Point Streaks" as you can raise up your 'streak' by doing more than just killing other players. In the original Modern Warfare (and presumably in Modern Warfare 2, which I haven't played) you needed to earn a certain amount of kills to gain certain rewards to use against other players. Three kills got you the UAV to show where the enemies are, five kills got the Airstrike to drop bombs on other players, and then seven kills got you a helicopter with a machine gun.
In Modern Warfare 3, you have three things called "Strike Packages": Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault is pretty much like the original Modern Warfare; if you manage to hold onto your "Point Steak" long enough to accumulate enough points, you are rewarded with a wider variety of options. You start off with the standard UAV, Airstrik, and helicopter, but as you level up you can unlock more stuff, like a Helicopter Sweep, take control of a AC-130 Gunship, and eventually a nuke. You need to not die while using the Assault Strike package, as your Point Streak will reset to zero if you are gunned down on the board.
There's also Specialist, which with your Point Streak you can accumulate more perks than the three that you would usually have. In Modern Warfare 3 (as well as Black Ops 1) you can level up your perks with extended use, eventually making them Pro. With this "Pro" level, the perk grants additional benefits. When you gain perks in the Specialist Strike Package, you immediately get Perks on the Pro Level. The Specialist Strike Package also resets to zero if you die, meaning you lose all of your perks.
Then there's Support. On this Strike Package, you get more stuff like Body Armor, Juggernaut Armor, Counter UAV, Care Packages, and Recon Drones. You can also get some more Assaultish kind of stuff, like the Stealth Airstrike. One of the Highest Point Streak rewards you can get on Support is the E.M.P, which turns off all electronic for the other team. Unlike Specialist and Assault, you don't lose your Point Streak upon death.
The thing is, with Assault and Specialist, you're kind of screwed unless you're some kind of Call of Duty God or you cheat in some way. The highest Streak reward is somewhere around eighteen points, and that means, in games like Team Deathmatch or Free For All, you're pretty much limited to kills as your means of accumulating points. And, if you're like me, this is pretty much unachievable. I can barely muster up enough points to get the UAV sometimes, and anything over four is almost out of the question if I'm using Assault or Specialist. So, I pretty much stay with Support, as that's the only one I can reliably get any significant rewards for.
There are a lot of reasons why I can't get that many kills. Other than not being a master of the game, despite playing the series since Call of Duty 2, there are a lot of in game things beyond my control that make the task of getting kills (along with not dying) extremely taxing. There are the ever present Campers. You know what these guys are, of course: they're the guys who sit in that little room with a shotgun, or stay in that hallway on the floor and gun people who walk by. Another reason is just luck, meaning I'm not able to find any of the enemies, but they find me all the time (usually finding me when my back is turned) and knifing or shooting me. Then there are the Quick Scopers, who manage to kill everyone in sight by just quickly looking through their sniper scope and then get a one hit kill with their sniper rife. That is one that might drive you especially insane, as you'd think a machine gun could out gun a sniper rifle, but, heck no! But there's one special thing with Modern Warfare 3 that I have yet to experience in any of the other Call of Duty games.
And that's the WRETCHED spawning system.
Never before have I been thrown into bouts of rage by the simple act of spawning on the board. You all know how it's supposed to work. You die in the middle of a gun fight and the game spawns you away from it so you can get back to from a different direction and take on people by surprise. This is so your enemies won't know where you're coming from after you die. But Modern Warfare 3 changed this by implementing something that is supposed to spawn you "closer to the action", which sounds good on paper for advertising, but what it really translates to is that you will get killed many times just at the Spawning position.
More than once you will spawn and take five steps when someone else will spawn right behind in the exact same place and stab you for a free kill. Or, you spawn right in the middle of a gun fight and you get caught in something before you even know what on Earth is going on. And the worst of all, it makes knowing the Spawning Locations available to other players who can easily exploit this. This is especially true on Arkaden, where you can get in that glass display area outside near the front steps and snipe anyone who spawns in the bar across the street. One infamous time for me, I got killed in Arkaden inside the mall, I was spawned in the bar, took one small step, and a guy in the display area across the street sniped me. I was immediately spawned in the bar again, in the exact same location. So, I was spawned somewhere else inside the mall, someone spawned behind me after taking a few steps and killed me. Then, I spawned in the bar again and was shot down by the Spawn Killer. Five deaths in less than thirty seconds: Modern Warfare 3 made it possible.
Just try to get eighteen kills for you AC-130 Gunship. Just try it. Chances are, you'll never get there.
Other arguments against the game is that some guns are incredibly overpowered. There might be some truth to this (I'm looking at you Type 95), but this has been a problem for many Call of Duty games. Some people made similar complaints of the PPSH and the MP40 in World at War.
A lot of people have charge Infinity Ward as just doing the same thing over and over to make money. They're basically reselling Modern Warfare 2 as 3, and they're basically the same, the people claim. I don't know, as I haven't played Modern Warfare 2, but compared to the original Modern Warfare there is a lot different, but that's probably not suffice to counter the repetition argument.
I don't actually own Modern Warfare 3, but a roommate of mine did, and I played it when he wasn't. It makes me sort of glad, as the game isn't really that great. I continue to stick with Treyarch due to my undying love of the Zombie Mode, but I'm sure that similar (and have already heard) that similar complaints to the one that I have made here against Modern Warfare 3 could be said for Black Ops 2. I guess I'll see when I finally get that game. But, overall, Modern Warfare 3 is generally unplayable for me. The spawn kills drive me up the wall and the only time I'll get to pilot a AC-130 Gunship is when I get one from a Care Package (which I'll be lucky to open, since usually I get killed and then it gets stolen).
I'm not going to say it's absolutely terrible, I have won some Free-For-All rounds, had some good teams on Team Deathmatch, and even had a good experience on Capture the Flag. There was also the new mode "Kill Confirmed" which was also something new, but it's essentially Team Deathmatch and it's sort of worse because you only get points if you get the dropped Dog Tags. Meaning don't die after killing someone.
But, basically, it's not really a game I'd recommend. | video-games_xbox |
NCAA Football's bounce back year is here. Coming off two very weak efforts EA Sports needed to reestablish the NCAA Football franchise as something other than an also-ran to Madden. What used to be an innovative series has been anything but in recent years - and when trying for new features they've failed miserably with the implementation and their assessment of what consumers truly desired out of the product.
While NCAA Football 14 doesn't break any new ground actual effort is immediately recognized in areas that have desperately needed it. The challenge from the CPU - which can now execute all manner of plays - along with the physics engine and incredibly responsive player control makes the game fun again.
Debuting in NCAA this year is the "Infinity" engine physics that were first found in Madden NFL 13. The physics have been refined limiting the number of goofy looking pileups and players tripping over one another. There is still some of that but they're more easily overlooked. The benefit to gameplay though far outweighs those occasional oddities. Each play feels much more dynamic and the outcomes appear far more realistic.
The CPU AI is one of the biggest advancements made with NCAA Football 14. The CPU runs a wide variety of plays well - ones that it had always failed at in the past - and operates more true to the styles of each individual school. I've been absolutely gashed on the ground by an up-tempo pro style running team and had trouble stopping a team that primarily ran the triple option. The CPU QB just makes much better decisions. Users are also able to utilize a number of plays that had never worked in the past and that really opens things up to more creativity and variety.
Blocking improvements drive the success seen in the running game. Though there are instances where a blocker will break off prematurely to go after someone on the next level those haven't been too frequent. Whether at the line of scrimmage or downfield the blockers can be trusted much more. That, along with the exceptional player control, makes running the ball immensely enjoyable. Controlling the ball-carrier with the left stick is really all one needs to cut or make guys miss - but the right stick also offers up a number of combo moves.
A few other gameplay related notes: running the read-option is an absolute blast, there has been encouraging push by defensive tackles to create interior pressure, the presence of an actual pocket for the QB is great to see, and the new Coordinator camera angle is a nice option to have - I just can't commit to it since it isn't in Madden. My main takeaway gameplay wise is that I'm able to play the game the way I have always wanted to, go heavy in the run game and utilize movement in the passing game, and the competent CPU presents a unique challenge in every game.
While gameplay has seen dramatic advancement one area that notably lags behind is the presentation and atmosphere. This has been a weakness of the series that has yet to near an acceptable level. Commentary is more stale than ever, post-play scenes are better but still don't completely mesh with the idea of TV presentation, and the atmosphere just doesn't live up to what is expected from game day. It doesn't even come across as well as it can on TV let alone for those who experience it in person.
As far as Dynasty mode goes I'm not deep enough in to analyze the effects of the changes but so far like the simplified process in recruiting. Getting rid of what some will still feel was depth - truly it was artificial depth that made things tedious and few fully understood - was a good move. The skill trees for coaches is intriguing (tying in goals and point accumulation) as are the scouting effects and planning of campus visits while custom playbooks being brought in was a crucial move. The in-game Dynasty related presentation such as the new halftime show to go with the studio updates and bottom line ticker all add to the feel that the games are important and part of a bigger world.
The streamlined menu navigation and quicker loading times may be overlooked by some but it is a vast improvement over what has been arguably the most sluggish sports game this generation in those areas. No longer am I dreading firing up the game and moving through the menus.
Another valuable addition worth mentioning is the Nike Skills Trainer. EA has managed to create a tutorial that not only teaches well but is challenging to complete and has some rewards at the end in the form of Ultimate Team cards. I managed to get a feel for things like the Triple and Shovel Options that I never bothered to try and figure out in the past and now may choose to integrate in my gameplans and custom playbook.
Authenticity remains a problem with NCAA Football 14. It's astonishing how many uniforms are missing and stadium renovations not reflected. The new Husky Stadium isn't even in the game which makes playing as Washington far less appealing for me. I've actually hunted for different teams to use solely because of that and it's a bummer. For the most part only fans of the teams are likely to notice such specific omissions but there are a hell of a lot of fans of teams who are missing something. These are not things that sprung up as last second surprises but rather have been ignored, dismissed, or overlooked. EA will have difficulty hooking consumers for the long term when they fail to pay the proper attention to the specifics of each program.
Some issues spotted in early play include safeties stopping their drop back and coming forward when they shouldn't - allowing for deep routes to be wide open. This seems to occur primarily when multiple receivers are going deep (hail mary and four verticals as examples). There are some reports of turnovers in the end zone resulting in a touchdown or ball placement on the wrong 20. The CPU almost never (I've yet to see it happen with 40+ games started) chooses to receive when they win the coin toss. Also somehow it's 2013 and there still are no surprise onside kicks despite that being a legitimate strategy coaches have at their disposal and attempt from time to time.
Ultimate Team has a lot interesting ideas that have been implemented but it falls short with some of them either due to limitations or aspects that went overlooked. Having professional players and some legends re-created as their college selves is pretty neat - and legendary teams comprised of them are cool to go up against. The number of players who look nothing like themselves, not being able to challenge friends to head-to-head games, and the inability to see how the opposition's team shapes up hurts the mode though.
Despite the deficiencies the bottom line is that the fun factor is back with NCAA Football 14 thanks to the gameplay enhancements and changes in Dynasty. Two troubled iterations are now in the rear view mirror and this one has at least stepped back into adequate territory and may resonate far better than that with many. Other thoughts will be included after additional time is spent Dynasty, online play, and the new Ultimate Team mode. | video-games_xbox |
An ambitious story with interesting gameplay. Eternal Sonata is certainly one of the more interesting JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Game) I have ever played, although that may be apparent from the box art. How many games are there where you get to control Frederick Chopin? It is a solid game overall, and, given the dearth of JRPGs on any of the next-gen systems so far, I would say it is a must buy for fans of the genre.
Story: The story is a bit odd, to say the least. As Frederick Chopin lays dying, you are given control of the characters who inhabit a dream world he has created in his final moments. Or is it a dream? That question hangs over your head during the main plot, which involves a struggle between your characters and the ruthless machinations of a young king. The main plot is not anything special, but the "dream/not a dream" plot gets pretty interesting at the end. Unfortunately, the cut scenes accompanying the main plot are incredibly long at times. This would be fine if the story was more interesting, but alas, it is not. The ending of this game is not the most transparent one I have ever seen, but it was certainly interesting.
Interspersed throughout the game are cut scenes which relate important incidents in the life of Chopin. These scenes feature music composed by Chopin, and photos of several European locales where he once lived. These might actually be the most enjoyable parts of the game, as you not only get to learn about the life of the composer, but you are also able to enjoy some of his compositions and check out some beautiful cities in Europe.
Gameplay: This game features a hybrid turn-based/realtime battle system. As you walk around the main map, you will see enemies on the path before you. If you touch them, you will begin a battle. You can take three party members into battle with you, and you will face between one and three opponents. Your characters and your opponents take turns fighting each other based on the speed of each character. Once your character's turn begins, you have a limited amount of time to attack your opponent before the next person's turn starts. You can use regular and special attacks. If you use enough regular attacks in a row, you can build up "echoes" which allow you to perform a more powerful special attack depending on how many "echoes" you have built up.
The gameplay system is different, but the limited amount of special attacks and battle options makes the combat rather shallow compared to other JRPGs (the Tales series, Baten Kaitos, etc.). As the game progresses, you gain the ability to perform combos using multiple characters, which does make combat more entertaining. Unfortunately, you do not get this ability until the end of the game, although you retain this ability in a subsequent playthrough.
Graphics: The graphics look very, very nice. Many of the backgrounds are pre-rendered (similar to what Tri-Crescendo did in their Baten Kaitos series), and while that means that you cannot shift your point of view to better take in a scene, cities and forests are lush with detail. The character models look nice, but are a bit wooden at times. The cut scenes featuring locales where Chopin once lived are stunning in HD.
Sound: The cut scenes featuring Chopin's music are wonderful, to say the least. As for the rest of the game, the music is typical JRPG fare, with bold, synthesized strings encouraging you to defeat your enemy in battle. It is, again, similar to the music in Baten Kaitos, which Tri-Crescendo also worked on. Although the characters are, for the most part, nothing more than typical anime/manga stereotypes (young hothead hero, annoying small boy, annoying small girl, smooth voiced older hero, etc.) the voice actors do a fine job with their roles. Patrick Seitz does an especially good job as Chopin.
Overall, this is a solid RPG, although the gameplay and the story are somewhat weak compared to other games in this genre. The game is also somewhat short, taking between 20-30 hours to complete. There is a second quest, which adds additional side quests, has a higher difficulty, and allows you to use higher level combos from the very beginning, but I was not willing to play through this game again just for some meager additional content. It would be a great rental for anyone new to the world of JRPGs, and it is a good way to kill time for the rest of us as we wait for Tales of Vesperia to be released on the 360. | video-games_xbox |
A good game, but way overpriced at $60. I read a lot of good and bad reviews on this game. I have personally found that this game is a joy to play.
Now, I love playing Halo CE, 2, 3 and now ODST.
ODST brings something different to the table, instead of the same Master Chief from the other 3 games, you are an ODST, you are weaker and smaller.
When you're the ODST, you just can't go out and attack 5 Brutes at one time or you'll be dead before you know it! Instead, you have to make a more hesitant approach, picking one or two off at long range, then sticking any ones closer to you, then meleeing/shooting any up close. I found that more fun than just going in all guns blazing and not worrying about a thing.
As the Rookie, you travel through the Mombassa streets at night, searching for clues to your separated squad, also you will find audio logs that explain about the Covenant attack on the city, (if you find all thirty, you get an achievement).
There are a total of six squad members, you play all but 1, (Dare).
When attacking the Covenant, they are much more intimidating than before, Grunts and Jackals almost look you in the eye, Brutes look huge and Hunters are just monsters!!!
Firefight is a new and very fun way to kick some Covenant butt! I have played it many times solo and with friends.
There are `new' things in ODST, (really, nothing new, just the Brute plasma rifle from Halo 2 and Engineers, weird lookin' things).
There are no Energy swords in ODST, only hammers. It seems to take a lot more Needlers to make and enemy explode. If there are two Hunters, (sometimes only 1 are around) one of the Hunters fires its Fuel Rod cannon like the handheld one, (one direct hit and you`re dead!)
Disk two has ALL the Halo 3 multiplayer maps on it, plus the three new ones, Heretic, Citadel and Longshore. In case you never bought the Limited Addition of Halo Wars, but wanted Sandbox, Orbital and Assembly--here it is!! I never bought Halo Wars, so I got SIX new multiplayer maps in disk two!
I have had ODST for over a month and a half. I was never going to pay 60 smackers for it, so I waited and bought at a lower price. I could see paying $60 for it would be too much.
Over all, I love it, and play it over and over. | video-games_xbox |
A fun diversion from Madden. First off, I love Madden. For those looking for a Madden replacement, this is NOT it. However, for those that loved the NFL Blitz game, it's back and it's amped and ready to break bones and tear ligaments off of the opposing teams. This is more of a "supplement" to Madden, but a fun one IF you understand where it fits in the grand scheme of football games for the console.
Remember "The League" on ESPN? This is basically it. You create a team (well, pick it's location and name, uniform style for home and away games and a stadium-style) and attempt to bring it up from the toilet-league in a 30-game season. The owner is a slime, working with the mayor to fund a new team to win the championship in a brutal league, wrought with players with rap-sheets longer than the entire Raven's roster! These players put Jamal Lewis to shame! He's a baby-candy thief compared to some of these criminals!
The "Campaign" mode is where you are tasked with getting this team to the championship. Along the way, cut-scenes occur, giving you an insider's view of what goes on at the sidelines and in the locker room. The story is not that fleshed out, but it's fun to watch and brings in another level of immersion that Madden doesn't have. Again, this is fictional and that's what makes the over-the-top play all the more fun and not a detractor from the overall gameplay.
I first thought that using fictional, non-NFL teams would detract from the game. In all honesty, it's one of the things that makes this game excellent. Creating your own team, choosing the city, the name, the uniform and the stadium has made me actually feel like this is more my team, than picking up the GM responsbilities in Madden for an already established team. True, you don't have control over who starts and such, but to me, those are not important. You can choose how you wish your medical team to make decisions and offer "medicinal" fixes. You can choose the safe route and use "legal" substances and training, or you can go the experimental route and try the new black market stuff that up front appears to give your team the "juice" it needs to win the big one. As you win, you gain more money to buy "upgrades" to beef up your team. This includes new training regimes, massage therapists, training equipment, uniform upgrades, and new "substances" to "enhance" your team. You can even wager bets on whether your team covers the spread or not. No fear of going "Pete Rose" here, but if you do choose to use questionable substances, you might get caught and fined and lose some serious cash you earned.
Game play and the immersion factor are what count, and creating the team from scratch makes me feel more like a part of the team. You're more in the coach/player role, but you receive messages from rival players trying to get your goat, as well as from the owner, demanding better play from your team. As you get e-mails from rivals players, coaches and your owner, they might have a challenge with them. Meet the challenge and you unlock other extras to help your team win along the way as well as other extras, including behind-the-scene movies of how the game was created, cheerleaders and other cool extras.
Graphics - 5/5
You thought Madden's players looked like steroid users? Wait until you get a load of these guys. The graphics are detailed, right down to crisp tats on some of the players. When you get a vicious hit on a player, it goes into slo-motion and depending on the hit, you might see blood fly. When an injury occurs, it switches to an x-ray view, showing you what gets injured, along with the sounds of the bones cracking or muscles tearing. OUCH! As cheap as it sounds, when you're playing against a team with a trash-talking, loud mouth jerk, and your D takes him down, it's VERY satisfying and never gets old!
Sounds - 5/5
As I stated earlier, the sounds of the game are awesome. The jawing going on between the players is hilarious. Parents, there is a reason this game is rated M - F-bombs, sexual references and drug use. The drugs are meds to help "amp" up the players during injuries or to help increase their abilities. Still the sound is excellent in this game. You have an "announcer", but rather than being irritating, he only talks after the play, and it's pretty funny. It's about the same as the guy in the original NFL Blitz.
I also like the cuts to the coordinators in the booth when a play goes your way or blows up in your face. Hilarious, especially when he says "You're on your own. I have to go to the bathroom". Well, that's the G-rated version of what he says, but it's hilarious none-the-less.
Gameplay 4/5
Not quite there. It's simple to learn. You have a limited number of men on the field (eight in total) along with a limited play book. You can put a man in motion, audible at the line, including flipping the play, but that's it. You can't alter receiver routes, call for a block, etc. You have evade moves and such, but that's the extent of it. But, the point of this game is not how much "fluff" it can throw at you, but rather how much hurt can you inflict on the other team?
On O, if you continually advance your team forward, you build up your unleash meter. As long as you have this built up, you can make some excellent breaking plays to demoralise the D. Get enough and you go into unleash mode. Use this to unleash a major QB throw or RB run and you become almost unstoppable.
On D, each sack you get or INT builds up your unleash meter. Get it into unleash mode and time it right, you can sack the QB or hit the RB or WR and cause a fumble when you need it most. Keep that unleash meter filled so you can do dirty hits. Dirty hits reduce the effectiveness of the players you hit, so don't stop dishing out the pain!
The only problem with the unleash mode is once you learn it, it can make it almost impossible to lose. It's not a game stopper, but it could use some tweaking, but it's not something that spoils the game.
Plus, within about 30 minutes, you can have the controls down and play and win games, unlike Madden which can take a long time to get down. But, it's meant to be that way and that is in no way a smack against Madden.
Also, catchup logic is present and there's no way to turn it off. If you start to win big time, you'll notice in the 4th quarter your players begin to fumble or throw INTs a lot, while the CPU will break off 90+ runs using its unleash mode to make it impossible to tackle, even if you have a full unleash meter and lay a dirty hit. But, I haven't had a game where I've had a large lead become a loss because of it. However, I have had a game where it was tied 14-14 in the 4th, and I threw a crucial INT. This never happened before, but at that time, my team was 7-0 in the campaign mode, so the CPU decided it was time to make me lose and I could NOT bring him down, even with a full unleash meter going. But, even NFL Blitz was like this.
Overall, this game is a fun diversion. Since I've purchased it, I haven't been able to stop playing it. Just the bone-crushing hits alone make it fun and it never gets old when you lay a mean hit and see the other team's player go down.
Again, not for the kiddies (drug use, sexual references including cheerleaders with G strings on the field and numerous F-bombs), but loads of fun! | video-games_xbox |
A New Tales for the Xbox 360. Tales of Vesperia is the newest Tales game in Bandai-Namco's long running series of action RPGs. Though the series have a strong following in Japan, causing the Xbox 360 to nearly sell out when Tales of Vesperia got released, the games are not as popular overseas. As such, previous entries in the series have gotten shoddy localization efforts with cut voice acting and added glitches/bugs. However, as the latest game in the series, Tales of Vesperia received high production values during localization with a great translation, good voice acting, and best of all, voiced skits! Continue reading for a detailed review on the game's gameplay, story, and more.
Gameplay: 9/10
Tales of Vesperia plays quite similarly to the previous major console Tales game, Tales of the Abyss. The Free Run ability returns that allows players to control their characters on a 3D battlefield to circle around enemies, dodge attacks, and dish out attacks on enemies. A battle can have up to four characters on the battlefield at a time, where each can be controlled by a separate human player, granted there are four Xbox 360 controllers available, or have some characters controlled by computer AI. The AI is pretty good and players can give commands to AI controlled characters via menus. The battle system is like a fighting game where players can attack enemies in real time on a 3D battlefield. Attacks called artes that consume TP can be assigned to different button combinations that can be executed in a certain order to perform combos. There is now a noticeable, yet not distracting, border around the battlefield to indicate the area where the player can move about. This is actually an improvement over Tales of the Abyss where players are unaware of the invisible borders of the battlefield until he/she reaches them. There are seven playable characters in Tales of Vesperia, each with different fighting styles and abilities including a swordsman, a healer, a heavy hitter, a mage, an archer, and a spear user who specializes in several aerial combos. There is also now a dog character named Repede, a first in the series, who is a fast attacker. Players can choose whoever they desire to play as.
Some new additions are added to the battle system. In Tales of Vesperia, there is now a feature called an Encounter Link that allows different groups of monsters to enter a battle if the player runs into different groups of them at the same time. This causes more monsters to be in a battle rather than if the player only ran into one group. There are also a new feature called Fatal Strikes that can deal massive damage based on the player's correct use of artes and reflexes. Overlimit level is also back in Tales of Vesperia and like in Tales of the Abyss, is visible as another bar, allowing players to know when they are capable of using one to their advantage. Overlimit allows players to perform powerful Burst Artes and Mystic Artes.
Players can also partake in Secret Missions that are special conditions that, if met, will reward players. These special conditions usually involve performing certain tasks in specific battles such as boss battles. They are actually quite easy to miss and the use of a guide may be necessary if players desire to complete them all.
Graphics: 9/10
Tales of Vesperia uses beautiful cel-shaded graphics that rival other Xbox 360 games such as Eternal Sonata. The characters sport a slight chibi look, but that is to be expected since all of the Tales games have such a style. Characters in battle are fluid with many different animations for their many different attacks. There are also quite a few anime cutscenes spread throughout the game. These are wonderful on their own right, but are hardly necessary since the in-game graphics practically look like an anime anyways. Fighting in cutscenes outside of battles are a little stiff, but are better than many of the previous entries in the Tales series. Characters each have their own distinct looks and players can collect costumes for the playable cast that changes their apparel during exploration, battles, and in-game cutscenes. A new addition to the series is the capability to decorate characters with accessories that also show up during exploration, battles, and in-game cutscenes. These accessories include stuff like sunglasses, bunny ears, hats, etc. As with previous Tales games, equipping different weapons on characters will appear in battles and in-game cutscenes.
Story/Characters: 9/10
Tales of Vesperia follows a typical story of the JRPG genre. However, the best part of the story is the colorful fictional world that is presented to the players--a world filled with dangerous monsters and cities protected from the outside with barriers powered by Blastia. Several elements are presented to the player including topics such as Blastia, aer, etc. that help paint a colorful and believable fictional world by backing up topics such as magic with fictional scientific theories and laws.
An interesting aspect about Tales of Vesperia is the average age of the cast of characters. The characters in Tales of Vesperia are a bit older and more mature than the characters in previous entries in the series. As such, rather than having the story overly emphasizing on character growth, the characters are more experienced and have already established developed personalities. For example, right off the start, the game's protagonist, Yuri Lowell, is a very interesting character that is mature, confident, and sarcastic, traits that set him apart from most of the previous heroes in the Tales series.
There are a total of seven playable characters with an eighth temporary one (much like Asch in Tales of the Abyss). Each character has a distinct personality and background story. The cast is probably the best part of the game as each character is given much dialogue and screen time to further allow the player to better understand the character. Much of these are revealed in skits, interesting little conversations between the characters in the party. An interesting thing to note is that the skits are all voice acted now. In previous Tales games, the skits are unvoiced and players are forced to follow the automatically scrolling text written below the characters talking, but not in Tales of Vesperia.
Sound/Music: 9/10
The voice acting in Tales of Vesperia is quite good. Of course, many of the voices should be familiar with those who frequently play JRPGs and/or watch anime. The entire playable cast has great voice acting that fit the characters' personalities. The best thing to note about the voice acting would be the usually silent skits in the previous Tales games are now all voiced. This inclusion to the several voiced cutscenes throughout the game and battle cries adds a whole bunch of voice acting in the game.
The music is very fitting to the game. As usual with the Tales series, the music will sound similar to tracks from previous entries in the series. Battle music, especially boss battles, are intense and changes depending on who the party is battling. Outside of battles, players are still greeted with many different tracks that range from silly clown like music for humorous cutscenes, dungeon exploration music, peaceful town music, to epic tracks. Also something to note would be the theme song, Ring a Bell by Bonnie Pink. For the first time in the localized Tales series, the introduction animation has a song with vocals, and it's pretty good too.
Overall: 9/10
Overall, Tales of Vesperia is a great game that seems to have received quite a high production localization compared to previous games in the series. Those with an Xbox 360 should buy the game to enjoy a wonderful JRPG experience. While the game doesn't do much new, it is still fun and refines what was presented in the previous entries in the series. Tales of Vesperia is another great entry to the Tales series with a fast paced battle system, interesting story and world, and a great cast of characters. By buying the game and showing support for the Tales series' localization, other games in the series that have came out in the past or are coming out in the future will have a better chance of getting translated as well. | video-games_xbox |
From a loyal BF fan. I've been a loyal Battlefield fan ever since our days romping the war zones during Bad Company. Battlefield 3 and 4 were amazing installments, the campaigns are fantastic, and I've logged more hours on the multiplayer with friends than one should admit.
So far, I'm a huge fan of Hardline. The gameplay is astounding. The graphics are smooth, the audio is absolutely on cue. Admittedly, I've only played through 2 campaign missions so far, but I really like the new feel of the cop aspect. It adds a new take that makes the series seem fresh. I will update when I finish the campaign with a full review on that regard.
As for the multiplayer... wow. They have fixed so many things since BF4. One particular example, if you've ever played and run out of ammo during a life, you probably remember trying to chase down your teammate running Support class, yelling at him I need ammo. I need ammo. I NEED AMMO! Well theyve changed that by allowing you to actually take the ammo (or health) from a teammate supplying it. Id tell you all the rest, but the revelation of discovering some of the changes made myself and friends so excited; I wouldnt want to ruin it.
The levels look great, though they could do a little more with their Levelution idea that was so prevalent in BF4. The levels have it, but not in such a grand sense as before. As for the game types themselves, there are some fantastic new modes. Hotwire is a blast, basically Conquest but the points are all in moving cars which everyone is making a mad dash blow up or drive at high speed. Blood Money has had my heart going on the fritz. Its an extremely tense game mode that makes you extremely anxious, but its insanely fun. Also, being able to get a 32 vs. 32 match is something I was always jealous of the PC users for. I do wish more game modes other than Team Deathmatch and Conquest (Large) could support it, but as objective games it does make sense. The servers seem to support everything very well, as Ive had (knock on wood) zero issues whatsoever with lag so far. Hopefully that keeps up.
Another good note is that Dice has always been extremely responsive to their community, both with bug fixes and balancing issues. So if you find repetitive frustrating issues, expect them to be fixed by the next patch.
My one issue is the quick price-drop. Fantastic for everyone that waited a week to see if they should buy the game. Getting it for $40 as opposed to $60 is a great deal, but for those of us who are, as I said earlier, loyal fans, we sort of got the shaft. How many thousands of us spent $60 to get the game on release day, or just after (in my case) only to learn that the price drops $20 within a week. Sort of jaded about that (end rant). I definitely recommend getting Hardline, especially if you have friends to play with. | video-games_xbox |
PLEASE STOP THE HYPE . I read all the reviews on this game and I figured it was time for a more recent opinion. In spite of what most viewers said about this game; I brought it anyway!! First: People complain that they fail levels because someone saw them... ***NEWSFLASH*** It's a stealth-game. The object of the game is to complete the mission without being seen; what part of that was too hard to understand?? If you can't control the cat-like stealth abilities of Max; then buy yourself another game to play. I personally think that the enemies A-I level favors the Genome Soldiers (Metal Gear Solid PS1). Second: Those same people don't like the controls for this game either. I'll admit that the controls aren't the most advanced type that XBOX can offer, but with practice and precision you can master her combo attacks. The buttons are arranged x-punch b-kick a-jump/stealth roll y-throw/break necks L-stealth movement R-speed burst and she moves with the left analog plus other functions I don't have time to explain. It's similiar to many older games that required constant button pressing to create combo attacks like Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Double Dragon (Genesis) and River City Ransom (Nintendo). I don't find it impossible to control Max in this game; actually these controls are fairly easy when compared to more advanced control systems like Rainbow Six, Kill Switch, and Halo. As I said before if easy controls aren't what you want then buy another game with harder controls. ------------------------------ Now comes my ^_^ critism that got this game only 4 out of 5. I saw the quick glitches in the game which are not acceptable in any video game. That's my only gripe about this game!! The graphics are average, the music is cool (very upbeat), the story-line is excellent. Max is like a modern day Tombraider for the XBOX. I've never seen the Dark Angel movie and I don't recommend it to anyone, but I do like the video game. Finally: To all those people that complain about this game;my final advice to you is...Wipe the milk off your mouth, and stop whining like a baby!!! | video-games_xbox |
BEST MULTIPLAYER FPS TO DATE....HANDS DOWN. First off, to let you know which FPS's I've played: all the RB6 and Ghost Recons games (GREAT games), Borderlands (GREAT game), MW2 and Black Ops (SP was good), first Halo (eh) and L4D2 (fun at first, got old quick). Of these, only ones I played MP were MW2, BLOPS and RB6. Not the mose extensive gameplay but enough to know when I found a winner. BC2 has EVERYTHING!!!!! Mind you, I never played any of the previous titles from the BF series but wish I did, they were mainly PC games but I'm only console, didn't have money to shell out for a gaming PC. I guess the best one to compare to is what everybody and their mother compares to and thats MW2/BLKOPS and folks, its not even close!!!! The maps in BC2 are ridiculous!!!! easily 4-5 times bigger than any map on the other 2 games. The graphics aren't even close either, the detail to the BC2 maps is insane. and did I mention destructible maps!!!! OMG, this had to be my biggest thing that split the to games apart. no place is safe to hide as a noob tube, a tank shell, or RPG can take u out of ur hiding place and into ur grave with the quickness if u aint careful. Plus riding the vehicles, Black ops has a lil remote control car, gimme a break!!! BC2 lets u drive tanks, helis, speed boats, dune buggies, etc!!!! and each has its purpose, its just not filler. and the sounds in this game, the guns are off da hook. Nothing sounds so good as a sniper rifle cracking the wind as its shot, or its bullet whizzing by u if the sniper missed. even the players in the game, everybody is yelling and saying things, what, u think war is a bunch of ppl running around quiet!!! the 4 classes each serve a purpose and u decide on ur play style or whats needed for the situation at hand, any true player in this game will tell you that not one class is overpowered, everyone has a strength and a weakness, cant say that bout MW2 aka sniper paradise. but best of all, this game is all bout strategy and gameplay, no run and gun here or u won't last 5 minutes. this game promotes teamwork, especially in the Rush mode, without it, u will lose. and best of all, this game rewards u for team work by giving each class a "job" to help the team out. kill streaks serve no purpose here so keep ur nukes, u win in BC2, ur team earned it, thats why I feel this game is WAY more realistic and the "truest" war sim out there, even when you kill or get killed, the ragdoll doll effects of the body, especially after an explosion, are entertaining. and I believe thats why so many blk ops ppl put the game down, because of the challenge it takes to play. youtube it and any of the pro gamers will tell u that BC2 is more satisfying for the level of degree it takes to play this game. the ONLY drawback I see to this game that is better on MW2 is the SP mode is horrible on BC2 and dat depending on what weapon u use, it sometimes feels like u are using a full clip to kill someone in BC2 as opposed to fewer bullets in blkops but to me, dat is WAAAAY too minor with all the other pluses this game has. Blkops is ok but step your game up and play a game that will get u addicted, ur family and friends will hate u cuz all u wanna do is play this game.... | video-games_xbox |
Imperfect, but Amazing Nevertheless. Overall: 4.7/5 (i.e. awesome)
Warning: some light spoilers, possibly; I will endeavor to enclose these in brackets: [spoiler]
Update 1: 12/1/14
-------General------- Let me summarize what I'm about to say in just two words: buy it! If you're a fan of the series, like me, it's a definite must-have. I imagine those with little to no experience with the lore will have a little bit harder time understanding exactly what's going on, but there is an in-game codex to explain anything specific about which you might have questions (e.g. Andraste? Who's that? etc.) Even if you don't follow all of the nuances of the plot and everything that came before, the story is engaging enough that it won't matter.
I know a lot of people were expecting a blunder of a game, given DA2 (which wasn't terrible imho), and DAI isn't perfect, but I have to say that the developers at Bioware really listened to all the important concerns that were drawn about the game. Every important issue was addressed, at least to my satisfaction and, I should think, to everyone's. DAI will draw you in for hours and hours...and hours...and you won't regret any of it.
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Here's a more detailed breakdown (all of these are my personal opinion):
-------Graphics------- (4/5)The graphics are very good, if not exactly awe-inspiring. Graphics really aren't that important to me; an RPG-maker game like Ao Oni or a game like Limbo is no less amazing, for me at least, if it isn't rendered in HD or 4k or whatever is the arbitrary standard d'excellence atm. Even if you think that way, I doubt you'll be disappointed; some of the effects are really awesome: light shines beautifully through a forest canopy, waves roll majestically around the Storm Coast, trees (especially pine trees) are quite exquisitely detailed, and you can create a hot Inquisitor that kicks butt in style. The environments (more on that later) are stunning; everything just feels so alive. (I'm mainly referencing the Hinterlands, the first big area to which you gain access. It applies to all environments, however, just in a way that is unique to their climate. For example, The Fallow Mire feels disgusting and wet, the mountains feel cold, and so on.)
-------Playspace------- (4.9/5): Absolutely huge! I thought they were exaggerating, as developers are won't to do, but the game really is freaking huge. In fact, if you're a completionist like me, it may even be too big; I absolutely hate unexplored areas. I must have spent the entire first day I had the game navigating the Hinterlands (and I still haven't explored the whole thing), and yet it's just one of the areas you'll explore. (FYI, I do not recommend that you do this: you will become over-leveled for later parts of the game, which detracts from your rewards. It is important that you LEAVE the Hinterlands! It'll all still be there when you come back.) It's also somewhat easy to get lost, but I consider neither of these things to be detrimental because both are the complaints of the spoiled, which every DA fan should now consider themselves to be.
There is one thing, however, that I don't like: the cities I've visited feel rather small. Val Royeaux is beautiful, but not quite as magnificent as I pictured. I was expecting Paris meets Florence in an orgy of flowers and banners - but the city itself looks more colorfully Byzantine to me than anything. Also, Redcliffe has been totally redesigned, which is both good and bad. Either way, you're not gonna wanna spend as much time in the cities as you normally would in an RPG like Skyrim, mainly because there doesn't seem to be much to do in them. You will come back to cities and so forth, mainly for personal quests, but there are rather few (if any?), city-specific quests. By contrast, in each of Skyrim's cities, there is a quest that involves only that particular city. For example, a murderer is on the loose and you have to solve it. I believe there is such a quest in Winterhold, if I remember correctly; that made the city feel so alive. The cities of DAI really don't; though you may go there often to dump inventory or buy things, they don't have the same level of personality. I think this is a true waste with a city like Val Royeaux - a much larger city with 10 sidequests or so (which could totally replace The Fallow Mire map if necessary) would have been a great place to showcase "The Game". A few more cities in general would have been good; I would like to see Antiva City, Minrathous, etc. Perhaps they overcompensated for the amount of flak they took for DA2's Kirkwall setting. Anyway, I understand the constraints, but all the beautiful wilderness is better when balanced with beautiful cities.
Skyhold, on the other hand, is really awesome - it changes dynamically according to how you want it to be: you can customize the throne, the windows, the banners, and lots of other things in a way that makes you feel really in charge. And though it may be big, it comes with a bunch of handy fast travel points. However, I've yet to find any kind of storage, which I imagine is an oversight that will be corrected before long. Halamshiral and its attendant questline, which again I will not spoil, also go a long way toward making up for this. Really, it should have been incorporated into Val Royeaux itself.
-------Characters -------(4.6/5): Some of the characters are great, I have to say - but honestly I don't feel the same level of depth as I normally would in a Bioware game. I'm probably spoiled, but Solas' lone wolf thing just isn't as endearing as, say, Tali's struggle to help the quarians. Nor is Sera's eccentricity as funny as Alistair's whimsy. I suppose this is personal, and some of the characters are better than others, but Blackwall for example feels rather generic, like he's the token Grey Warden or something. (After playing a bit more, I have learned that I was totally wrong about Blackwall; he is not a generic character.) Iron Bull and Cassandra are far more interesting. Varric is as meh as always. Cole's plotline lacks any kind of emotional power for me (though I haven't done his personal quest), and so forth.
Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen are actually some of the better-developed characters in this regard. Vivienne is one of the best new characters, but listening to her say "[something philosophical], my dear" just isn't as good as hearing Wynne say it. She's also extremely unlikable at times because of her condescending outlook. My Inquisitor disagrees with her about most things. Still, I'm probably just setting the standard too high, and the characters are good enough that I don't want them to leave. Which, btw, is somewhat harder to avoid now because simply not taking a character with you on a given quest will not usually spare you from their ire if you make a decision with which they disagree!
-------Romance-------(4.2/5) I was not initially inclined to think highly of the romance system if only because not a single character, except maybe Cullen, is attractive. (Dorian, shave that mustache! You look like Liberace. Iron Bull has, incidentally, grown on me immensely.) Suffice it to say, males can romance Cassandra, Josephine, Dorian, and Iron Bull. Females can romance Cullen, Blackwall (I believe), Solas, Sera, and Iron Bull. Some of these are race-gated.
The romance storylines are, generally, well-done. My personal favorite is male inquisitor/Iron Bull because it's so different from anything I've encountered before and...well...hot (but damn his initiation requirements are stringent). Dorian's has good depth as well. Josephine's is somewhat cookie-cutter imo, but Cassandra's and Cullen's are decent. Blackwall's is...well...a rough ride. It's not a fairy tale, which may be a good thing for you personally. Solas' romance is extremely well done, albeit perhaps underwritten, and is also not idyllic. I hate Sera and cannot bring myself to romance her, but I've heard her romance is lackluster. Then again, if you like the character, we probably won't agree on my assessment of the romance's quality, either.
-------Story------- (4.3/5): Remember to go to THE DRAGONAGE KEEP so you can customize your worldstate! Nonetheless, be warned that this will not have a huge impact on the game. From what I've played thus far, which I think is over 70%, the story is only minimally affected by your past choices. It mainly boils down to flavor text in dialogue and codex entries as well as the occasional, albeit gratifying, cameo. (The available operations on the War Map also change, although they are more affected by your race choice.) I will give some examples, but first, be warned that, if you have neither watched the trailers nor kept up with the DAI release buildup hype, these are important spoilers; skip the bracketed paragraphs and phrases.
[At one point during the game, you will meet Hawke again. The Keep does not import his/her face, so the game allows you to customize it with the c-creator. Hawke's dialogue is, I believe, influenced by your Keep choice as to his/her previous comportment, and s/he will have unique things to say based on your Keep choices (e.g. s/he will talk about your Keep-selected LI from the previous title, although they won't be present.). Morrigan will also be in the game: one of the most gratifying "Ah! I made that happen!" moments was getting to meet her son. Of course, he doesn't matter too much story-wise, but his inclusion and dialogue are gratifying. There is a moment toward the end that will (we are to believe) affect future installments). Any other nods to the Hero of Ferelden and her/his questline will boil down to a cameo by Alistair (for me, presumably by Anora for some others), and a letter from her/him about why they're not part of the game. So far as I can tell, the rest of your decisions sum up similarly. EDIT: I've learned since that Alistair can also be a Hawke-like companion - that is, non controllable - without divulging much, and so can Loghain. Otherwise, my earlier analysis seems correct.]
In general, this doesn't concern me very much; I wouldn't want to be a part of the team that has to realize all the possible permutations and put them into a story format that is accessible to everyone. As long as the story and its conclusions are satisfying and cogent (looking at you, ME3!), flavor text and cameos are good enough for me. Nonetheless, given that this is a founding premise for the series, my analysis of it here does not seem entirely warranted.
Not that that's out of the way...so far the story is very engaging. Some people have been saying that it's boring - and maybe it would be to some people, but it really is well-written. I won't divulge details, partially because I don't know all of them yet, but mainly because I want to avoid spoilers. If you have any kind of pre-knowledge, the story perhaps has more "woah" factor.
That being said, there seems to be an emerging theme of religion in the games - i.e. you are [minor spoiler: the "Herald of Andraste."] It might make some people uncomfortable, because professing your belief, or lack of belief, in the Maker can affect how other people in the game perceive you. For example, during one conversation I had with Cassandra, I said "I don't believe in the Maker" and she "disapproves". That kinda angered me - nothing obliges her to agree with my Inquisitor, but disapproval of a personal belief seems petty in the context of the real world. I suppose that's a modern standard of morality, however, and I shouldn't judge her for falling short of it. I suppose we all do; debates can become heated, after all. Anyway, your Inquisitor's belief is something of a subplot within the game. The game doesn't tote a particular line of religious reasoning over any other (to great extent at least) and your Inquisition doesn't have to be anything like the period of human history known by the same name. That is, you can make your Inquisitor atheist, agnostic, or Andrastian. You can even make an Elf profess his or her belief in the Elvish pantheon at one particular point, which may [cause problems with Sera, particularly with regard to her romance (FYI)]. I haven't played as a Qunari yet, but I will update this if I do.
One of the things that I really like is the way you can judge people in Skyhold. Your verdict has an unfortunately small effect on the story, but it greatly impacts companion approval. This feature is really cool, though: it harks back to Awakening, if I'm not mistaken. I loved it then and I love it now. I feel as though there should be an advocate for the person under consideration though; Josephine sometimes fills this role, but not always. I don't like the lack of due process here, but I can live with it. Most players will actually like that part. A word of advice, though: save before every decision.
Something to consider is that the game doesn't give you a ton of direction at first; there are things you have to figure out on your own when it comes to progressing the story. I like that it doesn't baby you, but bear this is mind, because many games do baby you and I think many gamers are accustomed to it. You ARE given direction, though; it is NOWHERE NEAR the level of "here you go, you doomed masochist, you" that is Dark Souls. (And yes, I love Dark Souls!) Just bear in mind that you should leave the Hinterlands, and most other areas. Return to them later; it will still be there. You can go to all of the different places in more or less any order, in theory, assuming you have enough power to unlock them, but they are generally played best (level-wise, and story-wise) in this order:
Haven: 1+ (levels 1-4)
Hinterlands: 2+ (4-7, 8-12)
Val Royeaux: 4+ (4-6)
Storm Coast: 5+ (7-11, 13-15)
Fallow Mire: 8+ (8-10, 12-15)
Forbidden Oasis: 8+ (8-12, 5-15, 18-20)
Skyhold: 10+
Crestwood: 10+ (10-13)
Western Approach: 10+ (10-14)
Exalted Plains: 10+ (10-16)
Emerald Graves: 12+ (14-20)
Emprise du Lion: 16+ (16-22)
Hissing Wastes: 16+ (19-23)
Note that the level cap is soft. Also, there are some unique places that are not included here; a general rule is to do them as they open up. I would specifically recommend that you do Halamshiral AFTER you go to the Exalted Plains: it makes a lot of the dialogue there redundant. Anyway, do not be afraid to advance the story: it is paced well. Also, I didn't take my LI with me to Halamshiral the first time and I regret it now. You get an additional romance scene if you bring him/her.
[The ending battle is somewhat disappointing, and it's a little easy to lose track of what's going on and why we care toward the very end, but there are some huge twists that make the ending, overall, fantastic.]
-------Combat-------(4.8/5): This is perhaps the most important aspect of the game, and I really love it: the tactical view is awesome for harder encounters or just for when you're feeling nostalgic for an RTS game. I love setting up chokepoints and maximizing efficiency with this camera; it's extremely detailed and intricate. If none of that appeals to you, you don't have to use it; playing in real-time is just as fun, and I do it quite a lot. The real-time combat is more like DA2, and the tactical camera catches the best of DAO and multiplies it by 4. I really, really love how they come together to let you use your abilities.
One of the new features of combat, which really adds a lot of meaning to the RPG term "tank", is the accumulation of something called guard. It's like an extra health bar that must be depleted before you can actually be injured (and yes, enemies can have it as well). How you get guard is not well-explained, imo, but you will find your warriors all get it at higher levels. Certain skill trees have skills dedicated entirely to the accumulation of guard. It is also a property of some (usually unique) equipment, be it a weapon or a piece of armor. Through crafting, it is possible to make armor and weapons with guard-accumulation properties for any class. For example, using Fade-touched obsidian as a masterwork material when crafting light (mage) armors will allow you to accumulate guard every time you hit something. This is EXTREMELY helpful for mages, especially on Nightmare difficulty. EDIT: After playing through the game a few more times, and working in depth with the crafting system, it's, frankly, broken. It is possible to become massively OP by manipulating the accumulation of guard and the specific materials used (which can be farmed normally or via a simple, perhaps intentional glitch). Putting the game on nightmare alleviates this somewhat, and, obviously, not crafting much at all will as well (as in my 1st playthrough).
A similar stat called focus is used for the most powerful specialization abilities (e.g. the Knight-Enchanter's Resurgence spell, as described below). This mechanic can be seen in many games; God of War, Watch Dogs, and GTA V, to name a few, all use a similar system for the usage of unique abilities or increased damage output. It works essentially the same way here. Exactly how it's gathered is, like guard, something of a mystery (to me at least).
Some other random, cool things about combat:
1) Your squadmates all seem to lightly "customize" the armor they wear. With exceptions, an enchanter coat will look totally different on Dorian or Vivienne than it will on your Inquisitor, as will a set of armor put on Cassandra versus Iron Bull. In general, Iron Bull likes to show off his pecs; Cassandra likes to paint Andraste's eye on everything.
2) Crafting is really detailed in this game, so you can make all sorts of weapons and armor and improve the ones you already own, depending on how much time you want to spend in the Undercroft. It is possible to remove the upgrades from any item that you find, but that doesn't mean you can take any one of its special properties and transfer it, unless that ability is tied to the specific upgrade (which is something like a "superior hilt" or a "superior staff blade"). (However, the system is, frankly, broken. See 'combat'.)
3:) There's a total of TEN HIGH DRAGONS for you to kill. I sometimes feel extremely guilty killing dragons, and indeed any creature whose nest I enter uninvited, but the skill it takes to beat them on nightmare and the rewards you get make it extremely, well, rewarding.
4) Finally, there is an option to reset all of your skill points, which imo is a NECESSITY in any RPG.
Some random bad things:
1) healing is largely gone. Other than potions, which are in limited supply, one spell for the Knight-Enchanter (Resurgence), a few other specialization abilities, and a quasi-healing series of spells from the Spirit tree, you just have to wait until you get to a camp to heal. There are a few other healing abilities, but none of these can be directly invoked. I get that this is probably a polarizing issue, but this is where I stand on it. There /is/ a revive spell, but I still miss the days of Wynne saving all our butts against a Broodmother or something equally horrendous, using Spirit Heal, and then dealing damage. Also, I may just be too lazy to figure out how, but lyrium potions and so on don't seem to work as they have in the past. I don't remember DA2 very much, but I remember using them frequently in DAO as part of a strategy to maximize offense or defense, as required by the situation. That is, to continue my earlier example: Wynne, Cast Revive!, Drink lyrium potion!, Cast Spirit Heal!, Now use Glyph of Paralysis! or something like that. And there's another bad thing:
2:) I miss the other types of glyphs! I loved combining two contradictory glyphs and causing widespread paralysis. They were awesome and I want them back! Ice wall, fire wall, etc. are cool...I suppose they fill this spot, perhaps even more effectively, but I find them somewhat less satisfying. There *are* elemental-mine glyphs, but they have somewhat less versatility. Overall, though, the combat is better than in Origins. Magic is more balanced now: in Origins, it was kind of OP. It was almost too weak in DA2, I thought.
3:) EDIT: Prior to my earlier impression, tactics are not fully customizable. Item-use customization is still possible, but abilities-use tactics are not. I apologize for not examining this more carefully before.
-------Music, Voice Acting ------- (4.7/5): Both are superb. I may not like some of the characters as much as I have in previous games, but they are nevertheless very well acted. And go Specialist Traynor for being the voice of the female English Inquisitor! You can choose either an English or American accent. The English accent is close to RP, at least to my ear, whereas the American accent is General American or something like it. I am somewhat disappointed that you can't choose a French accent, but with thousands of lines of dialogue I suppose they have to cap it somewhere.
The music is great, if forgettable. I will always remember the scores from LOTR and Mass Effect, for example. I hum them in the shower all the time (no judging!). However, I can't bring any of the songs (or symphonies or whatever) from DAI to mind at the moment.
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-------Some Things to Know-------
The game has some glitches: it's brand new and huge, after all. Here are some of the ones that I've encountered so far:
Some dialogue fails to progress properly; just press L1 and bring up the potions wheel if this happens. It usually solves the problem. There will probably be a patch for this soon. Similarly, during cinematic cutscenes involving dialogue choices, the wheel will sometimes fail to appear. One work around is the mash "x", which skips one line of dialogue. The more satisfying thing is to simply wait for 2 minutes or so: this way, you don't lose any dialogue. This has happened to me several times: in my first conversation with Dorian at Skyhold, an important conversation between Josephine and a grand cleric, many of the mid-game cut-scenes with the character I mentioned in the spoiler paragraph, and in some other places. Twice, the game crashed to the dashboard. EDIT: After an update, this was fixed in my game. It may persist in others or non-updated copies.
- In Haven and a few other places, the player will occasionally freeze as if in tableau: this passes and does not seem to affect anything. It is somewhat annoying, however. It will be fixed, I am certain; I don't think it's an issue with the hardware.
- Some map icons don't disappear even after you've completed them: Draconology in the Western Approach, for example, or the horse quest in the Hinterlands. Locked door symbols sometimes remain even after you've unlocked the door with the "Deft Hands, Fine Tools" perk. EDIT: After an update, this was fixed in my game. It may persist in others or non-updated copies.
I'm not sure if this is by design, but some of the agents you can get for the Inquisition CAN BE MISSED, permanently it seems. This might hamper your accumulation of perks. The ones I know about (minor spoilers):
1 Bring Solas with you to Crestwood! He will allow you to convince Jana to become an agent of the Inquisition. Otherwise, it seems that she disappears to join the Grey Wardens.
2 Talk to Sky Watcher IMMEDIATELY after completing Lost Sous in The Fallow Mire or he will disappear.
3 Ser Michel in Emprise du Lion is easily missable: talk with him about the creature he hunts before you go anywhere near it.
There are others; I will update this list, too.
-------Conclusion-------
If you like RPGs and especially if you've ever enjoyed anything about the Dragon Age universe, you should BUY THIS GAME. Don't spend your time comparing it to other games: enjoy it for what it is, not for how much better or worse it is than another game. However, I would not at all be surprised if it were GOTY: it's certainly been mine. | video-games_xbox |
Put a pedal to the metal with Forza Motorsport 2. There aren't many racing simulations out for the shooter focused XBox 360, so many racing sim fans are getting anxious for a new one to come out. Well, if you are one of those people and don't already have Forza 2, buy it immediately, because racing simulations don't get much better than this.
Graphics- 6/10. Cars in Forza 2 can look great, beautiful even. With real time damage, and a seemingly unlimited amount of customization to be done on the cars, it's a wonder how all of them look so dang polished. Forza 2 really captures all of the different cars superbly, and every single car is totally recognizable to its real life counterpart, right down to the shine of the paint.
So why give it a 6? Because everything besides the cars are a disappointment The race tracks themselves look O.K., but the grass and what not around them look awful, spectators are one step up from the old cardboard models used on the original XBox, plus the bumpers around the tracks use some really bad textures. Texture work in general is simply not very good on Forza 2. Particle effects aren't up to par, and in general, it is hard to call the graphics anything more than a major disappointment.
Sound- 4/10. Forza 2 features one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard in a video game. The headliner of the songs is "Gone Daddy Gone" by Gnarls Barkley, which appeals to a certain audience, but most of the songs are electronic rock- wait, electronic rock? Huh? Besides the god awful soundtrack, quite a few of the cars sound suspiciously alike, though not so much that you won't be able to tell the difference from a Ferrari and a Honda. All crashes sound a lot alike, and, you guessed it, most of the skidding sounds you will make sound alike.
Forza 2 came out nearly 2 years ago, so the sub-par graphics are to be expected as the ever-changing visuals of the XBox 360 continue to improve. Don't get to discouraged by the bad soundtrack and visuals, because Forza 2 has just so much more to offer in the rest of the game.
Customization- 10/10. This is where Forza 2 really shines, or doesn't shine; it depends on how you play the game. You can upgrade your cars in career mode in a vast array of different ways, though none of it is necessary to win a race, on any level of difficulty. It will make it easier to win, sure, but you can get by on just the standard cars that you can buy, if you aren't the type of player that like to tweak out your ride. If you do want to upgrade you cars, it breaks down to four ways in which you can do this. The first is Engine and Power- Intake and exhaust upgrades reduce restrictions on airflow into and exhaust flow out of the engine. Fuel and ignition upgrades increase fuel flow and provide a hotter spark for more efficient combustion. Turbo and supercharger upgrades force more air in the engine. You can also perform a complete engine swap. Next, there is the Platform and Handling upgrades- by upgrading your car's suspension to lighten and stiffen the chassis, you can improve its handling. Upgrading the suspension, brakes, and transmission, and driveline improve the car's response to driver input. Also, you can upgrade the Tires and Rims- The stock tires on your car limit your track performance, no matter how you tweak you engine or suspension. Upgrading rims and tire compound, size, and profile improves acceleration, cornering, and brake performance. Finally, you can upgrade the Weight and Aerodynamics- Upgrading body components (bumpers, wings, skirts, spoilers, hoods, and so on) can lighten the care, reduce aerodynamic drag, and improve grip by increasing down force. You can also customize a car's appearance to make it your car. There are also three levels of upgrades to choose from- Street, sport, and race upgrades. Street upgrades provide a mild performance increase at a low cost, Sport upgrades provide a medium performance increase at a moderate price, and Race upgrades provide a major performance increase, but come at a major cost. To upgrade cars, you need "credits" that you earn by winning races, but some upgrades will change the class of your car, which can be bad, as the other cars in your new class might be better than your car, making you uncompetitive. The most fun of these upgrades in my opinion, is changing your car's appearance, as there is just so many ways to do this. You might put a decal on the car, change the paint, give it a new spoiler, add vinyl, and so on. You can also use layers to create a custom design, which is complicated to perform, but makes your car awesome. You can gift your custom cars to your friends at any time, so you can have a team design while you race online, or just to show off your new car. I really have found no faults at all in the customization part of Forza 2. The slogan "Fuel your Fantasy" fits this game perfectly, as if you can think it up, you can drive.
Options- 8/10. There is a seemingly unlimited amount of different cars to drive in Forza 2. Over 300 different cars, with 10 different classes from 9 different countries become available to you in the game over time, and it never gets old to rip around the track in a brand new Lamborghini. However, the tracks you are ripping around in do get old, as there are only 12 different environments that are separated into only different tracks. Some of the tracks you will know, like Silverstone, and there are a few good fantasy tracks to race on. There is quite a few different modes to play in, including Arcade, Career, and Multiplayer.
Gameplay- 7/10. Beware; this game has one of the biggest learning curves you will ever have to deal with. No matter what car you are racing with, you WILL crash on your first big turn. You have to crawl around each corner at like 40 miles per hour in your super car, which can be very frustrating. However, it is a racing simulation, so the game is going for reality over fun, and it most definitely is the most realistic racing game you will play this year. Every car takes real-time damage, and you really get into the race when you get side-swiped in your 200,000 dollar car. The A.I. certainly could be better, but they usually won't do anything that will cost them the race.
After you spend an hour or two destroying your cars, you should get the general idea of how to play Forza 2. It comes down to just going slower that you thought you would have to, and the game actually becomes quite un-challenging to play after you get the hang of it. You probably won't do races more than once or twice, and eventually, the monotony of the game could get to you if you aren't really into the options and customization part of the game. The reason you'd want to buy this game is to drive really, really expensive cars that you won't see in real life, if you want to just have a blast driving around, this game is not for you.
Career- 8/10. The career mode serves it's purpose- to expose you to the vast amount of cars and customization to be done with those cars. There is no real story involved in the game, other than the goal of winning all of you races to be the best driver you can be. The cars you get, and ultimately the amount of fun you will have comes down to which country you pick to be from, as all the cars that you can buy at a discount in the early stages of the career mode revolve around this choice. A nice touch is that the career mode can be played online with other human drivers, to gain credits to buy new cars and customize them. You'll spend most of your time in Career while playing Forza 2, and with the amount different options you have while in it (as previously stated), it's no wonder why this is one of the elite racing games for the XBox 360. This gets an 8 from me, because as with everything in Forza 2, things can get boring if you aren't a real car enthusiast, and this mode will certainly not be fun for everyone.
Multiplayer/XBox Live- 9/10. Multiplayer has a little something to offer everyone in Forza Motorsport 2. You can race players on a split screen, use a system link to connect up to eight XBox 360s on a LAN, or play one of the varies modes over XBox Live. While in XBox Live, you can participate in the standard Exhibition race, play in a Tournament, Gift a Car to a friend, buy or sell a car over the online auction house, or even watch Forza Motorsport TV. The Exhibition race is self explanatory- race against 8 other players, whether they be random, or your friends. The tournament mode is great fun, and the basic synopsis is as follows- Players race in groups of eight based on qualifying times. The top four in each group advance to the next round until a driver wins. For each completed round, you win credits, which you can apply later in the career. The auction house is my favorite part of Forza 2, as you can essentially trade a car in that you no longer want for a car you are just dying to have. Things work just like you might expect, you search the data base for the car you want, place a bid, and if you have the highest bid when things are said and done, the car is yours. You can also start an auction as so people will bid on your car. Forza TV is an interesting concept, which probably looked better on paper than it does in the game. Forza Motorsport TV has multiple channels that allow you to watch the "hottest action", and give you updates to what's going on in the world of Forza. They pick which races are broadcasted by the racers ranks, so unless you are one of the top players in the world, you probably won't be on the network. I guess it turns out that it is more fun to play video games than to watch them. Go figure. In summary, the multiplayer is great fun, and will always give you something to do.
Forza 2 is the epitome of realism in a game. If you want to feel what it is like to drive the world's finest cars, you will have a blast with this game. If you want to just have a good time racing around, this game is not for you. If that is the case, I'd recommend Burnout: Paradise, it is much easier to just pick up and play. If you're up for the challenge, and love cars, go ahead and stop reading my review, drive to the store, and buy this game. If you aren't so sure, it is at least worth playing at a friends or renting, to see if you can get into it. I'm going to give it a 8.9/10, making Forza 2 the best racing game for the XBox 360 in my opinion. | video-games_xbox |
Good, cheap recharge pack. Some tips bellow. First, about this battery pack - seems like it's a good quality, the exact form factor as the original MS recharge packs so they fit without any problems in the controller and in the recharge station. They charge relatively fast, 4-5 hours in the charger and each battery lasts for at least 15 hours of intense use (playing Borderlands 2 right now so, there's a lot of button pushing here). I usually just leave them charging overnight when the ring on the controller starts blinking.
I go through a lot of battery packs (or recharge packs, how they are called sometimes) for my Xbox 360 controllers. I like to play co-op with my friends and siblings so, the demand on the batteries is high.
Here's a few observations that you might find helpful:
1. No matter what batteries you buy, they will work for you pretty much the same - the technology inside is almost identical. They will last you about 2-3 years of casual use and about a year + if you are a serious gamer. So, aim for spending under $10 per single rechargeable battery brick - this way it's cheaper than using AA batteries.
2. The battery's quality you receive might vary, I found (this is not a comment on this brand - both batteries I got work beautifully; this is just a general observation). Don't worry if you received a dud. If you are buying them from Amazon, you are covered - simply fill in the online form and send it back for a replacement. Zero cost to you if you do it fast.
3. Sometimes a battery might appear dead but it isn't. You can try and revive it. This is not my method, I found it somewhere long time ago, but I did find it helpful on a few occasions:
Tools: Paper clips and pliers.
Bend several paper clips into a horseshoe shape.
Please make sure the pins on the battery pack are not oxidized - clean them with rubbing alcohol or scratch them gently with a sharp knife.
There are 6 pins on the brick, you'll need to use pins 2 and 5 from left to right to completely discharge the battery. Hold the bent paper clip in pliers and touch these pins. Important: The clip will get hot so try not to touch it with your hands! As soon as the clip heats up, change it for a different clip you prepared and repeat the process until the clips stop heating up. This would mean that the power is discharged.
You now need to reset the battery indicator circuit. First, touch together with the paper clip pins 1 and 5; then touch together pins 2 and 6. BTW, since you discharged the battery, you don't need to use pliers anymore.
It's done - plug it into a charger and see if it works. While it's not a guaranteed method to revive 100% of the batteries, it does work at least on some of the batteries that otherwise show no sign of life. Give it a try - if it works, you just got yourself an extension on buying a new battery. | video-games_xbox |
Disappointed Halo Fan. This is for single player only. I really like the first Halo, and still play it often, but I find Halo 2 to be a disappointment. The game is way too short, I finished it in only a few hours. At first I thought I had only completed one level, but much to my surprise it was the whole game. They also ruined some of my favorite weapons. The needler, one of my favorites, is now practically useless. Never had a need for, or an opportunity to really use the sniper rifle, another favorite. The Banshee controls have been made way too difficult to use. I really enjoyed using the Banshee in the first game, but flying one in this game is a pain. Banshees also cannot hover or hold position, another pain. The play is also limited as far as where you can go and do, you don't have the same room to move around as in the first game. I was shocked to change from the master chief to a covenant part way through the game. This really destroys the whole game purpose, Earth against Covenant. I really have no interest in the Covenant side of the story, and feel the long Covenant story lines waste valuable fighting time. I was also disappointed in the levels of play, as the most difficult level is easier than in the original Halo. And the ending is a joke, as it happens practically in mid-battle. I also don't like that there are too many female characters. There are so many female voices you can barely tell which one is cortana, which effectively eliminates her character from the game. You simply don't have the one-on-one interaction with cortana that made the first game so compelling. The first time I played this game I kept expecting more, but it never came. Overall the game has excellent graphics, is entertaining, and is worth buying. But after playing in through a few times I have lost interest. Whereas I still play the original, which after a year or so is still fun. I sort of wonder if the game programmers got caught up in the hype from Halo and forgot premis of the first, thinking a wild story line and better graphics are more important than substance. This game is not really worth $50, I would wait to buy until prices come down. | video-games_xbox |
OMG Fantastic. All the people complaining about the linearity of the game need to stop. They have no idea just how much design and production really costs, and if Square tried to satisfy everyone, not only would we never actually see another FF game again (they would never leave production), but Square would go bankrupt trying to satisfy everyone. I'm a designer with designer friends and friends who make video games for a living and they all say the same thing; quit complaining and enjoy. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Now, that being said, the plot is classic Final Fantasy, the graphics are beautiful and the controls are old school FF with a new school twist. Trust me, play the early games for Nintendo and you'll see what I mean. Honestly, I love the twist. I wish the battles gave you money, but you can't win them all. I'm only a few hours into it, and while the plot is so slow to get moving, I can't help but stare at the other two discs in the case and smile. That is the beauty of the FF series, they take their time with the plot and character development. They build up the plot, you start off doing one thing and wind up doing something completely different. It's a beautiful style that's been working quite nicely for Square all these years.
I can't really say much about the absense of the world map, mostly because I'm patient enough to wait for it to happen (Remember FF7? Took 7 hours of game play before we reached the world map, didn't it?). And just from reading the booklet that came with the game I can tell you that there are side quests (honestly, am I the only one that reads the manuals? I can't be).
All in all, it's a pretty amazing game all things considered, we have stellar graphics, Yoshitaka Amano graphics no less, gorgeous music, an interesting cast, and a nice conflict. All we need are a guy named Cid and some moogles and we'll be in business. But like I said, I'm patient, and I have faith that their coming.
This game is nothing short of a feat of engineering, and an excellent story at that. Do I wish some things had a little more meat to it? Yes. But I also respect Square's bottom line, and I can appreciate the shear amount of work that goes into creating something like this. So go ahead, get the game. It's a beautiful story with lovely characters, just be a little patient and you'll be more than satisfied. | video-games_xbox |
Say goodbye to your controller. I cannot recommend this game to anybody (unless I want to see that person throw a fit). The only thing this game has going for it is its visuals. That's why I gave it a 2 instead of 1. The music is lousy and was so repetitive I had to turn the music volume way down just to keep from getting a headache. The story is as wierd as any other Japaneese anime of late. This game had the worst controls I have ever come across for the XBOX and that includes "Grabbed by the Ghoules". Even if only properly used the controllers took a lot of physical abuse in this game. This is because an often used move (thrust) essential to the game's play has been assigned to the left stick depression with no possibility of remapping. The problem with the thrust being were it is is that it HAS to be combined with a directional move to even work. Directions are also controlled with the left stick. So for example a basic move would be; push left stick in, hold it down, and move forward. That would give a forward thrust (rather than just a forward walk). Sounds simple enough on paper, but when you are forced to moved about the game like this for hours on end (thrusting quickly takes over walking) it gets to your thumbs as well as your controller I am sure. I would fail a thrust move often just becasuse it is physically awkward to perform (not just because I run out of thrust fuel). During those times I would fail to push in the stick hard enough to initiate that thrust. To add insult to injury this game doesn't end with just basic thrusts. To invoke more powerful moves from your character series of thrust moves have to be performed one after another without any break in combinations. One mistake and you start all over. To achive a "heightened" state from within your character 25 uninterrupted thrust moves have to be performed. Uninterrupted means that you cannot get hit by enemy shots or touch the ground. This is really hard to do in game considering the small amount of thrust fuel at your disposal. Throw in the aformentioned controls and it borders on impossible. | video-games_xbox |
Whether in Book, Movie, or Game Format--'Jurassic Park' Rocks. Who knew that Gerry Harding, the vet from the first `Jurassic Park' movie, had a story to tell that wasn't covered in the movie, that he had a problem-child daughter named Jess with him on the island at the time? Who knew that a female mercenary named Nima was sent to find Nedry and retrieve the embryos he stole? Who knew there was another brilliant scientist besides Dr. Wu, named Dr. Sorkins, who had her own base elsewhere on the island with motives that didn't meet eye to eye with John Hammond? Who knew that they would all get stranded on the island together right after the main protagonists of the first movie had taken their chopper ride to the mainland? Who knew that a band of mercenaries right after that were sent to rescue the remaining survivors, adding to the group of people that must band together to escape the island alive? And who knew that in this game story, we would be engaged in a brand new kick-ass adventure where we journey through and explore brand new places and dinosaurs never explored before?
I had heard this game had received a lot of flak--for the life of me, I can't imagine why.
Is it because it's more of a puzzle game than it is a shooting or action game? I was actually prepared for that, having played Telltale's game for `Back to the Future' just prior, which for some reason received far more positive reviews. There is, however, a big difference between the two games. In `Back to the Future', it doesn't matter what choices you make or how long before you make them, there's no real danger to anything. `Jurassic Park' is different. If you don't hit the right keys, in the right patterns, with the right timing, you could and will get killed, and in many various ways. Some moments are so tough that it even took me as many as five to seven times before I could finally get through a scene. But the more times you die and the longer it takes you to get through a scene, the more your score drops. You can always eventually make it through, but you do still get scored for your game play.
Playing the game feels very much like an interactive movie. If this were just a computer-animated movie you were watching, you could still have a fun ride. But as a game, I can take my time through the scenes, and get to explore my surroundings, immersing me in the 'Jurassic Park' world. As a game, the intensity raises by that much, because you feel that much closer to the dangers. And as a game, you feel that much closer to the characters, and you actually wish as many as possible or even all of you survive to the end, or that none of them resort to betrayal. Still, I won't say which one, but as an interesting change in pace this is one `Jurassic Park' story where a woman character dies for the first time.
What else can I say to get people interested in this game? Well, it definitely helps if you're a `Jurassic Park' fan to begin with. Visually, it all looks beautiful, and the dinosaurs themselves look like they stepped right off of the original movie screen. It goes without saying both the T-Rex and the Raptors are just as cool as they ever were before, while at the same time giving all the other featured dinosaurs their own moments to shine. On the downside we don't get to see the gentle Brachiosaurus, but on the upside we get more Dilophosaurus action (especially since all we got from before was one Dilo in one scene in one movie). The action scenes are intense, the interactivity making it more so. The music is just as beautiful as it was before. The story totally worked, in some ways unexpected and intriguing, not to mention the characters. And of course, we get scenes like the monorail ride and the marine facility that only Telltale could imagine for us!
The only complaint I personally have about this game is that once it was over, it was over. The game and its story may have been just long enough, but I almost wish they thought of a way to expand everything more so it wouldn't conclude when it did. Still, one can hope, and I certainly am hoping, that Telltale will concoct a sequel. Me and my money will definitely be there. | video-games_xbox |
Halo 3 is not for the single folk. I've played all the Halo's and have been a strong supporter of Bungie since day one. But let's not get ourselves fooled here: This game is not for those that want a breathe taking single player campaign that will last them a life time. The first Halo had a pretty solid single player campaign, and most people expected them to create some amazing campaigns in the following Halos. This is the problem with peoples expectations. If you have not noticed the amount of people on XBox Live, especially playing Halo 3, you will notice that about 80% (roughly) of those who purchased Halo 3 are playing it online one day or another. Bungie did not want to pour their entire resources into the single player campaign simply because the target audience is those who wish to play online. However, the Campaign becomes tenfold more enjoyable once you invite three of your friends into a co-op legendary game on live. Tell me what FPS allow you to play co-op single player campaign online with friends? Tell me how many allow you to play with THREE friends?
With that said Bungie has put out probably the best online FPS on any console. Yes Resistances and PD0 have more players, but when it comes to variety, stability and overall fun Halo 3 does not disappoint. The new weapons are a blast to play with, and overall the game is a lot more balanced then Halo 2 was. Halo 3 reigns supreme in multi player once again, and the statistics will show that for a long time to come.
A lot of people are also complaining about graphical polish. I think a lot of people tend to forget that Halo 2 is backwards compatible and they need to compare the graphics between that and this. The graphics are greatly improved and are only topped on the 360 by Gears of War.
The sound is perfect. The Halo series always had a tight soundtrack and this is no exception. You will be seeking out the Halo soundtrack to purchase once you hear the new tunes while chugging through the campaign. The Marines also breath a lot of life into the game with the wonderfully sarcastic and humorous dialogue . Hell even the grunts have a lot of new lines that will make you want to double take what you just heard.
There are also some new features in Halo 3 that were not in the previous games. I will briefly detail those bellow.
In addition there is also the ability to "forge" maps, adding in new elements and making old maps fresh again with weapons, vehicles and even road blocks and the like. The Forge is a unique tool that allows you to edit and re-create any map you wish. You can even dictate where players spawn!
Another addition in Halo 3 is the theater. You can record, take screenshots, or just watch your entire matchs over again. Remember that night you killed twenty people in a row without dying? Well, now you can relive that experience, record it, and share it with all your friends over Xbox live. By having the ability to watch your matches you can seriously have your own version of "Halo TV" and watch all the best matches, as well as find out your weakness and what you need to work on.
With all the great things in Halo 3, there is need for a improvement. If theres one thing Bungie should have addressed before releasing this game it would be the maps. While the multi player FPS experience is the best out there, the maps do get a bit old. Halo 2 combined with the multi player map pack has twice the maps Halo 3 currently has. I'm sure Bungie will address this down the road, but for now you will be mastering the maps in no time.
Overall this is the best Halo game to date. It's two key weak points are Single Player and lack of maps. One will be addressed with new maps, and the other will never be addressed. But who bought this game just to play the single player campaign? Not many, and those who are looking forward to the single player campaign are better off renting it. For those who enjoy multi player, whether It's system link or over XBox live, the replay value is infinite and undoubtedly will suck up most of your time on the 360. | video-games_xbox |
Simple but Fun. When it comes to games based on a movie series, things are typically hit-or-miss. Star Wars games tend to work better because the lore lends itself to great things, but it also takes a solidly built game to be worthwhile despite subject matter. Battlefront is a game the combines good subject matter with a solid but not great game mechanic.
There really isn't a plot or story to this game, which is fine. Clearly is wasn't built with that intention as it loosely follows how the six movies flow, using the story as just a backdrop with which to guide the gameplay.
The different game modes address most needs, with a 1v1 mode making players compete for control of the galaxy, an instant action mode to allow for quick, simple battles, and that's basically it. The second game would try to build on this to have a few successes but really add little to the table.
The gameplay is purported to be like two armies facing each other, but, in practice, it's you versus an army. A cursory glance at the statistics screen at the end of each battle shows that the player will eliminate somewhere between 40-60 enemies and the rank-and-file CPU will get less than ten. Maybe that's just realism, but, if you don't take the helm in each engagement, you'll be bound to lose. Instead of getting the feeling that you're a small part of a big army, it feels the other way around.
That said, it still feels nice to have so many people around. I'll walk into random rooms and see mini-fights going on, and that adds to the feeling of being on a battlefield. The AI's tend to be a little liberal with grenades, but this never became too much of an issue for me. The different classes do add some depth to the game, but you could easily just play as the basic infantry unit and not miss a thing. Sniping can be fun, but it's not easy. The anti-vehicle units feel pretty useless considering that vehicles don't really play into the gameplay. The game makes a big deal about the presence of AT-ATs in the battle at Hoth, but that's just a small part of the whole.
This is a game that does offer lots of replay value, and the situations you run into change somewhat frequently, so I would definitely recommend this to anyone. If you own an original XBox, it's more than worth it. | video-games_xbox |
The Ghost's are back, LOCK 'N LOAD. I'm going to start my reveiw of by saying this: I have not played the first Ghost Recon, and I do not own Ghost Recon 2. So this is an information giving reveiw, and not so much of judging. But I am judging by the facts I've heard and read about it, and from the expirience I received when I played the demo in EBgames.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 is a tactical over-the-shoulder military based shooter. But for those who liked the view in the original, or if you just prefer first-person over third-person then there is an option when you pause to switch to either. This game has some of the best graphics I've seen in games this year, and yes I'd say that they compete with Halo 2's graphics. There are 15 single player missions, in witch you have a squad of four ghost's including yourself. When you complete the single player with the AI on your side, try playing Lone Wolf mode where you're by yourself this time around, with some awesome technology at your hands. I'm talking about the new future warrior system that the military is planning on adopting in another few years or so. It has a camera system atached to your gun, witch allows you to see around corners or obstacles without exposing your body. It also has a grenade laucher atached to your gun, so you have alot of firepower to go with that technology. Then when you finally get finished with both of those, you can play one of the many multiplayer modes in the game either on Xbox live, system link, or split screen mode. I loved the fact that this game has split screen because I do not play Xbox live. But even after you finish with all of the multiplayer options, (which I'm sure will take a long time to get tired of since there's over 8 huge multiplayer maps to play all of the dozen's of modes on) there's an option to play co-op with your freinds in the single player mode! So instead of having AI as your team, you can play with humans covering your back. I thought that the co-op feature was an awesome idea, since I play alot at home with my brother. This game is very realistic, and has awesome physics and audio to go along with the terrific graphics. And also there is a hard mode for those veterns out there. But there may be more, that I can't say though since I do not own the game. From what I here it's suposed to have a good story line also since it's a Tom Clancy game. One of the other awesome features is all of the weapons to choose from. There is over 10 main weapons to choose from, all of the rifles with many different combinations. Then you have a standard sidearm, some grenades, and usually a rocket launcher to take out any tanks or other things that you may encounter during your mission. There are four weapon slots that you can fill, one for grenades, one for the rocket laucher or other big misellanous, one for your sidearm, and your main weapon slot for your rifle. You can also take your fallen enemy's weapon's, and substitute them for your main gun. You can also pick your weapons in multiplayer mode. Again I thought that both of these features were good ideas. Well I've tried to cover as much as I can remember, I hope I did pretty good for not owning the game. I will not compare this games fun to Halo 2's fun, because they are not the same kind of game. Halo 2 is a first-person sci-fi shooter. Ghost Recon 2 is an over-the-shoulder realistic military shooter. So really they arn't even in the same classification, so why do so many people compare them? You can't say one is offically better than the other, but you can state an oppinion. But since so many reviewer's state there oppinions like they are facts, you don't really known the truth do you? Well I'm not dissing Halo 2 because I like Halo 2. In fact I took the time to win it over at a friend's house playing co-op, and I enjoyed it very much. But since that's a different game, and this review is for Ghost Recon 2 I won't get any further of target. Well thanks for your time, and I hope this was as helpful and as accurate as I could make it. [...] God bless! | video-games_xbox |
An original game with alot to offer. Let's start from the beginning. As I sat watching the intro of this game, I started rocking out to the great soundtrack. Riding down the road did get a little repetitive, but it had a purpose. This is where you are given the opportunity to select your character. I picked the hunter/sniper because that is definitely what I excel at in these types of games. The van drops of you off at the middle of nowhere and slowly lets you figure things out. I'll be honest, I almost quit the game within the first half an hour because there seemed to be a minor glitch that would not let me progress. Luckily I was having so much fun I decided to restart and it didn't happen again.
As you make your way through the first area, the basics of the game are covered. As with many games of this level of complexity, it can be overwhelming at first. From my recollection, you can master it given enough practice.
Special Skills
These are primarily what distinguish the characters from each other. My character had a hawk he sent around to take out enemies and/or pick up items disguarded on the battlefield. He saved my behind on several occasions. The other characters have special skills as well, but I haven't played as much with them. Perhaps my own flaw/bias, but it is what it is.
Bosses
Of course you need a section on these. Tough is the word that comes to mind. In a few instances I would open the door to the boss room, get a few hits and run out. Yeah, it was that tough! The bird did come in handy, but sometimes my entire arsenal was simply not enough. I'm torn on this point, because at some level I enjoy the challenge, but at what point do you say "enough, I give!" It is a very fine line. Leveling up or getting better weapons was a possible option, but some of the bosses are far off the beaten path and enemies respawn (for better or worse). While this certainly adds a bit of spontaneity to the game, it also became annoying having to clear an area you walked through only 10 minutes before.
Missions
Degree of difficulty varied, with some being ridiculously easy (talk to X) and others harder (take out the flying monster). Some of them were a ton of fun, such as running over a certain number of skags (beasts) with your vehicle. I also liked being able to complete multiple missions at once. It made things less repetitive than they could have been if you needed to return to your source each and every time.
Weapons
Tons and tons! You never know what could turn up and I often found myself wondering what I should keep. It all depends on priorities, I guess. Do you keep the one worth the most, the one with the greatest hit points, the most bullets, rapid fire, etc. Decisions, decisions...
Leveling
Your enemies level up with you! This is not like Final Fantasy or those type of RPGs where you are leaps and bounds beyond all enemies you fought in the beginning. Something that was hard to beat in the beginning will be hard to beat in the end. Possibly not to the same level, but I assure you it won't be a cakewalk. For me this increased the replayability because it keeps you on your toes. Other than the town where you start, there really is no safe zone. In fact, creatures can even follow you there! After beating the game I wasn't sure how things would play out, but I was pleasantly surprised when it starts everything at the beginning with your current level. I figured everything would be a breeze given my domination of the game, and yet I still found myself running for safety at some points.
Negatives
My biggest complaint would be the glitch that almost ruined my experience and the difficulty of some of the bosses. One in particular sticks out where you are fighting in a car. I probably died at least 10 different times before I even came close to beating him.
This game is definitely groundbreaking with its original graphics, areas, and strange cast of characters. | video-games_xbox |
Other gamers must know: an honest review by a casual player. This is a critical, but fair review of Halo 5: Guardians. In this review I won't compare previous versions of the game; Ill just give my honest opinion of my gaming experience.
I was really tempted to give this game more stars than I did. It was a bumpy start in the campaign, but when it took off boy was I impressed. I really appreciated how deep into the halo lore this game went, with a lot of work put into the forerunner and Elite world. However, there a few things that cannot go overlooked and other gamers must know before buying.
Campaign:
The best way to play this game is to not see it as Halo 5 rather simply a branch of Halo by 343. Its not the same epic work as Halo 3, but you can tell the game had hard work put into it.
The campaign sunk me in. Every step of the way after maybe the first and second slow missions, I wanted to play more and enjoy 343s work. However, when it ended, it was clear that the amount of content was not enough. I would gladly give up a bit of quantity for quality in a campaign mode but the time I spent on the campaign without rushing anything was just too short, and when it ended, you feel like you got away too easily on completing your great mission, which was a shame because I was motivated with the direction the game was taking. Sometimes you're just in a part of the mission where you know you could get squished like a bug, but the antagonist lets you live just for kicks thats just not good writing. It felt like I was able to keep going just for the sake of the game continuing the game, and I gotta say that detached me from my pleasant flow. However, the music, the action, and the decently developed encounters along the way kept me satisfied, and let me enjoy the challenge ahead.
Multiplayer:
So after diving into the campaign, and finishing the story in a short few days, it was time to play what everyone in the reviews of practically every website praise about this game its multiplayer. More specifically, the playlist called Warzone, which felt a lot like a mix of Titanfall, Call of Duty and Halo all in one game mode.
Warzone was quite a bit of fun. It made me want to experiment every weapon, keep on playing to earn packs which is how you earn stuff like armor and weapons and keep on practicing my team player skills. However, it really was not longer than a weekend of playing that made me realize this game has very, VERY poor matchmaking. Im not talking about the matchmaking where you get put into a noob team every now and then because, well, its only fair to do so. Im talking about a matchmaking system that really throws you off from playing Warzone and thats the only playlist Ive taken the time to explore so far on my casual play schedule.
To put it simply Sure, you can always try to make the best out of the fact you're getting wrecked. But you have to spend your power weapon cards to even have a chance to take back some snowballing defeats, which is something you DONT want to do when you're getting smashed because you don't want to waste them. In a situation like this youll just get quickly killed by a team using strategy, and find yourself mad that you dropped a rare weapon you bought several packs to get.
This happens quite a lot and its frustrating to be constantly matched against a team that will end with a score of 1,000 to your meager 250, that basically controls the entire match. This isn't really a bad thing if you plan to play with a sizeable group of friends, because strategy makes a game a very fun challenge. In fact, this game mode is GREAT if you have people willing to strategize with you, or are of the same skill level as the opponent. Close matches are the best. However, you run into far too many games where you get slaughtered and want to leave. The matchmaking system is simply too poor for casual players that want to log in and have fun grabbing objectives without a group.
Overall:
Im going to keep giving this game a shot. I have run into a lot of good experiences playing Halo 5, but I really hope that I find a decent crew to play with me regularly after work or on the weekends, because thats the only way Ill truly progress in Warzone. I also look forward to exploring the other playlists. There is a neat series called The Fall of Reach I got with my limited edition CD, and its an interesting watch. Its nothing big, just a brief animated series that is still releasing episodes. Im overall satisfied with my purchase; I just wasn't expecting this lack of appeal to casual players. | video-games_xbox |
Massive Success. Having bought this game very near its release I thought it only fair to give it a rating for those who are interested in buying it. My rating, as you can see, is the max in both areas - 5 stars. And this is for very good reason!
Mass Effect 1 (ME1) was a great game, with a whole new universe and background, as well as a compelling story and characters. It was a great Bioware game - but it was not perfect. Issues that plagued the game included a confusing and annoying inventory system, buggy sound (for me at least), repetitive exploration and vehicle missions, and a lackluster plot.
I am happy to say that in all those areas Mass Effect 2 (ME2) has made considerable improvements.
- The game looks great. They are crisp and clear, and every environment is different. No more cloned base/starship/mine missions, every single one is different. The characters are very well portrayed, and the lighting is much better this time.
- The game sounds great. Having Shepard fully voiced was a great idea in ME1, and it works again here. Both Jennifer Hale and Mark Meers puts in great performances as female and male Shepard respectively. Other famous talents such as Seth Green, Martin Sheen and Carrie Anne Moss also great a wonderful atmosphere.
- The game functions great. The complex and annoying inventory and skill systems from ME1 have been ditched for something much more useable. This does indeed mean that the game shifts genres from a full RPG to a RPG/Third Person Shooter, but this is a good thing. I have seen people complain that there are few RP elements in this game, and that the outcome is hard to change. This is true - but it was also true with KOTOR and ME1 as well! No Bioware RPG is fully sandbox, it is mostly linear, but this is a good thing to my mind. Indeed, being able to play on after the game is finished is also a good thing.
- The game flows great. While the enemy in ME2 is not as good as I'd have hoped, it is better then ME1. Also, there are some moments that just take your breath away. The end of the game is just pure gold, and beautifully paced. It thus avoids the KOTOR2 problems of a lackluster ending.
Overall, ME2 is different from the original, no denying it. It's not perfect either. The mineral scanning is tiresome, and some missions are overly finicky, and some skills and classes are clearly less strong then others. However, these minor drawbacks should not disguise the fact that ME2 is a great game, and well recommended. | video-games_xbox |
Bare Boned Clone Of Greater RTS's. Halo Wars attempted to emulate other popular Real Time Strategy Franchises like Command & Conquer and Warcraft. However,they failed to A great extent and this game is more of A appeasement for Halo Fans to give them some variety. Really I believe the only saving grace is the Storyline and cut scenes which are the best in the Halo Franchise especially to all the Halo Fans who follow the Novels. The voice Acting is well done as well and the new cast of characters will fit in right away with Halo Lore.
Though it's not A terrible game by any estimation,it's limitation and frequent glitches make it clear that this game suffered due to the lack of real insight into RTS's and the Developer's constant in fighting and and eventual closing. Let's start out with the frequent glitches and bugs that pop up. In one instance I was maneuvering A Scorpion Tank to retreat out of A Convinent installation and the Tank got stuck and no amount of maneuvering would not save it. My game also froze as I destroyed A Covinent Base installation. Now to my main complaint-Lack of well...everything! I'm A big C&C fan always have been and I'm use to A lot of different variety of Units and Building. If you're expecting to see any of this in this game look somewhere else! You'll won't find it and yeah sure some people might point out that HW has new DLC (Downloadable Content),I counter that DLC is suppose to me added to enhance Game play not add things that should have been there in the first place! So,yeah you have A handful of unit types the entire game until you have the ability to play as the Covinent and even then with them you still have only a handful of unit types with them. The Buildings are extremely limited and you have to build them in a very regimented small area like A complex-type place. Also,with the units you have you have merely A fraction that you had with C&C.So,if you enjoy having less troops this game's for you I guess personally the more the better. The maps too are extremely small and are really bland & uninteresting.
I'm NOT ragging on Halo as A Franchise,I am saying that it's really hard for any Developer to create A really enduring RTS game and for the first try they have it mostly on track. But the lack of unit types and crushing restrictions on Troops along with many MANY in game Bugs prevents any sort of chance of Halo Wars for standing out by itself at all. Nice try,but no cigar guys maybe Halo Wars 2 will address these problems,but until then this games in terms of being A solid RTS have not been fulfilled. To bad too it could have been A really fun and engaging game too... | video-games_xbox |
Disappointing. UPDATE: August 10, 2014
Darin from InsideSimRacing published his full video review today. Watch it here: http://www.isrtv.com/reviews/mad-catz-pro-racing-force-feedback-wheel-review/
He has similar views on the same major points that I mentioned. Interestingly, it seems that his wheel had NO vibration at all. Changing the vibration amount in Forza 5 seemed to have no affect for him. In the wheel I recieved, changing this setting had a very obvious affect... varying levels of noise/grinding. Makes me wonder if vibration motor is actually working on the wheel that Darin got...
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I normally don't write reviews, but I felt that this wheel warranted some comments. Hopefully this helps some people make their own decision. I pre-ordered this through Amazon and received my wheel on August 1st.
I had high hopes for this Mad Catz wheel given the reported quality issues with the Thrustmaster TX and the fact that Fanatec hasn't yet stepped up with an Xbox One compatible wheel. To the point where I've been holding off on buying the TX in favor of what the Mad Catz looked to deliver on paper. Unfortunately, I don't think this wheel hit the mark for the price point they are demanding.
Initial impressions were pretty good. The wheel base is small but has a decent weight to it. I hard mounted it to my Playseat Challenge after fighting a bit to get the holes to line up.
The wheel rim is a bit on the small side for my taste, but quality seems good in general (buttons on the rim face feel a little cheap though). I'm on the fence with the suede covering... It doesn't give the premium appearance that I think it was meant to. I would probably prefer something more leather/rubber like.
I really like the adjustability and feel of the pedals, even though they are largely made of plastic. I was able to dial them in to be perfectly comfortable in my setup.
So far, so good for the most part. Until I hooked it all up and fired up Forza 5, that's when some of the issues started to surface...
The wheel did an initial calibration by itself by automatically turning from lock to lock then back to center. I noticed right away that the wheel rim ended up being slightly right of center. Maybe about 5 degrees.
Turning the wheel very slowly, I could definitely feel the notchy-ness of the helical gears. The feeling was sort of like the scroll wheel on a mouse but more granular. Turns out I'm not too fond of that feeling... So maybe wheels with helical gears are not my thing...
Getting into the game, it was immediately apparent how noisy this wheel is. The vibration when shifting gears / hitting rumble strips / rubbing other cars is quite loud. I'm not entirely sure if this is by design (if so, bad design IMO), or a defect in the particular wheel that I got. To me, it sounds like the vibration motor is rattling around, or the cam lobe is hitting some plastic inside or something to that effect. Whatever the cause, it's quite loud and I have no interest in cracking it open to find out why. From the limited reviews online for this wheel, this seems to be a common issue. I dialed the vibration down to 25% in Forza 5 and that makes it audibly more bearable.
The force feedback of this wheel is ok, I guess, but definitely on the weak side. I have it all the way up to 100% in-game and feel it could be stronger for my liking.
On the plus side, while there is a physical switch on the wheel to select DOR (270 and 900 degrees only), you can also set this in Forza 5 to any value between 270 and 900 in 30 degree increments. Just set the on-wheel switch to 900 and set whatever value you want in the game settings. Of course, changing this setting in-game is less convenient than a physical switch/button (i.e., as with the Thrustmaster TX), but at least you're not locked to just two DOR settings.
Aside from the issues with the wheel itself, the pedals feel quite good during gameplay. The heavier spring on the brake pedal is nice and both pedals are responsive.
The last major downside, in my opinion, is there are currently no PC drivers for this wheel. While a driver might be released by Mad Catz in the future, there is no indication from them if/when this will be available. To me, that's a pretty big price tag for a one-trick pony. Even their direct competition, the Thrustmaster TX, has PC drivers...
The marketing for this wheel claims "Quieter, stronger, next-gen force feedback..." I have to wonder what their benchmark was for those claims. Bluntly put, this wheel is neither quiet, nor strong.
To sum it all up, my experience with this wheel was rather disappointing after all the delays and hype. Ultimately, there should be no excuse for that at this price point. So this wheel is going back. I will give the Thrustmaster TX a shot and hope that I get a good copy. | video-games_xbox |
Alan Wake Review. I purchased a "full download" card from another vendor, but it's pretty much the same thing. This card does not contain the two episodes "The Signal" and the "The Writer" that were released as DLC. A "new" physical copy of the same game will have a download code for "The Signal." I deducted a star because I hate when publishers piecemeal their games to increase profits, and the main game now costs less than the two extra chapters (sometimes individually).
This game is a third person shooter with a few platforming elements. The controls are loose, which make the platforming elements more challenging than they should be. There are 3 modes of play: Normal, Hard and Nightmare. Unfortunately, Nightmare is locked until one play-through is completed. I found that to be annoying, because I like to play on the hardest level the first time through, then revisit the game later (with help guides) to go back and search for collectibles. I'd recommend skipping the "Hard" mode on your first playthrough...otherwise you'll likely end up playing this game 3 times to obtain all the achievements. I want to note that there are many collectibles that can only be obtained once...so you can't ever really experience the "full" game again when you purchase it as a download. With a physical copy you can create a new profile and play the game again from the beginning with everything included, which to me makes the physical copy superior.
The story is okay. There are times the story events don't seem to make any sense, especially if you look at the story as being "realistic/plausible." Also, there are some gaming/story sequences that are just too slow developing and can not be skipped. This standing around type of stuff really got on my nerves in successive play-throughs. I'd consider this game to be very similar in structure to Tomb Raider, but Tomb Raider is a much better game with a better story in my opinion. | video-games_xbox |
A deal so good you can't beat it with a stick. My dad used to always have a saying: "That deal's so good you can't beat it with a stick!" (He's kind of old school) What it meant was no matter where you went, you weren't going to find another deal to beat that one. Well, that's about as fitting as a description for this bundle. This bundle at MSRP is $399, which is still a steal for what you get and I will do some of the math to show you just what you're getting with this. First off, this was on sale during Black Friday and Holiday Specials at around $349 at most retailers but I managed to get one at my local Exchange Store on base for about $299 due to a special promotion they had going on. For that price, I got an amazing deal but really anything less than $399 retail is still a great deal. What your getting with this bundle: a Xbox One 1TB Console w/ one controller ($399 value), Gears of War Ultimate Edition game ($40), Rare Replay game ($30) and Ori and The Blind Forest Digital Download game ($15). That alone adds up to $485 value for the console and all the games alone. To add to the value, if you purchase the bundle and play Gears of War Ultimate for a limited time (which unfortunately I believe as of this writing, ended Dec. 31), you also get the complete Gears of War backwards compat library (Gears of War 1, 2, 3 and Judgment) as digital download in form of redemption codes which cost $15, $20. $20 and $20 respectively to make a total of $75. So if you purchased this bundle and played the game before the end of 2015, that total value of all included items goes up to $560. There is no bundle for any console (to include the PS4 Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection) that beats this one in terms of value when it comes to what you get for what you pay. As for the hardware and performance of the console itself, I haven't had any major performance issues and it is very quiet when playing games. This is coming from a person who has PS4 as well and both are enclosed within an entertainment center shelf with closed cabinet doors (I have twin toddlers who get into everything). In comparison, when I get to gaming for extended times the PS4 does get quite loud when the fans kick on full speed (which happens often). However, the Xbox One in comparison never gets very loud, even under load and during extended hours of gaming. You will also need that 1TB hard drive as the games content has to be put on the drive in addition to the disc being in the drive during game play. The downer of this is that the games content has to download and install to the drive, so your game won't be ready to play right away. This is mitigated by not needing all the content to be installed to drive before you can start the game and when it has enough installed you get a "Ready to Start" prompt on the UI. Also, according to the Xbox One FAQ you can install disc-based games offline in the event your internet is down or if you have a slower connection. I now have my Xbox One hooked up to straight to LAN on my fiber optic connection so it's much less wait time, but when I first started my console it was hooked up to a slower Wifi connection upstairs and I had to wait overnight before I could play my games, so something to be aware of if that's a deal breaker for you.
Now, you could go on and on about how this game version is superior on this or that platform or renders at this resolution or plays at that frame rate when it comes to cross-platform games but anyone who knows anything about gaming knows that a console or platform is only as good as it's exclusives. Amazing exclusives are known as "system sellers", which basically are games that are so good that you or the buyer have to have that game and will buy said platform or console just to play that game. Well, I am pleasantly surprised to say, Microsoft has several really great games that are exclusive to their console (2 of which come with this bundle): Gears of War Ultimate, Master Chief Collection, Halo 5, Rise of The Tomb Raider (timed exclusive), Rare Replay, Killer Instinct and Sunset Overdrive (among others). They also have some great titles that aren't platform exclusive but are exclusive console-wise as well: such as Ori and The Blind Forest (included in this bundle) and Titanfall, which are available on PC but if you don't have or can't afford to shell out that much on a gaming laptop or desktop are great games in their own right. With the recently Xbox 360 backwards compatibility on Xbox One, that list of great exclusives grows even more with titles such as: Gears of War Trilogy, Halo Reach, Fable II & III, and Skate 3 (coming soon). This list has been growing more and more each month and really adds to the content you have access to enjoy. Better yet, if you owned the digital or physical games from prior Xbox 360 ownership you can play them again without having to buy your games again (are you listening, Sony?). Also, I am happy to report that backwards compatibility works and plays, for the most part, flawlessly! I have already gotten several Xbox 360 backwards compat titles either through Games With Gold (which is a great value BTW) or purchased some digital titles. The only thing that's a pain is there's no links or access to digital backwards compat titles directly in the Xbox One store within the console app and UI, so to access either free GWG titles or purchase digital download titles you have to do so through a web browser in the Xbox marketplace site. It's something that detracts from the ease of use factor with the console and something I hope Microsoft fixes in a future firmware update, especially since Microsoft has been touting the whole backwards compatibility feature. However, once you redeem or purchase the content (or if you already owned it prior on Xbox 360), once you fire up your Xbox One or go back into your My games & apps section the games are sitting there in your Ready to Install section. You can then download the games and play them just as you would any other Xbox One game. I have yet to have any issues performance-wise with the playing of any of the Xbox 360 backwards compat games I have played. I read an article saying that Halo Reach was suffering from performance issues on Xbox One, but I can tell you personally that it works just fine and I saw no frame rate issues that make the game unplayable (and I am used to playing PC games at 60 FPS so I can usually tell the difference when frame rate dips significantly). The only thing I believe Microsoft is currently really lacking when it comes to their library (either native or backwards compat) is a good assortment of Japanese RPGs (only one I know of as of now is Final Fantasy Type-0 HD), which PS4 currently has the most available to play. I hope Microsoft changes this, whether it be securing more exclusive JRPGs or porting more of the several really good Xbox 360 ones to the backwards compatibility library.
Another neat feature I want to mention as it isn't exclusive to Xbox One, but is definitely more accessible (and affordable) to this console is the game streaming feature on any Windows 10 device that meets or exceeds the minimum specifications (which is pretty meager requirements if you look it up). Now, owning a PS4 and PS Vita and PS TV (I know, I have too many big boy toys) I can say, yes PS4 does have game streaming and PS4 Link. However, with PS4 you have to buy another piece of hardware (either phone, tablet or console) and it has to be a Sony proprietary device. Also, other than the Vita TV and PS4 both hooked up to LAN, the results are often less than optimal even with a high-speed network. Also, some of the other Sony devices (other than the Vita TV) can get pretty pricey (starting at $199 and up) just to enjoy game streaming on a second screen. The difference is you can access this on any device with Windows 10, whether it be a laptop, a desktop hooked up to another monitor or a tablet with Windows 10. I know you might be thinking, "Wait, but a laptop costs more than the average Sony console!" and while that may be true, most people already own some sort of laptop or computer for casual web browsing already and use it for other things besides game streaming. But if you have Windows 10 the app is already baked into the OS so as long as your laptop or computer has a 1.6GHz CPU, 2GB RAM (which can be had for pretty low price in modern laptops or desktop builds) and has WiFi or LAN cable (recommended) connection, you can stream and record your Xbox One games on your device. You can also connect your Xbox One controller to your Windows 10 computer via micro-USB and it will just work (you can also use a wireless Xinput controller for most games as well FYI). I have tried this feature while my wife or kids watch streaming video on the main TV while hooked up to LAN and overall this feature works great. Noticed a couple minor slowdowns or occasional little screen tears here and there, but nothing unplayable or that detracted from the overall game experience. It's another really cool feature that adds to the overall experience and allows the TV to be freed up for other things if you have a family or roommates you share your TV with, but still want to game. Overall, having owned pretty much every console that's currently out, I will say that Microsoft has definitely stepped it up this year with adding features, games and contents for their customers with the Xbox One and I would definitely recommend this bundle to anyone on the fence about whether to purchase this console, as there's lots to be had and enjoyed here. | video-games_xbox |
I have never watched him play but I have watched myself play AS him. Ahhh Tiger Woods, I have never watched him play but I have watched myself play AS him. My grandfather and I started playing this game in 97 I think. The game has gotten a lot bigger and a lot better looking since then. I really like 08 but there are some things I hate. These few things are big enough to bother a lot of people. I will tell you everything I like and everything I did not.
Pros
This game a great looking. While graphics don't mean that much to me, it is still nice to have a good playing game look so great. The controls are very clean. I was worried about the putting because I didn't like 06 mainly for the putting controls. They put back the line showing you how the ball will go. Putting will take a little bit to get used to but when you do it will be very easy and you will probably like it a lot more than 07. There are a lot of different things to do in this game. I have not even gotten to do them all yet. I have been spending time playing the career mode. It is very fun and actually challenging when you first start playing with the player you make. If you liked previous Tiger woods games, you will more than likely enjoy this years as well. You may even like this game if you did not like the ones before it. This game also has a new thing called Photo Game Face. This is a really cool new thing that allows you to take a picture of your face in front and side view, then you upload the pictures to the internet. EA Sports World dot com. You then download the picture onto your Xbox 360 and put it on a golfer. After this is done you can make your golfer look however you want. You can change the body size and shape., the hair, the clothes and everything else. It makes doing well with your character that much better being you. You can make like 10 characters. You can not play with them all during the same game which is something I will talk about later in the cons. As I said I have not done everything on this game yet but being as the first thing I did was this much fun I can only guess the rest will be just as fun.
Cons
Now for the few things I did not like about the game. Again these few things bothered me enough to almost make me sell the game. First let me talk about making this game personal. Well there are a lot of things you can do to make it just the way you like it. For example you can change the swing or the stance of your golfer. The big thing I like to change is the controls. I can not, for the life of me, use the left analog stick to hit. I have been using the right stick since I can remember. Now your probably saying "well how is this a con?" The problem is that you can only change any and all of the personal things, when your online! This isn't bad at all for me because I have a wireless adapter and a wireless router in my home. The problem with this though is my grandfather has fiber optic. I have not been able to set up a connection at his house. I think I finally got it working one day but then he (who has always used the left analog stick as compared to my using the right) had to use the right stick. Since I had my character set up to use the right. Everyone that played with me at his house, had to use the control scheme I set for my own golfer. This made it hard for my grandfather and uncle to enjoy or even play the game. Don't let this miss lead you. They can make there own golfer and set up the controls which ever way they choose but there is only one way to do so. They must play with there own character. As you read before in my pros, you can set up more than one golfer. You can not play with more than one at the same time however. The only way for each person to play with there own, personal, self made character. Is for each person to have there own xbox live account. My uncle wouldn't pay for it because he doesn't own an xbox. My grandfather is retired and likes to save his and my grandmothers money for important things. So unless all the people who wish to make the game personal, and play together with you, wish to pay 50 dollars for an online account. They can not make the game the way they want. It is like you buy the game, but unless you buy xbox live your just renting it. This reminded me of the iPhone and AT&T. Apple makes you use them even though they are like the loest ranked service around. When I found this out it made me so angry. Now even if he picks his golfer from the roster that is in the game. I have to either struggle to play with a control scheme I have never been able to do, or if somehow I finally get online and can get the controls the way I like. He has to play with my control scheme. Which he can not do.
So what it all comes down to is this. Tiger woods is a great game in many important ways. I is a blast to play and seeing your character build up his stats and get better makes you feel great. The online factor is very fun and it makes you feel good winning against another person. But there are things that should be looked at before the next Woods game is released. The way I see it is. If you have already payed for xbox live. You should be able to have as many people play with you at a time as you wish. Let Microsoft not let anyone play online whom doesn't have there own xbox live account. But don't stop people from playing with there friends and family in there own home. | video-games_xbox |
You don't need an engineering degree to play this game. ...But it helps. First off this is the best racing game on the market to date. If you're like me and you thoroughly enjoyed Gran Turismo 3 and were thoroughly disappointed by GT 4, this is the game GT 4 should have been. As soon as I popped this into my disc tray I couldn't stop playing it until I had finished Career mode. Upon completion of Career mode I thought I was done and put this game on the shelf. When I popped it back in a few months later I discovered online racing and the online auction house.
Online racing: this is the game's forte. You can always outsmart the in game AI, but racing other people online is a true challenge. If you REALLY want to be put to shame, then sign up for an online tournament. If you thought you were a good driver, this will show you that there is always someone better. Also check out the online leader boards for each class and each track. If you want to work your way to the top this has replay-ability written all over it.
Modifications and tuning: this is where an engineering degree can be useful. This game is all about balance. If your car has more horsepower than it can handle you'll just smoke your tires and not be able to brake and corner. If you focus solely on suspension and brakes you'll get passed in the straights. Then comes the tuning: this is where the engineering degree comes in handy. You can spend HOURS tuning your car. Forza 2 really rewards those who spend a lot of time tuning. Make one small adjustment, and then run several laps to see how it affects your time.
Damage: this is what sets it apart from the crowd. This really forces you to drive just like in real life. You can gently nudge other cars occasionally, but other than that contact with walls and other cars can drastically affect your car's ability to drive. Of course if you'd rather the game not be so challenging, you can always change damage from "simulation" to "limited" or even "cosmetic". Forza 2 allows you to make the racing as difficult or as easy as you prefer.
Customization: You can modify the outside of your car just as much as the inside. Not only can you add spoilers and body kits, you can also add an array of shapes to make any design you can think of. Then you can sell it in the online auction house. Finally I can get my ebay fix without spending real money.
If you want a game that's a constant quest to improve your car and improve your driving skills, this is the game for you. I can't think of a single flaw with this game. My only complaint is that Forza 2 makes me want to get a racing wheel, because that would be a lot smoother than driving with analog sticks. This is the serious racer that Xbox 360 needed.
Edit: After months of playing online I finally found a flaw: other people. Just like driving on the highway, there are always idiots who drive way too slow and those who drive way too fast, both of which seem to change lanes without little to no room to do so. In one weekend of online tournaments I met both extremes. My first encounter was with a guy who would do anything to disable my car in order to beat me. As I passed him the first time on a straight he performed a PIT maneuver on me (youtube: PIT maneuver). Being the better driver I caught up to him and passed him again this time he slammed into the back of me at full speed as I slowed down for the last turn of the lap. I passed him again and he rear ended me again.
Later that weekend I met the other extreme: someone who raced clean and was intolerant of any touching whatsoever. I didn't realize he felt that way until the third race when I blocked him from passing and he hit me anyway. He immediately left the race and sent me a message demanding I drive clean from now on. Forza 2 is still a great game, but some people take it way too seriously.
If you want a racing game that doesn't take itself way too seriously, then check out Juiced 2: HIN. It is the total opposite of Forza 2. Where Forza is all about handling and never losing traction, Juiced rewards you for power sliding through turns. Where the car physics in Forza are painfully realistic, Juiced is comically unrealistic. Where Forza has an online auction house, Juiced has pink slip races and drift contests. Unfortunately where Forza has a strong online community, Juiced has very few players online at a given time.
The bottom line: Forza 2 is a great game, but just like in real life other people can ruin your fun. | video-games_xbox |
3rd times a charm 9/10. This is the 3rd version I've bought of K.I.
You can get the game itself free (But, you'll only get to play as 1 free character each month)
If you only have season one Combo Breaker/1st Season (Base version of K.I.)
This is a true must have/upgrade
You'll get The complete Season 1-3 w/ all extras including
The original Arcade ports of Killer Instinct 1+2 (Each game has 1000 Achievements)
Plus a hard copy/ psychical CD soundtrack of K.I. which is awesome
This is worth the upgrade even if you have season II of Killer Instinct
But, only if you can get it on sale for $30.00 or less
Then by all means get it
Just make sure you have a good amount of space on your HD or a second portable hard drive connected to your XBox One console
Takes less then 15minutes to update and store on HD
Controls: Balanced with a little learning curve (If you were lucky enough to play the original two games in Arcades
You'll understand that statement
It's a cross between a button masher fighting game like DOA with elements of Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter
The game is much deeper then it's given credit for
Audio impressive all around K.I. always had a far Superior large then life sound/music
From the over the top announcer screaming to the guitar riffs (It's a true product of the 1990's)
Still to this day this is by far the best sounding fighting game on the 8th Generation hardware
have a HQ Home Theater hooked to your console and decode in DTS 5.1
10x's better then being in a real Arcade
You know the people behind the game understand how good the music is when they add a extra CD soundtrack to this set
If you want calm relaxing sound go elsewhere
Graphics: Impressive it's a 2D fighting cranked up to 11
The game has had a number of patches and updates and it seems to only get better every patch/update
For all the Graphic Wh@res that love to jerk-off to 60FPS and Ultra 4K
This game comes close it's stunning and every sec. you play looks fantastic
This is one of the best looking exclusive Microsoft games but, Microsoft hardly ever pushes it or even talk about it
Shocking!
If you have a XBox One S (Then you should have a Ultra HD TV) the game is upconverted and looks 2-5x's better then running on a HD1080p tv
I'd go as far as saying this is the best looking fighting game of the Eight Generation
Once again if you grew up during the 1980's-1990's you'll fully understand
What a massive jump this series has gone from Original Arcade up to this point in 2016/2017
Overall this is a true must have game to add to any collection
It's only real negative has been the shady way The studio has allowed various versions to be released
This is the version consumers should have gotten from the jump
There has been (3) different version in less then 4 years that's beyond shady and crocked
But, Publisher and Studios take advantage of Parents and kids all the time
That's what this eighth generation has been as a whole
A massive con w/ plenty of smoke, mirrors, and lies
Like i said before wait until it's on sale for $29.99 or less then jump on it
9/10 | video-games_xbox |
A Review in Progress. Mass Effect 2 is a lot different than Mass Effect, but the game is still one of my favorites.
1. More Characters: In Mass Effect 2 you have the following characters, assuming you have the downloadable content: Zaeed, Garrus, Grunt, Miranda, Jack, Legion, Jacob, Kasumi, Thane, Mordin, Morinth/Samara, and my favorite Tali'Zorah vas Neema. This totals 12 characters compared to the 6 you get in Mass Effect which are: Ashley, Kaiden, Garrus, Liara, Urdnot, and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya(same Tali in both).
2. No weapon customization: This was a HUGE disappointment to me as I loved making different customizable weapons in the first one. This one had very cookie cutter weapons you get like a total of 10-15 weapons TOPS. 2 machine guns, 2 shotguns, 2 or 3 pistols, 2 sub machine guns, and 5 or 6 heavy weapons. The first game you got tons of weapons you could get a pistol and equip it with poison ammo, or a shotgun and equip it with a recoil reducer, but this one you get the weapon and no mods, instead you get a weapon ability which you can upgrade when you level up, or you can improve your character, which actually brings me to the next point.
3. Less Character customization:In Mass Effect you have something like 128 different points that are required to max out a character, and you will only obtain a total of like 95 points, this leaves you know where near a fully maxed out character. In Mass Effect 2 you have closer to 25 points needed to max and you can get 24. This means my character is nearly fully upgraded by the end of the game. And most of the skills seem to be weapon upgrades, and not true character upgrades.
4. Now you need ammo: I mean really WTF!? In Mass Effect you had a gun that would eventually overheat, but now you can run out of ammo, isn't Mass Effect 2 set up after Mass Effect, doesn't technology progress and not degress? I had a machine gun in Mass Effect that could literally fire an unlimited supply of bullets.
5. You need fuel in Mass Effect 2: Now I need fuel to fly around the different places, again wtf? I didn't need this in Mass Effect, why now?
6. This one is much more linear than Mass Effect: You can go explore, but there are less places to explore, even the planets you can land on are just follow the path laid out for you. What happened to here is a planet, see if you can find everything.
All in all this is a very good game if you can just get over the differences in the 2 games. | video-games_xbox |
The Way Games Should Be. I just finished LA Noire on the Xbox 360 and I decided to come on here and immediately give a review. First off, ignore the one and two star reviews. They're ridiculous. This game is by no means a one or two star game. I think the problem that many people had was they expected a game like Grand Theft Auto and that simply is not what this game is about. This is a thinking man's game with plenty of action. Yes, there are shootouts. Yes, there are firefights inside buildings. Yes, there are car chases. But there are also crimes scenes. Looking for clues. Examining bodies. Interviewing suspects and witnesses. The action is put in for a reason, not just because they want to give the player something to shoot at.
Like the title says, this game is the way games should be made. It has a captivating story to it. It's about investigating crimes the way they used to do it in the 40's. Back then they didn't have DNA evidence. They solved crimes through real police work.
Let me tell you a little about the game, without giving too much away. You get to play a detective. You go from being a traffic detective, solving hit and run cases, to a homicide detective, where you get to track down a serial killer, to a vice detective where you get to investigate drug deaths, to an arson detective. In each of these sub-stories, there's a larger story that it adds a piece to until the very end. As you're traveling to your destination, many times you'll hear over the radio that an officer is requesting assistance and you get the choice to go and help them or continue on with the main story. Now these side stories tend to be action oriented, like a bank robbery or a hostage situation. So like I said, there's plenty of action in the game, it's just not Grand Theft Auto and I'm thankful for that because it would have ruined the game.
When you're interviewing people, you get the choice to either believe them (truth), try to get more information out of them if you think they're not being truthful (doubt) or accuse them of lying if you have a piece of evidence that directly contradicts what they're saying (lie). You can help make your choice based on what the character does, such as not making eye contact or fidgeting. Now let me tell you, there are some good liars in this game who will look you straight in the eye and lie to you.. You really need to be on top of things to be successful at this. It sounds easy but it's not.
If you're the type of person who likes a good story and likes to be immersed into the character that you're playing, this is the game for you. If you just want to shoot stuff and don't care about the story, you might like this game but you'd probably be happier with another Halo game.
Also, I don't know where people are getting that this game is too short. I looked at my stats and around the end of the game, I was already on 22 hours of pure gameplay. It's not a short game and I got everything I paid for it. If you're a more mature gamer, I think you will appreciate this game and I could not recommend it enough. Buy the game! | video-games_xbox |
The New XBOX 360 Slim. Ok well first off, I would like to say that the NEW XBOX 360 Slim is a way better looking XBOX 360 than any other! It's black, chromed, (glossed) (gives off reflection) and it has a sweet textured fan openings on the sides. The XBOX 360 Slim is a curved shape XBOX on the middle sides. This XBOX 360 is also a 250 GB (Giga-Bytes) hard-drive which is SWEET! There are SO many things you can do with a memory amount of 250 GB! For people who already have an XBOX 360 hard-drive, you have 2 options.
1) If you have access to XBL, (XBOX LIVE) you can recover your account and re-download EVERYTHING again which is a MAJOR pain.
2) Get a hard-drive transfer data system to transfer ALL your hard-drive data to the new 250GB Hard Drive. These are the time limits it will take to transfer all your data:
If you have a 20GB hard-drive, the estimated time to transfer ALL your data is LESS than 2 hours depending how much data you used! EX) If you used 20GB (ALL) of memory, it will take 2 hours or maybe less.
If you have a 60GB hard-drive, the estimated time to transfer ALL your data is less than 6 hours depending how much data you used! EX) If you used 60GB (ALL) of memory, it will take 6 hours or maybe less.
If you have a 120GB hard-drive, the estimated time to transfer ALL your data is less than 12 hours depending how much data you used! EX) If you used 120GB (ALL) of memory, it will take 12 hours or maybe less.
If you have a 250GB hard-drive, the estimated time to transfer ALL your data is less than 25 hours depending how much data you used! EX) If you used 250GB (ALL) of memory, it will take 25 hours or maybe less.
OTHER EXAMPLES
If you have a 120GB hard-drive and you used 20GB of the memory, it will take 2 hours or less.
If you have a 60 GB hard-drive and you used 10GB of the memory, it will take 1 hour or less.
If you have a 250 GB hard-drive and you used 45GB or the memory, it will take about 4.5 hours or less.
The new XBOX 360 also smaller than the regular XBOX 360 Arcade, PRO, Elite, and other editions. It also has a built in WiFi hard-ware unlike other XBOX 360's. The XBOX Dashboard of the new XBOX 360 Slim is the same thing as a regular XBOX 360. (Any Edition) The gameplay will be the same no matter what. The New XBOX 360 Slim is also whisper silent unlike other XBOX 360's which make a lot of sound when they are turned on! (Haha Get it) OK so no more jokes! Also if you are an HD die-hard like me, DON'T think the new XBOX 360 Slim comes with HD components or an HDMI cable. Also the XBOX 360 Slim DOES NOT have games to come with. The new XBOX has a Black XBOX 360 controller like the XBOX 360 Elite. Unlike the Elite's controller, this one has a silky, shiny, and chromed silver XBOX Guide button in the middle of the controller. (THE BIG GREEN X BUTTON) Also the XBOX 360 Slim comes with a black wired microphone for XBL (XBOX LIVE) chat. The new XBOX 360 Slim has a 1 Year Warranty. Also the new XBOX 360 Slim DOES scratch disks if you move the XBOX 360 Slim up and down or tilt it and this counts for EVERY other XBOX 360's too!
That is all for you. This new slim version of the XBOX 360 is amazing and its worth the price. The retail price is $299.99 like the regular XBOX 360 Pro. I give the Slim XBOX 360 4/5 rating. That is all the facts for this product. Thank you for reading and have a nice day. | video-games_xbox |
Truly facinating. This is truly a facinating game. I was never really into racing games until I saw the trailer for Burnout 2. As the other reviews have mentioned the incredible crash mode and crash physics, however, no one has mentioned mutliplayer (split screen) pursuit mode (similar to that in Driver 2). This mode adds another twist to the game, instead of just racing to see who finishes first, it's all about trying to ram the other person's car on a high speed chase before they "get away" (reach the finish line). This mode of course has to be unlocked by completing certain objectives/races (Pursuit 3) in the game. Aside from the awesome graphics, game play, great contols, and phenominal cars available in this game, the custom soundtrack is the icing on the cake.
I recommend this game to anyone who is looking for a fast and fun racing game. If you are looking for a "driving" with "open" ended maps and various modes/features other than just racing from point A to point B, then this is not the game for you, you may want to consider Midtown Madness 3 (which will be my next purchase).
I only gave this game 4 stars due to some very minor glitches and flaws, I have listed them below:
Sometimes you will run full speed into another vehicle but won't crash, you will only "bump" the other vehicle.
When causing a Log truck to crash the logs stay on the truck and don't roll off, even though the big rig jack-knifes.
Same with the oil rigs, they will crash but no explosion, even in the midst of all the sparks and collisions from other vehicles crashing into the truck.
The game has a replay of each race, pursuit, or crash, but does not offer the option to save the replay, or rewind/fast-forward, or replay in slow motion.
For those of you who have Xbox Live and want to race against other XBL gamers online this is not the game for you. Burnout 2 only offers online scoreboards no online play.
If all these things were fixed in Burnout 3, then the game would be perfect. | video-games_xbox |
Way too overhyped. I used to like this game alot. Now that I don't like it anymore, I find it quite unusual how people worship it. There was alot of hype over this game when it came out, and it's probably the only reason why Xbox sales were doing so well back then. I've pretty much gone back to playing PC games and my Xbox has been collecting alot of dust lately. Actually, the reason why I hate this game now is because of my friends. They used to make fun of Halo, then somehow, the demonic entity known as Halo took over their minds, their bodies, and their souls. We played everyday. They took it way too seriously and I can't stand playing Halo with them anymore. I began to notice some bad things about Halo:
-Everything about the game is way too childish. You play an invincible godlike character who just can't die thanks to his recharging shield and the powerups laying all over the place. The aliens are wimpy and cheesy. Plus there's an alien race that rips off John Carpentar's The Thing!!!!!!!
-Most of the game levels look the same! There were some variety, but not enough.
-Weapon names are too obvious. Quotes from people playing: "Oh, I'm really good with the SNIPER RIFLE!" "SHOTGUNS are good when you want to fight somebody up close!" "You use the PISTOL way too much!"
-Vehicles were invincible. At least, the warthog and the tank was. How come most of the alien vehicles could be destroyed?
There's alot of other things I could say about Halo. I believe there was too much hype when the game was just like any other first person shooter. What really destroyed Halo was when it was released for Xbox instead of for PC like it was intended too so it could boost Xbox sales. The game probably never even reached it's full potential thanks to the Xbox. The game doesn't even looked finished.
The plot has way too much hope in it. Even though the human race is being annihilated by an alien race known as the Covenant, everything is hopeful because of the god you play as. At least with Half-Life, there was almost no hope because there was aliens as well as soldiers trying to kill you.
Halo could have been a great game, but Xbox ruined it. PC version is not any better either. | video-games_xbox |
Take notes, Gran Turismo. THIS is how to make a racer. After playing Gran Turismo 5 (which was a disappointment to me), I decided to try the Forza series of racers next. What did I get?
The best racing experience I have ever played.
Forza does everything right that GT5 doesn't, and then some. The main thing that annoyed me in GT was it's AWFUL menu system. Forza's menus allow you to just cut to the chase and get right on the racetrack. After a brief "tutorial" in a Ferrari, the game sets you off with a starting car of your choice, and you are tasked (by the great Jimmy Clarkson of Top Gear) to progress through the ranks and drive. The inclusion of Mr. Clarkson really adds a lot of personality into a game that really has no backstory or anything to it.
The real star of the masterpiece is (obviously) the driving, which caters to almost all driving audiences, from arcade-y Need for Speed players to the hardest of hardcore driving simulators, thanks to its highly customizable difficulty settings. The game encourages you to turn off as many driving assists (which range from braking and traction assists to transmission), as you are rewarded more credits for using less of them. I really like this, as it encourages you to remove your training wheels and become better at the game. The rewind feature (which allows you to literally rewind the race and retry hard parts of the race) returns, and it is amazing how helpful it can be to people experimenting with higher difficulty settings.
Also worth mentioning is the amazing roster of cars, which all feel unique and incredibly detailed (something Gran Turismo lacked). The roster ranges from antiques to today's super cars. I applaud Turn 10 for taking the time to actually pour in as much effort into making the low end cars look as good as some of the higher end ones.
I've played this game almost every day for at least an hour after work for the past two weeks and I'm still not done with the world tour (campaign). With an amazing roster, incredible driving and detail, and being insanely addictive, Forza 4 takes the crown for best racer on the 360, if not one of the best ones out there. | video-games_xbox |
Underrated Game. I think everyone should give this a try. I have no idea why people are complaining about the look of this game. The cutscenes in this game are some of the best I've ever seen in terms of visual. Actually, I can not name a single other game that had a single cutscene more visually impressive that [Prototype]'s opening. I remember as a kid, I used to have Ninja Gaiden for the NES and used to watch that opening cutscene hudred's of times (And speaking with several other gamers I'm not the only one). This game has an opening scene just as "epic" for it's time.
Now the graphics in game are not shoddy by any means. Watching New York City from a skyscraper is amazing. So detailed...this game is just gorgeous. I've played almost every "Big" Game for the xbox360, and this game is just so visually impressive.
PROS
+ The game is gorgeous. Visuals are just amazing.
+ Controls are pretty easy to pick up, and there are a TON of moves to do, however it's not too much to confuse you.
+ Difficulty: Now, this might be a con to some of us... I've gotta mention that this is one of the hardest games I've ever had to play. There are 3 modes (Easy, Normal and Hard. You unlock Hard mode after beating Normal difficulty), and doing it on Normal was very hard. This game is so fast paced, you need to think on the fly, and one tiny mistake can and probably will lead you into death.
Cons
- Campaign: The story is a bit confusing, and it doesn't really all make too much sense until you capture all the memories. The Protagonist; Alex Mercer, has some sort of Amnesia, and to recover from it, he kills certain people and "consumes" them, to unlock a memory.
- No Multiplayer: There is absolutly no multiplayer on this game. No co-op, no matchmaking, nada, zip, zilch, nada. Just like Batman:Arkham Asylum, if you play this game you will understand why there is no multiplayer...I can't imagine what type of multiplayer could be done for this. However it is 2010 now, it's something the general public "expects" nowadays.
The achievements aren't that difficult with prior planning. It's not too easy, and it's definitly not impossible. This is a game where if you max it out, kudos shall be given. Some of the harder achievements require you to beat the game without dying, beating the game on hard, getting a platinum on all events (These are like...mini-games, where how well you do gets you a medal; platinum being the highest). Definitly an obtainable 1000, but you might break a controller or two.
This game has almost no flaws. Had the story been better, this game would be considered one of the best games of the year. This game also has no multiplayer as mentioned above. So, due to the fact that there is no MP, is there any replay value? This game is a lot of fun, I personally love moving around the city, running around, jumping, gliding, etc...After you beat the story, and get the achievements you want, there is little replay value to this. It's a fun title that I feel everyone should play at least once, but with all the games out there with addictive MP, this won't stay in your Xbox/PS3 for too long. | video-games_xbox |
A GTA rip-off that is better than GTA itself. Ever since GTAIII came out for the PS2 a few years ago, there have been countless rip-offs that people want to burn, except it would be waste of wood. Well, after years of sad attempts to conquer the gang-bangin' leader of controversial video games, GTA now has a worthy competitor, Saint's Row, for the Xbox 360.
Like most stories of this genre, you live in this gang corrupted city named Stillwater. Three major gangs own parts of the city, they're the Vice Kings, West Side Rollerz, and Los Carnales (remember its not THE Los Carnales), and a smaller gang called the 3rd Street Saints (>GASP<). This where you come in. You are later save by the Saints and join them in thier unrelenting quest to take the wor...I mean...city.
Let me break it down for you.
The Good-Full character creation and customization. You can be muscular, good lookin', and have a full set of hair, or fat, ugly, and in serious need of a toupee. Use money you earn to buy 100s of clothes and acceseries (or a facial and hair cut!). Sorry, no bikes, motor cycles, boats, planes or choppers, just cars. But they make it up to you by allowing you to fully chop down any vehical you find and build it to your perspective (if you got the cash). Barely any glitches at all, mabey a few now and them only if you play non-stop for 7 hours (unlike GTA). Terrific graphics, everything has the smallest details from mailboxes to skyscrapers (characters actually have hands and fingers!(Unlike GTA)). Tons of fun and clever side missions to keep you buisy. Online play, create your own online character and compete in many kinds of modes with friends. Regenerating health and "save anywhere" function. Store as many cars as you want in your garage. If they get destroyed pay $500 at the machanic and your car is as good as new. Replay missions and cut-scenes in the movie theaters around the city.
The Wack-Character only male semi-mute. Area isn't that big or creative. Not the most original or epic story. The "gain respect" system slashes out the realism by using respect to "purchase" new story misions. Some side missions can be very frustrating.
All in all Saint's Row is a very good game. If your into the GTA genre and have a 360, get this game NOW.
Pssst, Rockstar. Take notes | video-games_xbox |
Plenty to Love... With Buckets o' Blood. Truly I had much to look forward to when news of a "Dark Fantasy Epic" under the wing of Bioware had graced my ears. 'Cause hell, who else gave me such convincing characters and dialogues to enrich such vast stories already? Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect were no small feets of organization and voice acting, thus I would be occupied for long sessions, ones that perhaps weren't spaced apart by any 'healthy' standard.
Then I grasped this game before even the slightest price drop. And so today, having seen a $20 plummet since my purchase two weeks ago, do I feel cheated? Not one bit, I don't.
As many positive reviewers would dispel any meaningless libel based solely on visuals, I will too. Surely I feel tricked into thinking I'm playing on a previous generation console (I still own a PS2, after all), but if you were to tell me Bioware had intentionally taken a step back in graphical power, I'd likely believe it. Remembering nearly a decade ago as I played Dark Sun: Shattered Lands in a similar quest to unite a scattered land for war, playing Dragon Age: Origins gave me a heaping dose of nostalgia through both plot and visuals. I'd nearly say this game makes me feel young again, but it'd be a sad proclamation coming from a 23-year-old. Point being, this game is still a beauty, and at least no detail in environment and architecture was spared.
Still I had felt only slightly let down as I spent my first three or four hours in game. The pieces were scattered about, so much to collect and learn (and holy bejeepers, what a ton of lore it has!) that it felt overwhelming to a point of 'mocking' me. It wasn't until collecting my more permanent party members and stepping into the shoes of a true "(Wo)Man on a Mission" that the utter fascination wouldn't stay out of my dreams, much less allow me to retire by my usual bedtime.
Aside from your character's choice in personal relations with collected party members, you have the joy of listening in on the lovely scuffles and sarcasms between the rest of them whilst exploring. Dialogue is very well-done and convincing, and I daresay it's largely the abundance of humor and likable characters that keep me from considering this the "dark" fantasy Bioware would have me believe - besides some warm/hopeful music and lack of permanent 'gloom, doom and despair' psychology. Sure, the story isn't sunshine and rainbows, by any means, and the choices made within could certainly plummet the mood more. But in the long run you still have a cast of people ready and willing to laugh and love, coupled with the drive toward a triumphant victory at its end.
But don't count me as a Negative Nancy. Even with the obvious technical bunks I've found and some mishaps in presentation (as far as my last paragraph is concerned), Dragon Age: Origins is a wonderful experience, one that rather often gave me a sense of accomplishment - and even pride! - with my ability to dramatically change elements in the plot. Oh, the 6 'Origin' stories won't even give you a minor glimpse of the whole expansive nature, trust me. And when it's all said and done, I picked up a new race, gender and Origin story the very same night of my first completion. Eight cumulative hours later, the variations haven't left me bored yet.
Yes, this is a great game, perhaps even 'Awesome' in its most literal sense (awe-inspiring), and I wouldn't dare take back the $20 price-cut if the Bioware senior directors themselves offered it to me.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a female dwarf ex-noble warrior to nurture... | video-games_xbox |
MGS: Substance rocks. Will you guys quit with comparing MGS to Splinter Cell?! The only resembance if the fact that they are both stealth based games with male main characters. That is pretty much where it ends. One is Japanese, the other North American... That in itself should indicate the differences. It's like trying to compare Final Fantasy to Baldurs Gate. There are too many differences and not enough resemblances to make an accurate comparison. Nevertheless...
-> Graphics (8 out of 10)
The graphics do have some strong weaknesses, and strengths. Overall, they look fine. Nothing spectacular however. Being a PS2 port, many of the textures look fine from a distance, but look horrid from up close. Had the game been developped for the Xbox, the game would not suffer from this issue. However, this is easily overlooked once you get into the game. However, the custscenes (prerendered ones that is), look amazingly juicy, which is the reason I had given graphics a 8 out of 10, and not 7.
-> Sound (9 out of 10)
I find that the only time you really notice sound is it if sucks. In this case, I cannot say that it does. The voice overs are great, and there is plenty of dialog to listen to. The background music fits the scenes fine, and the sound effects do sound accurate.
-> Controls (6 out of 10)
This is one of the problematic parts of the game, altho easy to get used to. I have never played the PS2 version, but I do imagine the controls would fit a PS2 controller better than an xbox one. The game would suffer less if you could customize the controls, rather than choosing from 1 of 4 configurations. An other problem if have with the controls is the static camera. Altho 95% of the time, there are absolutely no problem with them, there are times where the camera does pose some type of challenge trying to maneuver, or see enemies/obstacles. But again, this is easily overlooked once you are used to it, and know how to rectify/avoid the situations. I do wish that you would be able to move around in first person view, and would not have been much more work to impliment this. however, I do beleive the feature was left out purposely so that the game would not become a first person shooter rather than a stealth/action game.
-> Story (8 out of 10)
As with the previous MGS, the game is a storytelling masterpeice, altho again it does suffer some weaknesses as well. The story is great, and drives the whole game smoothly.
---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---
Many people did not care for the fact that you play as Raiden for most of the game. As a matter of fact, I did enjoy it. He can be a little whiney at times, but that is how he was created, and is an important part of the story. What I did not care about is the ending, where everyone goes "I fooled you", then someone else goes "Hah hah! No, I fooled you", and then yet an other person says the same, over and over a couple times, and Raiden STILL goes along with the Pariots plot. I would have rather see him site with Solidus Snake and gone with the Sons of Liberty plan.
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If you were to total all of the cutscenes, it would far outlast an average movie, and that is not counting the last 2 hours of play, which are mostly cutscene. And this is an other small issue I have with the same. Altho I love long cutscenes greatly (lets me catch up on my nicotine), the ones at the end of the game are just too long. Other than that, the story is superb!
All in all, this if one of the best games I have ever played. And altho I do beleive it has a few shortcomings, there strenghts of the game far, far, far outweight the negatives, and makes it a truly enjoyable, and unique game. | video-games_xbox |
Halo 4: A Genre Defining Franchise, Redifined. My first Halo game was Halo 3: ODST. I first played I when a friend came over and showed it to me. I was astounded. I had heard Halo was good, but not this good. Since then I've played Wars, Reach, and the Anniversary Edition. I have to say the best out of those three was Reach. With its stellar campaign and it's chaotic multiplayer, I thought Halo 4 would have a hard time beating it. I was wrong, very, very wrong.
Halo 4 exceeds all expectations and shatters my idea of a good game. It combines the most emotional story of the Halo series, the best graphics that have been seen to this very day, and exciting new changes to multiplayer, to create the best Halo game that I have ever played, heck the best game I've played to date, which Borderlands 2 had the honor of being before. You hear this a lot, but Halo 4 is really Cortana's story. You see, after 7 years an AI becomes rampant. It's been 8. When an AI becomes Rampant, it literally thinks itself to death. So you can imagine how Cortana feels. Your main mission, throughout the story is to get Cortana to Dr. Halsey so she can be fixed. This goes hand-in-hand with defeating the Didact and getting Infinity off of Requeim.
The Promethean enemies are so much fun to fight. I wonder how I stood fighting these Covenant after fighting the Prometheans. The new enemies are tactically smart, and aren't anything like the Covenant. For spoiler related reasons, I will move onto the robust, new multiplayer. Multiplayer is less vehicle based, and more gun based since the guns are now so much more awesome. Each gun has brand new sounds, and some of them look different, too. I love the new sound of the Assault Rifle. Now with all these new Promethean weapons, that are extremely powerful and fun to use, I never use vehicles, and this is coming from a person who loved to drive vehicles. Instead of choosing large, expansive maps, like I would in Reach, I choose small, close up maps.
I hated the guns and loved the vehicles, Halo 4 flipped that around, and it's a very good thing. Now there are Loadouts, which include Primary, and Secondary Weapons, Grenades, and Abilities. Their are plenty new weapons, both Promethean and UNSC to make the formula feel newer. Now there are more Abilities than ever before. The Run ability has been disabled, instead you can run by simply pressing on the joystick. The Armor Lock is gone, too. In fact, the only ones that they still have is Jetpack, invisibility, and the ability in which you make a duplicate. The new multiplayer is a refreshing new turn for the franchise.
This game looks stunning. It feels stunning. Everything about this game is stunning. From its emotional story, to it's groundbreaking multiplayer, Halo 4 is what I dreamt what Halo should be. Looking back at ODST again, I feel like, what was great, is now archaic. 343i has accomplished something no other company could, even Bungie. | video-games_xbox |
The wait is over....sort of. It was a long wait and a lot of extensions to the original release date, but Darkwatch is now readily available on the Xbox platform. How does it live up to the hype? Pretty well.
First of all, this game is in a shooter-genre all of its own. The setting is the Wild West, but with a spin, vampires and undead. If any other games have tried this, I haven't seen them. It really is a refreshing setting and helps to make Darkwatch feel fresh while in reality it is just any other shooter.
As a shooter the game delivers fun gameplay, but nothing stellar, and no real moments that made you say wow - like the dual weild in Halo2 for example. The controls are fluid (as others have mentioned if you are familiar with Halo and Halo2, you will want to use the Cheifton controller configuration right from the get go) but occasionally I found that the charachter just didn't always turn when I told him to, especially when taking damage. This was rare, but odd. In addition, his ability to fan the hammer on his revolver for rapid fire didn't always work by holding the fire button down the first time, and I had to release the button and hold it again. So far, those are the only glitches I've noted.
The maps are actually very small and/or linear and you are limited in where you can run (and thus, your strategy is limited). You have the added ability to lean from side to side, and while I haven't noticed much of a difference using this ability, it could prove helpful. The appearance/mood/setting is very well done, creepy and dark, and mature. Their are corpses and muilated bodies, etc. that push this game into the mature realm.
Now, shooting is the key element of shooters, so on that note, the guns are very, very fun and inventive (but not believable) given the era. You start with a simple revolver but you won't be limited to that for long at all. In the same opening level you get the Redeemer and that is the pistol you will most likely keep throughout the game. While holding an amazing amount of ammo and having rapid fire, the Redeemer also allows you to fan the gun's hammer and thus greatly increase your rate of fire. It is a great way to mow down waves or put rounds into a large target, but it can also eat your ammo and it is difficult to adjust your aim. You will also have the options of dual pistols (fire more lead, but very inaccurate except at close range), a carbine (slow rate of fire, somewhat powerful), shotgun (not really my favorite, only effective at close, close range and slow rate of fire) and Range Rifle (sniper rifle). You will encounter stationary weapons and you can shoot with unlimited ammunition from the back of your horse - undead horse. You can also throw dynamite, and shoot dynamite bolts from a gas powered crossbow. This weapon is fun, great at distances and against groups, but the delayed explosion means that nearby enemies will be on top of you before the dynamite explodes - and you get to blow up with them. All the weapons have a melee attack, and for some, like the crossbow, you may use it more than the primary fire in some instances.
The enemies in Dark Watch all looked amazing to me, and have very good animations - although they are all the same after a short while. They all look creepy and really add to the atomoshere of the game, and are just plain fun to shoot up. Some elements of the world around you respond to gunfire/bashing, but not a lot.
You have some vampiric abilities in Darkwatch, but I found them to be somewhat bland. You earn them by doing good or evil deeds and thus earning good or evil (if you will) powers. The powers are essentially defensive sheilds and buffs to the power you deal with your guns. You have a double-jump that is quite useful from the start, but unlike some other vampire games you don't have a glide, hover, slow fall, or anything of that nature, and you don't have any sensory awareness (radar) to tell you where enemies are - and they will come at you from behind a lot and you won't have any advance notice that they are there. You do have "bloodvision" that turns everything into shades of red and gray and allows you to see the enviroment much subdued and the targets and certain items are easier to make out - they glow pink.
I've completed what I would guess is 50% of the game, not a very long game, but typical for a shooter. I haven't really noted a lot that would make me want to replay the game in full, but I can see myself coming back to it from time to time.
In short, if a Vampire Western theme appeals to you, this game will deliver hours of enjoyment. | video-games_xbox |
My Thoughts on Tomb Raider Anniversary. If you were around to enjoy the original Tomb Raider, playing this game is like meeting a girl you thought was hot in junior high, only now you're both in your 30s and she's still just as hot as you remember. As for you, well. The less said, the better.
If you think that's just a questionable metaphor for the character of Lara Croft herself, you may be right, because she does look just as good in this iteration (given today's graphic advances) as we old-timers thought she looked back in '96, triangles and all. I was actually in college when I played the first TR on the PS1, and at the time, I was (along with legions of other gamers and non-gamers alike) smitten with the heroine that helped launch the 3D action-adventure genre. A few increasingly tired sequels...bad movies...and countless 3D action-adventure games later...and the magic was all but gone.
10 years later, this "re-imagining" takes what was great about the original TR (level design, puzzle solving, a great sense of exploration, tight control), and dresses it up in a new coat of paint, adding tweaks here and there for modern sensibilities. It looks a lot better, Lara's got new moves, everything has a bigger sense of scale. Some changes have been made - some for the better, some seemingly for change's sake. Most importantly, the soul - the essence, if you will - of the original TR is here, and that's why I give this game a hearty recommendation. I can think of few other games that deliver a sense of grandeur, danger and giddy pleasure in quite the same way Tomb Raider can when it's firing an all cylinders.
If you're feeling nostalgic, you'll love the developer commentary you can toggle on or off in the option menu, then trigger by activating one of the purple diamonds in the level (they look like the original's save points). If you're a fan, it's pretty interesting to hear Toby Gard, the designer of the original, and Jason Botta, the game director of the new version, go back and forth about the challenges and changes involved with both the original and this remake. If you're the "gotta catch 'em all" type, you'll probably enjoy replaying levels to collect hidden relics and artifacts, finish the time trials (speed runs) and take a run through Croft Manor.
Obviously, as a person who played and enjoyed the original, I'm bringing a lot of mental baggage along. If you're new to the franchise, the experience certainly won't have the same impact, but I suspect you'll still have a grand time anyway. In this day and age of first-person-shooter over-saturation, this game may even come as a breath of fresh air. | video-games_xbox |
Turtle Beach XP500 vs Razer Chimera 5.1. To preface this, I purchased the XP500 as a replacement for my broken Chimera 5.1 headset. I'm going to compare them for the review and contrast with outer reviewers' issues.
To start with: The good:
- Bluetooth: This is great for compatibility with PS3 or XBox 360, but also lets me use them for my phone!! which is a huge plus. The Chimera 5.1's only had wired chat for xbox, no ps3, and to listen to music i had to stream it to my appleTV.
- Removable Mic: I'll probably use this most. I don't use headsets for phone calls and i don't play my xbox all the time. I mostly have headphones to watch TV and listen to music.
- 7.1 Audio: Its good but not really noticeably different than the 5.1 from the Chimera's, the simulated surround is decent in both but still not a "wow" thing.
- Light and comfortable: These things are light, and very comfortable. I can wear them for 16 hours on end.
- Removable batteries: Some other wireless headsets have built in batteries that must be recharged. no bueno for continuous use. These, and the chimera 5.1's, both have removable batteries which is great. I keep energizer AA's and AAA's recharagables near my xbox. On top of that, these have AA instead of AAA (chimera has AAA), so they last 2x as long, around 16 hours stated in advertising is accurate. a little longer if you turn off bluetooth.
- 2.4ghz: Some people don't like this but I do actually. My chimera 5.1's were on 5.8ghz, as is my Wifi (5.8ghz 802.11n) and all my iPhones/iPads/etc. My xbox is wired, and i don't have a house phone. the only source of 2.4ghz interference in my house is my microwave which is far from my TV.
- K.I.S.S. Base Station: Keep It Simple Stupid Base station. The base station isn't fancy designed, has a few simple LED's to denote power, digital input signal status (i like this), and whether its on Dolby digital, PL2, or stereo. Also holds the headset. In contrast, the Razer base station has eq settings, a large unnecessary green LED, no indication of signal input status, weird source swapping settings, etc.
That being said, lets address the "bad".
- Status LED's Blinking constantly: THIS IS TERRIBLY ANNOYING. Both the Power button LED and the Bluetooth LED's blink when on. Watching TV/Movies in the dark is annoying as hell. My solution was electrical tape over the Button/LED, but this isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing.
- Removable Batteries BUT cant charge!: So removable batteries was a plus, but the XP500's do not have any way to charge them. The Chimera 5.1's get a leg up on this because they charge while docking. I must charge the XP500 batteries separately, however they last much longer so this is ok.
- 2.4ghz range: Now, i said this was good due to no interference when i'm watching. However, around obstacles (walls, etc) 2.4ghz has a little less range than the 5.8ghz. Both cut out around walls, but the 5.8 seems to go a bit further. In addition to this, the interference pops are kind of annoying when it cuts in/out, the chimera 5.1 headsets didn't have this issue.
- No Mac software for loading profiles: Not that i plan on using the profiles, but the likelyhood is even more reduced knowign i'll have to reboot to windows to download and install the software to load/test them. These audio profiles are somethign you want to load on your pc then test at your xbox, with a necessity of going back/forth between them. I'm not leaving my Macbook on windows to do this, it seems like way too much of a hassle.
Overall, these are great for use in gaming/tvwatching/music listening. | video-games_xbox |
Different Enough from the Original to Make it Worth Your While with the Same Old CBFD Goodness. As someone who played the original CBFD (Conker's Bad Fur Day to those who don't know) until this game was released on Ye-Olde-N64, I have every single line memorized and quite frequently quote the game like a little dork. Therefore, I was able to make quick judgments about this game right away. Though very skeptical about the changes made, my overall view of this game is a good one.
-GRAPHICS-
Well everyone knows the reason to get this game is the beefed up graphics from the original. I must say that they are very impressive. The poo glistens in the sunlight for crying out loud. That's some fine graphical power. I'm sure this uses the Xbox to its full potential (just like the original did for the N64) as I was able to spot the occasional slow down, never to a horrible extent mind you. However, there are some graphical errors like missing explosions or the occasional no splashing when Conker dives into the water. It kinda makes Conker's line: "Is this the testing department's day off or something" hit a little too close to home. I was also more than a little disappointed to find that characters expressions are less frequent than in the first, though the body language is more predominant. But you can't deny the beauty of this game despite its downsides.
8/10
-SOUND-
This was the nicest surprise for me. I couldn't believe how wonderful, crisp, and clear the voice acting was in comparison to the original. There's no little ringing in the background and there's no muffling of certain characters. Not only have the voices been fixed and the sound effects re-mastered, but the music has been changed as well. It's all still the same basic melody but with better instruments and overall quality. The lava-board racing scene has sweet rocking electric guitar music. Just look at it as a remixed soundtrack. Even the opera singer for the Great Mighty Poo is different and, oddly enough, more baritone and not able to go as high as the previous one. I really didn't have any problems with these basic changes.
However, there are quite a few extreme changes to the censorship. For some odd reason, best known to old Billy the Microsoft King, this game is more censored than the original. There are now no S-words or TW-words left uncensored. This completely changes many things, such as the Great Mighty Poo Song. It is censored with farting noises, which is really cheap and quite stupid. Also, I don't get why they didn't censor the British pronunciation of the S-word, rhymes with "mite." Oh well, it's not too terrible, but it and sometimes too soft music did lower the overall score of what is otherwise terrific sound. The added voice acting was really apparent and stood out from the original Conker's lines and Gregg's original lines for that matter too.
8/10
-GAMEPLAY-
Just like the original, there are two major parts to this that will earn their own scores.
-Single Player-
To tell the truth, there are these little bursts of new content that pop up not very frequently. The rest of the game is almost identical to the first. I will try not to ruin anything when describing the differences. Right off the bat of playing, you'll find that there are more monsters around after an extremely modified training level. Then, not so much is different for a long time. Then during the last part of the game, everything changes and is very different, followed by familiar material only to be replaced with surprising Tediz encounters.
To be completely honest, most of the new changes work but parts of the game were made easier, like the cows. Now the cows all only take one hit. I don't why they made these changes but I think it hurt the constant raise of difficulty that you went through in the original. This means that for a portion of the game, everything is equally as difficult, or easy depending on how you look at it, and then all of a sudden, The Great Mighty Poo doesn't just take one hit. Whoa, where did he come from! I only had to feed him three sweet corns instead of six! So that's definitely a problem.
However, like I said before, many more monsters roam the land and add new challenges to you mastering your combo attack. That's right, you don't just swing a frying pan by pressing B. And some things like being able to move while peeing and crosshairs for throwing knives are almost essential changes. Personally, the ability to move the camera with the right analog stick won it all for me. These are good changes. Personally, I think they could have gotten by without changing any of the gameplay and just giving us camera controls and better graphics. I think the score might have been higher if that were the case.
8/10
-Multiplayer-
So much that is different is still so similar and the reason to buy the original is the same reason to buy this one. That reason is the multiplayer. All the original favorites are not here. No Weasels and no Cavemen. However, there is a very intense and very fun series of battles between the Squirrels and Tediz. One brand spankin' new feature is the class system, which I adore... utterly... You pick between Grunts, Demolishers, Longrangers, Sky Jockeys, Sneekers, and Thermophiles. Each have their own series of weapons, grenades, and specialties. They also have various other differences like vehicles, upgrades, and Special Ordinance devices (like turrents or mines). Despite what most people say, mainly the people being killed, I believe that each class is fair and can be stopped by the right kind of teamwork. Because Sky Jockeys are the only class that can fly, most people don't allow them in a game. But they can easily be taken down by a Demolisher with upgraded guided missiles. You see, strategy and teamwork are the key.
Can't stand the presence of others or don't have Xbox Live? No problem, mon frere. The Conker Bots are back, called Dumbots. They only have three levels of difficulty but their gameplay will seem familiar, that is, Einstein is back. By playing Chapter X, the multiplayer storyline, you can unlock various niceties. But most things that are unlockable are for Live and can therefore only be attained by online play. I do imagine that Chapter X would get boring more quickly than the original's multiplayer games, so beware if you don't have Xbox Live that multiplayer might be disappointing if you played the original.
I love multiplayer and I think it's intense and when you finally get everything straight, it only gets better.
10/10
-Overall Conclusion-
So the changes made are good sometimes and bad other times. There are even un-ignorable bads like the soccer-mom-censorship. But I still stand by the fact that though it may not be a better game than CBFD, it is still a great game with really fun multiplayer that will keep you busy until Xbox360 at least. So don't go in with too high of an expectation, CBFD fanboys, because it is not what you will play. Keep that in mind, and you'll have a ball playing an above and beyond decent remake of one of your favorite games.
8/10<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Conker-Live-Reloaded/dp/B0006SST9U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Conker: Live & Reloaded</a> | video-games_xbox |
My first LEGO game. I never played any of the LEGO games before this, but always thought they looked like fun. They already have LEGO Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean, so I wondered when they were going to make LEGO Lord of the Rings. Being a HUGE LOTR fan, I had to get this.
For the first 2 or 3 hours, I was a little disappointed. I think my expectations were too high due to all the hype. Some previews were saying things like "this isn't just the best LEGO game, it may be the best LOTR game" and how it was going to be open world. One person called it "Skyrim for kids". It's not the best LOTR game...it's too condensed and too simple, and it really isn't what I consider "open world". Yes you can explore off the path and you can revisit locations as you wish, but you can't go too far and you can't for example take a different route to get to Mordor than they took in the book/movies. Some areas are fairly big while others are really small. Rivendell is pretty big, while Bree is like 4 or 5 houses, then when you leave you literally turn a corner, go over a hill, and there's Weathertop.
Once I got about 5 hours in though, I cast aside my preconceived expectations and began just having a blast. The cutscenes are HILARIOUS. I've laughed out loud so many times. It's a really fun game, and addicting. I like how you actually get to play as Isildur and fight Sauron at the beginning, and fight Saruman and the balrog as Gandalf, and get to play as FREAKING TREEBEARD and just step on orcs, and as Faramir and try to take down the oliphaunts! It covers the entire story and lets you play most of the memorable scenes. The fighting is a bit on the easy side (it's kind of like Fable 2 & 3 where you can't really "die", you just lose some money every time, which could have been used for buying new and better equipment), but there are puzzles that have had me stumped. It doesn't hold your hand and show you what to do.
As of this review I'm only halfway through The Two Towers, but seeing as how I haven't been able to find many reviews online I wanted to let people know how it is. If you're a fan, get it. It's a really good game and does the source material justice. There are little easter eggs in there that only big fans would get, like how Tom Bombadil is an unlockable character, and Peter Jackson makes a cameo in Bree (eating a carrot). I'm 30-years-old btw so you don't have to be a kid to enjoy this. Just don't expect "Skyrim for kids" or "the best LOTR game ever", but it's way better than most of the tie-in games that have been coming out in the last few years. I give it a 4/5.
UPDATE: I've now finished the Story Mode. It will take you about 9-12 hours depending on if you try to collect everything, but after you finish it tells you that you're only about 30% done with the game. Now you begin Free Play Mode and can now roam freely around Middle Earth collecting things and doing sidequests. There's also at least one bonus level (that I've discovered so far) that may be the best thing in the whole game...You get to play as Sauron, and the entire map of Middle Earth is now built out of LEGOs, not just the people. It's a lot smaller than in the Story Mode though. You go around with your mace and smash Minas Tirith, Edoras, Rivendell, Lothlorian, Bree, and Hobbiton into little LEGO bricks. The Mouth of Sauron follows you around as your companion. You can send the LEGO villagers flying with your mace...and there are sheep that you can ride around on as you spread your fear. So much fun. Anyway, it's a short game, but fun. The most open area in the game is Rohan/Gondor which is all one field but much too small for Rohan AND Gondor. You can see every landmark (Edoras, Helm's Deep, Isengard, Minas Tirith, and Mordor) on the horizon no matter where you're standing. | video-games_xbox |
Fun times. So far this game is a blast. It ain't the best, and it ain't the most innovative, but it sure is the brightest and the most amusing shooter I've played in quite a while! I haven't played a whole lot, but the mechanics are solid and varied among the classes and between each side. Oddly enough for a $40 game, the AI in the horde mode is also surprisingly good. Most importantly for this game is the style. "Exudes personality" is a grossly overused phrase, but honestly it fits the bill perfectly here. This game is more about having fun for an hour or two playing a decent TPS game to for the purpose of unlocking wacky stuff rather than perfecting your game trying to get to the top of the killchart. It's just... fun.
Also, very kid friendly. I have no problem playing this with my 3 year-old in the room as compared to Gears or CoD. Yeah baby, daddy ate the mean monster. We're protecting the garden so our flowers don't get eaten! Nice....
There have been some server problems to date (2/26/2014), but hey, what do you expect for launch day. This is one reason they launch on Tuesdays and not Fridays. Could you imagine the fireworks if people couldn't play over the weekends? Yikes.
The only real downer with the game involves split screen, which my wife and I were really looking forward to. The good new is it works. Whew. With local multiplayer going the way of the dodo it is nice to see a game that at least offers it. However, only one of you advance, which is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I play a lot more than she does so she can use the cool stuff I get. A curse because it feels like she isn't really advancing, because, well, she isn't. It's not gamebreaking because the teamwork is still great, but I still hope they tweak this in the future.
Finally, be aware this is an online only game. Quite frankly, if you are getting an Xbox you should already be considering a gold account; if you're worried about that, you should really look at a PS4. Just the way it is... But if you've already got one, just know going into it that it needs constant internet, even for split screen.
Overall, a solid 8. Loads of fun to be had and family friendly enough to take a break from doll house without kicking the kids outside, but low features in split screen and nothing insanely innovative. EA, quit using your servers and switch to Azure! | video-games_xbox |
More Poor Crap from EA Sports. Someone really needs to open up a shop to compete against these guys across franchises (NHL, FIFA, NFL, etc.). Back in the 90s EA Sports was a fresh and innovative game maker, now they are innovating for the sake of innovating and their "game improvements" are mostly just gimmicks. This game is pretty much the same as NHL 12 so there isn't really anything better about it, or new, or fresh that the older franchises don't have. You are basically paying $60 for new rosters (this is the case with almost all EA franchises these days).
Funny thing is, they don't even fix the bugs from the old game. In NHL 12 there was a bug that would happen where all the buttons would shut down and your guy would just randomly start skating backward in the middle of the game. You used to be able to disconnect the controller or pause the game and reset the controller configuration to fix it. In NHL 14 this bug is even worse, it happened to me while playing an online tournament against the machine. Luckily the issue disappeared with the end of the period, but it just shows how little attention EA pays to their product development - I'm sure others have experienced this and requested a fix. It's two versions down the road and the same bug occurs worse - hilarious!
The other hallmark of EA games (both FIFA and NHL) is poor server support. Last night the servers were down randomly for about an hour in the evening and then this morning I got booted from the servers while going into a second tournament game (thanks EA for wasting all my players contract game and giving me a loss I didn't earn for nothing oh and no coin). If you have ever played FIFA 13 you know exactly what I am talking about - that was probably the worst sports game I ever played in terms of the glitches. EA Sports is a disaster as an organization and the only way they are going to get the message is for people to stop buying their sub par products year after year like lemmings.
This game's HUT is also sucky compared to FIFAs, the packs don't always download correctly once you purchase them, and the whole interface pales in comparison to FIFA. Now, I get that this isn't soccer, but the whole interface on FIFA works better and is more efficient than the NHL version and the games are made by the SAME DEVELOPER! For instance, it's ridiculous how you have to go through a bunch of different menus to find out who the hell your backup goalie is - you don't have to do this for any other position and its absurd. I didn't even know who the hell the guy was until his contract was up. Again, this is still something that EA hasn't fixed from the NHL 12 version (and probably versions that predate that). Basically I can hit Y and see all my lines in one easy interface except for my goalie position. For that one position, I have to highlight the goalie and hit Y, then to replace the goalie I have to stand up dance in a circle, hit X or Y and some other buttons and finally I can replace him - horrendous interface and there is nothing on the screen that tells you how or what to do - I found out simply by messing around.
Oh and I agree with the other reviewer who wrote that the AI is crappy for lower experience levels. It has been for years. The engineers seems to believe that the only way to make the game harder is to make the machine score on less shots. So basically, as you increase the skill level in this game, all that happens is that the machine scores more quickly, no matter how bad the shot opportunity and he can move the puck easily with none of your defenders being effective at all. It sucks and is definitely the worst of the EA franchises. But worse, I played an online tournament on Amateur on HUT and clearly they didn't match me up with the people of my skill level - I got shelled 6-0 by a guy/girl who was clearly on another level. Good job EA, that makes me want to keep playing! The HUT seasons are admittedly a bit better at matching the skill levels of the players. However, the overall gameplay is pretty poor when you aren't playing a friend or the HUT seasons.
Bottom line is that if you want to pay $60 for new rosters and a better fighting experience (NHL 12's was absurd) then have at it. But if you were expecting EA to spend substantial time and effort improving the game experience, forget it just keep playing your older version. | video-games_xbox |
don't waste your money. This game starts out well enough, the environments are creepy and make you nervous. The enemies, however, are not very scary and the combat is frustrating. The game has guns in it, but the focus is on melee combat, which would have been fine, but the melee combat itself hinges on a COMPLETELY unreliable block mechanism. if you manage to get a blow blocked it works well, but the block is a time action and cannot be held, this means that you have to see the attack and then press block at precisely the right time. if you block too early the block will lower and you will get hit, to late and the block won't get up in time. this would also not be so bad, but the cues that the enemies give you don't give you enough time to press the block button, by the time you see the enemy moving the hit is already going to register, if you press the button right as you see the enemy moving to attack you you will get hit because you cannot block fast enough, the enemies simply attack faster than human reaction time allows for a block. this becomes incredibly frustrating as the game progesses. on top of that, the enemies attacks will cause damage before the animation actually shows the attack hitting, so their attacks actually start before the animation, this means that no matter what, blocks are just left up to luck from random blocking attempts. THEN ON TOP OF ALL THAT you will often encounter multiple enemies at once, and it is literally impossible to block multiple attacks at once since you can't hold block and you will also encounter enemies who are ARMED WITH GUNS when you have only a wooden plank or other useless weapon. you may be able to taser one of them, but the others will flank you and you will get shot multiple times before you can disarm even one of them. many times i died before i could run over and disarm a tasered enemy because they recover almost as soon as you stop tasering them and you can't move until you are done tasering them.
the story is confusing and will leave you asking things like, "why on earth would that happen?" especially in the beginning. i can't go into more detail without spoilers, but understand that the story is very thin, and when it does try to fill in it does so without making a lot of sense.
the only reason i gave this game 2 stars instead of 1 (or zero if i could) is because the atmosphere is creepy and keeps you nervous the entire time, though i wouldn't say i was legitimately scared at any point in the game. | video-games_xbox |
Great next generation Mortal Kombat game. I've waited a while to upgrade from the PS3 to the newer systems, and when I chose to upgrade, I went with the Xbox One S 2TB. I felt it is the best buy for the dollar, and now that I'm finally hitting these games, it's wonderful that prices for these games has fallen.
This game exceeded my expectations. Negative feedback from hardcore MK fans made me hesitate to jump in line for MK X. However, I'm glad I went ahead and bought it. I played the original arcade versions and the 32bit Sega console games and loved the fighting action, and of course the FATALITIES!
I have never been one to buy every new iteration of a series, so it has been quite a while since I played any version of Mortal Kombat. This version does not disappoint.
GRAPHICS 10/10: The graphics are awesome. MK X is a next-gen game, at least graphically. Even little things, like enhancements to the animations of Raiden's lightning and Subzero's ice, is noticeably better. The arenas are really great. I also like the interactive environments in certain maps.
FIGHTING 10/10: What more can I say? This is a Mortal Kombat game. The fighting has been impeccable since the beginning. I have no complaints about it. The characters are responsive, no glitches. As usual, the combo attacks and special moves are cool as hell. There's really nothing to add.
STORY/ACTING 9/10: This game takes place in the future (Johnny Cage has grey hair). It's interesting to pick up at this point in the characters lives. The storyline is as good as can be expected. In typical Mortal Kombat fashion, you sort of need some prior experience with Mortal Kombat to understand everything. But most players will get the gist.
My general assessment of this game is this: if you want a fighting game, you won't find one better. A couple characters are missing (Goro and Baraka, mainly), but this didn't upset me much. I'm satisfied with the selection as it stands. If you're a casual MK player, I think you'll be very happy with your purchase. | video-games_xbox |
A great bargain if you don't already own these games. Xbox Arcade Unplugged is a collection of some of the best-selling games from the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. Included is 6 games, 3 demos and a 1 month subscription to live.
1 month of live (retail $8) - It is a great service for online play of any game. You can download and rent movies, buy tv episodic content, and chat with friends, families, and strangers around the world.
Bejeweled 2 (retail $10)- A popular puzzle game in which you try to match up jewels in order to get to the next level. There are several modes to Bejeweled, some unlockable. The game is a real challenge, and if you like puzzle games, you will be pleased with Bejeweled 2.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (retail $5) - An instant classic in the tradition of Asteroids. You fly around in a 'ship' trying to destroy geometric shapes, each having their own characteristics. As you progress, the games elements get harder, and more shapes are introduced. A fantastic game that is fun for just about everyone.
Hardwood Backgammon (retail $5) - Classic Backgammon action. You can play against a friend on the couch, vs. the computer, or take on someone online on Xbox Live. Hardwood Backgammon is also Camera Enabled.
Outpost Kaloki X (retail $10) - A strategy game in which you are in outer space, attempting to manage power and research. A variety of missions and scenarios to keep you busy are included.
Wik and the Fable of Souls (retail $10) - A crazy game about a small creature who uses his tongue to eat bugs and whip around treelimbs. Part puzzle game, part action, this game can be very challenging. There are over 120 levels in the game, each one being more difficult than the last.
Texas Hold 'em (retail $10) - This may be the junk of the bundle. A poorly executed attempted interface leaves most poker players wondering why they didn't copy any of the popular online poker sites and their interface. Often multiplayer works too slow, while you wait for others to take their turn. There are some scenarios to work on in single player. Overall, it isn't too bad, but it leaves a lot to be desired amongst poker players.
Also included are demos of Uno, Marble Blast Ultra, and Feeding Frenzy.
Uno is the classic card game everyone knows. It translates to Xbox Live very well and is camera enabled. It has a wide variety of gameplay options, including partner play. Marble Blast Ultra is a game in which you try to move your marble around to the exit point. Each level is brilliantly designed, colorful, and challenging. Feeding Frenzy is a great game for all ages, in which you start each level as a small fish, eating other fish and growing as you do so.
If you bought everything in this package for retail price, it would cost you $58. Even if you only need a couple of the $10 games, it's still agreat bargain with the 1 month of Xbox Live for free. | video-games_xbox |
It really is just that good. There's not much else you need to say about Call of Duty 2, except that it's just really good.
Graphics: Splendid. The guns look great, the locales are highly detailed, and everything down to the stubble on a teammate's face looks great. Especially to note is the framerate- the game basically never slows down, no matter how many people are on screen (read: dozens of baddies storming your position), and no matter how many smoke grenades they're lobbing around. Speaking of which, CoD2 officially has the most amazing smoke effects in any game I've ever played. Ever. Firefights as you stumble through smoke and strain to determine whether the shadow ahead of you is friend or foe are both bewildering and incredibly rewarding, and it's something all gamers should try out at least once.
Sound: Assuming you have at least a basic stereo setup, you'll quickly find yourself locating snipers by where their gunfire is coming from on an audio level. Teammates yell out comments that range from the comedical to the incredibly helpful, and enemy soldiers yell an appropriate amount of near-gibberish as you cut into their ranks. With a full surround setup, you might find yourself ducking under invisible bullets mid-battle as you hear them slice the air above you. Again, amazing.
Gameplay: Are we seeing a pattern? Everything here is brilliantly done. Everything in CoD2 is available at the touch of a button. Helpful reminder text frequently keeps you up-to-date in case you forget a button, and it never gets in the way of a battle. All of the weapons feel "right" when wielded, and everything down to the Halo-inspired health system just works. Some gamers criticize the move to the "regenerating" system (stand clear of fire for a while and you'll go back to full health), but I'm personally glad I'll never have to hunt down health packs.
Now where are the problems? As said, some people are a bit miffed at the lack of 16-player Xbox Live, or at the lack of custom games... personally, I'm still a fan of hauling my system to a friend's house and playing a System Link game. Link play has the full 16 players, custom gametypes, and so on. And for anyone maddened by the difficulty, the game has settings from extremely easy (Recruit) to nearly impossible (Veteran). On the highest difficulty, you get a full appreciation for just how impossible survival would seem for a real soldier in a war. On the easiest, your body will soak up a dozen rounds from a machinegun and keep on ticking. The final note is that, while CoD2's Campain mode is pretty short (~10 hours on standard difficulty), every single moment of it is comprised of some of the best gaming ever seen on a console. Perhaps it's quality over quantity, although some gamers will be understandably turned off by the short duration.
Call of Duty 2 has emerged as the "flagship" title of the Xbox 360 launch, and for good reason. It's not that anything about this game is that new or inventive- most of this has been done before. But like Halo was for Xbox, originality isn't the key here. The reason this game is so succesful is because all of its features are integrated so well into one intensely succesful experience. If you own a 360, and you like shooters at all, there's no reason at all not to own Call of Duty 2 (unless you plan on petitioning for 16-player Live before you buy). It's just that good. | video-games_xbox |
American Who. First I'd like to point one thing out: American McGee is not a huge driving force in the video game industry. Although he did aid in the design of a few levels in the original DOOM, McGee is not a very creative figure. Although "American McGee Presents:" is everywhere to be seen on the packaging and instructions and intro screen, the game was pushed into production using his name not talents. Thats right, American McGee didn't even write the story. My one star was due to graphics and sound alone.
With that said here is my take on the game after playing it-and I'm glad it was a rental.
First I'd like to commend the artistic teams behind Scrapland. Every corner of the game is beautifully rendered. cityscapes range from the strange and imaginative to the old and worn away. Character animations are for the most part goofy but always fluid.
sound was also very well done. Although the scripts are goofy and childish, the voice acting is pulled off quite nicely by the talent. Sound effects are also well put together. The dialogue however was the first thing that turned me off to the game. Although the cities are inhabited by thousands of robots, there are only a handful of different models and they all say the same exact things. I found myself avoiding conversations with characters because I knew no matter what area I explored, they'd all say the exact same thing.
The feature of stealing a robot's identity to gain access to different areas is prominently promoted in every article about the game. The reallity is that once you steal an identity, the police know exactly who and where you are and start chasing you around. I found that instead of hiding from them (its impossible) all you have to do is run to the entrance of the building you're in and even if they're two feet away from you, they'll say they lost you. Thats just poor game play. There are anoying little flying police robots "Beholders" that fly around scanning everyone, there are lots of them every single place you go. If you pass too close to one while in another form, they know you're an imposter and a bunch of cops persue you.
The game play itself was another huge turn off. The controls are not very intuitive. It takes a while learning to walk and run around in the environments without going into other characters or looking like a spas. One of the features that appealed to me was building and flying your own ships to get to different places. The controls here were also very horrible and didn't convey a sense of reallism. Your ship can be flying with full boost on and the second the accelerator is released, it comes to a dead stop.
Overall the game experience was not enjoyable. The cities were beautiful for the first five minutes but you quickly reallize they're actually very small and almost claustrophobic. There are only four or so characters and you'll run into them a hundred times over with the same dialogue so the cities are in a sense inhabited by hundreds of copies of the same boring goofy characters. I think this game could be proudly commended if the goal was melding the muppets with adult themes. Adult themes? Yes, the most disturbing part of the begining was a close up of the "betty" character's metal butt walking away from the main character-unsettling,disturbing and just wrong for a game that seems to be more for kids, then again Scrapland is in a class of its own, its too childish for teens and adults and too mature at times for children. This game is compared to GTA in many websites.
In short if you're a sci fi fan and don't like the GTA series for its over the top violence and enjoy hot robot on robot action, look no further. For the rest of us American McGee Presents: Scrapland, is simply another title to ignore on the shelves.
Cons:
Goofy muppet like characters, Close ups on robot tail, horrible dialogue, poor control scheme, lack of depth, nightmarish camera angle controls, did I mention uncomfortable robot butt close ups?
Pros:
Beautiful graphics, nice sound, hopefully "American McGee Presents" will never be seen anywhere near a video game again. | video-games_xbox |
Brute Force is a good game by most standards, but too many flaws make Brute Force seem like a missed opportunity. When I first bought Halo 1 and watched the stunningly amazing trailer for this game, I had long anticipated the release of Brute Force. On release day, I bought this game without hesitation. But I wish I would have waited to read reviews. As I said, this game definately had potential; but it just seems unpolished and definately didn't live up to the high expectations I had set for this game.
The core gameplay consists of controlling four elite supercommandos, each with their own unique special abilities. Tex is a tough soldier whose specialty is using dual weapons. Brutus, an alien creature, is the toughest soldier and his special ability is thermal vision, which enables him to see enemies in the dark. He also has the ability to charge enemies, which has a fatal effect. Flint is a long-range sniper whose speciality is target-locking. Hawk is a small, but tough soldier who can become invisible and sneak up on enemies and offer a silent, but deadly kill with her powerblade. The squad command system is easy to use and it enables you to instantly switch between soldiers in your squad and also allows you to issue commands to your squadmates. This makes the game seem like it would be tactical like Rainbow Six. But it definately is not; it is much more of a run and gun shooter where you run through the levels shooting at anything that moves.
The graphics in the game are very good and definately get the job done, especially in HD. Each member of your squad is very detailed and definately give them a life-like look. The environments also look good and make each level seem unique and different. The enemies are sort of hit and miss. Sometimes close up they will look stunning; other times they will look blotchy and unpolished. But overall, the visuals are pretty good.
The sound is good, but not great. The weapons sound good for the most part, but they will occasionally sound flat and unrealistic. Explosions and grenades look pretty good, but they sound unconvincing. Overall, the sound gets the job done, but it doesn't really draw you in like it should.
The value of this game is decent. The single player doesn't really offer much replayability, but the multiplayer is fun & the Xbox Live action can be exciting. For the bargain price of $10 - $15 that this game sells for, it is probably worth your money; but the game is definately not worth any more than $20.
Now, with all the good things I have mentioned above, you are probably wondering why I gave this game a lower score. For the most part, it is because of the combined overall experience of this game. The storyline is pretty lame and boring, and it doesn't really pull you into the action. All you will find yourself doing is not even paying attention to the story and simply running through the levels with your guns blazing. And without a good story at the core of a game, it definately brings down the overall experience of it. It also makes the game not very intriguing and it won't have you running back for more. Also, the missions don't have a lot of variability and will get repetitive, bringing down what could have been a much better game.
Bottomline: Brute Force is a suitable shooter on most counts, offering exciting action and a very good shooting experience; but with a disappointing storyline and an overall mediocre experience, it simply seems like a missed opportunity. | video-games_xbox |
A taxing, rewarding, stressful, satisfying, punishing and soothing rollercoaster. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a bit of a contradiction of a game. Not only is it vastly different than the common games of this current generation, but I stand by my title for this review because it will evoke a vast range of emotions from start to finish. Make no mistake, if you choose to play XCOM:Enemy Unknown the game will not - I repeat, NOT - make things easy on you, nor will it offer much in terms of showing where you went wrong. It's like the ironclad PE teacher who berates you for everything you're doing wrong. Make a single mistake, especially on "Ironman Mode", (which only allows for a single autosave that CONSTANTLY overwrites itself,) and the game will severely punish you. More than once I would play on Ironman on the Classic Difficulty (so called because the 1994 original XCOM was also so difficult), and at first everything seemed to go well, then without warning or time to adjust, the situation would spiral out of control. Suddenly entire continents that seemed okay were in danger of withdrawing from the XCOM project (thus forever losing their monthly funding and support staff they would otherwise contribute) and my soldiers would be woefully unprepared for the missions. Since a lot of what happens is randomized, this further made it difficult to get a good idea of what exactly went wrong and what I could have done to prevent it from happening. When you finally do get a good handle on how the underlying mechanics of the game work and you use them to your advantage and find yourself consistently winning, it is a good feeling, but the road there is long and hard. Again, this is by design. I will let you decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
The controls are intuitive and simple; you will spend very little time learning how to control the curser,but sometimes the camera gets in the way. When lining up a rocket or grenade, you will sometimes have to rotate the camera to get a good angle, for example.
The music is good and sets the tone, especially rght after you discover an enemy; it was designed to send a feeling of adrenaline and a sense of urgency and danger, and it shows. The soldier audio barks when they acknowledge an order, hit or miss an enemy, etc. do get a little repetitive, though.
Gameplay wise, the game is a mixed bag, with the good generally outweighing the bad. Veterans of the 1994 classic will have no issue getting back into the feel of the turn-based strategy game, although newcomers may need to use the admittedly bare bones tutorial and/or a walkthrough to get an idea of how to play the game, and eventually play it well. Choices matter in this game; resources in the early to mid-game are tight, and carefully managing what little you have to invest into getting more of what you need is a critical skill. Knowing how to do that is the difference between winning and losing, especially on the harder difficulties where time is also a precious luxury you never have enough of.
For fans of turn-based strategy games like Advance Wars, Great Big War Game, etc., this is an easy sell. For gamers who complain that today's games are way too easy, this game will chew you up and spit you out. It will make you carefully consider both short and long-term strategy, it will punish you for any mistake, it will even punish you when you're doing everything right, it will test your patience, it will throw everything it has at you. But ultimately, when you've learned to master the beast, the feeling you get is like none other. | video-games_xbox |
Nostalgia with amazing graphics... but MW is better. I've always both loved and hated Halo. This game, like the others, has a really well-done campaign with good acting, amazing cinematic cutscenes and fun gameplay. Old Halo fans will welcome the opportunity to learn what really happened on Reach. I also enjoy the multiplayer, but it's the weakness of the game for me. It's not nearly as much fun as that of the more realistic-feeling Modern Warfare series.
To elaborate, I should say that I've beaten every Halo campaign in legendary except Combat Evolved and Halo Wars only after beating them all several times in easy-heroic. I can't get enough of the campaigns, and Reach delivered with new weapons (not necessarily better, but unique for sure), great story, and a customizable main character (a cool feature and a Halo first). You may not get the significance of the entire plot without having played the other games, but as long as you understand that spartans are augmented human supersoldiers bred to fight against the alien confederation known as The Covenant, you'll be fine overall. Another thing I've always appreciated about Halo is the ability to play the campaigns with a friend, something that is VERY helpful when it comes to battling the difficult Elites. Great story, you will not regret playing it.
The multiplayer, however, while an improvement in some areas just isn't as enjoyable. The addition of special perks like jump-packs, lock-up armor shielding, etc are interesting, but tend to favor experienced players. For the most part, the developers did a good job of making sure the weapons weren't overpowered, but the DMR is a very specialized weapon that can be incredibly damaging in skilled hands. It does several times more damage with headshots, and has an odd expanding crosshair which requires slow, precise firing for success. This all means that the weapon is FAR more deadly in experienced hands than those of a novice. This would not be a problem, but the DMR is the most common starting weapon in many game modes. Also, the very nature of Halo's energy-shielded characters means that the game is not based on sprinting from cover to cover, but instead relies on one-on-one battles where each player simply unloads lead or plasma bolts into the other, hoping to be more accurate or get the drop on the other. Also, the Modern Warfare online server is generally much faster and better. Many times, I've has my queue filled with "player found" bars, but then the server simply restarts the search without putting me in the game.
Whether you enjoy the multiplayer of the Modern Warfare series or the Halo series better is a matter of preference, but I find that beginners have a very hard time adapting to Halo gaming. Just a warning if you're picking it up for multiplayer and haven't played many first-person shooters before.
Oh, and one more warning. If you play the "living dead" mode (which is really good on paper, but rarely so good in-game), be ready for the following phenomena:
1. The same map (Sword Base) will be voted for 80% of the time.
2. If you find the select few hiding spots, you will be betrayed by your teammates (especially the good ones who know they can make up the point loss).
Play invasion, much more fun. ;) | video-games_xbox |
Save Your Money. I played the beta for this game and decided that I would give it a try. BIGGEST WASTE OF MONEY EVER! Sure Dice got some things right, but the fact is this is not Battlefield. If you are expecting a battlefield like BF4 then do not buy. It's not anywhere near as good or fun. The fact you have to buy your guns with money you make in game is a cool concept, but there is a very limited selection of weapons, gadgets, and vehicle upgrades you can get. The campaign in my opinion is garbage and doesn't feel like battlefield at all. I can see what dice was going for, however, the game is just an absolute fail. Dice needs to get their heads out of their a** and make another bad company or just focus all their time on the new battlefront instead of trying to squeeze loyal customers of the BF series for money.
The multiplayer is sub par for a battlefield game. Dice made a few innovative changes like what they did with the radar (doesn't apply if you play hardcore). It's also nice that RPGs and Stingers spawn in their own set locations on the maps, but it's pretty stupid that the LMGs are the same way. Don't expect to get LMGs in your loadouts. Weapon selections for both sides (cops and criminals) are VERY limited unless you feel like dishing out some real money for battlepacks that give you only 2 assault rifles that can only be used on the operator class.
I don't know about most people but I personally like a variety of weapons for each class. So it gets boring once you're able to buy every gun for every class (which again isn't many) in just after a few games of hotwire which is the best way to make tons of cash and lvl up.
Save your money. I would have took my copy back to gamestop, but I can only get $30 for the stupid game when I spent $100 (including premium). Really wish I hadn't spent that money on such a terrible game that showed so much promise in the beta. | video-games_xbox |
NOT backward compatible for Xbox 360. Fun multiplayer game with a great mix of heroes and villains to choose from. I had played it on PS2 a few years back and bought it again recently to play with my boyfriend, since both of us are Marvel fans.
My only major complaint is not backward compatible for Xbox 360.
I hadn't had any problems with any of the previous original Xbox games I had bought to play on my Xbox 360, until I bought X-men Legends and Legends II. Niether games are backward compatible with Xbox 360.
My 360 informed me to check Xbox.com/games for an updated list of playable original Xbox games, which hasn't been updated since November 2007. I doubt they ever will update it. Next time I buy an original Xbox game, it will have to be one of the following backward compatible games:
* 2006 FIFA World Cup
* 25 to Life
* 4x4 EVO 2
* AirForce Delta Storm
* Aggressive Inline
* Alias
* Aliens versus Predator Extinction
* All-Star Baseball 2003
* All-Star Baseball 2005
* America's Army: Rise of a Soldier
* AMF Bowling 2004
* Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
* Amped 2
* APEX
* Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
* Arena Football
* Armed and Dangerous
* Army Men: Sarge's War
* Atari Anthology
* ATV: Quad Power Racing 2
* Auto Modellista
* Avatar: The Last Airbender
* Bad Boys 2
* Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
* Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
* Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
* The Bard's Tale
* Bass Pro Shops Trophy Hunter 2007
* Batman Begins
* Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu
* Battle Engine Aquila
* Battlestar Galactica
* Big Mutha Truckers
* Bionicle
* BLACK
* Blade II
* Blinx: The Time Sweeper
* Blinx 2 : Masters of Time & Space
* Blitz: The League
* Blood Omen 2
* BloodRayne 2
* BlowOut
* BMX XXX
* Breakdown
* Brute Force
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
* Burnout
* Burnout 2
* Burnout 3: Takedown
* Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures
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* Incredibles
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* The Suffering
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* The Terminator Dawn of Fate
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* Test Drive
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* Zathura | video-games_xbox |
The King of Consoles. The Xbox 360 is simply awesome and the most fun I've had from a console and I've literaly played all of them throughout the years including the competitors, Wii & PS3. Some of the high points of the Xbox 360 is its online service or "Xbox Live" as its called and the Xbox 360 controller, which is by far the superior controller and most ergonomic controller ever made. Perfect for people with bigger hands such as myself (I often bump my thumbs together on a PS3 controller when using the analog sticks). Along with the controller, "Live" is what carries the Xbox 360 to greatness, and makes it really shine. "Live" enables you to play games on-line and chat with other people and compare games you and others have played for starters. Live also keeps a score of each game you play and you can compare that to other users scores. You can also buy and download old Xbox games, Xbox 360 games, movies, music videos, send messages to different players via voice or text, use different apps such as espn or epix, etc...at the same time pretty much everything on "Live" costs money even beyond the yearly fee, and you'll need net connection. My favorite section on "Live" is the Xbox Arcade. Most of these arcade and classic games are priced from $5 to $15 and can make for a lot of fun in short bursts, meaning most of these titles are usually not as expansive as full retail games, but cost a fraction of the price of a full retail game.
One thing on the Xbox 360 that needs improvement is the "Achievements" system. The "Achievements" on Xbox 360 are fun to collect but utterly useless. Only there for showing off what you have done in games you have played. My recommendation for making achievements worthwhile would be if you obtain a certain achievement score or a certain number of achievements then you should be rewarded with something other than a number (Gamerscore). You should be rewarded with a free Xbox Original game or something free for your avatar, or a coupon for money off a new game, for example. Doing that would keep people playing The Xbox 360 and it would intice people to buy a Xbox 360 and games for it. To have achievements rather then not have them though is a good thing though, even worthless they can be fun and almost addictive to obtain them from the various games you have. Also a quick note, there should be more games that star your created avatar, that would be cool but asking for too much I guess...
Now for the bad - Its not a blu-ray player and the early models did not have built in wi-fi, both of which a well known competitor has and had, and the Xbox 360 was not that much cheaper than that said competitor. Also the failure rate of these things made for huge headaches. My first Xbox 360 displayed the 3 red rings, just saying "My first Xbox 360" is just...sad...Luckily my 360 at that time was still under warranty, but I was without it for about 2 weeks. The graphics, when the system first came out, for most games, were not "next gen" by any means, and were very comparable to the PS2, graphics-wise...even with the HDMI hookup...I was sorely disapointed, for a minute, but that was then, and these days the graphics will blow you away.
Last but not least The exclusives speak for themselves. Gears of War 1, 2, and 3 - Fable 1, 2, 3, and The Halo series - beat out anything the competition brings, and the Kinect is by far the better motion game system, with its controller free interface being leaps and bounds ahead of the Wii and PS3's motion junk. | video-games_xbox |
More of the same, but like that is a bad thing. We gamers tend to be the most hypercritical lot of folks on the planet. I am no different at the end of the day. I will whine and complain like a little girl with a skinned knee over some of the most inane details of a game. Hell, for that matter, I have in the past launched plenty of hatred on the COD franchise. And yet, I was still one of the first people to pluck my money down to get the newest installment. I guess I am a hypocrite. I doubt I will lose sleep.
So anyway, I have only been playing the game for about 14 hours or so, and it is all been multiplayer and zombies (yes, I am "that guy") so I will have to limit this review based upon that admittedly minimalist scope. Then again, for the purposes of multiplayer, other than new map packs and maybe a gun or two, it's not like gameplay is bound to change much 6 months from now anyway.
Just as a generalized notion, some people are pissed that COD is still sticking with a futuristic styled game for it's current installment. As for me, I am not bothered by this. If you have such a hangup for historical combat, it's not like there are not a million other games out there to cater to this desire. Some people just like to invent things to bitch about. The good thing about huge development houses like Activation is they have the cash and the talent on board to make virtually any setting spellbindingly glorious as far as environments, characters, physics and graphical detail. Those of you that forked over the money for an S and are rocking 4K TV's will absolutley love the detail, characters and sound. I can say that this is the best yet in that department with absolutley zero hesitation.
Anyone that has played a COD game in the last decade is going to find much is familiar here as far as game types and matchmaking. No need to reinvent the wheel there is fine with me (objective based, death match, etc) but if and when the servers crash you can expect to find me on the COD forums cussing like a drunken sailor. The only game type I don't remember seeing before is "defender" which is pretty much just a rip off of Oddball from the Halo universe minus the skull. I played it a couple of times and am not a fan. It gets boring quick, but you might like it, who knows? The leveling up system and load out possibilities here are also only a minor variation from what we have come to expect. We all know the drill by now, right? Basically you can pick out the people who have no GF and are pushing 30 and still live in Mom's basement by the icon next to their name. At the end of the day, this is a game like all the rest in that if you invest a ton of hours, you will earn competitive advantages over your foes. Casual players are going to be getting owned as always, with controller throws and loud and static filled accusations of cheating and being gay in the lobby afterwards. Gotta love Xbox Live.
Maps are as you would expect, some more open for those that favor ranged play, and some more intimate for those of us that are "rusher" style players. You better get to playing now so you can familiarize yourself as quick as possible. As per normal, there are going to certain maps, and certain sections of some maps that become hotbeds of activity, and the same applies here. Even after 3-4 plays of the same map you are going to quickly see these begin to develop.
Zombies I have not spent a great deal of time with yet, but what little I have has been retarded amounts of fun. Grab a couple of buddies for co-op and cop a case of beer as this is just too much fun. It's one of those multiplayer experiences when you look up at the clock and realize you have been playing for 10 hours straight instead of just an hour. It's radical. I won't give away "plot" spoilers, but it looks like a Back to the Future 2, space age Marty Mcfly kind of thing there. I am guessing they drew upon inspiration from the single player, but since I have not played through it yet I can't comment there. Zombies is always a favorite for many people, especially among the more causal type players, and they will find lots to love here.
At the end of the day, yes, this is "just another COD game", but for all the hatred and vitriol that is launched at this formula, the developers and publishers still manage to rake in record amounts of cash with each new installment. It's either one of those games that we gamers love to hate, or else the vast majority of people out there are just like me: they talk a good game online, but then are waiting in a line from here to China at midnight at their local Gamestop eager to throw down their cash for a copy. Guys, it totally OK to admit that you like playing COD. You are not alone by any stretch of the imagination. | video-games_xbox |
This game began my multiplayer addiction. Like the title says , this game began my multiplayer addiction that continues to plauge me today. Don't get me wrong , I really , really like a good campaign , but sitting down and joining a multiplayer match with your friends around the world is just awesome.
I played the game before this ( Call of Duty 2 ) , and enjoyed the time I had with it's multiplayer , but never got into it like I and my friends did with COD 3. The maps were great and well designed , vehicles in every map and game mode and this was the first time you could go prone in a COD match. I know that being able to go into the prone position while playing doesn't seem like a big deal to some people , but I'm telling you now that it makes a HUGE difference to many. Our favorite game modes were team deathmatch and search and destroy. I just couldn't get enough of this game and really didn't play anything else the whole year untill COD 4 was released. This was just simply multiplayer greatness.
The campaign was good as well and if I wasn't playing multiplayer with my friends I was playing the campaign over and over again. The campaign is just as good in this game as it was in COD 2 , and pretty much kept inline with historical facts. Of course over the years the games have evolved and are now completely fiction , as in completely made up and has nothing to do with anything remotely historical. That doesn't hurt the newer games and provides a different type of story and gameplay. But in every iteration there is a few steps forward and always a step back. None of the COD games are perfect but really they all have that certain something that allows you to have a great time with the game.
This game is of course old ( 2006 ) but will still provide you with hours of enjoyment. My friends and I still pop this in from time to time just to play one of our favorites , because its good to get away from the modern games from time to time. There are still enough people playing this game to find a match online and experience this great game and it's multiplayer.
Solid 5 out of 5 | video-games_xbox |
343 Industries have taken the Halo franchise over and proven that they can handle the challenge. It's been 5 years since we last saw Master Chief as he and Cortana were left in a empty ship awaiting a rescue team. Within that period two Halo games were released before Bungie left the series in the hands of a new studio, 343 Industries. Stepping onto the mantle of something as adored as Halo is no easy task, especially when taking the reins from a studio that has earned its admiration. Halo 4 makes the start of a new trilogy and is possibly the best Halo game made so far.
Halo 4 begins 4 years after the events of Halo 3 with Cortana waking Master Chief from cryosleep aboard The Forward on to Dawn. After a brief introduction a group of Covenant attack and then you plummet to a new world called Requiem. Here is where you meet the crew of the UNSC Infinity and is where 343 Industries does something new. Instead of telling brief a story 343 attempts to include a large amount of Halo lore from books, animated series, and games. Characters address issues such as the moral dilemma of initiating the Spartan II project and the longevity of an AI. Things that was previous ignored in Halo games is now brought up. It is definitely a change of pace from pervious games, but if you are like me and read all the books or saw any of the animated or live action series based on this beloved franchise then you will be in for a treat.
I bring up the lifespan of an AI because 343 places Cortana in the spotlight of Halo 4. As a old AI construct Cortana has exceeded the predicted lifespan and is beginning to show signs of rampancy. Right after Cortana wakes Chief from cyrosleep she begins to show signs of deterioration such as a screeching voice, violent emotional outbursts, and processing tactical data . She and Chief have also kept each other safe but now it's up to Chief to keep Cortana from insanity, creating a much more personal story that puts there relationship to the test.
Master Chief and Cortana may be dealing with there own personal issues but a new enemy has risen to take the place of the Flood parasite. Requiem is an amazing planet full of secrets and some are better left alone. For the sake of brevity a new enemy has risen to eliminate humanity as a potential threat and retake the position as the apex race. Master Chief must now do what Spartans were designed to do, to protect humanity at any cost.
Halo 4 has had a massive graphical upgrade, making it the best looking Halo game so far. The new planet of Requiem host an array of areas from past Halo games such as forests and deserts but adding new Forerunner architecture that looks stunning. Textures look pixelated up close though and the overuse of lens flare is distracting at times. Although the Xbox 360 has aged these new visuals are a impressive feat, it's obvious that Microsoft spared no expense in the production of this beloved franchise.
The combat mechanics of Halo 4 have been modified while remaining loyal to traditional elements. The new and old enemies will require you to use every weapon and equipment available to you. Regardless of the situation, whether you fight one of the heavily armor Promethean Knights or the classic Elites, you will have a weapon designed for the task. Eliminate an enemy shield and then melee them to finish them off or sneak behind an enemy and perform a vicious assassination attack still remain a viable tactic.
But what good is being a genetically modified solider if you have no one to fight, fortunately you won't have no shortage of enemies. Halo 4 will have the Covenant Elites, Grunts, Jackals, and Hunters as well as new Promethean enemies called Knights, Lurkers, and Watchers who want nothing more then your extermination. The Covenant rely on the same strategies the Prometheans can teleport, summon support, revive allies, throw grenades back, and provide shields for friendly forces. The objectives are a simple mash of moving from one marker to the next, but combined with vicious opponents and a stellar atmosphere you'll forgot These new adversaries are a welcome addition to the Halo universe and worthy opponents.
Beside the story, the gameplay, and the multiplayer the other significant portion of Halo as been the soundtrack. Sound effects that didn't exist in Halo before have been introduced such as heavy metal boots hitting the floor. Every weapons been audible redone with human weapons sounding more lethal or alien. Neil Davidge done a phenomenal job of retaining the original feel of Martin O'Donnel, while establishing itself within a new trilogy. Whether you are shooting hostiles or apporaching your next objective the soundtrack will have you engaged in each level.
Halo is responsible for making online console competitive gaming what it is today. The multiplayer mode, now called Infinity, takes place during and after the events of Halo 4. Infinity consist of the map creator Forge, the post-single player cooperative campaign called Spartan-Ops, and the competitive mode known as War Games. The most radical changes to the multiplayer is the use of loadouts, default sprint, kill camera, kill streaks, and instant respawn. The map and playlist creation mode known as Forge as been updated with new items, but it may be weeks before creative minds are able to fully utilize these tools to make some interesting creations.
War Games host plenty of competitive options for those seeking to test there skills against human opponents. Right now 10 maps and 10 modes are available that allow for classic modes such as deathmatch, team deathmatch, domination, capture the flag, and free-for-all. Pervious modes like grifball and flood, perviously known as zombies, have been modified to feel more like competitive modes then a custom game.
Spartan-Ops replaces firefight and offers five episodes, each consisting of 5 missions, that take place after the events of the campaign. Only one mission is currently available and 343 plans to release new missions weekly with no additional cost. These short missions allows you and up to three friends to tackle a series of missions following Fireteam Crimson, which consist of a team of Spartan IVs, to repel Covenant and Promethean forces to establish bases on Forerunner structures.
As you complete challenges and kill other human players you'll earn experience which can be used to unlock new gear, gain levels, and earn cosmetic items. Halo 4 gives you a large amount of options for you to make your own personal Spartan IV. You are constantly earning experience from the rewarding leveling system that grants you points for every contribution you make.
Halo 4 signifies the departure of Bungie and welcomes 343 Industries as the new handler. It makes an amazing and emotional return for Master Chief in the stunning campaign shows that 343 intends to maintain the same high quality Bungie preserved. The competitive multiplayer picks up where Reach left off and Spartan-Ops may proves its worth in the coming weeks or fall in the shadow of main campaign. It is no doubt that Master Chief has return with a bang. | video-games_xbox |
This is NOT for diehard Madden fans. This game is like SimCity but with a football team. Some of the comments on here do not do the game justice. Off the bat, let me say not you don't actually 'play' football. However, for me that makes the game more enjoyable because I am at a level in Madden where I own All-Pro, but All-Madden is just WAY too difficult.
Let me run through the pros and cons as I seem em:
Pros
1) Offseason
Take the offseason of the Madden Games (my favorite part), and put it on HGH. The way they set up the draft is phenomenal, and is so much easier to manuever around than Madden's, at least for me. True, the offseason is quite long, and a little off-putting at first, but there is a lot you can skip through simulation. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it though.
2) Sideline Chats
You can 100% control strategy with your players, telling your QB to scramble earlier in his reads or drop deep, always look for the short pass first, etc. And the same is true for the rest of your positions. Lineman, make your move inside, stuff like that. Also, the concept of motivation (you can say different things to your players while they are offfield) is intersting, where you can inspire your players for a temporary ratings boost (on fire) or a temporary slump (iced).
3) The Owners
It is easy to get on the team of your choice, but whatever team you pick you will get about 5 yearly goals. Currently mine are to draft a marquee HB, be in the Top 8 for Rushing, Total Yards, and Rush Defense, and Top 10 for something else. And, if you can't complete those goals you may get fired, which gives you something to strive for. That was something I found lacking in Madden, where you just played an openended franchise for no apparent end other than the SuperBowl. I need my games more defined scenario wise.
4) New Ratings System
One of the best developments in the game, I think, is the chucking of 'ratings' and the implementation of 'ranges'. Say you have Donovan McNabb. Instead of being a 90 rating, he'll have a 78-94 range, say. So, with practice, he'll be a 94. But out of shape he'd be a 78. This also makes your players prone to slumps, making the game much more interesting and realistic, and really bringing into play endurance.
Cons
1) Glitchy
I'm not sure if it's my system or not, but the game will sometimes freeze, like while running a practice you will lose a selection screen and become stuck. Or the game will take a while to be read. Also, in the game I wanted to talk to my DL about strategy, and the screen went bonkers (I have NO idea what happened) and while the game went on in the background I could do nothing but restart. even unplugging my controller did nothing.
2) Tedious
It is the same thing OVER and OVER with a monsterous amount of practices before games. Not really monsterous, but enough to make friends leave the room if they wanted to check out the game. However, this is also goal oriented, and the games are faster paced than in Madden so it doesn't seem as bad.
For the sake of brevity, which I think I killed a while ago, I will stop there. There are more pros and cons, but I think the former totally outweigh the latter. This isn't a replacement for Madden, but it is a good complementary franchise for those of us more prone to simulation style games. I enjoy it a lot, though only in small doses.
ALSO, as to another comment I read on here about changing clothes. Many of the tasks you encounter (typically four a day) are unlocked, meaning you can swap them out. This is VERY important in practices for maintaining different focuses. The computer will set you up with guidlines, but ultimatly you can switch out of them. I never changed my clothes so far. ;) You will have about 2 'Office Hours' a day, where you can change depth charts and whatnot, and then 2 'Open' slots where you can swap in and out different tasks. So no the game doesn't make you change your clothes over and over again. | video-games_xbox |
You will be dancing with the Angels in this game. GOOD:
- A good mix or simulation style and arcade fun.
- Photo Realistic aircraft with planes that actually show damage when shot at.
- Nice mission variety (although for some players, some missions can be pretty dull and other to over the top).
- Decent music and voice work.
- Good mix online gameplay with versus mode (up to 8 players in either battle royal or team mode) and even a co-op mission mode.
BAD:
- Might play too much like arcade or to simulation type game for some people.
- Story can be bland and can also be pretty confusing to some due to the fact that it focuses in on secondary characters that play no actual role game but they live in the world in which the game takes place.
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- Plays very much like the past few Ace Combat games on Sony's PS2
- Takes place in a fictional world similar to our own (but not like ours in many ways) but with the same aircraft as our own world. So the while you might recognize planes like the F-14 "Tomcat" (the same jet from the movie Top Gun) you won't recognize any of the peoples or places in this game.
- Game is broken up into missions (about 15 levels) in which you follow objectives and earn points to unlock new aircraft, during most of the missions you will have a few objectives (like helping the tank squad or taking down long range missiles) after doing a few optional objectives you mostly have to engage in a mandatory objective like taking down a enemy ace pilot or enemy base.
- After doing a few of these optional objectives you get an option to call all the ground/air units you have helped out from earlier in the mission to destroy enemy/enemies that you select.
- Certain missions are much easier with certain aircraft, example slow ground based missions' call for the A-10 "Warthog" and fast air-to-air missions call for the Y-F22 "Raptor", but you can still use any jet fighter you want on any level (so you never feel pigeon-holed using a jet you don't want).
- You have to unlock then buy (with money/points you earn in game during missions) almost all the aircraft you can use in the game. Also note that all planes come with a few different paint jobs and different types of secondary missiles/weapons that you can buy as well.
- All planes come with a primary two shot standard missile. You also even get to select a secondary type of missiles/weapon that can really help out in certain missions like a multi-lock-on missiles for air targets and even a cluster bomb for ground based targets, later on one jet can even have twin rail guns as your secondary weapon.
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (PS2)
- Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions (360)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- All the fighter aircraft in this game are replica of real life fighter aircraft (there is only one made-up fighter aircraft is the CFA-44 "Nosferatu" which is the last plane to be unlocked).
- There is plenty of online downloadable content for this game, form lot of new unique colors for your fighter aircraft (these newer paint jobs even give the jets different abilities) to new stages for verse modes, and even a few new missions for co-op mode. | video-games_xbox |
I have never wrote a review, but I have to do this. *sigh* where do I begin..
I just want to say that one of the best xbox games I have ever played in my life was Dragon Age Origins. I bought this game thinking it would be at least somewhat similar to the first. If you were hoping for the same thing I'll save you a lot of time and money by telling you it is NOTHING like the previous game.
I have never wrote a review before because I am just to lazy to bother but I hyped this game up before it came out to all of my friends and co workers based off of the first and now I look like an idiot so I OWE it to new DA2 losers who decided EVERYTHING about the first game was wrong and needed to be changed, SO.
Let me begin with this, I had the game on its hardest difficulty and I rarely came close to dying durring ANY of the boss fights. All you have to do is sit back and watch your characters kill them. Ohhh thats not true once I was dying and I decided to run from the BOSS <- keep that in mind.. so I ran and like 10 seconds into the run, and I guess I went "out of bounds" because the boss just decided to give up and dissappear and all of my characters came back to life that were dead and I went back and killed him as if he just always had 20% life *sigh* epic fail.
I remember being able to interact with SOOO many random characters in the previous game and starting quests with them etc but in this one you talk to NO ONE but the same group of people and ONLY they can give you quests.. lame.
You CANNOT equip ANY armor for your characters to change the way they look or act.. Yeah good call guys that was a good move, take away one of the best parts of ANY RPG (the character customization) On top of the gear, you cant change the characters skill tree as much as the previous game, i mean you cant make them more than what they come with like the previous DA that was a major let down for me but what ever thats not even the worst.
by far the worst part of the whole entire game was definitely the maps. ohh the pain. I can only begin to describe how boring the maps were in this game... they are the EXACT same rooms EVERYWHERE in the game, allow me to elaborate - When i say they are the same i mean that if you were in another city and entered a "cavern" it would be the SAME exact cavern as ALLLL of the other caverns you entered in previous parts of the map except they would put ridiculous 6 inch slabs of concrete blocking off a room that was used for a previous quest some 200 miles away in the other city (RIDICULOUS) its so repetitive and frusturating. on top of the maps being the exact same maps in every location of the game the bosses are the same too, so after you find that first boss and your like "wow that boss looked cool I wonder what the next will look like" well he will look the exact same as the ones you beat previously.
This game was terribly short and had extremely bad flaws throughout the entire game.
The replay value umm haha considering that from all of the other reviews of people not even making it through the entire game well, i think that speaks for its self. Take my word for it DO NOTTTT BUYY THE GAME JUST DONT! | video-games_xbox |
Great single AND multiplay. A rarity. I had a love/hate relationship with the first Splinter Cell. It was so infuriatingly hard at times that I actually put it down for a month before finally sitting down and beating it. It was brilliant, but a bit flawed. Pandora tomorrow addresses the majority of the gripes about the first, and adds a superb multiplayer that is sure to keep servers busy for months.
GRAPHICS: A. Superb. The first one set the gold standard for console graphics, and this game does it again, although the improvement is less dramatic. Stunning lighting effects and terrific animations make this an addictive simulation.
SOUND/MUSIC: A-. Very good, my only gripe is that they recycled a lot of the sounds from the first game (Sam's moan when he heals himself, the annoying alarm sound).
CONTROLS: A. If only every 3rd person game could control as well as this one. The analog control makes skulking around in the shadows as easy as running full speed, and minute movements are faithfully reproduced. Even climbing has been improved, although you still have to be positioned in front of a ladder, pipe, etc.
GAMEPLAY: A/A-. Terrific, gripping and realistic action. The settings are dramatic and very varied, and the challenges you face are both fun and clever. The only downside is that the game is still too linear, in that you can't just rapel down any wall, you must follow the more or less "on rails" path that the level designers have laid out for you. There is more freedom than in the first game, but you're never really at a loss for where to go next. Allowing individual creativity in approaching certain situations (infiltration missions, for example) would make this the perfect game. The enemy intelligence is also a weak point, in that it's sometimes superhuman and can spot you in the dark, while at other times it will be dumber than a post.
ONLINE: A. Great fun, but only if you like online. The cooperative mode is challenging and riveting, but like any multiplay over the internet, you will run into some jerks, prima donnas (and also great people). Some people prefer this mode over the single play, some dislike it. | video-games_xbox |
Great features but no so great durability. After having used this for about a year and a half, it was a great controller when it worked but durability did not seem to be its strong suit.
The removable triggers on the back side of the pad were great for binding certain actions you may not have otherwise wanted to use from moving your thumbs. I mostly would only use a trigger to rebind for melee or sprinting to avoid having to click in a stick if they were bound to those buttons initially. They can be a good help when you get used to them but unless you plan on sticking to controllers with this kind of similar feature, maybe avoid it unless you feel it is necessary to use.
The controller also came with Razer green textured rubber stick grips which honestly felt much better than the default feeling of the sticks. However, they wore down quicker than I would have liked and one of them was torn up from some decent to heavy use. Probably would have been better to just make the sticks more comfortable in the first place so you wouldn't have to use the grips.
There also was an issue with the trigger buttons where they would seemingly just either work "enough" or hardly at all. If you were planning on using this for racing games and need your triggers, you may find it hard to use them by means of controlling your speed through light or hard presses since mine, after about a year, hardly would register light presses. There was also an issue with the right stick getting loose enough that sometimes, even without touching it, it would register me moving it down.
Granted, these issues all were due to day in and day out use, it's an expensive enough product to assume it would last longer than a year and a half with nothing but minor issues that were a matter of preference.
While Razer has a new controller out now, for anyone looking to buy this product, just be aware that while it is a great product at first, it will cause you some issues possibly sooner than you would expect.
However, the positives for this controller are what kept it from being rated lower, I loved the individual buttons on the directional pad and the A, B, X and Y buttons were almost like clicking keys instead of pressing buttons which felt really nice to the press. The on-the-fly programming of rebinding things to the triggers and being able to enable or disable the rumble/vibration was nice.
I would suggest looking into Razer's newer controller if you are set on getting a Razer controller. While this one has some nice features, it doesn't hold up as well as a default Xbox controller. If you are really drawn to the features more than durability, I think this is a good choice but be aware that you may not have it working in proper order as long as you may hope. | video-games_xbox |
If you thought 4 was great and wanted more, don't go back to 3 *spoilers. I made the above mistake. Mea culpa. I liked the open sandbox world of 4 and the freedom to do what you wanted, up to and including using the weapons you purchased.
In the case of 3 though, you work your ways towards getting the better weapons, only to find that it still somehow takes five consecutive hits to kill the average enemy. What the heck is getting George Washington's sword worth, if it does the exact same damage as your entry level hatchet? You have to build your village up over the course of the entire game, do all the homestead missions, make everybody happy, so you can earn the weapon that is exactly the same as the weapon you started with, just visually different. Hatchet takes five consecutive hits, epic end game sword takes five consecutive hits. Whats the point. I guess maybe all the cool kids have it.
The storyline gets increasingly nonsensical too. You end up killing your best friend, they guy you grew up with. The game makes a point of indicating that he is, essentially, your cousin. You kill him because one day, after decades of friendship, this complete stranger shows up once, tells your best friend a lie, your friend just completely buys it and turns on you without saying a word to you beforehand. Now bear in mind that you and you best friend not only grew up together and are family, you're also native American during a time when native americans were constantly getting the shaft from the white man. The guy who shows up and lies is a white dude. And is somehow completely trusted.
Idiotic.
You also cant actually use the weapons you buy when you want to use them. In 4, if you bought a weapon, you could use it whenever you wanted. Not in 3, if you get to a boss fight, you suddenly are unable to whip out your pistol and shoot the guy (a la Indiana Jones). No, you have to have a sword fight. Because, well just because.
The same holds true for the very end, when you chase a bad guy through town. At one point, my character is standing about ten feet from the guy, but cant shoot him, because....because....well....its the chase scene. Yes, you have a gun, but using the gun would make way too much sense. Its better to chase the guy, on foot, through a burning building while he commands soldiers to block you, shoot at you, and otherwise make you miserable. Its just not sufficiently dramatic enough to shoot the guy. You have to go through the unending chase scene.
If there was any reason for this, even a lame one, I'd be ok with it. You dropped your gun. Your gun jammed. There was a hole in your bag and all your bullets fell out. The same with your buddy turning on you. Give me a better reason than some stranger showed up one day and told a lie. Something more plausible with a little more depth. Maybe he was always jealous, maybe he got greedy and turned to the dark side of the force, because he thought your were diddling Princess Leia's mom. Something, anything, really. Say he was Replicant, I don't care, just make it more plausible than some dude we never met showed up one day, talked some crap, and I thought. 'wow, I guess I better kill my best friend.'
As for gameplay, I have to agree with many others, I don't think this was playtested. I don't know when this game came out, but it must have been pressed for time, right before a holiday or something. For example, to capture a fort, you have to go through a sequence of events, one of which is killing the fort commander. Great, except that he shows up on your little map, but when you get there, he isn't actually there. Theres a marker showing where he's supposed to be, but he still isn't there. You just fought your way through an entire fort, just to get to the center, where the commander is supposed to be, only to find a blank spot. This didn't happen to me just once, it happened multiple times.
I thought 4 was great, maybe the combat was a little too easy in 4, but otherwise, great fun.
This was ok, just don't have any preconceptions about it being as open as 4. Or being able to use your guns to end chases. Or the quality of your weapons actually making any difference. | video-games_xbox |
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