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The games were definitely fun in but i always wondered what would forza would . I will begin this review saying that i normally don't write review. I do read alot of them and this is my first time writing one. I have played every forza game up to this point, starting with Forza Motorsport on the original xbox. The games were definitely fun in but i always wondered what would forza would be like if there was an open world. My dream became a reality when Forza horizon was released on the 360. I loved that game, it was definitely new and fresh for the forza series. However for me the game was short lived because their wasn't many things to do. As time went on and the Xbox one was released i wondered again if a Forza horizon would be released and here we are today.
Initial Impression: Upon starting the game, they give you this preview that for me sent chills down my spine. You can literally close your eyes and the narrator will send you off into a deep thought about cars, racing and partying. After that is done they throw you in a huracan and off you go to the horizon festival. Let me tell you, the graphics on this game are very nice. You can see reflections off the windshield, dirt as you drive off road and scratches off the things you hit. Interiors are called are wonderful to look at as well. In addition to that, the sounds of the cars are really close to how they are in reality.
Differences between it's younger brother: Forza horizon had a totally different scenery, considering the map was based off of Colorado. It was on the smaller side and there wasn't much free roam off the actual road. Here comes Horizon 2 with a map that is probably double the size of the original and based off of Italy and France. This map is a lot larger with plenty of different landscape that will blow your mind away. Also the car selection, in my opinion, is a lot better this time around. They have something for everyone. Plus you can fine tune your car, which was impossible in the last games
Gameplay: Gameplay is great. Lots of different races including sprint, circuit, cross country, trail races and showcases. Modifying the cars in game is awesome. Painting them are fun as well. The road trips add a different sense into the game in where it doesnt feel like a video game anymore.
The bad: There are some sound glitches in the game relating to the cars. One car doesnt have any sound at all and i have came across like one or two graphical errors. Other then that i don't think anything else is bad.
Overall: The game is amazing. From the introduction, to the cars, to the scenery, the developers did extremely well on this. It actually made me re-buy the Xbox one. If you can get past the slight glitches in the game play, this game will keep you entertained for hours. If you want an even better time grab your friends and go for a road trip. Give the game a shot. If your a car guy like you, there is no reason why you shouldn't like it. | video-games_xbox |
The BEST headphones for Xbox One with some great features...They also can be used for other audio besides the xbox. You hear both the game sounds and your chat with these headphones so you can mute those tv speakers! This is really great if you have family that doesn't want to listen to it. I originally bought it for my husband to play Destiny with cause he likes to play early in the morning and the game sounds sometimes wake me up if he has the tv up too loud. So now he can just mute the tv and not have to worry about waking me up. When I tested them out I had to have a pair for myself because we have 2 xboxes and I love to play Destiny too and these headphones are just so good. The memory foam makes it so comfortable. Its got memory foam on the top where it sits on your head and then around the ears, its like putting on a pillow for headphones! The headphones themselves are a bit heavy but they grip your head so that you don't have too much pressure in any one area. The ear cups are tight enough so that all the weight of the headphones is not on the top of your head. The ear cups are nice and large too. The sound is great, I think even better than my Samsung level headphones. This does come with an adapter specifically for the xbox one controllers. I like that I can adjust the game/chat volume balance simultaneously and there is also a overall volume up and down. There is a mute button, mic preset button, a super hearing button and a mic monitoring button. The mic presets you set for the background noise from the room you are in. So you set it according to weather you are in a quiet room, medium, or loud room and it will adjust your mic so that the people you are talking to can hear you at the best quality possible. The mic monitoring is useful because you can't really hear yourself talk otherwise so it's nice to have the option to be able to hear yourself and make sure you aren't breathing into the mic. It has two different volumes that you can hear yourself at. As for the super hearing, it just seems to make everything louder. I haven't found much use out of it. The microphone is flexible and easy to adjust. It's also removable so you can just use the headphones without the mic. If you want to do that, there is an extra cord you can use with an inline mic and a headphone jack for your phone or mp3 player. The cords are covered with some kind of fabric or thread. I was worried about this when I first ordered because I didn't want stiff cords that get in the way but they are still very flexible and I haven't had a problem with them. They are actually really soft. Overall, I have been very satisfied with this headset. | video-games_xbox |
Precise Control for a Niche Market. I have been thinking about getting a serious racing rig which would include a racing wheel with integrated seat and pedals etc. The problem is space and cost ($500-1000). Now, there is no way this wheel would fit in with those plans but it will give you a taste for the next level of racing without much of the cost.
To do that, the Speed Wheel will need to be responsive and precise. This is something that "motion control" has severely lacked. The Wii can barely read gestures correctly, the Kinect is also flaky and laggy, and PS move has similar issues. So, with all this, I was pretty skeptical that a digital motion sensing device could work well for steering controls.
The good news is that motion sensing in the Speed Wheel is in a completely different class the from that on the Wii. The Speed Wheel is both precise and responsive as long as you are playing a game that has good "Advanced Wheel" settings. Games like Forza 3/4, Dirt 3 and a limited number of other car racing games on the Xbox 360. When used with these games, the steering input excellent and as responsive as a standard controller. In Dirt 3, you can (and should) change adjust the sensitivity and linearity depending on the style of driving. For drift heavy events, this can make a big difference. I believe similar settings are available in Forza 3/4 and the wheel probably works even best in Forza 4 since it was pretty much designed for that game. In Forza 4, for example, the lights on the end of the wheel will indicate advanced steering feedback (indicating shift change is needed?).
In initial use, its also unlikely that this device will make you a better driver (much like other racing wheels) because it takes some time to adjust to throwing you hands around to quickly impart opposite lock without loosing all control. But it does feel more real than just flicking a thumb-stick back and forth which is sort of the whole point. Once you learn the basics, your scores will fall back in-line and you may even improve but that will based on your skill not the controller.
One nice improvement on this wheel is the triggers are larger and have a longer and lighter throw. This makes precise throttle and brake control much better than with the standard controllers. The buttons on the right a much smaller than the standard controller and may even be too small for folks with large hands. the D-pad is also a bit smaller than standard but at least it properly oriented up/down to be used for gear changes.
Overall, the motion control of this device is excellent but what about the rest of the package? Well, one minor issue is the lack of bumpers. The reason they left them off is that most games that support advanced wheels don't use them for anything that is not typically mapped to the d-pad like shifting gears. Because you don't have pedals, any LB/RB control would have you lifting off gas/break which is why LB/RB are not often used during racing. However, they forgot that people also need to deal with menus and the LB/RB can also be used for switching settings. You could even use them for linear gear shifts (i.e. paddle shifter) if you use two trigger fingers instead of one. Its possible, if the wheel sells, they could release a 2.0 version that fixed this but I doubt they will have the kind of sales to justify a new production run.
Another issue with this controller is the limited number of games that can be controlled. You might think that arcade racers would also work well. But from what I have seen, that is not always the case. If the game does not have "Advanced Wheel" or support , the steering may have a huge dead-zone (45-90 degrees) and basically make the wheel unusable. And because the controller lacks RB/LB and there's is no way to configure the wheel outside of the games, its nearly impossible to use this controller with many/most arcade racers. You really need the advanced wheel support in-game for this controller to be any good. I did find that this wheel did work surprising well with some arcade racers like NFS Hot Pursuit and Split Second but not with other games like NFS San Francisco or Pure. So, its hit an miss if the game does not support advanced wheels.
I have a bit if a problem with the fact that Microsoft does not supply this list of games along with the Speed Wheel advertising or documentation because anyone buying this for other games will generate and RMA. That is bad for both Microsoft and the consumer.
As far as feedback, the rumble is very light, and it can't give you that kind of feedback you would get from a typical high-end wheel and pedals but you are only spending a fraction of that cost. In Dirt 3, you can turn up the rumble setting to its max which helps quite a bit.
You should really only consider purchasing the Speed Wheel if you are Forza/Dirt fan who wants a different way to play those games. Don't expect to be using this wheel for Driver San Francisco or for driving in GTA 4. But if you really like those games and don't want to get into full racing rig, this is the only game in town. And for that, it succeeds extremely well in what it set out to do.
P.S. I would hope that this kind of precise left right motion control will be built into the next generation Xbox control so that it could be used for more games. I could see this working well for all car games even casual ones. It could also be used for leaning in FPSs etc. Perhaps, this motion control is a test-bed for next gen controller features. I certainly hope it is. | video-games_xbox |
capcom doesn't throw a bone to the masses. i honestly don't know what capcom was thinking. this game is basically made to be played on HDTVs. if you don't have one, you might as well rent this game, kill some zombies and return it.
i basically bought a 360 for this game only to realize i just wasted $500. in order to actually be able to play this game the way it was meant to be played, i'd have to drop another $1,000 on an HDTV.
i understand things are being geared more towards the high definition, but we're years away from living in a society where the MAJORITY owns one. they're still way too expensive. with that being said, it blows my mind that capcom made a game that could only truly be played by a small minority of people.
plain and simple: the text can't be read. not even on my brand new 36 inch sony flat screen.
the fact that text is included in this game is crap anyway. it really takes away from the story line... not to mention squinting at a speach bubble for two minutes is incredibally hard when you've got 500 zombies walking around you.
as mentioned countless other times, the save system sucks as well. there's nothing more infuriating than dying after a solid two hours of playing only to have to replay everything just to get back to where you were when you died. i frequently found myself turning the game off at this point.
because of the way saves are set up (single slot only), and because this "free-roam" game actually follows a very strict timed series of events, it's very easy to "save" yourself in to a corner, forcing you to start over from the beginning if you don't give yourself enough time.
there's nothing worse than being 2/3 of the way through a video game before you realize you haven't given yourself enough time to get to your next mission.
then there's the frequently mentioned AI. it's terrible. the people you are suppose to save have IQs in the single digits. they get caught up on chairs and walk in to large groupings of zombies... only to call for your help.
there's also your walkie talkie. when you get a message, it will ring every few seconds until you answer it. this is highly annoying as there are very few places in the game where you have enough privacy to actual use it. what's worse is that when on your walkie talkie, you can't do anything else. you're basically zombait.
the way your inventory is stored is equally as frustrating. your health is stored along side your weaponry and when weapons break, they automatically switch to the next item in your inventory. hence, you're fighting a dozen zombies and your baseball bat breaks... the next thing you know, you're drinking a gallon of orange juice (health).
firing weapons are also too few and far between... especially when taking boss fights in to consideration. i can't count the number of times i had to go in to a psychopath battle armed with only a shower head and a 2x4.
ahhh!!!!
this game can be quite enjoyable, but it's overshadowed but some pretty major flaws. | video-games_xbox |
One of the most enjoyable games for Xbox 360. I will try to mention briefly everything that needs to be mentioned.
First, the issue of staying true to its originals. From what I see, this is the biggest obstacle to overcome. If you never played Banjo-Kazooie or Banjo-Tooie on Nintendo 64, then there is a very great chance that you will enjoy this game. I personally had little experience with the originals and had only played the first one a week or two before playing N&B. N&B shares the characters and wittiness of the first game, and there is no way you can dislike this. Rare took a new direction with this Banjo Kazooie game, and if you give it a chance (take off your nostalgia glasses beforehand), you may very well enjoy it.
This game is really all about fun. I've put many long hours into this game (definitely a couple days worth), and enjoyed every bit of it. Most of the game involves building vehicles and using them to complete challenges. Nevertheless, there is still some platforming at its heart, where you will end up spending a lot of time on foot and in your vehicle collecting notes (to buy new parts) and seeking Mumbo crates (which get you new parts to build new vehicles).
Let's talk challenges. I'll admit that there is nothing groundbreaking in this delivery, as you simply walk up to the character making the challenge and complete it if you so please. The real beauty lies in the specific challenges themselves. Being a vehicle-based game, you can expect a lot of races (sea, air, and/or land), but there are some exceptionally unique and fun challenges. All the challenges are relatively easy to complete (to achieve the minimum award), but if you want to challenge yourself, try beating some high scores or going for the highest award. Also to be noted is the fact that there are a handful of very tough challenges (if you wish to achieve the highest award).
Let's talk customization. Here is where the ingenuity of this game is. Possibilities of custom vehicles are endless. There are a ton of parts (some simple, some unique) to use, and you will really strive to unlock more parts. If you are creative and dream of building cars, planes, helicopters, submarines, boats, hovercrafts, any type of vehicle, this is where you will spend A LOT of time. Save as many vehicle creations as you like. Even if you don't use a vehicle for a challenge, you can still just free roam in the 6 different worlds which you unlock.
The worlds (i.e. "maps") are all unique and have lots of goodies hidden throughout them. They are all rather large size and compliment vehicles of all types.
There is multiplayer also, but I have not honestly used it enough to have a good opinion on it. The single player experience is completely worthwhile and you will get your money's worth out of it. The biggest downfall, I would say, with the multiplayer is the very limited fanbase. This game went completely under the radar, and I have little reason to doubt that there are only a handful of players on at any given time, if at all.
The graphics are not perfect, but it is a cartoon and you will not notice any problems with them during your gameplay. The cartoon style actually looks quite nice and is very appealing.
The soundtrack is subjective. I personally love it. You can sample the soundtrack on Amazon, but as a short description, it is very upbeat and pleasing music. It blends in perfectly with the visual style, and tops off an overall great game.
If you're a purist BK fan, maybe you will feel "offended" seeing your two characters in these roles (*gasp* vehicles). If you are, then I have to say, get over yourself. That shouldn't stop you from enjoying a game, which is one of the most enjoyable games on Xbox 360.
Surprisingly, this game does what few can do properly. It can be played easily by young kids AND enjoyed thoroughly by parents and more mature audiences. Give a young kid the controller, and they will have a blast driving the premade vehicles and running around with the bird and the bear. Give a young adult the controller, and Mumbo's Motors (the place to make your vehicles) will suddenly become the game's headquarters, and the clever witticisms will become apparent.
To conclude, I say: give this game a chance. If you have Xbox Live, you can try the demo. Otherwise, it is just $20; what is there to lose? I preordered this game for $40 and it is probably the best $40 I have ever spent on video games. | video-games_xbox |
A Review About More Than Just the Graphics. I have to admit I didn't know much about Gears of War before I bought it so I don't know about the hype. However, I'm sure they were comparing it to Halo. At the end of the review I'll let you know how it compares. Please note I'm only reviewing the campaign part of Gears of War.
The things I like about Gears of War:
The graphics are amazing just like the feeling when you first played a truly 3-D game over a decade ago. Lighting creates subtleties that only come in real life. Movement is natural as well as all of the physics. Faces have astounding detail and just an overall realism to them. You really have to see it to believe it. It is truly a next generation game and warrants the extra money. The gameplay is intense. I could actually feel my heart rate climb while I played it. It is mostly setup in small areas where you can use various objects to hide behind to as to keep your character alive. Even on the "casual" setting the enemy is relentless so action is nearly constant. You can also hide behind objects and shoot around the corner which keeps you alive a lot longer.
The whole interface for changing weapons and reloading is fairly intuitive; many will get used to it in a half an hour or so. Grenades are easy to use because you get a trajectory map for where it will fall. Having a chainsaw attached to your machine gun is definitely a plus. Physics in the game are the most lifelike I've yet seen. Guns have a correct range and bodies are not just gone once you kill them; they can be moved around and blown up some more if you so desire. Chairs, couches, clocks and dressers are all destructible too. Another very helpful thing is intelligent team members and the ability to command them to a certain extent. The levels are quite varied and keep you from getting bored of the surroundings. Something else that definitely is enthralling is the element of fear. You walk into an area and don't ever have a very good idea if anything is going to jump out at you.
Things I don't like about Gears of War
The major problem I have with the game is the lack of explanation within the story. It seems as if most of the story is based upon Marcus Fenix's quarrels with the "Gears" which is the military group he belongs to. You only get to see glimpses of the background behind these locusts. I feel like I was supposed to read a book before I got the game, because I don't have a very good idea what is going on. A few other things that really bother me, but which might not bother other first person shooter fans are: A closed in feeling everywhere you play, not just in environment but also in movement of your character. Many things are preset such as jumping over walls and running is done by holding down the A button and then you have cover while you run. Unfortunately while you're running you can't shoot or turn very well. Many of the movements seem to be like automatic which can get really annoying.
A lot of the game is based on staying behind concrete, walls and doorways to avoid fire. For example, if you are walking down a hall and just want to run it is difficult to keep yourself from smashing up against the wall for cover. I also personally don't like the fact that it isn't technically a first person shooter; what I mean is that when you go to aim you are actually looking over the person's should instead of being their eyes. As I said before the gameplay is intense and at some times so intense it just ends up being over the top. The idea of blood splattering on the screen is great, but not while you are trying to kill something-You can't see! Many areas of the game have objectives you have to complete, but give little or no idea on how to complete them. In one area you are coming out of the back of a house and are trying to get onto a helicopter to escape. You are told to get to the helicopter immediately all the while 10-12 enemies are in the way. Do you kill the enemies or get of the helicopter? Apparently both. Also until one of my team members died I didn't know you failed as well when that happens.
Is the game better than the halo franchise? No, not in my opinion, but Halo definitely has some solid competition where previously they didn't. Gears of War missed on a few key areas. Gameplay is rigid. You can't truly jump and everything feels limited in general. Even in the giant cave part of the game there is an obvious and minimal area of exploration. Secondly, the weapon I used 95% of the time was the machine gun and the other 5% I used the shotgun. It isn't that the other weapons aren't effective, they just have fundamental problems. The pistol is inaccurate and the recoil is enough to throw you off target. The RPG that the "boomers" use is difficult to get anywhere near a person. The torque bow is great if you have the time to not only aim but wait for the thing to be fully contracted. So unlike Halo where any weapon when used correctly is lethal, Gears of War makes the machine gun the most lethal. The other between the two is obviously the story. Not the storyline itself, but the fact that barely anything is told about your enemy, the main character, who the Gears are, if they are super soldiers, what time period it is or what the enemy is trying to do. This isn't just a personal predicament I have with the game either. In this day and age, if you don't have a well developed storyline people will think the game is one dimensional.
On gameplay I would rate it a 7/10, graphics: 10/10, storyline: 6/10 (only because it is so enigmatic), replay value 6/10, music: 5/10 (only remember hearing it twice over the course of twelve hours) and overall value 7/10. I really can't see how this is a "revolutionary" game. It is a great game, but in the long run will be forgotten. | video-games_xbox |
TV14 Wrestling at it's best. Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 without a doubt, was the last actual, true wrestling game. Although it didn't just focus on wrestling per say. It is the closest thing we as true WWF/WWE fans will ever get that was closest to the TV show. I know the "WWE crowd" has their favorite wrestling game in the series. Mine has always been, Smackdown vs. Raw 2007. And here is why? Not only did it capture the TV show, perfectly. This game was set during the TV14 wrestling days. From everything to when the crowd would yell out ! You suck! to Kurt Angle to Degeneration X still being Degeneration X. The game also had "hot spots" , also know as environmental hot spots. Which included, everything to dragging your opponent to the ropes and giving him a "rope ride" ;) To "dragging" an opponent to the turnbuckle , and slamming their head into and un exposed turnbuckle or to give the a bunch of "closed fist punches". This game also had a stamina bar associated with each wrestler, which I always brought both frustration and a sense of realism to the game as well. Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 also had an actual "story line" unlike the present WWE games with Road to WrestleMania and Replaying allot of Iconic matches. Don't get me wrong, their is nothing wrong with that. It just get's boring over and over again. In this particular game you had your own dressing room, you could customize by buying or un locking things in the main game.
Your "options" for the story part varied, you could wrestle "clean or dirty" and you earn points based on that to improve your created wrestler.
Plus the game was fully voiced by the WWE talent themselves:) In fact It's weird to see guys like Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerro in this game. Knowing fully aware of both their tragic ends. In one of the story lines, Edge will turn you into a "girl" with his magic fairy wand. Another storyline involves the Undertaker, where Teddy Long asks you to be a special referee with "unfortunate" consequences depending how you call the match.
Another storyline involves Stephanie MC Man and Kurt Angle "cleaning up " the filth in the WWE. Of course the focus, in Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 was on Tag Teams. It has your typical match types from previous games, it's too bad they being THQ didn't really didn't develop on the environmental hotspots. It would have been interesting to see what it could have been? That never was. So IF you long for the TV14 days of wrestling, I highly recommend you pick this game up. This was THQ, at it's best. P.S I know I left allot stuff out this review, but the whole point is to get you to play this game, and not give you what I refer to as "condensed gaming" . Where as a reviewer will basically "spoil" the game in their review, so you really don't need to play it or actually experience the game. And, I'm not that kind of reviewer. So bottom line, this game is for the truly hardcore wrestling fan out their:) | video-games_xbox |
NHL Hitz Pro. If you're not sure which Hockey game to start with I can recommend this one whole heartedly. It was one of my first XBox games and my first hockey game. I particularly liked the ease of use and realism of play and the announcers add a little fun to the game.
A must for every Xbox game is having an easy to understand tutorial that can quickly prepare you to play the game. NHL Hitz Pro was easy to figure out and had some fun features to make the game more enjoyable.
After several years of playing the EASports NHL 99 cd-rom on my computer this was a definite step up. My biggest complaint with the computer software was the choppiness of the play. You won't have anything like that here.
The player movement is realistic with the extra excitement of increasing the hitting power to watch players being knocked head over heels. I particularly liked the ease of use. It was nice to have automatic rebounding for the guys that are close to the net. For instance, if you took a wrist or slapshot and there happened to be another one of your players close to the net, then that player, who is also included in the play, will take a rebound shot that sometimes goes in. The transition between each play is good and you can add your own music soundtrack which is fun.
There are multiple levels of play with or without rules, setting up your own franchise (very fun), and even a place to play on the pond.
The only negatives I could find came from playing this game a lot. It would be more like suggestions for the producer of these games (Midway). If you play the game long enough you will find the same way to score every time. That cuts down on the creativity but it can still be fun. The fights are unnecessary but better than other versions I've tried. The last suggestion would be to make the speed burst available on the trigger so your thumb doesn't get so tired.
If you like this game you will love ESPN NHL 2K5. EA Sports has some great ideas but their version of hockey on the Xbox is still not fluid enough for me to enjoy. I am looking forward to Midway's next hockey game. | video-games_xbox |
EA Sports, "Its in the cup. The first thing you'll notice is the complete graphics overhaul from 08 that completely immerses you a truly Hi-def golfing realm with the most detailed and beautiful courses you'll ever witness designed down to a "Tee" to their real-life counterparts. I was blown away by the 08 to 09 screen-shot comparison, needless to say 09 blows 08 out of the water hazard. And when I say overhaul, EA really went out of their way to make this a Golf Graphical masterpiece and that's not even touching upon Tiger's rep for uncanny ability to produce drug-like addictive game play that can only be subsided with therapy.
As typical to recent Tiger tradition, this game uses the thumb-stick to simulate your swing; pull back and push forward as straight as you can to take a flawless swing. The further and longer you pull back on your backswing, the higher percentage of power will be applied to your shot. If you pull or push slightly to the right or left with your thumb-stick motion, you will end up slicing or hooking your shot in varying degrees depending on how bad you shanked one. Last year's gameplay suffered because it was so finely tailored to your thumb-stick motion that you had to be insanely precise and accurate with your swing in order to have a decent day on the golf course often leaving your blood boiling in frustration. Holes-in-ones and chip-ins were a rare-breed. 09 relaxed a bit and is more forgiving with the thumb-stick swing and accuracy. What I really like this year is that it displays your thumb-stick motion with lines (one for backstroke & one for follow-through) on the ball icon at the bottom left to show you exactly what you are doing right or wrong which allows you to re-adjust if needed for your next shot. Brilliant. This same ball icon also shows you how much extra power you put on your swing (Tap A during you backswing to add power to your shot), the percentage power of your shot (how far you took your backswing) and the spin on your ball (Tap A while ball is flight and a direction).
For the first time since Tiger's debut, you do not have to start from the bottom of the attributes barrel; no more starting at the beginner level and move your way up from scratch. Depending on how well you perform in the intro-training mode with Coach Haney will determine your initial skill level. If you played Tiger before (which I'm sure most of reading this have), your skill should be nowhere near the "Beginner" level. If you are Tiger vet like myself, you should start the game at somewhere in the "Pro" or "Master" level. If you are new to the game, don't panic as this game teaches everything you need to know with Tutorials with Coach Haney and, trust me, leaves plenty of room for improvement. What is also new, and you may dislike or like this feature, is the fact each attribute (four total) and your overall skill level can increase or decrease (*new) depending on how well you played the previous course. In previous versions, you could only improve upon attributes. This year, if you play crappy, expect your attributes, where you executed poorly, to go down. Further to boot, Coach evaluates your performance at end of a course or play and gives you the appropriate attribute training sessions on areas where he feels you need improvement. Choose to train or not, it's up to you -- Coach is just trying to further improve your game. This new skill concept certainly draws this game closer to real golf (even Tiger has bad days) and makes for almost an endless challenge.
The four attribute levels, compressed from previous versions, are: Power, Accuracy, Short Game and Putting. Also, you will have an Average Skill (an average of all four attribute skill levels) rated zero to ten (0-10). If you are smashing drives straight, look for your power and accuracy to increase. If you're shanking drives into the woods, look to botch your power and accuracy skill.
Also for the first time (I love new features), you can tune your clubs. Not happy with your accuracy, increase the sweet spot of the club ultimately giving you more control but sacrificing power or vice versa. You can also tweak loft, spin, fade and draw. Tune club mode puts you on a driving range, allowing you to tune the club in question and then immediately test it out on the range. Too much draw, no problema -- tweak it until that baby is hitting straight. Do you need to counteract your slice with a slight draw - here's the spot to do it. More power less control, yup. Do you want more loft on your short game irons to place the ball dead accurate near the cup, you got it -- tweak and tune your clubs to match your style.
Character creation and customization: One of Tiger's strong suits lie with player progression and customization. Nothing new, with tiger this year as last, you have an infinite number of options to create a character so that your avatar in the game almost identically matches your real life counterpart right down to the mole on your forehead. You can use the infamous Gamernet to upload your picture and face-capture your mug in a 3D rendering onto the game. Further customize your mug and player by inputting style of hair, clothes, height, weight etc. Game play, depending on how you play, will give you credits towards accessories, clubs and clothes to purchase to further develop your character .
Commentary: With a new face comes a new voice, 09 has changed a long tradition by switching commentators. The hilarious mockumentary and savviness offered by McCord and Faherty are out and will certainly be missed. Their refreshing, witty dry humor made you laugh and shone light even if you were having a bad day on the course. I won't deduct too many points though because it seems those guys were around Tiger for a long time and hearing different voices, at least at first, is refreshing but obviously not as humorous. Kelly Tillman and Sam Torrance are up to bat now and although uber-savvy in the world of golf lack in adding any new depth, excitement and humor. All is not lost, they offer great commentary, history, advice and still let you know when you are awful.
"New Courses and Golfers-Test your skills on new courses, including Gary Player Country Club in South Africa, Wentworth Country Club in England, and more, while international stars Se Ri Pak, Darren Clarke, and others join the competition." Amazon.com. Yes Yes and Yes!
Update: After Coach Haney's initial evaluation (one for every attribute: Driving, Accuracy, Short Game and Putting), he will give you an initial rating with a maximum rating of 4 (out of 10). No, you won't be able to be a perfect 10 at the start the game regardless of how well you perform in training. After all, what fun would that be. It leaves room to truly master your game. Play a round in a tournament or take on the Tiger Challenge to increase your attributes. If you've played Tiger before, it won't be long before you reach an average skill of 8 or 9. If you are close to 10, you've mastered and had a flawless streak. The challenge is to be within a certain distance on consistent basis. Even if you are scoring low, if you're not target, your rating will indeed suffer. If your game needs some work, you'll be a 7 and if are a rookie to the series, you be at the 6 or below. The great thing about Tiger, whether new to it or not, it gives plenty of opportunities to improve and more importantly makes you keep coming back for more.
Tiger Challenge has been overhauled and its welcomed change. Instead of a going through a Dynamic Challenge Tree where you select which direction to go in, this time you have to earn enough points to face the boss (PGA Star) of that stage. Each stage as 8+ challenges that you can play to earn points to face the boss. Once the boss of that stage is beaten, you move onto the next level until you ultimately reach Tiger Woods himself. This makes it more linear than the previous versions but it still fun and challenging nonetheless. If anything, Tiger Challenge is a fast way to earn cash to purchase new clothes and equipment. | video-games_xbox |
The Hype Train runs over humanity once again. Everyone knows what GTA is and what its supposed to be by now and whether they will buy it or attempt to condemn it to the gates of hell for all eternity, so I'm not going to try to convince anyone that GTA4 is trash or god's gift to man (and the religious references just keep on rolling. Sorry about that, religous nutjobs.)
It seems like everyone and their mother wants to put this game on a pedistal and say "look, society has finally created its own GOD!" So many perfect scores are being thrown to GTA 4, that Hello Kitty Roller Adventure is trying to get caught in the crossfire.
"So, Hunter, if every major game magazine is saying it's the most perfect game in the world, why should we think carefully before buying?"
Well, disembodied voice, two reasons.
One- Those magazines were pushing GTA 4's grrrrreat(!)ness since they had first heard about it, and were getting loads of advertising bucks from Rockstar and 2K for splattering GTA over their magazines. They weren't the most unbiased group of reviewers before they named GTA "Greatest Game In The Universe," and they certainly weren't unbiased during or after.
And Dos- I've finished GTA, and it's nowhere close to perfect. I was hooked on the storyline, Niko is actually a likeable character(which is a first for rockstar), the shooting is much better (though still very wonky), graphics are good looking, and the music is great, as usual.
But the problems are just as obvious. Everything gets old fast, and once you beat the storyline, there's not much left. After the final mission, you'll end up drifting around, going on stupid "make-me-happy" dates, realize how dull looking the city is, and end up starting killing sprees that end becoming formulaic and boring.
The reason is because there is just not enough to do. GTA's 3, Vice City, and San Andreas all had a bunch of fun little side quests and assorted gimmicks to keep people from getting stuck in the duldrums of driving around a drab cityscape. GTA 4 skimps out on a lot of that. Rockstar expects that people are going to instead play multiplayer, but with horrible servers, incredible lag, and some of the most annoying people to have ever been born playing online, I'm not sure how well that'll work out in the long run.
That said, you should still consider getting GTA 4. I did like it, it's just that I probably won't play it that much anymore, at least until the downloadable content shows up. I would suggest getting another game for after you finish, though. | video-games_xbox |
One of the Greatest Games I have Played in long time. I have had a great deal of difficulty getting into any given game recently, and it has often taken some pretty impressive games for me to put in more than a couple of hours. I started by getting the original Dragon Age: Origins preowned, and within a week, I knew that I would be purchasing this copy. It simply offers too much downloadable content and expansions at too great a value to pass up. I will rate the game as a whole, for those of you who don't know about Dragon Age.
Graphics: I have often heard people speak ill of the graphics of Dragon Age. I suppose the graphics are only slightly better than that of Xbox 360 games that came out on release day, but definitely not as poor as PS2 graphics that some people claim it sports.
Considering what they have done with the game, I can't say I would complain about the graphics. Every single piece of armor shows on every character on every cut scene. Cut scenes change based on what you have done and who is in your party, and every dialogue piece changes depending on who is in your party. It is remarkable to see little details such as what boots a character is wearing showing accurately in every scene. I consider this to be an impressive game. And it may not be FF 13 graphics, but it does some far more impressive things than FF13 ever attempted.
Glitches: Yes the game consists of glitches, are any of them game breaking? I haven't run into any as I had with Fallout 3. The glitches are sometimes audio fails to properly trigger, some characters outfits or beards tend to fall into each other, there was one scene where my character performed the killing blow on thin air because the monster had already fallen, so glitches exist, and they can be distracting. Once again, I point to the shear magnitude that this game accomplishes, and can forgive that some dialogue doesn't match up right, or a codex is inaccurate, given how much the game possesses. Compared to shorter games like Gears of War, Halo, and Darksiders, the game has considerably more glitches, and you will run across them. However, other than being minor inconveniences, I haven't experienced anything. Just follow the rule of save frequently, especially since the games autosave feature isn't quite as frequent as you would probably prefer.
Environment: This might be some of the reason people hit so badly on the graphics. The environments are pretty bland. You aren't going to see very much in the ways of surreal, artistic, landscape. Once in a while you might see something pretty cool, like in the deeproads, but for the most part, I have found the landscape to be relatively bland.
Appropriateness: Most people are curious about the content. A lot of games are labeled M for mature, but that can go in a lot of directions. In general, there is no swearing in the game, the characters rather using the softer words like "Sodding" when they swear. With regards to nudity, there are various enemies that will be fairly bare. Desire Demons typically where nothing but a loin cloth and some "nipple covers". A certain monster shows more boobs, but there was nothing sexual about a broodmother. You can have sex in the game, but it is done fairly tactfully, and every character wears underwear, the loose, unexposing kind. Homosexuality, threesomes, foursomes, and more stuff can occur in this game as well. With regard to violence, the game revels in how it shows blood. Your characters will become covered in blood after fights, and certain items have the unique ability to be "messy" and have more blood. Enemies will have pools of blood around them too, and will quickly decay into skeletons after a kill. So violence is a yes, although you can't just attack and kill anyone like in oblivion... in this game you would have to challenge and threaten to get into fights, and even then it doesn't always work. So yes, a violent, sexual game with surprisingly decent language. The environments are typically OK, I didn't see too many scary environments or inappropriateness like in Fallout 3. In one or two areas, you might see a few people hanged from hooks, but nothing like Fallout 3 does. There was one area that freaked me out and was scary, but that was the only area in the game I found to be that way.
Difficulty: I found the game to be pretty easy, but I suppose that depends on your experience with RPGs in general. I play on normal mode and might crank it up for my second playthrough. There were some challenges, but the more I play and get used to the controls, the easier it gets.
Variety: The game offers a fair variety of gameplay. Most of the time, it is simply clicking A to kill all your enemies, but there are plenty of ways to shake things up. If you are a mage, you will need to balance and run through your spells constantly. You can lure enemies into carefully constructed traps if you would like, causing them to fail miserably as they charge you. A boss or two require unique strategies to kill. So if you want to just hit A until it is dead, you can, or you can use your abilities strategically, the choice is yours.
Other characters:
You have the ability to fully control any member of your party, so don't think you are going to be helpless like in some other games. You can create fairly complex AI controls so that your ally acts exactly how you want him to. Learning to set these up properly is essential to the game. The redial menu is your friend, and while I originally tried to get away without it, I eventual realized it is a necessary part of the game. You will quickly learn that you can't learn everything, so you are going to have to give some of the slack to your allies. One of them will need to learn herbalism/trapmaking/lockpicking ect... you can't depend on the warden to master them all, making teamwork in your party essential, something I have not felt in any game for a while.
Improvements: My only two improvements that I think would have added greatly with the game is 1) allowing a second player to take control of one of the allies, which would have been remarkably easy to set up and 2) Perhaps a few less glitches would have been nice.
Overall: Other than that, I found this game to be the best game I have played in some time. It is fun, giving you an open game feel without the "I have no idea where to go, what to do" feel oblivion sometimes gave. Most of your paths are linear, and I can't say I felt like I missed too much without a strategy guide, but it still gives you options and multiple paths in any given dungeon/city. The additions were all great, and I enjoy awakening just as much. The addons are definitely fun and worth adding on, although I don't expect many of them are worth it to buy individually, they are a great deal within this edition. | video-games_xbox |
A Big Disappointment. If what you're looking for is a solid and fun multiplayer ala COD4... look somewhere else. This game's multiplayer is a disappointment. The playability leaves a lot of things to be desired and it doesn't live up to all the hype.
Playability is how much you enjoy a game based on the quality of your interaction with other players and the environment. For a FPS it refers to the ability to walk, run, duck, aim, fire your weapons, hide, ambush, reload, distinguish friend from foe, take damage and heal, know where the enemy fire comes from, the tools available to navigate the multiplayer maps, and how all this elements help you and your team achieve the goal of the game. Far Cry 2 falls short on all this as it just ain't smooth.
In the multiplayer there's no map that shows your position or other player's; friends and foes look alike and the only way to distinguish them is a red/green banner on top of their heads showing your nome de guerre and a health meter (green=friend/red=foe). When you get kill and while waiting to respawn you can circle through some still cameras that show real time footage of the game, but again you don't know if that guy running with a machete down that dry creek is friend or foe (and for a last generation game to need a banner on top of your head showing whether you're friend or foe its unacceptable).
Also let's talk about patience: if you get kill by a headshot then you're looking at around twenty seconds waiting before you can join the game again; if God forbid you get mortally wounded then you'll bleed to dead for twenty seconds waiting for someone to revive you plus another twenty seconds waiting to respawn. If you're driving from L.A. to San Diego twenty seconds is really a drop in a bucket, but if your team's diamonds have been stolen and you're down by a point with the clock ticking it can be not just frustrating but nerve wracking.
When it comes to the single player the best way to describe it is: GTA IV with a first person perspective in Africa (yes, including that cell phone that doesn't stop ringing and the safe houses where you can safe your progress).
Graphics are good; you can hunt wild game, sneak behind heavily armed foes with decent AI, drive vehicles, paraglide, get your gun jammed in the middle of a battle, create your very own maps, take a nap and wake up at night, blow stuff up and even set the jungle on fire but beware: setting the jungle on fire could be like spitting against the wind...
I'm a multiplayer type of guy and don't really care for the game story, but if what you like is the mission this game is not a bad idea for killing a Sunday afternoon -no pun intended.
To summarize my experience with this game: I paid $59.99 (+ 6.5% tax in NC/US) and if I could turn back time, I would've NOT purchased this game. If there's a Far Cry 3 coming out in the future don't bother checking for my review, I'll not buy it. I broke my golden rule on this game and paid dearly: rent it or play the demo, and if it's good buy it. And now I'm advising you: rent it, don't buy it.
This game is like ordering a delicious burger at your favorite restaurant: medium rare Angus beef that comes to your table hot off the grill, topped with cheddar cheese, crunchy stripes of bacon and a side of crispy golden fries... everything looks and smells perfect, and when you grab it ready to take a bite larger than life you feel the soggy and mushy bread that holds it. And that bread is the playability. | video-games_xbox |
Finally! The third quarter game worth playing. Just. So. Much. To. Do!
And it's all fun.
I didn't really know what to expect from Dragon Age. I enjoyed the first two games (and the expansion for the first game!) but they all seemed like the place where BioWare put their second rate ideas, leaving all the REALLY good stuff for their Mass Effect games. Even so, a "bad" BioWare game is still better than pretty much any other game. It's just a different scale, I suppose.
That being said, this game is leaps and bounds above a "bad" BioWare game. This is "A" material. As soon as I set foot in the Hinterlands, I was overwhelmed by the scale of just this one zone. It made me realize WHY having a horse (or any other type of mount) would prove so useful. Even so, none of it felt like empty space. Run even a short distance and you'd find a half-destroyed fortress to explore or a cave to look around inside.
Every quest you complete feels like you're making a difference in your world. Quests move NPCs around, strengthen your forces, or protect refugees. Every action feels tied into the structure of your game. And your options are impressive! Once you get far enough in the story to have your own keep, you get to rebuild it, populate it, decorate it... you pretty much make it your own. All while making your mark on Thedas.
All of this takes time, of course. The game babysteps you into the thick of things so you aren't overwhelmed with options straight from the get-go. I've been playing it off and on for nearly two weeks now and I don't think I've scratched the surface yet. In fact, I KNOW it. My wife is so much further than me and her progress makes me jealous. :D
Anyway, if you're looking for a twelve hour game, you'll need to look elsewhere. Reviews have said this thing'll take over ninety hours to complete and from my experience, that seems likely.
If you spend some time on the Dragon Age Keep, you can import (and recraft) your decisions from the previous games into your Dragon Age Inquisition experience. This is probably my favorite part about BioWare games. You have a hand in creating the world even before playing this game. If you're like me, expect to spend a lot of time on Google figure out who is what in an attempt to remember WHAT you did in the first two games because a LOT of decisions are available for you to mess around with. I honestly don't know how much of a difference this will make in the game but it's nice to hear Leliana mention her romance with the Hero of Fereldan or see the Hawke you played as in the second game. Very nice touches.
As far as negatives? I wish they would have used the system they had in Mass Effect 3 where if you didn't have any new dialogue options with characters, you just wouldn't have a talk option with them. I've started up a lot of conversations without actually having anything to say. :D I've also had some weird glitches. One time I was fighting some Templars and my main character ended up half a mile in the air while I was in the overhead screen. He survived the fall but it was a strange occurance, nonetheless. More hilarious than anything else. Haven't encountered anything game-breaking but there are a lot of minor glitches.
I have a friend who bought this game for the PC and wasn't able to play it because his system weren't up to the specs. He thought they were but, well, he was wrong. So if you're going the PC route, MAKE SURE YOUR COMPUTER CAN HANDLE THE GAME BEFORE YOU BUY. That might be basic knowledge but it probably bears repeating every once in a while.
Otherwise, this thing is kind of awesome. I have bought a lot of games lately that have underwhelmed me. This is not one of those games. In fact, I was planning on playing though AC Unity and Halo before tackling this but this moved right up the queue after just a few hours sampling it. If you like fantasy/ adventure RPGs, this game will serve you well. | video-games_xbox |
3.5/5: Could have been a great game, only a nice one. I put 4stars because I had fun with the game, and I hope THQ (or the company owning it now) will do a third episod that learns from this game mistakes.
But it is a 3.5/5 game, not more.
For people who don't know, Darksiders 2 follows the path of Death, one of the Riders of the Apocalypse, who is trying to redeem his brother War for crimes he is accused of.
In the previous game, the Apocalypse has started and Angels and Demons arrived on Earth to fight. Earth was turned into a Wasteland, Humanity is destroyed, and Demons ended up successful in the fight. War is accused of provoking the Apocalypse, even though you know he is not responsible. And after 100 years of stasis, you were traveling through Earth in order to know the truth.
Darksiders 2 takes place between the Apocalypse and War's awakening. Death doesn't believe his brother responsible of this situation, and the crime which resulted of it: Humanity extinction. Without any proof whatsoever, Death decides to resurrect Humanity so War's punishment can be dropped.
And now starts your journey, from the land of the Makers, to the City of Death, through Earth in Darkness, and the Angels lands.
As a whole, Darksiders had everything to be a great game. A compelling story, a good gameplay, a charismatic hero and a previous opus that was successful. Add to this some RPG elements, an interesting competences tree, and secondary quests, what more to ask? Nevertheless, the formula doesn't give a coherent result, and the goal is missed by more than a few cm.
Let's go with some specific description:
COMBAT: 4/5
The fight controls are great. Death moves are fluid, fast, interesting, and the combo offered to us are numerous enough to have a few different way of playing. If War was a brutal heavy force of nature, Death can act like a Wasp, jumping all around the enemy before hitting the specific weak points. War was Force; Death is Precision. A great way of following the first game path with some new seasoning on top.
The game is hard. The enemy can easily beat you if you are day dreaming, which makes every fight interesting. The two trees of competence - either a Necromancer calling dead allies for help, are a Reaper strengthening his own forces - give different approaches, which is interesting in a Zelda-kinda like game.
The disappointment will come by the end of the game, when the difficulty is not consistent. Some demons are nearly impossible to kill, while some will require little to no effort to annihilate. The last bosses are not that hard also, and the last Boss has no charisma at all, which is sad.
GAMEPLAY: 3/5
Moves are fluid, look great, and allow you to do quite a lot. However, even though you are in an open world, the game is very linear, with only one way of achieving things. But this is exactly what you are expecting with a game like this.
The main problem is that the game is long, very long. Too long in fact. While playing in the Death Kingdom, you start to get bored, which is bad. The story is not compelling, and the main mission seems pointless at lots of points. But the main thing that upset me were the items you find in the second half of the game. During the first half, you get items that improve the gameplay and Death skills. Some part seemed impossible to reach, you can now get them. And these items can also being used in combat, which gives you new possibilities and new combo.
But with the second half of the game, your items can't be used in combat, and are just necessary to solve riddles. This was the same in Darksiders 1, with the Portal Gun or the Mask, but at least you didn't have to pause the game to use it (which is what happen here). Considering the game is for half only fights, this is a really bad experience. You end up playing just to finish what you started, not for the pleasure of it.
RPG: 3.5/5
Good and bad elements.
The idea of having secondary quests is great, it makes you want to invest more in the game, learns about its secret, etc. However, most of the secondary quests end up with weapons or armors at a very low level that you will sell since your actual equipment is better than this.
Also, some quests are simply impossible to complete. Getting all of the stones is time consuming and, even though you can evolve your skills thank to this, it becomes pointless compare to the skills you get through your natural equipment.
Most quests don't bring anything to the story, it is just some Hack and Slash, and as a result the story telling is dropping the ball. The Soul Arbiter mission is simply impossible to complete without a walkthrough, and appear too late in the game to make you want to invest in it.
I personally liked the Possessed Weapons, to which you can sacrifice elements to increase their level. However, I would have appreciated a Holy Weapon, or Combined Weapons. That would have brought something new. Or a weapon in pieces, so that achieving secondary quests will give you the elements of it.
STORY: STARTS AT 5/5, ENDS AT 2/5
The story of Darksiders was great. Darksiders 2 starts by following the path of it, which was awesome. You were lacking a few elements, as in "who is the Crow Guy" or "If Death is free, where the other Riders are?" and such, but the elements given to you were fascinating.
As you reach the Forge Lands, more details are given to you, especially about the Nephilims and the Corruption, two new concepts that will be the focus of this game. This is enjoyable, however, you realize lots of your questions still don't have answer, and the way things are going doesn't seem that you will have them at the end.
Then, the more the game continues, the more confusing it gets. Death can apparently kill some monsters, be cruel, but show mercy to some enemy for no actual reason. Some of his actions are totally stupid on the moment, and you realize it had to be like this only because otherwise, the story around won't hold. At one point, you spend 3h following a mission that bring absolutely nothing to the story, and a power link to this mission is lost.
At the end, your attachment to Death is lost due to his numerous illogical actions, his way of trusting some people for no reason, and his "nobility" that doesn't add up with the general story. But the most upsetting thing is how almost all the characters you saw in the first game are forced in this one. I mean, you travel all around the multiple kingdoms, so meeting some of the characters War will meet later on seems plausible, but as side missions, not included as vital element in the main mission. And some new characters, that could have brought so many things to the story (Lilith for example) are weak secondary characters.
At the end, my feeling on this is that the producers wanted a new experience that goes further than the first game. They achieve this initially but failed in integrating these new elements in the Gameplay. And when they realize people might dislike this, they forced links with the first game so "everything can be tied up". This is in this process that they ruined their game. | video-games_xbox |
Cheaply made and questionably designed. First I will breifly make a distinction between the 360 as a system and the 360 as a game library. The game library is better then 2 stars, probably around 3 stars. There are a few good temporarly 360 exclusive games such as gears of war and viva pinata along with a number of multi platform games (COD3, bioshock ect) mixed with a lot of bad ones. I don't know if it's that the xbox 360 is inexpensive to develop for or what but the only systems that get as many stinkers as the 360 are usually portable (GBA, DS, ect). The big weakness of the 360 game library is an almost complete lack of quality exclusives. The 360 runs on very similar archatecture to a normal windows PC and as a result almost every 360 game is either simultaniously on the PC (bioshock) or released for the PC within a year or so (Gears of War). The only reason to even consider a 360 is if you fit two criterea A) you do not have a PS3 or gaming quality PC and B) you are impatient to get the few "timed exclusives" such as gears of war without the year wait to get a superior PC version. As it stands the only good 360 or original xbox game I can think of that wasn't ported elsewhere is dead rising. You can bet anything Halo 3 will be ported, the first 2 certainly were and microsoft is really trying to get the games for windows thing off the ground so.... If you want true exclusives look to the Wii and Playstations. Neither Sony nor Nintendo has any stake in the Windows market and as such are far more hesitant to let their exclusives go to the PC so if you want to play God of War, Metal Gear, Mario, Zelda or others the same wait for the PC version addage isn't true.
As far as the system goes I cannot describe how bad it is. I give it 2 stars only because of the game library. This is the worst console I have ever owned with the sole exception of the SEGA CD addon. The NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, PS2, PS3, Saturn, Dreamcast, TG16, Neo Geo, and even the original XBOX were all better made then this thing. I have a "new" HDMI xbox 360 (the one listed here) because my original 360 died for a 3rd time and I'm hardly a heavy 360 user. I've played it for maybe a few hundred hours over the past year but it keeps breaking inexplicably.
The 360 sounds like its an airplane taking off when its on, it overheats badly and often, the loading times are really bad and the overall construction cannot be described as anything other then shoddy. Overall the 360 has a 33% failure rate which is amazing high for any electronic device. Can you immagine any other device where a 33% failure rate is ok. Microsoft must have absolutely no QC department. As far as I can tell the current HDMI Xbox 360 hasn't fixed any of the problems my original 360 had and I'm guessing I'll see a red ring where the green should be soon enough. Also on the subject of cheap there is no built in wireless requiring a 100 dollar adapter, it cannot use 3rd party hard drives like the PS3 can so you can't put a 200 GB 2.5 drive in it for less then 100 dollars instead you must buy the microsoft drive which is extremely overpriced. You really need more then 20GB if you want to use downloaded content at all since over 12 GBs of the very limited 20GB hard drive are wasted by inefficient system software leaving you with the same ammount of space as the original Xbox. Additinally the storage media is very small relative to the demands of todays games leaving the 360 in the same spot the Dreamcast was in last generation with DVD storage which won't be able to hold the types of textures needed to stay current in 2-3 years. Already some Xbox 360 games such as blue dragon are up to 3 discs which precludes fully explorable worlds (since a lot of content can only be accessed via one disc or the other)
Some people can look past the poor construction and drastic limitations for the short term software choices. I made that mistake when I bought the 360 soon after release. If you own all other systems and don't have a quality PC owning it makes sense but I for one have never been more disapointed in an electronic device I've purchased. | video-games_xbox |
Call me Impressed. Before I get into my actual review, I'd like to please request that people who dislike this game STOP saying how bad it is compared to Skyrim. Okay, fine, that's your opinion - then go play Skyrim! This game wasn't intended to be Skyrim; it was intended to be better than DA: Origins (which had already set the bar VERY high), and to make up for the dismal game that was DA: 2. Sure, games incorporate ideas from other games all the time, so Inquisition has borrowed ideas from newer games. But I'm really sick of some reviewers just comparing this to Skyrim and then saying, "I hate it." Congratulations. Do you want a cookie?
This game is amazing and very absorbing. It plays very smoothly on my Xbox One, and I have yet to find any serious glitches (I'm not completely finished with everything though, to be honest). The graphics are stunning. They have brought back the ability to choose your race, and you automatically choose how you want to play (i.e. Rogue - Dual Wield, Warrior - 2 Handed Weapon, etc.). I think the character personalization is great, but I'm used to playing the Sims franchise, where everything is cartoony, so I'll admit most everything here looks good to me. Also, I enjoy that your character actually speaks in conversations; sometimes the responses feel a bit corny, but I find that true of most games.
Some people have complained about gameplay. Yes, it's a little different from DA: Origins, and definitely from DA: 2. That doesn't make it bad. It took me maybe 30 minutes to an hour to get used to it. Honestly though, every game should have a little bit of a learning curve unless it's a franchise like Pokemon that hasn't changed battle mechanics in almost 20 years. Other people have complained about their other characters running in and dying. That's your fault, not the game's - you can still manage tactics in the character record menu. They aren't as involved as in DA: Origins, which is a bit disappointing, but it hits the high points. You can also switch characters in battle if their actions really bother you, and you now have the ability to pause the game when a battle starts and tell everyone explicitly what to do before restarting. It's complex, and takes some time to get used to, but it's not necessarily the game's fault if you can't learn the controls. They're pretty intuitive, there's a built in tutorial, and it's not rocket science. I've played games that were so badly constructed that I quit after several hours of trying to learn the mechanics. This isn't one of those games.
I'm happy with the storyline so far! I'm not finished (the producers said it would take roughly 50 hours to finish the main storyline, and 100 to complete everything), but I find it an interesting plot. It can be slow at points, and there are lots of linear side quests that can be boring, but you don't have to do those. The party members are interesting (though you DO have to actually talk to them for their stories; don't call them boring if you don't engage with them), and I can honestly say I have trouble deciding which to take with me at points. In DA: Origins I had a set cast and pretty much never felt compelled to change them up.
Where this game really shines is the customizability. You are able to customize nearly everything - weapons, armor, etc. - using materials you find around the world. You can make weapons that really accentuate the way you play. For example, you can put certain metals into your weapons add-ons or upgrades that will give bonuses to defensive abilities, offensive abilities, character attributes, etc. It's really innovative compared to the previous two games in the series, and I'll admit, I spend a lot more time on equipping my characters now.
The world is very open and has lots of locations to visit. As a fan of fantasy literature (I really do read all those Codex entries!), I really appreciate the depth to which the game writers went in developing the culture and history of Thedas. It truly is top-notch. However, it can be overwhelming if you aren't into the world-building aspect of it. If you don't like political intrigue or find the stories of games second to the fighting/combat aspect, this is probably going to bore you to tears.
If you don't like a lot of RPG's, this may not be the game for you. If you idolize Skyrim to the point of calling all other fantasy games sacrilege, this also might not be the game for you. It takes a lot of commitment to get through, you'll have to sit through dialogue and cutscenes (some of which you really don't care about), and you can easily get overwhelmed in the expansiveness of this type of game. It's not particularly combat heavy, in my opinion though you fight often. It's challenging, but not impossible (though I don't play on the highest difficulty). If you're looking for a game exactly like DA: Origins, then you might be disappointed. I personally think this game is better, but I've read other reviews that suggest other people don't feel the same.
Ultimately, I think this game was fully deserving of the GOTY title, and I'll probably still be playing for a while to come since there are allegedly 40 different endings (from Inquisitions' website). If you're really that torn, wait for a few months and buy it secondhand at a game shop. I did that with DA: Origins, and it turned into one of my all-time favorites. | video-games_xbox |
I only play the single player and it wasn't that fun. My gripe is with the single player. I gave that a one star and added an extra one star for the multiplayer. But I don't player multiplayer that much. Yea, it is just boring game. The single player is short. Even shorter than ODST. And I will be honest. I was pretty pissed about ODST. You had an uninteresting main character. Boring to OK fight maps. It felt like a rushed game...on top of the Halo Universe. Halo Reach seems even more uninteresting that Halo ODST. I was shocked and let down.
What are the gripes? Where do I begin, there are so many.
Before you say I am just entirely complaining. Actually, my main gripe is that the characters weren't that compelling. The story wasn't that interesting. The single player was too short. I like Halo 3 and Halo 2. Those were good games. ODST and Reach seem rushed.
On the single player:
+ The Bad:
- No Master Chief or Cortana. People are talking about the Halo Universe and there is more to Halo. And this is what you give us? A boring, dying planet. No thanks. These directors get all cute and force us to care about your completely new take on the store. Master Chief and Cortana made the Halo "game" serious. He was a bad ass character and to completely take him out from the game seems absurd. Not only that. But, you gave us some random character with no story.
- No story: You are a soldier, you kill the enemy. Try to save the planet. No real story, just shoot. And maybe towards the end, the bring up some connection to the Halo Universe. Boring. Here is Master Chief?
- Boring ODST style game play: It is basically ODST. Your mission consists of moving around the maps and they throw enemy at you. Occasionally you have a couple of Hunters to kill. Here come the drop ships. Shoot at the enemy. They huddle in the same area. Kill them and move to the next area.
I am not saying this is entirely bad. But, I wish they mixed it up a little bit. Besides the vehicle combat.
- AI sucks. They say the AI is better. But really, it seems like the advanced AI characters just move around a lot and at a high speed. And they have more health. I don't know if that is advanced. You can normally kill them through attrition. Just sit of them, dodge and find as much ammo as you can.
- Weapons still suck. The weapons have kind of sucked sense Halo 3. The enemy weapons are OK and much better than human ones. But you still have some issues. The pistol has 8 bullets. I was hoping in some modern universe that the humans would put more rounds in their weapons. Maybe they deserve to lose. 8 rounds for the pistol which is OK, but it takes two clips to kill anyone. The assault rifle is still worthless. 32 rounds and you can't kill anything with it. So you have about 600 total rounds. I bet you only kill 3-4 enemy with all your ammo.
- No scarabs. They had 3-4? In Halo 3. Why none in Reach.
- No advanced modern FPS movement. Like blindfire or hiding behind cover. I know, I know. This is Halo. But, they added running and jet packs and space flight. It sure would be nice if I could hide behind cover and/or sneak up behind the enemy (see Bad Company2, Gears of War, etc).
- Let down because I thought I was going to be blow away. When we heard about Reach, I was expecting a 20 hour single play with a bunch of replay value and a great story. There is some replay value, but the single player is so uneventful. What is the point?
+ Good points
- Great graphics, great environment. Despite my issues with some of the game play. The environment is pretty amazing. The background and the landscape do look amazing
- Some replay value for Single player with the "skulls"
- Vehicle combat was pretty good. Space combat, helicopter combat were nice. If half the game was just space and helo combat, I would have been happy. | video-games_xbox |
Overshadowed by glitches. I usually do not review games until well after I have played them through a time or two and thus can give a more thorough review of the game as a whole. However since I have found an issue that is almost game breaking for me I decided to write a review early in order to give other potential buyers more information with which to make their decision and will simply come back and update this review at a later date to give a more thorough review of the game itself as a whole from beginning to end.
First for the extra content that the Collector's Edition itself includes:
The packaging is attractive enough, the disc tin featuring the default male shepherd on the front and the default female shepherd on the back. The 1.25" x 4" N-7 patch has Velcro so you could easily stick it to your favorite sweatshirt should that be you style. The Normandy lithograph is also very pretty.
The Collector's Edition also comes with a small comic called Mass Effect Invasion which tells a small story centered around Omega and Cerberus which fans of the Mass Effect comics may enjoy.
Hardcore fans of the series will also likely enjoy the nice art book that accompanies the Collector's Edition (though be careful when flipping through it before you've played through Mass Effect 3 because of course there will be some spoilers in it).
On the digital front, the Collector's Edition also includes a 2 day Xbox Live Gold membership; a code for an avatar prop of the SR-2 Normandy; a code for the Collector's Edition exclusive content (the N-7 gear and the robotic dog that wanders your ship) which also gives you access to an online pass for access to the online multiplayer mode; and a code for the first day DLC mission that unlocks a special new squad member (which without the Collector's Edition costs some serious cash for a mission that could have as easily been included on the disc).
Yes, in case you were wondering, while some of the DLC is nice, there are a LOT of DLC codes included which I personally found somewhat annoying since it took nearly 30 minutes just to type them all in and get them downloaded before I started and at least the extra mission could have simply been included on the disc instead of using it as a means to squeeze more money buyers of non-Collector's Edition copies of the game.
Verdict on the Collector's Edition stuff: I give the Collector's Edition a 4.5 out of 5
for its relative affordability and the cool stuff included in it. However I would have more respect for EA/Bioware had they just included the extra squad member on the disc of all copies of the game and that is the reason I take off a half star for this category. All in all I can't complain about the Collector's Edition itself and for any that are long running fans that are planning to buy Mass Effect 3 no matter what (or those that will want access to all the squad mates -even DLC ones) this is a good buy.
Now for the game itself:
I must admit that my first impressions were very poor -to the extent that I was seriously about to shelf a game that was meant to conclude two games that both land in my top 5 favorite games of all time before I'd even played 1 minute of the game.
This is because during trying to import the character that I have played since the original Mass Effect I encountered a glitch where my character's face could not be read forcing me to either use the generic face for My Commander Shepherd or to rebuild his face from scratch (which not only would be very time consuming -a mere inconvenience- but would also be very hard to get right when just eyeballing it -ME1 faces didn't give you a code that you could just plug in to recreate the face-).
After doing a quick search online I found that a LOT of people were having similar issues. -to the degree that a forum post about it on Bioware's own site had reached 120+ pages by half way through the release day with people posting about the same issue: It appears that the problem arises with files when you had a save file in ME1 that you import to ME2 without editing the facial features (ie if you wanted your Shepherd to look the same in ME3 as it did in ME2 as it did in ME1 you may encounter this glitch).
Now this being said, it does not effect *every* file that was imported to ME2 from ME1 without changing the face and then is imported to ME3. In fact I was able to find one of my secondary play-throughs that actually worked (which is the only reason I didn't shelve the game before I even played through one mission). The problem is that this would appear to be a relatively common glitch and so while *some* characters may be able to be imported with their faces intact, many will not.
I feel weird putting so much emphasis on something as seemingly small as being able to import a face over from one game to the next. And to be honest on almost any other game this would be nothing but a small annoyance. However with one of the Mass Effect series' biggest selling points being the fact that you can take the Shepherd you created, with the decisions your Shepherd choose to make from one game into the second and finally into the conclusion that is to be Mass Effect 3. Thus it becomes a big deal when the character that players may have put hundreds of hours into making their own through the 2 previous games turns up in ME3 looking completely different (unless they are lucky enough and have enough time on their hands to painstakingly rebuild their character to a close approximation of what he/she used to look like). This really takes away from the feeling of playing through a game with "your" Shepherd, and considering the seemingly common occurrence of this glitch, in my eyes this is something that should have been caught very early on in bug testing and should *never* have been present in a game in which being able to import your own previous characters is at its heart and core, at the time of its release.
To me this illustrates just how much EA/Bioware were rushing getting this game out (after all, it was released in very short order after ME2 when you compare the time frame with that of almost every other game Bioware has ever made) which would seem to have come at the expense of the (usually high standard) of quality control Bioware seems to have invested into this game.
All the complaints about the importation bug aside, having only played a few hours into the game I can say that if you liked Mass Effect 2 you will likely enjoy Mass Effect 3 as well. The combat is a little smoother (though snapping to cover can sometimes be tricky), the annoying planet scanning feature that replaced ME1's MAKO is now a thing of the past (as are ground assault vehicles you can pilot like the MAKO and hammerhead) and the new scanning feature seems less cumbersome. In addition I no longer feel as limited in my choice of firearms and customization options for weapons (and to a lesser extent armor) as I did in ME2 which is an improvement (though there are not as many choices available as were in ME1 by a long shot still) and I am enjoying having more choices of what weapons I can take with me when compared to ME2. In addition, while the story has yet to feel quite as polished as it did in ME1 and ME2 (remember I'm not too far in so this may very well change) it is still enjoyable writing. In addition there seems to be a wider range of enemy types you will be facing in ME3 which is something I'm enjoying as well.
Verdict on the game itself: 1.5 out of 5
for the major oversight in bug testing the importation system. I know this seems harsh (it is) but even though the rest of the game is enjoyable thus far and probably worth a good 4 stars, when you have a problem that undermines the Mass Effect trilogy's main selling point of being able to take the same character all the way from ME1 to ME3 on release day it shows that the game needed more time to be tested and polished and that the people behind it were more interested in pushing it out early to get a quick buck instead. And while taking 2.5 points out of 5 away from it for this may be a bit heavy handed, this is a problem that many fans may view as game-breaking (it's not actually game-breaking to be fair, but it is a *very* serious put-off) and thus is something that until some sort of patch can be put out that fixes it, those on the fence about getting it may want to consider before deciding to buy it.
That being said, in all other aspects from what I've played thus far this is a relatively enjoyable game which does have some improvements over its predecessor (despite some weaker points like the -thus far- less polished story) and if you're a fan of Mass Effect 2 then you will likely enjoy Mass Effect 3 as well.
Final Verdict: 2 out of 5.
If you are going to get Mass Effect the Collector's Edition is probably the way to go.
In addition, the game does offer some slight improvements from ME2 and will not be a letdown in terms of gameplay for those who enjoyed ME2 -and who that enjoyed ME1 and ME2 can say we don't want to see the trilogy through to it's end- so as long as your character imports properly this game may well be one to buy.
However that being said, the game suffers from at least one serious problem that will be a deal breaker for some people. For those who aren't importing a character created in ME1 this won't be a problem at all though and hence is not something I'd worry about in deciding to buy the game or not, but for those that wanted to take a character from ME1 all the way through ME3 I would caution them that they may or may not be able to accomplish this at this time with ME3, and until some sort of patch comes out to fix it this may be a good reason to hold off on buying the game.
Note that I do plan to update this review once I have played further through the game (and once any patch for the importation system comes out) so it may well win back my confidence before it is all said and done, but for now it is a very disappointing experience for this long term fan of the series. | video-games_xbox |
few hiccups in the campaign where there was some pretty stupid objectives where you didn't have a chance (i. There were a few hiccups in the campaign where there was some pretty stupid objectives where you didn't have a chance (i.e. shoot this tank with a missile launcher while your team "covers you"; AKA while your team dances with enemies next to you as they beat you down). Although those were pretty annoying, the campaign was still fun. There wasn't as much high tech gear to play with in the campaign as I thought there would be, however, and I probably enjoyed the Ghosts campaign a little more.
As for multiplayer, it's mostly great. There are a few tweaks such as non-universal statistics (K/D and such is separate for each game mode), score streaks are customizable (add perks to them, but at a penalty of requiring more score to achieve - including making some score streaks persist through death for a significant penalty - great for players like myself who generally maintain a good, positive K/D but do not go on long streaks). The exo movement, though it took some getting used to, began to feel very natural and fun. And for those of you who would prefer to not use it, there are separate playlists with exo movement turned off, including TDM, and 3 others (I believe they are Kill Confirmed, S&D, and maybe Domination, but do not quote me on that)! There are a few new game modes, including a Capture The Flag I haven't tried much, and Uplink - a basketball type game where you have a neutral "satellite" that can be picked up, turning you into a juggernaut with melee only, and must be thrown or otherwise passed through the enemy's goal. Quite fun. There is, of course, a good amount of new gear to play with, though again, it doesn't feel quite as high-tech as they may have had you believe.
In multiplayer, there is also an annoying, in your face cosmetic system, where you often receive some random cosmetic pieces, many of which are on a timer before they disappear. You can turn them in for xp, but only one at a time, and the whole thing seems pretty tedious. Though this may be something amazing for a player who loves outfitting in different sorts of looks. | video-games_xbox |
A triumph of quantity over quality. I had very high hopes purchasing this game for my Xbox 360 - being a big RPG fan and having played Morrowind and enjoying it I thought I couldn't go wrong.
Now, 50+ hours of gamplay later I find myself more frustrated with the game than actually enjoying it. It simply does not live up to the hype (94 out of 100 metacritic score ? Ridiculous!)
The biggest problem is the scaled levelling system, which means that your character basically does not improve his skills. Fighting goblins is as hard after 50 hours of gameplay as it was when you began the game.
No doubt this has been made because of the non-linear gameplay - a character has to be able to go anywhere and fight anyone no matter which level he is on. But it completely destroys the idea of having a level system at all. Bethesda could have chosen a more GTA-esque approach, creating an action game instead of an RPG. In my opinion the whole idea of RPG is destroyed if you make a levelling system this way. If you enjoy building a character, being able to fight bigger and meaner enemies along the way, this is not a game for you.
Secondly I find the story kind of boring. Bethesda advertised Oblivion as being a new approach to the RPG genre, an interactive universe. Personally I find the NPC's boring, mostly they only have two or three lines, and if they - which they seldom do - have a quest for you it is your basic "go this place and fetch me that thing". In reward they'll give you money you have absolutely no use for. If you want weapons, armour or magical intems, the only way to get them is to win them in battle. The shops have NOTHING.
Finally, the game is way too big. After pillaging ten caves, forts or mines, they all look like each other. Whats the idea of having a million places to go that all look and feel similar ?? More enrgy should have been put into creating a DIVERSE universe with fewer NPC's with more personality.
Just so that you know where I'm coming from - I find the best RPG-experience I have ever had to be Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2 - a game that has everything Oblivion lacks.
A proof that next-generation does not always mean improvement. | video-games_xbox |
Pretty, a good story, but incredibly linear for the genre. The Xbox 360 has brought in a new era of roleplaying/shooter crossovers, which offer the deeper story and flexible character development of RPGs with more first or third person action to spice up the combats. Most of these games offer a "casual" or "easy" difficulty setting so RPG players can enjoy them too.
The best of these products, like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mass-Effect/dp/B000OLXX86/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mass Effect</a> really deliver on this promise. The stories are engaging and compelling; the player has real choice in how to develop the character(s), and the combat gains the adrenaline rush of a shooter without necessarily requiring the reflexes of a long-time shooter player or a teenager on Jolt to play.
Sadly, The Darkness may look like one of these games but it is not. The gameplay is entirely linear, without even a nod to real choices. On a typical map you face a sequence of combats and single-solution puzzles and don't even have much choice in the order you encounter them; on some of the maps attempting to deviate from the preplanned course will just get you "killed" in punishment, forcing you to restart from the last programmed point you successfully satisfied.
Compared even to story-driven shooters like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/BioShock/dp/B000MKA60W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">BioShock</a>, this is terribly disappointing, and the game has zero replay value. Compared to early efforts like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Deus-Ex-Game-of-the-Year-Edition/dp/B00005B44D/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition</a> or polished modern games like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mass-Effect/dp/B000OLXX86/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mass Effect</a>, this is not a game - it's a movie where you are forced to use the controller and earn progress.
Yet for all of that, this game is not a total loss. The visuals are good, and combine with the sounds to be evocative and visceral. The body animations are reasonably rendered even if the characters' mouths rarely move when they talk. The overstereotypical New York mobster dialog and voice acting is amusing, and delivered with a sense of humor to make it fun rather than trite.
While I doubt this game will ever be remembered as seminal, or even remembered in a few years, it is not a total waste. Given that it can be found used, played, and then resold it's probably worth your time to play. | video-games_xbox |
Best Xbox bundle for your money. Bundle
Very pleased with this bundle. Ori and the blind forest(digital download) is a very challenging and fun game. I bought this in time to play the Gears of War ultimate edition(disc) and receive the free digital downloads for all the other Gears games for Xbox 360. I think you had to have played Ultimate ed. before 12/31/15 to recieve them, so keep that in mind. Well worth it with just the Gears package or Ori by itself, but you also get Rare replay(disc). Rare replay has a lot of games, some cool games, but not much replay value. I did enjoy playing viva piata, banjo, and perfect dark. Haven't even made it through all the others and there are a lot. Unless there's a new game out you just have to have this bundle can keep you busy! Also I'm glad it has the 1tb hard drive because I've used about 400gb with just the bundled items and a few of the free games with gold downloads. I know you can attach an external hard drive but buying the 1 tb should give me some time before I have to. Overall I couldn't be more pleased with this bundle!
Console
As for the Xbox One system itself, I have went from PS1, PS2, PS3, to now owning both PS4 and Xbox One. I'm more in love with my Xbox One. I love using it for Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. I think the Xbox interface is very user friendly. Both systems are amazing for game play. I do think Sony makes a better controller. Xbox controller is still nice, but Sony's controller just feels so natural in my hands. Both systems have apps (Smartglass app for Xbox and Playstation app) that allow you to use your phone/tablet to control the system which is great for any streaming services. Both apps have a multitude of other features and are a must have for either console. Ultimately you can't go wrong with either console. I'd suggest you consider the console exclusive games as well as what console your friends play on. I've heard others say this and I totally agree.
Lastly, as always Amazon is a great company to deal with. Another retailer had this same bundle with free two day shipping right before Xmas, and after contacting customer service Amazon upgraded me to next day shipping! | video-games_xbox |
Worst Halo by far. The graphics are great and the campaign wasn't too bad if you don't take the storyline into consideration. The online multi-player is by far the worst it has ever been. The grenades are weak and you get an indicator when one is near, everyone runs away at full tilt boogie so you have so many campers or people who can become campers by simply sprinting to cover. I have read reviews talking about how everyone runs to the battle: only the people on the losing end. The good people sit in the shadows with their battle rifle and DMR load-outs and pick apart those losers. Then after they have decimated their enemy they get rewarded with a weapons drop just like COD. The vehicles have all become crap because the good players just put a charge shot into their load-out along with stickies. The noob-combo is back in full force. There is a kill-cam for God's sake and that will make you the maddest of all when you die from rounds that weren't even close to hitting you but since their reticule was red and in the vicinity it means you die. They took old Halo, took the worst of it and put it together with Call-of Duty. All of my friends that have loved Halo for so long hate this game. What is sad is the price has already dropped 20 dollars in just over a month for new and Amazon buy-back price has fallen from almost 50 dollars to below 15 dollars. That means rent it before you buy it. This is a COD knock-off if I have ever seen one except it is like having body armor since it takes a couple of more rounds to kill you. This game is pathetic especially if you consider how revolutionary Halo was when it came out. It was it's own game- now it is a bunch of games rolled into one and tried to be everything to everyone. I can see Microsoft coming out with a new Halo that takes it back a notch towards traditional halo but I will be sure to rent the next halo installment before buying it.
So to sum it up these were stolen ideas from Call of Duty:
-Sprinting
-Kill-cam
-Load-outs
-Grenade indicator
-calling in a weapons drop mid-game due to your performance
-unlockable upgrades you get as you play and rank-up
If anybody can think of some others, please submit because these are the ones off the top of my head. | video-games_xbox |
An excellent and nearly perfect addition to the library of kinect games. I love to exercise and have over 50 DVDs in my workout video collection; I also really enjoy playing video games and have 100+ scattered around my house for various consoles. Having had a Wii for several years, I've searched for games that merge fun with fitness. During this search, I found some decent games (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/My-Fitness-Coach/dp/B001H0RZX2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">My Fitness Coach</a>) and some not-so-great games (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Wii-Fit-Plus/dp/B002BS47JE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Wii Fit Plus</a>). Finally, though, I've found what to me is the ultimate personal training game on the market: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Your-Shape-Fitness-Evolved-2012/dp/B0050SYUAS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012</a>. While there are a few quirks in the game that keep it from being a 5-star game, I still find it to be one of the best workout options for everyone. Whether you're a <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/P90X/dp/B000TG8D6I/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">P90X</a>/<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/INSANITY/dp/B003VWJWK8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">INSANITY</a> veteran or a stay-at-home mom who has a few more pounds than you want, I believe that this system has something for you.
Obviously, the premise behind the game is that you are going to work out, losing pounds and gaining muscle while you do so. Apart from being able to set a schedule or focus, there is no silly story mode that you can complete. It's simply you and the animated trainers on the screen. There is nearly any type of workout that you could possibly want to do from kickboxing to bootcamp to cardio to glute toning to African dance, and almost everything can be made extremely simple and broken down for a beginner or fast and intense for an advanced exerciser. I'm going to get my main complaint out of the way immediately, though: although there are all of these possible workout options, there is NO stretching or cool down option ANYWHERE in the game. This frustrates me to no end as I have to do my owns stretching after each workout. Now, there is yoga and tai chi included, but as I'll say again later, these sections are focused more on toning/balance as opposed to stretching or meditating. I wish there were some option to stretch as it would make this game so much better.
Let's get out of the negative, though, and move onto breaking down everything that this game has (which is a lot!). When you first turn on the game, you will have a body scan that will put you on the screen in whatever background there may be so that you can actually see yourself exercising alongside your trainer. I thought this was a particularly awesome feature as it makes it incredibly easy to make sure I'm maintaining good form in all of the exercises. There isn't any weighing in or filling out a form on your height, name, and social security number; you immediately are scanned and sent into the game. The main menu can be navigated by simple holding out your hand as if to push a button. This is how you go right or left and choose your workout; gone are the days of swiping a menu option incorrectly and somehow ending up at the five-hour long credits that you can't get out of. This main menu is divided into four parts: zone, activities, body focus, and classes.
The zone is like your center of operations. It's where you can track what you've accomplished, set an optional objective, adjust your in-game settings, purchase downloadable content, and go online to the game website. I personally never use the zone unless I'm checking my progress.
The activities are basically minigames, however unlike the aforementioned Wii Fit, these minigames are actually VERY effective while still maintaining a fun factor. The one-minute warm ups are games where you do basic things (kick a soccer ball, flap your arms, etc.) to get the blood flowing throughout your body; Run the World is running in place while the game takes you through a town (New York or London), telling you interesting facts along the way; Jump Rope is where you jump according to the marks (right foot, both feet, high jump, etc.); Wall Breaker is punching and kicking blocks that are given to you; Stack 'Em Up is a balance game where you hold an imaginary platter over your head and catch falling block on that platter; Stomp It is like DDR, where you stomp right, left, upper right, or upper left, depending on what is lighting up.
While the activities are fun, the body focus workouts are where the meat of the game is. They are personal training segments that focus on what you choose. The options that you can choose are the following: abs, arms, legs, cardio, toning, glutes, back, or sports preparation. Each area has about 10-13 routines that you can choose from, ranging from level 1 (easy) to level 3 (hard). Of the toning workouts, about half of them are just toning, while the other half are a toning/cardio fusion. The lengths vary anywhere from 2-30 minutes, depending on how long you want your workout to be. Regardless of which workout you pick, each routine is composed of segments each three moves. What I mean by this is that assuming you choose a 5-minute ab workout, it might have 2 3-move sections...the first section having basic crunches, straight leg stretch, and plank jacks. You would then take a very brief break and do a 2nd 3-move section having side planks, basic crunches, and slow mountain climbers. So, when you choose how long your workout is, that will determine how many of these 3-move segments you do.
Onto what I've found by doing each segment:
- Abs - It's not too tough unless done on level 3; I wasn't sore unless I did level 3. Sometimes your arms will be worked because of doing planks.
- Arms - Very tough! I'm sore doing level 2, and I still haven't worked up to even try level 3. Obviously the intensity of your workout depends on how heavy the weight you use are. Now is as good a time as any to mention that you do need hand weights for this game and possibly a mat but no other equipment...not even a step.
- Legs - Focused more on compound movements (working arms and legs at the same time) rather than just isolating leg muscles; I've only worked up to level 2 and haven't gotten sore yet.
- Cardio - The lower levels are more of simple cardio moves with your feet never leaving the floor; as you progress in difficulty, more jumping moves are added. When you do a cardio/toning fusion section, moves from this area will be used. I personally don't do this section much; I rather do toning/cardio together than just do cardio.
- Toning - This is basically a total body sculpting area. It's like the legs in that you do compound movements.
- Glutes - Although this section is focused on glutes, I still find this is where I can really focus on toning my entire lower body. I don't find it that tough, unfortunately.
- Back - Though this section is focused on the muscles of your back, it will also work your entire upper body. It's not extremely tough; I prefer doing the arms section.
- Sports Preparation - It doesn't look interesting to me so I haven't tried it yet. It's supposedly supposed to help you get in shape specifically for either soccer or football. If I ever try it, I will update my review.
Instead of pushing buttons after each workout, getting back to the main menu is done by punching options in the air. I liked this menu navigation; it worked and was fun.
During all of these workouts, you will be tracked by the game who will supposedly tell you if you're doing all of the moves correctly. For the most part, the game was extremely helpful! At times, it truly felt like personal training with the game pointing out exactly what I was doing wrong in a movement. However, at rare times, the tracking wasn't perfect. While doing a move in the arms section, it would tell me I was doing it wrong; but while doing the SAME move the EXACT same way in the abs section, it would say I'm doing it right. This happened with the same move several times. There were also a few times during cardio where it wouldn't pick up my arms. Thankfully, the game doesn't focus much on the tracking and won't make many comments on it at all. It NEVER tells you anything in a rude manner at all; everything is always kind and helpful (except for bootcamp, which I'll get to later). By the way, the voice actress is the same throughout all the body focus workouts and is very pleasant in a robotic way. While that may sound negative, I actually really liked her. Another thing to note is that all body focus workouts are done with a white, crisp, clear background; it's a little dull, but you'll most likely be more focused on working out than criticizing the whiteness. My final comment about these body focus segments is that no breakdown or explanation is ever done with the moves. You do see a personal trainer showing you how to do the move; but if you're wanting an in-depth, step-by-step guide to each move, you'll be disappointed.
We've finally come to my personal favorite part of the game, the classes! These are pre-made routines that are broken down and taught to you step by step before letting you go crazy with them. You can always choose to skip the breakdown if it's going too slowly for you. The classes included are the following: African Rhythms Dance, Hip-Hop Dance, Latin Dance, Destination Bollywood Dance, Boot Camp, Cardio Boxing (aka kickboxing), Yoga, and Zen Zone (aka tai chi).
The dance segments each have two routines. In each routine you can break down half of the routine slowly, put the routine together slowly, break down half of each routine quickly, put the routine together quickly, or dance the routine fully. I loved all the genres of dance; I think the developers picked the best styles and moves. The moves are all authentic, by the way, no cheesy aerobic knockoffs here.
The cardio boxing is slightly the same with the level 1 classes being breakdowns of the moves, the level 2 classes putting the level 1 class moves together, and level 3 putting them all together. You'll go through all the major punches (front, side, uppercut, etc.) and all of the kicks (front, side, roundhouse, etc.). You'll also do things like speedbags and jumping jacks. It's a pretty good workout in the higher levels.
Yoga and zen zone each have two options: develop it and master it. In develop it, you move through select moves several times. In master it, you put many develop it moves together for a longer workout. The yoga tracking is the only tracking complaint I have in the classes. Occasionally when wearing baggy shirts, shorts, or pants, the tracking wouldn't be able to find my limbs. It could be annoying, but like I said earlier, the game isn't focused all around the tracking. It's there to help you, not force a "game over" on you if you don't match it perfectly.
I've saved boot camp for last, because there is a lot to say about it. While the other classes had different but still pleasant ladies voicing them, this workout gives you a drill sergeant as the voice. He's not Jillian Michaels tough, he's call-you-names-and-try-to-irritate-you-intentionally-like-a-bullying-jerk tough. Obviously that's authentic boot camp, but if I wanted that I'd join the marines. I don't want to listen to a rude man yell at me like I'm not worth anything; that's the opposite of inspiring to me. However, others may like his insulting way of instructing, and if that's your thing then great! Besides his obnoxious personality, his workouts are extremely good. They are all level 3, and they will work your body intensely from head to toe. It gets in cardio, upper body, lower body, and everything in between. I really enjoy doing these effecting and tough workouts, although I could do with the insults. (NOTE: Although Mr. Drill Sergeant calls you names, I have not heard him or any other personal trainer curse in the game.)
The absolute final thing I'm going to talk about in relation to this game is the loading screens. When moving from the main menu to the workouts and vice versa, you will be given short (about 15 seconds?) loading screens. Helpful tips and hints will come up during these to keep you entertained. I didn't find the loading too annoying since it wasn't done more than necessary, and I didn't think that it affected my heart rate at all.
I have written a LOT about this game, and I hope it has helped you reach a purchasing decision. If I haven't already made it clear, I highly recommend this game to anyone and everyone who wants to get in shape. It's amazing virtual training that is probably as close to personal training as is currently possible with the technology we have. There is something for everyone, and while there is a lack of stretching, every other type of exercise seems to be included. I do this game several times a week and have not gotten bored with it yet, having had it for several months. A few cons keep it from having a perfect rating, but if you have a kinect and want to work out, nothing should keep you from buying this game. | video-games_xbox |
Madden 13, some improvements, maybe not enough. For years my criticism of Madden is that it is the same game every year. This year, they made significant changes and now it appears everyone wants to punish them for it. I agree with Pasta Padre when he says that contributes to why EA is so adverse to the risk of making any changes in their games. Yes, editing players and fantasy drafting is gone this year, and that is a bummer. That said, CCM especially in Coach mode works as pretty good replacement (with some new features, experience points) for franchise mode to me.
Another new addition is the infinity engine, which can make for some good variability in how each play comes out (how a tackle is executed for example), and really gives the game a nice feel. The gameplay is smooth and fun.
Madden Ultimate Team has seen very significant improvements...they have made coins more challenging to get, but have included all kinds of solo challenges that get you players (key packs), coaches, coins, etc. It feels like for the first time that MUT actually gives incentives to play rather than just being a card trading game. Also, you can now set almost any price you want for a player, so no more trying to sell super rare numbered cards through suspect middle men (because in the past you would be limited to small/worthless coin amounts).
Overall, this is probably a transition year...some of the old features will reappear next year, but built on the monumental changes this year. In the meantime, I find the game fun and would still recommend it, unless the only feature you are interested in is fantasy draft.
EDIT: This one didn't have the staying power for me that 11 and 12 did so I'm dropping the score to 3 stars. Maybe its just the yearly re-cycle, but I became very bored. I also became tired of gimmicks in Ultimate team like key packs that mostly hand out moderate, cheap gold cards (when silvers and low golds are the rares for collections) and puzzle pieces which give them a way to have you hunt 6 cards to add up to one good one. Madden games are some of the worst investment in video games because of EA's poor server support and killing off the third game back every year (i.e. a month or two after 13 came out, 11's online support was killed. same cycle will happen for 12 when 14 or I guess it will be called 25 comes out). | video-games_xbox |
Not a very good headset overall. I really don't understand how Turtle Beach is so popular, their products are average at best. The first time I bought a Turtle Beach headset was many years ago, it was the X3. It was a decent product, the biggest issue was how uncomfortable it was. Then in 2011 I bought the X31, but it was so bad and unusable due to interference I returned it (I reviewed it on Amazon and gave it 1 star). I went with the Razer Chimera 5.1 once I returned the X31 and also reviewed that giving it 5 stars. I still have that and it is working well, with amazing crystal clear sound quality.
I figured nearly 5 years later, Turtle Beach surely has far superior products than they did in 2011. Unfortunately, that's not the case. The main reason I went with the Stealth 500X is because it is completely wireless, and I chose it over the newer 800X because Best Buy had this one at half the price of the 800X, and I couldn't justify the price difference. Honestly the only god thing I can say about this headset is that it is completely wireless and that works very well, it is great to not be tethered to your controller, and that's one of the reasons I'm not giving it 1 star. The other reason being Turtle Beach is the only company to make a fully wireless surround sound headset for XB1.
Unfortunately, it fails in almost every other way. First, there's a very noticeable hissing. Second, the sound quality is bad, every preset is very muffled. Updating the firmware doesn't fix anything, just adds more presets, and the only preset that isn't muffled is "Footstep Focus", but even that is so heavily processed and fake it is unpleasant. My 5 year old Razer blows it out of the water. Still on the subject of sound quality, while there's clearly a difference between surround mode and stereo mode, it doesn't truly feel like surround sound. The directional sense is lacking compared to my Razer, perhaps that is because the damn speakers are pressed right up against your ears unlike the Razer, which brings me to the third point: Uncomfortable. The cushions are very firm and thin. Fourth, the headset looks and feels cheap. The Razer and the Astro A50 look amazing and have a premium built, this looks like a cheap thirty dollar headset. Lastly, and this is the most egregious in my opinion, there's no power button on the base station and you cannot turn the headset off while charging! What in the world were their engineers thinking? It honestly baffles me, I've never owned a product that didn't have a power button or could not be turned off while charging. Maybe these problems were fixed with the new 800X, but I'm not prepared to plunk down 300 bucks for a Turtle beach headset. | video-games_xbox |
I'd buy it again. I suspect I might be in the minority of Xbox One users... in that I don't game on it much. I generally prefer PC gaming over consoles. You might be wondering why I have an Xbox One, then. In point of fact, the media integration features of the Xbox One were more appealing to me than the gaming aspect. The console plays Blu-rays, has apps for Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and Vudu, my DirecTV DVR plugs into it and it's able to control the TV and receiver via the Kinect's IR blaster. It is literally the command center of my entertainment system, and I am mostly pleased.
One of the larger complaints I've had is that, to power on all of the components, I had to either use multiple remotes... or use voice commands via the Kinect. I typically have good luck with voice commands, but there are times when it's just not convenient. Plus, my reluctance to use voice commands to control volume or change channels meant keeping the DirecTV remote on hand.
Enter the Xbox One Media Remote.
The device itself is compact, but has a pleasant feel to it. Compared to the Logitech Harmony One I use on the projector upstairs, it's absolutely tiny and pleasantly lightweight. The backlighting looks great, though I wish the accelerometers that activate the lighting were more sensitive... and that the light stayed on a bit longer.
There aren't a ton of buttons, but most of the basics are there. I'm able to turn the system (and all components) on or off via the remote, which is a welcome addition. The volume buttons, appropriately, control the receiver... the channel buttons control the DVR. The directional keys work as expected.
That being said, there's one omission which is more of an intentional tactic on Microsoft's part than any kind of oversight: their guide button, when watching TV, brings up Microsoft's One Guide, instead of the built-in guide for DirecTV. For various reasons, I prefer the DirecTV guide... but the only way to access it is with the DirecTV remote. Perhaps if I force myself to use One Guide, I'd get used to it and begin to like it. But I haven't taken that step yet.
I wish it were possible to "reprogram" certain buttons on the Xbox One Media Remote, depending on context. For instance, if I'm watching TV... I'd like the guide button to use DirectTV's guide. And I'd like to be able to reprogram one of the other buttons to launch the Menu in DirecTV or, even better, the recorded shows on the DVR.
I think the inability to control DirecTV's (or other programming providers') set top box is likely a result of Microsoft's desire to control as much of the entertainment experience as possible. Typically, I don't mind that... but live TV (via DirecTV, for example) is an innately out-of-console experience. I look forward to the day when I don't need any sort of satellite or cable programming at all. When that day comes, the Xbox One and the Media Remote will literally be the only remote I need in my living room.
For now, I still need to keep the DirecTV remote on hand for occasional use. But 90% of the time, the Media Remote is the one I pick up. | video-games_xbox |
Need to Fix Problems Carried over from Forza 2-3. Very fun but frustrating because lots of issues are simply carried over from older versions that should be addressed. My last Forza purchase unless most of the issues are resolved. Overall, there is a serious lack of grip with some of the car classes. Mainly A & S & R4. Yeah the R1 cars have infinite grip but lower classes suffer. Really is ridiculous that some A & S cars and R4 slip and slide all over the place even loaded up with the best tires and suspensions set up correctly. Having Ferraris etc sliding around turns at 40-60 mph is ridiculous. Someone at Forza needs to spend $3.00 on a used copy of PGR3 to see what real grip feels like. Still the leader in that area BTW. They need to add 25-40% more grip or more on middle classes. 2-3 steps up in tires over whats now there. Maybe the drifters like this but please they can set their cars up to do that. Road racing is not max drifting. Please keep separate. Not all of us are drifting fans. Same issue with braking. Seems like they need 1/4-1/2 mile to stop on many tracks even from 60-80 mph. Of couse the AI cars all have 50% more braking power than you do. Really?
New Rival series is fun to race a ghost without the constant banging from the on-line idiots who think its all a demolition derby. Problem is the dumb series with the tracks with slower cars needs to just go away. Complete waste of time and frustrating. Would never happen in reality. Same with all the complicated Rival rules and be forced to running stock only versions on many races with cars that barely drive as stock. Not much fun. Forza - Just set a class limit - let us pick any of the cars staying in that class, modify as needed, and let us contribute our own setups. No more complicated then that. Plus how is it I end up racing a car not on my list to choose from even if I own it? How does that happen? Cheaters?
Carry over problems still on AI cars on tracks like the backstretch at Road Atlanta where they are a close distance ahead before going over the hill and if you are just far enough behind them to loose their sight for a second magically they gain 3-4X the leadspace as they just had. Stupid. Another one is knocking them off the track spinning in the dirt or gravel and 2 turns later they are right back on your tail. Dumb. Some tracks now have grass and gravel just off track like quicksand. Drop a wheel off barely and you slow down tremendously. Not real. The corkscrew at Mazda Laguna Seca a good example. Totally different than in versions 2/3. Now on Forza 4 if you spin a car it seems like you stick to it like glue and can't get away. Not on 2 or 3. Also the green lettering on the tire temp in the testing mode is all but unreadable even on my 46" HD Sharp TV. The color is too bright and the font size is too small and run together. Please fix as in Forza 3.
Come on Forza.....fix the grip issues on braking and cornering. Just set class limits only on Rival races with no 64 chevy's sharing the track. Offer better tires. Stop issuing cars just a few numbers below the class ceiling so updates are impossible unless you step up a class. Fix the nearly inaudible supercharger whine on those updates. The sound is no better than on 3 (some are worse). Offer better cars on the packs. Giving 2-3 hot cars and a bunch of clunkers for the rest is BS. Put the alphabet in correct order on the customize saved updates so we don't have to hunt for the letters. Know the alphabet??? Really way too much frustration for the 3rd version. Start with these fixes....we don't need more cars. Just more fun...and common sense. | video-games_xbox |
Flawless Performance. This review is for the functionality with Windows 10 and Steam. This review will not be for its functionality with the Xbox system.
I'm largely a console gamer. I've been one for about 30 years now. While I've done my share of gaming on the PC, there's just something about the controller in my hand, on the couch in from of a TV that appeals to me more than PC Gaming. My current console of choice is the PS4, I never bothered to get the Xbox One. I'm not going to get into a console argument, buy whichever one you think looks better and has the games you want to play - it makes no difference to me.
Anyhow, I do have a couple gaming laptops I use when Microsoft exclusives come out and to take advantage of Steam sales. Until this came across the Vine I was using a wired 360 controller I bought used a number of years ago. It's worked great, but has started to get a little less responsive. I haven't played Titanfall 2 yet, but the style and concept interest me.
First off, this is an Xbox One controller that PDP (Performance Designed Products - third party manufacturer) has obtained the licensing for. This is not a Microsoft manufactured controller, even though the box would give you that impression. I've had rotten luck with third party hardware throughout my decades of gaming. In general, I refuse to buy it. So, were it my money on the table, I wouldn't have bought this to begin with. It's my understanding that the third party design is why the controller has to be corded. This may be wrong, but when I had a 360, I believe that was the reason you could only get wireless straight from Microsoft. Whether you buy third party or not, that's up to you. I will say that thus far, I haven't felt there are any glaring issues in quality or design.
In the box is the controller, quick start guide and cable to connect to your system or PC.
The controller is what PDP calls a "face off" controller. Meaning that the Titanfall 2 design can be popped off and replaced with additional faceplates purchased from PDP. This is a nice concept. Instead of ponying up the dough for a brand new controller (that you may not NEED) when a cool design comes out, you can spend the 15 bucks on PDPs website to order a new faceplate for your existing controller. Unfortunately, they only seem to have sports teams available thus far and it states that it takes 3-4 weeks to ship. I was hoping they had other franchises such as Gears of War, but no dice.
The controller is absolutely plug and play. I popped it into my USB port and Steam immediately recognized the controller and the appropriate default button configuration. I loaded up Doom to test it out and while Steam insisted that Doom is supposed to be played with a keyboard and mouse, the controller worked flawlessly. Response is instant. The controller is an Xbox controller, there's nothing weird regarding the feel or layout of the buttons. It performed exactly how I would expect it to.
Much of the appeal are the two additional "wheels" on the back of the controller. They're actually two-way triggers. They can be pushed up or down and rest in the center. They are completely programmable and are as useful as they seem. Programming is simple. Press the program button located on the back of the controller between the two buttons until the green light under the right analogue stick comes on. Press the button you wish to program, the green light will blink. Press the button you want the button your programming to mimic, the green light will turn off. This can be done at ANY time, in game or out and as many times as you want following those simple steps. In Doom, I have the back buttons set to crouch, melee and switch weapons. They work very well, the placement is perfect and they're great for any "twitch" type action.
Overall, you have an ALMOST perfect experience. The interchangeable faceplate option is cool, but there aren't enough variations in the faceplates you can get to appeal to most. Wired is fine, wireless would be better. The Titanfall Design is detailed, crisp and flawless. The programmable buttons are a great addition and the controller itself works perfectly. The pricepoint for a wired third-party controller is up there with the wireless first-party, which is a bit troubling (even if it is branded). Ultimately, if the two additional back buttons and Titanfall 2 branding are worth first-party MSRP and a cord to you, then you will not be dissatisfied. | video-games_xbox |
Another homerun for Double Fine. You can always count on Double Fine when you need a game that really deviates from the norm. Run by the legendary Tim Shafer, their games are about as unique and funny as they come and Brutal Legend is no different. Sometimes, however, Brutal Legend can seem to be a style-over-substance affair, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This game's style is so completely rad and over the top that it can't help but overshadow the gameplay at times, and that is a good thing.
First off, the game's strength: the art direction. Imagine taking every epic metal album cover you've ever seen, combined with Frank Franzetta's paintings, Norse Mythology, Conan the Barbarian, and anything else you can think of that is metal related. If you associate it with headbanger music, this game has it in some form and it is a very faithful, loving tribute to all things metal. Then, dial up the testosterone to 11. Seriously, this game is epic! The environments really steal the show, and there's a lot of variety. Metal music is a huge category of music, with tons of sub-genres that all fall under its umbrella. This game features it all, from 1970's Black Sabbath era attitude and visuals, to an area that is all goth-black-death-metal. The characters and creatures all appropriately represent all of heavy metals's variety as well. It's pretty cool.
Since the premise of the game is hugely based on a genre of MUSIC, the soundtrack is pretty awesome. I personally enjoy SOME styles of Metal music, but not all. In general, it isn't a kind of music I find myself seeking out in my personal life. Still, I really enjoyed it in this game. It also features the voice talent of Jack Black as the main character. He did a really great job at furthering the charm of the game. It also has some of Metal's biggest figures in real life as well. Lemmy Kilmister(Motorhead), Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Lita Ford (The Runaways), and Ozzy Osborne are all in here, and they do a fantastic job at bringing life to their respective characters, who are already very likable and fairly deep. I was pleasantly surprised. The writing, as you would expect from Double Fine, is both charming and hilarious. The story in this game is campy and funny at times and surprisingly poignant and touching in others. I was very impressed by it. Great job Double Fine!
The gameplay is by far Brutal Legend's weakest point. It's not bad at all, but it really isn't that great. Brutal Legend is a long island iced tea combination of gameplay ideas. In this game, you'll be playing an open-world game, a real time strategy game, a hack n' slash, a music rhythm game, a racing game, and several others. It all really comes across as s a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't match the quality of the rest of the game. It is worth noting that fact going in.
Now for the problems I have: There is hardly any variety to the tasks to do outside of the story (hunt this animal, race this guy, shoot a mortar at these bad guys, defend this base, and of course, collectables), but the game sort of requires a bit of it. The tasks aren't poorly executed or bad in themselves, but there's hardly any variety and you'll quickly tire of performing them. Unfortunately, if you want the points to level your magical guitar, axe, hot-rod, character, etc, you have to do them. Also, this game is very, very short without the paltry diversions, about half the length I expected and would have liked. Still, these are minor qualms, and overall this game is one worth enjoying.
Overall, this is a game that exceeds in its art direction, audio, story, characters, and falls a bit short in its gameplay execution, gameplay variety, and length. Does that mean this game is not worth getting? Absolutely not! The strengths of this game are so excellently implemented that the good definitely outweigh the bad, but not enough to keep it from losing a single star. I'd still buy this game and recommend doing so for anybody out there that is interested. For metal fans, this game is a no brainer. Get it. For those that are a fan of Double Fine, get it. For the greater number of people who aren't fans of metal or don't know who Tim Shafer is, I'd still recommend it. It's a very lighthearted, unique experience, and a breath of fresh air from the constant barrage of sameness in games these days. Buy it, headbang to it, bring the enemies of metal to their knees with its awesomeness! | video-games_xbox |
Give some songs as a gift. Although this works as a standalone Rock Band game, you shouldn't get any of these track packs as a replacement for the main games. They have a quarter of the songs and half the features. You won't be able to play online or make your own characters. Furthermore, all of the songs on this pack can be bought individually on the Rock Band online store through the main game in either part 1 or part 2, so you won't be missing out on anything to pass this by.
The #1 selling point and the reason I am giving this 5 stars, though, is because this game is supplied with a code on a piece of paper that anyone can use one time to allow them to download all 20 songs for free. That means you can buy this pack and then e-mail the code off to a friend. You can still keep the disc for yourself, too! The code makes a great gift for anyone you know who's too cheap to buy songs for themselves. Maybe you're never going to get your buddy to decide on which songs to buy, and even if you give them points they "save" them "just in case". This code will force them to finally expand their library so you're not always playing the same tired songs when you visit or play together online. As for the quality of the tracklist, these songs are, for the most part, some of the better downloadable classic rock songs. Harmonix have a vast library of songs for Rock Band, so they have an easy time assembling 20 good ones.
You don't need a paid subscription to XBox Live to download and play the songs with the code. You just need an ethernet connection, which I'm sure 99% of gamers do have at this point.
As a less important point of interest, these track pack discs all have 250 points of achievements tied to them, for those of you who just can't get enough of the gamerscore.
Although this disc is not going to appeal to the vast majority of people, for those who want to surprise a friend with 20 songs, it serves its purpose. | video-games_xbox |
It's a cross between Skyrim / Red Dead Redemption / and Batman: Arkham Asylum, only with swords and magic . . . WOW. First of all, this game plays like Red Dead Redemption crossed with Skyrim and with the fighting of Batman: Arkham City only with swords and spells and whatnot. so if you like any of those games then you WILL enjoy this game which is a LOT larger than both of those combined. This is a 9.5 out of 10 game and a MUST OWN if you are an Xbone owner and/or a fantasy/rpg lover.
What's wrong with this game? Well, Geralt (the main character) walks/runs around a bit awkward (almost fluid but just not quite,) there's some minor clipping when riding around corners, but not much (just double tap A and your mount takes over the riding and steering for you keeping to the roads until you decide to veer off), and because the game is so in-depth it will take one awhile to learn all of the crafting and whatnot. BUT those are all minor things that can always be fixed with patches/updates-and they will.
The game is HUGE, your decisions actually matter, and there is a great story (i'm someone who usually starts skipping through the cut scenes after awhile so i can get on with the playing, but this game i've not wanted to skip trough a single cut scene). You DO have to fast travel at certain points, which makes the game feel less huge than it could be, but it's a minor issue considering the size of all the maps together. Just remember, this game is NOT a sandbox game but an OPEN WORLD game. There IS a difference.
All in all this game is a must buy. Plus the developers actually care about their customers and don't just give you the usual game box and disc and that's it, leaving everything else on the internet. Instead they pack the box full with the game disc, a detailed map, stickers, a CD of music, a booklet and a piece of paper actually thanking you for buying their game. These developers actually care, and you can see that the instant you open the game. AND they have like 16 DLC's coming out that are FREE to EVERYONE regardless of the platform you play the game on.
This game is worth every penny with over 200+ hours of gameplay in an immersive and beautiful world =-) | video-games_xbox |
Polk needs to make sure the boom mic is shipped with all orders. This is ridiculous that I had to call Polk to get the Chat Pro Boom Mic shipped separately. It even says in the Amazon description that it comes with it now. WTF? How could a company make a product specifically designed for gaming and then blunder one of the most important parts. Then when they find a solution they don't even get one of their largest distributors to ship the solution with future orders. I know these will sound great, but Polk should have tested the mic first. Chat is just as important as sound for gaming.
Well, I was just informed that they do have some in the Warehouse and will be overnighting it to me so at least the gentleman on the phone and via E-mail was courteous.
11.13.2014
The headset sound is great. The mic is as expected, too quiet. I played Battlefield for a few hours last night with some friends and they could hear me, but said I sounded muffled and low volume. I will be receiving the boom mic tomorrow hopefully so at least Alex Lemaire at Polk took good care of me. Thanks Alex
11.17.2014
Well, I guess I spoke too soon. I did not receive the boom mic on Friday or Saturday which made gaming this weekend totally suck. I called today and talked to a different person named Ken. He said the mic hasn't shipped yet, but that he was going to try to talk to an engineer and get one shipped today. If I don't get the boom mic this week, I'm sending the headset back and buying Turtle Beach I guess. This is a great example of a company that could have made things right, but instead they continued their blundering in development of the product all the way through the to the post sale support.
Even if I get the mic, I will never buy anything Polk ever again because beyond the mic issue you can't hear yourself in the headset when you talk either. Considering the special collaboration with Xbox and Polk you would think basic stuff like mic volume and hearing yourself talk would have been taking care of in testing. This collaboration is an epic fail. The sound in the headphones is great, but that's it. The whole gaming part, which is the whole point of this headset, is a failure in development. Then, after failing in the initial development, they can't even ship the crappy hardware band aid with out delays. What a joke! | video-games_xbox |
A final opus from Pandemic. The Good: Nice art style, superb voice acting, story, and memorable characters, lots of weapons
The Bad: Stealth mechanics are broken, climbing buildings isn't all that fun, not many side missions
Grand Theft Auto has inspired a lot games and The Saboteur is one. Think of this as Grand Theft Paris in which you play as Sean Devlin an Irish man trying to help the French Resistance against the Nazi war machine. Yes this is another WWII, but its different. Just read along and you'll see.
The first thing you will notice is the game's atmosphere. It's set in a replica of 1940's Paris and feels just like it. The graphics are technically looking good, but artistically is where its at. When you liberate and area of the city it turns from black and white to color. So as you travel through the city the color will change in real time. What's great about it artistically is that in the B&W areas only the red of the Nazi flags stand out. On resistance soldiers and leaders certain things on them are in color such as the eyes, and parts of clothing and it makes things look really unique. While this all looks great the novelty wears off pretty quick and you end up forgetting about it.
The game has stealth game play and shooting mechanics. When you get a mission you can jack a car or get one from your garage (you can store new ones there too) and follow a yellow route line on your mini-map to your destination. While the game is called The Saboteur this is actually the hardest thing in the game to pull off. Some missions have you trying to sneak into an enemy camp. This is marked by barbed wire on the map and if you enter it you will sound the alarm almost immediately if you are seen. Your goal is to knock out a soldier and take his disguise. This isn't always as easy as it sounds because you have to make sure other soldiers aren't looking. If someone sees the dead body a yellow "suspicious zone" will appear and even if you are in disguise you can trigger an alarm. Doing things such as running, climbing buildings, and walking fast will make soldiers who can see you suspicious.
The stealth element is kind of flawed because they all work against you. Trying to plant dynamite in an area to draw soldiers away doesn't work at all since they just stand there staring around. There are a lot of times where you will be forced to just gun it out because the stealth elements are so flawed that you can't get away with sneaking. Some missions will go flawlessly and others won't. This doesn't make the game unplayable, it just has you wasting your time trying to figure out a stealthy way when it turns out, after so much effort, there just isn't one.
Gun play is simple enough with cover mechanics and there are a ton of true-to-the-era weapons as well. You can find ammo crates all over the place, but you can only carry two weapons at a time. Between missions you can visit black markets and use contraband to buy upgrades for resistance fighters, car upgrades, ammo etc. It's all pretty basic with nothing special in the store, but there's nothing crucial that you will need to buy to get past a part of the game.
The missions are pretty diverse so this isn't the issue with the game. The issue is how you have to execute the missions and nothing ever really turns out the way you planned. All of this needs to be trimmed up and fixed for the sequel. During missions if you raise an alarm you can run (like in GTA4) or find a hiding spot. Most are located on top of buildings and climbing isn't very fun. This isn't Assassin's Creed so climbing is sluggish and a bit unresponsive. Thankfully you only climb buildings about 40% of the game.
Other than that the game is worth a purchase if you like sandbox games. There aren't many side missions or free play missions, but the game is long enough to get your money's worth. The story is the best part of the game with memorable characters and a gripping ending. Watching these people struggle for survival against Nazi Germany is movie quality. The writing is witty and Sean has a lovable personality. You quickly grow to love these characters and they are all fleshed out nicely. The game also has lots of boobs, but this sticks to true 1940's Paris because nudity wasn't as sinful as it is today. Of course you have to buy the game new or buy the unlock DLC for the nudity and four cinematic stripper scenes.
Overall the game is solid in some areas and not in others. With broken stealth mechanics you can't always be the saboteur the game claims, but certain missions are satisfying enough to play out the way you want. The game is looking good for a sequel and I'll definitely be by Sean's side when that time comes. | video-games_xbox |
Everything was great.. After I sent it back(*UPDATE* I got back a new pair. Hi guys, I'm going to briefly talk about these bright green headphones, first I would like to point out is how great these things are when I got them. There comfortable, stylish, and they put out some great sound. Every instrument strums out of these speakers beautifully, the 3 modes (Green for 3D- surround, Blue for Pure Audio, Red for Bass Boast) work great as well, plus I can walk around my room and apart of my house too without any issues. Love these headphones and I would definitely consider these as my favorites.
BUT.......
*PROBLEM RANT BEGINS NOW*
***BEWARE***
After using them for some time now there has been a small issue that has been grinding my gears for some time now. There is one small problem that these headphones have and that's this "freezing" issue. As you read, this "freezing" issue happens when your battery gets low, and or any unknown circumstance. I don't know why this freezing issue occurs but this is exactly what happens. You use the headphones, it works fine, it freezes, you can't turn it off, (then after that its downhill), you wait until the battery dies (Keep in mind, these headphones are intelligent when they want to be, the lights dim if the battery is low). When the headphones dim they don't respond to any sort off actions such as changing the sound mode and so on. So not only do you have to wait for these guys to die, but it happens every so often. (it takes about 1 day or 2 for the battery to die out completely). So as any customer would do they contact the company. I did so, and they said they would replace it for me, but of course this sucks because these are my primary headphones.
OTHER THAN THAT
These headphones are freaking awesome, I loved having them on my head, they work so great (when they work), but I hope that this problem only occurs on not so many headsets out there
So without my problem I would give these headphones a solid (4.5 out of 5)
VERDICT
Solid headsets, works with any system, awesome design, wish it had 7.1, awesome sound modes, did I say the design is awesome?
Thanks guys hope my review helped
*UPDATE*
I'm updating this review a bit because I had contacted PDP and sent in my headphones and they sent me back new headphones no problem, they were really nice and so far this new pair of headphones that I have are pretty sweet and of course are working. | video-games_xbox |
It has guns and aliens.......again. Halo combat evolved was awesome. The multiplayer is like most fps shooters but what my buddies and I liked most was the coop feature but now I believe halo is a bland franchise that uses its name to win the hearts of gamers. If you played the first halo, you have played them all. I own every halo game but the latest halo 4. I don't own them because I wanted to own them,I bought because my buddies wanted me to. When halo 2 came out most of us were disappointed. Lame story, smaller maps and half the time you didn't play as the master chief. Then third came out. My friends begged me to to get it and play it. So I did. It was a little better but still halo 1 had a better campaign. The halo odst came out. Again my buddies begged me so I told my gf I'm off to game stop. And halo odst was just terrible. I yelled at my friends how they owe me 60 bucks and I vowed to never buy a halo game ever again ( except for the halo combat evolved remake). Then this game halo reach came out. Like clock work my buddies begged me to get it. They say " dude!!! You'll like it this time this one is awesome diuuuuddde!" I said you'd better be right. I turned to my wife and said I'm off to game stop. Played it,turned it off 2 hrs later, scalded myself and told my boyz I'll never play a new halo ever. Halo 4 has since come out.y friends begged me saying the same thing" this ones different I swear! The graphics are awesome!" I held my ground and haven't regretted it at all.
Why this big back story? Because the halo franchise is a mediocre franchise. Much like the madden franchise. People clearly play it for just multiplayer dm. The story is a generic flop for every game since. Your a spartan. You hunt aliens, you find aliens, you blow up aliens, a bunch of crappy AI marines die, you drive a car, you drive a banshee, you blow up aliens. This happens the same way in almost every halo game. I am baffled that halo recieves 9 and 10s from big magazines.
Now I know I'm hard on halo reach. It's not a bad game, but people need to open there minds and realize its not good either. Yeah I had fun driving a warthog around while my buddy shoots the rocket launcher but, I can do that in the first game. Halo needs to expand to keep hardcore gamers like me interested. More focus on campaigns and coop. They need to expand the universe from a linear fps to to a more involved third person rpg/action shooter....they could call it mass effect lol I'm just kidding. But I'd welcome a rival to mass effect.
All I'm saying is literally if you've played any halo game you've played them all. I won't ever buy halo 4 but if bungie makes a halo space drama/third person /turn based/ action platformer strategy game. I will look into it.
Halo reach is halo 1 but with more guns and a multiple Spartans. They're not likeable characters and they each have generic personas. Generic is the only word for halo.
If you love halo you already own this game. If you've never played halo Try it out with a friend. If your looking to get back into halo and you've missed out on they last few games. Don't bother. | video-games_xbox |
a new drug. My summary opinion: AWESOME!! (I'm only a few hours into it, there seems to be great depth so far since I haven't even beaten the first true boss...but I have NO COMPLAINTS at all).
Where am I coming from? my gaming niche is pretty exclusive. I only like to spend my money on games reputed to be top-notch, so I'm selective. Gears of War 1&2 (which I love), CoD 2, Modern Warfare 1&2, World at War (all of which I love), assassin's creed 1&2 (love 1 but haven't even popped 2 in yet), Bioshock (got 2 on pre-order), and Left4Dead. I love all of these games, I actually got Bayonetta too but haven't played yet. But I find Darksiders to be insanely refreshing and looking very forward to seeing it through.
So, I'ma keep it real simple! I think the graphics are pretty damn good, I only recognize THQ's other work with (I think maybe unreal championship) but the new WarHammer Dawn of War II title (strategy game).
The graphics aren't Gears of War good but they're competitive to even brought up in the same breath, so pretty awesome but not the best, definitely honorable mention. If I had to rate, I'd give 5.0/5.0 regardless 'cause they're on par with some of the best games in the industry, plus it's got a comic feel to it so that plays into the expectation, one should expect surreal with this game.
The sound, like a typical slasher, is kinda repetitive but the cut scenes and dialogue are all pretty good. They do a good job of breathing credible life into the characters. You have gods and minor demons, the gods have voices representative of a powerful being and the minor demons have voices representative of your ideal schemer. Music is negligible, but the sound effects are solid, I'd give this category a 4.0/5.0
Fun factor, I give it a 5.0/5.0. I like the combat system, it's simple but if you wanna get technical and flashy, you can!! Good stuff, not assassin's creed technical but again it's worthy of mentioning in the same breath (but only barely). But what makes it so cool is how you level up, you collect souls for currency in exchange for techniques with your weapons so really you can tailor War (the hero of the game) and his fighting style to your tastes. I love the death scythe. Make sure to check gamefaqs (.com) for the cheat code. DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME WITHOUT THE SCYTHE!! It's too much fun... The bad guys and the enemy AI is pretty solid, they will offer a challenge and I'm only playing on normal. I've had to use a few continues so far. The more you take time to utilize your entire repertoire of abilities, the more efficient you become at killing. The targeting system is pretty solid. Very fun game play and the ability to interact with your environment is good stuff!! Throwing abandoned cars like an olympic shot putter throws an easter egg, lots of fun!!
The story, not too deep--pretty typical but nonetheless enjoyable. I see this following the same kinda of mythical vein that God of War does, only I imagine with not as much depth (I'm not a Playstation endorser so can't say for sure). Just the outside looking in... I give it a 4.0/5.0
The charisma of the game (i.e. the uniqueness, being that of a horsemen of revelations), waaaay cool!! There's a new perspective on the role the horsemen play in the universe, which is different compared to popular belief but nonetheless refreshing. 5.0/5.0
I think this is a must buy, I know that the replay value will be high. I love it so far and am glad this title has come along. Ninja Gaiden II disappointed me HIGHLY!!! This DOES NOT!!
OVERALL!! out of 5 categories (graphics, sound, story, fun-factor, charisma/originality of approach) 23/25 for a .92 average. Can't give 4.5 stars so I round up to 5!!! | video-games_xbox |
Not perfect, but fun. I've had disney infinity for about a week now and it's fun. Really fun. There are some glitches that hopefully will be fixed soon but I'll go ahead and list my pros and cons below:
Pros:
* the figures. Great collectables. Each figures has a great amount of detail and weight to it.
* the toy box. This is by far the best part of the game. You can build whatever your heart desires, play with friends. Want to build a racetrack that goes thru cinderellas castle? You can. Want to see what'd it'd be like to see jack sparrow driving cinderellas carriage? You can. It's tons of fun
* play sets. The starter pack comes with 3 play sets. Incredibles, monsters university, and pirates of the Caribbean. Each set gives you the chance to unlock more "toys" and items to use in the toy box. Each set takes a while to complete so the starter pack is more than enough to play with.
Cons:
*glitches. The game occasionally lags. Not sure how to explain it but you'll notice the glitches. It's not something that makes the game unplayable, but it does need to be addressed with future updates.
*$$$. If you haven't figured it out by now, you're going to be paying a pretty penny if you want to enjoy all that disney infinity offers. Starter pack is $75. Figures are $12-13. Playsets are $35. And power discs are $5 (2 per pack). Right now the only 2 play sets to buy separately are cars and lone rangers. Each is $35. The power discs are the biggest money grabber. They come 2 per pack for $5. There are 20 discs right now that enhance your character. The problem is that you don't know which discs you are buying because they come in "mystery packs" so the chances of getting doubles or even triples of the same discs is high. Of course you can buy an individual disc on eBay or amazon, but the "rare" ones will cost you more than you might be willing to pay.
If you are a big disney fan, I say buy disney infinity. It's great for collectors like me. In the next coming months they are releasing a toy story play set, rapunzel, jack skellington, and characters from wreck it Ralph. If those interest you then I say go for it! The game is pretty fun. | video-games_xbox |
NCCA - Glory to Garbage. I have loved the EA Sports NCAA franchise since I bought NCAA 99. Each year the features expanded, creation of teams, game control, and finally the Legend feature. This year was a total waste of money. If you are thinking about buying this game, beware.
The only good feature is the Legend. It has promise. It's a nice twist that you play your high school championship to determine your skills. This is better than the "try-out" option from last year. A great idea was the position only format. If you make yourself as a QB, then that's all you play. It adds a nice depth of realism and simulation. Don't get me wrong, where the rest of the game comes you 4th and inches, this feature is a 60 yard Hail Mary TD. The only change should come from play selection. Give it a nice rebellion against the coaches feel and prehaps penalties placed on your player for going against the coach.
A word on game control: awkward. I have read reviews and watched many people play this. Audibles, hot routes, changes at the line; all these are more complex than need be. With previous versions, you pushed a simple button and you could alter the line. Now, you must take the extra time to read the menus and select your option. I don't have time for that. It takes much longer to call an audible than need be with the clock running down, now I have to waste more time trying to figure out how to show my blitz or call an option to shake up the line. The actual controls aren't too bad, just awakrdly placed.
Menus. Holy cow! I thought MS Vista was absurd! Give me back the simplicity for graphics. Sometimes more is not always better. Enough said.
Game features have suffered. For you die hard, let's just play the game with a school, I don't need to create because it's pointless; half the people who buy this game like the Create-a-School feature. I myself like to dabble with it. Here's the deal. I play on the Hiesman level (hardest) and can still walk away with the National Championship year after year. It gets boring. Even with crazy controls, pointless menus, and other absurd features that really don't enhance the games beside making it look "cool", I am still able to romp on teams and actual players sitting beside me. I am bored. So, I create a team and make it the worst you could ever have. I spend a couple of years actually recruiting the worst players. All this to make it difficult. I really get into it. I have found a new level of play after I have trashed all competition. This year's version: got rid of all the fun extras. Why? Probably to appease some yuppy who said they didn't like it. What's it cost to add this feature? What were we going to can becuase it could be added? The answer: Nothing. If something isn't broke, don't fix it. Add all the neat features that are pointless. I find the whole replay capture to be tediuos and boring. It has no bearing except to show off that someone on the easiest mode was able to lob a 75 yard TD pass. But, some people like the stroking of egos, even in a virtual world. Why not allow it. Add stuff to make it fun for those who like it. But don't take away features that die-hard fans have enjoyed for years.
One more note on the "Creation" features. I understand this is simulation and EA is triving to make it fun, realistic, and accurate, but the player creation process has so many attribute options (and most don't even have bearing on performance) that I end up just making them all the same to save time.
We have, as we do in most things in our lives, complicated something that could be simple and still be fun. Keep it simple. That is the best marketing strategy you can learn. I know. It's a fun game for one feature, but the rest bog it down and cause it to lose appeal rather quickly. Do I have the numbers to support this? No. It's an opinion. Don't believe that percentages some people post about how many poepl love this game or love this feature. Remember, 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
That's my opinion, love it or hate. Argue all you want. But had I rented this game first, as a big time supporter of the EA franchise, I would never have bought the game. Rent it, borrow it, just don't by it unless you want the one feature it seems EA made the game around. Here's a hint EA: Make a game specifically for the Legend. Uh...EA Sports College Legend would still sell and you could keep making a fine product with NCAA. | video-games_xbox |
I attack the Darkness. When Operation Darkness came out I couldn't resist. Zombies, vampires, werewolves, and World War II? What's not to love?
Unfortunately, Operation Darkness has difficulty executing its ideas. It is a Japanese-style strategy game, which means there's lots of written dialogue punctuated by awkward ellipses silences ("..."). This dialogue, which has very little to do with the actual conflicts, is conducted entirely by audio and still graphics. The acting isn't bad - the actors actually have to use accents - but it takes up the player's valuable time wondering if our main character is going to fall in love with the cute mage.
In fact, the first part of the game is bog-standard WWII strategy; it's not until a few fights in that the supernatural rears its howling head in the form of werewolves. Turns out the good guys AND the bad guys have supernatural abilities at their disposal. It's always fun to see American-style pulp reinterpreted through another culture. Operation Darkness has no qualms casting serial killer Jack the Ripper as an ally who happens to be good with knives.
Game play is conducted like a miniature game, so tabletop wargamers will feel right at home. The various sets are laid out in grid formation, involving buildings, bridges, water, and other interesting terrain. There is also heavy artillery like tanks and machinegun mounted jeeps to contend with.
Death in the game is permanent, so it's important to keep the main characters alive. There's no shortage of red shirts there to sacrifice themselves so the story can continue. Fortunately there's H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West - uh...East - to bring people back from the dead.
As the game progresses your ragtag team of Nazi-hunters wends its way across Western Europe via a helpful map. It's possible to "farm" by visiting areas you've already conquered, but it's highly unlikely anyone will take the time to do so.
And that's the problem. Operation Darkness takes way too long. You can set up certain actions as repeatable, but the game simply drags. Some of the longer battles can take over an hour, and if one of your main characters dies you start over. The appeal of blowing up tanks with fireballs pales after the tenth time of fighting on the same board.
Fan of alternate World War II-era strategy games will likely find Operation Darkness' concept appealing but its execution lacking. | video-games_xbox |
great but not as great as the hype (edited from earlier after more game time. I've only been able to log a handful of hours on this and I will say that I'm entertained but not hooked. It was touted as "Skyrim with guns" and to some extent it is. Maybe I'm jaded from the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series when it comes to FPS open map sandbox looter games. The action is great. The despair of running out of ammo mid fire fight is there. That moment when you can only say "well shit" comes around often; like being killed by a tiger on your first outing. I think I was expecting something more from the looting aspect of the game simply because of how it was advertised. I have hard time saying this is like Skyrim or Fallout. It feels and plays more like the jungle level of the new GoldenEye. Between looks, action, guns, and overall feel it more closely resembles a much more expanded version of that. Which is awesome. On a side note, animal lovers beware: you spend a good portion of the game hunting animals for their skins. Overall I'm enjoying it and am ready to log more hours. Good game, glad I purchased it. Also it has a huge co-op mode and online versus mode so if you're looking for competition it's there as well.
Post Edit
Ok so after logging close to 30 hours now I gotta say that I'm hooked. It is definitely not "Skyrim with guns". It is reminiscent of the new Goldeneye and GTA. Now after you liberate the islands and decide to go all treasure hunter looking for relics it starts to feel like Pitfall. I haven't even started the mini-games and side missions yet. You do reach a point later in the game which feels vastly different from when you started. At the beginning you get that vulnerable feeling. But later on in the game you unlock the absolute mother of weapon caches and new skills and you're pretty much untouchable. At that point, the islands are your personal playground. Unfortunately the challenge becomes slightly removed at that point but the action doesn't stop. If you don't have this game, get it. You're missing out if you haven't played yet. | video-games_xbox |
Entertaining game held back by some bugs. First and foremost, I won't even compare this game to GTA IV because it's not MEANT to; Volition has come out and said long before the game's release that it's not trying to replace GTA.
One of the biggest selling points for me was that I could play as both a man or a woman. And once I learned that I could visit a plastic surgeon at any time and change my gender back and forth, I was even happier. I also appreciate the fact that Volition supplied six different voice tracks for the protagonist, each with its own personality and nuance, giving the game a distinctly different feel for each playthrough. For example, the British actor would read one line as "hey mate" when it's supposed to be "hey man." Little touches like this give the voice tracks their own personalities. I was struck at how different a cutscene feels when the hero has a different voice and attitude.
Pros:
-Be male or female (or a freak; be a man with a high, female voice!)
-Great VO work, engaging supporting characters with personality
-Variety of missions and activities (especially Septic Avenger; spraying sh** on people is hilarious!)
-New features such as human shield, cruise control, fine aiming, dual wielding
-More customization options (clothing, tatoos, hairstyles)
-Excellent GPS is back, plus now you can place "bookmarks" on the map as reminders (i.e. during a mission you find a tag spot, and want to remember its location for later)
-Stores are now open 24/7, meaning you no longer have to wait around endlessly to buy that one specific shirt you want
-Fresh soundtrack with songs you haven't heard in other games
-Instantly warp between a store and your wardrobe, making it easier to mix and match your clothes
-Some cool easter eggs to be found
Cons:
-Bugs/glitches from first game are back (such as cars disappearing, NPCs getting stuck in your vehicle)
-Idiot homie A.I. (guys, did you know you can walk AROUND obstacles?)
-No way to give commands to homies
-No auto-lock on or aim assist of any kind, making shootouts harder than they need to be (the option to toggle it on or off would have been nice)
-Digital music player from SR 1 has been canned (you can't listen to music when on foot anymore)
-Melee fighting system (Brotherhood style, Ronin style, etc) largely feels gimmicky and wasted; outside the "fight club" activity, there is no reason whatsoever to use fisticuffs when you could simply shoot your enemies | video-games_xbox |
Failure at Almost Everything. Just as the title suggests, this game is a complete failure. The "diversity" they promised isn't there, and the game-play is absolutely horrendous. The computer is so full of glitches that they can do miraculous things whether it's in a solo campaign or even online.
Online is the only "saving grace" of this game, because playing with other players makes the game more enjoyable, since the AI is so horrible FOR the player that it's nearly impossible to beat the missions unless you're either a) utterly familiar with them, or b) have a character so beefed up with all the goodies, that you can walk through the game.
If you're interested in buying this game, I'm here to tell you DO NOT! It is one of the worst games I've ever played, and all the hype leading up to it only made that matter worse.
The button layout is poorly set up.
The AI is insanely cheap, doing shots around corners and through walls regardless if you're online or on solo.
After beating the game on both campaigns (both having to be done online, on easy, and STILL couldn't seem to do it, even though I can do Halo on Legendary without a beat missing), is sparse and missing, feeling like you've accomplished nothing.
The solo campaigns are ridiculous, and personally I don't even bother playing them. The game sat on the shelf for five months before I got XBox Live. Even now, after two hours of playing, I'm frustrated and done with the game. As I said before, I can pop in almost any FPS and do decently, if not well, but this game is nothing but BS.
YOUR headshots don't exist; but the computer can do them. TRUE Tag-N-Bag doesn't exist in the game, though the computer can do it from a distance. I've thrown all kinds of grenades at the AI, but they'll either shake them off, or they look like cherry poppers on the ground. YOUR flash grenades will blind your party members as well as the enemy, but the AI can do them with no hindrance to their own teammates, provided they're AI.
The true "unlimited" development for characters and weaponry that the developers boasted about are blatant lies. I've seen a hundred times better char-gen aspects in free MMOs online. Look at "A Perfect World". There you can actually choose a different face, let alone the fact that you can reshape it. Hell, even the old wrestling games from N64 and PS1 beat the options here like a redheaded stepchild.
The gameplay is poor, though the targeting is on, only if you're not trying to complete an objective, because then it suddenly happens that your aim is off, and they're suddenly getting nothing but headshots.
In closing, if you don't believe me on how horrible this game is, rent it, pop it in and play it on Solo without getting on Xbox Live. You'll see exactly what I'm saying. The sudden "ping" issue of bullets curving corners and going through walls should NEVER exist in a game played offline. Yet, it always does. Always. Like I said, the only actual "saving grace" was online play, but I'm already done with the game after a couple hours, and I never want to pick it up again.
This title is a waste of money, on any console, and a complete joke of a game. This just proves the point that developers are more interested in their supposed graphics and changeable features than they are about gameplay. Bring back the original Doom series, along with Duke Nuke'Em, and Wolfenstein to show these idiots how games are done. | video-games_xbox |
Worthy title, could be better. I just got "Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast" (what a mouthful!) and needless to say, I was impressed. At first. The visuals were an eyefull and themed appropriately. Everything seemed in order. Then I actually got into the game. Yes, this game was hyped. Yes, it was either reviewed with great scores or with poor scores. Virtually no one beleived it was mediocre. Now, I am a Star Wars fan, nonetheless, I try not to flame a game based on unfair ussumptions. After thoroughly playing the game, I beleive the review I am writing is fair. There are good points as well as bad points. Here is why it deserves a solid 3 stars.
Graphics: Yes, the graphics are superb in most cases and very good in bad cases. Minor lighting situations may cause confusion to the sensitive. In general, most should be very satisfied with the "Quake III" engine generated visuals. The modeling of the stormtroopers is the best yet. The bit mapping is astounding, and the paint job is amazing. Unlike it's predecessor, "Jedi Knight II" uses computer animated cinematics as opposed to live action. The one major flaw is the horrible physics. The one major flaw is huge. I shot a stormtrooper and he flew in the opposite direction (towards me). Or I was in a room suffocating on gas when I died and flew backwards. Overall, definetly a 3/5 stars for graphics.
Sound: Excellent quality. Bad content. The voice acting is nice a best and horrible at worst. Some actors/actresses are simply deplorable. Others are really talented. The music is booming about 1/10 of the time, usually during fights, and off 6/10 of the time. The remaing 3/10 is so low, it doesn't even seem like it is there. Overall 6/10 for forgettable songs I can't hear and for good and bad voice acting.
Playability: Good. Not great. The level design is frustrating and simplistic. The average level goes: Slaughter commando. Take key from slaughtered commando. Walk to door five feet away. Open door. Repeat. The level design consists of the same elements over and over and over. The use of force and lightsabers is generally not incorporated into the game. However, the levels are quite entertaining because they Involve many lightsaber battles and a lot of gunplay. The weapons are lacking in punch. I do not care for the balancing, the flechette (shotgun-like) is way more powerful than any of the other weapons besides the rocket launcher. Nice effort, but average compared to games like "HALO". 8/10.
Controls: The worst field in "Jedi Knight II" is the controls. They are nicely calibrated, however the places they put the controls are horrible. If you are running and want to switch weapons, to bad. The left thumbstick is run and the switch weapons/force/inventory. The weapons usually miss. 2/3 shots are worthless. Nice try, but the controls just don't work. 2/10.
Conclusion: Likable title for Star Wars fans, but just okay for other casual gamers. Disappointment for most "Darkforces" and "Jedi Knight" fans. I was entertained through the single player, but the strength of this game is the multiplayer. The framerate slows with 14 bots, but the game is customizable to the last lightsaber. All in all, 6/10 (3/5). The game seemed rushed.
If you are a Star Wars gamer, you might like this but in all cases, rent before you buy here. I hope I was helpful and until next time...
CRIMSON|RED | video-games_xbox |
GM Master Mod is amazing. Over a year ago, I had purchased a gold modded controller from Geniusmods that just had the rapid fire function. The controller works great, but we have been looking for an updated model and came across this. This controller is amazing in so many ways.
We were impressed to see how many mods were available on the controller. The controller came with a manual that went over all the functions of the controller, and we have yet to get to try out all the functions, but I can assure you the controller offers a LOT.
The controller itself just looks and feels amazing. The metal thumbsticks and bullet buttons feel nice, just overall makes the controller feel really solid and great quality. I wasn't too sure how the metal thumbsticks would grip after playing with the rubber top ones for so long but they grip pretty good. They have notches around the rim, and they are concave to hold your thumbs. Overall they feel solid and I feel like they are more precise because of the added weight to them.
The controller is light, as mentioned. The rumbles were removed, and I was surprised to see how much lighter it is, even with the metal thumbsticks and bullet buttons. But it truly is lighter, which is pretty nice. I sometimes do miss having the rumbles though.
The trigger stops are amazing too. I love how quickly they let you shoot. Even without the mod you can shoot much faster with just the trigger stops. I had no idea how great they would feel until I got a chance to try them out. I'm in love.
The mods have a lot of custom settings which is also nice. Drop shot has multiple settings, jitter has multiple settings, and rapid fire is completely adjustable. It is nice to dial in the perfect settings to suite your playing needs. I haven't really played around with them too much, I'm just using the default settings for now. Eventually I'll get around to trying out everything.
The price I paid was unbeatable for what the controller came with. We've done lots of research on modded controllers and could not find one that had all these functions for a price like this, and I am pleased to say we received a quality product with lots of functionality. Very happy with this purchase | video-games_xbox |
Casual Gamer's Review of UFC Undisputed 2009. UFC Branding: 10/10
This game is extremely faithful to the UFC franchise: the arenas, announcers, referees, commentators, Octagon girls, and of course the fighters and coaches are all there and look and sound very realistic. I thought the coaches mumbled too much and didn't really give good advice but at least you get the feeling of advice being given (moral support?).
Controls: 8/10
I wanted to be able to jump more and generally be more reckless. For example, I wanted to do flying kicks (the flashy kind real fighters never do unless they want to lose in the first few seconds). There are a lot of really cool moves like Superman punch and flying knee but these can only be activated contextually (you have to be a certain range from your opponent). I have never played a "wrestling" game before so I wasn't sure what to expect but the use of the right analog stick for a lot of grappling/wrestling moves seemed to do the trick. It is somewhat intuitive but I am still struggling with transitions (there are easy and hard transitions and the hard ones don't always seem to work). I would have really loved customizable controls but I did not see that option (probably because the practice/tutorial mode would be harder to script), but the defaults are fairly intuitive and get the job done. I don't like having to press the analog sticks inward (left inward to run, right inward to submit) The left bumper and trigger are height modifiers that convert strikes to high and low respectively. This also modifies grappling: high to clinch and low to do a takedown. Then, on the ground you can still modify for head shots or body shots. So, that much is intuitive. The right bumper and trigger are defensive height modifiers, though even if you block you'll still take some damage. I had to take off one point for the lack of jumping and fun controls and one point for the omission of customizable controls, otherwise they are reasonably comprehensive and intuitive.
Tutorial: 8/10
The tutorial is very long and takes a while to get through it all. I am happy it exists and had to go back and consult it a few times. I think there could be better integration of this with the training camps in Career mode but it's still decent.
Practice Mode: 10/10
This mode has everything: choose your fighter, opponent, and opponent's AI level. This lets you configure whether your opponent will be an inanimate punching bag, someone who will defend only (with many options here), or someone who will fight back (and you can set the difficulty level). If you or your opponent is knocked out or submitted, it's no big deal, the fighter positions reset quickly and you can resume practice. If there is one thing I would have liked, it would have been to have more options for where you fight (instead of just the gym).
Historic Fights: 2/10
I thought this was cool but it seemed to force me to play as one of the fighters and not just have the fights play out as they actually did (or have AI's fight it out and simulate what might have happened). I guess I just don't see how you couldn't do pretty much the same thing with Exhibition Mode.
Exhibition Mode: 10/10
This is the normal "versus" mode of the game. I had no problems with the options presented. Yes, you have to choose your weight class (an appropriate constraint), but you get to use custom fighters and toggle stats and fighters who have actually fought in more than one weight class are able to be selected in both (e.g. BJ Penn). I think you can even choose your arena and referee (but not the Octagon girls). Importantly, you can choose how many rounds it will be (which constrains the arena selection a bit): 2, 3 or 5.
Career Mode: 7/10
This mode is hard. First, the fights are hard. Second, the time management can be tricky. Basically, everything is done on a weekly basis and most physical actions take a certain amount of stamina away. So, you can't do Intense training twice in one week but you could do Intense and Moderate training and then have virtually no stamina left. There's nothing wrong with using up your stamina except that it might be bad if you have none on the week of your fight and you can only recover part of your stamina in one week so you need about two weeks to fully recharge. This is rough because you may only have 4 or 5 weeks to get ready for a fight so half your time is wasted to recharging. I loved the sparring and training camps options (and actually felt like the training camps helped me learn and improve) and you can even use points from sparring to boost specific stats (and they are very specific let me tell you) or you can focus on Strength, Speed and Cardio (if you prefer the macro level). There are also emails and interviews and making public appearances (e.g. at other fights) which all seem fine but maybe a bit of a time waster for people who just want to fight. Of course, this is career mode so what do you want? Oh, and if you really like detail, you can add sponsors and micro the logos on your trunks for reputation points. The nice thing about career mode is that it is VERY forgiving. If you screw up and lose a fight or two, you'll still be given opportunities to step back into the Octagon. Dana White and your manager/agent are very nice and bend over backwards to promote you and help you along.
Graphics: 9/10
I thought Dane White, Herb Dean, and a few fighters did not look right. However, the vast majority are convincing. I think the camera angles are great and have no complaints there (you don't even notice it). The movement of the fighters is very impressive and there is a lot of attention to detail to things like breathing and hunching over when low on energy. I love the ragdolling (though maybe it's too frequent and it seems knockouts frequently cause the opponent to lose his mouthguard). There is too much sweat and not enough blood, but the sweat doesn't detract that much. I loved how you can create a fighter and customize so much about his physical appearance (it is very thorough). I would have liked to see more options for hair color (for Chris Leben etc.) but that's about it.
Voice Acting: 10/10
Music: 2/10
I hate the default music (even though it is true to UFC style) and turned it off as soon as it got annoying. I would have liked to have seen an option to use custom songs for your fight entrance (which by the way is oddly absent in this otherwise very detailed and realistic game) and otherwise have a song library to play as background music. I think the commentators are spot on in terms of how they sound and what they say. I think there is a tendency for the commentators to overstate how crazy or epic every fight is, but otherwise they do a good job of stating the obvious. I don't know about the licensing and stuff but it would have been great if they could have had the fight entrance songs (e.g. when Quinton "Rampage" Jackson enters and Roy Jones Jr. "Can't be Touched" plays). Oh, and the game obviously doesn't know how to pronounce whatever jacked up name you give your custom fighter so it just uses a preset nickname (you can choose from a dozen or so) like "Headhunter" when doing announcements at the beginning and end of matches. I would have liked more nicknames to choose from (why not include actual fighter nicknames?) but it's not a big deal.
Miscellaneous:
There are some load time issues. I also think it gets a bit confusing when it's autosaving (do Exhibition matches count toward my Custom Fighter's Career Mode?) or you go to save redundantly. It's not a big problem and isn't terribly confusing just a bit weird (it shows all the steps it does in each part of the save process when it probably could have suppressed some of it).
I have yet to see Jens Pulver or Mark DellaGrotte (not sure they aren't there just haven't noticed them) and I'm sure a lot of MMA geeks will bemoan that there is no Fedor but this is explicitly UFC Undisputed and not a general MMA game. If you want to you could probably create him with the custom fighter options anyway which should be the default response to any qualms over missing fighters.
It is probably worth mentioning the fighting styles. In this game all fighters are classified into a striking style and a grappling style. There are three striking styles: Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai. Only kickboxers can do head kicks (as far as I can tell). Only Muay Thai can do special moves in the clinch (e.g. knee to the head). There are three grappling styles: BJJ, Wrestling, Judo. BJJ has the best transitioning and submissions. Wrestling and Judo let you do throws and slams and I think you have to be a wrestler to do certain throws (or have a guaranteed ability to do them). I'm not sure whether the style limitations are problematic but considering that fighters are normally encouraged to be well-rounded and learn everything (and how that's the whole point of MMA), it's weird that these limitations are built-in.
There are a lot of nice little touches in the game and if you're an UFC fan or at all into MMA this title will probably hold your interest. If you're looking for Street Fighter mechanics and the ability to do Hadoukens, you won't find it here. However, if you're looking for a level of realism never before seen in this genre of video game, this is it. I was skeptical that you could ever develop a control system to faithfully translate MMA into a video game format, but this game gives me hope. I do think it tends to emphasize the strategic rather than the visceral aspect of the sport but it is a video game after all (if you want something more visceral, then try the real thing I guess or get a button masher). | video-games_xbox |
Altair is not the man he seems to be. Echoing the sentiment of other reviewers, I was also concerned about the professional reviews concerning this game, having anticipated it for so long. My fears were eased, however, right after I popped the disk in.
Pro's:
Again, as it's been said here, I really enjoyed the flow of the character and the freedom this game gives you. It's a perfect blend of an open world without leaving you lost to figuring out where to go next.
The learning curve is high, but the game slowly introduces you to new moves within each mission, which are enough to complete them, but leaves room for improvement as you become more proficient.
The story line is good and I didn't mind so much the sci-fi twist about which most are complaining. It's a good break from the intensity of the game and it adds a personal connection to the ancient character through his descendant in the present.
The game saves are excellent. For the most part you won't find yourself having to redo several missions in the event that you die. There are plenty of checkpoints throughout the game to keep the game flowing and non-repetitive.
Lastly, the world Ubi has created in this game is simply phenomenal! Hats off to the design team. The amount of detail is just outstanding on each street, building, market, character, and everything else you'll find in this game.
Cons:
The idea of accomplishing side missions add a greater dimension to the game, but, unfortunately, they get repetitive pretty quickly.
Some of the things you can do are eavesdrop, pickpocket, or save a person from being harassed by the local guards (there are others), but once you get the hang of each one, they're pretty much the same thereafter.
The fight sequences are fun and can be tense enough, but similarly lack a bit of diversity. I hope they get a little more challenging and technical as I acquire new weapons and progress in the game.
Now, to explain the title of my review (this is not a con, just an observation), I was a bit surprised with the main character Altair.
I got a feel from the previews, for some reason, that I would be dealing with a cool and calculated assassin who kills to rid the world in which he lives of evil people (a little theatrical, I know). However, my first impression was of a reckless, spoiled, somewhat-messed-up-in-the-head newbie killer who let his skills go to his head and now is forced to redeem himself.
Overall, I really enjoy playing this game and hope Ubi continues to produce other titles using this engine and creating such wonderful virtual worlds. | video-games_xbox |
Based on single player. This game is very similar to the conflict desert storms by controlling 3 other soldiers and working as a team. I hired it and got up to level 6 when I took it back. I didn't get far because I spent about an hour a day on it because this game is annoying and hard. On the first 5 levels it's hard to use stealth(unlike conflict desert storm), it's not linear, it's just enemies run out write away when going into a new area. You can run out of ammo easily(unlike conflict desert storm 1/2).
There are now booby traps in it so because you're in a jungle and there are a lot of plants(it's harder to notice them)you have to hold the left trigger and B to get your comrades to disarm it(you have to always look for them and it slows the pace down).
The way you can disarm traps is the way you can get your men to pick up weapons(and more like heal others and use gun turret)instead of doing it your self when switching character.
You can only save twice(even on easy), we want as much as we want like PC games. A level can go on for along time because there can be too many enemies in black clothes running around.
There're missions or "primary objectives" like "escape" and "Bonus objectives" like "collect dog tags" or "get important documents". After each level you can build your stats up(Sniping, medic skills...).
This is just like the previous games except it's in a jungle(like Metal gear, Splinter Cell 2 and Ghost Recon on Playstation 2...). They could not put a lot of new things in because the other games were so good and it's hard to keep the series fresh. I can tell the developers tried really hard with this game with the graphics but they should have changed how many bad guys are in levels and how much ammo there's. I will rent this again if it's the best game in and I will change the review if it really picks up.
PS They should remake the original Conflict Desert Storm with improved graphics and add in the newer features from CD2 and CV. | video-games_xbox |
Complete hype. My biggest beef with GTA 4 is that it is incredibly BORING. It has the pace of an RPG but without any of the aspects that make time consuming games like that worth the time investment (like level building and character, weapon, and armor depth). The plot is okay but the game controls are sloppy (controlling the helicopter is such a farce I was in disbelief) and the driving around and around for hours is SO dull and tedious I had to quit the game about a third of the way through before I went insane (and a third of the way through was 15 hours!). The graphics are well below par for the 360 as well. The voice acting is about the only bright spot. My only conclusion is that people are mindless sheep that believe hype and have no standards because this game overall is not good. So, thanks a lot all you imbecilic GTA drones for giving this over-hyped pile 5 stars and convincing me to waste my time and money. Also, Rockstar games can go take a leap for somehow making this continually unimpressive series a bestseller (I have played every GTA game, and other than number 3 which was okay, the rest are flat out boring...yes, even Vice City, which other than the '80s music was B-O-R-I-N-G). I am done with them permanently. I could even go into the absurdity of the violence, not that it offends me, but that it is just preposterous to even make games where a guy can get away with mayhem on such a massive scale and not be killed or tossed in jail forever. Lame. I mean, really though, this game compared to Halo 3, Bioshock, Dead Space, Modern Warfare 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Mass Effect, or even Crackdown? They may not be apples to apples comparisons, but GTA 4 falls far behind these games in graphics, storyline, pace, and very important to me, controls. I hate nothing more in video games than poor controls (this isn't 1986 NES days anymore...ARGH!). I am a high-standard type individual so dismiss this review at your own peril of wasting time. Life is too short and there are too many good games for you to be caught playing this junk. | video-games_xbox |
An Average Game At Best. Ah, Sonic Unleashed where do I start? Werehog? Hubs? Sonic's Levels? Well lets start with the overall game as a whole. Now this game is not terrible but it's not great either.
Lets move on to Sonic's levels, while traveling through Sonic's levels you'll see beatiful sceaneary while racing through many places around the world which are based on real life places, but sometimes running super fast isn't that great as you may see in later levels ecspically while running on water when if you hit something you'll just sink, but although these speedfests can become very annoying they are the best part of the game next to the great graphics.
Now lets talk about Werehog....... well while I don't think all Werehogs levels are horrible, some are pretty bad or just mediocre. And most enimies have healtbars so you'll spend sometime smashing a single group of enimies and the levels are already pretty long, sometimes so long you'll just be wishing for it to be over. But as I said sometimes I found Werehog to be a little fun beacuse of combos etc. But overall Werehog is just another lame gimmick that every recent Sonic game has (Heroes: Team Action, Shadow: Guns etc. etc.)
But anyway back to the review, lets talk about the HUBS, which are the places featured before levels and boss fights that you can explore and talk to people in sound fimilar well that beacuse it was featured in 2 other Sonic games (Adventure and Next-Gen) well theres not much to talk about except that there kind of boring and they get in the way of getting straight to the game.
And an issue that many people complain about are the 4Kids VA's, I never really minded them, but Werehog sounds a little funny and cheesy.
Well overall I would give this game a 3 out of 5, because while fun some of Sonic's levels can get frustrating, and Werehog is just another lame gimmick that didn't work out as usual. So overall this is a mediocre to average game at best. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game. EA/DICE Really Need To Work On Bugs Before Release Though. I think the game is a fantastic FPS. You could go out & be a one man show on the battlefield if you would like but this game really shines through when team work is involved. From supplying your squad w/ ammo, to reviving them once they have died to spotting them out w/ a motion sensor. You get rewarded graciously w/ team work just as much as if you get a kill. Sometimes, w/ assist XP point, suppression fire XP points, spot XP points, getting the kill could actually get you less XP points.
The maps are huge. Which is a good thing considering matches can get up to 32 v 32. Games can last from 10 minutes to well over an hour.
The single player was decent. Nothing to write home about. A solid 6 hours to complete on hard. Kinda wish they would focus some more time/energy on these campaigns & build up a better back story w/ our characters, but nufortunatly the market is demanding multiplayer experience first & foremost.
Now, the reason why I won't give it the 5 stars is because it had taken EA/DICE around abouts 3 months to really ge the servers running fluidly. I understand some hiccups along the release, & even a month is understandable at times, but to have every Battlefield game going through these hiccups & then this one taking 2-3X longer than usual to get up to par? That was a bit unacceptable considering I'm dropping $60 for a new game plus another sum of cash on your premium service.
All in all, I say get it. A solid FPS, more team oriented & tactical than the COD series. Not nearly as frustrating to play long term.
PlusDice takes care of BF releases for 2+ years on the market rather than diluting the market w/ sequal after sequal every year. BF: Bad Company, BF: Bad Company 2, BF 3 & BF 4 in the last 7 years where as we have had COD: MW, COD WaW, COD MW2, COD BO, COD MW3, COD BO2, COD Ghost all within that time frame. With the one time subscription fee & 2 years of map packs, you will stretch your dollar more so w/ the BF experience while getting, in my opinion, the better gameplay & graphics engine. | video-games_xbox |
Halo - The Breakup. I loved the original Halo Trilogy, and once I finished Halo 3, it was as if a chapter had closed. I still liked the game, but figured Bungie was hanging it up. When Halo Wars came out, I wasn't drawn to it. "That was then, this is now," I thought. Something about it didn't seem right. I had moved on, and was afraid of being disappointed by that game.
Then I saw the various previews and trailers for Halo 3 ODST, and was intrigued. Before I bought it, I joked with some friends that it was like seeing an old girlfriend that you hadn't seen in a long time. . .and she looked really hot. Your mind becomes flooded with all the great memories you had together, and the temptation to have just one more go-round with her becomes too much to resist.
But as with an old girlfriend, if you give into the temptation, you're likely in the end to realize just why you're not with her anymore. That one last roll in the hay is disappointing, and you feel stupid for giving in to your impulses. You realize that indeed you have moved on, and if there was still magic there you wouldn't have gone your separate ways in the first place.
I was a huge fan of the original Halo. I wound up going to bed way too late on many a night to get to the end of the campaign, and of course I loved the multiplayer, even if it was limited to only four people (seems quaint and almost medieval now). The sequels were also excellent, though I was a bit annoyed that the campaigns for both Halo 2 and 3 seemed a little short. I figured it was due to the remarkably more complex online multiplayer versions contained on the same disk.
I thought that with a separate disc for Halo 3 ODST's multiplayer and campaign version, both would have ample room to reach new heights. This was not the case. ODST's multiplayer version is essentially the same as Halo 3, only with a few more maps. Why these maps could not have been downloaded via XBox live to the original Halo 3, I do not know. Even worse, it seems to have split up the online gaming population playing Halo. Many are still on Halo 3, while some migrated to Halo 3 ODST. Makes it take longer to fill up a match. Last night, there were only 6000 or so people online playing it. I remember when those numbers were six figures.
As for the campaign, remember that girlfriend, and how back in the day you'd spend an entire weekend in the bedroom? You'd only stop to sleep and get dinner? Well, you guessed it. While you had a good time (what's it they say about sex and pizza?) you're attempts to rekindle don't measure up, and you wind up doing a sad walk of shame home before midnight. I finished Halo 3 ODST's campaign in only two evenings of play. When the credits started to roll (with the requisite somber Halo music) it was as if the game had said to me, "That was nice, but I have to get up early tomorrow. I'll call you, m'kay?" Meanwhile, I thought we were just getting started. Like the multiplayer, I had thought that with a whole disc to itself, there would be room for a campaign to rival the original Halo campaign. What a disappointment. Especially at $60. | video-games_xbox |
Solid Collection for Genesis Lovers. First off, this collection of games is probably only going to appeal to big fans of 16-bit gaming, although I'm sure that it would also appeal to people that have a strong curiosity in playing games from about 20 years ago, and children that are just getting into video games - The children in my family (ages 5 to 9) seem to really dig it, while the slightly older crowd (ages 10 to 13) don't seem to be too interested in the older technology.
I think the collection is completely worth it just for the Phantasy Star and Shining Force games, so when all the Genesis Sonic, Streets of Rage, Vectorman, and Golden Axe games are also included, this really does start to feel like a major bargain.
If I have minor gripes with the collection, it's that a couple of strong first party games like Toejam and Earl, and Outrun, would have been nice additions over weaker games like Alex Kidd, or Super Thunderblade - Two games that I'm pretty sure most wouldn't spend much time with. The bonus arcade games is a nice touch, although Altered Beast is the only one that I thought was worthwhile (and that's only for the few old schoolers that like Altered Beast to begin with). The addition of the original Phantasy Star was a really nice bonus, and I wish that could have done a little more of that with a couple more Master System games. However, for the 10-20 bucks you can get this collection for, it really is hard to complain that they didn't add enough, so these are really minor gripes.
For people that REALLY love their Genesis games, this collection probably won't be a suitable substitute for the original hardware (and software). The 360 d-pad is really iffy, and I personally prefer playing on the original Genesis controllers. Although it really won't matter on the RPGs, you will notice a difference trying to pull off moves in Streets of Rage. I'm not completely sure if 3rd party controllers are available with better D-pads, so I guess it's worth looking into.
All in all, this is a very solid collection of games for the price. Diehard oldschoolers will probably find a few things to complain about, but I think that most that enjoy this era of gaming will probably walk away with thier nostalgia itch satisfied. | video-games_xbox |
Left 4 Dead 2 Review. Normally I don't play a lot of first-person shooters, but this one caught my interest when I saw a commercial for it and since no one else had it reserved for review, I thought I'd snag it up and see if it lives up to the promise it shows in the ads. I haven't played the first one so this is a completely new adventure for me, but who could resist a game where you get to beat zombies with a guitar?
Left 4 Dead 2 is a story of four survivors stuck in a city that has been overrun by zombies. From what the opening demo showed, it appears as if they were going to be rescued, perhaps by the government, but after some unforeseen turn of events, they were "left for dead" among the horde of undead. Gee... I wonder where they got the title.
The adventure can be played in multiple ways. All but one of the game modes is online. The campaign mode, survival mode and so on are all online multiplayer. Since the game consists of four characters, four people can group up and play through the storyline together. In some game modes you can even play as the zombies. You can also play single player and have the other three companions controlled by artificial intelligence. I was disappointed by the single player mode because it doesn't keep your overall stats and doesn't save your progress. In single player mode you can select any chapter, section of the chapter, character and difficulty you want. This means you could start out on the last chapter before the end and not have to play through everything else. I would have preferred a single player campaign that kept track of everything I did, not just let me start wherever I liked.
Each of the four characters can hold three different types of weapons as well as a couple types of healing items. You can carry one long range gun, such as an AK47, machine gun or shotgun, one small gun or melee weapon, such as a pistol, crowbar or chainsaw (my favorite being a guitar) and one throwable item, such as a grenade or Molotov cocktail. The healing items consist of first aid packs, which restore life, pain pills and adrenaline boosters, which each temporarily increase your health. Each of the characters can hold the same items and control identically so their only difference is how they look and talk.
The controls are pretty well implemented and responsive. Graphics are good, blood splatters all over the place when you blast zombies with a shotgun or chainsaw. Sounds are done pretty well too, with juices reflecting off of surfaces and ambient music that gets a little unnerving whenever a horde of zombies is approaching. There are also audible clues when certain special zombies are nearby, you can turn on captions that tell you what each sound is or you can rely on your teammates to inform you.
Left 4 Dead 2 is available for Xbox 360 and PC. For this being my first FPS on a console in a half dozen years or so, I think I did a pretty good job of picking out a winner. That being said, there were a few aspects I would have liked to see improved but all in all it's a solid zombie murdering adventure.
[...] | video-games_xbox |
Some good, but mostly bad. First some background. Just skip to get to Madden 10 review.
Ok, so I will start out saying that I bought every madden up until 06. That year I bought 2. One for the xbox, and one for the 360.
They changed the audible from Y, your player, route, to b, b, b, b, until you get to your player, then your route. On the xbox, I could changed 5 guys routes in a couple of seconds, then on the 360 for the exact same stupid game, it would take like 10. So, now I just rent each madden until I realize that they didn't do anything new, and the few things they did do are stupid. Player weapons and smart weapons anyone? So, this week, I am going to tell my HB to be fast, and next week, I will tell him to be agile. So, KUDOS EA for getting rid of that turd! So, I have been renting ever since. I play one season, and take it back. Good job EA! Instead of $240 in game purchase, I have spent 10 bucks in rentals.
Cons:
Why in superstar mode do I have to deal with being forced with the stupid camera angles and not being able to manipulate any other people on offense or D?
The protak just sucks. Your guys still bounce off of a ballcarrier. Nothing like watching your ROLB grabbing a HB and then you bring your FS up to finish him off only to watch your FS bounce off both of them and then the HB shed your LB.
As always, a little running back will plow over your D-line and MLB while a your FB will get clobbered by a corner. I actually had a kicker level my HB on a return.
Why do people add worthless crap like the Extra Point show. Who the heck cares about league scores. Heck, who cares to see the current game highlights, I just played it. Sure it was cool in game 1, but by game 2 you just want it to stop.
Let's Measure this one! Really! I HAVE to watch the officials measure the ball! I HAVE to watch them discuss if it was a TD or not. I really CAN'T skip any of this.
I got called for a holding 3 times in a row on a FG until I was out of range. I also got called for holding at the end of 2 seperate games when kicking a FG for the win, so time expired and I lost. I only got called for holding one other time. So, 5 out of 6 times just happened to be at inopportune moments.
Somehow, the return team always knows if you are kicking left or right. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM
If you kick onside and they are in a normal return, they audible to an onside and you have to wait. If they kick an onside, you can audible and they kick right away.
Your O-Line throws some awesome lookout blocks.
Audibles. I can't swap my run to the left or right, only my entire play. Of course my WR on the left and right are to stupid to run each others routes, they have to slowly jog to the other side of the field so i get a Delay of Game penalty.
I can't hit up or down on the right stick to jump a run or pass.
Why can't I play franchise with my own created player (not in superstar mode). I don't have to be able to play with him online, but it would be nice if me and my buddy could play each other with our own players, or even if I could do it myself.
It is sad how the play select works. I have 12 buttons on my 360 controller including the L and R clicks. Take out start for menu and B to get back, and I can select between 10 plays at once. Why oh why do I have to look at 3 at a time.
Lead Blocker. This was an awesome tool, however, it shouldn't have been. Why can't anybody freaking block in this game. Just b/c I have it on madden doesn't mean that my line, TE, and FB can't block now, does it? Sick of watching my O run right by guys and not even slowing down to get in their way. On a screen, your guys will run straight to the sideline past the most outside D player. REALLY MADDEN!!!!! YOU CAN'T FIX THIS, BUT YOU CAN GIVE US THE EXTRA POINT SHOW!
There are more things, but hopefully that drives the point home.
Pros:
As stated in my background, I do like that the audible system isn't as atrocious as it used to be, and they have been in for a while, but the smart routes feature is great.
If you just want to play some football and haven't played madden before, you will probably like it. If you have played madden before, you will wonder why it (GAMEPLAY) really hasn't changed in a decade.
In summary:
EA and all other companies.
No one cares about graphics and neato frito junk if you are sacrificing gameplay! | video-games_xbox |
Waited a long time for this. Razer is a company that is known for making top notch accessories for gamers. This is not as good as other devices they have made in the past, but is still a great controller. I happen to love the 360 controllers shape and design, it's nice and comfortable and works pretty well. That being said, the original 360 controller makes my wrist hurt (previous accident) where as the Onza does not.
Things I like about this controller:
Accuracy. The analog sticks on this are more accurate and have a much much lower needed deadzone. I never knew that some where more accurate than others till I decided to replace my always turns left a tiny bit in any racing game 360 controller. The deadzone for my 360 controller needs to be set to almost 40% deadzone to be usable, this makes anything with fine control impossible. I leave the onza set way down to around 10%.
Lights. I am a sucker for backlit anything.
Feel. It's that nice razer fuzzy plastic feel.
Remapable Buttons. Finally, no more analog stick clicking needed.
Dpad. I like it, definitely not going to play Mario with it, but it's very nice feeling.
Clicky Buttons They are pretty nice to have. Easy to press.
Triggers. I love the easy to push triggers, long buttons make it much easier to control throttle and brakes.
Bad stuff:
I am a PC gamer, so the 15 foot cord is so long, it's silly. Good for 360 users though. Dpad could be a bit better, those same clicky buttons would have been good for the dpad as well I would think. I am mixed on the start and back buttons, I like it some, but it's in an odd place that is not that easy to reach. Adjustable sticks. I find these mostly useless, if you tighten it, there is an area of the stick that is hard to move into, it's basically like jamming something in the way and push up against that. They are hard to turn as well. Why did they not light up the rest of the controller? Some soft light in the analog holes would have been nice, or the dpad. The quick disconnect on mine seems to really hard to pull apart, not that I care about that, just seems odd. I would have loved a few extra buttons, on a controller, I can never seem to find enough buttons. | video-games_xbox |
Some good, some bad, some ugly. This review is very late in the game, but with the sequel coming out soon, I figured I'd weigh in.
Call of Juarez is a Western-themed first-person shooter that was actually released back in 2006 in Europe. (For some reason it took the publisher an extra year to release it in the US.) I had been excited about the game since early 2005 when I first heard about it. I'm a big FPS and Western fan, so the prospect of this type of game with modern graphics was incredibly appealing.
Well, it's not a great game, but it does certain things so right that it cheers a part of my soul. It is good to know that there are others out there as crazy as I am.
In the game you play as two opposing characters, alternating between their viewpoints to fill in their respective sides of the story. Reverend Ray is a tough old codger with a violent past. He is now a preacher, and considers himself to be an instrument of God's vengeance. The other character, Billy, is a stupid kid. Ray is his uncle. Billy is framed for the murder of his parents, and Ray goes after him. That's all you really need to know, story-wise.
The Good: Reverend Ray.
Marc Alaimo, the actor responsible for voicing Ray, is fantastic. His performance imbues the character with all sorts of interesting nuance and power. One of the better bits of voice-acting I've ever heard, especially in a video game.
The character is well-written, too, beyond just the great dialogue. Ray begins the game as a vengeful self-righteous force, but towards the end is finally made to question his "calling." The great part about the writing is that instead of questioning God, he questions himself. He acknowledges that it was his own selfish hatred that blinded him rather than attributing his blunder to God either misleading him or not existing. This was an unexpected turn, as stories with characters of this sort usually devolve into some sort of "people who believe in God are crazy" message. The character is also visually well-designed. He wears a piece of armor under his coat that actually deflects bullets in the game (complete with ricochet sounds). One of his "weapons" is a Bible that he quotes terrifying passages from, Pulp Fiction style. Enemies nearby will freeze when they hear it.
The other good bits are the weapons. These guys did their research. While the shotguns and rifle feature no variants, the pistols are pretty great. Included are such unusual guns as the LeMat revolver, an 8-shot percussion pistol with a shotgun barrel under the main; a hold-out barrel-less SAA, which I've seen a picture of in a book before; Volcanic Repeaters, the cool looking precursors to the Winchester rifle.
The Bad: Billy, the other main character.
He's a wuss, a loser, and his voice acting is pretty weak. It's not horrible, but its mediocrity is highlighted by Ray's excellent performance. His playable segments are also not that fun. The bow is fun, the whip isn't, and sneaking isn't nearly as fun as running-and-gunning like Ray.
The Ugly: the character animation. Whenever you're interacting with another character, all they do is stand there and talk at you. If there is ever any body acting, it's an arm movement. Otherwise, they all just stand there with their arms at their sides. Compared with the wonderful full-body acting of the characters in games like [...] it just stands out and makes the game world feel artificial. The graphics engine is actually really detailed and realistic, with dust blowing across the landscape, lots of foliage, etc, but when these barely animated puppets yell bad dialogue at you without moving, it really destroys the illusion.
If you're a Western FPS fan, it's worth checking out. I have high hopes that they fixed some of the problems for the sequel, due out this fall [...] | video-games_xbox |
An Incomplete Product. I have been buying Call of Duty games since 2007. This one is by far the biggest let down. MW3 is not a terrible game (nor is it great), but Elite was a huge disappointment. For that reason alone, the Hardened Edition gets 1 star. More on that later.
If you haven't purchased MW3 yet, do yourself a favor and rent it first. It's nothing like Black Ops, which you probably guessed, if you knew that two different companies have been working on CoD for a while now. The surprising thing is that it's not a lot like MW2 either.
I know a lot of people are saying that MW3 looks and feels just like a map pack for MW2, not a new game, but I don't exactly agree. The maps are the biggest issue for me. They're just not CoD maps. They're too cluttered and sight lines are off.
Other game issues include the spawns and the networking. The spawns are just jacked up. Opponents will literally spawn right behind you in certain game types. The networking seems to work a little differently from other CoD games as well. I've had many more issues than ever before, and this game can easily frustrate you on a bad night, even if you have a terrific connection. You can read up on people's opinions on that problem all over the internet, so I'll leave things at that.
On to Elite...If I were reviewing just the game, I would have given the product 3 stars. Because I am reviewing the hardened edition, I have to give it 1. I am utterly dissatisfied with this product. I can't believe Activision went forward with this unfinished mess.
No one could even login the first few days. Once we logged in, not everything was working. While some early hiccups are forgivable, failure to deliver on advertised features is not. Now, two months later, we still don't have many of the promised features in place. According to posts in the official Activision CoD Forums, features like Clan Operations are not going to be available for quite some time. In fact, they're still in testing. The Clan Ops feature was the main reason that I was interested in Elite. The other things were just icing on the cake, so Elite is a total loss for me. | video-games_xbox |
Just try it. I have grown up in the golden age of gaming. The original xbox was my first console and to this day its still my favorite. This game is the reason. I actually was never interested in it at all, passing it up for the flashier games of the day and, more significantly my new xbox 360. One christmas i asked for a whole bunch of xbox games since they were so cheap, and because it was recommended to me i put psychonauts on the list. Christmas came and became wrapped up in the bevy of first person shooters and action games that i barely even thought about this little strange one. one day i popped it in and played it for half an hour, meh i thought, its kind of weird. I never played it again for three months until one day when i had nothing else so i popped it in. Two hours later i was convinced this was the best game i had ever played. Did i just light that squirrel on fire? Are those cheerleaders really so nice? Why does this secret agent super spy hate desk lamps? All of these questions and more will be asked and answered in your playing time. The game chugs along at an awesome pace with a ton of variety, with new powers being introduced, a new scavenger hunt revealed and a new brain to jump into. The story and the humor are just incredible and are the gateways to many awesome levels and setpieces. The levels never get old, the gameplay never gets repetitive, and the action never slows. This game is a platformer at heart and the controls are flawless in that respect. Also the powers you get (i don't want to spoil any) are classic psychic fair that change the game in significant ways. Also, the game takes place in this huge open world summer camp, with so many secrets to find and easter eggs to discover. Ive played the game five times and im still discovering new things to make me smile. It is a crime that this game so overlooked, but if it was hugely popular i think some of the magic might have gone away. It is special to me in so many ways, and everyone needs to experience it. Its fifteen dollars on xbox live right now and even cheaper on the other platforms, so there's no excuse. BUY THIS GAME!!!! | video-games_xbox |
First Impressions. The following is my take on the multi-player aspect of Medal of Honor from the perspective of a Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 player.
First thing I realize when I start playing Medal of Honor is that I must adjust my game playing style/methods from how I play in COD. I have to be more cautious and be on the look out for enemies more because it is easier to get killed in this game. No more "run and gun" for me. At least not until I get more experienced at the game, having only played it for a few hours.
Running, jumping and some other aspects of your movements are what I would call more life like, which may frustrate some people that are used to jumping higher in video games. The sound effects in this game are MUCH better than Call of Duty. I think that's a big plus. Explosions, machine gun fire, everything sounds better to me.
Some things I don't like about the game:
In some ways it seems that the creators of Medal of Honor did some things JUST to appease gamers that complained about COD. For example, grenade launchers are much less effective. Maybe I'm just paranoid but see for yourself. There are some other things as well that I just cant remember right now.
Every time you respawn (after being killed) you are thrown back into the "select a class" screen (where you choose what soldier you want to use). I HATE this. I'd rather respawn, go to a menu and choose which class I want to use on the following respawn than have to pick one every single time I respawn. What if I want to use the same class for the whole match?
You can not lay down/ go prone. What the hell is that about? Did they think this was a good idea?
Game play modes are limited. I think there are 5 or 6 different styles of game play so If you like the variety of COD than this may aggravate you. Maybe more will be added as time goes by.
The different maps are pretty nice if you ask me but all of the ones I have played so far are all pretty small. Not big sprawling maps. I only played 2 or 3 different game play types in the few hours I played last night (10/12/2010) so perhaps there are larger maps on the other game modes.
UPDATE: Another thing I wanted to add about this game is that the leveling up and getting new equipment isn't as fun and exciting as in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.
UPDATE 2 (November 5th, 2010): After playing this game many times (bought it on the first day it was released) I have to say that my initial gripes still stand. Yet, I keep playing the damned game;I think I like punishing myself.
I think this game got a few things right. It looks much better than Modern Warfare 2 (which is to be expected since it is more recent), sounds great (sound effects might be the best thing about this game) and I feel that moving (walking, running) are more life like than other games I've played. Also I would like to note that going back to Modern Warfare 2 after playing this game is difficult for me because it feels much more like an arcade game than it did before playing Medal of Honor.
Some new things I've discovered about this game that piss me off are...once you get to level 9 or 10 (can't remember right now) of a class (rifleman,special ops, sniper) you don't get any more new weapons upgrades. You get the same weapons you've been using only they look different or you can use the opposing forces weapons. For example, If I'm playing on the US team I can use an AK. What a huge let down. "oh, thanks for letting me use weapons I've been using since day 1". Also, unless I'm forgetting something, your character never gets any ability upgrades like I'm used to from the Call of Duty series which is disappointing.
I've also played and completed the single player game. Not bad but EXTREMELY short. Just takes a few hours. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy this JUST for the single player game. Especially not people that are used to playing these types of games. You'll blow right through it and be mad for spending $60. | video-games_xbox |
A decent hack and slash, not much replay value in the end. I'll be honest; I wasn't so enthralled with Hunter: The Reckoning that I immediately had to rush out and buy "Redeemer". However, I do like seeing if things improve in a series and Hunter: The Reckoning was a good enough game to at least pique my interest into wanting to see what they did this time. If you're a die hard follower of this series then I think you'll find this an enjoyable game, but if you only casually enter this particular universe you'll be slightly disappointed.
You'd think that the follow-up would be bigger, badder, and more intense. Unfortunately we don't exactly get that. You do get some cool new things that definitely made playing this game a little better. The most obvious is a new player character in addition to the four Hunters from the first game, some of you might remember saving the scared little girl in the original game. Naturally she's all dolled up in a super short skirt, corset styled top and thigh highs. This is what anyone would expect a girl to be wearing to go hunt demons and werewolves. I was a little disappointed with her character because she was kind of slow in comparison to the other characters my friends were playing. Not to mention her ranged weapon, albeit really strong, takes a long time to fire and reload. So don't expect her to achieve nearly as many kills or levels if you're playing with friends that have much faster characters. Sure, she's more powerful, but in this game it seems speed is one of the most useful aspects for a character. Since I'm on the topic of characters, one other cool concept added to the game is that you can unlock other playable characters. Namely these are the monsters you face in the game. However, strangely, if you choose to play as these characters you can't complete certain missions. That's kind of annoying and leaves you wondering why make them available as player characters at all if you can't complete the game with them? It's really a cool idea, but I don't think it was executed nearly as well as it could have been.
One thing that caught my attention in the first game was the story and length of game play. Granted the story was a bit cheesy at times, but that's fine, I don't mind cheesy story lines so long as the game play is fun with my friends and me. I expected similar things from "Redeemer", but the game was way shorter than the first. It seriously felt like it took us half the time to beat this game than the first one. Secondly the storyline this time around felt a lot more stupid. Basically you meet up with this other hunter named Lucien to protect his factory in Ashcroft from the werewolves that are attacking him. There's some crazy conspiracy and not everything is as it seems. The plot twist was overly predictable and it wasn't even that interesting. You run into a familiar face from the original game and rather than generate intrigue he generates disappointment as it feels like a waste of time to include him. Ah well, I wouldn't say I'm completely done with this series forever if they ever put out another game. However, my expectations will certainly be lower and I found myself glad that this game was a lot shorter, because it just wasn't nearly as fun.
A major improvement on this title is the graphics though. Things are a lot more crisp and clearer. Granted it's nothing to really get excited about, but it's an improvement from the first game. The combat engine is essentially the same, except some of the increased abilities. Another gripe with the game is you still have no control over leveling up your characters. Simply use a certain kind of weapon category or ability a bunch and you automatically level up, it's not based on any kind of experience points. Overall it was a decent game to play with my friends. Unfortunately we had better things to play and ended up playing this simply because we hadn't. There are definitely better things out there and if you're looking for a game with a lot more control in this regard pick up "X-Men: Legends."
Overall Rating: 2.5/5 | video-games_xbox |
Great shooter. Very atmospheric and stylistic. I picked this game up for the Xbox 360 as soon as it went into the Platinum Hits category, dropping the price to $29.99 instead of $59.99. At this price point, the game is a must buy. The single player game is fun with all the bells and whistles of modern day shooters, including dynamic lighting and shadows, physics for objects in the environment including ragdolls. Although this game was made years ago for the PC, its engine's advanced lighting and shadows are still believable. Along with awesome sound effects and a great music score, the game draws you into the world and is very atmospheric. I definitely encourage gamers to play this game at night with the lights turned off, and the sound up. If you are the type that gets into games, this one will definitely scare you and keep you on the edge of your seat. The game has good presentation and storytelling characteristics. It keeps you in the first person perspective throughout the entire game yet the presentation stays very cinematic. I thought that for a shooter, the story was pretty intriguing. The dark atmosphere and paranormal activity really draws you in and wants you to see what happens next. In terms of attention to detail, the developers put a lot of time into the environments. There are hundreds of objects lying around on office desks that can be interacted with, including computers and phones with unanswered calls. I also like the texture effects in place for bullet holes. Instead of a simple texture being placed on the walls where bullets land, this game goes as far as putting a normal mapped missing chunk, which looks pretty sweet. I give my biggest props to the AI team for this game. For the time that this game came for the PC, they did a great job in making the NPC's smart. They move like soldiers, work together, and hide when outmatched. AI is one of my biggest complaints about most game as it seriously cheeses out games and makes them seem static and scripted, less believable, and just no fun. Great job on F.E.A.R.'s AI. However, the game's age does show with its lack of model geometry. Everything in the world is a little blockier than what you would expect in a modern Xbox 360 game. This doesn't take away from the experience that much, and I think that you will enjoy this game a lot. My only other real complaint is that level design could be a little more intuitive. The way that things are laid out are tailored for player exploration, but one could definitely find himself or herself searching around for the next door for a while in some areas. Finally, I'd say that F.E.A.R. would be most enjoyed by the hardcore gamer, but on the easier settings, a casual gamer could pick it up and play it too. Overall, this game is definitely worth the buy, especially now that it is at the Platinum Hits price. | video-games_xbox |
An Underrated Diamond in the Rough. When the game released back in October, it was almost universally panned by the major gaming sites and magazines. And while, yes, the game was released in a shoddy state, the reviews it received were, as far as I've seen over the years, left solely for utterly broken messes with little to no fun factor to be found.
Rough? Yes. Broken? Not by any means. The game was indeed shipped in a rough state. The fact that EA decided to hold review copies, leaving gaming sites and publications to purchase the game on their own and review it post-release, wasn't a good sign either and shows that EA acknowledges it wasn't in proper shape at release. This, however, I think did more to damage the game than anything. Reviewers, understandably annoyed with this, were stuck with rushing out reviews in order to meet a questioning public. What this means is that we received rushed, and very likely biased, reviews from the industry as a whole - Unfairly critical in almost every way. This is more than evident in the actual meat of reviews, touching on many issues found in the other two large Modern Military shooters of today (short, straight-forward campaign, net issues at launch, etc), though finishing it with a score far below what is seen otherwise. And, in all honesty, Battlefield 3(a game that I love, by the way), released in a far buggier state, with many glaring balance and net issues and a weaker singleplayer campaign(the main reason for reviewers taking points off), though received a metacritic rating(not that I much approve of the site, but it helps prove my point in this situation) of over thirty points higher overall.
Seems the best reviewers had to say about the game was that it was a properly executed military shooter without a personality of its own(which I disagree with) - though without a score representative of such a statement. With so much hypocrisy to be found in such reviews when comparing them to those of the other Modern Military big boys, I feel that many of these reviews should be called out as just that - hypocritical. If reviewers are truly tired of what is on offer from today's military shooter, it should be reflective in the reviews of all that fall into that category, not just the games that they choose. It's as simple as that.
From someone who put a sizable amount of time into the game's multiplayer, I don't see how there is any way that reviewers had enough time to properly critique the multiplayer of the game. This is largely based around the class you play, learning to work with your teammate(Fireteam Buddy) and your choice of soldier and weapon customization. For them to have the reviews out in the time they did . . . I just don't see how we should ever consider them reviews. They were little more than first impressions, written by an annoyed group of "journalists' - a word I use extremely lightly in situations like this.
Unpolished, yet extremely satisfying, I find that Medal of Honor:Warfighter is a game most certainly worth owning. It does things, both in singleplayer and multiplayer, far different than the big boys of the Modern Military sub-genre, and it deserves to be noticed. While the likelihood of the series to continue is low, and official support of the game minimal at the moment, there is still a strong, dedicated community surrounding the game and the release as a whole has only improved since launch. The UI has been vastly improved, as well as the net code - two of the most glaring issues with the game when it first released. Other than that, balancing is pretty much where it should be, which was more or less true at launch, honestly. The game can now be bought new for around $30, and, at that price, I wholly give it my recommendation. It's a very well balanced, team based fps with proper maps and satisfying shooting mechanics. | video-games_xbox |
Lego Supreme Commander. After creating a steam account and installing the game from the game disk, it will take a number of hours to download the rest of the game from steam. Why o Why did they do that?
I should have played the demo first before I decided to buy (pre-ordered) this game but I was excited and figure it would be as great or better than the original. Was I ever wrong about that. Warning bells in my head went off when they mention that the copy protection was going to be steam but I ignore it because I really like SupCom. Another warning bell sounded when they said it would be developed for the Xbox and still another bell sounded when they mention for low end computers but I ignored them all.
How bad could the game be? Well, If I could return the game, I would. This game is just a quick fix (rush) game and not a long drawn out game that could keep you going for hours and it seems a number of recent games did similar design also. That's why it's perfect for the Xbox but not for the PC. You can just play a quick game then proceed to do something else.
The game seems to have been developed for the Xbox then ported for the PC. The graphics for the units looked like Lego blocks even though I have all my settings set to Max using an ATI 5870 video card. It was very hard to tell one unit from another because they basically all looked similar. It was very hard to plan a proper strategy when I could not tell one unit from another when not zoomed in. In the originals, It was easy to tell as each had distinct icons when zoomed out. I did not see any similar icons to be able to tell the difference.
The game menus (or lack of) was a bit confusing because I was use to the original but after a few minutes I was getting use to it but graphics for them was just as bad as for the units. Sometimes I click on the wrong thing because some of the icons looked so similar and I took a quick glance forgetting that it was not like the original where a quick glance was all I need to determine which icon I wanted.
If you like the game then that's great but for me, the game left a bad taste in my mouth and I do not plan to play it again. | video-games_xbox |
Battlefield WON! My personal, Game of the Year. The best shooter I ever played was Battlefield Bad Company two and the expansion pack Vietnam. But I didn't enjoy Battlefield 3 or Battlefield 4. I especially hated Hardline. So while I always wanted to go back and play a WW I or WW II in a DICE game. I held my expectations in check due to the fact Battlefront was a shallow puddle of a game. I also can't speak for anyone else, but the future based shooters are extremely boring for me. So this was the only option for me this year. Outside of Gears 4 which I had always been a fan of since the beginning.
I fired this game up and man did it remind me of Battlefield 2, which to me is an underrated masterpiece. This game has depth, breathtaking graphics and interesting game modes that offer hundreds of hours of fun. My favorite game mode is War Pigeons, I have already been in some great heart stopping matches. With classics like Rush and Conquest you are set.
He is the secret weapon of Battlefield 1. The campaign is amazing. With great actors in them. It is the only shooter campaign I have ever played all the way through and loved. This game is Band of Brothers Battlefield, I realize Band of Brothers was WW II but you need to know the feel of the campaign and entire game. For me this is the best shooter I have ever played, and I have been playing since the original Doom.
Battlefront, I said was like trying to play a beautiful photograph but was a very shallow experience. I am glad DICE crafted a game to match it's amazing game engine. This and Dark Souls 3 are my games of the year. With Dark Souls 3 slightly losing out if I had to pick.
Only small gripe I have - if I had to find something wrong. Is the RNG nature of Battle packs. After each match players are randomly selected for a battle pack which can contain rare weapons or skins. I wish there was a currency system apart from the option to break down doubles of items. A currency we could grind on to unlock packs ourselves - like Warbonds. But I just hate RNG after my years of WoW but this doesn't bother me that much.
Pros
- Graphics
- Depth
- Gameplay
- Music
- Game Modes
Cons
- RNG nature of Battlepacks. (If I had to find something)
Grade
A+ Game of The Year
Conclusion
Battlefield 1 does everything right, which is something shooters haven't done in years - it brought us back to simpler times and apple pie dinners. For too long other shooters pushed the modern angle, with annoying future tech that overall ruined gameplay and messed with the flow of games. There is an emotional attachment for many when it comes to World War II and I later periods can't match.
The multiplayer is a masterpiece but the real shocker is the top flight campaign that is like playing Band of Brothers WW I. This game simply has no weaknesses and for me is my 2016 game of the year. | video-games_xbox |
Lightweight headset that's useful and not just for gaming. Note: The manufacturer provided me with a review sample for evaluation, no attempt was made to influence my opinion of the product
I've used a few wireless gaming headsets this one is of the optical variety and is a full sized over ear type. This one outputs the sound via a supplied digital optical cable S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) included in the box are:
*The main headset
*2 x USB to micro USB cables (one is longer and one shorter in length)
*Detachable microphone
*The wireless transmitter box and optical digital cable
I tested this out on a PS3 (I can't comment on other consoles how well it would work on those), and on a laptop but you can use them on any devices that can output S/PDIF this includes amplifiers, multi channel surround systems, DVD/Blu ray players, satellite receivers and computer sound cards. If it has an S/PDIF output and you can power the transmitter box then you can use the headphones.
Good stuff:
+ Build quality is decent with good plastics, nice padding on the headband and cups a soft touch finish to the headphones
+ Surprisingly lightweight and comfortable even wearing them for hours
+ Sound quality is very good, nice bass response and tonal range across the spectrum audio sounded very good and well balanced
+ Instructions are clear with a simple set up procedure
+ Microphone is removable and has reasonable quality (see note about microphone position below)
+ Other uses not just gaming, listening to music, watching Bluray or DVD films, Netflix whatever can be done on the console can be routed through the headsets audio wise
Could be improved:
- Headband is a bit larger than it needs to be thus might not suit those with smaller heads as well
- Battery life was acceptable but a bit below the quoted figure from the manufacturer (I get about 12 hours from a full charge)
- Whilst the microphone is bendy it would be better if you could mould it to a position and it stayed there (it can move but seems to resort to it's original shape) You may need to tweak the mic settings on the console for louder output
Notes:
The digital optical cable comes with 2 plastic dome protectors on the tips, remove them and plug into the console and the small transmitter box
You have to connect the USB port to the console USB port in order to use the microphone, if you plug it into a TV USB port or another device then the headphones can still be used for listening but no microphone support.
The two provided micro USB cables one is for charging the headset and the other one is for powering the transmitter
Noise cancelling worked quite well (in this price range)
I did not have any problems with audio cutting out when I was in range of the unit
In use the headphones glow blue but flash if the power is low. The transmitter is quite bright and with the blue LED's it's live, red is when the microphone is muted and flashing when it's not paired up to the headphones. Some might find the flashing annoying though a suitable location can be found so it's visible still but not distracting.
Controls are via the right hand ear piece volume via two dials (headset and mic separate controls) Two buttons are here one for mode switching (toggles microphone on/off) and a normal power on/off button. The microphone fits via a 3.5mm jack just plug it in when needed and take it out when you don't, the design works quite well as you can remove it when needed and the 3.5mm connection is more robust than a proprietary one. (it should also be possible to plug in another microphone (if it fits) but I have not tested this)
You will need to adjust the sound output on the console, the manual is quite clear on this and I didn't have any problem setting it up. On the PS3 you have a choice of sound output you can have audio via just one source (ie the digital optical out) or multiple aka the HDMI output would be the most common. Whilst you can limit the sound output to just the optical I prefer to have sound from the TV and the headphones and simply turn the volume down on the TV when using the wireless headset.
**Conclusion**
In most ways a positive experience the headset is a lot lighter than I expected yet the feels decent build wise that's good news as heavy headsets can get tiresome after longer use. In terms of sound quality very good all round a smooth sound with good tonal range, excellent separation and well balanced, if you use these for listening to music or films (I use Netflix a lot) it's likely to sound a lot better than a lower end TV set (which tend to have rather thin sound output higher end sets can sound quite good though)
Few niggles the design of the microphone should allow you to mould the shape so it sits closer to your mouth you might have to adjust the mic levels on the console though nobody had problems hearing me. Battery life was reasonable but could be enhanced a bit more (though a larger battery will increase weight a bit) Gaming worked well with reasonable range certainly no issues in about 7-8 metres but it might not punch through walls so bear that in mind. Whilst the target market is gaming don't discount the other uses such as music and films if you don't have a wireless set of headphones these will do a good job. | video-games_xbox |
Better experience than the standard controller in some games. I was very pleasantly surprised by this wheel. It cost me under $30 and it works great most of the time.
The only issue I have is that it disconnects from Xbox every 15 minutes or so on some days. When it disconnects then you have to remove the batteries, restart it and wait until it connects again. It happens only some days and I didn't find the cause of this. Freshness of the batteries, other devices turned on, humidity, games being played - nothing seems to make any difference. It just happens some days and doesn't others. I found numerous reports of other people with the same problem on the Internet but no solution.
The response time of the wheel is great. I was worried that it will lag a little bit but the response is instant. Immediately when you turn the wheel, the game responds.
I played several games with this wheel, mostly Dirt 3 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. I tried some other games as well - the newer ones work great, the older ones (e.g. Harms Way) usually don't - the game only reacts when the wheel is fully turned which is useless.
The experience with this wheel depends on the game. There's not much difference with arcade games where it doesn't matter a lot how much you turn the wheel. But I had a great experience with Dirt 3 where it makes huge difference if you turn the wheel only a little or a lot. I wasn't able to make slight turns with the normal Xbox controller and it's very natural with this wheel. Also the throttles are much more sensitive on this wheel than on the normal controller. As a result, I enjoyed the game much more. With the normal controller, I was changing throttle and direction from 0% to 100% several times a second. With the wheel, I can e.g. maintain a 40% position on the wheel and just slightly change the throttle or the break.
The wheel is missing some buttons - LB, RB and right stick. It's usually not a big deal with most games as you can map the actions to other buttons. It is a problem in some non-game actions, e.g. replay. In Dirt 3, you can change the camera in replay only by LB and RB and there's no way how to map it to anything else. It means that you couldn't change the camera at all. Most of the times, it's not a big deal though.
Overall, this wheel is great, especially for the price. If it wouldn't be for the intermittent disconnects I would give it 5+ stars. | video-games_xbox |
Frustrating beyond belief, but fun. (NOTE: This is a review of the PC version) I'm a FPS veteran and have been playing tactical shooters since the first Rainbow Six. This game is great fun, I'll give you that, but in the first mission you get the impression that the designers peppered enemies in random spots just to make the game harder. Enemies have scripted movements, but don't move much beyond that. If you find one it will sit in its place and not move, often-times not even seeing you. It's the ones you don't find that become frustrating because they're around every corner and they're all expert marksmen, have eyes like a hawk and ungodly reaction times. The other frustrating factor is that your men die because they don't follow instructions correctly and stay put. You tell them to stop and they'll move around anyway. You try to place them in the correct location but often times they move somewhere else or don't move at all. I've also found that ghost #1 is the worst at movement for some reason. Enemy are positioned in such a way that you can't move from one building to the next without being drawn into a trap of fire from multiple directions. You end up playing missions dozens of times to find the easiest path. By that time you learn where most of the enemy locations are, but even then if you make one mistake you're taking a dirt nap. Poor AI and what I like to call the enemy cheese factor really hurt this game. It could've been so much better. There's no rhyme or reason half the time for one enemy to be located behind a building, crouched and waiting. It only serves to annoy and frustrate. Couple all of this with the fact that you have long stretches of gameplay between save points and you'll be yanking your hair out by the roots in frustration. Aside from these gripes the game is fun and addictive. The graphics look great, except for the occasional car or other object that is stuck in the sky after an explosion. The heat wave effects are cool. Hopefully the second game (due out soon) will be better than this one. Not having a save anywhere option makes you frequently stop playing out of frustration. | video-games_xbox |
What were you thinking Turtle Beach. I have always liked Turtle Beach headsets. They are hands down some of the best headsets on the market for console gamers. I have owned many headsets from them and I have always been beyond satisfied with the product. They have always been of very high quality and worked flawlessly with no issues. With that said, I am completely and utterly astounded at how disappointing the 800X turned out. I feel like Turtle Beach has done a complete 180 with this product and forgot that they were designing it for the Xbox. Yes the sound quality from the headphones are great, they are super comfy, and you don't have to worry about wires going to your controller or those crappy mic adapters, but unfortunately these are a complete flop for use as a gaming headset. First of all, hidden mics are terrible! Why on earth would you not put a boom mic on an Xbox headset? While I was playing online my party members would constantly tell me to speak up. I had the mic set to the quiet room mode and I still had to shout in order for anyone to hear me clearly. Additionally, the mic monitoring is also pretty bad and it sounds like I'm speaking into a tin can. Both are far cries from my old Earforce Seven Pro and even my X12. The other issue I have been having is that every time I put the headset on charge I have to do a hard reset when playing the next time because the headset won't turn on. It turns on just fine when its not put on the cradle but for some reason putting it on the cradle completely messes everything up. Now I'm a pretty tech savvy guy, so naturally rather then returning these right away or complaining about them I looked up my issues in google and sure enough there's a software patch that fixes these issues. But guess what? Turtle Beach disabled the firmware update before I purchased this $300 paperweight! They took it down 7/17/15 and as I write this review (8/3/15) the firmware update is still unavailable. I'm very disappointed with you Turtle Beach. I'm not waiting any longer and I have already put in my return request.
TL;DR - Headphones sound good, super comfy, mics suck, frequently freezes, no firmware update. If you're going to buy this check to make sure they put the firmware update back up before doing so! | video-games_xbox |
The Eagle Eye for 360 ... fantastic! but lacking. This is a written review to tell you about the eagle eye 360 for the xbox..
1. The eagle eye was a failure on playstation but xbox they actually brought a whole new edit with it and firmware upgrade for both!
2. the pros __
the new eagle edit is more advanced than ever with deeper customization and macro editing! for the simple and advanced calibrator alike.
they used a new scope system where you can have to profiles in one when you aim down the sights and when you fire from the hip. one for precision aim and one for quick movment and turning.
the macro are nicely designed to pull large scaled combos all in one push of a button!
the
3. the cons__
the eagle stillneeds tweaking and working if you are to get the exact movmement and perfect turns and the deeper customization for calibrating is even more loose for those who don't know anything about this product.
the fact that you need to adjust at a different pace of aiming and mind you generic mouses aren't recommended due to low dpi sensitivity, means that you will also want a real gaming mouse that you will have to fork over more than 40 bucks. so that you can have decent and adequate aiming and a high dpi as for mimicing mouse movement is practically impossible on such low dpi due to the device constraint on sensing movement as per say you were to move quickly you would move a fraction of that you were suppose to move.
4. overall this product is the best you can get for conversion to mouse keyboard.
but it is still defined as a average pro take on actualy pc gaming. so if you want a device that is suited for tactical shooters for your xbox for mouse keyboard conversion then this is it. at the expense you will need a real gaming mouse not a generic one and keyboard doesnt matter as long as it is compatible with the xbox eagle eye. though in best interest if your already used to true pc gaming stick to pc gaming because you will become frustrated quite quickly with this device until they fix and adjust the mouse movment for generic mice. overall i give this product a 3/5 though the fun factor is definately a 4/5 due to its unique structure and ideal invention. | video-games_xbox |
Fable 2 or Fable 1. IMO: When a sequel is launched, there are a few important criteria that must be met for it to be successful.
1. Does the gameplay improve?
2. Does the story continue into new and interesting territory?
3. Do the graphics improve?
4. Are the throwbacks from the first game improved by a large amount?
5. Do I feel continuity from the old game and a desire to replay it?
My answers to these questions:
1. Slightly... fable 1 had a very odd interface about casting "Will" spells and it required a high degree of human dexterity to successfully quickly cast spells intermingled with other attacks. Fable2 solves some of these problems by allowing users to bind a spell to the "B" button so that you don't need to hit the right trigger at the same time to cast, however, they introduced casting time for higher level spells so holding B becomes an annoyance.
2. Fable2's story is actually pretty funny. They start by pointing out that the "old heroes" (from fable1) became arrogant and ran amuck. Much like I did after beating fable1 and getting bored with no quests to completed... so this is funny... but outside that one joke, pretty much all previous story lines are erased (not that fable1 had much of a story).
3. Yes, xbox360 graphics for Fable2 are very pretty and I've actually caught myself enjoying a sunrise / sunset or two. Character / weapon graphics are good and the "finishing" moves are fun. However the fights (while graphically are fun) are pretty generic and bland, with only two types: you vs. boss, you vs. hoardes. I would have liked to be required to outsmart someone, or do something more interesting than just mush X until the people die.
4. Fable 2 could easily be Fable 1. The existing things are there, and the new additions? Well there aren't many... Your dog is kinda fun, but you can only do a few things with him. Jobs are a good easy way to get gold, but are completely monotonous (like real life i guess), dying your clothes colors... whee... for 5 minutes... The weapons / behavior quests are all pretty darn similar / same... There just wasn't anything drastically new / exciting. I enjoy playing, but there's no real wow factor bringing me back.
5. As I wrote earlier, one of the first things they tell you in Fable2 is that the Fable 1 world is not around anymore. So.. uh.. no. and I have pretty much no interest in playing fable 1 cuz it's pretty much the same :(
All in all, as a stand-alone new game... it's ok, nothing special and nothing that's terribly memorable since all the cool things you can do in fable 2 (like git-busy) were there in fable 1... meh... but as a sequel it's bad... it's not halo-2 pick up a second gun... it's halo-3... not much new, not enough exciting changes to live up to it's own reputation. | video-games_xbox |
Do you have a lot of patience and unlimited time. I don't know about you, but when I buy a new game, I want to open it, pop it in the console, and start playing. You're welcome to try this with DOA4, if you don't mind being that kid who gets thrown down and pummeled everytime he steps out on the playground.
Most console games provide a tutorial that, in the best cases, is built into the story-mode of the game and eases you into the gameplay by teaching you the abilities of your character. In DOA4, this is particularly important because every attack or defense involves an often complicated sequence of directional-movements (with the joystick or directional pad) combined with pushing the proper sequence of buttons on the controller. You also need a great sense of timing to know when to start each sequence. To compound the difficulty, each character in the game has an extensive series of special attacks that is unique to that character, and involves, you guessed it, a unique sequence of buttons and joystick movements for each special attack.
So lets say you're not intimidated by this complexity, and you actually want to spend the time required to learn how to play one of the game's many characters. DOA4's idea of "getting started" is to drop you into an arena with a computer opponent that has a sixth-degree black-belt in jujutso -- and that's on the lowest "normal" setting. How many times can you see yourself thrown down, your head twisted back, your legs bent in painful-looking directions, and your opponent announced the victor, before you've had enough "fun?"
In desperation, you might also be tempted to turn to that component of the game packaging that most of us would rather never open: the documentation. Tecmo gets points for consistency here by making an already complicated game even more difficult to understand with impossibly confusing descriptions of the game's basic controls. Ostensibly because the game gives you the ability to customize the controller, they decided to create their own button icons for punch, kick, and guard and use those to explain each control. The resulting problem is that the color and letters of the buttons in the documentation doesn't match the colors and letters of the buttons on the Xbox controller! So, for example, the documentation tells us that to execute a "low throw" on your opponent, you should simultaneously push the down directional and the green block button, followed immediately by the yellow punch button. So what does this mean for the default controller configuration? It means you push the down directional and the blue X button, followed by the yellow Y button. Clear as mud, right?
Finally, although the game graphics are beautiful (watching me get my butt kicked has never looked so good as in the high-def, gorgeous arenas of DOA4), Tecmo didn't bother to localize any of the game's dialogue in English. As a result, if you're adept enough to push the appropriate sequence of buttons required to "taunt" your opponent during combat, you'll hear your character say something unintelligible in Japanese. You'll hope that this is a biting, witty jab, but in actuality, it's probably (and more appropriately) a plea for mercy. | video-games_xbox |
Clumsy controls, short game make for a very average experience. I love anything set in the Star Wars universe. This game is no exception to the point that its only saving grace is just that. If this weren't a Star Wars game, it wouldn't even have gotten the 2nd star. The controls are clumsy, awkward and just plain maddening at times. Especially when you are trying to use your force grip on a group of enemies that have bunched up on you to beat the crap out of you only to grip some object nowhere near where you are facing causing you to take damage or get killed entirely. When you get hit, your character gets stunned for what feels like forever, so the faster enemies will just get combo after combo in on you without you being able to do anything to counter.
The camera angles are awful as well where you find yourself constantly fighting the camera floating around to a different vantage point that is the complete opposite of helpful for you at the moment. This is especially poor when you have your back against a wall and are fighting enemies in that the camera becomes smashed against the wall with you giving you an awkward, tight over the shoulder view where you can hardly see what you are doing.
The storyline is very short making it so that is it has any replay value, it will have to be because the harder difficulties are worth playing through. To some extent they are, but at the hardest difficulty the aforementioned issues are far more pronounced and make you want to throw your console through the window.
Another issue I had with this game was the useless cut scenes that were put in the most irritating places, most times right after a save point so that if you died you would have to watch the cut scene over and over without being able to skip it. Tremendously aggravating when playing on the harder difficulties where you are dyeing more often. I had to literally turn the game off and do something else i would get so pissed about watching the same stupid cut scene over and over at times. On top of the cut scene and loading screen, you could stand to add approximately an entire minute to each and every death, which may not seem a big deal to start with, but once you die 15 or so times at a difficult part of the game you just wasted 15+ minutes of gaming merely watching a loading screen or a repeated cut scene. They could have at least made them skippable after the first viewing.
All in all this is certainly not the worst game I have ever played, but it is far from the best in so many ways. just a below average game in my opinion that is maybe worth a rent more so than even the $19.99 price tag to be stuck with it forever. | video-games_xbox |
Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Hit or Miss. Namco returns 5 years after Ace Combat 6 with Ace Combat Assault Horizon. I enjoyed Ace Combat 6 and Assault Horizon seemed promising. When I first played the game, it felt a little bit slow, but after a solid 45 minutes of gameplay, I fell in love with it. I've only gotten 5 hours into this game on singleplayer, but it has been very satisfying so far. I will be updating this review as I get more hours of gameplay in on multiplayer and singleplayer, but this is what my impressions are so far.
Storyline: 4/5
The storyline is good, but it could be better. It's about an insurgent group arising in Africa, and NATO has come to fight the insurgents. Unfortunately, Russia mercenaries are working with the insurgents and has this bomb called "Trinity" which is similar to a nuke which threatens the security of many nations. Its a decent storyline, and to clarify things, NATO is fighting Russian Mercenaries, not the Russians. Just like Ace Combat 6, there are a lot of cutscenes in the game, but they are directly related to the storyline. In Ace Combat 6, the cutscenes were mostly about the lives of the citizens in Gracemaria, while in Assault Horizon, the cutscenes are focused on the protagonist of the story.
Gameplay: 5/5
If you are expecting a realistic jet fighter simulation, this game is nowhere near the realness, its all about entertainment. Don't expect a realistic game if you airplane can carry 200 missiles and shoot down 10 fighters in a mission.
The gameplay has a good variety of missions consisting of helicopter, turret gunner, and jet fighter missions. I bought Assault Horizon expecting jet gameplay only, but the helicopter and turret gunner missions add variety to the game. The helicopter missions are fun, but helicopter missions are dead easy. Its nothing like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Apache-Air-Assault/dp/B003VKLA6E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Apache: Air Assault</a>, where the controls are dull and the game poses a challenge. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Apache-Air-Assault/dp/B003VKLA6E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Apache: Air Assault</a> is a wonderful game if you are looking for more realism. Helicopter and gunner missions are like the appetizers, and the jet fighter missions are the main course. 75 percent of the time during this game, you are flying an airplane. The other 25 percent consists of you flying a helicopter or manning a turret. There is also a mission where you get to fly a bomber (B-1 or B-2, its up to you) and another mission where you are the gunner of an AC-130. Its a good diversity in the game and it does not make the game feel too repetitive. The jet mechanics of the this game may have "improved", it really depends on the person. I believe the mechanics has improved greatly. The enemy jets actually pose a decent challenge against you. Although its harder to die because the "health" of the airplane regenerates slowly after being shot, the missiles enemies shoot at you actually follow you. I often found myself using flares to avoid missiles so I could continue chasing down enemy fighters. Enemy fighters actually chase you down the longer you play since enemy fighters also get harder.
The next big major step is DFM, or Dog Fight Mode:
DFM is extremely entertaining, as when you initiate DFM, your airplane follows the enemy airplane closely in an intense gun/missile fight. Your airplane somewhat follows the enemy airplane, but you have to control the sharp turns and speed of your airplane when chasing an enemy airplane. DFM is all about the fun factor. Sometimes in DFM, your enemy will fly between buildings or canyons and you closely chase that airplane. By skipping out DFM, you are skipping out on intensity of close combat. Enemies can also initiate DFM and chase you, but on the upside, you can use counter manuevers and flip, rotate, or "brake" your fighter so it falls behind the enemies again. DFM may be cheap on normal enemy airplanes, but when you use DFM on jet leaders, there is a decent amount of challenge in shooting them down since they use flares and countermanuevers against you. There is another mode called ASM which is similar to DFM but you attack ground targets instead. Like I said, DFM and ASM are all about entertainment and not realism. DFM at first was a bit hard for me to use, but I got used to it immediately. You don't have to use DFM, and you can stick to traditional Ace Combat methods of shooting an Airplane from over a mile away, but you are missing the fun, intense experience by not using DFM.
Only downside of the gameplay is that you can no longer command your allies to attack or cover you, they just cover and follow you all the time now. Its not a big deal, but that option would have been nice.
Controls: 4.5/5
The controls are the same, and for people that are worried, yes, you can have the expert controls from Ace Combat. The airplanes you fly are much more responsive, but you can feel that certain airplanes are much more responsive than other airplanes (Obviously handling an A-10 should feel more sluggish than a F-22) Only downside I saw when I was playing was that when using my xbox controller, I didn't have to press all the way down on the right trigger to go full throttle, I only had to press down 3/4 of the way to go into full throttle. I hope namco releases a patch so they make the right trigger more sensitive, I like to control the speed of my plane.
Graphics: 5/5
The graphics of this game are fantastic as usual. Steel Carnage is wonderful, and watching fighter airplanes blow up as you chase them down is a satisfying feeling, especially in slow motion. There are a variety of environments, going from snowy, sandy, ocean, forest, and urban environments. Its truly beautiful and sometimes you appreciate the beauty of these scenes. Graphically, the textures of the airplane are slightly better than Ace Combat 6, but smoke and explosion details have improved vastly.
Others:
There is a Replay mode where you can replay your gameplay but it doesn't seem like its working because the replay mode keeps telling me there's an error. I believe this will be fixed soon or that may be just my xbox.
There is also a co-op mode online and competitive multiplayer but I haven't explored it yet. I will update this section when I get more hours of gameplay in.
The Verdict:
I think this game is going to be a hit or miss for fans of the Ace series, people will either love it or hate it. If you really liked the demo, you will love the game. However, the game itself is much better than the demo. I certainly loved the game, and it has an amazing "WOW" factor for me. I personally thought Gamespot was a tad bit harsh by giving this game a 5.5/10 rating, but that's just their opinion. I wouldn't say its perfect but, it definetly does not deserve a 5.5/10
Final Verdict:
4.5/5 | video-games_xbox |
Should have been more. This is a review of multiplayer only
To jump right in all of the actual gameplay mechanics are almost the same as CoD4 and MW2. I loved the feel of these two games so this isn't an issue with me. There are some cool changes however. We have some new guns and LOTS of game modes which make things varied compared to MW2. The frame rate is still smooth and the controls are still responsive. They also have a new system for kill streaks which is a welcome addition. You can use the old system, or use the new system to get support drops for your team ( Getting killed does not reset the killstreaks in the new mode), or the screw the crazy drops just give me perks system. Which is the more kills you get the more perks you get. This is a cool system
There are however some flaws to this title
My main gripe lies with the arrogant and pompous "our formula is best" attitude of Infinity Ward. They did away with the cod points system in blops which is absolutely ridiculous. They make everyone use the old CoD formula. Which is you get unlocks as you level with gear and you have to complete challenges to get attachments for your gear. This is ridiculous. For most people their guns, perks and attachments are personal preference. In blops this made customizing your classes easy and fun.
As I stated before a lot of this game is recycled. They used buildings from CoD4 and put them in this game. Not to mention the graphics, gun mechanics and gameplay is identical to previous titles. Not to mention the ridiculous idea of CoD elite. I don't like paying for a game that has been recycled then get hit with expensive map packs or an optional season pass system.
The new maps are a mixed bag. In my opinion a lot of the maps are way too small. On these maps you need even less skill to get kills. All you have to do is know the map and get in a good position. Add this with aim assist and you might get frustrated. However some maps are sort of open and fun. However there are LOTS of maps so you are bound to like something
I have been playing CoD since the original. The current CoD is the "angry birds" of FPS. It dosent take an enormous amount of skill to play but it is fun to play and its full of loud noises, big explosions and the potential for you to farm kills. All of these things are fun to do from time to time | video-games_xbox |
Alot of Fun, but not for Long. I bought The Force Unleashed on the first day of its release and I was very impressed initially with the game. The first level was awesome to play with Vader, extremely easy but still very fun. But I beat the game in about 9 hours of gameplay over the course of 3 days (on normal). The levels really got repetitive and most of the enemies are too easy to kill once you figure out how to kill one, they all can pretty much be killed the same way.
The Force powers are very cool, but some are very difficult to perform when you're involved in an attack. Force Lighting is way too powerful and a couple doses pretty much kill everything except Vader and Palpatine. The mini-boss kills get too repetitve (in the level where you have to kill 4 rancors, they pretty much all get killed with the exact same cut sequence: cool the first time, annoying after time number 4)
There aren't many challenging aspects of the game except enemies. There aren't any situations where you have to use reason like in KOTOR or attempt to use stealth like in Assassin's Creed. You pretty much just run through the map killing everyone that is in your path. The only exception to this is getting the force crystals as some of them are impossible to get unless you force grip some objects into different locations, etc.
The story is kind of stupid and the ending was tough for me to identify as the Good Side vs Bad Side choice. I won't wreck it for anybody, but I was slightly confused as to what I was supposed to do, mostly due to how terrible the camera positions itself for this 'event'
Positives - Very fun to play initially, great graphics, pretty easy to execute the basic force moves but more difficult once you start getting more force combos. The environments were very cool and you could interact with alot of stuff even if it wasn't in your field of vision.
Negatives - the camera became very frustrating and it really makes some of the jumping sequences difficult. The enemies got pretty repetitive and were actually very easy until I got to the end sequence. I died twice trying to kill Vader in the bad ending(the only times I died from anything other than jumping), but defeated Palpatine on my first attempt. Not much depth or thinking required to play this game: target enemy, force lightning, hit with saber, move to next guy. A few differences in enemy tactics, but not much. There are a few glitches in the game, the most annoying one being on the SD level where if you get hit by a TIE fighter shot, you get stuck on a ledge where you cannot move back into the middle of it and eventually fall off. This happened to me several times and got me pretty mad at the SD level.
Overall, I'd say you're better off renting this game or buying it used because the chance that you'll get sick of it or beat it quickly certainly exist. The only thing that has kept me from selling it back is to attempt to obtain all the force crystals, some of which are very tough to get. I seem to have a thing about games about finding all those little trinkits in case I get something cool. I wish Lucas Arts would have put there effort into another KOTOR like game as this one was really great on the surface, but lacked the depth to keep me interested for longer than 10 hours. | video-games_xbox |
Could be better, but still a LOT of fun. OK, first off let me say it was fun to play this game, and there aren't many like it. It's a first-person-shooter technically, though really third-person viewpoint for moving, and then first-person viewpoint for aiming/firing. But it's a bit more like Splinter Cell in terms of stealthy movement and planned shots, rather than just barge-in and kill everyone as fast as possible. The X-ray kill-cam is awesome. The scenery/backdrop is well done. The levels are challenging (some more than others), but not impossible. It doesn't take too long to finish it - maybe 20 hours, depending on how hard you find the levels. A hint is that for the levels that seem impossible, there's likely an alternative route to go that is much easier. There's almost always two or more routes to a destination, even though it may feel like you're guided/forced into one route.
Now for what could have been better: the enemies can see you way too easily, like even when you're in the dark two hundred yards away. They should really take a page from Splinter Cell and let you be hard to see when you're in the shadows, and in fact you should be able to shoot lights out (which you can't). The second issue I have is that the enemy can hit you pretty easily using automatic weapons from a long way away - this is really unrealistic, although it does add a good challenge. Still, the game could just make them run towards you to get closer shots, instead of hosing you down from a hundred yards out using a gun that's only accurate to a fraction of that distance. Lastly, I like the binoculars thing a lot, but it's rarely useful; because enemies show up only after you get to certain waypoints, so looking through the binoculars at a church steeple for example, won't show anyone, yet a few seconds later there's a sniper there shooting at you because you walked past some waypoint on the map.
But overall this game was a lot of fun, and worth the money (I bought it used). | video-games_xbox |
Good, but could be better. I, like many other people wish the mute and volume controls where down at the controller and not somewhere along the line of the cord, it makes it harder to locate and use a larger portion of the time. A quick sneeze cover is nearly impossible. This was not my entire reason for only giving this item 4 out of 5 stars.
It is a very interesting design for a headset. It is comfortable but somehow I wish it went all the way around my ear to hold it into place better, like a pair of headphones. The other problem I have is that I do not speak as loudly as most people. The mic itself had to be able to pic up my voice and I had some difficulty getting it into a position where it would work best. A friend over Xbox live said I was sort of cutting out until I stopped to adjust it with which he said it was much better. In other words, this mic might have trouble picking up your voice if you speak to softly. If you have a louder deeper voice then I am sure it will work just fine.
The sound from the headset is pretty good, its about the same as the last headset I was using just a little louder. Voices are not any clearer than they used to be. So the sound quality is okay. I have had little to no problems so far with the ear piece resting in my ear, but as I said it might be more comfortable if it just went up and all the way around my ear to hold the headset in place more like headphones do.
To sum it up:
The headset over all works well and is pretty great.
I wouldn't get this headset again because of my softer voice.
The design works well over all and the sound quality is decent however adjusting the mic part itself is a little difficult. It doesn't lock into place and just rolls around. (Haven't had much trouble with it moving on me while actually using it however)
The cord from the headset itself to the controller is not very long. It would have been better longer. | video-games_xbox |
Great Xbox 360. The system has been reviewed extensively so I will just comment on how I got this system to work with original xbox games (i.e. Halo, Halo 2 etc). When you get the system, it will not play xbox games out of the box. When you put a game in it will just give you an error message which tells you that you cannot play original xbox games without a hard drive. If you open up the bottom of the xbox 360, there is an expansion slot for a hard drive if/when microsoft starts selling them. The connector is a standard notebook harddrive sata connector (not the proprietary connector used with the old xbox 360 hard drives). Seeing this, I slammed in a 32gb ssd, hoping to create a sweet all solid state rig but unfortunately the drive was not recognized. From the forums on amazon and on the web I heard that people had removed their old xbox 360 hard drives and successfully installed them in their slim systems. I bought an old 20gb xbox 360 hard drive off my friend, opened it up and stuck it in the xbox 360 slim. To my surprise I could now play original xbox games without a hitch. The drive was recognized and showed up under system settings/memory. Since these 20gb drives can be picked up on ebay for around 20 dollars, the total cost for this small, matte black, backwards compatible system is just 220 dollars. Awesome.
Some notes about installing the hard drive: I used a Halo 3 collector's edition drive but Im sure any drive formatted by microsoft will do the trick. You will need two different torx wrenches to remove the drive from its case - you can just look up an xbox 360 drive disassembly video on youtube which will tell you what you need. When installing the hard drive, make sure it is just the bare hard drive without the proprietary adapter - Im sure you will figure it out as the connectors are very different. The drive can be tricky to align and once it is firmly installed, it is tough to remove without pliers (no room for fingers on either side). Also, since the drive is bare and not in a caddy, it kind of hangs there in the slot so I would either wrap the drive in something or use something to keep it from jiggling and potentially coming loose, especially during transport.
Enjoy playing Halo 1, 2, 3, odst, wars, and reach all on this $220 system. | video-games_xbox |
Cant see why the 1 star ratings ??? This game rocks . I cant believe all the 1 star ratings,, must be from 4gb xboxs. I have HAD very few problems and textures are bland on some maps but the vast variety of destructable buildings and stuff and attention to detial like butterflies and birds flying past you and the storm bending the trees lighting flashing rain going sideways outweigh any texture issues. 1st of all I have a 4g that I upraded to a 60 gb (see youtube) and The 1st time I played I did get a few freezes but usually in between games. I never had a game in play freeze and very few moments of frame rate loss. The gameplay has been improved greatly and its ez to die just running around with no gameplan. Use the cover its everyfreekin where. The texture gripes I really have only seen on a couple of maps but don't bother me. Most maps are beautiful and the most important part, gameplay is even better than B3. The destruction has been raised a couple of notches and almost everything is either destructable or shows damage, Vehicles seem way faster than B3 and the ocean seemed so real with wave swells tossing u about. I Played for a few hours and I know from B3 that Dice will fix any issues with updates as they did B3. Im completely satisfied and highley recommend . If you like sniping this is much more realistic with gravity and there are longer distances to shoot and buildings galore to perch yourself on. The muzzle fire and tracers are much more numerous and realistic as are the sounds from many guns to explosives , you will think you are there soundwise and gameplay wise, Really the 1,s are not justified must be from ps4 guys lol. Just edited this
review after playing again for 2 hours, Did have one freeze in between a game but no problems all is running smoothly here at the hotel via wi fi .This has got me pshyched for a ps4 or xbox one version for xmas. THIS REVIEW IS FOR MULTIPLAYER ONLY I HAVE YET TO PLAY CAMPAIGN AND HONESTLY PROBABLY NEVER WILL UNLESS I LOSE INTERNET SINCE I AM A MULTIPLAYIN TYPE OF DUDE. | video-games_xbox |
EA Sports Holding Back. Thanks to brand loyalty and the Madden series, EA Sports games are all I play. And usually, I'm pretty satisfied with the new game that comes out every year. Until now. Did the NBA Live series get put on the backburner in development labs? The game hasn't changed enough to warrant the upgrade this year, for multiple reasons.
- There isn't anything I dispise more than outdated rosters. If a few transactions happen late, I understand. But these rosters are so outdated that the game feels unrealistic at first sight.
- The graphics have improved significantly, don't get me wrong. But there are some faults that I can't get myself to overlook. The combination of wrinkles in the jerseys and oversized heads make for a laughable presentation until you get used to it.
- The special modes aren't anything special, still. The slam dunk conteset and 3pt shootout are always fun, but beyond that I'm not impressed. Make what you want of the dynasty mode, but be honest; it could be drastically improved. I would love to see NBA Live implement the Superstar mode as in Madden!
- Gameplay in general I think is still pretty fun.
-- Dunking: Much more realistic and entertaining.
-- Rebounding: I'm not having much trouble. Pretty standard.
-- Passing: Needs easier passing icons still, and greater control. (Hasn't changed)
-- Shooting: Freestyle controls try and make it realistic, but I agree become confusing (shooter versus dunker, for example) if you don't immediately know what player you are using.
-- Blocking: Big improvement. You can't block 20 shots a game anymore.
-- Stealing: Still a little too easy to get 10 steals a game.
Overall the game is lacking, but I wonder if EA was saving some tricks for XBOX 360. It seems like they have so much more potential, and it was held back a bit in this release. To be honest you don't need to go out and buy this one, but it's still fun in the end if you are a die hard NBA Live as myself. | video-games_xbox |
Great game-a lot of fun for 2 players. This game is a blast-mostly the usual racing game, nice graphics, but a variety of games and boobytraps and shortcuts to trigger.
There are various race types including a normal race mode (with booby traps you can trigger once you build up enough "turbo", even SUPER traps-like an earthquake tearing up the course, etc), secret shortcuts, even changes to the track. But, beware because other racers can do the same to you AND it's not that uncommon to get hit with your own booby trap.
There is a "career mode", but we have mainly played in multi-player mode, only using career mode to unlock new cars/races/courses.
There's an Elimination mode-same as a normal race except that the last car on each lap is eliminated.
A mode where you race against the clock and all of the booby traps automatically trigger as you near them (as in the course itself is out to get you).
A race mode on an oval track where you and a number of drone cars follow semi's dropping explosive barrels out of the back of the truck. Last one standing with the most points wins.
An air assault mode where you race for time while numerous helicopters throughout the track launch rockets at you.
There is a decent number of courses (We've only unlocked 6 so far), cars and race modes to unlock, and get increasingly challenging.
What I most like about this is the co-op play capability. You and someone else in your house (as in me and my son) can play via split screen rather than requiring seperate Xbox's and Xbox Live accounts to play.
I really wish more parents with kids playing with their friends via Xbox Live realize that there are more games besides Minecraft and Black Ops to play together if they have the same games. The kids my son's age (12) don't even seem to comprehend that themselves, only know what games their friends have, and usually when they come to visit, they'll play a little Minecraft and Black Ops with their other friends, but then really seem to have the MOST fun playing racing games or other types of games like this together. | video-games_xbox |
What sophomore slump? Mass Effect effortlessly destroys all traces of a lackluster sequel. Rare is the gaming sequel that outdoes its predecessor. With Mass Effect 2, developer Bioware accomplishes that exceptional feat. For the uninitiated, Mass Effect is a 3rd-person-shooter/RPG hybrid that's famous for its ambitious trilogy linked campaign, and its illustrious universe that's both homage and reconstruction to space opera sci-fi. Not unlike Star Trek, Mass Effect's universe has staggering depth, and its optional in-game codex catalogues every corner of its galaxy, though Bioware keeps the core narrative grounded by giving the player control over how it unfolds. Not only can you mold protagonist Shepard's physical appearance, character class, and personal history, you can also dictate Shepard's conversations and decisions throughout the game. You can be an idealistic "Paragon", a ruthless "Renegade", or lean somewhere in between. Along with superb writing, voice acting, musical score, and sharp visuals, Mass Effect 2 makes its universe believable, involving, and ultimately, your own experience.
For new players, take note. Mass Effect's biggest draw is that your custom Shepard transfers over to the sequels. Every decision from the beginning has consequences that reflect in Mass Effect 2, and the upcoming Mass Effect 3. Players simply jumping into Mass Effect 2 will lose that sense of continuity. The "Genesis" side-comic that recaps Mass Effect 1 is an okay substitute, but it cannot replicate the emotional fortitude the game provided, or pick up on the slow burn tensions affecting the numerous characters and alien races.
Returning players have additional reasons to rejoice than their decisions carrying over. Mass Effect fans, despite their adoration, were not shy expressing the game's shortcomings. Spotty shooting mechanics, repetitive side missions, dull planet exploration, cumbersome inventory management, you could go for days listing Mass Effect's design flaws. However, Bioware remedied them with a vengeance, especially the combat system. It's obvious that Bioware took gameplay cues from Gears of War, but the shift works very well. The returning classes feel more distinct, with ones like Vanguard and Sentinel becoming deadlier, and Infiltrator now emphasizes stealthy sniping. Enemy AI is more aggressive and tactical, but so are your squad mates, who are now far easier to command.
Other changes are more polarizing. The more streamlined RPG aspects limit your characters' stats and abilities. Although ME1's disorganized submenus are gone, weapon and armor customization has all but disappeared. There are fewer weapons and ammo types, but at least the weapons feel more varied. Swapping ammo types mid-battle now feels seamless compared to ME1's constant pausing and switching. Planetary scanning replaces the tedious planet exploration, but it's hardly any better. The elevators are gone, but slow loading crops up when transitioning to major areas, and without your squad mates' playful dialogue. It's easier entering and exiting space stations, but the increased linearity has softened exploration, and freely talking with your squad mates when venturing around is limited to designated areas. Although ME2's issues are minor nitpicks, ME3 has plenty opportunity for further refinement.
Probably the biggest point of contention are the more streamlined RPG aspects, which made some longtime Bioware fans accuse the company of selling out to mainstream gamers. I think Bioware made a pro-active decision to tweak the Mass Effect experience into a more workable model, and ME2 did a phenomenal job doing that. Yes, the shooter fan in me was impressed that an RPG based company created a better shooter than most, but I doubt Bioware intended to piss off RPG fans. Perhaps ME1's RPG features could have been overhauled, though I suspect that Bioware could not without compromising the game play. In any case, if ME2's shift is any indication, Bioware will apply more of ME1's customization to ME3 without reverting to ME1's flawed mechanics.
Though how you'll feel about ME2's decision carryover varies from person to person. While you'll feel the impact of ME1's endgame decision, it's hard to shake the feeling that few prior decisions affect ME2 quest in a bigger way. The e-mails from the people you helped in ME1 best symbolize the missed opportunities. On the other hand, the advertised suicide mission show the wide range of directions the game can go, based on your choices. The luckiest players will finish with everyone alive, but more than likely, a few members will die along the way. Shortcomings aside, like the original, Mass Effect 2's quest is worth playing more than once.
Mass Effect 2's overall tone, plot, and mission structure has also split fans. ME1's basic narrative helps introduce players into its vast universe, while ME2 goes for character driven vignettes that expand upon the universe's deepest conflicts. Honestly, ME2's approach connected me closer to its universe's conflicts and emotional ties, even with the sparser narrative and more linear missions design. To the dismay of ME1 fans that preferred its optimistic tone and sprightly cast, ME2 is quite dark, it's populated with tragic characters, and the sense of impending doom barely escapes. In a way, ME2 is "The Empire Strikes Back" to ME1's "A New Hope", though ME2 isn't an all out grim fest. You'll laugh and smile as much as you'll wince and shudder, you'll admire your squad mates for their abilities, even when their back stories make you want to hug them, and you'll even question your own decisions through the murky maze of morally ambiguous scenarios you must face.
For better or worse, Mass Effect 2 encompasses this gaming generation's greatest strides in one package. It uses the most immersive components of cinematic gaming without being bogged down by cutscene overdose. It merges the best features of modern shooters and RPGs, without the former's mindlessness or the latter's intimidating complexity. The game's undemanding story services gamers wanting to finish as quickly as possible, but offers much more for gamers craving the codex's dense referential material. The Mass Effect universe lives up to its sci-fi forbearers without being bound by their conventions, and often does so in ways only possible with the videogame medium. For that alone, Mass Effect is worth any gamer's attention. | video-games_xbox |
A very entertaining and fun game... with a few flaws. I recently picked up a copy of Fight Night Round 4 for my XBox 360. This is actually my first foray into the Fight Night franchise. I had not played previous versions of this game.
Let me break down my review into the 'good' and the 'bad' of the game from my perspective:
THE GOOD
- The graphics are PHENOMINAL. The effects, especially the replay camera and the slow-mo are very well done.
- The HUD is very good. I like the way that the fighter is broken down into the stamina, health and block histograms. It gives the player a good sense of his fighter's status.
- The gameplay is pretty decent. I do find the training to be a little bland; but you can simulate it if you like.
- The comentary is very well done as well. Good overall sounds effects give excellent realism to the game.
THE BAD
- The control stick to use for all your punches looks good in theory but it does not translate well into practice. The major issue is that the control stick on a standard controller is just too small to be able to manipulate effectively. You will find yourself throwing hooks instead of uppercuts all the time. I did read that EA sports is going to roll out a patch that implements button usage more effectively so that should help quite a bit. The control is a not a deal breaker but it can get somewhat annoying. I think ultimately, the idea was probably not a bad one but it translate better into controllers with larger joysticks that have a broader range of motion.
- The boxing roster is somewhat lacking. Fortunately, you can compensate for this relatively easily by connecting to XBox live and downloading more boxers from other members. But it would have been nice to have the real Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather in the game rather than having fans do the work for you.
Overall, I am very happy with the game. It is definitely a lot of fun and a blast to pit two fighters from entirely different eras against one another. One of the first things I did was try my 'dream match' of Muhammed Ali against Iron Mike Tyson. Needless to say, that capability alone is worth the money. :-) | video-games_xbox |
A must-buy for college football fans. If you know anything about college football on console systems, you're aware of EA Sports' NCAA series. If you've played any in the past, you know they've been quality games, but have also had problems. NCAA Football 2004 has improved in many areas and has fixed some problems from previous versions; it's clearly the best entry in the series to date, and is an excellent game to have, whether you're a die-hard NCAA fan or a casual football fan. [Note that online play is new for 2004, but I've not covered it below. I don't have the network adapter yet.]
The play options from NCAA 2003 have been carried over; you can play in Dynasty Mode, coaching and playing one (or more) schools from season to season, or you can play different type of exhibition games: standard teams, mascot teams, or practice on your own. You can also play rivalry games (IU-Purdue, USC-UCLA, and Auburn-Alabama among many others) or replay classic college games, including last year's BCS title game.
The gameplay itself is also improved. Among other features, you can now choose from six plays to call (three with diagrams and three more by pressing L2), punt return teams actually block on their own (no more pulling a lineman back to help), and you can sub in your entire second-string offense, defense, or both, if you feel the game is out of reach, and the CPU will also use that option. You can select one- to fifteen minute quarters or overtime; I'd recommend ten-minute quarters for the average player like me. The standard five-minute quarters won't give you enough plays to get your players nominated for annual awards.
Dynasty Mode has some interesting additions, too. You now have a coaching grade; keep it high to stay on your AD's good side, and if you let it fall too low, you'll be out looking for another job. The record books have been expanded; in addition to coaching records (like to move JoePa or Bear Bryant out of the books? You've got work to do!), you now have school records to break as well, and they're all dead on - I verified the Purdue records using last year's media guide.
Rivalries get some additional focus now. I think there are more trophies that you can win, and when you play a rivalry game, they mention some of the facts during the telecast (when it was first played), and one of your new coaching stats is record in rivalry games.
Another addition is an EA Sports bio. Too bad it has to be in memory slot 1 (or 1-A); I lost one game of history because I moved it to slot 2. If you use a bio, it tracks the time you spend playing this game and your major accomplishments. It also gives you "experience" for playing and gives you pennants when you reach certain levels. You can also accumulate points playing other EA titles; I'll be interested to see if you get more points for playing multiple titles.
Best of all, it doesn't lock up. With both NCAA 2002 and 2003 for the PS2, I had problems in the past with the game locking up when I'd try to do specific things; in some cases, I'd have to replay a game four or five times. I've played a season and a half now with no problems at all.
Other minor details: more I-AA teams are available, all of them appear when you're playing a season (no more I-AA West, etc.), you can use different recruiting pitches (playing time? prestige?), and awards other than the Heisman work out as they do in the real world, with semifinalists being announced near the middle of the season, finalists being announced later, and awards handed out at the end.
There are other interesting touches; Nike, Sports Illustrated, and Old Spice all appear prominently in the game, and some of the major awards in addition to the Heisman have lent their names to the game. The ticker at the bottom of the screen shows stats for an outstanding player in each game. When you're calling a play, the formation shows your players' energy levels, so you know if your HB or DB needs a break or just another play.
As with any game, there are still some minor flaws. You still can't tell whether or not your opponent's attempting an onside kick until they line up for it, and when they do, you have to call a timeout to line up; grabbing the face mask doesn't replay the down (which I think should be the case, but the NCAA rule book doesn't specify); and if you don't move your QB when you drop back to pass, sometimes the CPU will think you want it to run the play for you, and it'll whip a pass before you can stop it.
On the other hand, in addition to the no-locking-up part, they did fix a couple of minor scoring bugs: sacks that include a forced fumble are still counted as sacks, and all sacks are also counted as tackles for loss and tackles.
All in all, the minor problems are barely noticeable. This is a quality game, the best of the NCAA series to date, and without doubt one of the best football games, college or pro, on the market. If you like college football, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try. If you're an EA Sports fan, grab this and Madden 2004 and lock yourself in a room until January ... | video-games_xbox |
Not the greatest hockey title, but still pretty fun. Well, I don't think it's a secret that EA unleashed a winner with NHL 09, but what about the 2K title? For the past few years, 2K's game has rightfully achieved their own fan base through developing a game that was both fun to play and comprehensive. While this years game wasn't as nifty as the games of 2K past, it's still a good game in it's own right that's fun and easy to play. While die-hard hockey fans will probably steer toward NHL 09, NHL 2K9 might be a better choice for the casual hockey fan, not to mention younger hockey fans.
So what did I like about this game?
First off, the soundtrack RULES! Hands town, this is some of the best punk and metal ever complied PERIOD; let alone for a hockey soundtrack. The short version: Epitaph Records and Relapse Records dominated this soundtrack and provided some awesome tunes. The long version: Underground acts like Operation Ivy, Genghis Tron, and High On Fire make appearances while The Ramones, The Offspring, Joe Satriani, and Mastodon are some of the mainstream (or at least major label) acts making appearances in the game. 2K Sports hockey games have consistently had better soundtracks than it's EA counterparts. This years 2K Sports game has the best soundtrack over any of the other hockey games 2K Sports that were put out; and considering that I've been a consistent fan of their soundtracks, that says a lot!
Also, the gameplay is decent because while it's involved, it's still easy to get the hang of. You don't lose sacrifice much function if you decide to change the controls around to your liking. You only need to look at the instructions once (maybe a few times at worst) to get it figured out.
Finally, the AI for the gameplay was right on for a hockey game. You weren't going to have a 4th liner perform Datsyukian Dekes, and it wasn't like a first-line forward was going to get stonewalled by a backup or third-string goaltender. You could play the game without it frustrating the living you-know-what out of you.
So what didn't I like? The franchise mode was a terrible disappointment this time around. That was the sole reason I liked the 2K titles over the EA titles for so many years (well, that and the soundtrack), but now many of the features I liked are gone (like having a fantasy draft) or are seriously hindered (you can't trade prospects w/o calling them up, you can't trade two players for one because the AI is not capable of managing the other team's roster, and you can't manage a minor-league team... and that's to name a few.)
Also, there were still glitches that appear when you play the game. I didn't mind as much when the titles cost $20, but it's something that's not acceptable considering the game had an initial cost of $40-50. I'm glad the price got dropped to $30, but even then, the Next Gen systems should have solved the irregularities that appeared in the PS2/XBox versions.
Be that as it may, if you're looking for a hockey game that you can convince your friends, family, or significant other to play, NHL 2K9 is the better choice because it's easy to figure out, it's less expensive, and the overall atmosphere is geared more towards being fun than being serious. Hockey fans or gamers looking for a comprehensive game, however, are going to be slightly disappointed due to the bugs and overall lack of depth the game provides. | video-games_xbox |
Better headsets around for the money. I'll preface this review by saying that these headphones aren't absolutely terrible. There are glaring issues, however, that I have with this headset that I've never had with any Turtle Beach headset I've bought. I use these mainly for the xb1 as I already have a TB headset (earforce stealth 400) for my ps4.
I'll start with the cons:
- Auxiliary cord is cheaply made and doesn't last long. I've had this headset for about 2-3 months now and the cord only lasted for a month and a half. "Just buy a new cord, no big deal," except I've tried at least 3 other auxiliary cords and NONE of them work. So it seems that you have to use the provided cord or else you're SOL. So now, to even use the chat function, I have to finagle the cord or use the basic xb1 chat headset. I've tried using a different controller, I even tried using the controller adapter instead of the 3.5mm port on the controller. It's not the controller.
- Annoying beeping for the indication of a low battery and no "powering down" audio, it just turns off. Now that I know how the headset works, it's not issue but when I first starting using them, I had no idea what the beeping meant and there was nothing in the literature provided that indicated what it was.
- Lack of auto shutdown feature. Sometimes I forget to turn them off, and they just stay on until the battery dies. My fault obviously but I still think that adding this feature would be beneficial.
- No "charging" or "finished charging" indicator unless you have the headset turned off. Not a big deal but it bothers me.
Overall, though, I really do enjoy these headphones. I've used them for PC, ps4 and xb1 and I like the audio output. They're extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. They're a little hefty but not enough to be an issue for me, I don't ever have to worry about them sliding off of my head or anything.
I think that for the price, though, these could be better. If I had to choose between Turtle Beaches and these, I would choose the TBs because they are cheaper but better in a lot of aspects. | video-games_xbox |
Sonic the Fan Game. This game is awful, it was rushed through and through. The bugs and load times really derail this game. Not even sonic can save this game, it's a down right abomination.
So why do I like this game? I don't know. This is a game I play for about 20 minutes, then eject it in disgust. Then the next day... for some reason, I pop it back in.
This game is confused of itself, trying to do too many things at once, and not really shining in any of them.
Take the adventure levels for example, these probably made a return because of Sega's "retracing" of why Sonic was so good. They saw that people liked Sonic Adventure and tried to mimick it. Unfortunately, the adventure fields were NOT what made Sonic adventure great.
What does stand out in this game is the Idea, the fact that this game COULD have been one of the greatest games of all time, and that in itself is a reason to own this game.
Also, the character models are incredible, the characters and SOME levels look stunning, especially the pre-rendered cutscenes. The music in this game is a different story, there are some really memorable pieces, and then there are the crappy ones that bring down the whole experiance.
Loading times! here we go. The load times are a monumental kick in the groin in this game. The loading scripts were obviously thrown together at the last minute. What I think happened in developement is this; They created a Universal load script that constantly loads and drops files from memory, regardless of what it's loading next or what it's already loaded. So each load screen, it has dropped everything from memory, and loads everything from scratch. There are major displays of this throughout the game.
So in closing, if you are a fan of Sonic, this game is definetly worth the price, although I do admit, randomly running around town is much more fun than any of the levels. If you don't know who Sonic is, or just looking for a good game, then pass on this one, I have no idea why I love this game so much. | video-games_xbox |
Most fun of current Xbox One titles. By far the most fun Xbox One game currently available.
Pros:
+Addictive -- hard to put down, hard to get to bed before 2am.
+Fun -- so many silly, exciting, and terrifying moments in this game. It is one of the most complete gaming experiences I have ever had.
+ Genuinely frightening / horrific moments. Few games can do this, but there were moments my skin was crawling and my heart beating. The most memorable was navigating the checkpoint at the beginning with nothing but a flashlight and hundreds of zombies pressing against the fence right next to you that you know is going to collapse at any second.
+Crazy numbers of zombies. Dozens to hundreds of zombies on screen at once. And let me tell you, coming around a corner face to face with a street packed with zombies sends real chills down you spine.
+Fantastic art and animation. A few zombie types are repetitive, but most have enough variation that they really look like a crowd of individuals, and the kinds of zombies go with the part of town you are in, from blue collar zombie, to the rotting remains of rich snobs.
+Large world. Lots of secrets, lots to explore.
+Engaging story. Though there are some silly Hollywood bad-guy moments, and some contrived plot twists, the story is engaging and carries the game along, keeping up a sense of urgency and impending doom through most of the game.
+ Vast number of totally insane weapons. Some are ridiculous, some are useless, but there are so many to try that finding and making new ones never gets boring.
+ Good zombie AI -- the zombies act predictably like zombies which really helps sell the 'reality' of the game world.
Cons:
- Fairly linear story / progression locks you into several actions and limits how much you can explore.
- Terrible 'recipe' management system. With such a vast number of weapons, you would think there would be some way to sort or filter the recipe list, but there is not. This really hurts when you are far away from safety and need to figure out what you can build with stuff near you. Please, please, please, add filters. The current static, apparently random list makes it impossible to find useful information.
- Poor companion AI. When you bring other characters with you, they tend to get killed because their AI is terrible.
- Bizarre and unpredictable on-line play. People seem to randomly drop into your game, with no real communication, coordination or control. Sometimes this is fun. Sometimes it is annoying. Mostly it is just confusing. Clearer settings and menus would help. | video-games_xbox |
A few tips for those experiencing overheating consoles. DISCLAIMER: This review is limited to the redesigned Xbox 360 that came out in June of 2010.
First of all, the Xbox 360 is a truly great console with an excellent game library and revolutionary online play. With that said, I know many have experienced problems with overheating, causing a number of issues. I know Microsoft has claimed it is "whisper quiet" and that it runs significantly cooler than previous versions. That is true, to an extent. But what Microsoft has failed to convey to the general public is that the Xbox is basically a highly modified computer that generates significant heat and needs proper ventilation to function like they claim. So here are some general tips for unsuspecting consumers.
1. Install the game to the harddrive: Under My Xbox you will see "Play [Title of Game]". Hit the yellow Y button to install game. It will give you the option of install game or play game. Choose to install. This shouldn't take very long, each game is 5-7 GB each. You will notice your system drop a few volume levels after doing this. Trust me!
2. Proper ventilation: This takes some common sense. Make clear and ample room for your heat vents. Most of the heat dissipates from the top vent (if you console is laying horizontal) and right side.
3. Keep your Xbox horizontal. Yes, the Amazon picture currently shows an upright, vertical Xbox. It looks cool, I know. The first thing I did with mine was place it vertical on a hardwood floor and played for maybe an hour. Bad idea. The area of the floor where my console once stood was unbelievably hot.
Keep in mind that you need to have the 250GB version in order to install games. The 4 GB just doesn't give enough space. Installing your games and maintaining proper ventilation are key to keeping your Xbox 360 as cool as possible. Not to mention the quicker load times and super quiet operation when actually playing. Hopefully following these simple tips will prolong the life of your console. May you and your Xbox 360 have a long, happy relationship! | video-games_xbox |
Serious Help Needed For This Game. Hello Amazonians. Below is a copy of a forum post I made on the games developers forum. I felt it would be helpful for everyone here as well.
I've had Deca Sports Freedom for the Xbox / Kinect for over a week now. I've got five Kinect enabled titles.
There are some usability issues I'd like to bring up, hopefully some changes can be made in future releases, or better yet, in a title update.
First off, I do want to say, I like the Kinect window displayed throughout the game. This is particularly useful with two players. Being able to see exactly where you are in reference to the "window" of play you have with the Kinect is nice.
Also, game play in general seems pretty decent. I've not spent endless hours yet on any one activity, so figuring out nuances of each game, how to master control of the avatar in the environment is all still to come.
So, that said, here are some comments I hope you consider.
Menus - there are too many "things" on the menus, and the accuracy of where your hand is to control the hand/pointer on screen is too sloppy. In an effort to press one button, I spend more time trying NOT to press other buttons. This is made worse by having both hands act as active pointers on the screen. I have to make a point of keeping my left hand at my side and stationary in order to have any success at navigating your menus at all.
This problem is only made worse when you have two players and four hands on screen.
I mention I have five other titles, this was to help you see I have had a good introduction into menu navigation with the Kinect. DSF is not my first game. With the five titles I've got, I have to say Dance Central should be considered the gold standard of Kinect menu's. You guys should really pick up a copy and take a look at how they approach getting through the menus.
I struggle with the menus and I'm a long time gamer. I have the Wii, I have four other Kinect titles. Getting through the menus is really a joke. My wife get frustrated much quicker than I do. When the two of us are in front of the Kinect, trying to get this game to actually let us do something, she nearly walks away in disgust.
Kinect Guide - In all other games, if I am in the middle of an activity, and I bring up the Kinect Guide (right arm straight down, left arm at 45*), it pauses the game. Allows me to quit, or resume, based on what I need to do. If I do this in DSF, I get the Kinect Guide, and the game doesn't even pause. game not pausing is at least true for single player tennis. But the guide coming up instead of an in game quit/resume menu is true everywhere. I'd expect the Kinect Guide to come up any time I am not in an active competition.
Teams - Why do I have to pick a team if I just want to play an activity? If I want to ski, I have to pick a team. If I want to play volleyball against a friend, we both have to pick teams to be on. Really? Is this necessary?
Avatars - ties in with Teams. DSF knows it is me using the game, why isn't it using my avatar? It allows my wife to sign in with her XBL Silver account, why doesn't the game use her avatar?
Game play - If I want to mess around with snowboarding, I shouldn't have to sit there and wait for environments to load all the time. Right now, to go down one course, I have to go through multiple screens just to get to the environment to load (see above regarding my comments on how fun it is to get through all these screens). Then the environment loads, I have to skip past two animations that I don't care about, then I get to snowboard/ski.... for a minute or so.
To do it again, I have to go through all that again just for another minute of the activity.
Between the cumbersome and numerous menu system, load times, rinse repeat, I've spent more time standing in front of my TV doing nothing than anything else.
I don't know how much of this you can fix in a title update, but it sure would be nice if you could make some attempt at getting things addressed. As it is, without a demo of changes, I'd never buy DSF 2
Thank you | video-games_xbox |
Needed to experiment setting it up but works well. I bought this on impulse figuring I'd use it to connect my PS3 or a network-capable Bluray player at wireless N speeds - once I upgraded to a Wireless N router. So it sat in my project cabinet until I found a need to connect my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Brite-View-BV-5005HD-CinemaTube-3-in-1-1080p-Full-HD-Multimedia-Player-Streamer-Torrent-Downloader-Black/dp/B002CNOYRS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Brite-View BV-5005HD "CinemaTube" 3-in-1 1080p Full HD Multimedia Player/Streamer/Torrent Downloader, Black</a> wirelessly to play DVD content on my Windows Home Server box, an HP MediaSmart server.
Setup was relatively straight forward except the setup wizard populates the SSID of the access point/wireless router with the name of the Trendnet. You need to change this, obviously, to the AP you want to connect to.
It took a while after completing setup and connecting to the Cinematube before the Cinematube was served an address via the router DHCP. I think I may have had to reboot the router to do this.
My initial attempt to use the Trendnet with my Verizon-supplied 56Mbps wireless router was not very successful for Cinematube playback of DVD content that was resident on my HP Mediasmart Home Server (a Windows Home Server box). No sound and erratic video. The Cinematube reported back very low throughput on the connection to the Windows Home Server.
I then took a cheap Airlink 101 AR670W that I'd been experimenting with running the DD-WRT open source firmware. The AR670W was initially sold as a device capable of 150Mbps wireless speed but the DD-WRT firmware was able to exploit the 300Mbps capability of the router chipset.
I set up the AR670W/DD-WRT router as an access point connected to the Verizon router. I specified N-speed device support only, no mixed mode as the wireless speed will be only what the lowest speed connection supports in that mode. I have the Verizon 54Mbps wireless available for those devices that are Wireless-G only. I believe that the problem some other Trendnet users are having getting the full speed of the gaming adapter is that they may have their wireless router set-up for mixed wireless mode. Unless they have a more expensive dual band router, they could experience lowered throughput due to the speed limit imposed by the lowest performing wireless connection.
I would also recommend going to the TrendNet support website and downloading and installing the latest firmware.
Now I can play my DVD content on the Windows Home Server with very little performance issues on the Cinematube. The Trendnet adapter is a better priced alternative to the proprietary network dongles for the Xbox and Blu-ray players which can approach $100. | video-games_xbox |
Reminds Me Why I Play Video Games. Quality video game psychological thrillers have historically been pretty rare in the medium; either games are dependent on sudden jolts of terror or gross amounts of blood to get across a tone of fear to players. However, Remedy Entertainment, the geniuses behind the classic "Max Payne" (one of my all-time favorite games), have finally managed to strike a chilling chord similar to this year's earlier PS3-exclusive "Heavy Rain." "Alan Wake" is one of the finest 360 games I've played in ages, and certainly one of the best overall games in recent memory.
Story: A+
Broken into TV show-styled "episodes" (complete with recaps at the beginning of each), the plot of "Alan Wake" follows the titular protagonist, a successful author who has struggled with writer's block for the past two years, as he takes a vacation to a secluded mountain town with his wife to clear his head. However, within the course of five to six hours, everything goes to heck with his trip: his wife goes missing, he becomes accosted by groups of possessed townspeople hellbent on killing him in the most brutal fashion possible, he discovers pages of a manuscript that he "wrote" but doesn't remember writing, and the cabin he was staying in mysteriously disappears. These events make up only the preliminary chapter, and it gets even more odd in the proceeding episodes. The plot is definitely the main attraction of this game, and will keep you guessing at every turn.
Gameplay: A+
Being attacked by axe-wielding psychopaths has never been so horrifyingly convincing in a video game. As you guide Alan through the eerie forests of Bright Falls with only a flashlight as his companion, trees seem to change shapes, enemies seem to appear out of thin air, and even the smallest, most insignificant sound will send you into a terrified state. Players need not worry about controlling Alan through these scenarios and locales, though; Remedy has taken great care to avoid the typical controlling pitfalls of other, lesser horror games. Everything you do feels perfectly fluid, and there's never a moment where you don't feel like you're in complete and total control. With strategy and resource conservation, you can easily survive the horrid situations you're thrown into.
Sound: A+
As I mentioned above, the atmosphere of this game is such that even the smallest sounds are capable of sending shockwaves through your system. The sound effects are tersely-woven, the music is haunting and always fits the situation, and the voice acting is some of the very best you'll ever hear from a video game.
Graphics: A+
The forest comes alive with dense shadow effects, and you're never able to detect where and when enemies will attack you. These two things work in unison to deliver an environment which is tense and keeps you constantly aware. You will quickly realize that your flashlight is key to being aware of your surroundings, as it reveals key messages scrawled in invisible ink and potentially deadly obstacles such as beartraps. The textures on every piece of flora and fauna are very vivid, and the character models look and move like actual humans (much like "Heavy Rain".) These are some of the best graphics you'e ever going to get from your 360.
Overall: A+
All of the aforementioned elements of this game combine to make one of the most breathtaking, heartpumping, and mind-boggling games you will play this year. With the promise of downloadable episodes at periodic intervals (the first of which is free with a code included in new copies of the game), and the fact that everything within this
package ALREADY stands on it's own, this one of the best deals in terms of future replays and enjoyment. If you own an Xbox 360, and you want a good game, then you have no excuse to not buy this. Pick it up without any delay whatsoever. | video-games_xbox |
I give this my "M. Bison's seal of approval. CAPCOM you surprise me.
This collection includes 8 Xbox Live Arcade games (9 if you include Magic Sword that comes with Final Fight), making this the biggest XBLA game collection to date (excluding SEGA GENESIS COLLECTION but that's technically not an XBLA game collection). The value is worth about $90 if you download all the games (and the DLC for Rocketmen) separately. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN AT LEAST 3 OF THESE GAMES, THIS COLLECTION IS WORTH THE $40. If you can get it for less then it is a steal.
Many of these games have either VS. and/or Co-op for both offline and online.
The games featured:
1) SUPER STREET FIGHTER 2 TURBO- HD REMIX: yet another remake of a classic fighting game, new graphics are nice, music of crisp, (though I still prefer the CD tracks from the old DOS game for a lot of characters) it's still awesome.
2) Final Fight: Double Impact: similar to STREETS of RAGE, an arcade brawler.
(Bonus game) Magic Sword: arcade game that is a little like castlevania. -Both feature filters to make the graphics look better.
3) 1942 Joint Strike: a classic arcade shoot-em up, HD remake look good.
4) Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD remix - casual and cute VS. puzzle game that anyone can play and enjoy, featuring some well known CAPCOM characters (from Street Fighter and DARKSTALERS!!!). The graphics aren't as good as some of the other games but it is easily the most addictive.
5) Bionic Commando 2- Rearmed: an HD sequal to a platformer/shooter classic, didn't play much but it looks great.
6) Wolf of the Battlefield- Commando 3: a "from above view" old school style arcade shooter that is fun to play in co-op.
7) Rocketmen axis of evil: similar to WOTB:C3 above, but with some RPG elements to it. Suffers from a lot of little glitches. DLC included on the disc but need to be installed on HDD to work. - An OK game overall especially with friends.
8) FLOCK! is a zany casual puzzle game involving herding animals.
To conclude, this is a solid game collection, featuring many great games along with a few newer ones. Great competitive and Co-op action at an affordable cost. I hope CAPCOM gives the same treatment for some of their other classics (like Cyberbots, and Darkstalkers) though it probably won't happen any time soon. If you are interested in this collection take a look at for some gameplay videos of these games and see for yourself.
A final note, if you have a 3D-TV that does 2D to 3D conversion, most of these games (especially SSF2T-HD Remix) look phenomenal!!! | video-games_xbox |
Fun game, but nothing ground-breaking. A fair and balanced review. I don't regret buying this game. Is it fun? Yes. Does it deserve all of the trolling that it gets in the reviews? No. Do I feel cheated now that this trilogy is over? A little.
The single-player left something to be desired. It wasn't as well developed as the plots of MW1 and MW2 were, as it just built off of the excitement that MW2 had left for you. The new character Yuri was cliche and his "plot twist" could've been seen from a mile away. It also played like a "greatest hits" package as in the "cool parts" levels were reminiscent of memorable moments from the first two installments of the game. For example, the climatic hotel shootout felt like "No Russian" at the beginning. I do want to give the game developers props on the airplane level of this game. Honestly, though, I felt that this game could've just been added as one or two more acts to the end of MW2.
Spec-Ops is a decent time pass, but seems to be unfairly catered more to Multi-player play then solo play.
Multiplayer remains the star of the game. It's simplicity and variety keeps it fun to play with your friends. I do miss the "Combat Training" of Black Ops. Also this game has more smaller maps than Black Ops, which had a balance of large and small maps. But I LOVE the killstreak packages in this game as opposed to the previous games. I'm not the only idiot anymore taking checkpoints in the checkpoint-oriented games.
Ignore the vast majority of bad reviews on this game. Hating on this game has become as cool as hating on Apple products or Justin Bieber or Harry Potter. There is such as thing as a franchise being "too popular" and Call of Duty has reached the threshold for that.
If you know what you're going to get in a Call of Duty package, and you're going to utilize the Multi-Player, then definitely get it. If you just want to finish the storyline and don't play online, then just rent it. If you're going to whine about how unrealistic it is, go outside. If you complain about how nothing is new, then play something else. The term "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. They didn't bother changing anything that didn't cause problems. | video-games_xbox |
Good game mechanic and decent pace. I was reluctant to purchase this game due to the mediocre reviews on some of the game sites, so I decided to buy a used copy. I have played the game for about 3 hours, and I'm pleased with the game so far.
The story is not that deep, and the production quality of the cut scenes for the origin story of the Imperfects are not as good as the rest of the games. They use real life actors with narration to tell the stories. The dialog is fairly short, so the voice acting isn't much of a factor. However, the story mode does a decent job of adding variety to the fights. The story mode should be thought of as several story modes for each character that seem to be related. Imagine watching a movie where the characters are separated through the city and have to battle villains on their own. You just jump from one character to the next as you progress through their story. As you finish each mission you are taken back to a mission selection screen where you can choose from at most 4 character missions. Sometimes less than 4 missions are available and you regain options as missions and characters unlock. A co-op mode in the story mode would have been a good addition, but because of the nature of the character specific story lines, this may be difficult to implement. Here is a list of the different objectives I've encountered so far.
-Standard one on one fight in the different environments.
-Defeat an enemy given a time limit.
-Destroy a number of different enemies like robots and flying machines.
-Throw a number of enemies off the environment like a bridge.
The environments have plenty of destructible objects that can be used during the fight. The look and feel is dark as most of the fights occur in the evening. There's often plenty of room to fight, so you can hide behind objects or get some distance to allow your character to heal or restore his/her powers when you get in trouble.
I haven't been able to find anyone online through XBOX Live, but I haven't tried very much. I haven't played many versus games. The reviews mention that the characters are not balanced. I haven't found it too imbalanced, but the characters do play differently. Some of them have some similarities like Spider-Man, Venom, and Dare Devil. There's an Imperfect character that plays similar to Storm. The fights have varied in length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes for me depending on how I chose to play.
The fight mechanic is fun. The close combat isn't as deep as some of the other fighter games. You mainly have a weak and strong attack which responds differently with a jump or a direction. You can pick up and throw objects as well as catch objects thrown to you if timed correctly. Some characters have different abilities such as shoot items for ranged attacks, fly, lift heavier objects, transport, or heal. You can also block, but I haven't gotten the hang of it. Some times it seems to be effective, but sometimes not. This may depend on the enemy and the type of attack they're using. Most of the characters can also do a power block which can deflect ranged attacks from the enemy.
If you're a Marvel fan and like the roster, I would recommend this game especially for a used price. If you expect a deep story mode and leveling system like Marvel Ultimate Alliance, then do some more research on this game. | video-games_xbox |
Great Arcade Style Fighter Game. UPDATE
I have to say that I continue to be impressed with this game as I play it more. I may have under appreciated the graphics, I find that the use of the satellite imagery to be a great thing and probably much cheaper than having designers start from scratch in a fictional world like Ace Combat series.
I think the Cape Canaveral map is cool but while playing I was reminded of an Ace Combat 4 map of basically the same thing, the Magellan Straits, Caribbean, Afghanistan, Middle East(Probably Arabia), Central African, and all of the 17 maps are really great. Another thing is that in the first mission, Juarez, Mexico, you support the Ghosts in the earlier GRAW games which is a nice tie in and I'm pretty sure you support the Rainbow Team from Rainbow Six Vegas in the Nevada map. Other noteworthy planes are the YF-23 that lost out to the F-22, the XA-20 Razorback which I've never seen anywhere else, X-29 demostrator, Harrier, EA-6B Prowler, Mig-21, A12 Wing, and other curiosities.
Something I wish was included was fully destructible environments, your missiles splash in the water but don't effect buildings or trees. Another thing that would be great would be add-on maps or a map editor in which we could use google earth imagery or some kind of expansion packs for helos, gunships or even prop planes. All in all I have to update my rating to an 8.5, since I'm a non-console player I can't compare it to the latest Ace Combat but I'm sure it more than holds it's own against it.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Yeah this is a fun game that reminds me very much of the Ace Combat series for consoles of which I have not played since I became a PC only gamer. It's not a sim by any means but if you want that get the Microsoft flight sim or any of the other ones available on PC. I have to disagree with IGN's review of 6.7, the author clearly misses a lot of the details, such as the ability to release flares when an enemy has you locked, the changeable paint schemes and others, and has an animosity towards this game that is not called for, for me this game is between a 7.5 to 8.5 depending on how much you like the arcade modern jet combat game. I would say for me it's an 8 and that's 4/5 stars here.
The novelty of this game is really what is cool. I'm not much of a sim player and outside of that ,at least for PC gamers, there's not much in the way of cool jet fighter games. Who wouldn't want to fly one of these technological masterpieces but not have to worry about all the details that the real guys do? Not to mention the real-world locations, which is not offered in the Ace Combat series. My review is from a single player offline only POV and not really using any of the bots you can command, as it didn't really make much of a difference but I have to say I have not played this game to the end yet.
STORY
Well it's a pretty minimal story, and thanks for that I don't really follow that much in a game like this or racing games either. I still remember the silly and embarrassing Ace Combat 4 story although I did like the art style involved. This has just an ex-air force pilot(YOU) switching to a private security company that has no loyalties other than money and when it takes a contract to attack your country you rebel. That's all I'll get into as you can get a summary from the official reviews elsewhere. It takes place in 2014, standard Tom Clancy near future time setting.
GAMEPLAY
Well like I said this is an arcade game, meaning you can do about anything with your jet and as long as it doesn't hit the ground you will not be punished for it with things like flameouts or losing control. The combat is non-realistic as well, when you are under attack you can use flares and wildly maneuver your plane in any which way and it always works. Also it's a little too easy on normal difficulty, I had no trouble killing Su-27's, Apaches and various ground targets in the older FA-18 Hornet; I would expect and Su-27 to be a bigger challenge.
Also there is no need to worry about fuel as it's not even on your HUD as well as you being armed with nearly 200 missiles for every mission, even AceCombat5 had limitations that made the game a bit more strategic and challenging. Missiles can't be instantly fired in succession there's a bit of a waiting period after firing 2 to fire more. Your cannon/machinegun is unlimited as well but can't be used continuously as it get's hot and is a primarily burst weapon. The cluster bombs are awesome as well as the conventional large ground bombs with the usual HUD visualizations of trajectory and spread area.
That said it is kind of interesting to turn off the "assistance(HUD Forward View)" with left-ctrl and switch to a side view of the plane you are flying instead of the assisted normal swingman view, it's a little weird and I have not tried any missions with it on. There are no landing sequences to worry about either.
Another thing is if you hold down the missile fire button the camera will switch to the missiles view which is pretty cool. There's also something called the ERS which takes you step by step to an enemy kill, it makes it way too easy and really should be used for training purposes only.
TECHNICAL
I had no problems with the installation on Windows XP and the game picked up my Logitech Rumblepad 2 when I went into the controls settings and specified the joystick. The default settings were fine for my joypad. I have a midrange system and had no trouble getting 1680x1050 with all high. I'm using Q6600@2.4Ghz, 4GB RAM, 8800GT512.
GRAPHICS
These were standard to good, I would say nothing mind blowing but nothing too bad either. The jets all look like their real world counterparts and the real world cities look accurate since they are supposedly based on real satellite images, although they are limited in area. I wasn't hugely impressed with the Los Angeles area, being a resident of LA, I didn't see the Hollywood sign or other things other than the main downtown section. Also the Southern Nevada part is OK I suppose, mainly empty desert and what I assume to be Lake Mead, I used to live in S. Nevada and didn't really see much that was recognizable, I don't remember there being a Hoover Dam but I could be wrong.
The maps that stood out were Chicago, DC, Tokyo, and Rio. There's about 17 maps. The stars are really the planes as they should be.
I liked the water on the screen effect you get when going through rain. The explosions are standard this generation to look at but the explosions from the ground battles are pretty neat if nothing special. The way to really get a good view of the plane and surroundings, if not really all that conducive to play, is to use the assistance off setting using left-control. In summary the graphics are good this generation, that's not really a problem though since it's just cool to have a game like this finally for PC gamers.
SOUND
Pretty standard, everything sounds right from what I know. I turn off/down the music since I don't thing most fighter pilots are allowed that sort of thing in combat anyways and I don't need it to give me a better gaming experience as this is only a game. Some may like the drama enhancement you get from it but I'm not one of them. The explosions are pretty nice, you would of course never hear them like that in a jet but it's a game!
EXTRAS
One thing you should go and get from a third party is a plane and mission unlocker. There are massive amounts of real world planes here and I want access to them immediately, like the SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F16, F15,F14,all the migs, Mirage, Typhoon, A10 Warthog, F35 Joint Strike FIghter, F4, older 60's planes, awesome new looking Russian planes, experimental planes, F22 Raptor, next next generation USA planes, Jaguar, F-111, and probably others I've missed. As well as different loadouts of missiles for each planes specialties like precision bombs, ground target bombs, cluster bombs, air to air bombs or a mix of them particular to each plane and it's capabilities. I would guess there are at least 50 planes here not counting the variants of the same plane. My favorites include the F-15 Active, F-117, A10, SR-71, etc.
There are no helos,prop planes, gunships or heavy bombers here, this is all jets, but you do take down Apaches and other helos in missions. The planes also have at least one more selectable paint job, like the F-117 Nighthawk has the standard Stealth Black and also has the Camo pattern for daytime missions. Also there are multiple variants of each jet like the standard F16 and the upgraded F16c which I believe is the non-export USA edition or exported to close allies only as well as variants with different selectable paint jobs.
All of this stuff is unlockable only after finishing in the different difficulty settings or getting better ratings after missions or some online only stuff but who wants to do all that, search for the Hawx unlock on google and have a blast right away!
CLOSING
I recommend this to anyone who likes arcade flying games and doesn't want too much of a challenge. This game is great if you like jets in general and want the chance to fly them in a game with a wide variety. It's not a must have game, unless you are a lover of modern jets, but if you are looking for more variety in your game collection get this one. Of course this is not a fifty dollar game by any means so get it used when the prices come down, I'd say new in the forty dollar range. I'd say if you have the latest Burnout PC game or miss/enjoy the Ace Combat console series and seek a breather from the FPS's, RPG's, MMOG's and other dominant game types, this would fit nicely into your collection. | video-games_xbox |
Okay, I'm convinced 343. I was skeptical, like most, about buying this game. 1, because it was made by a new developer and 2, Halo 2 AND 3 was a disappointment for me. I didn't like Halo 2 at all and Halo 3, although better than 2, did not live up to the expectations of the very first Halo which by far is the best Halo in my opinion.
I read some reviews for Halo 4 and watched some gameplay footage of it on YT. It looked pretty good, but I still wasn't sure. I could not rent the game because it would take FOREVER to become available so after a little bit of thought I decided to go to my local game store and plop down the $60 bucks it cost. I knew if the game sucked, I would never buy another Halo game again and I can just trade it in for credit and use that for Black ops 2 instead. It looks like I won't need to do that.
This game is awesome. I really enjoyed it. Although, not to the level of gameplay enjoyment that Halo combat evolved had, its still better than 2 and 3. I never played Reach so I can't compare.
The story in this game is very good and so are the graphics. The guns are very nice to use and the controls are very smooth without that jaggyness I felt when I played Halo 2. All of the games soundtrack is new but it fits well with the game. The sound effects are very nice and sounds so realistic. If you have surround sound, prepare to be blown away. The covenant look quite different in this version. The small ones don't speak english anymore, or at least I could not hear it. The elite look much bigger than before and they too look quite different. Matter of fact the only covenant that looks similar to past Halo games are the Hunters.
The new enemies they have, the Prometheans, are a much better enemy than the Brutes in my opinion and the weapons they have are awesome. Yes, you can pick them up and use them along with the Covenant weapons although the plasma rifle is not in this version. They have another plasma rifle that is bigger, but still fires automatic rounds.
As I said earlier the graphics in this game are absolutely sickening. I didn't know the 360 still had the power to pull off graphics like this. They look very good and there is no frame slow down either. The colors they use are beautiful and the animations are very smooth and almost life like.
I don't want to reveal anything about the story, you just have to check the game out yourself. I recommend renting it first though. Even though I took a chance on this game, I am satisfied. It is worth my 60 bucks. I don't play games online so I can't rate that feature. There is also a second disc with the game but I didn't get a chance to check that out either.
343 is a good developer so far. I wonder what the next Halo game will be like on the next Xbox...... | video-games_xbox |
BEST AT WHAT THEY ARE. the x1 headphones are a really great product at a great price. i make a huge deal of what headphones i like to use. and theses just cut the cake for video gaming. other lower rating reviewers are quite foolish. il tell you what u need and why these are great headphones.
USE : these headphones are ment specifically for gaming and chat. (xbox 360, pc)
SOUND/PERFORMANCE: i carefully listened to numerous games and music types. and a lot of them had hidden sounds. in call of duty 5, i could definetly hear things i didn't know were there. i noticed that when reloading guns there was an additional sound i never noticed. same goes for firing weapons. besides the fact that you can hear certain sounds, the device makes everything sounds so rich and crisp, i could even hear bass strings in guitar hero be strummed in some songs, which i never noticed before. one con is that if you listen closely you can hear a faint fuzz noise if your listening in utter silence. but this is easily forgiveable and makes sense. once you begin playing it stops. the fuzz is NOT INTENSE. turn up any high powered sound device and youl probably hear a fuzz. ex. turning up your car speakers with no music. there is a fuzz. yea and what happens next? it delivers LOUDLY. YES, you can blast the phones up high, but instead of hurting you ears, it adds a greater sense of focus, like a relaxing yet alert feeling. Explosions sound great with the built in bass, and its great for music. the bass stays under countrol when playing and poses no threat to ruining focus. THESE HEAPHONES WILL HELP YOUR HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT!
COMFORT : these have got to be the most comforting headphones of the limitless pairs i have. i always seem to rub my ears with most headphones, but these just feel great, no probelems with my ears getting irratated. and u can adjust the size of the headphones to fit your head, and the ear cups can automatically adjust to your ears. as a person with big ears like me, oh they fit alright, my ears even got wiggle room. truth is. if u wanted you can definetly fall asleep with these on. they are comfortable
TECHNICAL SPECS : the cable for the heaphones is close to 8 feet or so. they are very long and may cause issues. but yet again poor reviewers cant be creative enough to make it work to your convenience. there is a strap that lets you valcroe extra slack. the microphone works great on the x1, i don't have issudes with it and i can chat with ease.
OVERALL : these are definetly covenient both night and day. these make excellent headphones that will most likely suprise you for your money. for pro gaming, these ARE a neccesity. they WILL give you an edge in gameplay. or if you just wanna be quiet at night these will be a smart choice. get these. they will help you more than youd like. BE A PRO WITH THESE GREAT LOW PRICED HEADPHONES.
5 stars
these are 60 or 70 dollars at best buy. don't be fooled by that monopoly. choose amazon.
thank you amazon for your amazing deals and service!!!
(customer service may vary) | video-games_xbox |
Bad sizing options but overall a decent set. If you're playing on XBox Live, you really need a headset. Most games involve voice coordination between people on the same team, and sometimes even discussions with your opponents.
I'm not sure why my experience was so different than the previous reviews. Maybe they got an older version of the headset? It definitely seems to be the same unit - made by Microsoft, for the XBox 360, the basic model.
This headset is relatively inexpensive, and has a padded earphone and microphone. The earphone is adjustable, to have the headband part expand and contract. This lets it fit on larger and smaller heads. The microphone rotates, so that the unit can be worn on the left or right side. It only spins down to just under a 90 degree angle, though, so this forces you to wear the headset with the band right over the top of your head. At that spot, the microphone is pretty much right in front of my mouth (I prefer it a bit lower) and the opposite-side "bracer" part is digging into the skin just over my non-earphoned ear.
I don't know what it is with these headset creators - but at its smallest setting, the unit is still too large for several adults I know. That makes it even worse for teens and kids! That being said, I find this problem with a lot of headsets, so it's something you just have to deal with.
There's a relatively long cord, and it plugs right into the base of your controller. It doesn't interfere at all with wireless controllers. The base part has a mute button as well as a volume control.
I didn't have any problem at all hearing other players when I was online - their voices came through very clearly. Also, the unit fit very snugly into the base - I didn't have any problems with static or dropped signals. In fact for a while I was letting my boyfriend drive in PGR3 while I talked in the headphone/mic, and even with the cord stretched out between us two I could hear fine. Other players could hear me. I didn't notice any issues with lag, our conversations went back and forth rather quickly. | video-games_xbox |
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