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The points less touched on - NO SPOILERS. If you're considering buying a Final Fantasy game and reading reviews, you probably have a pretty good idea what you're getting. I'm here to cover some of the less discussed aspects of the game.
COMBAT - yes, it's different, it's live action, and closer to Kingdom Hearts than any turn-based RPG. It's also STRATEGIC. You can't just go in to battle with a tough enemy, declare "I'm tougher" and pound them in to the ground. You have to consider the damage you do to yourself, distancing yourself from the action occasionally, the placement of your mates, and what powers they have at their disposal. You'll probably survive a battle like this, but you feel satisfaction when you go in smart and don't use a ton of potions.
ERRAND RUNNING - traveling from point A to point B, backtracking, and restocking your supplies is WONDERFUL in FFXV and I can't imagine not being disappointed when the next RPG comes out and tries to make it the old way. You can buy stuff from the potion shop while traveling as a passenger to the next place, and never again have to schedule a stop so that you can survive the next place. Fast travel being available from the beginning of the game is also so nice.
THE WORLD - the world is beautiful and alive, and actually reminds me of GTA V in discovering different settings that feel truly different than the last climate you were just in. Despite singing the praises of fast travel, I still often choose to "slow drive" just to stare out the window and watch the journey. Though in that respect, sometimes I also slow drive because the loading screens in fast travel CAN take longer than a drive that's a relatively short distance. That's a downside, but not a deal breaker.
THE SIDE QUESTS - Tons of side quests, though most of which are "go to this place, fetch something, bring it back". But you get them from characters that are, at the very least, characters. And they often send you near other things that will be relevant to your interests that you may not have known was there otherwise. THAT'S the side quest style that I really enjoy - finding a place, conquering it, getting your loot, and doing stuff for your own character. There's plenty of that, and the game facilitates that discovery well enough without needing an additional guide. I can spend days not advancing the story at all because exploration and side quests are a solidly fun time.
THE STORY - yes, still no spoilers! The story is far simpler to wrap your mind around than previous FF games. FFVIII has long been my favorite game in the series, and I can't even tell you what even happens in half the game. Something something time compression, you are your own bad guy, Laguna is the worst and ugh why do I have to play as him right now, yeah I don't know...I haven't run into any "insurmountable story" in XV. And you don't have to play as Laguna. (is that a spoiler?)
Those are the big things, and hopefully this helps "fill in the blanks" for those that were still on the fence. The game is by no means perfect (loading times, camera issues in some areas, repetitive dialogue, etc), but what they've built is fun, and smart, and potentially a game changer for the genre. There are lots of surprises for fans of the FF series, and even if you skipped the last few (as I have), there is a lot here that's worth spending time on. | video-games_xbox |
AI way too hard. I started playing Crysis 2 immediately after beating Far Cry 3. I figured they are both first person shooters with expansive universes, the switch from one to the other shouldn't be too difficult. Wrong! There are several aspects to Crysis 2 that were simply too big to overlook.
1. AI- Definitely my biggest complaint, your enemies seem to have super senses far superior to your suit. Example: I crouched in a dark, hidden corner behind a barrier with the nearest enemy barely in sight with a sniper rifle scope. Despite the huge distance, light, and barrier, he somehow saw me and immediately called his friends to take me down. How could he possible see me in that situation, when I could barely see him fully exposed? I am all for intelligent enemies, but let's be realistic and fair. When each guy turns out to be "the sentinel", something is wrong.
2. Linear gameplay- Admittedly, I didn't make it far into the game. The levels I did play felt very restrictive. Sure you could approach a few situations in a variety of ways, but you needed to arrive at these locations one way or leave one way. Why not make it the gamer's choice? Maybe I don't want to go through the front or side of a patrolling station, I'd rather approach it from the back and flank them. Sorry, can't. The real joy of games like Farcry 3 to me was the freedom to tackle most missions any way I wanted. Prefer the up close, in your face approach? Go for it. What about sniping from a distance? Your call. With Crysis 2 there was some of this, but it felt very orchestrated- certain scenes stop you to analyze the situation and plan.
3. Not much of a bridge from the original Crysis- This was my first introduction into the Crysis series (and likely my last). I didn't feel I was fully informed about the suit and its previous user. Maybe more information is given as you progress, but I didn't make it that far out of frustration caused by the points mentioned above.
4. Invisibility- doesn't last nearly long enough. If you don't mind crawling everywhere, then the is perfect for you. For those of us with a limited amount of play time, this slows things down way too much. What are my options? Walk/run with the cloak and be discovered because it drained too quickly or slink everywhere like a snail. Some choices! I don't advocate allowing infinite invisibility, but at least give me 20 or 30 seconds to do whatever is needed. There were a few times where it seemed like I wouldn't successfully sneak around because my meter was dropping too fast. That's just what I need, for the suit to leave me up a creek because it ran out of juice at the most inopportune time.
5. Navigation- Several times my mini map/indicator showed an enemy nearby. When I approached the area they were supposed to be, SURPRISE! No one there. Yet off in the distance, they were able to stop me and take a few shots before I knew what was going on. This made the map mostly useless.
This was a fun game until all of its flaws started accumulating and sucked all of the enjoyment out of it. If it was the only game available, I would probably spend more time learning the ins and outs of it. As things stand, I'll place it on the shelf next to Dead Rising 2, a game with great promise/potential that fell way short on delivery. | video-games_xbox |
Overall a solid console. I think now I can truly say that this console is the best console out on the market right now. From HD graphics to the stellar library of games, the XBOX 360 is the definitely the number one console right now.
The library of games is truly astounding. I will admit that the 360 leans more to the shooter side of the gaming spectrum, but if the shooters are absolute quality, with games such as Bioshock, Halo 3, Gears of War and Call of Duty 4, then it is hard to complain. Other games such as Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, Forza 2, Viva Pinata, Rock Band, NBA 2K8 and Madden NFL 2008 are just a few stellar games that should help fulfill some of your other genre needs.
The controller is the definitely the best controller on the market. It seems to fit perfectly in my hands and for me is the controller of choice for FPS/Shooter games.
The hardware truly delivers the beauty many were expecting from "next gen" consoles. From the absolutely beautiful scenery of Assassins Creed, to the moody and scenic beauty of Bioshock, to the jaw dropping Gears of War, this system truly gives gamers the eye candy they have been wanting in video games. Dolby 5.1 also delivers and gives gamers all the sound they can handle. From explosions to the chatter of the virtual world, you can hear it all in 5.1.
I do wish the console was quieter, but it's nothing major and it seems that this will be fixed in the future with the addition of a new processor. Also I have seen some games that in SD look good, but suffer in certain areas that you wouldn't expect. Games like Dead Rising and Lost Planet look good, but the text is almost unreadable in SD. This may be the developers fault, but it's still an issue.
Though there have been hardware issues with this system, I have yet to experience any issues, with the exception of some freezing here and there.
Overall I have to say that I have not been disappointed with my purchase of the XBOX 360 and consider it to be the best console on the market right now. | video-games_xbox |
Still the same Guitar Hero, but with some great additions. Guitar Hero 3 (GH3) is the fourth iteration in this series of games despite it being labeled the third, though for most people the 80s edition that was the actual third game was a bit of a footnote since it only came out on PS2 and had very little in it that differed from Guitar Hero 2 other than the songs.
GH3 continues with the same basic formula as the previous games which will keep fans of the series happy, but at the same time adds some welcome new features. One of the best additions is that of online play so that you can now do co-op, face-off, pro face-off and battle mode with a friend over the Live network.
The battle mode is a change up from the normal face-off modes in that instead of gaining star power you acquire attacks from playing certain sequences of notes. Then when you turn the guitar up as if you were going to use star power it instead launches an attack at your opponent. The attacks vary in their nastiness and while I was skeptical of this new aspect of the game it's actually a nice twist for those more competitive players.
Another addition is the co-op career mode, but unfortunately you can't play this mode online which means you'll have to get a friend over with their guitar to experience this mode.
Speaking of the guitar the new wireless Gibson Les Paul style guitar controller is a welcome change from the original 360 GH2 controller. Overall it just feels a lot more solid, especially the whammy bar. Not being wired makes a big difference in terms of convenience. There are GH3 bundles out there with the original GH2 controller in them and I would recommend passing on those in favor of the wireless bundle.
The career mode remains mostly the same as in the previous games. There are now little animated vignettes between each set that don't add much to the overall experience, but certainly are a welcome change from the old bus driving across the country scenes in the previous games. The other addition to career mode is that at the end of certain sets you have to enter battle mode with another guitarist. By now most people know that Tom Morello and Slash are the two real guitarists who you battle against in the game. Both contributed original guitar compositions for their battle sections and can be unlocked as avatars in the game.
The playing experience itself is much the same, though it seems the game is even more forgiving in the timing of when you play notes than even GH2 was and hammer-ons and pull-offs are also very easy to do. For experienced players this will obviously make the game easier in some respects, but at the same time the note structure has been mixed up a bit and the later songs are pretty challenging on Hard and Expert.
While the multiplayer aspect adds a lot more playability to the game at the same time the core of the experience remains the songs and for this game there are even more original songs than before and the song list is pretty great.
Overall GH3 rocks the house in much the same way as the previous games, but with the addition of some new features it doesn't feel like more of the same. Multiplayer adds a new aspect that should give the game a lot more life overall between those times when you get your friends over to the house.
Here is the list of tracks by the original artists (or in the case of Talk Dirty to Me, original vocalist) used in the game. This doesn't include the bonus tracks by the less well known artists.
"Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison (Vocals re-recorded by Bret Michaels)
"Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
"When You Were Young" - The Killers
"Miss Murder" - AFI
"Lay Down" - Priestess
"Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
"Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols (re-recorded)
"Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
"My Name Is Jonas" - Weezer
"Even Flow" - Pearl Jam
"Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
"Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
"Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
"The Metal" - Tenacious D
"Before I Forget" - Slipknot
"Stricken" - Disturbed
"3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
"Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (re-recorded)
"Raining Blood" - Slayer
"The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
"One" - Metallica
--Co-Op Campaign--
"Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
"Reptilia" - The Strokes
"Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Helicopter" - Bloc Party
"Monsters" - Matchbook Romance | video-games_xbox |
single player non Co Op review- Its good as always, but frustrating at some points. I have completed played and completed the prior two installments in the Dead Space series so this isn't my 1st dance. I haven't completed the game yet, but have gone far enough to give a review. So far so good. What I enjoy the most about Deadspace is the survival horror theme in it.
The graphics, lighting, sounds, make the player feel like they are in an interactive movie. I am giving it 4 stars on the premise that the graphics, weapons, thrill factor, violence and gore, and story are top notch. I am not a game game savant by any means. As a matter of fact, it takes me longer to complete games because I do have a life besides playing video games all day, but I am an old school gamer neverless. This game is one of the few games that always holds my interest and keeps me coming back to play until its completed.
The save points and story progression makes this easy as opposed to other games that I will play about halfway through and put it down and let it collect dust for several months and come back and complete it or sell the game.
Now for what I do like and what I don't like.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE that annoys me in this game is the control function that whilst in heated combat trying to manuver Issac dodging, running, rolling, turning around facing multiple necromorphs while holding his weapon is that in toggles the weapon to either the one you are not wanting to use or the scouter droid. I have gotten killed many times and have wanted to smash the controller because I will turn to shoot at another target and I go from shoting my energy blaster to deploying the scouter droid mid battle!! I HATE THIS!!. I don't know if there is a way to change the configuration to only use the arrow buttons to change weapons instead of using the left joysticks while you are trying to fight. This is the main reason I won't give this game five stars.
I do like is the new ammo stockpiling system. I like being able to get one type of ammo for all of the weapons that can be attained or crafted.
I do like the concept of the scouter droid, and tne building of custom weapons.
I don't like the slow opening kinesis operated doors. I have been situations where the doors take too long to open, especially while you are being chased by regenerating necromorphs.
There have also been situations where I have had a hard time figuring out what it is I am supposed to be doing. My objective could be to repair parts of a damaged ship, finding items in the weightless space environment & its hard for me to locate the objective because of debris and lighting. I have a hi def LCD 3D tv so its not my television.
And this is probably just my skill level, but it seems like the AI sends a lot of enemies after you at once which can be overwhelming. This is on the medium difficulty setting too. It seems like they designed the difficulty higher this installment.
All in all I really am enjoying the game except for the unwanted weapon toggling issue in mid battle. And if they comoe out with a Deadspace 4, I will buy that one too. :-) | video-games_xbox |
Best of the Series. I've played several Need for Speed games over the years. None of them really captured my attention - except for Hot Pursuit. The games have always played like middle of the road racers. But for some reason, this one just captured me right away. From my first bust - to placing first in the final Hot Pursuit Mission: Grand Tour; I loved every second of this game.
Nothing is more amazing than running a race with five other racers. You have 30 miles of open world track to get through to make it to your final destination. By completing the race, I get the best car in the game. It's just me, the road, the racers . . . and the cops. What started as a great final race ended being the wildest ride of my life. I'm blowing through the woods - its at night, and there is a lightning storm. A helicopter burns from overhead, its spotlight obstructs my vision. The game got twitchy, one wrong move would send me into a tree, and result in me getting busted by the cops. The gorgeous effects add to the pressure.
Then, when I'm about 10 miles into the race, a notification flashes across my screen. Another player has entered my vicinity. Is he a racer, or is he a cop? Much to my chagrin, it's a player cop and he is headed straight for me. Not only am I battling five racers, a pack of relentless NPC cops, the turns, a helicopter, spike strips, mines, shockwaves, and NPC cars - but now I have to fight against a Player Cop, the most dangerous force a racer can find. This only added to my experience, and it raised the stakes. Was I going to let this player cop beat me? Sure, the odds were stacked against me - but I won't let this prick keep me from winning the game. I won't let him keep me from my prize!
In the end, I won the race. I just wished I remembered to utter these three words, "XBox, Record That." Oh Well . . . Maybe next time.
There are so many variables to this game. No one will have the same experience. You can be going through a race, only to find another pack of racers led by a player going the opposite direction. It's open world racing at its finest, and with five other players on the road at any given time, you're sure to be affected by what they do.
Never have I had this much fun playing a game since I was a kid. I can't remember a console gaming moment that really stuck with me this much since the old N64 and PS1 days. The console adds a lot to the online, seamless experience - but Need For Speed set the benchmark for other developers to follow. This is what online gaming is supposed to be about.
However - I'd like to see a few features added. This isn't to say the game is bad, but rather - how it can be improved:
1) Add Street Racing Gangs, and Police Squads.
It's hard to get all of my friends to play the same game on the same console, at the same time. It's almost impossible to get a group of strangers into a race to have an all out brawl with actual players. Adding a group mechanism, and in game methods to organize players would go a long way to improving the overall experience. Imagine an Organized trio of Player Cops taking on an Organized group of racers. It would be an incredible experience.
2) Allow a Racer, or Cop to poll the other players of their career to participate in an event. Those who accepts get Easy Driven to the event, while those who deny continue doing what they do.
In the end - This game was excellent - A Breath of Fresh Air! It made me a true believer in the franchise and I look forward to what they do next. I'm on board for DLC and other multiplayer options. Make it a thing! | video-games_xbox |
No Team Play. People saying it is the exact same game as Madden 25, just with roster updates, are forgetting that they actually took some modes out of 15. There is no team play/community play, which is the only reason I play madden. It's a way to keep in touch with my brothers who live far away while playing a game against other groups of people. To me it seems absurd to remove online modes in a game released in 2014! They're going backwards with this one. So, it's not $60 for last years game with roster updates, it's $60 for last years game minus some features that are crucial to a significant number of Madden fans. It's also further proof that EA makes enough money off this subpar piece of crap year after year to not give a damn what the fans want. Too many people still buy it and this year I am guilty of that. I'm sending this back, however. Easily the most disappointing Madden EVER released. EA should be ashamed to put their name on this waste of resources, but apparently they have no shame. No wonder they didn't release a demo, they wouldn't want to tip off their loyal customers (perhaps loyal only because they have a monopoly on NFL games, which is bad for us gamers) that they are about to sell them a $60 coaster.
Sign the petition to get team play back in Madden here: http://www.change.org/p/ea-sports-madden-put-teamplay-communities-back-into-madden?recruiter=143397155&utm_campaign=twitter_link&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition
They take donations to gather sponsors, but it is free to sign and add your voice. If they release a patch to put team play back in the game, I would reconsider my stance on this game and might add a star or two. We need competition in this market in a bad way, then EA would have to listen.
In short, it is true that it is a $60 roster update (funny: EA roster updates cost more than a year of XBOX Live now?), but it is also missing the key feature that has made the last few editions of Madden so enjoyable for me.
Edit 4 September - Christian Kirksey glitch is just further evidence that they really don't care if their product is ready for release, and don't care about you. It is funny though. 1'2" but still is able to upend some of the games best hahahaha.
Edit 22 October - I was curious to see how much the price had dropped on this game since I lasted visited. While I was here I noticed a remarkable spike in 5 star reviews (most in the last week or so). But then I read them and could not avoid noticing that they all sound VERY similar. Anyway, it was fishy enough for me to make a comment about it. Lots of grandmas and people impressed with accurate shipping dates (not a product review in any imaginable way) giving 5 star reviews for this one. Something stinks. | video-games_xbox |
this is great. I played FIFA street 3, and I've played Pure Futboll but those were just not well done and that becomes obvious as you start playing FIFA Street 12, which gets it spot on. The FIFA 12 engine is amazing, and they've tweaked it and put it to good use here. It's actually got a completely different feeling to it -- I'm a very good FIFA '12 player and I do very well online by keeping things really simple very few tricks, etc. mostly just playing a neat & tidy tactical game. Well, in FIFA Street, I find I actually have to do the things I don't normally do in FIFA. The gameplay is very different because of smaller fields and more emphasis on ball control. I'm not nearly as good in FIFA Street and I do enjoy FIFA 12 games better because of my playing style, but FIFA Street is different and I really appreciate that.
You have different game styles you can play and they all work really well and give you a different flavour: 5-on-5, 6-on-6, 2-on-2 panna, 2-on-2 freestyle, futsal. I play best on futsal -- which has out-of-bounds and fouls so it plays a bit slower than the other styles -- because of my FIFA '12 experience (I think of a football-basketball hybrid playing this). I'm not so good on panna as that really puts the emphasis on tricks but keeps scoring a compelling part of the game by accumulating points for doing tricks but only counting these when you do score.
I could never really get into the virtual pro in FIFA, but here it's an integral part of the game via the World Tour (I was really happy they had a Western Canada tour!) and I actually do like customizing my character. You get to unlock all kinds of clothing, skill moves, and increase you attributes. You can also hear your character speak on the field (and I gave him an Eastern European accent that sounded a lot like me :)). One thing that worried me a bit though is that after playing for a total of ten hours, I think I had better skills than Messi. That doesn't seem right.
One other point here. Seems to me that online you can only play with your own squad (which you acquire and improve on the world tour), so if you were hoping like me to beat Barcelona with Bayern Munchen online, that's not going to happen. I'm taking a star off on fun because of that.
I've come up against a lot of guys online on FIFA '12 that really seem to enjoy the dribbling and tricks aspect but I find playing a defensive, counter-attacking game works really well to shut them down (and it's probably a frustrating experience for them). If you're one of those guys, or just want a different experience, this is the game for you. | video-games_xbox |
know somebody who already has black ops 2. I didn't get to buy this game through amazon but purchased directly through the Microsoft digital store on my xbox one. I feel that the games settled down a lot. The fact that its full of guns gives it an A. Being able to log in directly without having to change discs is a plus. I bought the hundred dollar version with the season pass. I was looking on here for information as to the pre-order bonus but didn't find anything. It's important to have a valuable fanbase. These games keep coming out because people keep buying them. I don't have a view on anything but am sore over the fact that children aren't exciting to play with. I remember when Black ops II came out and I didn't preorder or get it the day it came out. Waiting for a game to get established really makes it better. The level of difficulty changed so drastically from the first day it came out to now, a week later. Multiplayer in modern warfare remastered didn't really get good ever, I was alright until I started to party but sociaizing sort of challenged me to participate. I started to play the modern warfare remastered campaign but would have liked to play infinite warfare. I feel like my friend Sewage said it best, he said every kid in america freaks out when a new call of duty comes out, but being a calm adult causes me to negatively think of the excited person. My friend Ryan introduced me to Black Ops II, I hope to get to play the campaign before the next call of duty comes out. I didn't get to finish the campaign last year but it sort of is upsetting that after expecting something and getting the excited kid factor lets me down. Let me get some games that aren't full already. No one else really makes it easier to play but playing alone is a lot more fun. The discipline sort of is important and really like to be left alone but refuse to set my xbox to "offline" like my friend carlitos does. I miss playing xbox 360 like it was only me and now that its a premium everything is different on the xbox one.
Zombies is exciting and is totally different November eigth than when the game came out November 4th. It seems like every game the easter egg gets started but its not what I'm always looking for. I would like to just get to a really high round and get lots of kills but doing the easter egg and challenges from the robot make it seem like someone doesn't do the easter egg then the other randoms get let down and leave. The first time I played I got pretty high, like level 16 and it was great and lasted for an hour and a half. I didn't do any challenges and neither did anyone else and it was great. Getting on zombies the other day, there was a robot running around and I died from the team staying next to the robot. Good games are sort of hard to find now. | video-games_xbox |
Mass Effect Goes Third-Person Shooter. First, the good news: Mass Effect 2 fully solves the biggest problem with the first game -- its combat system. It utilizes a new Gears of War-esque combat system (touch-and-go shooting with an easy to access duck and cover system) which makes battles more challenging but also infinitely more satisfying. The enemy and ally AI are both significantly improved. Enemies are now far more cunning than they were in the first game, and your allies are actually responsive to combat orders and are now more of an asset than a liability. This game stands with some of the best third-person shooters on the console. The game actually expands on the first ME's excellent dialogue system by giving you karma-based interruption options during key points in a conversation. The game is beautiful to look at and biotic abilities have been improved.
Now, the bad news: Because Mass Effect is now a shooter, the RPG aspects have been scaled back significantly. No more of the first game's vast customization options. Skill growth trees have been streamlined and don't figure too significantly in the action. For those of us who wanted Mass Effect 2 to retain its RPG elements while improving the broken combat system, this is incredibly disappointing.
Another element is extremely disappointing is the new planet exploration system. In my review for the first game I complained that the planets you traveled to lacked variety. But at least you could still travel there and drive around and occasionally find something of interest. The system introduced in ME2 is a complete chore: you scan a 3D model of a planet and click a button to harvest resources from specific areas. This becomes boring after two minutes and you have to spend several minutes just scanning a single planet. And there are multiple planets you need to harvest resources from. What a pain! This just makes the planet exploration option of the first game ten times less interesting. Before, the game had exploration elements, dialogue elements, customization elements, and battle elements. Now the game only has dialogue and battle elements.
The game's plot is weak and has very loose ties to the first game beyond some common characters. Apparently the concerns of the first game have been discarded entirely, and a new enemy has been introduced. And even some of the first game's characters, like Liara and Ashley, have had their personalities radically altered.
The tech specialist class has been undermined by giving players of all classes the ability to open all vaults, thus making the game less replayable.
And finally, the wide expanses of the first game have been reduced to a series of hallways for the second game.
Unfortunately, ME2, while solving one or two of the first game's biggest problems, introduces other problems or makes old problems even worse. I enjoyed playing it, but they could have done much better with this. | video-games_xbox |
This is probably the most fun I've had with Assassin's Creed since the Ezio days . I have played every assassin's creed except Rogue, so this review will be highly comparative to the other games in the franchise. This is probably the most fun I've had with Assassin's Creed since the Ezio days (minus Revelations). This game is very good. I don't know if it is great, but I'll give it 5 stars for the way it reinvigorated the franchise. This, by far, eclipses AC:Unity from last year. Unity wasn't even a bad game (I was part of the probably 2% who didn't have any technical issues with it, but it just wasn't fun in some cases). This game is fun more often than it isn't.
The only knocks I have against it are its ease and its kidnapping. Ease - there are areas and missions that aren't recommended until you are more leveled up. I attempted these areas as a very low level, and had minimal difficulty completing them. Kidnapping - some missions require you to sneak up and kidnap people then escort your prisoner to an objective. I found these to be overly tedious "fetch quests" with annoying luggage (the person you're kidnapping). Furthermore, the game is called "Assassin's Creed", not "Kidnapper's Creed", so it was much more satisfying to end the person you're kidnapping rather than leaving them alive.
The story was decent but schizophrenic - for the first time, you get to play as two assassin's throughout the game: a brother/sister duo. The brother has little regard for the Assassin ways, and is more happy to wreak havoc than do something useful. The sister was much better of a protagonist, and would have been a fun character to play with throughout the game, but unfortunately she had to share the limelight with a boring brother. There also wasn't enough to differentiate the two as far as play styles - the brother is a straight up fighter, and the sister is a stealth aficionado. In some cases, such as GTA V, three protagonists worked nearly flawlessly, but in this game, it felt forced more than anything.
So, why, after all of the negative comments above am I giving this game 5 stars? Well, I like to be objective, so I included the above critique, but the 5 stars are due to the simple fact that the game is fun. Forget all of its drawbacks, the game is fun. The combat is better than it has been in awhile, the "bat-hook" gadget (shamelessly taken from Arkham) actually works, and the game was fun to play. | video-games_xbox |
Updated Review - Not like the Xbox 360. I have to update my review. Xbox One is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the Xbox 360. I bought this and received my Madden Bundle Friday. The interface and everything about it is not like the 360 at all. Party chat is hard to setup, sending game invites is hard, checking your achievements is hard. Doing everything on 360 on this Xbox One IS HARD!!! Capturing game footage is difficult without Kinect. This system really requires the Kinect to run smooth. Right out the box I have to buy an additional battery pack because the Xbox One controller IS NOT rechargeable like Sony's. Come on Microsoft. Your rival offers a system whose control is rechargeable out the box. The D-Pad is also a problem. I'm a competitive fighting game player who occasionally goes to tournaments and this D-Pad is a mess. I was playing Killer Instinct and to throw a fireball using the D-Pad was impossible. I have no problems using the 360 controller. The controllers bumpers are very uncomfortable because they don't click like the 360's but they feel rather 'sticky' to the point where you feel you can't press more than once. So what I thought was going to be an 'improved' controller turns out to be a downgrade. I mean I went from playing my PS3, to switching to 360, bought the One cause of all the friends I have on there but everything is really starting to annoy me. I was really trying not to be bias cause I wrote an amazing review but now I'm changing it. What really bugs me is me and my family did the game transfer so that I can play his digital downloads and the first few hours it worked well. I was excited that I can have access to my families digital title and vice versa with different consoles and that we can play online. It worked for a few hours and then it went away. Nope, they only allow you to switch back and forth 3 times a year and now the person who owns the original DLC have to sign in everytime I access his digital copies. Seriously? Forget the supposed 300,000 servers you have because I catch lag online, although minimal, is not what I expect. I'm sorry but I have to turn off my console and write this review because I'm sick of this. I'm sick of having to pay for Xbox Live/Gold to play multiplayer online when Sony is free. I want rechargeable batteries straight out the box like the PS3 & PS4. All these cheap deals for the Xbox One Madden bundle everywhere because you simply cannot compete because you refuse to listen to consumers. I'm not writing this because I'm a Sony fanboy but because I love playing my Xbox 360 much better than the Xbox One that I am returning this piece of crap and buying a PS4. #ANOTHER-LOST-XBOX-FAN | video-games_xbox |
Unreal Tournament 3 delivers on its promise of fast, and fun, multiplayer action. Unreal Tournament has always been about fast paced FPS action. This version delivers on that experience and provides a different flavor than other online shooters on the 360. The graphics and sound are both exceptional and every aspect of the game seems well examined and well executed. For better or worse, UT3 does one thing and does it well. Its all about multiplayer.
The core of this multiplayer game is well built. There are a lot of stages built into the disc and they're all impressive. UT3 uses a heath pack system where you can pick up health and armor, it doesn't recharge automatically. This might be surprising to someone new to the franchise but it works really well in the game. The guns, spread out over the stages, are all very unique and fun. Even if your opponent is using a rocket launcher when you spawn it doesn't leave you without any options. In that regard, the gameplay is well balanced. There is also vehicle combat in the game and the vehicles are just as interesting. I personally liked the Darkwalker a lot, but there are many to choose from.
There are a few different modes of play in this game. There is of course the standard deathmatch and team deathmatch. A variation on deathmatch, called dual mode, is made specifically for 2 people to fight one on one. There is also capture the flag and vehicle capture the flag. The final mode is called warfare and has both teams fighting for control of different connected points until one team is forced back to their own base and eventually destroyed.
If you are looking for a single player experience that game does throw you a bone. There is a campaign mode, which sets you through a series of missions until you reach a final boss that you fight in a duel. The campaign is really just bot matches in the same modes you could play in an instant action or online. The game tries to explain things like respawning and why you're trying to capture the enemies flag so often in the story, but the story doesn't matter. You can also earn cards in the campaign which can change the settings of the matches a little more in your favor. That adds a little but not a lot.
One plus to the console version is the split screen co-op play. You can play through the campaign or online with one additional person on your console. It would have been nice to have up to four, but two is still more than the PC version allows.
I really enjoyed UT3 and I think anyone who enjoys multiplayer FPS games will find a lot of enjoyment too. The only drawback to the game is that despite its attempts at the campaign its still all multiplayer. The game is quick to get into and has a high replay value. For those that think they would enjoy it, this game is definitely worth picking up. | video-games_xbox |
What the Smur, Mate?: A Smurf-Load of Problems Keeps this Game on the Kid's Shelf. Truth be told, there hasn't been a decent movie-inspired game release since Spider-Man 2 for the PS2 (2004) and the last one before that was Goldeneye for the N64 back in the 90s. Such games are designed to be copy/paste mash-ups from other games without any real thought put into them. The developers then slap their names on it, place the trademark logo and themes in it, and hear the almighty sound of "chu-ching!" I was not expecting to be enthralled by Smurfs 2, a disappointing sequel to an OK children's movie, when I had the opportunity to review it.
HOWEVER, as Cooking Mama always encouraged me to do, I sucked in my expectations and gave it my best effort... and lasted all of five hours before running away screaming with the Smurf's chant stuck in my head (la, la, la, la, la, laaa!) and it's the games fault!
The game is very basic as most film-games usually are. Smurfs 2 is a side-scrolling adventure game similar to Mario 2 as you can choose the character you wish to play as each level, each with their own semi-unique abilities. As you progress through the levels, you will combat and defea-... er... "rescue" woodland creatures under the spell of that old creeper Gargamel. Similar to Mario 2, and every other side-scrolling game there is, the player must avoid obstacles and hostile characters to reach the other side of the level and the points are tallied. Pretty straight forward.
Problem though is that Smurfs 2 suffers from a series of issues that have been resolved in previous games that this one is obviously copy/pasted from. It was enough to keep me cursing (albeit subbing all known curse words with "smurf!") much to the amusement of my friends listening in on XBox Live party chat. Now, I realize that this is a kids game designed for gamers MUCH younger than this 30-year-old with salt and pepper hair, but there is a point where developers get lazy in hopes to cash in on the child's familiarity of the franchise combined with the amazing power of, "MOMMY, I WANT IT!!" Gross mistakes get overlooked and the game gets sniffed by the general audience.
Let us begin.
The first thing that frustrated me were the voices. One of the problems with utilizing quick quips from voice actors for a good smirk is that it doesn't take long for those same quotes to get painstakingly annoying as they get repeated more than political campaign slogans during an election year. This is especially true if you prefer to use one character over another, as I utilized Clumsy-Smurf for his double-jump ability until I unlocked Brainy-Smurf's much more refined version, and had to mute the voices entirely as I kept hearing the same quotes over and over. On top of that, the voices, aside from the narrator, seemed anything but genuine and much less believable. Didn't seem as though the voice actors were even trying.
Next was the scoring system and bonuses. In short, they're worthless unless you want to get all the achievements (bleep, bloop!). The Smurfberries act as a life gauge... sort of, as it doesn't matter how many you have as one hit from any hostile will deplete your supply completely and, if you get hit again with no Smurfberries in tow, you restart the level. You get scored on how many Smurfberries and coins you have in your inventory at the end of the level, but only help the player complete challenges and achieve high scores... which lost their luster with online gamerscore and leaderboards. Not to mention few gamers will take to XBox Live to show off their Smurfberry collection. If the scores helped unlock abilities and characters to give the player an edge, they'd retain some importance but they don't. Coins help "rescue" other smurfs, but serve no purpose other than loitering around the village. The only way to unlock new characters to play as is to defeat stage bosses like a giant burping toad, Azrael, and Gargamel.
Oh, and there's a Smurfberry multiplier when you build up water vials, which are secured by "rescuing" creatures. Once you build up enough vials, the traditional Smurf chant begins to play on five-second repeat and Smurfberries are worth double. Two problems here. One, the music will make you neurotic as my friends on Live STILL love to torment me with that stupid song. The second is that with the points being worthless and you lose everything when hit anyway, the multipliers are pointless to achieve unless you are going for 100% gamerscore completionist.
I won't criticize the game for it's patronizing tutorials and extremely easy boss fights as this game is obviously tailored towards children. My guess is the age range is between 3-8 at best and no higher unless you're a very brave parent playing alongside your kids with your trusty ear plugs.
All in all, the game is grossly simplistic, boring, lackluster, tedious at times, really easy at others, and the Smurf chanting will send any sane person into a head-slam-into-wall frenzy after an hour of gameplay. Yup, definitely a game for children. Parents, watch your own risk.
If I were to make a better recommendation, I would point towards <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rayman-Legends/dp/B00BYDKCZK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rayman Legends</a> as it is a vastly superior game that even I enjoyed thoroughly. | video-games_xbox |
The Creed doesn't live up to the hype. I recently completed this game and it was my first foray into the Assassin's Creed series. I have the second game which I suppose I'll play eventually (I feel no compelling desire to continue the story after completing this game). Assassin's Creed definately looks good graphically and that must've been what drove the franchise forward because the gameplay/story were rather ho hum.
The premise is that your ancestor's memories are recorded in your DNA, and using a device called an Animus you can relive them. The story that takes place in modern times was interesting to me, but the dialog that happened back during the crusades wasn't so much...it just felt like inane and overly long chatter. Anyways, you are sent on missions to assassinate various targets for reasons you kinda discover why as the game plays out. Portions of the game are walled off, because you supposedly don't have enough mastery over the Animus to activate it.
The achievements are tedious...especially the flag collections (of which you must collect 420 to get all related achievements). The flags tend to be rather drab and don't stand out to well...as you get closer you may notice some intentional graphical distortions around them. You could spend years trying to find the flags without using maps available on the internet. The world seems kinda lifeless to me as well, since other than repetitive quest givers you really don't engage with any of its citizens and once you complete a side quest they disappear never to be seen again. Shopkeepers would've made the world feel a little more realistic I suppose.
I didn't really care for the walling off of city sections. Personally, I'd have rather just wondered around wherever I wanted and have the Animus just kick me out every now and then to advance the modern day plot. I don't understand why you had to pass through hostile guards or go out of your way to climb scaffolding to enter a city. Also as the game moved into the later chapters the difficulty of navigating the cities increased. As you progress, there seemed to be more and more guards and if you bump them (or are pushed into them) they start a fight with you. In addition they increased the number of beggars who push you into the guards. That made the completing timed assassination quests really annoying...especially if you left a pile of bodies from a previous failed mission attempt.
The part of the main assassin story I did like was the challenge presented by figuring out how to use your assassination blade on the main target (which I assume was related to an achievement...but since I didn't do it the other way I don't know if that achievement would pop anyways). Some of the exacting maneuvers to get in position could be frustrating though...especially when your character inadvertently veers off in a direction you weren't going in. Otherwise I didn't mind that as much as fighting an endless supply of guards while trying to move quickly through the cities.
In summary, the game is okay despite it's annoyances. I won't spend big bucks to get a copy of the game though...anything sub $20 is a reasonable price for it. | video-games_xbox |
TOYS + New Tech + Decent Brawler = Good Times. Scope of Player (me)
If you're curious to who I am as a game player so as to understand this review: 28, married, no children and the last games I just finished or am playing are Warhammer 40k: Space Marine, Cars 2, Burnout Crash, Rock of Ages and I'm highly anticipating Professor Layton 4, LotR: War of the North, Saints Row 3 and Uncharted 3.
If you want the quick answer/review, here it is: if you love figurines (regardless of points of articulation), fun and quirky character design, new technology, a decent 3rd-person brawler and the grind, then you should buy this game this very moment.
The Gimmick
There's always got to be a gimmick when you try to charge more than the "standard price of admission" for any game. In this case, the $69.99 you spend nets you the PORTAL OF POWER and three Skylander figurines. What this is used for is essentially your real-time character change. When you place a Skylander on the Portal of Power, the game recognizes this and swaps your character to the one you places on the portal. The really neat part is that it saves that individual character's stats (current level, stats, upgrades and hat). That means it's basically it's own proprietary memory card. I think Toys for Bob and Activision did a good job executing this new integration of figurines with video games.
I also like the way it's integrated as it's compatible across the board. This means if you bring your figures to a friend's house who owns a different system than you, you can still join the fight with your characters. There's even an online portal that allows you to access the Skylanders Universe with your figures, storing a separate chunk of data (web vs. console).
To be completely honest, I'd rather have DLC presented this way than your standard $4.99 download from XBL or PSN. At least you have something physical to show for it, versus virtual goods in general, which is something so many folks (see: your parents) have a hard time understanding.
The Game
The actual game is your standard 3rd person action brawler. You basically have three different characters to choose from (the initial three that come in the starter) and you just spend the rest of your time running through a linear map, fighting bad guys, leveling up and buying upgrades while seeking out hidden treasures that contain hats (which also give you buffs). This means you don't have to buy any more figures to beat the game (or get the achievements), but it does help and add more flavor to the mix.
It's definitely not a bad game as it really is presented quite well. I think my first inclination would be to compare it to Gauntlet. You can even break open barrels to obtain food items because your figure is likely hungry.
The visuals aren't anything to write home about as they definitely aren't pushing the system's capabilities nor is the writing in the story. It's definitely geared toward the younger crowd, but I think that's completely okay. It's a great way to really integrate the game playing experience with the family.
Speaking of family, Joe from Family Guy (the neighbor in the wheelchair) voices one of the characters in the game. I'm just waiting for him to ask Bonnie for something.
Should You Buy It?
Yes. Like I mentioned earlier, if you really love figures, new technology and well executed 3rd person action brawler games with a decent grind, this is for you. | video-games_xbox |
Very accessible entry into the series for newcomers but less of a horror-survival game. First of all let me say that Dead Space 3 is definitely more of an action-game than a survival-horror game as its predecessors were. Whether this is a good or bad thing is going to depend on where you're coming from into the series. I am a big fan of Dead Space 1 and 2, and came into this game looking for another entry in one of the best horror-survival games series I've played. What I got was more of an action-game, that while fun in its own right, was not nearly as tense or frightening as the 1st and 2nd games were. I've detailed below what I think is good and bad depending on what you're looking for.
For the 3rd Person Action Game Fans:
- Dead Space 3 has solid combat mechanics complete with a cover system and plenty of ammunition. So if you were drawn away from Dead Space 1 and 2 because of the lack of things like a cover system, punishing enemies, or low amounts of ammo then Dead Space 3 might be the one for you.
- There are lots of guns to mess around with and customize that can be a lot of fun to use
- There's Co-op play so you can jump in with a friend to help you along the way
- This is still a horror-genre game so there will still be scares and an appropriate tone throughout that can get quite creepy if you aren't into that, but it's considerably less intense than Dead Space 1&2.
For the Horror-Survival Game Fans/Fans of Dead Space 1&2
- The game continues the story almost directly from Dead Space 2, so you will be able to pick things up and get into the story quickly
- The plot definitely progresses the overarching story of Dead Space considerably, so you will be rewarded for playing through if only for the story
- The game is just plain less scary and much easier because of the plentiful ammo, easier to kill enemies, and just less emphasis on "tactical dismemberment" that defined the series.
- Inventory management is considerably revamped and is easier to use, but they universalized ammunition so again it's less tactical/true to horror-survival games.
- The co-op mode is optional, but unfortunately some side-missions are limited to co-op play only so you'll need to find a friend to complete everything/experience everything.
The storyline I think is solid and has plenty of surprises and shocks to entertain both new players and veterans of the series alike. It's a fun game worth playing I think, especially with all of the sales I see for it. The graphics are great as well, and they made great use of the snow-environment effects/visuals. It adds its own unique flair to things and helps differentiate it from previous Dead Space games. I personally played through on single-player first to enjoy the story privately, and am playing through again now to help my friend who's a newcomer to the series. I highly recommend playing through yourself first and then with a friend, both because you get to enjoy more of Isaac (the main character's story) first and then also the 2nd character's story during co-op play. I appreciate that the developers make what each character sees in co-op play different. For example Isaac may be recalling a vision from his past as he looks at something, which your co-op partner will not see even though they're standing next to each other - and vice versa. This game has a lot of polish to it and is fairly lengthy so you'll have hours of enjoyment ahead.
Though this isn't a horror-survival game anymore, it's still a fun game and one that I would happily recommend to newcomers and previous fans of Dead Space alike. | video-games_xbox |
Don't wait for the PS3 -- be patient, XBOX 360 pwns. Or get both. Here's why. Remember when the PS2 came out, and Sony hyped all the good things about it: the Emotion Engine, how its graphics were going to be SOOO great, etc.? Yet the original Xbox, everyone now agrees, is better than the PS2 in many ways. They are really not that different from each other -- most games get co-developed for both, so with the exception of a few things like Halo or Final Fantasy, it's the same game on either system. Just looks slightly different. I had both Xbox and PS2 until I sold my Xbox to buy a 360 -- and I played my Xbox 99% of the time because of Xbox Live.
Now I got my 360 a couple of days ago. Like most new products in their first few weeks of release, it has its flaws. You can read any of the other reviews here and see what I mean: Call Of Duty 2 lags out a lot in online play, Madden 06 has better graphics but worse gameplay on 360, etc.
But lets be fair: some game companies like Bethesda (Elder Scrolls) are waiting to release their game until it's perfect. And judging by the look of it, Elder Scrolls is going to be incredibly awesome. By the time the PS3 rolls out, the games coming out for 360 will have the kinks worked out of them. Then the PS3 will be expensive and hard-to-get, with buggy games, and everyone will praise Xbox 360. Because get over it: the graphics are going to be about the same. Sony is just a master of hype, as we saw with the PS2. And it works.
Look now: people are already saying how much better the PS3 will be when they've never even seen one. Yet they have in their hands the best video game console ever made so far, the Xbox 360. This thing is a beast.
And I give it 5 stars because I don't think that any of the complaints I have are really about the Xbox 360 itself. The thing itself is a remarkable, badass piece of engineering. The one that I have does not overheat -- I lay it flat so the fans on bottom are facing outwards and put some 1"x1"x10" foam strips that came inside its box underneath it to prop it up. I learned that kind of trick from my Apple PowerBook G4, which also gets very hot.
The wireless controller and headset is awesome. I love how you can turn the thing on and off from the controller. I wish it came with the S-Video cable, but at least you can get one. I don't think this is Microsoft trying to make you buy extra stuff; I think it was Microsoft trying to keep the cost of the unit down by not building every imaginable port onto it. It has one USB port, which is good enough for me: I'm sure they'll come out with the ability to hook up memory card readers to that, external hard drives, anything you can imagine. I'm sure it will run Linux like a dream!
I love how you can pull up your friends-list during a game without interupting the game, and how there is a button on the controller to do this. I love how it alerts you when friends log-in, and lets you message people during games. Quite frankly I can't imagine Sony having nearly as nice of an online implementation for their system -- meanwhile, I was able to seamlessly come over from regular Xbox Live without any hassles at all. It just worked. And I'm sure that lag issues for particular games will get fixed with the downloadable updates within a few weeks. I don't see that as a problem with the 360 itself.
Sony may have Final Fantasy, but guys, so many awesome games for the PC are going to come to 360 it won't even be funny. I hear from developers that the Dev Kit for the 360 is way better than Sony's for the PS3. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the big PC-based MMORPGs like Worlds of Warcraft or Lineage make it over to 360. We already kind of saw this effect with the Xbox, but with the 360, you can see in Call Of Duty 2 how well PC games translate over compared to even games from the original Xbox, like Madden 06, which basically sucks. CoD2 runs better on Xbox than my PC. How cool would Star Wars Galaxies for Xbox 360 be?
I'm not going to hold it against the 360 that its first games had some problems -- the same was true of the Sega Gensis, with the exception of Ghouls and Ghosts. I don't even remember what the other game was that it came with -- blocked it out of my memory.
I'm also not going to hold it against the 360 that they had trouble making enough of them, because frankly, the thing is made in China, and for all we know, Sony sabotaged some of the original units or some other Japanese supplier gave bad parts. Yeah, they're not flying off the shelves in Japan, but everyone hates America these days, and Microsoft is not the most popular of American companies. Still it's an important statement Microsoft is making: the gloves are off, Sony.
Personally, I'm glad there's at least one or two American companies that are actually competing against the Japanese in electronics. Funny that it's Apple (iPod vs. Walkman) and Microsoft (Xbox vs. PS). No coincidence that Microsoft emulated Apple's style big-time with the 360: the spinning wait indicator on-screen looks straight out of Mac OS X. The white plastic is totally Apple-esque. The "charge a lot for accessories" strategy is also very Apple-ish. And hell, Bungie used to be a Mac-only game company, once upon a time.
So I say give Microsoft credit for trying, and support America and American-designed products. Don't buy into Sony's hype, that's all it is -- hype.
And yeah, if you didn't get your Xbox by Christmas, they seem like they'll be around by January so no big deal. If you paid a ton on eBay for a VIDEO GAME, then no wonder you don't like it -- it's just a video game. It's barely worth even the $400 they are charging in stores, since for not much more than that, you can custom-build a gaming PC with a similar MHz, memory, and graphics card... lets be realistic, people.
-JJJ | video-games_xbox |
Decent headset with a bad mic, unworthy of its price. The A40s are a decent headset, but not without a few issues. I'll break this into sections (tl;dr at the end).
Headphones: The build quality is very high and made with good materials that feel like they will last. The headphones are sturdy, well-built, and all the moving parts move smoothly without hitching, and have a good, kinesthetic feel to them. They fit comfortably, are firm without pinching, and not very heavy (no sore head or neck cramps after 6+ hour gaming sessions). The sound presence is strong, but the sound is very heavy on the bass and the mids are very muddy; the treble is relatively clean but overshadowed by the bass. I like a cleaner, tighter, more balanced approach to my sound presentation and so didn't particularly care for it; but if bass is your thing, then you will not be disappointed at all. They are open-air so insides of the earcups don't get too warm, and you can still hear things in your surroundings relatively well, but is not distractingly noticeable.
Mixamp: If you game on consoles and PC, then the mixamp is a godsend for using your headset on all of them without fussing with wires. It can be a bit complicated to set up properly, and Astro does not provide any instructions on how to do it properly. The EQ and virtual surround modes only work if you are getting your audio via the optical in; USB and 3.5mm will only give you a stereo signal and no EQ (check online for forums that can help you get things set up properly). The EQ modes may be handy for some people, especially the Pro mode that makes it so easy to hear that chuckleheaded enemy sneaking up to drop a claymore next to you while you're sniping his buddies; I didn't care for the rest of the modes, as they really didn't do much except make bass heavier for music or movies, which the headphones really don't need help with. The virtual surround sound is a neat feature that's nice to have, although it wasn't anything amazing to me personally, but I'm one of those weirdos that prefers quadraphonic over surround anyway, so don't take my opinion on this feature too much to heart.
As a straight-up amp, it's rather mediocre. After the novelty of the EQ modes and virtual surround wore off, I stopped using it entirely and just plugged the headset into my old Pioneer SX-780, which despite being about 45 years old still sounds much better, at least to me. And it allowed me to adjust the bass and treble individually and mitigate the heavy bass and weak treble in the headset, which brought out the mids more and generally improved the sound balance. Its a shame the mixamp didn't have these adjustments on it, otherwise I probably wouldn't have unplugged it.
Microphone: The microphone design is complete garbage. It cuts out and/or pushes a lot of static into the line at random intervals--I could go for days or seconds without interruption. Wiggling the mic boom around occasionally cleared the problem, but I would often be forced to disconnect and reconnect the boom several times to "fix" the issue. Even if you don't game or make voice calls often, this level of unreliability is intensely aggravating; imagine constantly having to ask the people you're speaking to "Can you hear me? Did it work? Hello?" every few minutes or seconds. Are they not responding because your mic messed up again, or because they weren't focused on your voice? Who knows! Better unplug/plug it in and try again! After a few days of wrestling with this, my guildies just told me to not bother with voice and just use text chat. If you have to use your headset for work (for example, a call center) I would firmly point you in a different direction--imagine how angry your customers and/or boss would be with you.
This issue has nothing to do with this being a refurbished headset. This is an issue with the design of the microphone itself. It happens on my friend's A30s he bought several years ago, and if you check even Astro's own forums, you will see tons of complaints about microphones shorting out and not working properly, from the A30s through the A50s. It's an issue that Astro is most definitely aware of and has not done anything to fix for years on end. And these things are $250 brand new and they have this kind of flaw in an integral part of the device! Absolutely unnacceptable in a premium headset. This issue alone pushed me to return the headset for a full refund after only 7 days.
And if all that wasn't bad enough, the mic boom tends to slide down and doesn't hold its position well (I suspect it's the rubbery outer casing being too firm and keeping the flexible inner casing from doing its job). The one positive is that the sound quality of your voice is pretty darn good.
tl;dr Decent headphones, crappy headset. The A40s are a ~$100 pair of headphones geared for non-audiophiles with a deal-breakingly flawed mic stuck in them and a hugely inflated price tag, packaged with a mediocre amp that's greatest and well-deserved virtue is allowing you to connect all of your gaming devices to your headset. Not even worth the $150 for the refurbed package. | video-games_xbox |
This is what's wrong with the movie and video game industries these days. I'll preface this review by admitting that I'm a bit of a sci-fi cynic, and a pretty tough customer. That being said, I think my critiques are generally within reason, accurate and fair - I simply have high expectations for things. I really felt like I had to speak up about this game, as I was a bit sorry that I bought it in the end.
Story Mode -
If you read no other sentence in this review, remember the following one: the biggest problem with the STORY mode of this game, is that it has no sense of PACING. Essentially, it boils down to the following:
1) watch a cut scene
2) shoot (mostly) the same 5 or 6 enemies, while walking thru very predictable, linear environments (a never ending series of hallways/rock mazes for some reason) to get to your objective,
3) reach your objective, begin to craft/mold/tell the story of some potentially interesting, deep characters
4) badguys show up!! time to shoot again!!
5) fight a boss that jumps up and growls at you
6) go back to step 1) about 5 or 6 times
The problem I had with this game was that it comes off as very much, the same type of crap we've been seeing in movies/video games for like the last 10 years. Aliens/monsters/undead/trolls jump up out of the ocean or cave or something and growl at you for some reason (seriously count it, I think this exact same, rehashed scene occurs about 6-7 times in this game alone), and you shoot it to death. But what REALLY BUGGED ME, was that just as the game starts to get good/on a role with something, (there are actually one or two REALLY GOOD scenes), some monsters show up for some reason and you have to "hold them off" while someone gets gas or opens a door or does something dumb. It's frustrating. In the end the only character that ends up getting any real development goes away, and all that's left are these very bland, cliche marine type husks of personalities. Another note is that some of the boss battles just go on endlessly and are very tedious. I had to play the end boss about 10 times through (and trust me it is a LONG encounter), because some random dude would flank me because I was bored repeating the same sequence. Of course this is brought on by the fact that you can't die, because apparently all it takes to heal gunshot wounds, huge spider claws in your face, or laser cannon blasts from huge bugs, is for your marine friend to come over and pick you up and give some encouraging "dig deep solider" sort of words!
Multiplayer Mode -
I'll sum it up for you in just one word: SHOTGUNS!!!!! Boy did the power of shotguns (coupled with the duck and cover system) essentially reduce a potentially enjoyable multiplayer experience to a cheap, and simple bore, that will pretty much make you sick of it after a match or two. Basically your character has the extreme endurance to duck and roll endlessly right up to you (within shotgun range) and pull the trigger once or twice, while you blast them to within an inch of their life with your puny lancer. The duck and cover system is actually really fun and good in this game (it's pretty enjoyable in 1P), but you'll never get to use it to do anything intelligent, because in the end it's a lot easier for someone to run up and shotgun you than use any other weapon. Shotguns seriously account for like 70% of kills in the game. There are of course tactics you can use to increase your odds (see below), but the fact that you have to do this JUST TO PLAY THE GAME, to me, renders it silly and not worth the effort.
In the end I sold this game after about a month.. I wish I had rented it instead.
Tips for killing guys who only use shotguns (without using one yourself):
* Use the lancer, always. Don't ever use the retro lancer (unless you prefer it to shoot with)
* Use sound to your advantage. When you hear someone behind a corner or a piece of cover you are on, get ready for them to jump out from behind it. Just as they do, rev up your chainsaw bayonette and move INTO them. Sometimes this gets you shotgunned by one of their teammates, but it will get you a 1 to 1 k/d ratio, and hopefully it crushes the shotgunner's spirits, if nothing else ;)
* In open terrain, when you spot a guy running towards you, attempt to gun them down with the lancer before they reach you. If they make it to your cover piece, use tip 1).
* if you see one of your teammates in a "duck and roll shotgun fun time, lets see who happens to get lucky first," type of battle, sit back and shoot your lancer at the enemy.
Some of the most fun I've had in this game is getting 7x kill streaks off of tools who will only use the shotgun. That's all I got. RENT DONT BUY. | video-games_xbox |
What NFS should've evolved to. When I first heard about Forza Horizon, I thought the game was taking the wrong direction. The new Need for Speed: Most Wanted is basically Burnout Paradise 2, and I thought Forza Horizon was Turn 10's take on trying to be more Need for Speed to attract people my age (I'm 21), but aren't necessarily gearheads. Little did I know, it's basically a free-roam version of a Forza title, but less simulation. The release of the demo a few weeks before the game's released made me very excited to play the full title. Luckily for me, a local Meijer had copies of the game ready to go at midnight, so a short walk led me to having a copy of the game in my hands.
TL;DR version: I LOVE THIS GAME!!! If you like Need for Speed-ish games, but want something more realistic, grab it. Don't even think twice about it. If you're a die-hard Forza fan, play the demo first. If you're curious, again, play the demo first.
Forza Horizon is based on the fictitious Horizon festival in Colorado. The Horizon festival centers around a rave theme, which is appropriate considering that EDM has taken off in the States. Along with the theme comes the race events, which you'll take part in, with the goal of working your way through the ranks to take down the three-time champion, Darius Flynt. It reminds you of a friendlier version of the original Need for Speed: Most Wanted, since, although you are racing in the streets, the game does not center around illicit street-racing. However, there is an option to engage in illicit street races, and they also carry a hefty pot if you just so happen to win one.
From the beginning of the game, you're introduced to Scott Tyler, one of the three DJ's for Horizon's three radio stations. Scott is the DJ for Horizon Bass Arena, a station for those that like House (it sounds a bit like Acid House to me), Electro, Dubstep, and Drum & Bass. Horizon Pulse is the Indie station, and Horizon Rocks is, obviously, the Rock station. Although it's described as being more of a "Hard Rock" station, it's more of a "Punk Rock/soft Rock" station. If you're expecting to hear something that sounds like Disturbed and Metallica, you're going to be sorely disappointed. If you're not a fan of Skrillex, Modestep, Wolfgang Gartner, Netsky, Nero, Digitalism, or Sigma, you're not going to like Bass Arena. Fortunately, the Xbox 360 allows custom soundtracks for every game, so you're not forced to listen to the stations if you don't want to. Personally, I LOVE Bass Arena because EDM is currently my favorite genre of music.
Once you fire up the game, your thrown in a 2013 SRT Viper, cruising on the streets of Colorado, when Scott Tyler states that the champion is on his way to the festival and he "does not play nice with others". At the same time, Darius's Ferrari 599XX (yes, the race-version) passes you and you're instantly thrown in a race against a car that's much faster than yours. It's not a complete blow-out, and it's possible to pass him, but slip up once and he'll gladly show you what the exhausts look like. There is no reward for reaching the "finish line" before Darius, though it is an exciting experience to be thrown right into a high-speed race with Drum & Bass thumping in the background. The "finish line" is actually a group of racers, with your nameless protagonist among them, listening to the radio and watching as the Viper you were driving and Darius pass them, still in a heated race. You're then informed that there are only ten spots left to participate in the festival, meaning you're thrown in another race in an attempt to earn a spot in the festival. Once you finally reach the festival, you're greeted by the CEO of the whole event, Alice Hart, then introduced to Dak, an elderly gearhead who clearly has a place in the game.
Your very-first car in the game that you get to buy is, surprisingly, either a 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI or a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION, because your first event is an off-road event. Introducing the first-born child of Forza and Dirt, ladies and gentlemen. Unlike the previous titles, you start off in pretty-decent cars. It's also insanely easy (compared to previous Forza titles) to obtain money and to buy faster cars. I was able to buy the million-credit Koenigsegg CCXR before I was even halfway through the main career. The game rewards you for turning off assists and turning up the AI difficulty. For example, turning off everything, but leaving the transmission on automatic and the AI difficulty on medium doubles your winnings in every race. If I'm not mistaken, the highest bonus you can receive is 120%. That means, for example, if you win 30K in a race, you'll actually walk away with 66,000 credits, because the 120% bonus granted you an extra 36K. It may sound like the game is a walk in the park, but Hard and Insane difficulty settings actually live up to their names. Matter of fact, I don't think the computer makes mistakes on Insane.
Also, from the start, you're introduced to the "Stars" of the Horizon festival. For example, the first Star you must defeat in order to move up in the ranks is Romana Cravache. This is where the similarities between Horizon and Most Wanted come into play. In order to advance in Most Wanted, you needed to complete the challenges set by the Blacklist member you're trying to beat, then race him/her. Beating them gave you a chance to win their car. In Forza Horizon, you must win enough races to earn the amount of points needed to advance to the next wristband. They go from Purple to Gold, with Gold being the last wristband you earn. Once you earn enough to advance to the next wristband, the Star of the previous one will challenge you to a race. If you win, you keep their car. When it comes to the story, you're actually beating the Star drivers to the next wristband, knocking them out of the competition. Them challenging you to a race and putting their pink slips on the line is more of an attempt to get "revenge" due to you eliminating them from the competition.
When it comes to gameplay, Forza Horizon attempts to balance out realism with an arcade-feel. Imagine not worrying about damage like in Need for Speed, but still needing to pay attention to cornering and throttle control like in Forza. Returning from Forza Motorsport 4 is the option to have Manual with a clutch. You can still upgrade your cars, for example, by putting a body kit or the always-present Forza bumper and spoilers to improve your handling, but tuning has been completely eliminated from the game. The only "taste" of tuning you get is you have the option to upgrade a lot of the cars to whatever Performance Index you want. You can take a B-class EVOLUTION an mod it so that it can participate in R1 class, but that doesn't mean it's going to perform very well at the class. I bought a Gallardo Superleggera (a stock S class), had it at R3 class, and tried to upgrade it to R1 class. It's horrible at R1 class, but is amazing to drive at R3 class. To add to the simulation feel, this game still requires you to learn the appropriate line to navigate the track. You're not going to take many corners at 150mph a la Need for Speed, unless you're on the highway in a Koenigsegg. To better explain how the game feels, imagine Forza Motorsport 4, but easier. You don't have to worry about throttle control to prevent oversteer as much (unless you're in a high-powered vehicle), and you don't have to take every corner perfectly in order to win the race. It's more forgiving this time around.
The cars in the game range from your typical "middle-class" vehicles to the toys for the wealthy, to a few full-blown race cars. Some of the cars include the Koenigsegg CCXR, the Pagani Zonda R, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Ferrari F50GT, Ferrari 599XX, Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-SpecII, Nissan GT-R, Shelby GT500, and the Lamborghini Aventador, just to name a few. A full car-list can easily be found online. While the game does have a nice blend of cars, and a lot of cars I actually like, I can't help but feel the race cars are out of place here. The theme is an event that takes place on closed roads (with the occasional illicit street races). You would think all of the cars in the game would be street-legal to match the setting. To balance it out, though, you can't go to many events with the fastest cars in the game, and the ones that DO allow the fastest cars aren't unlocked until the last wristband anyway. It works well with the whole, "Darius only races the best drivers at the festival" story bit, because the best drivers are driving the fastest (sometimes race-built) vehicles.
There are a few things I didn't like about Forza Horizon. For one, whenever you're in a race against one of the Star characters, they tend to repeat their lines and movements. With Ali, this wasn't as big of an issue for me because I actually liked him, but if you didn't like the characters the first time you ran into them, you'll hate them by the time you finish the game. Another thing I didn't like was that the map, as big as it is, doesn't have a lot of road to take up the vast amount of empty space. You'll also find yourself on the same track throughout multiple wristband events. For having 216 roads to discover, you'd think they would be able to have more variety in the tracks. Granted I only remember repeating five of the circuits, but still, that's five too many. The story, while again, featuring characters I do like, is a bit too bland. You start as the new guy without a name, work your way through the ranks, beat Darius, and then........nothing. You just beat him. You win the last festival race, beat him in a street race, win his car, and the credits role. For having such a long build-up to the final race between you & Darius, I was hoping for at least an ending. Instead we get "Well, this car is now yours" and credits. To say the ending is a disappointment is an understatement. Also, the day/night cycle is too short. According to the official forums, it's about 45 minutes. While I appreciate the cycle, I wish it were much longer, especially since night-racing is so much fun.
Overall, Forza Horizon is an amazing game, that actually does a pretty good job trying to capture the modern "young adult" culture in regards to style and music. The game is very-fun to play, has a nice blend of an arcade feel with realistic physics, and successfully blends the two things I love the most, electronic music and cars. | video-games_xbox |
Great, but there's flaws. What you need to know. I have now ordered 4 of these, if that tells you just how much I like them....
And tells you just how likely they are to break...
By break, I mean, I had the red translucent one and the Realtree camo one... and eventually one of the thumbsticks just went crazy. On the red one, it acted like the right thumbstick was permanently pressed up, making me have to compensate during gameplay by slightly holding the thumbstick downwards (i.e. in driving so I'm looking forward instead of stuck looking at the top of my car). The red one got the most mileage with about 6 months or so.
The Realtree one was only for PC gaming (no Xbox at all) so it was used even less frequently and broke even faster. Again, the thumbstick went bad, but I actually think it was the left one. In games like Skyrim, the character "view" would just constantly spin in circles with nothing being pressed, but as if someone were holding the thumbstick to the side.
After the Realtree one broke, it was replaced with a pink translucent one (the cheapest at the time) and I just, this past week, ordered a green translucent one to replace my now broken red one. So, we'll see if those last longer than the first 2. Already the pink one has outlived it's camo predecessor.
Word of advice: Just get which ever is cheapest. These controllers are excellent, but don't invest $30 or so bucks into one with the likelihood it will have to be replaced.
Even with this major flaw, I still keep ordering it because I just really like the feel of the controller. It's lightweight because, of course, it doesn't have the battery pack. I like the stick sensitivity out of the package. And I love, the most, that the triggers don't have to be pressed down like a full inch to get full power. The triggers only have about a 1/2" pull to them AND the spring-loading is slightly looser for easier pressing and snap back just like a normal controller. The appropriate stiffness, but just easier to press repeatedly and for long periods of time... or for holding down the "gas pedal" for long races, where after playing with the OEM wireless Xbox controller, it just freaking exhausts my hands, causes cramping... it's just unnecessarily large.
The controller is also very proportionate. It really is a "miniature" version of the standard controller. Every thing, buttons, d-pad, sticks, bumpers, triggers are all in their respective places in spatial relation to one another. And that's why it's great, in addition to it just being simply small and lightweight.
I wasn't especially "rough" on these controllers at all, so I can't say that it came from "wild kids" throwing the controller around, however, I will say it just being corded as opposed to wireless, did make me more prone to, at times, just dropping the controller on the floor when I was done. Just natural reaction, I guess, after previous years of gaming with wired controllers. The Xbox 360 is the only system I've ever had with wireless controllers, so I've tended to be more careful with those, them seeming foreign to me and more like a remote control... and I don't typically just drop the remote in the floor when I'm done with it. So, I've treated the OEM controllers slightly better, you could say, but also like I said, they weigh more, so you probably wouldn't go dropping them in the floor anyway, considering that and the battery pack potentially popping off the back. Who knows really, but I did notice a bias in the way I handled the different controllers. One feels like a gamepad and the other feels like a remote control (a huge, monstrous, heavy one).
I will keep buying these as long as they keep breaking and I can get them for a decent price (less than $20 with shipping).
I'm just warning you... don't spend a lot of money on a specific color or design. It's not worth it. Just get them for their functionality purposes alone. And when not in use, put them up to try to prolong their life and just use your OEM controller for media purposes.
NEVER BUY THEM USED. There is limited mileage on these things, as I have stated, so I would not trust a seller with a used one. It could have the broken thumbstick and still look perfectly normal, like I said. Just don't risk it.
Another MINOR flaw is the D-pad is only 4 directional in comparison to the OEM 8-directional D-pad. This really isn't an issue in most games. The only game, I think, I've ever played that allowed usage of the extra 4 (corners) directions is Fallout 3 (and possibly New Vegas) and it's used for setting "shortcuts" on to pull up certain items faster. That's really it.
Great controller, just buyer beware... | video-games_xbox |
Needing help to learn each game, You can pick up small things on YOUTUBE. My biggest question, Why NO help on a web site. I watched TV commercials for Forza 4 for my first lesson on how to play the game on the Xbox, which wasn't much. I GUESS every kid growing up knows how to play all games. If your like me starting out at 60 years old you are screwed, the bits and pieces I've picked up are fun but leave me wanting to know much, much more. A web site with tips on how to play would sure help. I can set a car up to race and building fast motors mixing them together for a fast ride comes easy. why does a new car wobble all over the track like there's one bolt holding on each front wheel. I didn't like Horizon, if I could pick a car that I know handles good stock or only needs a few speed parts to make it corner like it's on rails I'd pay a few bucks but I'd be way more happy to get a decent supply of speed parts in the trunk of my first car. Screw the command to turn around and race in the rally without the car going fast around corners and some practice I'm not entering any race just driving as fast as I can away from that rally. It was fun not following instructions, just wish it didn't steer like it was on ball bearings. I wasn't born with Forza 3-5 and a Xbox so I had no idea what to do or how to play. SO COME ON can't you give a one page sheet of helpful ideas on how to play any Forza game. I wasn't born knowing how to set the camber, caster and toe-in on a race car. If you only had the money for chrome wheels or anti sway bars which person would know the wheels would help with wide tires and lowering the car down in the weeds. So spend your money on a stiff suspension, sticky wide tires and a very low body height. The game can teach, it's very fun, and most of all talk to those who know how to set a car up for the track it's going to run on. 60s muscles cars are for going in a straight line or in a collection. R. Curry | video-games_xbox |
Rezet's Xbox 360 Game Review: GUN. The Gun seems to be one of those games that receives either all high reviews from some people and all bad reviews from the others. And once you play it, you understand why. The game itself isn't a mindless shooter like "Serious Sam" but feels more like "Grand Theft Auto" in the mid-west when "law" was something people only read in the books. Ahh well, who am I kidding!? They didn't read books there.
The game is set in a relatively free roaming world in the wild west where the job of a main character varies from simply surviving an ecnounter with a crazy drunk with a gun to bringing down one of the most wanted enemies. There are plenty of missions to do of a few types, but they all mostly evolve around shooting or running/riding... much like "GTA" if you think about it.
The idea of the game seems relatively fresh (at least setting wise) and there are certainly some good points about the game. Riding a horse for many missions certainly is a highlight of the game. But there is a reason why [in my opinion] this game only gets 2 stars.
To begin with, the graphics in this can at most be considered mediocre, and at worst... well simply poor. While environments seem pretty interesting and well enough made, the character models are some of the worst you will see in the current Xbox 360 games. Quite frankly the quality of the character models seems of a good Dreamcast game, or a poor PS2 game. Which leads to the next point - why pay extra ten dollars for the game that looks and plays pretty much identical to regular xbox and very close to PS2 versions? Some may say it's worth it for a HDTV support, but [in my opinion] this is pretty foolish. Even 1080i will not give you much joy if the characters up close look like they were rigged by a high school student messing around with 3D Studio Max.
The animation is also very poorly done. Not only there is a huge lack good looking effects, but when a shooting breaks out, it seems like the enemies steps and moves don't even match what's going on the screen. (If you thought sliding feet against the floor was bad, wait until you see these NPCs' moves)
But graphics aren't the most important part in the game right? Right! But the biggest offender in this game is not poor looking graphics but rather poorly designed controls. From the very start a player is taught the basic controls with small hunting missions (which I must admit, are very well blended into the storyline). But soon it becomes quite clear that shooting and aiming is rather frustrating than fun. And although GUN uses similar idea of "Bullet Time" from Max Payne game for a "Quick Draw" (slow motion shooting) it is poorly executed. Left analog stick cycles the targets that are near your view but adjusting the view is nearly impossible manually in that mode beaceuse camera barely moves. Which leads you to constantly switching from "Quick Draw" to adjust the camera.
Although the storyline is certainly there and it blends quite well into the game overall, dealing with some individual missions is just tedious. Anytime you are attacked by the NPCs, you can count on dozens of them coming out wave by wave for a shootout. They die from one or two shots usually and don't possess too much danger if you get used to controls, but after a while you just start to wonder, when the wave of mindless enemies will be over already!? Some enemies can pack a punch, espcially bosses, but at the same time, you can heal instantly by drinking out of the bottle right there in combat. Silly? Yes. Majority of my mission failures were caused either by not knowing what to do, mostly due to poorly provided objectives, or simply by messing up because of horrible aiming and shooting controls.
At the end, unless you always wanted to play a step down version of Grand Theft Auto but set in the wild west, stay clear of this game. You will do yourself a huge favor if you still decide to check it out if you rent the game first. And even if it happens that you like it, save yourself some money and buy an Xbox or a PS2 version instead (if you have either of those two consoles). | video-games_xbox |
Mediocrity at It's Finest. Mediocrity at it's finest, long time fans of the genre will likely find this addition to the Rock Band incredibly lacking. The appeal of playing with instrument-shaped controllers carries over from previous installments with almost no attempt to innovate (with the exception of free-style solos, which replace the fun and challenging portions of many songs' solos with a random button mashing option, a feature which thankfully can be turned OFF) while every other aspect of the series is stripped back or poorly retooled in what honestly should have been launched as a free-to-play title. Visually RB4 may look worse than it's predecessors, with fewer character models, less impressive venues, and very little attention paid to choreographing band actions to your current song, with poor lip syncing and random illogical performance animations marring most songs, and these visual breaks are frequently repeated often even within a single song. For those of you that enjoyed the avatar aspect of the game, the option to make digital versions of you and your friends as rock gods has more or less been wiped from the game, replaced with the option to dress up a single anorexic character type with a very scant selection of costume pieces and instruments. Do you like competitive or cooperative online play or leaderboards? Well, this feature is completely GONE as well. The game's one fall back is it's pre-established backlog of DLC, which was heavily pitched to long-time fans as a way to download your entire DLC library to RB4 entirely free, which also turned out to be woefully inaccurate. A majority of the singles, packs, and albums are available, yes, but many of them are missing, and those of you that spent the money to port forward RB1, RB2, RB3, The Beatles or Green Day: Rock Band, Rock Band Blitz, RB2's bonus track pack, and/or LEGO Rock Band will find that the hundreds of songs available through these venues are not available in RB4 at all. Worse yet, the game offers no easy option for performing this backlog download. The in-game store will point out SOME of the songs downloaded through your account as purchased, but will miss a lot of them, it will also miss songs already downloaded to your console. The only real way to get your songs back is to go through the DLC library's 2,000+ tracks one at a time, selecting each song you believe you purchased and seeing if the X-Box store will prompt you to purchase or simply redownload the track, or tell you that it's already downloaded. It's a cumbersome process that takes several seconds to run per track, for avid buyers who bought a lot of songs over the last 8 years this will be a grueling hours-long process. When all was said and done, it took me a few days just to get my library populated, and I'm not even certain I've got all my tracks back yet. But now that I've got so many tracks in my library the game has trouble running the song select menu, as album art will frequently not show up, and after listening to perhaps a dozen or so track previews while deciding what to play the game stops previewing the selected songs, which can make choosing your playlist difficult if you don't know all of your songs by their title.
Rock Band 4 is little more than a skeletal representation of the franchise as a whole and would never have been an acceptable release on last gen consoles that can still play any other Rock Band title. It's an entirely over-priced package that misses every mark it aims to hit, from it's supposedly "next gen" development to it deceptively lacking DLC library. Without any of the features and small details that have made previous Rock Band games great, Rock Band 4 isn't likely to impress anyone. I've you've got a way to play the previous titles then avoid this one at all costs. | video-games_xbox |
Surprisingly Fun, Ridiculous Take on the GTA Open World Crime Genre. When the first Saints Row came out early on in the Xbox 360/PS3 generation, Xbox fanboys crowed about its "superiority" to GTA: San Andreas, which wasn't surprising, given its exclusivity to Microsoft's then-new console. The problem was that Saints Row, despite being one of the first GTA-style games of its generation, was actually behind the curve in a number of ways compared to San Andreas. Boats had been in the GTA franchise since GTA III, with motorcycles and helicopters entering the scene in Vice City, and planes and....well, just about everything else being added in San Andreas. All this was absent in the original Saints Row. In addition, San Andreas gave the player essentially a whole state, with 3 cities, countryside and small towns to play around in, while Saints Row kept things in a not-so-big, single city. In fact, San Andreas was so ambitious that it was foolhardy for people to claim that Saints Row would make anyone "forget" about San Andreas. That being said, Saints Row did bring some things of its own to the table, such as HD graphics, superior controls, more solid framerates, a multiplayer option, customization and over-the-top side missions. But the question remained how the franchise would fare in the face of GTA IV.
I will admit that I gave GTA IV 5 stars in my review here, in large part due to its technical achievements and sheer immersiveness. But in all fairness, it was also a step back. In pursuing that "sense of realism", Rockstar Games may have gone too far, removing the vast variety of activities, vehicles, and other factors that made San Andreas so mind-blowing. Several months after GTA IV's release, Volition released Saints Row 2, and you know what? It was a major improvement in the franchise, and dare I say it, surprisingly more fun than GTA IV. In fact, while it still couldn't quite top what San Andreas did in terms of scope, variety and ambition, Saints Row 2 actually managed to top San Andreas in terms of control and user-friendly design in some ways. It was clear that Volition realized Saints Row 2 needed to at least try to incorporate a number of things that were missing from the first entry, and as a result, created one of the best "B-games" out there.
By B-game, I mean a game that doesn't hit you as a "system-seller", or a game that doesn't even bother to try to catch your eye with cutting-edge technology. Saints Row 2 isn't a horrible-looking game, but in comparison to GTA IV's atmospheric graphics, SR 2 was certainly behind the times, with a washed-out color scheme, and a decided lack of detail which, while providing a generous assist in terms of steady frame rates, could be best described as "generic". The city of Stilwater isn't really based on any specific city, and while that does mean it comes off feeling a bit cookie-cutter, it also gives the designers more freedom to make it "video-game friendly". This time around, Stilwater is a noticeably bigger place, and has more variety. The aforementioned freedom means the developers could stick a minature mountain right in the midst of the city, throw in an Animal House-inspired university campus next to it, create an elaborate museum peninsula, complete with transplanted Greek Ruins, throw in a prison island, and power the whole lot with an island with a sprawling nuclear power plant. Oh, and there's a trailer park area, for fans of Red County from San Andreas. It's still only one city, and sadly there's no real countryside areas (although there's a farm and suburbs mixed in), but Volition deserves credit for trying to mix things up even while using the same city from the first game. It also should be noted that there are a fair number of interior environments, tunnels, and canals that encourage exploration.
The story itself is no great shakes (it's actually not linear enough to give that sense of progression I prefer), but does provide ample framework to put your character in some whacked-out situations. Speaking of your character, one of the game's massive advantages over the GTA series is just how much you can customize your character. Male or female, various different races, muscular, young, old, pretty, ugly- the character creation feature is akin to Oblivion's robust editor, and you can even change your character's physical features mid-game at the plastic surgeon's office. There's plenty of clothing options to go along with that, and frankly makes GTA IV's character "options" look like a joke. In fact, it's this concept of freedom with your avatar that translates into pure fun in various aspects of this game. The controls in this game are extremely player-friendly, with free-aiming, zoomed aiming, a handy sprint-button, and one of the most entertaining aspects: grabbing people. You can grab most other characters, spin them around as a human shield, and most importantly, toss them when you're done with them. I cannot emphasize enough how entertaining it is to go around throwing people in this game, matched only by kicking them in the crotch (which you can do if you're dual-wielding firearms).
In a similar vein, the game encourages you to create as much chaos as possible, by not stripping you of your weapons if you die. You don't have to worry about being arrested either; in the world of Saints Row, the powers that be must've issued "dead and not alive" orders to the police. In a sense, it almost seems that Stilwater is a sort of videogame hell, where dead bad guys from other videogames are reincarnated as hapless citizens, to be tormented by the player. The design ethos here rewards the player for just about any decision he/she makes, whether it's car-surfing, hijacking people in their cars, pulling off stunts, mugging, or simply dressing in a cool outfit. And speaking of "optional" activities, the side-missions in this game are something else. The insurance fraud activity returns, encouraging you to injure yourself as much as possible, while the "Fuzz" and "Crowd Control" activities allow you to express your inner sociopath with the full appearance of societal acceptance. And as for "Septic Avenger"....well, who knew spraying fecal matter on everything in sight paid so well?
In regards to the first game's failure to look beyond cars as transportation, Volition has more than made up for that failure in SR2. Boats, jet skis, motorcycles, helicopters (including an attack chopper), armored personnel carriers, passenger jets, and even WWI bi-planes with machine guns- you'll find them here, along with the ability to activate a parachute if you're falling from high enough. Vehicle handling, while somewhat arcade-ish, is done well enough in most cases. The weapon variety puts GTA IV's selection to shame, while unarmed combat is quite satisfying.
Most importantly, this game has been designed to be gamer-friendly. You can replay missions you've already completed, and the "chaos creation" aspect of this game is tuned so well that it's comparable to Just Cause 2. The customization aspects of the game (which also include car customization, choosing a theme for your gang, and design options for some of your safehouses) allow for a level of personal attachment that one might not expect, while the constant stream of rewards for completing missions, side-missions and activities provides motivation for staying engaged with the game (in completing 92% of the game, I've logged over 60 hours). If GTA is a parody of the real world, SR2 is best described as a parody of a parody, and should be enjoyed as such. There's room enough for both franchises here, and I laud Volition for rising to the challenge (which they also did with Red Faction: Guerilla, coming from the disappointment of Red Faction 2 which almost killed the franchise). Let's hope Rockstar Games uses this as motivation of their own to bring back some of what we missed from the GTA franchise. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome. The short version:
Buy it if you can find it for about the same as the orginal price, it's awesome. The only drawback it doesn't come with a season pass for the price....
The Packaging:
Large, this is the best way to describe the box this piece of gaming awesomeness comes in. If you're like me and UPS decides to deliver your package to the front office of your appartment complex you'll get some glances and maybe even a comment. When I walked in to get the box the first thing I heard, "That thing is huge what did you order?!" I simply replied "Prepare for Titanfall" and "have a nice day" then I got the box home. Now fast forward to the part where I get the box open to the actual Titan fall packaging. Okay the graphics on the outside are pretty awesome, but there are these annoying clear circle tape pieces... my bane in this type of packaging. I work ever so gently to remove them to avoid damage to the art on the box, to no avail on piece two part of the graphic came off with the circle rookie mistake. Fast forward to the last piece of hated circle tape, its down to the wire here I gently start to peel it back and as if hitting the one mine in a game of minesweeper I removed yet even more art. Picking up the pieces of my crushing circle tape defeat I press onward to the next stage of what I have mentally deemed "Operation don't f**k up anymore of this box". Luckily the rest was relatively easy removing the now defiled awesome outer cover of the box was a simple slide directly up or down and the placing safely to the side. Now the box under the outer cover was equally cool, and solid...solid is good. Next came the removal of the Titan/game/book/poster/ Certificate of authenticity. What stood in my way?Solid cardboard struts and foam pieces, all kept for a time when the Titan may need to be re-boxed.
The Atlas Titan Pilot and Grunt figure set:
First off if you collect figures from games this is an awesome addition to any collection. The Titan is massive in comparison to almost every other figure I have ever owned. What you get in size and detail of the Titan you lose in the solid feel of it, feels cheap but looks really nice so I'm okay with the hollow plastic feel. The three other figures that come with the Titan are solid, and detailed well, I must say if the Titan was of the same quality the piece as a whole would be solid and heavy. The lights that it has are a nice addition, and the ability to change whether the Titan is the friendly and the pilot "rodeoing" is the enemy or the other way around is nice as well.
Art Book:
Now moving on to the Art Book, very solid hardcover book to say the least. I'd wager you could smack your friend with a solid blow to the head for touching your newly opened Titan Figure with greasy fingers and the book would be just fine. The inside is just as awesome as the hardcover weaponry it posses. I'll let you find all that goodness out for yourself it's worth it.
Poster:
The poster, need I say more? It's a nice addition which you could frame or put up on your wall or just leave folded neatly somewhere safe.
The certificate of authenticity:
Basically a neat feature letting you know which number your Titan statue is out of 35,000 that were made.
The Titan Fall game:
Yep its the game nothing remarkable, comes with a two day xbox live trial card and an advertisement for Battlefield 4 premium, silly EA I won't be needing that, might as well advertise for Hello Kitty: Adventure Island.
Closing remarks:
The one thing I wish this had included with it for the price would be the seaon pass, as most every game ever has them now. Its only like 24.99 USD on the market place but I guess 250 isn't enough to cover that in the collectors edition or maybe this one company that starts with an E and ends with an A just wants more money... Not saying its true... | video-games_xbox |
It Works. So I actually got this off eBay for about $20 less than the listed price here. I did read the reviews and they were mostly negative. I myself thought I'd regret buying this shoddy product. I was excited to get it and I tried it immediately after I tore it out of the package.
My first opinion when I set it up was that it sucked. And here's why. (This is on my first two days with it)
I have a USB Keyboard and Mouse so the directions said you should be able to disconnect the wired controller required to start it and plug in a mouse. After a while it would disconnect. Then the disconnects became for frequent. I figured I'd need a PS/2 connector so I could keep the controller plugged in and not lose connection. So I found my old extra keyboard and used that. It was still disconnecting with my keyboard, my mouse, and the wired controller all plugged in. I figured it was the mouse so I used another extra mouse I had, a Logitech MX518. (My favorite mouse)
That took care of that problem.
Still the only use I could find for it was the turbo feature. In Call of Duty (for example) I was able to turn semi automatic weapons (some of the stronger ones) into fully automatic rifles. Which works like a rapid fire modded controller except you can set it to whichever buttons you'd like.
Now the sensitivity was very messed up still so I spent a couple rounds of private matches trying to get it to my liking. After a few tries, I was able to get it near perfect. Keep in mind the MX518 has sensitivity buttons on the actual mouse (helped a lot in my opinion) and that needs to be configured along with the in-game sensitivity and the sensitivity on the actual Max Shooter.
Now I'm able to play just as comfortably as I had with the controller. Possibly better.
After a lot of work the thing does what it says it does. If you can't get it to work your first couple of times I suggest you just keep trying. | video-games_xbox |
95%, best FPS for a LONG time. Now this is what I call a first-person shooter! More first-person games should be like this. The genre has become far too embroiled with cinematics and trying to be like Hollywood action films. The Old Blood gets 5/5 stars from me, for an add-on this is the best Ive ever played. The first hour or so was really boring but later on you realise this is a GREAT game. I would go as far as saying by the time Id finished it, it was my favourite first-person ACTION shooter since Call Of Duty 2. I play mostly all FPS games and know what Im talking about.
Why?
-NPCs with GOOD, aggressive AI, who actually want to kill you rather than stay in cover in a pre-defined area until you inevitably push forward. I noticed they follow you throughout the level if you move into a previous area which is really exciting and gives you a sense of urgency at all times.
-High fps, with just high-res textures without fancy lighting effects killing the frame rate. I believe this runs at 60fps throughout and I didn't notice any slowdowns, and I loved almost EVERY minute of it.
-Encourages stealth so you don't set any alarms off, but you can go in guns blazing if you want to
-Does not hold your hand too much, you cant see people through walls or any of that crap and no yellow-brick-road
-Perks do not kill the game, they don't make you ridiculously overpowered and actually make you play with different weapons and styles to unlock them
-Levels where you can actually go where you want for the most part with very few invisible walls
-Great pacing, moments where you can just explore the detailed environments in between firefights. Varied enemies which require different tactics to maneuver.
-Lots of secrets to uncover
There are lots of great things to say about The Old Blood, here are the things I didn't like so much.
-Lots of the story was text-based, could have been pushed more via cutscenes
-No multiplayer or co-op
-Short
I love the developers who made this game, and Id love gaming to have more games like this then following modern trends. I fantasise about more games using this engine. | video-games_xbox |
More of the same. A few years ago I would have been extremely excited when all the hype surrounding Modern Warfare 3 started to surface, but after 2 lack luster COD titles from both IW and Treyarch, I knew better than to expect that this game would be much of an improvement (if any) from MW2. When the game was released I didn't even lift a finger to go out and get it and the only reason I finally tried it out was that it happened to be in my local Red Box machine.
Single Player
If you played MW2, then you basically already know what to expect here. While the environments are different everything else is pretty much the same, save for a few new weapons. Enemies seems to spawn endlessly and always concentrate there fire on you out of all the people in your squad. There is still non-stop action, endless explosions, and too many "OOOOH LOOK AT THAT!!" moments. Admittedly, it wasn't as bad as MW2 which was just a complete mess, but still anything would be an improvement over MW2 single player campaign. Where the game differs from MW2 is that is is EXTREMELY short. As I said earlier, I got this game from Red Box, for a couple of bucks, and the next day, about 5 hours before I had to return it, I had already beat the game on Hardened. My official completion time was 7 hours, 11 minutes. So if you plan to play only the single player, do not waste your money, it is not worth it at all.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is where many people will be spending their time with after playing the single player, so after beating the game, I decided to try my hand at this. Basically all the problems in MW2 (and Black Ops) are also in MW3's multiplayer. IW completely ignored all the issues and complaints from many gamers such as myself had with these two titles.
Spawning: People still spawn right behind you, seemingly immediately after you move out of a spot. I remember being spawn into a game for the very first time and I'm already getting shot in the head before I can even move. I wish this was an isolated incident, but unfortunately it is not. I don't know why IW and Treyarch can't ever seem to get spawning right. What I find funny is during an interview with IW, they came right out and said that spawning was fixed. WRONG!
Hit detection: Hit detection is still horrible. Playing Core is already ridiculous enough as it is being though it takes 35 shots to bring someone down, but this coupled with poor hit detection makes this situation even worse. I guess this would be better when playing Hard core, but you can't even play hard core until you reach a certain level, so you are forced to deal with this issue until you reach a certain level.
Magic Bullets: Just like MW2, bullets still seem to curve around corners, so don't think you are safe from enemy fire, because quite often the bullet will still find you.
There are some nice new game modes like Kill confirmed which doesn't award you a kill unless you pick up the person's dog tags, but the base game play is so bad, even this game mode is not enjoyable as it could have been.
Maybe IW will "patch" it again, but I don't understand why can't they get it right the first time for once. I'm glad I finally got to play the game, and I'm glad I beat the game for only 2 dollars instead of dropping fifty or sixty bucks on a 7 hour single player game, and the same flawed multiplayer that the COD series is unfortunately becoming known for. All of my XBOX Live friends who I played Black Ops with frequently have moved on to MW3, but I decided to not give COD anymore of my money until they make a concerted effort to fix what is wrong with their games. You know I wouldn't even mind the lack luster single player so much if their multiplayer was on point, but it is not. Me, I'm still playing Black Ops, and honestly once I reach the 20,000 kill mark, I will stop playing that game as well.
The COD series is becoming the Madden of First Person shooters, minus the exclusive license. They release the same game every year with a hand full of new features, but refuse to fix what has been broken for years. They instead use their resources make flashy commercials hoping to reel in the next batch of sheep that will blindly buy their games every year for years to come.
If you only want to play this game for the single player, do not waste your money on a purchase, this game can be easily beaten in a few hours. In addition, if you are expecting an improved multiplayer experience from past COD titles, then you definitely will not get it here. At the minimum, I would say the single player is worth playing, but other than that I wouldn't even bother. | video-games_xbox |
Decent, but. For 2015 this game has to many things that should not exist. Artificial game time inflation, horrible controls, a saving system that is less than stellar, and is a massive grind fest. I've invested 13 hours into the game, and am only half way through the story. The reasoning behind this, inflation. To progress in the story you have to unlock certain things for your car, which is all fine until you realize the game is forcing you to do extra missions to continue with a story. An example of this is at the point when I said no more: I have my car upgraded how I like it, but to continue I have to go defeat a "top dog" (mini boss) for a paint scheme for my car, reduce the threat in "Pink Eye's" territory to 3, then get roughly 3,000 scrap to be able to buy all the upgrades I need for my car. Defeating the top dog isn't a huge difficulty, but I find it annoying for the studio to say that everyone's car would be their own unique vehicle, when in reality they are forcing me to make it into a specific car. Reducing the threat, we'll that's quite a bit more annoying as that could potentially take 2 or more hours of playtime. To reduce threat you have to destroy mine fields, destroy enemy camps, kill specific snipers placed in the wasteland, and destroy totems, some of which you can't even destroy without the proper gear. Now to get the 3000 scrap, you would think this would at least be an abundant resource in the game, but no, apparently this stuff is gold. Each scrap pile you pick up is 8-20 scrap, and you can get extra with a certain ability in the game, but its usually only 3-8 extra scrap. You can also find scrap pallets worth 60-80, and scrap trucks (extremely rare, only found one after 13 hours) which offer 300-600). That said scrounging around looking for this stuff would take at least 4-5 hours, unless you have your ally camps scrounging for you, but even then they only bring in 200 every 30ish minutes, so it'll still be several hours of gathering. And the amount of scrap they want you to spend on things is unreal. For all of the upgrades you can do to Max himself, it is several thousand scrap, plus to fully upgrade each stronghold, 4 in total, you need 3000 scrap, plus scrap to upgrade the car, your looking at 20-40 thousand scrap easy. That is some massive time invested in this game. I think so far I've described how the grind of the game and the artificial play time inflation, so now I'll cover controls and saving, both of which will be shorter. Saving isn't the worst I've seen, but it is annoying that it only seems to save at the strongholds, forcing you to drive all the way back to wherever you were to get back to what you were doing. Now doing this may not seem bad, but when you realize how unnecessarily large the map is you realize how aweful this choice was. The map is insane, especially if you were to ever have the inclination that you could walk anywhere in the world, because you would be dead wrong. Sorry, got side tracked, on to the controls (which will be for Xbox one, so remap them as A=X, B=O, Y=Triangle, X=Square, LT=L2, LB=L1, RT=R2, and RB=R1) They are aweful, and I know a lot of review just say they are awful, but I haven't seen many that describe why, so...they are not intuitive with any of the controls learned so far, like the studio didn't realize you could map more than one function to a button. For instance most games have the jump button set to A, the evade set to B, then if you come across something you need to pick up, you still press A or B to interact with it, LT is generally aim, RI is shoot, RB is usually grenade; however, in Mad Max LT is jump, aim is LB, RB is evade, RT is run (unless you are holding LB, in which it changes to shoot), A is interact, B is quick shoot, X is attack, and Y is parry (which is nearly useless, as you rarely ever actually parry, and instead often get hit). So there now you can actually see what the controls are, and why they are considered bad.
So that covers all the problems I have with this game, which after reading, you may be wondering why I gave this 3 stars, it's because in spite of this, there are things that are fun, especially after getting past the controls. The setting of the game is really cool, a post apocalyptic universe that is pretty much run by the amount of gas you have. The car driving is actually not that bad. And the controls while driving aren't bad, definitely more intuitive than the non vehicle controls. Basically this is the way you should judge whether or not you should get this: are you a huge Mad Max fan that just loves everything about the universe created in the movies, are you a person who enjoys massive open world sandbox games, even though there isn't a huge amount of story, and what story there is is going to require you to grind a lot. I would NOT recommend this to someone who has a large amount of games they still play or need to beat as well, or if you have any sense at all and read everything I've said. If you have literally nothing else to play, or any games you're anticipating then grab this. I know a ton of other reviews say fallout this and fallout that, but I will use the comparison here and say if your going to put side quests and activities in, make them optional and not mandatory similar to fallout. | video-games_xbox |
Same old, Same old. This only covers multiplayer. I read up before I bought this, and nearly all the professional reviews on gaming sites had a consistent theme: "It's not an evolution for the franchise, but it's freshened up just enough to be worthwhile and exciting again." I call B.S. The theme was so consistent that the rumors of big developers sending out "talking points" to the sites who score advance copies (and want to keep getting them in the future) must be true.
If you loved COD multiplayer in the past, and aren't yet sick of it, then you will love this game. If you were growing weary of the repetition before, this year's COD will not "breath new life" into the game as the professional reviewers would want you to believe. You can try a different topping on your pizza every night of the week, but come Friday night, you have still had pizza every night for dinner. Every yearly installment of COD has turned into pizza with just a different topping. The perks are largely the same. The weapons are largely the same. The only (minor) nuance is the addition of the jet pack/exosuit, because adding a vertical dimension with jet packs is the flavor of this year's gaming year. (see Titanfall and Destiny for examples). This new wrinkle is not enough to make you go "OMG, this game is so new again!"
Soon, I felt like I was playing the same matches I played last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. Some are saying this is the greatest COD since Black Ops 2. I respectfully disagree. Black Ops 2 had great maps. These maps, to accommodate the jump packs, have been built more vertically, rather than out. It's like turning a one story house into a two story house with the same amount of square feet. It's taller but a bit more cramped. Some of the maps are also really bland and generic looking, and are how I would imagine Mass Effect 3 if it was a multiplayer game.
Do I hate it? No, but I am kicking myself for buying into the hype and BS reviews that claimed this years installment was just fresh enough to "reinvigorate" the franchise. To me, they might as well claim new seat covers and some air freshener will make my car feel "new" again. If you gotta have and play the yearly COD, then by all means jump on in and have some fun. If you are on the fence, and can still recall when the dread of familiarity first started setting in for you with this franchise, hold off until the inevitable holiday discounts. If you gotta eat pizza every night for dinner, you might as well use some coupons. | video-games_xbox |
Bioware thought, "Let's just put it out. Dragon Age II is a weird game coming from Bioware. Fans of Bioware like that it often has deep plots and lots of intricacies. Unfortunately, something went wrong with this game.
The original Dragon Age followed a typical arc story pattern for fantasy. Something really terrible happens. A group of enemies thought to be long extinct reappear. The prince has a plan for killing all the enemies in one glorious battle, but his main general decides against throwing it all away in one battle and pulls his reinforcements, leaving the prince to be destroyed. (Your character lights the fire to signal the reinforcements and watches them leave.) We have a clear set of problems, deadly invading army and a treacherous general. Watch story unfold.
In Dragon Age II, the invading army from the first one has smashed this character's homeland and he's fleeing with his family. His brother gets killed in the ensuing battles, and when his family makes it to another city, they find that it is overcrowded and the only way in is to spend one year in indentured servitude. From there.... nothing happens. There's no arc, no rising tension, nothing. Instead, out of the blue a major dramatic event will occur with no real rhyme or reason to it. Frankly, the story is just stupid.
Because the main story is stupid, your side quests are also likewise stupid. They involve a lot of "go here and get this" or "go here and save this person." Unlike the first game where your side quests contribute to the overall plot and make important changes in the game, nothing at all changes in this one.
The next problem is the drab, repeating scenery. There are a handful of major zones, each of which has sub-areas. You cannot access the sub-areas directly, so you have to run through several zones to get to them. Since the quests have you running into the same areas over and over and over again, you will soon find yourself bored to tears running through the same areas. Coupled with this, most of the quests are inconsequential "pick this up and drop this off here" style quests.
Next, the game only has one beginning, and only three choices of what you can do. In the first game, you were given dozens of choices which gave you a different beginnings and a distinctly different feel to your character. In this one, you get one cookie cutter version, and I hope you like it. Likewise, your companions are cookie-cutter pre-made and I hope you like them as well. The ending is cookie-cutter pre-made, I tried changing that and it ended up the exact same no matter what I did. Here's a cookie cutter game made for people who want to play RPGs, but don't like RPGs. It's a strange demographic.
Another problem, the skill settings are ridiculously easy. In the first game, you need to use potions, manage your team, coordinate attacks, etc. In this one, I just mashed the attack button ad nauseam, that was the whole strategy. The graphics have a few nice moments, but since you get your choice of brown, brown, or brown; the few nice things like the statue of you killing the Arowak are few and far between.
The saving graces of this game are the voice acting and the dialogue. Bioware still has some of the wittiest writers in the gaming industry, and your companions will often bicker with each other and have several humorous scenes. That is the one saving grace though. Dragon Age II is an incredibly mediocre game compared to the original. You get a lackluster plot, downgraded graphics, (the drawings look very cartoony), a meandering narrative, and a lot of "Where the f*** did that come from?" moments. H
Overall, this game feels rushed. Like someone said, "Hey, we need a game to fill in the space between now and Mass Effect III, can we just release some crap and see if peopel will buy it?" (I did). They pulled this trick off twice because the DLC for Mass Effect II was another "hey, we need to milk some money from our fans" add-on. Is the CEO of Bioware having a drug addiction problem that these sorts of crap games are being shoved out?
Bottom line, this is a bad game. Bioware has done a thousand times better in the past, and the craptacular nature of this game is making me reconsider pre-ordering MEIII. | video-games_xbox |
Worthwhile though repetitive. I put about 10 hours into each of the cop and racer careers, which was just enough to 1000/1000 the game's achievements. It was my first Xbox One game and it was a pretty decent one to start with, but far from the best racing game I've played.
[+] The graphics are really cool, but only barely noticeably better than racing games I have on my Xbox 360. Have we plateaued with car graphics?
[+] The careers give you lots of short-term objectives to work towards which make it a lot easier to keep playing for longer than you expect. It is addictive at times when you are always so close to meeting another goal.
[+] I really like being able to drive around in a large open world with other racers, though you can also play offline if you wish.
[+] Vehicle "pursuit tech" and upgrades are not a new feature or idea, but they are nonetheless fun ways to be rewarded for playing and earning points
[-] The 3-4 different types of events for each "faction" get repetitive and don't offer too much variety.
[-] I found the racer career significantly less fun and more annoying than the cop career, since you almost always have people chasing you even when you're not really doing anything "wrong". It gets annoying to not be able to take a breath for awhile in peace. The cop career obviously doesn't have this problem since you are the law so you can do whatever the #*!$ you want with no repercussions, much like in real life
[-] Loading times are excessive for a game installed to your hard drive, especially when you are just going to your "hideout" which just loads a menu. There should NEVER be loading times just to get to a menu screen! There are also too many disconnects in online public games, which really interfere with enjoying the game.
So overall, probably not the best purchase at full price, but it did provide me with many hours of entertainment that I could certainly recommend at bargain bin prices. | video-games_xbox |
Mostly a waste of money and not very memorable. So far, the DLC for Fallout 4 has been pretty lack luster. Two were simply crafting add-ons and only Far Harbor did any true additions to the game. I count the Automatron as a crafting add-on since you pretty much do it to have the ability to craft robots and get a new settlement. The story in it was pretty ok at best. Far Harbor adds a new area, new quests, but overall didn't add much to the game. It felt like the same old Fallout 4 but with a coastal paint job. The saving grace is listening to Nick Valentine's lines throughout the DLC. Yet that also makes this less an addition to the Commonwealth as much as a character backstory for Nick Valentine. You finally learn about his creation, how he ended up with severe memory loss, and why he was left out in the garbage. You get several new settlements and have to deal with the fog creatures and the condensers. Aside from that, it's still the same Fallout 4. The third DLC that's out as of this writing is purely crafting. Honestly, for a season pass, that should NOT have been part of it and it should have been just a regular game update. DLC is adding new life into a game, not expanding on old gimmicks. Building settlements is all fine and dandy, but it serves little purpose. Yet, settlement building is what Bethesda is banking on most for this game apparently. Personally, between Sanctuary and Spectacle Island I get so much purified water that I never go broke.
If you are a die-hard fan of Fallout, go ahead and buy the season pass. IF you are more like me, a first time Fallout player and are as under impressed by the game as I am, then only buy Far Harbor separately. I only got this because I had some cash back and stuff to bring the cost down to $15. There is nothing in these DLCs to merit the price Bethesda is asking for. So again, buy Far Harbor (the only true DLC) or buy season pass at a steep discount if you can. | video-games_xbox |
Great game with a few flaws. Brief Review
Graphics-5 stars (players move and look realistic)
Gameplay- 4 stars (While the game itself is very fun, it can be challenging because of how easily your player dies)
Sound-3.5 stars (Gun sounds realistic, but their could be a little more in squad chatter)
A.I-4.5 stars (A.I is smart and hides behind cover most of the time, even iniciates flanking movements on you and attack from you blind side if you are alone and they have you pinned down. But sometimes venture out into the open and are easy prey.)
Overall-4 stars (While this game is very fun and challenging, I find myself getting very frustrated after I have died the 10th time)
Extended Review
Graphics- Player models move realistcally and fluently, enviorments look and act very real (Example, when you are hiding behind a corner and enimies are shooting at you the corner will gradually disenigrate as it is hit by bullets).
Gameplay- The game itself is very fun, however, you will find yourself dieing very quickly unless you plan out your strategy. Yes, this means that in this game, there is no run'in and gun'in. Instead, stick to cover and eliminate your enimies with well placed shots. If you do end up in a gunfight and get pinned down, move quickly becuase the A.I does not forget about you, they will come and attack your position. The best way to go through this game is to work well with your squad. Pin down enimies with cover fire from half your squad while the other half moves from cover to cover.)
Sound- Good sound, guns sounds realistic, can even hear when the bullets hit enviorment, easy way to tell your being shot at. Not much player chatter though, so you are mostly just sitting their in silence while you complete your objectives besides the rare appearances by your commanders.)
A.I- Not only is the A.I strong in this game, they are also smart. The A.I is capable of carring out intricate flanking movements and acually retreat and regroup when they are losing a battle. They also group together before they mount an attack. ALso use vehicles very well, they will send in a vehicle first before they attack to soften you up and then their main force of ground troops will arrive.)
Overall- If games were ranked on graphics and A.I alone this game would give it a five, but only average sound and difficult and frustraing gameplay bring this game down to a 4. | video-games_xbox |
An amazing game, but has some flaws on the 360 exclusively. The Good: Amazingly deep lore, tons of items, skills, and party members, simple yet fun combat
The Bad: Ugly, some frame rate issues, long load times, it ends
JRPGs that were the standard are now being taken over by western RPGs and one of the main developers responsible for this is Bioware. Dragon Age: Origins is a very deep game mainly in politics, religion, and mythology that is reminiscent of Tolkien lore. Not only is the dialog witty and humorous, but everything piece of dialog is spoken with great acting. Each character is memorable and Bioware really does it with their morality game play because it takes ten minutes to decide a choice since they change game play so much; more so than in any other Bioware game.
The game has different factions you can play as (dwarf, human, elf, then different classes in those races) and each takes about 50+ hours to play (my first play through was 41 hours). You start by customizing your character, but that isn't the deepest part of the game. When you start out with any race you learn the combat basics, and they are pretty deep yet also very simple.
The actually combat itself is the standard hit the attack button and watch the characters hack away. You earn experience by killing enemies and level up accordingly. The game has a radial menu that lets you access your potion and trap making, skills and techniques as well as combat tactics. You can create traps and potions by learning the skills over time, and by using ingredients found throughout the game world (I found both of these useless). Skills range differently from mages and warriors, but warriors can learn different fighting styles such as two-handed, dual weapons, sword and shield, and even archery. Each class can learn other classes techniques and that's the beauty about Origins. There are dozens of different skills to learn and you won't learn them all before beating the game.
The sheer depth of the game is mind boggling, but I know one thing that people are concerned about an that is side quests. There are dozens upon dozens of them to keep you sastified, but of course you don't have to complete them all. There are also tons of codex pages to pick up and read on this deep and wonderful lore that Bioware has created. There is enough stuff to read to fill a history book, but if you're not the reading type you can just skip over this. There are hundreds of different items to obtain from armor and weapons to ingredients and gifts to make characters like you better.
After playing for about 5-10 hours you will realize how much the game relies on your actions to tell out the story. Unlike other Bioware games you will notice these changes right away and sometimes a decision in the beginning can progressively make things worse or better for you throughout the game, and it will make you regret what you did and that is brilliant.
The deepest part of the game is the menu itself in which you equip your gear, check quests, codex pages, and your map, but there isn't much to explain other than your normal inventory menu. Thankfully the game strays away from unnecessary stats that boggle your mind and make you want t quite playing.
Playing the game is fairly simple and the controls are easy. You can control all four party members which gives you a nice tactical advantage, but most of the time I just played as my created character. Just remember when a character dies during a battle you have to wait for all enemies in the area to be killed for them to be resurrected (unless you have a mage with that skill). I found the game very very difficult on the normal setting (almost impossible) so the easy setting had to be used and that was challenging enough. Traveling between areas is easy enough since you use a world map, but you can encounter battles in-between the areas.
One of my biggest gripes about the game is that is it pretty ugly. The Xbox 360 version is the ugliest with flat muddy textures that looks like you're playing on the lowest settings. Why this is I have no idea, but there is also frame rate issues and long load times every time you enter a new area. There is also some sort of collision detection issue because when you press A to attack an enemy party members will sometimes dance around the enemy before attacking and this can kill you in tight situations. This seems to be a huge issue when many characters are on one enemy.
In other words if you love deep stories that deal with Blights, an Archdemon, and a deceitful king then buy this game, but try to get the PS3 or PC versions since they look better. Dragon Age is probably one of the best western made RPGs in decades, and with so many items, skills, party members, techniques, and side quests you are in for hundreds of hours of addictive RPG game play. | video-games_xbox |
Not Ridge Racer. I bought this game when it was $3.79 On XBOX Live.
This is absolutely nothing like any other games in the Ridge Racer series.... and I have played them all extensively...
Keep that in mind when you get started with this game; because if you are expecting Ridge Racer you are never gonna find anything that even resembles any of the previous incarnations of Ridge Racer, and that may blind you to what is a pretty darn good game....
DRIFTING - THE BAD: This game has drifting mechanics that are completely unlike any that have been seen previously in or outside the Ridge Racer series. There is NOTHING in the game that explains this. No Tutorial. No Help Section. No Voice Coach. Because the controls are so unique most racing game fans who experiment with them will probably get very frustrated, as you generally will not get the result you expect from the drift button. It is worth mentioning that the drift controls in this game are almost the polar opposite of the powersliding mechanics used throughout the Ridge Racer series.
DRIFTING - THE GOOD: Drifting well is amazingly easy to do! The controls are very solid once you get used to them. It is very satisfying to blast out of wicked curves. I find that the best method for me is to drift without letting up on the gas, until the nose of my car is pointing in the direction I want to go and then let go of the drift button and tap the break. It is a very quick tap if you are under 100mph, at speeds above 100mph you need to hold it a little longer. Try it a couple times and you will get a feel for it. Try it for half an hour and you will be ripping around the curves like nothing.
GAMEPLAY - THE BAD: The gameplay is as unique as the drift controls. You really have no idea what you are doing until you go thru a lot of frustrating trial and error. An example is all the stuff you can break without a power boost. In most games you would be trying to steer clear of stuff like concrete barriers and convenience stores. In this game you want to hit that stuff. The more stuff you destroy at high speed, the more points and power boost you score. The visibilty is often pretty bad, it can be very difficult to see where you are going, especially when a bunch of explosions rock the screen. The AI has the ability to "frag" you also, which always makes me think of Super Mario Kart WII (which was possibly the worst game ever made). The cars stats are a little too "basic"and there is no way to customize the look of the cars beyond a very limited color choice. There is no tuning them up or upgrading them. To me the #1 "bad" issue with this game is not how difficult it is to get into 1st place, instead the problems stem from it being INCREDIBLY easy to go from first place to last place with a single, simple mistake. No matter how good you get at controlling your car, you will never "master" Domination or Shindo style events. There will always be a certain element of luck involved......
GAMEPLAY - THE GOOD: The sense of speed is great. The controls are pretty easy to use effectively once you get the hang of it. The car stats are very simplistic and you never have to spend any time tuning, or Upgrading them. Power is awesome. You can use it to frag an opponent or crash thru the walls of a bank. It isn't as simple as just speed boost and the "mechanics of destruction" that power enables really makes for crazy fun show. The different game modes give you plenty to do. This game is EXTREMELY challenging from start to finish, which is something I personally really like.
GRAPHICS - THE BAD: The graphics on these tracks are just a little too busy and a little too dark. Couple that with the strange angle at which you view the track and it creates some pretty severe visibility issues, it can often be hard to resolve whether you are looking at the road or a wall until it is too late to matter.
GRAPHICS - THE GOOD: Everything in this game EXCEPT the cars is beautiful to look at, even though the sheer amount of stuff on the track can make it hard to figure out what you are looking at until you are on top of it.
So.... if you are looking for a Ridge Racer type game , you are looking in the wrong place... but if you are looking for a truly unique and fun (but often frustratingly difficult) racing game to challenge you for a few dozen hours you might want to give this a chance..... I love racing games, and, while I can't see this becoming a "favorite" it is a lot better than it generally gets credit for.... and in my opinion definitely worth playing through for fans of any genre.
I can't decide between 4 and 5 stars....but I am gonna go with 4 because the lack of tutorial or instructions really leaves you on your own.....and that means that there is gonna be a lot of frustration at the beginning.
EDIT: I just spent a couple hours playing this game and I am getting pretty angry. The further into the game you get, the less the races have to do with your driving skill and the more they have to do with luck. Even a slightly botched drift will take you instantly from 1st place to last place. It also seems that there is a sort of "tether effect" which advantages the AI.... several times I have been 9-10 seconds in front of the second place car with nothing in the rear-view only to be fragged a second later.... this is not true for the player, when you are 9 seconds behind you are 9 seconds behind. I am docking this game 2 more stars..... I have no issue with the cornering or drift controls.... but, in a racing game your racing skill should at least have some effect on the outcome.... This is just starting to feel too much like Mario Kart Wii. The more I play this the less I like it..... But I have played thru every aspect of every single Ridge Racer since the PSX was King of the consoles and I am not ready to give up on this. I never heard of Bug Bear studios before....but I hope they have no further involvement with this series. | video-games_xbox |
A definite WINNER. I'll keep this review short which is somewhat difficult as I do tend to ramble on a bit too much at times.
It seems as though one cannot help but to compare this game to MW2 seeing that they are both FPS games and very similar in some ways. However, I've never been a fan of MW2 and thought it rather ridiculous and totally silly. Yes, I know I am in the minority on that opinion but so be it.
With that said, I'll have to say that BC2 was a real breath of fresh air and makes MW2 look like a simple moronic shoot `em up game with no meat to it. With BC2 there seems to be a sense of purpose rather than constantly being dumped from one location to another without the faintest idea as to why you are there other than to shoot your way out as in MW2. As in MW2 you regain health by taking cover but there the similarity stops with quite a jolt!
There is no health meter per say but it is similar to MW2 with blood droplets/smears on the screen to show that you have been injured. However, unlike MW2, when you are injured you are only a second away from being killed and that is on the normal mode! I can't even recall how many times I was killed just in the first couple of hours playing this game. Of course, when you are injured, you take cover to regain your health or during an intense fight but again; you're not all that safe! Walls, be they wood or concrete, are eventually chipped away by the enemies bullets and also by incoming rockets so don't expect to be safe for a long period of time while taking cover. By the same token, you are also capable of doing likewise to the enemy. I actually like this as it gives more of a challenge as opposed to how it was handled in MW2. I think a child could breeze their way through MW2 as your health was replenished very quickly and you found yourself actually tripping over the abundance of weapons left by slain enemies. Yes, the same feature exits as to picking up a new weapon in BC2 but not to the same ridiculous extent.
Graphics? Not much to say here other than fantastic.
There are four options as to your sound input which is a nice feature: Home Cinema - Hi-Fi - TV - War Tapes and Headphones. Although I play using headphones I opted for the "War Tapes" which is unbelievable!
I can't comment on Multi-Player as I never do so nor do I care to, but that's just me.
Bottom line, a highly recommended game if you like FPS games, realism, great graphics and sound effects and a good dose of an a adrenalin rush. I only gave this game 4 stars out of 5 as to me, a 5 star rating indicates a PERFECT game, and in my opinion, no such game exists and probably never will. But.....there is always hope!
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Battlefield-Bad-Company-2/dp/B001QXNBJM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Battlefield Bad Company 2</a> | video-games_xbox |
Recommended and 1000's of Gamesaves are available if you know how to use a Search Engine. While it is true that there are a limited number of saves for the Xbox 360 setup by Datel and available through their PowerSaves Action Replay software...
There are literally 1000's of Xbox 360 gamesaves available on the internet that ANYONE can find with a simple internet search.
This product, the "XBOX 360 Action Replay Max Power Saves" is essentially a repackaging of their original "Xbox 360 Transfer Kit" with an included software package that lets you downloaded Datel created gamesaves already setup for you. While there are a limited number of saves available directly from Datel, that should NOT sway you from getting this product.
Having the saves already setup by Datel can be beneficial since they set up their saves to AVOID achievements from unlocking out of order (which can gain the attention of MS and anyone looking at your gamerscore if unlocked out of order. IE, last level beaten before the first) and the software can automatically resign/rehash the saves so that they automatically work on your particular Xbox 360 (if you add your Xbox 360 console and gamer profile ID information to the included software).
Features:
1. You get the original Xbox 360 Transfer Kit cable.
2. A license code to access Datel's 360powersaves to download a selection of saves.
3. Software to access, backup, replace, and manage your saves and Xbox 360 files.
4. Included Software also rehashes / resigns Xbox 360 files.
5. It comes in a silver medal box to hold everything.
The included software works with gamesaves available from other sites and from random people that post them on the internet. You can also easily use any of their existing software such as Xport, Xchange, or use 3rd party software such as Xplorer360 as well as any of the multiple of rehashing/resigning products that you can find using a simple internet search.
Given that there are a limited number of saves available directly from Datel, and that there are 1000's available online from a variety of web sites you may want to save a few dollars and go with their original Xbox 360 Transfer Kit. The saves available directly from Datel should be considered more of a bonus than anything else. The cable that comes with this package (as with the original kit) does what it's suppose to, which is let you plug in your Xbox 360 memory card to your desktop computer (PC) so that you backup your files and or download other people's gamesaves for use in your own games. Therefore we give this product a positive rating.
Anyone that knows how to navigate their way around a Search Engine can easily search for "Xbox 360 gamesaves" and to quickly find sites where people post FREE and DOWNLOADABLE gamesaves. Such as the free gamesaves forum over at the xploder web site.
If you are looking to access your Xbox 360 memory card files on your computer either get this or their original "Xbox 360 Transfer Kit". | video-games_xbox |
I Am Slightly Perplexed. Okay, I see that the reviews are scattered about this game. In the following, I will be making many comparisons to COD, for that is the leading franchise of FPS games, currently. In reality the most pertinent information is that I recommend to BUY THIS GAME! An added bonus is that it is now around $20, come on, minimal cash for a very fun game; nice. However, if you want to read my breakdown of the game, continue on. Now, let's set the story straight.*
Campaign:
I buy my games for the campaign. I do not have high speed, so there is not a nanosecond of consideration for games that have "amazing" MMO gaming. That is not why I buy the game, and frankly is why I am very disappointed by the Call of Duty franchise currently (Treyarch excluded); COD MW campaigns are short (very) and I am left with just multiplayer...Hmm, I am slightly jipped (now they added spec ops, thankfully).
When I first started MOH, I noticed that the graphics are not up to par with say, COD MW 2. However, the scenery is very well detailed and I was happy through the entire game with the graphics. As another reviewer stated, I don't give a flying crap about a slight blur here or some jagged edges there. NO BIG DEAL! Let me also mentioned that this game was released close to a year ago! So, I will let the graphics (which are still decent) slide. Graphics are not the deciding factor of a game; it's entertainment (still play Halo: CE all the time people, and it never gets old).
The actual game play was entertaining. A major hook, line and sinker for FPS games, is for the player to have a sense of connection with the characters. To grow an appreciation and create feelings for the person they are playing. I got that from MOH. NOT from COD MW 3, that game is an absolute disgrace for campaign. Graphics, oh baby, but length, blah. With MOH, I was enthralled with the SEALS team that you play as for the majority and of course, Rabbit. I grew to like Mother, Preacher and Voodoo and was VERY sad at the end. I felt a connection with the characters, and that makes the game that much better.
The controls are tight. Very similar to COD, but I did not have the sense of "flow" as I get from COD. If it is one thing that franchise got right, is the bloody controls, fluid man. MOH feels good, so that is enough said.
The one down side of this game is weapons choice. The cache of weapons is very limited, and does restrict game play. Keep that in mind.
Another aspect that I might add, that is nice, is variety. There are sequences in the game where you are not just a foot soldier; there are times when you get to do other things (I will not spoil those sections). I liked this change up and saved a potential repetitive series of shooting.
Many have said that all you do is shoot an enemy here, and spray another group there, tell me, what FPS does not do that? That is what makes it a FPS!!! Yes there is tactics, but to be honest, it was not much different in comparison to COD. Same basic gameplay here.
The music is amazing in MOH. The suspense that builds and the release, when you know everything is okay, is awesome.
I now would like to address the story. Some have said there is not apparent plot or story line. Well, I think there is. Yes, I was confused at the beginning, but MOH uses the "start in present, flashback up till present, then continue in present" mode. But I found the cut scenes very impressive and evoked much aggravation toward some of the characters... I believe the story line was great. Yep, there are no dramatic, or epic settings like a burning New York, or a story of betrayal and invasion. It is a story of reality. What our armed forces are facing and can face in enemy territory currently.
Some have stressed concern of this game insulting our armed forces. Hmmm... I am not one, but based on one reviewer who is, he has no problem. I can see where the game does not display the reality of insurgents blending in and not all out gunning at you. But less face it (I mean no disrespect here, just stating it as it is), I FPS that has you searching for the enemy mingling in civs, would be suspenseful, yes, but would not provide the thrill and adrenaline rush that us gamers want. It would be slightly boring for us sitting in a recliner. I am not disrespecting our armed forces; I have the highest respect for you guys and gals, but that reality is not what FPS gamers want. Look at COD for goodness sake! WW III? Yeah...
As I finished the game, I was very happy to see the message that is played at the end. I am very proud to live in the US and to have brave men and women upholding out rights and freedom! How in the heck, is that disrespectful of the armed forces? The game is bloody thanking them and letting them know that their sacrifices are not in vane! Hence, the connection that the player gains to MOH. It hits home, and I like it all that much more!
Buy it. Its $20, and I think you will enjoy it! Form your own bloody opinion and don't let these saps deter you.
*This is a matter of my own opinion, and everyone is subject to his or her own likes and dislikes. | video-games_xbox |
Great For All Ages. I had heard of Lego Star Wars in the past and my first impression was that it was a game geared towards little kids and I kind of wrote it off. When I bought my Xbox 360 there was a demo for this game on it so I decided to give it a try, and I was instantly hooked.
While it's true that this game is definitely geared towards younger audiences, I think any adult who is a Star Wars fan will still enjoy playing this. You play through all parts of the original trilogy (6 chapters per movie) and the video clips played in certain parts of the story are most definitely good for some comic relief and give the game a definite light-hearted feel. The game is very easy because you cannot actually "die". You can run out of life which will cause your player to get "killed" and you will lose your lego stud points, but when you respawn you can run around grab the lego studs that you lost before most of them disappear. So don't worry about having to play certain parts over and over again before you can beat them, because you get infinite lives.
The real challenge to this game comes with figuring out exactly what you need to do to find your way through certain levels, finding switches to pull, and moving blocks around to active things, etc., which requires some thinking and intuition, while fighting off enemies in the process. Puzzle-solving in essence. Also getting enough lego stud points throughout a level to reach "True Jedi" status can be challenging if you get killed too many times and lose stud points. If you achieve True Jedi on each part of the story, you will unlock some secret levels..
I noticed that the graphics on this game seem to be very sharp, and the gameplay is slick and smooth, and won't take you long at all to get the hang of it.
I just beat the game 100% which definitely requieres replaying of alot of the levels. To beat everything, you'll have to get True Jedi on all levels, and then play all levels again on "Free Play" mode where you can play with any characters which will let you into certain areas (and you also need to get True Jedi on all levels in free play) on the map where only certain characters can go, and of course you can't go to some of these places on regular mode. Each level will also contain 1 red power brick and 10 mini-kit canisters that are used to build nifty objects, and some of these can be very challenging to find, especially if you don't cheat and use google as a guide..
Beating the game completely can be a bit of overkill and I was ready to stop playing once finished (one time through on regular mode will suffice for everyone except for true completists), but definitely an enjoyable game that should keep you entertained for quite a while.
Highly recommended for all! | video-games_xbox |
Not the best, but can't be beat for the price. This headset it really great for the price. The sound quality is good and the mic quality is better than you'd expect from any other 20 dollar headset. I do have a few minor complaints that keep this from being five stars though. One is that the initial cord that comes out of the headset is about a foot too short. My computer is on top of my desk, a little less than two feet away to the right of me. The cord on the headset comes out of the left ear piece. In order to plug in the headset into the jack, the cord basically rubs against my neck and across to be able to just reach the computer. Now, there are two solutions to this but both aren't that good. One is to turn the headset backwards but the headset was specifically designed to be worn "properly" so wearing it backwards becomes uncomfortable after awhile. The second solution is to just plug in the audio/mic splitter cable into it, as it is, unlike the initial cord, too long. The splitter comes with an inline volume and bass control thing, which is nice. However, sound winds up sounding different when listening with the splitter plugged in and not that good imo. So when I do plug it in, I created a custom equalizer that makes things sound how I'm accustomed to. The bass is good, especially when plugged into the splitter. This would be great but there is one issue. Now this could just be unique to me, maybe I have a slightly messed up splitter cable thing, but I've noticed while I'm listening to music through the splitter, the sound seems to go in and out, from normal to faint, and then back to normal. This can get really distracting and ultimately I had to stop using the splitter for music. Of course, you wouldn't have to worry about a thing if your computer is set up to the left side of your monitor, I'm just giving you the problems that could arise like they did for me.
Overall, I give this headset four stars. Again, there are better things out there, but for the price, this headset is can't be beat. | video-games_xbox |
One of EA's better efforts. Greetings Amazonians!
All right, so I've been rocking out NCAA 11 for a few weeks now; I also play Madden NFL, ESPN NFL 2k5, and Backbreaker--so there's a broad range of experiences here. NCAA 11, if I'm correct, is developed by a different group than Madden NFL. And it shows. Before I break down my custom three-tier review, I'll compare NCAA 11 to the aforementioned games.
NCAA 11 vs. Backbreaker: if you haven't played Backbreaker, it's worth checking out the demo (available on Xbox Live). Backbreaker is all about the on-field action and physical reactions of the players. You won't see a more amazing performance of such action on the planet. But it comes with a price: Backreaker doesn't have the depth of team management, stadium atmosphere, and immersion that NCAA has; Backbreaker can become sterile, a display of physics, whereas NCAA creates a great atmosphere to pull you in.
NCAA 11 vs. ESPN 2k5: 2k5 is the golden standard of football games. It's been the game that all other games are compared to since its release. And for good reason: 2k5 got just about everything right. It's not perfect, but it's the best one to date. NCAA 11 is hard to ignore, for me. It has a better atmosphere and presentation than 2k5 (it's college, though, so that's to be expected); it also does a great job of animation. NCAA 11 isn't perfect with the animations, but neither was 2k5. I'd have to say the two titles are equal; 2k5 may have an edge in certain instances, but NCAA looks and moves better than any EA football game to date.
NCAA 11 vs. Madden NFL 11: now I've never bought and played an NCAA title--most of the time I just play demos or play at a buddy's house--but NCAA 11 really captured my attention. This is the first year I'll gladly say that Madden takes a FAR back seat to it's college cousin. NCAA 11 looks better, plays better, and is much more engrossing and fun than Madden. Madden feels sterile compared to NCAA. In every area of the game, I was far more impressed with NCAA than with Madden. The only reason to buy both would be to import your NCAA draft class to Madden--but why bother when you can just play NCAA!
Comparisons aside, here's my three-tier review!
ENVIRONMENTS (4 stars): based on the standard for 360 football games, NCAA is top notch. The stadiums, fields, players, and menus all look great: clean, crisp, and vivid. The sound design is awesome. I recommend turning down the on-field volume and cranking up the stadium/crowd volume--it really surrounds you in the environment. There are, of course, the typical awkward animations present with EA sports games. That has to do with the engine being used; there's always going to be animation glitches; but this is the first EA title where the glitches aren't so bad as to make you flinch every play. I don't think it's perfect, but for an EA football game it's the best yet.
GAMEPLAY (4 stars): the controls are fantastic. There are so many options, toggles, and adjustments available that it can be a little overwhelming. For the football fanatic, this is a huge plus. Any adjustments you want to make pre-snap, pre-game, or whatever are there for the taking--if you have the dexterity! The controls for these changes are easy to use, and on-screen menus during the game help to guide you through (though you'll get to know them and do it without referencing the menus). Overall, great options and easy controls that can be a bit overwhelming at times.
On the field, the controls are great and responsive. It takes some getting used to at first. The traditional controls are a little different, and I highly recommend you practice or read through the manual before diving in. The right stick controls momentum, of sorts. Pushing forward on the RS leans your player forward (trucking, covering the ball, etc) and similar movements in other directions shift momentum in that directions. The result is a fluid transition of body motion (more so than before) but there are some imperfections in the animations and interactions--nothing to break the game, but you may notice some awkward movements. Many of the other button controls are the same. Also, sprinting is changed; you can let your player control his own sprinting and you just control the movement, or you can go to manual sprinting as it was previously. Be sure to check the system settings and tweak it to your liking. Overall, the controls are responsive but the new changes require some getting used to.
DESIGN (4 stars): the presentation of the game is top-notch. It's the closest experience to being in a college football game as possible, so far. The teams look great, and there are unique team entrances for every team and the fans wear team colors with permutations of hats, sweaters, jackets, and so on.
Team management is great; the only warning is the amount of information at your disposal. It can be a little overwhelming at first: recruiting, depth charts, redshirts, schedules, polls, stats, injuries, coaching philosophy, and many other things are all available. Take some time to go through all the options before advancing each week, otherwise you may miss something important.
You can edit players to your liking and even create your own teams! The online teambuilder is a great tool, allowing you to edit player ratings, team logos, mascots, stadiums, fields, and setting up the team program to build a custom team. There are a lot of options and seeing your custom creation on the field is rewarding.
Every team feels and plays differently: this is one of the great strengths of NCAA. Pay attention to a team's style, strengths, and weaknesses, as they matter. I had a hard time against a team that ran a no-huddle spread offense--they can really wear you down! Check your gameplan and adjust accordingly (hit X on play-calling screen to bring up your gameplan).
Recruiting is fun and fairly in-depth. It's not amazing or mind-blowing, but it'll keep you interested in finding those high school gems. You can call recruits and discuss different topics, offer scholarships, schedule campus visits, and criticize other competing schools. How the recruit responds depends on your school's program and other factors (campus lifestyle, coach experience, etc). All the factors for your school are part of building your team with the online teambuilder.
OVERALL (4 stars): while far from perfect, NCAA is the best EA football game to date. The atmosphere, team management, and overall gameplay all shine out; the controls are responsive and fun. There are a few glitches with animations and some frustrating moments, but they don't crowd out the otherwise solid gameplay. The online teambuilder and sundry options in the game give the player so many options--sometimes too many! Highly recommended football game for anyone that enjoys Madden, 2k5, or previous NCAA games. | video-games_xbox |
EA, thumbs up their. I was excited for this game after enjoying FN round 3 so much.
First of all this is a video game. You cannot replicate the complexities of boxing with two hands and a controller, that being said. I understand this but expected more.... as a video game...this one sucks.
The positive:
graphics..... that's about it
The negative:
the controls- I don't care whether you use buttons or the stick, but when I command a punch or a bob and weave, I could really go without the half second delay. In real boxing it doesnt work like that, you puch/move when you need to. (Yes, I box) In Gran Tourismo or Forza motorsport the reaction isn't like that; hence, they are good games. You can't do that to boxing, timing and reaction time are critical. This game is missing this.
online - the douchebags with no skill that costantly punch and win. I am trying to figure out how to counter them. Oh wait, if I could actually block or weave or punch when I commanded it to, I may have a chance. This game due to the control delay will allow those who sick/button mash randomly do well since the other guy can't time his blocks and counters due the delay in the control.
Counterpunch - if boxer A punches and simply misses, and you hit back you are not credited a counterpunch "bonus". If you block a punch from boxer A and counter, you get a little bounus. If you lean/weave away you get the bounus too. Why not the first too?
Boxer Movement - One speed. What the hell? if you are getting pummelled by some reject you should be able to flee or more than 1mph. Foot/hip movement in this game, which is half of boxing, is a joke.
Also, the counterpunch system is ridiculous in this game. That is basically the premise of winning. Normal non-counter punches don't do anything to harm the other guay, but you block/parry a jab and you put a straight to his face he's practically on the ground. This is ridiculous.
I could smash my opponents face with a 5 left/right hook combo to the face and it's like nothing happened. Oh wait, It all has to be a counter, that's right.
Overall, EA really screwed this one up. Shame on them. I hope a lot of people get fired. FN R3 is better. I am really really close to taking this game to gamestop to get some beer money.
Also, this online update to add the button pushing won't do squat to this game unless the delays go away.
This game is too pretty for itself. | video-games_xbox |
Far Cry 3: A spoiled rich kid must embrace the ways of an island tribe to save his friends. The Setup:
You play as Jason Brody a young man who comes from a wealthy family and knows very little about life other than it's an endless party and bad things only happen to other people.
Jason and his friends, who also have a bottomless line credit from their parents, were on the vacation of their dreams until they made a fateful decision that ended them up in the care of an insane pirate by the name of Vaas.
The game begins with Jason and his brother trying to escape Vaas's camp. Unfortunately they are detected and only Jason escapes. After fleeing headlong into the jungle and being wounded, Jason is rescued by a man named Dennis who dresses his wounds and introduces him to the island that he has found himself on. Jason has landed on the island of the Raykayt, a warrior tribe that is in a fight for its very existence with Vaas and the pirates that he controls. The rules in this war are very simple: kill or be killed.
Soon after Jason finds information that indicates that his friends are still alive and on the island. Seeing no other option, Jason agrees to help the Raykayt in their war against the pirates and they agree to help him find and rescue his friends from Vaas. Jason has his task and everything seems so simple.
That is until Jason the Raykayt warrior begins to seem more real than Jason Brody the endless party boy ever was...
-*-
To start off I liked this game. It set a different tone than most other games of this type and after reading up on the background of the game I realize what they were going for. The character starts out scared to death and traumatized from the events that led to him being on the run from a group of ruthless leaders and their lunatic leader. Slowly but surely he begins to embrace the ways of the warrior tribe that inhabits the island since it gives him a way to strike back at his enemies and save his friends. This brings me to the problem I always have with these games though.
The main problem is that there is no sense of time and in this case the game points it out over and over again that you as the character are out running around earning tattoos while your friends are most likely suffering. On the other hand the only way to save Jason's friends is to earn the skills necessary to take out Vaa's forces. If your interested in the whole setup I really recommend looking up some of the developers commentary and some of the retrospectives on the game, like Spec-Ops: The Line, they can really put a new spin on the game. All in all though if you like open world games / FPS's that let you do your own thing and have a decent story I recommend checking this out. m.a.c
Game time: 20-25 hours, I did beat the game though, got all the radio towers, completed all the medicine runs, found all the letters of the lost, liberated all the bases and did all the unknown research missions.
Game Play: It's what you would expect from a Far Cry game. A big world to explore, multiple weapons to use and collect, and plenty of side quests / activities to complete.
Graphics: They look great to me. There are some neat effects with the water and fire. The game for the most part runs smooth.
Story: See Above.
Sound: The sound in this game is good, which is good since you really need it. The game likes to randomly have animals attack you and the only warning you might get is a single growl before a very hungry panther ruins your day. | video-games_xbox |
Great well-designed USB 5.1 headset for not too much money. I had been looking for a 5.1 gaming headset but never found a set that had a good price/value combination. Then I accidentally came across the Sentey Harmorniq Pro 5.1. It was shipped quickly and I am very pleased with it. It was not too expensive but seems well-made and I believe will last a long time. The packaging was minimal and effective, just 2 twist-ties to undo and it was ready to go.
This headset is a complete USB 5.1 sound device and does not need a soundcard to operate, just a working USB port. Either the headset itself or the drivers seem to emulate a soundcard, not sure which. In my Device Manger it comes up as "USB Multi-Channel Audio Device." It is comfortable with large padded earcups and padding at the top of the headband. It is a touch heavy but not fatiguing.
The included software lets you configure the headset volume (per channel or overall), effects, full-range equalizer, or play test sounds from the left-front, right-rear, center, etc, and more. It does the basics well, but some of the interface elements are a bit clunky and confusing, like the big empty area with the "7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter" button. Overall if you have used a SoundBlaster card the options are similar. The software control panel also lets you set the recording source to the boom microphone or "stereo mix", which I think should let you record whatever you hear. This option used to be called "What U Hear" on SoundBlaster cards and was quite useful for easily sampling audio from video clips or other sources.
There are in-line controls on the cloth-braided USB cord that control overall volume as well as front, rear, center, and subwoofer volumes. The volume control changes are directly reflected on the Windows Volume Control. There is also a nice toggle switch for mic on/off.
For gaming I ran DirectX setup just to be safe, not sure if that is necessary to have DirectX find the Sentey device but it couldn't hurt. I found my games transitioned from my SoundBlaster Audigy to the Sentey headset without a hitch. The surround-sound effect isn't as strong as it was with my 5.1 speakers, but I was impressed by the audio quality. There is probably only so much a headset can do to convey front and rear audio since the speakers are still relatively close together. I expect my ears will get used to the headset surround effect so it should only improve.
The mic apparently does a great job, online gamer friends told me I sound 100% better than I did with my old ~$20 Plantronics mic, which I had thought was decent. The boom mic does feel a little flimsy and hopefully won't break with repeated raising and lowering. I don't necessarily like the LEDs on the earcups and the end of the mic, but the LED on the end of the mic is only lit when the mic is enabled, which is nice.
Overall I would definitely recommend these to anyone who wants good quality surround sound headset on a budget. This headset would also be a great option for someone who wants to upgrade an older or non-surround sound card, or a laptop with tinny speakers. | video-games_xbox |
Not the best, but totally worth it. NOTE: This review is for the Special Edition Armed Forces Headset.
As the title says, this isn't the best headset out there, but it is definitely worth the money.
I just received mine today. For starters, let's talk about what really matters: The audio quality. These speakers do a pretty good job of delivering a great range of trebles, but the basses are sub-par. The booms and blasts I'm used to decreased dramatically. I went from headphones purchased nearly four years ago to these. It's a big enough difference to make a note of it, but I'm sure it will pass the longer I wear these. The surround sound imitation is exactly that: an imitation. So it won't give you the best real-life experience, but it does well enough so that I'm able to tell where and how close an approaching enemy is.
The material quality seems well-done, actually much better than what I expected coming from Microsoft. The padded ears are extremely comfortable, and I wore them for about three hours with no problems. I kinda even forgot I was wearing them! The strap is adjustable, though I don't need to adjust mine because I have a small head. The cord is flat, not rounded like most other cords, so it won't bunch up or get itself in a knot. (I don't know why, but I swear all cords are engineered to automatically tie themselves into a knot when nobody is watching.) Also, THIS HEADSET DOES NOT REQUIRE BATTERIES!!! It uses the energy from your controller instead! So while your controller may last a few hours less than normal, at least you're not having to charge the headset as well!
Probably the coolest part about this headset is the fact that it comes with a Stereo Headset Adapter, just like the one Microsoft sells for like $30 retail. However, it does NOT include the 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter! There's a simple fix for that. Just look here on Amazon for an adapter. You won't have to spend more than $5 for a decent one that works. I actually returned my Stereo Headset Adapter after realizing the headset came with one. You can adjust game and chat audio levels right on the adapter, and you can also mute it.
In summary: This right here is your best bang-for-your-buck. Something I didn't mention is that these work like normal headphones as well. You can listen to your mp3 player or any device that uses a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you're looking to save some money while getting both the headphones and headset adapter, I would look no further! | video-games_xbox |
Second verse: same as the first.....but better. So if you've even heard the words "video" and "game" put together outside of Fox News' patented Chicken Little hysteria over violence and such, you're well aware of just what <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rock-Band/dp/B000TT4GBG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rock Band</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Guitar-Hero/dp/B000TG531G/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Guitar Hero</a> are all about. Good. That'll make this easy. "Rock Band 2" Takes every single little thing every living breathing gaming entity on the planet loved about the first one and added every little thing that was lacking and then some. Seriously, some may call this a full-priced expansion pack, but for what you're getting here you'd be an idiot not to buy this game if you already have the original pack. And if you missed out then there is no reason not to start here with the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Special-Edition/dp/B001BX4U5G/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Special Edition</a>'s new and improved peripherals. I called the battle between RB and GH a draw before since GH had such a cooler over-the-top style, better translation of music-to-game and better songs to boot. No more. Rock band is the top of the music game hill right now and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Guitar-Hero-World-Tour/dp/B001ABN82A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Guitar Hero World Tour</a> is going to have to rock some serious socks off if it hopes to surpass this one.
First off, the most important part of the game: the music. Like Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam? Sure you do. How about Bob Dylan, Blondie, and The Go-Go's? Darn skippy. Not hard enough? How about freakin' Testament, Mastodon, Megadeth, and System of a Down? My head is banging just thinking about it. Not legendary enough? The Who, Bad Company, Journey, AC/DC, and Fleetwood Mac do anything for you? Heard it all before? Well then check out the brand new never before heard new Guns n Roses song. Favorite band still not here, you say? Lacuna Coil, Sonic Youth, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and two different D's ( Social AND Tenacious) wish to make the pain go away. That's just a few of the EIGHTY FOUR master recordings you will jam out to. Not enough? How about a free code to download TWENTY MORE FOR FREE when they become available? And endless downloadable content including entire albums from Megadeth, Judas Priest, Boston, and an ever-growing list of many mucho more is an even bigger clincher. Plus, for a $5 fee you can import your entire Rock Band 1 library. If you love any sort of rock music, you will love this game.
Okay, the new additions. There is no reinventing of the wheel here, but the road is much smoother. The useless solo mode has been eliminated and instead solo play is integrated into the awesomely awesome world tour mode. I have not the time or the Rock Band-playing friends with too much time on their hands to embark on a lengthy multiplayer campaign so this is a dream come true. The best aspects of the original was saved for the multiplayer. That's no longer the case. You can also choose to play bass when going solo now so three cheers for that. The basslines are translated much better than the guitar parts anyhow. This time around you aren't tied down to any instrument at all going it solo; you can switch freely among them as you progress through the game. You can pass on the songs you don't like (or that kick your rear end) whereas in the original's solo mode you'd have to slog through every single song. Even the Flyleaf and Jet ones. Torturous!
Using the barely upgraded create-a-rocker feature I recreated my original RB band Midget Apartheid's lineup to a T and now I can play with all of my custom thrashers onstage at once when playing alone instead of having a bunch of lame stock-rockers filling out the ranks. I love this. Sadly, my band name was deemed "not classy" by the fascists at MTV Games and I'm barred from online play until I change it. I'm not changing it. It rules. Anywho, the online component is brilliantly integrated into the tour mode with optional battles and challenges where you can compete against other online bands that pop up as you travel. "Sage Tellah and the Spoony Bard Band" is sounding like a cool band name at this point (if you get that reference, you are now my friend). It's not selling out or caving in if I pretend it was my idea, right? I wanna try this new component out!
This is the simply the coolest music game ever put together from top to bottom. The only problem that remains is that a few of the songs are duds ("So Whatcha Want" is awful on guitar) and there are still times when you don't feel like you're controlling the music so much as you're just pressing combinations of buttons because the game says so. Guitar hero always makes you feel like you rule the guitar track. At times in Rock Band you are obviously playing a drum or bass part on the guitar and hearing something you aren't playing and vice-versa. There were also drum parts where all I heard was the bass drum and yet they still had me flailing away. This throws me off to no end because I listen to the music intensely and take rhythmic cues from it. It pulls me right out of the game when I'm hearing one thing and playing something else entirely. I can forgive this because it isn;t always flagrant and everything else is so heavenly. But no excuses, Harmonix. Fix this and you've got a contender the best game of any genre ever. Maybe it already is.
Bon Scott was a prophet. This I know to be true. He hath spake the blessed verse that hath come to be many a decade ago when he bequeathed unto us these words that best describe the experience that is Rock Band 2.
"Let there be sound", there was sound
"Let there be light", there was light
"Let there be drums", there was drums
"Let there be guitar", there was guitar
"Let there be rock"
And so on this day it has come to pass that (ramma lamma lamma lamma) Rock Band 2 is king. It's got the drums, it's got the singing, it's got the guitar/bass, it's got the songs, it's got more songs if you don't like those songs, and it's got a much better interface than any of it's predecessors. You like music? Got an up-to-date video game system? Beg, borrow, steal, or sell your family members' organs if you have to; but buy this game. | video-games_xbox |
Horrible. When I purchased this game I had high hopes for it. I was a big fan of its two predecessors (Perfect Dark and Golden Eye, both on the N64). I was expecting this game to be similar and as much as fun as both those were.
I was very badly disappointed.
The biggest problem with this game its controls. The default sensitivities for the game had me running around like a wild monkey. I've never had to adjust the sensitivities in any game before. Even though I adjusted the sensitivities for movement and looking, I couldn't change the sensitivities for the triggers. If you want to fire your gun, you need to pull the trigger ALL the way in. It is very easy to forget to do this, and you stand around pointing your gun but never actually shooting. This is especially bad with pistols where you need to pull the trigger rapidly to fire rapidly.
In addition to the bad control setup, the new "features" hurt the game and should been excluded. One new feature is the ability to do a forward roll. Yes, very cool fun to watch and then it gets very annoying. I'm sorry, but I do not really enjoy playing a game in which my enemies are just somersaulting around.
Another new feature is the "cover" ability. Basically get in just the exact right spot, hit the A button and your character will take cover. This will take you out of the typical 1st person view, and allow you to see your enemies without being seen. You then pop-out and shoot the enemies and can duck back to reload. Yes, I will admit it is a handy feature, and is great in single player. However, in multiplayer it gives a huge advantage to those who play the game regularly. I purchased this game primarily because I enjoy battling my friends in multiplayer, some of played more than others. The advantage of playing a lot was not that significant. In Perfect Dark Zero, those of us who knew where all of the places to "cover" were dominated everybody else. Personally, I enjoy games where everybody stands a relatively equal chance of winning.
In addition to these main gripes, the guns do a pitiful amount of damage for the number of rounds they have. You cannot "aim" without zooming on guns with scopes. You cannot carry a horde of weapons. Yes, some people might see that as being realistic. I expected this to be a game where fun trumps realism. I expect games like Call of Duty 2 to have painful realism, not a multiplayer shooter you play with your friends, fun should come first. | video-games_xbox |
Not what I expected. Alright first off I was really counting on this controller to be the best controller I've had. I was let down by some things I misunderstood.
Let's start with the awesome: The four main buttons light up (sarcasm, who cares? it's not a keyboard, you aren't going to need them lit in the dark). If you like lights, it's has it and they are well lit, I will say. Next I really like the feel of the grip although it builds up dirt and grime unlike the Microsoft Xbox controller which has no grip and doesn't soak in sweat and what-not. It doesn't require batteries, and I like how the main thumb buttons (XYAB) are mechanical and are very sensitive regardless of the mouse click sound. The cord is braided like every other razer product to avoid coiling and I love it for that.
And that's about it. Let's proceed with the bad: The so-called adjustable joysticks are very much not adjustable. I work as an Inventory Control Specialist unloading trucks where the minimum requirement strength limit is 50 pounds. I'm not exactly a small guy. Those joysticks are ridiculously hard to rotate. If I'm doing it wrong the instruction manual doesn't explain a special way to adjust them. It's to the point where I'm afraid if I try harder to twist them my thumb will bleed and I'll snap the joysticks in half.
Next up the remap-able bumpers. Turns out all that means is you get to copy another button on the gamepad to those buttons. My understanding was they were a whole new button could use to do something such as a make a Quick Save button. Nope, get another way to press the R3 button or Start button. How exciting. I turned it into a copy of the bumpers to avoid confusion and it's virtual pointless to me. Maybe someone else finds that useful but I don't.
The Back and Start button are in really remote places to where I literally have to adjust my hand to reach them to pause the game. No big deal but was kind of a pointless relocation.
And probably the most annoying part about this controller is the oddly shaped Trigger buttons. Unlike the normal Microsoft Controller where it's a heavy flat trigger, the Onza has triggers oddly shaped upwards, are extremely plastic like light material and I can't tell if they are synced properly as they should be. Almost seems as if they run through the Z axis faster at some degrees than others.
Alright so after all the good and the bad why did I give it 4 stars and not 2 or 3? Because based on the fact that I feel as if I was lucky enough to get a fully functioning Razer Onza Battlefield Controller, it it better than the 30$ Microsoft Corded controller. The buttons don't stick and wear out, It's graphically enhanced, the cord is awesome simply because it is corded, and it's a fully functioning controller. It's not worse than an official gamepad. The good outweighs the bad and makes me slightly happier than my previous official controller. However, I wouldn't exactly recommend it. | video-games_xbox |
What Starts With A Gasp Ends With A Yawn. This is really a game of two distinct halves. In the first half, character building, free-running, brutal zombie melees combine with great graphic renditions and large and varied map to create an absorbing, even addicting zombie game. I couldn't get enough.
Unfortunately, much of what makes the first half of the game great tapers off or is neglected by the game's developers as the story winds down. While the free running continues to interest outside of the main story line, the second map lends itself more to navigating roof tops ala the Assassin's Creed series, but in less satisfying ways. I ran out of character upgrades before the end, so I lost the incentive to strive to build up my character's abilities. Additionally, the weapons leveled off and I discovered that they are rather finite in their variation, or lack thereof.
Ultimately, the game is ruined by the final two main story levels, repetitiveness, weak story line, and predictability. While one of the early strengths of the game is in the parkour free-running, little of this element is even allowed in the final missions: instead, your character is stuck in tight confines, once again in a series of endless hallways, clambering through the duct work, or scrambling through the sewers. And there are times when your best free-climbing tool, the grapple hook, is simply not available because your character is "too exhausted" to use it. Yet you are called upon to melee 100s of zombies, swim long distances underwater (always and forever boring in any game) and climb up yet another tower (again, entirely derivative of the Far Cry series, and just as lame here as in that franchise). Not really what you'd expect from an exhausted character, so it becomes obvious that the developers wanted to create an additional challenge, and that arbitrarily denying you access to some tools was their ham-fisted fix. A less damning point, but an annoying one nonetheless is this character's penchant for always taking the elevator during missions, even though nearly every time he does so, it breaks down. I counted 3 out of 5 times this happened. Once again, time to climb up the shaft. Yawn.
The final impression is that the developers became bored with this project. No new wrinkles are introduced as you near the end, and the grand finale is simple more of the same. A lot more of the same, literally. Rather than have to deal with tougher bosses, they simply shower you with every boss you've already dealt with earlier. Repetitive, redundant and uninspired.
My recommendation is to buy this game, but wait till it hits the $20 mark. That way you can enjoy the first half of the game without feeling like you have to grind your way through the mediocrity, predictability and repetitiveness of the later stages of the second half. Too bad these developers can't finish what they started. For this reason, though it's likely really a three star game, the buzz-killing final 25% of the game came as such a disappointment that one star has to be taken away as a form of retribution. | video-games_xbox |
A True, Honest Review for MLB 2K6. okay, to start off lets start with the good things. Players stats are almost perfect, no one is overrated, and no one is underrated. Also, the teams have the identical lineup as they have in real life. Unlike MVP baseball who left out barry bonds, or even jonathan papelbon (prob the next rookie of the year) how can you leave him out?. mlb 2k6 has them. when pitching, you can change the velocity of the pitch, to change the amount of movement the pitch has. (example, if you hold down the curve ball button longer=more velocity=more drop to the curveball) The franchise mode is fun because they have a pregame show while it loads so u can find out more info about the team you're playing.(like in real life). and also, unlike MVP THE CATCHER THROWS IT BACK TO YOU AFTER YOU PITCH THE BALL. the ball just doesnt dissapear like in MVP. Batting is also fun in this game. David Ortiz can actually hit one hit in this game, unlike MVP. alright, now lets move on to the bad parts. First off, running looks all messed up, the players twitch when they run, and it actually looks hilarius. next, people are too fast. Manny Ramirez beat out an infield hit, wich is also pretty funny. The pitching is kind of difficult to master because when u first play its set for the pitch to start breaking where the cursor is, so if you wanted a curveball low, youd have to aim way up. you can change this by going to the options and changing that around. you can also change the way you bat, because the first time you play, its set to swing using the analog stick, u can also change this by going to the options and changing the batting options to "Classic". They also use too many of the same batting stances. thats about it. Overall this game is fun, but the wacky stuff lowered my rating a little bit This is a good value, and if you get it, u should also check out the World Baseball Classic, its a good addition too. Well i hope this review helped you, and don't waste your money and time on crappy MVP, MLB 2k6 is a great baseball game, and you will enjoy to play it a lot :) | video-games_xbox |
A False Epoch in Gaming History. This game is criminally brief. It should be packaged as a multiplayer game that FEATURES a single player campaign - not vice versa. Because that is what the single player game is - a FEATURE at just several hours long. The bonus mission content on Resident Evil 4 PS2 plays longer than the GOW main campaign.
The campaign is basically a handfull of firefights. The cover feature is not as clean, exact and necessary as in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, thereby making the gun battles less tense and realistic than in that game. The world in which the action takes place is exquisite, yet there is no tension, or foreboding at all between battles as you wander(unlike F.E.A.R, which escalates dramatic tension between encounters).
The boss fights in GOW are especially disappointing. While the bosses in GOW are as menacing in concept as those found in Ninja Gaiden and Resident Evil, there is no real strategy needed to beat them - usually only a single FATAL strategy that is easily discovered, and when discovered, dispatches the boss singularly. For example - the Bezerker. In the first two encounters, you need only lead the Bezerker into the open air, and under panes of glass, and then dispatch it with the Hammer of Dawn weapon. Simple. The last Bezerker, you need only lure it to a train carriage, and then release the carriage to jettison it. Even more simple. The Corpser, a giant spider thing, you need only shoot it in the abdomen and then the mouth, three times, sending it backward onto a collapsible floor - you then shoot out the floor supports and send it falling to its death. Brumak, the giant, armoured, formidably weaponized, dinosaur-like locust, you don't even get to fight. You just run away from it and race off in an APC. And the last boss, NAAM (who at least is majestic), you need only treat as an oversized Drone, and shoot it with standard weapons until dead. No strategy there either. And discovering the FATAL strategy is simply a matter of pressing the Y button - this pulls your gaze directly to "points of interest", like the supports on the collapsible floor, or the train carriage jettison button.
The multiplayer CO-OP on the campaign is the best of this feature. Mainly because it is a real team-building, friend-making exercise. I know I friend-requested whomever I battled the locust with. The versus mode is scant, both on variety, number of players, and maps.
GOW is not the epoch in gaming as the critics are drooling. It is a good enough game that does not warrant the outrageous critical lauding. I just hope this review presents a balanced, and objective enough point of view, at least to give you a more informed choice before spending the money on the game - as games are expensive. Thanks for reading. | video-games_xbox |
The Prince of Persia best game ever. Read this if you are considering acquire this game (06/07/10)
I'm not used to submit reviews but this is game is worth enough to talk about for long hours. I am a fan of Prince of Persia franchise but being a fan doesn't mean be blind. When "The Two Thrones" was realeased it meant a lot of fun but also a farewell to the franchise. Ubisoft has been trying to reboot this game with many versions for Nintedo DS and Wii and PSP all of those converging in remake ones. Guess what? I stopped being a fan so POP passed to be a everlasting and unforgettable game for me. when Assassin's Creed appeared it was a fresh style POP-like game and indeed it is yet a great unique game.
Prince of Persia 2008 is truly a excellent game. its highly focused on skilled-acrobatic controls, possess a great camera interaction and fresh storyline from an alternate universe what it means that the game's plot is placed in a different universe a very interest story based on Zoroatrism stream, a totally different new character that is referred as Prince of Persia just for symbolic purpose.
Elika, the POP new companion adds an important value to the gameplay, this time combos are greater and funnier. enemies new state-feature is quite unique challenging, Prince of Persia 2008 is not the hardest game among POP Games but is well balanced and entertainted.
If you're looking for an VERY impressive animation, breath-taking enviroments, a lot of repetion skilled jumps to proves your abilities, a mystic story, zarcasm, no-shy Prince and willing to collect all light seeds this game is for you.
A good advise is talk a lot with Elika, knowing more about the story and background and enemies of this game is optional you only have to press LT or LB to talk with Elika from time to time. If you don't talk with her you'll be finding yourself in a unknown world with no purpose, trying to reach new locations without reason or knowing why you are doing such deeds.
I already play Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands. its quite a good game but Prince of Persia 2008 is greater and for my personal taste i feel more involved in this new alternate zoroatrism universe. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome Stuff. I didn't use this for a 360. I actually used it for my PC. Here's a few things you need to know if you want to do this...
You have to have a good PC. (It doesn't have to be top of the line... But a great graphics card and a good PC are super helpful.)
Next... You have to buy the special cord. Even if you get a cord with it. The USB's on a regular computer are too weak to power it so you NEED an external power source. You can get them from amazon just look for Xbox Kinect power adapter.
Okay, getting started... Plug it in to the power supply. Plug it in to the computer... Wait a couple minutes.
Usually Windows will find it and the driver for you and you're done. If not you just need to look for the driver which is easy to do. Just look for Kinect for Windows or Xbox 360 PC driver. You'll find it easily.
Now, that it's installed the magic can happen!!
By itself it makes a fantastic webcam. But coupled with other programs like Iclone it makes the start of a fantastic mocap studio. Great for whatever you need it for. I also own a Playstation Eye, but it's nothing rival to this. The PS Eye doesn't have a motor so you can move the camera without touching it. Also the Xbox 360 Kinect is much better at focusing quickly than the PS Eye. Now, I like them both and the PS Eye makes a fine webcam and because I have a clip to clip it to my monitor it makes it easy and out of the way. But the kinect 360 gives a much better looking picture. It's also much solider feeling than PS Eye. It might just be the weight because neither one feels flimsy it is just the connect feels much better to pick up... Like it's not delicate. (Although, don't pick it up by the bar... It's just not a good idea. Pick it up by the base.)
So, if you're looking for a cheap mocap solution, a fast camera for fun, or just want to use your 360 kinect again... These instructions should work for you as well. I know I'm going to have a lot of fun with it! | video-games_xbox |
The best Halo title up to date; HANDS DOWN. I had strong hopes for this game eversince I saw there was going to be another installment in the series right here on Amazon about 11 months ago! When I did see it, I was so excited that I almost shrieked like a giddy school girl! Eversince that day, I had been checking basically everywhere on the internet for information on Halo 4(Espescially Halo Waypoint!)to see what was going to be in it! But when I finished the Campaign on Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary and had found and unlocked all the Terminals, I had wondered what the symbols at the end of each Terminal Video were for? I wondered if they were for like some kind of special Easter Egg that you could unlock for the latter. Turns out, I was wrong! they are secret codes that you use to unlock special items on [...]. Plus, there are these things called Domain Terminals in Halo 4 that once you activate them, which you have to have an internet connection for your Xbox 360 for it to do this, it will unlock a Domain Video on Halo Waypoint that you can watch and, turns out, these Domain Videos have the same code thing as Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Terminals! All right. I should stop talking and get down to the basics.
PROS:
Awesome Storyline, which anybody should know right from the get-go.
Sprint is now just like in Call Of Duty, it ain't an armor ability anymore.
Battle Rifle is back!
New Armor!
New Weapons!
New Armor Abilities!
All new Spartan Specalizations which allows you to choose multiple a single perk after you reach Spartan Rank 50(Or SR-50 for short.).
New Enemies!
Ordnance Drops in Infinity Multiplayer!
New Vehicle, The Mantis Walker(witch is feverishly satisfying to use >:D)!
All New Flood Multiplayer Gametype to replace Infection!
CONS:
AI is a little Dimwitted.
You don't get any good emblems until after going up like 30 levels!?!?
No Firefight Gametype which makes Me sad. :(
Some of the guns sound dorkier than they use to(Especially the Fuel Rod Gun.).
The New Enemies are cool loking but so stinkin hard to kill!
some of the animations(The way things move in the game.)are kinda fake and hard to believe.
IFFY:
I'm not sure if the Master Chief's new Armor is better than it was before, or if they should have just paid the Copyright and used the iconic Master Chief Armor. /:l
So, thats My review on Halo 4. If you want to get the latest info on all things Halo, go to Halo Waypoint via typing in this website adress : [...]
Sincerely,
Tg. | video-games_xbox |
Some frustrating things hurt an overall good game. I loved the Battlefield 1942 game for my PC and I picked up this game for a few bucks and it is good but there are some gripes. These gripes mainly do with frustration. It seems like the enemy AI is extremely accurate but your team mate AI is pretty worthless as they are basically there to be shot. I do not mind completing all the objectives by myself but when your allies are worthless they can cost you the battle. Say for instance you will often be depleted of your allies and be swarmed with a constant barrage of enemy soldiers and then you fail your mission. Your ally AI is brain dead for the whole reason of the hotswapping feature which allows you to line up and take over one of the braindead guys.
What also adds to the frustration is if you die the game automatically hotswaps you to one of these guys which can leave a disorienting feel to it as you might be taking over a guy that is being shot at by 4 or 5 enemies at once. Also what adds to the frustration is you move extremely slow so if you are trying to run and duck for cover to get your bearings you character is so slow you are going to just end up dead. Also there is no difficulty setting. I am the type of person that likes to play on easy mode and work my way up the difficulty ladder. Also you might have an easy mission and then the next one will be extremely hard. It just makes the game feel unbalanced to be honest.
The missions do vary and the weapons available are nice also. Controls work good enough (aiming). The production values are there and it shows. I just cannot shake the feeling that this game could have been so much better. Some will love and some will dislike or even somewhat like it.
The highlight of this game is two things. Those two things that make this game worth playing in extremely short spurts is the great looking graphics and sound. Other than that the only reason to pick this game up is if you get it in the $5 - $10 range. If you can handle the level of frustration that comes along with the game and its shortcomings you might find some fun here. But at the same time there are a lot better games out there. | video-games_xbox |
Best PC gamepad yet. UPDATE 7/8/2012:
As this review has been so helpful, I thought I'd provide an update as there have been a few changes since I wrote this nearly 7 years ago. :) Since I purchased this controller, it not only still works good as new, but has gotten even better. Microsoft actually addressed all of my con's, so I've updated that section below. They now have a black version, rumble works, and the Xbox Direct button works with Microsoft Live! games to bring up their menu while in-game.
And yes, I actually bought an Xbox 360 a few months after this review. All of the controllers, wired or wireless will work with the PC. If you have wireless, just get the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Xbox-360-Wireless-Gaming-Receiver-for-Windows/dp/B000HZFCT2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows</a>, and you're good to go. Drivers will automatically install courtesy of Windows Update.
Thanks for all of the positive comments, and enjoy!
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Once I found out that the new xbox 360 controller would work for the PC, I simply had to go purchase one right away and see how well it worked for myself. And I'm quite happy to report that this controller works extremely well on the PC. While I'm sure this controller is awesome connected to an Xbox 360, since I don't have one, I'll keep comments specific to the "PC experience."
First, there is no need to buy the "PC version." Save yourself $5 and buy the xbox version. Then after connecting your controller to the PC, go to Windows Update, and download the drivers for free!
After easily installing the drivers, I first played Need for Speed Most Wanted, and it worked flawlessly. The throttle type controls at the back for brake/gas could be a little more responsive, but otherwise are a very useful feature.
Note: Also in response to another reviewer who said it was hard to find a "center" position while racing - this is due to the game itself, not the controller. I used 3 steering wheels, 4 controllers, and a keyboard, and they ALL do this in that particular game. You get used to it though. :)
I also played Colin McRae '05, BF2, COD2, Quake 4, and a few other racing games. And while I'm normally a mouse/keyboard person when it comes to FPS, I was suprised at how easily it is to use the controller in those particular games. While I certainly won't be ditching the mouse/keyboard anytime soon, it works great for racing games, and any game where you may have to drive a car/boat/plane, such as BF2. Those are places where the keyboard/mouse simply won't do.
And another thing I noticed was that after a few hours of gaming, the controller still felt quite comfortable. All the buttons, d-pad, and analog controls seem to be in the perfect place! It's very easy to press any button you may want without ever looking at the game pad. And now, I simply can't stop using it.
Just for reference, I'm comparing this gamepad to other game pads I currently own, which are the Saitek P880, Saitek P3000, Logitech Wingman cordless, and 2 gravis game pads. The only one that comes close is the P880, but the Xbox 360 controller is still easily the best out of this group.
And to wrap everything up, here is a list of Pros and cons.
Pros:
- Most comfortable controller so far
- Great layout for easy access
- Throttle controls at back of gamepad
- 12 buttons (excluding xbox direct button)
- Analog controls also function as buttons
- Solid/sturdy feel
- UPDATE 7/8/12: New drivers and software now support Xbox Direct Button and Rumble.
Cons:
- None!
I'm going to give this device a 5 star rating, and consider it highly recommended for PC users. | video-games_xbox |
Amazong. Let me start off by saying yes the Xbox One has its fair share of problems that will be fixed, but they're nothing major. I have both the Xbox One and PS4, and it could be worse for the Xbox like the frame rate could drop every once and awhile like I've experienced on PS4, or your online could always be in maintenance. The Xbox has great exclusives out now and coming soon. Its a amazing system for entertainment and gaming. The digital download speed is as fast as your internet allows it. The disc install isn't that slow, it even lets you play the game after it reaches about 5% downloaded.
The system isn't as powerful as the PS4, but honestly you can't even tell even if the systems are both in front of you. Sure you can listen too all the bad reviews for either system, but most likely they're fanboys. I use my Xbox all the time and haven't ran into a single problem. I even have it set up to when I turn my xbox on it also turns on my tv on too, You can even use the Kinect to turn the volume up and down, turn on the xbox or if you want you can use it to control your tv and cable. If you don't like the Kinect then you can turn if off simple. Xbox live is still the best online, unlike PSN it's not always in maintenance, and it puts you in matching with people around your skill. The Xbox is the better system overall especially since Titanfall came out, and when all the small problems are fixed.
If you Skype all the time you can even Skype while your splaying your game. You can livestream straight to twitch even at a higher resolution than the PS4. The controllers are great although they may not seem as lasting as the 360 controller, they are built to last for years if your not tossing them around in rage. The 450-500 price tag may seem like its not worth it but it definitely is especially in the long run. Its not the most in depth review, but if you really care about just gaming that much then just buy a PC. | video-games_xbox |
Good Controller, Needs Solid Support. It seems a bit overpriced for what it is (which is why i purchased a used unit). For most people it will only work with the few racing titles they have. All i have is Forza 3 -- so i didn't want to spend $100 for something that i could only use with one game that i don't play very often.
Possibly because i'm playing this with Forza, i'm wanting the experience to be as realistic as possible, which means sitting the wheel on my lap just won't do. It slides around and hops off my legs with quick turns of the wheel. But clamping it to my desk creates other problems. Typical desks and chairs are way too high, so it ends up feeling like you're sitting up in a van or big truck -- not a race car, which generally sit very low and flat. So then the pedals needed to be propped up on something, but also anchored so they don't slide. You start to see the reason for these mounts and exotic racing seat rigs on eBay and elsewhere that mimic the wheel and pedal positioning of a real car. Of course you'd be spending several hundred more dollars for that experience. It's a shame that you basically have to put more money into to make it work like i feel it's supposed to.
I experienced an odd "bug" with the set where the pedals do not work in the Xbox Dashboard. The left and right pedals are supposed to map to the left and right triggers on the standard controller, but for me at least, they did nothing. That meant i was not able to enter my Xbox Live Passcode, so i wasn't able to sign in to Live and play online. I'm kinda hoping i was just overlooking something, because as far as i could find, no one else has reported this issue. The pedals worked as intended inside Forza.
So once i was actually driving around in Forza, the wheel felt great. Going from a thumbstick with 1 inch of travel to the wheel means so much more room and precision for your inputs. No, it doesn't quite feel like a real car, but it's close enough when combined with the visuals and sounds from the game. The force feedback gives a sense of weight to the car and relays tactile feedback about the road surface (bumps, gravel, etc). The "feel" can be tuned in some games -- i found some preferred input settings on the Forza forums. The pedals work, but are slightly less impressive mainly because they do not offer force feedback. So the pedal feel cannot be adjusted -- if it feels too soft or light to you, that's just how it's gonna be (unless maybe you hack it with stiffer springs). The position can't be changed either -- they pivot from the bottom, when most car pedals pivot from the top. I found i could benefit if they were angled up a bit (think the "feet" that raise the back of most computer keyboards).
If you're serious about racing on Xbox 360 (or prepared to spend a lot for a great driving experience), this is probably for you. If not, look for a used unit on eBay or craigslist for 50 bucks or less, or passing altogether and pumping quarters into the arcade. | video-games_xbox |
Not as big of a leap this time. The 360 was a big leap over the original Xbox. I had both. And as of today I have the One. The One does not have the same initial "pop" factor the 360 had over its predecessor. There are UI issues that need to be solved--particularly around the social aspects of playing with your friends, parties, messaging, etc. The loss of the ever-present pop-up Xbox 360 guide is, on he surface, a step back.
Still, I chose this over the PS4 after going back and forth. My 360 was far and away my favorite console, next to the PS3 that collected a lot of dust until it was time to play Blu Rays.
The controller is a minor evolution. It's comfortable enough, but doesn't feel as durable as the 360 controller. After a while I forgot about it. I wish Kinect wasn't a mandatory purchase, but it is, so it's hooked up and occasionally I'll talk to it. TV integration? I didn't bother. Too many reports of resolution and other video problems, and I'm not sure what value there is in the One sitting between my cable box and the TV.
Only game I've played so far is Forza 5. It looks fabulous. Not a huge leap over Forza 4, but it does look and play better than ever. It crashed once in about 3 hours of playing, and the whole XBOX restarted.
Setup was easy and the update went without a hitch. Everything is in working order. It is whisper quiet and runs mildly warm (not hot, like the early 360s) . . clearly Microsoft wasn't going to make thermal mistakes again. It's big--but it's next to by A/V reciever so it fits right in.
This console, right now, is more about potential. And that's why I went with Microsoft. They provided the best user experience by far the last go around, and I'm counting on them to make swift updates to bring back some of the lost 360 conveniences. I do find it kind of cool that I can "dashboard" out of a game and return to where I left off. So there's power here, and certainly potential, but they just need to polish off all the rough corners.
I'm confident Microsoft will deliver on the promise of the X1 with routine software updates--after all, the 360 went through three MAJOR OS revisions, and the PS3 looks pretty much the same today as it did when it was delivered. I may certainly end up with at PS4 if there are compelling reasons to add one, but given my overwhelming preference for Xbox 360, xbox live, and the controller, I thought it was the safest move to give Microsoft another chance to deliver. | video-games_xbox |
Another Fun Dance Game. If you can set aside that the songs are not sung by the original singers. I have no problems with that, being as I love the music and as long as it sounds pretty darn close to the original, I'm ok with that. (I have heard other songs sung by someone other than the original artist and there are some pretty horrific covers out there, this game not being one of them.)
I have seen some people ask for a song list, so here it goes :
EASY
Rock N Roll Party Queen
Grease
You're The One That I Want
Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee
Hound Dog
Summer Nights
MEDIUM
Greased Lighting
Long Tall Sally
Rock Around The Clock
Tutti Frutti
HARD
Born To Hand Jive
Grease
We Go Together
Now with each section, is exactly what it is. You will not be able to change the difficulty settings on the songs themselves, they are grouped by difficulty. Which I do love in the Dance Central games, that once you complete the song on Easy, you can move it up a notch on the difficulty for that individual song. You also will not be able to play any of the other songs in the other levels until you beat all the songs in the previous level. And when you do advance to the next level, only a few songs will be unlocked in the level you are currently in. BUT with each song played, it will open another song on the level you are on. Only when you play the last one, will the next level unlock.
While I was reading reviews, the review that gave it one star, really made me think about NOT purchasing this game. Then I saw on Xbox Live I could download a sample, once the download was finished, I tried it out and it was a lot of fun!! I am not a professional dancer by any means, but have had some training when I went to an Arts school. So I may have a little leverage, plus I LOVE dancing. Dancing clubs used to be my stomping grounds before the wee ones came along. Then not to mention, I dance EVERY chance I could get just around the house.
But while playing in the actual dance mode, it does show dance cards of what you next move will be. Which they do repetitive movements so the player can catch on pretty quick. BUT they are not so redundant that you feel like you aren't dancing.
Also, same review stated that you could do the hokey pokey and still get a good score. Well, I decided to try and see how I would fair on just standing still, it did not register giving me any credit for moves, then when I tried doing the twist and other moves opposite of the dance cards on the screen, it still did not register giving me any credit. Maybe the hokey pokey is the trick...lmao
I am not too crazy with the set up, trying to select items on the menus seem off. I try to hold the cursor or my hand over an item and it seems to move around too much. But I may just be out of touch with my Kinect, I haven't used it in awhile. And going through the menu seems tedious just to play one song. It seems like I am eternally clicking Accept just to play a song. (Which I gave the fun level of this game 5 stars, but overall, gave it 3 stars. The menu section could have been orchestrated better.)
I am really enjoying this game and love that I can add this to my "fun" dancing games.
I have not tried Karaoke or the mini games yet. But when I do, I will update my review. :) | video-games_xbox |
Stupid People. I must say going through the other reviews people seem to be really stupid about saying stuff about the XBOX360 which most of the time isn't true.
=Such as this review person -A Kid's Review- he says the xbox360 has terrible graphics and it isn't worth the $400. First of all you'd have to be a retard in order for that statement alone to be ok, second if you think $400 is a lot of money than good luck with the PS3. Its only about $400-$500 more.
=Another statement I heard was you it always freezes so you need to stand up the xbox360. Well i don't no about you but if for some reason it always freezes every 1-2hours or so while it is lying down, i might just stand it up, which by the way isn't that hard.
=Still another reveiw says -stay away from the xbox360 and wait for the ps3- well 2 things. 1 the cost will be outragous for about 4-7months (even then it will still be bad) and 2 wat else can the ps3 put into its console that the xbox360 doesnt have (this includes upgrades)? I mean yea it has like 10 processors but for what. processors make it so u don't need memory cards which is something sony has always had and 10 processors, jeeze you better be able to play and save any game, any time, any day for your whole life.
=Now this is a very common review I have found -the price amazon is selling the xbox360 is outragous- (than the give it a 1 star). First off it isn't xbox360's fault for the most part that people and websites are selling the xbox360 for way over the should be cost. If it is only $1000 for the xbox360 on a website imagine the ps3, i'd say it will be around $2000-$2500 on websites. This means do not blame xbox360 for its cost on amazon you should be rating the GAME SYSTEM, not the price AMAZON is putting on. So you really should be giving it higher stars on WHAT THE GAMESYSTEM IS LIKE and not the cost of it on websites.
=Wow I just say -A Kid's Review- on their second review and trust me this kid has something wrong with him. First off you don't leave ur xbox360 on for dinner, it will overheat like most systems (retard), and than you actually start to think aliens and microsoft put matches and gasoline in the xbox360's, wow that is as retarded as you can get. Also are you like 6 years old or something cause I mean you'd have to be a real retard or really young to think of stuff like this.
=Our next complainer is -I.M.An "electro junkie"- saying he called the help line and didn't get any help. WERE YOU LISTING??? DID YOU ASK TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE ELSE??? DID YOU TRY CALLING LATER??? ARE YOU A RETARD?????
***THIS COMPLAINT HAS TO BE SEEN BY EVERYONE IT IS FUNNY*** ok is from -J. S. vetere "THE LOAD"- and he is trying to say u can buy the PS3 for like $200.wow how stupid! I no ive been saying some ppl have been pretty retarded but wow. To think the PS3 will be cheaper than the XBOX360 is terrible!!!
=This will be our last review statement thingy and it is about someone trying to make other ppl want to buy the nitendo revolution over the Xbox360 AND the Ps3....... lol ....... yes it will be cheaper but u will get nowhere close to the graphics or sound quality or even game quality as those systems. You must be someone who has only owned a gamecube or a nitendo 64 lol.
*The review's you have currently read from ME our to be not offensive or hurtful. These are mainly just opinions, with except few, lol jk, please do not go thinking that since i said some ppl were retards (which I no they are not) do not go commiting suicide, instead you can just write back angry reports or kick me off of amazon forever or block me or whatever. Once again please do not commite sucide or find my reviews offensive. Thank you* | video-games_xbox |
Yep, these are the real deal. I ordered two sets with full intention of replacing the dealbreaking default thumbsticks on the DualShock 4. The last straw for me was trying to play Entwined on PS4 (which requires both analog sticks held all the way at the edge of the rim) and having to fight to keep my thumbs from slipping off the stock sticks (Resogun was a chore too). I've also witnessed holes wear right through the soft rubber on the DS4s of friends who play Call of Duty around the clock. Clearly something had to be done.
I ordered these on 6/14 from e-Mods and received them on 6/23. A visual comparison with my existing XB1 controller sticks showed these to be identical, and they installed right into my DS4 without issue. True to the word of other reviewers, blogs and determined masterminds on reddit, these really do slot right into the analog mechanisms with no modifications whatsoever. The diameter of the plastic rim on the bottom is slightly less (about 1mm) which leaves an ever-so-slight view of the edge when the analog stick is pulled all the way to one side, but hardly a dealbreaker. The XB1 sticks are about 1mm taller in total than their DS4 counterparts, and the surface about 2mm less, which in my experience offers more precision in movement (particularly in FPSes when scoping) and keeps your thumb from slipping around. I'm looking much more forward to Destiny with these installed.
A word of caution: If you're not technically inclined and patient, it's very possible to damage your DS4 internals while swapping these out. It requires the removal of five PH00-sized Phillips screws (4 external and 1 on the circuit board inside), two ribbon connectors, a battery pack connector and *VERY CAREFULLY* negotiation of the plastic housing around the L2/R2 triggers, which can ruin your day if you aren't careful.
February 25, 2015 Update: Two troubleshooting tips!
#1 You feel grinding on your analog movement -- This happened to me. I realized these sticks sit a little lower on the stem of the analog actuator, which causes the underside to lightly hit the four corners (most noticeable at diagonal positions, cardinals are fine). I solved this personally by slicing up some 1mm thick foam padding that I normally use to hang wall posters with an x-acto knife to the size of the stem and sticking it to the top before putting the stick in place. This props up the thumbstick just high enough that it doesn't rub the underside, but not so high that it scrapes the top of the controller casing. Alternatively, you can file away some of the underside of these sticks if you have the tools and it works just as well, possibly better.
#2 Your trackpad isn't working after reassembly -- You tried to pull it apart before disconnecting the top ribbon cable. The other side of that trackpad ribbon isn't soldered in, it runs to another connector underneath that plastic plate on the back of the trackpad, and yanking on it dislodged the connector. There's a plastic plate over the top of this connector that's glued in place. You can (carefully!) pry it off, reconnect the other end of the ribbon, put it back in position, and everything will work just fine afterword.
I've put well over 500 hours on this controller since doing the thumbstick swap on the original date of this review and been extremely happy with it. It serves extremely well in Destiny as expected, and feels impeccable when doing Velocity 2X runs. That's no mean feat. | video-games_xbox |
Learn to Shred with the Best. This is the game for any guitarists or aspiring guitarists out there. The game is geared for people who love music and want to play the guitar. That means even if you've never picked up a guitar before you'll feel right at home. No need for music theory or even an understanding of chords, however, if you are like me (I've been playing for 7 years) then your guitar knowledge will only help you. I was able to master songs much more quickly and gain points faster because I knew the guitar. Even knowing the guitar and music theory this game was a lot of fun, it takes some getting used to; figuring out what strings match what color, but you can pick this game up and plug in literally any guitar (I tried three different ones, including my acoustic electric) and start playing some really awesome songs.
Along the way you can do advanced techniques to help you master guitar techniques like power chords, normal chords, hammer ons, pull offs, etc, and really take your shredding to the next level. So far I've played this game for four hours and I don't want to stop!!!
Anyone who has loved Rock Band/Guitar Hero, this is the evolution of all of those other music games, play the guitar for real.
Side note, the developers really had an eye for the novice. They literally explain everything the first time around, that means you can literally use this game to teach yourself how to actually play guitar. I LOVE THIS GAME!
Update********* 10/19/11
Having played this game for a couple of days now I want to add my additional experience. First, the amp section is much more valuable then you say. I have several fender amps that can't even come close to doing what this game does in terms of effects. Second, most people spend a couple hundred bucks to buy accessories as it is. Any newbie can by a $100-$200 guitar that will work well with this game. Since the cost of RB3 "pro" guitars are about the same, to me, that makes this game less of a niche and more of a universal game since it is a better investment to buy an actual guitar. Third,(at least so far) there seems to be no guitar theory and therefore it will not fully replace a teacher, on the other hand anyone with knowledge from this game could much more easily learn the guitar theory if they ever did take lessons. In fact I have already started using this game to help teach one of my own guitar students. This can be a powerful motivation tool to let people know that they can play guitar, and get them having fun doing it quicker than normal. | video-games_xbox |
I don't understand why people think this game is great. There are things to love about this game: a seamless world, great atmosphere, awesome boss fights, diverse environments, diverse enemies, somewhat tight controls (swordplay is great, throwing items can be a little tricky), weapon leveling, and a sense of accomplishment when you conquer various portions of the game. At times, it can be addicting and rewarding.
There are things that could be better but don't really kill the game or take away from the above: NPC's, voice acting, sound FX, sound in general, character animations, gear repair and maintenance.
So why would I give this game 2 stars? The answer--the philosophy of the game. The game is very hard, but that isn't the problem. The game is in fact beatable, but it comes at a hefty price. The player must adopt a trial-and-error mentality akin to old school games, such as in Battletoads. By way of analogy, how many people do you know who have beaten Battletoads without cheating by using Game Genie? If you or someone you know has accomplished that, you most likely spent a great deal of your childhood becoming a professional Battletoads gamer (I mean this literally, not insultingly). Now, I don't think Dark Souls is as hard as Battletoads (and perhaps far less cheap), but the philosophy is very similar. Dark Souls is hard and unforgiving. In addition to having very difficult battles with high stakes (losing your accumulated wealth), it takes many hours to figure out how to moderately handle your character such that a catastrophic loss of souls doesn't occur, and the game is just hard for what it is due to the trial-and-error mentality with respect to pretty much everything. Quite frankly, in contrast to many reviews (to my great wonder), it comes across as very cheap due to it. I wonder how many gamers who beat Dark Souls actually sat down with the game and never ever watched a single walkthrough video or got any help from anyone, and finished the game within a reasonable amount of time (without picking the master key from start)? This is where the game really, really struggles. There simply is not enough to help the player out of the trial-and-error mentality. Even though it can be rewarding, the game really becomes a chore, and an unpleasant one at that. Losing the souls you win by defeating a boss kind of takes the wind out of your sails. Exploiting bonfires and farming souls, wherever that may be, feels like a boring chore. I wanted action from Dark Souls--not repetitive soul farming, of which a couple of the most productive means doesn't even involve engaging the enemy. That is not fun gameplay. Every time you level, the chore only takes longer. I get the progressive leveling, but the leveling is really lousy as well. You are only a slightly less wimpy, wimpy version of yourself, even after many levels. The game becomes kind of boring. More time is spent worrying about the progression of your character and stats of weapons and such than playing the game (fighting enemies, ya know).
Once you have played the game long enough, you realize that leveling is not really the issue, that you need to just adopt the trial-and-error mentality, because leveling is somewhat futile. Then you realize that simply running past many enemies, such as side-stepping at the proper moment and sprinting past them, is the best way to get around in the game, rather than confronting them. This is a very good tactic for acquiring new items, because you don't lose them when you die. In fact, if you want to beat Dark Souls quickly and you know where a couple key items are, this is the best way to beat the game quickly. But what is the fun in running like a scared little girl through the game? It's simply not fun and engaging. All these cool enemies to fight, and the go-to approach is running like a scared little girl. Like I said, I wonder how many people could play this without watching helpful videos, walkthroughs, etc. to find weapons and get other tips. Yes, it is fun to come across a Black Knight and kick his tail and fun to do other things. But the game is fun kind of in the same way that a golfer who has one great shot but otherwise triple bogied or worse every hole keeps going back for more. The point is, Dark Souls is fun at times and can be beaten, it just isn't worth it in the manner that most people will want to play it. It is incredibly taxing on the player to even figure out how to play through the game. The game could have been so much more fun, even while having very difficult combat. Like I said, the philosophy of the game is a major issue for me. It is a philosophy that just wastes your time--kind of like Battletoads did so many years ago.
The sad truth is that Dark Soul has so many great places to see and great enemies to fight and things to do, but unless you go to online wikis or watch helpful videos, you will probably never see much of it, and the game is otherwise a complete chore. The developers seem to acknowledge this, and the trial-and-error mentality, by providing means to give tips to other players online by making soapstone marks on the ground. This system is, fairly, marginally helpful. This is why I have rated this game, in and of itself, so low. There are so many people who say this game is "fair." The combat for most basic enemies is very fair. The hit box is accurate. Sometimes during boss fights this can be less so, but overall is excellent. In other ways, the game is stupidly unfair: descending a ladder and getting hit by an enemy at the bottom before you step off without means of protecting yourself, or saying "yes" or "no" in dialogue so terribly delivered that you don't know what you're being asked, and when you pick one way, the npc asking turns into a recalcitrant soundboard and will never ask again (join covenants). I accidentally hit one NPC merchant who appears to be an enemy, so that NPC would no longer sell me items, one item that helps tremendously. To remove my error, I had to pay a vast amount of souls as a sin debt in order to buy items again from that merchant--the sixth or seventh boss gave me one tenth of the souls that I owed for that debt, and the previous boss rewards are scaled down from that. This is utterly ridiculous. In a game that makes you paranoid due to its difficulty and dresses merchants such that you aren't sure that they are such, accidentally hitting one cost me more than all of the souls that I would have been rewarded with from all of the first six or seven bosses--yay, more farming. Many people stop playing this game before encountering the third or fourth boss because it is so difficult. That should be a testament to what the game did to me in that situation. That is one of the cheapest low blows I have ever witnessed in gaming. These are just a few examples. This game does in fact have the capacity to be very, very cheap and stupidly unforgiving. Finally, even for the most basic and ministerial of items in the game, there is a constant sense of mystery regarding what exactly their use accomplishes--this is just downright stupid. This just means the player cannot make informed decisions and must spend more time trying to figure out how to play. It's like shopping at a grocery store and nothing has a label on it.
Playing this game with no outside help is like working a puzzle with no picture (just cut-out cardboard) for like 55 minutes, getting up to do one of your favorite things for like 5 minutes (boss fights and a few other things), then repeating the same for the next hour. After you finish that puzzle, you tell yourself that you have accomplished something, something worth bragging about, but working a puzzle with no picture is really kind of stupid, in and of itself, and would be generally unpleasant. This is how dark souls feels, more like a puzzle than an RPG. The leveling feels meaningless and empty. You simply need to keep trying this and that until you are successful, and afterward you feel as though you have earned some intangible bragging right, but the process of getting there was really kind of stupid and uninformed, and usually is the product of some luck, rather than feeling as though it is skill. With respect to feeling like a puzzle, the game commits what I would consider to be a cardinal sin of modern AI. The enemies in this game are "hard"; don't confuse this with "smart." If you stand outside an enemy's line of sight, even if you are in broad daylight with no visual occlusion, the enemy can't see you and will not pursue you. This is not that big of a deal and is a feature present in many games. However, if you hit that enemy with a ranged weapon, he pursues you. The cardinal sin is that his buddy, or buddies, standing right next to him (literally), has no reaction whatsoever. This is old school enemy draw in order to make fighting easier. It makes the enemies feel less genuine and the game itself further disengaging as an rpg, as opposed to some puzzle that needs to be picked at and unlocked. You can hit an enemy at the far end of a room with a ranged weapon, and he will run past like 10 other guys to pursue you, but none of them join him.
For these reasons, it is difficult to consider this game, in and of itself, great. I think most people rate this game very early into their progression of it. Looking back, it just wasn't worth it. This game wastes so much of your time, provides a sense of false hope in leveling items and your character, and isn't engaging in the ways it should be. It could have been one of the best ever, but truly, objectively, it just isn't executed well enough. Finally, even after learning how to play fairly well, it is truly sad that in a game like this, when I start a new game the first objective I have (without spoiling it) is to sprint past many enemies without engaging any of them, gathering as much loot as possible, then after I have the items I want, going to a farming location, where I farm currency that doesn't involve engaging any enemies. Then after my character is faster, sprinting around some more, then going back to that farming location to do more farming. This is very effective for this game. Sounds fun, right? | video-games_xbox |
Beware: Despite the Title, it IS a Movie Tie-in. First off, this game is short. I'm guessing somewhere between 7-9 hours long. Second, there isn't that much replay value to it, once you're finished. Maybe the Escalation mode can help with that, but I haven't tried it yet as my Gold membership has run out.
Second, this is a movie game in the vein of The Amazing Spiderman (1) where the events taking place continue after the events of the movie. That said, you'll see and play as the dinosaur transformer from the movie commercial--which is nowhere as fun as it should be since he controls like a clunky, slow moving tank--and your main villain will be the antagonist from the film.
Third, graphics are terrible for an Xbox One game. Even if I was playing this on the 360, they wouldn't be the best. Environments are bland, main character models look just okay, enemies come in just a handful of repeating varieties and don't look the best. Yet, despite all this, the frame rate doesn't run smoothly and, during gameplay, I found the screen freezing so that the game could load.
Fourth, gameplay is pretty dull. It was just a very linear game with the same baddies over and over but in slightly different rooms or with slightly higher scales for more challenge. Boss fights were nothing spectacular--Megatron was a joke, the final one was one of the worst boss fights I've ever come across. And there isn't the option to choose your character in the campaign or "Choose a side." You just follow a poorly written story through chapters that get ridiculously short near the end. Oh, and you can customize your weaponry, but what you can and can't customize is determined by random boxes you earn by leveling up your character or completing a specific level challenge or just killing enough bad guys with a specific weapon. It kind of gets annoying when you're on the final level and still have no upgrades for the guns you've been using most.
Overall, this is a bargain game. You can get some entertainment out of it, but it definitely hasn't had that much time or polish put into it. It's just a movie-cash-grab. | video-games_xbox |
I am also aware of how fun playing video games and watching digital media can be . Xbox One Product Review!
By Grayson Nuti
What is the Xbox one?
The Xbox one is a gaming console that is the latest version in a series of gaming systems released by Microsoft.
Why you should trust my opinion?
You should trust my opinion because I have owned both an Xbox and a PlayStation (The Xboxs biggest competitor) before. I am aware of all frustrations that occur when game systems don't work properly. I am also aware of how fun playing video games and watching digital media can be on a gaming system. I am writing today in order to give Microsoft credit for an amazing product. I will be evaluating this product based on its price, ease of use and game variety. It is the prefect gaming system for younger adults male and female.
Why should you buy the Xbox One?
You should buy the Xbox One for many different reasons however the three most important are it is very easy to use, it inexpensive, and has a large game selection.
I have never had any issues figuring out how to use my Xbox One. I didn't even need to read the instruction manual when I bought it because it was so simple to set up. The home screen is set up kind of like an iPhone in the sense there are a bunch of different boxes, which represent applications and games. All you need to do is scroll through the boxes and click on the one you want to use. After doing that the game or application fills the screen within seconds.
The second reason you should buy the Xbox One is because of its price. You can buy a new Xbox One for as low as $350.00, which in my opinion is a great deal for all that it can do. You are not just investing in a game consul but also a blue ray player, digital media player, and an online library with thousands of movies available to watch.
The fourth major reason you should buy the Xbox one is because of its wide game selection. Microsoft has over 100 games available for this system which means you are guaranteed to find one you enjoy.
Whats the Catch?
There are only two drawbacks I have noticed with the Xbox one. The first is that you will need to pay for an Xbox live membership. I got around this dilemma by budgeting Xbox live in as an expense when I bough my console initially. It is relatively cheap at around 12 dollars a month.
The second drawback is that games take about 45 minutes to download when you first buy them. I deal with this by installing the games when I am not home that way I don't have to sit around and wait. The console shuts off on its own after the installation is complete.
Takeaway Message:
If you are looking for a dependable, high quality, easy to use game console than buy the Xbox One! | video-games_xbox |
Tedious and Repetitive. How many times can slashing up zombies be interesting before it gets very, VERY old? That is the question 'Dead Rising' asks it's players as you play as a photojournalist sent to Willamette, Colorado (which must not be too far away from Raccoon City) to investigate a zombie outbreak in the town that has centered around the shopping mall.
You're dropped off to the mall via helicopter and have a little over three days to investigate the "truth" behind the matter. Now, this game uses a Level-Up system to increase such abilities as speed and attack power as you kill more zombies, find out more scoops, rescue survivors, and learn more info about the outbreak. You level up via PP points. The good news is, you carry over these points for as long as you play the game, meaning even if you start all over again, or play it again after gettin gto the end, you'll still keep all of your power. The bad news is, the FIRST time you play it, you'll be so weak (and incredibly SLOW) that you won't get to find out the main storyline behind the game. This essentially makes you have to replay the whole thing over again just to be capable of playing the "true" part of the game.
As you spend days in the mall, you'll be tasked to save survivors and find out more about certain stories ("Scoops") that are going on within the mall. All of these are mostly optional, but the main storyline of the game is what you want to focus on. All of the scoops either involve saving trapped survivors in certain parts of this huge (and very poorly-designed) shopping mall complex or will be a boss fight between large and dangerous psychopaths who have gone crazy in the chaos of the zombie infection. The problem with ALL of these are the time limits, and the time limits are what KILL the fun you could've or might've had in this game. Although I'm sure some people like the 'challenge' of the time limits, the fact of the matter is, the simulated time in the game moves MUCH too quickly and the scoops that come by are way too many for you to handle without full Lv. 50 status, and even then, you won't be able to do too much more. You WON'T be able to save everyone or do everything in the very short amount of time given (especially when you play for the FIRST time and all of your skills are piss-poor). If you can't get to someone in time, you will miss out on being able to save them or get a good scoop. And when you first play, your poor skills will result in you missing virtually EVERYTHING! And when that happens, all you will have left to do is to cut and slash your way through a never-ending horde of zombies until your helicopter arrives to pick you up on Friday. I tried to be Superman and save everyone. But this only resulted in people getting killed by their own stupidity of not being able to simply follow you, or missing out on saving other people or doing optional boss fights against psychopaths. Or, in the most usual case, both.
The thing I hate too, is that the zombies NEVER stop coming! I mean, you can spend an hour clearing out a thousand zombies in one area, making it "safe" for when you have to go rescue someone, only to have twice as many zombies "re-spawn" in that same area! I mean, that's so stupid! It makes most of the killing pointless. I could understand if they came back within a few hours and in the meanwhile, the area would be safe for escorting people back to your security room base, but nope. It's never safe, and rarely ever easy. It wouldn't be so bad if the survivors' AI wasn't so, so bad. All they have to do is follow you, and yet, the AI can't even do that right, either not being able to run around simple objects like a desk, or being too stupid to follow you.
And like I was saying, the zombies never end, which I guess, some players might like. They say the town has 53,000 residents in it, right? So, assuming 90% of them get infected, you're dealing with roughly, 48,000 zombies in one oddly-constructed mall, right? So, you'd think if you killed, say, 10,000 of them (the game keeps a tally of how many you kill and rewards you a little bit for every 50 to 100 killed) it would make a difference, right? Nope. This is what makes the game as tedious, repetitive, and as boring as the game Crackdown. Just like in that game, no matter HOW many enemies you kill, it NEVER makes any kind of difference! And as the difficulity increases, the chances of being able to save people becomes even harder. But, this doesn't result in the game being 'challenging' or 'fun' as much as it does in being just plain old annoying and frustrating.
Could the NPC's in this game BE any dumber? You tell them six times to "Follow me!" only to have them stand there, like idiots, until a horde of ten zombies advance of them! THEN, you have to go back and save them, while more zombies advance on them, while they STILL stand around like idiots, NOT following you! This game has a LOT of problems like this! It can be annoying even with one survivor, but when you get to escorting five or six at once, it becomes close to impossible to keep all of them alive (unless you've got a good stock of Queens saved up, which kill a large group of zombies all at once). Sometimes, you'll have items that don't work right or AI that is beyond legally retarded. I mean, the only NPC's that this game actually got right are the zombies! Even your main character can't do much, as ALL of his moves are either useless, incredibly complicated to pull off correctly, or only good for when you're already being attacked. You'd be surprised how many combat moves you get for when a zombie's ALREADY attacking you and how few there are to PREVENT them from doing that in the first place! Other than the Knee Drop and Jump Kick, all of Frank's moves are really hard to pull off, and you end up almost never using them, which is just as well as Frank's melee strength is beyond weak, anyways. I also can't tell whether or not zombies get more aggressive as you level up and get stronger or as time goes on and they presumably start to get more hungry, but either way, zombies will soon go from being harmless and ignorable to vicious and aggressive in the way they attack you. This seems to be the only AI thing that actually makes sense in the game. They fail with everyone and everything else.
Weapons in the game are okay, but some are mostly useless. You get blunt objects, sharp objects like knives and swords, firearms, and heavy/large objects like benches and trashcans that you can't carry around with you. Your objects go into your stock, but so do your food and health items. Once you use up a weapon (which is rather quickly with most of them), you automatically are given the next weapon in your stock to use. Sadly though, both weapons AND food are in the same stock! The stock system is poorly designed, so I can't even begin to tell you how many times I accidentally used a food item with full health because they switched me over from a weapon that just broke. I'll be slashing zombies, then switched over to my orange juice and accidentally drink it! This happens SO often! Plus, Frank is SO slow with actually using the food items! You know how many times I've died during a boss fight because I couldn't use my juice or food in time? You have to sit there and WAIT for him to drink it all or eat it up before it heals you. This takes like, three seconds. And instead of that animation just being skipped when it's interrupted by you being hit, it just cancels out! So, yes, you can die quite easily because Frank is too slow to drink something up! These are the small problems in the game that quickly add up!
You know what else is slow and takes too long? Your scoop messages. That Otis guy is so annoying! During the heat of a zombie fight, you may get a call on a scoop. But when you take that call, you have to sit there and wait and wait and wait for the guy to give you the info. Again, if you skip it, it doesn't count, and he'll call again, telling you how it's "rude" to hang up on him. Well, I'm sorry if that's so rude that I don't have time to wait for you for a full thirty seconds to get some useless scoop info while fighting off 100 zombies! You know, a text message would be so much simpler and convenient. How could they not see this as annoying? Waiting for his slow, insane rants about someone needing help for so much time during a few thousand zombies coming at you in the mall?
The main storyline, once you're actually strong enough to go after it, seems to be written as something that sounds greater and more epic than it really is. But, once you actually sit back and take it all in, you realize that a zombie outbreak connected with the American beef industry actually makes no sense, at all. One thing they do get somewhat right, is making you feel for the characters given. Some people will survive and others will die, and when your allies die (the non-mall survivors) you really feel a little sad for them, given how much time you've spent with them. Not to give too much away, but the "true" ending is probably less desirable than the "B-Ending" where you just make it out of the mall after 72 hours, because of what happens to Frank during the 'true ending'. And just to bring it up, they misspell "true" a lot in your achivements! At first, I was like, what's a 'ture ending?' Isn't that hilarious? How could they not spell check something like that?
Extra things in the game include you showing off your photography skills via Frank's camera. You get points for how good a photo you take, that range in the genres of Drama, Horror, Violence, Comedy, and Sex. If you grab the right books in the game (mainly, the Visual Cue book), the photography can be quite fun. Especially when you're trying to snap the elusive "perfect" photo during a boss fight or survivor conversation. It's fun to use the camera, but I also haven't played any other photography video game since "Pokemon Snap".
Overall, this game is just tedious and often times frustrating, with too many game design flaws and poor gaming decisions. Like, dying for example, means actual death. There are no "checkpoints" or "continues" or anything, and you have to reload from the last time you saved or you'll just stay dead. Interstingly enough, in a game where timing counts for everything, you'd think there'd be a manual Load screen in the options or something for when you make a mistake. But there IS no Load screen! (Who ever heard of that, before?) If you mess up, you either have to intentionally die or log out in order to restart, and you'll likely be doing this a lot, so not having a Load Saved Game option is pretty bizarre.
This game seems to try to be good, given the multiple endings, the variety of weapons and items, the photography minigame, and even the different outfits, so I'm not going to say that Capcom didn't at least try. They even have some really good songs in here (the rare times you get to hear any). However, the problem is that they just make too many mistakes and the over game ends up being more annoying and frustrating than fun and survivor-horror-esque. The zombies aren't as scary as much as they are just a pain in the behind. This game is NOT in the league of "Resident Evil" even, and that series, while popular, isn't even the BEST zombie video game out there.
"Dead Rising" is maybe worth renting, if you're a zombie/horror game buff. Or if you like taking photos and investigating useless scoops and news info. I'd say the game is worth 2.5 stars. While there is some interesting gameplay to be had here, like investigating the "True" story behind the zombie outbreak, the time limits, NPC flaws, playing on weak level, and simple game design mistakes just suck all the potential fun you could've had out of this. Unless, killing endless zombies is enough to thrill you. Navigating the mall is also annoying, as no kind of real architect could've POSSIBLY designed a mall this inane and oddly constructed. What kind of mall only has ONE entrance/exit, anyway?
The best thing I can say about 'Dead Rising' is that the storyline is a bit unique and the characters are somewhat worth caring for. The worst thing I could say about 'Dead Rising' is that the least-talented people at Capcom HAD to be the ones who designed and created this game as this is far below Capcom's usual quality. If they make a 'Dead Rising II', then hopefully the numerous mistakes and bad game designs will be taken care of and the game will end up as the fun, horror-genre title they probably envisioned while originally making this. | video-games_xbox |
The Mic was not a problem. Not as bad as everyone is saying. After reading all of the reviews (50 or 60) I was skeptical about getting these but I knew the sound would be superior to what I currently own (Earforce X41) so I kept my pre order and they came yesterday and boy was I not disappointed. The mic was NOT!!! a problem for me and my friends as I played Titanfall all day and they could hear me just fine. I have 2 Xbox One's in my home so I did my own test and you could hear the person fine but it just sounded like they were talking to you on speaker in the other room. The mic was so sensitive that my friends could hear my son playing the piano in the other room but yet they could not hear the game from the headset where the mic is just underneath and I was playing the game volume loud. So if that is the worst the mic will sound until they fix it or update comes out I'm fine with that and so are all my friends.
About the sound quality the Polk's blew my X41's out of the water and I thought the X41's sounded good. The sound volume at the highest level were hurting my ears. My son has a great pair of Sol Republic's and the Polk's sound as good or better depending on where you have your mix set at. I would recommend these to any hard core gamer! I have have handled the Turtle Beach Ear Force XO Seven and they do not feel as well built and as tough as the Polk's feel like. Plus the XO Sevens look like gaming headsets but the Polk's look like expensive headphones you could wear anywhere without looking like you just played a video game. I'm sorry for all you that sent yours back and not gave them a chance because of a little mic fix. You are definitely missing out on a great headset!!!!
3/15 Update....Upon using them more playing Titanfall you definitely can here where the footsteps are coming from and what direction they are and where the titans are. I turned off the music in the game options so all I could hear is game sound and what a difference that made in my game cuz eveything going on was so crisp and detailed. I also played with the bitstream format between DTS Digital Surround and Dolby Digital and found they both sound fantastic but I preferred DTS over Dolby because I thought DTS did a better job with the surround sound in the game. Don't let anyone tell you the Polk's are not surround and that you can't hear footsteps in the direction they are coming from cuz you can. I understand each game is diferent and I've only tested them with Titanfall but they really work like they say they work Quote (all-encompassing 3-dimensional effects)True!
3/19 Update....Polk is shipping a solution to the mic problem on March 31st to registered products and it is a POLK CHAT PRO and its free. It's a mic boom that is part of the wire that plugs into the headset and to the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter. [...] | video-games_xbox |
The system rocks, the games are getting better, it will only get more amazing. I've read the reviews that slag the system, I can't believe these people own one. Sure at launch, like all launches the game variety and depth is not there. But 4+ months later, that story is being solved. The games are getting better and better.
Let me also say, I could care less about backwards compatability, because once I start playing the new version of a console, funny how the old games and console begin to collect dust.
When I first got mine on Nov 22, I did not play it on our HD set, I could tell the difference in power, visual effects, number and complexity of active motion, amazing frame rate/smoothness, lighting immediately. But when I went and moved it to HD, freaking amazing, the way games should be played in the living room or den.
I say all this, and I had to send my first unit back for lockups, that was a 3 day process, service was solid, I called them, explained, they sent a box, I sent it back on a week where I would not play much, dropped it off on Tuesday, had it back on Thursday. This second unit is solid.
My only slight digs are on fan and dvd-rom drive noise, and the charge system for wireless controllers, but other than that, the system rocks, the games that truly are the first cut of next gen are amazing. And it will only get better.
The UI, and way controller interfaces is such an improvement over any consoles I have used. And LIVE now is amazing fun, and tons of stuff to download, the Arcade games are good fun too if you love that style of classiv vid game play.
You want to wait for PS3, go for it, I am sure it will be good too. But slagging this system is a waste of time, pointing to core PS person, or an MS hater.
Granted a fair chunk of change, but I have played not games that are bombs, all have been fun, and some amazing.
Visually Kameo a treat, Call of Duty 2 solid FPS fun, DOA4 beautiful camera, color fighting and cut scenes, PGR3 a blast of speed a great LIVE game and Burnout is a rush of stupid fun the graphics speed and effects a big step forward. | video-games_xbox |
Exceptional. Dreamfall is the exquisite "sequel" to The Longest Journey. I say "sequel" because the events that take place in Dreamfall aren't directly related to what happened in The Longest Journey. There is a considerable benefit in knowing the back-story, but it's not strictly necessary. Dreamfall is set in a futuristic world, though not a cliche Hollywood way, where you mainly play as a young woman named Zoe. At points in the game you also play as April Ryan, the main character from TLJ, and Kian, but their parts are not as prominent as Zoe's. Without giving anything away about the plot suffice it to say that it involves dreams, corporate greed, the fate of two worlds, and a mysterious girl begging you to save April.
The Dreamfall's story is absolutely engrossing. Not only does Dreamfall have an incredible story and writing, but it's also incredibly cinematic. I have played very few games that have even come close to this level of story-telling. What's more, unlike most games there's actually meaning beyond the events that take place. Dreamfall is, at its heart, a story about three people's journey of faith and finding purpose for their lives. The character development of the characters in Dreamfall is largely unparalleled in other games today, though you do miss out on some of the character arcs if you haven't played TLJ.
Technically Dreamfall is also well above average, especially when it comes to voices and music. All of Dreamfall's voices just fit. There wasn't an annoying or unbearable one in the lot, which is something even giants like Grim Fandango can't claim. The main character's, Zoe, voice is particularly pleasing to listen to with its distinct British accent. The music is nothing short of amazing. It fits the game to the letter, and is hard to imagine it any other way. Finally, the graphics. Dreamfall is not as technically advanced as games like Oblivion, but it's still beautiful. Dare I say more beautiful then some higher poly-count games? Yes. That is not to say that the graphics are dated, by any means, but rather that the combination of stellar art direction and great (but not top of the line) graphics has incredible results.
The last stop is gameplay. Gameplay is without question Dreamfall's weakest link. Funcom, the developer, has wisely avoided the traditional non-sensical obstacles that exist in adventure games for no reason other than to prolong the game in favor of more organic puzzles. The problem is that that there aren't enough of these puzzles and the ones that are there are fairly simple. Funcom also broke tradition again by adding sneaking elements as well was limited fighting. The fighting is not hard and neither adds nor detracts from the game. The sneaking, on the other hand, is handled quite well, and it is definitely one of the more fun aspects of the game.
Overall, Dreamfall is nothing short of incredible. You should play this game for its beauty and its gripping story rather than challenging gameplay or mind-binding puzzles. Finally, a word of warning. Dreamfall is the middle part of a trilogy, the first part being The Longest Journey. While The Longest Journey wrapped up most of its lose ends by the end and only led indirectly into Dreamfall, Dreamfall is another story. The central story involving Zoe, April, and Kian comes to a conclusion, but there are several major questions left unanswered. This is a result of Dreamfall leading directly into the final chapter of the trilogy. It seems frustrating at first, but rest assured it'll be well worth it in the end. In conclusion: Buy this game if you love a good story. | video-games_xbox |
Revolutionary, but Lacking the Charm of the Old Games. It's been three and a half years since FFXII and the world has finally been given the newest FF game and not just on one system either. Let me just begin by saying that I am a pretty serious FF fan. I've played the following: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 and a little of Tactics. I played probably a few hundred hours of 7 in fact, including the defeat of the Ruby Weapon. For those who don't know, the Ruby Weapon is a super (maybe higher) boss fight which isn't part of the main storyline. So I'm not an Americanized first person shooter gamer, quite the opposite in fact. So, here's an overview of the game for the less patient. This review is riddled with SPOILERS!
Graphics - 9.5 of 10
Unbelievably crisp textures, brilliant colors and lifelike movement compose FFXIII. FMVs are easily the best I've ever seen, literally photorealistic.
Battle System - 8 of 10
Very different from the norm, action is super quick, paradigm system allows people to play roles as opposed to magic only being had by certain characters, but you're not given full control until well into the game and the learning curve is pretty steep
Gameplay - 5 of 10
Huge disappointment, many cutscenes were unnecessary (figure about one every 10 minutes), you get railroaded from one part to the next for most of the game, no freeroam, no real towns and in fact no interaction with NPCs (so far).
Story - 7 of 10
Very, very slow in development; The crux of the story is that all the characters have been cursed by a magical creature called a Fal'Cie. And they all have the ability to do magic, but the catch is they need to complete a main task or focus so they don't turn into a monster. There's been better stories though.
Characters - 8 of 10
People seem pretty interesting, each has their own tale; you have a soldier, a dad, the cocky guy, the girlfriend, the ditzy girl and the kid. The only real problem here is the same as the story - slow in development.
Music / Voice Acting 7 of 10
The music is definitely fantastical in feeling, but not very memorable and kind of seems like an afterthought. Voice acting is excellent, seems very natural and makes the story seem that much more believable.
Main Differences from Older FF games
First off, you don't get to control all four people making the game considerably harder than older games. There are no towns, no NPCs to talk to, no real stores; there are only floating computers where the weapons and accessories are, I suppose "faxed" to you. You can't roam about the planet. For that matter you can't even backtrack in some areas. Leveling characters means upping their roles. So your health and other stats go up, but you don't get the satisfaction of saying I'm level 60 or level 73. There are SO many cutscenes, more than I've ever seen in a game and that includes Lost Odyssey.
Graphics / Animation
This could be the best visuals that I've ever seen in a game. The only close contender for me is Mass Effect. The faces look so human; you can see the complexion of the skin and and blemishes or freckles. The movement is so lifelike just while running. Extensive 3-D character mapping must have been done. And this is all in game rendering. It looks this good all the time. The FMVs are astonishing, but there are far fewer FMVs than I can remember in older games. This is most likely because they eat up valuable disc space.
The FMVs are bar none the best, most photorealistic visuals I've ever seen.
You really do have to see the game to believe the graphics. One might note that an FMV is a full motion video which means it is CGI like a regular movie, whereas a cutscene uses the animation of the in - game animation to produce a video. Cutscenes occur very often in the game. FMVs on the other hand are so dense with graphic content that there are very few in a game. My only qualm with the graphics is that some of the non-essential background items don't look quite as good as the people and the landscapes. But these are few and far between.
Battle System / Leveling
First, I must express how important it is for people who are new to the FF series to read the tutorials. I'm a FF veteran and this game was not easy for me, the difficulty rates probably in the top 20% of the games I've played. This battle system is not like anything I've ever seen in a JRPG. Mind you, I haven't played a FF game since FF10. So most of this stuff is new to me
The key part is the paradigm system. This is the backbone of the character development. Instead of the traditional leveling where you get more HP for each level and more magic points automatically, you get to choose where you want your character to specialize. For example, Lightning (main character) is a soldier so she is best suited to commando. Commando's are leaders and attack with weapons and some magic. Purely magic characters are ravagers. There are also medics, sentinel, synergists and saboteurs. Sentinels are your tank, they take all the damage. Synergists "buff" your party up with stuff like shell, protect, bravery etc. Saboteurs are "debuffers" of the enemies, making them good to be in parallel with the synergists. What differs from older game is that your people are much less multi-faceted than they used to be.
So you'll have a character development chart which is a 3-D diagram called the crystarium. This is where it gets complicated. The crystarium will have circles and at the circumference of the circle will be unlit crystals named like hp + 10 or magic + 5 or protect as some examples. Each is a skill, magic or character enhancement. You gain these by using crystarium points that are earned from the battles. These points are mainly based on the difficulty of the battle and the number of combatants. And each character can have three types of roles (this changes later on), normally better suited to that type of person.
Then there is role level. This is basically what you could call leveling up. Once you've reach the maximum number of crystarium crystals in a group and the game tells you that your role level has increased then you can go to the next group of crystarium circles. To give you an idea of how long this takes, I was just able to get all characters to role level three within the past few hours in the game and I recently started the third disc.
The actual fighting is a little different. It is considerably faster than any RPG I've played and therefore takes some skill and intelligence to stay alive. Remember there are no difficulty settings. When you get into the battle you have the ability to do auto commands, pick from a list of attacks/magic or use a technique. Auto command is just what the computer thinks will give the best attack based on the monster. Attacks and magic vary depending on your role.
And there is a technique which includes Libra - scans enemy and stores the info permanently in your data and can be brought up in battle with the touch of a button. Another technique is your Eidolon (summon). You have to earn these from battling them and then you can bring them in and have them fight with you. This removes all but your controlled character. When you can bring an Eidolon in is based on your technical points - gained from the rating of your battle. I know; it's a lot to take in.
In FFXIII, you're unable to control all but the lead character which is necessary because of the speed of the battle but just one more part of the game you don't have control over. That and the fact that you will be controlling only two characters for probably the first half of the game are what I see as downsides to the battle system. Other than that, it is quite revolutionary, action packed and lightning quick.
Gameplay
The gameplay is more linear than any RPG I've ever played. Heck, even in Super Mario Bros. you could get in the warp pipes and go to a different part of the game. You will literally spend the whole first disc just running. You won't know why you're there or how you got there, but this is the scheme. Cutscene, battle, battle, cutscene, run, battle, cutscene, run, FMV, run and battle some more. Battles break up the running, but early on these can get monotonous as well because there are not very many different types of monsters in the beginning of the game. You're given very little freedom to make the game your own.
Weapon customization and upgrades are about the only way to do so. Shops essentially don't exist in a tangible sense. There are just little floating computers that have all the shops built in. I understand why this was done, but it's just another little thing that's taken away from the RPG part of the game. One of the larger qualms I have with the gameplay is I am pretty deep into the game and it looks like I won't have the ability to just walk up and have a conversation with anyone. There's dialog, but you have no determination of the outcome. I hate to say it, but I think Square Enix has actually been left behind in a lot of areas where other RPGs have advanced.
Role playing means you're playing the role of the character and entails being able to determine where the character goes for one and who they talk to. These are like the most basic elements of an RPG and Square Enix seems to have omitted them. Then there are other things that you'd think they would have made innovations to such as the armor or even clothing. But you don't get armor in FFXIII. I guess I just thought that when you have almost four years to develop and complete a game, we'd be wowed not just by the FMVs but by the technical accomplishments of a game series which has been around for over two decades. The only super impressive parts of the game is the graphics (obviously) and the battle system. Aside from that, this is not of the caliber of other FF games. To me it seems like SqEx, imagines themselves so great of a developer that people will buy anything they make despite the clear lack of overall advancement. Maybe, they should have spent a little less money on the cutscenes and FMVs and a little more on new concepts.
Story
Summing up the story is quite simple for FFXIII. You have seven main characters who are cursed with magic. They become what are known as L'Cie. They need to complete something called a focus in a certain amount of time or they'll turn into a monster called a Cieth. But the catch is that when they do complete it, they turn into a crystal. I won't go into more detail about the crystal because that is a pretty massive spoiler. However, I really liked the explanation of being "cursed" with magic as opposed to just finding little balls on the ground that contained it. The story has some twists and turns and is considerably character driven. The developers took great pains to try and give you an idea of the character's plight and their personality from the beginning.
Unfortunately, there is a ton of terminology that has little to no explanation even with the enormous amount of cutscenes. Here are some of the terms: Gran Pulse L'Cie, Cocoon L'Cie, Eden, Sanctum L'Cie, Fal'Cie, PsiCOM and the list goes on and on. But there is a datalog that explains most if not all of terms and each chapter. Mind you I've watched every single cutscene so far. The story isn't necessarily complicated as it is multi-faceted. There are a bunch of different storylines that come together. And there are a lot of things that need to be remembered just for the storyline, not to mention the fighting. I suppose I should have read that instruction manual or bought the game book.
Characters
In every good RPG there are bigger than life characters. In order to have a good story, these characters have to have a deep background story. There is Lightning, who is/was a soldier. She is the toughest of the group. Her sister - Serah was the first to become a L'Cie. However, she completed her focus so she turned into crystal. Snow is Serah's fiancé. He is a macho, save everyone type of guy and wants to be a hero. His wanting to be the hero however ends up getting people killed. Hope is a teenage guy who gets entangled in Snow's web. The story centers around these four.
The other characters are Vanielle, Fang and Sazh. Their storyline develops later in the game. Vanielle is a supposedly a teenage girl or at least she looks like it. She acts like a carefree ditz, but she hides a dark past. Fang is her best friend or maybe something more and is also a female. She has taken it upon herself to protect Vanielle. Sazh is the eldest of the group, maybe in his 40s. He is the cynic, world weary character and is definitely fighting just to get back to his son - Dodge.
Music and Voice Acting
One of the main things I always remembered FF games for was the music. Everyone remembers the battle music from FFVII. It's one of the most memorable things in my gaming history. The music is somewhat pushed aside in this game which kind of takes away from the polished feel that I've come to expect. I've played probably a couple hundred battles and I can't tell you how the music goes. The volume on the music is also low making it all the less memorable.
The voice actors picked for this game were just excellent. They truly bring a human quality to the game and really fit the characters they play. You'd be hard pressed to find better voice acting for the sheer amount of dialogue that goes on in this game. As far as I'm concerned they couldn't have done better.
Conclusion
As I went through the game I was allowed more freedom little by little. The battle system is great, very state of the art for JRPGs. What was really nice is the developers gave ample tutorials which eased you into the battle system and the game in general. The graphics are, as usual masterfully done. However, the huge deviation from any previous FF game I've played including: inability to talk with NPC characters, not being able to control all the people in a battle, linearity so pervasive it resembles an FPS and the inability to really decide where you're going prevents this from being a game to remember. The first two discs really appear more like a movie with interactivity. When you look at the game retrospectively, it's lacking so very many things that older games had. Some elements are better, while some were completely left out. And you get this eerie feeling that Final Fantasy may well be headed the way of the Dodo bird. Losing it's addictive or even borderline obsessive fans may mean that in the near future, the moniker of Final Fantasy could become the final Final Fantasy. Were I to give it a rating I'd say a 7 out of 10 is reasonable; but compared to older games maybe closer to a 5. | video-games_xbox |
amazing system. I am kind of tired of seeing poorly written "kids reviews" giving the system 1 star and offering no explanation as to why (there are DOZENS!). I imagine these are just 10 year old PS2-ers who view the XBox as the enemy, or something like that. I got this system a little while ago, and I am going to try to quell some of the arguments i've seen and heard concerning this console.
The complaint I've heard most often regards overheating. I've never had my unit overheat, and it's easy to keep it from doing so. Notice how when you stand the unit up the opening for the fan now faces bottom? That makes the unit not cool as efficiently. Just keep it on its side. Now, why Microsoft decided to make the fact that it can stand a perk of the system I don't know, since that makes it not cool as well. But by doing this, I have never had overheating problems. I imagine some of the people complaining about overheating are kids who try to leave their games going overnight or something.
Another complaint is the games. Either the games aren't "next-gen" enough, or the games just suck. For the games sucking, well there's not much choice out there now, and truthfully, I don't like many of the games out there. There's some pretty good ones, but no "Halo"s. But the games will get much better, and soon too. But alas, there are no real kids games available. This is because Microsoft wanted the 360 as more of an adult entertainment center, with online hookup, dvd capabilities, and more adult games. Regarding complaints about the graphics quality and the fact that the games aren't "next-gen" enough: early games never take full advantage of a system's capabilities. This was seen with the last xbox and even with other consoles. Halo 2 was defintiely above and beyond the original in terms of graphics. And of course if you have cruddy cables and a 10 year old 20" tv, that won't really let the 360's graphics shine. I have high expectations, and I think the first game to shatter both arguements will be Oblivion (look at the trailers and you'll be wowed).
I admit, the prices now are a bit ridiculous. However, I was able to casually walk into a store and find out that they just recieved a few units, and still had 2 new XBox 360s in stock, and they were selling them at normal price. If you can find a deal, go for it. If you are stuckw ith high price options, well it's up to you. How much do you like videogames? | video-games_xbox |
Not worth your money. On first arrival this headset appeared to be everything the reviews said it was, but on closer inspection this headset was a huge waste of money.
I bought this headset for gaming purposes, and was very excited when I was able to get it for more than 50% off, after all this headset must be good right? I mean it's marketed at around $80. Wrong, the sound quality is average, not even near as good as most of the reviews would lead you to believe. I get the exact same sound quality out of my cheap Logitech headset that I bought from Walmart for like $20 around 2 or 3 years ago (which I will happily switch back to now).
The main problem I had with these headphones however, was the fact that around every thirty minutes or so the microphone output would start to sound staticy and distant. This became apparent when a friend of mine brought it to my attention that my mic was messing up, so I decided to test it and sure enough after about half an hour the mic output started buzzing and breaking up.
Another problem I had with this headset was the red part at the top of the headset that sits on your head. The red padding is very slick, and the headset would constantly slide around whenever I turned my head as a result. I would say that it seemed to fit me rather okay, but many people complain that if you have a larger head, you will have problems wearing this headset.
The packaging itself was actually quite nice however. The box that the headset comes in is quite sturdy and it comes with it's own carrying case as well as plenty of other goodies.
Overall this headset is definitely not worth the price they are asking for it. Besides the fact that mine was defective (and I hope that I am the only one who had this problem, although I'm worried others might have the same problem and not even know it) you could probably get a better headset at a fourth of the original price. This headset is heavily over marketed for it's sub-par quality. | video-games_xbox |
readMe. This game is amazing!
I agree with the other reviews, in that the game is difficult. Yeah, it IS difficult. But it's not as hard and unforgiving as the Rayman games. Some levels in Rayman are frustrating and depressingly hard, but Ori and The Blind Forest isn't as hard.
The music is fantastic. Think of a triple A big budget game with amazing music. Ori and The Blind Forest have that feel.
The gameplay is solid. You start the game with one ability, and wish you could do so many other things in addition to it. Then eventually you DO receive that ability in a later segment. And then it challenges you, makes you work HARD to master that ability you just discovered. The game makes you really appreciate each ability you have. It's very smart. The platforming is also captivating. The game makes you experiment and plan out your next moves. Every mistake brings you closer to your goal, and it's really satisfying when you reach it. It makes you think in different ways. Makes you WANT to explore, and be creative and clever. Each level has hidden passages and blockages that you can access after receiving higher level abilities later in the game, giving it a LOT of replay value.
You will die many times. Probably over a hundred times, but the death animation isn't as punishing as, say, LIMBO. It doesn't leave you feeling utterly defeated and helpless. With that said, you should remember to save your game before you head deeper into the harder zones of the levels. The game does not auto save. It lets you choose at what point you'd like to save. Just make sure you don't forget it!
The visuals are definitely something to marvel at. At some points in the game, I let go of the controller and let my eyes take in the beauty and hard work the animators put into the game. Visuals get my A+ score here.
I love this game. I'm about 3/4 through it, and I'm definitely impressed with it. It's a nice change from first person shooters and other popular things right now.
Thanks for reading :) | video-games_xbox |
The most frustrating game EVER. I'd love to have heard the sale pitch for making this game... "Here's a fun idea for a football game! What if we make a game where every time you throw a pass, it gets intercepted, and every time you run the ball, you're forced to fumble!" Apparently, the object of "Blitz-The League" is to see how long it takes for you to throw your controller at the TV screen and how many obscenities you can make up to scream at the game!
Here's an actual experience I've had while playing this game...
- During a tie-game, I ran the ball and got tackled by the computer, which forced me to fumble! I then managed to recover the ball with another player, who also got tackled and then fumbled! Refusing to give up, I managed to recover the ball yet again and then was forced to fumble for a THIRD TIME! Oddly enough, I didn't wind up winning that game...
In all fairness, the first third of this game is actually interesting. But once you reach Division 2, the computer starts playing really unfairly. I've had passes intercepted by defensive players who weren't even by the ball! And playing defensively isn't much more satisfying. Once you hit Division 2, you'll have a lot of times when you hit the tackle button and your player will for some reason jump in the complete opposite direction of the player you're trying to tackle.
Another aggrevation is the weekly challenges the computer gives you to win unlockables. In one game, the challenge is to land 4 dirty hits on a particular ball carrier. Since the computer only gave this ball carrier the ball TWO times in the entire game, I wasn't really able to win the challenge...
What could have been a great game is just a frustrating mess. The story mode is very shallow and definitely not interesting enough to hold your interest for the 30+ games you're required to play. (Your interest will wain after about game 3...) The voice acting is poor, and the much-hyped training and steroid use actually does nothing to improve your players abilities. And this game commits the greatest sin any game could make...it just isn't any fun!!! Skip this and stick with the licensed football games instead. | video-games_xbox |
Very Good - What the new COD should have been, but. I played the game for several hours and from reading lots of the reviews it appears that most of the reviews are written from Fan boys on both sides. If you are thinking about picking up the games read through the reviews and you will be able to pick up the overly positive reviews as well as the overly negative reviews.
In short if you enjoy COD type of FPS games you will enjoy this game. If you like BF4 type FPS and do not like COD style games you are likely not to like this game. I enjoy getting with my friends and even random players and just having a good time playing and not getting frustrated while playing. You can just pick up the game and start having fun right away. For that alone I recommend the game. Some positives and negatives without trying to just repeat what everyone else is saying.
Pros
- Fast paced, constant action. Game pushes gamers towards moving around and engaging in action as opposed to camping in one spot and picking off players (there is some of that)
- Although game is similar to COD franchise, it adds many new elements to make it refreshing and entertaining rather than just the same game in a different skin.
Cons
- Level Caps. I found myself leveling fairly quickly in game early on. I don't know if this is going to change a lot as I get higher but it seems as if I will reach level cap very quickly. Some people play to level characters and may not have much to achieve once they do reach cap. I don't know if there will be a "prestige" mode or something equivalent once you make it to cap.
- Weapons. It appears that there is a very limited number of selectible weapons in the game. While some games provide what seems as an almost unlimited number of attainable weapons (BF4), this game seems to offer only about a dozen or so to be available to be unlocked as you play the game. Each one only has a limited number of attachments or unlockables for each weapon.
- Titans. Thus far I have seen 3 titans available at start and 2 unlocked with Campaign. All of them appear to be able to be equipped with the same weapons (I could be mistaken), but I don't see a significant variation between one Titan and next. One might have an extra dash or a little more armor but generally they don't play different enough.
- Inability to name custom loadouts is strange and annoying
- Lack Number of Modes, Private matches, Poor narative (campaign) and level variety have been stated in many other reviews.
- I'm not certain what is being done in this game that could not have been done (and may still be done) on XBox 360. For me to be a "next gen game" it must contain elements that cannot be done in last gen.
Although I listed more Cons than Pros, most of these are supposed to be addressed with patches and/or DLC in the future. It does not take away from the enjoyment of the game, but does leave me feeling that the product is not quite complete. | video-games_xbox |
Fun, Laughs, and a Great Workout (And the Kinect Works. First, I have to admit that I almost brought a Wii instead of an xbox just to play this game, but when I learned "Just Dance 3" was coming out on xbox kinect, I, of course, went with the system that was hands free.
Just turning on this game made me smile. It's colorful and fun.
1) You can preveiw the moves to each song just by scrolling through the song list.
2) I love the lack of competitiveness. Just Dance 3 is a game that you can just stand up and have a good time to. Yes, you do score points, but the fun graphics, lack of "trash" talking characters, and the game's ablity to just be silly allows you to be silly, too. Of course, there is also more challenging coreo for those who prefer.
If I could make one request, it would be for the makers of this game to have the dances/songs of the earlier additions available for download for the xbox. But, that is thinking ahead. I'm sure I have months ahead of laughing and dancing through the songs on this disc.
***UPDATES***
I totally under-rated this game! Can I give it another star?
Many of you want to know how the kinect works. The answer is "perfectly".
1) As a single player, the kinect reads your whole body. (Unless you choose the "easy" selection. At which point the game only scores the upper half of your body.)
2) For multi-players (some songs have coreo for up to 4 players), there are lines on the screen representing advatars. You stand between the line of the player you want to be. Here, it's give or take. The kinect manages to see all players very well. However, the space it allows between each player is minimal, so you have to be careful not to step on each other's toes. Still, we're so busy laughing it doesn't matter. Just be aware of space restrictions. There are some coreo that allows staggered positions, so four people have more room. And each player is able to select whether they want to be scored on "easy" or "medium".
3) Before you start any dance, kinect will show you how much of you it can see to make sure you're in the correct space.
The only draw back is that it's hard to use "kinect hand commands" only to select the songs when there are a lot of people around in party or multi dancers senarios. This is because any movement a person makes, the kinect is ready to read it as a command. However! The controller can be used to make all selection, over-ridding "kinect hand commands".
And again, Just Dance 3 is the easiest, most-fun-you-can-have dancing game for a mixed crowd. Friends I thought would run from any sort of dancing game would not sit down with this one! | video-games_xbox |
Looks nice, but know what you're getting yourself into. I wish I could give it 2.5 stars, however am happy with my purchase, so I guess 3 will do.
I bought this after some parts on my stock case broke, so I bought this knowing pretty well what I was getting myself into. For those who do not know, putting together this case "completely" with void any warranty you may have with microsoft, and they will not fix it since you do have to play with the disk tray a bit in order to get the "cool" looking cover. For what I needed it for, it works great and looks great, however there are a few downsides. First, the disk tray cover that it came with kept scraping against my games, needing adjustment every few hours or so. This was extremely frustrating because it put a lot of wear and tear on my new case because of constantly having to take it apart again and again when the disk tray cover came undone. Eventually, I decided to put the old disk tray on, and now it works fine, however without the cool new cover. Second, it does have a rough time actually fitting on the xbox, so you may have to spend some time getting it just right, so MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING CORRECTLY INSIDE BEFORE YOU PUT ON THE CASE. And third of all, there were no instructions, however there are plenty of tutorials on youtube on how to put it together and take your xbox apart.
MY ADVICE: Do not play with the disk tray, leave the normal cover on, it may not look as cool but it makes it so you are far less likely to break a disk or even the disk tray. You have to be careful where you put the LED's, since you don't want to be halfway through putting your case on and find out the LED's are blocking key points.
PROS:
-Nice looking, you get a lot of compliments from your friend.
-When taking apart the xbox, there is a lot of opportunity to clean out dust that's been caked in there forever.
-A good deal for the money, granted it is put on correctly.
CONS:
-No instructions.
-The case feels a bit flimsy.
-The disk tray cover can make it impossible to put your console vertical, and is very difficult to get it just right and stay right.
-Any sort of warranty is voided after the insides are picked at. | video-games_xbox |
Worlds of Fun. If you've played a variety of FPS games, there are times when it seems the Master Chief has weights on his feet compared to the speed of, say, Gordon Freeman or Soap MacTavish. That said, of the first three entries in the Halo series, Halo 3 really feels like the first time we get to fully stretch our wings. The first game introduced us to a two-weapon mechanic that really requires you to think strategically. The second expanded on that with dual-wield and a little bit of physics effects in-game. But Halo 3 really brings all those things together in a way that shines.
In Halo 3, you play "The Master Chief", a cyborg soldier who is the last of his kind, and an inspiration to all of humanity. Having done great deeds in the first two installations, The Master Chief is now the single greatest soldier in an interstellar war of epic proportions. Your health is measured by a shield that protects you from damage: if you take too many hits in a row, you need to get to cover and let your shield recharge. As you play through levels, you often balance keeping an eye on your ammo with watching how much your shield has been hit. The added dimension is tactics: which enemies are in the area should greatly affect which weapons you choose to pick up...and how to deploy them. For example, if you dual-wield two weapons, sometimes you want two of the exact same weapons so that you can dump huge amounts of rounds into a strong foe. Other times you want to have two different kinds: an energy weapon to sap the enemy's shields and a projectile weapon to do serious amounts of damage once he is vulnerable. One other nice addition is the ability to pick up particular items that assist you, from a shield bubble that protects you to a bright flare that blinds your enemies, and more. What makes it a challenge is that they can use the same things you do!
While previous Halo games added a variety of enemies, you really start to see their capabilities take off in Halo 3. A brute can charge at you, or can simply knock heavy objects around, causing complete chaos. There are times when the battlefield gets so dramatically changed by what's going on that you really need to keep your head about you to avoid getting pinned down, or stumbling over an obstacle that wasn't there before. Enemies are also much better at getting to cover, timing their shots, and being willing to climb on top of or over obstacles to get at you. The AI has a "fight-or-flight" mentality to them, but there are times when they can goad each other out of fleeing and into turning around and coming back at you. Probably the most fun I had was realizing my enemies could now flank me, and wouldn't hesitate to do so without yelling out exactly what they were going to do. While you do get aided by your fellow marines (and an unlikely alien ally), it's clear that the bad guys are all focusing on taking you out. They know exactly who you are, and each of them sees you as the greatest threat to their war.
If you're new to the Halo series, this is a good starting point. While it can be a bit more complicated than the first two entries, the easy difficulty is well balanced for you. Experienced players will enjoy Heroic difficulty, and Legendary is definitely for the practiced of hand. Multiplayer gets an added dimension in that many of the single-player maps are designed for a multiplayer experience as well: so familiar territory for those who begin with the single-player campaign. The fact that multiplayer means everyone else can make the same weapon choices you do means that there is a lot more variety and creativity (and thus a lot more difficulty) facing human foes. This is one of my favorite games for the XBox 360, and my only lament is that it was never made for the PC. | video-games_xbox |
My Daughter Loves It. I bought this game for my daughter for Christmas. She just turned 5 so I thought that this would be a good starter game for her. She was really excited about it. She picked out her tiger and started playing right away.
The graphics in this game are great. There are very vibrant colors and textures that help to keeps a child's attention and make it enjoyable to watch. You can tell that a lot of time was spent getting the look of the game just right.
This game is very interactive and is solely controlled by the Kinect. It's very responsive. Interacting with the Tiger was pretty intuitive for my daughter, but there is a little flying character that helps the child in the game. He shows how to move to complete an activity, shows her how she should move her body or he reads options when the games asks if the child would like to make a choice on something like an activity or change in location.
I wish that there was a way to let the child play the game via the Kinect, while allowing a parent to help the child make selections via the controller. I've read that the game allows an inactive player to be present in the playing area. This is supposed to allow a parent to help a child play the game. I am assuming that a parent may be able to make selections for the child but I haven't figured out how to get it to work properly. It's probably my fault, but I feel that there should be some instruction on how to do it. Or if it doesn't allow you to control game selections then it should say so.
My daughter cannot read yet, so when she needs to make a selection she has to rely on the flying character to tell her what to do. There are visual cues to help the child. For example, the Kinectimal may decide that it wants to play with a ball. The Kinectimal will run off screen and return with a ball. The child then has to choose yes or no. The flying character will ask if the child would like to play with the ball but for some reason my daughter just doesn't like to listen to him/her. I have to help her a lot in the game. Of course she is young and inexperienced with the Kinect. I'm sure that an older, more perceptive or attentive child would have a much easier time. If your child is the poster-child for ADHD they will still have fun, but they will need your help. Of course, the fact that they may need your help doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's a great opportunity to interact with you child while both of you have fun.
So, if you're child loves animals and is perceptive, attentive and/or able to read then he/she will love this game and should be able to play it without you once they figure out how to do everything. If your child can't read and is impatient, doesn't listen to instructions or has a very short attention span he/she will still enjoy the game, but they will need help from you.
I would recommend this game to ages 5-10. I have a 12 year old niece that loves animals, she like the idea of the game but declined to play it because it wasn't as interesting as more mature games. | video-games_xbox |
Astounding with some problems. From the people who brought us Knights of the Old Republic comes another genre-blending game with a fabulously twisting plot. If you own an Xbox, you should own this game. It is not only the best Action RPG on the Xbox but one of the best RPGs played in recent memory.
For those who have played KOTOR, this game will be instantly familiar. At the offset, you pick a character and are thrust into a world of moralities. Unlike KOTOR, the morality system is a little more complex for the most part. Instead of focusing on good and evil, your character has the choice of being endlessly helpful, understanding and tolerant of everyone (in other words believes in the power of the human spirit) or someone who reveres strength. As an example of this strength concept, there is a decision early on about a dam that is open and has caused problems for a town because the sailors are land locked. A wine merchant wants the dam to remain open so he can make a killing off of the sailors. If you follow the Way of the Open Palm you would probably close the dam so that the town can prosper in what is should be doing. If you follow the Way of the Closed Fist, on the other hand, would decide that if the town were strong they will survive this current hurdle and that it is only that, a hurdle. It gets a little more tricky than that and does open some areas for roleplaying your character and deciding what you would really do in that situation. Bioware is also wonderful at making you think about your decision as they give you new information just as soon as you make a decision that might change how you feel about the situation.
My only complaint with the system is that while they say that the two paths are different from looking at things as good and evil, there are still some instances where there is a "good" and an "evil" way of doing things. I might have rationalized why I would be doing something that way, yet I would get points from the side I didn't want because it was clearly delineated as "good and evil choice." So, that's a bit frustrating given that their system isn't supposed to be good and evil. But, overall the system works well and really makes you think.
I didn't really care for KOTOR because of the battle system and that is probably the reason I'm enjoying Jade Empire much more. The fighting system is simple yet deep. As you progress you will learn different martial arts style that you can map to the D-pad for quick and easy access. And you will be constantly changing your styles as the techniques to defeat enemies will constantly evolve. Some monsters are immune to certain attacks so you will have to experiment and find the best ways of devastating your foes.
On the simple side, the combat is really about rock, paper scissors. You have a quick attack and a time-consuming attack (and a knock back attack that really only helps when you are surrounded and need some space). When someone blocks you use your time consuming attack, otherwise you mostly use your quick attacks to offset their own long attacks. It's pretty simple and easy to used to. However, some battles can become a button masher either way you look at it. But it's still exhilarating and fast with many ways of deciding how you want to play. Do you want to focus on using weapons, martial arts, magic, transformations? A little of the above? It's all up to you.
The game is beautiful most of the time. The art style is impeccable and really helps create a full-flesh universe. Since it's based on oriental myth, it doesn't take place in the Orient as we know it but a mythical world that incorporates themes from oriental culture. Because of this, the desiginers are free to create whatever their imagination can make. And it's beautiful. There are some places that I stood for awhile and just looked because it was so surreally beautiful and soothing. It made me wish that sometimes our world wasn't so industrialized and that we could go back to what was a more simple beauty. It was that affecting. However, sometimes, the backgrounds look painted on. Some of the hills and areas that act as blockades for where you can't go aren't that well designed. Also my character's body type makes me laugh because his pecs are super large and his abs are indented in his body that I laugh whenever I see it.
The game moves impeccably fast as well. Your character runs and I mean runs through the areas. The framerate is great. But, like KOTOR before it, the game stutters sometimes when you are running and turning the camera. When the camera pans, the game flutters sometimes as it tries to take in everything that happens. In battles, the game hardly ever stutters. And the battles can end up having a good dozen or so enemies fighting you and your partner so they can get pretty hectic and the graphics engine does a great job keeping the motion moving.
Aurally, the game is a treat. You will find some cameo voice actors that are immediately familiar (look for John Cleese in a hysterical role). The music is well done and has a wonderful oriental bent to it (of course). Also, Bioware hired a real linguist to help create the fictional language used in the game. It is very familiar to oriental language but isn't real. It was created solely for this game. And that's amazing.
Unfortunately, my problem with the dialogue in the game is the same problem I had with KOTOR. It's great and all but all too often the plot developments and dialogue becomes a "talking head" type situation where anyone who has something important to say gets a close up of their face while their lips move and the dialogue is heard. This is unfortunate for me because I get impatient sometimes and will just read the subtitles and skip through most of their dialogue. It's never "dynamic" in cutscenes like in some RPGs I've played (hands down the best use of dialogue in an RPG goes to FFX that used dialogue to move the plot but it wasn't a novel dialogue, it was like movie dialogue). The dialogue in Jade Empire is sometimes like a novel. So, for those who aren't interested in talking heads delivering dialogue this might get annoying after a time. But the dialogue is genuinely well voiced and excellent.
My only other complaint is the load times. While not as annoying constant as Fable where each and every small zone no matter how small had to be loaded for a good 5-10+ seconds, it still is a pain when you have to go through zones for a quest. For instance, in the beginning of the game you have to go through the town to the school (a load screen) to get a quest, go back to town (load screen) to talk to someone, then back to the school (load screen). And it's unfortunate because the actual quest takes maybe a minute, but a good 20 seconds of the time is spent in load screens. That's a uncharacteristic load time though as generally the areas are big and don't usually require many loads. Although another incident where it is very noticeable is in an arena combat situation where before and after each arena battle it has to load for a good 5-10 seconds. The kicker is, some of the arena battles are over in about a minute or much much less and yet you have to deal with two load screens comprising a good 10-20 seconds. So, in some areas it can be annoying and definitely pulls you out of the game when you should be pulled further in. And, it becomes especially annoying considering that games like Halo 2 are seamless after the original load.
Overall, though, this game is gold. It's perfectly plotted and paced and has Bioware's trademark in excellence stamped all over it. It ranks as one of my favorite games this year so far along with God of War and Psychonauts. I would definitely recommend buying this game. There are some problems that I have noted but you know regardless of the problems, this is an excellent game with an excellent story. And, at 22+ hours, this adventure is worth taking.
**NOTE: You should definitely pick up the Limited Edition of it if you can still find it. For the initial run they are all Limited Edition and after they are gone, you will only be able to get this, the standard game. The Limited edition has a new character and weapon style and a making of as well as some other fun things. Same price, so definitely check out the limited edition over this version if you want the game. | video-games_xbox |
Still Fumbling Along in Great Fashion. No doubt about it, Madden 08 for the 360 is the best football game out there. Period. It's also the best Madden football simulation since Madden 05 (of current-gen consoles). Madden made its debut on the 360 two years ago. I still see too much of it in 08. First off, the color announcer is still the drone voice from 06; I'm still baffled by this because EA has ESPN license and should take advantage of using some of their broadcasters. The overall atmosphere of the game has not changed since 07 or 06 versions. The game engine is basically the same, too. It is, however, tweaked and improved since last year's copy.
Overall, the game looks amazing!
No question about the graphics. The game play too is quite good. However, there's still some glitches that pop up now and then, but it doesn't distract from the overall play of the game. I've read there's quite a bit of fumbling going on than should be, but I think that's good because it makes the game interesting and fun. I would like to see more injuries from all the hard hits, which by the way, are a nice touch of realism that lacked in previous versions. So far of what I've played, the injuries that pop up are really not from the hard hits.
Madden 08 offers a little revamped Franchise. The only addition is now "Owner mode" features are added to teams' functions and financial statements. You can add various upgrades to your stadium or build a new one. For the most part, though, the Franchise mode has been untouched from Madden 07. Yes, you can still import your NCAA Football Draft Class as well.
I give this game 3 starts because EA could have done a better job with its announcers and ESPN license. They also could have made for a better TV-style presentation. Keep in mind this is just cherry picking on my view, and I'm not complaining because EA had done a good job on its lucrative football franchise. | video-games_xbox |
In a Nutshell - its a yin-yang videogame. The game has beautiful graphics, great scenery, and very awesome gameplay.
So why do I give it a 3?
Honestly, this game was perfect when I first played it. You go very fast - so it can test your reflexes (which can go either way on good or bad, but its good in my case)
But unfortunately there are a lot of problems.
See, there is this feature where you can make it day or night, and play the levels in whatever time zone you pick.
Daytime -
This is what most Sonic fans want to play. The Daytime levels. The levels that make you want to watch the player and still have fun doing so.
Granted, they can be difficult at times, but not so hard that it makes you want to sit in a corner and consider destroying the game (unless you have serious issues).
Nighttime -
Here's where the game gets its whips from the critics.
These levels are impossibly infuriating. You go much slower, and get less fun things to do. Often times you just want to stop playing because of that one STINKING part in the entire game that incinerates any chance of winning.
Also, unlike the daytime levels, they really are hard. An example would be a particular level in the game, "Eggmanland", where you are both day and night levels.
I'm not sure if its just me that sucks, or if they made it stupid hard on purpose, but I still can't pass the level.
The camera angles don't help you
The fact that you have to battle endless enemies with no health don't help you
And it can make people made really quick.
Its a shame because the daytime levels are actually very fun. And to be fair, the nighttime levels can be fun as well. The combat moves that you get to learn are very impressive, and the music to the game is fun to listen to.
Despite all of its flaws - I'd still recommend it.
Yes, its hard, but it is a very fun game when you get to the fun parts.
What Sega and Sonic Team do right is AWESOME.
What they do wrong is TERRIBLE.
It all comes down to what kind of gamer you are - the kind who appreciates hard challenges and is rewarded with fun ones - or the kind who just wants to finish the game become a winner at another game.
So its a hit or miss game. | video-games_xbox |
Great game but little else. Let me say that I love fighting games, especially the Capcom "versus" games. I was looking forward to Marvel vs Capcom 3 for the longest time, even before it was originally announced! Hoping and praying that it'd be made and it was! It was everything I wanted; online play with friends, a colorful cast of characters, and fast paced fighting with a great system to back it up! Although all the things I mentioned are fantastic that's where the good ends I'm afraid. One major problem I have with the game is that there are very little modes to play. You got Arcade, Versus, Training Mode, and Mission Mode. There isn't any other mode to play online but those 4. If you have Xbox Live you can play online with strangers, friends, and lobbies that can go up 8 players in a "king of the hill" style. There is also "event mode" which to be honest SHOULD have been an offline mode and "Shadow Battles" which are just top players teams from around the world. One thing I just want to mention about Shadow Battle is that you have to pay a dollar for each "Shadow Pack". It's not expensive but it just seems like a community effort and could be free. Back to the lobbies, you can have up to 8 friends or random people which is great! Especially for fighting games! The thing is though, you can't watch the fight while you wait for your turn. You watch the two current players "license cards" bump each other while you wait. It'd be better to watch the actual fight to chant your friend on or just friendly trash talk. This feature was in Super Street Fighter 4, Marvel vs Capcom 2, and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. ALL GAMES MADE BY CAPCOM BEFORE HAND. As for the ranking system...you can't find a ranked match for the life of ya. I've spent 20 minutes looking for a game! A SINGLE GAME! AS for the characters, the roaster is god for the most part but it's odd Capcom left out such fan demanded characters such as Megaman X, Phoenix Wright, Frank West, and Strider. Same goes for the Marvel side but Marvel is in charge of those characters. But highly requested Marvel characters were in fact Venom, Gambit, Dr,Strange, and Ghost Rider. It's just weird that these highly requested characters didn't make the cut. DLC, maybe? All in all, Marvel vs Capcom 3 is a fun fighting game and can be a blast with friends. Just keep in mind your not getting a bang for your buck. If anything the game can be improved with DLC but I like my games complete when I pick them up from the store. | video-games_xbox |
Major fail for the series. the most disappointing addition to the series. To anyone who played the prior games, going back to the original pc game, this version was just full of fail. Power Armor is now gimped - you need to find and feed fusion cores to it to make it operational. A fusion core lasts anywhere from 2-5 minutes, given steady combat (which of course you have near constant combat). You cant recharge fusion cores, you can only put in new ones. I belive the game was designed with the concept of always wearing power armor, which you just cant do. When the fusion core is depleted, the armor/game will incessantly beep at you to remind you that its out. The play itself ha turned into player killer, I cant count the number of times i've been ambushed and one shotted. at normal level of difficulty. Upon exiting one buiding (which has only one exit, 2 overpweringly deadly critters burrowed out of the ground, right at the exitway. Cant outrun them, cant defeat them, cant sneak past. They don't go away and will come into th building after you. I set up a landmine and then hot one repeatedly as fast as i could pull the trigger. I maybe removed 5% of its health. It was designed to kill players. And Bethesda has now introduced 'Legendary' monsters, much more powerful than the regulars. You'd think theyd be rare, but i've run into 4 and haven even made it to the first large city. Your companions are wortless, a dog that miraculously appears directly in front of you every time you try to run or even just change direction. it does block you, preventing forward movement. A robot that doesnt seem to have any ranged combat abilities, when every eemy in the game seems to. A mercenary, who i've spent more stimpaks on than i use on my character. Sadly disappointed in this game. ALSO VATS doesnt work like it used to. Instead of pausing the combat to give you a chance to sort your enemies and shots and aim where you want to, it now just slows things down. You'll still get hit and repeatedly killed while in VATS. In short, power armor is gimped, vats is gimped, your companions are gimped, and the monsters are tougher than ever. Major fail for anyone who played ans enjoyed the series.
I have completed the game and tried to play one of the add ons, but even the addons don't work. At the final stage, you are supposed to talk to the mechanist, after fighting all the way through his lair and defeating his final stronghold of bots, but the mechanist won't respond or react, other than sealing all the doors in the room, so you cant get out and play somewhere else. So, another gamebreaking bug. Such a disappointment in the series. | video-games_xbox |
Dreams Do Come True. Star Wars: Battlefront for the XBOX is a wargame that can be played from either first-person or third person view. First let me get the bad points out of the way: there are no outer-space battles, you cannot play as a jedi, the A.I. is hard headed, and the maps are too small for flying vehicles. It should also be noted that this is NOT a mission-based game like, "Halo", so stop comparing every game to "Halo" please! Battlefront plays similar to a Pc game called "Battlefield 1942", you CAN compare it to that game. You can win the game by capturing all command posts (territories) or killing all enemy units on the map. You play as a grunt soldier in the frontlines of all the epic battles seen in Star Wars films (including Tattooine, Hoth, Endor, Naboo and much more!) Before you begin battle you pick from four different army factions: Clones, Republic, CIS, and Rebels. Then you pick the soldier type you want to be: rifleman (rapid fire blaster), pilot (can repair and dispense medkits to soldiers), missle launcher (bazooka), sniper (long distance zoom killer), and commando (special unit). Most soldier class carry primary and secondary weapons and a couple of grenades. Everytime you get killed you can respawn and choose a different soldier type. You can travel by foot or ride in vehicles if available. Almost all of the vehicles from the Star Wars universe are in this game! Even the monsterous AT-AT! You'll be fighting alongside an army of A.I. controlled soldiers. There's lasers, missiles, and grenades exploding everywhere! The battles are intense, chaotic and a lot of fun! It looks and feels just like the movies! If you like FPS or wargames, BF 1942 or the Star Wars universe get this game! Its a dream come true!
Pros:
+intense battles
+lots of weapons and vehicles
+lots of maps
+excellent graphics and animation
+excellent sound effects
+excellent music
+co-op or versus gameplay
+xbox live multiplayer
+good A.I. BOTS
Cons:
-you cannot play as a jedi
-maps are too small
-no outer-space battles
-A.I. disobeys orders
-lacks game mode variety
-gets repetative
The Xbox version; the crisp graphics, have a higher framerate and the game loads faster than PS2 version. | video-games_xbox |
Don't waste your money. I saw the video for this game one day and was so pumped I pre-ordered it immediately. Then when it arrived I played it and lost all the excitement I had previously felt. There is a quote on the back of the box that says " 'A Dungeon Crawl for the Gears Age' - Kotaku". Now I am not sure who the person saying this is and I am not sure that as Bethesda I would want that on my box as an advertisement. After reading that I went into the game getting ready to make comparisons to <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gears-of-War-3/dp/B002I0H79C/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gears of War 3</a>, which I would not have done if I hadn't read that quote, well maybe not as many comparisons any way. Let me just say, THIS IS NO GEARS! The graphics are no where near the quality of Gears, and they really try to be, even down to little traits of the lower level enemies. They have tried to rip off the Gears cover system and done a really poor job of that as well.
Let me get down to the core of my Problem with this game. I EXPECTED MORE FROM BETHESDA. The graphics are poor, the story is poor, the dialogue is ridiculous and it becomes real tedious real quick. Let me start with the graphics. They are sub par, especially when we are talking about being five years into the life of these systems this game is released on. What's funny is the cut scenes are not even a better quality graphic than the rest of the game, so they couldn't be bothered to give us any good graphics. The movement of the characters is stiff and unnatural because they do not bend at the joints as they should. When they talk, their lips move more like a muppet than like a cartoon or animated character. Then one of my bigger graphical complaints is the proportions of all the bodies, ugghh! Heads too big, legs too short, boobs over the top, arms too long. These characters are just a mess. Did I mention Craddoc's forehead is like a drive theatre?
Now that we have covered the graphics, let's talk about the story. I am into the second chapter and really don't care. The second chapter is more like the third since there is a prologue, read tutorial, and the story has not offered me any reason to really want to go forward. I have two characters, E'lara and Caddoc, who are supposed to be treasure hunters and the game has given me no reason to care about either of them. Even worse, because it is a Gears rip off, I only use E'lara because she uses a bow. If you want me to care about them, start me off with the guy rescuing the girl and forming a bond or vice versa. They are greedy people who get themselves into trouble for treasure and meet a "mysterious" girl who sets up the rest of the treasure hunting story. Now that you have a reason to treasure hunt you have to fight through the bad guys to get to that treasure. The banter between the two main characters is neither smart nor witty. The game plays like the story was a secondary thought as to why they could have the player pushing forward through waves of enemies. I much rather have a story where enemies are the after thought, especially in what is being billed as a dungeon crawl. So now I have a monster push that has no story to keep me invested in the battle.
As I touched on the dialogue a bit, I'll keep this short. As it is not fun to hear as one liners during the game, it is even worse to hear during the extended cut scenes. It sounds as of it were written by a high school drama student who is aspiring to be a screenwriter.
So now to the tedious part. This is billed as a dungeon crawl, but it is way too linear to be a dungeon crawl. Yes, I admit that some times you can go left and right, but after you go left and get that gold at the end you have to back and go right because that is the way the story goes. Oh, and speaking of that gold you picked up, got out of the treasure chest, looted off the mob, IT IS USELESS. You do not use gold in the game what-so-ever. There is no store, no item vendor, no armorer, no blacksmith. The gold is for nothing. Now lets talk about weapons. There is only four bows to choose from. Each is named, but it works like this. Fast, medium, slow, rare. The damage for the non rare bows are better than the damage for the rare bow and since I picked up the highest damage bow nothing different has dropped. It just cycles the same bows over and over. There is no armor for you to pick up and there is no real leveling to do.
For a game that had all the potential in the world, it fell flat on its face. It is not a good dungeon crawl and it is not a good Gears impersonator. I wish I had known before I spent my money. And just as a side note, my code for the pre-order got me the Demon Pack, but it didn't do me any good, because my characters didn't get their weapons. The worst part is, this game makes me have serious pause when it comes to <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Elder-Scrolls-V-Skyrim/dp/B004HYK956/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</a>. If you are thinking about getting this game, don't. Get <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Gears-of-War-3/dp/B002I0H79C/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Gears of War 3</a> and <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Diablo-III/dp/B00178630A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Diablo III</a>. You may spend a bit more, but you'll be happy with your purchase as you will get your dungeon crawl and your Gears.
JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT FOR ALL OF YOU THAT THINK THIS GAME IS SO GREAT I AM TRADING MY COPY OF THE GAME BACK TO AMAZON BECAUSE EVEN GAMESTOP THINKS IT IS GARBAGE AND ONLY OFFERED ME $13 FOR IT (LESS THAN A WEEK OLD). | video-games_xbox |
A good game with some flaws, but a lot of fun. Final Fantasy XIII, in my opinion, has taken too much flack for its design and story. The storyline is well-done. According to the Final Fantasy wikia (which is reliable because fans who want reliable information on the series will post reliable info, and erase anything false), this game was the second-best game in Japan in 2009, and in January 2010, voted "the best game ever" in Famitsu's reader poll.
Perhaps these reviews mean little as the reception FF13 received in the US and other western countries was not favorable. I can see why. I'll start with the flaws--first, the voice acting is slightly melo-dramatic in the NA and EU versions. Another problem was terrible foreshadowing. I'm not going to spoil anything, but it does have to do with a scene near the beginning where Vanille finds a strange staff. It's her weapon, but before her first battle, she plays with it like a toy. Later in the game, it shows why she knew it was there and how she understood how to use it.
Another problem is that there seems to be a pattern which goes like this: cutscene->fight->cutscene->fight->repeat. To me, this didn't bother me because it gave me time to learn the story. However, for others, it can easily break the flow the game.
The beginning is also very slow, and it makes it difficult to press through Lake Bresha. After that part, it begins to get easier and easier.
As for the positives, let's start with Lightning herself--the lead. She is one of the first, besides Zidane from FF9 to be a completely non-emo character. She also is a no-nonsense, serious, yet knows what she's doing character. She's an excellent protagonist, and she has great character development.
Another positive is the battle system. Although you cannot control the characters, there is a strong aspect of strategy in the battles. Knowing what paradigm shifts to use and when is crucial to a successful battle. This game is difficult (which is also a plus), and I have never died so many times in a Final Fantasy game.
There are more negatives and positives, but overall, I think this an enjoyable game that deserves a chance for any FF fan. | video-games_xbox |
Overpriced and not true to its words. I have two headsets by Turtle Beach now. I think I like my first one better. My Earforce PX21 Turtle Beach Headset (not wireless) I have works, but it is 2 yrs. old and still working pretty good. The sound is fading some though and the cushioned part on the ear has come off a few times. I decided to get a new one. A friend of mine told me about the Turtle Beach MW3 Ear Force Bravo wireless one, and I had to get it. It was a BIG mistake. If I had a choice to do it all over again I wouldn't buy it. It is overly priced. My old one cost me about $75 and the sound is better than this new one I have now. I just bought this new headset October 27th. Luckily my woman paid half as an early bday gift, so I didn't pay full price. My nephew who comes over to game with me on his PS3 wasn't impressed with the new headset. He too had to order a new headset and I found one for him on here and we shall see how that works. I found one for him for $50 something and even with overnight shipping it's total is $55. He is getting the PS3 Ear Force P11 Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset. I am comparing headsets that I have by the same company in case your in the market to buy a new one. Hopefully I can give you a better understanding of what I have experienced as a Turtle Beach purchaser.
Below is a list of Pros and cons along with a brief description. I am doing one on My old Turtle Beach Ear Force PX21 headset AND the Turtle Beach COD MW3 Ear Force Bravo wireless limited edition headset. Fist, let's talk about the new one here since this is why you came to read the reviews on this item in the first place.
Turtle Beach COD MW3 Ear Force Bravo wireless limited edition headset
-PROS-
1. Wireless
2. Comes with a Chargeable cord that allows you to recharge headset while still gaming.
3. Chat, game, and music volume balances out while gaming. This is nice so that while your gaming you can still hear your friends, but hear the game too.
4. Allows you to listen to your music while gaming. This is a nice feature where you can plug in your media device (ie. mp3 player, Ipod, Android, etc.) that allows you to listen to your own music while gaming and no one else can hear your music but you.
5. I like the fact I can go leave the room and still be able to chat with my friends.
6. Comes with a nice case black and clear lid case with a handle for storage.
7. Mute for chatting.
8. I do like the fact the Mic piece is a rubbery substance which makes it more flexible and won't break as easy.
-CONS-
1. Overly priced! Not worth the price. Thank God it was an early bday present and I only had to pay half.
2. It is NOT 7.1 surround sound at all.
3. For me the headset is comfortable for while and then within an hour it starts to hurt and get annoying.
4. The presets are not customizable. They only cycle through presets already built in. They have a main button too that is for that. So, why can't we create our own customizations?
5. The music feature could stand to use a feature like volume control. Instead there is nothing to control your music volume. It is kind of low, but your still able to hear your music. I had to download several apps on my android phone until I found one that worked the best to boost my headset sound quality for music.
6. It doesn't work for PC or Mac computers. I seem to not be the only one here who is having this issue. My friend and some other person said they could not get theirs to work on their PC and for it to find the headset. I tried this on skype and to pair it with my Mac no go. I tried on my Windows PC too and no go. This is a rip off. Also you have to unplug the usb from your PS3 and plug it into the computer, which STILL doesn't work and won't find the device.
7. Sound quality isn't bad, but it isn't what they make it sound out to be. It has pretty good sound it just isn't surround sound.
8. For being wireless there sure a lot of cords to hook up.
9. The ear piece isn't spacious enough and hurts my left ear. A few others had this problem too.
Overall I gave this a 3 star because while it is still a decent headset there are features on here that are nice, but some of them do not work or are worth it. Over all it is the price that you should stay away from. If everything worked great like it should then I would recommend it for sure.
My Old Turtle Beach Ear Force PX21
-PROS-
1. Has a clip to put on your belt or shirt. Also easy access to all the controlls.
2. The controls has a amplifier that allows you to get even more boost on surround sound.
3. Has great surround sound.
4. The earpiece I can wear for hours and it is still comfortable.
5. The price is a bit steep, but again it is actually worth it.
6. works great on my Mac and windows PC for skype etc.
7. Adjustable mic for chat and game and mute button for chatting.
-CONS-
1. The cord is way too long. It get's caught in everything and it makes things look messy.
2. Not wireless.
3. Heard about this before and it happen to my nephew, but not me. The mic part is plastic and his snapped and is breaking off.
Over all I like this one better just for the sound alone and the fact that it DOES work on my computers. Oh and it DOES work on XBOX360 as well. I don't own one, but a friend tried it on his and it works just fine. The price is still a little steep, but at least everything works like it should. Only bad part I hear is the mic part cracks because of it being plastic.
I would suggest not to pay into much for a headset. There is always some out there that are cheaper and just as good if not better that will actually do what they say they will do. Sometimes we pay more for items that are way too expensive and we come up short. Buy the cheaper priced items and you tend to get a better bargain. I wouldn't recommend paying this headset. | video-games_xbox |
One of the Best Baseball Videogames. This game is one of the best baseball videogames I've ever played! I'll say it again, ONE OF THE BEST! My brother came over to my house, and played this game with me after I had purchased it! I'm in my 40's and he's in his upper 30's! I'm the big gamer of the family, and he rarely plays! HE COULD NOT PUT THIS GAME DOWN! He said: "This game is awesome!!!"
Well, I have to say I am a bit shallow when it comes to games, but I'll tell you my feelings and feel free to choose helpful or unhelpful, depending on your feelings! I will make it as good as can! Because I really love this game!!! All ratings are out of 5 stars.
GAMEPLAY: 4.5 stars
Many great options here. I'm pretty lousy at baseball, and I enjoy controlling the sliders to my liking, and giving the disadvantage to the opposing team! I love how you can advance the runner, and take control. It is not perfect, but it is lots of fun, and nice to take a different angel. I'd love to see taking control of the catcher, perhaps in future editions, thought I don't think it made it to the 2K6 version. Maybe 2K7?
MINIGAMES: 3.5 stars
Great mini-games, and Homerun King are fun! Not its highest effort, but still great!
MUSIC OPTIONS: 5.0 stars
Despite what other games say, this was, to the best of my knowledge, the first baseball sports game which allows you to choose the music in many game play options within the game. Not just the beginning, not just the end. But throughout the game! At bats; Base hits; strikeouts; Pitcher entries; etc. When you go through the menu screens, you get an opportunity to customize all of your tunes. They let you choose music for the Home Team hitters as they approach the plate. They even let you choose music for specific stadiums. It is the most awesome feature in any sports videogame I have ever owned!
Over all, I have to give this one 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. It is truly an awesome game!
MC White said: CHECK IT OUT!!! TWO ENTHUSIASTIC GAMER THUMBS UP!!! | video-games_xbox |
For those who hated Oblivion, and find it hard to get into this game. I hated Oblivion and almost gave up on Fallout 3. I felt like my weapons sucked, I had no ammo, no stimpacks, and couldn't cause enough damage to enemies to kill them. I spent most of the time looking for ammo, money, and health. Then I got hooked into the game and now Fallout 3 has become one of my favs. You will start kicking but once you start finding the laser and plasma rifles.
Some tips to get you into the game:
BTW, If your playing a character with good Karma, this prob won't apply, but check some FAQS to see that doing the things below won't kill some future side quests.
Start with the main missions first. Play until you reach around level 9 and after the galaxy news radio mission. Right around the tranquility lane quest is where I got hooked.
At this point you should be able to kill raiders with little effort. It also helps to get the locker in Megaton after completing the Power of the Atom quest.
COLLECT EVERYTHING YOU FIND and sell it to the vendors. The fist three places I went to do this was the Super-duper Mart, Paradise Falls, and Evergreen Mills. Collect tin cans, plates, empty bottles, EVERYTHING you find, and sell it to the vendors for caps. It all adds up. If the Talon guys in Paradise Falls shoot at you, kill them and take their weapons and armor. Loot that ENTIRE place. there are lockers you can use in P.F. to put all the stuff you find, and then start making cargo trips to sell the stuff or stash it in your locker.
If you have a buddy with you, you can give him things to carry as well, doubling your carrying capacity.
In Evergreen mills, there is a vendor inside the tunnels. You can loot all the garbage in his shop as well as the cave and sell it to him until his money runs out, then buy some things you need from him so you can sell him more stuff, keep doing this. HINT* that vendor has a weapon that is one of the most powerful small arms in the game, I always have it on me. But you have to kill him to get it.
It helps to have a high repair skill so you can get more money for equipment that is in better condition. You will have MANY duplicate weapons and armor.
The locker in Megaton seems to be infinite. whenever my partner and I are full, I go back to Megaton and stash the stuff in my locker. I sell the excess stuff like extra armor and weapons, and junk like plates cups bottles, pre-war $, cigarettes and cartons.
There is endless looting in this game, houses, tunnels, enemies, cities, etc. It didn't dawn on me that I could stock up on bottles and cans and the vendors would buy them. You can sell the junk to ANY vendor, Moira in Megaton, the traveling merchants (the guys outside megaton, canterbury Commons, Arefu, etc), doctors,the diners, the merchants in Rivet City, even if they only sell medicine or food, if people can sell you anything, you can sell THEM anything. After a while you will find so much ammo from looting, you won't need to buy it anymore. Ammo is the one thing I don't sell because you never know when your going to pick up a weapon that uses it and it doesn't weigh anything.
I payed attention to the following stats:
Strength- so I can carry more
Barter- to get more $ from the vendors
Science and lockpick skills - so I can get into more places for more loot
repair skill- to have better equipment and to yield a higher price selling it to vendors ( a single, good condition laser or plasma weapon will net you close to 800c)
I realized the plasma weapons were very powerful, so I raised my energy weapon stats as well.
I found there aren't a lot of main missions, and if you just do the main ones the game will be over very shortly. The side quests, looting, collecting, and exploring are the bread & butter of this game.
The one thing I didn't like about Oblivion was that the enemies got harder to kill as you leveled up. I thought, was is the point in leveling up then? In Fallout 3, the enemies do scale slightly, but once you reach around level 10, they get super easy, even the Behemoths. | video-games_xbox |
BEST GAMES EVER. Let me start off by saying i don't own the actual double pack thingi i'm reviewing, i have both gta3 and vice city separately on PS2. i was getting really jealous reading what the xbox version had that the PS2 one doesnt. For example the feature that lets you save your own music on the xbox and hear the songs on the radio stations (i can think of many slayer or slipknot songs that would be perfect to listen to while mowing down pedestrians or on the run from the cops!) not that the radio stations suck either, Vrock pumps out loads of 80s metal like maiden, ozzy, slayer, megadeth and motley crue which i think is a huge improvement over the hip hop and regge stations on gta3.
i've had these 2 games for years and they are the only games that i havn't got bored of yet.
As you may know, vice city has a lot more to offer than gta3 and i recommend playing gta3 1st so you can be blown away by the sequel.
i don't know how you could knock these games they have EVERYTHING! shooting,action, comedy, drag racing, fist fights, helicopters, gang wars, buisnesses you can buy, huge cities that'll take you months to fully explore,explosions, high speed chases, FBI swat team etc, chicks, and an aresenal of weapons that'll keep you entertained for hours on end.
Even when you finish the missions there is still heaps to do, especially on vice city.
I'd also like to mention the massive amounts of humor put into the game i.e on the radio stations and throughout the town. Some of the talk shows and adds on the radio are worth listening to without even playing the game.
I really hope thgey make another GTA because im sure it will be jam packed with stuff to do like these two are.
This double pack deserves far more than 5 stars especially when you consider how many months or even years work went into making the games.
The majority of people who criticize this game havn't even palyed it or just hate it because of the amount of violence in it and stupid things like that. Just play it a few times before you judge it.
Overall these games are definately worth the money and should be among every gamer's collection.
Now go buy them! You won't be disappointed. | video-games_xbox |
Lots of hype but lots of greatness. It's kind of an old thing to say now about the long development period that Alan Wake had since nearly everyone who brings up the game asks "was it worth the long wait?" Not so much a question of "is the game good?" but rather a question that's posed towards the hype and anticipation more than the game itself. Alan Wake couldn't be seen as just a good or great game you see but a 5 year wait (apparently planned since 2001 but announced 2005) means that this thing had to be the absolute best thing you can buy for your Xbox this year, otherwise what's the point in them taking so long. Now that it is here, it does feel a bit surreal and it's hard not to think about "wow, we actually have it, like...it's real!" now we got to ask is whether the game's good. If I don't take into account the long wait, then I'll absolutely say "yes". From the superbly told storyline to the occasionally breathtaking graphics and solid voice acting, then I'd say it is but then I think of it's kind of short length, couple of graphical hitches and combat that kind of gets a bit old the more you play and I can say that Alan Wake is definitely worth a playthrough but how great that playthrough will be depends on just how much you're expecting from the game.
Story: The story centers on Alan Wake, a successful novelist who unfortunately has hit the most dreaded fear known to his kind: writer's block. Trying to break out of it and take some refreshing visits to the country, Alan and wife Alice arrive at the city of Bright Falls, a small friendly town with a couple of odd locals. But when Alice disappears, people act incredibly erratically and violently and a dark mist/cloud seems to envelop the environment at night, it's clear something's up with the time. But things get even more crazier when Alan realizes the events unfolding have been written in a manuscript for a book entitled "Departure" that he himself wrote yet can't remember that he did.
Alan Wake uses a clever idea of having the game play out almost like a television episode with a "previously on..." opening segment and cliffhangers book-ending each episode. The most common similarities the game has been drawing is that it's like Twin Peaks and some X-Files and maybe even some Lost and for sci-fi/horror guy like myself who absolutely adore the X-Files, this game is nearly a godsend. Paranormal crazy things going on and freaky things happen so when a tree suddenly topples in the distance or a house you're in starts to crash and crumble around you with glass breaking and things flying everywhere, the game gets intense. But where it might differ for you is whether it's scary and to that I say this game is more Dead Space than Fatal Frame or a Silent Hill. This game I doubt will make you lose sleep but you'll sure as hell feel tense when you play it.
Graphics: Looking at Alan Wake in the nighttime scenes and you'll think this is one of the more eerie and freakiest games from the unbelievable lighting to the haze/fog that permeates through the forest, this game oozes atmosphere and it's all the more creepier for it. And I can't say more great things about the lighting from the flares you drop and the ones you shoot, this game looks stunning. But then you get to the daytime scenes and you run into incredible vistas that look almost painterly and you're like "wow, they didn't need to make it that detailed but they sure went whole nine yards to make it look great". That is until you notice some strange facial animation, especially in the lip sync and it's got some of the more noticeable screen tearing this side of Darksiders. One time I literally rotated the camera back and forth between a window and the tearing kept returning every time. Also sometimes the cutscenes seem different compared to the in-game so for instance if I walked forward and literally stood a foot from a character in some medium ambient light, the cutscene all of a sudden has me in the doorway with more darker lighting. Alan himself is...okay in that his running animation looks oddly funny but the slow-mo dodge he can do never gets old.
Sound/Music: In order to freak you out, you need some absolutely great sound design and luckily this game has it. Playing with headphones or with a really sweet surround sound setup and the game takes on a whole different feel than if it was in mono. From what sounds like breathing occasionally in-game to the ambient noise to sounds that almost are geared specifically to creep you out even if nothing caused it (I investigated a cabin once, Alan stood still and I could've sworn I heard footsteps on the outside patio). Voice acting is uniformly excellent as well but the writing in some of it is kinda screwy. The tone in Alan's narration is perfect but when it comes down to lines from townsfolk it just doesn't sound right but the actors make do with it. There's even some music that bookends the chapters that's cool and there's one moment that Left 4 Dead 2 players will instantly recognize midway.
Gameplay: Alan Wake's "gimmick" as it were is the light vs dark mechanic that the story also centers around. Alan 90% of the time in the game will be carrying a flashlight and when the baddies of the game, dubbed the "Taken", are exposed to this light or any forms of light and it starts to for lack of a better description, "burn" the darkness of them at which point they become way more vulnerable to gunfire. You can carry a couple of nifty tools to get the job done from flashbangs which are basically an insta-kill grenade to a flare you can throw on the ground which sort of acts like a temporary haven or an impenetrable area and a flare gun which doubles as your "RPG" and crowd control. Weapons are standard fare from revolvers to shotguns to hunting rifles and that flashlight will also require batteries as focusing your beam, or zooming/iron sight, will drain more battery juice and pretty soon you'll either need to replace the battery or wait till it recharges. The controls for this feel incredibly smooth and the aiming and gunplay feel completely natural and not as cumbersome as some shooters are. The same cannot be said for Alan Wake's handling of his body in that Alan's fine when he's not in combat as far as controlling goes but he tends to run out of breath easily and the dodging mechanic mentioned earlier where pressing RB at the right time triggers an awesome slo-mo dodge will be wildly inconsistent and sometimes you'll perfectly nailed it and other times you're like "dude I'm pressing the button, dodge already!" Not to mention this isn't Resident Evil 4/5 AI where they stand around and take turns to come after you or take their sweet time to hit you as this AI is incredibly aggressive which makes for some tense combat but also some frustrating ones from either the control issues above or trying to flee only for them to practically catch up to you regardless. It's best then to turn around and flash the light in their face to temporarily stun them, then book it.
That's really the majority of the game though there is some really light puzzle solving to do and there's some mini-driving sections which hint at the once open world design the game was originally going to have but after awhile it might start to get slightly repetitive. The music cue will start up or the cinema showing enemies walking towards you plays and you feel like "oh great, more combat" when you're not running through the levels going "oh great, more forest paths". In a way the game works the best when the scary stuff interacts with the environment and really makes you feel like something is trying to kill you. For instance, one scene midway through the game has you inside a building that suddenly gets "dark-i-fied" and you're asked to escape but when doors burst open, glass shatters and things go bat*** crazy, it gets intense. But then when you're in combat, it starts to feel slightly rudimentary. Another thing is that the game is quite heavy on things you either have to personally collect or just add to a counter and this ranges from radio broadcasts, tv shows you watched (excellent Twilight Zone-esque show here), town history you've read through landmarks, coffee thermoses that do nothing but add to an achievement, can pyramids you have to knock over that does jack all and the more common ones being page manuscripts.
See, the game's premise is that its events were once written by Wake though he doesn't remember writing them and these are found in his manuscript for his new novel with pages scattered around the levels. Reading them reveals some brief narration and either a description of events that just recently transpired or more commonly, events that have yet to unfold. So when the pages start talking of a guy with a chainsaw or something possessed trying to get at you, it can either go one of 2 ways: you either read and know of its coming appearance but don't know when it'll happen but the dread will be there or you don't read them at all so that when these events do happen you're like "whoa, holy crap!" so it really depends on what you do with them. Personally, I only read the first 2 I found and left the rest for after I beat the game. By the way, you can only find all 106 if you collect the ones found in Nightmare mode after you've beaten the game and unlocked the mode.
Recommending Alan Wake for people to play is easy: definately. The atmosphere and storytelling are absolutely stellar and there's some genuinely creepy parts even though the game doesn't feel like it should've taken this long to make. Where it gets tricky is whether Alan Wake is good enough for a full blown purchase since the game outside of the achievements doesn't have much replay value and unless you search everywhere, the game's roughly 10 hours or so and whether or not the game's worth the full price is where it gets hard. The game's certainly great enough to own but not sure if it's worth the buy right now but the game is great enough and warrants a purchase it just depends on how much mileage per buck spent you think you'll get out of it. | video-games_xbox |
Wow. This has got to be the best game I have ever played. I find that games I used to be addicted to were lacking a lot compared to this game. The Mass Effect series is one of the greats to me because of its story. The fate of the galaxy rests entirely on the shoulders of commander Shephard and he is more than capable of packing it all.
My favorite part about the Mass Effects is the lifelike aspect. Not necessarily the aliens, space travel, etc., but the ability to make choices that will most definitely have long-term effects. For me, I was easily sucked into these games. It was easy for me to place myself in Shephard's shoes and pretend that the world really was in a dire situation.
The possibility of romance really enhances the game in my opinion. He is an adult after all and in real life is an adult not going to get involved cause some 13 yr old kid might see it, no. Adds to the lifelike aspect.
The downloadable content for both mass effects was awesome. In the first, the bringing down the sky added a good 2-3 hrs of gameplay for me and the story was awesome there. In mass effect 2, the dlc added many more hrs of gameplay with stories that added a lot to the experience. The overlord pack was a little disturbing and had me a little angry at a digital character who actually had no choice in his actions because he was already programmed to have take them. I have not yet purchased the new arrival dlc but plan to shortly (maybe once summer is here and I don't have to worry about finals anymore).
I am really excited for Mass Effect 3 to come out. Bioware is no longer constricted to make a game end a certain way because there is no story to preserve beyond this game. It's up to the players now to have made the correct choices throught commander shephard's life. I can't wait to find out if my character made the right choices to save the earth and the entire galaxy as well!
If you are adhd about stories, not for you. If you can't stand the sometimes repetetive gameplay, don't do it. It's your choice (which is one of the cool things about mass effect, you don't have to do anything other than the main objective/mission) and if you die in the end, ur sol. | video-games_xbox |
Lord of the Rings Strikes Back With Vengeance. Shadow of Mordor is one of those games that will have you exploring every nook and cranny that the world has to offer, battling countless captains and throwing Uruk armies against each other for pleasure. The game is remarkably big for an open world action game and has quite a bit to offer ranging from an interesting and inventive nemesis system to a detailed and fluid combat feel and a massive amount of lore that rather than coming off as forced collectibles, adds quality content to your play. Just a quick aside, the nemesis system I referred to is a key aspect to the world of Shadow of Mordor and adds an interesting and in-depth look into how we normally perceive enemies and their relation to the player while moving through the story. Without going into too much detail on the story and plot I will say that while the possibility for an amazing story exists, the general arch is a bit weak for a Lord of the Rings related game. That's not to say you will enjoy it, revel in the moments, and lust for more--but rather, you will be left with some questions that you wish were answered along the way instead of left up to your imagination. An additional plus with the game of the year edition is that it comes with the two DLCs, both adding interesting and enjoyable content, as well as a number of runes, different costumes, and challenges to dump more time into.
Breaking it down I look at Shadow of Mordor like this:
Pros:
Fluid combat system.
Enjoyable and worth wild collectibles.
Engaging plot-line and characters.
Detailed environments that engross the player.
A nemesis system that is revolutionary and incredibly enjoyable.
A fun and enjoyable, new route on Lord of the Rings.
Cons:
A story that could have used more time spent with it.
Some interesting content found in the collectibles that was not brought to fruition in game.
May be some brief moments where textures and characters do not render correctly, but this is minimal at best.
As you can see, I am reaching to find flaws with the game. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and actually played all three versions available to Xbox gamers (Game of the Year edition, regular Xbox One edition, Xbox 360 version) and completed all three to the maximum gamerscore. It truly was a rewarding and invigorating experience and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for some fun in a Lord of the Rings setting, or anyone searching for a fun new action game.
5 Black Gate Defended Stars out of 5! | video-games_xbox |
War never changes and neither does Call of Duty for the most part. Another entry into the Call of Duty series and due to the launch of the new systems I find myself playing this one. The first thing you will find is that the single player campaign is very short. If you are still buying these games solely for single player then Im sorry you are not getting your $60.00 worth of entertainment. The single player campaigns in my opinion have always been fun and have great set pieces with huge explosions and good action. You will always feel like you are playing a part in a cheesy action movie. This one will not let you down. Depending on the difficulty level you play on you are going to run through in around 4 to 7 hours. I think you could but it on easy and speed run in less than 4 easily. Veteran difficulty adds any given amount of hours depending on how many times you get killed. Thats all you really need to know here. Its entertaining as usual and short as usual, not much has changed.
Considering I got this on the Xbox One there is little to no difference in my opinion from this version and the 360 version. So the graphics are a little nicer. Really why are we talking about the graphics in Call of Duty? This has never been a graphic power house in gaming and it likely is a direction that the developers of this series may never take. If you are picking a console up based on the graphics of Call of Duty then congrats you have been fooled. This game looks better, but its still not the game I would show my friends who want to see what the new consoles can do. There are other titles for that.
On to the multiplayer. This is Infinity Wards tried and true formula. You have your standard large to small maps and all your favorite game types, or maybe not since they may have gotten rid of your favorite game type. Mine is still there and that is domination. You start out with ten soldiers. Right off the bat only one is unlocked and as you prestige you unlock the next one and so on. You receive squad points over time and can use them to unlock anything you want rather than having to wait to unlock it like in some previous titles. Hang on to them though as you prestige you will have to unlock the guns on your new soldier. So spend wisely my friends. One thing that I didn't notice right away is that you can edit the look of your soldier. I played as a female for quite a while, but no one tried to get my number so Im okay with it. With that in mind yes you can be a female soldier for those that may want to intentionally play as a female. The editing options have steadily grown with each Call of Duty release and they are ample here as well. Some may say not as much as the other big competitor of this game but I honestly don't spend all day playing soldier dress up, so I guess its there if you want to.
So you must be wondering by now how the game plays online. I really have to agree with some of the other reviews Ive read. This game is a mess. You spawn and then you die. You then spawn 5 feet away from the person who just killed you and then shoot them in the back. They then spawn just like you did and shoot you in the back. Rinse repeat. Or you can spawn 15 miles away from your team and the other team. There really is no consistency to the spawning in this game. It generally confuses me and always leads to me dying prematurely. One thing I do like is the game is much more sensitive to getting shot with you know bullets. The players take a lot less hits before going down. I keep thinking I can back away from this and survive and then Im dead. A few good shots and you will go down now. No more super soldiers in this game. On the flip side it would be wonderful if this was consistent. I have gotten some lame hit markers and although I don't snipe at all in this game, some snipers have hit marked me, which Im sure has led to a lot of frustration. How can a few shots kill a guy and then a sniper shot stun him. Im not tearing this game apart, just saying it needs a level of consistency that we can all expect. If you are playing a game as much as the average player plays this game consistency is a huge piece of a game like this. Without it you end up with the complaints that we all have. This is something that they can fix though and Im hoping as the year goes on we see improvements. I just wish upon release it was closer to a finished product then what we are currently getting.
Overall though you are going to get the same addictive multiplayer type that we have all come to love from this series. If you are a fan of the series of even a new player the rewards and different game types will suck you in some way or another and find yourself at the end of the night telling yourself this will be the last game more than a few times. In the end that is all you really want from a game like this and it definitely delivers on that part. Much like the sports genre that has a release yearly the end result may seem generic and just a simple refresh, but you will end up getting more than your $60.00 worth out of this entry into the series just as well. If you are a fan of this series you likely don't need me to tell you its worth picking up for when you want to play multiplayer online. Have fun! | video-games_xbox |
If you like Suda 51 games, you probably will like this. Ok I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. I played this for a couple of hours with my friend and then I went home and played it for about 4 or 5 hours alone and this here is my verdict. I'll start with the bad.
Cons:
- The way the game begins it sorta feels repetitive. But when you start to unlock new moves it gets much better and more interesting.
- Juliet's on liners can get annoying at first, but then later it didn't seem to bother me at all so I guess you gotta play for a while to get into the style of this game.
- Loading screens are too many and too long.
- auto aiming in this game is really off. It will snap to a zombie on the opposite side of the area you are facing. But the good thing is you can turn auto aim off. But still, if they are gonna include it, they should have made it work right.
- Juliet always pauses right before or after a chainsaw move. It just breaks up combo flow.
- Too short for $60
Pros
- Fun factor and the style of the game, for me, greatly out way the cons. It's just a lot of fun. I found it hard to stop playing.
- The style of the game is very well done. Love the graphics.
- Arcade feel. I love how it feels just like an arcade game but still has a simple story.
- Unlockable combo moves are fun.
- After the first hour, the game starts to switch it up enough to make it more engaging.
- Music matches it perfect.
- Original. I honestly don't think I've ever played anything like this and I think everyone should at least rent it to check it out. You might be surprised that you like it.
- Just like Shadows of the Damned, this game has some fun Boss battles. Very creative.
- The conclusion was well done I thought. I actually cared for the characters.
Overall I'm glad I got this game at $45. To pay $60 is a bit too much, but at the same time I like to support companies that are willing to take risks and just make a fun game. I loved Shadows of the Damned and this game sorta reminds of all the reasons why I liked SoD, it's originality and the fun ride. Hope this helps anyone who is sitting on the fence on this one. | video-games_xbox |
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