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So far, kinda meh. I was a huge Xbox 360 fan. I'm not so sure about Microsoft's efforts this generation, at least at launch.
1. As far as the TV functionality goes, it's really more than a technical gimmick than anything else. You have to speak very loudly and clearly to get it to do anything, and if you're watching a loud football game, with conversation or anything else, good luck.
2. "Xbox On" also does nothing 50% of the time. Even in a quiet room, speaking loudly, it just sits there. For the record, I have no accent, and speak clearly.
3. I found that my Apple laptop's illuminated Apple on the lid is occasionally confused with a hand, and can cause issues navigating the menus. I've had it randomly change menus, and load a white hand on the screen when both of my hands are on the laptop keyboard, and no one else is in the room.
4. Running this through an HDMI-capable Yamaha receiver, and trying to get cable TV to work is a huge pain in the butt. Whether this is a cable box or an Xbox issue, I haven't determined, but I believe it to be an issue with the Xbox. When the receiver turns off, and switches over to passthrough mode, (amp off, signal passed through to TV so that sound is on TV), the Xbox doesn't show TV content again for about 3-4 minutes, and numerous switching on and off of the Cable box. I never had this issue with the Cable box connected directly to the Yamaha Receiver, only when using TV through the Xbox One.
5. 5.1 sound from the Cable box, through the Xbox One is in beta. It shows. I occasionally get crackly sound, and sometimes when I turn the Xbox on, I get no sound from Cable at all.
6. My Xbox One Day One edition shipped with a controller with a bad left trigger assembly and noisy motor. When playing Forza, anytime I brake with the left trigger, it vibrates and makes a loud noise that sounds like cheap plastic rattling. Even with the power of the controller off, there is a cheap sounding click every time I move the left trigger. I noticed this out of the box, even before plugging in the Xbox for the first time.
Gaming is "ok", graphics are definitely better than last generation, but there aren't any titles at this time that justify this early of a purchase. I think waiting until these bugs are worked out, and/or waiting for Microsoft the lower the price and not require the quirky Kinect would be a wise choice. | video-games_xbox |
A whisper quiet cooling exhaust fan for the Xbox One. A simple design that works. The Antec X-1 Cooler is basically a large fan that assists drawing the heated air away from the top vent of the Xbox One. The design is simple yet sleek. The cooler simply sits on top of the vent. Kind of like a giant Lego brick without the snap. It fits well. Other than making the Xbox One look bulkier it matches the console nicely. The drawback I see with the sit-on-top design is that there is nothing to keep it fastened in place. One can easily bump or jostle it askew by error. The rubberized top allows users to place their controllers, remote, mini-cable box or other small item without the worry of blocking the vents. The surface gets slightly warm when in use.
The cooler has two temperature gauges. One that measures ambient temperature, the other measures the temperature of the air venting. A small button is provided to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. The fan kicks on once the heated air reaches 86 degrees and will stay on even when the Xbox One is off until it reaches 85 degrees, then the fan will shut off automatically. It is powered by a USB cord connected to the back of the Xbox One. The fan itself is barely audible. It isn't any louder than a whisper of a whir. To know it is operating, a small light visible light on the top front comes on.
The instructions are bare minimal. It's not much more than a few diagrams showing you where to plug in the USB port to the back of the Xbox and how to switch the temp gauge measurements.
The cooler works as advertised. Whether I'm watching a movie or playing a game, the fan silently kicks on when the console starts getting warm. During an extended playtime of a Halo game (more than an hour) the temperature gauge showed me a hot air temp of 103 degrees and an ambient of 83. I haven't had any issues with either the console or the Xbox One so far.
The only item that is a pet peeve is that the temperature gauge stays on all the time. It's not an overly bright light at all, but in my bedroom in the middle of the night it's an unwanted night light. I end up blocking it if it gets too annoying.
In summary, the Antec X-1 Cooler is a decent add-on for the Xbox One that is well built and works as it should. It add visual bulk to the Xbox but it matches well with the console. It does the job in assisting the Xbox keep its cool. It may not be by much (up to 30% according to Antec), but it's better than nothing. It also creates a surface on top of the Xbox to use for keeping accessories without interfering with the vents. Finally, the cooler is not a permanent fix so if you decided you don't want to see it, it easily unplugs and stores away.
Added Note: The fan comes with an USB output, so you don't lose any ports by using the fan.
Update: My Xbox One recently went through a day or two of working on something (an update perhaps) that brought the temp up for the console. The fan quietly did its job keeping it cool while Xbox did its thing. The only warning I got that anything was going on that light on the Antec cooler was on. I never heard anything and the Xbox light was off. Once the Xbox was finished and cooled down, the fan automatically shut itself off. I'm sold on this device now. | video-games_xbox |
Probably one of the best microphones on the market. I can only say so much about this Turtle Beach...And I can. IN thi review I will be naming the pro and cons about this fine item.
Pros-
There are many pros to this item. And I mean so many! To start off with, this is very comfortable. Like other headsets, many of them are uncomfortable and hard to deal with. This Turtle Beach is a nice over the head 2 ear headset that is very comfortable on both ears. Another god thing about this is that you can hear the game audio. For pro gamers or people that play a lot this is a great choice. To make an example I love playing Search and Destroy on Call of Duty 4. This Turtle Beach makes it useful because you can hear the footsteps of the people coming to flank you. Thing is you need Dead Silence on your person's perk to hear the other people. Another good thing about this is that you can hear everyone and game audio beautifully. When I first got this headset, I went on Xbox Live to test it out. My friend said he could hear me so much better than my last headset. So those are the good thing about this headset. Oh yea, it has chat but we all know that :). And that you can use this on the PC. Thats all for the pros.
Cons-
Not too many but it's good to know this. First to start off with this headset sometimes makes a tatic noise every once in a while. Not too often. You can fix this by just simply unplugging and plugging it in again, the part that gos into your controller, its no biggie. Bad part is if you want the game audio, you hav to plug in a 3 way wired thingy to make it go into your headset, it is awkward to play with but you will get used to it. Another thing that has bn bothering me, is that when I put the microphone on my right side, my lft ear will sting after a while, i don't know why but maybe it won't happen to you. I guess that is it for the cons!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I hope you love these headphones like I do! | video-games_xbox |
I AM...the Road Warrior. Id probably give this 3.5 stars if that were an option. This is a solid game with a lot to offer, but there are some shortcomings. First, the positive.
The game is long, so you'll get your money out of it. I've put in HUGE hours since release, probably clocking a good 40 hours thus far, and there is still a great deal more to do. If I had to guess I'd say I'm about 60% finished.
The driving mechanic was VERY well done, especially for a dev who hadn't done one before. The only big thing I would have liked to see is an "E-Brake" or powerslide option, especially with all that wonderful sand around! But alas, there isn't one. Car handling is very solid, and engine sounds are MAGNIFICENT, and they change as you upgrade your rig. I haven't even fired up the V8 yet and I'm already in love with the noise my car makes.
Graphics are solid and the wasteland is striking, with great weather effects. They did a pretty good job of making a relatively drab looking world look sharp.
Lots of upgrades for both max and the car. The combat system is good, but needs some work. More to come on that. The story isn't spectacular, but for this type of game, who really cares.
Now some negatives...
The combat system needs some work. Although it is fun and brutal, it can get very frustrating. Finishing moves often get interrupted, which is unforgivable. Once you grab a guy and start to body slam him, it isn't fair to the player to have some goon punch him and interrupt it, especially since at that point you aren't able to reverse anything. Large scale brawls can be irritating for that very reason. It certainly isn't as solid as Arkham, but it isn't without its own brutal charm.
Upgrades for Max, though plentiful, ran their course too quickly. At about the 60% mark, I have already completely upgraded Max completely. Everything I can possibly give HIM--skills, weapons, armor etc, is all done, with a lot of game left ahead of me. I have achieved the maximum rank, Road Warrior, and have many hours left ahead of me. At this point though, there is no reward left in terms of advancement for our beloved hero.
The big engine upgrades come fairly late in the game. I'm well over half done and I'm not even to the point where I can unlock the V8. But the V6 isn't all that bad and for most things you won't even miss the bigger engine.
The game does get VERY repetitive. Yes, there is a LOT to do, but ultimately it is all the same thing over and over again. You start at one base, helping them with projects to build up the stronghold, then kill everything in their territory to remove the threat, then you move on. Unfortunately, you have to do that four or five times, and the projects and activities don't change. You just do the same thing in a new area. Again, not bad, but it lacks the variety of The Witcher, Dragonage or the Arkham series. Still, a great first outing for a Mad Max game, and one that is long over do. But I'd like to have seen fewer of the same old, same old, and some more fleshed out activities that didn't seem to monotonous.
All in all, a solid game that you probably won't want to play through without popping in something else for some variety, but it will provide some serious hours of enjoyment that you can keep coming back to, chipping away at it between releases of some other games. And like many of us, it is a great primer for Fallout 4..... | video-games_xbox |
I can honestly say that playing Mass Effect has been one of the defining gaming moments of my life so far. I have been playing Mass effect since 11-16-07 (yeah, I got it early) and I can honestly say that it has been one of the defining gaming moments of my life so far. Mass Effect is simply phenomenal!
The presentation in Mass Effect is quite simply the most amazing I have ever seen in any game. The graphics during exploration or combat are among the top tier of modern games--somewhat better than Gears of War, in my opinion. But during conversations...oh my...they are without compare among video games--not far behind pre-rendered CG films! The music too, is simply beautiful and helps create the strong atmosphere of the game.
The story hooked me right from the beginning and only gets better as it goes along. A few reviewers have criticized Mass Effect's story of being derivative and unoriginal. However, that criticism is completely baseless and unwaranted. Of course there are some familiar elements in this game--no game, movie or book can be completely original. Star Wars, for example, is derivative of Japanese bushido, Westerns, earlier Sci-Fi stories, etc. and yet it is one of our most enduring Sci-Fi classics. Criticizing Mass Effect for having elements in common with other Sci-Fi stories is moronic, since it is those very elements that identify it as a Sci-Fi and not some other genre. A Sci-Fi without any Sci-Fi conventions would not be a Sci-Fi at all. As a life-long fan of Sci-Fi I can honestly say that Mass Effect offers some surprisingly unique twists and perspectives on the tried and true Sci-Fi themes. And more importantly, the story is exceptionally good--truly moving and memorable. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is one of the very best game stories of all time.
I really enjoyed the leveling up and development of my character and party members. The game offers a really nice collection of abilities, weapons, weapon upgrades, and armor. And exploring uncharted worlds in the Mako or on foot is a blast.
The combat is always exciting and offers nearly unlimited ways to combine your party's abilities. It is as exciting as the combat found in Gears of War, but of course offers much more depth. I can only guess that the few reviewers who had complaints about the combat simply don't understand its possibilities. It is dynamic and real-time when you want it to be, but offers surprising depth and strategy as well.
The conversations in Mass Effect blow away anything else seen in an RPG. The A.I. characters in Elder Scrolls 4 are stiff, un-emotive automatons by comparison. The characters in Mass Effect show emotion and intent through gesture and facial expressions. And the lip-syncing, although not perfect, is definitely a step up from anything we have seen in an RPG before. The conversation wheel really does help to keep the conversations flowing and makes them more believable and engaging at the same time. And now, our own character finally expresses him/herself through voiced dialogue, so we can hear the whole conversation, not just half of it.
There are so many great things to say about Mass Effect, I could just go on and on. But it is the way all of these seemingly disparate elements come together that makes Mass Effect truly special. The story, characters, conversations, presentation, combat, and exploration all weave together to form one of the most astonishingly fun and engrossing experiences in the history of gaming. To experience Mass Effect is to experience the pinnacle of interactive entertainment and should be experienced by any and all who wish to see where this medium is going. Truly exciting stuff indeed! | video-games_xbox |
Afro Samurai Review - A good game getting a bad rap. I was pretty excited about this game when I heard it was being developed as I am a fan of the series. Upon reading several reviews such as IGN, GamesRadar and GameSpy I almost passed on getting it. It seemed that yet again something I liked had a poor game made based on it. I bought Afro Samurai anyway and man am I glad I did, here's why. First off let me start by correcting a few erroneous errors in some of the reviews I read that lead to their scores.
GamesRadar claimed that the instruction manual listed the wrong command for dashing. The manual lists clicking the left stick to dash. This is correct. While moving Afro in any direction clicking the left stick results in...guess what....a dash. Clicking it while stationary does nothing. Like many other action games with a run button you have to click it in conjunction with a directional input.
Gamespy noted a "game-stopping bug" that prevent ropes from being cut in the game. There is no bug. The ropes in question can only be cut by using the focus mode and executing the perfect slice maneuvers...along with aiming the slice to cut properly with the analog stick. It can't be done by button mashing. It's a precise cut that requires you to use the perfect slice system.
The IGN review bugged the daylights out of me as it was really off base (and I usually understand IGN's reviews) IGN claimed to be able to get through the entire game by "alternating attacks and mashing buttons". This same review claims an overly frustrating and cheap Brother 6 boss battle. Well it shouldn't be frustrating if the game can simply be beat with mindless button mashing I thought. If it's frustrating it really can't be so simple, right? Read on. This battle I did 3 times to test. The 1st time it took me 10 minutes after I died during phase 3 on my first attempt (I was not using the two bears they give you to restore your health during the battle). I then proceeded to kill him in 3 minutes both of the next two times without using the bears. How? Using a dash attack (An attack that can't be done by mashing buttons). I dash attacked Brother 6 and then proceeded with a simple combo of XXXX until brother 6 knocked me away. As soon as I hit the ground and roll recovered I dashed right back in with a dash attack and interrupted his attack animation. This dash hit stuns him and then I use XXXX again. I repeated this pattern for ALL of the three phases. 3 minutes using one dash attack, one combo and no bears to recover life. Hardly frustrating or worth mentioning as "cheap". If anything, I was cheap by abusing one move and one combo.
Several reviews said there is no way to track XP as you progress or what moves you'll unlock. False. When checking your moves list (something many reviewers openly admit not doing) there will be moves with white slashes through them. These are locked. There will also be moves with blue slashes through them. These moves are the ones you're gaining experience on. When the slash fills completely blue you'll gain that move when the screen next flashes "level up".
Another review mentioned that you have to click R3 (nearly an industry standard) to re-center your camera. The complaint was that doing so removes your fingers from the buttons rendering you defenseless. This would hold true if the block/parry button (defense right?) was a face button...but it's not. It's the R-trigger which can be held while pressing the re-center camera button if that is an issue for someone. So you're not defenseless. Also the inverted X-axis is listed as a major issue in some reviews. To anyone who has been gaming long enough or who has played titles from regions other than the US an inverted X-axis on the camera is not new. It's not prevalent here in the states, but it's been around for a while in a few titles here and abroad. It should be old hat and easy to adapt to. And it's not game breaking either. Like learning any other controls in any other game it should be factored into the learning curve....not listed as something to drop the score or the opinion of the game...unless you're a gamer that has issues learning new controls. If that's the case then be fore warned the camera is inverted and cannot be changed.
So now that the air is cleared of some incorrect stuff let's get to the review.
Presentation, graphics and sound are great with some minor issues. The game has a definite anime/comic look to it with comic paneling and cutaways to coincide with the cel-shaded looks. The menus are simple and easy to navigate and the load screens are animated instead of static. The music really gets you pumped to play. There are very minor instances of slow down and clipping is very noticeable when it happens. But oddly enough the slow down blends into the game since you have a slow down mechanic of your own. So it often ends up appearing stylistic even though it is a technical concern with too many body parts and too much blood animating on the screen. The moves list is very well done as it demonstrates the commands needed for each move and even includes a video demo of it so that you can see the timing involved and know what the move should look like when done properly. The game is over flowing with violence, blood, gore and nudity just like the series. It is very much an adult atmosphere. Parents, you have been warned.
The gameplay is very good, almost textbook. Actually it's not almost textbook it IS textbook with pages borrowed (read: STOLEN) from other textbooks.
You have the near endless array of combos in the vein of games such as God of War, Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden. You have an upgrade system that adds new moves to your repertoire based on experience...which is gained by killing enemies. These upgrades include moves such as reflecting bullets, fragmenting bullets, the ability to execute multiple precision cuts in a row, the ability to cut through more enemies with each strike, etc. You have your standard attacking combos, throw moves, combos that link into a throw animation, dodging moves, blocks/parries/counters, etc. You can instantly link many of the games combos together to make near infinite combos, you can launch and juggle enemies and pressing block cancels your attack animations to put you in a blocking stances or to parry instantly....well most attacks. Some of the higher powered moves can't be interrupted. Bigger damage, bigger risk.
A special feature of Afro Samurai is the innovative...ok I mean overdone focus mode that allows you to slow the game down. What Afro does different with this old mechanic is give you manual control of where to attack when in this mode. Focus mode slows the game down and gives access to other moves most notable of which are the perfect slices. These moves allow you to sever enemy body parts precisely by aiming the slices with the left analog stick and choosing horizontal or vertical slices based on the button you press. When Afro's focus meter is full you can press a button which puts Afro into overfocus mode. For those familiar with the old Punisher game this will sound VERY familiar. The screen turns black and white and everything slows down. All of Afro's attacks are now one hit kills on most enemies. It's essentially a manual smart bomb.
Speaking of Afro's focus meter an observant gamer will notice that there are no meters displayed in-game. Afro Samurai joins the legions of recent games opting to use a HUDless system. Thankfully it works well. Afro's life is displayed on his body and this also applies to opponents. As characters near death a red aura starts to show on the body. The closer to death they are the darker and more apparent the red glow becomes. Attached to the hilt of Afro's sword is a medallion. This is his focus meter. When the medallion has a black aura around it Afro's meter is empty and he needs to score some combos to increase it. As the meter fills up the medallion begins to flash with a pulsating white aura. When the medallion has a constant solid white aura the focus meter is full and the aforementioned overfocus mode is available.
The platforming in Afro Samurai is passable and only so because of one key issue. It's inconsistent. In games like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry the platforming moves such as running on walls can be done at any time. In Afro Samurai these moves can only be done in certain places and at first you can't tell where. There are subtle clues like level geometry and flashing ledges to give hints but even these are more questionable than they should be.
Replay value depends. For fans of the series, you'll be playing this a lot as it feels like a good representation of the source material. For those who like a hyper violent action game with slick visuals and responsive controls...you'll be loving this. For those who can't get passed the camera inversion, avoid this game. For those that have problems with pattern recognition and timing, avoid this game as that's what the boss battles consist of mostly and to a lesser extent the battles with the weaker enemies.
Overall I give the game a solid 8 out of 10. It's not pushing the envelope in any given area, its best features are ripped from or inspired by other games and it has enough minor issues that prevent it from achieving A status. I'd rank it as an 8 even if it wasn't an Afro Samurai game, but I also won't rank it higher just because it is based on a series I like. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome game, very challenging, super intense. I read many reviews and saw the ratings and thought this could be a fun game. Man was I wrong, this game absolutely rocked! Challenging, intense, action packed, cool story line, funny situations from time to time. The graphics aren't super high-def quality, but some people just freak out about that too much. I'm telling you this game is a blast. I think the develops really tried to make this as close to real life as you can with a zombie game.
I really like that the weapons only have so much they can handle before they break, it makes it really realistic game play. I also like the types of weapons you get in the game. You're in a large shopping mall so the sports store has baseball bats and soccer balls, the hardware store has sledge-hammers and chain saws, the hunting store has shotguns and pistols, etc...).
Common whining about this game:
- Save points: Let's be real (actually that's EXACTLY the point of the game), you wouldn't be able to just call time-out and pause if you were surrounded by zombies in real life (I love saying that).
- Psycopaths: Ummmm, ya they are kinda annoying in real life too and that's why we isolate them from the rest of society. Don't like big bosses in games cuz they're too hard to beat? Sorry, can't help ya.
- Small text: I play on a 62" so I can't help you there but I didn't have a problem with that.
- Loading menus: Wait, you're in the middle of fighting hundreds of zombies, you're surrounded to the point that you can't see where you are going, and you are complaining that the game is giving you a break.
- Graphics: I read one review where a guy complained about Frank's neck, said it looked funny so he gave the game 1 star. I am truly sorry to everyone who wasted their time reading his review.
Most of the complaints boil down to this: The game is challenging, intense, and hard to beat. Anyone who wants a walk-in-the-park story telling game, I recommend Mass Effect or Fallout 3. If you want something super intense that you can dive into and play for hours and hours, this is totally the game.
So everyone is free to have their own opinions and this one is mine, so trash me all you want. I'm just saying I've played a lot of games, and for me, Dead Rising was a seriously fun surprise compared to a lot of the other games that have come out in the past 4 or 5 years. | video-games_xbox |
Loss of what could have been. This game in thought is one of the funnest, most inventive, and a truly fresh gameplay experience.
It's just when you get to actuality playing the game is where things get murky.
Lets start off with the great things this game has...
The character and weapon customizations are great
The S.M.A.R.T. movement system is a breath of fresh air. Look at where you want to go. Press button. Go there.
The Engineer, Soldier, and Medic Classes are great to use.
The Buffs that players give to each other are very useful. (Especially the Engineer's Buff weapon damage)
The weapon hit detection is very well done.
The fact that in this game if you wanted to play a whole game setting up mines and Turrets or reviving fallen allies, you can.
It brings in a lot of the great aspects of COD and Battlefield and adds a very nice looking comic book feel to the visuals.
If you want to be gung-ho and hunt everything in site, you can.
If you want to be a support player and only come in when needed, you can.
If you want to be a defend and set up a tent(metaphorical) and camp an Objective, you can.
Now to the bad things...
Lag...Major latency issues on the console versions of the game while playing with others online.
The Operative class in nigh on useless 96% of the time. They give no benefits to other teammates.
They can only hack and take on the form of enemies until you do "anything", then your cover is blown and your dead.
It only comes with 10 map that become very repetitive, ridiculously fast.
The computer A.I. is great or horrible.
The enemy A.I.(when on defense) are all PhD candidates.
Your friendly A.I.(when on offence) have been left back in school so many times they are starting to collect Social Security.
Then suddenly around 3-6 minutes left in the round they're like "Oh...duh, we should maybe help with the Objective."
This wouldn't be so bad if the rounds didn't range from 10 to a possible 45 mind numbingly long minutes.
Overall this game suffers from what it could have been.
If they had kept it in development for another 2-4 months and done a MP beta, then I have no doubt this would have been a great game.
But...they didn't...and it shows. Rent or buy cheap. | video-games_xbox |
Voice recognition does not work with this cable. If all you care about is visual recognition with the Kinect, this cable works great. If you want voice recognition to work as well, do not purchase this cable.
I purchased this cable hoping that I would be able to access all Kinect functionality from about 20 feet away from my XBox. I have a projector, so I need the extra distance since the XBox does not sit below the viewing area (it instead is along the side wall). I attempted to calibrate the Kinect through the Settings > System > Kinect Settings > Kinect Tuner option and found that while the visual recognition portion of setup configures correctly with this cable installed, the voice calibration does not. It gets to the second step (test sounds after the background noise check), and the Kinect is unable to play the test sounds through the speakers to complete the calibration. If I plug the Kinect directly into the XBox without using this cable, the voice calibration completes successfully, so the only variation in the setup is the cable.
The bottom line is that while we are able to play Dance Central 2 with this cable plugged in, for example, we are unable to control the XBox with our voices which is really frustrating. The song selection option in Dance Central 2 doesn't work, Bing search from the Home screen doesn't work, voice control while watching a movie doesn't work, etc. Also, periodically during movie playback, the Kinect sensor looses all communication with the XBox and resets, popping up a large reboot dialog box in the middle of the movie. If the Kinect is plugged in directly to the XBox without this cable, voice recognition works, and we have never had the Kinect reboot.
Either the voice signal on the particular cable I have is faulty, or the voice signal is too weak to be sent back and forth to the XBox reliably with this cable in general. It is really disappointing because the visual recoginition works great. Hopefully Nyko investigates the issue and fixes future versions of the cable. | video-games_xbox |
Disc version is effectively unplayable - Spoiler Free. Just in case you missed it in the title of this review, this is for the DISC VERSION of the game. I can not comment on the digital version because I did not purchase that.
Where do I even begin with this review? I'm sure you have read horror stories about this game already but this was bad enough for me to write my first Amazon review ever; in fact this was the worst video game I have played this entire year which is really odd considering it was a game of the year winner and runner-up on many sites. I realize that was for the digital version, but how would I expect the physical version to be any different?
I will also mention that I am playing this game on an effectively brand new Halo 4 console, so there is no way that my system has any fault in this.
With that said, here are the minor problems:
- Game freezes constantly for 5-10 second periods while loading. I have never had to restart the system at least.
- It is incredibly choppy most of the time, sometimes even stuttering at points (like a record skipping)
- I have had a couple parts with voices not even playing, just characters moving their mouths on screen
- Similarly, I have had parts with no video playing, just talking with the screen stuck on a previous picture
And the major problems which are inexcusable:
- During a point in chapter 3 with a firefight I failed almost ten times because the game was so choppy that I wasn't even given the opportunity to do anything. It would just keep skipping music, nothing loading on screen, and then would pop up GAME OVER. Ridiculous.
- The worst though was that after finishing the first episode when I went to play the second episode it would not let me. I could skip to episode three but any time I picked episode two it would start the game over. So I had to use a new save file and start that from episode two, but of course all the decisions I made were completely opposite the game generated default ones so I was stuck with nothing I had chosen. After finishing that episode I then chose to continue episode three with my original save file, which meant my choices from episode one were intact, but the episode two choices were not mine. For a game that is entirely, 100% based on story and decisions (there is no real gameplay here at all) this is beyond ridiculous.
I can't even being to understand how this game was never playtested even for a few minutes and these problems discovered. | video-games_xbox |
A trend in first person shooters. There seems to be a trend as of late to create Xbox 360 first person shooters that involve team-mates.
I played Army of two about a month ago, and I really enjoyed it. So, I decided to give Conflict: Denied ops a whirl as well.
What I got for my money was just an average offering. There wasn't all that much that really stuck out in my mind about the game, with one exception, which I'll get to later.
Don't get me wrong, it was fun, and I think it was worth playing.
The game is about two CIA operatives, one named Lincoln Graves, a former marine sniper, and his partner, Reggie Lang. The game revolves around you controlling one or the other in ten different missions, each one taking you to a different location across the globe, but all being interconnected.
Graves is a sniper, and is best to use if you need stealth, while Lang is big, muscular, and uses a machine gun. Not good for subtleness, but when you need a heavy hitter, he's your man.
Ok, the game play itself. I've said this before in several of my previous reviews about the way first person shooters are portrayed with the 360. You don't have a health meter, or an armour meter for that matter. The more damage you take, the screen becomes blurred and tinged red. The worse this becomes, the closer you are to dying.
And, as I've said numerous times, when that happens, get your rear to cover. But, there is a difference this time around. A very important difference! If you're taken down, you can switch over to control your partner and get him to come up to you and heal you.
Of course, if he gets taken down, that's all she wrote. You'll have to reload from the last checkpoint.
One thing I need to point out though - you should keep some space between yourself and your partner. There are a few areas that if you're both together, one hit and its game over man, game over! The upside is that you have three minutes to get to your partner once he's down. If you can't do it in that time, your partner dies, and the mission ends. Time to reload from a previous check point.
Switching control is a simple pull of the button, and you have only three basic commands to give to your partner. Stay with me, go to a specific location, or stay put. Use em wisely!
You really don't have much of a variety of weapons to use in the game. You start out with a handgun and a sniper rifle. As you progress the missions, you get automatic upgrades for your weapons, such as a grenade launcher for Lang, and an under barrel shotgun for Graves.
One important feature to point out is that you can never run out of ammunition, so if you want to, spray it, don't say it! However, that being said, you can run out of explosives such as grenades and mines.
But, that's not even a huge issue, as you will find places in each mission that you can restock on explosives - not only your grenades, but for the grenade launcher and the rocket launcher as well.
Your missions, as I stated above, really do take you around the globe. You start out in a small South American country (Sorry, I can't remember the name off the top of my head), in the middle of a civil war. From there you have nine more missions, which take you to a monastery, a diamond mine, the Arctic Circle, an oil refinery, a lumber mill, a submarine pen, an oil tanker on the high seas and a military base. I know that I'm missing one, so forgive me, I completed the game a week before I started to write this review.
So, you have no shortage of exotic locations to visit.
A couple of the missions do involve stealth, so I'd suggest using Graves to start and have him find the best path to take. Control Lang after you have Graves in place, don't get him to auto-follow. I don't know if it would work or not, but I felt safer controlling him on my own.
And, the stealthier you are, the easier time you'll have of it. Once you're cover is blown, the enemy will be all over you like white on rice.
There are several times during the game that you'll be given the chance to control a vehicle. You can drive a tank, hovercraft and an APC. The controls weren't the best, I found them annoying to use. One control stick controlled the direction your vehicle traveled, the other aiming your weapons. If you're not careful, you could find yourself driving backwards while firing when you wanted to go sideways or even forward.
That is one issue I've had with many of the games I've played. The programmers really need to come up with a better control system for vehicle operation.
As for the music, there really wasn't anything that jumped out and struck me as being really good. Not like Frontlines: Fuel of war. Still, it was well done, and in the background, not overbearing at all.
I have played games in the past in which the background music was so loud that I missed some of the dialogue that took place during the cut scenes. That wasn't the case with this game.
The graphics were your typical Xbox 360 graphics. Crisp, well defined, easy to watch. I didn't see any issues with enemy targets getting stuck inside other objects like I've seen with a few of the more recent games I've played.
Although, there were a couple of occasions where, when one of the characters I was controlling got taken down that his gun would be lost inside the ground, or stuck in a wall or the like.
But these were minor, and they didn't affect the game play in any way, shape or form.
The cut scenes were brief, and did help propel the storyline forward, and most of these scenes involved Graves and Lang. To be honest, I found Graves living up to his nickname during the game. The character wasn't really likeable at all, unlike, in my personal view, Lang.
You can judge that on your own, after all, my opinion is just that, mine. If people agree with it, great, if they don't, no big deal either.
Since I brought up the enemies earlier, I should mention the AI controlling them. They don't stand around. They move from cover to cover, they will attempt to flank you. If you stay in one place, watch out for grenades being tossed in your direction.
Again, also, if you stay in one place for too long, the enemy will more often than not try to come and flush you out, or get to a better position in order to make short work of you and your partner. Movement around the maps is key for survival.
Speaking of maps, some of the maps you play on are huge! There are many twists and turns, and it would be a good idea to explore every nook and cranny as quite often they will contain enemy soldiers that, once you've taken care of a group of them and you think your safe, one could come up and end your game real fast. Besides, doing that will help you find more places you can restock your explosives as well.
Another thing that really caught my interest was the destroyable environment. You could wreak as much havoc as you wished, tons of things, including many buildings, were completely destructible. In fact, you can even gain an achievement for destroying your environment.
Lastly, I didn't bother trying any of the multiplayer functions in the game. I'm a solo player and don't really gain any enjoyment from trying these games online with strangers.
In conclusion, as I stated at the beginning of the review, the game wasn't bad. It was fun, and the story kept me interested, even though it was a little confusing at times - why the team happened to be going to one specific location, what it had to do with the overall arc, that sort of thing.
Now, I mentioned one thing that really stuck out in my mind at the beginning of the review... it didn't take me five or six hours to beat the game! All in all, I played it for almost 11 hours in total.
I hate how short most games are today! This was refreshing.
Pros
- Length of the game. Ten missions.
- Destructible environment
- Smart enemy AI.
- Lots of exotic locations and huge maps to play on.
Cons
- If you don't complete a mission, when you play again, you have to start over from the beginning of that particular mission.
- Some of the levels had a serious frustration factor involved. A few extra check points would have been appreciated.
- Poor vehicle controls.
3.5 out of 5 | video-games_xbox |
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Non-Suck Version. Saint's Row 2 is just about everything fans of the original could've asked for, and more! Right off the bat, you'll notice just how many improvements have been done over the original. You start off in a coma, and you're asked to either re-create your guy from the last game, or make someone new. And this time, you can have a girl play as Stilwater's legendary gangster! You can go around the 'Saint's Row' equivalent of Chicago as a male or female.
The character customizations have been far expanded, and rival that of another THQ franchise, The "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW" series. You can fine tune just about any facial feature to your liking, and once the game starts, you can buy your way up to owning cool clothes, which are far superior to the first game's clothing options. Even in Sloppy Seconds, you can customize color, material, and style of your clothing. Of course, keep in mind that Sloppy Seconds has some pretty awful clothes, too! I had my guy back in Saint's Purple in no time! The women's clothing is far less appealing though, although maybe I just haven't unlocked the hot Victoria's Secret wear, yet. The character cutomization truly is more advanced this time around, but a little bit of things irk me in the customization.
For example, you can't choose height once again in your character. In the first game, the Protagonist was way too short. About 5'6" or so. In this, he's kinda too tall. Maybe 6'1" or 6'2", but he (or she, as females have the same towering height as your men) completely towers over everyone else in town. Also, the body options are kinda weird. It's like, you can only choose a body "type" for them, like obese, or thin, and you can't fine tune things, like their stomach or chest. For women, their breasts are kind of too pointy. For men, their body shape is kind of odd, with big arms and a slightly disproportionate body (assuming your guy isn't an obese fellow). Some things are kind of too in-depth (like ear customization, for example. Who cares about ears?) While the body customizations could've been more expanded. Also, the "Personality" features aren't as in-depth as I was hoping for. Basically, you choose voice, walking style, compliment taunt, and insult taunts. The voices are basically White, Black, and Hispanic male and females. The White guy voice is British, probably because the game developers are also, British, and they wanted a local guy in there. I'm guessing most people will end up using the Black Male voice or White Female voice. The gender equality goes beyond your main character though, and also shows up in the gangs, too, as before, only about 10% of your enemies were female, as now it's about 40% of women in the enemy gangs. And it seems like the entire police force seems to made up of women, which is a little odd.
When you actually begin, you start off with a prison break, and get access to the newly expanded fighting system. While very simple to use, it's actually quite hard to master, and I like that. Basically, you can punch two different ways, do combos, and block. There's other things you can learn later too, like the new Human Shield option, where you can toss people acorss streets like they're only 10 pounds light. Of course, this is just for your basic fighting style. You'll learn new ways to brawl later in the game, as well! You also now also pick up inanimate objects like cinderblocks, trash cans, or virtually anything, and use them as makeshift fighting weapons. Your non-firearm weapons have greatly been expanded, and the variety of different melee weapons rivals that of San Andreas. However, in this game, you can make much cooler use of them! I stongly suggest once you hit the streets of new Stilwater, to find a Ronin gang member and steal his or her katana blade. That thing rocks! Both objects and newer melee attacks are also available in Grand Suck Auto IV, but Saint's Row 2 makes much better uses out of all of them! It's a complete no contest here in which game's are better. With weapons, all your favorites are back, and the annoying habit of constantly having to switch out guns for ammo to get different ones that have been taken off of your enemies is gone! Because now, we have dual-weilding, baby! Your guy or girl will be able to shoot out two Vice 9's, at once, now, and do it like the pro they are! Unlike San Andreas, you won't have to level up skill points to earn advanced weaponry weilding because the game assumes your guy is already a master of the firearms from the first game! I love how convient Volition are! They're willing to cut the crap (like having to swim miles to make it to shore) and just give you the fun gaming goodness you want from the get-go! When you deal with explosives, if you're too close to the blast, it'll blast out your character's ear drums and they'll be temporally deaf! It's a nice touch with really shows you how much explosives can mess your character up! Saint's Row 2 also gives you Autosaving, so if your game freezes on you or the power goes out, you can start off from the last mission or activity you completed. Autosaving at first doesn't seem to useful, but once an unexpected something DOES happen to you or your game, you'll be so glad it's there! I made it to Lv. 6 of Drug Trafficking and didn't save any of it when my 360 shut down on me. But with the Autosave feature, I was able to restart from the end of Lv. 5 and not lose a thing! It's such a great and convient feature to have!
Once again, you'll have to earn respect to do new missions, but the Activities now are a lot more fun, and many of the lame ones from the first game, except the stupid Insurance Fraud ones, which I've always hated, are gone. Activities are now divided by Diversions (the lesser, old Activities) and the true "Activities" now are the ones that take much longer time to complete, such as Chop Shop and Hit Man, which once again make a return. I hopped in a car with my girl and immeadially started a Drive-By activity on some Sons of Samedi. Now, in the Diversions, there are six levels instead of eight, and for some, you can continue up to each level without interuption. I didn't even know I was on Level 5 in Drive-By until I actually checked up the top of the screen. The new diversion activities are awesome. "vehicle Surfing" is tricky but fun, until you fall of the car, that is! In "Trail Blazing" you get to race to a checkpoint all while on fire, blowing up cars on impact and lighting people on fire, earning time. It's sort of a mix of Mayhem and Racing, and it's very fun. "Fuzz" is the Stilwater equivalent of Cops and you get to play as the all-around corrupt police officer, hurting people breaking the law, and getting good and violent footage for the TV show. By the further levels, it gets really fun and interesting, like stopping a Pirate-Ninja war! "Crowd Control" has you playing as a celebrity bodyguard, stopping mobs of crazy fans from hurting your client! Depending on the level, you can trhow people into chopper blades, toss them into attack dogs, crush them with a bulldozer, cram them into an airport security x-ray machine, or chuck em into an oncoming el train!
There are more ways to earn respect now, too. Inspired by the Balls Meter from the "Scarface: The World Is Yours" game, you can now earn respect by doing ballsy things that Tony Montana did in his game, like driving in the wrong lane of traffic and taunting bad people like cops and gang members, and also now pimps and hoes, who are now official "enemies", as well. The only thing missing is the ability to yell at people who crash into your car while driving. Just don't get TOO much respect before using it up on missions, though, as after Lv. 99, your respect is Infinite, and that sort takes all the fun out of it, having Infinite respect and all.
The new Stilwater is a much darker, depressing place than the old Stilwater, which is ironic considering that the old Stilwater was probably much more violent. It's about 50% larger, and the new places are less inviting to you than you'd think they'd be. They clearly don't like your kind around there. The new gangs have a bit more unity than the old ones did, and respect each other's territories, leaving the endangered Third Streets Saint's pretty much their only common enemy. Many parts of old Stilwater have been rebuilt by Ultor's multi-million dollar city renovation. With Ultor Corporation owning Stilwater and turning it into a bleak metropolis for the Upper Class and snobby, you'll have the incredible feeling of both familarity and newness, all at the same time. Some old, favorite neighborhoods will look familar, but will be dark, barren and full of bums and prostitutes. Others, such as the humble Saint's Row, have been completely taken over! Seems like at least 20 years of change since 2006, though, when our old familar Stilwater was Ultor-free. Only a few list of people actually return for the sequel, but luckly, it's all the ones you would want to see return, including your best pal, Johnny Gat. Also in Stilwater are the new gangs. They also follow the same trend of having a Drug gang, a street punk gang, and a Corporate Business gang. Taking the place of the Latin Los Carnales, the Caucasian Westside Rollerz, and the Black Vice Kings are the Haitian Sons of Samedi, the Caucasian Brotherhood of Stilwater, and The Asian Ronin. The fourth, "unofficial" gang are the Ultor Corporation, themselves, and they run pretty much everything in new Stilwater, including all of the police. The Ronin are probably the deadliest gang, as they all carry katana blades and chase after you on high speed motorcyles, which comes off as a lot more vicious and scary than the standard street car pursuits the other gangs do. I won't say too much, but there's a little bit of "Kill Bill" as you progress through the Ronin storyline. They're definitely the best to take on out of the three. The Brotherhood of Stilwater are basically just giant-sized bullies. They're all very large people with even bigger vechiles. They like violence just for the sake of it. The weakest gang has to be the Sons of Samedi. Bascially, all they do is sell "Loa Dust" (a kind of cocaine you smoke out of broken lightbulbs!) to college students. They're all very easy to take out and all of their vechiles are pretty weak. With these new gangs though, comes new vehicles, such as bikes, boats, and planes. They're all just about as cool, if not better than the selection in GTA: San Andreas. There are also plenty of new cars, including three new ones that put classics like the Zenith and the Attrazione to shame. Even though they're now a lot more common in a Stilwater that caters to the heartless and corporate republican Upper Class, you'll probably want the three new luxury/sport cars even more. They are the 'Hayate Z70', the Ronin's offical car, the 'Bezier', which is like a MUCH better Attrazione, and the 'Superiore', which is like a Lamborghini Countach. Just don't own more than two of each or else, you'll ruin their rareness of owning them.
The graphics, which I've yet to mention, are incredible compared to the old game, and yet, still have that Saint's Row "toony" look to them. They almost rival GTA IV in their beautiful lighting effects and such. Saint's Row 2 now, also like GTA IV, has the "blurring" effect of when you go too fast in a car or quickly turn the opposite way while running. The beauty of the new Saint's Row really makes you appreciate your 360. Name-brand artists are now featured for the music. No longer any obsure, underground third-rate Hip Hop stars. Arguably, it's a better sounding soundtrack than Grand Theft Auto IV (At least in the Hip Hop department, anyway). This time, when you listen to the radio, it actually sounds like you're listening to the *real* radio, thanks to the more mainstream artists and songs. The one thind thing that sucks though, is there's only about half the number of songs on this game compared to the original. There's also no more custom playlists, either. Instead, you get your own radio station to replace your old audio player. But at least the music is from people like 50 Cent, Nas, Fat Joe, Joss Stone, and Kelis. They're not my favorites, but I know people out there like them. Unfortunately, Aisha singles are still circulating around... not much we can do about that, though. And no, Saint's Row 2 doesn't allow you to go to the Cabaret for a nice Sunday evening out, or have your character watch TV while you're watching him watch TV!
Saint's Row 2 is a bigger, better, more FUN version of the original! I'd rate it about a 4.75 out of 5! *JUST* slightly short of perfection! There are some little problems still around, like the ragdoll physics of your character, and the fact that a six foot fall can still pretty much kill them. Also, don't expect EVERYTHING to be new and wonderful! But, would you really want the game to not have ANY shades of familiarity in it at all, anyway? If you liked Saint's Row the original, then it's virtually impossible to dislike Saint's Row 2! It's very, very easy to lose coutless hours in this game with all the fun, exciting, and crazy things you can do. It's the FUN game Grand Theft Auto IV failed to give us! There are tons of enhancements and new features in the game which will make it THE game you'll still be playing a year from now! (or at least, longer than you did with that Rockstar title!) This is a Don't Miss! Buy it! Buy it now! You won't regret it. I promise you. | video-games_xbox |
A rental at best. Being as I'm something of a cynical jerk, and usually anything with the attached phrases of "badass" or "kickass" set off my "ANGER" button, I had absolutely low expectations for this game, whereas I also hoped it could convert me; similar to how Jedi Knights II and III had much of the attached phrases of "badass" and "kickass" attached to them, yet I found them enjoyable by themselves without the uninteresting stories.
Because I'm a cynical jerk, I have to get out of the way the unimportant complaints first: the game trailers did absolutely nothing to convince me to want to try this game: commercial one featuring "Generic Loner Badass #7001" as I call him, doing some kind of KAMEHAMEHAMEHA~! on a Wookiee that destroys half the map. I figured this was kind of ridiculously overpowered, but I'll get to that later.
On another unfair point, Generic Loner Badass #7001 lives up to his name in both appearance and power. He is about as unremarkable and boring a character as Kyle Katarn without the frilly beard or the "I'm just an honest ex-assassin bartender" jerk from Assassin's Creed. His outfit is a random mishmashing of robes and other "dark things" you'd likely find at a robe-version of Hot Topic, to likely appeal as much as possible to the "dude, this game is so badass" crowd of gamers who set off my ANGER button.
But back to the game itself... graphically, it's as expected.
The pros first: the environment is highly interactive, and one of my favorite things to do in space levels is to use the Force to throw objects at the plasteel windows, sending atmosphere and objects out into space before blastdoors close shut on them.
Despite being completely against the Star Wars canon of the Force being a mystical force whose ominence was in its invisibility, it is fun to do things like use it to grab objects and move them around with amazing control and amazing reaction---enemy troopers will leap out of the way of flying crates, but if caught will be swept off their feet or smacked aside. It's amazing to see the Force used to pull TIE fighters off their racks, or bed metal girders to block the path of fly-by starfighters and cause them to crash.
My primary aesthetic complaint is the Force itself. The use of the Force in the movies and TV shows and most of the games is most memorable for having no appearance, and mostly no sound save for that ear-drum crushing hum it makes, such as when Darth Vader chokes Admiral Motti on the Death Star for a few seconds. THAT makes it terrifying. Here, it is given LOUD sounds when used, Force Push in particular sounding like a huge laser cannon, and given purple waves to accompany it, so you can always see where it is, and what it's doing.
Then the action itself: If you've played the video games for Star Wars: Clone Wars (2002) or Star Wars Revenge of the Sith (2005) then you'll pretty much get this game right away. It's the exact same format, rather God of War style, in which the only controls needed for your lightsaber are to hit the attack button as many times as you can, and Generic Loner Badass #7001 will swing it all which ways nonstop in a combo that can get you killed if you don't stop long enough to deflect blaster bolts.
This is compared to a game like Jedi Outcast/Academy where specific lightsaber attacks differed depending on a combination of buttons used, and gave it a far more interactive feeling. Here, it just feels like giving a command: "Use your lightsaber to kill this guy" and Generic Loner Badass #7001 will fight his own way, without your input.
For all its beautiful spit and polish in lightsaber combat, they really badly cut back on blaster deflection; you absolutely cannot deflect blaster bolts unless you STOP and press one of the buttons (I think it was B) and hold it. Then, Generic Loner Badass #7001 proceeds to do the exact same lightsaber swinging loop to deflect bolts, nonstop, until you let go. This same loop is re-used, and never changes.
The lightsaber itself that he starts with seems to be pretty weak, as most enemies I've found are taken out with usually one powerful swing, but a fairly large amount take more than that to be killed. And considering the stilted, monotonous actions the lightsaber combat takes, it's impossible to easily attack and kill multiple opponents firing on you; you're better off just using your Force powers.
And then come the Force powers. If LucasArts is trying to sell this Generic Loner Badass as "THE OMFG BESTEST MOST UBER JEDI SITH IN THE EVAR~!" then they succeeded TOO well... he is grossly overpowered, to a point where he is more powerful than Yoda, Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, and Mace Windu combined. It's utterly ridiculous to see him slice an AT-ST in half with one swoop, or press and hold the Force push button for half a second to unleash a KAMEHAMEHAAA~!!!111 type blast which kills the crap out of EVERYTHING in its path guaranteed, and takes up very little Force energy to use.
So the game has little lasting appeal beyond a one-day rental that will see longtime LucasArts gamers feel a blinding gush of deja-vu from the days of Clone Wars and Episode III video game, and ultimately disappointed at how heavily hyped this rental game was, only to end up being Just Another LucasArts Release that will likely be forgotten within a year or more. | video-games_xbox |
Mixed Reviews, but only day 2. Xbox 1 console 4 stars...Call of Duty AW 1 star..Day zero was exactly that...everyone that bought this could not redeem the CoD codes to download the game so lost the entire double xp day..CoD is extremely laggy and unplayable in multiplayer...those with the worst ping end up at the top of the boards as lag compensation causes rubberbanding and teleportation..but I digress..I mainly bought this version since it comes with the 1TB drive and really couldn't care less about CoD since after black ops 2. While the shell is nice eye candy, one could do the same with console skins. The controls feel cheaper than xbox360 controls, like made of a lighter plastic, but are still cool to look at. The angle of the grips feels a little off. The triggers also feel off and seem to have too much travel. Bumpers have changed to more clicky on/off. As for special edition graphics, controller shells can be bought online to customize the controls. I had held off buying an xbox one due to the fact provided no backwards compatability. But, due to the price drop, I decided to buy it. The quality of the graphics depend on the game...Forza Horizon 2 is amazing, Sunset Overdrive is good too but cartoony..however thats just the style. Call of Duty graphics are noticibly better in the menus but in gameplay was no better than Battlefield 3 on xbox360. I found the menus to be confusing and all over the place...it seems microsoft was going to force Windows 8 onto whatever platform they could. There are a few tabs with categories but not everything was intuitive. I do like that I could setup an account for my 7yr old and control access down to specific apps and games. In addition, xbox one allows everyone on that console to access Gold. MS allows one Xbox 1 to do that. I do hope more local co-op and multiplayer games come out for the younger crowd. All in all, Id say from a technical standpoint with the price drop and the 1TB drice (which I recommend since the console OS takes over 200GB and a number of games take 40GB space installed), then get this one...if you won't be playing blockbuster games like CoD, but games like forza or arcade time, save the $100 and get the cheaper console and use the $100 for a couple of games and/or skins to customize it. You can always add an external drive for game storage too (but then you may as well buy this version). | video-games_xbox |
Fun game, but with bugs. Overall, the game is fun, albeit a bit short. I agree on other comments about too many characters at a time in a level, creates a confusing mass and makes some tasks a bit tricky with so many other characters in your way. This game reminds me much of the first Lego Indiana Jones game in many respects. Some times it would freeze the xbox and force you to shut off the machine, losing what progress you had gained since the last auto save. I did not experience losing the entire game like some folks claimed in their reviews. My biggest bug complaint would have to be lack of access to one particular area in the "port". No one else mentioned this in their reviews, so I'm not sure if I just got a bad disk. A bridge to a hut that contained the customizable characters (requiring 24 gold bricks to access) would no longer work after the bricks were put together. (you need a barrel rolled across the bridge to open the door to the hut, so you have to raise the bridge first). Once those 24 bricks were put together, you have access to raising the bridge to the hut at that moment only. If the game was turned off or if another level was played after that, the gold bricks to the bridge no longer reset. The bridge would not ever raise again to get a barrel to the hut. Basically for those attempting to achieve 100% (and the Invincibility extra!), you have to make sure you have ample points, as well as the Blackbeard character unlocked before ever putting those gold brick pieces together. Which basically is playing the whole game in story mode. Otherwise you will never have access to that hut again to access all the extras. I played this 3 different times with the same results.
The last unlockable area, "The Ride" was not worth attaining all the gold bricks for, in my opinion, and I was a little disappointed in that. And the dark lighting levels were indeed a bit too dark. Too bad since the it was really hard to enjoy the cool scenery. At least the Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars game had a glow in the dark extra (which, by they way, rocked), but this one did not. Otherwise, notably an enjoyable game. Loved the characters, the puzzles and pirate scenery. Worth checking out for those who enjoy the Lego games, but for some maybe a rent would suffice. | video-games_xbox |
Tougher Than Before. I've only ever owned DDR previously for my Xbox (minus the 360) - but I owned all 4 games that came out on that platform, and was getting pretty close to mastering them all. When I upgraded to an Xbox 360, I decided to get the latest DDR for it as well, and well...it's frustrating.
It seems like the Konami folks have yet to master the perfect puzzle of what fans are looking for. I like the fact the game is challenging in the sense there are all kinds of ways to play it with all sorts of bonuses and mini-games, but not when those challenges feel unattainable.
My least favourite part of the Xbox DDR games was doing the dancing challenges (ex: get a perfect score on 10 bars of a song), and they've unfortunately transformed the quest mode, my previous fave part of DDR 4 on Xbox, into challenge mode. The level one challenges and level one dance-offs are pretty fun (and more interesting than what DDR 4 ever was on Xbox), but beyond that the game is pretty impossible. Dancing without the arrow guides? Arrows disappearing right before you're supposed to step? Sped up arrows? Only stepping on indistinguishable 'quarter note' arrows? It's frustrating and no longer fun, and also very time-consuming to get in and out of challenges.
Additionally the play lists aren't as diverse - at least not from what I've played and unlocked. The original DDR games featured classic disco tunes, modern hip hop and pop, the best of the electronica world, some fun ethnic-inspired tunes, and a bunch of random Asian techno acts for an eclectic but balanced mix. This latest addition to the series has a very limited number of familiar songs, and the rest kind of overlap - nothing really stands out for me.
Some fun new stuff? The party mode games are pretty fun, although likely a product of the first two Xbox 360 DDR games and not really new. Shopping for clothes for your so-called customizable dancer is fun and interesting. I like the 'bonus stage' in the regular game mode where you dance to earn a new song (however challenging it may be). The dance-offs in quest mode are way more fun than the challenges. The workout mode just attaches itself to whatever mode you're playing in to let you know how many calories you burnt at any one point.
Overall though, I'm sadly disappointed with this DDR, and wondering if Konami will ever get it right... | video-games_xbox |
BioWare, you let your fans down...(or so I thought. First, let me say I love Dragon Age: Origins and like Dragon Age II. However, this game gives terrible first impressions.
Where do I begin? How about the beginning?
It starts with incoherent gibberish for a story line. I only had a vague idea what was going on because I have played the previous renditions. However, after a poor introduction you are welcomed to a low end graphic experience with lots of bugs, characters getting stuck, button mashing for combat, healing abilities removed, combat trees and character trees dumbed down and an endless amount of 'fetch and collect' quests.
This game honestly feels unfinished at every turn.
Poor Graphics - Check
Poor Combat - Check
Poor Quests - Check (they aren't even chains, it's just... "please collect me some flowers to heal my brother!"
Game Crashes - Check
Poor Storyline - Check
Again, I love BioWare, I love these types of games (level your character, your weapons, do crafting, etc.) However, this game is an unfinished poorly developed bad MMORPG port (or feels like one anyway)
I'm sad to say, spend you money somewhere else. There are a lot of good games this time of year. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. (or so I originally thought)
----------------
UPDATE** 1/5/15
- Okay, so your opening experience with this game will likely be a poor one.
However, I am changing my rating of this game SIGNIFICANTLY. Why? Several reasons.
I have over 120 hour logged into this game now so I feel confident in my overall game score. I thought, well, I spent the money I may as well play it.
I am now deeply immersed into the game and I have to say as you progress several things happen.
1. The story line improves greatly.
2. This game is MASSIVE
3. You never run out of things to do.
4. Their are some epic battles (let's just say it's called DRAGON Age for a reason)
5. Their is a much larger diversity of combat trees as you advance past level 10, which unlocks sub-classes
6. The average graphics fade into the background as you get immersed into the story.
While I still feel the removal of healing for the use of potions and shields/guards is silly and I don't like that they simplified nearly everything.
I have to say this game is incredibly enjoyable once you play past the first 10 levels.
There are a great many things that start to make more sense, add depth and customizations.
My original vote for this game was a very poor one star.
As I have progressed, I have to give this game 5 stars for pure fun. If you like this type of game, after you spend some time with it you will love it.
My overall score has been moved all the way up to 4 stars.
I am still deducting a star for the original reasons. Also, the editors of the cut scenes need to go through a basic directing film course to understand how angles and cut scenes should be presented and cut.
Overall, I can't believe how much fun this game as turned into... | video-games_xbox |
OK on single player, great on multiplayer. TimeSplitters was a popular game when it came out. It took the normal shooter game and added in changes in environment - you moved through time to persue your enemies. TimeSplitters 2 expands this with better graphics, sound, and multiplay features.
The plot isn't much to get enthusiastic about. An evil enemy race is trying to wipe out humanity, and they have a time portal. They run back through time with crystals and you have to go back into each time period to track down the crystal and do other miscellaneous tasks while you're there.
The graphics are indeed nice, from flaming torches to dreary sewers and polished marble floors. But when you compare them to the likes of Halo or Kingdom Hearts, they're a bit old looking. There aren't shadows. The backgrounds aren't very dynamic. You shoot walls and get tiny holes, unlike the deformable terrain of other current games. The textures seem flat and a bit repetitive.
They did make an attempt to have the sounds match the eras, with lovely chanting during Notre Dame and twanging during the Western era. Even so, you don't feel 'immersed' in the game. Characters don't make noise when they walk. There isn't really any ambient noise.
The weapon choices are fun and time-appropriate. In Chicago of 1932, you've got Tommy Guns. In Notre Dame you're playing with shotguns. So there's always new variety as you go from level to level.
The missions aren't very challenging compared to other games that are out. They are extremely linear and there's rarely any brainpower involved. There's side missions like "blow up file cabinets along the way" or "shoot out whiskey barrels". There's usually a rationale given but it's pretty flimsy.
There are other 'mini-games' that you can play. Do things like fight off the living dead, smash the glass and so on. Try to get the best times to get high rankings.
Where the game really shines is multiplayer. There are HUNDREDS of characters to choose from in multiplay, and tons of ways to play that you unlock as you go. There are the standards like deathmatch as well as more interesting variations. The game is savvy about game hook-ups and LANs to open the game up to as many players as possible for your system.
In addition, TimeSplitters 2 comes with a MAP EDITOR. This is something rarely seen in a console game!! You can choose from a beginner or advanced mode and design your own maps, and then have your friends play through it! Customize the tile set, bot placements, choose weapons, music, you name it. You can create your own full maps and play a new game every day!
A great game if you're into multiplayer or map creation, and a fun shooter if you're not too particular about graphics or sounds. | video-games_xbox |
Shockingly weak game.....poor controls. I really like Jillian Michaels and her brand however this game does not do her brand any justice.
The game idea is great. You can basically choose to either workout or do a virtual parkour, where you have to race against time and perform different exercises. Sounds awesome, doesn't it?
I also liked the whole Tomb Raider approach and since it is none violent I guess it's going to be cool for my little nephews to play with. Their marketing worked great on me.
Here come the buyer's remorse though:
Once you pop in the disc, you're in for a real slap in the face.....you will need to navigate through the menu to get the game started....oh boy, what a nightmare! At first I thought I bought a broken game and believe me that the same though occurred to me several times when I gave the game more tries. The menu controls and the motion-sensoring are so jacked up that you will often select the wrong option and you better get used to backing to the previous screen a bunch of more times. I have about five Kinect games on my shelf and this is by far the one with the most frustrating controls.
Once you manage to start a game you notice how bad the graphics are. For a gamer like me this was like going all retro and firing up my old Super-NES. This could have been an online marketplace game on xbox live, why waste packaging or a disc on this?!
The game itself plays okay and to my surprise the exercises are challenging and fun. However, some of the motions do not get picked up right, so it might be very possible that will get stuck at one or the other obstacle for longer than necessary. Forget about beating your best times for a trail, when you have to repeat the same motion over and over again because the sensor is not able to pick up your moves.
Oh, and if you happen to have a big dog that happens to walk past the kinect camera the game will not pick you up as a player anymore and you will have to restart the game. My other kinect games have always been able to pause and resume the game once the camera got blocked or could not pick things up the right way.
I hope they will come out with a major patch for this and get the dings out. I feel jibbed and I'm sure a lot of people feel like they paid for a broken game. | video-games_xbox |
A great game nobody played. I don't usually write reviews. Let me say that to start to give you an idea that this game is far more worthy of your time than EA's marketing team thought it was...
Most of the critic reviews are pretty accurate, so I don't feel the need to expound on many of them, but I will give my thoughts and impressions where applicable.
First off, this is a FPS (First-Person Shooter) at its core. There isn't anything overly fancy or new here, other than the movement did remind me at times of Brink and the executions at close range are visceral and thrilling. The shooting mechanics are solid and the guns are both satisfying to shoot and have a real impact from the sound, look, and animations. I found the variety of guns both appealing and versatile. There are several pistols, two assault rifles, but only a single submachine gun and sniper rifle. Outside of that there are various other implements of death that are both interesting and fit the futuristic setting well, from the target-locking, bullet tracking Gauss Rifle, to the enemy-stunning, electrocuting Electron Mace.
I'm not sure how much I want to say about graphics, other than comments about the overly used lens flares and bright glares washing out a lot of the screen are for the most part true. It does give the game a unique look, but can be pretty distracting at times--which is something you don't want in an intense firefight. To be fair though, it's rarely been a huge issue for me. Generally speaking, the graphics are great and don't detract from the gameplay in any way.
Single-player gets bagged on a lot in critic reviews and player reviews alike. I thought the campaign was fun and varied enough to be worth playing through. Besides it being short (which with my backlog of games to play I actually appreciated), though I, like others felt that the ending was incredibly weak. I enjoyed shooting through a futuristic nightclub with patrons running while catchy electronic music blared in the background to my dispatching enemies, or storming through a mall with a chain gun, and making my way through a remote Atlantic station. Did it remind me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution? At times, yes. Does that make it not worth playing? Hardly.
Multiplayer is what this game was made for. I've had more fun with this game in the past year getting my friends together to do some gaming, creating a unique syndicate (clan), leveling up a persistent profile, researching/upgrading applications and weapons, and generally just experiencing the intensity of a shooter that is genuinely challenging. If you enjoy co-op shooters and have a few close friends to play with--this is an experience not to be missed in my opinion. Especially considering that it utilizes a server system which EA might shut down at any moment--I say get in now while you can still enjoy the amazing multiplayer aspect of the game. Honestly, I don't know that enough praise was given for the multiplayer for this game. I certainly can't give it enough.
So there ya go, if you are looking for a new, fun, co-op multiplayer experience, you won't find much better than Syndicate. Yes, it's not what the original game was. Starbreeze took things in a different direction, and for those who feel like that matters, this isn't your game. This is a fantastic co-op multiplayer (online only, no system link or LAN play) shooter with a decent, but short single-player campaign added (with some amazing voice talent I might add).
I say all of this in light of the fact that Borderlands 2 released today... so this probably won't sway too many people. But for those who come and look out of curiosity, know that I was once like you and I took a chance and haven't looked back. | video-games_xbox |
The Weakest of the Batman Trilogy. In 2009, it was generally considered common knowledge that super hero games were universally terrible. Heck, almost all licensed games were considered terrible. Then Rocksteady, a studio I'm sure not many people knew of, released Batman: Arkham Asylum. To my, and a most people's surprise, the game was phenomenal. It was dark, atmospheric, understood the source material, had the voice actors from the great 90's cartoon and most importantly, made you feel like you were Batman. That last one is Rocksteady's greatest achievement, and that is considering those incredibly awesome scarecrow segments. They were able to put you in Batman's head. To make you feel like you were the caped crusader. When you did something cool, it felt like you as Batman did it. Not you, the gamer, are playing as Batman doing it. Their follow up, Arkham City, was even better. Trading the claustrophobic and deeply personal story of Arkham Asylum for a sprawling epic taking place in a large section of Gotham City converted to a makeshift prison. Once more Rocksteady hit all the right beats but in an even more effective manner. Not only did you feel like Batman, as a fan of the character, just about every single Batman character you could think of was present. Its biggest claim to fame was how it very boldly killed the Joker in the final moments of its story. After that we got a flawed but generally not terrible prequel in Arkham Origins. A fun Batman game to be sure but it greatly suffered from prequelitus. A condition that many prequels have that causes them to try too hard to make their story fit in with the others. Most notably the way they immediately had Joker and Batman's relationship develop in one night or how Bane conveniently became a giant like in Asylum (this was especially terrible for me since I thought their portrayal of Bane was absolutely perfect and what the venom addicted brute should have been all along) Finally we arrive at Arkham Knight, the final game in the series.
Arkham Knight takes place 9 months after the Joker's death and in the first few minutes of the game it establishes pretty clearly that he is in fact dead by making you cleverly participate in his cremation. After that it quickly establishes Scarecrow as the main antagonist. Dr. Crane, however, is being assisted by the mysterious Arkham Knight, a twisted parody of Batman with a militaristic attitude and a large army at his back. Together he and the Arkham Knight have managed to bring all of Batman's rouges together for one final attempt to bring down the Dark Knight himself. To date this is the darkest and most cerebral entry in the series. I'd even go as far as to say it's one of the darkest Batman stories I've ever experienced. Within the first few hours it establishes that all bets are off and that things are getting bad for both Batman and his city. There is a sense of finality that permeates the entire experience. Much of it comes from Scarecrow, played brilliantly by John Noble, who is hell bent on destroying Batman and his legacy. Pretty quickly you get the impression that Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight have a pretty good shot at winning too. Batman is constantly on the defensive and often suffers crushing defeats. If that weren't enough, Gotham being evacuated has caused many of its worst residents to run rampant and terrorize the city. You have to rescue Police officers, firefighters, contend with numerous super villains AND find a way to track down all those pesky Riddler trophies. All while unraveling the mystery of the Arkham Knight and stopping scarecrow from destroying Gotham.
So, right off the bat I have to say that this is probably the weakest entry in Rocksteady's series. It is better than Arkham Origins but it reminds me of the Dark Knight Rises. It's good. Solidly paced, game play is as tight as ever. Combat is improved and Gotham has never been more fully realized. The game's visuals are really something to behold. Especially when you consider that this is running on Unreal Engine 3, a game engine that has been around since 2004. The Performances are rock solid. Kevin Conroy once again excels at playing Batman. Many other returning characters turn in fantastic performances as well. Yet, somehow the game just doesn't feel as great as the last two main entries in the series. The writing is good but it's clear that this is not the work of Paul Dini, the man who penned Asylum and City. He also is responsible for great many episodes of the animated series and comics. (Mad Love is a good example.) That is not to say that the writing is bad. Like I said, its good. The problem is that it's tonally inconsistent with the previous games. Not so much thematically, thankfully. But it certainly suffers from that sensation that different people did this entry in the series and that if the original writer were still on board it might have been better.
The biggest thing holding it back is how the game's narrative ultimately fizzles out. The Arkham Knight's identity is a major let down. When the reveal came I wasn't in shock. My reaction was "Oh...Okay." Unfortunately from there the whole thing crumbles under its own weight. Batman's allies start to act a bit out of character. Hell, throughout the story Batman makes decisions that are seriously aggravating. You could argue that it has to do with Batman's mental instability after the events of Arkham City coupled with Scarecrow's fear toxin. But in the end it just got on my nerves more often than not. Situations occurred where they could have taken it in a better direction that fit the theme and didn't involve Batman acting irrational. For example, Oracle is captured early in the game. When Gordon finds out he is enraged that she was working for Batman. He is directly responsible for her capture and potential death. That seems to be a major theme of the game. That Batman's war on crime ultimately results in the death of those close to him. But after Oracle's capture Barbra and Gordon are largely absent from the plot, only resurfacing towards the end of the game. My theory on this is somebody decided to cast major Hollywood actors to play those parts rather than the perfectly fine voice actors they had before. So since major actors like that cost a lot more, they had to use them sparingly. This is all speculation but I have seen this kind of thing in games before. They advertize big name actors but then they are barely there at all. Plus, they're kind of unrecognizable in their parts. Regardless of the circumstances in real life, both Commissioner Gordon and Barbara should have been a major part of the plot but instead were regulated to plot devices. They are just people for Batman to save later on. Finally, the ultimate conclusion of the narrative felt underwhelming and entirely too open ended for my liking. I don't mind if an ending is a bit open to interpretation. But the game's conclusion offers very little closure. Though, my opinion of the ending might be a bit tainted by the fact that I had to get 100% of the game completed before I could see it. That includes all 243 Riddler trophies/collectibles/riddles/etc. By the time I finally got the full ending I just felt exhausted and wanted to be done with the entire thing. Plus, the conclusion wasn't good enough to make all that work feel worth it. I have seen a lot of final Batman stories. Most of them ended up working for me. This one, however, just left me cold and unsatisfied.
Game play wise the game, like I said, works pretty well. Combat is refined to perfection and numerous things are added to make it more fun and challenging.. For example, medics are present and can pick up enemies you've knocked out. They can also put an electrical charge around foes so you can't just hit them. There are also a lot more enemies on screen at once. This makes encounters more difficult but also easier to stack combos and use special moves. The game was also nice enough to add a bunch more, though I really didn't use any of them. The stealth elements are also improved. Now Batman's silent take downs are more responsive and varied. The level design allows you to more effectively plan out your attacks. However, the enemies are smarter too. They know to look in vents and will blow them up so you can't use them. Some of them have drones that will spot you. There are even enemies that wear outfits that make them invisible to your detective vision. The best thing, though, is the fear multi-takedowns. Perform a silent takedown successfully and you fill up a fear gauge. Then you can silently position yourself near a group of enemies and do slow motion take downs on 3 to 5 of them before they even know what hit them. This is easily my favorite thing to do when sneaking around as it's also useful for getting yourself out of sticky situations. If you take down a thug but another spots you, you can use the multi-takedown on the fly and quickly dispatch the enemies there and then escape. The most interesting and criminally underutilized addition to the game is the ability to team up with other characters like Catwoman, Robin or Nightwing in fights. These encounters let you switch between Batman and his ally on the fly and do combos together. Sadly these instances are rare and underdeveloped as there isn't a lot to them. Still, it was really cool to be able to play as Batman and Robin working together. You'd think with the situation being as dire as it is Batman would call upon his allies to help instead of pushing them away. However, the big selling point of the game: The Batmobile, is unfortunately a mixed bag. It's fun to drive and feels powerful. The tank combat is a lot of fun despite conflicting with Batman's general ideology. But the Riddler race tracks or puzzles involving the car (weird how Riddler knew you got a new car or how he even managed to create race tracks. Seriously, the logistics alone boggle the mind) often feel really annoying and are needlessly frustrating. This is due in large part to the fact that the Batmobile is a large and somewhat sluggish beast. It basically handles like a warthog from Halo. It is fun enough but not ideal for going really fast on a track riddled with traps. Plus, the car is constantly being shoved into game play when I'd rather just walk around as Batman like before. It's not too invasive, thankfully, and it's generally more good than bad. But Rocksteady didn't do the best job implementing it. Another poorly implemented aspect of the game is the side quests. This is where you run into most of the villains in the game. Unfortunately Penguin and Twoface, for example, are both just a series of repetitive side missions where you do the same activity over and over again until they're beaten. There are slight variations but it's nothing like the brilliant and varied side quests of Arkham City, where every villain's side quest was distinct and interesting.
Batman: Arkham Knight could have been the ultimate Batman experience. It could have been a true swan song, a last hurrah. Unfortunately what we got was a game that is hit or miss. When Arkham Knight is good it is damn good, a truly great Batman experience. The problem is that it misses the mark about as often as it hits it. It pains me to say all this, mind you, as I am a major fan of Rocksteady's work and I think their version of Batman is one of the best ever. Unfortunately, the rule of 3 has hit even the best of game series. As a game it's the best the series has been. Sadly, the narrative is the weakest in the series and a major missed opportunity. I play these games mostly for the story so it is really hard to sing its praises. With all that in mind I have to say that Arkham Knight is a game that is good, but not great like its predecessors.
7.5 out of 10
Pros
- Gorgeous visuals
-Fully realized Gotham with tons of references and detail
-Gameplay is refined to near perfection
-Voice acting is superb, especially by returning cast members
-Has great moments
-Batmobile is fun...
Cons
-...But the car can also be really annoying as the game forces it on you too often
- Side quests have a lack of depth and uniqueness as well as being quite repetitive
- The story is the weakest in the series
- The team ups are underutilized and developed
- The Arkham Knight's identity is predictable and lame
-Characters are absent for large parts of the game where they shouldn't be
- Getting 100% of the game just to see the real ending is arbitrary and tedious
- The conclusion is weak and left me quite cold | video-games_xbox |
Amazing Game, Not Perfect But Absorbing. As many reviews of this game on any given forum (including this one) will make clear, how much you like it or not will depend upon whether or not you owned Atari's previous "Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee" before it. If you did, then you are likely to say, "Atari only updated a few features to the original game, added several new playable monsters, added the online game feature, added many Challenge missions, and added two rail-type one-player arcade-style games...but otherwise, it's pretty much the same freakin' game!" To those, like myself, who didn't own the previous Atari G-game (since the previous offering didn't have an X-Box version), this one will come off as totally fantastic, *especially* if you are a long-time G-fan, as I am (otherwise, you may not be overly familiar with many of the monster players outside of Godzilla and Mothra, or you may possess only a passing familiarity with them, e.g., "Didn't I once see that big beetle guy with the star-shaped nose horn and spinning drill arms in a movie when I was a kid? And that big robot guy in the super-hero costume, too? Yea, I think I did...right?").
To longtime G-fans, this game is a godsend. Yes, it *does* have the Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter style (with the graphic realism of the former, sans all of the blood and gore in favor of a much grander scale), but using established dai kaiju (the Japanese term for "giant monster," to we fanboys) in place of cool but totally unfamiliar human fighting characters who were invented exclusively for the game is just too good to resist.
As others have noted, the game is most fun when more than one person plays. The fact that up to four at once can participate in the Melee mode is really cool, and such battles (in which the monsters re-spawn after being destroyed) with the players racking up points until the timer runs out is outright addictive. You also have the standard Versus mode, where one to two players simply face off one monster against another for a controllable number of rounds, facing both each other and the timer.
The extended Action mode, designed for one player, is an adventure game in which a single player battles his/her way through several monster matches, unlocking and playing various Challenge modes along the way (these are a variety of matches where you have a timed task to perform), with these Challenge games available for independent single-player game play once they are unlocked. In this version, the player must also seek to pick up any of the five G-cells available on each level for a whopping 500 points each. You then face the boss monster (who is usually Orga, depending upon which monster you're playing as) on the extraterrestrial city existing within the Vortaak mothership itself at the end, and it's quite a difficult match, with a variety of craft firing laser-beam weaponry at you in place of the human military found in other environments.
In fact, the Action mode is the only way to earn points that enable you to purchase new playable monsters in the game store, as well as new environments in which to play, and concept art for the game and sketch drawings and a few pics from the latest (and last) G-film, "Godzilla: Final Wars" (but wait until after you've purchased all the monsters and cities before you spend the chump change level of points needed to purchase the gallery pics). Of course, many web sites will give you the cheat codes to unlock all of this stuff without earning the points (which can take over a month of intense playing), but you *need* to purchase them with these points earned from the Action mode games in order to make access to them permanent.
The Vortaak alien race was invented for the previous game and re-appear here, but they are a sort of hodge podge of various fascistic alien races we saw in the Showa Era G-films, though they, and their flying saucer-shaped space craft, mostly resembles the Xians from "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" and the updated version in "Godzilla: Final Wars," though they they have a *female* ruler (Vorticia).
The graphics are quite good for this sort of game, and the variety of city environments you can play, which includes not only Japanese locales like Tokyo and Osaka, but also New York, Seattle, Boston, and London, are quite interesting. Locales also include Monster Island and the Vortaak Mothership, along with a hugely scaled Boxing Ring. The buildings, certain vehicles, and other structures in each environment are fully destructable, and many can be picked up and hurled at your foes.
The military that targets whichever monster is involved in the greatest amount of city destruction can indeed be annoying, as other reviewers have said. The helicopters don't do much damage, but the tanks let loose a salvo of ammunition that will mess up your intended throws (of both buildings and opponents), often when your victory absolutely depends on that particular throw; the only good thing about it is that they sometimes mess things up for your opponent in the same manner.
Each of the monsters have a good degree of their individual powers from the movies accurately duplicated in their video game counterparts here (including all of their distinctive roars!), many to a very impressive degree (e.g., the burrowing ability of Megalon and Baragon, all of Mothra's many powers fully intact, including the fact that you can play in both her larva and adult stages, Space Godzilla possessing practically all of the multitude of powers that he has in the movie, including telekinesis, the generation of gigantic crystals that have greatly practical use, the materialization of crystalline clubs, throwing rocks, etc...an amazing treat!). Some of their new powers, including their various 'rage' moves (when you manage to grab one of those rage power-ups), are either logical extrapolations of the powers they already have, or introduce more of the powers they have in the movies (such as Mechagodzilla 3's Absolute Zero Cannon from "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla"). The various power-ups in all the environments except for the Boxing Ring that are periodically dropped by flying saucers, i.e., the health restoration cylinders, the energy restoration cylinders, the rage sphere (to temporarily place the monster in a super-charged "rage" mode), and the air-strike Atari icon (allowing you or your opponent to temporarily summon either Battra or the Super X-3 war machine to attack the other player) all add a great dimension and versatility to game play, and no two matches in any mode appear *exactly* alike. There is also an interesting one-player Survival mode that is good practice, and this time you can play online if your Playstation 2 or X-Box is properly hooked up (that's why this game doesn't have a version for Nintendo GameCube).
This game also includes two arcade-style rail-shooting missions for one player (both of which are lengthy and quite difficult, sometimes frustratingly so). In one of them, you play as Mogera in the robot's space craft mode, and fly through the solar system avoiding and blasting asteroids, Vortaak ships, mechanical octopus arms and stalagmites awaiting you within the interior of various particularly huge asteroids, etc., until you finally face the boss of this level, Space Godzilla in his star-faring form cavorting within Earth orbit, where you engage in a *very* lengthy battle with him.
In the second rail-type arcade Challenge, you play as Godzilla swimming underwater, avoiding and destroying deep sea mines and human-controlled submarines, along with avoiding spewing underwater lava geysers and collapsing rock strata, until you wade through two bosses...one, the giant lobster Ebirah from "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster" (also known by its international title, "Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep") who is fairly easy to defeat, and finally the huge Vortaak sub as the last sequence of this mission, which is maddeningly difficult to defeat (I still haven't done so at this writing, but I'm getting there!).
I still have no idea how to unlock the two rail-shooting arcade style Challenges I mentioned above without using the cheat codes I acquired online, and this is admittedly annoying.
Also annoying, of course, is how much the computer cheats in the Hard difficulty level of game play. Stick to Easy level while just learning the game, and spend most of your time playing the Medium difficulty level thereafter, where you will get a good challenge without matters being almost ridiculously difficult.
And if you would like to battle friends and computer opponents without the military, throwable and destructable buildings (which can be both useful and get in the way) or power-ups being factors, you can always pick the Boxing Ring, which also confines the two fighters to a limited spatial parameter.
This game is amazingly cool for G-fans. It will come off as less impressive to those who already have Atari's previous version, and if you already own "Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee," you may perceive "Godzilla: Save The Earth" as 'merely' an enhanced retread. Nevertheless, it's still the more advanced version of the two, and worth owning IMO.
And I was disappointed that Hedorah no longer appears as a computer controlled character in this game, even though a different sleeper hit of a character, Ebirah, appears in his place as a computer-controlled menace (albeit, and regrettably, not during any of the two to four player battle games).
Because of the above and other minor complaints, I took away half a star, but I still highly recommend this game to both G-fans and video "Versus" style games. | video-games_xbox |
An FPS worth it's weight (single player only. First-Person shooters are the type of genre that originally got me interested in video games. There've been several good FPS games released this year (2011) but Crysis 2 is the first one that I feel is worth the $60, especially for us single-player only gamers.
In Crysis 2 you play Alcatraz, a marine who's sent with a team to assist with a viral outbreak in New York City. After your team is taken out, Alcatraz is saved by a man named 'Prophet' who's being hunted by renegade "Cell" soldiers. After being given his super suit, Alcatraz is mistaken for Prophet and you're thrown into a sci-fi plot that involves outbreaks, conspiracies and aliens. I'm not sure how any of this ties into the first Crysis (I never played it) but the story is solid enough with some memorable characters and plot-twists that kept me interested. That's more than I can say for most FPS stories.
The controls of Crysis 2 are borrowed heavily from Call of Duty but with some fun customization. Alcatraz's suit which, along with weapons you pick up can be customized to fit your playing style. Along with your suit's tactical visor (which lets you zoom in/out, tag enemies on the field and shows tactical hints) there's your suit's 'stealth mode' which allows you to turn invisible and sneak around and stealth-kill enemies. Also there's a 'power mode' which allows you to take incredible damage. Add to this a chapter-selection which allows you to play through any chapter (on any difficulty) you've completed with all of your purchased upgrades which increases replayabiliy. This is the most fun I've had playing an FPS in recent memory.
The game progresses in a linear fashion (going from point A to point B) but allows a lot of freedom as the playground of New York City gives you access to sewers, buildings and streets allowing you to progress through a level however you want. Half the fun of Crysis 2 is finding alternate routes and solutions to firefights and levels. The game really makes you think about using your environment as a tactical advantage.
The one thing that is a let down in the gameplay department is the enemy A.I. Most enemies react the way they should, running for cover and trying to outflank you but you'll still see a handful get stuck in the environment or try to run through walls. It's not a gamebreaking flaw but you will notice this.
The graphics in Crysis 2 are some of the best I've seen on a console system. Getting into epic firefights, watching your suit turn invisible, seeing roads and building crumble out from underneath you is done very smoothly....for the most part. There's still some slowdown during action-heavy moments of the game as well as slow loading of mission objective updates, objects in the world, and enemies. Again I probably wouldn't notice things like this in other games but when the graphics are so detailed and immersive, the minor flaws stick out more than they should.
Even with it's flaws Crysis 2 is an excellent game! With open-ended level designs, player customization, a good story and a lengthy single-player campaign (a little over ten hours on the first play-through!) with high replayability this is an FPS that's more than worth the money you put into it. Highly recommended! | video-games_xbox |
Modern Warfare/blackops. ok first of all let me start by saying i've been on the battlefield bandwagon since battlefield 1942, then the release of battlefield 2 which was a game well ahead of its time...and if your wondering where the call of duty modern warfare influence came from...look no further than battlefield 2, BF2 was the benchmark for all shooting games from 2005 til 2008 and for good reason, the sandbox style of gameplay, the spawn system, the squad system...everything was how it should be for a multiplayer shooter, then call of duty comes along with modern warfare which was a great game, but dupes the masses to thinking it is the standard for online shooters but no...its not...battlefield 2 was older and still better than call of duty 4...
now not to get off topic with that little piece...but here is a little background on me, i've played FPS games competitively between CAL/TWL/BF2C, i enjoy a single player but i buy a game for the multiplayer, COD definately has the best single player and is worth a purchase based on that alone, but if your a hardcore multiplayer like myself and you have played the best on the market, there is no denying that the multiplayer for BF2/BFBC2 in comparison to the COD4/4-2/BO...they just own COD's, COD is repetitive and boring, albeit fun for a little while here and there, i cant play them for longer than 2 weeks after release because i don't allow myself to get duped with the masses, BFBC2 on the otherhand i own it on 3 systems so i can play it with all my friends nomatter what platform (PC is the best by the way...especially if u gotta 3000$ eyefinity triplemonitor 21.5" 1080p setup like me lol)
the long and the short:
graphics: BC2
gameplay: BC2
realism: BC2
singleplayer: COD
lonewolfing: COD
destructible env: BC2
spawn camping: COD
larger crowd: COD
better game: BC2
vehicles: BC2
teamplay: BC2
COD does have a few more guns and a little more customization that i like, battlefield has vehicles...the great thing about it though is the vehicles are not overpowered, the destructible environments are not just for show in BFBC2...destruction is part of the game, its key in getting the kill or your foe escaping
clearly i am biased, battlefield is way better than call of duty in my opinion...but that opinion is formed from playing them all thoroughly, i do not hate call of duty, they are very good games...the best single player story you can find and worthy of a purchase for that alone...but if your looking for the best multiplayer...bad company 2...hands down | video-games_xbox |
Frighteningly fun. Although I didn't pick up this title at launch with my Xbox 360, I wish I had. This game is one of the most innovative and unique titles for the 360 platform, and provides an incredibly entertaining adventure for those who aren't afraid of a little R-rated horror.
Make no mistake, this is not a game for your children (or grandchildren) but an adult title where you're put in the shoes of an FBI agent hunting a crazed serial killer. And the path to your success is paved with pulse-pounding moments of terror and exciting action.
The game starts out at a murder scene, and walks you through using the 360 controller to sample evidence and move about the environment. Although much of the first-person interface is new, the controls are easy to pick up, and you'll quickly find yourself immersed in the world and flawlessly moving through it.
Although the entire 10-level game is entirely land based (you don't use vehicles or do anything besides walk around), the maps are well designed and offer interesting variety. Likewise, the story is so robust that you'll be trying to solve the puzzles as your character works each crime scene.
If you like to earn all of the "Achievements" (or gamerpoints) for a 360 title, this game will deliver. With rewards for completing each level (regardless of difficulty setting), you'll add 150 to your gamerscore just by finishing the game. But the fun (and replayability) comes from unearthing all of the secrets in the game, including dozens of secrets, finding every piece of evidence in your hunt for a serial killer and using every weapon in the game.
There is no online or multiplayer component to this game, but there are "scoreboards" tracking the amount of time you've spent in the game, your melee kills, etc. Honestly though, you're not playing the game to make it on the scoreboard, you're playing because you'll find yourself hopelessly sucked into the plot... And this game is easy enough that you could hand this to someone who's never played a game and get them involved too. Just make sure you keep the lights on! | video-games_xbox |
Great game, but not all it could have been. I'm not sure any game ever made could have lived up to the incredible hype piled on Halo 3, and it's worth bearing that in mind when considering the merits of this game. That having been said, Halo 3 doesn't break a whole lot of new ground, and much of the game feels like more of the same, though in this case that 'same' is something very worthwhile. People pick apart and criticize various parts of the game, but many of those same people are online all the time playing this thing like crazy anyway. Here are some things to consider:
THE CAMPAIGN: Okay, so Halo 3's campaign is pretty uninspiring. The graphics are breathtaking at times and there are several moments of lighthearted dialogue (both the marines and the Covenant say some very funny things if you listen closely), but ultimately the campaign is just about shooting and blowing stuff up while you move toward some sort of relatively bland objective. The depth of the campaign leaves much to be desired, no doubt about it.
Still, I love playing the campaign. Why? Simply because there are so many options. First is the option to play 4 player co-op online. You can ratchet the difficulty up and blast your way through, and it's a lot of fun. The game contains several "skulls," which you have to find and which you can activate while playing campaign missions to give your enemy various enhanced abilities (better armor, more grenades, the ability to dodge your grenades, etc). There is also a meta game where you're scored based on the time it takes you to clear the level, how many times you die, and the style with which you dispatch your enemies. Skulls give multipliers to your score, as does turning up the difficulty. There are achievements associated with high meta game scores as well. This, to me at least, gives the campaign some replay value, which is a good thing since the storyline isn't engaging enough to make me want to play through it again alone.
ONLINE MULTIPLAYER: Many people argue this is the true essence of Halo, and in that Halo 3 delivers...well, mostly. The game offers some great multiplayer maps, some fun weapons, great team modes, and the ability to edit maps to your liking through the Forge. You can unlock new armor, customize your appearance, and track your service record as you increase in the game's ranking system. Still, the multiplayer isn't without its drawbacks. It seems strange that ranked Lone Wolf matches have only 5 players, for example, and that most of the team modes in ranked play have 8 players (4 to a side) when the game supports up to 16. These are minor complaints and can be resolved with some time and tweaking, and ultimately the fact remains that multiplayer in Halo 3 is a lot of fun.
Another note--whenever you play Halo 3, be it during campaign or in multiplayer mode, a temporary video of your game is taken, and you can view, edit, and permanently save these videos after your game (otherwise they're deleted). You can also share videos and screenshots of your exploits. Nice touch.
Overall I think Halo 3 is a great game. Is it monumental? Maybe not, but it should have some great staying power and be a lot of fun to play for some time. While I can understand the complaints people make about the game I don't think it's enough to ruin the Halo experience. If your only desire is to play the campaign on single player I'd recommend renting this one before you buy it, but if you want Halo for any sort of multiplayer action I'd say this one is worth owning. | video-games_xbox |
Immersive Story Based FPS. One of the most immersive and suspenseful games ever made!
Concept: 9/10
You're a military ranger in a terrifying post-apocalyptic environment. The surface is uninhabitable and the radiation has contaminated the earth, air, and water. To make matters worse, Neo-Nazis, Communists, Mutants, Bandits, Aliens, and Traitors are around every corner. You're definitely near the bottom of the food chain in the wasteland.
Story: 9/10
Your faction, the Spartans captured an alien bunker, which contains technology that gives them an edge in surviving the apocalyptic wasteland. The other factions, the Communists and Nazis, want that bunker. Since the surface of the world is uninhabitable, the surviving humans live in the subterranean tunnels and use the metro to travel to different areas. But the tunnels are almost as deadly as the surface above.
Gameplay: 9/10
Metro is a linear level based game, where you complete missions. The missions are a mix of FPS battles, survival levels, and stealth missions, where light is both your friend and enemy.
When you are fighting humans, the dark is your friend. You can stealth kill them, or knock them out. If enemies spot you, a battle will erupt. Luckily, the checkpoints are fairly generous. You can carry 3 weapons at a time and they are well suited for different situations. Shotguns are great at close range, machines are good for battle, a silenced pistol is great for shooting out lights in stealth levels, rifles are great for long distances. This isn't the type of stealth game where you get overwhelmed and killed if you are spotted. The battles are fair and if you play a lot of FPS games, you can take out the enemies. Stealth just helps you tip the odds more in your favor.
When you are dealing with mutants, you'll want to hide in the shadows. When you are dealing with spiders in the tunnels, light burns their exoskeleton, and they skitter back into the darkness.
Graphics: 8/10
Overall, the graphics are pretty good. The characters are expressive, but look a bit fake. The dark and murky environments are well done. The effects like explosions, weather, fire, webs, mud, etc... really pull the player into the game.
Sound: 9/10
The music enhances the suspenseful scenes as well as the action scenes. The combat sound effects highlight the action, and the creature sounds make you fear the dark!
Immersion: 10/10
The graphics and sound come together to crate a really suspenseful and creepy environment. Because the world is so hazardous, throughout most of the game, you'll be wearing a gas mask. The mask gets splashed with blood if you shotgun an enemy at point blank range. If you craw through spider webs, you may get a spider on your face. If you walk past the dead, flies will land on your face. If you run through the mud, you'll get some on your mask. Tapping LB will quickly wipe your mask, which does a fair job at cleaning it. There will be times when you're getting attacked, when you can barely breathe, and hardly see.
Maturity: M
There are strippers, sex, nudity, alcohol, blood, gore, and death. It's not for kids, unless you want them to go through puberty while playing this.
Replay Value: 3/10
There are two different endings, based on the value you put on human life. If you make the most out of life, rescue others, and knock enemies out instead of stealth killing them when you have the chance, you make life more valuable. At the end of the game, if life is precious, you get the good ending. If you go out of your way to kill too many humans, you get the bad ending... which is still pretty good.
Overall: 9/10
This is a very good immersive FPS game with lots of action and suspense. The story is well done and your actions affect the ending. At times, some of the story driven scenes seem long, and you want to get back into the action.
Buy it if you love suspenseful shooters like Bioshock.
Buy it if you like FPS games with good controls.
Buy it if you like stealth.
Rent it if you have 10-12 hours to blow through it.
Avoid it if you just want to jump into the action and you think stories in games are boring.
Avoid it if you want to feel super-heroic. In the Metro, there are lots of things more deadly than you!
If you like the atmosphere, check out the Fallout Series.
If you like immersive FPS games, check out the Bioshock series. | video-games_xbox |
A game to play over and over again. After hearing of Dark Souls 2, I decided to finally give this one a try. I'm a bit late, but it has become one of my favorite games. It has a bit of everything: challenge, depth, good combat mechanics, visuals story, and replayability. The difficulty of the game is nicely balanced as the vast majority of deaths will be entirely to player error, which is why I consider the combat mechanics so good as attacks have to be done carefully, especially with many strength and hally class weapons.
The game also has a surprising amount of debt to it, as the player has to figure out the story for themselves through npc dialog, item descriptions, and even the environments itself encouraging exploration. Based on what I've found, the story is far better then what people give credit for.
As for replayability, there are just so many build possibilities that each playthrough can be an entire different experience with their own unique set of challenges. My second character for example, is a build that I refer to as a Stonehand Berserker which takes advantage of the strength bonus from two handing weapons, allowing more points to be placed in vitality and endurance. The catch is that most weapons have to be used two handed, making shields not a option. And there's still so much that I haven't done with the game, I haven't even used a single faith spell for example nor have I really bothered following the miniquest like storys of several of the npcs.
The visuals in the game are also excellent, with Anor Londo and Ash Lake being the best examples.
There is just one complaint I have-and that is that some fights are actually ironically easy once you learn their patterns. They just become so predicatable. To kill the enemies I'm referring to, one simply has to stay behind them, move away when needed, repeat. I hear that the enemies in Dark Souls 2 are more dynamic in the way they attack, so I'm assuming that From Soft is aware that this was a issue.
For those that don't mind a challenge and don't want to spend the money on Dk2 yet, I'd suggest purchasing this. | video-games_xbox |
AI and Teammates are not very bright. Rainbow Six Lockdown is set up to be a squad based tactical shooter, where you and your team breach doors, rescue hostages, and take down the bad guys.
You have up to four team members at a time, and you issue fairly straightforward commands to them. They are fairly mindless and sometimes stand stupidly while being fired on. It's not so bad, though - the enemy does the exact same thing. Both of you are dealing with not-so-bright comrades so it all evens out.
Really, the thing to remember in single player is that it is all a training mode for multi-player. You always get far better challenges playing against live humans than against computer-driven drones. So consider this your training grounds to get used to the commands.
The graphics are reasonably good, with some rag-doll physics and details in the environment. Certainly not the best game on the XBox in terms of graphics, but not the worst either. The sound falls into the same middle-of-the-road category.
On one hand the game is a bit challenging - you can't survive infinite hits with a gun before you go down. It is much more realistic than many games in that sense. On the other hand, once you get even a basic grasp of how the tactics work, you should be able to rip through many of the missions without any need for cover or caution. The enemy is fairly clueless and you can usually kill them long before they start to take action.
The voice commands are a fun addition if you enunciate clearly. You can shout out orders (or just "go! go! go!" for doing the current default) and see your teammates run and respond appropriately. It does add to the realism, if your house-mates don't mind you shouting at 2am!
Certainly in modern times there are better graphics and better gameplay out there, but this is still worth looking into if you're a Rainbow / Tom Clancy fan and want to round out your collection. | video-games_xbox |
We're all mad here. This is one of the smartest, most incredible games I have ever played. I had heard that it was good before playing it. I had read the reviews. But I'm not a huge first person shooter fan, so I was in no rush to play it. My brother ended up buying it bundled with another game, and it sat on a shelf for over a year. When I finally got around to giving it a proper playthrough, I was blown away by every aspect of it. The setting, the characters, the story and its unforgettable climax, the scares, and the action are all superbly crafted and executed. When I finished it, I spent days thinking about it and realized that it had become my favorite game of this console generation, and one of the best games I have played, ever.
Bioshock's setting, the underwater city of Rapture, is a character in its own right. In fact, I might go so far as to say that the city is actually the game's main character. It was created by a man named Andrew Ryan to be a utopian society based on the values of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. But something went horribly wrong, and Ryan's dream descended into a nightmare world where almost everyone is violently insane. What happened and why? You can find out if you want to. Most of the city's story is told through recordings that the player can find littered throughout the ruins. I was skeptical of this kind of storytelling when I heard about it, but I'm happy to report that in execution it works perfectly. You fight your way through the genetically enhanced crazies that populate the city, and you find these messages from people that used to live there. Where are they now? Some of them are dead. Some you will meet. Some you will even have to fight. All of them have a story, and each of their stories is part of a much greater Story, and the only evidence left of their stories are these recordings you play while you are standing in dark rooms and flooded caverns. It is haunting. Rapture is a place you will remember long after the credits roll.
The game is scary. There you are, one man against a horde of insane people called Splicers. Sometimes they get behind you, and you don't know it. I will never forget walking through this area of the game where this crazy artist has been killing people and making plaster statues out of them. There was a statue sitting in a chair facing a corner. I turned around to do something, and when I turned back, the chair was empty...then I noticed a statue standing frozen a few feet away. Had it been there a moment ago? I was not sure, so I approached it to examine it...and jumped as the crazed person started attacking me in a frenzy! I haven't jumped while playing a game in a long time. I love how the Splicers say crazy, spooky things. Or sing creepy songs...
There are a few really great characters you will interact with in the game. Andrew Ryan, who has become the totalitarian dictator of Rapture, is the game's primary antagonist and a wonderful villain. He is a man whose dream has gotten away from him, as vicious as he is brilliant. Then there is Doctor Tenenbaum, a woman who is searching for personal redemption because of something horrible she has been a part of. Atlas is the one who is helping your character along, but why? Then there are the Big Daddies and Little Sisters, which are probably the first thing that come to mind when someone thinks of Bioshock. Just what are they, and why do they do what they do? It is important, and how you treat them as a player will decide the game's ending. (Also, all of the game's female characters are intriguing without being sexualized.)
The most brilliant part of Bioshock is the climax of the story. I can't tell you what happens, but it is far more than just a cool plot twist. It takes the most powerful thing about being a gamer, the interactive nature of video games and the control of the player, and turns them on their head in a moment. What follows is not something that could be translated into a film or a novel. This will go down as one of the greatest moments in the history of gaming.
The gameplay itself is solid. Some players had a problem with the idea of the Vita Chambers, devices that instantly resurrect your character whenever he dies. They seem to make actually dying in the game an impossibility, but I don't really have any problem with them. Most games let you save anywhere nowdays. The Vita Chambers just save you from having to save your game around every turn. I play a few first person shooters, but I'm not a huge fan of the genre. Bioshock changes it up a little by giving your character genetic superpowers which work like magic. Upgrading your character is fun, and adds another dimension to the gameplay. I particularly enjoyed gaining the power to send out a swarm of bees to hound my enemies, while I shot them from a distance.
The game demands more from the player than a lot of games. Some games spoon feed the player everything that is important to the story, but not this one. The player has to work things out to know what is going on, and why it is significant. I remember stepping into a room where a woman lay dead, blood everywhere. If you are not paying attention, you might not realize who this person is and what her connection to your character is. The game's narrative is part of the reward for playing. I never thought a game could have so much story without using cutscenes. But Bioshock does it, and does it well.
Everything about the game haunts the player. The sunken city with its mad denizens, the awesome story, the twisted characters. The world of Rapture is frightening, bloody, and beautiful, and it should not be missed by anyone. This is why we play video games.
Final Grade: A | video-games_xbox |
A lackluster, incomplete product. As most of you are probably aware, the prequel to this game was simply fantastic--a truly interesting plot, excellent gameplay mechanics, and a real sense of immersion in the Star Wars universe. While this game could have been a worthy successor to the KOTOR title, it was unfortunately butchered and rushed out the door before it was completed.
The graphics and gameplay are pretty much identical to KOTOR 1, which isn't a bad thing at all. A few gameplay improvements were introduced, such as the ability to "influence" your companions. This is an excellent idea, though it was poorly implemented and doesn't really make much of a difference. Anyway, you can expect the game to play about the same, and if you enjoyed the turn based strategic combat of the original game, you'll have plenty of opportunities for more carnage, though you'll still have the 'missing lightsaber' problem for a goodly portion of the game.
The plot, however, is another story entirely. While it would admittedly have been hard to live up KOTOR 1's high standard, it seems like this game's plot would have been good, perhaps not great, but certainly good enough to justify the purchase...if only it had been completed. Apparently the development team was forced to cut much of the game's content just to meet their deadline, and believe me, it shows. Basic exposition, necessary to understand what's going on and why you're doing what you're doing was left on the cutting room floor. Just to give you one example, early in the game, it's clearly explained that if a certain event happens, your character will die. Later on, when that event happens, you are left unscathed, with absolutely no explanation given. Most of the plot just doesn't make sense--there's little coherence, plot holes are big enough to fly the Ebon Hawk through, and the ending is one of the biggest disappointments I've ever encountered in a video game. I kept waiting for the shocking event or revelation that would cleverly alter my view of what was happening and would make me care, but it never happened. This game is just a mess.
Then there are the bugs. And there are many, many bugs. Thankfully, hard crashes were rare, but certain side-quests were broken, or could be broken if you performed certain actions out of their intended sequence. The dialog trees were often humorously contradictory--one character's name would be accidentally substituted for another, gender would be confused, etc. I encountered one bug where I could gain an infinite amount of influence with one of my party members by just repeating the same conversation over and over again. The list goes on, but my patience doesn't. I have come to expect that programs as complex as modern games will have bugs, but by the time the game is released commercially, I expect those bugs to be minor and hard to find. That's sadly not the case with KOTOR 2.
In the end, I can't recommend this game to anyone. If you just want the action, then fire up KOTOR 1 and go for some mindless slaughter, and if you want a decent plot and engrossing role playing experience, then look elsewhere, because you won't find them here. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome collection of classic Genesis games. This compilation of Genesis games is well worth the money. There are tons of Genesis games featured in this compilation. Among my favorites, the Streets of Rage games are included.
The following games are featured:
1. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
2. Alien Storm
3. Altered Beast
4. Beyond Oasis/The Story of Thor
5. Bonanza Bros.
6. Columns
7. Comix Zone
8. Decap Attack
9. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
10. Dynamite Headdy
11. Ecco the Dolphin
12. Ecco: The Tides of Time
13. ESWAT: City Under Siege
14. Fatal Labyrinth
15. Flicky
16. Gain Ground
17. Golden Axe
18. Golden Axe II
19. Golden Axe III
20. Kid Chameleon
21. Phantasy Star II
22. Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
23. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
24. Ristar
25. Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention
26. Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal
27. Shining in the Darkness
28. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
29. Sonic & Knuckles
28. Sonic the Hedgehog
29. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
30. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
31. Sonic 3D Flickies Island/Blast
32. Sonic Spinball
33. Streets of Rage
34. Streets of Rage 2
35. Streets of Rage 3
36. Super Thunder Blade
37. Vectorman
38. Vectorman 2
There are also unlockable games after completing certain tasks:
1. Alien Syndrome (arcade)
2. Altered Beast (arcade)
3. Congo Bongo (arcade)
4. Fantasy Zone (arcade)
5. Golden Axe Warrior (Sega Master System)
6. Phantasy Star (Sega Master System)
7. Shinobi (arcade)
8. Space Harrier (arcade)
9. Zaxxon (arcade)
I would have included Eternal Champions, Sonic 2 with Knuckles, Sonic 3 with Knuckles, Super Monaco GP, & Shadow Dancer. I'd would have also packed some more unlockable games in this from the Sega CD & Sega Game Gear systems too. The unlockables I would have included would have been: Eternal Champions (Sega CD), Sonic CD (Sega CD), Outrun (arcade), Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear), Sonic Drift (Game Gear), Sonic Blast (Game Gear), Sonic Chaos (Game Gear), Crystal Warriors (Game Gear), & Sonic Labyrinth (Game Gear). That would make this already excellent compilation even better.
If you owned a Sega Genesis or happen to enjoy playing games from the late 80's to the early 90's, this collection is for you. I highly recommend it. | video-games_xbox |
Star Wars: Lightsaber on a Leash. Calm down! I do throughly enjoy this game, im a big fan of the original star wars trilogy and I wish i was a jedi. There are not many games out there that truly give you that feeling of actually being a jedi. Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy were the games to go to in the past if you were craving some midichlorians. There were all types of mods that would allow you to dismember all those poor misguided stormtroopers. Now that Force Unleashed is out i feel it has taken up the jedi torch for the most part. The graphics are amazing for being a 360 game, even with hardware that is 4 years old it still holds up to PC quality graphics of today. I was particularly impressed with the Raxis Prime garbage planet level, the background is breathtaking. The force powers in this game far surpass anything of the past including Jedi Outcast. Force gripping and pushing enemy troopers off cliffs or just throwing them into other stormtroopers never gets old. The force lightning effects a fan-flippin-tastic! These powers truly give you a sense of raw sith power! The soundtrack has all the classic star wars instrumentals as well as those familiar lightsaber and blaster sound effects, they sound good as usual. Im not too crazy about the storyline really, i feel it started off promising then tapered off as it progressed. I wasn't sure if i'd get to battle Vader or the Emperor as i knew they were going to live regardless. Either way i was sure that a lowly apprentice wouldn't be able to take on either one of the true masters of the sith and make it out in one piece, but of course i was proved wrong......i guess. My biggest gripe about this game is the lightsaber. It just feels too weak, i know from watching the movies that when a jedi or sith slices something with that energy beam someone always seems to lose a limb. In unleashed, everyone seems to be lightsaber resistant so it almost feels like im swinging a lead pipe around. This saber doesn't slice, its a blunt object. Overall this is a wonderful addition the Star Wars game library and you need to check it out. | video-games_xbox |
Hit, or Miss. If you haven't yet played a Ghost Recon game, Ghost Recon 2 will be some good fun. Up-to date graphics, a fresh story and hours of challenging modern combat is what you should be expecting from this title. I was expected a bit more based on my great experiences with the first Ghosts, which entailed a more tactical approach. And this is where the disappointment begins. The game play: I quickly learned that I no longer have control over customizing my team aside from weapon selection. The whole team is assigned automatically. Yuck! Also, the team is smaller and must face more enemies, armored vehicles and helicopters. These things seem to steer this title away from its roots which is good and bad.
There are so many good elements found in the original GR which are missing here, such as being involved in developing the skills of your team mates. Previously you could send 6 into the field and let them gain valuable experience and make them better. Also missing are bonus objectives that, when successfully completed will unlock new team members and weapons. Another nice feature was winning medals for personal kills during a mission. These, and other features, seem to have vanished. All of it was sacrificed and replaced by a lame point score system that has no effect on your team's performance or outcome of the missions. It only serves to let you obtain images, big deal.
You start with an initial objective in each of GR2's missions, further objectives are then added by your HQ during the mission. One of the major flaws in the game is this very thing. You may think that you have completed an objective only to find that you have to backtrack to a previous location because you missed a secondary objective that was added during your mission. After which you may have completed the objective and not even realize it. This aspect of the game needs some improvement to make the game flow better and alleviate some frustration.
Aside from a few irritating things that are likely just a result of personal taste, it's a decent addition to the series. | video-games_xbox |
Surprise surprise.... ***WOW Rocksmith' cable works with MACs. * I think UBISOFT should dedicate a statue to me in the center of the town and offer me free products lifetime!* (maybe 2 statues would be more appropriated) >:-)
ABOUT THE CABLE:
Basically upset by all the bad reviews and high prices on all the special cables, devices and various stuff pretending to connect electric guitars to Macs and PCs and obviously to Garage Band and/or other music softwares; I found myself in an apparently no-outlet road without any real good choice, excluding of course professional devices with a consequent professional price.
Reading about Rocksmith I told myself "if it connects ANY guitar to the X-box 360 via USB why it shouldn't connect my guitar to my Mac?".
Immediately ordered... et voila' IT WORKED on my MacAir in 5 seconds!!! (1 change in sound-in in the finder and 1 in Garage Band' preferences)
I'm so happy and excited!
* I do not think it can be a good choice for Eric Clapton, but for me it is great.
I'm not into "latency" or other super-tech-stuff, in the few minutes I tried it I only noticed a too soon sound' cut, like if you have a noise-gate pedal and you set it to its maximum, hope this give (to guitarists at least) a clear idea of what I mean.
I' think it would be possible to solve it and I hope a solution will be found and given to all of us.*
ABOUT THE GAME:
Yes the game is easy even if you are only a 'guitar amateur' nevertheless is fun, we do not have to forget that it is a video-game and it try to please 6/to/99 y.o. guys.
You can't have/or/buy more songs as far as I know, but I'm sure kids & teens with a first approach to guitar (when I say guitar I mean more the Rock' side then the Segovia's side) will love it, 100% sure! (Moms and Dads are not excluded of course!)
CONCLUSION:
For the price of a "instruments (electric guitar/bass guitar, maybe classic guitars with an inside mic too)/to/Computers" interface you got a video-game "for free" too, feel to ask for more? :-)
Beware:
OF COURSE the Rocksmith' video-game, do not run on Macs or PCs (or not yet)!
PEACE | video-games_xbox |
Just discovered this - Blown away. Operation Flashpoint has flown under my radar for far too long! I was bored and itching for a new game a few weeks back so I stumbled onto Amazon to see what could wet my appetite. I spotted Dragon rising and decided to give it a shot. After a few frustrating hours with the strange control scheme and underwhelming graphics, I finally saw the true potential of this game. I opened my map to see just where I was and slowly zoomed out, out, out, out, out, out, to see all of the glorious 223 squared Kilometers! WOW! Suddenly the underwhelming graphics were stunning for a game of that size! An open world shooter! Who would have thought it could be sooo fun!
My brother is a bit of a brainiac. Whenever I play xbox with him he is always like "why is every bullet a tracer?" or sometimes he will mention "you know real combat takes place over hundreds of yards. Not a dozen feet."
This game finally confronts those flawed shooter pillars so many games are built around. I LOVE the fact that combat is long range. When you fire shots downrange 300-400 meters and pull off a head shot you feel AWESOME. Especially when using a red dot :)
The soundtrack is another part of this game that I wanted to mention. Some people won't care for it, but I personally love it. It just embodies what this game is, and I don't know... its hard to put in words. You'll just have to listen to it. Sometimes I will boot up the game just to listen to the music in the main menu!
Pro's
-Huge open world (very unique in the genre)
-Realistic combat, for example firing downrange, and only a few shots actually being tracers.
-Great graphics for a game of this caliber
-Full co-op campaign adds a great deal of replayability
-Unique missions and lighting during each mission
Cons-
-Sometimes glitch ridden, but not very much so than other great shooters are! (besides 90% of all bugs seem to have been fixed by now)
-Lackluster story (Its all sorta, Blah Blah, take out PLA. Blah Blah, take out PLA)
All in all I think this game is a GREAT game and I eagerly await RED RIVER :)
Side note: VERY excited to see what Codemasters has in store for the sequel Operation Flashpoint: Red River
For me: 9/10 | video-games_xbox |
Wasted ambition. For all the great technology and effort that went into designing the game, the results are pretty disappointing. The re-creation of 1940s Los Angeles is impressive in it's detail and the face animation technology employed in the game really is fantastic. Ultimately, this is a very story driven game first and foremost and precious little attention has been paid to the story.
The last set of cases was quite interesting and there was real momentum to the story. Except that, the cases were mostly pointless and terribly cliched - police corruption in the vice squad, wife and lover murder husband, crooked producer rips off mafia financier etc etc. Every LA Film Noir cliche has been employed in this game. In the homicide squad, I followed the same routine for 6 cases straight - talk to husband of murdered woman, talk to bartender, talk to other man at bar. It felt like I'd visited every seedy bar in Los Angeles by the end of that sequence of cases. There are also have smaller 'street crimes' that you encounter when you are driving around the city. They usually involve shooting a lot of people, chasing a suspect on foot or chasing a suspect in the car - over and over. No imagination has been applied here either.
Apart from the problem of mediocre stories, the cases were very linear as well. You don't have a lot of branching in the story, it just goes straight as a straight line. The puzzles in the game could be solved by an 8 yr old. More than 2/3rds of your time is spent driving around to get from one location to another and walking around the crime scene "searching" for clues. If you walk around enough, you'll eventually find them all. I was utterly fed up of the driving and walking by the end. The game really feels like a lot of driving and walking connected by bits of story.
The highlight is supposedly the suspect and witness interrogations, which employ the face animation technology. You can to guess if they're telling the truth, holding back or lying. If it doesn't sound terribly exciting, you would be right. It's easy to tell if the person being interrogated is not being totally truthful, but choosing between accusing them of holding back or lying turns into a bit of guesswork at times. Questions have to be asked in the order they are listed almost all the time or their answers start to sound weird (like referencing information that was revealed in questions higher on the list, that you actually haven't asked). The whole process is more or less linear, like the rest of the game is.
In the final analysis, while I was very impressed with the ambition of the game, the result is half-baked. I'd love to see all the great technology being put to use in a game that has a deeper experience and more attention to detail. | video-games_xbox |
A lot of hype and a lot of let down. Don't get me wrong, I love the Halo series, beat all the FPS game and read all of the books. When I came to this game, I was expecting the same quality game that I had come to expect from Bungie (I know Bungie didn't make it, but still they must have had people there to oversee it). But I guess my primary issue is that I was expecting a game that was touted to "Reinvent the genre", to actually make good on those words.
I love strategy games. I've played them on the PC for a long time, which is the first issue with Halo Wars. A strategy game just cannot work on a console as well as it can on a PC. They tried that with Starcraft and a number of other strategy games, none ported well. Just as with FPS, the mouse and keyboard win.
Additionally, Halo Wars did try to reinvent the genre, but by reinventing the wheel. Tried and true methods of strategy games where left out; such as control groups, unit/faction balancing, and a general sense of strategy.
Control groups are instrumental for doing any kind of tactical assaults or at the very least making it worth while to build more than one unit. More often than not if I had a group of mixed units, some for AA and some for AG, I would find that there was no reasonable way to have them target their respective targets. I would have the human AA tank end up firing at the squad of grunts that the marines were engaging because who ever designed the game didn't think to have the units prioritize targets, needless to say I got stomped by a horde of banshees.
This leads me to balancing, it is horrible. My first time online a horde of ODST (Super marines) bested not only my fleet of tanks but also my similarly sized horde of flamethrowers (Anti-infantry). To make things worse, when I engaged the Covenant the first time, the Arbiter was able to single handed demolish my entire army that I spent the better part of the game making. The clincher is the other player knew that the arbiter was all he needed and was the only unit he had while he fast teched to who-knows-what. The humans have a special item that disables hostile heroes abilities, but when he moved out of the range of the power and waited for it to expire, he assaulted again because the humans only bring one to battle and require new ones to be shipped in from Earth. Overall where other games have made advances and evolved beyond the unstoppable-steamrolling-horde approach to gameplay Halo Wars was more than happy to revert to C&C Red Alert 1.
There is no strategy in this game. I say this begrudged and probably exaggerating, but there really isn't. The balancing of units is horrible, there are no "Rocks-Paper-Scissors" that modern warfare has devolved into. Other than AA, which actually kicks the crap out of flying units. There are great graphics and what not, but that aspect means nothing when your game is fundamentally flawed.
I am very disappointed in this game, I rented it to find out if the other reviews held any weight, and found that there was no way I would ever rent it again or even consider buying it. I decided to go back to playing Halo 3, because that is fun and I like playing games to have fun not have to practice to figure out how to have fun. | video-games_xbox |
A nice and shiny trip down memory lane. I was 11 when I first played Halo back in 02. I'm 19 now and can honestly say this brought back so many good memories. The graphics are phenomenal. Chief looks great in HD, Cortana looks lame but she looked hottest in Halo CE 01 but oh well. The textures aren't as strong as in reach but the lighting is much better so it's a fair trade off in a way. The pistol is back and is OP as ever. It's so nice to be able to use one of the best guns in an FPS ever created again.
The game itself is 40$ which is a steal but the game is fairly barebones, offering the Halo: CEHD campaign and a few maps for reach multiplayer remade from old ones. I'm pleased Headlong is back but they still haven't brought back Bloodgulch which sucks.
The Campaign is nostalgic and feels new yet still old at the same time. It's cool to see all the old levels we know and love revamped in yummy HD Beauty. Dolby digital is incredible for this game. The sound effects sound extremely well since most are re-engineered for Halo 1. The Sniper sounds like a sniper and no longer a cap gun. The game captures the feeling of being a super human again like the good ole days. When playing Halo 1 it's easy to see why Halo: Reach felt so weak in comparison. Sure you know you're a Spartan but you just feel like a wimp with a weak gun and shields. However, in Halo 1 you feel indestructible, godlike and deadly. I think Halo 2 was the last Halo that had that feeling.
I don't really like Reach's multiplayer since I got bored of it but I'll enjoy it again one day but with Skyrim, Gears 3, and BF3 it's hard to go back to reach MP. 343I should've just revamped the old-school MP instead of being lazy.
If this game had Halo CEMP I'd give this 5 stars but because of that minor inconvenience I'm giving this 4 stars.
If your a fan of Halo you should buy this. Whether your a grizzeled veteran of Halo 1 or a newcomer who only played Halo 3 or Reach you will probably love this. | video-games_xbox |
Great sound, Great fun. Im going to try and make this a fast reveiw, so I am going to break it down in to parts. 1-Overall 2-Pros 3-Cons 4-Helpful tips.
1-These headphones have really good sound, Pretty good comfort(I have big ears though, People with smaller ears say they are really comfortable) they have interchangable pads for your comfort. The durability is pretty good, but i do reccomend getting a warrenty from squaretrade on amazon. I have heard they do break. I do not have a warrenty on mine though and ive had them about a month.
2-Pros: Sound is amazing, it is a really good mic(make sure you get the new pro's with the bendy mic not the stiff mic) Can change volume for each speaker sepretly or all together, long wire, ear muffs and toggle light up, good costumor service.
3-Cons: Confusing set up(I reccomend watching a set up video on YouTube and not from the booklet, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR BOOKLET AND RECEIT BECAUSE IF YOU DO, MAD CATZ WILL REPLACE YOUR HEADPHONES IF THE SPEAKER GOES OUT) Alot of wires(but wireless headphoes have worse quality), And the subwoofers not that great. its good when ins turned up halfway but past that it just sounds like crap.
Before i give you some times READ: If your wondering what the diffrence is between the 180's, 720's, and Pro's are well the 180's is a sound amp, which means its the same sound that comes out of your T.V. but in makes the more quiet sound loud(I have these to and they are great starter Headphones) the 720's are vitural sourround sound, there good sound but not full blown, the Pro's are the ones you should get and worth the price, they have 8 speakers and a subwoofer.
4-Tips: Treat these like there your kid, treat them with care don't toss them around and whatnot. Unplug the wall outlet when your done. If you are using these for Black Ops you will have a few bad games, only becuasue your trying to get used to them, don't get mad! make sure inside the game that you change the audio settings to surround headphones. Last but not least Watch a setup vido on YouTube and watch a settings helper video to.
THESE HEADPHONES ARE WORTH IT...TRUST ME
Hope this helped your decision. | video-games_xbox |
The Best Way To Play Street Racing is at 250 miles per hour. Well, it had to happen sooner or later. After all, today's high end technology had to, at some time, spark the idea to drive virtual cars in a excellent recreation of Los Angeles where racing by the Saddle Club, a rip-off of UCLA, and the Beverly Hills Hotel is only a click away via a green button, where weaving through traffic via bullet time and nitrous boost can be done in striking detail, and where you can customize your rear bumper with a golden touch to accent the Blue body. Oh yes, next generation street racing games are here, and MIdnight Club Los Angeles is leading the way for even more beautiful, action packed racing in the rainy, urban streets (with dynamic weather and time of day!).
Alright, truth, to be told, I don't exactly see the street racing trend in video games to ever be that strong again, but that doesn't mean MIdnight club cannot be as healthy as ever. In the wake of a Grand Theft Auto inspired racing trend-where there are no rules on the road and you have an open area to explore, MIdnight Club Los Angeles is doing an excellent job . And the next generation Midnight Club doesn't disappoint, adding the benefit of next generation with the trademarks the series has always boasted. The insane customization, the presentation, the graphics, and the sheer fun that many cheap knock offs lack. This is 100 percent Midnight Club, and nothing else.
This game just looks great. Los Angeles, being such a large, landmark-laden city, is certainly a hard city to replicate. But this game does a damn good job doing that, adding the feel and the familiar landmarks that just make the city it's own unique one. It definitely is the most impressive representation of the landmark city, beating out the LA Rush version (sadly underrated) and the laughable Tony Hawks' American Wasteland (which, by the way, was pathetic and didn't feel like it at all).
About that difficulty level. This game is very challenging, albeit sometimes cheap, but I think that the extremely unforgiving AI is somewhat a virtue. It kind of represents a more realistic aspect. It forces you to think and pay the hard price if you crash just once, adding a more thrilling aspect to it. And of course, if you wreck, there is no second chances. And personally, coming from someone who logged 70+ hours in Burnout Paradise, I welcome the harder difficulty level. That game was way too forgiving and the AI wasn't as challenging as It could have been. If you are still concerned if you don't have the time to perfect your skills if you have tons of stuff to do in the real world (in other words, Have a life), you can change the difficulty of a race, and there is even a downloadable you can get to balance out the difficulty level.
The other potential weaknesses is the crappy soundtrack, stupid "street" characters, and deduction of cars (not as many in this one as there is in the previous one), but that;s a minor problem. Besides, cars are already coming through downloads.
Online is going to be great. Being able to race anybody anywhere is a factor, and you won't just race, as the game will include many different games, including classics like capture the flag and a unordered race. Downloadable content is shaping up to be really promising (albeit it takes money!) Heck, there is already plans to expand the city limits with a free download of South Central (complete with U$C!!!!!!) adding the one thing that is lacking with the current city, no ghetto (yeah, the ghetto isn't a good place, but what's Los Angeles without one?)
This game is shpaing up to be a top contender in the racing genre. Buy this game to be immersed yet again. | video-games_xbox |
Global Game Xbox Joysticks used with FPS control Freak Sticks. x 3 packs of Global Gear Grey Thumbsticks purchased 3/7/13 delivered 3/15/13
I own 2 White 360 Controllers, 1 Black and 1 Halo 3. All 4 of them have worn sticks.
I also recently started to use <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/FPS-Freek-by-KontrolFreek-Ultra/dp/B004VLYIE8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">FPS Freek by KontrolFreek (Ultra)</a> thumb extenders and loved them. The problem is that my sticks were so worn out that the FPS thumb extenders were actually making the rubber come off in chunks (some are as old as from the 2005 360 launch) Either way I needed new sticks for the controllers.
I found the Global Game gear sticks and saw good reviews so I ordered them, they arrived within the time specified and came with a Torque 8 Star screwdriver. Taking the controller apart was easy. My only problem is that the FPS control freak extenders to not fit as tightly on the Global gear sticks as they did on the original Microsoft sticks. The grip is firm but I can rotate the thumb extenders if I twist them, they did not do that with the original Microsoft Sticks. I ended up inserting some tissue paper on the cap of the Global stick so the FPS Freek had a tighter hold, that worked perfect.
Also on 1 controller the Global Game Thumbstick on the left would stick abit. I rotated it for 20 seconds and now it feels fine, just had to break it in I guess.
I included photos.
Pros:
* Look and feels just like the original MS joysticks.
* Easy to install and made my controllers look like new.
Cons:
* FPS Control Freak extenders do not grip these sticks as tightly, can be easily fixed with some tissue paper to increase the tension
* You may need to rotate the new sticks a few times to break them in so that the sticks return to the center position when released.
Bottom Line: Well worth the money and my controllers feel like new. Will purchase again if the new sticks ever wear out in the future. Currently these sticks are less than 5$ so YOU CAN'T GO WRONG! if you have worn out sticks Get THEM! | video-games_xbox |
XBOX 360 Resident Evil 5 Elite Red/Black Console. This is the first official release of the "Jasper" Elites and all i can say from having this xbox for 60 days now it runs hella nice! when compared side by side with my black xbox elite, the resident evil version runs quieter, uses less energy and doesn't create as much heat! the power supply uses 150 watts and 12.1 amps and i can tell you from experience i put the box to a good 8 hour session several times and my resident evil jasper elite doesn't even sound or feel like its been running at all...and while i ran my black elite falcon box it would be hot and sound like an oscillating fan (exaggerating to a degree).
you can't beat the price though its an elite and it comes with resident evil 5 for free! which is by the way an awesome game..and as an added bonus it comes with codes for streetfighter 2 hd remix for free and others as well. you get all the same stuff as a regular elite except these are the jasper xbox's and its all red with black. the 120 hdd is black and chrome the front is mixed with black and chrome and the controllers are black and red. as of now the only wireless accessories you can buy for it in red and black are the controllers with the play and charge kit, you cant buy the play and charge kit by its self and you can't buy the controller by its self only the package with both together. which kind of sucks because the elite comes with a wireless red and black controller so to get the red play and charge kit for it you will need to pay extra money for the one that has the controller with it..so i got two controller with only one play and charge kit.
on the other hand if your not a huge resident evil fan and you aren't taken away with the colors go with the regular black xbox elite because now they come with fable 2 and halo 3 for free which are both game of the year titles and soon will be getting the platinum hits collection. but be aware that the new black xbox elites offering fable 2 and halo 3 for free aren't jasper elites, they are in fact older model xbox's repackaged in newer factory wrapping.
***20 June 2009 Update***
decided to add an update to my review on this product. after a month of using this xbox i can still say i would give this 5 stars again and again and again! this xbox runs so smooth and flawless and at least appears and seems like the perfect xbox to date! no flaws, no bugs, no red ring of deaths, nothing!
anyways, i know you can buy other elites that now come with 2 game of the year titles like halo 3 and fable 2 which by the way are awesome games, but don't just buy a system off of the freebies...resident evil 5, halo 3 and fable 2 are all great games but trust me buy this system because its the latest and greatest xbox...the jasper elites like said before still amaze me how it doesn't even sound like its on compared to the others..i can run it non stop and my xbox and power supply have never gotten hot in fact my ac adapter was even cold to touch in my washington state environment..
keep in mind though they haven't released any accessories that coordinate well or at all with this color scheme. the closest thing as of right now is the black headset (which it comes with) and the black play and charge kit...but if you want a red play and charge kit you will have to buy the one that comes with a controller as well..which sucks because if you only want the play and charge you have to cough up another $30 to get the one with a controller as well..
the wireless headset, the qwerty text pad, wireless network adapter, and etc still only come in white color and i don't see microsoft changing that except in some cases they have released halo 3 versions of the wireless headset.
if your debating on whether you should go with the arcade version, the pro version or elite...then let me school you a bit, since the only thing that might opt you to go with the other versions is price then look at this way...
the arcade version has no hdmi cable or input/output (and it can't be added later), it has no hard drive and hard drives can run you up to $120, the pro version has a 60 gig hard drive and it does come with the hdmi input/output but no hdmi cable, but if your going to get one of those why not just spend a little extra money to get twice the hard drive space, better color schemes, cool free games, hdmi cable and last but not least the Jasper units? so go with the elite its the best bang for your buck
i would 100% recommend this and if i had to over and over again i would purchase this product everytime | video-games_xbox |
CRACKDOWNS is like CRAK! (Addicting. OMG LOL CRACKDOWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This a brand new game call CRACKDOWNS where you play a character name THA AGENT But this ain't no travel agent know what I saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In crakdown you (akaa the agent) has to stop the evil from taking over Passific city only problem is the evil already done took over dawg!!! So you has to jump aroun and shoot guns and make esplosions and totally pown the freaks that are lose in the city of passific city and let me tell you it is FUN too dawg. The best part of about crackdowns tho is that you not just jumping high for no reason no way hosey!!! you are jumping around to colect adjilidy orcs!!! when you finely jump on enuff adjility orcs then it level you badd a$$ up and then you can jump even more higher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats where crackdowns really start to shin! Once you can jump up real high then the game transform into almost just like HALOE!!!!! you just jump around and pown and own noobs and f@gs and dooshes who try to step to you it's ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
now, down to busness, the tecknical specks:
Grafficks- WOW totally cool graffiks with SELL SHADINGS! They are photo realistical and the frame rates are good.
Draw distance: It draws real good graffiks and I stood way far back from my TV and they still looked AWSOME so the draw distance is real good
I/O clocking performance (in Hz3) Input output refresh rates clock at 250 Hz @ 3 seconds, 500 Hz @ 8.78 seconds with true differential nano-splitting thanks to tru-biz gigahertz interface capacitors, and that means more badassness for you, holmie!!!!!!!!
In short, if you like to pown noobs and totally own like me than you should get this game CRACKDOWNS!!!!!! If your a noob or a puss maybe you should stay awaye and play Mareo Carts or Villa Pinyada or some other wantabe punk looser game! LOOSER!!!!!! But if you can step to me like a man then maybe crakdowns is 4 U. HOLLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | video-games_xbox |
Not for the easily fustrated. First, lets eliminate the type of people that shouldn't play this game. People easily fustrated, people who enjoy playing Fable because its so easy, people who will drop down the controller after failing to kill a boss 3 times, etc.
This game is only for the "true" gamers, people who are in for a great challenge and mastering the art of the combat in this exciting title. Some of the bossess are incredibly difficult, but if you could use your brain instead of just keep hacking and slashing straight-forward-style, you could probably learn your enemy's pattern of combat, therefore, mastering his moves and using different tactics to effectively defeat him. For example, the mounted samurai boss, many people just tend to hack and slash him straight forward in the way open of the bridge. Just think, if you used the walls you could easily time yourself to when the horseman will ram into your position and then you could run up the wall and slam down with the Y attack. Then you could kill the wizards as well with that move, collect their essence and you could use them to absorbtion for your charged Y attack.
My point is, in order to beat this game, you got to use your brains and apply it to fighting, unlike your ordinary "lets go kill'em all and screw the thinking" type of timesplitters 2 style "kill-everything you-you-see-and-forget-tactics" mentality.
This game features some intriguing graphics and visuals, along with some pretty nice combos, with some that will take time to master. This is a very difficult game, the the gameplay is solid and well built, and extremely fluid as well. There are several types of enemies, ranging from demons to soldiers with submachine guns. Aside from all the combat and action, there's some great adventure elements as well in this game, which balances everything else. Think Prince of Persia: Sands of Time charged with tons of sugar and fuel, then with tons of blood and gore as well.
Ready for the challenge? Go and buy it. Otherwise, just at least rent it to experience this awesome game. | video-games_xbox |
Want an HONEST review for a change. I'm a huge fan of the first Halo which I bought over a year ago for my computer and I STILL play online on a weekly basis. Sure, the story and structure of the campaign itself are lifted from the original Half Life, but as Picasso once said, "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." And while Halo's Campaign was great, the Multiplayer was even better.
So when Halo 2 came out, I willingly fell into Microsoft's monopoly trap and bought an Xbox figuring the year it would take for it to come out on my computer would be unbearable. Boy what a disappointment. Here's why...
REASON #1: THE CURSE OF THE VAPID SEQUEL
Halo 2 campaign offers nothing new in terms of plot. Just a rehash of the same battles with the Covenant Aliens and some Flood zombies who seem a bit superfluous to the convoluted story-line. Sure you can now hold two weapons instead of just one, and you spend half the game as a covenant alien. But these are really superficial gimmicks. There was nothing substantially different or new to this game.
REASON # 2: MICRO$HAFT
First off, I had no idea Microsoft would actually have the nerve to charge me 10 dollars a month in order to play online. There isn't one PC game that charges me to play online. Why? Because I already pay my cable company for that! So why would Microsoft charge me for a service they don't even provide? Have you read the papers? That's what Microsoft is best at. Charging you for whatever they want because if you don't like it, and want to go somewhere else, you can't. Because they have so much capitol from previous monopolies, they can buy out an entire company for just one single game and only release that game for their own consoles. Which leads to my third disappointment with Halo 2...
Reason #3: MICROSOFT MEDIOCRITY
Bungie designed the interface of the first Halo and it's simple and intuitive. Wanna play online? Hit MULTIPLAYER and then hit SEARCH. Boom! A list of games going on all over the world appear on your screen, listed by server name, game map, game type (capture the flag, slayer, etc), number of players allowed, number of player slots available and server ping speed.
In Halo 2, designed by the counter-intuitive geniuses at Microsoft this time rather than Bungie, you can't choose your map, you can't choose your server, or even your specific game type. They choose for you. Sound familiar?
And the final reason I am disappointed by Halo 2, it's trite, but I'm passionate about it. Whether I have a head set or not, I am forced to listen to all the stupid, racist, sexist, childish, moronic comments the rest of the world decides to blurt from their ADD-inflicted mouths through my speaker system.
At least in Halo 1, all the neo-nazi crap came in the form of text messaging which was easy to ignore as it was fast flying in the corner of your screen. But you can't block out voices without losing all your sound.
Sorry guys, some of you might love this new version of Halo, but I'm going back to play Half Life 2 again, a sequel equal to the original. Let's just hope Microsoft doesn't buy out Sierra anytime soon. | video-games_xbox |
Hard and fun, fun and hard. Finally a great game from Codemasters, i do believe other than Clive Barkers Jericho this is one of the first FPS they have really released. In this style anyways. I was waiting for this to come out on PC, but it's TBA, so i went ahead and picked it up for 360, which i rarely do. I didn't like Deus X at all, and really just thought it was completely overrated. And a bit on the boring side. Graphically this game is great as most Codemaster games tend to be. The gameplay reminds you more of a violent arcade style shooter that could have existed back in the old days, if they had the technology. I wouldn't say it plays like a rail shooter, if so it's a very good one. Shooting through walls, blowing guys up, and collecting kill points gives this game more of a fun nature, than a serious involved gameplay, storyline one. Which to me is great, much like Bulletstorm.
Mentioning hard in the title is because, well its a pretty tough game, and you can die fairly easily, even on easy. But don't let that deter you from it, going back really isn't all that annoying because you actually get to repeat and learn from your prior mistakes. So i'm actually gonna grab this for PC i think, whenever it hits the net, just so i can crank up the graphics even more, and see it how it was meant to be seen. Although the console version is no slouch at all. So if your looking for good, violent, old school point getting, shootem up action, Bodycount is the game for you. On that note, i'm really surprised at the poor reviews it's received from both fans and critics alike. Guess they are waiting for Call of doodoo 3, and Battlefield and Stream 3, but we all know what to expect from those titles. This one came under the radar, and kicked some A%%. :) Enjoy!
Story based games are just fine, but i'm 36 and growing up with Atari, Nintendo, Sega etc. Mario and Sonice never really had storylines. So to me it's not important. ha :) | video-games_xbox |
Buggier than a rampant AI. I have been a Halo fan since Christmas Day 2001. I have pretty much consumed everything Halo related (games, novels, graphic novels etc..) since then. I welcome anything new to the Halo universe and I quite liked Halo Wars 1 so I was happy to see the Spirit of Fire return. Unfortunately the game breaking bugs have made this game madingly unplayable at higher levels. I played through the game once on normal with little to no trouble, it froze up once or twice but the game was easy enough that it wasn't the end of the world to restart the level. Then on the legendary playthrough I wasted HOURS of my life finding the perfect way to beat a level only to have a key character or vehicle become completely immobile and unable to be controlled in any way or killed, leaving me to wander a desolate map with no way of finishing the mission. This happened to me a DOZEN or so times on the Legendary setting, specifically a Spartan will freeze up or in the later missions a Kodak artilliary vehicle will fail to deploy even though it is in the proper position and has become unplayable. On top of all this the save feature is utterly useless as I have yet to successfully load a saved game. Wouldn't you love a save game checkpoint after wining a hard fought battle as you rebuild your army for the next confrontation!! To bad... the game just freezes on the load screen and you need to completely restart the Xbox One or take out and load a different game then reinsert Halo Wars 2 just to unfreeze the game. Other times when I tried to load a game it came up with an error and just told me to try again later. On one occasiaon, due to the aforementioned freezing of characters, I had to play through a legendary mission 3 separate times and after a few hours of this I finally beat the level on Legendary... only to have the game fail to recognize that I did so. How about the multiplayer? I wouldn't know, again the game freezes when loading. I don't know if I have a bad disc, or something loaded incorrectly, but this is the most frustrating Halo experience I have ever had. It's worse than the MCC online fiasco, at least that you couldn't even play instead of leading you on for hours only to find out that you cannot finish a level. On a plus side the the game is actually fun when it works and the cinematics are beautiful, but whereas Halo Wars 1 had a lot of short cinematics, about 1 for every level, Halo Wars 2 has about 4 longer cinematics at the beginning middle and end, with voiceover exposition in between most levels. The overall storyline is nowhere near as memorable as Halo Wars 1. "Spoilers" there really is no ending for this game, paving they way for pay to play DLC, the ending does supposedly expanded the broader Haloverse but Atriox and the Captain Cutter are still locked in a war for the Ark and there is no resolution. It's kind of fitting really, a game that won't let you finish it's missions also won't let you finish the game. | video-games_xbox |
Def Jam Scores a Blazin' Knockout. From an older gamer Def Jam's Fight For New York was a breath of fresh air on the standard fight game scene. I am too old to memorize the obscenely complex patterns of the Old School Mortal Kombat games, and Killer Instinct and all that ensuing madness. Fight For New York reminds me of the simple controls of the original Street Fighter series. Punch, Kick, Grapple, and a couple of Blazin moves to remember was pretty much it for basic game-play.
The game i think really shines in Story mode pitting you as the hero working for the big, bad Big Guy D-Mob trying to beat down D-Mob's biggest foe Crow, and his countless Hip Hop soldiers. I am unfamiliar with the previous game but i did read that D-Mob is a carry over from Vendetta. Creating your own figher is fun, and i think really helps to immerse the player into the game. You can outfit with him with all sorts of real world fashions (all the stuff i can't afford, and couldn't pull off anyway), jewelry, haircuts, and tattoos. I think that had to be a large portion of the appeal of this game the buying and wearing of the supercool gear. Not mention the satisfying feeling of delivering a perfectly timed, and exectued Blazin' move to achieve a K.O.
I was able to finish the game in 6 hours, and found it VERY satisfying even though the end scene feels a tad rushed, and could have been fleshed out just a little more. I am not well versed in the genre but i believe that from other reveiwers that this game is a Who's Who of the Hip Hop culture though i am a HUGE fan of Henry Rollins who plays himself as your personal trainer (nice touch Henry, thank you!!)
My only complaint, and as minor as it is I think it is worth mentioning just for a second. The language is very strong, and while i don't have a problem with it. I am sure that it will turn some people purple with rage, and hope that it does not start some sort of new video game ratings craze similar to the GTA phenom, but then any publicity is good publicity. EA could have offered a toggle for language, but other then that. I think that it is a great game, and well worth the time, and money spent.
Great Graphics
Great Soundtracks
Great bare-knuckled fight action
Solid A++ for the fan of the Fighting Game Genre | video-games_xbox |
Oh Trust Me, You Want The Witcher 2. The Witcher 2 is a beautiful masterpiece that I am happy to finally be able to experience on the 360, as I do not game on PC. With a mature setting and beautiful graphics combined with engaging gameplay, this is one exclusive you don't want to ignore. I won't include any spoilers in this review. Here goes-
Setting/Presentation- You are the The Witcher, which is a mutation of sorts of a human. If you haven't played the previous game, which was exclusively on PC, the game does a good job of letting you know what is going on. The voice acting and writing is top notch. Inflections in voices sound natural, drawing you into the conversation and never feeling like someone is reading from a script. Menus are layed out pretty well, although you may find the inventory system to be a bit annoying if you become over-encumbered; You'll only be able to walk, and unless you discard items, you may find yourself walking for a very long time to get to someone who will buy your items.
Graphics- It's not as good as PC, but the Witcher 2 is definitely one of the best looking games on 360. You want to install the game on the drive though, trust me. Texture pop in and load times are dramatically reduced when installed. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but very few would be able to say the Witcher 2 doesn't look amazing.
Story- I won't go into the details of the story. It's engrossing, mature, and almost never feels like it's dragging along. You want to know what happens to The Witcher and the supporting characters.
Gameplay- The Witcher can be difficult at times, but it's not a cheap difficult. Battles rely more on your skill than on stats, so button mashing in hopes of just over powering enemies will often time lead to death. You have to maneuver around in battle and choose when to strike, as the enemies do not just revolve around waiting for you to hit them. Remember to save often, as save checkpoints are a little far apart; You might find yourself fighting only to die and have to replay a large chunk of the game over if you forget. Great gameplay overall.
The Witcher 2 should be in the hands of every 360 owner. I don't usually buy games at retail $60 but after playing through some of this game, I can honestly say this is worth a 60 dollar purchase. Enjoy every moment of the Witcher 2, games this mature, this engrossing, and this polished don't come around often. | video-games_xbox |
Great if you have good internet+ More money to spend+ Xbox Gold. Great expectations from a long time halo fan. When I first got it I didn't have internet so I could only access 20% of the game: the single player. Even with that I couldn't play with my buddies split screen. Oh okay, sorry man you have to buy a $350-450$ console and a $60 game to play with me. What? Can't connect to me because I have no internet? Sorry just guess I'm playing solo. When I did finally get internet to play the multiplayer I was disgusted to find a bunch of micro transactions set themselves up in the armory. Oh you want a helmet? If you pay us $5-$100 we can get you that. What? Don't want to sink money on cards like you do in a non-FPS game like Hearthstone? Fine, play 15 rounds of team slayer and maybe you'll get a new emblem out of your silver pack. What? You went up a rank? Here's an EXP boost! No armor? You have to get REQ packs for that! Then I realized that forge and theater mode where only online. Way to go Microsoft! Suck more money out of people who don't buy into a Xbox gold membership.
Final verdict.
Halo has become a shell of it's former self. Everyone has their personal favorite, but when it came down to it Halo Reach did what Halo Five has wet dreams about. The game came with Multiple modes that you could play with your friends offline! Forge wasn't as good yet, but people worked around those limitations and made masterpieces! Fire fight mode was challenging and fun! And the game made you want to play online by showing all the cool armor you could get by getting more CR online! Not slapping you in the face and sending you back to the single player to play by yourself! Halo five has an intense new play style, great new maps, a fully decked out Forge mode that almost makes you into a halo game designer with scripting and effects and from what I've glimpsed great new armor! If it wasn't for the money grabbing that they pulled sectioning off forge and theater mode and being able to customize your spartan I would have given this game 5 stars. The embodiment of a game that we have come to expect is dying. Maybe 343 will think twice before trying to bend us over next time. | video-games_xbox |
Just as fun as the original, with some new twists. Rare's second outing for the Viva Pinata series is not much different that the original game. The gameplay is relatively the same, the controls are relatively the same, the graphics are practically the same -- at first glance, you'll wonder what effort Rare made on this second game, other than adding two new play areas and a couple dozen new pinatas.
You'll start this game somewhat similar to how the original game started -- in a garden that barely has anything. The difference is that you'll get a random animal, some flowers, and will attract new pinatas fairly quickly. In fact, the first 30-60 minutes is extremely fast-paced. Many of the original pinatas will appear rather early. The fun, though, is in seeing the new pinatas appear -- watching the reveal videos and then working to make them residents. After that, you'll need to romance them (and you'll see another new video for that new species). This adds a somewhat fresh take on the same old gameplay. This is probably where Rare put in the most effort -- and it seems they've fulfilled requests by gamers for pinatas that were missing from the original.
The controls are relatively the same, but Rare has implemented some new twists. You'll now have easy access to your pinatas and all the available seeds with simple bumper-clicks. The camera seems to zoom out more than before, so you'll have a much wider view of what's going on. Cycling through and finding a particular pinata is now extremely easy -- Rare did a great job implementing this feature.
The game incorporates some new challenges. Langston's factory challenges now require that the pinata be at "full candiosity" before you can send them. This will require additional creativity on the part of the player. You can also visit the new Desert and Pinarctic areas, and trap the new pinatas in those locations. This can prove extremely challenging and time-consuming, and since the game continues in real-time, the pinatas in your central garden may start fights, get sick, etc. In addition to the romancing mini-game, you can now involve your pinatas in races and fashion shows, although there doesn't seem to be much value associated to these other than unlocking their associated achievements.
The Pinata Vision camera/card functionality is only useful for those with a Vision Cam. Gameplay includes an in-game camera function, so you can snap pictures of your pinatas and upload them to a website, where they can be viewed, shared, etc. This creates a much more social aspect to the game, and creates a greater tie between the game console and the Internet. There are also leaderboards incorporated into the game, and your ranking is displayed on the associated website. Other than just reviewing achievements, this is a great way to show others what you're doing.
The game's achievements are somewhat difficult to unlock. A player should expect to devote many, many hours to this game. Like the original game, most of the achievements should unlock over time as a player gains experience and levels-up. This game is designed with excessive replay value in mind.
For the most part, the game seems to run faster than the original. Menus open faster, and travel between your garden and the village areas is much quicker. There have been issues with slow-downs, more so than the original game, but fortunately the game has not crashed. Sounds and music are typical and no different than the original game. The CGI-animated sequences show more detail and are much more fluid this round.
Overall, the game is fun and immersive. It is quite easy to forget about the real world while playing this game, looking up at the clock, and suddenly realizing that 5 hours have passed. The game forces you think in multiple directions at the same time, and with the added desert and arctic regions and the new mini-games and other features, you'll have more to do than in the original. On the downside, however, most of these new features seem to be tacked onto the original game and don't add much value to your primary goal. If you've played the original, you'll be somewhat dismayed to start this one and have to face the same challenges all over again -- sours, ruffians, Pester, as examples. Fortunately, if you've never played the original, you can pick this game up and skip the original. If you're a fan of the original, you'll likely enjoy this. | video-games_xbox |
Instantly addictive and easy to play, yet plenty to master for seasoned vets. I absolutely love fighting games, the Persona series, and Arc System Works, the masterminds behind Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, so naturally one would think this game would be a smash hit. Technically it is, where in Japan it's become the number one selling fighting game in recent years, and if there's anything to be learned from that it's that fighting games aren't dead, despite the lack of "commercial" accessibility.
Luckily, ASW addresses that issue in Persona 4 Arena, which became almost instantly identifiable when I jumped into Challenge mode with Akihiko. I was expecting a GG or BB control scheme, complete with all sorts of different attacks for a single button that can be performed through simple directional inputs (e.g. 2C, 5C, 6C), which consequently opens the doors to long combo chains. Although that's quite fun, ASW left that system in those games and simplified things considerably here.
And by simplified, I mean that during the early days of this game's cycle you'll probably see a lot of players online spamming Auto Combos, which certainly look impressive and would be more difficult to perform normally, but as you can plainly see by the notation (a string of five A attacks, for example) the combo is pretty braindead. Before you shake your head in dismay, though, remember Marvel also has braindead combos (and characters), and it's a game that's easy to grasp yet hard to master. And as far as impressions go on day one of release, Persona 4 Arena seems that way as well.
Persona 4 Arena looks, plays, and feels in almost every way like an ASW title. It has multiple single player modes, such as a comprehensive tutorial, challenge mode, extremely robust story mode (understatement of the year!), and a training mode with more bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at. The SP meter (super meter) is identical to BB, not just in how it's measured but also in how you build it; there is a burst system; you can combo after throws; and you have two Persona normals that feel like a Drive attack in BB. One cool aspect of the Persona attacks, though, is that your Persona has a health bar, too, in the form of four cards which if depleted deactivate it for about 10 seconds. This is huge. Several attacks and combos rely on Personas, and some characters are useless without their Persona. Think of the implications this could have in matches and tournaments.
Despite the heavy ASW flavor so far, Persona 4 Arena's attack buttons aren't as multi-purposed as other titles from the company. As mentioned previously, A, B, C, and D for the most part all have one attack without multi-directional counterparts, which is actually a really nice departure that simplifies combat a lot. There's one weak and one strong attack; one weak and one strong Persona attack; and a sweep performed by hitting down, plus A and B. Simple, right? Another unique feature is Furious Actions, which is just a combination of B and D at the same time. For some characters this is a simple DP (Dragon Punch), for others it's a counter, but what makes it interesting is that it reduces your HP slightly (which auto recovers, though) and usually has significant recovery (but can be used in combos if used properly). All Out Attacks are also somewhat unique, but for the most part feel like modified versions of Dust attacks in GG. This is basically an attack that hits once and sends the opponent spinning backwards allowing you to follow up with a launcher or a "grounder," both of which allow for combos afterward. You simply hit A and B and viola, you have an All Out Attack.
What also makes the game unique is probably the most obvious aspect, and that would be the Persona characters which will immediately guarantee a sale for any diehard Persona fan even if he/she isn't into fighting games. The same trend happened when BlazBlue released in 2009; plenty of anime fans flocked to the game because of its visual aesthetics and elaborate story mode, the latter of which not typically associated as a strong suit for fighting games. The Persona writing staff is luckily on board for this title, though, and with that comes certain expectations in terms of quality and content, which have been exceeded with leaps and bounds as far as I can tell so far, since this is after all a proper sequel to Persona 4.
Despite all this, however, the game's strong suits may be its undoing. As popular as Persona may be, it is still a niche series made even more niche by becoming a fighting game, a pill that gets harder to swallow when you have to master combos and fighting game techniques such as footsies and spacing which can be grueling trials of endurance for a novice player. After story mode has been completed, the sheen might fade and diehard fans might not be compelled to play online despite the numerous tools ASW has provided to make any fight a button mashing affair. Of course, I hope I'm wrong, but we saw it happen to BlazBlue; hopefully, ASW will find a way to keep the game fresh, and the community will find a way to make it relevant because it would be a shame for such a gem to fade into obscurity as countless other amazing games have. | video-games_xbox |
Solid Console. The Xbox One has come under fire since its release for a few of its peculiar features however I still believe it to be worth the 500 $ price tag.
There are both some spectacular pros and some inconvenient cons to owning an Xbox One and depending on what you are going to use the console for, the Xbox One might not be right for you.
There are many benefits of owning an Xbox One. The main being the fact that it is not only a phenomenal gaming machine but it is also an entertainment system. The Xbox One can do two things at once through the Snap function. The Snap function brings up a small tab on the right side of the screen where you can access apps like Xbox Music, NFL, Skype and a bunch of other useful add-ons. With the Xbox you can also access tv shows, movies and Internet Explorer. Compared to the PS4, the Xbox One hits it out of the park in the entertainment department. Another noteworthy benefit is the ability to use the Kinect. The Kinect is basically a camera and microphone that can detect movement and voice commands. With the Kinect you can turn on, start up a game, and turn it off all without touching your controller. Between the Kinect and the fluidity of the entertainment features the Xbox One has unrivaled ease of use.
The category in which the Xbox suffers greatest is the specifications. The most noticeable being the difference in frames per second in most games. The PS4 beats the Xbox in the vast majority of games graphically. One of the more significant examples of this difference is shown with the game Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, The Xbox One runs it at 1080p @30 FPS and 900p @30 FPS in cutscenes whereas the PS4 will run it at a constant1080p @ 60fps. This is a huge difference that is definitely noticeable and to some might even turn them away from it. In fact, it almost convinced me to get the PS4 however I was brought back by the unveiling of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a compilation of games that bring back great memories from my earlier years.
The aesthetics of the consoles did not affect my decision however if you are tight on space the Xbox may be inconvenient. The Xbox measures 34.3 cm wide, 26.3 cm and 8 cm tall and in the words of a friend of mine looks like a VCR. Another thing to take into account is the fact that the Xbox can only be laid flat whereas the PS4 can stand vertically. The Ps4 is 27.5 cm wide, 30.5 cm long (It is essentially a parallelogram) and 5.4cm tall. I live in a pretty small 2 person dorm room and I found a place to put it so unless you have an entertainment station that doesnt accommodate a VCR you should be fine.
One of the reasons I have stuck with Xbox since its creation is the controller. I have fairly large hands, so take my review of the controller with that in mind. During some longer gaming sessions I have held the controller for 2+ hours and in that time span my hands didn't cramp at all. In older controller models the rumble feature which occurs when, for example, you crash a car or get injured, can only be felt in the palms of your hand. In the Xbox One controller the feature occurs throughout the whole hand, making it far more noticeable and realistic experience
Overall the Xbox One features a stellar entertainment platform, great graphics (despite not being on the same level as the PS4), solid controllers and great games. The only reason I ended up giving it a 4/5 is the consoles ability to run games. The PS4 beats or ties the Xbox One in every category, if it wasn't so one sided it would have been a lot easier for me to pick up the Xbox One. It doesnt make sense to me that Microsoft would be content with allowing Sony to upstage them in such a major way graphics wise. Despite its drawbacks the Xbox One is still a phenomenal peace of technology and I would certainly buy it again given the chance.
In case you, like I, might be swayed by games exclusive to a certain console I found a list IGN has compiled. (http://www.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/PS4_Games_vs_Xbox_One_Games) | video-games_xbox |
A Lengthy Fun Adventure - jparis09. by jparis09
Darksiders 2 is the sequel to Vigil Games 2010 hit Darksiders. The series has become popular for it mixture of action, exploration and countless dungeons to conquer. The original Darksiders was met with positive reviews so naturally Darksiders 2, not only had to be on par with its predecessor but also expand on elements that made it so popular. I am happy to say that Vigil Games has done that and created a very solid sequel. Let's kick the review off with the story.
Story 8/10
All of the humans are dead. Corruption has taken over the world. Where do you stand among all of this madness? Well you are the Horseman Death. Death is on a determined quest to clear his brother name. For all the newcomers to the series here's a quick synopsis of what happened last game. War is one of the 4 Horsemen. He had been fooled into coming to earth before it was time and basically in result all humans were killed. So of course War gets blamed and is imprisoned for his actions. Fortunately for our friend War, the Horsemen are a close knit family so his brother Death has come to find out the facts and bring humanity back in order to undo what War has been accused of causing. This quest is not as easy as Death would have hoped. Death must reach the Tree of Life in order to complete his quest. He is told the Tree of Life can restore humanity. This is a long quest as it brings death to many of new areas with a ton of new characters and plenty of enemies to slash through with those trusty scythes or all of those other weapons you can loot, but I'll get to that later. This time around there is a lot more side quest than before. It is really easy to get sidetracked while on your way to the Tree of Life. Usually in games there are side quest so that's obviously nothing new at all. The main thing I really found enjoyable though was the diversity of the side quest. They aren't fetch quest or go kill quest. They are extremely deep and fairly long quest with their own story to them as well as side quest bosses to defeat. The world is three times bigger than the last, and there are tons of different quest to go find and complete. The story is told very well and will surely keep you immersed into everything that is taking place and if the story is not enough to keep that controller in your hand I'm sure the gameplay will make sure you lose some of those precious hours of sleep.
Gameplay 9/10
Fantastic is the word I have to use to describe the gameplay. Darksiders was known for its challenging but fun gameplay elements. Darksiders 2 is no different. Combat is extremely satisfying. Vigil Games has implemented RPG elements as well as a looting feature to make it that much better. As you slice enemies into pieces as you surely will within the first 5 minutes of playing you will see weapons and gear flying from their corpse. As you hover over them you then see something else new, these weapons and gear have levels as well as stats attached to them. There are tons of weapons and gear that you can find from simply killing enemies, searching in dungeons and random treasure chest around the world. This is a welcome addition as it allows you to change your gear and also your look which you could not do in the original Darksiders. This encouraged me to do more exploring than normal for the simple fact I knew there was better gear to find than that I already had equipped.
There is also a leveling up system. Each time you level up you unlock points to put into your skill tree as well as a boost to your stats. There are 2 skill trees, "Harbinger" and the "Necromancer" side. The Harbinger side focuses only Death himself with moves that will make you stronger as an individual. The Necromancer side on the other hands focuses more on summons. You can summon demons from hell in order to help you fight as well as make them stronger and last longer. Combat is fast paced so you have to always be on your toes when engaging in it or you might see that death screen a little bit more than you might have hoped for. Kind of ironic how Death can die I know. Where does he go? Anyways the gameplay can be challenging at first especially on Apocalyptic difficulty. Speaking of difficulties there are 3 initial difficulties ranging from Easy mode to Apocalyptic. After completion of the game you will unlock a 4th one.
A brand new addition to the series is the Crucible Mode. This is an "Arena" like atmosphere and is surely not for the faint of heart. There are 100 waves of enemies to slice up. As you would expect they start of fairly easy and then become ridiculously difficult. They are broken up into 4 intervals. Every 25 levels are like a checkpoint that you can start from when you die. Every so often you will be given the option to continue or take a prize and quit. The Crucible is one of my favorite aspects of this game as it gives you a break from your quest to just go bust some heads for a while. Upon completion of the Crucible you will get rare gear you cannot get otherwise so it really gave me incentive to fight through the frustrations of continuous death.
While the gameplay is great there are some flaws that must be pointed out because they are hard to miss. A few times while I was searching for that Tree of Life, I unfortunately ran into a few control issues. For example you will eventually get a "Deathgrip" item which allows you to grab certain things in order to pull Death further. A few times I would press the button and Death wouldn't even use it so once again the death screen and I was having another staring contest. Another smaller issue would be some glitches. A few times I would jump somewhere and would get stuck in the map forcing me to restart from my checkpoint. My game also froze twice forcing me to restart my Xbox 360 as well. These bugs while sometimes can be an annoyance really doesn't break the game or hinder the overall experience fortunately.
As stated earlier the overall gameplay portion of Darksiders 2 is simply fantastic. With the fun, fast paced combat, leveling and looting system, as well as the Crucible mode, Darksiders 2 does a phenomenal job in making sure that the gameplay gives you something to remember and an experience worth playing through. Even though gameplay is great though, nobody wants to have all that fun playing if the game looks ugly though right? Luckily this game doesn't
Graphics & Sound 8/10
Darksiders 2 doesn't look like your ordinary game. Vigil Games has their own unique art style and it shows in this installment. Colors are very bright and the open world environment looks pretty good. The visuals won't make you drool over your controller of anything like that but they still look damn good. The world is huge and sometimes I caught myself just stopping to look at it because the art style really shows when you are outside. With the exception of those 2 freezes stated earlier, I didn't run into any bad graphical performance issues such as texture pop ins or framerate drops while playing at all. I always play with my game installed to the HDD so that may also have played a factor into the nearly flawless performance of the game.
Voice acting. Oh yes the voice acting. Simply one of the best I've seen. The original Darksiders has top of the line voice acting as well so I was eager to hear it this time around. I was not disappointed. Hearing Death speak to everybody sounded great. As you will find out soon Death is more of a jerk than his brother War, so the arrogant statements he says is always worth hearing. NPCs voice acting was just as superb as Deaths. The sound department definitely did a great job with the score as well. Nothing like being in an epic fight with a great musical score helping you get into it. With the gorgeous art style and top notch voice acting, expect to be impressed each and every minute that you go along in your adventure, but how long will you be playing be on said adventure?
Playtime and Replayability 9/10
The first run through of Darksiders 2 will net your around 30-60 hours simply depending on how you play it. It is a very lengthy adventure. Like I said before there are plenty of ways to get distracted from side quest to taking your chance in the Crucible. I have yet to mention the most time consuming thing to embark upon though. There are tons and I do mean tons of collectibles. Dead Pages to find for our good old friend Vulgrim so he can complete chapters in a book I doubt he will read. Different types of stones to find etc. One thing I must point out I love about the collectibles besides the fact it extends the playtime considerably is you are actually rewarded, and I don't mean with gamerscore (even though that's nice too) but you are rewarded with in game rare gear or a permanent boost in stats. I think this is pretty cool because usually collectibles in game are simple that. There isn't a real reward in game for doing it. Darksiders 2 also features a New Game Plus mode. After completion you may start your game over on a higher difficulty setting but keep everything that you had before on your previous playthrough with a few exceptions. If you are a completionist then you can expect to spend tons of hours playing and replaying this game.
Final Verdict 8/10
Pros
+Spectacular Gameplay
+Artistic Style
+Voice Acting
Cons
-Control Issues
-Small Glitches
-Occasional Freezes
Closing Comments
Darksiders 2 is a very solid title and I encourage any fan of the genre to play it. It honestly offers some of the best gameplay I've seen this generation and has a solid story to go along with it as well. It also has a lengthy adventure as well which is becoming more and rarer since multiplayer has become so huge. Vigil Games have done a superb job on this installment and I truly hope they continue to expand on what has already proved to be a great seri
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You'll "prey" for more. I am a FPS (First-Person Shooter) junkie and I love the Halo, Star Wars Battlefront and Rainbow Six series games. As of this writing, I have completed Prey on "Normal Skill" and am now working my way through the "Cherokee Skill" difficulty setting. (NOTE: These are the only two difficulty settings available in Prey.)
To state it upfront, Prey blows the FPS genre wide open. The game uses the Doom 3 engine for graphics, and players will be amazed with the level of detail the designers have put into each level. Moreover, many of the items in the environment are interactive (you can flush toilets, change the channels on a TV, etc.), which is reminiscent of the Duke Nukem 3D game that this developer is famous for. In addition, the main character makes snide remarks through the game (just infrequently enough to be funny, and not overdone) just like Duke used to do.
Even if you're not entertained by all the cute gimmicks, you're sure to appreciate the incredible details that have been woven into this title. As you progress, you'll encounter anti-gravity levels, low gravity environments and "wormholes" that warp you from one location to the next. And, like the game design, the plot is equally intricate. Although this game seems like a "guy saves girl" story, there are some very exciting plot twists and the storyline is based on actual Cherokee mythology and uses "The Hero's Journey," a writer's tool for story structure and plot. Speaking of the plot, there's a super-natural horror element that adds a considerable amount of suspense to the game. This, along with the over-the-top violence and adult language, means you probably shouldn't buy this game for impressionable children. However, all of this is not gratuitous and really adds to the impact of the title.
On the Normal difficulty, health power-ups are frequent and -when you die- you're sent to an "Indian underworld" where you must shoot wraiths with your spirit bow, in order to replenish your health and magic energy... Certainly a refreshing twist from every game that sends you back to the beginning of the level. On the Cherokee difficulty, there are no in-game health packs, so you'll have to rely on your abilities with the spirit bow. Speaking of spirits, you're also provided with a hawk who's your "Spirit Guide." The hawk will help attack enemies and, interestingly enough, translate the alien language so that you can read their computer panels and other information.
One thing that other reviewers haven't mentioned so far is that there are "puzzles" scattered throughout the game. Without providing any spoilers, the game sometimes makes you think in order to progress any further. For the most part, these puzzles are entertaining and challenging, but aren't designed so that you must buy a "game guide" to solve them. Often, solving the puzzles requires use of the "old ways" of your Indian ancestry, items that exist in the alien environment, or just good old fashion brainpower. Another nice feature is that the game levels are not so big that you'll find yourself lost, but you may have to explore a little to figure out exactly where to go. These features add to Prey's uniqueness in that it is more of a "thinking man's shooter" than your standard FPS.
If you're in it for the Xbox 360 achievements, this game will deliver. Each time you complete a level, you earn Gamerscore (from 25-60 points per level, which increase as you progress). It's also important to note that 250 of Prey's 1000 points are earned by playing online. There's even 3 "secret" achievements (you don't find out what they are until you earn them) that are quite fun to unlock. All of the achievements are obtainable by the average gamer.
When it comes right down to it, Prey is a game that any FPS-fan will absolutely love for the engaging story and the unique features. In addition, novice gamers that find most FPS games too difficult should consider this the perfect entry-level title. Finally, any sci-fi fan who loved the movie "Aliens," and thinks they could take on an alien invasion like Sigourney Weaver did, should pick up this title and put their money where their mouth is. | video-games_xbox |
The system is good, but a work in progress; just you may want to choose a different game bundle. I'd rate the system, as it is as, 4 stars and the game bundle at 2.5 stars; so I that's why I'm giving the whole bundle 3 stars. The system as it stands, is better than the 360 in almost every regard; I only feel that the interface isn't as good (I'll go more into that later).
First, the game bundle:
The Madden 25 game isn't very good; but it isn't bad either. Madden is still behind the 8 ball when it comes to gameplay and what 2K did with game presentation and gameplay mechanics, and they haven't made a football game since All-Pro Football 2K8 (which came out in 2007). I doubt Madden will get any better without any serious competition to push it's innovation. However, I do find that the franchise aspect seems to be improving; but it feels like no matter how well your team does, you have to operate with such little cap space in order to turn a profit. The only way to get people to come to the stadium, you have to set all prices below market, otherwise no one comes and no one buys anything. It's pretty unrealistic to go undefeated 5 years-in-a-row and 5 consecutive Super Bowls and still have to fight for support from your fan base as the new year starts as if you're still inheriting the initial team you got when you started your connected franchise. It's almost like it is set up to make you fail, if your team is any team other than the ones that have enjoyed recent success. I don't play Madden Ultimate team, but that's because it's made to microtransaction you to death. It takes a while to earn enough credits to buy packs, to improve your team, and you only have those cards/players available for so many games; so if you want a decent team, they give you the option to buy packs with real money to improve your team as quickly as possible. If you like that, that's good for you. I also toyed with the fantasy football app that was in it. It's hard to find, let me tell you. When I found it, it wouldn't let me log into my NFL.com account to manage my fantasy squad from my game (Yes, my fantasy league and team is housed on NFL.com). I still have a problem with the gameplay, because they made it so hard to run the football. Running-backs continue to get rag-dolled when barely touched, get stuck to Offensive lineman, and can't cut or accelerate at all. It makes it impossible to follow blocks and react to holes opening up in the defense. The defense still feels the same as previous games, the innovations this year seem to make it easier to make tackles and defend passes when you are in control; but the computer A.I. support for the other 10 players seems to still be lacking. In short, if it wasn't part of this bundle, this game would have been a $60 roster update with a patch.
This is what I like about the system:
The loading speeds seem a whole lot faster than they were with the 360. The system starts up much faster too; and has the last game you played already loaded in so you can quickly jump back in and play. Most of the time, these processes feel like they only take, at worst with many games/apps, 5-10 seconds to complete. I remember it could take a 30 secs to a couple minutes with some 360 games. My 360 right now probably takes 3-5 minutes from start up before I can navigate my dashboard. The controller is more comfortable as well; but I think it could still be improved.
What I wasn't crazy about with the system:
The XBox One lacks the ability to send voice messages, which is present on the 360. You either have to join a party to talk with someone or type out your message. However, party chat and social features are down a lot; and it seems that these outages are way more frequent than they were when they just had the 360. The good news, is they do major system updates about every month to improve upon the issues people have with the current dashboard and interface. They also have a preview program, where you can preview the latest update before it goes public and weigh in on those changes and what you'd like to see. I personally find many things are more difficult to navigate and locate on the XBox One, as of now. I find that it feels like there are more steps required to make use of the social features.
Also, I'm still under warranty and the headset and the controller have both broken. The headset, for whatever reason will allow me to speak to other but won't allow me to hear them or I can hear them for a short while before my side goes completely mute again. I tested this, and it was the mic and not XBox Live issues or user error. The controller turned out to be defective as well. The rumble mechanism came to me, in package, slightly loose. You won't notice this, until you play shooters. I tested this too with someone else's controller and theirs worked as it should. Basically, when playing Destiny, when I'm firing an auto rifle and being heavily fired upon the controller will rumble so loud it will bang and it hurts my hands. There is no way to turn down rumble sensitivity; they only have "on" and "off". If you turn it off, games like "Destiny" become unplayable; you need the feedback, otherwise you are at a severe disadvantage. It also feels annoyingly awkward to play with the rumble feature as well; especially, when you get used to it. I contacted XBox Live support about it, but they require you to pay for the shipping to send them back the defective product they put in the package with no chance at reimbursement. They only pay full shipping costs if the console needs to be repaired; and the warranty doesn't cover the accessories in regards to the shipping costs. I've had mixed dealings with XBox customer support, and I've had really bad luck with their products remaining functional. I can't comment on PS4, because I never used one; but since the 360 I've had to send in my consoles for repairs or replacements 4 or 5 times because of red rings of death or the machine they replaced me with was damaging discs, a quick charge kit that lasted no more than a year, 2 or 3 plug and play charge kits that ceased to work long before the rechargeable batterypack, that accompanies them, ceased to be able to charge, and a couple controllers that had either a bumper button fail to operate properly or an analog stick become slightly off center or uncalibrated. I'd suggest if you buy the system, or any accessories to buy the extended warranties, because they will not remain 100% functional until that time frame is up. If you get it through Microsoft, make sure the fine print doesn't say they only replace with re-fabricated machines or accessories; but they'll replace it with a new accessory or machine. In my experience, they usually replace with re-fabricated; which means it's a product that was defective and repaired and not new. | video-games_xbox |
EA on right track....next year should be better. Since nobody has come out and gotten a real in depth review of this game i figured i would....First off i couldn't wait till this game came out....I waited and waited and when it finally came out i was the first one in line to buy it when Target opened thursday morning...I brought the game home and discovered a few things as follows (bad stuff first):
First, the field may have expanded but there is a noticable lack of licensed nascar drivers that turn the game sour from the start. Where's Jeremy Mayfield? or Kenny Schrader? Those where the first that i noticed. But in the Busch series there are a slew of missing drivers (Jason Leffler being the most notciable) and as well in the trucks (Ted Musgrave?)
Second, EA hit it right on with the fight to the top mode....But there are plenty of faults i could see corrected soon(hopefully) It seems overwhelming to have 4 series and having to run all 4 of them in one year...It could take ages just to finish one season! It took me a week to finish one and i'm currently halfway thru the second....Gameplay in this mode seems too hard and could easily scare the beginning nascar fan away. I've played nascar games since as long as i can remember and this one just seems too hard. Car setups are way to touchy (take out a pound of wedge and your spinning out by the next corner)
Third, EA again is on the right track, but kind of missed it here, with the new Chase to the NEXTEL Cup mode. This mode is plenty of fun but theres a few faults here too. One being theres no two player here, c'mon EA this would be the most popular mode if you hade a two player feature added on! And the other is that this is the only mode where the new point system is in place. I've reached race 27 in fight to the top in nextel cup but kenseth still has a 217 point lead. This bothers me alot because if you're going to have a realistic game, you need the system currently in play.
Fourth, you can only have one season, one fight to the top, and one chase to the cup mode active at one time to each profile. I think this is a HUGE step in the wrong direction on EA's part because in games past i like to have quite a few seasons or careers at a time (one for me, one for me and my friends, one for my friends, and maybe one to sim everything or wreck everyone and see who comes out on top of the caos.) but i cant do that this year unless i want to erase my already in progress season (found this out the hard way)
Thats about it for the bad...theres some more bad but that's just the top stuff that takes from gameplay. Now here's the good:
First, fight to the top, this is where EA has struck gold. Although it has it's faults, it is basically all i've played since i got this game. EA maybe could just make the autograph mini games either easier and less frequent or an option you can turn on or off throughout the game.
Second, the addition of production cars, modifieds, trucks, and busch cars are all great things for this franchise. Although i would like to see more production cars and more places to race them, it's a good start and a good change. All the other nascar series added to the game also are great additions to this instalment.
Third, Dodge Speed Zone is amazingly fun this year, so are the Lightning Challenges (which kind of went off track last year) and i love the addition of Skill Points that you earn for doing certain tasks during the race or doing certain tasks outside of the racecar, and then being able to spend them on Thunder Plates. Great addition that could make replay value quite high.
The final thing is the Grudges and Alliances are very well developed this year...This time drivers won't slam you at break neck speeds, instead, they will bump you and rub you but not too badly (just enough to knock off 10-20 skill points) and the new Intimidator button is just what we've all been waiting for because now if a driver is holding you up a bit, or seems to be jsut as fast as you, you can "intimidate" him and clear the way, be warned though, you can't do this without raising the Rival rating to this driver.
That about sums it up....Kind of a longer review than i expected but hopefully it helps...I recomend renting this game before buying it and even waiting till the price drops to at least 30 before picking up this game. 3/5 stars overall...EA is on the right track with this game....but hopefully next years version will smooth out all the rough edges. | video-games_xbox |
Dpad not good for fighting games. There are 2 ways to control your moves in fighting games, either with the Left Analog Stick, or by using the Dpad. I am a Dpad person, so I purchase this controller since if offers a different type of Dpad. Unfortunately the Dpad is NOT good for fighting games.
The 4 directional buttons have their own separate button pieces, and unfortunately those 4 pieces are rather large size, and are very uncomfortable to press rapidly. I tested Marvel vs Capcom part 2 and I had a lot of trouble performing Wolverine's Tornado Claw flying uppercut.
Now if you are a person who prefers to use the Left Analog Stick, then you will enjoy this controller. When you set the resistance to zero, then both analog sticks will feel very lose, comfortable, and easy to use.
So if you are a Left Analog Stick person, then you will be OK. But if you are a Dpad person, then you will not like the Dpad.
SECOND BAD POINT:
This is not a big deal, it's just a minor issue. With the standard Microsoft 360 controller, the trigger buttons are built with "curved edges". With this Razer controller, the trigger buttons are built with "sharp edges". So after playing for an hour or two, the sharp edge may start to hurt your trigger finger.
THIRD BAD POINT:
Related to #1 at the bottom below. The resistance is very good for snipers who want to perform perfect headshots. The resistance makes the movement slower and easier to control with a zoomed in view. But there is a drawback for when you switch to a different weapon. When I switch to a regular machine gun, I need the movement to be very fast and speedy. My enemies will try to get away from me by dodging and jumping to the left and right. I need to be able to keep my crosshairs on my enemy as they are dodging, or running away from me. The tight resistance of the Right Analog Stick makes it difficult to keep the crosshairs on a fast moving enemy.
So the resistance is Excellent for a zoomed in/slow moving sniper view. But it is not so good for other weapons which require very fast movement.
GOOD POINTS:
Here are some things that I really like about the controller.
#1 - The analog stick resistance does in fact work as advertised. I tested it with Gears of War part 2 and when I used the sniper rifle, it was very easy for me to perform perfect headshots with the sniper rifle.
#2 - The input buttons, A B X Y, are VERY RESPONSIVE. They require very little pressure to activate them, so they respond very quickly.
#3 - The whole controller feels very comfortable in the palm of your hands. The soft rubber material is very easy grip.
#4 - Stronger vibration, force feedback. When I'm playing Bayonetta, you can hold the Y button in order to charge her sword. When I charge her sword, it feels like I have a mini-earthquake in the palm of my hands. The vibration is very strong, so it feels like you are holding an actual vibrating sword in your hands !!!
Overall a very good controller. I recommend that you purchase it. I also recommend a second product called the FPS Freek by KontrolFreek. It is a product that you attach to the analog sticks, making the analog sticks taller. They work with the REGULAR Microsoft 360 controller, so you will NOT have the Razer drawback of having tight resistance when you switch from a sniper rifle, to another weapon that requires fast movement. | video-games_xbox |
Honest review of game play. On Fallout 4 I'd give 5 stars. This is a honest review of the game as I've spent time playing & getting a feel of the game. Here is what I found.
On Gameplay:
I have played Fallout 1,2,3, & New Vegas. I've played about 30 hours of Fallout 4 now & here is my honest take on the game. I did the game update download on November 16 & have run into no game glitches.
Be prepared for a challenge. Am playing "normal" gameplay & not "survival" gameplay. May play survival on the 2nd or 3rd play through as I see a replayable game. Graphics have great eye appeal. Very detailed environment on items such as guns,buildings, etc. The looks of the people are better than the previous games, but not quite there yet.
Be prepared to die often early in the game until you get better experience to use in the SPECIAL traits. At normal game play I've run into about 4 legendary opponents with interesting items once they were defeated. You do have to be patient to build your character to make the game more fun. Once you run into legendary characters to beat you will have to think in order to beat them. Even on some of the non legendary characters they are tough to beat, but can be.
When you first start out I'd recommend putting points to the locksmith skill, hacker skill, & gunslinger as pistols are what you run across early in the game with the locksmith/hacker skills allowing access to areas you like to go to. Makes the game more manageable with those base traits where is more fun to play instead of getting frustrated when you character has too few of any one thing.
The new vats combat system slowing down time with opponents still reacting in real time while you aim/fire instead of freezing time like in previous games makes Fallout 4 a more challenging game, but is still very fun to play. That espically goes for dealing with legendary opponents. I don't think any game should be a cake walk.
The ability to make structures,etc is a nice touch. Along with being able to update weapons etc. Again, it is obvious they spent a lot of time on allowing players this option with the detailed everything in the game.
On container contents I do like what they did better than previous games. When you pass your aim over a container it shows if anything is there & allows to you take anything with a push of a button instead of having to open the container.
MAKE SURE you save often. The unexpected can happen. As well, on some instances I've run into a few corrupt save files which will not load. By quick saving you won't loose much game progress if you run into corrupt saves.
I do have one last tidbit that is simple & fairly easy. At a chem station make Grape Mentats with 2 hub flowers, 1 whiskey, & 1 mentats as this gives you +5 Charm/10% better buy/sell when bartering for 8 minutes. Helps early in the game to get as much as possible out of items you sell if you store items close to a vendor.
From what I have read of the negative reviews I think they are not allowing time to build their character so as to survive the challenges of Fallout 4. When you first start out it is definately tough.
Save often, survive encounters to advance your character level to apply points to specific traits that help you in the game, & I think you will enjoy the game.
I am not a hardcore gamer. I might play 2 or 3 games a year at most & do not play online. I hope my take on Fallout 4 helps players decide on buying this game. | video-games_xbox |
Great game. Fun game. Mixes fleeing zombies and fighting them very well. There are things in the environment you can use to kill them, and there is loot everywhere so crafting is used a lot and you don't have to be super conservative with what you make.
The survivor sense is incredibly handy for finding loot, and the game makes it tense as lockpicking and some things like that don't pause the game, sometimes you have to be quick.
The grapple hook is beast, and I have an uber powerful sword, A SWORD! It electrocutes and lops heads off like a boss. Talk about fun. Have done a ton of side quests, I have to say there is a lot of variation in them they are more than just go here get this and bring back. they have a purpose, whether its someone wanting to upgrade uv lights, to making prototype bombs, to awesome blueprints, you will want to complete the side quests.
As night falls i really feel the urgency to get the heck off the street and somewhere safe. The entire game dynamic changes to something much more hostile. Would have liked the volitiles to become more challenging to avoid, but every so often they will surprise you.
How anyone can say these graphics are anything but amazing is beyond me...
I've only ran into a few minor glitches. Climbing down ladders has been risky for me... if I'm not at a perfect angle it will say hold x to grab, but i fall before actually grabbing the ladder. Also i found a room with a locked door with loot inside. Couldn't get in, but I was able to select a cabinet to search from a window. When i hit x it pulled me into the room in front of the cabinet, where I was locked in and had to quit and restart -EDIT- turns out you could get into this room from the roof.
Most satisfying moment so far was luring a horde of zombies toward a burning car, kicking one of them into it and igniting it, then watching the other zombies trip over the burning corpse and burn themselves.
-EDIT- Ok so there are waaaaay more epic moments than that i have found now that I am 50 hours into the game!
Also if you have an Android or IOS device you can download a companion app where you send scouts out to do missions and earn rewards that you can transfer to the quartermaster in game. App works well for me and is fun to use at work or other downtime. | video-games_xbox |
The Fight is Over, but the War Will Last Forever. Halo. Not much as to be said when it comes to the most populer and best selling game of all time. The first game sold the Xbox and the second game was a huge seller for Xbox Live service and was still played through today. Now Halo 3, the last game that follows now ledgedary Spartan Master Cheif. And its a great game while being a little disapointing at the same time.
The STORY. The story starts off where Halo 2 badly left off. Cheif returns to Earth in hopes to stop Truth from finding a activating the Arc to kill the Flood along with everything else. Joining Cheif is the shuned Elite, the Abriter. But don't worry this is the Cheif's story and the Abirter is left to tag along.
Here you'll finish what Halo 2 started and left you off. The campain mode is easy and if you played the other two games you need to up the level. The game is action packed and doesn't slow down too often the score helps set the mood for the action on screen and really gets you pumped up. The game will take roughly 8-15 hours depending on the level you play and/or if you play Co-Op.
The GRAPHICS. I have to point out the graphics of Halo 3. They are not the best but not the worst. We've seen better looking games in the past and future games look to trump this tenfold. The lighting and most enviroments look good but like I said its not the best or what you might be expecting, but Halo wasn't never about graphics but its gameplay.
The GAMEPLAY. The gameplay has always been Halo's bread and butter. Halo made the FPS cross over from the Keyboard and Mouse set up to the console controller and includes great vehicle control and combat and this game plays the same way. Why fix it if it isn't broken? And Bungie didn't change a thing. They added a few new weapons and a few new vehicles and called it a day.
The MULTIPLAYER. This is where game shines. Just like in Halo 2 the MP mode will be played 3 years from now. All 11 maps have a great feel to them and are all diffrent. The matchmaking system returns to put you in games with players of your skill type. New modes like The Forge allows you to completly edit (not terrian) the layout of weapons, spawn points, etc. to create anything you want on the battle feild. Here you can save it and upload it to Bungie. The only downfall is the lack of options to search for custom and Forge games. You must Invite friends only. The same goes for the co-op mode. The same was said about Halo 2 and Bungie did nothing to help this.
Then you have the sweet Theatre mode. Here the game saves all your progress and you can move the camera around, take pictures, and make small movies to share with your friends. The only complaint is you can not rewind campian mode nor can you record any of it. But that's just a small complaint.
The END. In the end Halo 3 is a must have for anyone who enjoys a good Multiplayer game along with anyone who enjoyed the other Halo offerings...I'm sure they already got their copies of the game. Halo 3 will still be played years down the road and Master Chief will be looked upon now as a legendary video game personality. | video-games_xbox |
Great new Update to the Original. I've generally been a PlayStation user, right up through the PS3. I decided I would initially skip the PS4 and Xbox one until they showed longevity and got upgraded. I have also, typically bought Xbox machines at the end of their cycle, and I have always liked them. Xbox also seems to start slow and build when they release new machines vs the PlayStation. So i waited to see the new versions of each machine, and went with the Xbox One S over the PS4 Slim. Once again Xbox stated off slow, but in these upgrade versions I think it has taken the lead in architecture, Hard Drive Space, and Price.
Compared with the original Xbox One, we have a few key differences. Most good, some would say not all good, but as far as the "Cons" go, none of them mean that much to me. However, I have listed them for those who might care. They are as follows:
Pros vs. Original Xbox One:
1) 40% smaller! And yes, the difference is very noticeable (see my comparison pictures)
2) 4K output. Not as big of a deal to most people as 4K adoption is not huge yet, and it's only really for video/Blu-ray (games are up scaled) but
I have a 4K TV, so why not get ahead of the curve for once (PS4 Slim does not offer this).
3) The side USB port has been moved from the left side to the front, which is great for space saving
4) No gloss finish. As always, glossy finishes look great on day one but do not age well (easily scuffed and scratched).
5) Built-in power supply.
6) Hardware upgrade. In addition to the 4K hardware upgrade (HDMI 1.4 vs HDMI 2.0), there is more processing power available for HDR.
7) Higher capacity. You can now choose from models ranging from 500GB to 2TB. The extra internal space of the 2TB version was a huge selling point to upgrade.
8) The new Xbox One controller with Bluetooth, 3.5 mm Headphone jack built in, and new textured handles. Current Xbox users seem more excited about the controller than anything else!
Cons vs. Original Xbox One (Again, I personally couldn't care less.)
1) As of launch, only available in white. I think it looks slick.
2) No elite version for the real game geeks.
3) Does not offer any option of a bundled Kinect, though it has been clear for awhile that Kinect support has been dwindling, and I find these motion sensors to be gimmicks (Go outside or to a gym. Meet someone Jeez!).
4) Does not include a headset, not even a cheapy earbud-style one. The one thing I do care about.
All in all I think it's a great buy for these systems, and it looks like it will be around for a little while longer. | video-games_xbox |
A racing Masterpiece of Beauty. Enter the world of urban street racing and high performance tuner cars with the latest title in the hit Need for Speed series: Need for Speed Underground. Take on today's most popular tuner cars from ...Mitsubishi Motors, Subaru, Toyota and many more, building the ultimate street machine by earning cash to pay for custom body kits and a host of licensed car performance mods. But just creating a custom street racing machine will not get you to the top; it takes a certain amount of attitude and razor sharp driving skills to compete in the tough world of urban racing.
General/Summary:
One of the best racing sims i've played in a long long while. You can do some much to your car it's almost surreal. The racing is fast, intense, and highly addictive. The game even features THX sound so crank it up!!
Gameplay:
The game is fast paced to say the least. They are multiple race modes which keeps the action fresh for well over 20 hours. They have Circuit (your standars "X" # of laps) Drift (Rack as many points possible by power-sliding on closed track against ghost competitors) Lap Knockout (last place racer eliminated at the end of each lap until only 1 remains) Sprint (1 lap against the clock/may also be against other racers) and Drag (no i'm not talking about what your dad does when he's "working late") Customizing your car is almost a game within a game. Once you unlock all the graphics/Manufacturer Decals you have a near infinite # of variations with which you can visually modify your ride. You can lay up to 4 layers of vinyl graphic (each a diff color) to make some rather wild paint schemes. They have rims from all the major Import Tuning companies like Enkei, Konig, and BBS to name a few from 15" all the way up to 20". The camera angles are great whether your haulin ass on the track (jump cams are wicked)or tunin your rice rocket in the garage. You can view the changes you make to your car as you make them from nearly every angle 360 degrees with your analog stick. The multiplayer is great since you can import your previously tuned car in the "Non-Underground" mode to challenge your buddies. The addition of LIVE support would've been great and i honestly expected to see it; don't know what happened there (I've heard rumors that the PS2 version is online compatible but afterall it IS only a PS2....who cares!!)I would've liked to see more attention to detail in the physics of the cars. They only break the cars down into 3 categories....Acceleration, Top Speed, and Handling; consequently they all handle the same (give-or-take)
Graphics:
Nothing short of breathtaking; there are literally parts where I stared at the screen with my mouth gaping. The cars are stunning and when you add the body kits and vinyl graphics it's nothing short of amazing. The lighting effects are great on and off the track but i think the greatest example of the graphic engine is when your actually racing. Whether your doin' 93 MPH in a stock Neon or 155 MPH in a highly tuned Acura RSX-S you get an insane sense of speed. (Sorry for the cliche!!)
Sound:
Everything sounds exactly as it should from the tires to the NOS. The soundtrack is fantastic but i would've liked to be able to rip my own trax (why they left that function out is beyond me.....i mean this IS a racing sim ppl) Nothing to write home about but at least you won't be hunting for the mute button on the remote between races. | video-games_xbox |
Outstanding collectors edition. Iv never been a big collectors edition buyer but since i saw this i was interested in it and I'm glad i got it.
It comes with a few really cool things, my favorite being the bullet torch pen. Its a nice little flashlight/pen for your keychain. The metal tin is quite nice and well made and has a nice picture on the inside of the main character. Also included is a nice deck of cards with portraits of people like Churchill, Hitler, Mussolini and a few others, a bunch of ww2 era looking post cards, post cards with pictures of allies/axis planes and tanks, schematics of a m1 garand and tanks showing the parts of the gun/tanks, a journal entry written by the main character of the game, 2 or 3 maps showing battle plans in africa, a large sniper target and a set of dog tags on a chain. Also a few dlc weapons, gun camps, hitler mission. Overall i am very happy with this collectors edition, very nicely put together and the items are all high quality and authentic looking.
Now onto the game review.
Note-i haven't played much, only 30min at the time of this review but i will be updating while i play more.
The two best upgrades in this game over v2 imo are you can now customize your sniper rifle and the freedom of the gameplay. There's not many options in the gun customization but there's a few different scopes, stocks, ammo types, muzzles and a few others to chose from. If you played v2 you know the missions were quite linear but that has changed in this one. You now have multiple routes to chose from to either ambush enemies, pick them off from a ridge or something or go right down the middle. Some other notable upgrades from v2 would be the X-ray kill cam which is now even sicker than it was with many more disgustingly awesome kills, the graphics are quite nice but not mind blowing, the cutscenes are very nice and feel like your watching a history channel documentary and the gameplay is solid.
For $69 this bundle is quite nice, and a must have for fans of the series or collector edition junkies but $30 extra from the regular edition it may not be worth it for regular gamers. | video-games_xbox |
Afterglow LVL1 Good Value Compact Gaming Headset. The <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Afterglow-LVL-1-Chat-Communicator-for-Xbox-One/dp/B00ZJEMQEA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Afterglow LVL 1 Chat Communicator for Xbox One</a> is a good value for a budget gaming headset. Sound quality is acceptable, and the microphone clarity is very good. The main selling point is the compact and lightweight build of this unit. The headband is somewhat no-frills, which may lead some to complain of an uncomfortable fit. But for this picky reviewer, the fit seemed fine. There are some cheesy details included right alongside some cool features. But given the value, I think this unit will be a decent option for some.
PROS:
++ Decent value for a compact and functional headset
++ Microphone sound quality is above par for a budget headset
++ Convenient microphone boom arm can be adjusted or folded out of the way
++ Inline volume dial and microphone mute are super convenient
++ Compatible with standard 3.5mm aux ports (such as on the 2nd generation Xbox One Wireless Controller; adapters are available for other controllers / devices)
++ Ear piece is adequately comfortable
++ Compact enough for portability
++ Hold up well enough to daily use
++ Straight jack is superior to L-shaped plug for durability
++ 2 Year Limited Warranty is very good for a budget headset
CONS:
-- First generation Xbox1 controllers require an adapter for the 3.5mm jack
-- The faux circuit board side window is somewhat cheesy looking
-- Build quality is super light, especially on the headband; this is a positive for me, but may deter some users
-- Tiny headband cushion may make the fit uncomfortable for some, though I thought they were fine
-- Pleather on-ear cushion may wear poorly, and is less ideal then over-ear alternatives IMHO
-- Cable is shorter than average (but that is OK considering its designed to connect to a wireless controller)
-- No padding on the upper headband, though unit is so light its not really a serious issue
-- The list price does put this in league with budget headphones with better performance and features; if you don't absolutely need the microphone, it might be worth checking out those alternatives
CONCLUSION
There are clearly better headsets on the market, but for these are a pretty good value for a budget set. Those who want more immersive sound can move up to the LVL3 or LVL5 as well. But if you need a gaming communicator and microphone sound quality is a high priority, this is a good option. | video-games_xbox |
From a longtime car enthusiast for years now. FROM CAR GUYS POINT OF VIEW!!! Go buy Forza Horizon 2, don't waste your money on Need for Speed.
This is absolutely terrible!!! I am going to simplify my reasons in a list
- Always raining, never is there nice sunny weather to race around in.
- NO MANUAL TRANSMISSION option!!! Wtf? This is a racing game with no manual.thats like going to a concert with no form of instruments.
- Online based. Yup, no longer just something to casually enjoy with a good story behind it.
- VERY FEW realistic driving cars that you could drive everyday. Mostly all the top of line "unaffordable" to the average guy kind of cars.
- Tuning is an absolute joke and dumbed down a monkey could do it.
- Pointless "engine off" button. Not sure why you want to turn your car off at all. I thought the game was about racing not parking.....
- Handling is a joke. They are somewhere caught between simulator and arcade. But not in a good way.
- You don't get a real sense of speed. In other games you get a sense of driving 150 mph. That helps alot in the game to take corners. NFS 2015 is extremely flat. So you never really know how fast you are going just looking ahead.
- Drifting is a paniced tailspin in the game. To drift you can only do it by hitting the e-brake and instantly the ass end of your car is sent out.
- Customization isn't like nfs UG2. They left out the "extra" customizables but for me they hust added flare and fun!
- The phone. Every game now has a phone that lets AI invite you to races and meets and missions or whatever. The phone in this game does not stop going off. The damn thing in the game is constantly ringing. Gets annoying when you can't just drive in peace EVER!
The good things in the game are the graphics. Personally I like the cut scenes. Reminds me of how me and my friends were in our teens and early 20s, not that long ago but whatever....
Long story short Need for Speed 2015 is a sad failed attempt at another underground game. Game had a ton of potential but was messed up by the online based aspect. | video-games_xbox |
This original XBOX EXPERTS kit works best. If you plan on buying one of these kits,make sure you are getting the genuine kit made by XBOX EXPERTS.
I have tried kits before from other sellers on Amazon, but they are cheap knockoffs.(XBOX DEPOT for example) The thermal pads and the foam shims don't have the correct density to apply the correct pressure to the chips. XBOX EXPERTS has an excellent website that provides detailed instructions on how to install their kit. They also provide RROD diagnosis on the site to help identify your specific problem (dvd drive, hard drive and so on). The main problem with the 360 is that the metal cage that holds the mother board is sometimes stamped incorrectly and therfore the mother board doesn't sit flat when tightened down, causing part of the chips to lift and break the solderball connection when they get hot. The website will show you how to level the metal cage. It's not difficult at all if you follow the instructions and have a few tools. The metal plate with the thermal pads help strengthen the base of the metal cage and keeps the motherboard from flexing. The thermal pads that are attached to the metal plate, sit under the CPU and GPU which help take heat away them. The 2 foam pads attach to the top of the CPU and GPU. When you reinstall the heatsinks, the foam shims equalize the pressure on the chips so the solderballs make contact again. If you have an older XBOX 360, purchase the thermal pad kit from XBOX EXPERTS also. There are 6 pads in this kit. The kit has 4 thick thermal pads to install between the metal cage and the ram chips under the motherboard to help tranfer the heat from them to the metal cage.(the rams get hot!) It also includes the 2 thin pads that go between the ram chips and the GPU heatsink. I have heard from other people that this fix is only a band-aid, but my 360 i fixed in April and the other four that i gave to my friends are all still working and two of these guys play about 4 hours everyday. I also need to mention that i did not 12 volt the fans. In my opinion, there is no need to do that. The kit may not work for everybody, but it fixed all 5 of my 360's with the 3 red rings, so i'm happy with the results. UPDATE 6 APRIL 2014. My 360 is still working. Out of the other 4 I repaired for friends, 3 work, 1 died from no power. This kit works if you install it correctly! | video-games_xbox |
Not perfect, but nearly. I'm absolutely horrible at video games that require dexterity, but I very much enjoy video games.
For example, in GTA IV, the mission very early in the game where you need to ride a motorcycle to chase down a gang member and end up in a shootout with the gang... I could not ever catch them due to my poor skills with the motorcycle.
As a result, even on the easiest level, I could not play the game - but did enjoy what little bit I did play.
So when games account for people even as bad as I am, it makes me happy. Bioshock had something built in akin to the GRE where if it saw you were not doing well, it would dumb things down, and then as you did better, it would get harder again. Bioshock 2 did not, it would just have the several levels of easy/hard/etc.
LA Noire does a bit of both, which is where my point comes in - they have the levels, and then if you have a chase or action scene that you keep failing (I think either 2 or 3 times), it asks if you want to skip it. You can always choose not to skip, or even turn this "feature" off - but in my case, it allowed me to fully enjoy the game, even when in some of the missions I would otherwise not be able to play the action scenes.
Hardcore gamers who are actually good at these games would scoff at me, and I don't blame them - but I worked in the game development world and know that fine line you have to dance between making things so easy they are not fun, and so hard that there is no enjoyment due to lack of reward.
This game finds a way to skirt that, and it makes it fun.
That is one area where makes it stand out.
The other is the voice/face/motion mapping technology - pretty interesting. It still falls a bit in the Uncanny Valley area, because it is going to be impossible not to with the level of technology we have now, but it isn't bad.
The noir feel reminds me of a game from years back called Mean Streets by Access - but light years ahead in technology.
The game is a little more "on the rails" in terms of what you are allowed to do compared to things like GTA, and because of this some users may be turned off, but I found this game quite enjoyable for the story it tells, and the range of potential there. I'm quite impressed with the detail and work that went into this.
If I had complaints, I would say:
1) too many discs
2) I got it the day it released, and it was buggy (crashes, freezes, gameplay oddities) - those will likely get resolved via patches - but still annoying
3) there are only so many ways you can setup the cases, so in the end there is a lot of repetition - it goes from being interesting, to annoying (and every time someone runs away and goes up on a roof, you just think oh great, this again) - it is not always easy to see where they went, so it is easy to get stuck - and in some cases early on I couldn't take over other cars (later this went away).
4) reading people's cues to see if they were lying was at times overly obvious, and at other times somewhat impossible
5) finding clues on the scene was similar as well - it went from either too obvious, or basically just dumb luck after scanning the whole thing (or finding someone talking about it online).
But overall, this is a hugely impressive game in terms of what direction they could go with this. | video-games_xbox |
A Fair Review. I was a little apprehensive playing this game after reading all of the reviews. It's more of a niche game than a must have but it's still quite fun.
Character creation is a little gimmicky. I haven't had it look very close to any of my friends that have played. The first scan got my skin color and hair color wrong somehow. It seems like it tries to match you to it's built in faces instead of just building one for you. The saving grace here is David Tennant (Doctor Who) is the voice that guides you through this process and the beginning of the game.
I threw this in my Xbox expecting to play immediately with my friends. Unfortunately you have to go through the whole process of building a character and then two activities for each sport before you can even play with more people. The tutorials part is so long winded that you stop paying attention and then miss out on important stuff. Personally I don't care about the story for this game that much, I'd rather just jump in and play the games with my friends. The way it is tailored seems to engage children more. Lets move onto the games:
Wave Racing - It took me awhile to get the hang of this one but the controls are actually pretty good. It can be fun for a race or two but I don't see myself playing this one a lot. Also holding your arms out gets tiring.
Climbing - This was more fun than I thought it'd be. It can get pretty fun if you start climbing really fast.
Target Shooting - You move your hand around and shoot down targets. I thought you'd be able to close your hand to fire but you just move it around. The game is alright but there's not much to it.
Soccer - This is more a life sized game of Foosball. It can be fun to build up speed and go for the score but most of the time it didn't really feel that I was controlling where the ball went.
Bowling - Bowling is about as good as it has been in the past. You can twist your hand for a spin or just throw the ball. It's pretty reliable and fun.
Tennis - This game worked pretty well but you run out of space fast.
--- Final Thoughts ---
- Keep in mind that you need space to play this game. I have a larger living room and still run into space issues which is unfortunate.
- My 360 Kinect had a motor that could change the angle based on which game you were playing and the "better" Kinect 2 doesn't.
- My 360 camera could scan a face into Rainbow Six. This wasn't perfect but you would think with the power of the Kinect you could do a much better job.
- I loved boxing on the first Kinect Sports, I wish it came back
- The first Kinect sports took pictures of you playing the game and then showing you how foolish you looked.
- The game feels $40 not $60
In the end do all of these criticisms prevent me from having fun? No. I won't play this game by myself that much but when I have friends come over it's still fun to play with lots of laughs. | video-games_xbox |
Oblivion Overture. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Elder-Scrolls-IV-Oblivion/dp/B000GE7O9K/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion</a>
This has got to be one of the best games ever. Another marvelous journey through fantasy from Bethesda.
Pros: You can not go wrong with this game. The graphics are stunning. Grass sways in the breeze, deer scamper through forests, the sun sets and rises, clouds drift lazily across the sky, stars and planets shine at night. You are completely immersed in a world that is this close to real.
Characters creation is detailed, right down to the width of your nose, choose hair, eye, and skin tone, race, class (Scout, Warrior Mage, there are 21 to choose from) beard and hair styles.
Tutorial is intuitive and throws you right into the game, no standing around wondering "What do I do" here. Menus and Map are easy to use and leave little wanting in the description department. On screen text is wonderful and legible a must for these text based RPGs. You'll be doing a lot of chatting.
The story is fun and engaging, and completely unique from its predecessor, Morrowind. You still join guilds and go off on fetch quests, protect the weak and rob the rich, smack the bandit, help the old lady cross the street.
Create potions from the ingredients you find wandering around. Yes, go pick flowers! Enchant your own weapons, hunt the deer, if you wish, beat up Minotaurs and learn of the ancient Ayleid race that once roamed and ruled the land. It is truly free roam, see that mountain way over there? You can go climb that if you want.
Cons: The game is buggy and bit glitchy, but I understand that many of those problems have been fixed in the Game of the Year Edition.
Many caves and areas are connected to a quest, so exploring on your own is not conducive to getting goodies until you are told to go there.
The new Lock Picking mini-game is not fun, and is more annoying than any thing. The tool breaks almost instantly and your left with a locked chest and no goodie.
NPCs have a nasty habit of disappearing or dying (murdered) before you can finish their quest line.
Forward intrepid hero, Cyrodill awaits! | video-games_xbox |
Fun, for a little while. I'll get right to the point. This game is NOT a five-star game. It is NOT a 95/100 like it's score on Metacritic. It is quite simply hype fueled by Rockstar and people starved for a open-world wild west game. I had fun for about a week playing through the story and free roam. Then it got all too repetitive like all Rockstar games do. It's not like Fallout where things happen different each time. Where you can find unique locations and have true random encounters and there is replay value. RDR is simply encounter after encounter of things you have already seen and done. While it may seem cool to encounter these things throughout the game, and at first it is, it becomes so repetitive that you actually avoid travelling after a while. Riding your horse for five minutes and seeing the same thing you just saw 30 minutes ago gets old. Now I know you can ignore the encounters, but they are still there and it just feels cheap.
Another huge problem with this game is that when you kill people, with the exception of killing one guy way out in the desert, there will be groups of lawmen that will hunt you down until you outrun them. Your bounty goes up with each kill and it's just stupid. Rockstar can claim to have made this game realistic, but when you can't get away with a couple murders out in the wasteland, then it's pointless and makes you not want to do it. This brings me to another huge issue with this game. The "karma system." Basically there isn't one. RPG's/sandbox games like to make you feel you have choice and impact on the character and the story. Well, unfortunately, you don't in RDR. Fame and Honor mean nothing. The game tracks your stats and everything, but it just feels so pointless because you don't have an impact on anything. People don't treat you different, the story doesn't change, you don't change, all that happens is you get a bounty for doing bad things and your fame and honor change. John Marsten doesn't change. According to the story he was once a gang member, but changed his ways, so having John do bad things doesn't make sense anyway. This is the reason why you can't mess around with prostitutes.
A slow story, empty free roam, terrible structuring of quests, easy auto aim, unreliable controls, and just generally boring and repetitive gameplay make this game suprisingly dissapointing. If I would have done RDR I would have skipped the same old grand theft auto style and went for a more immersive open-world experience. A game where you can make your own character and have influence over the story. A game where you don't see the same encounters happen over and over again. A game that actually has choice and a karma system. And even better and more interesting characters.
The good things about RDR are the graphics, art design, voice acting, and the overall production value. I wanted to get into this game like I can with Fallout or Elder Scrolls, but I can't, atleast not for long. It's just the same old GTA gameplay. You do a set of missions for this person, then this person, then this person, then this person, all the while riding back and forth to no exciting or cool locations and not really accomplishing much. You actually forget what the story is supposed to be about and who the bad guy is by the time you get to Mexico. There are flaws I could go on about like the game making a terribly annoying noise while I play the whole time, but I can't go on anymore about it. Just a generally dissapointing game where I feel like Rockstar really missed a great oppurtunity, and instead chose to do the same old thing. But apparently the critics disagree because RDR is getting outstanding reviews. If you like Westerns and sandbox shooters you'll probably enjoy it for awhile, or atleast appreciate it, but it will get old fast. And that to me just isn't a 95% five star game. | video-games_xbox |
Zombierific. I'm the author of Blood and Brains: The Zombie Hunter's Guide, so my brother found me the perfect gift for my birthday, Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse. The only game for the Xbox where you get to BE the zombie? I'm in!
As a zombie, good ole Stubbs has a variety of abilities. He can detach his arm and, Thing-style, walk around and even possess living humans with it by jumping on their heads. He can throw his organs at people and blow them up (gut bombs, get it?). He can even rip off his head and throw it at people. And if he's really feeling randy, Stubbs can fart something hellacious, stunning his enemies.
Of course, Stubbs wouldn't be a zombie game without the ability to eat braaaains. Fortunately, Stubbs can do just that, turning his living enemies into undead allies with a hunger of their own. There's nothing quite as satisfying as seeing your undead children wander out into a city and spread mass panic, eating everybody from teeny boppers to housewives, army men to business men. Good times, good times.
Just playing a zombie would normally be enough of a hook. Lord knows, much of the crap that passes for games these days has just one hook. But the folks at Navarre really enjoy what they do, and it shows. In addition to Stubbs being a zombie, he's returned to a 1950s universe. Standard fare, right? Well, not quite, because this is the 1950s as envisioned by Walt Disney and George Jetson. Robots with perky voices and big smiley faces whirr around on one wheel, offering services and telling people to be polite. Hover cars are everywhere. And of course, the world is paranoid about Communism.
Based on that premise alone, I would buy the game. But Stubbs has a third hook: the music. Music appropriate to the 1950s is interspersed through the game (including a dance off and a jukebox), but modern artists recorded the tunes, including Lollipop and Everyday. The effect is hilarious and actually quite catchy. I got the CD for Christmas.
The value doesn't stop there. Stubbs uses the Halo engine, so you can get into vehicles and use weapons, including scopes and rocket launchers. Bodies fly apart when they're hit, sailing through the air like rag dolls. If anything, the Halo engine sometimes feels forced (do we REALLY need to have Stubbs get into every vehicle and drive it?).
The plot may be a bit simplistic, but at various points it's hilarious. The game makes effective use of its Mature rating by having characters swear and alluding to naughty situations (go Stubbs!). Speaking of the plot, every zombie movie has its homage in Stubbs: from battling rednecks in cornfields to attacking shoppers in a mall. The various characters react accordingly...they freak out when they see zombies, but can carry on hilarious dialogue until then. Military types actively hunt down Stubbs and work together. This is a living, breathing universe.
One that deserves to have its brain eaten for sure. | video-games_xbox |
Grand Turismo VS Forza. I have read both reviews for both of these games and rented Grand Turismo 4. I played Grand Turismo for about two weeks almost every day and can tell you, you're not missing anything. I am mostly putting in a review so that people will understand the difference as the reviews I have read were not very good at comparisons. Yes Grand Turismo has great graphics for the play station but if you have a HDTV Forza has so much better detail. I can't say what Grand Turismo looks like on a regular TV but I know for sure that on some tracks can't even tell which way the corner is going. Both games have a spec and b spec, and to be honest Forza wins again. The Grand Turismo version of b spec is wimpy and I think any driver just starting to play can drive better than the b spec. Forza comes with a trainable b spec driver (what a concept). This way you drive and the best you can do to train the driver. My advice on this is to do the trainings in reverse, start with the hardest track and end on the easies so your rating will be much better. Also the amount of money you make is so different with Forza you can make enough to move on and not play a track for the 10th time to afford that upgrade. I think the sad thing is I have over 12 cars easy now in Forza after a weekend of play where as Grand Turismo after two weeks I had maybe 8 cars. I also have well over a 100k in my bank account at this time because I have not needed to spend money but have for giggles (I have a 800hp car already). With both games I turned off the traction control, abs and all the computer helpers. The biggest difference here is that in Forza you can actually drive the cars. I would say with Grand Turismo if you have a steering wheel you might be able to drive at over 150 and stay on a track. With the controller I found the cars to be too twitchy at any speed over 100 in Grand Turismo. I can't say how many times I hit a wall because I was correcting the line I was driving on only to spin out and be pissed off. I played with the suspension settings so many times and toe in, toe out, ride height, stiffness, you name it in Grand Turismo just to try to get cars to behave better and could find better settings however I have yet to play with any of these settings in Forza. The last thing is AI, in Forza if a car hits you it's not the end of the world. You can actually recover and sometimes the car that hits you slides sideways causing an accident. Its kind of fun to knock cars off the course too, but watch out they can come back with a vengeance. In Grand Turismo, anything that touches you screws you. I found that you could however come in to a corner too fast pull right next to a car and slide them off the track. Somehow though they would still be right next to you or behind you even if they did get knocked off the track? I would say that maybe Grand Turismo has better AI in how it drives and it can be kind of fun to pull behind someone and work your way through the pack. I find so far with Forza it's either a blow out or a total loss. I didn't see that you can draft cars and get farther ahead in Forza. The other thing that I see with both of these games is that the AI is so much better on the last lap, instead of worse. I would think in a real race it would the opposite or least I know it is with me. The first lap I just want to keep the car on the track, the next laps I end up pushing more and then by the last lap well usually I am spinning out, or running into the grass because I push too hard.
Overall though I don't see how Forza and Grand Turismo can even compare. In my mind one is so much more fun and you can actually own many more cars / upgrades. I realize overall Grand Turismo has more cars but come on who wants to play that stupid track 10 or 100 times with that one car the AI can win with just to get a car. I think with Forza its possible to own all the cars in the game without playing for years but we will see. I can't wait to see what the xbox 360 will do for the next gen of games though. | video-games_xbox |
Still creepy and good, but too many annoying problems. Condemned 2 picks up a fair length of time after the last. You now play drunken, disgruntled, former Agent Thomas, called back into service to help investigate the new recent wave of crime. The metal mouths from the previous game make another appearance, and Thomas's hallucinations are well worth the purchase price, especially now that its in holiday cut downs. The storyline is far more bizarre than the previous game, as surprising as that sounds, but I won't include spoilers.
Fans of the first will continue to love the game. Forensics has been improved, though some detail is harder then necessary to spot. Combat has been improved slightly, and there are now caches of ammo rather than five bullets per weapon. The atmosphere is as dark and creepy as ever, and you'll find yourself jumping or bracing to jump often.
Ubisoft continues to be one of those rare companies that can actually listen to its fans, and not tell them to go pound sand. Levels are broken into blessed stages finally, meaning you can replay your favorite segments to improve your score in each. Each stage has its own reward, and Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels still apply, but rather than finding a piece of scarp tucked behind a soda machine, you're now looking for things that matter: blowing up meth labs and listening to TV and radio reports to help flesh out the backstory. Dead birds are no longer a quest object, but a hint that there's something important nearby. Your rewards as far as I'm aware are all static, and can help tremendously with later replay.
The problems, and sadly, there are quite a lot of them, are with the gameplay itself. You're not still smart enough to keep spare bullets in your pockets, heaven forbid a spare clip, but enemies are walking armories, so waiting for them to run out of ammo is a fools errand. Collision detection glitches allow you to be hit through walls, and certain enemies can apparently see you through them. Respawn points appear everywhere and are patently ridiculous and far too hard to overcome. Enemies sometimes are as fast as Agents from the Matrix, whereas you are still a one-two puncher. Due to several of these problems, you'll have to reload, and reload a lot. Far too often for a game on Normal difficulty.
In short, C2 managed to improve tremendously, yet managed to hold onto enough of the frustration to sour a large part of the experience. Get the game for the story, and don't waste you're time trying to play through in on harder than Easy, as its all pain for no gain. And brace yourself for the ending, as I'm still trying to understand it, and many people I'm certain will hate it. | video-games_xbox |
How Sequels Ought To Be. The graphics have been revamped, the music fine-tuned, one brand new instrument plus the amazing Pro-Mode. The <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rock-Band/dp/B000TT2D0M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rock Band</a>-series has always been far ahead of the now defunct Guitar Hero-series, but with their third installment, they truly proved their worth; while Guitar Hero was becoming more and more childish and goofy (monsters, seriously?), Rock Band 3 is one to own; if you're new to music rhythm games, if you already have a mic, plastic guitars and drums, or if you're like me, a hardcore completionist always looking for a better score. The quality shines through from the get-go; the graphics are smoother and more detailed than the previous games, there are now gorgeous dreamscapes (similar to <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Beatles-Rock-Band/dp/B001TOQ8JS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Beatles: Rock Band</a>), and when you tilt that guitar or hit the overdrive/star power-button, your success meter will literally burst into flames. Fantastic. Another nice thing is that all the menus are based around your band; you'll see them prepare in the garage, drive to the show, set up their gear, all of it, and that really makes the experience more personal and immersive. Great touch!
Overall it's been simplified to the core; jump into quickplay alone or with friends (browse, rate, sort your entire library of songs or create playlists), or complete the various road challenges to collect spades. The "Career"-option isn't actually what it sounds like, but a wonderful (and addictive!) list of mini-challenges (similar to achievements). Every instrument has its own set of challenges, and you'll gain new titles for them as you progress. Another menu lets you customize a band and your characters, and view all your stats and settings at any time with the start button. You can now switch your difficulty at any given moment, and every player has their own start-menu for full customization. Once you've got the details down, it's quick, fun and easy to do what matters; jump right into the music and start shredding. It's easy to tell that the game is made to suit those who already have huge DLC-libraries, as you can sort and browse them just about any way you wish. Completing the actual challenge mode won't take too long, it's the music, the party experience and the high scores that count.
I'd unfortunately have to say the track list is the downside to the game, but that's subjective. All of the songs are not to my taste, but you can tell they were picked as a sort of "music 101" when people pick up the Pro Guitar to start practicing, and Harmonix have now landed just about every classic rock track in music history (save maybe "Stairway To Heaven"), which is awesome. If you dislike the main songs then the enormous, varied, and absolutely fantastic DLC makes up for that; you can download anything from Thin Lizzy to Lady Gaga and Slipknot, and playing through it in Rock Band makes for both an awesome party experience and a wonderful way to enjoy the music. There are a few more nitpicks to point out; you still cannot fully "lock" a character to an instrument (so even if you make a full band, the drummer won't always be playing drums), there is no "orange" button on the Pro-Guitar (so you can't browse through the menus, which means you have to spend a minute or two just scrolling back up to the top), I've experienced some glitchy sound from imported Rock Band 1-songs, and you have to buy a couple of songs in order to get all the achievements (boo!). But none of these complaints take away from the overall great experience Rock Band 3 is; it's really meant to be a huge fun music-world for karaoke diehards and completionists alike.
I've bought the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pro-Guitar/dp/B003RRTXYW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pro-Guitar</a>, and it's quite the investment. If you use the Career-menu and go through the tutorials one at a time, it's for the most part well-explained, and won't take too long to get into. But make no mistake; there is no use buying it unless you have the money, the time and the patience to really commit to it, but I'd really recommend it if you're a wannabe-guitarist who lives alone and is unemployed! It's a great tool, not a guitar, but a challenge beyond that of any hardcore button-masher. Positioning your left hand isn't the tough part, it's plucking the exact right string that's the challenge! Sadly mine's now waiting for me in the corner, but I hope to pick it up again when I can spare it at least a few hours per day, because that's what it will take to get to that next little riff.
Overall Rock Band 3 is an absolutely great game, even if it caters a bit more to the diehards than to the casual player. If you are willing to really make an investment in the music, I would wholeheartedly recommend it though; whether sitting down to rock through that favourite song one more time or joining your friends for a Friday-night karaoke-session, it's one small game with huge possibilities and literally endless replay value. | video-games_xbox |
An honest review from someone who has played and loved Bungie games for 20 years. Twenty years ago this December, I bought a new game for my second Mac at the local Microcenter and experienced something that changed the way I looked at games forever. Fun, addictive, action filled gaming centered in a universe rich with mystery and wrapped in a fascinating story and narrative. The small team that built it, Bungie, was clearly taking a different approach to game development. I eagerly lined up in successive years for the Marathon sequels, the Myth series (I and II, to this day my favorite action games of all time - read my original review of Myth II here from 1999 please pardon the typos: http://mythgraveyard.org/005967 ), and of course, Halo.
When Halo was released it was the sole reason I bought an Xbox, and again it redefined my expectations for what gaming could, and should, be. Bungie's games, for me, have represented the pinnacle of gaming with four core elements:
1) Rich stories, told through cutscenes and in-game context, that make you feel part of something 'bigger' than just the part you are playing as the main protagonist
2) Addictive, satisfying gameplay and mechanics - what Bungie has described as "30 seconds of fun," that occurs throughout the game
3) Local or split-screen co-op, to easily play with your friends (and in my case now, family), in a single room
4) Perhaps less important than the prior three, but still elemental to the experience, a compelling, orchestral musical score (for the most part done by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatore)
Measured on these four elements, I am sad to say that Destiny completely fails in all but one. The rich gameplay is here. Everything else is, for me, a disheartening failure.
1) Story: As many of the reviews have pointed out, the Destiny story simply is not there. If it is, then it is far too difficult for most to discover it. In previous Bungie games, the story gives you purpose, engages you for a clear "mission" to support it - and makes you part of that narrative. It created a sense of suspense and excitement for what is around the corner, and what you might expect from the next level. It gave you emotional engagement with characters - both your allies and your enemies, and put purpose behind their actions. It truly created a lore, of which you as the gamer were a part. Destiny's story does none of these things. Your actions and why you are doing them are rarely explained, they are disconnected, and it turns the story "missions" into run-of-the-mill tasks in which you shoot forgettable enemies whose purpose are a complete mystery. I have finished the story and I'm still wondering what those guys wanted. This is a shame because as near as I can tell all of the pieces are there - they just haven't been used together to give it any meaning.
2) Gameplay: Here, Destiny excels. It nails the "30 seconds of fun" - although you have to work hard at leveling up your character to experience it all, and hence at time it too feels like a chore. I actually enjoyed the leveling up process, and I will continue to play this game for months because it is truly fun (hence the five stars for 'how much fun is this game) - but it is really the game's only strong point - albeit admitted the most important. A side note on gameplay: It lacks any customizability from a gameplay standpoint. I have grown accustomed to being able to set things on "easy" for my kids, crank up their health / shields, and let them run amok. My daughter, who has trouble with FPS mechanics and does not play them enough to become "good" has found her limited time with the game frustrating because it is simply too hard for her to enjoy.
3) Local Co-op: Here the game completely fails. With past Bungie games, especially Halo, I have been able to enjoy split screen or online private matches with my friends and my family. I am fortunate to have two xboxes, and I bought two copies of the game - but it means I need to put my daughter in one room, with me in another, and we are still subject to matchmaking for the strikes and PvP, vs. being able to set up a private match and explore the world together as we see fit. My wife loved this about Halo, and when we were younger we would play together in the evenings and even talk about our experiences over drinks at dinner the next night - but I doubt I'll ever get her to play a game of Destiny with me.
4) Music: The music is solid but at the end of the day, forgettable. The opening orchestral theme is typical of O'Donnel's work, heavy with (what I believe are) "E" chords and majestic melodies. The score that accompanies the gameplay is serviceable, but never anything special to make you feel like you you're an action hero in a movie.
In sum, my take on Destiny is that it is a fun game to play and has a ton to offer, but it misses in so many areas that I've come to expect will be there in a modern game from this top-notch developer, that I cannot help but be disappointed.
A final note: There is a TON of content in this game, with lots to do. To get the most out of it I suggest taking advantage of all of it. Don't plow through the story. Rather pick different activities, get bounties at the tower and work to accomplish them, try out the different weapons, powers, and character classes, and generally take your time with it. It IS fun - but just don't hope for it to have too much meaning other than the fun.
Here's to hoping the next iteration fleshes the universe out some more, and the community's collective feedback makes it back to Jason Jones and the team at Bungie. | video-games_xbox |
Takes some getting used to, but now my main controller. So I've had this controller for almost 3 weeks now. So far, everything is still fully functional (knock on wood).
There are some definite ergonomic and/or layout differences from a standard controller that do take some time getting used to. My old muscle memory from using the standard controller is now starting to fade, and I'm am getting more intuitive with this one.
There are two main funtional differences between this and a regular controller... the triggers and the shoulder/custom buttons. On a standard, the triggers are more on the under side of the controller. With this one, it sticks out more in the front. So it'll take a bit to get used to the new index finger placement, and the actual press range itself. In regards to the shoulder/custom buttons, the bumper buttons are right above the triggers. Depending on where you rest your index fingers, they can actually be resting on both the trigger and bumper buttons at the same time. This can be both a negative and a positive. It's a positive because it's easier/quicker to hit the bumpers. The negative is that from old muscle memory, the distance from trigger to bumper on the old controller is now the distance from trigger to custom button. So for a while, I was hitting the custom button when I was trying to go for the bumper button. But in time, you get used to it.
The direction pad is also different, but I rarely use the d-pad anyways. So can't really comment there.
There are only 2 real gripes I have with this controller. First is that it's wired. I hate being tethered to the system. Second is that it's kind of loud (at least with my controller). The face buttons and shoulder/custom buttons click when you press them. And it's not a soft click. It's decently audible. The face buttons click probably 3 times louder than a standard mouse click sound, and the shoulder buttons are as loud as a metronome tick.
Besides there two things, it's a great controller. The custom buttons are great (in BF3, I can now move, aim, shoot, and spot all at the same time). The adjustable stick tension is really cool (I like making the right stick heavier, which helps with minute adjustments for aiming). Buttons that light up are a nice touch.
Overall, a very good controller. | video-games_xbox |
Good game with buzzkill moments. I have been a longtime Resident Evil fan. I definitely liked the classics more than the ones I do today, because of the focus on survival horror rather than action with horror elements. The tense feeling you get when you had no ammo, no healing items, and had to run through enemies built like tanks that could kill you in a few hits. With these newer Resident Evil titles, you have more than enough healing items, a good supply of ammo, and enemies that usually have a weakness rendering them to a couple of shots before they drop. This current Resident Evil title tried to capture that survival horror element at times, but quickly shifted you into more fast paced gameplay.
The problem I have with this is, as soon as you begin to really like a certain part of chapter your playing, the game diverts you from that. For instance you can be in an enclosed, darkened area with limited ammo against a greater amount of enemies or just a more resilient enemy type. This is fine, but as soon as you end this particular section, you are then thrown into an on rails need for speed type game. You are literally in a vehicle either chasing someone or gunning down enemies while chasing someone. In terms of pacing, there was no build up to it. You just instantly go from survival horror to straight action in a matter of seconds. There were many times this happened when I asked myself, "What am I playing, is this really Resident Evil?"
Another thing I didn't like was the momentum. Even though this is not a fighting game, momentum can still be important. Those times when your playing a game at a heightened level; none of your shots are missing, you're dodging all of your enemies attacks, basically everything's going right. But then the game throws a cutscene at you which completely stops what you're doing. Since the game constantly moves in real time, when a cutscene is over the enemy will be right in your face and basically land a free hit without you being ready for the attack coming. While you can't move during these sections, enemies can.
Another minor annoyance is the amount of QTE's, or button timed sequences. These events have you press buttons at certain events on the screen in order to advance, much like God of War if you've played that. The problem with them in this game is that they're overdone, and not even necessary. There were some sections in which the game could've just simply gave you a cutscene showing you what happened. Instead you have to "search for keys in a car" in order to operate it, but without a timed-sequence on the event it's not threatening, so you're kind of just there looking around while zombies pound on your car, but can't get to you at all. That ruins the panic feeling there trying to engage the player in, if I know I have all the time in the world to find these keys and these zombies will never ever get me, why don't I just take my time instead...
If you happen to be playing this game alone with the cpu partner instead of a co-op partner locally or online, be prepared to have some level of frustration with the cpu partner. If you're dying, either they are really good at reviving you, or will literally stand right next to you and the let the enemy kill you. While you're shooting away at other enemies, and an enemy approaches your blind spot, your partner will stand behind you and not even attempt to shoot the enemy approaching you. Small problem, but maybe I'm just nitpicking there.
The real fun of the game comes in the minigame known as mercenaries, in which you kill as many as enemies as you can within the time limit. You can gain more time by finding bonus timers, and killing enemies a certain way. This is where the real replay value of the game comes in. The mode uses multiple characters from the game's campaign, as well as some hidden ones. There is another mode known as agent hunt mode, where you can be the monsters in the game and attack another online's players session and try to kill them for points.
Would I recommend this game? Yes, but not at full price. If it's less than $30 then go for it. It has upcoming downloadable content on the way which should provide more replay value as well. Overall it's a decent game, but as a Resident Evil it needs to stick to being what made it great, rather than trying to be multiple games under the same title. Multiple characters and campaigns is no excuse for throwing in concepts from other games and implementing them poorly into each campaign individually. | video-games_xbox |
What a great way to start the new years. I pre-ordered this off Amazon and I'm glad I did. When I played the first Left 4 Dead last year, I felt many things were missing. Namely the limited supplies of weapons, the lack of melee, the lack of map sizes, and the lack of various game modes. The thing I loved were the atmosphere, the hilarious characters, and just an overall fun way to co-op with 3 other strangers like you're really in a zombie apocalypse.
When Left 4 Dead 2 was originally announced, I was a bit surprised that Valve would do that, but I quickly learned that it's really for the better. With Left 4 Dead 2, you get a new set of characters, multiple weapons, and added modes of plays.
The new set of characters are great! When you play campaign mode, you are one of four survivors who somehow managed to be immune to the virus causing people to turn into zombies. It's non-stop hilarity as you make your way through malls, carnivals, rollercosters, love tunnels, swamps, hotels, and many other great things in the south. The interaction between the characters are just hilarious. You'll love it for sure.
New weapons make this game great! Aside from guns, you now get melee weapons. So you want to run around with a machete like you're in Dawn of the Dead? You can do that! Do you want to run around with a samurai sword like in some bad kungfu movie? You can do that! Or do you want to run around with a chainsaw going crazy like you're some sort of fanatic last stand where the only thing between you and the almighty is your chainsaw? You can do that! The game has so many different melee weapons that it's hard not to satisfy someone's urge.
As for weapons, you get many sorts. It's like the original where you get one main, one side (or melee), one bomb, one medical aid, and one medicine. The kicker is that you can choose from multiple main weapons. You can choose between AK47, Combat Rifles, M16, and a grenade launcher. Or if you feel like you're into sniping, you can pick up two different types of sniper rifles. Then there is the shotguns which you can choose from a ton of. So you're never going to get bored with this game. Also, you get an awesome D.Eagle, which just makes this game spectacular!
Aside from weapons, there are a few new bonuses. For example, instead of a med pack, you can choose to pick up a defibrillator which can revive down characters rather than waiting until they show up in the next area (or in a closet). You also get a few other bonuses but the one worth mentioning is the new boomer vile which acts like a attraction of zombies so you can concentrate fire on one area, or use it against your enemies.
The other added effect is that there are new bonuses to zombie damages. On the original, the explosive effects are fair to best. In this one, you get some cool damaging effects. For example if you tossed a pipebomb, zombies would crowd around it like the first, but the explosion would send them in the air which is sort of cool. Then there is the melee damages which can be awesome like some zombies missing an arm or such.
The environment itself is way better than the first. You get multiple ways to go through a level but it's quite disappointing. They say the environment changes like one time it could be open and the next time you play it isn't. I found that this is a minor part of the game and only a few level actually does this. The level itself is way bigger than the original. The area is far and wide with many times doing crazy things. Like on one level you have to get this man a soda and when you do you're attacked by hundreds of crazed zombies. There are many things like it, but once you get used to it, it sort of becomes repetitive than exciting like the first time. Honestly I'd like to see a better system in place to "renew" the game. In some cases you get to do some hilarious things like play this shooting game at a carnival where you can win a gnome that if you carry through the entire campaign you get an achievement.
The game itself has no story. You can play it offline, but that isn't really as fun as playing it online. Personally I think online play is a hit or miss. In many of the game modes, some people don't use mics to communicate with others. This can be a hit or miss because in most cases, it goes well, but if you get into trouble, like if a smoker pulls you, it can be hard to get help. I've noticed in this version, it occasionally pops up a text on your screen like, "So-so is attached and needs your help" or something like that. So it's helpful but sometimes it doesn't show. I'd figured that Valve would put in a redial menu like on the pc to communicate, but they didn't. You can still click the Left Thumbstick to make your character vocalize something like a space med kit or weapon, but I don't think it works as well as it should be.
Another complaint I have is the achievement system. On the pc it announces when you made an achievement which is sort of cool because you can talk about it with the people you have. On the xbox, both the first and second one doesn't appear to feature this. I mean sometimes I get an achievement and I'd laugh about it, but then I'd have to explain to everyone about it rather than just talking out loud.
Overall though, I'm very happy with this game. Sometimes online can get frustrating, but overall the new campaign system is very nicely done by valve. Hopefully they can start putting out more content next year to include the cast of the original, but that's wishful thinking. Overall if you like zombies, you're going to love this. | video-games_xbox |
One of Two Ways to Avoid Wasting Hundreds of Batteries with Your XBox One Controllers. <div id="video-block-R32L6597S04TRN" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1PaK3vmNIS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/715TywAsiOS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> The only thing I hate about the X-Box and X-Box one is that we're always tossing out tons of AA batteries due to the wireless design of the controllers. There are two ways to solve this problem:
1. Get an after-market rechargeable battery pack for the controllers. These are great and we have two of them. You just insert them in the controllers and it makes them rechargeable.
2. Get one or more of these wired controllers, plug it in, and you never need to worry about buying batteries ever again
There are just two potential negatives with the wired options. The first is that some users will grumble about these wired controllers "not feeling the same." I've played on both the controllers that came with the unit and these after-market controllers, and they're both just fine. However, there are a few subtle design diferences in terms of the feel. The other potential negative is that you have to be about four or five feet from the XBox for the cord to reach. So this means sitting up close. There is no way around this.
Note that the XBox 360 had USB ports on the front of the unit, which let you get farther away with a corded controller. However, the XBox One has the USB ports around back. This makes you have to sit even closer.
For us, having the corded controllers is great. It means that we always have extras around for multi-player games and action, which is a lot of fun, and there are never batteries to have to buy ... and throw away. So this controller is a win-win.
Spencer in Seattle original review
I was provided a free sample in exchange for my honest review. | video-games_xbox |
Horrible. I went to GameStop looking for the Microsoft Play and Charge Kit for $20.00. Since I had that with my last Xbox One. But the guy suckered me Into this kit with 2 batteries. He kept bragging on how It was better than the Microsoft kit and he never runs our of battery. I asked why do I need 2 batteries? I always plug my controller In before I go to sleep so I don't have to worry about It dying the next day. But he Insisted this was better. So I didn't want to be rude and waste his time so I said OK and bought It. I've had It over a week and charged both batteries when I got It. First battery lasted about 10 hours. Used the other one while the other was charging. I don't have anything bad to say except you cant charge the battery through the controller USB port. You have to use the batteries USB port. Kinda silly to have 2 USB ports right by each other and only 1 works. Im afraid Im gonna sell this one and go buy a Microsoft one. Im a guy that likes to stick with OEM Items. Another thing I had the battery charging from my Xbox and somehow the battery terminals touched my wrist and I could've sworn I was getting shocked. I unplugged It and It didn't happen. Plugged It back In and my wrist started stinging again when I touched It. I gave It 3 stars cause you cant charge It through the controller only through the battery.
Just like with the Nyko Xbox One cooler. I was gonna buy It but started thinking If my Xbox One gets too hot It has an advanced cooling system. It can adjust fan speed and lower power consumption when needed. Mine has never went full speed (unless I forget a r horpizza box on top of It). So a cooler would be useless for my needs. My Xbox One sits In a entertainment center with nothing In the back or front of It so It has plenty of airflow.
**UPDATE** Still been using these horrible battery packs. This product Is junk. They die so fast the Xbox doesn't even tell me there low. Was playing GTA a heist and the controller just shut off. Before I started It was In the yellow then plummeted to red and died. | video-games_xbox |
Harmonies - breakthrough feature. Some of the reviews that I have read so far point out that game is too short (arguably, depending on how much time one has to play), or that the songs are too easy compared to previous Rock Band or Guitar Hero games (which I think is accurate, with a few exceptions like "Helter Skelter"). Having said this, the big difference with RB1 or RB2 - and hopefully a feature that will stay in future releases of RB - is being able to sing with two other players at the same time. During some parts of the songs, three different lines are shown on the vocals sheet (usually on different pitch ranges), and any of the three players can pick which one to follow. Therefore, none of them have to stick to a single line, giving the "vocal trio" a lot of flexibility. When the different pitch ranges are completed succesfully during a single phrase, double and triple "fabs" can be accomplished (I've been able to achieve triple "fabs" with only two players singing, but that's a different story ;) ).
Thanks to this feature, I can help my little kids to sing more difficult songs, picking up the vocal line myself in parts that become too difficult for them (even if they keep singing out of tune). Bottom line, more members of the family can now participate, which in my humble opinion, is the most important feature of these music games, and not if they are "too short to beat", or the songs "too easy to play". It is also important to mention that the three microphones are linked to the same XBox controller (and player profile), something I couldn't figure out how it was going to work before owning the game. The other nice addition is that the game is compatible with the wireless microphones that come with the Microsoft game "Lips" (and can also now be purchased separately).
Enjoy the music, and "play" along!
One last comment: why 4 stars? because the game is not compatible with the RB stage kit (fog and lights), which I enjoy tremendously... hopefully a patch is on the way. | video-games_xbox |
Flawed But Fun. I have been waiting for this game with baited breath, ever since I saw the prliminary sketches of a Jedi pulling a Star Desroyer out of space.
Preordered it (not from here), and waited. It was pushed back a couple times, but now, here it is, and I can say that, well, its just ok.
Don't get me wrong, it can be a fun game at times. I liked the sheer joy you have with the first few levels as you smash your way through everything, and just have fun being a Jedi. Then, they gotta go mess with you, and give all the enemies ways to avoid you using your force powers, and then, it just kind of stops being as much fun, and more of chore with gameplay.
Gameplay itself is, well, just ok. There is targeting problems, like wasting a lot of force energy just shooting into thin air, when your enemy is targeted right in front of you. A.I. is either amazingly brilliant, or downright stupid.
The Force powers....mmm been there, done that, but this seems to just work so much better. The ragdoll physics are pretty, and even with a few graphic glitches, it is a very gorgeous game.
So, what does make this game a 4 Star for me. Despite the slightly hurried story at the end, it is an amazingly well crafted game. Repetition aside, I do enjoy brawlers, and had fun unleashing heck on everyone. I, myself, enjoyed the button mashing/timed sequences when you defeat a walker/rancor/boss. It had a nice flair with the cinematics attached.
Still, every game seems to be using it now, where as it was Novel in Resident Evil 4, it's becoming the new "BULLET TIME" in games
If you like the Star Wars francise, this is a game for you to play. On average the game can last 6 to 8 hours, depending on your play style, and you can take your nice shiny new force powers, go back to alevel where they can be implemented properly, and rain hell down upon them stormtroopers
May The Force Be With You. | video-games_xbox |
Dont expect to have fun. Being a fan of the Call of Duty series this just adds to the disappointment of the series going into futuristic endoveurs. Not only that but the game is rated M for mature and it is not a rated M game at all.
Start off with the bad since there are quite a few.
1. Its futuristic which takes realism and real life physics out of the game. Not to mention the guns are fantasy with fantasy statistics. And the names of the guns are just dumb.
2. When playing online you will now see that you are paired up with people of the skill level that you are or the skill level of one person in your party. Bring back where it was all just random.
3. After you play online a few matches you will see that this game has been designed strictly for very serious proffessional gamers or the competitive gaming leagues. Not eveyone takes gaming that serious, some people do like to just have fun. The game is not for the average Joe looking to have fun with a first person shooter. It takes the fun out of it.
4. The campaign of the game has just gone absoultely off the charts whack.
5. Obviously call of duty went international so now its politically correct stuff is at its worst here.
6. The new zombies is now so over complicated its not even fun. Whatever happen to just getting guns upgrading them and scoring as high as you could?
7. Zombies got way to serious. Especially if you play the Der Reise map. I refuse to call it the Giant because it went politically correct and now the characters are overly serious and un entertaining. I miss the good old one liners.
8) Alot of zombie players are just inactive and not actually playing. I think the "ready up" button should be brought back.
Now I will get into the positives.
1. The brought back the Der Reise map for zombies. (only reason I purchased the game) However it is now on a serious matter and politically correct and very un entertaining. They did make it a little more difficult, but it is still fun.
2. The game does play and handle well and Treyarch does live up to its name in making a smooth game.
3. I like the leveling up system for zombies and how you are able to unlock attachments for weapons.
In conclusion, I purchased this game because of the Der Reise map for zombies. However, it was not worth spending the money just to be able to get that map. So go as you choose. | video-games_xbox |
Great tool. Awesome. Really is. Let's dive in shall we? First off, this isn't no Guitar Hero, and that's good. You use a real electric guitar or bass. the song difficulty scales to your ability and the song selection is pretty diverse.
I play bass, and the original game was out of the box guitar only and later got a DLC pack that added bass. I was afraid when I got this it would be guitar centric and I was wrong. Just speaking of the songs that come loaded on the game, you get some simple songs and some complex technical hitters. My younger brother is a decent guitarist and my friend is a great rhythm guitarist and as far as they've told me it's pretty on point as far as note track to certain songs.
This leads to one of the few complaints about the game play itself. Fair warning, it's... I don't know the word I'm looking for. Something I noticed one of the few times I played guitar and something my brother and friend noticed. Okay, example: You're playing and have to play a chord. You kinda get real sloppy and ham fist it. RS says you nailed that chord. Say another chord pops up. You hit it perfectly and RS seems confused for a moment before saying better luck next time. So yeah, not game breaking by any means, but frustrating if you want to nail songs at 100%+.
This isn't so much a game either. Yeah, there are "guitarcade" games designed around different exercises such as scales, note bending and tremolo picking, but in the end they mostly feel lacking. At no point did I feel like I needed to sit back and try for a highscore on one of the mini games. There's also a score attack mode reminiscent of guitar hero and that mode is more solidly thought out, so if highscores and leaderboard glory are your goal the option is there.
Lastly, the DLC. There is a ton and they release new content monthly. The DLC comes in 2 flavors; individual songs and song/artist packs. The DLC is comprised of everything from new and old, metal, pop, rock, funk. Seriously, you can find something to play in the DLC store. My personal favorites for DLC are Primus, Jimi Hendrix and Duran Duran. Like I said, an extensive collection, whether you play Bass Rhythm or Lead.
Overall I love this "game". It's more tool then party game and if that's what you are looking for I'd recommend Guitar Hero or Rockband. If you already know how to play, you might have some fun and if you're seriously looking to learn, you can't go wrong since the game is essentially teach yourself+. The only thing the game has a hard time with is occasionally misreading notes you play and it doesn't have a way to address bad play habits. | video-games_xbox |
Great, Beautiful Looking Game. I just love this game. Currently, it is the my favorite racing game of all time, and that comes from a guy who once loved the Midnight Club series and bashed the Need for Speed series. I do not understand why people hate the game and say that it is a waste of money when it isn't. It was definitely worth my 60 dollars as I played it very often.
HOWEVER, two reason that I do understand for not getting the game is that there are no cops in freeroam nor is there freeroam online and there are no customization options what so ever other than the paintjob. That is perfectly clear as most NFS fans loved the earlier games of the series which includes Underground 2 and especially Most Wanted. If you are buying this game expecting that, expect yourself to be very disappointed. I think it is quite a bummer as well, but I have my own likes in this very particular game.
1) Graphics = 6/5!!!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS! I would have to say that this is hands down the best graphics I have ever seen in a freeroam racing game and Midnight Club LA (as much as I love that game) cannot compare to it when it comes to graphics. I may be over-exaggerating, but the cars in this game are basically GT5 quality to me. They are simply that beautiful to look at and the details that come to the car (emblem, rotor discs, carbon fiber, etc)are very precise. Don't even get me started on the environment. I just love strolling down the road at over 150 mph in my Lamborghini with the sunset settling on the beach. I also love drifting down the windy roads in the blue mountains and just look upon the valley. When I came into the entrance of the mountains and got an amazing view of it, I fell in love. This is the main reason of why I love this game. I can simply play this game, enjoy the sights, and just relax to some trance.
2) Sound = 5/5
Nothing much to say about sound. The ambient sounds are soothing and you will hear airplanes past by you from time to time. The sound from the cars are absolutely sexy. The sounds of the police sirens are very crisp.
3) Gameplay = 4/5
Races are a lot of fun and it is definitely intense. I find the AI to be very aggressive at trying to win in this game, but can't go wrong with a little challenge. The hot pursuit and gauntlet events are possibly my favorite. You can either be a cop and take down some bad guys under a good amount of time or you can escape the cops as fast as you can as a racer. Again, excellent events that will get your heart going.
A problem I have is with one of the game modes which I believe is called "Rapid Response". When you play as a cop, you have to play these time trial events to move on. Don't get me wrong, you can finish it and still move on with ease. If you are looking to get a gold medal in those events, then you better drive very carefully as hitting walls and other cars will add a couple seconds to your time. Doesn't sound very hard, but if you are a moderate driver like me then you will have a hard time trying to perfect these events.
Freeroam is excellent. No cops, however, which I find to be a good thing as they just annoy the heck out of me sometimes. It is just a mode to chill and explore the whole county with your favorite ride. One thing I find weird is that there is a lack of an ingame map. Since when is there an absence of a in game map, in a freeroam racing game? I don't find myself to be lost often though since I've been playing enough to remember where I am going. For your first time playing, I recommend you look at the map inside your game case.
Online for me is a bit dead which is disappointing. I played a couple of times and it was pretty fun, but there aren't a lot of players for the cops vs racers mode. For the races, you can expect a good amount of people in a lobby. Jeez are people aggressive when racing though.
Conclusion: Great amount of cars, amazing graphics and environments, exciting gameplay, what more could you ask for in a racing game? It was definitely worth my money and what you get with it will be worth your cash as well. Even though the content is worth the cash, remember that there are no cops in freeroam and that there is no freeroam online. If you are willing to spend a couple more bucks, buy the Most Wanted game mode from the marketplace which has a type of cops vs racers in multiplayer on the whole entire map which is open. | video-games_xbox |
Great graphics, great combo-fighting gameplay. Batman is a cartoon classic, fighting crime in the gritty streets of Gotham City. In this video game, Batman is joined by Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl in his quest to take down Sin Tzu.
The graphics are really stellar in a cartooney sort of way. Batman's cape flows behind him as he moves, headlights show dust particles, the puddles of water reflect their surroundings perfectly as you move around. Birds fly up as you approach, cans tumble out of your way. Shadows lighten and darken as you move through areas.
The fog effects are cool and when you get gassed, the screen becomes woozy in a VERY neat way. I really give this game high marks for its graphic achievements.
On the other hand, being a cartoon, it does seem a bit TOO clean at times. The water doesn't ripple when you go through it. It's more like walking through a Disney version of a "gritty city" - the actual comic was much more gritty. But that's a minor flaw.
The sound feels quite appropriate - both the music and the crunches and thwaps. The attack combos are great and fluid, and you get the little color "splats" when you hit an enemy.
The game is very much like the Two Towers and Return of the King series in that you learn series of combos and after each mission can buy yourself more for the given character you're using. You get rated on how many of each quality type of attack you use, and can replay levels to better your score.
The game for some reason reminds me very much of the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on the ancient Nintendo console. You're a crimefighter in a dark-but-clean city landscape, battling thugs that pop up out of manholes and out of alleys. You can even do co-op play if you want!
This game isn't a complex RPG or puzzle game, but for anyone who loves comics or the Return of the King style of levelling up and building combos, this is a fun way to spend your time. | video-games_xbox |
A bit disappointing, but great game overall. SPOILER ALERT! (Minor SPOILERS will appear in this review) After waiting four years for the original game and two years for the sequel, Assassin's Creed II has finally been released with much of the charm from the first game, many improvements, and some big let-downs. Here are my pros and cons:
Pros
-Seamless freerunning
-Stunning visuals
-Lots of content (30+ hours)
-Less repetitive than the first; More variety
-New economic system
-Vastly improved mini-map
-Unique weapons
-New assassination moves
Cons
-Even easier than the first game
-Combat is less diverse than original
-Notoriety system is too simple
-Abstergo cannot afford guns...Really?!
This game is certainly worth the time spent to finish it. It is better than the first game despite its prominent flaws. With that said, let me elaborate on this game's downsides. You are given far too much health and too many health potions, making any task in the game, like fighting fifteen consecutive guards, a simple endeavor. Assassinating people with the hidden blade is far too easy to accomplish.
Combat never forces the player to utilize all his skills like the first game did; sure, I have a wide variety of skills, but I could go through the entire game using only the counterattack.
The notoriety system seems...simple. I had hoped larger assassinations would "stay on your record" so to speak. Changing the color of your clothing, or changing clothes in general could be ways to decrease notoriety. Also, carrying weapons should affect notoriety, which would give Ezio good reason to walk around without weapons and fight with his fists/disarm guards.
Finally, perhaps what angered me the most about ACII, is when Abstergo (SPOILER) sends men to the assassins' hideout to capture/kill four assassins. They send roughly twenty men in a semi-truck, all dressed like security guards wielding police batons...WTF?! You are telling me the most powerful, richest company in the world cannot afford guns or even tazers? It is 2012 and they have billions of dollars for this operation. They should be sending robots to kill these assassins! I found this part to be absolutely ridiculous and hope Ubisoft does not continue this trend.
Overall, ACII is a great game. Play it, like it or not, form your own opinion. | video-games_xbox |
Don't purchase this game until it is fixed. I would consider myself a very critical person, but I never hand out 1 star reviews. Typically I can find something positive to say about a product, but not Battlefield 4. Where do I start? My first Battlefield Game was Bad Company, and I have been hooked every since. I knew going into the launch of Battlefield 4 that there would be issues, because there always is. Every Battlefield game I have owned has been shaky the first week. So, I decided I would play the campaign until they worked out the server issues, because they can't screw that up. Right? WRONG! Apparently the campaign is plagued with corrupted files. I have had to start my campaign over several times, because the game refuses to recognize saves. So I head back to the multiplayer tonight. It's been three weeks. I'm sure it's fixed. Right? WRONG! Not only can I not search for games, but when I do get in a game I end up either lagging out, or being sent back to the main menu. Not to mention, it is a pain in the @$$ to party up. Why did you take out the squad menu Dice? Do you want us all to play by ourselves?
I will admit the graphics are great, and the gameplay is fun. When it works. I eventually finished the campaign, and it is what you would expect from Dice. Not great, but not bad. I also was surprised at how short the campaign was. All in all, I would not buy this game for awhile. I will adjust my rating once Dice addresses these issues, but this game will never reach 5 stars. Dice, I'm so disappointed.
UPDATE Mar. 1st
The game is finally working. There are still some bugs, but overall the servers are stable now. The problem is that it took 3 months to get this game to what it should have been at launch. If I could forget about the horrible launch, then I would give this game 4.5 stars. But I can't in good conscience give this gave anything higher than 3 stars. I hope Dice and EA learn from this mistake. I honestly believe this game could have given COD a run for their money. | video-games_xbox |
Family Fun with Kinect DisneyLand Adventures. We initially rented this from Blockbuster to make sure our girls (4 and 5) would enjoy this game and be able to play it before we purchased it.
It has been non-stop fun for the entire family since we rented it.
Its a priceless feeling watching your children's faces light up with excitement and anticipation when they see their favorite Disney Characters. Our 4yr old has been in Heaven just exploring the park and talking and hugging the characters.
The only thing better would be the real thing.
Game Play is fun and challenging for all levels. basically your goal is to complete various tasks that the characters ask you to help with. Such as Cinderella asks you to help her find needle and thread to make a dress or Brier Fox asks you to take pictures of Brier Rabbits footprints . So its like a big scavenger hunt all over the park.
When you goto each section of the park there are also some more activities and games you can play which are fun and keeps you active.
You can fly with Tinkerbell around the London Night Sky, fight Capt Hook. help Tigger collect honey pots for Pooh etc...
All can be quite tiring bc you are moving, jumping, grabbing,throwing etc...some of the games can take awhile to complete as well bc there are multiple levels.
Our whole family switched on and off with our girls and we all had a blast either playing or watching each other play and we would all participate and help each other out. Great family activity.
the only downsides is when you have 2 players, some of the action sequences when gaming become pixelated.
So if you are really picky about graphics then this may annoy you, but if you are just looking for a fun activity and focusing on having some fun with your family, it isn't a big deal.
The other downside is, to move around the park you point your arm in different directions to guide your character. its fairly accurate, but its exhausting to hold your arm out for what seems like forever sometimes just to move around the park.
When you are holding something like a magic wand or camera in one hand, you have to navigate with the other.
But as far as just overall great family fun game play. Kinect Disneyland experience is a family must.
especially while on sale for $35.
What's great about it: Interaction with Disney Characters, Family Fun Game
What's not so great: multiplayer can be pixelated. Navigation can be tiring | video-games_xbox |
Underrated, but needs Improvement. I played the first two Def Jam games and was familiar with the wrestling-esc controls, so when I heard that Def Jam Icon would gut that system out for a more boxing-oriented game (similar with Fight Night), I was skeptical. I found the Fight Night titles to be overly confusing so I expected to pick this up and hate it. When reviewers gave it negative scores, I was wondering whether or not I should bother even renting the game.
Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot is no real shocker, when compared to other games; you play as an up-and-comer duking it out with other hip-hop and rap artists. Unlike the prievious titles, the game has you working for a label that recruits artists. However, since this IS a Def Jam title, there is going to be some fighting. Each fight is structured as "Sign X to your label, but watch out; Y may try to stop you" or "Get rid of the paparazzi for X."
The fighting controls are actually a fresh change to the franchise; I found all the unrealistic wrestling in the original titles to be a bit annoying at times (especially when your blaze move didn't always end the fight... "didn't I just break that dudes neck?"). There are 6 fighting styles total, in game, but only 4 are available in the story mode. Each variants of real fighting styles, it's cool to duke it out against hip hop artists (especially those who I dislike). A cool factor with the fighting system is the use of the environment. Like it should have done, the "Def Jam" title isn't just there because of a few artists; the music of the game plays an important part. Timely throw your opponent into a broken gas pump and watch it explode with the beat or toss your opponent into a pool of water and watch as the beat sends an electrical jolt from a nearby power station into the water.
Character creation is fairly detailed, although flawed. There are a good number of hair and facial hair styles, not to mention an incredible selection of clothes and bling to buy with the money you make from music sales.
However, the game is imperfect and things get repetitive after a while. Not to mention, once you finish the main story, the online play is shakey at best. This is a solid rent game, and a buy if it comes cheap. (I bought mine off AMAZON.COM for about 8 bucks) | video-games_xbox |
A great game, but it fizzles out by the end. This game was wonderful, I would have considered this an easy 5 star game within the first 20 hours of gameplay, but as I continued on, I began to realize the game is lacking in many departments.
Gameplay: The game is, first and foremost, an RPG. It does this well, from the unique VATS system, to the SPECIAL stats distribution, the game, despite appearing as an First Person Shooter, has the feel of an RPG game. Attacking opponents have HP. You can disable their weapons, injure their extremities, or just go for a headshot, which can be performed in a slow motion cinematic sequence which often shows lots of guts and gore. Sometime it shows you shooting, sometimes it shows the bullet flying, sometimes it shows your opponent disintegrating. Some people have reported getting bored of this sequence, which you may choose to perform on most of your enemies, since shooting the old fashion way can lead to a lot of wasted ammo. I have never really gotten bored of it, and I take it in stride, just like the end credits at the end of a random encounter in the old Final Fantasy video games.
Graphics and Glitches: Graphics of this game are suburb. This game, I should warn, is incredibly gory, consisting of grotesque scenes of mutilation, blood, body parts, carcasses, torture, drugs, and prostitution. The language is bad to, as bad as it can get, so if that is something that would bother you, stay away from this game. Yes, I understand M ratings, but there is M ratings like Gears of War, where you got blood and can cut your alien enemies in half, and then you have this, human beings being savagely murdered, and their carcasses strung up on hooks. Anyway, the VATS kills are incredible, the graphics show at the far edges of the screen, you can literally see a tower from a 15 minutes walk away, as opposed to some games love of fogging out the area in front of you. Absolutely beautiful game, you know, in that dreary depressing post apocalyptic kind of way. The game does have many glitches; many of which force you to reload from a previous game cause you can't get out of it. Typically, the errors are getting stuck, you jump somewhere, and gt stuck, you fall somewhere, and get stuck, and my personal favorite, fawkes( your giant traveling companion) stands in front of the door entrance and won't move.
Music: The game really only delivers music via 2 radio stations (and a third unlockable one) One plays old patriotic music, the other play 50s and 40s music, nothing famous or popular. It is kind of lacking, Fallout makers really needed to step up and add a couple more music stations, or quests to increase the music selection, perhaps and in game CD player, and you find CDs around the world, or mp3 player if you wanted to be more update, with mp3s that you can download from computer terminals, you could even create your own playlists, but a man can dream, can't he?
Story: The story was pretty good, if not pretty short. This is where I felt the game fizzled, Just as the story line was starting to go somewhere, the story ended, in a rather crappy way. Don't get me wrong, the climax was amazing, epic, and hilarious, but the game just ends without too much warning, and gives you no ability to continue to play, which it makes kind of impossible with the way it ends. They really should have put more thought in to ending the game in a manner in which you can continue on to play, and see people praise you in the aftermath, and find out how their lives are after all the stuff you have done for them. The 200+ endings is true, but kind of an embilishment. The ending is pictures complete with narration, what you did effects what pictures you see and what narration you get. The ending is in 4-6 parts, with 2-3 possible outcomes (such as good vs bad vs neutral karma effects 1 part), thus you have 2^6 or 3^6 or whatever, which gets you your many many endings, but it won't seem like it to you, and most anybody should not waste their time to see anymore that the basic big 2, bad or good.
The Failure: So I teased you with the reasons to why it is a measly 3 stars. In truth, Fallout 3 is lacking. The greatest things it is lacking in is reason. Past level 10, every enemy falls down easily. I had massive amount of caps, the loose story lines of the side quests where barely enough to keep me playing. Any new area I visit just doesn't matter, you go their, find ammo (sorry got tons), find healing supplies (72 stimpacks and counting), find money( already got 15,000 caps I don't know what to do with) and gain experience (ok I like experience, but level 20 is not that far away). I would run to any city I could, sell what I could, which as I started to get laser rifles and plasma rifles, was never really worth it, unless I wanted to buy a bunch of junk I don't need. The game just lost it's edge. There are no super hard ultimate weapons to defeat (in fact, the hardest enemy in the game I have fought thus far is fawkes, and he is on my side), there really are no bosses at all in the game except the behemeths, which don't really get you much (although I hear anchorage dc has a bosslike enemy.) None of the armor acquired from side missions is particularly better than what you get from following the main story line, the "special" weapons are only slightly better than their normal counterparts, and don't really add anything to the game. By adding things to the game, for example, you could get a grenade launcher, which allows you to shoot frag grenades more accurately at a longer distance, upgrades that can improve your weapon; such as attaching a silencer to the weapon of your choice, artificially increasing a weapons power or efficiency, or given it more stats, such as poison enemies. They also needed to introduce elemental damage, in my opinion, so there is actual reason to pick one weapon over another. A quest to find a weapon that does not wear down would be cool, or, you know, just more. Also with perks, maybe you should have special harder to get perks that actually alter the dynamics of the game, so that upon getting them, you can have fun playing a little differently, like something that lets you jump higher, which would be required to get to certain other areas in the game.
Formations: Your followers in this game are also pretty crappy. While potentially powerful and useful, you can't give them orders in the heat of battle, which sucks. Also, they get in your way, and can potentially block your ability to move somewhere. They continually repeat the same pieces of dialogue over and over again, which is kind of annoying, and their presence creates several continuity errors in the story, such as you being known as the lone wanderer and for those of you who know the ending, I mean, seriously, how stupid is that?
Finishing Up: So in general, I did love the game. But once you become powerful enough that the challenge is gone, which occurs around level 10-12 if you do a couple side missions ad end up with a special weapon or 2, there is little to really keep you interested, unless you just LOVE exploring, the game just doesn't offer the incentive to continue playing. I also must mention the lack of minigames. You have the computer hacking game, and the lockpick thing which is 10 times easier than oblivion and thank you for that. I mean, they should allow you to play pool, maybe get an old arcade galliga shooter or pacman up and running, or other mini games that potentially reward you with stuff and maybe gamerscore points. The stuff does get kind of repetitive, go to new place, pick up every gun, ammo, skill book, and other useful items you find, kill every bady, hack every terminal, pick every lock, sell your items, unload your inventory, rinse and repeat. The game was great, however the more I played, the more I realized I just needed more.
Update:
I have played 4 of the 5 expansion packs. Several of the packs actually offer me a challenge. When you lose all your equipment in The Pitt, it was incredibly fun for a couple of hours. Mothership Zeta offers a couple of alternate styles of gameplay that break up the monotomy such as controlling a ship and blowing aliens up by touching buttons. Broken Steel naturally fixes the end game issues and level cap problem. At level 30, Point Lookout has given me enough challenge that I am considering lowering the difficulty level off of hard. Had this game came with these expansion packs (say a game of year edition that will eventually come out) I would consider it a 4 star game.
My BIGGEST problem with the game, which I did not mention in my review, and will restrict me from giving this game five stars, is the fact that the game centers around caps. Half the decisions you make are to earn caps. The only advantage of being bad is to get caps, and 90% of your motivation is for more caps, yet they serve virtually no purpose, since you will find so much ammo, stim packs, and other random junk that you will never need to spend your caps after 5 hours of gameplay. They need to throw in some ultra unique weapons that cost 10,000 caps, buy properties in other cities (there is an empty room in rivet city that would have been so easy to program into a room you could purchase), buy mininukes, so I don't feel bad every time I use the incredibly limited supply, even if they cost 1000 caps a nuke, I have plenty of caps sitting around, and trading my growing supply of plasma rifles for mininukes would be great. Buy vehicles, even if it costs 20,000 caps, what else am I using them for? So if they fixed that problem, I would bump the score up a star, and with the expansion packs included (free not $50 more), I bump it up another star, so that is what it takes to reach 5 stars in my book. | video-games_xbox |
Great game, hurt by scared players. I have been a long time MMA fan and always enjoy fighting in MMA games that have been made. The first EA UFC game was a pretty good start and they did a pretty decent job with this one. Below are what personally I like about the game and then my issues with it.
The goods.
-Roster has an insane amount of fighters to pick from. Great improvement over last UFC game.
-Graphics look on point. The fights look amazing and so do the fighters. Some improvements made over the previous game for sure.
-Fighting feels very good. The striking is still a lot of fun, not too much changed in that area. The ground game is very different, still unsure if I like it or not to be honest. Feels hard to keep someone on the ground and really easy to get up but probably just need some more practice in this area. Submissions are same, just wish stamina played a bigger role, even when someone has no stamina they can escape just the same as if it was full.
-Ultimate Team is so far a lot of fun. Opening packs are exciting and keep you wanting more to see what goodies you will get. Creating your team can take a while but it is enjoyable to manage your team with their perks and moves. I do dislike that you have to manage each fighters "stamina" by equipping the card each time so they don't suck going into each fight.
Problems.
-Online is a lot of fun if you get the right person to fight. I have had plenty of amazing fights where it is back and forth and a war. But many times people simply run away the entire fight and will spam one single thing. In ultimate team, almost everyone seems to have the spinning head kick and they will simply run away and spam that if you get close, this is even more annoying as even if you block or hit them mid strike, they will clock you and almost always rock you with that one hit. Or you will get people that run away and once you get close they will spam clinch or takedown. Easy to defend but I got this game to fight people, not play a chasing simulator..
-Unblocked hits don't matter. So often I will be using a kick boxer against a wrestler and even when they have hands down taking a clean head kick, they seem to never drop. I can hit people with 10 of these kicks and still nothing. But here comes a jab and I slam to the ground knocked out.. Just doesn't feel right to me.
Verdict.
Even with those really annoying aspects, the game is great. Fights can be amazing, huge roster to choose from, and a lot of fun modes to try. The main problems are with other players that choose to play a cat and mouse game rather than an MMA game. If EA could fix the damage amount for unblocked hits that would be great. I would certainly recommend this game to any MMA fan, just warn them people online usually run away scared. | video-games_xbox |
Great for FPS games when it works properly, lacking for some others. Update!
I'm updating this review because the directional pad gets stiff after mild use and the stick itself registers motions that I never inputted (when I tap up.. it registers, then goes down). I've since gotten a replacement, but only to sell it online (couldn't get a refund, just an exchange). Don't have faith in the long-term durability of this controller. Was great when it worked, but I'm sticking to first party controllers from now on.
My old review is below for when it does work properly.
Here are the games I've tested this on to get a wide range of various button/control uses:
* Battlefield: Bad Company 2
* Crysis 2
* Super Street Fighter IV
* Dragon Age 2
I'll cut to the chase since other people have already commented on the great build quality, ergos, and not being able to use the FPS Freek on this.
Here are some of my observations:
Of the games I've tested, it was painfully apparent that fighting games would not do well with the directional pad. Earlier reviews on other sites have already mentioned this, but being the skeptic, I had to test for myself. Verdict is in.. its really lacking for fighting games. The separation of each direction, and the amount you have to push makes for quick combos really difficult. I may dare even say that the original 360 directional pad might be better for this purpose. That said.. if you played fighting games with the analog, then this is where the strength of the controller shines. The adjustable tension on the analogs really help tailor it to your liking. Also, being able to remap your buttons on the extra shoulder allows you to avoid using the triggers.
On the topic of remapping buttons...
this is my number one complaint about the controller... YOU CAN'T REMAP LEFT SHOULDER BUTTON OR TRIGGER TO THE RIGHT RE-MAP BUTTON, and vice versa. I'm guessing this was done on purpose because they still had the Major League Gaming or other professional gaming leagues in mind. From what I understand, they're not accepting this control pad to be legal in those tourneys (subject to change), so I really wish there was full re-mappability. Perhaps it might cause some abuse down the lines, but in Crysis 2, it would have come in really handy if I could remap my shield (usually left bumper) to the right re-map. This would allow me to activate shield on the fly when I'm aiming down the iron sights (holding down the left trigger). Unfortunately this is a no go.
New placement of "Back" and "Start/Play" buttons...
is a mixed bag for me. The reason Razer moved them is to avoid accidental pushes of those buttons. I've never done so myself and I have medium to large hands. To me, the new placement is more of a negative because now its harder to push the Select/Back button on Bad Company 2 to spot your enemies. Luckily this can be re-mapped to any of the remappable buttons and actually works better than its original implementation. Just something to look out for. I can see it helping those who had issues before.
New directional pad...
is again a mixed bag. As mentioned before, it didn't perform too hot for fighting games. It does make it easier for FPS games though to not select the wrong direction. However, I found the button themselves to be clunky and feel like they "stick" a little. Not as responsive as the other buttons on this controller. They work though and work better than the original 360 directional pad for FPS games. Worked fine in Dragon Age 2 when trying to select targeted enemies, but had slight trouble selecting skills during level up with skills that were placed very strangely in the tree. I blame that more on BioWare though for their awkward placement as I had the same issue with the original 360 control pad too.
On the topic of the other buttons...
I like them, but still not 100% sold on them. They are responsive, but admittedly I miss the tactile feedback the original 360 controller had. Don't get me wrong, there is a "click" that assures you that you're pressing the button much like a mouse button, but I actually missed how much the buttons are raised on the original 360 and the amount of force needed to push them - maybe I'm just heavy handed.
One very minor gripe of the design...
is that the "face" of the control pad has this sharp taper at the top near the shoulder buttons. It does make the controller aesthetically pleasing, but it looks like that area can easily chip or dent in the future after prolonged use or aggressive handling. Running your finger along it is sharp, but I've never really done it in a way that it was detrimental in my gameplay. I only noticed it when I was fondling the controller outside of actual gameplay.
I'll keep updated postings on new findings and possibly on the topic of long-term durability. | video-games_xbox |
A game of the year contender that's well worth your time. Fable II is a serious contender for game of the year. As soon as the game begins, you're pulled into an incredible fantasy world where you can choose to do good or evil. I'm only a few hours in, but apparently your choices will shape the fate of your character. If you choose good deeds, you'll be shaped into a hero. If you choose more aggressive or hateful behavior, you'll be shaped into something darker.
Fable II has some of the most jaw-dropping visuals I've ever seen in any game, period. The cut scene animations are on par with Hollywood blockbuster movies like Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings. The music and voice acting is of the highest quality and the gameplay graphics are vibrant and detailed. From a sound and visual standpoint, I can't imagine anyone having anything negative to say about it. The game controls are intuitive and simply put they feel right. With an RPG, controls are very important. You never want any button placements that make it difficult to play, and Fable II has the controls laid out in a way that make the game a pleasure to play.
You can play as either a male or female. You'll begin as a child and go all the way to old age. You can be a loner, get married, have multiple lovers and have a family. You can have a family in one town, a lover in another town and another family in yet another, but if you neglect your wife, or she finds out about your other lovers, she will divorce you! Also, if you play as a man, you can pursue men and if you play as a woman you can pursue women. So any sexual preference you have can be played out in the game.
The game is also co-op! At any point a friend can connect a second controller and jump right into your Fable II game. This is my favorite feature. I really wish more games would take advantage of this.
Replay value is going to be huge for this game. I read where the game contains 38 hours of recorded dialog alone, making it impossible to hear the same dialog twice during multiple plays. Plus, you can play once as a male and be a hero, then again as a villain. Then, play as a female hero and then again as a villain. And that doesn't even begin to touch on the fact that you could do other things such as raise a family, just have multiple lovers or stay alone. Each play thru can truly feel like a whole new gaming experience.
I wish I could share more, but I'm only a few hours in, but in this short span of time Fable II has completely captured my imagination and I can't put it down. This is the best RPG I've played since last fall's <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mass-Effect/dp/B000OLXX86/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mass Effect</a>, and I'm going to enjoy this just as much if not more.
In this crowded holiday season of hit games (and we still have Fallout 3 and Gears of War 2 coming) Fable II stands out as one of the must buy games of the year. | video-games_xbox |
Tough in more ways than one. L.A. Noire oozes with 1940's style, from the costumes to the music to the setting. There are numerous references to the infamous "Black Dahlia case" of Elisabeth Short, and the acting is spot on with a lot of familiar television and b-movie actors. It doesn't hurt that this edition contains all of it; every single case, including the DLC missions added into the story so they don't break the overall flow of the game. Nicely done. The new facial capture technology looks great in action, even though it tends to give a feeling of disconnection between the body and head sometimes.
You should be warned though; this is a clever and thorough game, and I'd venture to say it's not really for the casual player. If you enjoyed <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Mafia-II/dp/B000ZK698C/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Mafia II</a> or <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Red-Dead-Redemption/dp/B005N4HBE6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Red Dead Redemption</a>, it doesn't necessarily mean this is a game for you. You're assigned a case, you go out on location to search for clues, based on the clues you hold interviews, which ultimately ends up in a conviction or a shootout. If you're not patient enough and don't really use your skills of memory and deduction, the game will be quite hard and unforgiving. You can only back out of a question if you're accusing someone of lying, and when you replay a case, you have to replay the entirety of it, and the first cutscene (however long) can't be skipped. There are small hints as to what you might do next, but nobody throws you any favours here, it's largely up to you how to play it. That makes for a very amibitious but annoying game, when one missed clue or wrong question during a 90-minute case can break your stats.
So to summarize, I think perfectionists should be cautious of this game. But if you can really immerse yourself in a clever detective story, you've always been smart enough to puzzle scenarios together, and you're incredibly patient (perhaps not a common trait for gamers these days), give it a go. And for the rest of us, I'd recommend playing through it twice; once in black and white to seep up the atmosphere, and a second time to replay all the cases, sweep up all the clues and collect all those items. | video-games_xbox |
VIOLENT BLOODY SHARK ATTACKS. Jaws is screaming bloody good fun. It is not designed to be one of the best graphically looking games of all time, or even the most intelligent, but it has bags of surreal murderous mayhem to offer and not since `Manhunt' has there been anything quite as violent as it. I am very surprised that it doesn't have an M for Mature rating for the console although the PC box does. I think the RP rating is a very low rating. The game features bodily dismemberment quite literally as people are chewed up into bags of blood with their body parts floating about. They bawl gargling and try to swim to surface missing a leg. The fun you have with this game in the first few days makes it absolutely a must have. If you own a PS2 or XBOX or a PC get JAWS UNLEASHED, especially if you are fan of the movie. How can anyone refuse to play as a great white monching up swimmers and divers? The shark movements are great because you can increase your shark attributes as the game progresses. You can stealth kill swimmers, jump up onto boats, catch people in mid air, drag them under water, torture them, play with them chomp them up into a bloody mess and then go on a free run and do it all again. The story is totally different from the movie but it does include themes very similar to all four films. There are many levels which do require some brains to work out how to solve certain puzzles. In fact I was surprised by how much this game did have to offer considering that it look like a low-entry level console game. It is far from it! This is a fully charged arcade thrill kill with more gore than you would have anticipated. It has you laughing loud at the outrageous things you can do with the shark. You have never played anything like this before, not will you again. And remember this should have been an M rating as the PC box states. The shark is literally tearing people up quite graphically. | video-games_xbox |
Devil May Cry, but Players Do Cry. I remember very clearly when the first Devil May Cry was released. I played the demo for the PS2 when I finally did get a PS2, and I was impressed with the visuals, although not quite so impressed with the gameplay. It was good, but it was far too unforgiving and difficult, especially with the limitations imposed on recovery items that seemed outright cruel. However, it was enough of a success to spawn a sequel, which I found vastly superior to the original, which I'm certain has appalled several readers already; some of the fanboys of the series whined incessantly about it being "too easy" (a complaint that I think is completely without meaning; if a game is fun, its difficulty level should be irrelevant), and work was done on a third installment. This one was one that really appealed to me and resonated with me, entertaining and challenging in all the best ways. There was great variety in approach to the gameplay, and the player could choose from a huge array of weaponry and styles. The Special Edition release was even more exciting, adding Vergil to the playable characters.
Then came 4. And as stated, recently I was able to acquire an inexpensive 360. As a gift, I was given the Collectors' Edition of 4, although I really found little interest in anything other than the game. Aware that Nero was the main character for the first part, I started it up and began to play, cheering at a few glimpses of Dante and thrilling at his presence.
It wasn't until much later that I would actually be able to play Dante, the main character of the Devil May Cry series. Not until almost 3/4 of the way through the game. I don't know who at Capcom thought this would be a good idea, but I hope he received a firm smack on the head for it. I can only imagine the conversation going something like this:
"Hey, you know that Devil May Cry game with the main character Dante whom everybody loves?"
"Yeah, we're working on the fourth one."
"Well why don't we make him unplayable until nearly the end in the new one! Then we won't have to worry about making foes convincingly challenging!"
"That's kind of stupid. It's a game, I mean, people expect to have to learn all the skills and everything..."
"No, no, and we can create a character who looks exactly the same and comes off in a similar way to the one from 3, so we can pretend he's the same character. And...and we can introduce a maybe, maybe not love interest, which will make people more interested in the game!"
"Uh...well, why don't we just do another prequel if we're just going to have the same character--"
"No, no! Let's make a completely new one!"
Nero is, essentially, a less sympathetic and much more annoying carbon copy of Dante from Devil May Cry 3, saddled with a completely transparent pseudomilitary organization and one of the most stereotypical Japanese token females in history. Kyrie -- whose name is rarely pronounced the same way twice, and never as it should be pronounced properly -- fills no role but to allow hyperactive fanfiction authors to pair Nero up with her. Arguably the game attempts the same implications, but much more poorly than the aforementioned author could. Nero's motivations are all over the board, and unlike Dante -- even with his somewhat bratty attitude in 3 -- he doesn't manage to exude coolness, attractiveness, stylishness, or even tolerability for very long. From the introductory cutscene, the game's pretentious and self-important air ground against my patience, and it only deteriorated from there, culminating in a groan-worthy scene of melodrama where Nero predictably fails to snatch the "heroine" -- in quotes because she does nothing even remotely heroic or worthy of the role, and in fact a beetroot would be more compelling in it -- and then screams out her name in frustration.
He isn't alone in his frustration, however, but the fact that misery proverbially loves company is cold comfort to a fan of the series going into this game. Nero's shortcomings as a character aside, he has a woefully tiny variety of moves and weapons, less than Dante in 3 for example. His gimmicky demon hand only frustrates and bores in turns; it's useful only when the game wants it to be. If you're fighting monsters that the game doesn't want you to use it against, you won't be able to use it. Against bosses it's completely useless except for perhaps once or twice, when you get lucky enough to catch them in a vulnerable spot, but the window is quite narrow. There is a feeling of dull sameness about the proceedings, and extensive backtracking is required throughout. Sadly, however, while the game does a good job of railroading you down an extremely limited and linear path throughout the majority of its levels, there are many times where the player will backtrack across areas previously explored, trying to find a way to advance, only to discover it somewhere completely nonsensical. If it wishes to be so linear, it could at least prevent such lengthy and frustrating detours, made even more dissatisfying by Nero's slow pace. It can be increased by purchasing a skill, but this sort of thing should not have to be purchased. It reflects a serious lack of mindfulness in terms of development.
Movement in general is not as easy as it was, even in 3. The changes in camera angles often mean that, even after having purchased the ability to move marginally faster, the player will skid to a stop when responding to a change in scenery. It's almost impossible to adjust the camera angles in places where it's "dramatically" fixed, which renders some things excessively difficult that should actually be very easy. There are some jumping puzzles that would be much simpler and more fulfilling without the superfluous angles, but with them they're made impossible without certain skills or inordinate luck. This is something that should never happen in a game under any circumstances; I can only recall a single instance of a frustrating jump puzzle in 3, and that one actually managed to make sense and not carry with it the level of sheer frustration that several do in 4.
Gameplay is uneven, bosses are equally uneven, and most can be defeated by doing exactly the same combination of moves. One may be ridiculous, and the very next might be a cake walk. The same can be said of monsters and puzzles, some of which are so unfairly arranged that one imagines little playtesting could have been done. The truly gimmicky nature of the demon hand is really made apparent by the placing and frequency of these puzzles, and some of the monsters' inexplicable weaknesses to the hand. Unfortunately however, the secret missions (which are actually quite easy to find) ask much more of the player than the game presents, requesting special moves or target times that are never adequately explained. This and the fact that the secret missions are essentially a handful of enemies in a single room that cannot be left makes the secret missions more artificial padding, at best.
The music in 4 is unbelievably jarring, much moreso than the previous games' soundtracks. I found myself blasting through battles as quickly as possible not because of a desire to gain a higher scoring at the end of the stage, but because I wanted to music to stop. Voice acting is very good, which with only a few exceptions is a standard in the series. Some very talented voice actors have been gathered for this game, which makes it more the pity that the storyline and characterizations were so lacking.
Capcom should have realized that introducing a new character and forcing the players to accept him immediately was not the best of ideas, but even worse is doing that and teasing fans with the actual main character and denying them the pleasure of actually playing him until the game is nearly over. The argument that Dante was powerful is completely irrelevant and without substance, rendered even weaker by the fact that 4 supposedly takes place before 2, which means that they managed to make a game with Dante as the main character, set after this period of amazing potency. It is a gaming convention that in every game, the hero must learn new skills and adapt to the new threat. Almost no game ever starts off the familiar hero with all of his previous abilities or tools; it's part of the fun of a game, and it is quietly accepted. Certainly the method of forcing Nero onto everyone with 4 was a very serious misstep and, hopefully, if a fifth is made, he will be silently brushed under the rug and forgotten.
The really interesting story of this was Dante and his crew's own activities during Nero's uninspired adventures. If Devil May Cry 4 had been about Dante -- the actual main character of the series -- it would've been infinitely more interesting and more fun too. Unfortunately it follows Nero, and there is simply too much pretention hung upon this game for its own good, especially as its story essentially only pieces together anime stereotypes of the past thirty years, ones that have already been done to death in games and television both. Anyone who has seen virtually any anime whatsoever can guess exactly what will happen at any given point in the story, which is a shame since Devil May Cry defied most such convention in previous entries. It seems to indicate more that Devil May Cry has become a viable "franchise", which means that it will fall prey to the "least common denominator" tactics that invariably bring down most successful franchises, in time. In short, the game will be made to incorporate stereotypes to sell it to a wider audience, the gameplay and story will be simplified to the point of being dumbed-down, and dramatic elements that have no business being included (such as the implications of a token and very unconvincing "romance", which belongs more in Square's Final Fantasy and its ilk) are shoehorned in. That sums up Devil May Cry 4: overdone, too manufactured, with absolutely no heart whatsoever. It is a prime example in gaming of going through the motions and coming up with nothing much to show for your actions. | video-games_xbox |
Thoughts from someone new to the franchise. I am not normally a racing games person, but the limited launch offerings of the Xbox One nudged me into purchasing Forza. I bought the VIP edition for an extra twenty.
It has turned out to be more fun than I would have expected. I'm glad I bought it. For people newer to racing games the fact that one can make very fine adjustments to difficulty though both "assists" (for example, how much help you are given with steering, or the option of drawing an optimal drive-line on the track) as well as the "drivatar" difficulty against which you race (I think there are seven levels of opponent difficulty). This combined with the fact that you can typically get a gold medal by placing in the top three means that you can push your difficulty up gradually and keep the gameplay on that fine line between frustration and a rewarding challenge.
My general observations: There is painstaking attention to detail throughout the games. The detail of cars is really quite impressive. While I don't have the basis to review compared to other racing sims, there is no question that all the cars I have driven thus far do exhibit their own unique handling characteristics. Customization options for cars are extensive both visually (paint & decals) as well as internally (well-documented, but you can do things as simple as throw some new rims on or go so far as to hand tune your transmission's gearing and everything in between).
It seems to make good use of the trigger rumble motors which gives a bit more haptic feedback. Heavy drifters don't seem to care for it, but I haven't been troubled by it.
One very puzzling omission is the lack of a smartglass companion app, particularly given it's published by Microsoft Studios. Numerous good use cases for smart glass here - quick tuning while in the racing lobby, or even an alternate interface for car purchases, track review, etc, etc. Some users might like to have the dashboard on smart glass and then turn the HUD off on screen if they had a whole racing seat/wheel/etc set up.
The tracks represent a variety of different challenges, but racing the same 15 tracks can be a bit monotonous. There appear to be some alternate track configurations available, but I haven't encountered them in the campaign/career.
More monotonous than the racing tracks, however are the music tracks. I think it may just be one quasi-orchestral loop actually. I have turned off the music.
Suggestions: the auto-ugprade feature (in which the game will "optimally" select the best upgrades for a chosen car while still keeping it rated within its target racing class) may seem nice on its face, but it would be preferable if it would at least show what upgrades it is choosing to apply. Better still, let it suggest its own but let the user tweak it from there.
I have read many criticisms from franchise veterans about the monetization model in the game. I also hate the free-to-play microstransaction model, particularly when tacked on to a full-price console game. I don't have a real objection to day-1/on-disc DLC. The game industry seems to have a set cap of $60 for a "full" title. I look at the day-one DLC as a way for firms to sell a $100 game while still selling a $60 game. I might find it more desirable if they just sold the $100 game, period, but I appreciate the drawbacks there.
Returning to the specific case, other than the general tackiness of so fully integrating microtransactions into the game with the token system, I'm probably less annoyed by it in this case because I am not a huge racing-game guy and really don't need to own all the cars. Note that one can spend time racing all kinds of cars not yet owned in various rival matches. it's obviously hit and miss what you'll end up driving, but it adds some variety.
To the extent that earning credits is important, one can focus their gameplay to best maximize earnings in ways that are pretty obvious if you just spend some time with the game and various play modes. Will some cars still remain hopelessly out of reach? I suppose it depends how much one intends to play. It would appear Turn 10 are also doing things like occasional giveaways as well as putting the car inventory on sale. Time will tell, but I suspect the economy will get tweaked a bit.
The microtransaction stuff would have been less in one's face if they had simply allowed users to purchase credits directly. There seems to be a clear exchange rate between credits (earned by gameplay) and tokens (purchased with real currency), so why they have the two parallel currencies is beyond me.
Overall I'd give the game 3.5 stars. I rounded up to be charitable. | video-games_xbox |
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