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Warning: Avoid. Avoid this controller like a virus! I gave it a shot and learned about the stuck left trigger" issue AFTER I purchased it. My search for a solution brought me here. I seriously cannot for the life of me understand how companies can release such a defective product. Does the controller work good when it actually works? Yes. But then the ugly left trigger issue starts *#&@*(@ things up out of nowhere. And guess which button you're pressing the most? Yup!
Read the reviews and take heed. The left trigger is faulty presumably on every controller (?) and stays active even when the button is not depressed. So, for most FPS games, your character is "aiming down sights" while you're attempting another action. FRUSTRATING!!!! Toss in a sports game like madden where the left trigger isn't used nearly as much as in an FPS game. How do you know you're left trigger is crapping on everything? When the rest of the buttons are doing wacky craptastic things when you press them b/c the left trigger glitch is throwing the programming input out of wack for the rest of the buttons. For example, on a pass play, my TE was wide open in the endzone if I could hit him en'route. I hit the Y button expecting a pass and my QB just sits there. WTF? So I scramble out of pocket look for another open receiver, hit the pass button and my QB slides down. WTF is going on? This controller is gosh damn schizo. One second it's working okay and the next it's got a complete alternate personality.
What's terrible is you don't really know when the malfunction will occur. Maybe on your next press or perhaps if won't happen until the 20th press. Guess what? It's gonna #&@&@ up when you need it most.
One reviewer says he had to dismantle the controller and do a custom fix/modification to the left trigger in order to fix the issue. I am tech savvy enough to do this but I gotta tell you that it pisses me off to high heaven that an end user has to do this just for the controller to work how it's supposed to work. Give me a #&#^# break PDP!
WTF we're they thinking? This controller looks and feels great. The thumbsticks are like butter and the casing and material feel high-end. All that swag just to have a the left trigger &*(*# on the entire craftsmanship? Did the engineers who designed this thing hate each other or what? Do they hate gamers? It's like buying a top-end Mercedes Benz and the gas pedal get's stuck at random times. Kind of misses the entire point of making a controller doesn't it PDP?
I hope the designers, engineers, workers that are responsible for this travesty were fired and that PDP becomes notorious for this type of quality. I hate for anyone to lose their jobs but somebody took a serious crap and *(#*$&(@ it up for a lot of good people especially the consumer. I will not be buying another PDP product ever again.
@#$%&! you PDP!!! | video-games_xbox |
about as "intelligent" as a 3-year-old with a cellphone. I bought this product at my local video games store because they were out of the standard Xbox 360 Universal Remote. In the box it looked great, boasting programmable keys and all but when I got it home and opened it I found that only the LOWER HALF is programmable for other devices. What's more, it supposedly allows you the convenience of not having to program device codes by having you assign features from your other remote to corresponding buttons on NYKO remote.
DO NOT be fooled by this "learning feature" as it is pure laziness and bad design on the manufacturer's part. To program your TV's features onto this remote, you need to assign EVERY button. Not just the on/off, but the volume up AND the volume down button separately, as well as EVERY SINGLE NUMBER BUTTON. 10 out of the 22 "intelligent" buttons on the remote are actually number buttons. That leaves you with 12 other programmable buttons (minus 5 more for your volume, channel, and input). If you use more than one media device this simply will not do.
The product design even goes so far as to show fake labels above and below the buttons w/ NO shift key to access them. With all it's limited use and fake buttons, it's the equivalent of a toy cellphone that you'd buy a 3-year-old child. There's even a "Guide" and "Live TV" label below the standard 360 (un-programmable) "Y" and "B" buttons to allude to TIVO programmability but their only real function is to get you to impulse buy the remote at the store.
Everything I've written here is in addition to the comments other reviewers have stated regarding lack of remote range, inconvenience of switching from 360 mode to "learning mode" to change volume, and unpredictable changes when using the programmed volume buttons.
Buy this remote if you only want the most basic features needed to play a DVD/browse media without having to use a controller. Otherwise, just spend the extra $10-15 dollars and order the real deal from Amazon. | video-games_xbox |
Stinks. I never write reviews but had to make an exception in this case. The team who created this episode (of the best game ever) has completely lost their way. And that's really too bad. I didn't finish the game. Instead, i boxed it up and returned it to the store so as to not contribute to their bottom line and vote with my dollars at the same time. This game does not deserve to be bought nor pirated. It's completely removed from the original series, no longer a stealth based game, gone are the gadgets which set it apart. Black stalker suit? Gone. Triple view goggles? Gone. Knife? Gone. The disrupter on your pistol, that knocked out camers and lights long enough to sneak past... Gone. The ability to whistle and attract guards toward a trap is gone. The wireless hacking from your goggles is gone. The lock picking is gone. The reading of heat signatures on key pad with thermal vision is gone. The door pad hack function is gone. You can no longer set the fire rate on your rifle. All the weapons are conventional (which isn't a bad thing). What's new? You can up grade weapons, (that is to say, you can upgrade them to slightly less than the wepons you got from the original game) you get the ability to multi-tag the bad guys for a bullet time like kill that's not exactly a fresh idea. Sam gets manipulated into a mission vs being on the good guys team (and the story is dripping of barfable drama). The pistol you get is all you need to leisurely stroll from level to level. The fourth splinter cell jumped around in the story... That's back in pt 5 again. And perhaps the worst part is the control config. It not the same as what you're used to (some say it's simpler but that can be translated to the reduction of capabilities you get). The original controls were fine, easy and intuitive (to each his own). Remember when you used to be able to hang down from a pipe and choke a guy out? Sam can't do that any more. Remember when you used to hug a wall and wait for the guard to come into range and the strike with your blade or fist or pull him in as a human shield? Sam can't do that any more either. Can't hide the bodies either. You can grab a guy for the human shield but only after exposing yourself through a kamikaze like run at the bad guy... The kind of move that works in Hollywood and only sometimes in the game.
I feel unisoft and other contributers to this game, selfishly and dilibrately cut corners, stripped the game of all that was once clever and what uniquely set them apart in talent and creativity to make a fast buck, impress some shareholders with the short-lived, title-killing profit strategy that the weak often cave into due to the lack of their own talents... Can't reach the bar? Easy. Just lower it... Problem solved. When's lunch?
Having many years in the game development 'industry' myself, I see this happen on other popular titles. Essentially the original recipe is lost when the original team breaks up and goes on to other projects. The fat cats then re use the brand but with an entirely new and often reduced set of requirements. Paying no mind to the loyal awe struck fans that would stand in line just to get thier copy... They assign a 3rd string team set of newbies to concoct a something new but cheaper and can't live up to it's predecessors but will move off the shelves as fast as the original title. The press hears about improvements and improved game play style but not much is mentioned about what the fan liked and what the fans won't get... These are called " bottom line enhancers"... Low cost, fast on the shelf, and already branded hype so as to move the product fast enough to favorably impact the 4th quarter results... It actually works; not for me or you, (the customer), but for the investors, it's magical. They obviously can't admit to that but the product, in this case, speaks for them.
To the makers of this game... Just take splinter cell 3, add more levels in single player and coop and call it a day... Loyalty is longevity and it takes some guts to get to the top... If you can keep the brand name in tact, it will insulate your other failures and keep you in the captains chair, shining the shareholders wingtips for years to come.
Your move - hot shots. | video-games_xbox |
Need For Speed meets Mario Kart. After a run of declining sales and increasingly poor reviews, the Need for Speed series shifted developers in 2010 from the overworked team at BlackBox to Criterion, developers of the Burnout series of action-oriented arcade racers.
I've personally never played any of the Burnout games, so this is my first experience with Criterion. However, I am a longtime NFS fan going back to the original release back in the mid 90's. I lost interest in the series during the Underground era, but I was brought back into the fold with 2005's Need for Speed Most Wanted. Even though the sequels to that game (Carbon & Undercover) had some issues, I still enjoyed both of those as well.
My first impression of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit was that they were definitely going for old-school NFS with this title. The car list, events, & racing environment definitely bring to mind the early titles in the series. Gone is the emphasis on tuner cars & urban street racing. In it's place is a long list of exotic cars and a wide open rural playground to drive them in.
While turning back the clock certainly has it's merits from a nostalgia point of view, they have also stripped away a decade-plus of features accumulated in previous titles. Some of the obvious ones are:
- No split-screen multiplayer
- No car customization or upgrading of any kind besides color
- No real story or narrative to the career mode
- No cops or racers to encounter in free-roam (what's the point then?)
- No quick-race feature to allow you to set up a custom race in single-player
The last one is the biggest shocker for me. You are literally stuck with the stock events provided to you in the game, which are often restricted to one car (or perhaps a small handful) and will only have one weather type. This smacks of pure laziness on the developers part. Given the decent sized car list, varied racing environments, and also lack of a story line in career mode, this game absolutely begs for a custom race mode to extend replay value.
In place of both the quick race mode and the split screen multiplayer is an emphasis toward online multiplayer. Right from the get-go the game steers you in that direction by attempting to log you into your XBOX Live account each time you load it up. I don't have an XBOX live account, so I have to skip through that each time. An associated feature that EA/Criterion is now pushing is Autolog. Autolog will show your friends' best times for an event, which you can try to one-up. You can also post pictures on it to show off exciting game moments to your friends. There's nothing wrong with this feature, but it's completely worthless to me minus the additional purchase of XBOX live. None of my friends are into racing games and I'm just not into online multiplayer gaming in general, so I'm not going to bother with it.
The single-player racing action in Hot Pursuit is actually pretty solid. The cars have more weight to them then they did in NFS: Undercover, which is nice. The graphics, sound, and frame rate are better than ever. The game is most definitely an arcade racer; they might as well call the brake button the initiate drift button, as that's about all you'll ever use it for. Drifting is an essential part of being competitive in this game. Once you have it down, you will find yourself drifting through turns at well over 150 mph.
The events in Career mode are split between racer events and police events, which both follow divergent paths. The racer events are a letdown. For whatever reason, Criterion decided that what gamers want is a boatload of (at times) frustratingly difficult time trial events. Once I got the mechanics of drifting down, these became much more manageable, but it still required multiple attempts to achieve gold with some of these events. A variant on these races are the Gauntlet events, which are basically time trials with the added bonus being heavily engaged by the cops.
There are actual races versus AI drivers mixed in there as well. Some are basic races where it's just you versus the competition. These are my favorite, but then again, I am a purist. I don't mind the cops versus racers aspect (it is NFS Hot Pursuit, after all), but any racing game worthy of such classification should be able to provide a good pure racing experience. Unfortunately, while this game does achieve that, there are comparatively few such events to choose from.
A large number of the racing events are hot pursuit events where you get to deal with an increasingly forceful police force while also trying to outrun the reasonably challenging AI racers. These are certainly fun (though very difficult later in the game when the cars get hyper fast and the races get very long); however, this is where the lack of a custom or quick race mode kills the game for me. When I'm in the mood, dueling both the racers and the psycho cops can be a blast. However, it can also be frustration city. Winning is often a matter of luck given how aggressive the fuzz gets, which really makes me wish I could duplicate these races without the cops.
To help you fight off the cops (and your fellow racers), the game equips your car with various weapons (which of course the cops also have and will use on you relentlessly later in the game). While these seem cool at first, this is the point in which the game basically turns into Mario Kart. Dropping spike strips behind your car is akin to dropping banana peels. Your targeted EMP blast is basically just like firing off turtle shells. Your turbo boost is your thunderbolt, giving you a huge burst of speed for a short time.
The police mode is basically the same as racer mode minus any actual racing. Instead, your goal (assuming the event isn't yet another time trial) is to violently run the bad guy racers off the road by smashing into their car or using the above weapons and/or calling in roadblocks. The cop mode is a cool add-on to extend gameplay; however, these events don't excite me too much.
Overall, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is a disappointment due to its failure to consistently deliver the solid racing experience that I look for in such a title. The sad part is that it's not at all due to a poor graphical or physics engine or bad controls. The game (at its core) is quite fun. The failure lies entirely with the extremely shallow & restrictive single player career, the corresponding lack of a quick race mode, as well as the lack of any split-screen multiplayer. This is a title that is absolutely chock-full of wasted potential. Oh well... | video-games_xbox |
Almost perfect. Pro
- Intense and diverse Gameplay all sorts of crazy combos where you are fighting mid air or throwing a boss 3 times your size. Always getting new powers/upgrades. Bosses are amazing in this game and there are a lot of them. This game is very addictive, I couldn't stop playing.
- Perfect graphics. Some of the best I have seen
- Very Cinematic. I enjoy the story aspect of this game and cut-scenes are just another way this game shows off the graphics. Don't listen to those that complain about too many cut scenes. If you don't want to watch the cut scenes you can skip as many of them as you want. So were is the problem here?
- Highly customizable. Normal or Hard difficulties, automatic combos on or off, change controller config., choose upgrades or automatic upgrade.
- High re-playability. One great part about this game is that you can revisit all missions you have already completed. Each level you get a ranking based on how long the level took, style (combos), how many orbs collected. Go back and replay to increase rating to unlock new items and xbox achievements.
- Part of the game you play as a different character with different powers making it a nice change of pace.
Cons
- Too short. Can beat the game in about 6-8 hours. (this doesn't include time spent during cut-scenes or replaying levels for unlocks.)
- Second half of the game was a bit repetitive. You backtrack through certain regions and re-fight certain bosses, but as a different character with different objectives.
- Camera angles are very good at times. However, this is never the case when it really matters like boss fights, etc. Typically they also allow you to change camera angle too. Not a big issue just a little annoying at times.
- Menus and upgrade system can be a little complex and take some getting used to.
- Progress can only saved after each mission. (so basically every 30mins)
Verdict
The Pros are so amazing in this game that you will find the Cons not bothering you much. One of the best 1 player games I have played. It is very addictive as well, you will want to keep playing until you beat it all the way through. | video-games_xbox |
Gears of War 2 Review. I'll start by saying that I'm writing this review in lieu of hurling my controller through the wall- so I guess the first comment is that the later stages of Gears of War 2 can get a bit rough. I guess my first clue should have been when I accidentally discovered that you can go "down but not out" in single player- a big change from the first game. But I have to say that Gears 2 is one of the best games this year.
Gears 2 picks up six months after the events of Gears of War, document the continuing struggle between Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad and the Locust Horde. Locations range from the destroyed urban environments of the first game before heading underground to the heart of the Locust stronghold. In pre-release interviews, developers were asked if this chapter would follow the trend of epic trilogies as the "dark" second chapter, to which the interviewer often received a non answer. I would have to say (definitively) that yes, yes that is the case. In fact any player that allows themselves to become even a little bit emotionally involved in the story will find it disturbingly easy to hate the Locust. Also, the story raises many questions that don't look like they're going to be answered by game's end- but hey, that's what Gears of War 3 is for (Epic- get on it).
As for gameplay, the "stop and pop" system returns all but unchanged from Gears 1- but this is in no way a bad thing. The Locust have brought in some new heavies (players fight Reavers, Brumaks, plus multiple iterations of the Boomer and the new cleric like Kantus, who can revive fallen comrades), but the new heavy class weapons make it an even fight. The COG add a mortar and Gatling gun to their arsenal, while the Locust bring a new pistol, flamethrower, and poison gas grenade. There have been two major changes to the gameplay- the first is the idea of portable cover, downed enemies can be grabbed and used as "meat-shields" while the player can continue to wield a pistol. The second change is the introduction of melee opponents, who bring with them real shield that the player can take and use like a meat-shield or plant in the ground for cover anywhere they need it.
But one of the places that the first game revolutionized gaming was in cooperative multiplayer. Gears 2 also features a two player co-op campaign, but the new standard in co-op gaming is without question Horde mode. Horde mode allows up to five players to take on fifty waves of increasingly difficult enemies. Every ten waves, the enemy list resets (meaning wave 1 and 11 are the same), and the Locust get stat boosts to their health and accuracy. With a team of pals, this mode quickly becomes an addiction and the hours can melt away as the bullets fly and strategies change and evolve.
In short, Gears of War 2 is an impressive package. It takes everything that was good about the first game and ratchets it up to a, well, epic level. Horde mode could prove to be the next great evolution in online multiplayer. Gears 2 could very well prove to be a Game of the Year contender. | video-games_xbox |
Frustrating gameplay that kept me coming back for more. I have never been as frustrated with a game as I was playing Watch Dogs. The controls often do not respond as they should, the gameplay is entirely too difficult at times, and the plot line often went way over my head. With all of that being said, I still found myself pouring hours of my time into this game as it does provide an addictive experience that provides fun, good music, and beautiful graphics.
STORY - You play as ex-criminal hacker Aiden Pearce, who lost his niece due to his dangerous line of work. When he gets a lead on who was responsible for this dark event in his past, he takes the opportunity to seek revenge, despite the disapproval of his sister (the mother of the dead niece). As Aiden delves into this endeavor, he discovers that taking down those who are responsible is much more difficult than it sounds. Hacking the city, infiltrating the various criminal groups in Chicago, and becoming friends with unlikely allies all play a role in Aiden's search.
The plot flows well from one mission to the next, but often I found myself unsure why a certain mission was taking place. All the organizations and people that Aiden was hacking often meshed together, and while I always understood the end goal, some of the areas in between were a bit too convoluted for me.
There are various side missions and subplots to encounter in the game, but to avoid spoilers, I won't really delve into them. In my opinion, they don't prove to be too exciting, but they do add length and challenge to the game.
GAMEPLAY - This is a third person shooter, while there is the option for limited melee combat. Driving also plays a large part in the game, as well as stealth and puzzle solving, showing that this isn't purely a shoot-em-up but rather a cocktail of various gaming genres.
Controls are a sticky topic when it comes to this game as there are so many different controls for the different portions of the game. Combat, traveling, and hacking are what you do the majority of, and these work fairly well. There is definitely a heavy learning curve when you begin the game in which the game does not hold your hand, but they are intuitive and easy to get used to. The problem comes up when there is so much for you to interact with that the game thinks you are trying to hack or shoot one object, when in fact you were trying to hack/shoot another. Various guns are available to be unlocked, ranging from pistols to rifles. I never found ammo to be a problem, as it's conveniently located nearly everywhere. You can craft items such as grenades and blackouts to help, as well.
Driving is where the controls truly become equivalent to vomit. Controlling any car is the challenge in itself, as cars slip and slide all over the place as if the street is a waterslide and the tires have no traction. It's even more of a struggle when you are engaged in a high speed chase with the police or some other such foe. In addition to the control being off, driving could not get any more unrealistic. Your car can crash into trees, light poles, cliffs, other cars, people, buildings, etc., and it won't even come close to stopping. It might get dented a bit, but it takes an act of God (or a erupting steam pipe from the ground) to stop your car in its tracks. Logic and realism definitely takes a far back seat in the driving portion of the game, which is fine since it's virtual reality but a bit confusing since the game is otherwise pushing a very realistic experience. There are many cars available to unlock from sports cars to trucks to ambulances.
Puzzle solving proves to be a mental challenge in this game, and I love it. Whether you're hacking a system or going from exploring a location via cameras in order to unlock a door, the puzzles prove to be stimulating and just the perfect mix of challenge and solvability.
Among all of these forms of gameplay there is an autosave feature that saves your gamee automatically after most of the major fights/events. Unfortunately, the game often doesn't save often enough, and you'll have to start your mission all the way over from the beginning, which can be a frustration once you've almost reached the end of it. I would have preferred more checkpoints at which the game saved, which would have greatly reduced frustration on my end.
The difficulty of the game on top of everything else was extreme. You're often asked to take down hordes of 20-30 enemies at a time, and you often have to protect someone at the same time or escape unseen in the end. I found myself spending at least 30 minutes on many missions, because they were just so difficult and required the perfect touch to complete. It would have been nice to have had difficulty options, where you could choose a beginner or intermediate option in addition to the advanced gameplay.
Loading screens are often and can take quite a bit of time to load. I wish they would have either been nonexistent or at least taken just a few seconds to transition from scene to scene.
You have a cell phone interface in which you can track your progress, see statistics about your gameplay, request car deliveries, and much more. Your skill tree is located here, which is an area in which you can use skill points that you earn throughout the game to unlock abilities and perks. These really shape your gameplay style and allow you to grow Aiden in a way.
Despite all of my complaints about the game, the gameplay is incredibly innovative and allows for somewhat of an open world experience. The game's main plot is linear, but you could explore Chicago and never deal with it if you preferred. The game does take up just as much space as a game such as Skyrim, and I think that is a little much, especially considering the game comes with a specific installation disc, but it is what it is, and you'll have to have the space in order to play the game.
GRAPHICS/SOUND - This is where the game really gets good. I could gush about the music probably for hours. The beats that the creators chose match up perfectly with the scenes they are a part of. There are even some well known songs thrown in for good measure such as Day 'N' Night. I love the music and will probably end up buying the soundtrack eventually.
The voice acting is good. I've heard much better, but I've also heard much worse. Lip sync is great. Background noise is spot on, whether it be gunshots, car horns, or people talking.
Graphics were fantastic, especially when it came to the cutscenes. Cutscenes were equivalent to watching a movie. Gameplay graphics were pretty darn good, as well, though there are other current 360 games that heavily rival it.
WARNINGS - This game pretty much has every warning attached to it. There is mass amounts of heavy languages with hundreds of uses of the F bomb. Nudity is present as is sex trafficking. Drugs and alcohol are consumed, and if you haven't guessed already, there is a lot of violence. I didn't find there to be much blood apart from a minute amount present at headshots and whatnot.
OVERALL - This is a decent game that is probably going to be worth your time if you're a fan of shooters at all. Even if you aren't a usual shooter gamer, this game might appeal to you, although you're going to have a major learning curve. The problems with game are many, in my opinion, and while other games should probably take priority on your gaming list, you might want to put this on your radar. | video-games_xbox |
Brutal Legend is a Brutaly good Game. Well I will start off by saying that this is my first review of a product on Amazon so it might not be up to par. Now I will get onto my review.
I'm not much into the hack and slash games but I find Brutal Legend rather entertaining and fun. I have only played the game for a little while so I can't give you a full review of the game or tell you how long it is. I will say that the demo of Brutal Legend starts at the beginning of the game. If you haven't played the demo you should. The demo sold me on purchasing the game and I'm rather glad that I did.
The story of Brutal Legend reminds me of a Heavy Metal Comic or Movie. You play a Band Rodie, voiced by Jack Black, who gets killed in a stage accident and his blood awakens a beast who transports him to another world filled with Demons who have enslaved Humans. Your job will be to form an army to regain the world.
The controls for Brutal Legend are easy to remember. The controls respond well for the most part but you may run into some problems when you try to do a combo like having to hit the X & A buttons at the same time.
The graphics remind me of World Of Warcraft's. It has a cartoon look. The game still looks good.
The game play is fun. You can decapitate the demons with your axe or shock them by playing your guitar or perform so other combo. My favorite is just running them over while I drive. Your companion will actually help you out with enemies and you can team up with them to pull off some neat moves. The game is open world, so you can travel to different areas. The boss battles so far for me haven't been much of a challenge.
If you like hack and slash games then you will probably like Brutal Legend. Even if you don't, like me, you may still find the game fun. If you are a fan of the Heavy Metal Comics and movies then you will like the story of Brutal Legend. The Sound Track is nice if you like Heavy Metal Music.
I give the game an overall score of 4/5 just because of some control issues and the boss battles not being to much of a challenge. I may change this after I complete the game. | video-games_xbox |
Jam Packed with Tons of Stuff... Too bad the game play sux. Alright, I am a huge COD Fan.... But this is the last Infinity Ward game I ever by. See they are good with coming up with ideas to put into the game as far as killstreaks, weapons, and special equipment. BUT..... The game play suckssss! I wish I was a Surgeon so I could tie everyone's tubes! Black Ops was by far the best COD ever. Treyarc is the best because they concentrate on game play not attention getters. If you don't think so it must be because you just stuck to the death matches. See there is much more to Black Ops than just the Death Matches. First the whole buy what you want is an awesome idea. I loved the idea of COD $ system. Which leads me into the best part about Black Ops, the WAGER MATCHES! One in the Chamber, Sticks & Stones, and Gun Game are a friggin blast to play. A lot of smack talking just keeps everything exciting. So now lets talk about MW3... WHERE ARE THE WAGER MATCHES???? Ohhhhh they are in Private Matches now.... WHY????????!!!!! and you forgot Sticks and Stones perhaps the best one! Everytime I play MW3 everyone has tubes and it is annoying. But it's not the most annoying part about MW3. See everyone loves the idea of all those cool killstreaks they came up with right? Well if you are a Hardcore fan like myself, It annoys the hell out of me to dump a clip in someone from behind then they turn around and shoot you once in the head so I can't play regular team death match I have to stick to hardcore. But in Hardcore all of those cool Killstreaks I was talking about are pretty much redered useless. Why you ask? Because everybody and their friggin mother uses cold blooded. See in Black Ops not everyone ran Ghost because you had tough choices to chose from. if you chose Ghost you were giving up Hardline or something good. So in MW3 when if you are playing Hardcore Team Deathmatch and you get an AC-130 you might as well just shoot aimless at the map which kills your teamates because you can't see anyone! Pavelows, Torrent Guns, nothing works! What is the point of Killstreaks if you can't use them! I hate you Infinity Ward Thanks for jam packing a game full of fun stuff and making it lame! | video-games_xbox |
A Ton Of Fun. As someone who takes their game purchases rather seriously, I did quite a bit of homework before I purchased this game. I went in expecting a very good game with awesome graphics, albeit with a few minor nits.
Even with these expectations, Rallisport Challenge left me pleasantly surprised. The first thing you notice when firing up the game is the simply flawless graphics. I remember back a few years when they had 'intros' to the game that featured beautiful cars and vistas, only to find that the real game was not up to that level. For Rallisport Challenge, what you see is what you get -- and I mean that in the best possible light. The jaw-dropping level of detail, in my opinion, makes this the second best reason to own an Xbox (Halo being first at this point).
Being a game, one has to find where the line between 'fun' and 'tedious' occurrs. The developers seem to have found a very good balance here. The physics model of the cars is excellent. The better cars can do more, but are much more sensitve -- as one would expect. However, if you get inverted, you can 'roll' the car over again and continue the race.
The game is centered around 'Career Mode'. You have to compete in Career Mode to open up a large percentage of cars and tracks. Out of the box, only a 'teaser' quantity of items is available.
Things to be aware of if you buy this game:
1) While amazing to look at, and a very good physics model, this is still a game. If you want a true, 100% simulation, you may have to wait. As it is, this is as close as it gets on the Xbox currently.
2) A lot of tracks and cars are 'locked' when you first buy the game. Be prepared to have a frustratingly large amount of this game unavailable (even in multi-player) at first.
3) This is a lot of fun. The variety of tracks, racing styles, and cars make it a game I can't wait to get home from work to play. Not many games really do that.
All things considered, this is a great purchase, and is something that young kids through mature gamers can have a lot of fun with. As long as you know what you're getting (a top notch game with a few minor nits), I think you'll be very pleased with your purchase. | video-games_xbox |
Kodak Moments. The first Splinter Cell created some of videogames' most memorable moments. Pandora Tomorrow creates them in spades. Among them:
-- More spotlight-avoidance madness. In one scene, having to remain IN THE SPOTLIGHT as it moves along the ground to avoid a sniper using night-vision goggles until you can find a safe haven!!!
-- Crouched in a corner (or wherever), in shadow, as an enemy comes within INCHES of your position, then suddenly pressing your back against the wall at the last minute and hoping/praying (and holding your breath, literally) that he doesn't detect you!!
-- Shooting out all the lights in a location to create total darkness, then switching to night-vision and creeping around toying with the enemies' nerves by making noises, slapping them up against the head and running away quickly, only to put them out of their misery at some point by either subdueing or shooting them in the head - - all without them ever having seen you!!
- - the foliage and water effects as you sneak your way through them!!
- - the moving train scene and sneaking through a cabin with passengers sitting inches from you, sneaking along the outside railing or underneath the carriage going 90 mph; the first time an oncoming train passes you...'nuff said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- - the rain and lightning effects in one level towards the end of the game.
- - the animations of non-playable characters as they sit/stand and do whatever it is they're doing. They look and act so real it's scary!!
- - dropping in through windows of civilians watching TV and then sneaking past them through shadows out another window!! ...
- - two words: sticky cam or diversion cam - take your pick!!
- - THE GENUINE FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE GAME. COUNT HOW MANY TIMES YOU PUMP YOUR FISTS IN CELEBRATION!!!!
- - In the LAX level, sneaking through the concourse and taking a moment to look out the panoramic window to see ACTUAL planes taking off the runway!!
Buy the game, y'all. Then witness all your other games suddenly lose all their appeal. | video-games_xbox |
Inherently Unstable. I've had my 360 for about a year. I have not played it heavily since I have a full time job and I have to pay bills. About a week and a half ago, it croaked on me. When I went to turn it on, I got the "red ring of death." I've been talking to other gamers and have found that this is a very common problem. Some are even saying that the failure rate is as high as 33 percent. I made sure that my 360 was well ventilated, but that didn't help. I had it on a milk crate with a revolving room fan blowing on it whenever I played. I did everything right from the start, and it still went belly up.
It's true that they upped their warranty to three years, but what are we supposed to do after that? All of my other systems have lasted longer than three years. The bottom line is that the XBox 360 is inherently unstable. It's unreliability makes it a poor choice for a game console. It is a poorly constructed product that is characterized by its inferiority. If 33% of current Xboxes are already dead or dying, what are the chances of this system actually making it to the five year mark? I wish I would have bought a PS3. The PS3 is a more reliable and powerful system. It also has free online capabilities. It doesn't have as wide of a selection of games, but this is just the beginning of the next generation of gaming. Gears of War isn't that big of a deal when the three red rings are flashing. It becomes a very expensive paperweight. Microsoft has made a huge error with the 360 and I made a huge error when I bought it. In their rush to be the first console on the market, they forgot to make a machine that actually works. Do not waste you money on this. PS3 is a superior choice.
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is my second review for this product. After my Xbox red ringed, I called Microsoft and they sent me a 360 "coffin" with a shipping label. I packed my 360 up and took it to the UPS. I was pleasantly suprised when my newly repaired console arrived just a few weeks after I sent it off. Last night, I picked it up at the UPS office. When I got home, I got ready to play a little Call of Duty 4. I'll never forget the instant that I pushed the button. I couldn't believe it when my system showed me the three red rings......right out of the box. I kept turning it on and off and finally saw some green. I actually played for about ten minutes, and then it stopped. The screen went totally blank.... and when I looked up at my console.... there they were..... the dreaded "red rings of death." I sent it in for repairs and Microsoft didn't even bother to fix it.
This is extremely disappointing to me. The Xbox 360 console is a total disaster. I can not think of a worse system.... ever. The Atari Jaguar was a failure, but at least it worked. At least you could reliably play the one cool game on the system (Aliens vs. Predator). The original Nintendos wore out after a while. Remember blowing on your cartridges to get them to work? At least you could fiddle with it and get some kind of response every now and then.
The failure rates of the 360 are astronomical. This is bad. Really bad. I don't appreciate the way that Microsoft has conducted their business. I don't appreciate having my money and my time wasted. I can't even sell it at a decent price anymore. Since so many people are getting rid of them, the price on used 360 consoles has gone down considerably.
This is turning out to be a PR disaster for Microsoft. The 360 is giving Microsoft a really bad name. It looks like they've got a real problem on their hands and its not going away anytime soon. The only hope for current 360 owners is a class action lawsuit that would enable us to reclaim some of the money that we've wasted on this shamefully shoddy hardware. | video-games_xbox |
Its time has come and gone. The Gamester Pro Racer Wheel is an old style wheel controller that bases your turns on how one wheel half moves in relationship to the other half. This is a system that will really annoy most gamers but work well for the few who dedicate time to practicing and honing the technique.
In modern times with Wii wheels working in full movement with wonderful hand-movement-sensing technology, it's almost hard to remember back when this Gamester type of wheel was actually a good option. Here is how it works.
The wheel has two halves - a left half and a right half. Both have a TINY range of movement to go clockwise and counterclockwise. The movement is maybe an inch total. If you hold your right hand perfectly still and "turn" / "rotate" your left hand counter-clockwise, as if you were making a left hand turn, this turns the car left. In the same manner, if you hold your left hand perfectly still and turn / rotate your right hand clockwise, as if you were making a right hand turn, this turns the car right.
The problem is trying to play an action game and keeping one hand still. It's not natural at all. Also, with only an inch range of motion, it's extremely hard to make sharp turns vs gradual turns and so on. It's just not good for that.
Also, all the buttons are in the top right of the controller so now you're trying to reach for them with your fingers while you're holding one hand stiff and trying to gently rotate the other hand.
As you might imagine, if you played with this all day every day you could actually get the knack of it down and do well with it. Back when it was the only option, it might be worth it, too. However, in modern times when they have *awesome* wheels out there - either the stick to the table kind or the motion sensing kind - there's really no reason to spend the weeks necessary to get really good with this thing. It's gone the way of those old style giant joysticks from Atari with the one big red button. | video-games_xbox |
Surprisingly fun game. I downloaded the demo for The Cursed Crusade while trying to sludge my way through the mess that is <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Hunted/dp/B003FBL85W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Hunted</a>. Man, Bethesda shoulda called Atlus, because for everything that was wrong with Hunted was pretty well fixed with TCC. Apparently I wasn't the only one who decided to hit up this little title, because within days of the demo hitting XBL, every GameStop in the area was sold out of it (Best Buy never did have it).
Here's a quick run-down:
* Controls: are responsive and intuitive, simple enough to pick up and run with yet with enough of a combo tree that combo-techies won't feel neglected.
* Story: I felt the story is pretty immersive, thanks to brief "chore" levels (similar to in the demo when you push the portcullis-thing to the gate before the shooting begins).
* Graphics: the graphics back up the story admirably, especially while in hell view. While the backgrounds and texturing can occasionally look a little "early-gen"ish, the character models are sharp and the animations stayed fluidly on-par with <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Assassin-s-Creed/dp/B002I08RA0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Assassin's Creed</a>.
* Co-op: the most important for me is the local co-op (I like to play with my pals, so I don't buy games without it). Here TCC proves well-thought out. In <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/too-many-games/dp/B002Q21X7Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">too many games</a> the title character so dominates the game that the secondary character is just along for the ride, but here Esteban feels like a fully-fleshed character in his own right.
My only real hang-up from a full 5-stars is that the game gets inconveniently reliant on timed combos sometimes (like <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dante-s-Inferno/dp/B001NX4DUQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dante's Inferno</a>) where I wish it was a little more straight-forward hack-and-slash. But I understand what the developers were trying to do, in making these moments different.
In the end, The Cursed Crusade won't make the chronic complainers about every nuance of AAA titles happy (you know the type), but I think it's a solid, fun game for the rest of us - and definitely worth its bargain price. Enjoy! | video-games_xbox |
a good collection missing afew rare gems. This collection is a must have if your feeling abit nostalgic. It contains some of the best games of all time inparticular the four Mega Drive classics (Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles) and the fantastic Sonic & Knuckles lock-on mini games. You also get the Mega Drive versions of Dr Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine and Sonic Spinball and the dull Sonic 3D: Blast, the last Sonic game made for Sega's 16 bit console. This collection also includes a selection of rare Game Gear games. Some of these are quite fun others are not so good.
Here are all games included in this collection:
Mega Drive:
Sonic The Hedgehog ****
The first Sonic game released for the Mega Drive.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 *****
The second Sonic game introduced us to Sonic's new sidkick Miles 'Tails' Prower, a two tailed flying fox. The game was also a much larger affair, with 10 levels intead of 6.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 ****
The third outing for Sonic and Tails introduced us to Kunckles and the mysterious Angel Island.
Sonic & Knuckles ****
The fourth game in the series was the last great Sonic game ever made in my opinion. It featured a special lock-on capability which allowed you to plug all the previous games in the series into the top of the cartrige and unlock special games.
Sonic Spinball **
Not much to say about this game. It's simply a pinball game, and a bad one at that.
Sonic 3D ***
The last Sonic released for the Mega Drive. The pointless attemt at 3D made this a dull and slow affair when compared to the other four games in the series.
Dr Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine ***
A puzzle game featuring Dr Robonick from the animated series 'The Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog'.
Sonic & Knuckles lock-on games:
Sonic 3 special stage game (Sonic 1) ***
Knuckles in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Sonic 2) *****
Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sonic 3) *****
Game Gear Games:
Sonic The Hedgehog ***
Sonic Chaos ***
Sonic Drift **
Sonic Labyrinth *
Dr Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine ***
Sonic Blast *
There are also four non-sonic unlockable games, their nothing special but worth a look.
The Ooze **
Comix Zone***
Flicky *
Ristar ***
This is a great collection, however i still can't understand why Sega felt the need not to include rare titles such as Sonic CD, Sonic R and Sonic The Fighters. Even though they have released them together in the Sonic Gems Colletion, i still feel it would have been much better to have released them all in one big collectors package instead. | video-games_xbox |
Wow factor times 10. This game is almost perfectly orchrastrated from start to finish. In fact the only reason it didn't score 5 stars from me is because I'm sick of games that don't allow you to save your progress when you want. Several times I lost progress because the wife needed something done or I had to leave.
Regardless, the graphics and gameply were superb and set the pace for how I believe all gaming experiences should be. The movies and voice acting were top notch and play like watching an actual movie, which by they way you can pretty much due from the library after beating the game. A+ and thanks Capcom! Never too hard and never too easy there is always a good balance of fun and strategy.
You start off as Nero, a sort-of outcast, someone who likes to think for himself rather than being controlled (by religion) arriving late for Kyrie's singing performance. Queue Dante who true to his demanor makes a grand dramtic entrance followed by a performance that will have you questioning whose side he's on.
While you begin the game as Nero you'll later switch to Dante's perspective furthering the story along. The movies before and after each boss fight will keep you talking and smiling long after turning off your XBox. My peronal favorite is the movie after Dante defeats Belial and receives the Lucifer.
The games weapons almost take on a persona of their own as you play thru and learn to master their skills and exploits. Just wait till you get Pandora's Box! One piece of advice would be make sure you acquire the Air Hike (for both Nero and Dante) and to max out Nero's Devil Trigger Grab.
There are really only 2 complaints that I have for DMC 4. One, as I mentioned before is the lack of saving except for after a mission has been completed and the second is that the game was pretty short, approximately 10-12 hours of gameplay. However I did not play through all the side missions and I my original pass-thru was on the Novice setting. Having said that, unlike many of the other titles out there this one has me anxious to get home to my XBox.
One side note is make sure that you keep Kyrie alive during the credits for an additional "secret" ending involving Dante.
- Dan. | video-games_xbox |
This game is silly fun. So why take it seriously. NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE XBOX 360 VERSION.
When I first read about this game, I figured this game would be really good or bad. I picked the game up fairly cheap since it's been out for a while.
This game takes quite a bit from the zombie horror genre, and adds much humor to it. The Main character is Juliet Starling. It's her 18th Birthday. How does she celebrate it? By hacking & slashing, and trying to find the source of the Zombie infestation. On her journey, her family of hunters helps her along the way, giving her birthday presents to assist her in her goals. Her boyfriend helps her along the way in an unusual manner. Their interactions are humorous to say it best.
Throughout the game you collect coins from slaying zombies. The coins allow you to buy power ups & moves for devestating combos.
When you complete the game, there are two endings. Saving people from Zombies will determine what ending you have.
So, let's break it down:
PROS:
-Solid story line. Silly and humorous. It has a little bit of everything. As stated before, Juliet's interactions with her boyfriend are hilarious at times.
-It's a hack & slash game. Most suitable for this title. Combos galore to keep you entertained.
-The Boss fights are pretty cool. Very creative.
-The Soundtrack. Great music for the style of the game. In my Opinion, it's what really made the game.
CONS:
-Controlling. As fun as this game was, the controls at times felt a little still/delayed. primarily when Juliet uses her chainsaw.
-Puzzles & Challenges. Well, not all of them. The Arcade was kinda lame. The Boss fight was fine, but getting there was lame. I understand it. It made sense for that level, but lame.
-While her interactions with her boyfriend is awesome, how he assists her is quite worn out at times. In other words, it gets old guiding him to bust a wall down or whatever...
-While making progress in the game, The save options could've been better.
-The game could've been longer, but was fine for the most part.
OVERALL: Four stars out of five. The creators of Lollipop Chainsaw really came through on the personality of this game. Unlike Dead Rising, Dead Island, Left for Dead, & Resident Evil, Lollipop Chainsaw takes a more Happy-go-lucky/Cheerful view on saving the world from zombies. I can see why some reviews were negative on this game. Having said that, my opinion is not to take this game seriously. It's meant to be a comical ride. If you're a fan of the Zombie Genre, this game is meant to be in your collection. Since this game is more affordable, an even better reason to pick it up. Have fun with it. Enjoy the ride. I'd love to see a sequel. | video-games_xbox |
A fitting farewell to this generation of NHL games. The release of NHL 14 reminds hockey fans everywhere that the NHL regular season is just weeks away, and what better way to spend those weeks than with a little virtual hockey goodness from EA SPORTS?
This year's installment brings plenty of changes from NHL 13 in what is likely the series' last installment on the current-gen consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3) with the Xbox One and PS4 set to release in late November.
::Presentation::
You'll notice right away upon booting up the game that the main menu has been overhauled from previous years. While the structure hasn't really changed much since NHL 07, the menu layout has been simplified in order to remove some of the clutter we saw in NHL 13. Also, when you choose your favorite team this year, instead of the team's lineup scrolling in the background, your team's captain or star player is featured on top of the menu on the left side of the screen, which is a nice little personalization touch.
Dynamic Player Ratings are a strong addition to the series. While we saw hot and cold streaks in the NHL games of the late-90s and early-2000s, these new player ratings take that to the next level. EA will release roster updates (as they have been for years) to reflect trades and roster moves that occur in real life, but now they will add hot and cold streaks based on real-life player performance. If a depth forward has a big week (think Daniel Winnik in early 2013), that player will receive a rating boost in NHL 14. It should be a real nice touch, but my only concern is how often they're actually updated.
There's also been a small crop of new cyber-faces added to NHL 14 to give more players their facial likenesses, which is always a welcome addition in the name of authenticity.
In Be a GM and Live the Life game modes, the main message screen where reports of transactions and roster moves were displayed in previous years has been pleasantly upgraded to a more Twitter-like interface. Now, you'll see more realistic messages with information from hockey analysts regarding trade rumors, goaltending match-ups on the day of the game and much more, all complete with hashtags. It's not a groundbreaking addition, but one that certainly adds realism.
Speaking of Live the Life, this is EA's brilliant reinvention of Be a Pro. Now, your career is more than just playing games and racking up points and trophies. You are fully immersed in the professional lifestyle. Take part in pre-draft interviews, make decisions on whether to go out with teammates after a game when you play the next day, and even see yourself on a billboard in your team's city. On and off the ice, every decision you make affects your career.
There are four meters relating to affability that players keep track of with each decision affecting these for better or worse: fan, teammates, management and family. You'll notice changes in each of these, too. Anger the fans too much and they'll boo you at home. Make the fans happy and they'll especially cheer when you get the puck and you'll notice more camera flashes in the crowd, too. While most of these decisions you make are mere text prompts, it still adds a role-playing element to the mode, which it desperately needed, and provides a foundation for future titles.
::Hockey Ultimate Team::
Not much has been changed from NHL 13 in terms of Hockey Ultimate Team. This mode still remains incredibly fun as a fantasy hockey player's dream. For those not familiar, Hockey Ultimate Team allows users to build a team of whatever players they want, whether they be in the NHL or OHL. Players are bought either on the Auction House or in card packs that you can purchase using real money or EA Pucks, EA's currency earned by playing games in every game mode, offline or online.
The only thing I've experienced early on that is frustrating is how much money people pour into the game mode. If you're trying to build a competitive team by only earning EA Pucks in-game, it's going to be tough to compete. Ten games in, I faced a team full of first and second-line regular NHLers. Though I consider myself a fairly skilled competitive player, I still didn't stand a chance against a powerhouse like that. But again, you can earn EA Pucks playing offline, which will allow you to purchase the more expensive packs in hopes of landing a Sidney Crosby or Pavel Datsyuk, around which you can build your team and be the envy of the HUT world.
::Gameplay*::
The most glaring update to the gameplay mechanics is undoubtedly the new fighting engine. Gone is the first-person, gimmicky fighting of old and here now is the most realistic fighting engine ever in a hockey game. Say you lay a devastating hit on an opponent (clean or not), you may have to answer for it. The fallen player's teammate could skate over to engage you for a fight without your consent. Love it or hate it, that's what happens all too often in the NHL. As far as mechanics go, the crew from EA's Fight Night series stepped in to help develop this third-person enforcer engine. Players square off to drop the gloves with the ref circling and teammates gathered around watching. Users can push and pull on their opponent's sweater, counter punch and even knock out their opponent in one punch.
The hitting has also been improved dramatically for NHL 14 and is probably my most prized improvement from last year's game. No longer will you be skating full speed at an opponent and lower your shoulder into him only to have him fall forward; the physics have been corrected. Now that the players' bodies react appropriately within the boundaries of real-life physics, laying a big hit has never been more satisfying.
The addition of quick dekes have also made dangling more crisp and responsive. These take less time to pull off than the more fancy dekes of previous years (still included). If you find yourself in tight quarters and need to escape, utilize a quick deke and you'll find yourself blowing past defenders with slick ease.
I keenly typed an asterisk after the word "gameplay" because the online play is constantly changing. EA SPORTS continuously gathers feedback from gamers in order to improve the online gameplay experience via setting tuner sets that will periodically be available for download right from the game's main menu.
Meanwhile, as it has been in previous years offline, users can freely alter the game's settings to their desire. Everything from shot speed and accuracy to goalie reaction speed is all tunable so players can create whatever gameplay experience they would like when playing a buddy at their house or against the CPU.
::NHL 94 Anniversary Mode::
Perhaps one of the most anticipated additions for NHL 14, this 20th anniversary homage to the game that introduced many hockey fans into the virtual hockey world is on point. The vintage blue ice, star icon player indicator and even the old siren goal horn from the Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis glory days. This mode makes the game easy to enjoy for people who haven't played an NHL game since '94. Users can use simplified controls where there are only two buttons to pass and shoot on offense, while those same buttons control speed bursts and checking on defense.
To top it off, there's no rules so anything goes, making this the ultimate party mode to play with your friends. Let the nostalgia begin!
::Soundtrack::
I can safely say this is the first year I will not be implementing my own personal soundtrack because this year's tunes are just that good. Tracks from Rise Against, Dropkick Murphys, Black Veil Brides, Biffy Clyro, New Politics, Wolfmother and more capture the grit and spirit of hockey quite nicely. But again, if you find it's not for you, adding your own music in-game is quite simple via the EA SPORTS Media Hub.
::The Verdict?::
Plenty has been improved upon from NHL 13. A new fighting engine, improved body checking physics and quick dekes bring a lot of fun to the gameplay. The online gameplay needs some work, but tuners will help find a happy medium in due time. NHL 14 serves as a great sendoff to the current generation of gaming consoles in the EA SPORTS franchise.
SCORE: 9.3/10 | video-games_xbox |
An Excellent expansion pack /side story for Halo 3. At First i wasn't sure about getting this..because ive heard good and bad about this "expansion pack"
i tried this at a friends house today..and i was hooked..Master chief is the Star of the halo universe as far as im concerned but playing the "Rookie" an ODST is a refreshing change of pace...in fact it adds even more depth to halo 3... because you have to be more aware and careful...meaning more stragedy..because your not a spartan (you don't have shields and amped up strength etc)
some of the features i like so far is the fact that they included all the multiplayer maps and added some more on a single disc which frees up lots of space on the hard drive. some people say this is a rip off i disagree. i also like that you will be able to play the beta of halo:reach sometime soon on xbox live..(cant wait!)
back to the multiplayer maps for a sec..it looks like Bungie cleaned them up a bit..they look much better .
ok now heres the skinny..the gameplay is just what you would expect from a Halo game...AWESOME! lots of great action...all the cool weapons..etc whats not to like? with xbox live..you get to use the insane firefight mode..which is highly addicting! i haven't even really got into the campaign mode yet because im having a great time with Firefight!
the graphics are great..but i hear they are revamping the engine for Halo:Reach
the story, from what ive seen is interesting..you get to find out what happend to your squad in the city of new mombasa the music is Moody and somber...which fits the nightime fighting as well..
Dont listen to the people ripping on this..its not a waste of money..its an independent storyline that expands and enhances the halo 3 experience.. sure i wish this was a download thru marketplace but that only a small gripe.
you know they will give more DlC thru the marketplace for this title also.its bound to happen
Bottom line if your a halo fan, this is a no brainer.. | video-games_xbox |
Great game after horrible release. UPDATE: There's really no reason to keep my original review but I'll leave it anyway. All problems have been mostly fixed. There are rare bugs that occur throughout the game still, but nothing that should stop you from purchasing it.
Pros:
*Very expansive. I won't regurgitate others reviews but this game has so much detail. I'll only say that I am overwhelmed by the amount of options there are to customize your character.
*In game loads are very fast
*addicting gameplay
*Its elder scrolls. You get the point....
CONS
*Voice chat is still buggy. They promise a fix soon, but there are workarounds
*You can't block players! I'm so sick of people walking around blaring music or movie soundboards. Please let me turn them off. It's so frequent.
*Its an MMO so you can jump in in under 5 minutes half of the time. The queue is sometimes a little long. Not abnormal for this, but just FYI.
Overall it's a great game and I'm glad they fixed the bugs quickly.
Original review:
I'm sorry but this game is a 1 star. I will absolutely be back to fix my rating when the game is patched but there are WAY TOO MANY BUGS! Invisible people, can't connect to friends 50% of time, when you do connect chat is unavailable, quests not loading and then popping up later in a different area in front of your face while you're in another mission talking to another mission holder.
And last but not least, the crashing! I have played for 8 hours and been booted over a dozen times. I'm not exaggerating. I will say my friend has had less troubles but I'm at a higher level with more quests to complete so that could be a factor, BUT
I get kicked off for excessive messaging (SPAM) when I don't even message anyone! It's crashed my entire system once and several times crashes to the dashboard. It's taken its toll and I have to shelve it until a patch happens.
edit: If you don't believe my review is helpful, head over to the support page for ESO. Here is their work around for invisible NPC's:
We are aware that certain NPCs are invisible for some console players. This can prevent interaction with them and hinder progress in the game. It is often caused by an issue with the phase that the player character is currently in.
In order to resolve this, we recommend fully logging out of the game and power cycling the console.
IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that in order to enter a new phase, players will need to stay logged out for at least five (5) minutes. If players do not stay logged out for five minutes, the phase will not properly reset.
In order to power cycle their console, we recommend that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players try the following steps. | video-games_xbox |
Rent First. Dark Sector is a horror / combat game featuring dark, moody scenery, people being tortured, and a hero who wields a glaive - the spinning, razor-sharped boomerang a la Krull.
The music is loud and spooky, always making you think that horribly painful death is lurking right around the corner. Most of the time it is, in the shape of enemies who have little knowledge of tactics but do have the numerical advantage.
Graphics are all right - a study in black, white and grey sometimes, but a touch more realism might have been nice to draw you more into the story. The rag doll physics are a bit creepy, as bodies fall in extremely unnatural positions and then tumble around inappropriately.
There are fighting sections, stealth sections, puzzle sections, a collection of enemy types, new weapons to find, new upgrades for your spinny death-blade.
Really, though, the main issue here is that the game begins to feel tedious after a while. The enemies are just a little too much of the same mindset so once you figure them out, you have figured them all out. The bosses are like puzzles, but poorly designed puzzles that give you little feedback.
There are ten chapters which is relatively short for a game - and with their save system it seems that you always have to start a load game from the beginning of a chapter. That can get to be a royal pain if you are almost done with a level and need to turn off the system for some reason.
How about the storyline? You begin as a reluctant soldier, almost trying to retreat from the assigned mission - but it's too late to go back. As you're in doing your deed, you get infected with a disease. This leads to your connection with the spinning blade of multiple powers.
In general, while we've had this game for several months now, we rarely put it in. There are always other games we'd rather play. I would definitely suggest you rent this first, play it for a weekend, see how it appeals to you. Who knows, you might finish the game over the weekend and be all set. If you really do enjoy the game style you can always buy it at that point and go forward. | video-games_xbox |
Great controller. This is a great controller...probably one of the best I've EVER used! I'm sick of hearing how all those anti-Microsoft whiners complain about how big and heavy the controller is. Yes, admittedly it is large and heavy, but it feels absolutely perfect in my hands for those long NFL FEVER and HALO gaming sessions! And yes, the button layout is different at first and the black/white buttons can be difficult to reach when you first start using it, but trust me, after about 2 days of use, you get used to it and then you begin to wonder why all gamepads aren't like this one! It's almost as if Microsoft took the best of the stock Dreamcast pad and molded it to the hands of real gamers! You'll find no such uncomfortable edges/angles to cramp your hands and no cheap components to frustrate you! This pad is heavy and tough! It will definitely withstand the rigors of normal use and the vibration function is not a cheap buzzer effect, but one that actually enhances games like HALO where you get to fire loads of cool automatic weapons!
What else is cool about this pad? The nine foot cord. The break-away cables that detach to prevent the console from falling if someone should trip over it. This has to be the first game pad where they got the analog features down PERFECTLY. I'm not kidding either...read my review of the Nuon's Logitech controller to see that I am no advocate of analog control. Every analog control from the two thumbsticks to the triggers are PERFECT...just the right amount of resistance and play to allow for ultra-precise movements and adjustments. Am I the only one who thought the Dreamcast pad had an analog stick that was too loose? This is NOT the case with the XBOX controller! Seems that Microsoft is out to make sure it does everything right! The XBOX and its initial launch of games show me that the guys in Redmond are serious about giving gamers and developers exactly what we want! | video-games_xbox |
To the point review: Arcade-like racing game...lol. *Update* Downgrading to 2 stars...online play is pretty fun at least to start so fun factor 3 stars
I have about 7 hours in this game single player/online/splitscreen and I will have to agree this game is sub-par from expectations. (I've been playing Xbox games and playstation games the last 15+years)...
Pros:
Splitscreen!
Online is fun for what it is
Graphics are Ok if you like these sort of models, I prefer more realistic Forza / GT 5
Approach it as an arcade and could be some fun?
Cons:
Arcade-like driving and races
Cars control and racing doesn't feel as good as Forza or GT 5
Limited upgrades
Limited cars
Loading times are already annoyingly long and frequent
This is far more arcade-like than Forza or GT5, so if you are going to buy it don't think it will be realistic at all. If you approach it like an arcade game and just want to win some fast paced races I think this can still provide some fun. So far all the cars feel the same and it is instant acceleration lol so weird...
Compared to Forza Horizons <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Forza-Horizon/dp/B0050SYDEQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Forza Horizon</a>, GRID 2 driving doesn't even compare / is much worse/different (if you haven't played forza horizons game and like racing it is a must!!). As for GRID 2, think more about the arcade racing games at the pizza joints when you were a kid and perhaps you will enjoy flying around corners and watching the AIs doors off their hinges and then getting slammed by them as hard as possible while they take no damage if you let up on the pace haha
Confimed it does have split screen which is the only reason I bought this game as it is a shame most titles are going away from local co-op and instead going into the anti-social strategy that will sell more games! Have now played splitscreen for an hour, there are multiple different modes from racings to more arcade-like challenges. The splitscreen is top/bottom and can see pretty clearly on a 42" TV so I still see this as one of the few things done right in the game.
Will update more as I progress in career and online... | video-games_xbox |
Slam the controller to the floor frustrating. This game gets incredibly frustrating at times. However, it's also too addictive to quit. The challenges are, for the most part, fairly short, from 1 to 5 minutes, though there are some longer ones at the higher levels, and it's easy enough to restart after screwing up. However, when the frustration mounts after restarting ad nauseum, the 3 second countdown to restart gets very annoying.
Despite the intense frustration, I haven't given up. I've unlocked all the cars, and all the tracks except Pall Mall, and currently have about 225 thousand kudos. Although at times, making progress seemed impossible, I managed to steadily make progress, since there's a variety of challenges, it's possible to switch from being stuck on one to start fresh on another.
In the early levels, the street races, where one races against 5 other cars for a set number of laps, are one of the easiest challenges. However, in the later levels, they become much more difficult. The computer cars are just vicious. They try to knock your car into the rails, sideways, or backwards at any opportunity, unless they get far enough ahead of you, in which case they'll start driving perfect lines so that you'll never catch up.
The kudos challenges are also horrendously difficult. The key is to string the combos along as long as possible to get the big points, which means doing slides between sets of cone gates, which means driving out of control, which usually means ending up hitting a cone or the rails.
The graphics are, of course, very nice. There is some popup in some NY and SF courses, and slowdown on some rainy tracks with lots of reflections, and slowdown sometimes when the radio voices come on. But these minor glitches haven't affected the gameplay.
The sound effects are also very nice. Being able to put together your own soundtracks with songs from your own cds is also a great feature. However, the in-game song "Beat 'em up" really captures the game, because you'll really want to pound those computer cars after their persistent ramming of your car. | video-games_xbox |
So many possabilities, such little time. I will have to say that I am no RPG fanatic in any way shape or form. That being said, my choice of buying Fable as my first XBOX game was an odd one. As a former student of philosphy and admirer of all things mythic and violent, I was attracted to the selling point and tagline about the choices and consequences.....
I was not dissapointed at all.
I can agree with many of the reviews offered thus far, yes, it is a little bit too short, and there are not nearly enough side quests of miniquests. But I have a feeling that is something that will be worked out when the sequel comes out. Also hoping for some live based missions or larger world maps to rival the everquest crowds or the FF platforms.
Simply put, I really enjoyed this game, and recomend it to anyone who is into fantasy based levelers.
What I liked the most:
Great design: The maps were great! very well drawn, and realistic. Felt like there was alot more to explore, but there wasn't.....
Good action: The fighting was never booring, unless you get too strong on the powerups....but there was always a few suprises that cought me off guard.
The whole morality driven character design, great. Could have used more options and finess, but it's great fun to play this game from multiple vantagepoints. Being good is fun, but being evil....well we all know that's even more fun.
I got a bit addicted, (as in real life) to giving my character tattoos..... they really do affect the way your character is percieved. And, just like in our reality, some tats are just dumb. A neat little feature is that when you get them revomed, you get white scar tissure where the old tat used to be. Same with battle damage, or torture scars, they mess with the ink jobs.
The haircuts are fun, but a but silly at times.
The wepons are fun, but the great ones come too late in the game.....
I liked being able to buy houses and steal things. You can even steal houses from people by killing the inhabitants and buying them with the rent from your own properties, or stolen money. This works for stores as well.....
What I wish It could have had:
It it could have been a longer game...just so one could explore the level maps better. As I said, more mini missions next time please, especially after the main story is completed. (All that power, and nothing to do......)
It would have been nice to be able to return to the Guild after the last level.....or the Arena after beating that.....(possible multiplayer online improvements there....)
Vehicles would be nice. Horses, carts, war wagons.....adds a little more to the buying and selling aspect of the game, and breaks up the monotony of the whole teleporting to new levels thing. (Plus think of how much you can steal from a whole wagonload of goods...) Customizable horses and carts, even ships to do some pirating action (a little bit of ZELDA Windwaker vibe there)
Online multiplayer options: Why just fight the undead, or npcs when you could waste other would be heroes or villians. Create your own rivalries.... compete on guild missions or the arena.
Better AI: Some of the npcs that "helped" you along the way were just in the way, others caused more harm than help. Squad controls would be nice to fix that. Or the ability to assign your invintory or expressions to your helpers....
An unloadable invintory: I got pretty bored with endlessly cycling through all my useless tatoo and haircut cards just to get an item selected for limited use. It would be cool to be able to sell or store many of those one use marker items other places. Re-usable treasure chests would be cool.
More minigames: The whole fight club thing was pretty cool, got a bit repetative, but it could be better. The archery contests were weak, could have used more realistic based mini challenges. Straw targets just don't cut it.
More fighting styles.
More weapons. especially for assassins.....knives, darts, garrotes......stelth kill moves.....shields perhaps, decorated with customizable crests or markings. Staves for wizard types which could be both a ranged and melee weapon. (like Maze had during his big scene......) Perhaps even the ability to steal weapons and armour from the dead, not just cash or meat.
More villians. Bandtis, the undead and monsters...oh my......gets old fast. How about facing off against armoured knights, angry citizens, rouge guild agents,(other than the bleedingly obvious plot driven ones.) corrupt guards, jealous ex wives.... all of that.....)
Re-usable Demon Doors: A fun and annoying part of the game: but ovber all more than Kinda useless onces you get all the treats inside. Perhaps turn the secret areas within them into usable mulitplayer maps or npc areas. More shops, usable homes, etc. W
Bigger cities: Sure the maps were great, but I would like more multidemensionality to my towns. Bigger buildings, more levels, complex roads and alley ways. Resturaunts, brothels, not just crappy inns or roadside beer tents....
Basically I guess I would love to the the enevitable Fable sequel to be a great mediveil style GTA game.
But until then, I am going to play Fable over and over again, aiming to get every little once of fun out of it until I can't stand it again. Still some treasure chests unlocked........still some people I haven't killed. Or saved, depending on the game.....
Get this game, spend some time with it, and hope that what good it has rubbs off on the RPG market, and what bad it has is fixed in the sequel. | video-games_xbox |
Pure Gem. The first time I tried the demo of this fun ATV racer, I knew Disney had a winner. This is a family friendly racing game that anyone can pick up and play, and enjoy.
When you first start the game, you are subject to a trial run to make sure you know how to handle your ATV in competition. This short tutorial teaches you all that you need to know about the game and how to complete tricks, before you jump in and start racing.
The heart of the game is in the World Tour mode. There is also a Single Race mode, Time Trial, and Online play (there is no local multiplayer mode). In World Tour, riders begin their career at Stage 1 and must compete in a variety of race styles (race, sprint, freestyle) to unlock points. When you have enough points, you advance to (unlock) Stage 2, and so on, until you eventually progress through the game's 10 stages. The good news here is that you do not have to win (or place in the top 3) in order to earn these points. Even placing 10th will net you a couple points towards your goal. Of course, the better you place, the more points you earn, but races are repeatable until you acquire the right number to unlock the next stage.
Right from Stage 1, you have a variety of tracks, so you are not racing repeatedly around the same terrain. These tracks are gorgeous to look at, and a heck of a lot of fun to careen around at top speed. As others have noted, the tricks are amazing, the air is huge, and the scenery is simply breathtaking--if you have time to admire it. More likely, you will be looking to land your trick, or ahead to the next jump.
Your ATV is the 'main character' in the game, allowing you to build and customize it any way you like. Winning races and unlocking stages will award you with special performance parts and items to equip, and even if you are not mechanically minded, it's a lot of fun tweaking your ATV the way you want it, be that simply a new paint job and some decals. However, you will quickly learn the value of adding performance parts to help with your next race. At the beginning of the game, you only have two ATV garage spots, but as you progress, more become available, so you will soon have an entire garage of ATVs at your disposal. Some races require a certain engine qualification etc to enter, so having several ATVs of different specs is a plus.
You choose a rider for your ATV, and can change riders at any time between races. Riders don't increase your skills as such, but each one has a unique Special Trick to add to your repertoire, so trying them all is fun. Additional riders can also be unlocked. One of the neat little touches I like is that your rider starts a race with clean clothes, but ends it splattered from head to toe with mud.
Overall, this is a very accessible racer for everyone who enjoys, or has even a passing interest in, the racing genre. Good clean (or in this case, muddy!) fun. | video-games_xbox |
Hours of fun, Minutes of pain. (xbox one player) The multiplayer is a cut above anything I've experienced in a FPS to date. I loved BF3 and before that I played A-LOT of Call of Duty, but this game just blows them all away. The customization of weapons is unparalleled and makes my loadouts feel that much more "My own". The vehicles have very balanced offensive and defensive capabilities that can remain exactly where they are. (Minus the attack heli, that thing gets blown out of the sky WAY to easy) Also, the new gametypes are a blast, I've played them all and LOVE obliteration.
The single player is a "meh" for me. I've played it, I enjoy the gameplay 100 times more than I did in BF3. All of the scenarios and big events were very enjoyable, but the story and plot that these characters find themselves in is just not engaging. I was not attached to the main character or any of the supporting characters for that matter. All of them are very forgettable, and I also despise a silent protagonist. But that doesn't really factor into my score because I pay for this game because of the MP aspect.
Things I Like: 1) fantastic job balancing the guns but making them unique enough to where I still have a preference. Every gun feels different when you fire it, and the feeling changes with different attachments. AS IT SHOULD! Also props to the sniping in this one, HUGE upgrade over BF3's phenomenal sniping.
2) Immobilization and disabling mechanics, it makes you contemplate how exactly you attack vehicles, I love that level of strategy in a FPS. Very cool
3) All the gadgets! The launchers all have their pro's and cons, 2 classes have C4 now. and those SLAM Mines are a-lot of fun. The different ammo and health kit options are fantastic, and the mobile vs stationary painter is a very smart option to have.
4) Attack Jets! having a jet dedicated to Air to Ground attacks (mostly) is perfect. I've spent alot of time in them and have loved every second of it.
Things to fix: 1) The game needs a pre-game lobby to squad up with friends. Its annoying to have to find a game then have all your buds sit in a queue till its their turn to join, then watch as they struggle to try and join your team. Takes about a full game to get everyone on the same team/squad which is just annoying.
2) Allow custom server rotations, there are some maps I'd like to leave out, and there are some China rising and Second assault maps that I really like, and want to see them in the rotation.
3) Fix the dice servers (xbox one) there are A-LOT of china rising and second assault servers that won't even let you play them. so you have to sit in a queue for the one thats smashed full of people.
4) I wants Seine Crossing back!! That level was my favorite of BF3 and I was so heartbroken when it wasn't announced in the Second Assault pack. :(
Overall I would definitely recommend this game it is not without its faults in some areas but its most certainly shines through as my go to game. I've put in 260+ hours into this game so far, and plan to put in alot more. Thank you for reading! | video-games_xbox |
Assassin's creed rogue has one of the best stories ever told in the AC series. Assassin's creed rogue has one of the best stories ever told in the AC series. I'm about 75% done with the story and it has been amazing. (Unfortunately the story is very short only 5 hours through so far, my guess is it'll take 7 hours to finish. 10 if you fail the mission multiple times, and/or want to complete optional objectives). Luckily there is a lot of side activities/collectibles to make up for the length of the story. The land and naval gameplay is similar to AC Black flag, with a few improvements. New additions for the naval gameplay is the puckle gun (a fast firing machine gun) replacing the swivel from AC 3 and Black flag, Burning oil which damages enemy ships chasing you, an ice ram to break through ice sheets, and a faster ship. New enemy tactics: Enemies can now board you, on land the assassin stalkers can hide in all the usual hiding spots that we used in the previous games, and will try to assassinate you (Will reduce your health to one bar if you are hit). Assassin leaders on land will usually run when they spot you, and will try to kill/stop you by shooting at you, throwing smoke bombs (you can counter by equipping the gas mask), shooting gunpowder barrels, or air assassinate (Same damage as stalkers). In my opinion, this game is worth the $60 price tag. You get a new amazing story, new enemy tactics, and other new elements. If you enjoyed Black flag you'll definitely want to pick this up.
UPDATE: I just finished the story. It took me about 8 hours to finish. (I failed multiple missions numerous times, and did all the optional objectives). I also noticed that if you kill 3 civilians during a short amount of time, bounty hunters will spot you and attack (They will appear after you complete sequence 2). IMO, they are the toughest enemies that I've ever fought in the AC series (Yes, even more tougher than the Janissaries from AC revelations). They can counter all your counters (like Break defense, counter kill, counter throw). The only way to block their attacks effectively, is to hold the parry button (B for xbox 360 , O for the ps3). The best way to kill them is to use the rope dart to pull 'em to the ground, then execute. Other ways are using the sleep/berserk/shrapnel darts/grenades (Smoke bombs won't work, because they wear gas masks). After you have killed all the bounty hunters, a message saying "The bounty hunters have abandoned their search" will appear. Also the max wanted level is 3, on land each level brings in two bounty hunters (a total of six, if you have the max wanted level. As for the naval, the amount of bounty hunters is a bit different than black flag. (1 ship for lvl 1, 2 ships for lvl 2 and 3. Lvl 1 Schooners/brigs, Lvl 2 Brigs/schooners/frigates, Lvl 3 brigs/Frigates/man o' wars). Wanted levels on land/naval will disappear on it's own, after a couple minutes. | video-games_xbox |
A Masterpiece Gone Awry. Eternal Sonata is a Japanese RPG set in the fantasy world of Fredrick Chopin's Last Dream before he died. Parts of the game are amazing, and other parts seem to exist only to ruin the amazing parts. This game will astound J-RPG'ers who can overlook the SUPER-cutsey characters, bad voice acting, and mediocre gameplay. For others, the negatives will probably be too distracting for them to enjoy the game.
Art 10+/10!!!
The art style is beautifully surreal and if you like anime style art, this could be one of the best games you'll see. Both the characters and environments are colorfully rendered to create the perfect fantasy setting.
Sound 8/10
The music is great, especially if you love Chopin or pianos in general. The atmospheric sounds are serene, and the battle sounds are ok.
Story 6/10
The story takes place in Chopin's Last Dream. In his dream, he visits a fantasy world where terminally ill children have magical powers. There are cities, beaches, forests, castles... The concept is truly amazing! However, the execution is not. The story is told through slow paced cutscenes where there is a close-up shot of a character. He or she says the line, there is a 2-3 second pause, and they switch to a close-up of the next character... Repeat. After a while, the pacing and direction of the cutscenes really starts to get annoying. This is something that you'll have to overlook if you want to enjoy the game.
Writing and Acting 5/10
The concept behind the game is great, but the lines of dialogue are sub-par. One of the main characters shouts, "Did I make your eyes spin?" in just about every battle. Polka (girl) says sorry for just about everything. In Japanese, it is polite to say sumimasen, meaning 'I beg your pardon or even a subtle thank you. In English, it translates into "Sorry." So Polka, being polite, says, "I'm sorry." for just about everything, attacking, healing, using an item... It gets on your nerves after a while. Some of the main characters are voice acted well. Frederick and Salsa are good, while Beat sounds like a 4 year old with a stuffy nose. If you can overlook these things and focus on the beauty of the art and the concept of the story, you'll be ok.
Gameplay 7/10
The concept is great, but again, the execution is flawed. The game combines turn based gameplay with action. When it is your turn, you get a few seconds to move your character and attack. Lighted spots on the battle field allow you to cast 'light magic spells' and if you stand in the shade, you can cast dark spells. So, you'll move and try to get off as many attacks as you can.
The problem is that almost every battle is 3 on 3 or 3 on 1. There isn't enough variety and the combat gameplay starts to feel stale after a while. If your levels are high enough, the battles are really easy, but if your levels are too low, you get destroyed. Because the encounters are so limited, you really don't get a chance to employ sophisticated tactics.
The Ending ??/10
I won't spoil the ending for you, but if you didn't buy into the story, you will hate the nearly hour long ending of the game. It will seem like you dropped LSD and watched Baby Geniuses. However, if you were able to stick with the story and not let the execution ruin the beauty of this game, you may love the ending. It's heavy handed, but its heart is in the right place.
Overall, the game is about 50 hours long. It is Rated T because of the fantasy battles and its serious take on death.
If you're a Hardcore fan of Japanese RPG's, Fantasy, or you can appreciate a beautiful art style, buy this game.
If you like your RPG's with Tough Characters, Real Time Action, Good Acting, Deep Strategy, or if the things I mentioned above would drive you nuts, you can safely avoid this game.
I would recommend the demo for everybody. The art and concept are too good to pass up. | video-games_xbox |
Great look, Good feel. I've had this guitar for almost a year now and played with it quite a few times as well as handed it off to friends that were over for a Rock Band party -- compared to the regular wireless Rock Band 2 guitars that are packaged with the original release kit (not the new Beatles ones) it's performance/feel/"I like this" factor is just about the same... it feels about 15% different, what I mean by that is if you like the normal Rock Band 2 wireless guitar already, this feels very similar -- the buttons are a bit more steady (not stiffer, but they don't jiggle around like the normal guitar at all) and the strum bar is a HAIR stiffer, but still has a smooth travel up or down -- no clicking.
The little touches like the metal whammy bar, metal knobs and turnable "tuner" grips at the top are all nice touches that make the overall faux feel of the guitar really great -- it does feel plastic though and is lighter than you expect given how it looks all fancy. So the illusion of "awesome/real" guitar fades away when you grab it, but it plays just fine and for the price I don't think anyone was expecting a real wooden guitar or anything.
There is a touch-sensitive pad on the guitar at the base of the frets, that little silver thing you see in the picture is a touch-sensitive button that MIGHT be really cool if you want/use it... I don't, and it drives me nuts when friends are over and are CONSTANTLY accidentally tapping it while we are trying to select a song. I think it's easy enough to throw tape over it, but just be aware of that feature if you are using the guitar and the game is acting insane and you are wondering why... someone is likely touching that touch-plate.
Overall, an easy 4 out of 5 score -- if you were at all interested in buying this because you liked the look or needed a new guitar and thought this was cool, it's a very easy recommendation, go ahead and buy it. If you don't necessarily NEED a new guitar and thought maybe this was all real wood and would be cool to have, I'd say pass on it because it's definitely a plastic instrument and not quite as insanely sexy as the Logitech premium guitar or some of those other ultra-realistic ones out there. | video-games_xbox |
Works as it should, once you figure out the controls. I purchased this the day it came out from the blue store with the big yellow sign. Cost was twenty five bucks. It came with the controls, a 3.5mm to 2.5mm cord adapter, and the USB adapter to allow the controller update. Contrary to at least one review, your headset does NOT need an update. It is the controller that needs an update. this process took roughly 2-3 minutes start to finish.
I intended to use this with my old Turtle Beach X-31 headset. I have the game sound wired through the audio out jacks from the television so I can control the game volume via my headset volume dial. As there were no clear instructions on how the adapter worked once plugged in I went into a party chat with some friends and played with the controls until I found a reasonable chat and game volume mix. (now that I know how the buttons work, I will need to adjust a little more so that only chat comes from the controller and no game sound) As with all plugs and adapters I have used in the past, I leave them all plugged in to the controller. If you constantly plug and unplug the adapter, eventually the fit will be loose and you will not have a functioning unit. this is designed better than the 360 versions, but the same principl applies.
My take on the adapter;
Pros
It works as advertised. I am able to use my TB headset for the first time since the xBox One came out. This alone was worth the twenty five price tag.
The One system apparently has a much better setup for chat as I now have to have the mic much further from my mouth than I did with the 360.
it is the same exact size as the one that came with the system so you just plug it in and your hands are used to how it feels on the controller.
Cons:
Lack of clear instructions on how it actually worked.
The 3.5 to 2.5 adapter shouldn't be needed as most headsets I have seen made for gaming systems were all 2.5mm to start with. as they made the adapter, it should have had an angled plug and not a straight one so that the controller was more compact feeling without a cord sticking out an inch or so that gets bent and flexed more than it needs to.
Controller battery life!!! I though the controller used batteries at a faster pace than the 360 did, but with the firmware update and the new aadpter in use, I find that I am replacing the batteries at an incredible rate. (Thank goodness for rechargable Eneloop batteries.) I also noticed that I'll often get the message to turn my controller back on and I look down and see the light still on. This is a product of the firmware update and software more than the adapter, but it is still an issue that MS needs to address as you need the update in order to use this adapter.
Edit June 21 2014
I've had the controller adapter now for a bit over 3 months according to the Amazon review I wrote. In my original review I noted that the 2.5 to 3.5mm adapter was a poor design. My concerns have been confirmed. I found myself not being able to hear anyone for the last few days. I realized that if I pushed a certain way on the cord where it enters the adapter that I could hear people speaking. I now have to find a replacement or wait for MS to send me a new one. (as long as a local replacement allows chat use, I'll just do that)
Overall I would give the actual headset adapter 5 stars because it does everything I want it to. They also sorted out the battery life issue as a second update now allows battery life that is at least double what it was out of the box from Microsoft. With the poor 2.5 to 3.5mm cable adapter the overall rating is still a 4. | video-games_xbox |
Following the light in Bright Falls. Remedy Entertainment announced Alan Wake all the way back in 2005 during the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. Since then it's popped on and off of people's radars at sparing intervals, and now that it's finally been released, it seems as if Duke Nukem Forever should be only just around the corner. It can then only be described as fortunate that with such a long development period, Alan Wake has turned out to be a compelling and rewarding title to experience.
The game's protagonist holds the title's namesake, and is presented as a highly-successful suspense-thriller novelist who -- with due thanks to an extended case of writer's block -- hasn't managed to put words to paper in the two years since his last release. He and his wife Alice take off to the quaint town of Bright Falls, nestled within the mountains, in an effort to get away from the fast-paced New York lifestyle, and to give Alan a change of scenery and a chance to get over his ailment. After a brief argument between the two, Wake's wife disappears, and the writer begins finding pages to a manuscript for a novel he hasn't written yet. What's worse is that the horrors scribed into the document begin occurring in earnest, and all of this sets off a mystery that's much bigger than Alan Wake himself.
The driving force here is undoubtedly the unyielding fiction backing the whole of the package. There's nothing particularly profound about the narrative, but the means through which it's delivered is striking. The main bits of Alan Wake's story occur through traditional cutscenes, but you as the player will come across transcript pages, radios, and televisions, all of which will give tremendous insight into the past, present, and even future events surrounding your actions. It's not impossible to grasp the entirety of the plot's intricacies without these easter eggs of information, but there's no doubt that they assist incalculably with coloring in the dark and dreary world that would otherwise only be outlined.
There are some very story-centric portions of the game that take place during the daylight hours, but you'll spend the bulk of your time transversing Bright Falls and its outlying woodlands by night. That's when all the spooky stuff happens. There are these dark-enshrouded creatures called the Taken, and there isn't a single one of them that would pass up an opportunity at putting an axe in Wake's spinal column. Fortunately they do have a weakness, that being anything fluorescent in nature, and resultingly you'll spend a lot of time fumbling around with a flashlight. There's nothing overly complex about the gunplay; burn away the darkness surrounding the Taken, and pop them a couple of times with a weapon of choice. There are bigger, badder enemies, but the only variation they apply is the longevity of your aforementioned actions.
It's the simplicity and redundancy of the combat that serve as Alan Wake's only real drawback. Nothing about how you dispose of your night-stalkers ever really changes through the game's ten hour run. There's some stronger enemies, some faster ones, and even some malevolent demon crows to dispatch of. There are some possessed objects that'll fly at you, and a few pieces of heavy farm equipment that make it their sole duty to run you down, but the process undergone to remove the threat is essentially the same regardless. This isn't to say that there's no fun to be had with the shooting; you've got plenty of ways to make things entertaining for yourself, from flare guns, to flashbang grenades, to hunting rifles. But if simply switching out your weapons every once in a while doesn't help you in disguising the action, you're likely to find yourself a little burned out with the repetitive temperament of the rather frequent combat encounters.
There's a thin layer of visual fidelity coating the town of Bright Falls, but all of that mostly emerges during the odd daylight segment. Everything looks pretty good at best, passable at worst. There's some stiffness and irregularities to the character motions, especially when you tell Wake to climb just about anything. The characters usually aren't all that prone at keeping their lips synced with the excellent voice acting, which is distracting during cutscenes.
Where the game is at its best is when it has free aim to showcase its lighting effects. I'm still not sure if they're the best I've seen in a game, or if it just seems that way given how much of a staunch presence they have in the world. Headlights, street lamps, and even the gentle blinking of a computer terminal all stand as beacons of attention as you wander through the roads and forests. You'll even find that bounding through certain of these restore Wake's health and trigger a checkpoint. These effects all invite a sense of hope and an even stronger sense of environment into a world where your primary enemy does its best to conceal both.
It's the strong deliverance of the narrative and a clear sense of place that lend their hand to making Alan Wake the game that it is. The constant conflict with the Taken eventually leaves something to be desired, but that just makes it all the more baffling that the game can get away with being as compelling as it is. There's a good time to be had with Remedy's latest, and there's little to regret about spending the full duration and seeing it through to the end. Just be sure and pack an extra flashlight and revolver, because Wake always seems to be forgetting his. | video-games_xbox |
A decent GTA 4 expansion. The Good: Great new characters, dialog is as witty and mature as ever
The Bad: Too much shooting, to many GTA4 mission retreads, doesn't try anything new, pretty short, same GTA4 problems exist
The Lost and Damned is the first of two expansions for GTA4, but we should feel lucky just to have more. The expansion is short, doesn't really do anything new, but is satisfying enough to recommend a purchase. The new characters are great, there's still that witty GTA dialog, but the game is seriously lacking in new mission types, and treads too much on the original game's content.
You play as The Lost Motorcycle Club's Johnny Klebitz who is trying to help re-establish his motorcycle gang and beat out his rivals The Angels of Death. All the new characters are great to listen to, but there's just not enough of it. The missions were the typical blow this up, kill these guys, run from cops, deliver these drugs etc. Nothing new or interesting outside of GTA norm which isn't what I wanted to see. The only "new" mission types are motorcycle races and gang wars which are as uninteresting as they sound. The missions here are really hard mainly because of GTA's overall problems. These range from dying with just a few hits, too many guys thrown at you, crappy vehicle control, and some various glitches that were never fixed.
The expansion tries to tie in to some cameos from past missions, so actually some are retreads that you have already played, just in a different point of view. The only missions that felt different were when you ride on the back of a bike and shoot down various foes. There are only two missions like this, but I really have to say there is just too much shooting in this expansion. Almost every mission requires you to take down hordes of thugs, this becomes very frustrating when you are dying dozens of times per mission.
You have maybe less than 10 hours of gameplay here if you just stick to the story missions. Each character has about 3 or 4 for you to do, some only one. The main reason to play this expansion is for the new characters, protagonist, and excellent dialog which will make you laugh. The game is crude, mature, and down right dirty in some instances, but this just pushes the envelope like we come to expect from a GTA game. If you really loved the original and want some more GTA action, this is a decent expansion, but don't expect the game to try anything different or new. | video-games_xbox |
You cannot be Serious!" Where are all the Women at. Within the past few days, I've gotten in to this game. As someone who plays tennis for real, I have to admit some of the same thought processes go in to the way you play this game. If you let go of the button (for whatever shot you attempt) and catch the ball on the rise the shot will be stronger than if you catch it late. One of the improvements in TS4 over 3 that I enjoy is that it's easier to charge your shots. If you are the type of player who begins his/her backswing as soon as your opponent connects with the ball, a-la Venus Williams, you have a closer shot at doing this in TS4 as opposed to 3. In TS3 you had to actually get to the spot quick and then push the button. The controls in TS4, overall are better.
As stated, I'm still a bit fresh with TS4, but so far it seems to be a much better game than TS3. There are quite a few veterans, and current players to choose from (more comments on that later), every month there are events to attend as you build up your status, fans, and even attempt to just reach the level of a rookie where you'll be allowed to play in major tournaments.
I have to restate something mentioned in an earlier review. When you have a long rally or even in situations where someone is constantly volleying off shots at the net, the crowd really gets into it. You hear the build up and then when the point is won, there is a brief explosion of applause. It's a nice touch that really puts you in the game. Additionally, there are quite a few choices in the way you can view the game. There is the traditional TV view and then you can get in as close as if you were one of the rear line judges behind your player. One thing to note with this, if you do zoom in to this level there is an occasional camera lag if your opponent should hit a wide angled shot that pulls you off the court.
A few CONS:
For the most part everything you see in the other reviews is spot on. I just want to add something a little different. As a guy, I'm surprised that I'm the first one on Amazon mentioning this, but where are the women? I do not understand why there are current male players in this game (Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Blake, and Roddick) as well as male legends (Agassi, Sampras, Chang, Becker, and Rafter), yet the women only have the current female stars. And those stars are very few. We have Serena, Wozniacki, Safina, and a few others. C'mon y'all. Where's the love? How in the world can you skip over Kim Clijsters? She and Wozniacki have been going back and forth for the #1 spot for the past year. Why is it that most tennis games can only include one Williams sister? Schiavone, Stosur, Li, and Sharapova (who I am not a fan of but still deserves respect) are all in the WTA top 10 yet they're all missing from this game.
And you can't tell me that there aren't any female legends that don't deserve a spot on this game. I mean above all you could have at least included Billie Jean King and the ageless wonder Martina. I understand Justin Henin recently retired. She deserves a spot somewhere on here. What about Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, Chris Evert, or Lindsay Davenport. And come on, what about the only person, male or female to have won the Golden Slam. (I'll let y'all look her up.) Even my wife knows some of these women belong on this game.
Lastly, would someone please get a license to put Wimbledon in a game? Maybe I've missed a few games, but c'mon are they that strict with the name? Oh, and because I have a bit of a connection that way, how about some love for the tournaments in Asia? I'd love for my player to play in the Bangkok Open or in Japan.
TS4 is a really good game. I have to take a star off simply because it seems like y'all are trying to insult the women out there.
Oh one last thing. If 2K really wanted to go all out for realism, you have Lendl in the game but don't have McEnroe. ..........yeah, you put Courier (no disrespect intended) in there over McEnroe. What's the deal, is Johnny Mac too difficult to animate? Come on. You cannot be serious. (smile) | video-games_xbox |
Damn Perfect WITHOUT Multi-Player use. The title of this review says it all. I play this game on somewhat of a late-nightly-fighting-insomnia basis and I have NEVER played this game through XBOX live, just the damn "campaign" mode and it's become the needle in my arm I knew it would be, it's that good!
Where to begin? Let's start with the "cinematics" as they are so appropriately called. The game is worth it for just that! Their not quite TV movie quality, they just need a slight push to be that, but it does achieve the feeling of suddenly taking over in the middle of a scene rather a level within a game. An excellent voice cast: Robert Davi (My favorite choice.), Keith David as the excellent character Arbiter who actually has a strong character arc (movie lingo for a charcter that changes in one way or the other.), Miguel Ferrer, and Michael Wincott (my other favorite as the Prophet of Truth. His voice just resonates with evil!) However, David Cross as Marine is like Fat Albert as a marathon runner, it's a bit of a stretch. Michelle Rodriguez as a marine fits like a magnum round in a chamber, it just works. By the way, an enemy that as Gravemind says is "flesh and faith and is the more deluded!" Does that sound familiar? Promises of a "Great journey" promised to them by their religous leaders! Wanting to eradicate another species, essentialy because of their non belief! I'm just saying.
The Gameplay? What I look for in a good game is not only the quality of the graphics and bodycount, the two most important things I look for is the number things to do and when you beat the game is repeating it worth it. On both counts, HALO 2 OVER acheives both of these things. The number of weapons to use and the number of ways to try the missions, just keeping your fellow soldiers alive is a challenge, it works on every level. You get to do everything you wanted to do in the first game in this one (drive a Covenant Wraith, jump on and knock people of Ghosts, dual weld weapons, use weapons that you couldn't use in the first game, and shoot while other characters drive.) As far as the graphics go, everything is eye-achingly detailed. The Covenant and the much better looking than HALO Flood are more detailed than the humans, but that's expected, it seems logical that it would be easier to create something that doesn't exist(i.e. alien worlds, aircraft and weapons that don't exist, etc.) that you have no real examples of verses something like a realistic human faces, but even their it's amazing to see their movements and expressions (I love the guys with the Austrailian and Spanish accents.). The Covenant is more of a formidable enemy, with the addition of the Brutes, ape-like creatures with rhino-esque hides. At one point during the game, as the Chief, it becomes a four-way battle between you, the Flood, the Elites, and the Brutes! Stunning! There's also a moment when encountering all this that it's nearly pitch black and only a few lights are one. You are moving around with your flashlight on, hacking and blasting away at everything in your path! It's a real rush.
The weapons are somewhat better than HALO's, this time I think their more realistic. The assault rifle from the first game was full automatic but you could waste ammo, this one is more accurate as well. Not to worry though. The submachine guns, which you can dual-weld ala John Woo are, true to advertising, bullet-hoses. I miss the scope on the pistol but within the game there's really no need for weapon that weak. I love the energy sword, it's the ultimate anti-Flood weapon, give me that and a shotgun (also with a more realistic ammo carrying capacity than HALO) and no Flood, or Brute for that matter, will remain standing.
As far as the vehicles go, they've gotten some much needed upgrades. The Warthog is still my favorite. It's been improved with a power-slide feature that is murder against the Ghosts. They also had the thought to put in a horn, just a marvelous attention to detail. The Scorpion tank has less of a loading time between shots and the machine gun is more accurate than before. They've added a Spectre, which is the Covenant equivalant to the Warthog, although the Warthog is a better vehicle in my opinion. A boost feature has been added to the Ghost as well as the Banshee. The Wraith Mortar Tank is a mixed blessing. It's rounds are strong but their's not much of a close quarter accuracy as opposed to the Scorpions main gun. The best improvement however is that all of these vehicles aren't as indestructible as they were in the first game. When using The Warthog, for example, you can shatter the windshield, have the engine catch fire, knock out the tail lights, and even destroy the thing if it gets enough damage. Same thing with the tank. It all ads to the realism.
Also as far as complaints about the suit and the life meter being gone, it merely adds to the realism. Your sheilds do charge up faster in this game verses the first, but it puts you on the same level with the Elites you encounter. In other words, it's know somewhat more of a fair fight which makes it more challenging!
As I said, I haven't played the Multi-player mode yet, and I don't think I will. If I wanted to do something like that, I'd get Battlefield 2. I'm still way to involved with the story and the gameplay of the campaign mode to care about that stuff.
A damn exhausting, miracle of a game in every way!
Just a personal note: Damn you people at Bungie for making HALO 3 only available on the XBOX 360! Why would want to dissapoint the people who have made the previous games such success by letting the final chapter come out on a console that very few people have? Why make us spend more money than we have to? Oops! I just answered my own question! :) | video-games_xbox |
tedious parkour and button-mashing; for Tron fans only. There's no way I would have continued playing this game if I wasn't a Tron fan.
The mechanics of gameplay are tedious and the nature of the action (parkour/free-running and wall-climbing) really has nothing to do with Tron. Sure, characters explore their environment in both films, but they don't jump up walls for hours on end. In this game, I spent hours jumping over stuff, which wouldn't be so bad in itself, but the game is unrelenting on its exactness for your jumps. I had to re-start whole levels many times, incuding not just the dumb jump I missed, but the whole battle preceding the dumb jump. C'mon, gimme a break. Replay value is low, since I feel I have already played each level at least three times, due to its crappy jumping system and its poor checkpoints.
Even when the game plays closest to its Tron roots during disc battles, it feels more like a button-masher game. Combos don't seem too inventive or interesting and get reduced to button-mashing. The four disc styles don't seem to matter too much, except that some enemies aren't affected by certain disc styles; this was more of an irritation when the disc style didn't work than an opporunity to explore a diversity of weapon types.
As for leveling up, the game didn't give me many opportunities. Every time I came to a disc save icon, and had the chance to spend points earned on new abilities, I had too few points to buy anything. What's the point of a token economy when the player doesn't earn points to spend? And if I was supposed to be earning more points, then how was I supposed to do it? The game didn't say or show me how.
OK, so if it's so bad, why did I keep playing? Well, it has cool music, and it _is_ Tron, after all.
And, the multiplayer is pretty fun; much closer to the spirit of Tron, since by defintion you are on the Game Grid when you are in multiplayer. Even so, I don't think there's much to it - it's just people rushing around (on cycles or on foot) and button-mashing, without either the leveling-up of COD or the squad-based teamwork of Battlefield.
In sum: if you don't like Tron, you should play another game (comparisons have been made to Prince of Persia); if you like Tron and you're willing to put up with wall-running parkour and battles that can devolve into button-mashing (plus a horrible checkpoint system that puts you back several levels when you fail its exacting standards for jumps), then you might enjoy the game's cool music and the opportunity to use your imagination and enjoy the world of Tron. | video-games_xbox |
Be a Hero... Again. "Call of Duty" lovers will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of another "United Offensive" Expansion pack after finishing this stunning WWII fps. In 2004 the next best single player shooter to "Half-Life 2" was "Call of Duty 1". Needless to say COD2 brings us yet another damn fine sequel effort to rival anything else on the shelf. COD has firmly taken over where "Medal of Honour: Allied Assault" first got our attention in trying to recreate the "Saving Private Ryan" experience for us all. The COD series is built on the same concept as MOH except there is more action, more high-octane moments and a very different type of enemy AI. COD2 has upgraded the enemy and platoon squad AI from COD1 so that your comrades can identify the enemy and instead of scripting each action sequence as in COD1, COD2 depends on AI so that a rerun of any level will play differently although the situations remain the same. COD2 also has a lot more going on in terms of what you can pilot and drive although not freely but as part of the storyline. COD2 retains all the cinematic intensity that its predecessor successfully claimed and even expands on each of the earlier episodes over the course of a four year WWII period to give us Moscow 1941 - Red Army Training, Demolition, Stalingrad 1942 - Repairing the Wire, The Pipeline, Stalingrad 1943 - Downtown Assault, City Hall, Comrade Sniper, El Alamein 1942 - The Diversionary Raid, Hold the Line, Operation Supercharge, El Daba 1942 - The End of the Beginning, Libya 1943 - Crusader Charge, 88 Ridge, Tunisia 1943 - Outnumbered and Outgunned, Retaking Lost Ground, Assault on Matmata, D-Day 1944 - The Battle of Pointe du Hoc, Retreat? We're Advancing in Another Direction, The Silo, Caen 1944 - Prisoners of War, The Crossroads, The Tiger, The Brigade Box, Hill 400 1944 - Approaching Hill 400, Rangers Lead the Way, The Battle for Hill 400 and Germany 1945 - Crossing the Rhine, where you get to play as either a Soviet or a Brit or as a member of the US forces. Missions range from basic training, defending against attacks, counterattacks, planting explosives, repairing cut field wires, contacting HQ via the field phone, disabling Panzer II tanks, crawling through pipelines, taking out enemy snipers, destroying fuel barrel supplies with some of the best explosion effects seen in any game to date, destroying ammo depot supplies, gathering enemy documents, defending lower lines by using close-range weapons and artillery support, clearing out bunkers, radioing in for artillery bombardments, taking a Mosque, driving tanks, holding out for 5 minutes till support arrives, clearing the buildings in the town, sniping the artillery crews from a Silo tower, finding wounded Americans, transporting the wounded, taking a farmhouse and barn, taking out mortar crews and if that is not enough... securing a hill from a German advance. The smoke effects are absolutely photorealistic and have set a new benchmark for graphics quality. The textures might let the game down a small bit, including very blocky building designs or similar house interiors that are repeated at several points in the game but the environments and maps are genuinely war like all the way through and can not be faulted. The enemy AI and your own team AI are much more realistic than COD1 and your team is reliable. If you get too close to the enemy you will engage him in close quarter combat. Although Call of Duty was never meant to be a war simulation, but more of a 1st person war adventure, to be honest, does exactly what it says on the tin. So apart from the staged element, which actually ads to the game, it is more of an experience than a game you will turn to time and time again, however it is worth it for the experience of the single player mission alone. It is also much longer than COD1 and OU, where COD1 had a 1.5 day game span and UO had 3, COD2 will last you for well over a week if you play one mission a day. The pandemonium of war is all here in a spectacular fashion because the story is a winner as you play a mini version of BAND OF BROTHERS and ENEMY AT THE GATES. Like COD1 you even feel loss at the end but for some reason the connection to your comrades in COD1 was a lot stronger because it was more scripted. The AI detracts from that connection a little bit, but I am only cribbing.
Pros:
- Cinematic gaming.
- Best new war game and a worthy 1st person shooter.
- Awesome war atmosphere.
- Smoky explosions. | video-games_xbox |
This game is immature, rude and obnoxious and that's just part of the reason it's so fun. The story picks up five years after the events of the first Saints Row. The player character has been in a trauma induced coma (players who finished the first game should know why) for the past five years, in which time the titular 3rd Street Saints have fallen apart and three new gangs have risen to power in their place. It is here that you're introduced to the incredibly deep character creation system, which allows you to choose your gender, (the character was unchangeably male in the original) voice tone (he was mostly mute too), fighting style, appearance, and even their positive and negative taunts. Once the player and a new accomplice have staged a daring escape from the prison island where they are held, it's once again up to you to bring the Saints back to their former prominence as the unofficial rulers of Stilwater.
In terms of storytelling, there are times when Saints Row 2 shows much improvement over the original and others when it seems Volition desperately needs some help. On the plus side, their skill in creating well directed and often wildly over the top cutscenes has improved, making Saints Row 2 a more cinematic experience than the original. Another positive is the efforts taken to bridge the gap between the original and Saints Row 2. Unfortunately, they still need a bit of work in the crucial area of pacing, which varies wildly throughout the storyline. For instance, there are a few moments in the story that tug at the ol' heartstrings but are pushed aside in the very next instant and never brought up again. Those of you who have played the original Saints Row will recognize a number of familiar faces, either in glorified cameos, or, in the case of your psychopathic cohort Johnny Gat, slightly deeper roles.
The city of Stilwater itself has changed considerably in the five years the protagonist has been out of commission. Many neighborhoods have seen drastic redesigns, while others have received only minor alterations. Traveling around the city evokes feelings of nostalgia while at the same time providing a pleasant sense of unfamiliarity.
During the last five years in which the Saints fell from grace, three new gangs have arrived in Stilwater and have divided the streets of Stilwater among them, leaving the Saints in complete disarray. The Brotherhood, Ronin and Sons of Samedi all have their own story arcs that unfold independently of the others. Unlike the gangs in first Saints Row, these gangs seem to lack a certain personality. The narrative surrounding the new gangs is pretty weak overall, even though there are a few good moments here and there.
As a third person shooter, Saints Row 2 is thoroughly entertaining, if lacking in refinement and subtlety. Unlike GTA IV, and...pretty much every third person shooter these days, there is no environmental cover system, placing emphasis on running and gunning over tactical planning. Despite or perhaps because of this, rooms filled with a half dozen or more heavily armed gang members were barely a challenge, even on medium difficulty. In spite of there not being an environmental cover system, you do have the ability to take human shields with the press of a button, easing your progress even more. The main protagonist is not only gifted with a regenerating health bar, but also the ability to shrug off bullets and even the occasional RPG round as if they were Nerf darts, making confrontations almost excessively easy.
The original Saints Row was praised due to its physics engine which, at the time anyway, was among the best in its genre. Saints Row 2 takes no risks in terms of handling physics, which feel entirely unrealistic. Even the new vehicles, consisting of not only motorcycles but sea and air vehicles have their own handling quirks and take a bit of time to get used to. There are times when the physics can go suddenly awry during collisions and sometimes even while driving down the street or flying around but that has more to do with the physics engine as a whole.
At any given time, you are prone to random physics glitches. For example, I was once walking around in my downtown loft when suddenly, I turned toward a group of bar stools and they spontaneously exploded into a pile of splinters. Another particularly annoying instance of the physics bugging out occurred while I was in the middle of a particularly long mission. I jumped, rather haphazardly, into a shallow ditch and when I hit the ground, my body was flung a dozen feet into the air, causing me to die upon landing and forcing me to restart the mission. Cue frustrated controller throwing.
Saints Row 2 specializes in the absurd, not only granting you the freedom to do such outlandish things as base jump from the top of a skyscraper or run recklessly around town wearing nothing but a dopey grin but rewards you for doing so. The sheer number of activities to partake in is quite staggering and there's never a shortage of different things to do. This sense of boundless freedom is one of Saints Row 2's defining characteristics. It puts you in the sandbox, tells you to go nuts and doesn't bother you in the slightest.
Like the original, Saints Row 2 features a number of side missions for the player to play in between story missions. All of the activities from the first Saints Row return in the sequel alongside several new ones to further expand on the already impressive variety. New standouts include the incredibly ridiculous Septic Avenger which puts you behind the wheel of a septic truck, painting the town brown with a steady stream of foul liquids and Fight Club, an obvious homage to the cult classic film, which shows off Saints Row 2's deeper melee system. Stalwart activities from the original are as fun as they've ever been in the sequel and I must say, there's something oddly cathartic about the insane killing sprees incited by the Mayhem activity and throwing yourself in front of cars in Insurance Fraud.
The ability to customize practically everything around you has expanded considerably in Saints Row 2. Along with the obligatory enhancements to vehicle, clothing and accessory customization, there are a wealth of new things just waiting to be customized. Around Stilwater, there are a number of safe houses to buy, all of which can be upgraded from dingy domiciles to classy cribs. Even the look overall style of the 3rd Street Saints can be customized and, I have to say, it's awfully cool to walk down the street with a gang of well armed ninjas at your command.
The most brilliant new addition to the series is undoubtedly the co-op mode. As long as you're not currently engaged in a mission or activity, players can join your single player game in progress and the two of you are free to do whatever you want in the streets of Stilwater. All of the activities, story missions and diversions have been optimized for co-op play and is greatly encouraged. Going through the game with a partner in crime is a joy that makes it the best way to take on the gangs of Stilwater, or just have fun doing whatever comes to mind, be it group drive bys or beating miscreants senseless in the FUZZ activity.
As far as the competitive multiplayer modes go, Saints Row 2 includes the Gangsta Brawl and Team Gangsta Brawl (deathmatch and team deathmatch) from the original and a new mode called Strong Arm. Strong Arm plants two teams in a neighborhood and tasks them with completing a certain number of activities to earn a certain amount of money to win the match. The activities are culled from the single player story and scaled down a bit to fit the confines of multiplayer. It's a bit sad that the older modes like Protect the Pimp were cut from the sequel but Strong Arm makes for a nice replacement. Overall, much like the original, the competitive multiplayer experience is largely forgettable.
Saints Row was never much of a looker and in that respect; nothing has changed. Many of the same visual problems that plagued the original rear their ugly heads once more in Saints Row 2. Screen tearing is back in abundance, though it can thankfully be disabled in the options menu, although at the expense of the overall framerate. Scenes are also frequently marred by considerable aliasing, a relatively minor annoyance but an annoyance just the same. Pop-in was also an issue, more so with cars and characters than the landscape. It seemed that each time I moved the camera around, the cars off screen would disappear. Character models in general have received a noticeable visual upgrade in the finer details of clothing and skin complexion, making them look more human. Overall, the game is passable considering its sandbox nature but, to bring up GTA IV once again, the bar has been raised considerably in terms of the visuals we should expect from an open world title.
Audio presentation hasn't changed much since the first Saints Row. There is a standard selection of radio stations, offering up tunes from various genres. The soundtrack isn't exactly amazing but it gets the job done. Sound effects from the first game have returned once again, making for a relatively familiar sounding experience. Voice work is one of the audio highlights in Saints Row 2, improving on the first with a great voice cast. On occasion, it does sound like the voice actors and actresses are going through the motions in delivering their lines, but these occurrences are thankfully rare.
Saints Row 2 is, at its heart, obnoxious, crude and immature almost to a fault, capitalizing on the void left by the Grand Theft Auto series, providing mindless entertainment that rarely fails to deliver. By embracing and expanding on this premise of mindless fun, Saints Row 2 has moved out of GTA's immense shadow and made a name for itself. With all of the additions Volition has made to Saints Row 2, it almost feels like an entirely different game. What it lacks in terms of polish and refinement, it makes up for in over the top wackiness. If that sounds like your cup of tea, especially if you disliked the new direction taken by GTA IV, Saints Row 2 may be right up your alley. | video-games_xbox |
Limited edition extras are very nice. I put off buying this for a while because i wanted to get Brotherhood/Revelations so i could complete the set and play it in order. while i was doing this the game dropped by 20$ where i normally would of bought it while limited edition kept its price to the most part. I regret nothing!
I knew I liked the limited edition statue because a friend owned it and it looked very nice on his shelf, but it still exceeded my expectations when mine arrived and i got a closer look. The quality of it is much better then the other experience i had with my other limited edition statue, Which i thought Malgus was nice when i pulled him out of the box, but sitting next to Conner, he is put to shame. The Detail put into Conner is outstanding.
On to the flag, I didn't see it in friend's house and I know why now. It's quite a bit larger then i anticipated. my original plan was to hang it where i use to keep another hanging poster which is at a angle in the corner of my room, over my desk. It is a bit too big for that though. Other then size challenging my original plans for it, it is of rather authentic quality to other American flags which paired with its size makes it seem almost a shame that you can't buy these stand alone to start displaying them outside instead of a real flag.
Last part of it, the belt buckle and the journal. The journal is a nice addition but pales in comparison to the Statue and flag. The belt buckle is a belt buckle, which I've never given using a belt buckle much thought, but from what I can tell this is a nice belt buckle and certainly less is not more when it comes to Limited Edition packages, so I am pleased with it.
Shipping wise i ordered it from Just4games. which gave me trouble with my P.O. Box, Canceling my first order and making me order it again, which i ordered exact same way as first time using P.O. Box in line one of address and Street address in line 2, but it shipped the second time which made me wonder why it was declined first time. Though a very good thing about it was the ETA was off and it actually arrived to the P.O. Box a day earlier then the ETA predicted it would arrive. | video-games_xbox |
A frustrating sequal that all but ruins the series. Prince of Persia WW-a very very frustrating game. That's the first impression I got when playing this game. Now I wasn't too surprised that the puzzling levels didn't make sense half the time, cuz Ive played the first game(Sands of time) and it was the same(if not less frustrating). Ok but I hate to start with the bad in games, though I will spit it out at the end of my review. But for now:the good. This new installment of the Prince of Persia series provides a basic, but exciting story: the prince has unlocked the sands of time, leaving a furios monster,Dahaka, after him. You kill many cool-but-fierce monsters and bosses while trying to flee from Dahaka, and find the Sands of Time. You see, if you find them, then you can turn back time, and never open them, therfore sparing your own life. Translation:Kill oober cool enemies and haul butt when a big black monster comes your way. Make sense? But I don't want to give anything away, so I will mantion simpler things. Graphics. Ah yes the wonderful, crisp graphics. I love them you will too I assure you they are much much better than those of Prince of Persia Sands of Time. Also, I was very impressed with the amazing range of weapons and that you could dual weild if it suited you. The sound.......well lets just say it gets quite rough at times, with the new voice actor for the Prince, because this guy cant seem to say one-sentence things he sounds like he just got braces on or something, he can't talk like a normal person. Ok I know im slowly fading from good to bad, but what can I say? this game is as bad as good. Now where was I? Oh yes i remember now:the horribly difficult puzzling levels they are oober hard I made no sense of them, and even with help from Nintendo Power magazines(thanks a million guys at NP, you saved my controller from being chucked out the window,thanks to your expert help) I found it extremely difficult to beat these levels. Yea PP:WW=HARD. But if your up to a challenge and love more puzzling levels than you can shake a stick at, this game is for you. Besides the sense of power is undenialbly great after you beat each hard level. Plus, maybe its just me. If your extremely patient and don't mind the out of place hard rock music all the time, and don't mind some annoying voice acting errors, this is a VERY worthy sequal. If the bosses don't slay you, the wonderful graphics will. | video-games_xbox |
Great game. Well other reviews are out and Crackdown 2 did not fair too well. It didn't suffer either, but lets face it 7.0-7.5 is not the desired rating any developer wants. So why did I rate it higher than those esteemed and well-to-do critics? Easy: its a damn good game. Its not mediocre, its not bland, and its an awesome follow-on to an amazing title.
So to start off, we'll cover the basics of the game for those who don't know and then hit some of the power buttons that got pushed by others who played this game.
Crackdown 2 takes place in a very San Francisco-esque city called Pacific City. It is a sequel, so it takes place in the same city as the first, but 10 years have passed since the first and the city has become overrun with genetic zombie-like "freaks" and a gang called "the Cell". Much to my appreciation, the scenery certainly looks like it has seen better days and in some places, the devestation has made the city completely unrecognizeable from the first Crackdown.
In Crackdown, you are a genetically enhanced super-soldier known as an "Agent". Your mission in the first Crackdown was basically to use you super powers and clean-up the streets, eliminating the Gang control in the city (there were no genetic "freaks" in the first Crackdown). The addictive fun that caught on with the first Crackdown was that although the storyline was weak, the game was completely open from the start. Go anywhere, do anything. Fortunately, the studio has kept with that theme and once again, you can go anywhere you want in the game, right from the start. Also, when you control a super-solider who literally jumps almost 50 feet in the air, going anywhere is extremely fun. But if jumping isn't your thing, you can always steal a car or just pick it up and start bashing heads with it. Oh, and the other addictive pice to the game was collecting "orbs" hidden throughout the city to help upgrade your character. So Crackdown in a nutshell is ironically a gameplay that's all about freedom (despite the "Agency" your character works for trying to establish a totalitarian order of government).
On to the aspects of the game:
- First, it can be a little repetetive. But it is far less so than the first Crackdown which had no real storyline, and your only objective was to eliminate 15 crime bosses. There's more bad guy lairs to assault, more bad guys to fight, more objectives to meet (not to mention more types of objectives than just "kill that guy"), more orbs to catch, more orb types, more races, more vehicles, more weapons, hell - just more of everything. That cuts the repetitiveness down a LOT. Sure, most of your time is spent jumping from rooftop to rooftop, lobbing rockets at baddies while you hunt for Agility orbs or chase Renegade orbs, but there's just a LOT to do in this game. For anyone to say its just an upgraded version of the original Crackdown is pretty insulting to the developers. Its not another "go-kill-the-next-boss" game, there's a lot of work that was spent into making this its own game with the same dynamic of "go anywhere, do anything". Oh yeah - they also actually put a storyline in this game, so there's something else nobody mentioned. The story is accessed by retrieving hidden audio logs in various areas, and putting it together in a very BioShock type of way, minus the British accents. The bottom line is that this game just has a level of playability that games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead are missing.
- Second, the graphics aren't super amazing. But lets take a closer look, they completely revamped the original map to give us something reminescent of the first game, but still new enough to be different. Playing this game after the first one really feels like 10 years have passed in Pacific City. A lot of the freaks look alike (like in any zombie-type game) but there's a respectable amount of variance for the massive volume of them.
- Third, multiplayer is entirely under-rated on this game. Ever want to play a game where anyone can be anywhere doing anything at anytime? This is it. Join a friend's game, have 3 friends join yours, just join a stranger's game, or just let some strangers join you. Anyone can be anywhere at any given time, doesn't matter what someone else is doing. That's the beauty of this game. Oh and with the new download content, you can all get in a rediculously armed helicopter and kick-ass EVERYWHERE.
- Fourth, everyone has knocked Crackdown 2 as a repeat event. Let me re-iterate: ITS NOT. The city layout may be familiar (but still different) and you are still a super bad-ass with awesome guns and abilities - but its a brand new game. For everything that's in this game, including the awesome multiplayer madness, to give anything less than 9.0 is insulting. Its not perfect, it has some flaws, and can even get a little repetetive after 6 straight hours of playing without a break - but its still addictive fun for any gamer that can play "M" rated games. I think what everyone seemed to forget when they reviewed this game was that it was designed to play with players going wherever they want to. They also failed to notice how cool the multiplayer experience is.
So in my humblest opinion, Crackdown 2 is a must buy and well worth the $60. I'm not particularly fond of the idea that open-world games like Grand Theft Auto believe they have to "lock" parts of the world you're running around in, and Crackdown is like a breath of fresh air for me in that regard. I also LOVE that when I play online with my friends, I can go anywhere I want and not be restricted based on where the other players are at. | video-games_xbox |
Positive Smash Mouth Hockey. I did some thinking before I bought this game, and I am glad I did. I read what everyone else writes and I shake my head because those of you who put this game down and talk negatively about it are probably those same people who sit at amateur hockey or NHL Games and bash the referees because of all the crap the players get away with throughout the game.
First of all, if you do not own an X-Box, shame on you because you're missing out on the next generation of gaming. Forget those "Sonic & Mario" companies. Yes they may have been successful in the past, but Microsoft took their successes and capitalized on them at the right stage in the game.
Now to comment on NHL Hitz 2002. I read everyone's reviews on this game and cannot believe how much this game is put down. In the past I've known many people who have thrown down their controllers down because of that "icing" call that shouldn't have been or even the "2 minutes for slashing" call that the computer orchestrated ingeniously outside of the referee's eyes yet was called on you for retaliation. Forget the rules, throw away the 2-Line Passes and just play hockey. That's what this game is all about.
There's a review here where an individual states, "I played this game for over twelve hours, and 75% of time when you score, the computer team will score to equalize or go back ahead within 15 seconds 90% of the time." If you do the math on that statement, he's played the game for 720 minutes and has only enjoyed 180 minutes (3 Hours) worth of his time because the other 540 minutes, (9 Hours) the computer was scoring or going back ahead within 15 seconds of all his goals. "There is no referee, and thus no high-sticking, no slashing, no off sides, no boarding, no cross checking, etc. Actually, there are no calls, but the computer team regularly employs those tactics to win, especially the goalie." Seriously I do not know where this person is going with his remarks because I do not see that at all. Then again maybe he kept his game settings at Professional and was only a novice player. The computer does not equalize or go back ahead in 15 seconds and yes the computer does utilize unfair tactics to win, BUT if you read the game's manual closely, it states that you are given the opportunity to utilize the EXACT SAME tactics to gain the upper hand and win too. It's all in how you read the manual and play the game my friends!!!
The fighting sequences are somewhat far fetched although there is some entertainment value to sitting next to a friend of yours and beating the living heck out of their player.
This game is fun, the graphics are X-Box worthy and this game will sit in my collection. It is a game suitable for my friends and family who do not know the rules of the game yet are looking to get entertainment value out of playing without getting bombarded with what off sides, icing, or a 2 Line Pass is.
So the next time you find yourself sitting in the stands of a hockey game, listen to the crowd boo the referees and listen to what they say in regard to penalties and stopping the game. You'll think about ways Hockey can be fun and entertaining, then you'll see why the NHL endorses this game. | video-games_xbox |
Unacceptable GTA Clone. True Crime New York City is the sequel to True Crime L.A. Though you are now playing as a former gang member named, Marcus instead of Kang. Marcus was framed and betrayed by his own gang boss, so from the beginning of the game you will start blasting away in a bitter state of revenge. Marcus then makes a new lead in life by becoming a cop with the help of his father's friend. Five years later, Marcus is being offered the undercover detective position and sets out to fight crime in the city of New York. First let me comment, on the good points of the game: The shooting, driving and martial arts system in the gameplay have been improved over its predecessor. In the shooting aspect, you can now lock on to targets and blast away. The weaponry has improved and are more fierce, feeling a bit like Max Payne. You can also do presiscion shots again but it feels better. The driving vehicles also improved, feeling tighter and you can even drift on corners.
The good points however, are dragged down by sloppy programming that left the game unfinished and full of strange glitches, which are not acceptable! My in-game mini radar showed a bad guy as a red dot and I went searching endless for the bad guy and could never find it even though I was right on the dot. Then I made my game character look up and the bad guy was FLOATING in mid-air! The in-game police characters often chased after ghost criminals yelling "stop right there" and then took off running!
Sometimes when I crashed my cars with other vehicles, their body would sink half-way into the ground! The sound effects and character speeches would cut off abruptly, especially on the streets with pedestrians. Shooting bad guys in the head is not always a kill, but I shot someone in the leg three times and they died! The graphics are cheap and the frame-rate is full of lag! I don't care how wonderful a game concept is. If the gameplay is so buggy as to hinder its enjoyment, then it is junk! Game developers should not release buggy games like this and sell them to the public as a finished product, this simply is unacceptable! Skip this and save your money; you've been warned.
Pros:
+minor improvements
+arresting people is fun
Cons:
-cheap looking graphics
-floating bugs
-collision detection problems
-sound issues
-terrible frame-rate
-control issues
-improvements ruined by glitches | video-games_xbox |
Grand Theft Auto: The Interactive Movie. Having loved the GTA series from the first top-down iteration through the most recent San Andreas, I waited anxiously for the newest incarnation. I pre-ordered and bought an XBox just to play it, and so far I have been quite impressed. It takes some time to sink in, but the the game is deep, and there is enough here to keep any fan engrossed for a long time to come. However it immediately pulls you in and keeps you comfortable through artful pacing, an amazing story, and ingenious use of missions as gameplay tutorials. This game has the polished feel of a movie, while mostly retaining the huge, open ended sandbox appeal that is a hallmark of the series. Changes have been made away from the cartoony style of its predecessors to a much more realistic feel, and this adds a freshness. A quick breakdown of the elements:
Story: Hands down the best storyline of any game I have played to date. Funny, involving, creative, it has the feel of a good movie. Cutscenes are superb, and make the characters really come to life.
Environment: The new Liberty City is gritty and often dark, but really comes alive due to the amount of people and places that are available. The sprawling mess of San Andreas is gone, replaced by a much tighter world which, although still large, contains much more nooks and crannies of gaming goodness.
Combat: Combat has been revamped and is overall much improved. The addition of a cover system is great, and combat feels much more realistic overall.
Controls: One of my few major gripes is with the controls. "Standard" is new set of controls, as it enables you to take advantage of all the new features of GTAIV, however it takes quite a bit of getting used to from a old-school fanboy perspective. "Classic" retains the driving system of the previous games, which is great, but you quickly find yourself doubling up on buttons and missing out on many of new features.
Overall: Great single player game, with the addition of multiplayer GTAIV is going to a very serious contender (if not a shoe-in) for my Game Of The Year. | video-games_xbox |
Almost perfect. I was fortunate enough to get this holiday bundle for even cheaper than its already reasonable sticker price--I got it from the Amazon Warehouse deals section. From what I understand, they offer discounts on products that have some sort of damage to the box etc, in this case I got seventy dollars off because the box supposedly "had a crushed corner". Oddly enough, when I received the bundle in the mail, the box looked mostly fine--it just had a few creases on one of the corners, which I probably wouldn't even have noticed had I not been looking for it.
On the inside, all of the components were in perfect condition. I hooked everything up to my new 40" Samsung 1080p hdtv, and it all worked as expected. There are several different cables that came with the system, though I am only using the HDMI cable. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't really care about the games and just got this bundle because it was so greatly discounted, but the Lego Indiana Jones game is actually really fun--even for someone approaching thirty. I haven't tried out the Kung Fu Panda game as of yet, but the system and the Lego Indiana Jones game were well worth the price by themselves.
Overall, the system is great--they did much better this time around when compared to the original Xbox. There are tons of great games, and you can download all kinds of demos, stream Netflix movies, and harass your friends online. I do have a few qualms though, which are mostly related to the greediness that I perceive Microsoft to have. I was really excited about the fact that the Wii had a built in wireless networking card (though the online options for that system are scant at best). Nonetheless, I thought that it was a great move, particularly having grown up in the time of the original Nintendo that came packaged with a few controllers, a light gun, the system, all of the necessary cables and a couple of games. That was awesome, just to be able to get the basic package and have an awesome time with it out of the box without having to drop a few hundred dollars more. While this bundle aimed to do this to a degree, it fell short in a few other ways: I had to drop $90 on a wireless network adapter, another $36 on a second controller, $40 on an Xbox Live membership, etc. Sure, I'm a big boy, and I make enough money to buy my own toys now, but I had to spend more than $150 beyond the cost of this bundle just to be able to play with friends (both locally and remotely). So, I deducted one star from my review because the extra expense--along with the terrible quality of the headset, which was another $30 to rectify--kept this bundle from being totally perfect.
All the same, this is a great system and I got it at a phenomenal price. My advice if you are on the fence between the elite and the lesser versions is to spring for the extra cash because I would have filled anything less than the 120gb hard drive up almost immediately after downloading just a few demos. | video-games_xbox |
Ok but needs improvement. The tracking for kinect seems to work well enough most of the time, but there are still plenty of things that could be improved about this game.
1- As soon as I run the game, it sets the kinect's view to chop off anything above my head. Then it wants me to do exercises that include reaching over my head... it then can't find my arms and tells me I'm 'doing it wrong.'
2- Similarly, when doing the Yoga stuff, the warrior poses cause it to lose track of my rear leg (I'm 6 foot 1) and once again I'm 'doing it wrong.'
3- The menus are a pain and unless you know exactly what every exercise set is, you can spend lots of time trying to find what you want, and doing so while your heart rate is dropping again, so it's difficult to mix up your own routines on the fly.
3a- Didn't it say you were supposed to be able to customize your own workouts? Where is that?
3b- My (2 and 3 year old) kids love to play some of the warmups, and there is no menu option to change which player is having their calories logged, or to turn off calorie logging temporarily. The only way to log them in is to exit the game and hope I can get (a two year old) to stand in front of it long enough for it to recognize them when it loads.
4- The leg cardio stuff is all 'pound the crap out of your knees' in every way you can imagine, and again tells you you're doing it wrong if you don't lift and slam your feet. Sorry but my goal is to get my heart going with low impact. Perhaps they could just put in a "track my calories but don't keep score or try to tell me how my body works" option.
5- I can't see how many calories I burned today! It only shows for each little exercise session, and your all-time total, but doesn't tell you for the day. I eat my exercise calories every day so this is annoying.
6- I don't know how they do it in real yoga, but the speed they want you to do the "stretches" is basically "bounce and pull all your muscles" speed.
Overall it is still ok for having something to work out with, and some of the workouts are more like minigames that keep it more interesting. If they'd give you a little more control over your experience it would probably be a lot better though. | video-games_xbox |
A Journey Across the Star Ocean. Right now, as I'm writing this, I haven't made it barely two-thirds into the game, but I know that it is a fun game. Many may have mentioned that it has poor graphics and my sister even commented that the texture is "too busy". I must admit, it does seem that they do have too much going on. Let me first, though, mention what I enjoyed about the game.
From the first I was intrigued by the plotline as it isn't impossible for humans to go into a World War III. And we understand that Edge and Reimi are on a journey to find a new plant for humans to live on before they become extinct. I really love the storyline and characters.
My favorite characters include Reimi, Lym, Bachuss (did I spell that wrong?), Welch (she's hilarious), and Merry (Myracle, I think I spelled it wrong but you get the gist). The one reason why I didn't like Edge for a while was his inability to overcome the fact that his actions may have destroyed a planet because he "didn't think". (Spoilers! Gasp!) After he got over his tantrum (I like to call it that since he was acting like a child) he became one of my favorite characters again. I won't bore you with details about why I like all the characters, I know that another wrote a mile long review of the game for you.
Another thing I liked was the interaction you have with your crew on the Calnus (their spaceship). Each interaction with Welch and a new crew member is hilarious, especially with Bachuss (I won't spoil what happens). And you learn many things about your crew as well as get invisible points toward the endings for each character.
While this may seem too short of a pro list, I just didn't feel like typing out everything for you and bore you to death. Now here is the big con that I can't seem to get over and which almost ruined the entire game for me.
Most people have what you would call large, flat screens, but for me I still own an old television set from some 13 years ago or so. What happens with this game is the text becomes extremely small! You wouldn't believe how small. It's so bad that when you get within at least...one foot from it you can barely read anything! It's awful because you can't read the menu and you can't read most of anything an NPC is saying. What made it a little better was the fact that most of the important dialogue was in the cutscenes which you can listen to and not have to read. But this text business is what made me almost give up on the game.
I don't really want to go out and buy a flat screen just to play one game, right? So I've been going through the game for a while now. I have to say that despite the text, I still love the game. Except when monsters break your bonus board. The bonus board accumulates colored tiles that indicate if you receive certain bonuses after the battle so it's a good way to gain more experience or money.
Now, to the issue of graphics. I have noticed that they may have been trying too hard to make it as well made as possible for their last installment of the Star Ocean series, but they may have gotten a bit overboard. Since I sometimes have to sit close to the screen, when the camera moves so much I begin to feel sick so I stay back when I'm in a battle or out on the field. I like the detail they gave to each planet, but some of the detail sometimes blinds me or hinders my seeing.
Don't let little things prevent you from trying the game. You have to formulate your own opinion and eventually, possibly, add a review of what you liked and didn't like. I still love the game despite the little problems. The storyline, characters, and battle system is what keeps me playing, but mostly just the storyline.
Overall, this is an excellent game. | video-games_xbox |
Post Apocalyptic Action. After hearing all kinds of rave remarks about this game, I figured it was high time my friend and I tried it out. Gears of War basically just throws you into the middle of a war zone. Other than the fact that we were fighting these weird creatures that attacked us from under the earth, my friend and I never really fully understood what was going on.
Pros:
Split Screen co-op
Awesome world to explore
Assault Rifle with a Chainsaw
Nav Point to help complete objectives
Cons:
Story line doesn't feel like it makes a lot of sense
Vehicle used is sort of clunky
There are missions where you and your partner get separated
This game is pretty intense and has non stop action throughout the game. It has a lot of influences that I felt were kind of obvious. The major influence that I think is there is Warhammer 40,000. It feels like we're basically playing as the Space Marines because the way the people are drawn and their armor are very reminiscent of that universe. The enemies seem to be lightly modeled after the Orks, but I think that is a loose interpretation. Gears of War tries to include some elements of "fear", especially with the night scenes. In that regard I think this was heavily influenced by "Pitch Black". There are even flying creatures that tear you apart if you step into the darkness. When you get to the factory area there are these creatures that scream loudly at you and I feel like those are taken right out of Half Life. If you like a lot of these aspects you'll have great fun seeing them in a slightly different light in this game.
One of the best aspects of this game is the fact that you can play split screen co-op. The game handles this very well and it works a little different than Halo. When your partner goes down it's up to you to hunt him down and pick him up. This basically happens instantaneously, so there's no period where you have to "patch him up" like in Army of Two. The only thing I didn't like was that there are multiple sections where you split up from your partner. In these sections if one of you dies you have to restart that section. This got kind of annoying, because the game can be a little disorienting at times.
There aren't a large amount of weapons to choose from, or at least that's how it felt while I was playing. There are two types of automatic weapons, a couple pistols, and a major destructive weapon that is useful for taking down some of the larger creatures and Berserkers. However, having the chain saw attached to one of the assault rifles was genius! That thing is so much fun to use in close quarters fighting. There is also a vehicle you can use in the game, but only for limited runs. It's an alright vehicle, I wish the weapons systems were a bit more useful other than shining light on those flying creatures. It's a really neat vehicle and I wish we could have been able to use it a little more. Also whenever you shined the light the vehicle would begin to power down because it had "power issues". If you removed that and put a more useful gun it would be really fun.
Despite the fact that I found this game fun, I found the overall storyline somewhat incoherent and it felt rather thrown together. These creatures started coming out of holes in the ground and totally tore humanity apart. I love the post apocalyptic world we're in. The graphics, to me, look awesome and I loved exploring the world. But part of our mission is to map these giant tunnels underground to help our military "fight back". This made sense, but the sheer volume of tunnels was ridiculous. Not to mention where'd the creatures come from? I felt like I got no answers by the end of the game. This is alright, there will be sequels, but it just feels weird to me. Overall the battles do feel intensely cinematic in quality, which is what the developers were probably going for.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this game, especially if you enjoy co-op games on the couch with your friends as much as I do. The game isn't long in an epic scale, which is fine, I actually felt like it was just the right length. Unlike Halo 3, which I felt, was way too short. I'm also looking forward to seeing how they expand on this world in future releases. | video-games_xbox |
This is the reason why the Xbox 360 got sold out in Japan. If there's one thing that makes Tales of Vesperia THE game to get for RPG fans who owns Xbox 360, it's the fact that this is the game that made hell freeze over... err I mean this is the game that turned Japan's Xbox 360 scene from "collecting dust on the game store shelves" to a hot item that sold so well there are virtually no more Xbox 360s in stock anywhere. Shouldn't that be enough reason for "Tales of" fans to buy the game? In any case, this won't be much of a review if I just ended it there, so I'll continue:
This game probably has the best use for cel-shaded graphics for a next-gen game seeing as when I first saw the intro, I found it a bit hard to tell which is in-game graphics and which is an anime cutscene! Although that doesn't really hold much weight compared to the graphical prowess of other games, this is probably the only true demerit of the game, because otherwise, this is a magnificent game!
One thing that I feel the "Tales of" series has a definite edge over RPG series, it's the fun, real-time, combo-driven battle system. As mentioned in my other reviews of "Tales of" games, this is the series that makes me look forward to the next battle, and am intentionally going into one because of one thing that makes games something you look forward in playing: it's FUN! The heated, intense battles, the combos! The battle system for this game is the best and most refined of all the "Tales of" games too, given its status as its current flagship game of the series! This alone puts other RPGs to shame with their unexciting, boring battles that rely too much on flash and graphics (you know those games).
It's also quite a treat that the skits are now voiced! I actually love the skit system. It is a very interesting way to explain a lot of minor and a few major aspects of the story of each character, world, event, etc. without creeping into the main storyline's scenes themselves (seeing as they are optional to view). This both allows a person to understand more of the story or play through the game with little interruptions!
Speaking of the story, each character plays a major role to the story, unlike most games where the "hero" or "heroine" are the only ones that matter since the rest of the characters are extra fighting bodies that are just there. You definitely know something deep is rooted for each of your pary members, which makes the story fleshed out and gives this sense that you really need to know what's up and what's in store for everyone later.
Although story-wise, I'm not sure on whether Tales of Vesperia is better than Tales of the Abyss or vice-versa since I haven't finished Tales of Vesperia late (My 360 broke a couple of days before I got the copy mailed in to my house. Argh.). I still look forward to this game!
After having said what I think needed to be known, I could not contain my love for the series much longer! I LOVE THIS GAME! If I have all day, I'd lay back and play this game all day, just like I did with Tales of the Abyss! It's a no-brainer that "Tales of" fans should get! As for the rest of the fans, they simply could not do wrong on purchasing this game for their Xbox 360s! And for RPG fans who are planning to get a 360, this is the very first game you should get! Oh and be sure to get the Special Edition of the game if you can. You'll see later on heheh...
Did I mention before that I love this game? Magnificent! | video-games_xbox |
Play Tiger Woods DLC for free. When EA SPORTS unveiled Season Ticket last summer, this notion of a 20% discount on downloadable content across EA SPORTS titles was among the most -relatively speaking- intriguing features along with the 3-day early release window. You pay your $25 for the subscription and once you've bought $125 worth of downloadable content, you're getting over on EA. Many of us pegged <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tiger-Woods-PGA-TOUR-13/dp/B006D3JWR0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13</a> as the game that would unveil some truths about Season Ticket as it relates to downloadable content and here we are in the run-up to Tiger 13 where the truth is coming to light.
Tiger 13 features in-game currency (called Coins) that you will earn every time you play, with bigger payouts coming with bigger accomplishments. Things like setting a course record at Augusta National, for example, will net you more coins than scoring par at some low-level muni course. The game also features its usual collection of downloadable courses where players can buy individual rounds on those courses using in-game Coins. Sounds simple enough: earn Coins, spend them on rounds at exclusive DLC courses that you haven't bought yet.
Here's where things get tricky: Tiger Woods 13 also has a Course Mastery feature where you're rewarded for accomplishing every item on a list of goals for a particular course. Hitting fairways and greens in regulation and scoring birdies and eagles are examples of how you'll master a particular course. When you master a course you'll earn a big Coin bonus (silver medal) or a pack of pins that power up your abilities (gold medal).
Course Mastery also works on the downloadable courses.
You can hit the gold medal accomplishments on a downloadable course like Liberty National, and in addition to a pin pack, you'll unlock unlimited rounds of play on Liberty National. No more buying one round at a time when you want to play Liberty National or any of the other DLC courses your master at the gold medal level.
So through skilled play in <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tiger-Woods-PGA-TOUR-13-The-Masters-Collector-s-Edition/dp/B006D3JT2S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector's Edition</a>'s various modes, you can earn enough coins to buy enough rounds on a DLC course to eventually master that DLC course and earn unlimited play on that same DLC course. You will have completely circumvented the entire premium downloadable content system because of superior skills as a gamer. That's a perfect storm of awesome.
Getting back to the Season Ticket: who wants a 20% discount off of premium content that you can earn for "free"? The impatient and sucky golf gamers among us will probably be down with that. Hell, they've already got badges on their profiles identifying them as suckers. It's just that, nothing in the world of sports gaming should rely on the masses of impatient and unskilled gamers to be successful. These are not people to be encouraged. They should be ridiculed.
Downloadable content has always been a difficult concept to resolve when it comes to sports games. There have been successful programs, yeah, but the cyclic nature of sports sims and the real world elements -- players, leagues, jerseys- have always seemed an awkward fit to us. If the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR franchise ever has some kind of Ultimate Team-type of component to it where coins are spent to build something that then leads to a significant type of parallel experience then we can talk. Until then building in a way for us to enjoy premium downloadable content for free is going to feel like a cool meta-game outside of the game. That's good for us, but somehow I don't think EA SPORTS meant it to be that way.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tiger-Woods-PGA-TOUR-13/dp/B006D3JT1E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13</a> | video-games_xbox |
Visually stunning game...and that's about it. Having played all the previous Halo games and being impressed at what 343 Industries did with the original game's graphics, I was eager to partake in this new game with wild abandon. I had so totally enjoyed all the aspects of Halo: Reach's solo, co-op, and mulitplayer components that I was excited to see what new adventures lay in store for me with Halo 4. Apparently, I missed a memo or something, because my expectations and reality did not gel in the slightest.
When you play the new game, you will be amazed at the level of graphic beauty developed for the game. I don't even have an HD television and I was blown away - I can't wait to see this game on my brother-in-law's 72" HD flat screen! But as you begin to actually play the story, remembering the experiences you had from the other ones, Halo 4 seems rather flat, boring, and confusing. I was unaware that understanding this game required reading all the books, watching all the movies, owning all the trading cards, and basically immersing yourself in all the outside material written and created AROUND the video game stories. Too many times, I was left confused in the game to the point that when the main protagonist was revealed, I hadn't a clue as to what was going on.
One of the limitations of the original, one that 343 Industries apparently chose to amplify for this game, was that Halo has often been a "run over there, push a button, now run back over here and push another button, all the while you fight aliens" kind of a game. In this aspect, Halo 4 did not disappoint, especially as 343 Industries went out of their way to create the highest quality animations for Master Chief's hand and its button pressing abilities. Some of the missions were so exhausting to me because once you finished pushing this button or turning on this machine here, you had to go to the other side of the map and do it all over again, often times without any real understanding as to why this particular button needed to be pushed or this particular engine needed to be started.
As 343 Industries likewise decided to fix Firefight mode for us and get rid of it, replacing that with their Spartan Ops mode, I am perplexed as to how these brief 5 to 10 minute missions compensate for defending against the onslaught of waves of aliens. And while the multiplayer looks amazing, I don't see what it is about it that makes it better than earlier versions (I suppose I'll have to keep trying it for a while).
We all have things that we wish this game could be, I suppose. After 4 years in dead space, I had hoped that Master Chief and Cortana might have a more interesting reason to wake up than the planet Requiem. Here's hoping that after this first outing by 343 Industries, Halo might adjust itself back to the earlier games and that this new company will recognize that visually amazing sets and scenes are meaningless without a compelling, comprehensible story. | video-games_xbox |
nothing new to see here. I'll start out by saying I've never been a huge fan of the Halo franchise. All of the games feature cheap feeling weapons that sound wimpy and are hard to control. The online play is stupid if you aren't a "pro".
Let's start with the good:
-The Music
On to the bad:
-The opening cut scene features two characters. Some old lady being interrogated by a faceless dude. While the art and animation looks fine, the lip sync is off, and the voice casting is all wrong. You have a woman in her 70's being voiced by someone who sounds like they are in their 30's. It just didn't work.
-The weapons have no weight to them. I guess you could chalk this up to the fact that Spartans are super soldiers, so things like weight and recoil might not be an issue for them, but guess what, I'm not a spartan. I'm just a normal human. I need some sort of connection to the player character, and in a shooter, that connection begins with the play of the weapons. They were all wimpy and sounded stupid.
-Can we get a cover system, please? Honestly, a real cover system. Building a cover system into a FPS isn't new and hard. It should be in here by now.
-The story is lame, and as is with the case with the other Halo games, makes no sense at all.
-Just like the previous Halo games, the sound design was sub-par and implementation was all off. It's hard to blame the sound designers for this, since they inherited the franchise from another game studio, and had to stick to certain sounds for consistency sake, so I get that, but at least beef the gun sounds up. It still suffers from the same gameplay dialogue implementation issues that the other Halo games had, which really bothered me.
-It just isn't fun. You run around killing bad guys. Big whoop. That's been done 3 times before in this franchise, and there is no real payoff. There are tons of shooters out there, and there was nothing new in this game. I don't get the point of it. Why was it released?
I will say the game looked good, but honestly, that is just keeping up with the Joneses at this point. Most AAA big budget titles look good. That doesn't impress me. There is nothing engaging here. There is no good story. Nothing to really suck you in and make you care about the characters at all. No substance. Just mindless killing. The lack of a real cover system just makes me shake my head. To me that is laziness on the part of the developers. Just implementing a good cover system could have done wonders to this game. Make it feel more real. After all, we see Spartans taking cover in the commercials and cutscenes. Why can't I do that when I am playing? Makes no sense.
I guess I was more insulted than anything with this game. To me, it looks like Microsoft was really looking to just make a buck rather than put out a title that is as groundbreaking as the very first Halo game, or games like the Uncharted franchise. It's like the God of War games. Just recycled nonsense for the sake of making money.
Do not buy this unless you are one of those 12 year old kids that spends all their time playing shooters online and swearing when their mom isn't in the room. There is just no point to this game. If you want to check it out, borrow it from a friend or rent it. | video-games_xbox |
Game should still be in development very little to no endgame content garbage pvp. The single player/co-op was decent fun loot drops lots of variety sort of, but at the same time a lot of stuff is just the same weapon upgraded not a whole lot of really different weapons. Basically you have assault rifles, smgs, snipers, squad automatic weapons and pistols. The weapon drops basically consist of an upgrade to a type of weapon you already have so after you hit about level 30 you have pretty much seen it all, the next wepon drop is not that exiting it just improves on your dps. And considering once you hit 30 there is really not much to do, sure you can go back and re do missions you have already done for more loot drops that are basically just upgrades of things you already have. This is not like borderlands where you never know what your next drop is going to do you know your next drop is just going to do the same thing as the wepon your currently using just maybe a little faster or with a little more dmg.
They attempted to add a form of pvp with the darkzone but failed miserably the balance between fighting mobs and fighting people is like night and day, you can shoot a lvl 30 npc with like 120 rounds before killing them but if there is a player you can hit them twice and kill them, in effect this turns the pvp aspect into a gankfest especially if you try running in the dark zone solo anytime you run into a group most likely there going to kill you just to see if you have pretty items and since you can most times only take a few hits from other players there really is no actual pvp its you go around a corner there is a guy there he shoots you twice your dead you respawn 500 feet away and he is running to hide so he can not be killed by anyone so he loses nothing wheres you just lost xp, money, and the items you just worked so hard to pick up in the darkzone.
Also it only has 4 player groups so chances are you are stuck with solo or a partial group since a lot of times your friends already have a full group and since going into the darkzone with a partial group means you are easy pickings for a full group most groups are going to avoid it and try the other endgame content which is daily missions or daily challenges both just consisting of missions you have already completed before but just with stronger npc's the regular daily missions on hard are to easy generally taking less than 20 minutes and can even be completed solo .
Where the daily challenge mission is ridiculously hard to the point that you have to basically cheat to complete it the npc's are so strong a lot of them will 1 shot you and if your not being 1 shotted the grenadier npc's apparently haul a wheelbarrow around full of grenades to lob at you that in most cases will also one shot you. In some parts of challenge missions you are stuck in a doorway shooting out dieing and having 1 guy stay hidden to res constantly and that is the only way to beat the challenge. I don't know about you but that does not sound at all fun to me, I sold the game and maybe a year from now I will pick it up again when ubisoft fixes some of the problems right now the game is essentially still in alpha.
when it comes to endgame content. | video-games_xbox |
Game has been patched. I wanted to share that the game has been patched. This is a list from Team 17 of what the fixes are in the patch:
* Fixed issue whereby user would lose all save data if the hard drive was moved to another console
* Fixed hard locking issues when generating landscapes bought in the shop
* Fixed issue where you could get a regular soft lock if a mine attracted to a magnet didn't come to rest
* Back flip input slowed down to stop incorrect jumps harming the player
* Air Strike was incorrectly hitting for 65 this has now been capped to 50 and damage spread has been correctly fixed
* Fixed a Leader board exploit awarding "billion" scores after disconnect exploit stopped
* Strict NAT users were unable to ready up in a lobby, now fixed
* Exploit fixed - Player can no longer use the ninja rope after deploying a weapon
* Fixed bug where first player was not selected randomly in online matches
* Fixed host migration issues in 3/4 player matches
* Forts and Rope Race matches can now be played as Private games
* Fixed an issue whereby fire punching the ceiling would result in the worm falling through the landscape
* Fixed bug which made crates in Forts matches only land on the right hand side
* Fire will now only burn the landscape between turns - this stops players losing their turn due to fire damage beyond their control
* Bunker Buster was hitting slightly to the right of the aiming reticule - this is now fixed
* Super weapon probability in crates reduced - Chance of Donkey removed from forts games
* Fixed an issue where you couldn't move the camera while your opponent had their weapon panel open
* Fixed an issue where sometimes worms were spawned in onto a mine at the start of a match
* Fixed an issue where sometimes the placing of Magnets would be out of sync between client and host
* Fixed occasional non functional magnet and magnets likelihood of flying around the screen erratically after being hit
* Fixed ability to place a girder anywhere on the landscape - the useable distance for the girder has now been reduced
* Dragon ball collision increased to stop it missing enemy worms at close range
* Fixed an issue where bringing up the Guide during online games caused slowdown
* Fixed an issue where strike weapons would appear in cavern landscape crates
* Landscape choice forced on host incorrectly after 10 seconds this now correctly waits for 30 seconds before forcing the decision
* Probability of vertical landscapes in Ranked matches was too high - this has been greatly reduced
* Fixed an issue where some players Avatars remained on screen obstructing play during online games
* Fixed an issue where some weapons/utilities SFX would loop at the start of every turn if the game was restarted during them being played. Most obvious example was the HHG.
* "Likes the Drink" achievement could be gained incorrectly by killing 8 worms in a single blast in the firing range
* Pressing jump while fire punching resulted in a "super" fire punch - this is now fixed
* Sheep now correctly travels down tunnels instead of bouncing on the entrances
* Fixed an issue where team names were not displaying on "Your turn" screen
* Missing particles added to Holy Hand Grenade
* Damage display font will no longer incorrectly scale larger on certain shots
* Tidied up the start of Online matches where Worms would be placed twice at the start of the game
* References to WOW 2 Leader boards (Maggie's Drawers & Valiant Failures) Removed
* AI teams are now using the correct speech banks in the campaign
* Spelling mistake - Incorrect weapon names in collected crates
This was taken off of their facebook page. Hope this information helps! | video-games_xbox |
Microsoft Xbox. So your looking at buying an xbox? here is the experience i have had with mine:
I have had my xbox for a year and a half with no problems, well, i mean there was a frozen screen every now and then. but it was very rare.because of xboxes great graphics chip and CPU it can play the same quality game as the ones you can find on you PC. (which is better than the PS2 and Gamecube).
The design of the xbox is a little bulky, but at least it looks kinda cool.
In the past people have complained about faulty DVD disk drives. what they say WAS true, you see, Microsoft has made a NEW xbox system for the same price of 150. they made this system in march 2004. I have had my NEW xbox versian since it came out in march. and i have had no problems what so ever. and for the one person who wants 3 good games for the xbox..well here they are! Halo 2 (not on computer) Star Wars Nights of the old republic 2 and fusion Frenzy... thats only 3 but i can go on for days naming games like: Starwars republic commando, burnout revenge, half life 2, battlefront 1 & 2, KOTOR, project gothem 1 & 2 that are all good. one reviewer said that it is cheaper to buy a computer??? .... most computers cost around 500 dollars to get a decent one about the same quality of an xbox! and computer games aren't 2 player unless you have more than 1 computer! so if you want to play xbox halo 1 2 player then you buy an xbox (150) and 1 extra controller (25) and halo (20) so that adds up to about 200
for a computer halo 2player you need 2 300 computers (600) 2 DIFFERENT disks of halo 1 (40) 640
so here is your choice... play halo1 2player with a computer and spend 640
or get halo1 for xbox 2player and spend 200. the choice is yours.
xbox holds more power than ps2 AND gamecube put together (well almost as much)! the xbox comes with 4 controller ports and a BUILT IN network adapter. Yes, with xbox live you pay 30 bucks a year.....but you can join clans talk to eachother play anyone anywhere And make friendslist and instant message with them!!! ps2 all you can do is instant message.... and with ps2 you need to buy a 100 dollar network adapter(NOT with the slimline edition)..so for the price of the adapter you can have 3 years of xbox live...'
and in 3 years from now, hmmmmm i would probibly alreadt have bought myself an xbox 360 or ps3 :) | video-games_xbox |
Assassin's Creed II: Welcome To The Animus 2.0. Let me start off my saying this is the way to do a sequel. A perfect sequel at that. Everyone take note, if you ever do a sequel, that it from Bungie, they know how to do it.
Assassin's Creed is back and it's better than ever. They've got some familar faces and some new ones, and a new assassin? Will he be able to live up to the previous assassin Altiar? Will he crash and burn or will he shed a new light and become your new favorite Assassin? My money is on door number two.
Story 10/10 - Desmond is back and the game picks up right where the first one left off. Desmond is in his room when Lucy tells him to come with her. Back into the animus to retrive a file containing a new past life of Desmonds. Breaking out of Abstergo Desmond agrees to fight along side with the Assassin's and stop the Templars. The file Lucy had contained another past life of Desmond. Ezio Auditore da Firenze. They plan to use something called the "Bleeding Effect" which will allow Desmond learn what Ezio learned over the years in a few days. You play as Ezio Auditore in late fifteenth-century Italy in his adventure to avendge his family and find out why they were murdered. Along the way you meet some new faces and get deeper into the story of Assassin's Creed.
Gameplay 10/10 - Hated repeating yourself over and over in AC1? Wished you could climb a building faster? What about any bugs you thought the first one had, afraid they'll appear again? Well fear not. Everything that could have been wrong with the first one is gone. I found no problems or flaws with ACII. The free running was smoother, missions better, weapons more dangerious, and everything just completely better. Bungie out did itself here and I was very impressed. Great work guys.
Graphics 10/10 - Love the graphics of the first game? Well they are back and I must say even better. Everything is once again beautiful and you are just in aww of the scenery around.
Overall 10/10 - Assassin's Creed II is one game to buy. It brings all the good of AC1 back and more. Become the ultimate Assassin and stop the Templars from taking over. This game also inclused DLC that can be found in the XBL Game Add-ons and the PSN. Jump into the world of Assassin's Creed, you won't regret it.
If you haven't played the first game it is recommended that you do to get the full feel of the story. You may be lost by jumping into ACII.
Look for the third installment of the series Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in stores November 2010. | video-games_xbox |
Still $50 going on 8 years and worth every penny. I have approximately 50 games and this one has yet to be dethroned. There are games that you purchase and play once or twice and then trade it in. Not this one. Most guys I know, even friends of friends, have told me that they've played this five or six times and won't be trading it in anytime soon. The ones who have traded it in have ponied up the cash to purchase it again, because it is such a rush.
It starts out a bit slow, but that's for good reason. You better get familiar with the lay of the land and the shortcuts because once your name gets around, the heat is on and the cops can get extremely aggressive in taking you down. If you don't know the streets they'll plow you into tree or stone wall when you choke from making a wrong turn into a dead end street or if you flip your car while being chased through the rockport prison facility.
What's it all about? You're new in town with a sweet ride. There is a group of street racers in town that, in their pursuit to be the best, cause measurable damage and cost to the city. This has caught the attention of the local police departments and they want it shutdown completely. They have a task force. The head of that task force is an unorthodox skilled driver and he's keeping tabs on you and anybody else street racing in rockport.
There's also a knucklehead who is threatened by your presence, because he figures he's on his way to being top dog. He starts barking, you both put up your pink slips and it's on. Problem is he drained your oil, your engine blows mid-race, you lose the race and your ride. Knucklehead points you toward the bus stop then uses your ride to dominate everybody in town.
You want your ride back and you want to put knucklehead on a slow boat to China. You have a little cash so you pick up a basic ride to get back in the game.
Turns out that the top street racers are ranked on the police departments blacklist. They are ranked on how much property damage they're causing in the city and how much damage they're causing the police department by running cops off the road, totaling the police cruisers and unmarked cars.
The more damage you cause and the more notorious you become, the more you move up the blacklist. In order to take on a blacklist member you have to have a specific dollar amount of property damage and the police have to have a specific bounty on your head. For instance, you have to cause $100k in property damage and have a $250k bounty on your head. Once you cause that much damage you have bragging rights and you can challenge the next blacklist member to knock him off the list and maybe even take his ride. Taking their ride is sweet because that's money you don't have to spend to upgrade your ride. If you don't spend your money wisely, you'll start to struggle, because the cops get progressively more aggressive and when you get taken down you get fined and it eats into your cash. Get caught too many times in your favorite ride and they'll impound it, so, don't get caught or you better have more than one ride and some cash in your pocket to pay the fines.
If you have driving skills, you'll be able to take down the blacklist members if you know your way around town and you know how to tune and handle your ride. The real challenge of the game is knowing when to taunt the cops to rachet up your stats, knowing when to lay low, knowing when and how to upgrade your ride and knowing how to outmaneuver the cops and take everything they throw at you which include road blocks, spike strips and SUV's that ram you head on to bring you to a grinding halt. When things get really intense they have to send out the eye in the sky helicopter so you can't hide or outrun them.
Earn money by entering challenges around the city. There are two ways to take on challenges. You can go through the menu, find a challenge and click "ok", but that's not the way to get the most out of the game. If you want the most out of the game, you should drive across town for each challenge. Why? Because it's a blast to try to make it across town with twenty police cruisers on your tail. They are ticked and they want you in the worst way. If you have a herd of cruisers close on your six, then drive through a gas station igniting the pumps and take out several cruisers at once. They like to stay on your heels so take them through a construction site and bring the structure down on multiple cruisers. Plow through several roadblocks or make it pass the spike strips by listening intently to your police scanner to stay one step ahead of them.
It's loads of fun and very challenging to keep a balance between being antagonistic & cocky to laying low & trying to conserve cash & keep the cops at bay.
When you get to the top of the blacklist and hopefully get your car back, every cop in the county is after you, your safehouse is comprised, your on the run and you have nowhere to hide. Time to get out of dodge and head for Palmont City (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Need-For-Speed-Carbon/dp/B000JHMJDA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Need For Speed: Carbon</a>). DRIVE!!!!!
P.S. - For those of you who have played this game and know how great it is, if you think you're good then play it the entire way through without using the speedbreaker. I've done it three times and it makes the game unbelievably intense. For me it's the only way to play. Speedbreaker feels like it's for the faint hearted once you get used to playing without it. | video-games_xbox |
Meh. Having played the PC version, this version is no different.
The items are the same more or less, just with bigger bloated numbers, the items are still boring / generic +to main stat
The drop rates are better because of a lack of Auction House.
What bugs me most is how pointless actually playing on the console is, anyone with some know-how could probably just pull their hard-drive from their Xbox/ps3 and manipulate their Save-File, which essentially turns the console version into an OPEN B.Net (hacks/mods/modified characters and items etc.. etc...) its only a matter of time.
Again No real PvP System STILL brawling is pointless and its a one-shot fest, i either one shot you, or you one shot me 50/50 so there is no real pvp system which makes all that loot gathering pointless.
The console version is better than the pc version, but the pc version was so terrible that the console version is still in the realm of "bad game" territory.
Diablo III needs an expansion to save it complete with an over-haul Item and PvP patch.... a port to consoles minus an Auction House Scam is not going to save this game.
I hope it sells well so that blizzard thinks about dumping more money into this dead game.
All in all this game is a rental at best, I would rent it - beat it and then bring it back.... it has very little replay value.
If you really want to own this game, I would wait till it goes on sale used or in the bargain bin a month or two down the road.... its not worth the 60$.... 10~25$ is a fair price for the content the game has to offer.
Im sure a lot of fan-boys out there will not like reading this, but thats fine to each their own... but the game just doesn't have a lot to offer, your much better off playing games like Torchlight II on console than you are playind D3.... games like that just have WAY more content and customization character options.... Diablo III has almost no character customization AT ALL, so you pretty much finish the game with the same moves as when you started.... leveling in Diablo III is pointless, really hitting level 60 is meaningless.... its soo mind-numbingly easy to do that it just doesn't matter at all, thats why they had to add paragon levels because everyone just hits 60 by the 9 hour mark.
Over-ALL i rate console games based on hours of content, Diablo III has about 12 hours of content and replay value, you could probably get more re-play value out of a FREE hack and slash rpg APP on your phone or tablet than you would from Diablo III.... probably a better story also. | video-games_xbox |
Great game. Witcher 3 is an open world RPG that is well worth the money.
The game's combat is very similar to Witcher 2. You use a combination of fast and strong attacks plus magic (signs), to defeat monsters. Do not expect anything massive with the magic, Witchers are wary of magic and only use the signs as accessories to killing monsters. Next you have bombs/crossbow and key hotkey two potions at a time. Skills in the game are unlocked and improved by leveling up or finding places of power.
The potion making in game has been a little streamlined. Even after finishing the game, I have mixed feelings about the potion making. You only have to create bombs/oils/potions once, after the first time you've created the item the item replenishes when you meditate, using strong alcohol that you've collected. Usually you can only have 2-3 of any item at a time. I wouldn't mind so much if it was "strong alcohol for potions, generic oil for oil, and explosive powder for bombs". I'm not sure if it works differently on higher difficulties. But, by streamlining this the developers got to make the rest of the game harder, so I suppose that's a good trade.
Side-quests are amazing. Typically the side-quests have a really good story that makes it worth playing through. Something people might have an issue with, you don't get much XP for killing things, you get most of your XP from finishing quests, once a quest's suggested level is 6 levels below your character's you receive very little to no XP. I don't mind this and feel it makes perfect sense, other's may have a problem with it. Something I do have a problem with involving the leveling, once you reach a certain point in the main quest you seem to start leveling up too fast, which means I don't get to really enjoy all of the sidequests. The main story had a bit of an unsatisfying last boss because I out leveled him. Other than that issue the main story was great story telling. The story isn't totally dry and serious either, character's have personalities and actually make jokes and crack smiles.
Obviously the graphics and the world the game is set in are gorgeous. Though with all open world games you're going to get bugs. One that CD-Project is trying to fix right now (and is a major irritation) is a save glitch. At some random point the game will stop allowing you to save. Until its fixed (which should be soon) save often, once before and after a quest. Occasionally check to make sure you can save (bug stops you from even opening the save menu). If the problem occurs, unplug your x-box and plug it back in.
In summary
pros
-combat
-sidequests
-main story
-graphics
-the world
-16 free DLC
Cons
-alchemy may be too streamlined
-character level's up too fast towards end of main story
-Not enough high level enemies for after the main story
-X-box One Save Bug | video-games_xbox |
Surprised at how great this game really is. Mass effect is another reason I am glad to have an Xbox 360. I've played several other RPGs before, but this game really comes to the table with many fresh ideas, innovative gameplay, and a very deep and involving story.
Mass effect allows you so many experiences it's difficult to sum it all up without really writing an overly huge review. I'll try to really explain the main points of why I think you should really buy this game.
Mass Effect's story is huge, it's inspired, and it's interesting. The whole game I was interested in the Galaxy's history, and the many differect species the creators of Mass Effect put in it. Dialogue in the game is extremely well done, with terrific voice acting and one notable innovation: you choose what type of answer you want to give in reply. Some answers will butter people up and allow more side-quest options, some will be brash and rude, cutting the conversation short. It's really all about how you want to be, or how you would react and it actually sways how the game is experienced.
Combat is another honorable mention, it's basically done similar to Gears of War, with the use of cover and weapon selection. Combat is almost an extra game in itself. It's not as cleanly executed as Gears of War but it's similar, with it's close quarters combat, long range sniping, but with jedi-like powers thrown in. You can chose to be a simple soldier using several guns to mow down your enemies, or a crafty Biotic using amazing powers to cripple, throw, stun, or levitate your enemies in the air while your team plugs them full of holes. The combat in Mass Effect leaves the player with some definite memorable shoot-outs and moments, which gladly is a large portion of the gameplay. You'll fight mercenaries, pirates, aliens, and synthetics. Most notably, the Geth, a synthetic race attacking human settlements and a key factor in the plot.
You'll spend a good deal of the time shooting around the galaxy in the Normandy, a huge, sexy, top of the line space cruiser. You'll also be exploring various planets with your six-wheeled, armored death tank: the Mako. It's basically the most capable off-road vehicle ever, with a booster jump ability, machine guns, and a big turret mounted cannon. It's got a great radar sytem to find anomalies, resources to survey for the Alliance, two view modes (3rd and 1st person), and a zoom ability so you can blast an alien or pirate flaming into the air from miles away. You have a large area of a planet's surface to explore and most planets are unique and different in some way. Some you can only be out of the Mako a limited amount of time due to extreme cold/heat/toxins etc. Some are rolling, some jagged, some have an atmosphere, some have huge sub-terrainian worms that try to kill you, it's always fun to check out a planet, be it to find resources and minerals, fallen probes, ancient ruins, mines, camps etc. This is all basically how side-quests are done. Sometimes you get to take down corrupt companies using remote planets to do inhumane experiments, erradicate an infestation, or solve a mystery and learn about things. You can simply bomb through the quests, or you can lolly-gag around to find minerals for extra money, it's all very fun though.
Despite Mass Effect having large portions of combat and driving, it still has plenty of item management, shops, upgrades etc. It's all very well done. Usually, should you start to be bored with a section it will change and you'll be doing something else, keeping everything fresh and fun. There's alot of freedom in Mass Effect, freedom to go where you want, act how you want, choose to kill someone if you want, and treat people how you want. It's like nothing you've ever played before, it's got great writing, great gameplay, and a great feel to it. You really become immersed in the game, which takes about 40 hours to complete. But it's also worth it to play through again and again and make different choices and see what happens, the game can be a different experience each time. You get to roll out with the generic Shepard character or create your own character, name, history, sex, attitude etc. and after only a few hours of gameplay, they take the leash off an you get control of your own ship. In between missions, excursions, plot, you can walk about your ship. You can talk to your crew, see the ship's armorer to buy gear, go to the lockers and equip your crew members, or just talk to people and learn about them or the ship. Then, grab the reigns and go wherever in the galaxy to shop, explore, rescue, kill, and profit.
I have to mention, the game is buggier than a derelict mobile home. Most of the time, the bugs aren't bad, simple glitches, draw-in, short loading pauses and such. It can somewhat detach you from the experience, but I noticed the level of thought and complexity that's going on, I don't care at all. With a game as good as this, it's worth the occasional glitch and draw in. It still plays good, it still looks good and I love it. I know I'm missing alot about it, there's a ton of things going on with this game and I really think they've set a bar with this one. I personally only enjoy those games that are the best at what they do, (COD 4, GOW etc) and this is another of those rare games that put you in awe. If you own a 360, definitely buy this game, it's just another reason I love my 360. | video-games_xbox |
Innovation Mastered. Last year when I decided to purchase an Xbox 360 despite already owning a PlayStation 3, it was because of a select few games that remained exclusive to the Microsoft console. Games such as Left 4 Dead, Halo, Crackdown and Mass Effect were incentives to purchase the console, but what finally made me get one was the anticipation of playing Gears of War. Being new to the series, I figured I should start with the first game of the franchise, so last year I purchased an Xbox 360 and Gears of War on the same day. This is a decision I wish I had made years ago.
The game starts off by placing the player in the shoes of Marcus Fenix, a member of a team known as "Gears", located on the planet Sera. Marcus commands a squadron known as Delta Squad, which includes characters such as Dominic "Dom" Santiago, Augustus "Cole Train" Cole, and Damon Baird. Their squadron is a member of the last remaining human government left on the planet, known as Coalition of Order Governments (COG). The responsibility of COG is to fight for humanity against the alien onslaught being driven by a race known as Locusts. Locusts are giant crocodile/human hybrid looking creatures who are capable of using heavy artillery against their enemies, in this case humans. Marcus is handed the responsibility of placing a resonator within the tunnels where the Locust reside, this will cause an outright extermination of the race, however the team did not properly diagnose the exact size and mapping of the tunnel the first time around, so players spent the rest of the game fighting their way through the Locusts until once again getting a chance to place a resonator within their underground tunnels.
The game features unique weapons and gameplay mechanics that make the game addictive beyond belief. Add in the ability to play the campaign mode cooperatively with other players or competitively against other players, and you have a winning formula for non-stop action. Health bars are absent, instead replace the system with status indicators which tell the player their current state of danger. This is done with the use of a flashing red screen that symbolizes impending doom unless the player takes cover long enough that the screen returns to normal. The ability to chainsaw opponents in half comes in handy, especially in instances where the player is bombarded by enemies such as Wretches. Enemies vary greatly from one another, and gameplay moments such as avoiding darkness to survive the attack of Krill is very unique.
Gears of War is visually stunning, and has mastered innovation on so many levels. The "cover mechanism" was relatively new to video games before Gears of War launched, and now it is common gameplay for third person shooters and is used in games such as Mass Effect and Uncharted. The character design is unique, the gameplay is solid, and the campaign and multiplayer modes are addicting. This makes for a great addition to any Xbox 360 collection, and Gears of War has quickly won its place on my list of favorite franchises ever created. | video-games_xbox |
Consider me K-O'ed. EA Sports' next-generation launch was as steady as the legs of a worn-out boxer. They ran a decent game with Madden NFL 2006, but missed a few tackles. They completely air-balled NBA Live 2006. FIFA 2006: Road to the FIFA World Cup was a decent game, but like soccer in real life, didn't reflect a lot of excitement. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 was also a decent game, but wasn't the 300-yard blast that Xbox 360 golfing gamers expected. Now, with Fight Night Round 3, they've proven something-even a worn-out boxer can come back and make a big hit to get right back into the game. Fight Night Round 3 is easily above and beyond everything that EA Sports has done so far in the next generation, and it stands as one of the premier Xbox 360 titles right now.
Featuring two headline gameplay modes, ESPN Classics and Career, Fight Night Round 3 is chock-full of stuff for boxing fans. ESPN Classics puts you into the trunks of boxing greats and throws you into the ring against the star's biggest rival. For example, there is an Ali vs. Frazier match, a B-Hop and Jones Jr. match, and more. For boxing fans and those of you out there that know your boxing history, this is a real treat. Re-creating big match-ups is something that's always enjoyable.
Career Mode is where the rest of the gameplay is found, and it lets you create your own avatar and make a name for yourself as a boxing legend. This mode forces you to train your boxer, earn money and hire trainers, buy boxing gear, and sign contracts to fight in upcoming matches. By the end of your boxer's career, you'll have fought in all sorts of events, like ESPN Wednesday and Friday Night matches. I enjoyed the Career Mode the most, as it allowed me to have full control of my boxer and his stats. For example, if I needed a power boost before an upcoming match, all I had to do was participate in the Weightlifting training game and my boxer would be a little beefier. Eventually throughout your career you'll form rivalries that are reflected by the action on the mat, where a rival might start throwing illegal hits and taunting your avatar.
The on-mat gameplay is phenomenal, to say the least. Boxing is a test of stamina in real life, and this has been held up very well in the game itself. The punching controls are mapped to the right analog stick by default, and throwing punches is as easy as moving the stick into a certain direction. For example, quickly slashing the stick in an upwards-diagonal motion will result in your avatar throwing a mean jab. Swiveling the stick from down to up will execute an uppercut. There are even haymakers that are done by moving the stick in different motions. Though these punches are much harder to successfully execute, when they are landed on an opponent, the effect is dramatic. Once you wear down an opponent, he'll start to throw sluggish punches, he'll swagger, and he'll eat the floor when you land a clean hit. Of course, punching wildly and getting hit by your opponent will have the same devastating result on your boxer, and the finesse, knowledge, and stamina required in boxing is also required in the videogame in order to win matches. On harder difficulty settings, this game is truly punishing to any and all mistakes you make.
The gameplay is actually enhanced by the visuals; something that I feel the Xbox 360 hasn't really accomplished yet. Playing Fight Night Round 3 in high-definition glory is an experience that truly has to be seen. From the sweat beads dripping down a boxer's chest to the skin ripples in his face when he's hit, Fight Night Round 3 delivers detail in every way. The bright lights make sweat glisten and will actually blind you from time to time, putting you right into the head of your boxer. The default camera angle is extremely close to the combatants, making the action up-close and personal. Sometimes, especially after a big hit, the camera will swivel or shak, representing the unnerving feeling of uncontrollability and pain that a real-life boxer would feel. Like I said, with Fight Night Round 3, the visuals actually enhance the gameplay. Getting hit with a big punch not only feels brutal, but looks brutal thanks to these visuals.
The menu music is fitting, but I usually ended up listening to my Xbox 360 Custom Soundtrack anyway. Fortunately, the in-game commentary is actually worth listening to, even though some of the sound clips are played in a strange order. For instance, after each match, the commentator usually commends one of the boxers but sometimes won't specify whom he's talking about until he's finished complimenting. It's almost as if the sound team put in the different audio clips backwards. If there's anything worth bragging about in terms of sound, it's the sound effects, which do a fantastic job of signaling when your boxer's bones are crunching and when he's gasping for breath. And when the crowd gets into a fight, and starts chanting, you'll really feel it.
In almost every way, Fight Night Round 3 is a sensational game that sports, fighting, or boxing fans will enjoy. In fact, I really can't find anything to complain about. If you own an Xbox 360, I highly recommend giving EA Sports' knockout title a chance. Of course, the game on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PSP share the exact same gameplay features, but they don't have the visual enhancements that the 360 version delivers so perfectly. If EA Sports can continue to hit this hard with their next-gen games, sports fans won't have much left in their wallet when Madden NFL 2007 and NBA Live 2007 release. | video-games_xbox |
What you see is what you get. I was raised on Intellivision. If you were, too, you know which games you want to play. You can also, I presume, look at an Xbox controller and see how there could be difficulties translating the disc-and-keypad controls from Intellivision to the Xbox.
If you aren't very familiar with the Intellivision, you're not really the retrogaming target audience, and you should probably move on.
Assuming you're still with me, here's the good news. The games that are in the collection are recreated spot-on perfectly. The controller works exceptionally well given obvious limitations. A right thumbstick-right trigger combination simulates the keypad 1-9 by default. You get used to it, and I certainly can't think of a better way it could have been done. But in games where it makes more sense to do it another way, it was done another way. A, B, X, and Y fire down, right, left, and up, respectively, in Night Stalker. That is, this package was put together by people who understand the games.
And, as far as the games in the package go, basically, all the first party (Mattel and INTV) games are here except the ones that are lost to licensing entanglements. Yes, it means you lose some of the system's best games. Tron Deadly Discs, Burger Time, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and Masters of the Universe are not included, and it's a shame.
Further, no matter how much you loved the system, you'll probably admit that some of the games haven't really stood the test of time all that well. Two of the machine's flagship games, Baseball and Astrosmash!, stand out in particular.
But there are 60-some games here. For a $20 package, if you can dig up four or five of them to rekindle your love affair with, you're doing exceptionally well. Most of the games you play once for the nostalgia fix and never see again. But I'm convinced that, for my tastes, Utopia, Super Pro Basketball, Space Armada, Space Battle, Night Stalker, and Shark! Shark! are still honestly fun.
I have Intellivision Lives! for PC, and it is quite good. But putting these games back on the TV with a controller in my hand feels right. I have a good feeling that these games will continue to exist on modern platforms for the foreseeable future and I couldn't be happier. Outstanding product. | video-games_xbox |
Not horrible, but nowhere near as good as I was expecting. When I first found out about this game, I watched the trailers and thought "woah! this game looks totally awesome!" I was expecting this awesome ninja-looting, hidden predator type of game. I was quite let down upon actually playing. While the game is not horrible, it really is somewhat boring. Literally all you do is steal pieces of junk like candlestick holders, forks, and teacups and this is supposed to represent money (um... ok?). Play through the campaign, which is difficult to get your bearings at first and figure out where you are and how to get to where you need or want to go, and open million of drawers, closets, and chests and steal these type of trinkets. There are also other objects that are "collectibles" such as masks and necklaces, which are more difficult to find. That is the point of the game.
My main gripes with the game come in the form of it being COMPLETELY stealth-based. I am all for sneaking around, and being stealthy, but after about an hour of purposely avoiding any sort of combat and crouching, moving slowly, and staying in the dark corners of the map, it gets exceedingly dull. That also leads me to another problem with the game... it is WAAAAAAAY too dark. I know you can adjust the brightness and all, but the game is far to dark - like, to the point of it being difficult to see where you are and where you are going. But my biggest problem with the game? combat. While, yes, the point of this game is to be stealthy, and not be seen, if you ARE seen or heard and find yourself stuck with nowhere to run or hide, you might as well just quit and reload, as the combat in this game is not even fair. How not far you ask? Your only weapon is a club which takes a good 5-7 hits to actually knock someone down, only to make you then stand over them and hold the button to actually kill them. Meanwhile, you are being pelted with crossbow bolts and slashed at with swords. Not fair. They should have at least given you an option of using a dagger or something in life-or-death situations. It simply is not balanced.
If you think that hiding for the entire game, staying in dark shadows, moving slowly so you are not heard, and waiting out enemies until they move from their position will not get boring, I encourage you to get the game only to realize how wrong you are. It is fun for a mission or two, but become monotonous very quickly and is the exact same thing over and over and over again. There are some puzzles you need to solve throughout the game as well, and many of these are difficult to figure out and very frustrating. Not at all the game it was hyped up to be, but a very boring, monotonous one. | video-games_xbox |
A great upgrade over 2003, but worth another . Last Year NCAA 2003, consumed my life for well over 300+ hrs. I even played it more then Madden 2003(gasp!). But could EA sports top themselves yet again?
The answer is a resounding YES!
Nearly every aspect of last years effort has been improved, from the play-books (a huge improvement) and the # of playable teams. The biggest improvements come in the Dynasty mode, a great feature that allows you control every aspect of your team season after season. The main improvement is the addition of the sports illustrated covers, the recap the week's previous action. I swear half the fun is seeing if your team made any print.
Graphically the game make a few minor leaps in quality, more animations, and improved stadiums, but no earth-shaking changes are found.
Sound, always top notch in the series, receives a few tweaks that compliment and already stellar package. The voice over commentary is still good, but not great. I would like to hear more situational commentary then the general banter that comes from the announcers on a regular basis, but it still stands above the rest of the pack.
Gameplay is as tight as ever with a minor adjustments, on both offense and defense.
When it comes to the presentation, what was great last year, borders on just good this year. Sure a few touches where added here and there (locker room exits, cheerleaders with flags, canons etc.), but I was hoping that more improvements would have been added to heighten the atmosphere.
So are there enough upgrades to warrant another $...?????
Yes, I have to say so. This game is still light years ahead of the competition, but I hope EA doesn't get comfortable.
This game is a five star game, but in the end more upgrades should have been added so I have to pull one star from this great title.
FINAL VERDICT: 4 STARS ****, but if you purchase this game (and I do recommend it!), say good-bye to your life for awhile | video-games_xbox |
Insufferably pretentious. Nothing like the Bioshock we love. This is an even bigger disappointment than Mass Effect 3's ending. I had such high hopes for the long-awaited successor to Bioshock that I played through this tripe twice just to make sure that absolutely none of the choices I made had an OUNCE of impact on the story. In the end, you'll find out it's better to just let yourself be killed by one of the many repetitive and non-threatening enemies scurrying over Colombia's surface like wannabe splicers in the beginning than to waste time and energy fighting for... nothing. There is no suspense or terror as in Bioshock 1. No maniacal and intelligent villain. No reason to take all the actions taken throughout like saving the little sisters. No freedom for the player to define their character, as we could good old Jack. No explanation or purpose for plasmids/vigors opposed to them being a focal point of the plot and downfall of Rapture. No tough opponents like the hard-charging Big Daddies, just stiff soldiers and plodding machines with retarded AI that are easily dispatched on the Hard difficulty. Ughhh!
Alright, enough comparisons to the (wonderful) original Bioshock. Let's just look at Infinite as it's own game. The graphics are being significantly overrated everywhere I look. This is a prettily designed game but the textures and lighting are technically quite poor. It looks like a game that's a few years old and unpolished. I'm not a graphics whore, I'll take a game with a good story and mediocre graphics like Dragon Age over refined and shiny visuals without thought or passion like Modern Warfare 2. Sadly, the thought here is lacking. Or perhaps they over-thought it.
I have no doubt that Infinite did have passion behind it, passion to be as convoluted and edgy as possible and provoke discussions on forums by people who see something "deep" in a series of plot twists, which are revealed so ponderously that by the time we get to them we don't care anymore. Worse, the idea of tears and alternate timelines and worlds creates enormous plot holes which I don't need to detail here. Just playing the game a second time revealed twice as many as first experience and there were too many to go into the first time. But even holes in the story I'm content to ignore so long as the game tells a pleasing story with likable characters and an ending that satisfies. Whooops, Irrational screwed this one up too and this was the killing blow. A huge problem throughout is the characters. The protagonist now talks so you'd figure he'd be more developed and meaningful than the voiceless characters of old... nope. He's just a douche bag who I couldn't relate to at all, except for when he was asking what the hell was going on. Booker DeWitt grumbles his way through the alternate realities as confused as everyone but almost never seems to have any interest in anything but himself. The side-kick Elizabeth is the most well-developed character in the game but she is still very disappointing. She hasn't seemed to made up her mind on what she wants either, except for a trip to Paris. This is her focal point throughout the game until the end when suddenly she forgets about it and decides to focus her desire on drowning a giant bird and Booker. So there's a huge flaw in the two main characters in that we can't understand their motivations for most of the game. The primary villain, Comstock, is also horribly developed. There's no explanation or evidence given for how he became so universally loved or where he came up with the idea that raising a child to be his heir was best accomplished by locking her in a tower where she had no contact with anyone, least of all, him. Also, why is he so desperately set on destroying NYC? Eh, whatever, I guess because it's climax to tease at and makes for an exciting image. The characters who actually do have clear motives and take clear and logical actions to achieve them are mostly restricted to audio diaries. This restriction makes the audios you find laying about less relevant to the story than those in Rapture (oops, another comparison).
Lastly, the ending just sucks. In a transparent effort to draw some kind of deep connection between the universes of their games, Irrational makes a big mess of everything and the steam punk world becomes something more like the Matrix (in the bad ones). Constants, variables, doors... who cares about it all? Well I guess Booker does since it means he and the bad guy are the same person and he now has to be drowned in a certain timeline because that will set everything right. Why? Well it just will because... because Irrational says so. We aren't even introduced to all these new rules until the last twenty minutes of the game and it's not nearly enough time to understand and get a feel for them and how they work. We'd just barely gotten used to Colombia and now it's time for us to forget about that and worry about timelines and dimensions. Wasn't it creative enough that you guys made up an underwater and a sky city with interesting cultures and backgrounds to be potentially explored without adding in the other garbage?
Aside from what I despised utterly about the game, the setting of Colombia was actually pretty creative and well-designed and the gameplay was decent, aside from the lame enemies and the fact that I didn't care about what I was doing because if Booker didn't, why should I? | video-games_xbox |
Decent Game ruined by 1 MAJOR GLITCH. Far Cry 2 does alot of things right however it also has many flaws including one disasterous glitch that I will get to in a minute.
* The weapons are a shining point in Far cry 2. They are realistic and you have several to choose from. They jam occassionaly and become dirty from wear and tear. This realism really adds alot to the overall look and feel of the game.
*Enemies are pretty bland in Far Cry 2, they all consist of the same strengths and weaknesses of the rest and frankly the enemy AI is pretty horrible at times and great at others. The enemies do a decent job at trying to flank you and run for cover alot but at the same time you will find many enemies unfazed after a gernade explodes 10 ft from them. The biggest downfall with the enemies is the amount of lead you have to put into them to kill them. It will take at least 4 shots with a Eagle handgun to put one down.
*The enviroment is absolutely stunning and its what this title truly does best. The night and day transitions are beautiful and there is no loading between areas.
*Gameplay however can become pretty repetative after your about 40% through with the game, you are basically doing the same thing every mission just in a different fashiion and although it has alot of entertaining aspects to it after a while it becomes tedious.
Finally lets talk about the 1 glitch that absolutely ruins Far Cry 2. The glitch I am referring to causes your save file to randomly decide not to load when you choose to continue a game. I was 68% done with the game when it decided that it wasn't going to load for me, you can do research online about this issue, it's happening to a ton of people and is a majot glitch that Ubisoft should have caught. So frankly Far Cry 2 is a waste of money because you are taking a gamble that your game might suddenly decide not to load your progress and let you continue your journey causing you to have to start completely over. | video-games_xbox |
16 vs 46 (Complete vs Enjoy. I read the reviewsThen I was able to experience two totally different playing styles between my 16 year-old who has to finish the story as quick as possible (but only about 30% of game is complete) and the old geezer that I am at 46 who strives to finish games at as close to 100% no matter how long it takes.
The short version of this review: If your style is to complete the story and call it good, I can see where some of the repetitiveness would bore you and really, you could wait for a markdown in price to do this. If you are not in a hurry and want to experience a gradual increase in difficultywhile having stunning graphics and incredible audio (through headset, anyway), then this game is well worth it.
One Scenario, different approaches:
Hours into the game, in the 3rd territory (Pink Eye) some of the scarecrows require a level-6 harpoon to remove. Heres how it was dealt with:
(16 year old, goal to complete game)Once the harpoon was needed, had to realize that to open level 6 harpoon there was an area that had to have the threat reduced to zero in 1st territory. Only thing missing for him: Eliminate a minefield in 1st territory. This means he had to go to a Stronghold, switch cars to the Buggy where the dog could ride, find the minefield (on other side of map) and eliminate.
This frustrated the heck out of him; complained of repetitiveness and trivial tasks holding him up.
(46 year old, goal to enjoy game)played game in a progression style where when I went to sweep a minefield, I swept many of them around while in the Buggy. For this reason, when I got to the step of needing the level-6 harpoon, I had already done the steps and it went seamlessly when I needed it.
This is just an example of many scenarios you may see depending on your game style. If your goal is to complete the story, you could do it while experiencing less than half of the game, and from what Ive read, you may leave the game feeling the repetition that is mentioned. If your goal is to try and do everything, you still get some of the repetition, but with the progression of difficulty, I didn't feel it like others have written
Trivial things Ive seen complained:
*You have to go to a hot-air balloon and ride it into the atmosphere to see other items on the map.
Yes, unless you want to crawl across every living inch of the map to uncover things, you will need to ride the balloon to show items in map. No different than forging a tower in Shadow of Mordor. Actually, some of the balloons are not working when you get there (no fuel, tied down, AI characters to fight), so sometimes there is more to do to get to the balloons than just the appearance of riding the balloon.
*Car Controls are lame.
Yes, your car is crap initiallyby design. The goal is to acquire things to setup your car to your liking, your playing style, or maybe the game-situation. There are reward cars that are specialty-designed if you can find them buried in the garbage heaps, and there are pre-fabbed cars (Archangels) that are available as you open certain features for cars. At 20+ hours and about 35% into game, my car is perfect for where Im at in game. I erroneously restored my car back to base the other day and played (now in 3rd territory) and could not keep up with increased AI difficulty.
I mean, if the car gets damaged, it is fixed by Chumbucket with a fire-extinguisher and a pipe-wrenchnot exactly Forza, so don't expect pristine handling; kinda goes along with a post-apocalyptic storyline, imo
*You have to eat dog-food or maggots to regenerate health.
Yes, so what? In Shadow of Mordor you pick daisies as a visual for the health re-gen. I never knew so much analysis of the routine visuals were nit-picked until I saw this complaint. Health has to re-gen in many games; how this is illustrated seems petty
*Game is repetitive.
I dunno. In each territory there are about 6 things to accomplish which reduces threats; Convoy, Top Dog, Camps, Minefield sweep, Snipers, and Scarecrows. Each one of these requires a slightly different approach to accomplish. In some territories, there are multiples of these.
Then, there are 4 territories (with multiple threats) that are progressively harder as you approach each one. I guess once you get the concept of each threat, it is just mastering that skill better per territory. Considering as you progress that you have the ability to start setting up Max and the Magnum Opus to your liking, I would think the repetitiveness is all in how you set things up?
*The storms are a pain.
Yep, when one arrives, get ready to suspend playing the game for about 8-10 minutes. You can play through it with random items striking you and depleting health (or damaging car). The only reward I see is 100+ scrap boxes are left lying around after a storm, but for the one or two you find, you probably could have acquired the same amount of scrap playing a mission for 10 minutes. Very neat event visually, but slows the gameplay to a near halt.
All in all, I think its a good game; hours of enjoyment for an aging (former?) gamer. Ive seen comparisons to LOTR:SOM and Batman. My boy plays Batman and says similar gameplay. I have done SOM at 100% and find Max very, very similar in concept to SOM.
I got this game the day it came out and Im not even at 50% yet...Look to be playing for awhile. Hope this helps. | video-games_xbox |
Needs Work on Graphics and Open Gameplay. If you're a fan of the CSI TV show, you know what CSI Hard Evidence is all about. The characters you know and love go romping around crime scenes, tracking down clues, figuring out who the perpetrator is.
The graphics are a little iffy on this one, which is a shame when the whole point is to peer closely at the screen to find clues. I would love a higher level of quality here. This isn't a game of fast reflexes or killer combat. It's all about observing. You would think the visual layout would be key. In particular the faces of the characters border on scary in their movements.
There are only five cases in the game, and there is of course not really any replayability. It is a typical puzzle solver - but it is VERY linear. You might think logically that something is a clue, but you have to do things in the order they want you to.
It may be that I've played a number of these games by now and see the limitations of this one in particular, but I know every time I write a walkthrough that people write me in droves when a game is too linear - it frustrates them.
The soundtrack can also use some work. I was standing quietly, examining a car, and the soundtrack was thrumming with killer "a T-Rex is about to eat you!!" tracks. Not quite appropriate.
It's a real shame. CSI is a great TV show, and certainly should have the budget available to hire a quality set of game developers to turn this into an interactive experience. I've played other games with awesome facial features, for example. There are numerous examples of games that involve puzzle solving in a more open environment. The horsepower exists on the XBox 360 - and the designers have already figured out how to do these actions. It just needed to be brought together for this specific game.
Part of what concerns me is that new gamers who love CSI might come into this, have lots of problems and think they're the ones at fault. They might think their lack of gaming skills is the issue. We would have lost potential gamers because of poor gameplay. It would be MUCH better if a "draw in" game like this that could introduce non-gamers to a console was as easy as possible, and as visually pretty as possible. That way they had fun, enjoyed the experience and then began to try other games as well.
I really hope future CSI games fix the single-threaded issue and most definitely the graphic issues.
Rating: 3.5/5 | video-games_xbox |
Excellent . This game is just amazing from start to finish. This series shows advancements in every new installment they make just like good sequals should. From the first Crysis to Crysis 2 and now to Crysis 3 you will find advancements in gameplay and graphics. The story in the first two were top notch and Crysis 3 is no exception.
Graphics : If you thought the graphics in the original Crysis were great you had to be blown away with the graphics in Crysis 2 and the same is true with the graphics is Crysis 3. Everything looks simply amazing. You can tell by the detail in this game that the developers treated this game like a work of love. You won't find any muddy graphics or screen tearing in this game , it runs smooth as butter. I cant think of any other game that looks this good, and as much as I love Halo 4 even that game cant stand up to the graphical excellence in Crysis 3. If you are having a bad experience with graphics it has to be with your TV , Console , or your connections because this game really pushes the limits of the current consoles.
Gameplay : This game is no slouch in the gameplay department. You will be thrown into action from the very beginning. You can play this game in stealth using your camo cloak ability or go in guns blazing , its all up to you and how you like to play. There are only two areas I can recall that you really cant use the cloak and need to just shoot em up and both of those are boss fights. the same is true for the two previous games as well. Also if you have the bow equiped you will not break your cloak ability when you fire and will remain unseen. I thought the addition of the bow was a very positive addition to the game. In the two previous games all you had were your guns and as soon as you open fire you would become visible to the enemy , but not with the bow. After you shoot someone with the bow just walk over the body and collect the arrow from the ememy you just killed. Obviously you won't always be able to collect all of your used arrows but don't be dismayed as you will run upon more soon enough to refill your supply. The game starts some years after the events in Crysis 2 and things have changed alot. I won't give specifics because I wouldnt want to ruin anything about this game for anyone but just know that the game will keep you engaged from start to finish. You will not want to stop playing because you will have the feeling of what is going to happen next , and you will find yourself loosing hours and think it has only been about thirty or so minutes. This game is just that good.
Multiplayer : I have not played the multiplayer much but it does seem to be very enjoyable. This mode also requires an amount of stealth because if you run into the open guns blazing you will most likely find yourself dead as someone in cloak with a sinper rifle will take you out. Like I said I have not put much time into the multi. because I buy these games for their gameplay and great story , but for what I have played I can say you will find enjoyment in this as well.
Summary: I know this review was a bit short but I just wanted to add my few cents to the reviews and wanted to make sure everyone knew what a great game this is ( in my opinion ). So if you are on the fence about this game just come on down and pick it up because I don't think you will have any regrets. Have fun and happy gaming everyone.
Note: If you havnt played the first two you can pick up the first on Xbox Live arcade and the second as well. I like to have a hard copy so I bought Crysis 2 on disc. The only way to play the original crysis on your Xbox will be to download it from Xbox Live arcade because it was originally made for the PC and not consoles. The two prior games are well worth your time and money and I think you will have a better understanding of what is going on if you play them in order. don't be afraid to purchase the original from Xbox live because the graphics , story and gameplay in that game are much better than most things released today.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Crysis-Download/dp/B0047O2L2U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Crysis [Download</a>], <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Crysis-2/dp/B002BSA1MQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Crysis 2</a> | video-games_xbox |
Nicely made, easy to use. The Xbox One Media Remote arrived today, and after just a couple of hours with it, I have to say I like it quite a bit.
For starters, the packaging: Like all the packaging for the Xbox One and it's official accessories, Microsoft is really doing things right. No plastic clamshell cases that require scissors, a crowbar, and a blowtorch to open. Just an elegant, simple box that opens with the lift of a lid, and the contents firmly ensconsed within, sitting in a molded cardboard cradle. Lift the cardboard tray, and the two included AAA batteries are attached on the underside. Beneath the tray you will find the warranty info, manual, and quickstart guide.
The first thing I noticed when holding the remote for the first time was the solidness of it. It feels very well crafted, with a nice weight to it that I wasn't expecting for such a small device. It's not heavy by any means, but it's perfectly weighted (even moreso with the batteries inserted) and doesn't feel like it will fly out of your hand while using it.
Immediately after noting the weight and construction quality, I was struck by the general feel of the materials. The entire remote has a soft rubbery feel to it, adding to the overall feel that this device isn't going anywhere once you've got it in your hand. This coating does have a tendancy to attract dust, mostly on the underside of the device.
Installing the batteries requires you to slide the entire back panel of the device down. There is no door, or clip to be seen, which is nice because it does not interfere with the design aesthetic.
The design is simple and elegant (there are those words again), with a nice curved back that feels very comfortable in the hand, and the button placement is well thought out. The smaller size of the remote ensures that one handed operation is easy, with no stretching of the fingers or thumb to hit buttons at the extreme top or bottom of the device.
The buttons themselves are very responsive, and have a nice solid feel, giving a good click/thunk when you press them. The addition of a dedicated OneGuide button is most welcome, as is the back button.
The remote has a gyroscopic sensor in it that responds when you pick it up, causing the buttons to light up for a few short seconds. A very useful feature if you are watching TV in a darkened home theater, or just surfing the couch after hours with the lights out.
If you have your cable box passing through your Xbox One, and have set your TV up in your settings, then the remote controls your volume and channels, mute function, and the play/pause/rewind/fast forward functions for your cable box, and the Xbox One's Blu-ray player.
There's not too much more to be said. This is a simple, basic remote. There are no bells and whistles to speak of. This is not a universal remote, so if you are looking for something to control all the components in your home theater, this isn't the remote for you. If your needs are simple, though, and like me, you hate using your Xbox controller for your TV or Blu-ray viewing, than this is the way to go.
This is a well made, super functional accessory that focuses on ease of use, build quality, and clean design.
Recommended. | video-games_xbox |
New and added gameplay features. I think it's better. *THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME GAME-PLAY SPOILERS*
-UPDATED 12/28/12: Playable characters.
Added/New:
-MY ALL TIME FAVORITE, Now you can COUNTER ATTACK by timing RT at the right moment before you get hit.
-Now you can move when aiming. Unfortunately for you run and gun gamers you can only walk while aiming.
-Now you can duck, roll, and slide tackle along with aim and roll from the ground. Take it from me... aiming from the ground is only a good idea if you're dying. Keep moving.
-Yes, now you can defend yourself if you're down ("down but not out" as so to speak).
-Added more combative moves. Makes the game less repetitive when using melee.
-4 story missions ea. 5 chapters long. Each chapter can take up to 1hr. and a half. Longer if you like to kill zombies. So yeah.. longer gameplay from 5.
-instead of mixed herbs to heal now you mix herbs into tablets. Ea. tablet heals 1 bar of health. You have 6. 1 red herb mixed with 1 green herb makes 6 tablets. Green w/ green makes 3.
-use RB to heal with tablets stored in your tablet case.
-7 playable characters including Ada Wong. Ada unlocks after you beat all other story modes.
-RT is now used for melee as well as shooting. LT is still to aim.
-You can change your laser color as well as use a aiming crosshair. You do not have to use the crosshair if you prefer the classic laser like I do.
-2 player split screen still. 2 player co-op story mode online and off. 4 player if you have internet and 2 people online or system linked are as far in the story as you in certain areas of the game. Meaning you can meet up with 2 random people while you're playing online.
-All new Agent Hunt mode allows you to take control of a zombie and hunt down people online who have their allow agent hunt setting turned on.
-Yes you can turn Agent Hunt mode off so people can't hunt you while you're playing.
*UPDATE* 12/28/12
-Playable Characters include: Sherry Berkin, Jake Muller(weskers son), Chris Redfield, Piers Nivans(new sidekick), Leon Kennedy(resident evil 4 favorite) Ashley Graham, Ada Wong and a guy called the Veteran as Ada's partner. who after an update to the game will let you play with 2-players on Adas story. Ada Wongs story mode is now 2 player if you can update your system. 1-player otherwise because Capcom didn't release the game with the Veteran character. However you can still meet up with people via xbox live or system link assuming they are at the same area in the game as you are.
-You can link your account and view your stats at residentevil.net
-There is now environmental kills if your lucky enough to be near one when you melee.
-Most everything else from 5 for gameplay is about the same. Lighting, graphics, moving etc...
-Hope my review was helpful for what you wanted to know. Sorry I can't give anything about the story away... too many spoilers. I don't want to ruin the game for people who want to play this and have surprises on the way. I did enjoy the story. Can't wait for the next one ;) | video-games_xbox |
Madden Not bad..But Not Great. Well Today I decided to go to my local gamestop and pick up Madden NFL 10. I spent alot of time reading reviews which was about 50/50 some say good, some said don't waste your money.
I decided to give it shot. First of all we cant live upon NFL 2k5. It was a great game but at the end of the day you only ave ONE football game to choose. I think like many have stated its not a good thing. Because EA is the only one to make a football game they don't put 100% of their effort into it. Since their is no competition.
Graphics- If graphics is what your into this is the best to date. Realism 100%. My only gripe is the sidelines. It gets old seeing your players look more like blobs than anything to me at least. I wish they would put more effort into making it all out realistic experience..I mean thats the point right?
Commentary well its bad. Its not like NCAA wich for the most part its much more exciting. The commentary is not blended correctly. It sounds way to recorded. It also lacks any excitement on a big play. You throw a 50 yard pass and their response "nice catch". Seems kinda boring. Deffintely not what I would hope for. Commentary needs MUCH improvement.
Replay-What makes me upset is they show very few replays. You get a touchdown-NO replay. So if you want to see it again you have to go to the menu which I don't understand EAs thinking on that part.
Overall is this game worth 60$ No not really. But to me I don't feel there are many games that are worth that much considering next year most of us will trade it in on a new release the following year. I will say Its still fun. I enjoy football so for me its a must. I do think Madden should put more effort into the game for the people that make Madden what it is today. If you have madden 09 I would just keep it and tweak the rosters. Otherwise I would play the demo or rent it first. Since everyones opinion varys upon preference. I for one enjoy it and don't regret buying the game :) | video-games_xbox |
Some issues, but overall an excellent game. To start off, I enjoyed this game, but it CAN be frustrating, due to the style of combat. Which I will explain right now, since most people only read the first few sentences of a review. The combat system is very lackadaisical to the point where sometimes you rage because you can't hit more then one person at a time unless by some miracle they are standing right next to each other, (which makes the game somewhat difficult). It's like they put no thought behind the combat system at all and just threw it together. I mean, if I'm using a two-handed sword the entire game I expect to be able to swing the s*** out of it and hit more then one person like William Wallace, but apparently they thought that wouldn't be smart, or didn't bother to test it out. This would have improved the game greatly, ( however, it probably would have made it a little to easy especially when you have all of your witcher spells).
Another thing I didn't like was the casting time of witcher spells, I felt they were extremely late when trying to cast them, and in order to kill big mobs of enemies you have to kite them around the map, which isn't so bad, but it doesn't really feel like you are doing anything besides throwing fire and force pushing people or setting up traps.
Also, another thing that really angered me was I maybe missed 3-4 side-quests and there is an achievement for reaching level 35, just so happens I was 34 1/2 at the end game mission and never received any experience for completing the game that could have leveled me up more to where I would reach 35 (those who like achievements I believe you can get level 35 in the arena but it will take awhile to do so, and I'm not entirely sure if it gives it to you or not).
The paths for leveling up doesn't really do anything special besides deciding to go the Spell path, due to the fact that swordsman is pretty much worthless after you get the parry ability. Because if you max out in the witcher spell tree you can't use the ability you earned for doing it during boss fights, so "what's the point"?
PARENTS LISTEN NOW BEFORE PURCHASING THIS GAME FOR YOUR CHILD IT HAS NUDITY IN IT, AND PLENTY OF IT, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS A FILTER TO TURN IT OFF! (because some of it is part of the storyline) You will see boobs and sex within the first hour of playing.
Overall, the story-line was actually really good despite it seeming a little childish with some of the dialog, (a lot of dry humor). The whole feel of being Geralt of Rivea was there, and what you mission was clearly explained and the choices you make effect the outcome of the game (which I really enjoyed nice when a game incorporates that). THE music is awesome, I enjoyed it. For being what it seemed like a low budget game it exceeded my expectations.
Those of you who can't play Dark Souls because it's to difficult( or taking a break) I suggest picking up this game because it will test your ability to make decisions during fights much like Dark Souls does, but a little bit easier. And to those who wish to pick up a cheap game and want a game that has a good story-line you won't be disappointed in this. It's actually extremely good when you get over the bugs and frustrating combat system.
The last thing I will mention is, YOU don't need to buy or play the Witcher in order to get into the Witcher 2 because I didn't, (which I might think about getting now) it does a good job at explaining what is going on, and what has happened to Geralt, etc..
One thing I would have liked more, is having more places to explore and more chapters, it's not an open world RPG like Skyrim, but not as small as Mass Effect it's in between.
You shouldn't be disappointed in this game if you do decide to pick it up, just put the 2 hours into it then it will pick up and lift off into a great game, just don't let the combat fool you, you get used to after awhile (somewhere in the middle of chapter 1)
Hopefully Witcher 3 will fix all these issues and produce a game that everyone can enjoy, because it is a great story-line there are just minor flaws that could set you to thinking this game is complete garbage because I said it numerous times while playing but finished it and liked it.
(One last word before I forgot, is I wish they would have explained what happened to certain people instead of just throwing them away after the game was over).
Oh, and boobs (@)(@) just to make sure you read all the way down to here. Because I'm sure amazon won't ;) | video-games_xbox |
Best Non-traditional JRPG on 360. Resonance of Fate does all the things Tri-Ace has been trying to accomplish for years. It succeeds in the areas their other games had failed in, topped off with what I believe to be their best combat system on the 360.
Eternal Sonata had a creative battle system and decent characters, but failed in premise, pacing, and (most of the) story.
Star Ocean: TLH had a great battle system, nice visuals, and interesting crafting but had abominable characters, the worst pacing I've ever seen, and a confusing, boring, and unnecessarily long story.
Infinite Undiscovery... Well, frankly it sucked. It was close to broken as far as gameplay, the story was a long string of coincidences with a vague "dumbass saves the world" plot, an unmanageable party system, and one-dimensional characters. I guess if there was anything positive... It looked nice and had nice music. That's really all I got out of it.
Resonance of Fate gets all these things right. I recognize the good aspects of all of their previous titles in this game.
The atmosphere and world they've created in Basel is a new take on the apocalyptic settings found in most FPS as of late, with a creative puzzle-style game mechanic on the world map. The mythos behind the world is slowly revealed, intermixed with the personal day-to-day experiences of your party.
The group of three bounty hunters are together at the beginning, and for the most part they stay together throughout the game. They are all complex characters, complete with reasonable responses to every situation. There is some over-the-top humor, but honestly it doesn't bother me that much. The game also delves into very interesting philosophical and religious questions, focus on fate (topical!) and personal choice vs predestination. The characters might look like your average JRPG characters, but they might surprise you in how they act.
The combat system, which is the core of the game, is very complicated and has been explained extensively in other reviews. I believe it's Tri-Ace's best work to date. In order to get into though, taking all the tutorials and investing in a lot a lot of arena practice is a necessity. Once you get into it (Which is not nearly as long or as difficult as some have said), the combat is fun, deep, and strategic. There are numerous strategies, a variety of weapons, and many useful and/or fun items.
The menus are clear and easy to navigate, the graphics, although not awe inspiring, look average to good for this generation.
My favorite part about this game is its value. I'm well over 50 hours (over halfway through in chapter 10) and it only gets better. There's a lot of content to get through, a lot of excellent story, and a lot of good times to be had. | video-games_xbox |
Works great initially, but will cause failures later on. I had purchased the original Intercooler for my 360 last year. Initially, it worked like a charm, keeping the system cool to the touch. After awhile, my console started having issues. Thinking it may have been a defective unit, I swapped it out and got another one. In almost the same time frame, the second console started having problems. The only constant was the Intercooler. Save yourself some grief. Buy a USB powered laptop cooling pad. I use an Antec one that is frequently on sale for $10. It works like a charm and doesn't harm the 360.
--Some analysis for those who care--
First, an observation. On several units, plugging in the intercooler caused the CD tray to open poorly. It was sluggish and sometimes didn't open up completely. Unplugging the intercooler immediately fixed the issue.
Thinking about the design, it makes sense why my console was failing.
1. The extra device was under-volting the 360. Anyone who has taken high school physics knows that a fan can be simplified as a resistor. By putting an extra resistor between the 360 and the power supply, you are creating an unexpected voltage drop before the power even gets into the 360. Less voltage = less power.
2. The 360 is a computer, not an appliance. It has a motherboard, drives, and all that fancy stuff. Inside a computer, power goes into 2 places: motherboard and drives. Drives are fairly tollerant to power fluctuations. Hence, you can put fans and other devices in the same power line as a hard drive or optical drive without too much issue (up to a point). The motherboard and all components on it, are far more sensitive to fluctuations. Therefore, power coming in first runs through a regulator on the motherboard. These regulators expect a certain amount of voltage and current. Power that comes out of these regulators is clean and at the right amount. By reducing the amount of power going into the regulators, not enough power can be supplied to the components, causing damage. Ultimately, this can lead to failure
3. While the power supply is rated for 203 watts, anyone who has built a computer knows that the rating usually means the peak power the supply can put out. The constant output is typically lower than that. Under no circumstances should the power supply be constantly run at the peak power (unless explicitly stated, like an Antec TruPower). Given this, the supply can easily supply the ~180 watts necessary for 360 peak performance. It can probably safely supply somewhere up to 185-190 watts. Any more than that and the supply will become unstable if constantly asked for that load.
Misconception that I've seen all over: "The 360 can power all these extra devices like battery chargers and wired controllers, why shouldn't it be able to handle a couple fans?"
Reason: The issue isn't if the 360 can handle it, but rather where the fans are placed. All of the peripherals for the 360 are powered by USB, which runs through the motherboard. This means the power is drawn from the board and through the voltage regulator on the board. The board controls where the power is sent. USB power is a standard, and each port is rated for a certain amount. If the draw on a port exceeds the rated amount or there is a short, it shuts off to protect the other components. An external device bypasses all regulation and safety measure. | video-games_xbox |
Controller Compatibility. Allow me to talk mainly about the controller compatibility, because if you've already played a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game before, then you already know what you're in for. If you enjoyed the previous offerings, you'll enjoy this one as well.
If you'd like to skip my explanation then just skip to the compatibility reference chart picture I added.
Now about compatibility. I had heard that the old controllers would be compatible. I was excited to hear this because I already had a drum set and guitar from a previous version that I wanted to use to save some cash.
With the Xbox One I understood that this required an adapter due to some new wireless protocols Microsoft added to the Xbox One that the 360 didn't have.
Okay, no big deal. I'll just make sure I get the adapter. The problem is that the adapter only comes bundled with the game, itself. It does not come with the bundle that includes the game and guitar. Weird, right?
I purchased the "game and guitar" bundle for three reasons:
1) I wanted to use my old drums and guitar
2) I wanted an additional (2nd) guitar to the one I already had
3) I liked that the new RB4 guitar had a sensor built in that automatically synced the visual and audio timing. (I always hated wasting time trying to get that set just right every time I took my kit to a party somewhere.)
After finding out that I couldn't get the adapter with the "game and guitar" bundle, I decided that I would purchase the adapter (made by MadCatz, who is also the manufacturer for the instruments) separately. But guess what? The adapter is not sold separately (yet). I checked brick and mortar stores and all over the internet. No one has the adapters.
Then, in trying to track down the adapter, I learned a little more. The adapter only works with the old instruments that are wireless, NOT wired. My old drum kit is wired.
So now, I won't be able to use my old drums after all. If I had known that from the beginning I could have avoided this entire headache and just preordered the Band-in-a-Box bundle.
Now none of the brick and mortar stores near me have the whole kit and I had to order one from Amazon and wait another 2-days to get it, while in the mean time shipping back the bundle that includes the game and guitar.
For anyone else out there looking to use their old instruments, I found an informative chart on Harmonix's website that shows you which old instruments are compatible with which newer system. It wasn't readily obvious, I really had to dig to find it. But hopefully more people will see it if I post it here.
The short of it is this:
If you're going from PS3 to PS4 everything is compatible.
Wired instruments plug right in and work. Wireless instruments will use the originally included dongle (just as they did on PS3) and they will then work also
If you're going from Xbox 360 to Xbox One there is SOME compatibility.
Wired instruments are NOT compatible. Not even with an adapter.
Wireless instruments ARE compatible, ONLY if you have the required adapter.
If you are crossing platforms going from Xbox to PlayStation (or vice versa) none of the instruments are compatible; wired or wireless. | video-games_xbox |
NCAA "Arcade" Football 2010. Once again EA hits us with the same mediocre game they've caused long-time fans to sit through for the past few years. Being an animation based game, it is severely limited in what it can do and really plays like an arcade football game rather than a football simulation.
- Block AI Logic.
The AI in this game is completely retarded when blocking. It's almost like they asked a bunch of pee-wee players how to run block or pass block. There's literally no football logic in most of the plays. You'll have linemen not even blocking the right person or not even looking at the defender who is in the dang hole. I can honestly say that i believe that someone with no football logic programmed the line in this game. Even high school linemen use better logic when blocking than these bozos in game do.
- "Suction" tackling.
Because of the aforementioned animation based football game, you'll often see defenders "morphing" into the ball carrier and tackling him. There's absolutely no physics involved, no inertia, no nothing. It's ALL based on the animation that triggers. EA needs to take a look at 2K FOOTBALL. (All-Pro Football 2K8 and NFL 2K5) games created by 2K games STILL has animations, but it's executed in a way that it takes INERTIA AND PHYSICS INTO PLAY. You don't see 300lb runners getting decked by 150lbs defenders.
- Horrible Passing
No touch can be put on the ball. Often times interceptions are embarrassingly pre-determined. Inexcusable.
- "Gimmick" features instead of working on gameplay.
The gameplay on this game is horrible and they did no effort to fix it. They added "Season Showdown" and other horrible gimmicks.
- Defense doesn't even try to keep "Contain"
You'll see people abusing fast QB's because the defense has stupid logic and won't keep contain. They don't need to do it every time (as QB's have success running IRL) but when someone can scramble around for huge gains every time, something is wrong.
Much more. Just bad gameplay, bad features. Online dynasty is the ONLY reason to have this game. | video-games_xbox |
Wireless is the only way to go. This headset is truly unique. Ready to use right out of the box since it is paired at the factory. No need to be pushing buttons and dealing with pairing it to your game console. Just plug in the USB transmitter into our XBox One, turn on your PDF AfterGlow Headset and you are ready to go.
Has a wireless frequency of 2.4GHz. Claims to have a range of 40 feet but I attempted to go from my bedroom to the kitchen which is about 15 feet and the chat was choppy and came in and out. However, the battery life of 16 hours is true. I am able to get anywhere from 15-16 hours of battery life from one charge. To get longer life of your battery, turn off the headset glow feature on the headphones, this will conserve some battery power. I however love the glow! They take about 3 hours to fully charge back to life.
In regards to ear fatigue, they are adjustable but might be a little snug if you have a larger than average sized head. The padding on the top of the headset and over the ear cups are very well cushioned. After a couple of hours of play my ears were not uncomfortable or itchy.
More and more headsets are going towards this type of microphone - flexible and retractable types. This one is a longer than ones I have tried before but it seems this type always have problems. I got complaints that I was not able to be heard some of the time. It is more like cellphone quality conversation where you hear from one ear. I sounded muffled and unclear. However, it could also be my internet connection.
The power and mute is controlled by a large button on the cup. There are two modes that are controlled by mode button located on the headset. It controls basic audio and bass-boost modes, There are light indicators at the end of the mic to let you know what mode you are in.
In regards to game audio, this is where does the best. I don't place the volume on high where my ears will be ringing after playing games. I prefer a comfortable level where I can clearly hear the game and feel like I am inside the game action but still be aware of my surroundings. The AG7 does just that with crisp sounds and deep tones.
Besides the cool looks and great game audio, I love how I don't have to use that PITA XBox One headset game adapter on my controller. Using that thing drove me nuts because I kept bending the cable since I would set the controller on my stomach while playing. And I don't even want to go into trying to control the audio with that adapter.
Even though it is wireless, it can be used with MP3 players or mobile devices using the audio-in jack cable. | video-games_xbox |
The best (cliche, but best way to sum it up. I myself am not too big into the racing genre. The only other racing game I like is the burnout series. I got this game when I bough my Xbox as the new package deal for 180$. Like always, I give every game a chance, If I can't help it. Im glad I did. the game has gread car physics and feel, Fantastic Xbox live, Great costomization to put in you car, not to hard or easy, plenty of cars to choose from, and just outstanding. This game of cource was made to be a Gran Turismo killer, and It worked. the game has a line on the road to help you to find a strategic position on the track, and tells you when you should slow down, or speed up. Credits are easy to obtain to buy new cars, and costomize them. There are so many cars to choose from to buy, I almost soild myself. It even has a Buick Regal GNX to buy which is a great, under rated car. I am glad that they put it in because I love the car in real life. hopfuly this game will make more people know that before Buick went into the Granny car nitch, they made some nice cars. You can dramaticaly upgrade ANY car to make it WAY faster, and its easy to do. The soundtrack isn't all that great, but I just loaded up some Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica so It works out. This game also has a few Muscle cars from the late 60's early 70's to add to it. I just wish ther were more, not just a Challenger, GTO,and 2 Camaros. O yeah it also has the king of all cars made in the mid 60s, the 427 1965 Shelby Cobra. I know, my pants became 5 shades darker when I found this out too. you can change the color of your car to any color you want, even the color schems that change color when you move around it. plus you can add decals to your ride. thats cool, but I only do it with some cars, like if I HAVE to have some asian rice grinder for a race or too. Then I cover the car with decals as a joke to show that I really don't like ricers. I could go on and on, but then You would eventually slam your head into your desk rapidly if you dumb enough to read a 1,000 line review. so pick this up, you won't regret it. | video-games_xbox |
Top Spin doesnt cease to amaze. Top spin 4,the latest in a series that spans since the original xbox, has gone with what is tried and true with them and makes another amazing game. Since I haven't seen anywhere online, Im going to go into a bit about the online world tour. But 1st the general gameplay.
*General Gameplay*
+ The player models look very good and very fluid.
+ FPS does not slow down often during gameplay.
- There is never any lighting/weather change.
Once I booted up the game, the 1st thing I did was play a match between Agassi and Sampras. The player models looked very strong ass I went into the game. Then I started to play. With playing, the controls seemed very confusing at first. I was always getting things like too lates and too soons and my stamina was completely drained by the end of the 1st point. After I got the controls down, the game started getting a lot more intense. I remember sitting jumping up when I get a point because the game was so close. I ended up losing the game after a 1:20 minute game. I just sat there pissed off, and I knew that this was going to be a game that I love because of things like this.
*My Player*
My player mode works similarily to other years, with going by months. One thing that I thought that was a great addition is that you level up your players stats whenever you use them in gameplay, not just during Career mode. The creating of models was very easy to use.
Now for my favorite part of the game
*World Tour Mode*
World Tour Mode is an online "career" for your my player. You compete in tournaments with your my player against other people with a similar skill level (which is based on how many times you upgraded your my players stats)
The lobbies are easy to go around and playing a game was the best part. I found that no matter how many games I played online, there was NO LAG! That was exciting for me because the online makes a game replayable for me, instead of just repeating the story line. After playing a bunch of games, and finishing top 5 on the Online Leaderboards, I realized how much fun and how much competition there will be between people online.
*Conclusion*
I give this game a 9.5 out of 10.
Main points:
+ Graphics
+ AI Difficulty
+ World Tour
+ My Player
- Lighting/Weather
- Fans | video-games_xbox |
Xbox users beware. Now that they have released a patch to fix a few minor and major bugs I deem the game officially playable.
The world is HUGE! Just when I think I discovered a good portion of the map I look at my stats and it says <1%. Crazy! The game plays similar to Baulder's Gate or Norrath though I would say gameplay wise the battle system is not as good.
There are hundreds of quests, and just about everyone in the game you can talk to. You can even hear other townspeople talking while you are just standing around. There are lots of funny quotes that you can read on tombstones as well as famous quotes, they really put a lot of time into this.
Some notes:
-There is no pause. If you want to check your inventory, be careful you (or 2nd player) could be getting attacked and you wouldn't know it. Everything is real time.
-2 player on the same console do not share inventory screens. You have to view yours, then when you are done the 2nd play can view theirs. This really drags the pace from slow to terribly slow.
-it is not really a button masher as your player locks onto an enemy and you hold the button down while it attacks. Sometimes it'll look like it is attacking but it's missing, other times you try to change buttons to a different weapon and it won't work. Other times it'll lock on an enemy that's not even on the screen meanwhile the beast right in front of you is killing you! (mostly on range attacks)
-Instruction manual tells you very little. There is no strategy guide. Be prepared to learn as you go. Or read up on the Sacred 2 forums for help and advice.
- All text is 100% UNREADABLE in the game if you own a CRT Television. I have a 32" TV and couldn't read anything so I actually had to buy a small LCD monitor to hook my Xbox into just to play this game.
- There are tons and tons of armor, weapons, magics and combinations. Much like other games of its type you loot and you get lots of goodies.
- Dungeons are big and full of rats (at least early on). I mean you'll fight more rats than you can imagine to the point it gets a little annoying.
- You can mount horses and even fight while riding.
- Side quests can get monotonous. 20 hours in and still haven't fought a boss.
Now almost hours in I change my ratings.
Fun = 4 stars
Overall = 4 stars
As many faults as I can find in this game there is a strong addictive quality to it that makes you want to play all the time. Multiplayer is fantastic as well. The game is so large you definitely get your money's worth!
UPDATE: Problem was fixed through an update. Game gains more stars but still lacks something that Norrath and Baulder's Gate had | video-games_xbox |
A Solid Game. The Payne Is Back With Bullet Time. It was 2003 when Max Payne 2 came out, a sequel to a bloody, faul language game that had me go through its campaing at least 12 times. Bullet time was my old time favorite, and going through some of Max's darkest dreams was always a riddle on its own...
Now Max Payne 3 is here..we find an older Max, boozed and high on pills, the same old demons inside his head...His old self in a brand new game...Max Payne 3 will take you for a wild ride from the minute you start until the very end. I started playing the game last night at midnight and haven't been able to put it down until now; a solid single player will keep you on your toes and the various multiplayer options will keep you occupied for many hours to come.
The story begins with Max finding himself working in Brazil for a private security company looking after a real state big shot, whom puts Max in charge of his wife's security..of course, she is kidnapped..and that's as far as I will go...NO SPOILERS here. The main story is great, it will keep you intrigued from start to end, I can't go into much detail, but I can promise you this, it is a wild ride. You will be taken from Brazil to the US and back. The story will unfold in ways you won't expect and I guarantee you will like every bit of it, I can't say more without spoiling it, so I'll stop with one phrase, get ready, this is the best Payne so far. An explosive end awaits you.
The game looks amazing, from face animation to environments, everything has been done with extreme detail and it truly paid off for Rock Star, this is an A++ game. From shadows, to night lights, to gun battles, you will have plenty of eye candy to enjoy; it is a gorgeous game.
If you have a surround sound system, get ready to get your face melted; the deep bass and sharp bullets sounds make this an experience like no other. The voice work is top notch filled with plenty of faul language and taunts, it's the old payne we knew from before. One of my favorite aspects of the game, sound wise, is the background music, a bit slow mo samba, with a twist of drama, keeps the atmosphere in suspense, the music caliber of hollywood big budgets; the voice work, specially from the locals, is dead on, Portuguese is spoken and NOT translated, giving the game a true authenticity the reflects what you would feel in that situation when you find yourself in a foreign land not knowing the language and its slangs. A true masterpiece.
I'm happy to report that the controls are solid, I had no issues popping fools left and right and best of all, BULLET TIME is back! oh yeah, fans of the series will be pleased and new comers will know what's all about. Bullet time gives Max the ability to slow down battle time and shoot your way out of tricky situations. You basically have a Bullet Time meter that gets used every time, but can be filled by killing enemies or when you're getting shot at. The covering systems is as good as always, but this time be careful, some cover can be destroyed and will leave you out in the open, so be prepared to move quickly. Rockstar added a "Final Kill Camera" which basically will let you know that you've cleared and area, you can slow the camera down for a more intense view :)
The game is rated "M" for mature and for good reason, there's plenty of booze, pills and sexual themes to go abound, so make sure under age kids don't play this. Max has to actually take pain killers as means to recover health (like good old times)
Targetting is has three stages, Hard Lock, which will lock whatever enemey is closer to you; Soft Lock, requires you to aim closer to targets and OFF, which basically turns targetting assistance off.
Enemy AI, I was worried at first, but again, RockStar has pulled it off, there's nothing dumb about those fools. They will take cover and try their best to make you bleed.
Multiplayer: The multiplayer aspect of this game is fun and addictive and it has the following modes and sub-modes:
Matchmaking: Join or creat your own party/game.
PlayLists:
Traning modes...deathmatch and team deathmatch for players new to the whole Max Payne MP experience (basically all of us)
DeathMatch: every gangster for himself
Team DeathMatch: Work with your gang to kill your rivals
Payne Killer: a blend of co-op and competetive play. The game starts with a standoff, whoever kills first, gets to be Max Payne and Raul Passos.
Large DeathMatch: up to 16 players killing each other.
Large Team DeathMatch: same as above, but in teams.
Gang Wars (my favorite:
Key events from the single player story are used as start off points. Gang Wars has the following:
Warfare... all out battle for supremacy
Showdown... battle to the death, the gang's strength depends on the previous rounds
Survivor....limited team lives
Last Stand... each gang member has only ONE life.
TakeDown... a target based mode. Take out the target and kill everybody else.
Short Fuse... arm a bomb and protect the one doing it.
Delivery...both gangs must collect and deliver items to a location
Grab....gangs fight to capture two bags and delivery them
Turf Grab....battle for turf
Total Turf...fight for multiple turf sections
Siege...pinned, one gang must hold on to 3 territories.
Passage... one gang runs for their life while being hunted by the other (one of my favorites)
If you want sex, alcohol, drugs, psycho episodes and plenty of blood, then Max Payne 3 is for you; a complete game by all means. Great story, awesome mechanics, gore and Bullet Time...Max is defenitely back. So there you have it, another solid game from the dudes at Rock Star, these guys have been in business for a long time and they always deliver. Kudos to them. | video-games_xbox |
Fantastic game... lackluster port. I'm not going to bore you with a summary of the game, suffice to say that as the first real premier FPS, this baby sports a very simplified control scheme with no ability to jump or even peer mindlessly at the ceilings or floors or at the fireball-spouting imp standing above you. And if you're still okay with that concept, then do read-on.
I've played just about every incarnation of Doom that's been on a console, from the compacted Genesis 32x version, to the 3DO, the atrocious Atari Jaguar, and the slightly ramped-up Playstation One version. This Xbox 360 downloadable version lands somewhere in the middle for me.
This version feels almost as if someone slapped it together on a whim... and in a day. The multiplayer is the only place where this version shines, LIVE does an awesome job of connecting you to your friends, with lag that is almost entirely non-existant. Everything else however...
As far as graphics go, they stick to their roots verbatim and for a game that's 15 years old, you don't expect anything great since they're blocky sprites and not the 3d models of today's games. They reworked the sound to seem close to being surround, but even then you'll get some weird and unexpected anomalies (especially when monster screams from repeated chaingun bullets run over top of each other and sound like an unintentional octave, out of nowhere). And as far as the controls... well, the controls are just barely workable in my opinion.
You can't configure them at all. You're not even given the option of *slightly* changing the layout--which is understandable with today's games where every button is completely necessary, but even the oldest ports had SOME kind of choice as to which buttons do what since there's only really 9 button and a directional pad needed. The d-pad and the symbol buttons are mapped to the same functions: open doors/flip switches, go back and forth through the weapons in your inventory (which is atrociously slow, and on top of that, has no memory of your presses to makeup for it--pressing left multiple times in a hurry to get from Weapon 5 to Weapon 2 does absolutely nothing but change only one weapon... again, S-L-O-W-L-Y, which becomes a major hassle in the middle of an unexpected close-combat firefight and you've got your rocket launcher up), and with the last button function you can open the map, and the map is probably one of the most noticeably dumbed-down functions of the port.
In the real game (and every one of the more modern console versions), while viewing the top-down, fullscreen "automap", you usually can: zoom-in or out of your current position, or roam around the screen in a free mode, where the center of the map moves without changing your position on it. For whatever reason they decided not include the free roaming view, and that's fine... in smaller maps. Once you get into maps that may take longer than 3 mins to completely traverse, checking for incomplete red map lines to indicate where you haven't been/seen yet becomes a terrible project and your only option is either to zoom all the way out to Google Map proportions, or to wander around blindly with the fullscreen map up, moving your arrow avatar around and trying not to bump into walls, fall into sludge pits, or worse. Go ahead and picture the in-game reality of that if you will: a confused space marine, all alone with a shotgun under his arm, stranded on a giant, darkly-lit army base with rifle-toting zombies, ghouls, and deadly radioactive waste around every corner... with his face buried in his map because he took a wrong turn somewhere, and now he's reduced to wandering around aimlessly... trying not to bump into walls. It's just silly, and arduous. Luckily if and when you do lose your way, you can generally just keep running up and down every hallway, following every wall until you've reached a door, a switch, or an area you haven't gone through yet though, if that's your style of play.
The final slap in the face is the trusty "Screen Size" option. As a PC user, I tend to get excited just by the mention of this. This isn't the "pick your resolution" kind of option of modern games, this is the "brick-by-brick" incremental style, where there's normally your HUD bar taking up residence at the entire bottom of the screen, and a window in the middle of the screen where all the action is and literally, you can make the inside-window smaller or bigger to help the program run smoother, but incrementally. The biggest inside-window setting would do away with the status bar entirely and even reveal extra "action" that was just-out-frame (which was very cool at the time, even revealing more of your weapons than you could normally see). Most console ports just have a set size that they decided was the biggest the window could be to display the most action while still having a decent framerate. On the 360 however, adjusting your screensize literally does just that, magnifies or de-magnifies the entire game screen--HUD, action window, and all--it all grows or shrinks. Why they thought this was useful to anyone, I'm not entirely sure, aside from a few users with flatscreens that overscan, otherwise I don't get it. It can get pretty tiny, and the biggest it gets is to magnify the center of the screen until you almost can't see the space at the bottom where the HUD is, but then this also cuts off the same-size of space at the top of the screen (the size of HUD at the bottom); Also to note that there's no "re-envisioning" for widescreen tv's at all, which although would've been amazing, it's completely understandable (especially compared to everything else this port dropped-the-ball with).
In the end, this is still a fun and classic game, and if you meet any of the below criteria, I still have to vote a big YES to downloading it:
- if you want a fun and modern way to link-up with friends (or strangers) for co-op or deathmatch Doom,
- if you've never played Doom but love classic FPS, or finally
- if you can't find your PC copy and need to get your fix. | video-games_xbox |
MLB2K11 Review - Its average at best. So I picked up this game day-one because I was loving what I had seen from both the demo and multiple blogs/pics/videos. I was so excited to play a full game, and start a franchise. Yeah, once I played the first game, my joy turned to frusteration because the bugs started to show. Lets just get this out of the way now, the game is just OK.
The first problem for me was the way the game presents itself. I really don't know why they found it necessary to change the camera angles, especially in the field. When the ball is hit, I undestand the concepts that they were going for with a Television broadcast, it just doesnt work. The field looks distorted when they go to these views and they just look very poor. When you are controlling the fielders the view is just too close, on pop files is where this is really a problem. Last year, the game used a sky cam that still showed detail and here you go closer and get good detail but very hard to judge fly balls, whether your player is super good or super bad.
The game also is very graphically sound but it costs it in the frame rate category. The frame rate drops and gets really choppy on pop ups, really high foul balls and really high pop ups on the infield especially. The game is looking better but running worse, take your pick but I would rather a game flow better than look prettier.
The mechanics are much of the same and there are some minor changes as far as they go like more customized stances and movements, but overall it just doesnt make the game more playable and thats the biggest problem.
Pitching can be hit and miss and while I appreciate the "non-spot-on" because no matter if you are the best pitcher or the worst, none are spot on every single pitch. I really think that overall the delays that you get when you are watching the motion draws out the game in an unnecessary way. It moves too slow and can really throw off your timing.
Again, this game is OK, its not an improvement over 2k10, which I enjoyed, actually its probably a little worse. When it comes down to it I really feel like the developers had to know that these bugs were here but I guess when you have the rights to something that makes you the sole producer its ok to just put something out because when you own a 360 its your only option should you love baseball..... Like me :-( | video-games_xbox |
Move in the right direction, Kudos to MK X creators. MKX gets what a good fight game should be. It should be complex enough that it doesn't come across redundant after an hour of play. The gameplay should be quick, yet not so, that you can't execute special combo or special move and dominate the game with non-inspiring punches and kicks. Lets face it, most of us guys end up buying a fighting game even if we barely get 10 hours out of it because we love the idea of having a fighting game so we can enjoy quick matches for occasional visit from friends or family, but it gets boring and repetitive when you are playing the same game against people online that you don't know. It isn't like you 'Call of Duty' where it takes hours of solidarity to knit the right strategy and familiarize yourself with nooks and crannies of each map. Most of the fight game franchise are churning profit because they won us over when we were kids, we know the characters and their moves, but there is barely any real change in my opinion. I've to admit the last 'fighting game' I bought was Street fighter and 'MK vs DC' so I'm not familiar with this franchise other games. MK feels different though. The gameplay incorporate special moves so well that it is hard to tell when one move begins and the other one end. Some of the Old Character moves are refreshingly innovative and the extra layer of choosing variation of the same character just add dimension to the fighting capabilities. Some of the combo moves are hard, hard enough that you feel rewarded when you take the risk to execute it. I've yet to enjoy the story mode or the story mode but my gameplay experience so far tells me that it'll be a while before I gather the courage to challenge players online. I've moves to master and understand the dept of my character. If you crave a good fighting game and haven't had luck, MK X will not disappoint.
Update: I dropped a Star because I hate the idea of paying extra for new characters. The game cost $60 to begin with. I hate the direction the game company are moving. It used to be that the game was so great that ppl would love to pay for more maps. Now it's standard to sell alot of the stuff separately. Main reason why I stopped buying COD games. | video-games_xbox |
Works Amazing But Installing It Was A Pain. So I rated this 3 stars because of how difficult it was to install this thing on my computer. Also because- even though I as a consumer should be looking at the information better- I feel like the company who sells this could have done a better job of informing us about it being a pain in the arse to install on Windows 7 64-bit.
I plugged the adapter in along with the disk it came with and installed the drivers. Then came the part of me trying to hook my controller up to the adapter- which in return led to a series of events and what should have been a five minute install if even, took roughly an hour. Looking up my problem was difficult through Google, but once I found the information- it wasn't too hard to do. But I have never before had to go into the msconfig program and mess around in there, just to install a program.
Now, I should have done more research instead of looking at the review rating, and then buying it. I probably should have checked the Amazon reviews of this very product to save me some time at Googling the problem myself as well. I could have and should have gone about this differently. However, I do feel like the company who is selling this, could have done A LOT better job at posting how it "isn't compatible with Windows 7 64-bit" instead of towards the bottom of the page in the product description. They should have instead, posted it towards the beginning of the page where the picture is with the bulletin points.
However, aside from the whole Msconfig installation, I do enjoy this product. I think the product is very well made and I have had no issues with it after the installation bull crap. I will recommend this product to everyone that is not running on Windows 7 64-bit. However, if you are running on that operating system- I suggest you go look at the adapter made from Microsoft as the installation for that isn't that bad and you won't have to take all of those steps needed to troubleshoot the problem you are going to have with this adapter. | video-games_xbox |
It's Halo - for better or worse. You've played Halo and Halo 2? Get ready for more of the same with Halo 3. This means everything you liked will still be there and everything you didn't will be as well. Bungie played it safe.
Singleplayer:
Singleplayer has fairly nicely laid out levels. This is still a very "on the rails" experience. You have a limited number of ways to accomplish your tasks and the game will beat you over the head at times because of this. The checkpoints are more numerous than in previous iterations so you won't be playing through that same fights over and over again as often. The Normal difficulty mode will be too easy for those skilled at first person shooters. Do yourself a favor and play it at on Heroic instead. The best feature of the campaign is the ability to play co-operatively. This adds quite a bit to the experience. This feature works very well over Xbox Live.
Multiplayer:
This is the downer in my opinion. Gameplay has not sufficiently advanced since Halo 2. Many of the weapons feel cheap and there is a definite lack of balance. The levels favor those who have taken the time to memorize the locations of items. Many weapons seem useless in most circumstances. A majority of enemy encounters break down into little more than a melee-fest. You can still expect to see people bunny-hopping all over the place. The play lists are too broad in scope and you will inevitably get stuck in a boring match at some point. Searching for a room can take a good bit of time on occasion. Some of the more interesting modes such as Infection are very rarely selected. You will play the more bread-and-butter Slayer (deathmatch) quite a lot. Leveling up takes a long time and you will be punished for not playing every single spare moment you have. Luckily, the unlockable items are nothing more than cosmetic improvements to your character. The disadvantage is that it makes the multiplayer seem hollow with nothing worthwhile being accomplished from your investment of time. Some of the maps have been regurgitated from Halo 2 which makes this "new" game seem old right out of the box. The number of levels available in multiplayer is sub-par for the genre and Bungie's decision to charge players an additional fee months after the release for more maps seems like a huge money grab. The maps don't always lend themselves well to the type of gameplay selected or the number of players in the game. The Forge "level editor" really isn't a level editor but rather a weapon layout and item placement mode. Its implementation is bland and I don't know that many will find it to be of much use.
The bottom line:
It's good but not great. This could have advanced the Halo franchise but instead it has become mired in mediocrity. | video-games_xbox |
Like an Updated Rock Band. Rock Band 2 easily follows closely to it's predecessor. Much like the first game the menus and venues are relatively the same. Given some new songs, and some slightly enhanced visuals and modes, one won't have a hard time switching over.
Infact RB2 is a pinch easier on the timing window for hammer ons and pull offs. If this turns one away the difficulty has been raised to offer more a challenge, songs like Judas Preist's "Painkiller" and Metallica's "Battery" are quite the uproar. Luckily their still is a handfull of easy songs, and of slight difficulty.
RB2 versatile rocking track list feels a little blue. Many awesome songs, but so many filler alt rock bands that don't really live up to a Rock Band feeling swarm the game. It's not even so much the songs are bad, they just really don't fit the experience all too well. Atleast one has the option to transfer all RB1 songs to their HDD for use in RB2. As good as a boat load of new tracks smell it has a slightly offending odor to it. One must pay a light fee, and a few tracks aren't available. This is due to a licensing issue.
Rock out at a party with this stellar title, play at home and crank the speakers, download some tracks and invest some time in good qaulity music. Rock Band 2 is finally here.
This version lacks the 'gear' to immersivley play, but one should already of had access previously if purchasing this variant. Inside the booklet of the game contains a code which allows access to 20 free songs from the Rock Band site, as of now the songs have still yet to appear. Rock Band 2
features a strong online community and an even strong dowloadable content (DLC) basis. Every Tuesday songs are released, upon paying for them you can have access to entire albums! Harmonix has also allowed for single players to play World Tour mode, this is much like the multiplayr aspect of the previous game. 'Touring' locations all over the world unlocking new songs and venues as one progresses, you can even join up with your band to continue.
Overall Rock Band 2 is great, only main issue is unlocking every song is a bit tedious. The equalizers on certain songs sound poorly mixed. | video-games_xbox |
WW2 served up again like so much chow. 1 am going to be a bit of a contrarian here. For some people this game will be disappointing and I am sorry I bought it. First some of the graphics are pretty good, some from 1st person perspective look like original Xbox, In fact the only graphics that look current gen are the faces and uniforms, everything else looks last gen. Next complaint, the controls cant be customized so some folks may like and some won't but worse the controls are somewhat glitchy, try running, you can't zig zag or backpedal leading one to killed over and over. The button for jumping over obstacles only work where the designers want you jump so many times you will try jump over a wall and nothing happens leading to another death. Also there was no melee or prone that I could find. The designers are also pretty chintzy with grenades with a lot levels with no grenades at all.
Another annoying feature is if you get killed toward the end of a level you have to restart it, which I am one those folks who hate repeating the same level over and over.
This game has a lot of graphics glitches too, with guns hanging in mid air, clipping and some parts the action seemed like I was playing the original Wolfenstein.
I think games like the Call of duty series make me feel more like it is a real war, this game feels to me like paintball or airsoft with a dash of Band of Brothers cut scenes. People rave about the story, but the game has little if no background on what the game is based on Operation Market Garden. I also hated the lighting, I know it is supposed to look like Holland, but it just seemed like an paintball game in Martha's vinyard in the summer with the exception of a few scenes there was almost no atmosphere of war.
In my view this game is slightly better then the budget war games put out by the History channel. The sound was probaly the better part of this game. I'm just playing through it because I don;t want to feel like I wasted my $70, I got the collectors edition which came with a 6 inch Gi Joe type action figure which was ok but kinda of boring.
There are a few cool things like the blood, head shot slow motions, but again there are graphic problems, if you shoot into a wall not near any fighting there is no bullet holes, some of the enviroment is destrucible and some isn't. The game gets very repetive, basically amounting to the same squad tactics just different locations. I played on multiplayer and like some others was not to impressed.
that's my two cents worth, I say rent if before you buy it to see if it is your cup of tea. | video-games_xbox |
Lacking...Seriously. 1.) First of all as stated in so many other reviews on of the things that got Marvel vs. Capcom so big was the amazing selection of characters, which was a big let down in this game. For instance you have Zero but no Megaman, you have Spider-Man but no Venom(who has been in the last two games along with Megaman), and you have Ryu but no Ken...Why are they not in this one and were is Strider,Gambit,and Jin?! The lack is staggering and the Shuma-Gorath and Jill character pack coming March 14,2011 helps a little but does not do the game justice. When I first heard about this game I was hoping for new characters plus a lot of the old ones added in, instead I a got a bread crumb of what should have been a whole loaf of bread. There are core characters that needed to be in here that were not. I felt like I went to watch a Batman movie and there was no Batman.
2.) Second the new added characters could have been better, but were not bad. I think X-23, Phoenix, DeadPool, Dante,Zero, Hsien-Ko and Amaterasu were all excellent choices, however there are a few that I think were bad ones. First off Viewtiful Joe...Seriously? My second peeve would be C.Viper. I would have rather seen Vega, Cammy, or Blanka who are way more popular among fans than her. I did not even know who she was until I looked her up. Also I think they should have added long time fan favorite Jon Talbane a long time favorite of Darkstalkers into this game and maybe even Donavan as well. I think this game lacks in Darkstalkers, there are only three: Hsien-Ko, Felicia and Morrigan.
3.) Gameplay wise this is a step up from the previous Marvel vs. Capcom games and I commend the creators for their achievement on this. The only down side is that they screwed up the controls on a few of the characters, namingly Tron Bonne and C.Viper. Now I what I mean is they are not the easiest to control especially Tron, I used to kick some major butt with her and now it's like I am playing with a completely different character and she does not move like she used to either. This was a major downer for me seeing she was one of my favorite fighters and I cannot use her anymore because of this. Now C.Viper can be hard to fight against but is not easy to use, (much like Tron) and I can't stand to play as her.
4.) I give this game two out of five stars because of the lack of characters this game "was" known for. The game play I give four out of five stars because it is an improvement that has made the game better for the most part. If the makers want to make this game better then they should create a huge DLC character pack or remake this game altogether. The special edition comes with the DLC code for Shuma-Gorath and Jill Valentine,a code for a month of Marvel's digital comics unlimited, and a comic book preview of the game as well as artwork (which I believe you can unlock on the game). I give the limited edition three out of five stars because they could have done something really cool like included exclusive characters only to this besides the DLC codes, although I think the month of Marvel Comics Unlimited is really great and is what persuaded me to give it an extra star. Also the artzy steel book case is just magnificent. One thing I would like to add is even though there are so many things wrong with this game it is still super fun with its playability, so don't knock it till you try it. I would only recommend buying the limited edition if you are a major fan/collector or if you just really want the codes. Otherwise stick with regular edition of the game and save your money. I am sure the DLC codes will be released for X-Box Live in the near future...That is usually what happens anyway. | video-games_xbox |
Feels fake, but works fine. The official product should install its drivers automatically, but this one took some trial to it. I had to download drivers from Microsoft's website and install them in a non-usual fashion that might throw off less technical shoppers. After the install, I've never had a problem at all, which is great because many PC games are including Xbox 360 controller support by default and Valve's Steam's 'Big Picture Mode' is gorgeous and easily navigated with a controller. I've even used this product on my Nexus 7 (2012) Android tablet with this item: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/B0081CRXGI/dp/B0081CRXGI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">B0081CRXGI</a>
Here are the instructions I emailed to myself to make sure I didn't have any trouble in the future - I do not accept any responsibility for your installation issues and these websites are not affiliated with Amazon.com - they're safe (or were for me). I've summarized the installation instructions so you can skip the forum post if you want, but if it doesn't install automatically you'll have to hit up the Microsoft link:
The software is here but I attached it for convenience. It puts a generic class of drivers on your PC:
[...]
But the setup has no indication of how to get it to work. On this post, page 5 by Inav86,
[...]
Summarized here:
"...you then have to manually select the drivers for the receiver in the device manager
Right click on Computer > Manage > Device Manager > Microsoft Common Controller for Windows
It might be unrecognized at this point, I don't remember, just right click on the right entry and select update driver then go to Browse my computer for driver software... then pick from a list of device drivers on my computer and you should see Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows, select it and it should work."
I hope this helps someone avoid some frustration and get right down to the games! | video-games_xbox |
Fits, works, but it's not OEM features/quality. These fit the controller well, and seem to hold power while shaking/striking the controller. However, they are not OEM quality, as detailed below (compared to OEM and Diageng model). Also, they were shipped in a frosted ziplock baggy, inside a bubble wrap envelope.
1) The terminal contacts are symmetrical, simple single bends on both sides. The OEM backs are asymmetrical, with the negative side (positive contact) having two extra bends to cradle the battery nipple. The Diageng back I tried previously had asymmetrical bends, but the bend was too high. Impacts to the controller caused power to drop and I believe the contacts were to blame.
2) The safety "switch" in the middle of the pack does nothing, and is there for show/fit. The internal contacts are one piece, rather than two. On the OEM part, the middle switch makes contact when fully seated in the controller. Depressing the release button and lifting the back just a little will power off the controller. The Diageng back I tried previously had a working switch like the OEM back (it was not the issue with power drops, by the way, because I tested it with leads jumpered). You have to remove this back completely to power off a controller with the Xinkeen model. Also, I would not keep batteries installed in the unit when unattached to the controller, lest something makes contact across the batteries (this is why they tell you not to carry loose batteries as well, forming an unloaded circuit is bad).
3) This unit does seem to have a slightly larger release spring like OEM. Diageng's spring was smaller.
4) No internal rubber pad exists to pad the batteries. This pad is in front of the release pushrod in the OEM unit. Diageng did not have one either. Batteries have more movement inside the back
This is a much simpler design than the original back. As such, they seem overpriced for what you get and how they are packaged. So, in case you were thinking, "these are slightly more, they must be better", you would be, at least, partially wrong. Who knows? Maybe this simplified design is much better than what Microsoft specced? Somehow I doubt that. | video-games_xbox |
Epic and Memorable. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or KOTOR, is an amazing game. It took me over 60 hours to beat, side quests and all. This game delivers a whole new aspect of the Star Wars universe you can't get in the movies. Play as your own character, customizable down to the last detail. Choose among dozens of fighting tactics and force powers, as well as dozens of weapons, both melee ad raged. Players engage in a unique Real-Time Turn-Based combat system, providing a wholly new challenge to the player.
-Storyline: 9/10
Excellent story. It really plays on the Star Wars saga, and brings out a whole new dimension not seen in the movies. But, at times, the plot goes a little thin, which is why it lost that tenth point.
-Graphics: 7/10
Breathtaking graphics, but Bioware could have used a few more polygons here and there. A little more detail would have been nice. But, of course, that would have meant that you would have had less room on the disc for everything else.
-Characters: 10/10
Very in-depth character design. Though some game models were used more than once for different characters, the personalities attached to the characters made them each seem wholly unique. That's how good the characters were.
-Music: 9/10
Excellent score. The music really seemed to play on the overall Star Wars theme, and molded itself to the respective worlds, as well. But....there could have been a little more of it.
-Control and Mechanics: 10/10
Perfect. The interface is expansive, but not complex, it builds itself on a few basic control principles. It's very easy to understand. As far as the combat system goes, I'm really impressed. I've never seen a system like it before, but it really adds a whole new aspect to the game. Very good, indeed.
-Flexibility: 10/10
It's an RPG. The game lets you alter your character in more ways than just looks, you can choose from numerous weapons, both ranged and melee, as well as dozens of upgrades, such as gauntlets, visors, belts, and armors. You can even customize the weapons themselves, by adding upgrades. You even get to build your ow lightsaber. In KOTOR, you follow either the path of the Light Side, or the Dark Side....but it's not that simple. Every decisio you make in the game has an effect on this modifier. Hear, hear Bioware.....good work.
All in all, if you're a star wars junkie, or just a fan, this game is for you. It throws you across seven wholly different planets, and introduces you to nine different companions, all of whom have their own special skills. Whether it be hacking security doors, or slashing Kath Hounds, they'll all come in handy.
KOTOR packs in an amazing amount of game time, yet still has the appeal to be played again and again. | video-games_xbox |
Too Much of a Good Thing: A Towering, Tedious, and (still) Terrific RPG. Fantastic but flawed, Dragon's Dogma offers a rich role-playing experience for those willing to overlook its nagging structure and underwhelming plot-line. Built around a spectacularly fun and interesting combat system, DD pushes the envelope for open-world RPGs with engaging boss battles and a setting rife for exploration. Unfortunately, the game falls prey to a tedious travel system that has you literally running from one corner of the huge game world to another and back again on a regular basis.
I played Morrowind back in the day, and absolutely loved traveling through the fantasy realm on foot, but here, a good decade or so later, the system hasn't aged well. This is only made worse by an unforgiving and clunky save-system that only allows one save-file per game: auto-saves are sparse, particularly in the open world, and quest failures are permanent. On top of that, your AI companions (AKA Pawns) are irritatingly outspoken, shouting about goblins and harpies endlessly while you try to take in serene views of the beautifully rendered land of Gransys. NPCs fare even worse, with abysmal voice-overs, dull visual design, and relentlessly recycled dialogue.
For all its faults, there's a really great game to be found in Dragon's Dogma. As I mentioned before, the game world is vast and diverse, and the combat system is nothing short of wonderful. Boss encounters are excellent, and often revolve around scaling the beasts for effective take-downs ( la Shadow of the Colossus), really adding to the game's immense sense of scale. DD also offers a wide variety of character classes and impressive skills that can be switched up at a whim for a more flexible gameplay experience catered toward your personal style.
Dark Arisen also delivers a terrific bonus for those who invest time and effort into the original campaign: the added setting of Brittleback Island is challenging and rewarding, with plenty of baddies and secrets to conquer as well. It's a great value packaged with in an already amply packed game: players willing to look past the more trying aspects of Dragon's Dogma will find a lot to love here. A rough but ultimately excellent experience worth checking out! | video-games_xbox |
A disapointment. No, don't get me wrong, this game has great graphics and highly realistic facial expressions and environments. It, isn't, however,(and this is due to my OWN very STUPID fault) the game I was expecting. Failing to read more thouroughly about the setup of LA Noire, I didn't realize that this game is only a series of episodes in the life of a rookie cop, Phelps, working his way up the police force ladder. I expected a continous storyline, and found out this game was only an episodic series of murders, thefts, etc etc.
No doubt it utilizes the best facial expression technology, and has highly detailed graphics, but the lack of a continous case other than maybe crawling up the police hierachy ladder, made it difficult for me to enjoy. I hated driving around the city in my police cruiser, but found I had a talent for mowing over and PO'ing pedestrians who shouted bizzare insutls at me. I had a harder time driving the cruiser in this game than I ever had learning to drive my own real car. I probably killed more people on sidewalks than I saved from bankrobberies or gas station shoot ups.
Also, I had the hardest time with the interogations. I was ready to pull my hair out by the roots just talking to these creeps who would run out on you as soon as you pressed A instead of B. (If I wanted to have this kind of conversation, I'd go back and talk to a group of snitty, middle school girls I once knew)
Also, the game tries to immerse you in history, showing you these little clips of old, hairboiled 1900's Los Angelos and narrating like a drone on the history channel or like some tough guy from a McDonald paperback. I kept shouting, just get on with it! I think the game may have forced me to watch and listen to this droning monolouge accompanied by olden scenes of backyard barbeques and the dangerous streets where the player later goes on to plow down millions of pedestrians. Anway, I never figured out how to fast forward through these parts.
Anwyay, that's just my opinion of this game, which I would NOT buy again, personally. Didn't like the episodic nature, couldn't really care about the individual cases, or for that matter the characters despite their highly stylized faces, and got tired of killing pedestrians and pulling out my hair over interogations. Just not particulary fun. | video-games_xbox |
Console comparison. I'm an owner of all three next-gen consoles, and I'd like to add an unbiased review to the console pages. Most of the reviews seem to be "[console here] SUCKS, [console here] IS BETTER".
Xbox 360:
The Xbox 360 is probably the best console to get if you enjoy online play. Xbox Live, although not free, is much better than Playstation Network and WiiConnect24. The controller has an ergonomic design that feels right. My only complaint is that the battery pack is somewhat in the way on wireless controllers. The system strikes with decent graphics, albeit not as good as the PS3. It looks about equal to a decent PC running with a GeForce 7 or Radeon X1600 series GPU. I'm quite happy with my Xbox 360 as a gaming system. As for media features, however, it is a bit inferior to Playstation 3, with DVDs playing at only 480p and no upscale support. The 360 Dashboard is, in my opinion, nicer than the Wii channel system or the PS3 xmb. The option to add an HD-DVD player is welcomed. The 360 also has a hardware chip for upscaling, meaning 720p games run at 1080p no problem.
Wii:
The Wii is an interesting console. The graphics are a bit better than Gamecube, but nothing to marvel at - PS3 and 360 blow them out of the water. That said, the Wii is a fun little console and definitely has a shot at wining the console war. WiiConnect24 isn't particularly good, though, and some of the Wii channels are lackluster. Wii has excellent backwards compatibility support, but Virtual Console is a bit overpriced. I don't really have anything negative to say about the Wii; it's a bit worse than the other consoles in graphics and features, but is nonetheless fun to play and fairly cheap at only $250. The Wii unfortunately had no HD support, save for widescreen-mode 480p. There is as of yet no true DS-Wii interoperation.
PS3:
The Playstation 3 surpasses both other consoles and many high-end computer systems in terms of effects - graphics, audio, etc. The Sixaxis controller adds a bit of wii-like style: in Motosport, for example, you can tilt the controller like a handlebar to steer your bike. I have no complaints with PS3, save the price tag. PSN is nice, but can't hold its ground against Xbox Live. The PSN store tends to be cheaper than Xbox Live; PSN hasn't taken to selling "map packs" and extra content - it's free (for now). PS3-PSP connectivity is lackluster; Remote Play allows only audio/video/photo sharing at the moment. Sony recently fixed the PS1/PS2 upscaling glitch. Most PS3 games run at at least 1080i, and some at native 1080p; however, without the addition of a hardware scaler, 1080i games cannot be scaled up to 1080p without serious lag issues, and run at 1080i for the most part. Blu-ray is a nice concept, but honestly, I don't notice much of a difference between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Most of the BR discs I've seen are only using 40 to 50% of their storage space. It's also possible to use a mouse and keyboard in game, whereas on the 360, you can only use a keyboard for sending messages or filling in forms on Live.
All in all, I'd recommend all three consoles, but to sum it up by best features:
Xbox 360 - Online play, many good FPS games. Lacking in RPG and Racing.
Wii - Several games from each genre. Too different to compare to 360 or ps3. Recommended!
PS3 - RPG and Racing is where PS3 really shines, but Resistance is an excellent game, too. PSN is decent. | video-games_xbox |
Avoid at all costs. At some point during the long development, the developers must have realized, "hey, we really have a piece of turd here" but since they already made commitments to investors and know that the Final Fantasy name will sell a million units, they grind on and released it. Easily one of the two worst games I've ever played. This game is PAINFUL to play. For an RPG you expect to have exploration, character customization, dialogue options, fun combat, and a good story. This game has none of those. It funnels you on a straight linear path with no dialogue options and little customization, the combat ALWAYS loops the same annoying theme music, and the story is the most painful part of all. Que stereotypical J-RPG characters: young boy struggling with self-esteem, blonde hair blue eyed iron willed lead character, stereotypical JRPG representation of goofy loud black guy with a chocobo that nests in his giant afro, and of course the "cat-girl" high pitched high energy highly annoying tweenie. The high production CG cutscenes were so painfully bland and cheesy that I immediately skipped through them whenever they popped up. And they pop up often. Run down linear path, cut scene, take another step, cutscene, kill one enemy, cutscene.
What happened to all the exploration and fun of the past Final Fantasy games? When at first I heard that this game was linear, I thought "linear? what do you mean linear? how can an RPG be linear?" It's literally one straight narrow road. Kudos to the developers for wanting to do something different, but they went too far off the deep end. I don't know what could have possessed the developers to make such huge critical conceptual flaws. I will never again buy a game with the names Motomu Toriyama (director) or Yoshinori Kitase (producer) on it.
Save yourselves from this garbage. I tried chugging away and kept hoping the torture would stop, but after six long HORRIBLE hours, I couldn't take it anymore. Some reviewers said that after 30 hours it becomes OK. Why would I play through 30 hours of torture just so the game can be mediocre at the very end? The bigwigs in Square Enix keep talking about the game's "success" and "perfection". They must be living in their own fantasy world where they believe if they keep putting out this kind of garbage and basking in the glory of their previous success that they'll still be able to rake it in. Developers are only as good as their last game, and this game deserves a 0/10. Forget the $60 I lost on this game, I want the six hours of my life back! For every person I steer away from this game, I will come that much closer to washing myself of the stench of this turd.
Think I sound angry at this game? Well, it's actually that bad.
Avoid at all costs, there is no redeeming value, and there is no type of gamer who could enjoy this game. | video-games_xbox |
A Fantastic Sci-Fi Adventure. Mass Effect is a story and character-driven series that is truly unique in its presentation. Every decision you make will have some sort of repercussion within the next two games of the series. The first entry in the series is very ambitious, and as long as you overlook some technical issues, it is a fantastic experience.
You will spend a majority of your time speaking with various characters that hail from all parts of the galaxy, developing relationships with those characters, and learning about the lore of the Mass Effect universe; the rest of your time is spent in combat with mercenaries, space pirates, or the Geth (a race of semi-sentient machines). A unique facet of the combat is the ability to use what the game calls biotics; essentially, they are powers that allow you to do everything from throw your enemy across the room to putting them into a form a stasis. Another staple of the series is the "Paragon" and "Renegade" meters, which measure how often you are being a sympathetic figure who is willing to compromise or a cold and deliberate jerk who just wants to get the job done.
Mass Effect isn't without technical difficulties, of course. The framerate is horrific; it jumps around between 15 and 30 frames per second, even in low action situations. A vehicle known as the Mako (which you will drive around a lot) has awful controls and you will find yourself turning even when you don't mean to. The checkpoint system can be unforgiving if you do not save often; more than once I had to replay upwards of 10 minutes of gameplay because there are so few checkpoints. Also, a lot of the optional side missions that take place on various planets are practically identical: the buildings which you must infiltrate only have three different variants, the landscape of the planets are very predictable (open planes and mountains everywhere), and there aren't any special missions which you might stumble upon.
Despite its shortcomings, Mass Effect is a must play for any sci-fi fan. The universe is so well-crafted and the characters are so well-developed that they do more than make up for the issues that reside in the game. Mass Effect is highly replayable because you can make a multitude of decisions through each playthrough and there are a number of unique classes that you can play as. For the $20 pricetag, Mass Effect is well worth the money. | video-games_xbox |
Up and Down Start. Growing up, I spent a lot of time playing my PS2 and playing Xbox over at friends' houses. I skipped this generation of consoles for a very long time due to school and finances, but I recently finally picked up a 360. The past few months have seen me furiously catching up on a lot of games that I've been dying to play for years, but am just now finally getting the opportunity to. Assassin's Creed was near the top of my list.
Atmosphere
As a lot of people have already touched on, and I'll shortly get to, there are a lot of issues with this game. This area of the game is definitely not one of them however. In fact the atmosphere is probably what kept the series alive through a bit of a rocky start. The Crusades were an incredibly compelling time in history, and Assassin's Creed re-creates that setting almost flawlessly. The graphics are honestly almost on par with many of the games that are coming out today...and yet this came out 7 years ago. It's clear where they spent the most time. I mean there are several points where there are even flies buzzing around your head, and yet it only happens at places you'd expect to have flies. There's just such a tremendous amount of attention paid to every single detail, it's incredible. The music is wonderful and fits each setting like a glove. The people are detailed...I mean I could go on forever explaining each detail, or I could just mention how the entire time I was playing this game, I felt like I was there. The modern-day setting was a little strange, and I'm still of the belief that the entire series could be pulled off just as well without it, but it makes more sense and gets more acceptable as it goes.
On a more personal, character level, Altair's kind of flat, makes a tremendous amount of very contrived "growth" in an unacceptably short amount of time, and I would describe the rest of the cast as quite one-dimensional. However, looking back, there's something very cool about that that Assassin's Creed takes advantage of (whether it was intentional or not) and that is, because Altair's kind of flat and hard to personify/relate to, there's a feel throughout the game of being this cold, ruthless, relentless, all-powerful assassin that rains death upon your targets. It's a big part of what kept this game likable through all of its flaws.
Gameplay
It's clunky, rushed, and fails to realize a huge amount of its very big potential. The AI is moronic to the point where it definitely ruins the gameplay, the fighting is way too easy, it follows the same drawn-out formula over and over (and over and over), and while the free-running/climbing is a cool idea, you never get to the point where you feel like you have complete control over it (there were countless times that in trying to jump up to the next part of a building, I'd just jump completely off of a tower to my death (among other issues), and it's not easy to figure out why). Like the free-running system, the crowd interaction in this game is a very cool idea that just isn't fully realized. They make it a very big point not to knock people over that have pots on their head, so the first time I accidentally did, I was expecting to immediately be under attack. I wasn't. I never was. It's not necessarily that that's a really hard thing to handle as much as it's just a good example of expectations and ideas about what's all possible through crowd interaction that just doesn't really happen. The crowds rarely seem to slow down guards that are after you in any way, it's very difficult to disappear in a crowd, but find a bench to sit on, a bale of hay to jump in, over moving scholars that are also dressed in white robes, and all of a sudden you're invisible. They make such a big deal of all of the cool possibilities of crowd interaction and free running, and yet at the end of the day it really doesn't end up being any better than any other game. It's just kind of deflating.
The one thing that I will give this game a great deal of respect for, though, is it's the perfect balance of difficulty to escape after an assassination. Every guard in the city will give chase the second that they see you, and you have to find a way back to your home base without any one in pursuit of you. That quickly became my favorite part of the game, and it's something that has fallen off tremendously in future titles, which is very unfortunate. There's nothing that quite replicates trying to disappear from a mass of angry, menacing characters, and then trying to make it back to your home undetected after you've managed to lose them. It's a great cocktail of adrenaline and strategy, and I think it's the feeling the designers were really going after when developing this game. It's just a shame that this is the only part of the game that really lives up to that.
Replayability
This is a very linear game with little to no variation in it. Seriously, like there are several Sega Genesis games with more variety than this unfortunately. As such, there's almost no desire in me to ever put this in my Xbox again. Not even to finish up the achievements, which is something I can be a huge completionist about, especially when it's well within reach.
Conclusion
This game is so promising, which, at the end of the day, makes it that much more disappointing when it fails to live up to its enormous potential. However, that promise is probably why people even gave them a second chance, one that Ubisoft thankfully delivered on. It's absolutely wonderful that developers try to innovate like this, but when the finished product is filled with sloppiness that so clearly could have been remedied with more time and development...developers need to realize how frustrating that is to their customers. I wanted so desperately to love this game, and I took what I could from it (which was at least enough for me to give it 3/5 stars), but at the end of the day, it's a sloppy, repetitive game with an almost insultingly predictable story, that just happens to feel really cool despite itself at times. I'd recommend it only if you have some time to kill and you're as much of a stickler about completing a series (or as much of a history buff) as I am. Everything that's important is covered very thoroughly in Assassin's Creed II, so playing this is not necessary for story purposes, and it's certainly not satisfying enough on its own merits to warrant my recommendation. | video-games_xbox |
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